Goblins X: Orcs fall, everybody dies (horribly)

[The Glyphstone]

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So there are two Kills-Horribly's now, by the look of it.

[Marnath]

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So I was right, he did decide to go quadruped. He's just not very clear on how it works, so it's more like two different bipeds chained together, who really aren't on the same page as to the direction that they need to go. But he's getting his limbs figured out at an alarming rate. Next time we see him(we're going to FMK next) he will probably be a pro.

[The Glyphstone]

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So I was right, he did decide to go quadruped. He's just not very clear on how it works, so it's more like two different bipeds chained together, who really aren't on the same page as to the direction that they need to go. But he's getting his limbs figured out at an alarming rate. Next time we see him(we're going to FMK next) he will probably be a pro.

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Oh, that's what I'm looking at. I couldn't tell if they were sharing a spine still or not.

[BannedInSchool]

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Oh, that's what I'm looking at. I couldn't tell if they were sharing a spine still or not.

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Same as last update. I'd say he's got a bipedal layout going there, but his thorax is flopping around instead of staying above his hips.

[Sholos]

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Gyahhh! Just get it over with already! This has gone on about 3 comics too long... I'm bored. I'm bored by a giant, metallic green thing from Hell chasing a scantily clad female around. This should not happen!

[BannedInSchool]

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Gyahhh! Just get it over with already! This has gone on about 3 comics too long... I'm bored. I'm bored by a giant, metallic green thing from Hell chasing a scantily clad female around. This should not happen!

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The good news is it's over. The bad news is it isn't over.

Next update, we switch back to Minmax, Forgath and Kin!

[Morquard]

Yeah and,

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Is it necessarily to drag out the inevitable for another strip?

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Oh cute... you really believe this will be over next strip? Be glad if it is before christmas...

[Susano-wo]

damn, whats with the hate?? I personally really like all the parties.

ah well, can't please everyone. (though I thought it was apparent that the off panel scream was her dying )

And things have power in fantasy worlds equal to thier power. Might seem to be a bit of a tautology, but I mean, a dragon, or minotaur, or whatever is as strong as the world describes, regardless of whether this would be possible with organic fibers, etc. So Klik's spawn is apparently strong enough to snap trees like twigs when it puts its mind to it. Doesn't really have anything to do with what material its made from

[DomaDoma]

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The good news is it's over. The bad news is it isn't over.

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Well, yes. We need to establish FMK reaching the teapot. We'll probably also start establishing the serpent prophecy. These things are necessary before we hook back up with the GAP.

[BannedInSchool]

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The good news is it's over. The bad news is it isn't over.

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Right, so what I meant was that while we're done with this sequence for now, it's not necessarily resolved yet. Instead of skipping over to whomever next encounters HeWhoMayNeedANewNameNow or these three PCs re-reincarnated and complaining about how they got killed, we may be coming back here. Or not. I don't have much of a preference over which group we follow.

[Jayngfet]

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Oh, come on, just kill her already so we can get to the interesting bits? Please? Pretty please?

I really hate long fight scenes.

Yeah, this scene is lasting way too long. You could cut half the panels from the last few pages and lose basically nothing.

[Ubiq]

So, if I understand this correctly, Kills Horribly has transformed into a Slinky Dog of DOOOOOM.

[willpell]

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(we're going to FMK next)

Yes! Thank the gods (of whom Thunt is presumably king). We've been away from my favorite part of the story for far too long.

We'll probably also start establishing the serpent prophecy.

The whut now?

[BannedInSchool]

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The whut now?

When the serpent becomes your prey, love will fuel hate, friends will become enemies, and everyone will die horribly. Or something like that.

[VariaVespasa]

Well Kills is looking sorta serpent-like now, love (M+K, Dies for Klik, etc) could fuel hate for Kills, Kills (an enemy) came from Klik (a friend) and thus could be viewed as fulfilling the friends will become enemies part, so we could be pretty darned close already in fact...

Or I should cut back on smoking belly-button lint...

[John Cribati]

Or the fact that FMK had to fight alternate-universe versions of themselves.

[Draconi Redfir]

or the fact that the jade teapot, being of yuan-ti design, may resemble a snake, and Psimax has stated that the love between minmax and Kin is what caused his oblivion machine to go wonky.

So it's possible that

when the serpent (teapot) becomes your pray (quest objective) love will fuel hate (kin and MM foil Psimax again somehow) and friends will become enemies (idk)

[Killer Angel]

So I was right, he did decide to go quadruped.

Yeah, maybe Thunt is showing his own version of Pathfinder's Eidolon?

[Surfing HalfOrc]

damn, whats with the hate?? I personally really like all the parties.

ah well, can't please everyone. (though I thought it was apparent that the off panel scream was her dying )

And things have power in fantasy worlds equal to thier power. Might seem to be a bit of a tautology, but I mean, a dragon, or minotaur, or whatever is as strong as the world describes, regardless of whether this would be possible with organic fibers, etc. So Klik's spawn is apparently strong enough to snap trees like twigs when it puts its mind to it. Doesn't really have anything to do with what material its made from

It's less hate and more annoyance. There are already three main stories all going on at once, and the Doomed Triplets are just a third fourth wheel. We all know what's going to happen to them: they are going to die a Hostel type of death. Then we will move on to ??? Maybe MFK, maybe the GAP, maybe we'll wrap up Dies Horribly. This little aside just seems so tacked on. Some authors can spin three or more stories together and make them work when they merge at the end. But as much as I enjoy this story, Thunt is no William Gibson. And even Gibson didn't toss in a fourth thread that never seems to go anywhere.

[Traab]

I think the real problem is the delay factor. We only get two comics a week. So while this would be a couple pages in a book and so a totally forgiveable aside, in this format it is several WEEKS of time spent away from the story lines that matter.

[Draconi Redfir]

i'm fairly sure that were this side-arc NOT put up, and the kills-horribly monster just suddenly appeared out of nowhere later one, everyone would be shouting out "Diablos Ex machine!" "You can't just throw in a random monster like that without any explenaition!" "thatès not even in the monster maual WTF is that!?"

And so much more hate.

It's gunna get hate reguardless, so just accept the path that thunt chose and move on. You can never please everybody.

[Starbuck_II]

You know this would be more interesting if she fought back.
Sure, she might lose in the end, but that ends excitement.

Unless there is a twist like Kore walks over kills both Kills then the girl.

[Tavar]

Not really seeing how it would be a diablous ex machina. We know it can absorb blood, use that to grow, and form structures.

[TheSummoner]

For the record, I never had any problem with spending 5 whole comics on these guys. Traab's got it figured out. People are just being impatient. For someone reading it for the first time after all the comics are up or for someone going on an archive binge, the pacing would be fine.

[memnarch]

Not really seeing how it would be a diablous ex machina. We know it can absorb blood, use that to grow, and form structures.

Nah, that problem would show up it the final form it ends up in turns up later without explanation of why it got that large. Now we have an explanation for something later (just in case i guess).

[Sholos]

For the record, I never had any problem with spending 5 whole comics on these guys. Traab's got it figured out. People are just being impatient. For someone reading it for the first time after all the comics are up or for someone going on an archive binge, the pacing would be fine.

So the solution is to wait a year, then go through and read everything? Why would I have any interest left after waiting that long? See, the problem with pretending you're writing for a book form is that you're actually writing in webcomic form.

[Tavar]

Nah, that problem would show up it the final form it ends up in turns up later without explanation of why it got that large. Now we have an explanation for something later (just in case i guess).

However would a thing that can get larger as is absorbs blood have gotten bigger? Especially when it's in large, vibrant forest?

[LoneStarNorth]

So the solution is to wait a year, then go through and read everything? Why would I have any interest left after waiting that long? See, the problem with pretending you're writing for a book form is that you're actually writing in webcomic form.

I guess you don't read novels or graphic novels then? Most authors take more than a year to finish one.*

The webcomic medium doesn't impose any requirements on the author as to pacing. Thunt paces his comic as he would a graphic novel, he just lets us read each page as it is finished (two a week being as fast as he can possibly get them done) instead of making us wait two years for each finished book. It's his prerogative as the artist to do so. If that ruins the experience for you, and you can't maintain interest for two years while you wait for a finished book, then it's your prerogative as a consumer not to read Goblins at all.

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*In the case of graphic novels, they can be finished faster if they have a full team of writer, penciller, inker, texter, etc. Thunt only very recently got a dedicated colourist.

[Nettlekid]

Ooh, are we tossing about theories? I'm dying to get back to the goblin party, and I think we'll be there soon. The culmination of the "When the serpent becomes your prey, friends will become enemies and love will fuel hate" prophesy is nigh, by my reckoning.

When we last saw the GAP, Chief had just been killed in the fight with Kore and the rest of the party was running into the dungeon crawl, when a green magical explosion appeared ahead of them and someone said "Hello Names, remember me?" to which the goblins all responded with frightened looks. I don't think this could be anyone but Minmax, not least of which because he's the only person I've seen in the comic to call Complains of Names "Names". His presence would also be plenty to instill fear in the hearts of the escaping goblins. The green magical explosion is the effect of the Jade Teapot teleporting him where he wanted to go. (What we have to consider is that us seeing MFK in the Maze of Many isn't happening at the same time as the GAP fighting Kore, even though it was shown to us at about that time.)

Now, what's less clear is what happened before the teleport. Since Kin planned to bring the Jade Teapot back by foot (er, tail) then she wouldn't have teleported with them. But I'd be surprised that Minmax left Kin to hunt the GAP, since things were developing between them. Also, since we only heard Minmax speak to the GAP upon appearing, Forgath may not have been with him. That leads us to wonder if something extreme is about to happen when we rejoin the MFK party in the Maze of Many, which will turn "friends into enemies and love will fuel hate."

There's a popular theory that Kore is an alternate world Forgath, somehow. If this is true, maybe it will start by Forgath killing Kin in the Maze of Many, as the first of many evil monsters to kill. Alternatively, the Minmax who's just teleported in front of the GAP is an alternate world Minmax who's partnered with Kore/Alternate Forgath, if that is the case. But that's a little far-fetched.

[John Cribati]

"When the serpent becomes your prey, friends will become enemies and love will fuel hate"

Basically, how I see it:

Serpent becomes prey: Kin joins the party.

Friends will become enemies: Enter dungeon crawl where you fight alternate-universe versions of your friends.

Love will fuel hate: Minmax's feelings toward Kin (he's obviously smitten, at the very least) makes Kore hate him for being "corrupted" by a monster (assuming Minmax is the one who meets the GAP. Yes, I personally do think it's Minmax, but I'm keeping an open mind)