MitD XIX: The Potted Plant Is Starting To Look Reasonable

[woweedd]

If, and only if, said "generation" isn't just, you know, hitting. However that's actually not my big objection here.

200 gold says the described sequence of events--Xykon sees a party that includes O-Chul, Xykon orders the creature in the darkness to attack it, and the creature in the darkness actually bothers with an attempt at literal compliance rather than either refusing or playing an impromptu game of who can hit the hardest with Xykon--is not going to happen.

To be fair, that second possibility would also demonstrate how in a sense, but, yeah, this feels like...I feel like it's most likely to just be something pretty strong.

[Emberlily]

I think Xykon is going to order the Monster in the Dark to reveal itself and attack the party, but O-Chul is going to be in the party, so it's going to reveal itself and use its previously-established lightest hit on one of the characters. This would show us how it generated the big hit.

If, and only if, said "generation" isn't just, you know, hitting. However that's actually not my big objection here.

200 gold says the described sequence of events--Xykon sees a party that includes O-Chul, Xykon orders the creature in the darkness to attack it, and the creature in the darkness actually bothers with an attempt at literal compliance rather than either refusing or playing an impromptu game of who can hit the hardest with Xykon--is not going to happen.

My biggest issue w this idea is that it prioritises The Clues as meaningful Ends in their own way rather than fun details. the closer to the story the climax is, the less space (emotionally or chronologically) there is to take a pause and go "hey readers, do you remember this detail of a clue from 4 books ago? we're going to explicitly draw attention to make sure you see everything that was going on behind the curtain back then" for something as secondary to a secondary character as The Guessing Game. we may see high strength on display, or telekinesis, or something that can explain it, but if the term "lightest hit" (or other overt callback) came up I'd be sincerely surprised.

I believe the reveal of the monster is going to give us a lot of answers to mysteries, but I don't think there's any reason to assume anything will get directly called attention to, except probably the Escape scene since that one was the most plot relevant and also the one that's going to be the biggest mystery for someone who doesn't know D&D and can't assume things happen just bc the monster is very strong (tower scene, earthquake, etc)

I feel a lil like a killjoy when I make a post thats thrust is "the guessing game isn't that important to order of the stick as a story" in the guessing game thread... but I do think it's important to keep in mind w all these sorta things! if for no other reason than to minimize the chances of disappointment I suppose

[Grey_Wolf_c]

I feel a lil like a killjoy when I make a post thats thrust is "the guessing game isn't that important to order of the stick as a story" in the guessing game thread...

On the contrary! First, not a killjoy. Getting some perspective on the fact that MitD is a secondary character is crucial to properly gauging clues and their relationship to the story.

Second, this is not in fact a guessing thread. It's an analysis thread. The guessing is so secondary to its function I never even considered keeping records of who said what, and only because Crusher stepped up does this thread even keep such records.

So please do not feel bad at all.

As to the reveal, I suspect we won't even get an explanation for the escape. At best, I think MitD's species might get a shout-out (although maybe only in the strip title), and he will let those that care do the footwork. He's just not important enough to warrant even a panel or two of explaining what he can do, because the story doesn't do that for anyone. Big blue guy can open his mouth and spew lightning? Unexplained. That's just what big blue guy does. Story has already established anyone can have weird powers. And MitD already has demonstrated teleportation, so there is no need to tell us he can, much less how.

GW

[Ruck]

I understand it to be a reference to the (probably entirely urban legend) idea that if you eat kebab late at night, you get nightmares. Tv tropes has it as "acid-reflux nightmare".

GW

I should add that, while I'm familiar with the general idea, I did not realize anyone, anywhere, associated it specifically with kebab, rather than any sort of food that might give you indigestion or acid reflux.

My biggest issue w this idea is that it prioritises The Clues as meaningful Ends in their own way rather than fun details. the closer to the story the climax is, the less space (emotionally or chronologically) there is to take a pause and go "hey readers, do you remember this detail of a clue from 4 books ago? we're going to explicitly draw attention to make sure you see everything that was going on behind the curtain back then" for something as secondary to a secondary character as The Guessing Game. we may see high strength on display, or telekinesis, or something that can explain it, but if the term "lightest hit" (or other overt callback) came up I'd be sincerely surprised.

I believe the reveal of the monster is going to give us a lot of answers to mysteries, but I don't think there's any reason to assume anything will get directly called attention to, except probably the Escape scene since that one was the most plot relevant and also the one that's going to be the biggest mystery for someone who doesn't know D&D and can't assume things happen just bc the monster is very strong (tower scene, earthquake, etc)

I feel a lil like a killjoy when I make a post thats thrust is "the guessing game isn't that important to order of the stick as a story" in the guessing game thread... but I do think it's important to keep in mind w all these sorta things! if for no other reason than to minimize the chances of disappointment I suppose

I think you're 100% correct and I see no reason to believe the story is going to pause so Rich can explain how MitD did any of the things he did.

[Keltest]

My personal expectation is that when the reveal happens, we will get a name drop and maybe a basic explanation of the limits of his powers so people don't expect him to solve the conflict. Anything else will be our job to research if we care that much.

[Crusher]

I understand it to be a reference to the (probably entirely urban legend) idea that if you eat kebab late at night, you get nightmares. Tv tropes has it as "acid-reflux nightmare".

GW

Urban legend!?! According to a researcher in Montreal, “Spicy food… might cause nightmares.” So it hasn’t been disproven!

https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/c...ares-1c8388656

Edit - I got the quote wrong but I’ll leave it. He qualifies it more than that.

[Sky_Schemer]

as well as wryly poking fun at the fact that we have very little trouble here conveying emotion without even the minimal visual aid of eyes,

Do we though? I think there is a tendency to read hostility into posts that isn't there or isn't intended. It is very, very difficult to intuit tone and intent from text with no visual cues.

[halfeye]

She's not saying he looks like a Remorhaz, though. She's saying he looks like something you'd see in a bad dream after eating some kind of very spicy, unusual food. (I dunno what would be a good real-world equivalent... spicy fried alligator?)

Decades ago. it used to be melted cheese. May be an urban legend, may be particularly British.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2...u-vivid-dreams

[b_jonas]

(I'm assuming remorhaz would be unusual as a food item).

It's less unusual for Oona who lives in the arctic. The arctic bugbear community can't keep ordinary animals like chicken or sheep because the animals have nothing to graze on and they can't grow crops to feed them. So they have to hunt for magical cold-resistant game like Porgs.

[Tubercular Ox]

Okay, I’m sorry. I forgot I made that argument once. But I think y’all are underestimating the importance of the Monster in the Dark.

First, read the story as a story. In nearly every scene, the Monster in the Dark is portrayed as Great Power with Great Irresponsibility. Then O-Chul asks it to take responsibility for its actions. You do not have to be a fan of Spider-Man to see where that story is going, and it’s not there yet. The best is yet to come.

Second, look outside the hutch for a second. Three of the last four strips have at least implied an undepicted monster. Every time, someone has asked if it’s the Monster in the Dark. It’s been a different person each time, and it’s yet to be someone I remember posting before. What is happening here? People are coming out of hiatus to beg for closure on the Monster in the Dark storyline? Name another secondary character with this kind of anticipation.

And what do these people want? Is it what stats justify the Monster in the Dark’s past actions, or is it a climax to the character arc Rich has been building up for twenty years?

[brian 333]

Belkar
Haley and Elan
Vaarsuvius

I would place the resolution of MitD's story just above that of Vaarsivius. The only difference is that there are clues dribbling out about MitD that can be analyzed and argued over. Nothing new has come out about Belkar since he killed The Oracle.

[Tubercular Ox]

Belkar
Haley and Elan
Vaarsuvius

I would place the resolution of MitD's story just above that of Vaarsivius. The only difference is that there are clues dribbling out about MitD that can be analyzed and argued over. Nothing new has come out about Belkar since he killed The Oracle.

What is the line between primary and secondary character? Or is it easier to just say I'm okay with the MitD deserving at least as much closure as V or Belkar?

[Precure]

We discarded any mentions of Snarl Jr in the past for example, because it would be something Rich invented himself. But maybe this theoretical creature simply uses an existing template that ties it to the Snarl? The Pseudonatural Creature template fits that requirement almost perfectly, potentially originating from "beyond the planes as we know them" as per template description and changing the appearance in a very snarly way as well.

I think both Proteans and Slaadi are tied to primordial chaos, which in this OotS might refer to the Snarl itself.

[Gift Jeraff]

Belkar
Haley and Elan
Vaarsuvius

I would not consider those secondary characters.

[Metastachydium]

She's not saying he looks like a Remorhaz, though. She's saying he looks like something you'd see in a bad dream after eating some kind of very spicy, unusual food. (I dunno what would be a good real-world equivalent... spicy fried alligator?)

Dude, I literally invoked funny hair guy from History Channel there! But dreams and free association are curious things that do draw on what is perceived and experienced, so… (Anyhow, still a better clue than "Ridiziak and Eriaxnikol didn't go all "you like you did yesterday, you're neiuther cool nor our friend anymore!!")

I know there's more to get to, but I'm getting ready to travel today so I likely won't have time. Or for a few days. Which I'm sure will cause great dismay in all the posters in this thread.

You'll be missed! (Even if you are , like, wrong!) But seriously, I was interested what you'll say to some of the stuff I brought up.

It was the British 3am-and-I'm-drunk food of choice back 20 years ago when I was there, surrounded by idiots who got drunk and peckish at 3 am. So yeah, probably really specific.

GW

I can attest that it's still a thing, and well outside Britain at that!

It's less unusual for Oona who lives in the arctic. The arctic bugbear community can't keep ordinary animals like chicken or sheep because the animals have nothing to graze on and they can't grow crops to feed them. So they have to hunt for magical cold-resistant game like Porgs.

I'm with Ruck on that. The Bugbears will eat anything they can get their hairy hands on (including the posion berries, occasionally, if Oona's to be believed) but the Remorhaz is somewhat poorly suited for serving as kebab meet. It weighs almost 5 metric tons, so lugging it back home whole is a hurdle, but it produces heat so intense that it can't even be cut up without the risk of destroying the implememnts used for that nefore it's let to cool down for a long, long time.

That going by the picture, most of those 4 odd tons of stuff are not even edible and being able to survive its own heat should make cooking it tricky only exacerbate the issue.

I think both Proteans and Slaadi are tied to primordial chaos, which in this OotS might refer to the Snarl itself.

Nope. It doesn't. But the Snarl is apparently made of that stuff (just as everything else, but hey).

[Tzardok]

On the other hand, remorhaz kebab will be really, really hot.
Damnit, I shouldn't have mentioned Rennbuu. Now he's coloring all my posts.

[Tubercular Ox]

the Remorhaz is somewhat poorly suited for serving as kebab meet. It weighs almost 5 metric tons, so lugging it back home whole is a hurdle, but it produces heat so intense that it can't even be cut up without the risk of destroying the implememnts used for that nefore it's let to cool down for a long, long time.

Soon may the Remorhaz come, to bring us heat so we're not numbed. One day when the coolin' is done we'll take our kebab and go.

[Metastachydium]

On the other hand, remorhaz kebab will be really, really hot.
Damnit, I shouldn't have mentioned Rennbuu. Now he's coloring all my posts.

And quite literally! (What's a Renbu?)

Soon may the Remorhaz come, to bring us heat so we're not numbed. One day when the coolin' is done we'll take our kebab and go.

Heh. Well played, Ox. Well played!

[Tubercular Ox]

Heh. Well played, Ox. Well played!

But at what cost? The song is in my head now, and I keep picturing the tribe dancing around the corpse, celebrating life giving heat. They play games to see who can stand the closest without taking damage. Little children scoop snow in their hands and bring it to the body so they can watch it melt in their hands. Old women chastise their families for not taking advantage of the chance for hot baths, and young adults hover in the corner, talking about which warrior is the best and arguing over who is going to make kebab for them.

[Tzardok]

And quite literally! (What's a Renbu?)

Rennbuu, the Lord of Colors, is a slaad lord. He looks like a slaad in all the rainbow's colors, and he has the power to change the color of stuff at will. When he uses this power on a slaad, it will not only change color, but also be transformed into the respective caste-species. Obviously, low-ranked slaadi tend to flock to him in the hope of being transformed into more powerful shapes, while the stronger ones usually avoid him for fear of being demoted. I originally brought him up as a joke because of the unlikely possibility that he changed a newborn slaad into a white one.
As you can see, he's also really annoying, but that is tautological with "slaad lord".

And with that, the joke has probably overstayed its welcome and I should stop before I get a warning for overuse of formating.

[Metastachydium]

But at what cost? The song is in my head now, and I keep picturing the tribe dancing around the corpse, celebrating life giving heat. They play games to see who can stand the closest without taking damage. Little children scoop snow in their hands and bring it to the body so they can watch it melt in their hands. Old women chastise their families for not taking advantage of the chance for hot baths, and young adults hover in the corner, talking about which warrior is the best and arguing over who is going to make kebab for them.

Hey, that sounds pretty cool lorewise, actually!

Rennbuu, the Lord of Colors, is a slaad lord. He looks like a slaad in all the rainbow's colors, and he has the power to change the color of stuff at will. When he uses this power on a slaad, it will not only change color, but also be transformed into the respective caste-species. Obviously, low-ranked slaadi tend to flock to him in the hope of being transformed into more powerful shapes, while the stronger ones usually avoid him for fear of being demoted. I originally brought him up as a joke because of the unlikely possibility that he changed a newborn slaad into a white one.
As you can see, he's also really annoying, but that is tautological with "slaad lord".

…
Man, when you said he's colouring your posts, I thought you're just being colourful!

[b_jonas]

the Remorhaz […] produces heat so intense that it can't even be cut up without the risk of destroying the implememnts used for that nefore it's let to cool down for a long, long time.

Wait what? I thought Remorhaz was an ice monster, so cold that it freezes everyone who goes near. Apparently it's the fire monster. What is the ice variant called then?

Update: no look, I remembered right: Remorhaz is the cold one.

[Tzardok]

Wait what? I thought Remorhaz was an ice monster, so cold that it freezes everyone who goes near. Apparently it's the fire monster. What is the ice variant called then?

That's the frost worm.

[Metastachydium]

Wait what? I thought Remorhaz was an ice monster, so cold that it freezes everyone who goes near. Apparently it's the fire monster. What is the ice variant called then?

No idea, but I'm pretty sure they had no idea either when they made the Remorhaz. It deals up to 8d6 fire damage (it's not explicitly immune to itself) and thinks that hiding under the snow is a sensible hunting strategy for it to employ.

[hamishspence]

It's a very hot monster that lives in arctic conditions - the immense amount of heat it produces is an adaptation to those conditions.

[Sky_Schemer]

That MitD has been around a long time is fine. There are plenty of long-lived creatures that might have extended childhoods. Elves, for one. But it's a problem for slaadi, who canonically are capable of "growing up" and are ready to implant their own "babies" within minutes of "birth". A species who are reproduction-capable within minutes of their own chest-burst does not mesh with MitD's quasi-adolescency after 30+ years. At least not to me; as I was hopefully clear about, that is my own vibes.

I am not convinced that this is an "extended childhood" thing. The MitD is saying they literally forgot they have a name. Either they've been around a very, very long time--so long that they don't remember what their name was or if they even had one--or something else happened that caused them to forget it. (I have faith that this won't turn out to be an amnesia trope).

And I am also not convinced that childlike == childhood.

[Metastachydium]

It's a very hot monster that lives in arctic conditions - the immense amount of heat it produces is an adaptation to those conditions.

♪It can't live without the fire,
it's the Heat that makes it strong…♫

[Crusher]

I am not convinced that this is an "extended childhood" thing. The MitD is saying they literally forgot they have a name. Either they've been around a very, very long time--so long that they don't remember what their name was or if they even had one--or something else happened that caused them to forget it. (I have faith that this won't turn out to be an amnesia trope).

And I am also not convinced that childlike == childhood.

Yeah, I mostly agree with this. We’ve been told in a variety of ways MitD is a non-standard member of its species, and while he acts fairly child-like or at least immature, it very much feels like something is up with him that’s well beyond him merely being an immature member of his species.

Specifically what, I have no idea. The only thing I can think of that’s directly referenced in-comic is “he’s an outsider who was incompletely mind-wiped” for some reason. Would explain why he doesn’t behave like a regular “X”, but wouldn’t explain why he’s small or various other things.

[Precure]

He also likes dwarf porn, which is not very child friendly.

[Peelee]

He also likes dwarf porn, which is not very child friendly.

Is it really porn if neither of the participants are aware they're being watched?