Order of the Stick 596!

[wedgeski]

Awesome. Awesome awesome awesome. Both characters taking a step into new territory here.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Oh, and a totally unrelated thing. A kabuto is the helmet associated with traditional japanese samurai armor. So I'm guessing that makes Lord Kabuto Lord Helmet

Good catch!

 

[Plane Sailing]

Both characters taking a step into new territory here.

Agreed. That's one of the things I really like about this particular strip.

Cheers

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

While I think this is putting V on the path, I don't think this is "the moment." Like w/ the kobold-village and Belkar, methinks its not going to be subtle.

No. This just fits too well. Any other opportunity will just feel like a letdown after this.

 

[Nymrohd]

Btw our late mustache twirling villain was called Kubota not Kabuto. . . .

 

[Pbartender]

Btw our late mustache twirling villain was called Kubota not Kabuto. . . .

...And Kubota is an Osaka-based company that primarily manufactures tractor and other heavy equipment for construction, industry and farming.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Agreed. That's one of the things I really like about this particular strip.

Completely agreed as well.

Here's a question for everyone. Would V have turned evil were Belkar trapped with them as well? After all, as Elan so aptly pointed out, Belkar is the constant reminder of what they could be were they Evil.

 

[freyar]

Liked it... and Elan actually had a pretty witty response!? Woohoo!

And V is dangerous, right now. I daresay he's a mild version of chaotic evil - he's obsessive, does as it pleases him, does not care for anything but himself and his little obsession.

Because killing people out of impatience is pretty much evil and chaotic behaviour. And that he deals so readily with his own motivations, it's pretty clear that he embraces such behaviour right now.

A (half-)sane form of chaotic evil - not Joker or demonic chaotic evil, but the mundane form. I actually like that - a CE person with reasonable motivations, not just the bloodthirsty kind.

Cheers, LT.

Hmmm, I kind of think V's single-minded behavior is a bit more lawful. But I definitely agree that this was a CE kind of act. I still have to go with TN, I guess, leaning definitely toward evil.

Elan must have invested a few ranks in Perform (irony) last time out!

 

[Cadfan]

Neutral doesn't mean nice. There's a tendency to think of Neutral as somehow being a more passive form of Good. That's not the case.

The real danger here is that V is, more and more, beginning to view the whole Azure City crowd as an impediment to his efforts at saving the world.

 

[Hussar]

Honestly, V's indifference to good and evil has reached dangerous levels, but I don't see this strip or its predecessor as particularly good illustrations of why. It's not at all clear to me that what V did was evil; it would be a perfectly legitimate move for a Chaotic Good character as well, if for no other reason than the risk to further (largely Good-aligned) lives inherent in keeping Karaoke or whatever his name was alive.

Anyway, V is still what s/he's always been - True Neutral - just a more aggressive and short-sighted version of it than previously.

What does someone have to do to get everyone to agree that they've just committed an evil act? Apparently painting guard's blood on the walls wasn't good enough too.

He didn't just kill Kobuta, he Gust of Wind'ed him as well, ensuring, deliberately, that he cannot be brought back. For no other reason than expedience. He killed a helpless prisoner and, after killing him, ensured that no one ever could bring him back.

And this isn't evil?

Neutral doesn't mean nice. There's a tendency to think of Neutral as somehow being a more passive form of Good. That's not the case.

The real danger here is that V is, more and more, beginning to view the whole Azure City crowd as an impediment to his efforts at saving the world.

And that's fair enough, but, come on. How nasty do you have to get before evil is the right descriptor? Murdering someone then making sure he can never come back is about as evil as it gets.