OOTS #945 - The Discussion Thread

[Rockbender]

Hopefully Elan is around when it asks to choose the form of the Destructor.

We used to eat Sorcerer's Fruit Pies down by the fires at Bard Camp.

No No No! It wouldn't be the Giant Fruit Pies...

Do you really want the OOtS to have to fight a 200' Banjo?

Just the concept of Banjo ascending to true godhood is ... wrong...

[The Pilgrim]

The Snarl. Is. Aliveee!!!

[Dragolord]

What are the odds that Miron will start an order of blue-clad wizard/sorcerer/whatevers to rebuild the gate and then defend it, as revenge for his lost partner/lover, Laurin?

Edit:

No No No! It wouldn't be the Giant Fruit Pies...

Do you really want the OOtS to have to fight a 200' Banjo?

Just the concept of Banjo ascending to true godhood is ... wrong...

And what would be wrong with that? As his prophet, Elan would be ascended to godhood, persuade the other Gods to join the OotS, defeat the Snarl and live happily ever after! Now that's a story!

[Finagle]

Lesser Confusion also causes the same squiggly eye effect.

[Hopeless]

Bear in mind that Blackwing's eyes did something similar when he looked deep into the Rift (see the second-to-last panel) and he doesn't seem to have been turned into a feathery Snarlvatar.

He has become somewhat smarter which might have been put down to V not understanding what a familiar can do, but there's always the possibility that its not chance the fiends dragged it down with V when they wanted to see what Roy and the others would do without V interfering?

[blunk]

RiftWorld is NOT Earth, if that's what you're asking. Rich has already gone on record to state that.

He said the planet seen through the Gobbotopia rift was not Earth. Did he ever say that about the planet seen through the desert rift?

Did anyone else notice the top half of Orion on the horizon over the rift ocean? The angle of the belt, the two upper corner stars (or possibly lower).

That is a fun observation! Betelguese is somewhat out of place, but that could either be an art error or a view from a different part of our universe (I don't know what Orion is like in 3-space, off-hand).

And I won't say that's Gemini above it if you don't.

[Porthos]

You know. I just realized THIS IS ALL ROY'S FAULT!

: After all you NEVER say "I wonder if the Eldritch Abomination really exists." That's just begging for it to appear somewhere out of your sight.

Really, Roy. Has travelling with Elan taught you nothing.

[LadyEowyn]

Oh, wow.

That's a lot of plotlines advanced at once. This just got a whole lot more interesting.

[Thrillhouse]

My current hypothesis is that the snarl is both a creature AND a planet. It's not camoflague, precisely--since it's a thing made of creation strands, it takes the form of a sentient world, which may or may not have inhabitants.

[Porthos]

He said the planet seen through the Gobbotopia rift was not Earth. Did he ever say that about the planet seen through the desert rift?

...

If you want to claim those are different planets and that one of them is Earth, knock yourself out. Don't expect me to get anywhere near it though.

A tad more seriously, Rich wanted to nip those It Was Earth Along theories in the bud when he commented on that. I seriously seriously SERIOUSLY doubt he was trying to pull a double bluff here by trying to introduce different planets and saying "AHA! This one really is Earth". IMO, that's not his style.

[orrion]

He said the planet seen through the Gobbotopia rift was not Earth. Did he ever say that about the planet seen through the desert rift?

What makes you think they're different planets? Even if they were, why wouldn't you treat such a quote intended to dispel the rumors of exactly what you're thinking as universal?

What are the odds that Miron will start an order of blue-clad wizard/sorcerer/whatevers to rebuild the gate and then defend it, as revenge for his lost partner/lover, Laurin?

I'd say zilch since he looks a little old for that, and there's no evidence of romantic involvement with Laurin.

[quasit]

Woah.
Not sure if someone brougth this one before, but: Snarl== Worlwide genius loci like being?
Doesn't seem that far of a stretch to me

[NihhusHuotAliro]

Guys, does aqnyone know where Cleverdan22 went? I liked his posts...

[Rogar Demonblud]

whaaaaaaaaaaaaat is going onnnnnnnnnn

You can see the Snarl in Laurin's eyes.

She just made telepathic contact with something that makes Cthulhu look like a testy alley cat.

My first thought on finishing the page:

"Expeditious Retreat! Expeditious Retreat!"

Then I realized that was so ten levels ago, and went with:

"Quickened Plane Shift!"

[DaggerPen]

No, three. Presumably Kraagor's Gate is still sealed.

...

I sure as hell hope it is at least!

Lirian's
Dorukan's
Azure City's
And now Girard's

:P

[Vinsfeld]

HOLY CRAP!

(I hope Laurin dies)

[Porthos]

Lirian's
Dorukan's
Azure City's
And now Girard's

:P

Placing my bet now: #946 will be a montage of the Snarl emerging from the other three open Rifts, and will also end the book.

My highlight.

[Breccia]

"And on that day," Elan will eventually tell his children, "many a 'dun dun DUN!' was said."

[Porthos]

"And on that day," Elan will eventually tell his children, "many a 'dun dun DUN!' was said."

Unshown cutaway in 945:

: Hey, did anyone else get that forbodding feeling just now?

[Lombard]

In Tyranaria, what is in that valley controls YOU


/selfhighfive

[Living Oxymoron]

Awesome strip. The revelation of Laurin's favor, some more information about the "Team Tarquin" (a "Finders Keepers" rule? Why am I not surprised?), and a brilliant cliffhanger involving the main plot (or the major mystery of this comic).

About the Clairvoyance power, is this an existing power of the game or just an invention? I suppose Laurin used it here when she goes off-panel and returns later.

[blunk]

If you want to claim those are different planets and that one of them is Earth, knock yourself out. Don't expect me to get anywhere near it though.

What makes you think they're different planets? Even if they were, why wouldn't you treat such a quote intended to dispel the rumors of exactly what you're thinking as universal?

I'm not trying to champion a theory that the desert-rift planet is Earth, merely stating that it's still on the table. Personally, I think bringing Earth into the OOTS story is incredibly cheesy and I wouldn't expect Mr. Burlew to do it.

I *do* believe that he enjoys a) misdirection and b) subtle clues, though. So if they *are* different planets, I could see him enjoying that everyone thinks they're the same, *and* I could see him enjoying putting the desert-rift planet in our dimension (but not as Earth) so that he could give a subtle clue - through the constellations - that it is a different one than the Gobbotopia-rift planet (which, as not-Earth, might be widely assumed to be in not-Earth-dimension).

I like the idea of separate planets because it opens up some other interesting possibilities, and fits nicely with "The gods built their planet to exist in multiple coterminous dimensions", at least in one reading. But I'm going to just develop my post up-thread in-place, and never mention it again. No need to champion what will be revealed (to be true or false) eventually anyway.

[Muenster Man]

Between that and Miron yanking Laurin safely out of harm's way, it's clear they care for each other *o* they are my pRECIOUS BABIES ALL THREE OF THEM

I don't know if I would go as far to say they care for each other, but it was a nice touch to show Miron pulling Laurin from the Rift. Probably due to a lot of comaraderie built from years of adventuring together with a vested interest in each other's well-being. In spite of that, I found myself a little disappointed when I didn't see any of the "tendrils" pass through Laurin or Miron. My thought was more of: "stupid, lucky dodge!"

I also like that Rich managed to sum up and answer virtually all of the debate concerning V from the last thread in just two and a half panels of dialogue.

[NihhusHuotAliro]

In Tyranaria, what is in that valley controls YOU


/selfhighfive

As a swede, I will high-five you, my fellow germanic tribesman!

-high-five!-

Awwww, it's so cute how Miron cares for Laurin and Hannah, and how Laurin cares for Hannah.

Miron yanked her out of the way of the snarl like a good friend.

[DaveMcW]

Why are they Gates?

Why did the original party designed GATES, and not.. shall I say, plugs? Or shutters?

Why did they created GATES, which the word actually implies it's meant to be a passageway between places?

I can't answer for the original party, but there's clearly a joke coming.

Spoiler

Show

"And Hold Portal, a spell that holds doors shut for a few minutes. And, I might add, a spell so inherently without merit that I shudder to consider under what sort of malaise I might have suffered when I decided to scribe it into my tome."

[ManuelSacha]

Amen to that, Roy.

If anybody has a half-way decent theory, I'd be instered in hearing it.

[Kislath]

Okay one thing...

How come Blackwing saw a whole planet, but Laurin and our heroes saw only an ocean?

Do these portals have their other ends in wildly different places? If so, I wonder what we'll see through the next one? A divine palace interior or something?

[Lheticus]

Jessica Z. Louise! "Oh ****" doesn't even DESCRIBE this! O_O O_O_O O_asldfkna;fh;fkja

[Particle_Man]

Why are they Gates?

Why did the original party designed GATES, and not.. shall I say, plugs? Or shutters?

Why did they created GATES, which the word actually implies it's meant to be a passageway between places?

Gate? What gate?

He has become somewhat smarter which might have been put down to V not understanding what a familiar can do, but there's always the possibility that its not chance the fiends dragged it down with V when they wanted to see what Roy and the others would do without V interfering?

Well, familiars do get smarter anyhow when their wizards level up enough.

[zimmerwald1915]

Do these portals have their other ends in wildly different places? If so, I wonder what we'll see through the next one? A divine palace interior or something?

The Rifts are in wildly different places on the Order's planet. Why shouldn't they be in wildly different places on the Snarl's planet?

And why don't these planets have names? Granted, given the Giant's geographic naming conventions I'd expect the planet's name to be "Planet" or something, but still!