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People saying Nale had a lovely childhood? I say it was lovely because Nale is a lovely person. He had opportunities galore. Several high level adventurers to learn from? A wealth of experiences to behold. War campaigns to learn tactics and strategy. Instead Nale is the stereotypical teenager , rebelling for no reason than to be a petty dick. He knew he would never be capable , but refused to admit it to himself. Oh, how that must have galled him. He wasted chances that most people never have. Nale is a trustfund man child, freshman at college, thinking the world owes him.
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Aug 21, 2013 20:05
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ZenMasterBullshit posted:No. She's hardlocked to her plane of origin till the Holy Ward wears off. Straight up Banished. Ah. I was thinking the Soul Splice might've gotten around that, but if that's the case... I wouldn't be surprised if in the future, Tarquin's found eviscerated in his bed one morning, with his latest wife nowhere to be found. Then again, he's constantly wearing his Ring of True Seeing, so that option's probably out. 
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Aug 21, 2013 20:06
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Regalingualius posted:Then again, he's constantly wearing his Ring of True Seeing, so that option's probably out. You say that like you'd think he'd care about marrying a succubus. That said, he's probably too smart to marry his son's girlfriend at the time he killed said son, and he has seen her before.
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Aug 21, 2013 20:08
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Naramyth posted:She's only a succubus and I doubt the fiends would go for a soul splice unless it directly benefited them. And her throwing down on Tarquin is probably pretty irreverent to their plans.
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Aug 21, 2013 20:27
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Johnny Aztec posted:People saying Nale had a lovely childhood? I say it was lovely because Nale is a lovely person. He had opportunities galore. Several high level adventurers to learn from? A wealth of experiences to behold. War campaigns to learn tactics and strategy. Instead Nale is the stereotypical teenager , rebelling for no reason than to be a petty dick. He knew he would never be capable , but refused to admit it to himself. Oh, how that must have galled him. He wasted chances that most people never have. Nale was raised by murderers, monsters and thieves, and had his life managed by a sociopathic tyrant who views other people as assets or pawns. I don't read Nale as someone who didn't have the skills to make it. He did. It was his his tendency to gently caress himself up by showing off that always beats him, and that comes down to his resentment of Tarquin. He wanted to prove that he could make it on his own, and that drove him to make poor choices over and over again. Still, I hope he's permanently dead. Edit: grammar is hard. AppropriateUser fucked around with this message at 09:27 on Aug 22, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 20:34
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CapnAndy posted:But Nale and Zz biting it have just thrown a major wrench into their plans. I doubt they're happy. I don't think they care about them they said they were disposable pawns.
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Aug 21, 2013 20:52
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Potooweet posted:Nale was raised by murderers, monsters and thieves, and had his life managed by a sociopathic tyrant who views other people as assets or pawns. Yeah, it's pretty obvious that Nale had a horrible childhood. Tarquin really is a horrible father. He doesn't get either of his children, at all. Elan was lucky that he wasn't raised by that man. Nale's basically who he is because of Tarquin. He then has the gall to say Nale brought this on himself, when this situation never would have happened if he had raised his son right.
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Aug 21, 2013 21:00
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Considering how much Tarquin is into controlling people and having them implicitly submit to his authority, I can totally see how Nale saw Tarquin as the manipulative controller he is and wanted nothing to do with giving Tarquin any kind of satisfaction. Of course, explicit authority (IE "I have stabbed you now") works just as well for Tarquin when someone is pushing the issue. Nale chose a realllly bad time to test those limits, but Tarquin totally undermined Nale's villainy by offering assistance to the OOTS. "Dad those are MY rivals WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BE THE VILLAIN"
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Aug 21, 2013 21:28
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D1Sergo posted:Considering how much Tarquin is into controlling people and having them implicitly submit to his authority, I can totally see how Nale saw Tarquin as the manipulative controller he is and wanted nothing to do with giving Tarquin any kind of satisfaction. The difference is that Nale doesn't have a moral problem with it, he simply thinks is it weakness. Also, interestingly, that is a trait he shares with Xykon. He would have hated Tarquin's entire scheme and an alliance would have never worked.
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Aug 21, 2013 21:34
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CapnAndy posted:But Nale and Zz biting it have just thrown a major wrench into their plans. I doubt they're happy. I suspect their plans depend on Tarquin and his team, they just needed the Linear Guild to get Tarquin up to speed and interested in the gates. A Lawful Evil mastermind strategist would probably be a great asset to the Fiends. Plus it'd result in Sabine having to work with the man who murdered her lover, which could make for a few good comics.
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Aug 21, 2013 22:05
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Hypocrisy posted:Pretty much. Just a cog in one of Tarquin's schemes indeed. Dude he's got a plaque Dr Pepper posted:Yeah this is why I'm 50/50 on if Nale will actually stay dead. Sabine is a lackey of a second string villain. Her 'central character arc' really isn't important to the story as a whole. I'm sure we'll get a panel, or even a strip, of her reaction, but Nale Is Not Coming Back. sebmojo fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 22:13
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sebmojo posted:Dude he's got a plaque Seriously, the only way he could make it more official is if he took it as a Feat.
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Aug 21, 2013 22:20
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sebmojo posted:Sabine is a lackey of a second string villain. Her 'central character arc' really isn't important to the story as a whole. I'm sure we'll get a panel, or even a strip, of her reaction, but Nale Is Not Coming Back. She's a pretty major character, and everything about what's been going on has been pointing to at some point her having to chose between Nale and her bosses. It ending with Nale just dying and that's it would be obnoxious and anti-climatic.
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Aug 21, 2013 22:26
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Ursine Asylum posted:Seriously, the only way he could make it more official is if he took it as a Feat. Prestige class maybe?
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Aug 21, 2013 22:27
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Dr Pepper posted:She's a pretty major character, and everything about what's been going on has been pointing to at some point her having to chose between Nale and her bosses. It ending with Nale just dying and that's it would be obnoxious and anti-climatic. I wouldn't call the best strip in a run of really good strips anti-climactic. And major? She's maybe on Celia's level, a notch above Zzt'dri (who went out, it may be noted, like a chump). I'm sure we'll get a reaction, but I'm confident Nale himself will play no further active part in the story. Edit: Though I haven't predicted jackshit right so far, so who goddam knows sebmojo fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 22:34
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I wouldn't call nale's death anti-climatic. He seems like he spent most of his youth as a puppet of his controlling father. His adulthood was a breaking of those strings, but he never could broken free (his father kept bounty hunters off him). He has always been in the shadow on Tarquin or Elan. This was the first moment he was truely free of all of the plans tarquin had planned for him. Course it resulted in his death
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Aug 21, 2013 22:50
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It's pretty funny how so many people are dying in this arc except for the one character everyone is expecting to.
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Aug 21, 2013 23:00
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He's not calling Nale's death anticlimactic, he's calling letting this lie as the end of Sabine's loyalty story as anticlimactic. Which it is. Sabine may be a third-tier character, but she's had several plotlines deliberately opened about her, and that implies they'll be handled. Elan and Tarquin would agree. 
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Aug 21, 2013 23:04
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MikeJF posted:He's not calling Nale's death anticlimactic, he's calling letting this lie as the end of Sabine's loyalty story as anticlimactic. Which it is. Seriously, if the fiends tie her to Tarquin for their plans, that'd probably be the best outcome for her continued relevance.
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Aug 21, 2013 23:07
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Sabine joins the Order of the Stick after Belkar bites it. 
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Aug 21, 2013 23:10
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MikeJF posted:He's not calling Nale's death anticlimactic, he's calling letting this lie as the end of Sabine's loyalty story as anticlimactic. Which it is. Eh. Sabine is still in play, so the death of her lover will be a consideration for her, sure. I just don't think we'll see Nale again. But we're going round in circles.
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Aug 21, 2013 23:39
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Dr Pepper posted:It's pretty funny how so many people are dying in this arc except for the one character everyone is expecting to. I'm sure I'm in the minority for this but Durkon was the one I was dreading, and tragic as his death was he's now a more interesting character because of it. Belkar, I dunno. We're seeing some substantial character movement on him recently, I don't know if Rich is going to interrupt it with a surprise death or let him grow. Honestly my favourite outcome would be that he not perish at all and spite that stupid little oracle character. God, prophecies.
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Aug 22, 2013 00:05
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Honestly, I think the Oracle may have just been screwing with us.
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Aug 22, 2013 00:16
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The oracle made an official prediction about Belkar's death, so it will happen, although as with all prophecies it might not happen in the expected manner.
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Aug 22, 2013 00:19
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Though Nale's reaction wasn't very wise given his situation, it was appropriate. Remember this? Tarquin's whole story about how he merely "led Malack to believe" he will get to kill Nale is hogwash. Tarquin likes to manipulate people by telling them what they want to hear - or rather, what he thinks they want to hear. Those two things are often not at all the same thing, and that is one reason Tarquin ultimately failed to manipulate both the linear guild and the OoTS and bring them under the fold of his implicit authority. He apparently thinks everyone's a cold utilitarian like him; he has no concept of other people's emotions or principles. To Tarquin, the OoTS' campaign to save the world is a dry statistic, Nale's rage is incomprehensible and Elan's refusal to accept his help makes no sense. Still, despite his constant failure to intuit people's motivations and adapt his smooth-talking accordingly, Tarquin has this strange unwavering faith that as long as he can tell them a pretty enough story, they would be willing to turn around and do as he says. Then they don't, and he either shrugs and says "oh well" or stabs them in the lung. Because he has that latter option, because he's powerful and influential enough. Woe betide Tarquin if he ends up in the way of someone with the capability of getting him out of the way.
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Aug 22, 2013 00:59
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Nilbop posted:Honestly my favourite outcome would be that he not perish at all and spite that stupid little oracle character. I would love for an endcap to be them coming back to the Oracle and complaining that "Belkar never died", and the Oracle just flat out says "Yeah I lied, if I hadn't told you that he never would've had his character growth arc and would have just sat here spawn-killing me for the next 20 years, here's your failed-prophecy refund, later guys". It'll never happen, of course; but I'm all-in for the "Belkar's been getting more interesting" camp.
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Aug 22, 2013 01:21
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Triple Elation posted:Though Nale's reaction wasn't very wise given his situation, it was appropriate. Remember this? Tarquin's whole story about how he merely "led Malack to believe" he will get to kill Nale is hogwash. Tarquin likes to manipulate people by telling them what they want to hear - or rather, what he thinks they want to hear. c/f with with this one though. Tarquin genuinely wants Nale to do well and as he says, has been saving him from his own fuckups all his life. He wanted Nale to prove himself useful. Even after Nale hosed up completely and then revealed Malack's death purely to get attention he was still going to try and save him. Also don't hate on Nale too much. His sub-plots gave us one of my top strips.
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Aug 22, 2013 01:37
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I agree with Sabine perhaps getting a larger role. If I recall correctly Rich also mention that O-chul will play a larger role as we go on. We've killed a decent amount of characters in this arc. It's not unreasonable to see some previously more minor characters set up. It would be amusing if the fiends tried to work with Tarquin on their plan.
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Aug 22, 2013 01:53
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FreeKillB posted:The oracle made an official prediction about Belkar's death, so it will happen, although as with all prophecies it might not happen in the expected manner. Unless Belkar becomes undead, he's not coming back from his death, because the Oracle's wording was very specific that he would take his last breath ever.
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Aug 22, 2013 02:03
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Alchenar posted:Also don't hate on Nale too much. His sub-plots gave us one of my top strips.
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Aug 22, 2013 02:22
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Lurdiak posted:Unless Belkar becomes undead, he's not coming back from his death, because the Oracle's wording was very specific that he would take his last breath ever. Belkar because first Warforged. It only makes sense. He is the sexy shoeless God of War.
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Aug 22, 2013 02:25
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Alchenar posted:c/f with with this one though. Tarquin genuinely wants Nale to do well and as he says, has been saving him from his own fuckups all his life. He wanted Nale to prove himself useful. Even after Nale hosed up completely and then revealed Malack's death purely to get attention he was still going to try and save him. My favorite part of this is still Sabine not giving a poo poo about the cheating and mostly being mad that he was going to murder Haley without her.
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Aug 22, 2013 02:57
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nimby posted:I suspect their plans depend on Tarquin and his team, they just needed the Linear Guild to get Tarquin up to speed and interested in the gates. A Lawful Evil mastermind strategist would probably be a great asset to the Fiends. Tarquin is exactly what they are opposed to though. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0668.html He is the real example of victory resulting in sitting in your comfort zone. Really, Nale did a good job advancing their goals with this arc, because Tarquin is back on the move, and the loss of Malack upsets thei balance of the game they had going.
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Aug 22, 2013 03:05
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Fried Chicken posted:Tarquin is exactly what they are opposed to though. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0668.html Oh hell, that basically says that that dwarven cleric Durkon slept with is dead. Did we see that happen?
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Aug 22, 2013 03:11
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Pope Guilty posted:Oh hell, that basically says that that dwarven cleric Durkon slept with is dead. Did we see that happen? No, Z is crossed out too but he hadn't died yet as of the time of that strip. I think it just means that they aren't a member any more.
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Aug 22, 2013 03:12
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Pope Guilty posted:Oh hell, that basically says that that dwarven cleric Durkon slept with is dead. Did we see that happen? That one happened well before the dark elf died and he's crossed off there too, and I don't think he died before (did he?). She may still show up.
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Aug 22, 2013 03:13
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sebmojo posted:Dude he's got a plaque She's also the most-developed remaining agent of the IFCC, who despite limited screen time are almost certainly a fundamental piece of the overall narrative. We've also spent entire strips developing her loyalty to Nale as a potential point of conflict with her superiors. She's not done, and Nale is likely to become an ancillary character to her narrative rather than the other way around.
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Aug 22, 2013 03:13
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sebmojo posted:Eh. Sabine is still in play, so the death of her lover will be a consideration for her, sure. I just don't think we'll see Nale again. But we're going round in circles. Yeah, I don't think Nale being dead actually prevents the comic from doing a sabine mixed loyalties arc. Just instead of supporting nale vs obeying the fiends, it's avenging him vs obeying them. That gives you the pay off without needing Nale.
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Aug 22, 2013 03:14
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Pope Guilty posted:My favorite part of this is still Sabine not giving a poo poo about the cheating and mostly being mad that he was going to murder Haley without her. My favorite Nale strip is a pretty old one, when they de-petrify Celia and he tells her a thousand years have passed and everyone she knew is dead, just to be a jerk. I like the linear guild, never really got all the Nale hate.
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Aug 22, 2013 03:22
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Voyager I posted:She's also the most-developed remaining agent of the IFCC, who despite limited screen time are almost certainly a fundamental piece of the overall narrative. We've also spent entire strips developing her loyalty to Nale as a potential point of conflict with her superiors. She's not done, and Nale is likely to become an ancillary character to her narrative rather than the other way around. A fair point. (tips fedora) Changing the subject a bit, how many dangling plot points are actually left? Let's see, we have Hilgya, Durkon's dwarves and the death and destruction that will be visited upon them, Belkar's death... Hm. Haley's species ('I'm not exactly what you might call...') Elan's plan to defeat Tarquin... Why the Order of the Scribble split up, the identity of the MITD, Durkon's dwarves, the fiends' plot, the nature of the Snarl... I was thinking there weren't that many but now I list them like that I'm not sure that's right.
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Aug 22, 2013 03:50
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