Prediction Page, (bring your quatloos, gps, and internets, you'll need them.)

[brian 333]

For 10 quatloos:
MitD and Sunny know each other and are friends. When they meet in a later scene both will stop fighting, or whatever they are doing, to catch up.

For +2 internets and one 1984 interweb:
The Order of the Stick will progress to a finale somewhere besides Kraggor's Gate.

A side bet of 100 gps:
The location of the finale will be Xykon's Astral Fortress, in a kind of mirror battle of the Battle of Azure City, which will show all of the remaining factions, (not the deities themselves) pulling out all the stops to achieve the outcome they desire.

Feel free to put down your bets on these or other predictions. For example, I imagine that Mr.Scruffy, on the Astral Plane, will be 30ft tall. I have not assigned a value to this claim. Yet.

[Kish]

For 10 quatloos:
MitD and Sunny know each other and are friends. When they meet in a later scene both will stop fighting, or whatever they are doing, to catch up.

For +2 internets and one 1984 interweb:
The Order of the Stick will progress to a finale somewhere besides Kraggor's Gate.

A side bet of 100 gps:
The location of the finale will be Xykon's Astral Fortress, in a kind of mirror battle of the Battle of Azure City, which will show all of the remaining factions, (not the deities themselves) pulling out all the stops to achieve the outcome they desire.

Feel free to put down your bets on these or other predictions. For example, I imagine that Mr.Scruffy, on the Astral Plane, will be 30ft tall. I have not assigned a value to this claim. Yet.

I'll take the third bet.

I'd take the first one too if you were betting anything I wanted.

50 gold says Hel's nightcrawler is also not acquainted with the creature in the darkness, not that I expect resolution because I expect to never see it again. When a scary creature acts naive, that's not Rich drawing lines between them and every other scary naive creature; that's just him writing that scary creature as naive.

[Peelee]

I'll take 1 and 3 against brian 333. For number 2, not taking that one, but also Tim Berners-Lee didn't invent the world wide web until 1989. If you want to out up an1984 internet, then its just internet. No web.

Kish, no bet.

[brian 333]

I'll take 1 and 3 against brian 333. For number 2, not taking that one, but also Tim Berners-Lee didn't invent the world wide web until 1989. If you want to out up an1984 internet, then its just internet. No web.

Kish, no bet.

Are you saying my interweb is fraudulent? It has a certificate of authenticity!

MitD and Sunny, if some theories are to be believed, both spent time in the Dungeons of Dorukon, at the same time. That they are both friendly and of an apparent equal stage of development makes it likely they would have been friends, had they met. I'll take your quatloos!

[Peelee]

Are you saying my interweb is fraudulent? It has a certificate of authenticity!

MitD and Sunny, if some theories are to be believed, both spent time in the Dungeons of Dorukon, at the same time. That they are both friendly and of an apparent equal stage of development makes it likely they would have been friends, had they met. I'll take your quatloos!

Elan and MitD both spent time in the Dungeon of Dorukan at the same time, and are both friendly and of an apparent equal stage of development. They did not become friends.

[BloodSquirrel]

For 10 quatloos:
MitD and Sunny know each other and are friends. When they meet in a later scene both will stop fighting, or whatever they are doing, to catch up.

For +2 internets and one 1984 interweb:
The Order of the Stick will progress to a finale somewhere besides Kraggor's Gate.

A side bet of 100 gps:
The location of the finale will be Xykon's Astral Fortress, in a kind of mirror battle of the Battle of Azure City, which will show all of the remaining factions, (not the deities themselves) pulling out all the stops to achieve the outcome they desire.

Feel free to put down your bets on these or other predictions. For example, I imagine that Mr.Scruffy, on the Astral Plane, will be 30ft tall. I have not assigned a value to this claim. Yet.

None of these seem likely to me.

1) is a very fan-fic-y type of development. Also, it doesn't make any sense given the timeline as we know it. Sunny and Serini didn't even know that Dorukan was dead when they ran across the order in Dorukan's dungeon, nor seemingly that Xykon was there, and the MitD has only been in the dungeon while being towed around by Xykon.

2) (and by extension 3) Has the problem that, as we understand it, whatever happens at Kraggor's gate, it's going to be the end of The Plan, and thus everything after that is clean-up. Xykon can't take the gate with him to his astral fortress. Redcloak (or whoever else) can't cast the purple seal spell anywhere except at one of the rifts. We're not going to find out what's inside of the rifts at Xykon's astral fortress either.

I can see a very few possibilities here, such as the climax happening inside the rift or something, but overall, trying to move the climax anywhere else sounds like it would be really clunky.

My big bets:
5 cat pictures that Redcloak isn't he one who provides the Dark One's power to seal the rifts.
1 promise to commit seppuku that I will renege on that the MitD turns out to be something more dramatically relevant than just an obscure monster from a forgotten source book somewhere.
2 offers to side with the next person who comes up with a nonsensical interpretation of the comic and then complains about it that the comic isn't going to end with everything wrapped up in a super-neat bow. I expect, in particular, that we aren't going to see some big final end to all conflict between goblinoids and humanoids, but something much more modest, such as a new goblin leader who rejects the Dark One and some limited negotiations between him and the Assurites.

[enq]

One (1) rare Collector's Edition Interweb from 1982. Authentic, no matter lies Peelee spews forth. I bet this on Belkar no longer being Evil when he dies, as per my signature.

[Ruck]

I'd also bet against 1 and 3.

1) is a very fan-fic-y type of development.

That's a good way to put it. The phrase I like to use is the "Wouldn't It Be Cool If" rule: If you can't think of a reason something should be in the story other than "Wouldn't it be cool if...", it shouldn't be in the story.

For #3, the story has already established that there is not actually anything of value in Xykon's astral fortress.

I suppose I could put some money on MitD, since that's what I'm most confident in. You likely know where my money is for species, but if I can get long enough odds on this specific line (the bolded) being involved in his reveal, I'll take them:

I don't speak for anyone but myself, but as specific as I'm willing to get on what I imagine is most likely: There's going to be some point during the final battle where Xykon either orders MitD to attack the good guys and he refuses, or MitD comes out of the shadows to save one of the good guys / stop one of the bad guys from killing them. And per the Protean, Xykon or Redcloak will say "What are you doing, you idiot?! You're one of the bad guys!" And MitD will emerge from the shadows and say "I can change."

[ZhonLord]

A side bet of 100 gps:
The location of the finale will be Xykon's Astral Fortress, in a kind of mirror battle of the Battle of Azure City, which will show all of the remaining factions, (not the deities themselves) pulling out all the stops to achieve the outcome they desire.

I'll take this bet. The only way an astral fortress fight would occur is if xykon's phylactery were in it. But instead Redcloak has the pendant concealed away somewhere so that he still has a way to control xykon.

[Metastachydium]

For +2 internets and one 1984 interweb:
The Order of the Stick will progress to a finale somewhere besides Kraggor's Gate.

Damn it, Brian! I want that interweb, but I happen to be absolutely certain the finale won't have much to do with Kraggor's Gate, whatever that is.

A side bet of 100 gps:
The location of the finale will be Xykon's Astral Fortress, in a kind of mirror battle of the Battle of Azure City, which will show all of the remaining factions, (not the deities themselves) pulling out all the stops to achieve the outcome they desire.

Feel free to put down your bets on these or other predictions. For example, I imagine that Mr.Scruffy, on the Astral Plane, will be 30ft tall. I have not assigned a value to this claim. Yet.

You're on.

50 gold says Hel's nightcrawler is also not acquainted with the creature in the darkness, not that I expect resolution because I expect to never see it again. When a scary creature acts naive, that's not Rich drawing lines between them and every other scary naive creature; that's just him writing that scary creature as naive.

Two Melos-minted silver staters (that you'll probably have to steal from a museum yourself) say that the Likable Death Worm would, however, recognize what MitD is if it saw him. LDW is very insightful!

5 cat pictures that Redcloak isn't he one who provides the Dark One's power to seal the rifts.

I'd take that, but I don't want cat pictures. Do you have something with BIRDIES on offer instead?

1 promise to commit seppuku that I will renege on that the MitD turns out to be something more dramatically relevant than just an obscure monster from a forgotten source book somewhere.

Eh, why not! (I tend to agree, but I like the terms).

2 offers to side with the next person who comes up with a nonsensical interpretation of the comic and then complains about it that the comic isn't going to end with everything wrapped up in a super-neat bow. I expect, in particular, that we aren't going to see some big final end to all conflict between goblinoids and humanoids, but something much more modest, such as a new goblin leader who rejects the Dark One and some limited negotiations between him and the Assurites.

Very tempting. Can I counteroffer 2 supportive posts in such a nonsensical debate if what you expect, in particular, specifically happens as you expect it? I like my chances there.

I suppose I could put some money on MitD, since that's what I'm most confident in. You likely know where my money is for species, but if I can get long enough odds on this specific line (the bolded) being involved in his reveal, I'll take them:

Okay, man. That thing you quoted? It's the very first argument in support of the Protean that I actually like.

[Ruck]

Okay, man. That thing you quoted? It's the very first argument in support of the Protean that I actually like.

That's the first? Geez, after all that work I put into making a thorough case on the evidence and the needs of the story.

[Provengreil]

I'll repeat my prediction from one of the comic discussions, cleaned up into a proper prediction:

Roy's plan to slip past the stasis'd monsters works, and they end up fighting Team Evil at the room with Serini's Gate. Team Evil will be at least somewhat drained of magic due to Xykon being antsy about killing things while they speedrun the gauntlet, which will be their chance. It will be framed as a bookend to when Roy first kicked in Xykon's door back in the day, with The Order of the Stick ready to rumble in the back and a field of monsters in between.

Side bets:

-This is the scene where MitD is revealed. If my main bet is correct this is too easy to guess, so the actual bet is that the monster kills Belkar.

[Ruck]

I'll repeat my prediction from one of the comic discussions, cleaned up into a proper prediction:

Roy's plan to slip past the stasis'd monsters works, and they end up fighting Team Evil at the room with Serini's Gate. Team Evil will be at least somewhat drained of magic due to Xykon being antsy about killing things while they speedrun the gauntlet, which will be their chance. It will be framed as a bookend to when Roy first kicked in Xykon's door back in the day, with The Order of the Stick ready to rumble in the back and a field of monsters in between.

Side bets:

-This is the scene where MitD is revealed. If my main bet is correct this is too easy to guess, so the actual bet is that the monster kills Belkar.

Are you betting that MitD will be revealed in the final battle? Given how long that scene will probably be, that seems too broad for anyone to book it, as well as being a near-certainty.

Are you saying the MitD will kill Belkar? I will certainly book a bet against that happening.

[enq]

That's the first? Geez, after all that work I put into making a thorough case on the evidence and the needs of the story.

Sometimes pundits need to use puns to win their audience.

[Sir_Norbert]

Here are my predictions for how it's all going to go down.

We've all been bamboozled into thinking Book 7 is going to be a similar length to the others. There are actually no more than a dozen strips left to go.

Next strip will be the first ever 5-pager, and it will be an epic battle between the Order and Team Evil with every spell in the book being cast. It will end with Xykon casting Meteor Swarm and Haley holding up a mirror that reflects the spell back onto him, destroying him for good.

Redcloak and Lien will fall in love and live happily ever after.

The MitD will be revealed to be a Rubix Cube, with all the labels except two yellow ones having worn off, giving the appearance of eyes. There will be no explanation for how it walks and talks and did all the things in the Big Scenes except Rule of Cool.

The Order will discover that they need to travel to the South Pole to deal with Xykon's twin brother Nokyx. However, Tarquin has conquered all the countries around the equator, so they have to deal with him once and for all. It will be revealed that Elan's secret plan was to summon a giant cannon and shoot bees at Tarquin. It fails because he goes indoors. Then Thog reappears and sits on him, squashing him to death.

When the Order reach the South Pole, it's revealed that on Xykon's death, the spells holding his astral fortress in the air failed, and it has been plummeting to earth ever since. In the second-last strip, it crashes, killing everyone except Belkar, who survives because he's just that badass. (The Oracle's prophecies were just him messing with us.) However, Belkar then has to float in space for the rest of eternity.

The last strip will be all black panels, except for one panel showing a chunk of space rock with the word "peaches" carved on it. We can then pass the time until Rich starts his next work by discussing the implications thereof.

[Peelee]

The MitD will be revealed to be a Rubix Cube

Rubik's Cube. It's a cube invented by Erno Rubik.

[Kish]

A million gold says none of the things Norbert just posted will happen.

[Ruck]

Rubik's Cube. It's a cube invented by Erno Rubik.

I dunno, given the rest of the prediction, it might well be a "Rubix Cube," whatever that is.

A million gold says none of the things Norbert just posted will happen.

I don't think you could find a bookie who would even give you a parlay on all of those things not happening.

[Peelee]

The peaches rock intrigues me.

I dunno, given the rest of the prediction, it might well be a "Rubix Cube," whatever that is.

Its just a thing that bugs me. Like people who say "reesey" in Reese's Pieces.

[Sir_Norbert]

You know, I thought of correcting that after I posted, but I decided it was funnier to leave it in.

[brian 333]

I bet 2cp that SirNorbert wins the 'Best Fan Fiction In A Forum Discussion Thread, for 2023.'

The Fannie Award will then be displayed on a mantlepiece that he installs on an otherwise empty wall because he has no fireplace in his efficiency apartment.

[Mic_128]

I wager an exciting picture of my kneecap that not only does the last gate get destroyed, but that they end up fleeing to Xykon's astral fortress to survive the Snarl's escape and immediate thrashing around.

I also throw in two chocolate eggs left over from Easter that Belkar ends up dying to save someone else, possibly either Durkon, V or someone he's had limited-to-no interaction before.

I bet three carefully thought-out haikus that they end up going to the planet in the rift.

[BloodSquirrel]

I'm sorely tempted to take all of the worst predictions here, along with a lot of this forum's other most bizarre predictions and interpretations, and try to mash them together into an outline for the ending of the comic.

[brian 333]

I'm sorely tempted to take all of the worst predictions here, along with a lot of this forum's other most bizarre predictions and interpretations, and try to mash them together into an outline for the ending of the comic.

I'll bet Mic 128's carefully thought out haikus that you quickly discover that it's too much work and abandon the idea after brainstorming the project for one point four minutes.

Side bet of one cheesy limerick: you have already done the above.

[BloodSquirrel]

I'll bet Mic 128's carefully thought out haikus that you quickly discover that it's too much work and abandon the idea after brainstorming the project for one point four minutes.

Side bet of one cheesy limerick: you have already done the above.

If you want to help, you can go post some more stuff about Serini in the main thread. Her being a secret genius who actually has everything under control will definitely be a part of it.

[Metastachydium]

That's the first? Geez, after all that work I put into making a thorough case on the evidence and the needs of the story.

Look, I don't spend much time in that thread because it's mostly just people yelling at each other about the same four critters all the time. And Protean always struck me as a bit of a cop-out.

Here are my predictions for how it's all going to go down.

We've all been bamboozled into thinking Book 7 is going to be a similar length to the others. There are actually no more than a dozen strips left to go.

Next strip will be the first ever 5-pager, and it will be an epic battle between the Order and Team Evil with every spell in the book being cast. It will end with Xykon casting Meteor Swarm and Haley holding up a mirror that reflects the spell back onto him, destroying him for good.

Redcloak and Lien will fall in love and live happily ever after.

The MitD will be revealed to be a Rubix Cube, with all the labels except two yellow ones having worn off, giving the appearance of eyes. There will be no explanation for how it walks and talks and did all the things in the Big Scenes except Rule of Cool.

The Order will discover that they need to travel to the South Pole to deal with Xykon's twin brother Nokyx. However, Tarquin has conquered all the countries around the equator, so they have to deal with him once and for all. It will be revealed that Elan's secret plan was to summon a giant cannon and shoot bees at Tarquin. It fails because he goes indoors. Then Thog reappears and sits on him, squashing him to death.

When the Order reach the South Pole, it's revealed that on Xykon's death, the spells holding his astral fortress in the air failed, and it has been plummeting to earth ever since. In the second-last strip, it crashes, killing everyone except Belkar, who survives because he's just that badass. (The Oracle's prophecies were just him messing with us.) However, Belkar then has to float in space for the rest of eternity.

The last strip will be all black panels, except for one panel showing a chunk of space rock with the word "peaches" carved on it. We can then pass the time until Rich starts his next work by discussing the implications thereof.

…
…
…
…

Rubik's Cube. It's a cube invented by Erno Rubik.

[The voice of the PEDANT.] Ernő, in actual fact.

I dunno, given the rest of the prediction, it might well be a "Rubix Cube," whatever that is.

I'm sure Kraggor's Gate has a few of those lying around. And Xyklon (the Consequential) definitely owns one.

The peaches rock intrigues me.

Let's just say, you're not the only one.

I wager an exciting picture of my kneecap that not only does the last gate get destroyed, but that they end up fleeing to Xykon's astral fortress to survive the Snarl's escape and immediate thrashing around.

It's on, but only if it's an X-ray picture. (And should you somehow win, be prepared not to get anything anyway. I'm a FLOWER.)

I bet three carefully thought-out haikus that they end up going to the planet in the rift.

I take that, and throw in a sloppily made tanka.

[Peelee]

[The voice of the PEDANT.] Ernő, in actual fact.

That's what i said, just with an American accent.

[Metastachydium]

That's what i said, just with an American accent.

Accent? Heh. (But really, it's a completely different phoneme.)

[Peelee]

Accent? Heh. (But really, it's a completely different phoneme.)

Well, yes, but I think I'm funny.

[Precure]

The last gate is under Kraagor's statue.

Snarl's intelligent and the mastermind behind Dark One.

Belkar won't die and won't go to jail.

MitD's species is going to be plot important.

Vaarsuvius will return to their family and make amends.

Xykon will return to being a normal human.