3260 Getaway Poof
on September 23, 2019
Chapter: The Things I do...
Characters: Barb the Beholder, Ben the Beholder, Bob the Beholder, Bob2, Grell, Gren Razortooth, Meegs
Location: The Goblin Lands
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*collective "Oh, COME ON" from the audience*
Why?
t!
Because she got away, even with all those dangerous eyes on her. 😛
So? It is very clear how and why that happened.
Also, Richard set it up previously.
t!
Indeed. Never, ever underestimate the impact of Bob’s fascination with mammals and their curious geometries upon this particular comic. It has changed the tides more than once, and if I know Rich, it will do so again, too.
The Three Governing Laws of YAFGC:
* "Monster" is a slur. We’re all people.
* Love, in all of its forms, modes, and sincere expressions, is the true universal currency.
* Breasts are awesome.
> it has changed the tides more than once
Right? Like, how have people failed to realise this?
(don’t tell me; i’m sure the answer is depressing)
t!
That being said, I was thinking more along the lines of the panel backgrounds.
In the two previous strips, every time you see Bob and the other Beholders, they’re still shrouded in smoke, whereas Meegs has nothing but a clear view of the mountains in her BG.
In other words, Rich has set up that the Beholders cannot see with 100% clarity what they will be aiming at – as demonstrated in Panel 2 of this strip – while Meegs has nothing at all interfering with her sight once she turns and runs off.
Mr. Casual seems to have missed this. Quelle surprise. I really do wish he wouldn’t speak on behalf of everyone in the audience. *Some* readers of this comic are able to read intelligently; he is not qualified to speak for us.
t!
Ahh…yes, I see where you’re coming from. I had interpreted the complaint more along the lines of Bob’s ‘No fair!’ observation, but I agree, speaking for other readers is a dangerous undertaking indeed, especially when speaking critically. I, too, feel that "Oh, come on!" doesn’t really reflect my thoughts on the moment.
I must admit, I didn’t notice the setup Rich made… But the strip did put a smile on my face, like so many times before. I didn’t stop to think whether it is possible for Meegs to get away, especially with a "zip!-effect", just like I didn’t do before either. Like, when the dwarves shot out a train with a giant slingshot, or when the aardgnolls appeared out of nowhere, or when Arachne turned to dust, and yet still lived… I’m sure the list could go on. Yet, noone called "Oh COME ON" on any of these occassions… Its like people forgot which comic they read… As a reminder, here is a useful link:
https://yafgc.net/first-time-reader/
(Have a close look at lesson 1 😉 )
Yeah, I was interpreting Mr. Casual, not agreeing. I figured if she didn’t become a nude sculpture, escape was certainly her goal, and being a mage as well, she has some advantages on your usual gorgon.
I do wonder what happened to her familiar, like several others though.
OH COME ON!!! ;D
Nope!
t!
Jeebuz. It was a joke about how Bob still hasn’t learned after all this time.
T, maybe slow down with the "quelle surprise" stuff. Disagree with me if you want, but don’t insult me, please.
Well, at least if she’s alive it leaves the door open for her being turned back into a human once Ranna’s defeated.
I was hoping a beholder, any beholder, would hit Meegs with a Flesh to Stone beam and turn her into a tasteful classical nude statue.
Still failure of this might get her killed
Why is she barefoot??
It will be interesting to see if she runs to the Rannites, and tries to lie to them to spin the story, and save her own skin, or if she runs away entirely and hides out from both sides… Or if she is stupid enough to tell the Rannites the truth, which likely wouldn’t end well for her… or some other options I could not foresee. Sometimes, weird stuff happens. Like air-shark riding barbarians falling out of the sky…
> Why is she barefoot?
I had a memory of her wearing flipflops/sandals, in which case you absolutely kick those off before running, but when I went back to confirm this I discovered she also seems to be barefoot in Strip 3254.
t!
I guess she just has tough souls then.
She IS pretty callus.
t!
Meegs: "I make a Bluff check."
*rolls*
Natural 20…
She got a buff to her bluff from being in the buff.
Oooooh, good one!
Heh, she managed to survive — although I don’t think Ranna will be very forgiving should Meegs run into her, either 🙂 Thanks, Rich!
So… She had a very good plastic cleric?
This is a good thing. Meegs is and always has been a great character. I don’t like all the hate she’s getting now.
Indeed, I would argue that much of the upset with her that you’re observing is one way of parsing that a great character, one who many of us liked and to whom we related, has shown us aspects of her being that make us uncomfortable. It would be much more difficult to feel let down (or even betrayed) by a character we didn’t care about.
She is indeed a great character, and the range of reaction you’re seeing is, I believe, a reflection of this.
Yes.
I have never liked Meegs as a person.
But always loved her as a character.
t!
She is a symbol here for all the other characters that Ranna has co-opted or killed that we wish we could get back. We despise Ranna, and want to see her and all her forces go down, but at the same time, we want to get those that were converted back, even if how complicit they were in their conversion is a bit vague. Contradictory impulses.
I love the natural stunned reaction of everyone, giving Meegs just enough time to get out of the 10 foot range of any beholder.
After doing a bit of research, the cone while narrow has a 150 foot range. So, in honesty she should probably not have been able to do that with as many beholders as there were. I am just chalking this one up to fan favorite character armor.
> After doing a bit of research, the cone while narrow has a 150 foot range.
Research? Where in this comic has Richard said that?
t!
True, but if this were an actual game and not a comic, her natural 20 roll for distraction was enough to give her time to "Alakazam" out regardless of how far away she way. Scriptonite!
I don’t consult the gamebooks when writing the strips. It’s only superficially D&D-esque despite my use of D&D exclusive characters, like the Beholders. These variations of Beholder only have three eyestalks for a start, and they’re somewhat more gregarious than what you might find in the Forgotten Realms.
I did, in the beginning, consider giving the characters D&D stats but then I realized I’d have locked myself into a series of rules that would limit the things I could do with them. AND give readers ammunition to point out "plot holes" and missteps. Add to that the fact that there are more than 5 editions of D&D plus spinoff and related games, all of which may contradict decisions I make. So early on I divorced YAFGC from adhering to any gaming rules.
You may, if you like, try to find ways to recreate YAFGC situations while still adhering to your chosen ruleset. And if you work it into a game you’re running some time, PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT IT! I WANNA HEAR YOUR COOL ASS GAMING STORIES ESPECIALLY IF YAFGC FEATURES IN IT SOMEHOW. But I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed to find out I’m not writing this with a stack of books and a bucket of dice by my desk.
You should copy/paste and save a version of this, to use later.
Like, every four to six weeks.
Because, after OVER THREE AND A QUARTER *THOUSAND* STRIPS, some Mensa reciprocals *still* haven’t figured this out.
t!
> You should copy/paste and save a version of this, to use later.
This might be worth including in the FAQ, indeed. I defer, of course, to our host’s judgment on the matter.
However, we must bear in mind…
https://cdn.iwastesomuchtime.com/1302013183086.jpg
t!
I love that "Alakazam!" is the verbal component of Meegs’s Teleport/Dimension Door spell there.
Fits with her generally embodying typical magic-user tropes. Or stage magicians. She’s always had a flare for the theatrical.
And she’s kept in shape–obviously, she takes things like Maleficient cosplay seriously.
None of that, however, mitigates what she’s been a part of. We’ll see how this resolves itself.
Hmm, where does her teleport take her? Some place that she at one time thought was safe, like a safe room, which is now locked from the outside, maybe with a sphinx and minotaur outside. At one time, she thought that would be a great place to hide.
The other thought is that her safe room can be locked from the inside, but she does not want to go outside because when she opens the door a crack to make sure it is safe to go out, she sees the camp of an insane female half-orc that Meegs had hoped to have seen the last of, with half-orc included.
So my first thought is, "As long her ‘safe room’ is safe for the moment, she can always prepare a new teleport spell and try again."
Which raises a question I don’t know the answer to: do YAFGC wizards need daily access to their spellbooks? Meegs seems to have mislaid hers. (Though if they do need books to prepare spells, a wizard’s saferoom will probably include a stash of emergency reading materials.)
Does anyone else have ‘The STreak’ stuck in their head now?
Here she comes.
-Lookatat-lookatat-
There she goes.
-Lookatat-lookatat-
And she ain’t wearing no clothes!
"Don’t look, Ethel!"
But it was too late. She’d already been incensed.
I’m just surprised it took Meegs THIS long to make with the teleport.
If that’s a teleport. The "Poof!" could be misdirection and she actually turned invisible. Wizards are tricky.
Yep, all we know for sure is that after she said the spell things went "poof." We don’t know if she tried a teleport spell, and if she did, did she teleport where she wanted to, or did she goof and teleport her to someplace even worse, or even into the middle of a wall.
Another possibility is that she goofed the spell because of lack of concentration while trying to get away, or with the YAFGC magic being skewed since Ranna blew up The Black Mountain. She might have transformed herself into something particularly nasty, or small and easily captured, or who knows what.
Hah!
Next strip is just one panel: Meegs as a frog. "That’s not what was supposed to happen… "
t!
Miggs doesn’t die, but she does croak.
I’m here all week folks! Try the lasagna. Tip your server.
Argh, that should have been "Meegs."
No worries. "Miggs" is "Meegs" in a frog accent.
* Not a stealth jibe at the French. An ACTUAL frog accent.
Ah, thank you, Mucat, that works. 🙂
I ****ing told you, Bob, less talky more killy.
Besides, you seriously find that attractive? Ugh.
In fairness, beauty is in the eye of…
…er, never mind.
He’s here all week folks! Try the lasagna. Tip your server.
t!
Gee, that sounds familiar! Where have I heard that before? 😉
Can’t remember the exact context, but didn’t Gren once throw a punch over that pun?
Yep, Gren did a fine Moe Howard impression. https://yafgc.net/comic/0002-dont-say-it/
THERE it is! I just wasn’t looking back far enough.
"I’m a goblin…I’m NOT pretty" said Gren, prettily.
That was an eye-poke, not a punch. Worse in some ways, for a Beholder, I imagine.
Never mind, you already referenced that by mentioning Moe. 😛
"When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk."
Tuco; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Words to live by.
After all, you can monologue to their corpses as much as you like. I’m thinking of a scene from some movie, but I can’t place it.
I’ve used that line many times about characters in fiction monologuing when they should be acting. If nothing else make damn sure they can’t escape or do some sort of attack before you deliver the speech.
There is even tropes about it. "You sly dog! You got me monologuing!" (the Incredibles)
I remember reading a book, based on a role-playing game universe (not D&D) and one of the villains is doing their monologue, and I was thinking that if I was playing, I’d tell the GM that he can finish reading out the monologue, but for the record, I’m shooting the guy before the first sentence is done.
We used to have a "boxed text" joke around the table with players saying to other players who complained why they can’t do things "sorry, boxed text"
HAHAHAH! You guys are funnier than the comics! I love you!
I just told Rancourt privately that having him, t! and T-Chall in the comments section is like having Waldorf and Stadtler in the theater box just offside of YAFGC, only there’s three of you and you’re on my side.
Chances are I’m also the oldest of, t!, Rancourt, and myself, so I definitely qualify for the Waldorf and Statler age group. 😀
Now get of my lawn, Rich, ya gol-durned, whippersnapper! 😀
And many, many thanks for the compliments, and once more, thank you for such an excellent comic.
I remain delighted that YAFGC exists, that you exist, and that I get to be here and cheer you on. Thank you again, so much, for this amazing thing you’ve made, and thank you for welcoming us here to appreciate it aloud.
I guess that makes me Gonzo?
Ya know, just because Bob was stunned, doesn’t mean no one else could take an Opportunity Attack while she tried to flee.
sigh…
This is why large family gatherings have a Kiddie Table: so the adults can have grown-up conversations without getting interrupted by all the shrieking and whining.
t!
Oh, can I quote that on other forums? PLease?
It is seriously one of the best replies I read lately.
1) Thank you very much!
2) For the first person to catch the Meegs Eyes reveal? Of course you can!
t!
STING!! Now let’s be fair to Eric, I did take his comment to be a humorous commentary on the ineffectual combat tactics of YAFGC’s Beholders and not the whine of an affronted gamer ruleslawyer. It seemed to me his comment was addressed to the other Beholders present rather than me.
As in -if I may paraphrase Eric a moment-: "hahah, you Beholder dopes! You had a whole panel to shoot her in the back!"
I like to read the comments in several voices with several deliveries before I decide if anyone should be relegated to the kiddie table.
You’ve seen what I can be like when I can no longer interperet comments in a way that fails to piss me off. Eric’s okay in my book.
> Eric’s okay in my book.
Then he’s okay in mine.
t!
I’m not so sure the feeling is mutual ‘t’, I’ve noticed a tendency for you to be a dick to anyone who says something that you disagree with. This has generally been a friendly forum that doesn’t get personal… except for you.
I can’t police you, but I can tell you to get bent.
I appreciate your candour and commend your honesty.
> I can tell you to get bent.
Fair enough!
> anyone who says something that you disagree with
In actuality, I *like* being disagreed with. Debate leads to new viewpoints.
(And didn’t I demonstrate that when Rich confronted me on your behalf?)
What *does* prompt my ire is *much* more complex than mere ‘disagreement.’
> doesn’t get personal… except for you
Yes.
Silence implies consent, consent is complicity.
Recent barbs have been an experiment in anti-validation, the removal of comfort and back-patting from those who are both undeserving and destructive.
I over-extended in my choice of targets. The experiment is terminated.
I regret having targeted you, and I am truly sorry.
t!
Rich, I certainly wasn’t trying to be insulting. Just thinking that she shouldn’t have got off completely scot free with all the other Beholders there. I know you don’t stick to the D&D rules by any means, and the entire escape was meant more for comedic effect than anything, so I wasn’t really reading anything more into it than that.
In retrospect though, as opportunity attacks are almost always melee attacks, it might have been funny if one of the beholders had bit her on the ass as she was escaping. 🙂
In truth it was more of a throw away comment than anything, which was why I worded it using D&D terms. I certainly didn’t think someone would feel the need to ride out in defense of your honour.
I thought I.made it clear that I wasn’t at all insulted. But to reiterate, I didn’t take it as a criticism. And nobody ever needs to ride out to defend my honour.
You have however retrospectively turned it into a critique, so I will respond to it as such this time.
Having a Beholder bite her on the ass is actually an hilarious image. I’ll store that one for later thanks. But it wouldn’t have been right for this strip because of timing.
For this strip (and the following one) it needed to be absolutely clear beyond a doubt in 4 panels that she got away scott free. To have added a Beholder ass bite would muddy the clarity of that visual. For if one did get a nip in first there’s no way she’d be able to shake it off. It’s a giant magical pac-man with shark teeth! She’d have lost an entire cheek at that rate and then this scene would drag on and on.
What say you, Eric?
A naked gorgon vanishing into thin air, now that’s extremely erotic.
One recurring question has been partially answered here. I believe that panel 3 has a good enough angle that if Meegs has snakes in her armpit hair, we’d see them or least the ones on her right hand side.
Of course the other area in question remains unanswered. No Pedro Almodovar pubic hair grazing angles to help us on that one (I’m thinking of a particular scene from Matador).
Does this distraction count as a booby trap?
It should.
t!
(PS: applause)
Ohh, bravo! *joins the applause*
Why Meegs?
Why did you have to leave me like this?
Do you have any idea how awkward this makes walking around? That’s just darned downright dastardly. Damned streakers.
This might be a good time to cue up some Ray Stevens…
YouTube — /watch?v=XtzoUu7w-YM
Really? A whole army of beholders, and not one of them zapped her before she teleported away? Sheesh.
I’ll be honest; I’m kind of happy she escapes. I’ve always like Megs as a character, flaws and all. She’s the fun kind of quirky.
Can't really blame Bob, when someone does something *completely* unexpected, it throws just about anyone for a loop. I do wonder how long it will be before we see more of Meegs, and what she will do next. Link up with more Rannites, or just lay low until it's all over? Can the gorgons desert like the mistresses can?