Plot twists you thought would happen (but totally didn’t)

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Wasn't Boromir and Ned Stark the main basis for that joke anyway? Maybe Alec Trevelyan, but Bond villains don't have much of a life expectancy anyway.

No, he dies a lot. 30% of his characters have ended up dead, which is impressive. He’s second pretty much only to John Hurt both percentage and total wise. Bela Lugosi is also up there because Dracula, but I can’t find a percentage for him.

Grey Wolf

[Peelee]

Wasn't Boromir and Ned Stark the main basis for that joke anyway? Maybe Alec Trevelyan, but Bond villains don't have much of a life expectancy anyway.

Tetragammatron Cleric Partridge was long before Ned Stark. Sean Miller was before LOTR.

[Quebbster]

Maybe I just don't know my Bean well enough.

[Peelee]

Maybe I just don't know my Bean well enough.

Mr. Bean is disappointed in you.

[Doctor West]

Never heard of Redwall, but all the others are examples of Mentor death (assuming that FF7 is the one that lifted the plot wholesale from Phantasy Star 4), and Belkar is many things, but mentor is not one of them.

Grey Wolf

FF7's Aerith is definitely not anyone's mentor, although the Redwall example fits.
High five for being one of the other 5 people who played the classic Phantasy Star games though.

[RoyGreenH]

Before it was revealed that V killed the Draketooth family, I thought that Hailey was a Draketooth on her mother's side, and that this was the reason why she told Elan that she's "not exactly what you would call" human, since I also thought that the Draketooth family descended from dragons (I guess that this theory was only half-wrong).

[Gift Jeraff]

I thought Belkar would die and become the sexy shoeless god of war so that he, Banjo, and the Dark One could vote against Hel.

[GreatWyrmGold]

And Shojo would be wondering the CE/CN afterlives because...? It may sound like I'm harping on this, but none of that really strikes me as coherent.

It strikes me as trying to give Belkar a happy ending (or at least not a completely terrible one), despite him being the one least likely (and arguably least deserving) actually get one.

You know, you have a point. Sure, maybe Shojo just wants to wander the planes a bit on vacation (sorta like Gygax did, less the random table), but that's a baseless suggestion. I wonder why I didn't specifically call that possibility out as unlikely as part of a list of potential outcomes. Oh wait, I did exactly that. And you've focused on one possibility I threw in there just because, which I specifically mentioned was unlikely, completely ignoring the more likely possibilities...why, exactly?
I'm not trying to give Belkar a happy ending so much as a conclusion. It wouldn't sit right with me if Belkar finally got around to fulfilling his character development, died within the arc (before he could exist with it for a significant amount of time—much of it during the climax, no less), and that was it. Maybe he'll get a good conclusion before or during his death, I dunno. I was listing possibilities that came to mind, and without knowing the circumstances of Belkar's death, the only ones which came to mind came after that.

Wasn't Boromir and Ned Stark the main basis for that joke anyway?

In the sense that those are the two Sean Bean characters most people know about.

Before it was revealed that V killed the Draketooth family, I thought that Hailey was a Draketooth on her mother's side, and that this was the reason why she told Elan that she's "not exactly what you would call" human, since I also thought that the Draketooth family descended from dragons (I guess that this theory was only half-wrong).

First off, I find it amusing that so many people have just assumed the next word was going to be "human," when there are plenty of other possibilities. Pretty much any noun which seems to fit Haley (from Elan's perspective), which could not apply and which she'd be ashamed of Elan knowing, would fit there...but everyone's assumed "human".
Second off, that second theory was 100% correct, what are you talking about?

I thought Belkar would die and become the sexy shoeless god of war so that he, Banjo, and the Dark One could vote against Hel.

Even before the quiddity stuff came up, I'd question every one of those. It's not clear why Belkar would undergo postmortem apotheosis (he's not exactly a halfling celebrity on par with The Dark One), TDO doesn't get along with the gods of any pantheon, and Banjo was explicitly barred from the Northern Pantheon. Besides, if you could pack the pantheon that easily, you'd have to wonder why Hel didn't find some hand-puppets she could recruit for her cause.

[zimmerwald1915]

Besides, if you could pack the pantheon that easily, you'd have to wonder why Hel didn't find some hand-puppets she could recruit for her cause.

How else would you describe Hermod and Thrym?

[deuterio12]

Never heard of Redwall, but all the others are examples of Mentor death (assuming that FF7 is the one that lifted the plot wholesale from Phantasy Star 4), and Belkar is many things, but mentor is not one of them.

Grey Wolf

FF7's Aerith is definitely not anyone's mentor, although the Redwall example fits.
High five for being one of the other 5 people who played the classic Phantasy Star games though.

Phantasy Star 2 already had the cute mysterious girl party member perma-die mid-story.

[GreatWyrmGold]

How else would you describe Hermod and Thrym?

Hah, burn!
...You get what I'm saying though, right? "If the people who want to save the world could recruit gods with one worshipper, why wouldn't Hel make some gods like that?"

[Takver]

After Malack was killed, I was sure that Tarquin would also be dead by the end of Book Five. I would have bet all my virtual money on it.

I also thought that Belkar's Mark of Justice curse would be activated by Roy's ghost, after he manifested near Haley, by him saying the secret code phrase.

[GreatWyrmGold]

I also thought that Belkar's Mark of Justice curse would be activated by Roy's ghost, after he manifested near Haley, by him saying the secret code phrase.

Well, he said the secret code phrase while manifested near Haley.

[Dragonfan]

I thought Malack was going to kill Nale inside the pyramid.

[understatement]

I thought Malack was going to kill Nale inside the pyramid.

Malack probably thought so too.

[Bulbo]

I expected that epic necromancer ghost who escaped from V to come back somehow.

[GreatWyrmGold]

I expected that epic necromancer ghost who escaped from V to come back somehow.

I doubt Nero would be part of the IFCC if he just let his souls wander around the Material Plane.

[foelancer]

Still think banjo will solve the snarl problem, as i discuss in depth in this video



also Bustamouse came up with the same idea

[GreatWyrmGold]

Personally, I think that Durkon and the others convincing Redcloak to help—and having the main three pantheons agree to help The Dark One as reparation for what they did to the goblinoid races—would be more thematically resonant with the rest of the comic. The "Chekov's gun" argument is kinda weak, since the "Banjo is worshipped by a tribe of orcs" thing was a core part of the island subarc. (Also because they worship Giggles now.)

Not to mention, the Snarl prison requires a high-level divine spell slot's worth of quiddity. There's no indication that the orcish priests are powerful enough to provide that.

[foelancer]

Not to mention, the Snarl prison requires a high-level divine spell slot's worth of quiddity. There's no indication that the orcish priests are powerful enough to provide that.

aha but theres no indication there not

also thanks for the criticism

[Fyraltari]

There’s indication Banjo isn’t powerful enough.

[foelancer]

not yet

also this a rather silly theory and not to be taken to seriously
it would still be cool though

[Sir_Norbert]

No, it really would not be cool for an epic tale of heroes and grandiose villains to be resolved by a silly one-off joke that used up all its potential a thousand strips ago.

[understatement]

No, it really would not be cool for an epic tale of heroes and grandiose villains to be resolved by a silly one-off joke that used up all its potential a thousand strips ago.

It'd be cool for them to mention how much the idea won't fly --

and then launch into, idk, the series of epic battles that may or may not follow.

Just to rub it in the audience.

[GreatWyrmGold]

It'd be cool for them to mention how much the idea won't fly --

and then launch into, idk, the series of epic battles that may or may not follow.

Maybe the MitD overhears about the quiddity needs, hears Redcloak's initial reluctance, and decides to make his own god...only for Elan to tell MitD about Banjo, hoping to explain why that wouldn't work, and accidentally converting MitD to Banjoism.

[CriticalFailure]

I think the only way any puppets get deified is if post resolution TDO and the other gods have agreed that having a new quiddity is good and a purple pantheon should slowly be built up. TDO looks around all the godforsaken monster races for candidates and the candidate with the largest following (thus the most deifiable) is Giggles, with the whole Orc tribe worshipping him.

TDO: "I guess we have to reach out to them"
RC: "is there no end to my suffering"

[Fyraltari]

It'd be cool for them to mention how much the idea won't fly --

and then launch into, idk, the series of epic battles that may or may not follow.

Just to rub it in the audience.

What? Have the same joke twice?

[understatement]

Have Elan pull out Banjo (yes, in the middle of a fight), remark how everyone thought it would play a role, put it back into his pocket, and continue trucking.

....







what?

[Mariele]

Alright, well now that just confirms that Redcloak's niece grew up as a cleric in dwarven lands and is totally going to be pivotal to Durkon swaying him.

I am here for this WMG.

[Morquard]

Alright, well now that just confirms that Redcloak's niece grew up as a cleric in dwarven lands and is totally going to be pivotal to Durkon swaying him.

She's clearly a polymorphed Minrah (who appeared in the afterlife as a dwarf for the same reason Roy's Archon is explaining here), who will be revealed when she can't pass through the orange barrier.