OOTS #1116 - The Discussion Thread

[Ironsmith]

Undead are immune to Sneak Attack. As Haley well knows after running the Resistance.

I know. I was specifically pointing that out as a bad/ineffective idea. I was also pointing out that said immunity doesn't make stealth completely useless, since vampires are still as vulnerable as anyone else to being caught flat-footed, and having a distraction like the giraffes would make stealth a bit easier.

[Mayrax]

Am I the only one to find Kudzu wanting to play with the bag adorable?

[NikolaTesla]

Could someone explain to me who the heck is this Greg that everyone keeps mentioning?

[Kish]

Greg is the vampire formerly known as the High Priest of Hel, nickname given by Blackwing.

[Shining Wrath]

Greg is the vampire formerly known as the High Priest of Hel, nickname given by Blackwing.

Also sometimes styled as Durkula, not-Durkon, Durkon*, and other monikers.

We could also try "The Occupant".

[Onyavar]

Could someone explain to me who the heck is this Greg that everyone keeps mentioning?

Greg is the vampire formerly known as the High Priest of Hel, nickname given by Blackwing.

There were other suggestions, too. I prefer Undurkon, others go by Lurkon or Lurky Corpsewhiskers, or Durkon*. HPoH was a big name, too - Hippo was derived from that. Then it became Former High Priest of Hel (FHPoH, short Fippo), but that was too silly to uphold for long. Durkula has outlived a lot of its popularity, thank goodness.

The part where it was Blackwing specifically who invented the name Greg, is new to me. In-comic, it has only been used once, and here.

Edit: There were entire threads dedicated to the topic, among them this one (Where Rift_wolf invented the famous Phyrnglsnyx) and this one (wait, that was two years ago already?). He shall be properly named - nevermore.

[Elenna]

The part where it was Blackwing specifically who invented the name Greg, is new to me. In-comic, it has only been used once, and here.

In that strip, based on the location of the suggestion "Greg" it seems like Blackwing's suggestion. (From his upraised wing-feather it's clear Blackwing is suggesting *something*).

[KorvinStarmast]

Could someone explain to me who the heck is this Greg that everyone keeps mentioning?

Durkula.

In that strip, based on the location of the suggestion "Greg" it seems like Blackwing's suggestion. (From his upraised wing-feather it's clear Blackwing is suggesting *something*).

Pastor Expiration was one of the better ones.

[Ruck]

I do think they're trying to distract us from an important line, but I don't think it's that one. Durkon said "It's def'nitely time for the big fight scene," which is obviously supposed to be about Roy & Co. crashing in.

But I think it's Durkon who's about to start something.

I wonder what Durkon can do. I think we've established he can't physically fight back, although even Durkula admits he finds getting fed unpleasant memories distracting (despite him telling Durkon he was wasting his time). I wonder if Durkon is going to feed him distracting memories, or if he's going to use what he discovered in #963 about Durkon not being able to make connections between memories to feed him something that will lead him to draw the wrong conclusions and make tactical errors.

And I definitely think the presence of Hilgya, whom as far as we know Durkula knows nothing about, is going to aid Durkon in that regard. (I don't think it would be hard for Durkon to feed Durkula memories that would give him the exact wrong impression of Hilgya-- though admittedly I haven't figured out what impression of Hilgya Durkon should want Durkula to have.)

[Windscion]

(I don't think it would be hard for Durkon to feed Durkula memories that would give him the exact wrong impression of Hilgya-- though admittedly I haven't figured out what impression of Hilgya Durkon should want Durkula to have.)

I can't even figure out what impression of Hilgya would be accurate. She seems perfectly rational one minute, the next she's completely delusional.

[Rockphed]

I can't even figure out what impression of Hilgya would be accurate. She seems perfectly rational one minute, the next she's completely delusional.

Well, she is a chaotic neutral cleric of a chaotic neutral god. Non-sequiturs are rather their stock in trade.

[Keltest]

Well, she is a chaotic neutral cleric of a chaotic neutral god. Non-sequiturs are rather their stock in trade.

Chaotic Evil. Chaotic neutral people don't consider murder to be a viable first resort to domestic issues.

[Rockphed]

Chaotic Evil. Chaotic neutral people don't consider murder to be a viable first resort to domestic issues.

... Where did she list murder as her first resort to her domestic issues?

[Keltest]

... Where did she list murder as her first resort to her domestic issues?

Where she said her first plan was to set a clan hall on fire to get out of her marriage. She only dismissed it because of the potential danger to Kudzu, not because of moral issues.

[Rockphed]

Where she said her first plan was to set a clan hall on fire to get out of her marriage. She only dismissed it because of the potential danger to Kudzu, not because of moral issues.

I was actually expecting you to list that her original attempt to get out of her marriage was to feed her husband poison, which goes a long way toward convincing me that she is probably CE, not CN.

[Snails]

... Where did she list murder as her first resort to her domestic issues?

She mentioned it in passing...twice.

I do accept the possibility she squeezes into neutral territory. That habit of mind screams "evil or insane or both". Being a priestess of Loki, insane is plausible.

[Rogar Demonblud]

That too, but people seem to be giving more weight to the recent strips than the ones from the two digit days.

[Keltest]

I was actually expecting you to list that her original attempt to get out of her marriage was to feed her husband poison, which goes a long way toward convincing me that she is probably CE, not CN.

I considered it, but people have argued in the past that her alignment could have changed since then, so I chose a more recent example.

Take your pick. Both are pretty damning.

[Fincher]

In that strip, based on the location of the suggestion "Greg" it seems like Blackwing's suggestion. (From his upraised wing-feather it's clear Blackwing is suggesting *something*).

I actually figured it was Vaarsuvius. It's hard to see her using puns and easier to see her just giving a name that comes to mind without caring whether it has any special meaning.

[Keltest]

I actually figured it was Vaarsuvius. It's hard to see her using puns and easier to see her just giving a name that comes to mind without caring whether it has any special meaning.

Are you suggesting that V employed brevity? Even inadvertently?

[Grelna the Blue]

A few comics back there was one that seemed fairly obvious as foreshadowing although I don't know whether it will prove to be something consequential. See panel 5.

[zimmerwald1915]

She mentioned it in passing...twice.

I do accept the possibility she squeezes into neutral territory. That habit of mind screams "evil or insane or both". Being a priestess of Loki, insane is more plausible.

It's worth noting that the only other priest of Loki we got to know to any degree had to be taught by Belkar to solve his problems with violence. It wasn't an innate drive.

That said, he took to it with gusto.

[Shale]

Hilgya is Evil because she doesn't let morality get in the way of her Chaotic goals, rather than the usual CE mode of not letting laws get in the way of her Evil goals, which is a big reason I like the character so much.

[happycrow]

I'm afraid "casts Summon Anarchic Giraffes" is becoming its own meme now.

[Shining Wrath]

I, personally, put Hilgya down as CN. The recent in-strip indications have all emphasized chaos, not evil; and also, being tempted to do evil is not the same as doing evil.

[Dutch]

Safe to say that no one saw that one coming. Good to know Giant can still pull a 'giraffe' out of the hat to surprise us.

[Dutch]

I'm afraid "casts Summon Anarchic Giraffes" is becoming its own meme now.

I really hope I see a meme with that pop up somewhere soon. Durkula's face when the Giraffes came storming in would make a great meme as well.

[Peelee]

I, personally, put Hilgya down as CN. The recent in-strip indications have all emphasized chaos, not evil; and also, being tempted to do evil is not the same as doing evil.

So lack of evidence is evidence of lack?

[Rogar Demonblud]

Except there's no lack of evidence. She tried to murder her husband, planned a mass murder and is here because she wants to murder Durkon, a fact she has announced at least twice. Plus, Word of Giant that she's solidly CE.

[zimmerwald1915]

Except there's no lack of evidence. She tried to murder her husband, planned a mass murder and is here because she wants to murder Durkon, a fact she has announced at least twice. Plus, Word of Giant that she's solidly CE.

From three books ago. And she hasn't appeared since Book 1.

I think she remains Evil, mind, but the best evidence for that is that she strongly considered burning people alive as disproportionate revenge for a quasi-imagined slight.