Things You Never Noticed IV: There's A Comic in the Sidebar?

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I had to google that (okay, bing that) to know what you meant. Apparently, it is a secret to everybody.

It was from one of the books, which was why I didn't notice it at first, because when I first read that strip, I didn't have NCftPB.

But there was another bonus! When I read the comic you marked, I saw panel four, where one of the attackers fires a crossbow, but the arrow goes wide. Two more comics into the future, it becomes apparent that there was a very good reason why he missed.

Oh, that's a good one. Definitely better than mine.

Edit: Or not. Guess the spy was very dedicated to his deception.

[The Linker]

But there was another bonus! When I read the comic you marked, I saw panel four, where one of the attackers fires a crossbow, but the arrow goes wide. Two more comics into the future, it becomes apparent that there was a very good reason why he missed.

Actually -- and I only just noticed this for the first time -- that arrow did find its mark. It's sticking out of the bluecloak's head in the fifth panel.

He also shoots another hobgoblin in the eye in the sixth panel. That one I knew about.

[DaggerPen]

I had to google that (okay, bing that) to know what you meant. Apparently, it is a secret to everybody.

Just out of curiosity - #NotTooBigToBoycott, or do you just genuinely like Bing?

[Vinyadan]

Unless I'm mistaken, the Azure City wizard here: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0340.html

is either using a modified version of Teleport or is level 18. Teleport only targets one extra person per three caster levels, and he took six people with him in one go.

It's a detail I really like, because it adds to the absurdity of how the PCs relate with him and his getting drunk. No matter that he's got ridiculous powers, the poor guy was born an NPC!

[BrotherMirtillo]

Or not. Guess the spy was very dedicated to his deception.

Actually -- and I only just noticed this for the first time -- that arrow did find its mark. It's sticking out of the bluecloak's head in the fifth panel.

He also shoots another hobgoblin in the eye in the sixth panel. That one I knew about.

Oh. Well, drat -- my bad. I better not go picking fights with Dirty Harry anytime soon, because I seem to have ADD -- Ammo Distraction Deficiency.

Just out of curiosity - #NotTooBigToBoycott, or do you just genuinely like Bing?

Neither. More like "Too Lazy To What Now?" -- I use Firefox (with its default Google) for more business-related email and research, but out of long-standing habit, I use Explorer (with its default bing) for chatrooms and whatnot. Silly, I'm sure, but there you have it.

[DaggerPen]

Neither. More like "Too Lazy To What Now?" -- I use Firefox (with its default Google) for more business-related email and research, but out of long-standing habit, I use Explorer (with its default bing) for chatrooms and whatnot. Silly, I'm sure, but there you have it.

Aha! Thanks for indulging my curiosity.

[ti'esar]

As a result of this thread, I've noticed that Rich seems to have changed the way he draws visors in certain types of full-face helmets. In Tarquin's original appearance, his visor has basically straight lines like a T-shape, a style that continues at least up until the random adventurer in SOD mentioned in that thread. But post-WXP, characters with that helmet style, such as the evil plane-shifting fighter and Yor, have more angled visors closer to a Y-shape. Even when we see Tarquin's original helmet again in a flashback, its visor has changed to match.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

As a result of this thread, I've noticed that Rich seems to have changed the way he draws visors in certain types of full-face helmets. In Tarquin's original appearance, his visor has basically straight lines like a T-shape, a style that continues at least up until the random adventurer in SOD mentioned in that thread. But post-WXP, characters with that helmet style, such as the evil plane-shifting fighter and Yor, have more angled visors closer to a Y-shape. Even when we see Tarquin's original helmet again in a flashback, its visor has changed to match.

That's interesting. I guess it's another art upgrade that occured over time. I think the new helmets do look better.

[rodneyAnonymous]

"Mobs" is MMO slang for monsters (condensed from Mobile Objects, though how that came to mean monsters is beyond me).

The ancestors of modern MMOs were, from a programming perspective, object-based. Things like furniture or treasure were stationary objects. Things like NPCs or monsters were mobile objects.

[Keltest]

The ancestors of modern MMOs were, from a programming perspective, object-based. Things like furniture or treasure were stationary objects. Things like NPCs or monsters were mobile objects.

The things you learn...

[strijder20]

In #66, Elan says:
It was that or a litter of puppies. But I doubt a rampaging barbarian would have stopped for that!

Well, knowing Thog, he would have stopped for that.

And Elan's revelation about his brother 'What if we were both raised by the different parent? Would I be evil and he be good?' is foreshadowed in strip 68 by the angel.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

And Elan's revelation about his brother 'What if we were both raised by the different parent? Would I be evil and he be good?' is foreshadowed in strip 68 by the angel.

I think that Elan's thoughts about how Nale would have turned out in his place where not foreshadowed in that strip, but rather they where first shown there, although it wasn't until later that he met Tarquin and found our more about Nale's childhood. I think that Elan is the kind of person who would ask that question from the beginning, not after several engagements and finding out a lot about him.

[DaggerPen]

This one may be a bit borderline, but it's not really worth a thread of its own and I wanted to share -

I was reading back over the most recent book and considering that for a bunch of incarnations of evil, the IFCC are fairly generous bosses - holiday bonuses, finder's fees, etc., etc. This is presumably largely for humor purposes, but then I realized that there's an actual in-story explanation too: the IFCC are a small, experimental group trying to unite a laundry list of sworn enemies who've been feuding for time immemorial. They need to offer some serious perks to get employees, especially if they're from other alignment axes (such as how Sabine works under Director Lee).

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Here's one! We've seen in comic 952 that Thor's actions only came into account once they crossed over into the Northern Lands. Well, we've actually known that there's pretty defined rules about that in Comic 453 when the Tiger god was yelling angry at Thor for his Control Weather lightning bolt in Cliffport. So there's evidence he's making sure not to do it again when looking at the two.

[Keltest]

Here's one! We've seen in comic 952 that Thor's actions only came into account once they crossed over into the Northern Lands. Well, we've actually known that there's pretty defined rules about that in Comic 453 when the Tiger god was yelling angry at Thor for his Control Weather lightning bolt in Cliffport. So there's evidence he's making sure not to do it again when looking at the two.

I believe Tiger was going after for Thor for trying to answer Durkon's prayer to run faster rather than the control weather specifically. The lecture probably went something like "You might bend the rules for your followers in your lands, but down here we do things by the book."

[TheWombatOfDoom]

I believe Tiger was going after for Thor for trying to answer Durkon's prayer to run faster rather than the control weather specifically. The lecture probably went something like "You might bend the rules for your followers in your lands, but down here we do things by the book."

Well, he also references bending "the rules one time, and they never let you live it down" which I thought was referencing Cliffport, causing him not to be able to bend the rules here, or in later comics.

[Keltest]

Well, he also references bending "the rules one time, and they never let you live it down" which I thought was referencing Cliffport, causing him not to be able to bend the rules here, or in later comics.

It probably is referencing it, but to me the context Thor's words to Tiger indicated was that Tiger was chewing him out for being out of his territory, not what he does in his own space.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

It probably is referencing it, but to me the context Thor's words to Tiger indicated was that Tiger was chewing him out for being out of his territory, not what he does in his own space.

But cliffport IS in the southern lands, isn't it?

[Ron Miel]

But cliffport IS in the southern lands, isn't it?

Yeah, which is outside Thor's territory. He's a Northern god.

[Emperordaniel]

I just realized that the tower which collapsed in a mostly-intact state in the last panel of #466 may very well be the same tower that Haley crushed the hobgoblins with in #470.

[Keltest]

But cliffport IS in the southern lands, isn't it?

I...

...

Good question, I have no idea. I thought it was in the North, but I cant actually recall anyone saying anything either way.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I just realized that the tower which collapsed in a mostly-intact state in the last panel of #466 may very well be the same tower that Haley crushed the hobgoblins with in #470.

Oh, that's a good one. Of course, it could be some other broken tower, but why not let it be the one that's already been shown?

[Ron Miel]

I just noticed that Haley's arrow dislodged the stone that was holding the tower up.

[DaggerPen]

I...

...

Good question, I have no idea. I thought it was in the North, but I cant actually recall anyone saying anything either way.

You know, it's hard to say. I mean, the jurisdiction issue would imply that it was in the South, but I got the impression that the Southern Lands were pretty ubiquitously Asian, whereas the Northern Lands seem to be a general mix of white and Black. Plus, Julia was going to school there, and Roy's family is Northern, so while it's not impossible that she's a foreign exchange student, it seems more likely that it'd be in the North?

[Keltest]

You know, it's hard to say. I mean, the jurisdiction issue would imply that it was in the South, but I got the impression that the Southern Lands were pretty ubiquitously Asian, whereas the Northern Lands seem to be a general mix of white and Black. Plus, Julia was going to school there, and Roy's family is Northern, so while it's not impossible that she's a foreign exchange student, it seems more likely that it'd be in the North?

That was my reasoning as well. Something to keep in mind, the jurisdiction issue with Thor didn't come up until he tried to do something in a distinctly southern city. That says to me that Tiger was simply referencing it as something like "You may play fast and loose with the rules in your lands, but down here were in charge, so don't even look sideways at anything that isn't an official clerical spell." type speech.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

That was my reasoning as well. Something to keep in mind, the jurisdiction issue with Thor didn't come up until he tried to do something in a distinctly southern city. That says to me that Tiger was simply referencing it as something like "You may play fast and loose with the rules in your lands, but down here were in charge, so don't even look sideways at anything that isn't an official clerical spell." type speech.

I kind of interpreted that scene as Tiger growling at Thor for trying to directly intervene in Southern Lands, and then Thor was complaining that they reminded him specifically because he had a record of breaking the rules before; they didn't really trust Thor.

[Keltest]

I kind of interpreted that scene as Tiger growling at Thor for trying to directly intervene in Southern Lands, and then Thor was complaining that they reminded him specifically because he had a record of breaking the rules before; they didn't really trust Thor.

That would imply that had, say Odin done it, they would have let him. That's not something I really got out of that scene; it seemed like a territorial dispute first and foremost.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

That would imply that had, say Odin done it, they would have let him. That's not something I really got out of that scene; it seemed like a territorial dispute first and foremost.

They still wouldn't have let him do it, but they wouldn't have felt the need to remind him of past transgressions (probably because there are none).

[Keltest]

They still wouldn't have let him do it, but they wouldn't have felt the need to remind him of past transgressions (probably because there are none).

Well, it wasn't strictly necessary in this situation either, certainly not enough to be the main topic of the conversation. And if that were the case, don't you think that Thor's response would have directly involved not bending the rules anymore?

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Well, it wasn't strictly necessary in this situation either, certainly not enough to be the main topic of the conversation. And if that were the case, don't you think that Thor's response would have directly involved not bending the rules anymore?

The main topic of the conversation was, of course, that Thor shouldn't be interfering in Southern Lands. However, Thor is reminded that he has a record of breaking the rules before, prompting Thor to make his comment.