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This is the thread for discussion of The Order of the Stick plot, characters, etc. We have a separate thread for discussing game rules and mechanics. Excessive rules discussions here may be thumped as off-topic.

OP edited to make this header - Fighteer

edited 18th Sep '17 1:08:08 PM by Fighteer

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#24276: Sep 9th 2013 at 2:25:45 PM

Those jokes over NPC names are partly in-universe and partly tongue-in-cheek. We've seen how NPCs can be characterized and given meaningful lives, but those "Goblin Cleric #3" jokes are supposed to serve as Lampshade Hanging and mockery of things like Nominal Importance and What Measure Is a Mook?.

Redcloak certainly recognizes the identities of his subordinates and values his people as a whole, even if he is willing to sacrifice some of them to achieve a goal. Roy, for his part, has been caught several times doing the "NPCs don't matter" bit, and has occasionally paid for it.

edited 9th Sep '13 2:27:12 PM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Mukora Uniocular from a place Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: I made a point to burn all of the photographs
Uniocular
#24277: Sep 9th 2013 at 2:25:52 PM

This is unrelated to anything at all, but has anyone made a mod for either Baldur's Gate adding Order of the Stick characters as party members?

"It's so hard to be humble, knowing how great I am."
Hodor Cleric of Banjo from Westeros Since: Dec, 1969
Cleric of Banjo
#24278: Sep 9th 2013 at 2:35:58 PM

One thing I was also reminded of is that incident in his "bad, old days" (pre-Epiphany) where Belkar casually murdered that gnome guy (who watched Fox) and justified it to Haley and Celia by commenting that the guy was just an NPC there to provide some color.

I think what I'm getting at is that basically, while Belkar was right about the guy's role in the story (just like Tarquin is often right), just because a character has a role in the story doesn't mean they aren't also an individual with a rich, off-screen inner life (even if they watch Fox).

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Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#24279: Sep 9th 2013 at 2:39:04 PM

Yeah, whenever a significant character tries to pull the "NPCs don't matter" card, it tends to backfire in some way.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Hodor Cleric of Banjo from Westeros Since: Dec, 1969
Cleric of Banjo
#24280: Sep 9th 2013 at 2:41:51 PM

Further diagnosis of Tarquin's thought process:

1. Tropes Are Tools. 2. Tropes entail narratives playing out in certain ways. 3. People fulfill narrative roles. 4. People are Tropes. 5. Therefore, People are Tools.

edited 9th Sep '13 2:43:02 PM by Hodor

Edit, edit, edit, edit the wiki
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#24281: Sep 9th 2013 at 2:44:11 PM

TBH, I think it's rather more likely that he started with "people are tools" and rationalized it with the thought process you describe. That is how actual sociopaths operate.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Hodor Cleric of Banjo from Westeros Since: Dec, 1969
Cleric of Banjo
#24282: Sep 9th 2013 at 2:45:12 PM

So, a sociopath is effectively indistinguishable from someone who reads too much Tv Tropes? wink

edited 9th Sep '13 2:46:11 PM by Hodor

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Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#24283: Sep 9th 2013 at 2:52:31 PM

[up]Uh... nope. tongue Not unless you make that horrible leap and go "people are just characters". [lol]

johnnye Since: Jan, 2001
#24284: Sep 9th 2013 at 4:39:12 PM

"Tarquin initially went into the "rule an evil empire" plan when he believed that he would face a non-dramatic death, probably at the hands of "some random peasant schmuck""

I read that as him previously thinking he would be the Evil Overlord overthrown by a plucky Farm Boy, and being satisfied with that (classic story formula, after all), but realising once Elan turned up that being overthrown by his own estranged son was miles better. He's only dismissive of the hypothetical peasant schmuck in comparison to Elan.

Incidentally, that woman from the Free City of Doom also owes T a grisly end. What else was she introduced for?

Knowlessman hey i dunno, why don't you tell me from Stupidtown, USA (FL) Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
hey i dunno, why don't you tell me
#24285: Sep 9th 2013 at 5:55:50 PM

I don't really think he'd been expecting an anticlimactic death. Remember, Luke Skywalker was a farmboy. Tarquin sees himself as Palpatine.

Just because the person who kills you is low-class doesn't mean it can't be dramatic; even a peasant revolt would have been a satisfactory end in his mind, I think; it would've been dramatic.

What he fears is ending in a way that's either comedic or mundane; dying alone to a disease or an animal or an accident would be his worst nightmare, I expect. EDIT 2: Or a run-of-the-mill assassin; that'd be just as bad. He wants a noisy death that everyone will read about in the history books.

EDIT: Fail; I managed to say the exact same thing as the above post without reading it. :/

edited 9th Sep '13 6:03:25 PM by Knowlessman

i care but i'm restless, i'm here but i'm really gone, i'm wrong and i'm sorry, baby
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#24286: Sep 9th 2013 at 6:47:02 PM

Tarquin sees himself more as Darth Vader, complete with the Luke, I Am Your Father moment he's been waiting FOREVER for.

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Enlong Court Dragon from The Underground Facility Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Court Dragon
#24287: Sep 9th 2013 at 6:51:56 PM

No, Tarquin is clearly Tarkin.

I have a message from another time...
Geoduck Bivalve from Pacific NW (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
Bivalve
#24288: Sep 9th 2013 at 7:34:07 PM

[up]wild mass guessHis last line before dying will be a riff on "no retreating in my moment of triumph."

The Mansion of E
Discar Since: Jun, 2009
#24289: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:12:46 PM

[up][up] Actually, word of the Giant confirmed the naming similarities to be a coincidence. Same with Malack and Malak.

Writing a post-post apocalypse LitRPG on RR. Also fanfic stuff.
Maridee from surfside Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: Dating Catwoman
#24290: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:15:37 PM

...oh. OH.

so Tarquin wants to be Darth Vader but he's actually Tarkin, a very successful powerful intelligent general (in the EU) who still only lasted one movie.

[up]...or not.

edited 9th Sep '13 8:16:49 PM by Maridee

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Enlong Court Dragon from The Underground Facility Since: May, 2011 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Court Dragon
#24291: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:16:02 PM

Wow, really? One heck of a coincidence, considering all the other Star Wars references in that sequence.

I have a message from another time...
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#24292: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:17:35 PM

[up][up]Suggestion: tell Rich, and let him take the credit for having come up with it ages ago... For a kickback of one hand-drawn picture. And, whistle innocently.

edited 9th Sep '13 8:18:03 PM by Euodiachloris

Hodor Cleric of Banjo from Westeros Since: Dec, 1969
Cleric of Banjo
#24293: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:18:41 PM

[up][up] Something I've speculated on is that Tarquin likes the image of Darth Vader because Vader was Easily Forgiven for his crimes. I'm not sure that Tarquin necessarily sees himself as Vader (except in the sense of being an Archnemesis Dad), bu it has an appeal.

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Maridee from surfside Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: Dating Catwoman
#24294: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:20:35 PM

[up][up]I would love to. But I can't whistle.

There's also Tarquin, last Roman king. and if you care about urban dictionary...

ophelia, you're breaking my heart
Knowlessman hey i dunno, why don't you tell me from Stupidtown, USA (FL) Since: Jun, 2013 Relationship Status: Holding out for a hero
hey i dunno, why don't you tell me
#24295: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:23:41 PM

Mind you, it's a trope, and he (probably) reads Tv Tropes. He could have never seen the movie (although that's astronomically unlikely), and he'd still know that reference. Hell, I don't think Moff Tarkin's name was ever mentioned in the movie.

Also, if one attaches Annie's portrayal to the Darth Vader theory, it starts making inordinate amounts of sense.

edited 9th Sep '13 8:26:18 PM by Knowlessman

i care but i'm restless, i'm here but i'm really gone, i'm wrong and i'm sorry, baby
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Shale Since: Jan, 2001
#24297: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:28:36 PM

"Yes, I am aware TV Tropes exists as a website. No, I do not read it regularly. Most of the few times that I have ever visited the site came as a result of someone linking a trope that they feel I have used in the comic, and I followed the link so that I may understand what their criticism/point is."

Re: Malack and Tarquin's names, it's kind of amazing that he ended up picking three "random" names in the Empire of Blood that all link back to Star Wars (Tarquin/Tarkin, Malack/Malak, and the paladin Kotor from the "Macebook" gag).

edited 9th Sep '13 8:28:59 PM by Shale

Maridee from surfside Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: Dating Catwoman
#24298: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:35:12 PM

Most Star Wars names seem to be picked out by putting random syllables together. He seems to use much the same method.

Is there any real relevance to the Malack: Malak thing?

ophelia, you're breaking my heart
Shale Since: Jan, 2001
#24299: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:45:27 PM

Nope. It was going to be Malachi, but he decided at the last minute that it sounded overly demonic. "Malack" was him tweaking the name to be less Obviously Evil.

edited 9th Sep '13 8:45:39 PM by Shale

Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
we must dissent (it/they)
#24300: Sep 9th 2013 at 8:48:16 PM

...which is weird, because Malachi is an Hebrew prophet and Moloch is an evil Canaanite god of infant cannibalism...

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