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Five hundred pretendbux that this is an illusion.
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Apr 25, 2013 07:45
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Affi posted:Five hundred pretendbux that this is an illusion. On the one hand: how would anyone setting up the illusion know about Xykon? Is there a generic "Illusion of Viewer's Greatest Fear"* spell? (And if there is, it would probably be vamped-out Durkon, since that's who's currently on Roy's mind.) On the other hand: it's a Xykon that knows who Roy is. It has to be a fake. *: Yes, I know about Phantasmal Killer. My point stands.
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Apr 25, 2013 07:49
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That and the runes were mentioned in such an off way that I feel they should be relevant to the current situation. Hypnotism. Rune magic. Something.
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Apr 25, 2013 07:53
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Cuchulain posted:What? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Good point about him knowing who Roy is, that's definitely a clue to something. sebmojo fucked around with this message at 07:58 on Apr 25, 2013 |
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Apr 25, 2013 07:55
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Key point will be whether or not MitD is right behind Redcloak. Since Roy got fully briefed by O-Chul, he knows there's not much reason to fear Monster-san. If he's there, then the odds increase that it's really Xykon and Redcloak getting in from some back entrance that they know about because Girard trusted Serini, and she put it in the diary. If he's missing then Phantasmal Killer or whatever is more likely.
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Apr 25, 2013 08:07
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AAAAFUCKWHAT Most casual horrible doom plot twist ever.
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Apr 25, 2013 08:12
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jng2058 posted:Key point will be whether or not MitD is right behind Redcloak. Redcloak's conspicuously off-panel eye is probably the determining factor. Roy should know that he lost an eye but not that it was never regenerated or what the eyepatch looks like.
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Apr 25, 2013 08:14
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Even if this is exactly what it appears to be, the situation isn't totally hopeless. Roy's right there in melee range, and he's got that new spell-disrupting feat. There isn't room for Xykon to fly up and blast down from above...he'll always be in melee range. As Soon proved, you can gently caress Xykon up if you keep him in melee. Of course that also means you're leaving Haley and Elan to fight Redcloak, which is a tough sell. But Elan can melee too and if they hit Redcloak enough, especially if Haley holds her actions to shoot when Reddy's trying to cast, it can be done. It's not likely mind you, but having Xykon step into melee range in a confined space pretty much the best case scenario for what's left of the Order. Especially if V can make it in sometime soon. Indeed, we could have ourselves a classic meeting engagement, where more and more combatants arrive as time goes on. Like Nale's part of the team shows up and makes it a three way fight. Then V shows up to help the Order. Then Tarquin shows up, probably with his reinforcements. Something like that. jng2058 fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Apr 25, 2013 |
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Apr 25, 2013 08:25
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Maybe they'll just be like "Look, not right now, okay?" and Xykon'll be all "Whatever" and they'll pass each other.
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Apr 25, 2013 08:28
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Xykon still does not likely know who he is. Just that he was that idiot that he killed and sent a video into worlds funiest protagonist deaths for.
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Apr 25, 2013 09:15
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MonsterEnvy posted:Xykon still does not likely know who he is. Just that he was that idiot that he killed and sent a video into worlds funiest protagonist deaths for. Yeah, last time he was "That guy! That guy who was upset about... something." I liked this strip. You think nothing's going to happen (there's even a self-conscious joke about it), it captures Roy's emotional state perfectly, then BAM awesome twist at the end.
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Apr 25, 2013 09:51
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Oh, hey, V's coming to find the Order now as well. I wonder if he'll arrive in time to see this, and if Xykon will remember him (or her, whatever).
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Apr 25, 2013 10:02
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So much for a grand entrance that sways the favor into either direction.
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Apr 25, 2013 10:04
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e X posted:So much for a grand entrance that sways the favor into either direction. But it is perfect for Xykon though. "Oh, these guys". The squabbling of the heros and the B-villains simply doesn't register with him because it's utterly irrelevant and I love it.
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Apr 25, 2013 10:08
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Alchenar posted:But it is perfect for Xykon though. "Oh, these guys". The squabbling of the heros and the B-villains simply doesn't register with him because it's utterly irrelevant and I love it. Yeah, it's basically perfect. Strolling in without a care in the world, like other people go shopping. If it is him. The illusion idea would be right up Burlew's alley.
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Apr 25, 2013 10:36
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I am an IRL wizard and more than capable of deciphering these runes. "no secret message" 
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Apr 25, 2013 12:02
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I'm thinking TPK and Rich posting he got tired of OotS and wants to wrap it up this way. Xykon wins. The end.
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Apr 25, 2013 12:23
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My Lovely Horse posted:I am an IRL wizard and more than capable of deciphering these runes. Hiragana? I am terrible at it and cannot read it at all, but it looks familiar.
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Apr 25, 2013 12:30
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Business picked up quickly in this strip. Is it possible that's one of the fake Xykons from Azure City? I've been going back and re-reading the entire series, but the site going down and finals stopped that, and I had just got through that segment. It's probably more likely an illusion, or actual No Fucks Given Xykon.
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Apr 25, 2013 12:57
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Alchenar posted:But it is perfect for Xykon though. "Oh, these guys". The squabbling of the heros and the B-villains simply doesn't register with him because it's utterly irrelevant and I love it. That's the absolute best thing about Xykon. The strip needed some comedy; it was getting terribly depressing for a while there. 
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Apr 25, 2013 13:08
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Goffer posted:Hiragana? I am terrible at it and cannot read it at all, but it looks familiar.
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Apr 25, 2013 13:19
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My Lovely Horse posted:I am an IRL wizard and more than capable of deciphering these runes. Did a snake jump out and paralyze you yet?
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Apr 25, 2013 13:23
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Rodney the Piper posted:Business picked up quickly in this strip.
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Apr 25, 2013 13:36
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It would be pretty funny if Xykon casually blasted them down right here and now. Maybe V'll show up for the old sacrifice-redemption play and let the others escape?
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Apr 25, 2013 13:56
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NihilCredo posted:All three got destroyed on-screen, so no. I couldn't remember if it showed the fates of all three; thanks.
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Apr 25, 2013 14:03
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My first though is an illusion. The entire remaining party can perceive Xykon, and Phantasmal Killer is a phantasm spell, rather than a physical illusion, so that mean it would have to be a 9th level Weird spell, so it's entirely conceivable that Haley didn't catch the DC 34+ trap. If it isn't an illusion, my guess is that Nale will interrupt the battle before it begins, and Xykon v Linear Guild will go down, what's left of the order will beeline for the gate, and end up having to fight a possessed V.
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Apr 25, 2013 14:06
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I have a funny feeling the illusion thing is a Rich fake-out. It's a waste of a great plot twist if it's just a trap, isnt it?
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Apr 25, 2013 14:17
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sebmojo posted:I have a funny feeling the illusion thing is a Rich fake-out. It's a waste of a great plot twist if it's just a trap, isnt it? I think you're probably right. Rich is good at anticipating his fans' reactions, and really loves provoking the more grognardy ones. Faking-out a fake-out is exactly the sort of thing he'd do.
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Apr 25, 2013 14:29
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poo poo status: real I love Xykon. Happy to see him back! I stand by my theory that Xykon will kill Tarquin ingloriously some day,robbing him of his dream to become a legend.
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Apr 25, 2013 14:37
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I feel like the story is building up towards Roy having a total mental breakdown and Elan taking over as the new leader. Look at how Roy's been treating Elan and Belkar the last several dozen strips and how he's reacting to Durkon's death. Chances are also good that Roy will probably flip out at V whenever the Order finds out about the Familicide. He's always been a good tactician but he's seriously losing his touch as a leader. This would also be parallel with Nale exhibiting serious incompetence as a leader and Tarquin taking over. We know that: A. Tarquin's traits got split between Elan and Nale. B. Tarquin is an excellent leader. C. Nale is a lovely leader. D. Therefore, Elan is... On top of that, Tarquin has been incredibly eager to see what Elan can actually do in an adventure/combat situation, and that's going to pay off sooner or later. He already knows that Elan isn't as good as Tarquin is as a fighter (they already dueled once), and Roy is very obviously repressing Elan and wasting his capabilities - as this strip shows, and as all the previous strips in this arc has shown, where Roy's all just like "Stand there and sing and stay out of the way!"
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Apr 25, 2013 15:21
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Brannock posted:-snip- And in the current strip, he's not even letting Elan sing. Odds on that being the reason Haley didn't notice a trap?
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Apr 25, 2013 16:28
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I like this idea. It also ties in with a lot of other things in the story, and would be a great character building event for both Elan and Roy We know Elan gets his own happy ending, and outside of maybe Haley and his mother, Roy is the single most important person to him in the world. His idol. A man who has absolutely no respect for him and treats him as a burden or worse even as he's finally beginning to come into his own. Roy coming around on Elan and Elan's capabilities is a necessary step, as is Elan proving himself more capable than Roy in something. Making Elan the leader of the Order, even if it is temporary, and making him a good leader would fulfill that. Or just have his mysterious plan they've been building up offscreen save their asses.
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Apr 25, 2013 16:43
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This is pretty much how I expected Xykon to turn up. A sudden, casual, "oh poo poo" moment is him exactly.
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Apr 25, 2013 16:50
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I'm unironically rooting for Team Xykon, he's literally more likable than the Order.
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Apr 25, 2013 17:11
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melon farmer posted:I'm unironically rooting for Team Xykon, he's literally more likable than the Order. He seriously considered forcing Redcloak to sail a boat built from Hobgoblin corpses.
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Apr 25, 2013 17:19
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melon farmer posted:I'm unironically rooting for Team Xykon, he's literally more likable than the Order. More likable than the Order as a whole? I disagree. More likable than Roy? Hell yes. Roy's gone into complete rear end in a top hat mode, hasn't been particularly amusing for a while, and while he's not evil his meanness to Elan and such is really off-putting. Unless by "likable" you mainly mean "funnier", in which case yeah Xykon's got nearly everyone beat.
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Apr 25, 2013 17:24
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Earnestly posted:He seriously considered forcing Redcloak to sail a boat built from Hobgoblin corpses. I don't know if I like Xykon better than I like the Order, but I like him better than Redcloak for sure.
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Apr 25, 2013 17:30
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I dunno, I've been sick of Elan for awhile now so I sympathize with Roy. He's that dude who thinks he's funny and does not shut the gently caress up ever I suppose if everyone likes/hates different characters for different reasons yet keeps reading, thats a good sign
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Apr 25, 2013 17:38
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I've never liked Elan and fully approve of him getting bullied.
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Apr 25, 2013 17:40
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Well, my ranking of the characters in this strip, from most to least favourite: 1) Belkar 2) Redcloak 3) Xykon 4) Haley 5) Roy 6) Elan
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Apr 25, 2013 17:47
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