Order of the Stick - A line is crossed

[AllWalker]

A new update:

Holy crap.

Holy crap. Holy crap.

Oh V, we knew you would commit some horrible deed...

But this?

Wow.

[Harlequin]

Yes, that was a double-take one all right. A true hero freakout moment.

[jayjay]

And I find myself wondering...in a D&D world where dragons can interbreed with the humanoid races, is V going to lose much more than s/he bargained for?

[Chimera]

Holy Crap.

[Ferret Herder]

First I wondered if V knew how far the spell would extend. Then I realized, maybe V doesn't care.

[sublight]

Damn, just how far does that spell interpret 'family'?

[puppygod]

Suvie? How sweet.

But I digress. Back to the topic: holy crap!

[Ferret Herder]

Suvie? How sweet.

I forgot about that, in light of the goings-on afterwards. I guess that's a much "cuter" nickname than V, right?

[Cervaise]

Oh


my



God

[NAF1138]

Wow...I don't know what else to say, just wow.

[PonderThis]

Noooooooooooooooooooo!

My man Belkar should be the evillest member of the group! :x


Btw, have I mentioned my username on the forums over there is Belkar Rocks?

[Zuul]

...dude.

[Kaspar Hauser]

That is just amazing. I love the darkness of this V-story line so far - the wonderfully executed dilemma a few strips back, and now this. And Ferret Herder - I am thinking the same thing; V simply doesn't care (at least in this incarnation) - he will pay a high price later on, I'm sure.

[Fish]

Oh


my



God

I am so glad I brought over "Paladin Blues" that day for you to read. 8-)

[Elyanna]

Nooo, V.

lol @ centaur-dragon

[Brewha]

So, I guess I need some back story here?

[Cervaise]

Yeah, 638 strips' worth.

[Inner Stickler]

What do you need explained?

[NAF1138]

So, I guess I need some back story here?

No, don't let anyone spoil it. Seriously take some time and read the archives from the start. It's very much worth it.

[Kaspar Hauser]

It is, but it can also be painfully frustrating. The OOTS-server is absolutely horrible. I started a reread today (my third, I think), and I have to refresh every page 4-5-10 times because of timeouts. The hamsters there must feed on the same stuff they give the ones at the dope...

[Inner Stickler]

I think the strip took off recently in a way that they weren't expecting. And then all of the plot twists that reference previous comics mean that everyone is rereading and putting even more strain on the server. I don't remember it being that bad before.

[Ferret Herder]

It is, but it can also be painfully frustrating. The OOTS-server is absolutely horrible. I started a reread today (my third, I think), and I have to refresh every page 4-5-10 times because of timeouts. The hamsters there must feed on the same stuff they give the ones at the dope...

I think it's worse on days when new strips come out, which makes sense. The server is getting extra hammering because of the new strip release. On days when there isn't a new strip it hasn't been so bad, in my experience.

[Kaspar Hauser]

Herder and Stickler - I think you're both right. The new story arc + new strip today + lots of rereading + increasing popularity = trouble. And it probably won't be as bad tomorrow morning (Danish time - when all the 'mericans are sleeping), but still. I want it now!

[Darth Sensitive]

This strip is getting better. I kinda miss the dumb jokes, but they come eventually. The splitting of the order has worked well, which I wasn't convinced of for a while.

[NAF1138]

Also, Erfworld, which is on the same site, is fantastic as well. I try to pimp that one out whenever I see an opportunity. Things are wrapping up in the first volume of that one right now so it's a good time to read the archives and catch up.

I agree with the server problems though. Even three or four months ago it wasn't this bad over there.

[AllWalker]

I have to say, though, I love a some of the dragon pictures. The expression of the face of the adventurers when the dragon drops dead in front of them is great, plus I love the dragon chasing the bunny rabbit.

On the other hand...

Dragon: What-? Where am I? I was with my son and husband...

V: I assure you, you will see your kin again shortly.

*shudder*

Technical question - even though V is now ridiculously high level, how much XP would he get for killing possibly every dragon in the world?

[digitalC]

I have to say, though, I love a some of the dragon pictures. The expression of the face of the adventurers when the dragon drops dead in front of them is great, plus I love the dragon chasing the bunny rabbit.

On the other hand...

Dragon: What-? Where am I? I was with my son and husband...

V: I assure you, you will see your kin again shortly.

*shudder*

Technical question - even though V is now ridiculously high level, how much XP would he get for killing possibly every dragon in the world?

I thought part of the deal was that he'd get no exp for anything he did.

[Harlequin]

I thought part of the deal was that he'd get no exp for anything he did.

He could, but his effective level would be so high that he probably wouldn't.

[silenus]

After reading this thread all day with no access to the strip, I finally just got to read it.


Holy shit.


This does not bode well.

[Hellestal]

So, genocide as a response to an attempted kidnapping.





Whoa.

[Harlequin]

So, genocide as a response to an attempted kidnapping.

The dragon did announce its intention to kill V's children and bind their souls forever, so it's a bit more than a kidnapping. Genocide is still a bit out of proportion as responses go, of course.

[silenus]

So, genocide as a response to an attempted kidnapping.

Not genocide - familicide. V didn't wipe out all dragons, just that particular dragon's entire family, to the nth degree.

[Harlequin]

Not genocide - familicide. V didn't wipe out all dragons, just that particular dragon's entire family, to the nth degree.

Which, depending on how the spell works, may well be every black dragon in existence, or every dragon in existence, or even all life everywhere... but I doubt that it's the last one. Would totally fuck up the plot.

[Hellestal]

So, genocide as a response to an attempted kidnapping.

The dragon did announce its intention to kill V's children and bind their souls forever, so it's a bit more than a kidnapping. Genocide is still a bit out of proportion as responses go, of course.

It's hard for me to take the murder of main characters or their families seriously in this world when the right scroll can bring people back.

And I don't know exactly what "binding" is. So it's supposed to be forever? I figured it was just a technique where V couldn't get his children back even if she specifically summoned them. Which, again, made me think kidnapping. Kidnapping plus torture, anyway. I suppose that that's still technically wrong, though.

Not genocide - familicide. V didn't wipe out all dragons, just that particular dragon's entire family, to the nth degree.

Exactly. It was a genocide. That entire family of dragons is dead. Not just the immediately family, but the extended family, and the extended family of the extended family, and on and on. All of them are dead, right down to the nth degree, even if there are other races of dragons left alive.

That's what genocide, taken literally, actually is.

[Speusippus]

I remember having read a few OOTS strips a while back and thinking they were funny.

Is it... not funny anymore?

[NAF1138]

It's still funny. It's just had a few really dark weeks.

[Brewha]

Yeah, 638 strips' worth.

OK, I thought I was missing some event that the general populas would understand. I've wasted about 1300 posts of my life on the dead end that seems to be questionable content. I don't feel like starting a new webcomic.

[Batman]

The funnier ones are the ones with Elan or Belkar

[Darth Sensitive]

So, genocide as a response to an attempted kidnapping.





Whoa.

Well the title kinda gives it away. "If they pull a knife", you pull a gun. If they send one of yours to the hospital, you send one of them to the morgue.

[AllWalker]

New update!







A quarter of the black dragons in the world? Nice.

And scary.

[jayjay]

A quarter of the black dragons in the world? Nice.

And scary.

I actually think the scarier part is the idea that V did it all on his own volition, and the spliced souls are only encouraging him.

[Darth Sensitive]

I totally dig the March Madness reference Sun Devils and Blue Devils! Probably could have tossed in a Demon Deacon though.

[sublight]

Took me a while to figure out that last panel.

I don't really see V's actions as too out-of-character. V has always been egotistical, and without Roy around this trait has steadily grown.

I have to wonder what was really driving V before the dragon showed up: desire to revive Roy and continue the quest to stop the snarl, or rescue Haley, who had always been V's closest friend?

[Harlequin]

I have to wonder what was really driving V before the dragon showed up: desire to revive Roy and continue the quest to stop the snarl, or rescue Haley, who had always been V's closest friend?

Redemption for the failure to be a powerful enough wizard.

[Kaspar Hauser]

I totally dig the March Madness reference Sun Devils and Blue Devils! Probably could have tossed in a Demon Deacon though.

Didn't like it - too US-centric. Too bad, because I really like where the V-plot is going. I wonder how many xp V just gained - killing a quarter of all black dragons with a single spell has to be worth something - even if the combined level of V's (almost) omnipotent incarnation is very high.

[Ferret Herder]

Redemption for the failure to be a powerful enough wizard.

Yup. That's why he didn't even think about the other option that the trio presented him, because that explicitly involved admitting that he had failed with his magic.

[Fish]

Given that Eugene Greenhilt suffers the same egotism, that magic is the solution to everything, Roy will have an interesting opinion on this, whenever he gets back.

[Malacandra]

Yeah, 638 strips' worth.

OK, I thought I was missing some event that the general populas would understand. I've wasted about 1300 posts of my life on the dead end that seems to be questionable content. I don't feel like starting a new webcomic.

Some time ago Vaarsuvius (elf wizard) and assorted friends happened on a black dragon that nearly killed them all before V disintegrated it. A few strips back, the dragon's mom turned up, having gone to a lot of trouble to find the culprit and catch him alone. Instead of killing V, she demonstrated that she could do so easily and then announced her intention to teleport to V's house and not only murder his mate and children in retaliation but bind their souls so they could neither be resurrected nor go on to the afterlife. She blipped out and V screamed for help to the only creature near enough - an imp. As it turned out, the imp's bosses had a Faustian contract already drawn up - soul-splicing V to the shades of three epic-level wizards in exchange for future consideration. The rest I think you know, after V turned up and found his crying children with broken legs and his mate stapled to a tree.

[AllWalker]

Another update - I am on a roll calling these!

I love the last panel. It's all in the technicalities.

[ichini sanshigo]

OK, I thought I was missing some event that the general populas would understand. I've wasted about 1300 posts of my life on the dead end that seems to be questionable content. I don't feel like starting a new webcomic.

Questionable "T-shirt factory" Content is really more of a newspaper comic. It's mainly just people having witty conversation and mini adventures, but it's not genre and there's no long-term plot. That's cool, but it's a bit weird when you start reading it expecting that the comic will go... somewhere.