# Order of the Stick - Book 5 Discussion Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323 "2009-08-31T04:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 174
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3462 "2012-02-06T14:43:45Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Now Tsukiko can work on that book of poetry she’s always wanted to pen, inspired by the poems of John Lennon. Is this an “Isle of Wight” joke? > [@Lightray](#): > > The demon roaches are there because of Xykon, who tolerates/is amused by them. Squishing them with Xykon around was pointless, as Redcloak had learned, since more would just show up. But now that Xykon is gone, open season on demon roaches. Ah - so it’s a subtle form of defiance. “Xykon is gone and this is a goblin city now.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3463 "2012-02-06T14:56:53Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Is this an “Isle of Wight” joke? > Ah - so it’s a subtle form of defiance. “Xykon is gone and this is a goblin city now.” No, it’s funnier than that. John Lennon’s collection of poems was titled _In His Own Write_. Silenus’ joke was that Tsukiko’s book would be _In Her Own Wight_. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3464 "2012-02-06T15:09:46Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Third, another tantalizing hint at the MITD’s past. It also implies that Xykon doesn’t know much about his past, which means he may not know what the MITD _is_. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3465 "2012-02-06T15:11:57Z")
Oooh Oooh typo - “She kept **waiving** around this copy…” ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3466 "2012-02-06T15:16:41Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Too late to edit: > > Fifth: In an unexpected twist Redcloak pulled off his own bluff by calling Xykon on his, which is rather clever. By giving Xykon an incentive to move swiftly on, Redcloak doesn’t have to explain any further. Definitely **not** dumb. Yeah, that was pretty slick of him all right. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3467 "2012-02-06T15:27:00Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > In an unexpected twist Redcloak pulled off his own bluff by calling Xykon on his, which is rather clever. By giving Xykon an incentive to move swiftly on, Redcloak doesn’t have to explain any further. Definitely **not** dumb. Two incentives - Xykon _definitely_ didn’t want to hear anything more about Tsukiko’s fantasies involving him. One thing I like is how most of what Redcloak said is technically either the truth or very close to it. She _did_ break in, she _did_ rant, she _did_ go on above wanting some Xykon-luv, she _was_ excited about the Gate ritual, etc. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3468 "2012-02-06T15:37:17Z")
The best lies are usually _technically_ the truth. **Little Nemo** get 47.3 points for getting the obscure joke. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3469 "2012-02-06T15:48:50Z")
Redcloak might as well destroy the phylactery right now. If Xykon gets… let’s call it killed, I don’t know the right term, and he wakes up and he’s _not_ in his astral castle, he’s going to know the Redcloak lied to him. He’s going to be pretty angry. As in, if he regenerates, he’s going to tear Reddy a few new orifaces and destroy Gobbotopia for good measure. So whether he has a working phylactery or not, he’s lost to Redcloak at that point. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3470 "2012-02-06T15:54:08Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > First, some quality punnage from the bugs: “They had theurge for a snack!” I don’t care who you are, that’s funny right there.? What’s the betting Rich was planning that one from the start. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3471 "2012-02-06T15:59:04Z")
I’ve been having dreams about Redcloak and what happens next (though by noe some of it’s happened). Yesterday I had a dream that Redcloak refused a direct order from Xykon twice, and Xykon punished him by turning him back into a toddler (it was horrible, you could see his years and knowledge boiling off of him, [fallen-Miko-style](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0407.html)). Then for good measure, he did the same thing to the whole Order (although they eventually started re-aging in fits and jumps). Last night I dreamed that Xykon had finally pushed Redcloak past his limits. Redcloak destroyed some important things in the castle/hotel, then trashed the place to make it look like someone else (the MitD, maybe?) had done it, then raised Right-Eye and carried him off to a safe-house he had set up on the other side of town. Unfortunately, he accidentally took some of my luggage with him (like I said, it was kinda a hotel) because of… something involving my magic red cat. I wonder what the next episode of “Redcloak vs. Xykon: Dream Edition” will bring. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3472 "2012-02-06T16:04:18Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It also implies that Xykon doesn’t know much about his past, which means he may not know what the MITD _is_. _Start of Darkness_ makes it pretty clear that he does. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3473 "2012-02-06T16:09:12Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > Oooh Oooh typo - “She kept **waiving** around this copy…” Naah, she was just refraining from using it until she had both parts … okay, I got nuthin’. I blame **MIS!**'s magic red cat. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3474 "2012-02-06T16:09:42Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > _Start of Darkness_ makes it pretty clear that he does. He might not know _everything_ about the MitD. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3475 "2012-02-06T16:12:35Z")
Oh, one other little thing in this strip: the MitD shows definite compassion towards Tsukiko, alone out of everyone in the room. O’Chul’s influence continues to work on him; he’s feeling and expressing something that no one else there is telling him to or encouraging him to. He is truly becoming a good man. Monster. Creature. Whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3476 "2012-02-06T16:13:06Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > _Start of Darkness_ makes it pretty clear that he does. He \*thinks \*he knows what the MiTD is. But what if the MiTD is a shapechanger of some sort? Xykon might only recognize the MITD’s current form, and assume that’s what he really is. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3477 "2012-02-06T16:36:36Z")
That would also explain why the hunters who captured him thought it was strange to see “one of these, in this part of the world.” That one line in SoD is the biggest problem with my theory that the MitD is a Snarlet. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3478 "2012-02-06T17:20:42Z")
I guess that RC isn’t trying to hide from X that he can cast 9th level spells if he’s using Gate to get to the Astral Plane. Although X isn’t likely to demand RC use True Resurrection on someone he now thinks was trying to coerce him. Great writing. I wonder when or if RC is going to blow up the real phylactery? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3479 "2012-02-06T18:18:57Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > That would also explain why the hunters who captured him thought it was strange to see “one of these, in this part of the world.” > > That one line in SoD is the biggest problem with my theory that the MitD is a Snarlet. My guess is that he’s in the form of a horribly mutated bull or swan. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3480 "2012-02-06T21:03:41Z")
I don’t get why so many people get a sinister vibe from Jirix squishing the roach. To me, it was exactly the opposite: He’s trying to cleanse the city of fiendish influence, to make a fresh start, to be a good ruler. Obviously most of that work is going to be considerably more difficult, but squishing the roach was a symbolic start. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/3481 "2012-02-07T00:54:25Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > **Little Nemo** get 47.3 points for getting the obscure joke. That’s one thing I love about this board. I’ve never posted a joke so obscure that somebody didn’t get it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=173) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=175)