OOTS #1013 - The Discussion Thread

[Gift Jeraff]

Based on what Gontor said, I take it he's going to use the Children of the Night ability?

[Kantaki]

where is that orb from?

V acquired it Tinkertown.

She has a good reason not to; a book of supposed character growth. That apparently didn't take place, for how much it's worth here.

All she got from Blackwing is that someone wants the bauble.
True, he doesn't mean his bauble this time, but it seems V got the same message several times already.
Should she show mor empathy? Maybe, but I can understand if she ignores some unlikely concern she heard way to often already.

[Keltest]

Well, that'd be nice to see, but no. Don't Split the Party had V apologize to Blackwing and promise to be more considerate. Blood Runs in the Family had them as close confidants. This book seems to have undone all that for some reason.

Paying more attention to Blackwing does not require V to react every time Blackwing has an unfounded concern. V specifically mentioned it was going on all day.

[Shekinah]

Righteous anger is Blackwing's default emotion, isn't it?

[DeadMG]

What I'm actually expecting to see is Belkar re-appear and defend Mr Scruffy.

It's fair to say he hasn't had the best of luck against vampires, but also fair to say that he never defended the Scruffinator against one either. Durkula had a considerable level and spell advantage over Gonetor here. Belkar could just have drunk a few good potions and gone to the airship for backup.

[Rinazina]

Well, that'd be nice to see, but no. Don't Split the Party had V apologize to Blackwing and promise to be more considerate. Blood Runs in the Family had them as close confidants. This book seems to have undone all that for some reason.

oh come on, is just the heavy sarcasm of V speaking! :) like in http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0967.html

in the next comic you'll see that something will go worst, blackwing will send the proper feeling/message, and this is the development of our magical couple. V then can save the day on the last minute.
I feel this comic is the proper setup to that, otherwise, blackwing will have just filed outside using the same porthole from where the mist-vampire is entered.

[Anarion]

Sigh. V so easily slips into old habits.

[Macros]

And this is the confrontation that might decide of the fate of the world.

(heck, if Gontor is having trouble against Blackwing and Mr Scruffy, wait until the lizard joins the dance!)

[Forikroder]

Well, that'd be nice to see, but no. Don't Split the Party had V apologize to Blackwing and promise to be more considerate. Blood Runs in the Family had them as close confidants. This book seems to have undone all that for some reason.

im glad to see your near-troll level of hate agaisnt V still goes strong, ignoring the birds paranoid fears about someone trying to steal his bauble does not mean V is not considerate

[137beth]

Well, that answers the question about what the vampire is trying to do.

[Forikroder]

Well, that answers the question about what the vampire is trying to do.

in the immediate sense but what use is an orb of teleportation? i dont get why whatever they want wouldnt be here in the temple and anything important should be dimensionally shielded

unless hes going to teleport and take hostages? but against a god a hostage is pretty useless

[Frosthead]

Paying more attention to Blackwing does not require V to react every time Blackwing has an unfounded concern. V specifically mentioned it was going on all day.

I'm pretty sure that any other OOTS-member would react the same way in V's position. (Well, except for Elan, naturally.)
Also, in general, just because someone has learned a lesson about humility, it doesn't mean that they have to be a doormat to their paranoid familiar, responding to their every whim. It's about as likely as Belkar turning into a Lawful Goody-(Or CG-y)Two-Shoes just because he saw Durkon sacrificing himself for him.

Oh, and:

Spoiler: Prediction for the next strip

Show

I see an epic duel between Scruffinator and the Super-Advanced Flying Stealth Dinosaur in the future.

[Fish]

Well, I suppose its animal sidekicks time to shine. Lets hope the vampire cleric doesnt really have any useful spells to finish them.

I know. It would be a shame if he were to have some reason to cast dispel magic. I presume Gontor doesn't know about Bloodfeast the Extreminator?

[GAZ]

I really don't think it's fair for everybody to be blaming V. when Blackwing is clearly ignoring the current problem in favor of his shiny obsession on-panel. Again.

[Lkctgo]

I don't get why gontor is even wasting time. Just get the orb and run. Though i suspect he might still trump V given V's lack of a fort save against many undead skills (shown multiple times). Then again V might also be taken out by the Daemons again, depending on their view of the matter.

[Forikroder]

I don't get why gontor is even wasting time. Just get the orb and run. Though i suspect he might still trump V given V's lack of a fort save against many undead skills (shown multiple times). Then again V might also be taken out by the Daemons again, depending on their view of the matter.

if V has the right spells he can simply seal Gontor long enough to deal with the problem later, or force him into another plane

he may be planning on dealing with the animals and using the orb immediately, instead of leaving the ship and waiting until he gets someplace else

[Rinazina]

I know. It would be a shame if he were to have some reason to cast dispel magic. I presume Gontor doesn't know about Bloodfeast the Extreminator?

I don't know if Dispel Magic is aimed to a target character or to a spell, but if that spell happen, and cover also Gontor, the Protection from Sun go away, and this single spell ends the fight.

[zimmerwald1915]

Paying more attention to Blackwing does not require V to react every time Blackwing has an unfounded concern. V specifically mentioned it was going on all day.

It might, but let's assume that it doesn't. Surely someone who is being attentive should be able to distinguish the frivolous (assuming Blackwing's concerns are frivolous, they might not be) from the crucial. The empathic link is imperfect, true, but the impression I got was that the previous pings were inadvertent, whereas here Blackwing is making a special effort to make sure he is heard.

in the next comic you'll see that something will go worst, blackwing will send the proper feeling/message, and this is the development of our magical couple. V then can save the day on the last minute.
I feel this comic is the proper setup to that, otherwise, blackwing will have just filed outside using the same porthole from where the mist-vampire is entered.

Pray tell, how did you come by your precognitive powers? And would you mind spending the rest of your life in a tub of milk preventing crimes?

Also, since people keep bringing this up, the vampire entered through a shut, but imperfectly sealed, porthole. The porthole is still shut, and Blackwing is just as incapable of opening it as he is the door.

[Porthos]

Gotta say, zimmerwald, you're taking the worst possible conclusion here in regards to V.

...

So, no change there, then.

-----

IMO, the line from Blackwing only makes sense if this is the one time that V didn't go down to check on him (or at least he checked a couple of times before). If V had been sending waves of apathy back down to him every time, Blackwing wouldn't feel the need to retort that "Hey this time is different - honest!". After all, he does think each time it's the right time, if you read his last comment.

More than that, read V's line about Blackwing. He clarifies that Blackwing thinks there is an elaborate plot to steal his precious. HOW WOULD V KNOW THIS IF HE DIDN'T TALK TO BLACKWING ABOUT IT? The empathic link isn't that good after all. As this strip just showed.

No, IMO, this strip was showing that Blackwing is just as flawed as the rest of the OotS and this time it is showing how karma comes back to bite him in the posterior (in a humorous fashion).

No more, no less.

[Keltest]

It might, but let's assume that it doesn't. Surely someone who is being attentive should be able to distinguish the frivolous (assuming Blackwing's concerns are frivolous, they might not be) from the crucial. The empathic link is imperfect, true, but the impression I got was that the previous pings were inadvertent, whereas here Blackwing is making a special effort to make sure he is heard.

V gets absolutely no distinction between Blackwing sending emotions deliberately versus inadvertently. All V gets is the emotions, and they are the same thing he as been getting to greater and lesser degrees all day. Literally all it tells his is that someone looked at Blackwing.

[HolyDraconus]

Star trek he-man AND thunder cats? Nice

[8BitNinja]

So, Blackwing can only communicate through emotions?

That's not a good form of communication

[Thrillhouse]

Kind of looks like the vampire is using the hypno-gaze thing on Mr. Scruffy...does it work on animals? My assumption is he would make the cat go after the bird, as that as the natural order.

It strikes me as kind of unnecessary--the orb is right there and the bird is not a threat--but maybe he needs to do something to it first or is worried about Blackwing spreading the alarm after he leaves.

[Keltest]

So, Blackwing can only communicate through emotions?

That's not a good form of communication

Blackwing can also speak Raven and Common.

[Porthos]

It might, but let's assume that it doesn't. Surely someone who is being attentive should be able to distinguish the frivolous (assuming Blackwing's concerns are frivolous, they might not be) from the crucial. The empathic link is imperfect, true, but the impression I got was that the previous pings were inadvertent, whereas here Blackwing is making a special effort to make sure he is heard.

Why should we presume that this is different than before? We've seen first hand how Blackwing reacts to his precious(es) and how possesive he is about them. Even a simple suggestion that he give a "precious" to V was responded with a somewhat OTT reaction.

For that matter, we've seen him theatricaly overreact to percived harm.

IMO, Blackwing is a Large Ham at times.

Seems to me that if he had been sending these thoughts all day they'd be in an... expressive manner.

[8BitNinja]

Blackwing can also speak Raven and Common.

I wish that Blackwing would say nevermore and make Vaarsuvius remember Lenore

[Keltest]

I wish that Blackwing would say nevermore and make Vaarsuvius remember Lenore

The last book (BRITF) actually had an entire poem with illustrations about how V met Blackwing included as bonus material if you buy it.

[zimmerwald1915]

Why should we presume that this is different than before?

Because of panel 13. Blackwing hits on the idea of using the empathic link as though it had never occurred to him before.

[Keltest]

Because of panel 13. Blackwing hits on the idea of using the empathic link as though it had never occurred to him before.

And? There is no difference between Blackwing wanting V to receive his feelings versus him being indifferent to whether V feels them. At least, not as far as what V receives.

[Peelee]

It might, but let's assume that it doesn't. Surely someone who is being attentive should be able to distinguish the frivolous (assuming Blackwing's concerns are frivolous, they might not be) from the crucial.

Surely, yes. However, Blackwing doesn't believe his concerns are frivolous, while V does. This is the exact thing you're blasting V for, it sounds like. How is he supposed to parse frivolous from crucial when Blackwing broadcasts his consistent concern as crucial?