28-August-2020; Good Question

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Krulle
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28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Krulle » Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:46 am

permalink: https://www.goblinscomic.com/comic/page-14-2020

Good question, GoblinAngel!
Although the answer is clear to the reador who's been reading thepast pages.

According to the character sheet, the player is Fumbles, and the character is Vorpal.

But with the character sheet at hand, I'd have a lot more interesting questions to ask, which would likely be much harder.


Also: only page 14 this year?

For those who need a reminder:
Fumbles' Vorpal's character sheet can be found here: https://www.goblinscomic.com/comic/09032005/ (posted more than 15 years ago)



Also: I think Complains of Names cheated and fought his way up to the portal back...
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Starling
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Starling » Fri Aug 28, 2020 1:18 am

The answer is Senor Vorpal Kickasso because the question is about character sheet not about him as a goblin.

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Generic » Fri Aug 28, 2020 3:00 am

A background story is a character sheet now?
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Velgar » Fri Aug 28, 2020 3:18 am

Kinda feels like this is also part of her change.

Though this is kinda what happens to all the others and not the one who has had multiple names.

"What is my name? And if you get it wrong too many times, I pull this lever straight to hell. No pressure."
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Generic » Fri Aug 28, 2020 3:48 am

I'll guess he'll get it wrong then, as he returned levitating.
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Krulle » Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:48 am

Generic wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 3:00 am A background story is a character sheet now?
Good point. But it's all we have.

But you're right.

What is in Fumbles'/Vorpal's case the difference between the person(player) and the person(character).
Both inhibit the same space within the game world.
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by ForgetsKeys » Fri Aug 28, 2020 9:35 am

Generic wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 3:00 am A background story is a character sheet now?
I agree -- I think knowing what is on the character sheet is more complicated than knowing the background story.

I wonder what law the angel broke. Probably not relevant to the story, but it would be cool if it later became a plot point.

Now I'm wondering what question she asked Complains. Possible candidates: "Are you the chief of your clan?" or "What species are you?"

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Generic » Fri Aug 28, 2020 10:01 am

I am Señor Vorpal Kickasso, dons glowing boar hair and floats up away from painful death.

Calling it.
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by ForgetsKeys » Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:16 pm

Just noticed -- Vorpal's scars are reddish again. Last page they were white. I'm guessing there's been a coloring error at some point.

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by RocketScientist » Fri Aug 28, 2020 2:19 pm

ForgetsKeys wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:16 pm Just noticed -- Vorpal's scars are reddish again. Last page they were white. I'm guessing there's been a coloring error at some point.
This is a flashback. We're probably about to find out how they turned white.

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by ForgetsKeys » Fri Aug 28, 2020 3:12 pm

RocketScientist wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 2:19 pm
ForgetsKeys wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:16 pm Just noticed -- Vorpal's scars are reddish again. Last page they were white. I'm guessing there's been a coloring error at some point.
This is a flashback. We're probably about to find out how they turned white.
When I wrote that post, the previous page (the beginning of the flashback) had white scars. Now the scars on the previous page are reddish, so it looks like Elli updated it.

Or I'm completely crazy.

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by WearsHats » Fri Aug 28, 2020 4:44 pm

She did just update it, yes.
EllipsisGoblins wrote:Yeah, I made a bit of a mistake, that I fixed up, earlier today. They're supposed to be white when he comes back from the angel encounter. I accidentally made them white in the flashback.
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Pyrotrap » Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:00 pm

I just realized that Complains is holding a blue horn similar to the angels when he comes back

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by ForgetsHisUID » Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:53 am

I feel the need to channel Complains of Names on this one:

"... Ya know, I feel I SHOULD complain, but it's actually a really good question."

The Angel's question cuts right to what Fumbles/Senor Vorpal Kickasso WANTS to be. Whether he continues to be an inept klutz who's saddled with a huge responsibility he can't possibly be trusted with, or whether he chooses to grow into the role, and become the powerful, wise, compassionate seer his tribe really needs him to be. He's shown he has the potential to be a great seer, but he has to accept that he CAN be that, in order to grow further. So, he has to choose his name.

(I could go on forever about the author's masterful use of names throughout this work, esp. with the main characters, but I'll just stop here.)

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by ForgetsKeys » Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:19 am

ForgetsHisUID wrote: Sat Aug 29, 2020 8:53 am The Angel's question cuts right to what Fumbles/Senor Vorpal Kickasso WANTS to be. Whether he continues to be an inept klutz who's saddled with a huge responsibility he can't possibly be trusted with, or whether he chooses to grow into the role, and become the powerful, wise, compassionate seer his tribe really needs him to be. He's shown he has the potential to be a great seer, but he has to accept that he CAN be that, in order to grow further. So, he has to choose his name.
That's a good description of how this question can illustrate his character arc . . . although it strikes me as odd to associate the name Senor Vorpal Kickasso with his role as a wise, compassionate seer. When he made that name, he wasn't taking things very seriously (which is how he ended up hurting an elf child). But I guess there's room to be goofy and serious at the same time if that's how his character progresses.

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Generic » Sun Aug 30, 2020 10:22 pm

Is it anywhere in the goblin speaker job description to be wise and compassionate? We've seen, what? Two? Young and Beautiful and what's his face from the Vipers. Noone of them striked me as such.
Being able to choose your own name seems to be one perk though.
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by WearsHats » Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:19 pm

Compassionate, no. But cleric-types are supposed to be wise. And Y&B did seem to have some wisdom and foresight.

I do wish that the Younglings special bonus story had shown us Y&B back when she still was.
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Krulle » Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:36 pm

Pyrotrap wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:00 pm I just realized that Complains is holding a blue horn similar to the angels when he comes back
Vorpal specifically asked about it, and Complains of Names confirmed it is her horn:
https://www.goblinscomic.com/comic/page-12-2020 (last row of panels)
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by jbrecken » Mon Aug 31, 2020 6:48 am

I hope we get something awesome like, "The name I was given was Fumbles; the name I was labeled with was MONSTER; but the name I chose for myself is Sen~or Vorpal Kickasso!"

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Generic » Mon Aug 31, 2020 7:41 am

I wish the death portal was a pit to hell, and we could jump straight to Big Ears getting his answer wrong on purpose so he could go there.

But angel said "death" and not hell.

These last two were made less impactful on purpose. With us knowing how it turns out beforehand. So unless someone bites the bucket, hard, I don't really know what the purpose is. To make it clear that time is paused for the angelic visit? Time passing has not been an issue so far, so this is what I am left wondering.

Who will die? Thac0? I can't remember when he had any spotlight last.
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Buys Knicknacks » Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:42 am

And this puts in stark relief something fundamental to his personality since the very beginning, when taken in context with his words from a few pages back.

"Where did you go?"
"Someplace bad."

Because it was about more than just his name- it was about who he actually is. Goblin names are assigned by the teller based on what they see for that goblin's future. It starkly displays that trace of self loathing that's been a core part of Fumbles' character subtext since the very beginning. This concept of personal identity is a painful one. Goblin society is cruel that way; all of the goblins have had core facets of their lives thrust unwillingly on them, and it's hard to say whether it's the fault of Herbert or Maglubiyet.

All of the goblins have these identity issues, and much of their solutions for these identity crises have involved personal mutilation. Big Ears' ears, Chief's eye, Thaco's ear, Names' finger and transformation into a demon, the scarring of Fumbles. In fact, all of the main cast have suffered a major physical dismemberment or disfigurement. The characters killed in the goblin camp fight, put into new bodies. Goblins chopped to pieces. The monsters in Goblin Slayer's dungeons. Saral Caine's decapitation. Coblin Slayer bearing many scars, losing an ear to Thaco, being burned alive by Minmax and Forgath. Kin's tail. Minmax's eye. Forgath's... everything.

Of them all, though, the most painful one is Fumbles. What he's been labeled as by others, from the beginning of his life, has been nothing but detrimental to him. Fumbles. Monster. Goblin. Teller. His suffering has been focal, even potentially legendary- he bears fourteen teller imprints in a setting where six is considered incredible. His personal strength to rise above what everyone else tells him he should be to take a title of his own, to shape a life and abilities of his own, have been at the core of everything he has striven through to achieve or to overcome. And of all the cast, I swear, he's the one I want to give a hug and tell him that everything will be alright, even if it's not in the end. Especially if it's not. He deserves at least some peace and hope, even if only for a little while.

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by AnonySimon » Wed Sep 02, 2020 5:13 am

I ended up creating a new account because my old one was created back in like 2006 or something, and I don't remember what email or username I was using back then.

Anyways, I came here to say that if I was asked the same question as Fumbles, I also wouldn't know how to answer it. I have never gone by the name I was assigned at birth. Teachers would usually call on me by saying stuff like [sibling name]'s brother. My own family would normally call me "Chief", "Sport", or "You". My acquaintances would call me "Druid" or "Elf Dude". At work, I would be called "Simon" or "Ollie", neither of which are my names. I also have had my name legally changed, which would just add to the confusion as to what the "correct" answer to the question is. And lets not even discuss the fact that in today's modern age, we have handles (aka digital names) for platforms like consols (xbox, ps4, switch, etc), twitter, youtube, facebook, instagram, forums, etc., that more people know or refer to us by than our actual names.

But ultimately, I think if posed with that question, I would start off by quoting Shakespeare: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Then I would philosophically, explain what I believe the definition of a name to be (both metaphorically and literally). Finally, I would (using the definition I just used) pedantically explain that for X reasons, my name is "Y".

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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Krulle » Wed Sep 02, 2020 8:12 am

AnonySimon wrote: Wed Sep 02, 2020 5:13 amI ended up creating a new account because my old one was created back in like 2006 or something, and I don't remember what email or username I was using back then.
And we switched software and hosting in the meantime, which meant we all had to recreate accounts.
(this forum is from 20 Feb. 2013)

So, welcome back!
AnonySimon wrote: Wed Sep 02, 2020 5:13 amBut ultimately, I think if posed with that question, I would start off by quoting Shakespeare: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Then I would philosophically, explain what I believe the definition of a name to be (both metaphorically and literally). Finally, I would (using the definition I just used) pedantically explain that for X reasons, my name is "Y".
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Generic » Thu Sep 03, 2020 6:49 am

While Fumbles has been using Señor Vorpal Kickasso for a fortnight or whatever?
His name is Fumbles, but he don't like it. Not that it really matters, as he will float to safety in a while and noone outside would mind him changing his name.
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Re: 28-August-2020; Good Question

Post by Gurkenglas » Thu Sep 03, 2020 3:28 pm

Put my money on "The angel is lying - she just wants him to think hard about the question."

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