OOTS 496: Responsible

[Cor Azer]

yeah, that strange comment was what made me think in that direction.

I too was wondering that. And with it already being established that the dead can chose their form in heaven, perhaps it was an older brother who wanted to relive his childhood.

 

[LoneWolf23]

You do sort of wonder how entire families can be the same alignment, what good heavens are if the chaotic-good members of the family are permanently split from the lawful-good members, etc.

I'm pretty sure the Good afterlives are open to visitors from every other Good afterlife. It's just that each realm still follows it's own rules, and the dead souls most likely go "Well, it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't spend my afterlife there."

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I too was wondering that. And with it already being established that the dead can chose their form in heaven, perhaps it was an older brother who wanted to relive his childhood.

But Roy says "little brother". If it had been meant to be an older brother I think he would have just said "Big brother".

Apropo of visiting between heavens, my brother was in a one act play in high school which featured a girl in heaven after a car accident she had had with her boyfriend, the boyfriend climbed up from hell and after some shenanigans was allowed to stay. At the end the "older" angel explains to a lesser ranked one that the real boyfriend is still in hell, but an idealized figment of him was created out of the girl's desire for him to be as she had always seen him - loss of love plus crushing disapointment in your own judgement doesn't make much of a heaven.

 

[Presto2112]

*sniff*

I... I think I have something in my eye... *sniff*

 

[Kahuna Burger]

*sniff*

I... I think I have something in my eye... *sniff*

*splortch* Got it out for you.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

*splortch* Got it out for you.

Put that back, young man! You don't know where its been.

The Auld Grump

 

[Plane Sailing]

Huh. I had to reread the strip - the first time I read it, I thought it was an older sibling.

I initially read "It wasn't my job to watch the grown-up" as referring to the brother - "grown-up" at three, relative to Roy-at-the-time.

Funny, I read it exactly the same way too, until I started reading the comments here which made me take another look.

Great story though. Great writing and splendid pacing of the artwork. Every time I go back to read it, it brings a little lump to my throat.

 

[Greylock]

I wondered where the child came from, and found this reminder on the GitP forums:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0113.html

 

[Mouseferatu]

Huh. I had to reread the strip - the first time I read it, I thought it was an older sibling.

I initially read "It wasn't my job to watch the grown-up" as referring to the brother - "grown-up" at three, relative to Roy-at-the-time.

Yep. Took me a quick reread, too.

In context, it seems that he's talking about his dad having done something to put the little tyke in jeopardy. But yeah, it wasn't quite as clear as it could've been.

 

[Klaus]

Crap, Rich, you're making me wet my keyboard!



From what I gathered from the strip:
- Eugene was taking care of Roy and his little brother.
- He was doing something that wasn't safe.
- Roy tried to warn Eugene.
- Eugene shushed Roy.
- Accident and death ensue.

Also, Roy's little brother would maybe grow to be a bard. So Roy may have transferred some of his sibling love to Elan.