OOTS #1141 - The Discussion Thread

[jwhouk]

prediction: so a team-up with Redcloak against the snarl but Zykon won't like and will have to be destroyed first

Vegas just called. No Line. Odds against this not happening are a googol to one.

[Laurana]

Wow. I got a strong sense of foreboding as I read the title. I got goosebumps upon seeing the last panel. Absolutely fantastic.

[MrConsideration]

So if they create something in conjunction with The Dark One, it could challenge the Snarl? Being four colour?

[xroads]

Wow! I totally did not see this twist coming. Nice one Rich.

[chy03001]

Props to Giant for weaving such a layered story.

"Do you think he plans it all out... or makes it up as he goes along?"

[Alsadius]

Huh, and here I thought it would be the Gates.

Very, very cool.

[Casimir-Ivanova]

So uh, is nobody going to talk about that little innocent drop “generate what we gods need to survive”? What is that?

As a Godbound, I can help there.
Faith is ultimately what gods need, through prayer and mortal will. A god's strength goes up as more followers are obtained, his dominion over the world increasing. In the Godbound ttrpg, this allows a Godbound to access more of his power set more easily, give him more health and so on. It's quite a fascinating thing. For example, harsher rules over your followers gives you more dominion and power, but makes it more difficult to spread your religion. So do you go easy on them and rely on a faster spread, or go hard and get a more devoted core? Thor seems to be the more chilled route.

As for the twist, nope, didn't see that one coming. Well done Rich.

[Jade_Tarem]

So, if the Snarl is the beginnings of a different world, and has a special god-color no one in this world has seen before, does that mean the Order of the Stick will be fighting The Colour Out of Space?

(Someone may have made this joke already, and if so I apologize. I didn't have time to scan the whole thread).

[PH7]

Lot of people talking about the gods creating a new world. One that will finally, definitely contain the Snarl. But that would mean killing off the existing world, including the OotS (and everything else). I rather doubt that will be the plan, as that would hardly constitute a "happy ending", for Elan or the readers.

The new existence of the Dark One means that all gods would have to cooperate to create a new world, one that includes the goblinoids as equals. For many gods, such a thing would be unacceptable. And they don't have time to discuss everything with their new colleague before the Snarl wipes them out.

The appearance of the Dark One means, I think, the end of the cycle. The old 'rinse and repeat' process many gods have consigned themselves to is no longer valid. It's the OotS world, or no more worlds. And no more gods.


I wonder why Thor seems to be the only god whose planning has included the Dark One. Why would the other gods not know or care about a new quiddity?

[The MunchKING]

Interesting. I wonder what prevented other gods from appearing in previous worlds. Time? Or was it the specific circumstances of this particular world? Perhaps the fact that creatures were created specifically to be XP fodder but were fully aware of it made it possible?

Alternately they appeared in previous worlds, but like the elves, merged into other pantheons and were assimilated or forgotten.

I'm fencesitting, but Im not so sure; the Giant said the gods only had one chance to kill the defied Dark One, whuch wouldbt be true if they could just blow the world and wait for his soul juice to run out.

Well the other option might be that if they tried to wait for the Dark One to burn out, a lot of their lesser members might burn out too...

I mean even if Goblins don't have a LOT of soul power they breed fast, have lots of babies and the Dark One doesn't have to share. Meanwhile the Elves Breed infrequently, have few children, and the Elvish Gods have to split them with the Western Pantheon. So while they're waiting for the Dark One to burn out, a few of the Elven ones might burnout too...

So wait-wait-wait-wait-wait, could it be that the whole Azure City thing - starting with its rise to power while led BY PALADINS, i.e. people who follow divine will unquestioningly - could exist specifically because Gods wanted Azurites and especially misinformed paladins to oppress goblindoids, so that another goblinoid would rise to bring them vengeance and become a second purple god?

Because if you think about it, Redcloak is adored by thousands if not millions of goblinoids, he's forging relationship with other goblinoids at the moment - who don't care for the Dark One and so are open to actually believing in him, like Dark One he has no NAME, but an alias, he is very powerful and has a clear sense of purpose... Redcloak has all the making of a deity.

tl;dr
Could Azure City be set up by gods as a cynical sacrifice to raise another goblinoid into godhood?

Interesting theory, but wouldn't Redcloak just go join the Dark One in the Purple Pantheon?

Vegas just called. No Line. Odds against this not happening are a googol to one.

I would take that bet. In fact I've got 99,999,999 GP that say that Zykon and what he wants will be completely irrelevant to the plot.

[Rouge Wolf]

I find it interesting that gods do not grasp that they are the primary colors. By two combining they would create demi-gods. Bet we will find the Dark One was created because a pair from south and west were being naughty.

[Peelee]

As a Godbound, I can help there.
Faith is ultimately what gods need, through prayer and mortal will. A god's strength goes up as more followers are obtained, his dominion over the world increasing.

Nope. Souls. It's all about souls. Faith is nice, it means souls want to go to that god, but if the soul goes elsewhere, that faith did jack all. Hel didn't want faith, she wanted souls. That was her entire reasoning behind the bet. She doesn't want faith now, she wants souls. That's her entire reasoning behind the plan with the vampires.

It's soul food, baby.

[Vendanna]

Maybe the Dark One's quiddity is different because...

My theory is that TDO is purple because the goblinoids were created by the Red and Blue Panteons working together. Yellow had no part in the creating of goblinoids. So the reason of all that bickering is because they are 2 dimensional characters. :P

[Rrmcklin]

I find it interesting that gods do not grasp that they are the primary colors. By two combining they would create demi-gods. Bet we will find the Dark One was created because a pair from south and west were being naughty.

The Eastern Gods glowed green, and that's not a primary color. And the Dark One isn't a demi-god.

[Peelee]

I find it interesting that gods do not grasp that they are the primary colors. By two combining they would create demi-gods. Bet we will find the Dark One was created because a pair from south and west were being naughty.

They're primary colors for human visual range. Deific visual range is, I'd bet, different.

[The MunchKING]

She doesn't want faith now, she wants souls.

That's not ENTIRELY accurate. Part of her whining is that she doesn't get undeserved worship any more.

[Peelee]

That's not ENTIRELY accurate. Part of her whining is that she doesn't get undeserved worship any more.

Eh, that seems more like a bruised ego, but I could be a little off, I'll admit.

Also, Hel had longer hair before the bet. Interesting

[Windscion]

Okay, interesting fact here. The pantheons do not fight each other, not merely because no one wants Snarl junior, but because more pantheons = stronger reality.

(Also interesting that Snarl Junior would be weaker than Snarl Senior, but not important to the plot.)

[niklinna]

So the gods are sentient black holes? I don't think anyone saw this coming

Oh I don't know about that. Give the Night's Dawn trilogy a read. First novel is "The Reality Dysfunction".

[Roland Itiative]

I find it interesting that gods do not grasp that they are the primary colors. By two combining they would create demi-gods. Bet we will find the Dark One was created because a pair from south and west were being naughty.

The Eastern Gods glowed green, and that's not a primary color. And the Dark One isn't a demi-god.

There are two commonly used "sets" of primary colours, and the remaining three pantheons don't fit either. They are red/green/blue (would have fit very well if the Eastern and Northern pantheons had each other's colours) and cyan/magenta/yellow (of which only the Northern pantheon is a perfect match, though the Twelve Gods could very well be considered cyan, as they're a very light shade of blue). And either way, the more "complete" being in this case are made of four colours, rather than three, and purple is considered its own thing rather than a combination of colours, so I don't think actual colour theory has any hold in what's going on, despite the page title hinting at it

[Fyraltari]

How I imagine you right now.

^_^ Fair enough.

I love that Odin and Frigg are holding hands and smiling like that. I don't know what's cuter wether that's objective reality or how Thor sees them.

It's also great to see the gods in the new art style, I like the spikes on TDO and the fact that Redcloak totally copied his shoes.


I wonder though: why does Thor need Durkon for? He can't talk to TDO when Thor can.

I think there are already been negotiations and they went poorly. Maybe TDO refused to listen to the Old Gods, maybe he bargained for something they didn't want to give away... Absolute power maybe? With the entirety of the goblin souls going to him, whatever Hel wanted to do as "Queen of the North" he probably could. Unless Grey Wolf is right about his inability to survive this world, then the Plan might be his attempt at forcing an ultimatum. "Give me what I want or I shoot myself! And then you will be stuck again!"

I ddn't think it was important before but next strip has to explain what's going on with (the relative lack of) ascended mortals, now.

[Draconi Redfir]

And once again, the day (will be) saved by... GOBLINS!

Fellow Goblinoids of the Playground Rejoice!

[Lamora]

if quiddity means essence, would quintessence be quintquiddity?

Interestingly, "quintessence" literally means "fifth essence", beyond the four elements of classical alchemy. Considering that The Dark One really is the fifth colour that changes everything, this is quite appropriate for him.

[Craig1f]

New comic is up.

This is actually a lot more clever than people think.
1) Purple is not a real color (bare with me). Your brain has invented it.
2) Purple and Green is KIND OF the same color, which is what has forced your brain to invent purple.
3) I don't know if Rich did this on purpose, but if he did, brilliant.

If you look at the rainbow, aka the full spectrum of light, purple does not show up on it. There is violet, but there is no purple.

Purple only exists when you combine blue and red. It can't exist on its own. Green can exist on its own.

Purple is the combination of blue and red. When you combine colors, you usually get the color midway between them on the spectrum. But when you look midway between blue and red, you get green. Except, there is already a color for green (because you have green cones in your eyes to see it). Green DEFINITELY isn't what you get when you combine blue and red. So, your brain invents purple to deconflict the two.

[The MunchKING]

I wonder though: why does Thor need Durkon for? He can't talk to TDO when Thor can.

Thor probably CAN'T (without breaking too many critical rules) direct Pantheon interactions were strictly forbidden.

He needs Durkon to go through Redcloak to get ideas to the Dark One because "Clerics as a buffer" are part of the whole "No more Snarl" plan.

Also The Dark One MIGHT be divinely hiding his massive soul army from the others.

[jwhouk]

The Snarl, if you go by the picture in the Rift in the Desert, is actually made up of four different colors.

[Peelee]

This is actually a lot more clever than people think.
1) Purple is not a real color (bare with me). Your brain has invented it.

Lies and falsehoods!

I'm colorblind. I literally can't see purple. It's a blue for me. Give me a bunch of shades of purple and a bunch of shades of blue, I can't tell such ones are supposed to be purple. They're all varying shades of blue.

[Draconi Redfir]

This is actually a lot more clever than people think.
1) Purple is not a real color (bare with me). Your brain has invented it.
2) Purple and Green is KIND OF the same color, which is what has forced your brain to invent purple.
3) I don't know if Rich did this on purpose, but if he did, brilliant.

If you look at the rainbow, aka the full spectrum of light, purple does not show up on it. There is violet, but there is no purple.

Purple only exists when you combine blue and red. It can't exist on its own. Green can exist on its own.

Purple is the combination of blue and red. When you combine colors, you usually get the color midway between them on the spectrum. But when you look midway between blue and red, you get green. Except, there is already a color for green (because you have green cones in your eyes to see it). Green DEFINITELY isn't what you get when you combine blue and red. So, your brain invents purple to deconflict the two.

all due respect, but i don't think it's that deep.

i get the feeling primary colours or mixing colours or colour-theory in general aren't a huge part of this.

the only thing that matters is that it's NOT yellow, blue, or red.

[Kaptin Keen]

Four colors aren't enough - it's only equal to the snarl. All of this is really the story of how Banjo the Clown saves the world. Him being the fifth, obviously.

[The Aboleth]

AFAIK, its true. Purebred dogs were often bred before we really understood what we were doing to the dog, so we have such things as pugs being unable to breathe because we bred for them to have tiny squished faces without big enough air passages for, you know, air.

Purebreds end up with more problems inherent to the dog itself rather than the environment it's in.

Interesting (and also very sad). I was aware that pugs have genetic problems, but was not sure such problems arose in all (or at least, most) purebred types of dogs. Thank you for the answer!