OOTS #1043 - The Discussion Thread

[Carl]

homophone: each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling

Effectively Belkar assumed that a steak through the heart was what was needed to kill Durkon (hence the title 'He Assumed It Was a Cholesterol Thing'), the cook presumably pointed out that he was wrong and that 'no steak is merely a homophone of stake', Belkar not knowing what homophone meant responded with 'no, you're a homophone'.

There I think I have sufficiently killed that joke via explanation now.

Thank you, the joke totally went over my head...

[JoeyTheNeko]

still don't get the homophone joke....

[semi]

still don't get the homophone joke....

Here's what I think happened "off panel"

Belkar says to the Cook: "I need stakes!"

Cook: "Here you go"

Belkar: "Not Steaks, you moron. Stakes!"

Cook: "You said stake. I'm a cook. So I thought Steak. It's a homophone"

Which leads Belkar to fire off the "no, YOU'RE a homophone" line.

[Kish]

Here's what I think happened "off panel"

Belkar says to the Cook: "I need stakes!"

Cook: "Here you go"

Belkar: "Not Steaks, you moron. Stakes!"

Cook: "You said stake. I'm a cook. So I thought Steak. It's a homophone"

Which leads Belkar to fire off the "no, YOU'RE a homophone" line.

Doesn't fit the title or the situation where Belkar was apparently grilling steaks when the cook told him it's a homophone.

[JoeyTheNeko]

Here's what I think happened "off panel"

Belkar says to the Cook: "I need stakes!"

Cook: "Here you go"

Belkar: "Not Steaks, you moron. Stakes!"

Cook: "You said stake. I'm a cook. So I thought Steak. It's a homophone"

Which leads Belkar to fire off the "no, YOU'RE a homophone" line.

ah, thanks.

[GM_3826]

Doesn't fit the title or the situation where Belkar was apparently grilling steaks when the cook told him it's a homophone.

It does fit the title and the situation; he assumed that they were weak to stakes because they did not like cholesterol, and thus he made juicy steak that they could not resist eating. That in combination with what we have already stated several times previously explains absolutely everything.

[Gluteus_Maximus]

Hey, I'm eating a stake right now!

[Takver]

The fate of the steaks Belkar got partway into cooking is unknown; I would guess that if Belkar didn't finish them the cook probably did, since it wouldn't make much sense to let them go to waste.

Okay, I laughed at this. On this forum, there could definitely be a serious argument about the fate of the three one-panel steaks. We must understand every detail!

[Alex Warlorn]

Satisfying seeing Belkar's normal attitude getting turned on him. And a reminder that while adventurers are nominally and narratively the stars of the story, and are THE major source of income for the towns they pass through... Having him called a "nobody little twerp" is so satisfying, much more than having him called a psycho considering he takes a point of PRIDE in that. But a "nobody little twerp?" That is someone actually managing to sting him.

And the engineer's quips may be SHORT on originality, but it's nice to see someone tell Belkar what for.

[Draz74]

Eh, this one didn't do it for me. The punch line makes no sense when you think about it too hard (particularly, why is Belkar even wearing the chef hat if he thought they were talking about stakes rather than steaks?)

I don't like Andi much, and Belkar's abrupt transition from "I don't care about you" to "OK, I'll find a way to compromise with you" wasn't believable.

I do like Giant's policy that "Just because it doesn't cause hit point damage doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." I.e. the fact that Protection from Evil and Holy Water hurt evil characters, just for flavor's sake, even though they don't damage Evil humanoids.

[dancrilis]

The punch line makes no sense when you think about it too hard (particularly, why is Belkar even wearing the chef hat if he thought they were talking about stakes rather than steaks?)

Again:

homophone: each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling

Effectively Belkar assumed that a steak through the heart was what was needed to kill Durkon (hence the title 'He Assumed It Was a Cholesterol Thing'), the cook presumedly pointed out that he was wrong and that 'no steak is merely a homophone of stake', Belkar not knowing what homophone meant responded with 'no, you're a homophone'.

There I think I have sufficently killed that joke via explanation now.

Belkar thought steaks were useful against vampires, it was pointed out to him he was wrong and he didn't understand the word used.

I don't like Andi much, and Belkar's abrupt transition from "I don't care about you" to "OK, I'll find a way to compromise with you" wasn't believable.

I like her - one of my favourite minor NPCs but regardless of that Belkar still doesn't care about her and he didn't compromise, he got offered what he wanted and he accepted it, that is not compromise.

[Jasdoif]

I don't like Andi much, and Belkar's abrupt transition from "I don't care about you" to "OK, I'll find a way to compromise with you" wasn't believable.

Belkar didn't compromise, though. Andi offered to give him exactly what he wanted, and he agreed to take it from her.

[Ruck]

I don't like Andi much, and Belkar's abrupt transition from "I don't care about you" to "OK, I'll find a way to compromise with you" wasn't believable.

Or, if you want to be accurate about it, from "I don't care about your life story" to "You have a way to get me what I want? OK."

[Kish]

Hey, I'm eating a stake right now!

...what are you, an anthropomorphic termite?

[Elkins]

Okay, I laughed at this. On this forum, there could definitely be a serious argument about the fate of the three one-panel steaks. We must understand every detail!

I know, right? We're only on page 2, and already this thread has everything. Painst(e)aking explanations of basic puns! Suggested crack ships! "OMG holy water hurts Belkar? Maybe he's an OUTSIDER!" I'm in heaven!

It's too early in the morning; I thought those were ham, for no appropriate reason I can come up with.

In cartoon language, ham usually takes the form of hamhocks with the bone still in, the kind that look like this:

Don't ask me why.

(No, really. Especially don't ask me why. I spent years not realizing that those asymmetrical and weirdly uneven yellow rectangle blobbies that often serve to represent folders in GUIs were actually supposed to look like...manilla folders. Oh! That's why they're all uneven like that! 'Twas a eureka moment, to be sure.)

[Tobimaro]

Hey, I'm eating a stake right now!

Be careful of the bones (splinters).

Great comic, Giant.

[factotum]

Clearly Andi would like to lead a mutiny and throw Bandana and her new friends off the ship.

The Order aren't Bandanna's new friends, they're Julio's friends, and thus Andi has absolutely no reason to throw them off the ship--not if she expects Julio to return at some point, at any rate, which the current strip suggests that she does.

[Jelly d6]

Allergies.

Yup.
Actually to make Holy Water you need a hefty amount of powdered silver (as "material component"). The metal is rarely allergic for human skin but who knows about halflings?

(Wild theories about Belkar being a lycanthrope incoming) :)

[mouser9169]

I agree with belkar as well. Also, I need a shower. But I cant see a mutiny plot doing anything particularly beneficial for the comic. Among other reasons, the conflict between Andi and Bandana is so trivially unimportant, especially since its apparently just Andi being jealous of Bandana, compared to the stakes (heh) the Order is already in.

The conflict may seem trivial to you, but I'm sure it's much more important to Andi. In fact, I'm sure it's much more important to Andi than some silly quest about adventurers rushing off to save the world (which probably happens all the time, or at least to hear Julio tell it).

Edit: Seems ferrying adventurers has happened at least a few times already.

[KorvinStarmast]

I mean...according to Andi, it isn't, but she's pretty biased. Seems to think she's near the front of the line to inherit the Mechane just because she's a long-serving engineer, which doesn't make sense to me. As an engineer, she might know everything there is to know about the ship, but not necessarily commanding the crew or making the decisions. I think she could be deluding herself about what it means that Bandana is getting command experience and she isn't.

About than half of the Commanding Officers on the ships I served on in the Navy had served as the Chief Engineer. The other two major departments -- weapons and operations -- accounted for the other half. It may have changed a bit, in terms of balance, since then in the Navy, but being technically competent is a major must for the captain of a ship.

Enjoyed the Belkar as comic relief strip. I agree with the idea that Mechane may not stick around once the delivery to dwarven lands happens.

[JSSheridan]

Thanks Giant!

[Syncrogti]

Giant is such a master in decelerating the narrative plot.

This. Now it will take a year to get back to the MitD..... buuuuuuuuuut its funny.

[ti'esar]

"Count Chock-Full-O-Nuts and his Creepy Crew" would make an excellent band name. Though admittedly the bar of admission there is pretty low.

I'm curious whether Andi's conviction that Julio is just temporarily retiring is actually accurate, or merely self-delusion.

[Clistenes]

I mean...according to Andi, it isn't, but she's pretty biased. Seems to think she's near the front of the line to inherit the Mechane just because she's a long-serving engineer, which doesn't make sense to me. As an engineer, she might know everything there is to know about the ship, but not necessarily commanding the crew or making the decisions. I think she could be deluding herself about what it means that Bandana is getting command experience and she isn't.

Not to mention the ship most probably is Julio's personal property, and he can give, sell or lend it to whoever he wishes. He probably sees Bandana as a daughter figure of sorts, since she has been raised in the ship and he has watched her grow... it makes sense that whe would pass the ship to her when the time comes.

[Takver]

About than half of the Commanding Officers on the ships I served on in the Navy had served as the Chief Engineer. The other two major departments -- weapons and operations -- accounted for the other half. It may have changed a bit, in terms of balance, since then in the Navy, but being technically competent is a major must for the captain of a ship.

I defer to your experience, then, and fair point.

Still, we've never had any indication from any character other than Andi that Andi was in the running to take command of the ship. Julio's choice this time was Bandana, and Andi's wording suggests that she wasn't actually privy to his reasons, whatever she wishes that they were.

[Jasdoif]

I'm curious whether Andi's conviction that Julio is just temporarily retiring is actually accurate, or merely self-delusion.

I wonder if Andi knows that Julio gave his Chaos Sabre to Elan. That'd be the strongest (though not definite, I suppose) indication that it's a retirement, rather than a vacation like Julio's message to Elan says.

And I keep seeing the "banana edition" of that sixth panel....

[DaggerPen]

"It belongs to, what's her name? The chick with the bandana"

Belkar is rivaling Xykon for "terrible with names" here - at least Xykon can remember "Redcloak"

(And yes, I know it's because he doesn't care about or pay attention to the crew. I just found it funny.)

[TuringTest]

"too much garlic messes with my sophisticated halfling palate"

Am I the only one who finds that line hilarious? As a reason to avoid using a specialiced weapon, it's priceless.

Today's strip is an instant classic, to be quoted any time someone references the three most usual methods to keep a vampire at bay.

[Jasdoif]

"It belongs to, what's her name? The chick with the bandana"

Belkar is rivaling Xykon for "terrible with names" here - at least Xykon can remember "Redcloak"

Overlooking that Belkar's had the opporunity to learn Bandana's name moniker, the line's up there with

Sure, some goblin in a red cloak. I didn't catch his name, though.

[8BitNinja]

I just got here and all the comments I read were about the homophone joke. I thought it was a funny joke, I guess I just have a different sense of humor.

Yup.
Actually to make Holy Water you need a hefty amount of powdered silver (as "material component"). The metal is rarely allergic for human skin but who knows about halflings?

(Wild theories about Belkar being a lycanthrope incoming) :)

After doing research, I have a wild hypothesis that Belkar is not a werewolf, but a demon