#700: "Without thinking about it." [Archive]

Joren Motley

05-24-2006, 11:48 PM

Why do I get the feeling that Thief stole Red Mage's skill of ignoring reality and profiting from it? :p

I almost feel sorry for Black Mage, doing such a wonderful service for the world by getting rid of those annoying people and getting punished for it by White Mage. Though, when did WM get back from creating the universe? I think I may have missed that comic if it came out.

willyolio

05-25-2006, 12:01 AM

i'm willing to bet that theif borrowed the storage room off of some expensive-looking ship, along with its contents.

Sam_Drugbringer

05-25-2006, 12:16 AM

But would he be leting BM hide in it then? With WM after him and her GIANT FRAGILE OBJECT DESTROTING HAMMER?

Black Sword

05-25-2006, 12:50 AM

Damn it, Fighter, you're not a helper!

On a side note, it would seem BM has been escaping his maiming by virtue of running faster than WM. Those pantaloons of his allow more freedom of movement than robes. Anyway, isn't there a way out of that rathole BM has for himself? I seem to recall some sort of engine part in the episode where Thief lit them up.

dark butterfree

05-25-2006, 01:11 AM

W00T! congrats 700 comics of pure, laughing goodness, Brian!
Here's hoping for many more!

The Wandering God

05-25-2006, 01:27 AM

Indeed, 700 comics. To Mr. Clevinger!

Man, even WM has that look of, "That's just sad."

But I'm positive that Fighter doesn't know WM intends bodily harm on BM.

But now WM is part of the group again. Methinks with her in place, she will be joining them on their Kraken quest.

The Wandering God

Xen

05-25-2006, 01:40 AM

Congrats on 700 comics!
Is anybody going to update the 6.5 ebook and also make the psp versions again :D. They arre awesome, gotta love having 8-bit with you everywere you go :cool:

Tyrion

05-25-2006, 02:11 AM

Brian is having alltogether too much fun with Google ads.

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/1645/rodent5qh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Heh.

Solid Snake

05-25-2006, 02:33 AM

The "Are You Normal" Google Ad is, simply put, the best one yet.

Keep up the good work, Brian. But at this rate, the Google Ads are making me laugh more than your comic...

The Thrower of ICBMs

05-25-2006, 02:42 AM

Three strips and no piping hot BM-murderin' from WM? Come on... Now we're just being toyed with...

...And wow. 700 strips already. It's like watching a child grow up. More like a little brother, though, one whose actions amuse us all. Now make with the BM-murderin'... Please?

Seran

05-25-2006, 05:30 AM

Here's to 700 comics, yo!

...I love you Fighter. That was hilarious.

Toilet Rancor

05-25-2006, 06:20 AM

wow, 700 already. well, here's to being able to think of 700 ways to call someone an idiot without getting TOO stale :p. You know, there's only so many words and combinations of words in the english language, so eventually you'll have to start making up new words (http://nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=050623) or using a different language :sweatdrop

rodent347

05-25-2006, 06:35 AM

I feel special...

I wonder how WM will react to the rest of the LW's new clothes...
RM's really isn't much of a change...
Fighter's makes him look like Vargus...
Thief's is black, not red...
And what of her reaction to their new classes?

Tiako

05-25-2006, 06:52 AM

You don't get much more helpful than Fighter.

If only we had proof that the "Are you normal" ad was triggered by the newspost...

As a side note, does anyone have a picture of the rodent ad? I must have missed it.

catlover20410

05-25-2006, 08:54 AM

I got an ad that said

Rat
(insert some babble about ask.com searches here)

That lead to the Ask.com search page for 'rat'.

Clord

05-25-2006, 09:07 AM

Real light warriors ship. ;)

Iyeru

05-25-2006, 09:12 AM

Real light warriors ship. ;)

That doesn't make any sense when they left in that shabby thing in the first place. Then again, now that RM went to RW... I bet he's smarter now so that he can fix up the ship to work better... or something

Dark Assassin

05-25-2006, 10:48 AM

Wow...is it really comic 700? Kinda feels like only yesterday that I was reading comic 600. Anyway...

Wow, I've never seen Black Mage run so fast. Not to mention he's running in terror from White Mage. Absolutely classic how he says not to tell her where he is, and then like a helper, Fighter tells. He's a helper...but only if you're not Black Mage...and...well...Thief and Red Mage...sometimes all helpers mess up.

I'd like to say I predict a hammer in Black Mage's future, but that would be the first time White Mage has clobbered him since I started reading regularly and that would bring me the slightest amount of joy. And of course, we all probably want to see a hammer attack, and Brian knows that...so I'm willing to guess that he'll refrain until later.

Iyeru

05-25-2006, 10:55 AM

Yeah but, BW is now stronger than WM, because he got his class change, unlike WM. :P

Vidihawk

05-25-2006, 11:05 AM

I'd like to say I predict a hammer in Black Mage's future, but that would be the first time White Mage has clobbered him since I started reading regularly and that would bring me the slightest amount of joy. And of course, we all probably want to see a hammer attack, and Brian knows that...so I'm willing to guess that he'll refrain until later.

I am glad to see that someone predicts a hammer attack. Certainly, there has been no sign of anyone else predicting that. Not once in the past four comic threads has anyone suggested that WM might utilize a hammer in any sort of violent method.

Nope. Not once. You're first. Wanna cookie?

Burkion

05-25-2006, 03:02 PM

Careful now, you may or may not confuse him.

Seran

05-25-2006, 03:05 PM

I doubt that White Mage knows who Vargus is.

Well, as pointed as, Black Mage was fleeing out of sheer terror of being bludgeoned to death by a massive hammer made of wood or metal. I'd say metal since it would snap sometime during the comic if it was wood, earlier than this. I wonder what White Mage's been doing up to this point. I mean, Black Mage knows the all powerful "Inna Nerts" move, and has all of his black magic, but White's wrath when wielding her hammer and "Holy Fire", well...it should just make one wonder.

Black Sorceror

05-25-2006, 03:34 PM

W00T! 700 comics! Where DID the time go? Ah, this is another example of BM's stupidity. He should try to get beaten by WM so her "lousy" White Mage's oath would come up and have her heal him, thus granting him the ability to heal himself. Although...WM's a person. Would he be granted healing powers if she healed him, or does blue magic only work on monsters?

Sam_Drugbringer

05-25-2006, 03:51 PM

I'm keeping count. This is the fourth time I said it.

Magnus made it pretty clear BM learns moves from fragments of Chaos, I.E. Monsters. Rember this almost ciertenly means the KING Chaos, not the idea.

I'm also surprised people are taking WM vs BM so siriously. WM will always beat up BM with her hammer. BM could have killed WM ten times over by now if he really wanted to, why do you think it'll change now?

Sesshoumaru

05-25-2006, 05:12 PM

Firstly, it's Magus, not "Magnus". Secondly, Red Mage already proved that Black can't learn magic from people (remember the ice spell?).

Sam_Drugbringer

05-25-2006, 06:10 PM

I know magus is the guy in Chrono Trigger. I call this guy Magnus.

mordsilth

05-25-2006, 06:36 PM

Secondly, Red Mage already proved that Black can't learn magic from people (remember the ice spell?).
Yes but, this leads to the whole is Sarda Really a Fragment of chaos/monster debate. Then there�s the whole he didn't learn RM's ice spell because he didn't survive it hence the whole conversation in that floaty nowhere world with Magus. You could be right though, as Sarda being all powerful could have simply willed BM to learn the spell, or any number of possible explanations. Truthfully, there is a good chance all these theories are way off, the only way to really know is to wait and see.

GooeyChewie

05-25-2006, 06:42 PM

With Sarda, bear in mind jokes trump continuity. Black Mage learns to expel his own innards because it's funny, not because of how blue magic actually works.

Tiako

05-25-2006, 08:13 PM

Yes but, this leads to the whole is Sarda Really a Fragment of chaos/monster debate. Then there’s the whole he didn't learn RM's ice spell because he didn't survive it hence the whole conversation in that floaty nowhere world with Magus.
BM also didn't learn throw from Thief, even though he learned Goblin Punch later, neither of these were magical. Also, Darko very clearly said that BM survived the Ice Spell.

About Sarda, he can do anything. He probably custom made the spell so that BM would learn it.

Chrismith

05-25-2006, 08:19 PM

BM also didn't learn throw from Thief, even though he learned Goblin Punch later, neither of these were magical.

You can't really say the the Goblin Punch is magical, true, but you also can't really say that he "learned" the Goblin Punch via Blue Magic. Kicking someone inna nertz isn't exactly something you need magic to learn how to do.

PCD

05-25-2006, 08:28 PM

*sigh* I wish I could say that Fighter's last line made me laugh, but it didn't. I saw it coming about ten miles away. *hugs Fighter* I still believe in you, you little helper. I still believe.
...Okay, that was creepy. On another note: I did, however, manage to find Thief's first line awesome, because Thief really is just that cool, and of course BM's pitiful "Why?" was a fine followup to that previous expected joke.
This was an average comic overall, but a bit below average considering that it's numbah 700.
*points at Brian* Try harder.
Swear I'm joking 'bout that last line. Don't kill me.

Lord Kibble

05-25-2006, 08:34 PM

Wow, I've never seen Black Mage run so fast.

I submit the fourth comic (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=010311).

BW is now stronger than WM, because he got his class change, unlike WM.

I'm not so sure about that. While BM was the absolute ruler of hell for about half an hour, WM is technically the Alpha. She undoubtedly retained some unknown power from her accidental creation of the universe.

I mean, Black Mage knows the all powerful "Inna Nerts" move, and has all of his black magic, but White's wrath when wielding her hammer and "Holy Fire", well...it should just make one wonder.

As much as I'm sure that BM would love to Goblin Punch WM in the nerts (wink wink nudge nudge say no more) I doubt that it would do little else besides make her much, much angrier.

Firstly, it's Magus, not "Magnus".

Secondly, as far as can be considered canonical, his name is Darko, the Dark God of the, uh, Dark, a.k.a. Executive Assistant to Chaos.

Tiako

05-25-2006, 10:05 PM

You can't really say the the Goblin Punch is magical, true, but you also can't really say that he "learned" the Goblin Punch via Blue Magic. Kicking someone inna nertz isn't exactly something you need magic to learn how to do.
No, there was definitely Blue magic. For one thing, Brian has said so himself. Look in the "BM's current spell list" thread. Secondly, there was all that blue glowy magic stuff.

I'm not so sure about that. While BM was the absolute ruler of hell for about half an hour, WM is technically the Alpha. She undoubtedly retained some unknown power from her accidental creation of the universe.
Sort of. This will get weird. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that there are only two universes: U1 and U2. There are also eventually be two WM's, which we will call WM1 and WM2. U1 is where most of 8-bit has taken place, where comic 700 took place. U2 is where WM1 was expelled to by Sarda and where she accidentally became God. So WM1 has godly powers in U2. WM2, when she comes into being, will not have godly powers in U2, she will only have them in U3. Of course, U1 was actually created by WM0, so WM1 has no godly powers in U1, and ad nauseum.

My evidence for this is that Sarda expelled WM to a "pocket" universe, which I call U2. He expelled WM1 to U2, so WM1 has no power over U1, only U2, the fact that W couldn't revive BB, and the comics where the panel lines disappear.

I hope that made sense. Variables are weird.

Sam_Drugbringer

05-25-2006, 10:54 PM

I'm pretty sure she was sent to the begining of the real universe by mistake. There is still no reason she should have godlike powers, as she did not mold the universe using her own power, she just sugested what the universe do and it had no better ideas.

Also, I must admit I did not rember his title of Darko, Dark god of the Dark.

Tiako

05-25-2006, 11:22 PM

None of the Universes are more "real" than the others. This is really just a theory of mine, but I think it makes sense, seeing as Sarda sent her to a "pocket universe".

Kurosen

05-25-2006, 11:35 PM

To Sarda's point of view, this is what happened...

When he was younger, he expended all of his magical energies to reach the beginning of the universe. Presumably to make it in his image. When he got there, he discovered a young lady was already there and had gotten to work. He then waited around for a few billion years and the planet formed around him. That's when he decided that if he ever met that young lady before she reached the beginning of time, as she seemed to imply to him, he would send her to a harmless pocket dimension.

So that's what Old Sarda did. Only he didn't expect it to be the beginning of time, thus screwing himself.

White Mage does not have god powers any more because it is only a young universe that is so impressionable that it'll obey the commands of whomsoever is there. The universe has quite a few billion years under its belt -- just ask Sarda -- so it's already set in its ways and doesn't obey anyone in particular.

Lord Kibble

05-25-2006, 11:36 PM

I believe that while Sarda intended to only banish WM to a pocket dimension, he instead sent her to the exact moment that time began (stack overflow error, perhaps?). You can see in this comic (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=041230) that WM never told Sarda that it was he who sent her to the beginning of time in the first place. Otherwise he would never had resolved in this comic (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=050526) to risk banishing her to a pocket dimension in the first place.

Also, WM's powers did not merely exist because the universe was so highly suggestible in its infant state. Notice in this comic (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=050524) how she manages to effortlessly will the universe to reorganize her into the time stream, while Sarda is forced to endure for billions of years as the universe took form. If it was really so suggestible, Sarda could have just willed himself back to his own time as well.

In addition, I'm still greatly intrigued by wondering just what Sarda intended to accomplish at the beginning of time. In that first comic that I linked, notice WM in the third-to-last and Sarda in the second-to-last panels. Either Sarda didn't expect that he would one day be the greatest Sage of all time, he didn't expect that he would have to protect fate, or he didn't expect that the universe would have already begun its irreversible creation process by the time he got there.

My theory? WM = Time Mage! ZOMG 88 MPH FTW!!!

PENALTY FOR POSTING ONE MINUTE TOO LATE UPDATE: Dammit, Brian! Who died and allowed you to determine the logistical specifics of your own fictional universe?

Tiako

05-26-2006, 12:02 AM

To Sarda's point of view, this is what happened...
Darn. There goes that thought expenditure.

Ryong

05-26-2006, 04:51 AM

Heh, typical Fighter.

death_trooper

05-26-2006, 04:00 PM

Long live fighter
May he forever screw up

Sam_Drugbringer

05-26-2006, 04:17 PM

Also, WM's powers did not merely exist because the universe was so highly suggestible in its infant state. Notice in this comic (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=050524) how she manages to effortlessly will the universe to reorganize her into the time stream, while Sarda is forced to endure for billions of years as the universe took form. If it was really so suggestible, Sarda could have just willed himself back to his own time as well.

Sarda did not want to be sent back to his time, or at any rate didn't tell the universe he wanted to. All WM did was wish she could go back to her own time, and the Universe went along with it.

Lord Kibble

05-26-2006, 05:02 PM

Sarda did not want to be sent back to his time, or at any rate didn't tell the universe he wanted to. All WM did was wish she could go back to her own time, and the Universe went along with it.

But Sarda was the one who told WM that all she had to do was will the universe to send her back to her own time, so he obviously knew that the method existed. Therefore, either he didn't want to return to his own time (whenever that may be), or he couldn't return to his own time at all. Reductio ad absurdum to the rescue!

Let's assume that Sarda could have returned from the beginning of the universe whenever he wanted to. Why then did he not do so as soon as he realized that he was too late to do whatever he intended to accomplish? Why did he do nothing for billions of years except grow a mustache, berate protostellar dust clouds, and go slightly insane from "aeons of isolation and blind, seething rage"?

Finally, why did he make mention of the fact that he was "stranded, because the universe obeys someone else's orders"? An infinite number of simultaneous outcomes waiting to collapse into a single expression does not seem as if it would be quite so fastidious that it'd refuse to take orders from just anybody.

I therefore postulate that Sarda did want to return to his own time. However, this contradicts the assumption that he was capable of returning to his own time whenever he so desired. By the process of elimination I conclude that he was utterly incapable of returning to his own time, which then raises the question of what makes WM so special that she was able to do what Sarda could not.

NEW crackpot theory: Sarda = Amnesiatic Future BM! It's all so unclear to me now!

Kurosen

05-26-2006, 05:18 PM

conclude that he was utterly incapable of returning to his own time, which then raises the question of what makes WM so special that she was able to do what Sarda could not.

The universe was busy obeying White Mage. When she left, it was still obeying White Mage. In her absense it wouldn't default to someone else. If that were the case, Sarda could've gotten rid of her and gone about his business at the beginning of time. It obeyed her only because she was there first. She may have left, but the universe would have still been under her sway for however long this effect works (probably a couple hours). Sarda, having expended all his magic just to get there, was without means to go to the future under his own power. And since the universe didn't obey him, he couldn't will it to occur either. So he waited.