When a webcomic updates but you don't want to make a huge deal out of it, what you do

[RickZarber]

Are you all reading Octopus Pie? If not, first, what is wrong with you, second, get on that! Today's comic was just... I'm dead. I am a dead person now.

[Flarecobra]

So, how about that OotS update? Just what has Crystal become?

[Bum Bill Bee]

I was assuming she was some kind of zombie.

ohhhhhhhh wait a frig, where did this old thing come from!? I swear I didn't see it anywhere!

Ah well, I forgot to mention that El Goonish Shive's style lately has been a tiny bit odd. It feels like everyone's got wide eyed expressions all the time now.

[Menarker]

I assume it was a golem via Grubwriggler's work. He's not the only character with green skin, and he at least has specific greviances against Starshine that might make his scowling face the page before more plausible.

There was further matters that caused Grubwriggler to be angry at Haley other than the three raids Haley made on his home/business (two mentioned but unseen in Haley's past and the one to save Celia that we actually see.) They are seen in the bonus content in the printed books which I put in spoilers below.

Spoilers from bonus comics in actual books.He died during the raid on his place to get Roy's body, when Haley was trying to negotiate with him but Crystal backstabbed him just as he was starting to be convinced to let Haley have Roy's body peacefully in exchange for a favor from the OotS group. So he died thinking Haley tricked him into negotiation to open up guard.

He has a 5 star protection plan from the guild, so he probably got backing from the guild to attack her for the injustice she has inflicted (and supposably inflicted) on him. Other spoiler detailThis may include being ressed by the guild since he was killed by Crystal. His golem making services are pretty valuable, especially with the loss of staff that happened when they tried to kill Haley/Celia/Belkar; thus requiring them to swell their ranks somehow.

Crystal was veering straight into liability for the guild, and she didn't have her magic dagger anymore, so she probably wasn't worth the effort of raising like Haley thought they might try, opposed to ressing Bozzak Book spoiler and Grubbwriggler. The fact that Crystal was directly responsible for the guild's expense of having to ress their 5 star protected client probably doesn't help her case. That she became Grubbwriggler's golem after she was directly responsible for his death is laser-guided karma.

Hank did agree to keep up the illusion that Grubbwiggler lost the protection of the guild due to Haley secretly being part of the guild and thus making the above issues guild approved project, but when Haley killed Crystal and ditched without paying the guild the money that Celia's negotiation with Hank stipulated Haley to pay in exchange for helping get Roy's body back, the guild probably pretended the discussion never happened and went back to being hostile with Haley, thus supporting Grubbwriggler in his endeavors to get back at her.
They had the resources to pay for spoiler two resurrections (Bozzak and Grubbwriggler). The guild had money for one on their own when they offered to help pay for Roy's ressurection, although they had expected to be compensated. The second one was probably paid for by the diamonds that a certain pair of lucky thieves swiped from Durkon, which as per the guild protocol detailed in Haley's backstory in the printed books, they had to give to the guild in exchange for a tiny wage and room/board. .

If I'm correct about Crystal being a golem, this would make things a bit tricky as golems are immune to Sneak Attacks, as Haley herself mentioned to Celia.

[Flarecobra]

Well, Grubwiggler also had mottled skin, whereas the green-skinned figure did not. Also, I am pretty certain golems generally cannot talk. Also, why would they have details that would not be available for the general audience?

[Menarker]

Grubwriggler already had sufficent reason to hate Haley just from the details that is available to everyone. The book stuff is pretty much bonus. They add to the story, give some further depth, but they aren't completely neccessary to understand the gist of the story (and it encourages people to actually buy the books). Xykon and Redcloak's origins is a pretty big and important storyline, but that's only in printed books too.

As for being unable to speak, in the printed books, one particular golem was able to roar and grunt (although was mostly mute). Crystal's speech might be a special case, although I'd imagine it would still be severely hampered. Possibly locked onto a few choice phrases. Her appearance, which includes the stitch patterns consistent with Grubbwriggler's other works, still makes me think golem.

That said, this is entirely conjecture and I'm perfectly at ease with the possibility that I could be wrong. (But I'll be giddy if I called it.)

---------- Post added at 07:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:22 PM ----------

And oh hey, an OotS update. Evidence apparently supporting the flesh golem route, although still no sign of Grubwriggler.

[Arlia Janet]

Hymns of the Apostate, the sequel to the Fortuna Saga, concluded last week. 400 pages of sprite-y goodness*.

* Full disclosure, I'm married to the writer so I'm a bit biased.

[tacticslion]

On OotS: actually, flesh golems in particular are known to occasionally retain their sentience. Basically, it's a byproduct of using an old brain that sometimes they just "OOPS I'm totally sentient with 3d6 INT, foo!" for no particular reason that anyone could figure out.

... also there's a 9th level spell* called Awaken Construct in... one of the SPLAT books anyway... that does the same for any golem, though it's expensive and requires the brains of a sentient creature as material components.

(Which is different from the enflesh golem** 9th level spell*, which instead turns a golem into a real boy a living, sentient, independent living creature made of flesh and blood that has its own hopes, dreams, etc.)

* For the record, 9th level spells are the most powerful non-"epic" spells you can get - basically, you're dealing with the end-tier of mortal magic and beginning of near-godlike power. 9th level spells can grant wishes; create small pocket dimensions called "demiplanes"; and grant a form of immortality via cloneing and/or astrally projectioning yourself into another reality where you can't really die, but instead go back to your body upon "death"; or gate in near-godlike angels, devils, demons, etc. to serve the will of the caster. Anyone reading this probably knows this already, but, uh, I dunno, I'm covering my bases, I guess. Also, using italics and spelling in the weird way I am because of the way spells are referred to in D&D and related products.

** I think that's what it's called, anyway.

Originally Posted by Arlia Janet

Hymns of the Apostate, the sequel to the Fortuna Saga, concluded last week. 400 pages of sprite-y goodness*.

* Full disclosure, I'm married to the writer so I'm a bit biased.

Arlia: congratulations! That's so awesome! Long time coming, eh?
(Well done!)

[phil_]

Originally Posted by tacticslion

[s]real boy[/i]

I need to know what you were trying to accomplish with these two tags in this sequence.

I don't really have much to say about webcomics right now. Kinda sad Gunshow ended.

[Intern Nin]

Originally Posted by phil_

I need to know what you were trying to accomplish with these two tags in this sequence.

I don't really have much to say about webcomics right now. Kinda sad Gunshow ended.

Then might I suggest you read K. C. Green's new comic, Back.