The Order of the Stick

Tarquin never acknowledged that Xykon was a BIGGER bad, just that he was something that had to be dealt with before Tarquin and Elan had their Epic Final Confrontation.

In any case, it's implied that the triumvirate (if that's the right word for it) is highly destablilized by the events surrounding Malack's death, and heavily implied that Tarquin's not-wife, Ian Starshine and company are going to be the ones to bring it down.

Hail Martin Septim!

One or two of them may or may not have been eaten by the Snarl as well.

Right now the empire triumvirate is in an ambiguous place where it's not entirely certain whether or not it's going to be able to stabilize after what's happened, which is fitting because it's not entirely certain whether or not the concept - as opposed to certain people involved in it - was really a bad thing to begin with.

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A lot depends on the mysterious Shoulder Pad Guy. If he was the (relatively) dumb muscle, then things may fall apart all the faster. If he was more in charge, things may stabilize.

If that bothers you you should probably stop using "really" and "very" as intensifiers, too.

The Revolution Will Not Be Tropeable

Why?

Dopants: He meant what he said and he said what he meant, a Ninety is faithful 100%.

Well, looking at the words, they're probably both meant to be ways of saying 'honestly,' assuming that very is derived from verily.

That's not even close to being an analogous example. Something that is very X or really X is is almost always literally X. There is no figurativeness involved here.

Something "Really big" is big. Something "very close" is close. Someone who is "literally on fire" is generally not aflame.

edited 6th Jul '14 12:09:25 PM by Elfive

The problem with literally is that not only it is used wrong, but it is used for completely the opposite of its original meaning. So if you say you are literally on fire, I'll bring a bucket of water, sorry.

About Shoulder Pad Guy: why do you think he is the only one who can make order in the party if he is smart enough? Sure, Tarquin is out, Malack is dead, but the others are all completely in control.

The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us.

Well, Warlock and Psion may or may not have been eaten by the Snarl. That leaves catgirl (who doesn't seem to have much sense for subtlety beyond "slash throats") and shoulder-pad guy.

edited 6th Jul '14 2:22:03 PM by Kayeka

Idle thought: if Miron and Laurin were eaten by the Snarl, that may put Tarquin into a position of tremendous power with the three empires.

We don't know much at all about Catgirl or Shoulder Pads, but without Miron, Malack, and Laurin, Tarquin's influence just jumped from 1-in-6 to 1-in-3.

My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.

I got the impression that Laurin was not eaten or killed, as such. But, she may not be Laurin any more, either.

It look a lot like Snarly rewiring being done behind her eyes. -_- Maybe the Snarl has become a lot more savvy about how to use sentient beings, given a link to use?

edited 6th Jul '14 4:11:31 PM by Euodiachloris

She was psychically probing inside the Rift when the attack happened, so I didn't take it so much as the Snarl consciously rewiring her mind and brainwashing her, as the Snarl consuming the psychic probe that came into contact with it and - by connection - her mind.

My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.

Bonus points if she gives the destroyer of worlds speech.

"Show us the Galaxy Warp."

>We don't know much at all about Catgirl or Shoulder Pads, but without Miron, Malack, and Laurin, Tarquin's influence just jumped from 1-in-6 to 1-in-3.

Influence within the group? Maybe. But the group's influence on the empires would diminish greatly.

Why do you think that Miron and Laurin got eaten by the snarl? Both escaped the battlefield, Miron when he got low on HP, and Laurin when she got outmagicked by V.

On the current strip: I think Belkar will really die here, but not before he blows Durkula's cover (or at least raises Roy's suspicion).

The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us.

They were inspecting the Rift when Snarl lashed out. Being eaten is a distinct possibility.

edited 7th Jul '14 2:19:12 AM by Adannor

It was so long ago, I had to archive thrawl it to find that scene. Yes, the last thing we saw of them is that the Snarl attacked them. I still don't think they are dead though. I think they actually got some (if not much) knowledge from that encounter that they can use later for some purpose. This arc is not over yet, only postponed until some other plots are dealt with.

The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us.

Possibly the *shot*

I have a message from another time...

Oi, this again. Unless Team Tarquin takes a desperate revenge trip to the Northern Continent for a final Battle Royale With Cheese, they won't be heard from again for the duration of the current arc; ergo their fate is largely immaterial now.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"

Given Laurin and Miron's involvement with the Snarl lashing out from the Gate, we may see one or both of them after Kraagor's Gate is inevitably destroyed, in the classic RPG "All seals are broken! Cthulhu has risen! All is lost! Only by defeating the impossible eldritch horror is there any hope for the future!" final act.

RP Gs like to end with the hero party fighting the Sealed Evil in a Can; it's rare to see one where the Evil remains Sealed by game's end. Miron and Laurin are in a position to potentially return as a consequence of having what is, at present, a monopoly on first-hand knowledge of a Snarl attack.

Narrative convention also dictates that the scene in which the Snarl lashes out at them wouldn't exist in the story if it wasn't going to have consequences down the road. Team Tarquin, as a whole, are irrelevant to the story, but Miron and Laurin may not yet be.

Conversely, while the rest of Team Tarquin are irrelevant to the story, they're still an engaging situation to discuss.

edited 7th Jul '14 7:37:19 AM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently liveblogging Haruhi Suzumiya and revisiting Danganronpa V3.

In my head I picture either the group fighting with the OOTS in the "final battle" or else Miron and/or Laurin telling Tarquin that they need to do so to take on the threat and Tarquin commenting on the delicious situation of villains and heroes banding together. At this point, Laurin and Miron would tell him to shut-up.

Edit, edit, edit, edit the wiki

Hodor, your avatar looks like Elan's face on Banjo's body.

CM Dates; CM Pending; CM Drafts

Yes, that's what I think it is (or at least Elan dressed up as Banjo)- it was someone's avatar on the Giant Forums and I thought it looked cool. Also, I'm a semi-serious supporter of this theory that Elan will either get a power up as a Cleric of Banjo or else will join the pantheon as Banjo.

edited 7th Jul '14 8:34:19 AM by Hodor

Edit, edit, edit, edit the wiki

Wait, is that an electric banjo, and is one of its strings broken?

The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us.