Tirek: And now... it's *your* turn.
(Tirek drains Twilight of her magic)
SFX: (FLOP!)
Twilight Sparkle: Not my most dignified moment, I'll admit.
(Tirek absorbs the stolen magic and grows to a towering height)
Applejack: You alright, Twi?
Rarity: That description sounded particularly excruciating...
Twilight Sparkle: You know, I'm starting to see why direct power-sharing never took off. Hurts going in, hurts coming out.
Rainbow Dash: Too bad Tirek doesn't seem to have that problem...
Discord: WHY ARE YOU ALL SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!?
Really, every page after a thousand has been an astounding length to go for this webcomic, but every 100 pages I'm forced to really reckon with it. Dang.
Any stories about witnessing a villain's triumphant victory - short-lived or otherwise?
Notice: Guest comic submissions are open! Guidelines here. Deadline: February 20th.
I mean...for the longest time Empire Strikes Back always stood out as a good example of "The bad guys win/winning" until Infinity War came out. That sent chills through me.
"Didn't you just explain all the reasons why I don't?" "Oh. Right.."
"You literally Ran Away from the heroic battle, remember?
"Oh. Yeah.."
We've watched DiscDM's rose-colored glasses slowly chip over time. And now they've just shattered.
He's used the catharsis at the player's winning as a reason for his schemes for so long.
But now how will he see things, at the player's apparent loss? I wonder.
I doubt he's used to PCs winning at all. More likely this is a shock at how well the PCs are taking the loss since his sessions probably end on a more explosive note.
There was that one Ravenloft campaign I ran where Strahd won. Because the twist was Strahd was a woman in this iteration and the PCs lost because they all assumed I ran the module straight with Strahd being the dude vampire.
So the PCs staked the dude, the lesser vampire, and then we're captured by his cousin, the actual Strahd in charge.
The players resigned to quit rather than try a second attempt. I guess it was... the Strahd that broke the camel's back.
I've been gaming long enough I have plenty of those stories. One of my favorites is from when a Daemon we'd been sparring with for about 8-9 levels finally achieved ascension to demi-deity status. One of his first acts was to rip the souls from our bodies. Followed immediately after by the evil goddess with the Slaughter portfolio who's main temple had just been desecrated to power said ascension showing up to take extreme umbrage at events.
Tirek: I feel it, the power... fills me. Yes, I feel the universe within me! I am... I am a part of the cosmos! Its energy flows... flows through me! Of what consequence are you now? This planet, these ponies, they are nothing to me! The universe is power - pure, unstoppable power! And I am that force, I am that power!
Any stories about witnessing a villain's triumphant victory - short-lived or otherwise?