OOTS #412 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Axl_Rose]

Hot damn, you have me excited as always! C'mon Nale, break out lawl.

[stolenchariot]

Great comic Giant.

[CthulhuRlyeh]

So... Does Hinjo now get a stick up his place?

[Zienth]

Quiet in the peanut gallery! :smallredface:

Zienth

[Single Shot Zombie]

"You give a guy a crown and it goes straight to his head." :smallbiggrin:

Heh. That's a line to remember. Admirable wit as always, Giant.

[dragonspar]

I liked how v kept using the same line about how nutsoid miko was over and over. classic

[Sisqui]

Well, I have to say it.........I stayed up until midnight for this?!? Not one of the better comics in my opinion, just filler :smallfrown:

[Jannex]

Why is Hinjo interfering with the summary exposition? Is it because he's still a little sore from the summary execution he witnessed five or so strips ago?

I'm also terribly, terribly amused at the fact that the first two panels of the comic almost directly mirror the conversations that have been taking place on the forum over the past two weeks (though admittedly, with somewhat fewer fanclubs). Giant may not read the forums, but he's certainly psychic!

Also, I agree with V.

Further, Haley was right about Elan's new clothes.

As another point, I find it interesting that the crown of Azure City is silver/gray, rather than some variation on blue. But I guess they wanted to go with a metal.

[Skippy the Dire]

Ummmm.....where's the bodyguard?

[Paramajic]

Well, I supose it could be said that :haley: has been quiet for far too long.

Very nice Giant.

And where is Mr. Scruffy?

[Sisqui]

Ummmm.....where's the bodyguard?
Roy is sixth from the right

[Aurorax]

They're just NPC's. Sheesh. Don't they know they revolve around someone else's world?

[Tadpole]

Crown goes straight to his head... hee hee!

[Mawhrin Skel]

The first female soldier in Azure City?

And why hasn't the server melted?

Edit: Ooo, typo! Fourth panel, "serendipitous". Can I have a cookie?

[Timespike]

:vaarsuvius: "I find it to be entirely in keeping with what I know of her."

Priceless!

[Mad Scientist]

Come on Xycon! I want to see an epic battle!

[Rinion]

Yay, new comic!
It's nice to catch up with the rest of the Order again.

[Ariko]

Ummmm.....where's the bodyguard?

Roy is right behind Hinjo

[BardicLasher]

All hail Lord Hinjo!

[Turcano]

"Where else would a crown go?"
"Shush."

:smallbiggrin:

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

XD
Gotta love that Elan.

[rashambo]

Classy, nice break in action too.

[Lithgon the Crazy]

Another great comic.

Yay Hinjo!

[Skippy]

Excellent strip!!! Definitely, the crown went right up to his head...

[Paperfury]

Great comic!

[Corp]

haha...nice place for a chat :p

[Mr Teufel]

Belkar is no-where to be seen...

Oh, he's watching Miko wake up in prison.

Uh, oh!

[Tach13]

Very funny, and worth waiting up for in my opinion. Gotta agree, if the Giant doesn't read these boards he must know human reaction too well, as he was dead on what's been said.

[Haruki-kun]

HAHAHAHA
Wow....Hinjo's being crowned.....KEWL

[Piedmon_Sama]

Nice1

Belkar is never gonna have a trial because there won't be an Azure City to have it in.

[Fillbert]

Where else would a crown go!!!!! HA!!!

[Golem]

Let's see how humorous this strip was.

I can barely breathe, as I am sick and my throat hurts very badly. I have a sore throat. I have been reading not just the COMIC, but the forums, for some time: quite literally years. All this, without registering for the forums or ever posting once.

And yet I still cannot stop laughing. The timing was flawless.

[baltor85]

My teacher said the exact same thing to me in class today. No joke.

[Alex Knight]

....but where else would a crown go?


Excellent question, Elan!

[theKOT]

Heh heh... Oh wait, that's it? Kinda sad really. I get the idea behind this comic, but I don't like it. Feels kinda like stalling to me. And lazy writing. It was somewhat humorous, but not very anything.

Anyway, it looks like Roy has a plan to spring Belkar again. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions during wartime, and I wouldn't think less of Hinjo if he let Belkar be a zombie specialist or something. I think it would be an error not to, in fact.

I kinda wish that this strip had been cut in half, and that the other half had been replaced by Miko waking up in prison. I can't forgive the Giant if he deprives us of that precious moment. ;)

[PaladinFreak]

:hinjo: "...We are kind of in the middle of somthing here."

That whole thing just cracked me up!

[dan4ster]

Once again Giant, a well executd strip. Sums things up, no plot lagging and jokes from beginning to end. :smallbiggrin:

[starwoof]

Imbetting that the two dark haired people on the far right are Hinjo's parents.

[Dalenthas]

I for one thought it was funny. And a good way to show that the rest of the cast is up to speed on the whole thing.

Though I have to say, why didn't Shojo wear a crown?

[petya]

Well, I have to say it.........I stayed up until midnight for this?!? Not one of the better comics in my opinion, just filler :smallfrown:

I'll have you know I'm still giggling over that one! Filler indeed! You're prolly the type of person who talks tacticals while the GM is reading flavor text, too ;-)

--LWM

[Dalenthas]

Imbetting that the two dark haired people on the far right are Hinjo's parents.

Except Hinjo's mother is dead.

[Baru]

'Maxxed'?


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=maxxd

[baltor85]

Oh, I understand where all of you are coming from when you say that this is just a filler strip, but considering what's been happening lately(Sub-plots resolved, Shojo killed) and what will be happening(Xykon invading) and the fact that, while a filler, this was necessary, should allow us to overlook it. Lol.

And in response to my earlier comment-

EXACT.FREAKIN.SAME.THING.

[Erathia]

Oh they shouldn't be so whiny. Crowning ceremonies are all a bunch of pomp and circumstance, and you already KNOW how it's going to end, so why not use this as a convenient time to catch up the characters who have been out of the plot lately

[Ariko]

....but where else would a crown go?


Excellent question, Elan!

On a necklace of course! Just look at Roy :smallbiggrin:

[Nightmarenny]

Well, I have to say it.........I stayed up until midnight for this?!? Not one of the better comics in my opinion, just filler :smallfrown:
Oh Come on. Do you know what filler is? Geeze thats just whinny. Giant moves the plot along at a good pace and provides good jokes there. yet everytime he does something just for the joke someone freaks out. You know what is filler? Its another episode of smallville where a meteor freak apears and dies or someone almost discovers his secret, Its Naruto spending half a chapter on flashbacks that already apeared in past chapters. Its a comic story with some arbitrary villion that goes no where and your pissed cause the resedent cartoonist is doing abit of exposition, giving you several jokes and moving the plot along alittle? God.:smallfurious:

[SpeakerftDead]

Did anyone else notice that one of the people in the last panel looks exactly like the cartoon figure drawing of soon?

[Professor Tanhauser]

In response to the question elan asked in the last panel of the aforementioned issue, I would have to say "On a tooth?"

[Wizzardman]

Woot! Page 2!

Also: Couldn't they have waited to crown him officially until AFTER Le Invasione?

[SpeakerftDead]

Scratch that, SECOND to last panel features a man that looks like Soon.

[Professor Tanhauser]

Oh, I could imagine halley asnwering elan's question with "In my lootsack."

[Kyace]

Imbetting that the two dark haired people on the far right are Hinjo's parents.
Yet, if Hinjo's father is alive, wouldn't he be crowned?

[Zienth]

Did anyone else notice that one of the people in the last panel looks exactly like the cartoon figure drawing of soon?

They all look alike to me. :smalleek:

(I'm gonna burn for that one)

Zienth

[EntilZha]

Don't you just hate people who talk at coronations? :smalltongue:

[Dabble]

I love the fact that they were discussing all of this in the middle of a coronation. No.. don't mind us, you go ahead and do your thing, please discuss it amonst yourselves, because it is not like there is something important going on.

It is nice to know that not everything revolves around the PC's

[The_Weirdo]

:vaarsuvius: I can't help but notice that V gets a tad annoyed in the second panel, while repeating the (priceless) line: "I find it to be entirely in keeping with what I know of her."

:vaarsuvius: V isn't patient towards what V sees as stupidity. Not only that, V could deduce that Miko, in her righteous fury, would end up slaying an innocent on flimsy evidence one day, and gave a response which, basically, meant: "So, the obvious happened. What do you mean you didn't expect it to??".

:elan: On another note, is it just me or will Elan wear that outfit for good now?

On a third note, Hinjo isn't only Lawful Good, he's Lawful Nice and Lawful Ice-cold-calm. He reacted calmly to his uncle's death, and he was quite polite towards the people that were interrupting his CROWNING CEREMONY. The guy is self-control incarnate. THERE's a LG I would follow - and I'm CN.

:vaarsuvius: On a fourth note, I will do the best translation I can to Portuguese of "I find it to be entirely in keeping with what I know of... (him/her/it)." and start using it in conversations. It's too nice not to be said. :smallbiggrin:

[Kanthalion]

Down in front! I'm wondering just how effective Haley's Bluff will be if everyone knows she is going to try it? Also, I don't seem to remember Shojo wearing a crown. I wonder if it is one of those ceremonial deals that stays locked up except for special occasions.

[Kyace]

Don't you just hate people who talk at coronations? :smalltongue:
I'm quite impressed no one has made a joke about Hinjo making it across the checkers board.

[CGM3]

Yet, if Hinjo's father is alive, wouldn't he be crowned?

No, because Hinjo's mother was Shojo's sister, so the succession passes through their bloodline, not that of Hinjo's father. Hinjo was apparently Shojo's closest male relative, which made him the heir presumptive, and he'd probably been recognized as the designated heir as well. :smallamused:

That missing "n" in "serendipitous"? I'll bet Haley swiped it just for practice. :smallwink:

And how very Player Character of them to ignore the NPC proceedings in favor of their own affairs. It's so much something the Knights of the Dinner Table would do that I half-expected to see the Untouchable Trio (Plus One) making a cross-comic cameo. :smallsmile:

Wow, second page; I guess staying up late paid off. :smallsigh:

[erewhon]

LOL!

They were talking in the middle of Hinjo's coronation.

PRICELESS! :D

[Professor Tanhauser]

Yet, if Hinjo's father is alive, wouldn't he be crowned?

Maybe he was too dang old.

[The_Weirdo]

Maybe he was too dang old.

I see. What was the age and feigned mental state of their FORMER leader again?

[Amotis]

Reminds me of last night's The Office. : D

[slayerx]

Ha, love it...
"We're kind in the middle of something"
ah, NPC's, they get no respect from PC's =p


Belkar is no-where to be seen...

Oh, he's watching Miko wake up in prison.

Uh, oh!

Actually, based on what Durkon said... Belkar isn't just watchign Miko wake up in Prison, he IS in prison and Miko's probbaly his neighbor... Hinjo i guess wasn't going to just let Belkar walk around freely even if he had that mark of justice on.

[Alysar]

The plot is never lagged nor is it rushed. It arrives precisely when http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h87/osiris32/giant.png means it to.

[The Extinguisher]

I always find the summary strips to be the funniest. They are just done in such a clever way.

[Professor Tanhauser]

Don't you just hate people who talk at coronations? :smalltongue:

Yeah, I do. I much rather disrupt coronations by standing next to some dignitary, letting off a SBTD, then glanncing at him/her and making a "PYEW!" face.....:smallbiggrin:

[Leo_Forestclaw]

This is a wonderful example of why I wait impatiently for every new strip...

I *so* did not see that coming, but if you're gonna talk over an official governmental ceremony, you might as well pick a really good one.

Thanks, Rich, brilliant work!

[Sisqui]

Oh Come on. Do you know what filler is? Geeze thats just whinny. Giant moves the plot along at a good pace and provides good jokes there. yet everytime he does something just for the joke someone freaks out. You know what is filler? Its a comic story with some arbitrary villion that goes no where and your pissed cause the resedent cartoonist is doing abit of exposition, giving you several jokes and moving the plot along alittle? God.:smallfurious:

:smallsigh: I was not freaking out, I was saying I thought the comic wasn't that great as compared to some others. And no, I don't expect every comic to be awe inspiring. Any person who is always at 100% has a pretty low threshold for success. You are free to like the strip and I am free to not like it.

[Dentarg]

Gotta hate it when those dog-gone adventurers start plotting things just as you're ready to get the crown, makes you wonder if you have a ninja death squad awaiting you already.

Good comic again Giant, keep them coming, you've got us all hooked, and we can't let go!

- Dentarg

[Nightmarenny]

The plot is never lagged nor is it rushed. It arrives precisely when http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h87/osiris32/giant.png means it to.
So does that make Giant or the plot a wizard? Also if it is the Giant does that mean all those little inconsistancise in fiction were peformed by the Gaint? Yes, ofcoarse! It all makes sense now. He's cultivating all fictitious worlds for some nefarious reason. But what:smallconfused:

[Nightmarenny]

:smallsigh: I was not freaking out, I was saying I thought the comic wasn't that great as compared to some others. And no, I don't expect every comic to be awe inspiring. Any person who is always at 100% has a pretty low threshold for success. You are free to like the strip and I am free to not like it.
People saying something is owed to them when they have payed nothing and people who call something arbitrary filler set me off.
*Looks up at my double post* Dang hoped someone would post inbetween those.

[Lord Iames Osari]

This is so something my players would do.

[Nekkira]

Very good comic. PCs! Sheesh! You'd think the whole world was built around them! :smallamused:

[spectralphoenix]

'Maxxed'?


http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=maxxd
Meaning she has the most possible ranks in Bluff for her level (D&D term.)

[Yellow]

Just who the hell does that guy in the bottom panel think he is? Purple? PURPLE? NOT IN MY CITY, BUDDY.

[theKOT]

People saying something is owed to them when they have payed nothing and people who call something arbitrary filler set me off.
*Looks up at my double post* Dang hoped someone would post inbetween those.
And anyone who flips out when someone posts a different opinion than them sets me off. To jump on someone who was peacefully expressing themselves with such vindictiveness is an extreme overreaction. Back when this sort of thing was commonplace, the Giant said:

The Voice of Mod: Around here, you're not allowed to slam people for disagreeing with you or criticizing the comic. This thread is locked because you can't be nice to people who politely criticize. Again.
See? You shouldn't let it get to you.

[Shade]

You kind of wonder... will LG Roy say something if Haley manages to bluff her way into the planning meeting or will he just write it off as PC inanity?

[atteSmythe]

For one, I loved it. It's not as in-your-face as the plot-heavy strips of yesterweek, but some important things happen here!

- Hinjo is made the official ruler
- In front of witnesses - he'll have support of at least the guard, and word will start spreading
- We learn that Belkar, Miko, and the Linear Guild are in the 'prison tower' (whether it's the same tower remains to be seen, but it seems likely)
- And we know that all of the unincarcerated OotS are finally on the same page as to what they know about the plot

It's important! Not surprising, perhaps, but a good (and still funny!) verification that the things that have been set in motion are actually happening.

(Edit: Almost forgot! My bloglines feed for OotS finally updated. Hooray!)

[Setra]

All I can say is, I'm glad to see Haley talking this much, in a language we can understand no less!

[Shadic]

Very hard not to spit the water out of my mouth after reading the "crown" line.

Nice comic.

[atteSmythe]

Just who the hell does that guy in the bottom panel think he is? Purple? PURPLE? NOT IN MY CITY, BUDDY.
Haha - says a poster called 'Yellow'

[Krytha]

hahaah thats gold

[Nightfall]

Heh heh heh...You're never as important as you think you are!

[Yellow]

Haha - says a poster called 'Yellow'
But I'm not in Azure City, AM I?

Your move, atteSmythe. s:O

[Chancelikely]

LOL

literally... I laughed out loud. Scared the cat.

[Mr_Saturn]

How come i didnt see shojo with a crown?

[Jazzvader]

Yet, if Hinjo's father is alive, wouldn't he be crowned?

No he wouldn't because it would have been passed down to Shojo's child or failing that Hinjo.

[Skippy the Dire]

Remember - Senile Shojo may have taken to 'losing' or 'dropping' the crown as part o the act. It's hard to be senile and keep a metal circlet on your head unless you like the indignity of having it strapped on on a daily basis.....

[Senko]

I see. What was the age and feigned mental state of their FORMER leader again?

Exactly why would the elect someone who could be in the exact same state during a crisis when you can have a young sane soldier in charge. I also suspect the reality about Shojo is going to be a sate secret from now on at least till Xykon's dealt with.. I'm probably overally sensative about the talking issue (a club I'm part of passed a no talking during the showing including opening scenes and closing credits, its not that popular except with those who don't like people commenting on the episode they just saw during the credits we've seen 132 times already.) so I'll not comment on it.

[Greyson]

Initial Reaction: Hah! Hinjo's even polite when asking the OOTS members to stop chatting/recapping during his coronation ceremony. That's gold.

Shojo/Hinjo's Throne Room: making people painfully audible since [insert date here]. EDIT: Wait, that's not Shojo/Hinjo's Throne Room! The stairs are similar, but it's some other chamber....

In that case, those OOTSers were just loud. Dastards!

[Nightmarenny]

And anyone who flips out when someone posts a different opinion than them sets me off. To jump on someone who was peacefully expressing themselves with such vindictiveness is an extreme overreaction. Back when this sort of thing was commonplace, the Giant said:

See? You shouldn't let it get to you.
The opinian didn't get to me. However I did over react I have a tendencies to do that.

[Lord Zentei]

Woot! Page 2!

Also: Couldn't they have waited to crown him officially until AFTER Le Invasione?

With an aristocracy ambitious enough to send Ninja death squads, I'd say that Hinjo needs to consolidate his power quickly and effectively prior to the battle - he needs all the city's resources under his command with all the forms obeyed so as to avoid unexpected surprises.


EDIT: Incidentally, I don't see the Drunken Wizard anywhere in that scene. There is the Wizard who helped Vaarsuvius copy his new spells and there is the Cleric who attempted to cast the Raise Dead spell on Shojo, but the Drunken Wizard is not there. :(

[slayerx]

How come i didnt see shojo with a crown?

It could be that the crown is totally ceremonial, and is thus only used for when celebrating the new king... afterword, the crown is stored away till the next king

Though still, Hinjo should get something to symbolize his position; if not a crown than he should get new clothing... right now, Hinjo looks like an ordinary paladin and can be mistaken as much, even by the new recruits and some commoners... Shojo however had distictly different clothing, and thus could be seen seperate than the other paladins. Hinjo should have SOMETHING to symbolize his authority

[Tilian]

Nice, i didn't expect the rest of the Order to be filled in so soon.


I kinda wish that this strip had been cut in half, and that the other half had been replaced by Miko waking up in prison. I can't forgive the Giant if he deprives us of that precious moment. ;)

If this means that moment will get a full comic to itself, it will be well worth the wait.



Also: Couldn't they have waited to crown him officially until AFTER Le Invasione?

Besides consolidating power quickly, it could also have been to try and boost morale before the battle. The city just lost its ruler and the Sapphire Guard just lost its greatest paladin, so Hinjo is going to have to serve as a very visible rallying point.

[malakim2099]

:belkar: "Whine, whine, whine, I'm Roy and I want more plot points!" We can't all be straight-men you know! Some of us tell jokes for a living!

Love the recap. Excellent as always.

[Draz74]

I'm wondering just how effective Haley's Bluff will be if everyone knows she is going to try it?

Probably pretty effective. We have proof (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0106.html) that in the Order of the Stick, really obvious Bluffs with a high enough skill check still work ... even if the Bluffing character says "wink wink."

Rack another vote up for the disappointment about the Drunken Wizard not being back. Although I guess Shojo was exaggerating when he called him "my best wizard" -- the old guy with the staff behind the high priest at the ceremony sure looks more impressive than the drunk guy did.

[kpenguin]

I have a sinking feeling that all of Hinjo's emotions suppressed under all that politeness is going to be released at sometime.

[Eldhrin]

Love it! What a beautifully inappropriate place for a conversation.

[Djagir]

:elan: On another note, is it just me or will Elan wear that outfit for good now?

I suspect that this is what was referred to in "No Cure for the Paladin Blues" when Rich said, "One of the main characters ... will have something happen that will permanently change the way they're drawn."

[Senko]

Perhaps Drunk wizard is Sleeping off his hangover or in the confusion they forgot to raise him. He might after all be a the highest level wizard with a little drinking problem. Hinjo might unleash his accumalted frustration with a "Righteous Anger Burst" on his foes, oh and in regards to his clothing he might (a) get it later or (b) prefer good solid armour instead of state robes. Hmmmm I wonder if purple guy is one of the mysterious nobles?

[Tilian]

I suspect that this is what was referred to in "No Cure for the Paladin Blues" when Rich said, "One of the main characters ... will have something happen that will permanently change the way they're drawn."

I'm still pulling for one of them to lose an eye. Haley does have that pirate queen fantasy after all!

[Viscount_Grey]

Heh all these quite correct posts about another great strip... and still no-one notices the mis-spelling of "serendipitous"

[orcmonk89]

lol that was pretty ace!

[factotum]

Shojo however had distictly different clothing, and thus could be seen seperate than the other paladins. Hinjo should have SOMETHING to symbolize his authority

That's because Shojo wasn't a Paladin...

As for the mis-spelling of "serendipitous", I'm sure it's already been spotted at least twice in this thread, Viscount_Grey.

[TheAnimal]

Whew, those big poleaxes in the second last panel sure gave me the scare.
For a moment there I was dead sure they were at :belkar:'s execution. :smalleek:

I predict that:
During the battle both :miko: and the LGers will be set free as artillery smashes the cell block.
After that, all the Nine Hells get loose.
It looks like the good guys are pretty much screwed right now. :smalleek:

[TigerHunter]

I really shouldn't be on OotS at school, but I feel that congratulating the Giant on such an awesome comic is worth risking getting caught. Everyone else in the tech center is looking at me like I've gone insane, I laughed so hard.

[Estelindis]

Fantastic! :smallbiggrin: Brilliant summary exposition - great to see how the others react to Miko's descent into nutterdom. I thought it was both hilarious and incredibly cool that they were doing so at such a solemn moment. Go Hinjo! :smallcool: Presumably he won't be wearing the crown all the time, though - Shojo didn't. Unless it's to give people who don't yet know he's the lord of the city now (news may not travel fast in Azure City, and people are going to need to obey his orders in the fight against Xykon).

Oh, I've said it already, but here goes nothing: GO HINJO! http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/estelindis/hinjo.gif

[Alfryd]

New comic is up.
Very good. Keep it up.

[Threeshades]

The sirst three panels had a lot of some discussions here in the forum.

[Yorkiebar]

Ahaha, loving the last panel!

Elan rocks so much I named my newest Guild Wars character 'Not Nale'.

'Elan The Bard' was already taken...

[Kaerou]

hahahaha that last panel is priceless :D

And i love V's first two lines..!

[Fingolfin]

Heh all these quite correct posts about another great strip... and still no-one notices the mis-spelling of "serendipitous"

Apart from at least two people before you. :)

Great strip though! ;)

[Movoza]

Why isn't Roy next to Hinjo? he IS his bodyguard...
I quite like the "Your interupting something".

[boolean]

EDIT: Incidentally, I don't see the Drunken Wizard anywhere in that scene. There is the Wizard who helped Vaarsuvius copy his new spells and there is the Cleric who attempted to cast the Raise Dead spell on Shojo, but the Drunken Wizard is not there. :(
It's likely that Drunken Wizard is still dead. The high level cleric may have only has a single Raise Dead/Resurrection prepared (only expecting to need one), and he used that up trying to raise Shojo.

[Pantler]

Hinjo rocks :smallbiggrin:

Uh, what's that thing on the postument behind the female guard?

[Setra]

Hinjo rocks :smallbiggrin:

Uh, what's that thing on the postument behind the female guard?

I think it's some sort of er.. I can't think of the word, I'll just say a 'rug', where the crown was probably held.

Also, yes, yes he does.

[DarkPhilosopher]

The coronation of Hinjo... and the Order is updating the "chit chat". I mean, it's pure situation comedy!

[Ronald_saveloy]

Does anybody else smell a "Council of Elrond"-scene comming up?

[nizwiz]

Hinjo rocks :smallbiggrin:

Uh, what's that thing on the postument behind the female guard?

My guess would be a parchment, with some kind of laws or rules somehow related to crowning ceremonials.

And,

...Though still, Hinjo should get something to symbolize his position; ...

The royal cat, of course.

[mdvk1012]

Hinjo:" -we're kinda in the middle of something here."That is just what this strip is all about. We're in the middle of deep/heavy plot and Giant steps back to give us an exposition and reintroduce the rest of OOTS.

My favorite quote is actually in the first panel

Elan: "Yeah...by tomorrow, we'll all be swimming in hobgoblins. Not Literally. I hope."Leave it to Elan's wild imaginate to visualize swimming in a pool of hobgoblin bodies.

[Willahad]

Good. It's about time the plot started moving along (not that the strips before wen't funny)

[Cleverdan22]

Nice one.

Anyone else think that's Miko in the back?

[Setra]

Does anybody else smell a "Council of Elrond"-scene comming up?

I hope so, maybe complete with a Gandalf lookalike.

[Mr Teufel]

You're the DM, and you've prepared detailed descriptions of the Great Coronation Ceremony... but you're players won't stop talking about the plot you're in the middle of!

[Sebastian]

Imbetting that the two dark haired people on the far right are Hinjo's parents.

His mother is dead third row, first panel (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0406.html)

"we are kinda in the middle of something" :smallsmile: LOL, I like Hinjio more and more with every comic and considering what happened to the other likeable NPCs (like Shojo and the police chief) that kinda make me worry for him. :smalleek:

[Xenon]

good comic as always...

however, looking at the steps and platform in the next-to-last panel just seems wrong. because theres no 'edge' between the wall and the floor, to indicate a ledge (and thus actual height), and how their standing on it... I know its all stick-figire simple, but basic geometry going non-ecludian is just one of those things.

[Emanick1]

I miss the double panel comics. :smallfrown:
But yeah, that was funny. And maybe, just maybe, that semi-suspicious "banner" behind Hinjo has some significance.

[nizwiz]

"Where else would a crown go?" - Hopefully not where the stick goes.

EDIT: Also, I can't help but notice that Haley and Elan are holding hands once more. But what is that? Already Haley is shushing at Elan! Oh, I don't like where this is going (Elan, the henpecked boyfriend?).

[EpeeGnome]

I suspect that the non-paldins in the audiance are some of the Nobels of the city. Hinjo's father may or may not be alive/attending, but since he inherits his position through his desceased mother, it doesn't matter.
Edit: I noticed some speculation about Hinjo keeping his anger all bottled up to be so polite all the time, but I think he vents it through sarcasm. While still being extra polite of course.

[Renobarb]

Sigh. I hope the people this is directed toward will actually read it. It might get one or two of them to think...

It isn't filler. It's called plot. The same batch of you complain every time a strip isn't a climax point. Without the "filler" strips, you can't build up to said climax.

It's something of a strawman, but I'll trhow it out because, generally, the same people who complain do enjoy the stip: when you have your own successful web comic, come show us how plot development "should" occur.

/don't wanna come off snarky, but it had to be said

Reno

[The_Old_Fox]

I am liking Hinjo more and more, however, I can't get past the sinking feeling that Hinjo and his city are about to crushed by the armies of :xykon: .

Though I just had the thought that :elan: wasted his gift-certificate by putting :nale: and Co. in the tower. I think Hinjo would have agreed to honor it but I don't thing that he would continue to keep the LG locked up for all times like Shojo was willing to do.

[Sisqui]

It isn't filler. It's called plot. The same batch of you complain every time a strip isn't a climax point. Without the "filler" strips, you can't build up to said climax.
Reno

Actually, this is the first time I have ever called a strip filler.

[Hurlbut]

Hehehe, classic example of PCs ignoring NPCs.

[Teh_Jakester]

I am liking Hinjo more and more, however, I can't get past the sinking feeling that Hinjo and his city are about to crushed by the armies of :xykon: .

Though I just had the thought that :elan: wasted his gift-certificate by putting :nale: and Co. in the tower. I think Hinjo would have agreed to honor it but I don't thing that he would continue to keep the LG locked up for all times like Shojo was willing to do.

Well, Thog is just McAwesome, and the rest are wierd, so he WILL let Thog go.

[Mordaedil]

People that stayed up until late last night to catch this: Belkar already warned you, it's not worth making a big deal of it.

OTOH, it's an understandable scenario, complaining. People do it all the time, even when they don't even know what they are complaining about. Sometimes people get so busy complaining that they forget to tell what they are complaining about and why it isn't any good.

And rather than attempting to help their dilemma, they just gawk like fools unable to explain their problem because they are far too much important to be expected to have to explain it in some way or form.

This is a misguided rant, by the way, not intended for you ranters here. I'm just saying what lies down the dark path you are taking.

[Blood]

Meh. This comic could have been better. Sorry, Giant.

I wonder, if Miko and Nale are in the same jail place, will Miko make "peaceful contact" with a "summoned" Sabine? (Prerequisite for Blackguard)

[Solara]

Brilliant strip! :) I can't believe there are people complaining about it though. If the Giant was really lazy and looking for 'filler' he could have easily stretched things out and taken all of next week to get through the plot necessary stuff that this one does in a day. If anything I'd say the story is moving along at a lightning pace.

Just look at all that this one single strip accomplished:

1.) Got all of the OotS (except Belkar) back together.
2.) Established that Nale was in prison.
3.) The rest of the OotS now know what happened to Miko.
4.) The rest of the OotS now know about Xykon.
5.) We got to see their reaction to both of the above.
6.) Established that Belkar was in prison.
7.) Established that he probably wouldn't be there for long.
8.) Azure City is dealing with the Xykon problem - in an hour battle plans are supposed to be discussed.
9.) Foreshadowing that this will likely never happen - lately specific times have been mentioned for a reason. I wouldn't be surprised if the next strip was about Xykon and Redcloak and one of them mention sthat they'll be at the city in less than an hour.
10.) Established that Hinjo is now officially the ruler.
11.) Plot recap.
12.) Underlined the fact that Hinjo is the coolest paladin ever.
13.) Hilarious jokes.

No seriously, they were hilarious. Everyone's reaction to the news about Miko had me chuckling (especially V's), and later when Hinjo politely interrupted I thought the joke was going to be about how Haley was discussing Bluffing her way into the meeting right in front of him - only to absolutely lose it when I realized they were having this discussion in front of everyone, during Hinjo's coronation, no less. :smallbiggrin:

I crack up everytime I see PCs getting called on arrogant behavior that everyone (readers and characters alike) takes for granted - they just so rarely get challenged in their belief that the world revolves around them, so it was a real treat having everyone glare at them like they were chatting in a movie theater.

I typically just see the story as a story, but this time I couldn't help but picture a DM explaining how the coronation of the new NPC ruler was now taking place, and since this was one of the few things that wasn't all about them the players just ignored it and took the opportunity to sit around discussing the latest plot twists and what they'd do next.

In normal circumstances I think Roy's player would have joined them, but of course now he's got a reason to pay attention to everything that happens to Hinjo, just in case a ninja death squad tries to break up the party. :smallsmile:

[Sisqui]

OTOH, it's an understandable scenario, complaining. People do it all the time, even when they don't even know what they are complaining about. Sometimes people get so busy complaining that they forget to tell what they are complaining about and why it isn't any good.

You mean like people complaining about people complaining?:smallwink:

[Kuldace]

Well spoken (and thought out) Solara. Maybe too well thought out...

But seriously, normally I just smile (not the most expressive person). This time I actually laughed.

[moleytov]

Still want to know if sabines orders from the lower planes conflict with Nale's plans for the linear guild... that could get interesting.

[Bilbo27]

Loved to see the whole gang again. I got this maxxed bluff I've been dying to use for 6 weeks now. Love it.

[Xi-1]

I hope so, maybe complete with a Gandalf lookalike.

There it is again: a Hinjo smiley. And a Rich smiley? How'd ya do that?

Prison tower? 'Royal crappage' is a phrase that expresses exactly the premonition I have in regards to Nale and the rest of the Linear Guild (minus Pompey and the druid) who are imprisoned there. As in, was it even that hard for Julio to take out three catapults ON towers? Thing of what Xykon can do even without his hobgoblin army, who he's gonna throw to the paladins anyway. Of course, now that I've said all that, Rich might decide NOT to use Xykon to spring Nale and the others... or will he?

It's kinda hard to tell much at this point, so I'll just enjoy what's coming.
---------------------
Soleil: You mean we just killed a few dozen Lawful Good kobolds?
Velar: No such thing,
Soleil: I wish I could believe that,
Eli: Well then, either the Kobold Sorceress was lying to herself, or the diary section of her spellbook's got US on the wrong side of the tracks. Wait, are Sorceresses usually Good of Evil?
Velar: You can track?
Soleil: You can read spellbooks?
Eli: No, and that'd be from my mother's side again -- the reading, that is.
V: Hah! No Magic Missile for you,
Eli: What the heck do I need that for? I'm a Fighter.

[Paramajic]

Why isn't Roy next to Hinjo? he IS his bodyguard...


Bodyguards tend to stand a couple of steps back and to the side. The idea is that they are ready to answer any threat that pops up but also the leader, boss, client, needs to be seen as capable of acting on their own.
In this case it shows the nobles that http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/estelindis/hinjo.gif is confident in is own skills and power but still has :roy: watching his back.

[CGM3]

Hinjo should have SOMETHING to symbolize his authority

You mean like a big bodyguard with a shaven head and a great honkin' sword? :smallamused:

[Solara]

There it is again: a Hinjo smiley. And a Rich smiley? How'd ya do that?



They're not forum smilies, they're images hosted somewhere else and then posted here. (Probably from imageshack or photobucket or one of those sites.)

[V Junior]

Ummmm.....where's the bodyguard?

Oh no. 10 gp says that Hinjo is attacked in #413, and if Roy's not there...

Crud. That's not good. Would OOTS that are there (Haley V Durkon Elan) attack the attackers?

Weird. I had a dream where it was the middle of the night and the LG had escaped and were going to kill Hinjo in his sleep, then Roy flicked the light switch... if that happens, I'm gonna die laughin'!

[krossbow]

Heh, that was great. Gotta LOVE haley being able to talk again! :smallbiggrin:

[Ariko]

Oh no. 10 gp says that Hinjo is attacked in #413, and if Roy's not there...

Crud. That's not good. Would OOTS that are there (Haley V Durkon Elan) attack the attackers?

Weird. I had a dream where it was the middle of the night and the LG had escaped and were going to kill Hinjo in his sleep, then Roy flicked the light switch... if that happens, I'm gonna die laughin'!

..As I already said, and amother said as well..Roy is right there in plain sight.

[Ampersand]

Eh...I'm not going to call the strip filler, or say tht the jokes were bad or anything, because that's really not true. I just find "recap" strips distastful. Particularly since we just had another one 10 comics ago...in fact, exactly 10 comics ago. Sure, it adds a bit of believability to things to see the characters talking about it, but for the readers it's mostly retreaded information...particularly when the strips are collected and there's at most a 2-4 minute gap between reading the earlier strips and then having them recapped, rather than 2-4 days.

[Roderick_BR]

I think it was well done. The recap happened while the others characters, that were not there, talked it among themselves. Makes it more believable. Sort like a gossip among them, as soon as they learned of what happened. It makes us skip the cerimony with Hinjo being proclaimed the new Lord too :smallwink:

[SPoD]

If this strip didn't exist, the OOTS message board page would look like this:


OMG, Haley and Elan don't know about Xykon invading yet! I think they're going to not find out until it's too late.


Hey, no one knows that Hinjo is king yet!


Elan will be sad when he finds out about Miko. I think he'll cry.


No, Roy won't even tell them! Him and Hinjo will have to keep it secret.


Xykon will invade, and the Order will be split up! None of them will know what's going on!


I haven't seen Durkon in a few strips, even though his current whereabouts have been established. I therefore hypothesize that he's sneaking off to join Xykon's army.


This comic strip is never funny anymore.


OK, so when they bring Miko to the prison, Haley and Elan will be there.


Roy totally should let Belkar rot in jail, I bet he will.


Well, the prison is underground, so I think it will be impossible for Miko or Nale to know what's going on.

Not posted until after we see the War Council strip:
There's no way Haley would be allowed in there! This must be a mistake! The Giant is such a bad writer.

[Kyace]

..As I already said, and amother said as well..Roy is right there in plain sight.
Gate? What gate?

[Alycat]

I like how Elan and Haley are holding hands in the second to last panel. ^-^
Still together - even though we haven't seen anyone but Roy and Belkar (in the OOTS) lately.

[Sisqui]

I like how Elan and Haley are holding hands in the second to last panel. ^-^
Still together - even though we haven't seen anyone but Roy and Belkar (in the OOTS) lately.

Are they holding hands? I thought they looked like they were startled, with their hands flung out and the art was overlapping them.........
Hmm....can't really tell :smallconfused:

[Maratanos]

Hey, ummm, why does Hinjo have a crown that Shojo didn't?

[Callista]

Likely enough the crown is ceremonial and Shojo didn't wear it constantly. It's probably pretty uncomfortable anyway.

[Shadow of the Sun]

The correct answer is that Hinjo is awesome.

[Alycat]

Are they holding hands? I thought they looked like they were startled, with their hands flung out and the art was overlapping them.........
Hmm....can't really tell :smallconfused:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/young_artist/HaleyandElan-HoldingHands.png
I don't think they look startled..

But whatever, great comic as usual. :smallsmile:

[Lord Zentei]

There it is again: a Hinjo smiley. And a Rich smiley? How'd ya do that?

You go here: Linka (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34131).

[Michaelius]

My hat comes off to The Giant after reading the last few comics.

[the_tick_rules]

2 stupid comments by elan in a single strip, he's back to his old ways it seems.

[Teh_Jakester]

No, his old ways is three or four.

[Mawhrin Skel]

Though I just had the thought that :elan: wasted his gift-certificate by putting :nale: and Co. in the tower. I think Hinjo would have agreed to honor it but I don't thing that he would continue to keep the LG locked up for all times like Shojo was willing to do.
The LG were locked up secretly in order to prevent awkward questions that might hint at Shojo's deception. However, that's all out in the open, so I see no reason why they shouldn't be lawfully tried. Nale (kinda) and Thog have after all already been found guilty of mass murder in Cliffport, and Sabine was an accessory. If they can't be tried in Azure City for that, Nale did try to murder Haley.

[grinner666]

:haley: "Nope. But I do have a maxxed bluff skill that's been burning a hole in my pocket for six weeks."

*giggles* I love Haley!!!!!!! Has anyone started a fan club for her yet? If not, Imma gonna!!!

[Shadow of the Sun]

Look in the fanclub listing.

[fruityjanitor]

Does anybody else smell a "Council of Elrond"-scene comming up?

:Hinjo: You must take Banjthulu and cast him into the fires of mount doom!

[Mordaedil]

You mean like people complaining about people complaining?:smallwink:

See? It's an endless cycle :smalltongue:

I wasn't really talking about you in my rant there, I just have a bad experience from the NWN2 forums, which are tons worse. Though I also hold the thought that there is a difference between bemoaning and complaining.

[Teh_Jakester]

:Hinjo: You must take Banjthulu and cast him into the fires of mount doom!

that won't work.
:elan: works, but :Elan: doesn't.
There is no Hinjo in the CP, so :hinjo: and :Hinjo: won't work.

[Porthos]

There is no Hinjo in the CP, so :hinjo: and :Hinjo: won't work.

True. But http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/estelindis/hinjo.gif (to produce this: http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/estelindis/hinjo.gifworks just fine. :smallbiggrin:

PS: Thanks once again for the awesome smilie, Estelindis! :smallcool:

[Caractacus]

If this strip didn't exist, the OOTS message board page would look like this:

('Quoted' sections removed)

Not posted until after we see the War Council strip:

Very true. This strip nicely brings everything up to date without squeezing anything extraneous in and therefore not doing it justice.

We need these strips in between major events in order to establish a more 'normal' pace. That way, when things kick off again in a big way, it's more obvious that it IS in a big way.

I am really looking forward to the inevitable aerial view of Azure city with the zombie dragon in the foreground and the hobgoblin hordes around the walls... :smallcool:

[Estelindis]

True. But http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/estelindis/hinjo.gif (to produce this: http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/estelindis/hinjo.gifworks just fine. :smallbiggrin:

PS: Thanks once again for the awesome smilie, Estelindis! :smallcool:
You're welcome! Considering the the fact Hinjo becomes more and more awesome with each passing strip (including this one), I'm glad I could make a smiley available! :smallsmile:

[Jazzvader]

I need it!!!!!!! I am Ass Stick remover!!!

[Teh_Jakester]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a311/estelindis/hinjo.gif
HA!!
Great Smiley.

[CGM3]

..As I already said, and amother said as well..Roy is right there in plain sight.

And yet, many people seem to be failing their Spot checks and missing his presence in the frame. Is it possible Roy has levels in ninja? :roy:

[Ampersand]

If this strip didn't exist, the OOTS message board page would look like this:

We're probably going to get those threads anyway. Several times a day. :smalltongue:

I still reserve the right to dislike recap strips on principal.

[krossbow]

I actually quite enjoyed this one; it's nice to see a simple joke strip without any major plot developement.

[dragongirl13]

Ha ha ha, Elan is SO uneducated in figures of speech.

Or maybe it's just his Int 8.

:)

[Professor Tanhauser]

I see. What was the age and feigned mental state of their FORMER leader again?

Maybe they wern't going to make that mistake again. Also Shojo wasn't like a billion years old when crowned, one presumes....

[Itdano]

Giant, there's really only one thing a person can do after a strip like that:

*Slow Clap*

[Harr]

Man, that was FRICKIN HILARIOUS. As have been the last string of strips.

Vaar had me laughing in the second panel and the rest of it didn't let up.

I don't know how you do it to keep it up to par after that many comics, but somehow you do it. Nice.

[EdgarVerona]

I eagerly anticipate the next few comics! This one was a good interlude, but I'm ready to see some great goblin war action...

How far away do you think the Goblin army is by now?

[Mr Teufel]

This is the lull before between the storms.

[Giscard76]

Yet, if Hinjo's father is alive, wouldn't he be crowned?


No Hinjo inherits through is mother who was Shojo's sisiter.

[Cifer]

How far away do you think the Goblin army is by now?
Well, the goblin army (which contains exactly one goblin...) is to my knowledge 0,2 plots away.

[lumberofdabeast]

That was... interesting, to say the least.

I need to pull something like that the next time my players forget that the NPCs exist.

[Josh Inno]

*snickers* It is indeed enjoyable.

And I'm glad to finally see a real Paladin have some real spotlight.

[lunar]

I just hate when you get caught chatting during someone's coronation. So embarassing.

[skinkatlarge]

This strip was a bit of a "sleeper hit" for me. Maybe I was just tired and grumpy when it first went up, but I appreciated it a lot more the second time through. And I'm glad the Giant chose to catch everyone up this way, rather than using three strips worth of exposition - sort of saying "let's just skip past the obvious parts, okay?". I think we can assume that Roy has figured out why his question to the oracle was so dumb... again. I was wondering why people were just assuming the Zombbgoblin Army was precisely a day behind Miko, but now we can just chalk it up to "Well, Hinjo probably had scryers check, since the strip before last." Looks like the Guard aren't going to set the LG loose right away, after all. And it seems likely that Rich isn't going to go with the "It's just Hinjo's word that it was Miko who killed Shojo, and he had much more to gain from doing it himself" scenario that some people were afraid of, or the "Hinjo Detects Evil on Roy because of Xykon's crown" scenario that *I* was afraid of (for both choices, I'm grateful), and the Guard and (at least some of) the nobles are caught up, and all that. The exposition we do get is new - the foreshadowing about the LG (and probably Miko) being in a tower, upcoming war council that Roy will be part of, the fact that he has an idea to get the Belkar situation "fixed"... that was a cram-packed strip, actually, which still managed to be damn funny. Kudos, Giant!

[Ariko]

Yay! Finally ordered On the Origin of PCs! :biggrin:

[yuccadude]

Just noticed a spelling error in panel four. Should be serendipitous, not seredipitous. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=serendipitous