Goblins XIX: New Year, New Updates

[Fyraltari]

I mean, tying the Axe to Kore and throwing them both in hell would resolve both the plots eventually. Not, you know, well, but it would be a resolution.

But there's also the need to get Chief and everybody else out of Kore.

[Murk]

I mean, tying the Axe to Kore and throwing them both in hell would resolve both the plots eventually. Not, you know, well, but it would be a resolution.

But they also still need to save Chief's soul from being tortured for infinity, which seems difficult to do after throwing Kore into hell!

And (naively) I still hold out hope that the dungeon is thematically relevant to the story, rather than just a loose collection of things-that-happen.

Like, I think the story elements are all connected enough that it should be possibly to resolve them all in a way that makes it click. That I'll go "Ohhh now it all makes sense in hindsight!"
That should be possible. I'm just not quite sure it will happen.

[Anonymouswizard]

I mean, I don't expect Complains will go to hell on his own, but that's because the 'Complains becoming Chief' thing is clearly meant to tie into...

Actually, we're probably never seeing Fumbles again. I guess the Duv story thread is one we don't have to worry about resolving. Okay, I guess Elli might just be trying to split the party more so she doesn't have to make plot as fast.

(I really wish we'll eventually see the return of early-comic Complains at some point, he'd have made a better chief.)

[Keltest]

I mean, I don't expect Complains will go to hell on his own, but that's because the 'Complains becoming Chief' thing is clearly meant to tie into...

Actually, we're probably never seeing Fumbles again. I guess the Duv story thread is one we don't have to worry about resolving. Okay, I guess Elli might just be trying to split the party more so she doesn't have to make plot as fast.

(I really wish we'll eventually see the return of early-comic Complains at some point, he'd have made a better chief.)

Do you mean Dies?

[Kish]

I think the Duv story thread was resolved when her wing got ripped off by Biscuit.

Now, Dies-Horribly, Saves-A-Fox, and Grem are all likely to show up again (in 2030 or so).

[Vinyadan]

The monster born from Dies' arm is still around, and very few (Grem, Fox and Dies) know it's hurt by that special sword from the dungeon, so I expect them to show up again.

[Anonymouswizard]

Do you mean Dies?

Look, it's been so long I forgot his name.

[ThesaurusRex757]

I'm utterly amazed that Elli's fan base has given her over $11k USD ($15k CAD). Honestly it has to be more than that since she has linked her PayPal account as well.

Didn't she just do a GoFundMe over the summer?

[Divayth Fyr]

I mean, she more often has a GoFundMe of some sort or the other going on than not. Including "I spent the money I got in the last GoFundMe on something else, can you give me moar money"...

[Traab]

New comic is up, uncolored.

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I seriously dont get why he cant open a portal and TOSS THE AXE IN. Does he expect to have to walk down 67 layers of h*ll after entering to get deep enough to be "safe" with the location of the axe or something?

[Cygnia]

Can't maximize the wangst and torture porn if you do it the easy way!

[Morgaln]

New comic is up, uncolored.

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I seriously dont get why he cant open a portal and TOSS THE AXE IN. Does he expect to have to walk down 67 layers of h*ll after entering to get deep enough to be "safe" with the location of the axe or something?

Yes he does. This was explained in a page shortly after the axe broke. Which was eight years ago in real time (and less than a day in-comic), so I'm not surprised people don't remember.

As for the GoFundMe, I feel like "I'm going to be homeless and thus won't be able to work and make money" is a better reason for a GoFundMe than most others she had so far. On the other hand, there are things in that post that would make me suspicious. She claims she no longer has any friends due to the divorce, which kinda contradicts the earlier statement about the divorce being completely amiable and without drama. There's also that offhand remark about needing money for a lawyer; if someone expects me to fund their legal battles, I definitely would want to know what I am funding here. Luckily for her, I'm not giving her any money anyway and there are clearly enough people who don't share my misgivings, considering it is at over $16k already.

[Divayth Fyr]

I'm kinda curious what makes the girlfriend's Paypal "easier to use" than Elli's... But yeah, certainly reads like there is a lot being swept under the rug, which generally would be perfectly fine - since it is a very personal matter - until the point you're asking for money while giving people only a vague picture. Or rather select few pieces of the picture. Which is always a red flag when money is involved...

[Murk]

I'm utterly amazed that Elli's fan base has given her over $11k USD ($15k CAD).
Didn't she just do a GoFundMe over the summer?

Eh, as a fan there isn't a huge difference between being a Patreon supporter for a year or donating to a Gofundme three times a year.
Personally I would prefer being a Patreon supporter (or increasing my level) instead of donating to irregular Gofundme's, but the end result is the same. If you want to support an artist it doesn't really matter how you give them the money.

I do find it a strange choice from the perspective of the artist. I think that as an artist I would rather beg my fans to become Patreon supporters than beg them to support a Gofundme. Seems the more reliable choice.


And then, as an artist, I would start chucking out slightly-lower quality pages. Or unfinished pages like the current one.
And then move on. Don't spend two weeks finishing this page. It's been posted, I've seen it, I understand what's happening, let's get to the next page.

Like... if I interpret her tweets well, Elli spent two working days re-doing the hole here. It used to look like cracked glass, now it looks like a swirley portal.
If I were an artist about to be homeless I would absolutely not spend several days perfectioning a portal.

But that's probably why I'm not an artist.

[Traab]

Yes he does. This was explained in a page shortly after the axe broke. Which was eight years ago in real time (and less than a day in-comic), so I'm not surprised people don't remember.

As for the GoFundMe, I feel like "I'm going to be homeless and thus won't be able to work and make money" is a better reason for a GoFundMe than most others she had so far. On the other hand, there are things in that post that would make me suspicious. She claims she no longer has any friends due to the divorce, which kinda contradicts the earlier statement about the divorce being completely amiable and without drama. There's also that offhand remark about needing money for a lawyer; if someone expects me to fund their legal battles, I definitely would want to know what I am funding here. Luckily for her, I'm not giving her any money anyway and there are clearly enough people who don't share my misgivings, considering it is at over $16k already.

Thats different, those are pits that lead to purgatory, complains opened an actual portal directly to hell. At least im assuming the demonic plane shift or whatever ability they have doesnt go to the first layer of hell only.

[Vinyadan]

I'm kinda curious what makes the girlfriend's Paypal "easier to use" than Elli's... But yeah, certainly reads like there is a lot being swept under the rug, which generally would be perfectly fine - since it is a very personal matter - until the point you're asking for money while giving people only a vague picture. Or rather select few pieces of the picture. Which is always a red flag when money is involved...

There's a possible answer, although it's just a possibility. Some time ago, before marrying Danielle, a post was added to the blog that explained one additional reason why it had taken so long to get there after they had become a couple. A previous wife had sued over child support, even though the costs were evenly split, as there were two children, and each parent was raising one. But she hadn't filed the papers for that, and so child services blocked all money held by by the supposedly deadbeat father. The reason why a marriage with Danielle was out of question for a long time is that her bank accounts and credit cards would then have been blocked, too. After the accusations were cleared, marriage was finally possible.

I'm not sure of what this might be about, but there could be some sort of debt that makes it difficult to put money in the account without it being syphoned away, so a friendly party is lending hers. Back when Cheyenne stopped doing the colouring, all I could think of was that all money available was needed, and the need for money is known to make artists and writers more productive (a good number of French writers were paid by the word, and this affected their style, too).

[Vinyadan]

New page: https://www.goblinscomic.com/comic/page-3-2024

[Lord Torath]

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Ah, too bad. If Kin were present, she could have asked him to say "Hi" to Rignoranc... er... NotWalter.

[Devlerbat]

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Ah, too bad. If Kin were present, she could have asked him to say "Hi" to Rignoranc... er... NotWalter.

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If Kin were present, I am sure she would see the utility of arming Complains with the true name of a demon. Not that it would matter. Whatever happens to Complains in hell is going to happen regardless of what he would be armed with beforehand.

Also does Complains have that "true name" vulnerability? Is "Complains of Names" his true name or is it more of a "what the gods or other power that be calls him" (or other similar cosmic definition of it)?

[Kish]

I am sure Kin would not go against what she promised Grinnarorcen by acting like knowledge of his name is something she has the right to use or trade to be used against him.

[Lord Torath]

One thing I’m curious about – how does the Maze of Many interact with Hell? Not Walter was in the Maze of Many when Kin freed him, and Minmax#38 died in our group’s final run, meaning he should reset. Does Not Walter reset with him, or has he successfully exited the Maze, and all of #38’s future runs must now be made without Not Walter?

[Emperor Time]

One thing I’m curious about – how does the Maze of Many interact with Hell? Not Walter was in the Maze of Many when Kin freed him, and Minmax#38 died in our group’s final run, meaning he should reset. Does Not Walter reset with him, or has he successfully exited the Maze, and all of #38’s future runs must now be made without Not Walter?

I assume the real Not Walter was able to leave the maze and a fake Not Walter who is like those doomed time clones that the flash superhero made at times will keep helping Minmax#38 until he successfully wins the maze and then it will simply die or disappear once he leaves the maze.

[Morgaln]

I assume the real Not Walter was able to leave the maze and a fake Not Walter who is like those doomed time clones that the flash superhero made at times will keep helping Minmax#38 until he successfully wins the maze and then it will simply die or disappear once he leaves the maze.

Why would the Maze of Many created fake clones? I don't think we have any evidence of that. If that was what happened, there should also be fake clones of "our" Minmax and Forgath, since they also left the Maze of Many through a non-standard way, i.e. without winning.

ON topic of the new page, if this is how the Axe of Prissan plot resolves (Complains just flies off into hell with it), that is about as anticlimactic as it could be, especially for a plot of this magnitude. I hope Elli has something better planned here. I'll admit I'm not very confident in her ability to create a satisfying resolution, though.
Of course the cynical me says this is the spin-off hook she needs to create another comic (Complains adventures in hell), to keep making money after this story finally runs its course.

[Murk]

Of course the cynical me says this is the spin-off hook she needs to create another comic (Complains adventures in hell)

When I did my first read-through of the comic, one of the last Tempts Fate comic pages was (accidentally?) inbetween the regular comic pages.
Specifically, the second page here, where Tempts Fate enters hell and fights some demons.

That page just suddenly interrupted the normal comic in the archives, with no indication that it was a bonus comic.
It came after Chief had died, and I wasn't aware of Tempts Fate. All I saw was a green goblin entering hell: so that must be Chief, right?

Chief's death had been a huge letdown to me, and the idea that he was now fighting demons in hell as some kind of invincible heroic badass... I liked that, in a weird way.
It just seemed such a bizarre but fun narrative choice.

But alas, it wasn't meant to be.

[Steven]

Yeah, it's weird to me that this just happened. Like... Where does this go from here? We have this moment that is supposed to be sad, I guess, of Complains flying off never to be seen again? Or are we going to follow his story as he tries to make his way to the lower depths of hell? Or is he going to pop back out at a moment where he's most needed to save the day and give some hand waving explanation of how he survived and saved the world and trust me bro, it was epic and totally believable?

I'm struggling to understand where the narrative goes from here. Admittedly I am not an author so that's not particularly surprising, but I don't have much faith that we're going to get a satisfying resolution out of Eli either ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Anarchic Fox]

Ellipsis' shelter crisis has found a short-term solution.

[Kish]

If Complains actually leaves the comic for any length of time, I'll be surprised. And mystified.

[Pax1138]

Maybe she's just looking to finally wrap everything up and so is rushing to a conclusion. She started Goblins like 20 years ago and was almost literally a different person then.

Granted, based on her posts and problems over the years, I don't know what she'd do for a living if she wasn't doing the comic, but...

[Anonymouswizard]

If Complains actually leaves the comic for any length of time, I'll be surprised. And mystified.

Agreed, we've still not seen the impact of Complains becoming Chief, and the GAP has to meet up with Dyes Horribly and cause Duv problems at some point.

[Traab]

Obviously complains will come back possessed by the demon inside the axe. There will be a horrible drama riddled battle where friends become enemies and love fuels hate.