Remember: An ABR flashback

**Nameless** · 2007-12-01, 03:32 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Mechafox

Nameless: Will there be pineapples in the next few issues?

Lying: Well, not anymore.

What about robot pickals?

**Lyinginbedmon** · 2007-12-01, 06:25 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Mechafox

Nameless: Will there be pineapples in the next few issues?

Lying: Well, not anymore.

I've said it before I'll say it many more times: If someone guesses what's going to happen next, I'm not going to change my story because of it. I've certainly spent too much time making the plot for it to be whitewashed by a lucky guess

And now for some inane fun:

By the time the group escapes the city, at least one of them will have been captured, killed, etc. See if you can guess which one(s) and how!

**Bayar** · 2007-12-01, 07:32 AM (ISO 8601)

Spoiler

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Lex...crushed by a piece of building, emerging mildly hurt, then crushed again, and again until dead...and saying "I'm OK!" "I'm still OK" ..."OK, now I am hurt...but still alive" "k, now I think I am half past dead...help me?"

**rickvoid** · 2007-12-01, 10:10 AM (ISO 8601)

Flippin' sweet. Love this comic.

I can only assume that as Mr Lying's love interest (see page 8, last panel, Igon's expression), it is Rain's plot-given duty to be tortured and/or slaughtered in a most horrible fashion, while our hero is forced to watch.

And on that cheerful note, I can't wait for more!

**Lyinginbedmon** · 2007-12-01, 10:03 PM (ISO 8601)

I won't comment on their accuracy, but you're certainly disturbingly creative

**rickvoid** · 2007-12-02, 08:44 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Lyinginbedmon

I won't comment on their accuracy, but you're certainly disturbingly creative

Well... since using the death of a loved one as motivation for a character is one of the oldest (if undoubtedly effective) tricks in the writer's repetoire, technically I'm disturbingly uncreative.

Most fiction works that way. If you really need a character to go do something that they really don't have any motivation to do, you threaten a loved one. With torture and/or death in the case of a male loved one; rape, toture, and/or death for a female loved one.

I, however, hold out hope that you will not sink to using such tactics. Can't wait for more.

**Yeril** · 2007-12-02, 10:01 AM (ISO 8601)

oooer, so the dwarf isn't tall, everyone is just short.

**Lyinginbedmon** · 2007-12-02, 11:27 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by rickvoid

Most fiction works that way. If you really need a character to go do something that they really don't have any motivation to do, you threaten a loved one. With torture and/or death in the case of a male loved one; rape, toture, and/or death for a female loved one.

I, however, hold out hope that you will not sink to using such tactics. Can't wait for more.

I guarantee, I will not be going the way of "Hold loved one X in bad situation Y to illicit response Z from hero A". I'm intending for this tale to use as few cliches as possible.

For example, let's look at Lex's recent betrayal.

Spoiler

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He starts out appearing as someone connected with the group through a relationship with one of their fathers (Hugo Lawrence), who isn't on good terms with his daughter (Steph).
Because of his position he attends the meeting between Nimhelvin, the diplomat and representative for the Moon Elf Empire, and Councilman Lawrence, one of the leaders of Arcania. Here, he hears about what will happen to Arcania if they resist the Empire's advances. He gets scared, and is horrified by the prospect of his entire culture and civilisation seeming to have never existed in all but the span of a generation. He certainly doesn't want to betray Arcania and his friends, but he will do anything to ensure that Arcania lives on in some way, shape, or form for future generations.
So, he starts working his way into a new position, as a new friend of the group. Here, he can work his whiles to learning new information. Igon and Rain are both children of two other Councilmen (Haizea Minoblendy and Arthur Morgan, respectively). A few failed saving throws over the course of weeks and he's got the information he needs sneaked out of their skulls.
That gives him the means to enact his plan. He opens the gate into the city. With the shield up, that's completely worthless, but the fact that someone did it is cause enough for concern and a meeting is called of the Council. This gets him a reason to be in city hall.
From there, he dons his Robe of Blending and his Mask of Lies (I changed the fluff description to a bandana over the mouth and nose because the original was, well, hideous) and sneaks through the building to it's core and the city's shield generator. He doesn't want to turn it off, because that leaves way for the Council to turn it back on, so instead he destroys it completely.

Now, throughout all of this, Lex has had to make sacrifices. He's kept secrets of untold magnitude from his new friends, and he's ensured that their final few days in Arcania (And, possible, final few days, period) are good and merry. He genuinely doesn't want to see anyone die, but he knows it's something he can't avoid to save his culture.

So, Lex isn't your typical "Friend turned traitor" character. He really wants to be friends with the group, even though he had to use them to bring ruin to Arcania. He's not a full-blown traitor to the nation, because he's doing what he believes is the best option left to them, even though it results in their effective annihilation.

Don't worry, we can still hate his guts.

@V Yes, yes I am

**boomwolf** · 2007-12-02, 11:34 AM (ISO 8601)

You ARE aware that saying that is also a clich right?

**Wolfman42666** · 2007-12-02, 01:28 PM (ISO 8601)

That's nice, but will we hate your's by the end of this? obviously the protaganist should be someone the audience identifies with? but how are you going to pull that off, What character dies, are you going to let them? who's going to kill lex? why am I asking so many inane unrelated questions?

Hmm, lets take a moment to check for plot holes.
Lex wants to save some scrap of his culture, so is his alliance with Sildyu a means of placing some of his culture into the moon elf empire or self preservation?

**Lyinginbedmon** · 2007-12-02, 02:12 PM (ISO 8601)