A History of Miko

[Callista]

Just today I went through the old comics again, in order to try to trace Miko's history and personality.

What I found was a rather interesting change in character for Miko... and quite possibly the reasons for her descent not only to evil but to insanity. Tell me what you think.

(I left out some comics in which Miko just appears and doesn’t do anything.)

[EDIT] I'm changing this to remove my own bias from the timeline. The unedited version is in a Spoiler, below.

#120 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0120.html): Miko’s first appearance.
#174 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0174.html): Miko researches the OotS, drawing the conclusion that they are “a brutal band of killers (#189)”.
#189 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0189.html): Miko kills Samantha and her father.
#199 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0199.html): Miko’s dramatic appearance.
#200 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0200.html): Miko, after giving them a chance to surrender, defeats the OotS.
#201 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0201.html): Miko’s Smite Evil doesn’t work on Roy; Durkon’s diplomacy stops the battle.
#202 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0202.html): Miko accepts Durkon’s explanation that Xykon’s crown made Roy register as Evil.
#203 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0203.html): Miko explains her mission to deliver the OotS to Shojo.
#204 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0204.html): Roy talks everyone into going with Miko.
#206 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0206.html): Belkar declares his desire to see Miko fall.
#207 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0207.html): Miko agrees that the slaying of an evil dragon was “just and necessary”.
#208 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0208.html): Miko and Belkar's "how fast can you Detect Evil" game.
#209 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0209.html): Miko’s history. An orphan raised in a monastery, she became a paladin at age 13.
#211 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0211.html): Miko hears the dirt farmer’s plea and says it is “her sacred duty to smite these wretched abominations”.
#212 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0212.html): It’s obvious to Haley that Roy is attracted to Miko.
#213 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0213.html): Miko has the Track feat; and her Wisdom modifier is probably higher than Belkar’s.
#214 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0214.html): Miko makes sure that the fight between her and the ogres is fair…
#215 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0215.html): …and then uses a somewhat sneaky strategy anyhow. Roy finds that love is “an epic-level challenge” and that he “really just want[s] to kick [Miko] in the head”.
#219 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0219.html): Miko once again looks rather confused about or oblivious to Roy’s attraction to her.
#220 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0220.html): Vaarsuvius presents Miko with an inflated price for his spell-casting; Miko refuses to pay; and V hits her with Explosive Runes.
#222 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0222.html): The upshot of Miko’s good deed: One reunited, squabbling old couple.
#223 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0223.html): Miko expects the OotS to follow her orders because they are her prisoners. Roy accuses her of refusing to respect them or even to learn their names; Miko calls this “compromise”. Miko shows some knowledge of slang.
#224 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0224.html): Miko wants to camp in a ditch, claiming that “luxury is the herald of weakness”.
#225 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0225.html): They stick Miko with their inn bill (which later is described as “quite steep” and, thankfully, paid by the King of Somewhere).
#227 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0227.html): Miko demands to know who removed a mattress tag… Roy, in another room, admits he’d like to see her in a skimpy outfit.
#228 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0228.html): Belkar serves her with a restraining order against Detect Evil.
#230 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0230.html): Windstriker gets a restraining order against Belkar… who promptly attacks the lawyer.
#231 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0231.html): Roy admits he’s attracted to Miko’s looks and alignment; Elan describes her as “really mean”.
#238 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0238.html): Miko thinks ahead, worrying about a panic that might hurt innocent inngoers.
#242 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0242.html): Miko returns to the inn to be sure everyone’s out and away from the assassins.
#243 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0243.html): Miko, “rescuing the helpless” in the burning inn, meets up with Haley.
#246 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0246.html): V, believing Miko to be dead, calls her a “shrew” and says s/he feels “mild amusement” at her death.
#250 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0250.html): Roy apologizes to Miko for thinking of her as a sex object; Miko, says she has been “dismissive of the possibility” of a romantic relationship, and says she will be more open to one in the future. Roy insults Miko: “I wouldn’t touch your skinny upright ass with a standard-issue 10-ft. pole, you overbearing self-righteous bitch”.
#251 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0251.html): Roy insults Miko again and says they won't go with her to Azure City. Miko proceeds to beat up the party (again), and everyone but Durkon, who still believes they ought to go peacefully, is taken to Azure City in chains.
#261 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0261.html): Miko gives orders to put Belkar in solitary.
#263 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0263.html): Durkon refuses to escape prison; Roy and his group nearly get caught escaping by Miko.
#264 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0264.html): Durkon, using technical truths, persuades Miko that the OotS did not intend to escape.
#265 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0265.html): Miko calls the OotS “filthy honorless criminals”. Hinjo reveals that Shojo sends Miko on long missions.
#270 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0270.html): Fight between Belkar and Miko.
#279 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0279.html): …continued…
#281 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0281.html): …continued…
#284 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0284.html): …and finally crashing through a window, into Shojo's court.
#285 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0285.html): Miko is about to kill the disabled Belkar when V saves him with the comment that s/he knows Belkar is loathsome (among other things), but s/he still prefers Belkar to Miko. Roy tells Miko she will never be a member of the Order of the Stick; the entire OotS unites against Miko. Miko wants to attack them, but a command from Shojo stops her. Miko swears to kill the Order of the Stick for their “act of defiance”.
#290 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0290.html): The completion of Miko’s introduction scene.
#298 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0298.html): Miko prays to the Twelve Gods to help her "see through their lies to the truth".
#368 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0368.html): Miko as a messenger.
#369 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0369.html): Miko fights Redcloak.
#370 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0370.html): Xykon imprisons Miko in a (modified) Forcecage.
#371 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0371.html): Miko is shown to be somehow responsible for Redcloak’s mentor’s death. Miko sees Xykon “alive” and concludes the OotS lied about killing him. Xykon comments on how Miko’s anger can “lead to the Dark Side”.
#372 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0372.html): An imprisoned Miko, threatened with death, brags that she is immune to fear. Redcloak: “Maybe that’s why you Paladins are so full of yourselves. You’re immune to the fear that you might be wrong. Immune to the fear of becoming tyrants.”
#373 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0373.html): Miko’s prayer to the Twelve Gods. She is now convinced that the OotS are Xykon’s lackeys and that they destroyed the gate for Xykon. She expresses a desire to “be the one to punish them as they so richly deserve”. Miko shows her creativity in escaping from Xykon’s modified forcecage.
#374 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0374.html): The Creature in the Dark lets Miko escape. Miko shows loyalty to her warhorse.
#375 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0375.html): Miko heals her horse before going on, unintentionally leaving the letter she was supposed to deliver behind.
#405 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0405.html): Miko overhears Roy and Shojo discussing Shojo’s deception.
#406 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0406.html): Miko accuses Shojo of “undermining the military security of Azure City”—having Xykon take over Azure City so that he could get rid of the paladins and “rule with an iron fist”. She comments on alignment (“agents of evil, whether or not their alignment registers as such”) and the laws (“have no meaning”). “Only Honor and the will of the gods matter now”. Miko flashbacks to a prayer in which she asked the 12 Gods to “reveal all who betray us”, an event followed by her discovery of Shojo’s trickery. Miko kills Shojo.
#407 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0407.html): Miko’s Fall.
#408 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0408.html): A moment of confusion, followed by Roy’s anger and more insults. Miko concludes that Roy tricked her into killing Shojo. Miko wants “time to think” but doesn’t get it in the midst of the fight with Roy. Roy insults Miko thoroughly; Miko, nearly beaten, runs.
#409 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/../comics/oots0409.html): Miko attempts to kill Belkar; but Hinjo stops her. Miko admits she doesn’t know how she knows Roy tricked Shojo; Hinjo proceeds to point out the errors in her logic. Miko very nearly surrenders; but then attacks Hinjo instead. Quote: “The gods have a plan for me, I know it! I am special, the most powerful paladin in the Sapphire Guard! They wouldn’t do this to ME without a reason, I just need to figure out what it is!” Hinjo decides to duel Miko, despite knowing he’s no match for her. Miko has very nearly killed Hinjo when Roy interferes, slams her against a wall, and incapacitates her.
#411 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0412.html): Miko, unconscious, is taken to jail. It is revealed that her actions nearly resulted in the inadvertent release of the Snarl.
#415 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0415.html): Xykon scries on Miko, thus discovering the location of the Gate. However, since the throne room is protected from scrying, Xykon doesn't find out that Miko killed Shojo or that Hinjo has taken over in Azure City.
#419 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0419.html):Miko wakes up in prison; Sabine tries to convince her to become a Blackguard. Miko attacks Sabine and is last shown kneeling.
#426 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0436.html): A badly aimed assassin's arrow nearly kills Miko, who is still in jail.
#458 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0458.html): Nale decides not to take Miko with him on his escape from jail.
#460 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0460.html): Miko, seeing the damage done to the jail as a sign from the gods, escapes and intends to exact "justice" on the OotS--until she sees Azure City burning and hears Xykon's voice in the throne room. Counting her oath to protect the gate as more importance than going after the OotS, she runs for the throne room.
#461 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0461.html): Miko fights her way into the throne room and decides to act...
#462 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0462.html): ...by destroying the gate. Soon, who has just defeated Redcloak and Xykon, tries to tell her she doesn't need to do this--but it's too late. Xykon and Redcloak get away as the gate shatters and the tower explodes.
#463 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0464.html): A dying Miko talks to Soon Kim, who is now unable to fight Xykon because the gate he is tied to has been destroyed. If Miko had not been so hasty, he could have killed Xykon for good. Soon says, "We (the paladins) are fading to the celestial realm. We will usher you to your destination as well," and tells Miko that, because she did not admit that she was wrong, she will not be reinstated as a Paladin. However, Windstriker, who is waiting for her, will visit her in the Afterlife. Miko accepts this judgment, and dies.
#549 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0120.html)O-Chul implies that Miko was the only female Paladin who didn't "work out"... making Miko's fall a rare event in the Sapphire Guard.

The summary was originally more opinionated, until it was edited to include just descriptions. Here's the original version.

#120 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0120.html): Miko’s first appearance, in which she promises to kill the OotS (we later learn that Shojo’s reply is an order to capture them instead--see #290).
#174 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0174.html): Miko researches the OotS, drawing the conclusion that they are “a brutal band of killers (#189)”.
#189 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0189.html): Rather than “simply making a Gather Information check”, an ill-informed Miko kills Samantha and her father.
#199 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0199.html): Miko’s dramatic appearance.
#200 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0200.html): Miko, who thinks the OotS are Evil, offers them a chance to surrender (having been ordered to do so by her lord). They refuse and Miko proceeds to clobber them, ending by declaring she is “executing [Roy] for crimes against existence”.
#201 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0201.html): After Miko’s Smite Evil doesn’t work on Roy, Durkon’s diplomacy stops the battle.
#202 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0202.html): Miko accepts Durkon’s explanation that Xykon’s crown made Roy register as Evil.
#203 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0203.html): Miko explains her mission to deliver the OotS to Shojo.
#204 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0204.html): Roy talks everyone into going with Miko.
#206 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0206.html): Belkar declares his desire to see Miko fall; Miko admits she didn’t expect the OotS to cooperate with her.
#207 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0207.html): Miko agrees that the slaying of an evil dragon was “just and necessary”; she doesn’t have any evidence of evil deeds, just alignment.
#208 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0208.html): Despite not being quick enough with her Detect ability, Miko could easily conclude that Belkar is evil (as, of course, he is); but she doesn’t attempt to kill him (as per orders from Shojo).
#209 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0209.html): Miko’s history. An orphan raised in a monastery, she became a paladin at age 13. Miko correctly identifies a challenge to her alignment. Roy begins to identify with Miko.
#211 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0211.html): Miko hears the dirt farmer’s plea and says it is “her sacred duty to smite these wretched abominations”. She makes no mention of helping the dirt farmer.
#212 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0212.html): It’s obvious to Haley that Roy is attracted to Miko. Some degree of either obliviousness or denial leads Miko to reject the idea that Roy wants to do anything more than fight evil alongside her.
#213 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0213.html): Miko has the Track feat; and her Wisdom modifier is probably higher than Belkar’s (which isn’t saying much). However, if he had had a higher Survival skill than her, she might have been willing to actually yield to his expertise, for the sake of tracking down the ogres.
#214 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0214.html): Miko makes sure that the fight between her and the ogres is fair…
#215 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0215.html): …and then uses a somewhat sneaky strategy anyhow. Roy, annoyed at her use of a speech about honor to put monsters into convenient Fireball radius, finds that love is “an epic-level challenge” and that he “really just want[s] to kick [Miko] in the head”.
#219 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0219.html): Miko once again looks rather confused about or oblivious to Roy’s attraction to her.
#220 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0220.html): Vaarsuvius presents Miko with an inflated price for his spell-casting; Miko refuses to pay; and V hits her with Explosive Runes.
#222 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0222.html): The upshot of Miko’s good deed: One reunited, squabbling old couple.
#223 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0223.html): Miko expects the OotS to follow her orders because they are her prisoners. Roy accuses her of refusing to respect them or even to learn their names; Miko calls this “compromise”. Here Miko shows some knowledge of slang.
#224 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0224.html): Miko wants to camp in a ditch, claiming that “luxury is the herald of weakness”.
#225 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0225.html): They stick Miko with their inn bill (which later is described as “quite steep” and, thankfully, paid by the King of Somewhere).
#227 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0227.html): Miko demands to know who removed a mattress tag… Roy, in another room, admits he’d like to see her in a skimpy outfit.
#228 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0228.html): Belkar, understanding Miko’s extremely lawful nature, serves her with a restraining order against Detect Evil.
#230 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0230.html): Windstriker gets a restraining order against Belkar… who promptly attacks the lawyer.
#231 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0231.html): Roy admits he’s attracted to Miko’s looks and alignment, and little else; Elan describes her as “really mean”. (He doesn’t mention how mean the OotS has been to Miko in return, though.)
#238 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0238.html): Miko thinks ahead, worrying about a panic that might hurt innocent inngoers.
#242 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0242.html): Miko returns to the inn to be sure everyone’s out, and away from the assassins.
#243 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0243.html): Miko, “rescuing the helpless” in the burning inn, meets up with Haley. There is obvious animosity between the two.
#246 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0246.html): V, believing Miko to be dead, calls her a “shrew” and says s/he feels “mild amusement” at her death.
#250 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0250.html): Roy apologizes to Miko for thinking of her as a sex object; Miko smiles (a very rare thing for her), says she has been “dismissive of the possibility” of a romantic relationship, and says she will be more open to one in the future. Roy, who now dislikes Miko, isn’t very attracted to her anymore; but rather than just saying he’s not interested, he insults Miko: “I wouldn’t touch your skinny upright ass with a standard-issue 10-ft. pole, you overbearing self-righteous bitch”.
#251 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0251.html): Roy completely alienates Miko by insulting her even more and refusing to go with her. Miko proceeds to beat up the party (again), and everyone but Durkon, who still believes they ought to go peacefully, is taken to Azure City in chains.
#261 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0261.html): Miko gives orders to put Belkar in solitary--probably out of spite.
#263 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0263.html): Durkon refuses to escape prison; Roy and his group nearly get caught escaping by Miko.
#264 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0264.html): Durkon, using technical truths, persuades Miko that the OotS did not intend to escape.
#265 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0265.html): Miko calls the OotS “filthy honorless criminals”. Hinjo reveals that Shojo sends Miko on long missions, implying that he does so to get rid of her because she is unpleasant.
#270 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0270.html): Fight between Belkar and Miko.
#279 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0279.html): …continued…
#281 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0281.html): …continued, as Belkar toys with Miko for amusement…
#284 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0284.html): …and finally crashes through a window after him.
#285 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0285.html): Miko is about to kill the disabled Belkar when V saves him with the comment that s/he knows Belkar is loathsome (among other things), but s/he still prefers Belkar to Miko. Roy tells Miko she will never be a member of the Order of the Stick; the entire OotS unites against Miko. Miko wants to attack them, but a command from Shojo stops her. Miko swears to kill the Order of the Stick for their “act of defiance”.
#290 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0290.html): The completion of Miko’s introduction scene.
#368 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0368.html): Miko’s orders take first precedence over a watchtower whose guards are out of food; but she does help them as far as her orders allow.
#369 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0369.html): Miko fights Redcloak.
#370 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0370.html): Xykon imprisons Miko in a (modified) Forcecage.
#371 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0371.html): Miko is shown to be responsible for Redcloak’s mentor’s death. Miko sees Xykon “alive” and concludes the OotS lied about killing him. Xykon comments on how Miko’s anger can “lead to the Dark Side”.
#372 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0372.html): An imprisoned Miko, threatened with death, brags that she is immune to fear. Redcloak: “Maybe that’s why you Paladins are so full of yourselves. You’re immune to the fear that you might be wrong. Immune to the fear of becoming tyrants.”
#373 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0373.html): Miko’s prayer to the Twelve Gods, showing that she is now convinced that the OotS are Xykon’s lackeys and that they destroyed the gate for Xykon. She expresses a desire to “be the one to punish them as they so richly deserve”. Miko shows her creativity in escaping from Xykon’s modified forcecage.
#374 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0374.html): The Creature in the Dark lets Miko escape. Miko shows loyalty to her warhorse.
#375 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0375.html): Miko heals her horse before going on, leaving the letter she had been so careful to deliver behind.
#405 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0405.html): Miko overhears Roy and Shojo discussing Shojo’s deception.
#406 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0406.html): Miko accuses Shojo of “undermining the military security of Azure City”—having Xykon take over Azure City so that he could get rid of the paladins and “rule with an iron fist”. She then abandons both alignment (“agents of evil, whether or not their alignment registers as such”) and the laws (“have no meaning”) as guidelines. “Only Honor and the will of the gods matter now”--and Miko believes she knows the will of the gods, since her prayer to the gods to “reveal all who betray us” was followed by her discovery of Shojo’s trickery. Miko kills Shojo.
#407 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0407.html): Miko’s Fall.
#408 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0408.html): A moment of confusion, followed by Roy’s anger and more insults, results in Miko’s concluding that Roy tricked her into killing Shojo. Miko wants “time to think” but doesn’t get it in the midst of the fight with Roy (whether it would have benefited her or just given rise to more delusions is unknown!). Roy insults Miko thoroughly; Miko, nearly beaten, runs.
#409 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0409.html): Miko attempts to kill Belkar; but Hinjo stops her. Miko admits she doesn’t know how she knows Roy tricked Shojo; Hinjo proceeds to point out the errors in her logic. Miko very nearly surrenders; but then attacks Hinjo instead. Quote: “The gods have a plan for me, I know it! I am special, the most powerful paladin in the Sapphire Guard! They wouldn’t do this to ME without a reason, I just need to figure out what it is!” Hinjo decides to duel Miko, despite knowing he’s no match for her. Miko has very nearly killed Hinjo when Roy interferes, slams her against a wall, and incapacitates her.

What I see in this: Miko deliberately keeps others at a distance by acting in a way which ensures they won’t like her. In return, others--including the OotS--treat her just as badly as she treats them. When Durkon takes her side, and even more when Roy apologizes to her, she shows a very slight openness to friendship; but that opening is repeatedly closed when those she has alienated refuse to respond to her overtures, however slight they are.

As a result, Miko lives a life of aloneness even when she is in company; she is most comfortable, though certainly not happy, when the whole world stands against her, and she against the world. She probably believes friendship to be a weakness; her early love of her parents--we don’t know how old she was when they died, but she must have been very young indeed to have time to live at the monastery and gain several levels of Monk before the age of 13--could have been the only love she has ever truly felt.

Naturally, this sort of a life, deliberately and stubbornly alone, puts a lot of stress on someone; and Miko is no exception. Eventually, something had to give; and it did. Miko’s delusions--seen during the last few strips--are delusions of grandeur and paranoia, designed to keep her distanced from other people in the first case, and to make that distance seem like a good thing by making her feel as though she is intrinsically better than other people--“chosen by the gods”. They are essentially defenses against being wrong, against being fallible, against having to trust anyone but herself--something Miko truly fears.

During the battle for Azure City, Miko seems to be seeking direction, though she's still doing it her own way. She still opposes evil; and she still holds the protection of the gate to be her greatest goal. Despite her fall and insanity, Miko seems to want to do right, though she doesn't really know what "right" means. Miko's life becomes even more highly ironic at this point: Her misguided attempts to protect the gate end up destroying it when it might have been saved; her attempts to destroy evil end up allowing Redcloak and Xykon to escape when they might have been destroyed.

At her death, Miko indirectly admits, possibly for the first time, that she has been wrong; but this is too little and too late for redemption. However, her conversation with Soon seems to give her some sort of closure. Miko will go to an afterlife different from that she might have had, if she had died a paladin--but one to which she can be escorted by paladins, and one at which Windstriker, a celestial warhorse, can visit her.

I like to think that Miko may recover, given time and peace away from constant war, as well as a friend like Windstriker (who still wishes to visit her, even though he probably knows she is a murderer). The small revelation she had as she died might have been enough to lead her down the path of understanding where she went wrong. And the example of Windstriker--who, as a paladin's mount, is as smart as a human--may show her more about friendship, and by extension, Good, than she was able to learn amidst the turmoil on the Material Plane.

Rest in Peace, Miko... you surely need it.

[Axl_Rose]

Would have appreciated more if extra judgments weren't put in time line itself.

Ex.


Despite not being quick enough with her Detect ability, Miko could easily conclude that Belkar is evil (as, of course, he is); but she doesn’t attempt to kill him (as per orders from Shojo)

[Callista]

Good point. Editing...

...Okay, done. Should be mostly unbiased now.

[Lord Zentei]

[/URL][quote=Callista;1948383]#189 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0120.html): Rather than “simply making a Gather Information check”, an ill-informed Miko kills Samantha and her father.

Yeah. To be fair, Samantha attempted to dominate her with magic, and Miko did give both her and her father a chance to stand down, each in turn.


#211 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0208.html): Miko hears the dirt farmer’s plea and says it is “her sacred duty to smite these wretched abominations”. She makes no mention of helping the dirt farmer.

Again, yeah, though it does follow by default, sort of. But the sendiment is probably gauged right, there.


#263 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0263.html): Durkon refuses to escape prison; Roy and his group nearly get caught escaping by Miko.
#264 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0264.html): Durkon, using technical truths, persuades Miko that the OotS did not intend to escape.

Note also at this point that she does not consider Durkon in the same light as the rest of the OOTS, since he consistently was polite to her.


[URL="http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0409.html"] (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0408.html)What I see in this: Miko deliberately keeps others at a distance by acting in a way which ensures they won’t like her. In return, others--including the OotS--treat her just as badly as she treats them. When Durkon takes her side, and even more when Roy apologizes to her, she shows a very slight openness to friendship; but that opening is repeatedly closed when those she has alienated refuse to respond to her overtures, however slight they are.

Agreed.


As a result, Miko lives a life of aloneness even when she is in company; she is most comfortable, though certainly not happy, when the whole world stands against her, and she against the world. She probably believes friendship to be a weakness; her early love of her parents--we don’t know how old she was when they died, but she must have been very young indeed to have time to live at the monastery and gain several levels of Monk before the age of 13--could have been the only love she has ever truly felt.

Agreed again.


Naturally, this sort of a life, deliberately and stubbornly alone, puts a lot of stress on someone; and Miko is no exception. Eventually, something had to give; and it did. Miko’s delusions--seen during the last few strips--are delusions of grandeur and paranoia, designed to keep her distanced from other people in the first case, and to make that distance seem like a good thing by making her feel as though she is intrinsically better than other people--“chosen by the gods”. They are essentially defenses against being wrong, against being fallible, against having to trust anyone but herself--something Miko truly fears.

I'd say your analysis is spot on. Well done.

[skreweded]

Wow. Very good. I loved it, it was very thorough, and was a good way to chronicle her way to falling.

Very good analysis of her as a person too.

And the Giant made a very good character! (or there were a whole helluva lot of unlikely things that happened)

[Callista]

Hehe, yes, it has to be a very good character for me to spend a couple of hours chronicling her history :) I don't do that for just any psychotic ex-paladin, you know!

[Green Bean]

I bow to your mad compilation skills Callista. Awesome.

[Caractacus]

Superb. You really go to town when you want to prove something - that's good research!

I also agree almost exactly with what you suggest. I think we have to believe that Rich thinks through the characters pretty carefully - what fuels them and what they will react to and how. it is a big part of his life and represents a lot of what matters to him (regarding his work, I mean), so whatever anyone might say (not that they have yet...) about over-analysing a comic strip character, I think we can assume that this progression and the causes behind it were considered in advance by Rich. So what you say makes good sense.

Keep up the good work!:smallcool:

[Justinian]

I agree with the analysis at the end, it's always been clear that she's extremely introverted and anti-social. That can manifest in a lot of ways, of course, but in a position of lawful authority, doing solo missions that generally amounted to "find the villains and kill them" is it any wonder that she acted the way she did?

It's very similar to the Hedgehog's dilemma.

The mentality, if I may be so bold as to project here, is something like as follows... People are either good or bad, and most people are bad, and want to hurt me, so I can't get close to anyone. Such a mentality leads to only strongly bonding with a scarce few people, and any act of betrayal on their part is magnified a thousandfold.

[Vargtass]

Excellent!

Refreshing to see an analysis based on the actual strips without replying to other comments. It is always strange to see when a character literally becomes "larger than life", meaning that the character is ascribed things that is born from discussion and speculation (albeit in some cases to the point and convincing) which is a tendency on these boards when Miko is the topic.

I congratulate you on a well-founded result, down-to-earth, and utterly believable!

[Alfryd]

Damnit, I can't help myself.

Miko is shown to be somehow responsible for Redcloak’s mentor’s death...
'Your crusades' could refer to Miko, the Sapphire Guard, or paladins in general.

Okay, and here's the unedited version.
Why would we want that especially?


Miko deliberately keeps others at a distance by acting in a way which ensures they won’t like her.
She deliberately acts in a given way, the consequence of which is to ensure others won't like her, and keeps them at a distance.
We do not know that keeping others at a distance is the intended purpose of her behaviour. At least not consciously.

...that opening is repeatedly closed when those she has alienated refuse to respond to her overtures, however slight they are.
Her overtures may be slight, but Miko actually goes significantly out of her way to make gestures of accomodation toward the OotS- notably when she gives only the briefest mention to covering the entire cost of their destruction of and lodging at the inn. She naively expects that they will pay more attention to her actions than her words, so when she is spurned as abruptly and bitterly as transpires- well... what connection do you think she'd make?

Compromise/Openness == Failure.
Also, incidentally, pain, but she'd dismiss that connection consciously as she represses most of her emotional responses. Because, whatever you may say about her means and motives, she *did* conspicuously compromise in the party's favour. I think this goes some way toward explaining her subsequent conduct.

She probably believes friendship to be a weakness...
She believes compromise to be a weakness. As that is a strong component of friendship, naturally she has difficulty forming friendships, but I doubt that Miko has consciously examined this problem.
She seems to have had some fondness for Shojo at one point.

That can manifest in a lot of ways, of course, but in a position of lawful authority, doing solo missions that generally amounted to "find the villains and kill them" is it any wonder that she acted the way she did?
Yes. One of Miko's major problems is that she applies the kind of reasoning process that is suited to close-combat situations without significant backup- where quick response is far more vital than careful deliberation- even in cases where such mental habits are a heavy disadvantage, with time to examine the options and verify her intuitions.
It's been pointed out that Miko was basically the perfect soldier for Shojo's purposes. Efficient, duty-bound and asks-no-inconvenient-questions. It also appears that reservations over being sent on these secretive missions far afield with little idea of her master's true purpose (being ostensibly senile,) had taken a toll on her mental integrity. "It all made sense. For the first time in years, it all made sense."

They are essentially defenses against being wrong...
It's more than that. She wants intimacy, but admitting she was wrong would also mean admitting that she blew all of her recent chances at it. And, realistically, her people skills are so poor that such opportunities are unlikely to arise again. Best not to think about it.

I think.
.

[Callista]

Why would we want [the unedited version] especially?If you'll look at the early posts on this thread, you'll see that Axl_rose pointed out I wasn't drawing a proper line between facts and my opinions. So I edited out the opinions and placed the original version of the timeline in a Spoiler (mostly because I wanted to keep the opinions up there for people to read, and because if I didn't Spoiler it, the post would've been even more long-winded than it is).

Thanks for the praise; that's appreciated. Miko really is a larger-than-life character; even if she goes all the way to Blackguard, I think I'll still be a fan.

Regarding Miko's people skills: It's rather fascinating that someone who presumably has a high Charisma (her saves are/were good, meaning that the charisma bonus the Paladin class adds to them must've been decent) also has low people skills. She is good-looking and sure of herself, which do point to high CHA; but if she's got a single skill point in Diplomacy, I'd be surprised.

I don't think bad people skills totally block her from reaching out and learning to trust people; but it would take someone willing to be tolerant of those bad people skills until they got through to her. Frankly, it would take a saint (or a Saint) to do that... Hinjo, maybe, once Miko cools down and has time to think; or possibly Durkon. I don't see anybody else getting through to her.

[Stephen_E]

Hehe, yes, it has to be a very good character for me to spend a couple of hours chronicling her history :) I don't do that for just any psychotic ex-paladin, you know!

Great job. Ditto other peoples compliments.

Stephen

[SmartAlec]

It's been pointed out that Miko was basically the perfect soldier for Shojo's purposes. Efficient, duty-bound and asks-no-inconvenient-questions.

And there was a lot of pride attached to that. It's one reason why she would never be able to accept the truth - that Shojo wanted to use the Order of the Stick as his agents to save the world. Why would he need the Order, when he had her? She was the greatest paladin, had never failed, etc, etc...

Easier to believe the whole world was evil, than to believe she couldn't save it.

[Demented]

It's a comprehensive compilation of Miko's actions, though rather uninformative. I checked the opinionated version and it didn't seem much more detailed. Though, admittedly, I don't know what -exactly- I'm looking for. Except, maybe, in the following.


What I see in this: Miko deliberately keeps others at a distance by acting in a way which ensures they won’t like her.

I can't tell how you were brought to this conclusion. It's reasonable, but I'm wary of agreeing with something when I can't tell how it came about. Is it something I missed in her history that you outlined, or is it a separate thought?

[Callista]

It's not as though she does this consciously; but you can see how she constantly pretends she doesn't notice Roy's attraction to her; and how, every time someone acts nice to her, she comes back with insults. Everything she does keeps people at arm's length; and it just seems to me that this can't be completely unintentional, even though it may be subconscious.

[the_tick_rules]

cause she's just that much better and any friends would be a distraction.

[GrayMatter]

Because she lost her parents early on and then was secluded in a monastary away from her own age group would be a prime reason behind her behavior. When she serves the gods by identifying and striking down evil, she's doing the only thing she knows how to do to be a part of society, and getting the only social reward she knows how to accept. When she's among people who socially reward each other for (apparently) nothing, she hasn't a clue why or how to get some of that for herself. The character has never learned that in order to receive, you need to give. Worse, her monk background teaches her that anything more than a bowl of rice and a half-glass of water a day is giving in to weakness and excess, so there goes any chance of her reaching out to anyone else.
Poor Miko. I really wanted to see her stand down and begin to Atone. It's all Roy's fault for insulting her like that, she really was a kick-butt force for Good and deserved full credit and respect for it.

[Callista]

Somebody really needs to intervene... like Hinjo did; only do it when Miko's calm... I think she'd be at least a little receptive to friendship. Whether she'd actually atone is anybody's guess, but if she doesn't turn to evil it'll be a victory for the world. Miko is the kind of person who doesn't leave her surroundings unchanged, and if she's a force for evil, that's a serious problem.

[Iranon]

Thanks you for putting in the time to give an honest and informational account of her history in the strips.

Your analysis is also interesting; I personally found her to be very accomodating towards the Order as well, given the circumstances.

I also see her issues exacerbated by conflicting class concepts: Monks are the epitome of relentless self-perfection. Paladins enjoy a gods-given state of grace. Mix the two, and you have a perfect recipe for hybris... it's no longer a gift from the gods, but a natural consequence for unwavering dedication. Paladins who don't grow the mandatory stick are not trying hard enough. Etc, etc.

[TinSoldier]

To the OP: Nice summary!

Oh, and Alfryd, Consigliere! The fanclub and the mafia need you! Please come back. You're our only hope!

You know, embracing the one does not necessarily mean rejecting the other.

[AllisterH]

It's not as though she does this consciously; but you can see how she constantly pretends she doesn't notice Roy's attraction to her; and how, every time someone acts nice to her, she comes back with insults. Everything she does keeps people at arm's length; and it just seems to me that this can't be completely unintentional, even though it may be subconscious.

Personally, I think the Giant did a storyline involving Miko that shows why paladins can't be in a normal party of adventurers. There were lots of scenes where characters say "She's a meanie" but nowhere where she acts like a meanie. Ex: V call her a Shrew after first meeting her yet this is finding out that

a) She was charged with bringing to trial, a group of people responsible for weakening the fabric of the universe
b) She had cast Detect Evil and she got a STRONG hit from Roy (and if she had scanned Belkar?)
c) The citizenry tell her than Elan is terrorizing the countryside.

No-one in the Order says, "Oh, wow, I can understand WHY she acted like she did. Even I would've done the same thing".

Can you show where Miko is insulting to people? Calling V elf is an insult? Hell, other than Roy at first (Let's let his sexist comments slide for a bit) and Durkon, did ANYone in the OotS talk to her nicely?

Take Elan for example. In the inn, where Elan mentions she is mean to everyone other than Durkon and Roy, I went back and checked to see WHERE she was being mean.

There isn't ANYWHERE she's mean to even Belkar to say nothing of Elan. The worst pre-slapping in chains is her wanting to track the ogres herself rather than relying on Belkar.

Afterwards, Roy tries to talk her into realizing the OotS are people too. I agree with this other than the fact that she did mention quite explicitly, "THEY ARE HER PRISONERS" and on a charge they actually admit to.


People call her talking with the OotS after the inn as self-righteous but I'm wondering WHY. She's a paladin, not chastising the OotS for causing the inn to be blown up _IS_ tantamount to saying "no big deal, I'll just pay for everything."

Amelia & Syphiel from Slayers would've lectured the Order, Paksnearrion would've lectured the order, hell, name any LG character from fiction that wouldn't have lectured the order.

[Taelas]

People call her talking with the OotS after the inn as self-righteous but I'm wondering WHY. She's a paladin, not chastising the OotS for causing the inn to be blown up _IS_ tantamount to saying "no big deal, I'll just pay for everything."

Amelia & Syphiel from Slayers would've lectured the Order, Paksnearrion would've lectured the order, hell, name any LG character from fiction that wouldn't have lectured the order.
She's blaming the party for blowing up the inn--something they were NOT at fault for. Well, Belkar was. She points to their "unmitigated greed" as the reason for the inn's destruction, and claims that if they had been willing to "sleep in the ditch" like she suggested, the inn wouldn't have blown up. Might be true, but it's still extremely self-righteous.

[Caractacus]

Damnit, I can't help myself.

Easily happens! :smallcool:


'Your crusades' could refer to Miko, the Sapphire Guard, or paladins in general.

Ver' good point.


Why would we want that especially?

I thought it was kind of good etiquette. I mean, you can then see what prompted the original comment on the thread, and also see how they differ/where the thread poster is coming from.


She deliberately acts in a given way, the consequence of which is to ensure others won't like her, and keeps them at a distance.
We do not know that keeping others at a distance is the intended purpose of her behaviour. At least not consciously.

Isn't it a weeny bit mean to be that strict with analysis here and then post
"It's more than that. She wants intimacy" later? Just saying!:smallsmile:


Her overtures may be slight, but Miko actually goes significantly out of her way to make gestures of accomodation toward the OotS- notably when she gives only the briefest mention to covering the entire cost of their destruction of and lodging at the inn. She naively expects that they will pay more attention to her actions than her words, so when she is spurned as abruptly and bitterly as transpires- well... what connection do you think she'd make?

Compromise/Openness == Failure.
Also, incidentally, pain, but she'd dismiss that connection consciously as she represses most of her emotional responses. Because, whatever you may say about her means and motives, she *did* conspicuously compromise in the party's favour. I think this goes some way toward explaining her subsequent conduct.

She believes compromise to be a weakness. As that is a strong component of friendship, naturally she has difficulty forming friendships, but I doubt that Miko has consciously examined this problem.
She seems to have had some fondness for Shojo at one point.

Yes, true. Compromise is the start of the slippery slope for her. i think she is pretty kind to allow them anything other than a comfy ditch.


Yes. One of Miko's major problems is that she applies the kind of reasoning process that is suited to close-combat situations without significant backup- where quick response is far more vital than careful deliberation- even in cases where such mental habits are a heavy disadvantage, with time to examine the options and verify her intuitions.
It's been pointed out that Miko was basically the perfect soldier for Shojo's purposes. Efficient, duty-bound and asks-no-inconvenient-questions. It also appears that reservations over being sent on these secretive missions far afield with little idea of her master's true purpose (being ostensibly senile,) had taken a toll on her mental integrity. "It all made sense. For the first time in years, it all made sense."

Yeah, imagine what kind of odd, unrelated missions she must have been sent on. Not to mention the obvious logic that eventually falls into place at the end when she overhears the truth. The Oots destroy the gate; she's sent to get the Oots, not kill them; someone just like Elan is a wanted killer;the Oots fight her; the Oots are absolved of their crimes; she has to take a secret letter to the Dwarven lands (on Shojos' orders for a member of the Oots); she discovers Xykon is alive (sic) and well and knows the Oots. Suddenly it really DOES make sense.


It's more than that. She wants intimacy,

Yes, I think maybe she does...but I'm not convinced it's brought out in the strip. I think we are rounding off her character here...


but admitting she was wrong would also mean admitting that she blew all of her recent chances at it. And, realistically, her people skills are so poor that such opportunities are unlikely to arise again. Best not to think about it.

But I WANT to think about it! :smallannoyed: I want Miko back on the right side of the law... *sniff* I haven't joined the fan club, but I still think she's great.:smallbiggrin:


I think.

More than most, it would seem. Nice. :smallcool:

[AllisterH]

She's blaming the party for blowing up the inn--something they were NOT at fault for. Well, Belkar was. She points to their "unmitigated greed" as the reason for the inn's destruction, and claims that if they had been willing to "sleep in the ditch" like she suggested, the inn wouldn't have blown up. Might be true, but it's still extremely self-righteous.

Oh, and Roy's impersonating the King didn't have anything to do with it? Like you said, she allowed them to sleep in the inn (when by right, as her prisoners, she could've forced them to sleep in a ditch) and what was the result?

The inn blowing up, her almost getting sticked with the bill and almost losing her life. Yeah, I can see why she would be slightly ticked off. Amelia from Slayers constantly chastises Lina for her :over the top" responses but like Miko, she's right.

The problem is this. We, are reading about the OotS. Everyone else they interact with, are just props and thus not really a concern. When you have someone like Miko who is trying to bring "reality" to the series, of course she's going to see like a bad guy.

I mean, pre-chain gang, the main fault with Miko is that she didn't have a sense of humour. So?

[Learnedguy]

Hmm, nice analysis at the end^^

Though the blowing up of inn really wasn't the OOTS fault. Heck, Roy really saved the ass of the king y impresonating him^^

And the order might have been her prisoners, but they came out of their own free will, kind of. So really, who's she to treat them like dirt? Really, they had no reasons to obey to her so called laws. Do you think I'd obey a copper from Russia when he said I had broken a russian law by posting this, and therefore had to come with him to Russia? Heck no.

[AllisterH]

Hmm, nice analysis at the end^^

Though the blowing up of inn really wasn't the OOTS fault. Heck, Roy really saved the ass of the king y impresonating him^^

And the order might have been her prisoners, but they came out of their own free will, kind of. So really, who's she to treat them like dirt? Really, they had no reasons to obey to her so called laws. Do you think I'd obey a copper from Russia when he said I had broken a russian law by posting this, and therefore had to come with him to Russia? Heck no.

While the entire Order didn't blow up the inn, it was Belkar doing his usual "insane kill them all" rampage that DID blow up the inn and he _IS_ a member of the Order. I mean, we laugh at Belkar's antics but in fiction, would ANY "good" character tolerate having Belkar around?

Paks is generally considered the archtypical interpretation of what a paladin should be. However, Paks would've sent Belkar to jail and if the order had been stupid enough to try and stop her, she would've killed them. ESPECIALLY after him killing a guard and descreating the body like that.

People like Paks but don't forget, this is the same character who earlier in the books has no trouble being around sorcerers and thought their healing ability was useful but AFTER becoming a paladin, she become suspicious of them because their power didn't come from the gods (the power wasn't evil either, it just wasn't deity based). Paks would go into conniptions in the Stick's world.

As for your analogy, a better one would be setting off a nuke in a country (seriously, there just isn't ANYTHING equivalent to the charge of "destroying the world") and notice, the Order DID do this (even though, it worked out since they ARE the stars).

Exactly who has juristdiction over this? If not the Sapphire Guard who know about the history of the world then who? Furthermore, this is a PALADIN. This isn't a random joe Blow soldier but a person whose authority should pretty much be unquestioned. Look at the restrictions on the paladins in the PHB and a paladin should be the rarest class there is.

Then there's my problem with the paladin is NOT "special" argument. The Paladin is the ONLY class in the entire PHB that loses its powers for role-playing restrictions. Sure, a monk becoming chaotic would lose their abilities but really, most character classes have WAY more leeway. Take Roy for example, he abandoned Elan but no-one doesn't think Roy isn't LG. Similarly, Durkon is LG but a slip-up by him isn't going to have his automatically reduced to no powers. One such slip up by a paladin and bye bye abilities.

This was supposed to be balanced by the fact in 1E/2E that Paladins were better than the non-spellcasters of the same level. With the change in 3E, this went away and now you have a paladin who is supposedly equivalent to a rogue of the same level but has such a massive roleplaying restriction.

If there is supposed to be a roleplaying penalty to paladins, they should also be roleplaying benefits. I'll use Paks once again. Once she became a paladin, no-one, not even kings who considered themselves good even imagined going against her since it meant you were going against the gods themselves.

That's why a paladin IS SPECIAL. This isn't supposed to be a regular old class a la the wizard.

[Taelas]

Oh, and Roy's impersonating the King didn't have anything to do with it? Like you said, she allowed them to sleep in the inn (when by right, as her prisoners, she could've forced them to sleep in a ditch) and what was the result?

The inn blowing up, her almost getting sticked with the bill and almost losing her life. Yeah, I can see why she would be slightly ticked off. Amelia from Slayers constantly chastises Lina for her :over the top" responses but like Miko, she's right.
The inn wouldn't have blown up if it wasn't for Belkar chasing the lawyer. Aside from that, Roy wasn't at fault--he didn't bring the explosives, and he sure didn't light the fuse.

Miko was NOT right. She didn't have any authority to blame the proceedings on the Order, especially since she didn't even know Belkar was the one at fault.


The problem is this. We, are reading about the OotS. Everyone else they interact with, are just props and thus not really a concern. When you have someone like Miko who is trying to bring "reality" to the series, of course she's going to see like a bad guy.
Mike IS a bad guy! As has clearly been shown in this thread, Miko has had a very steady progression from "Bad" to "Worse".


I mean, pre-chain gang, the main fault with Miko is that she didn't have a sense of humour. So?
"My blades will bathe in the blood of those responsible."
"The tragedy here is that this could have been avoided if I had just made a Gather Information check instead."
Roy: "And you, buddy, we're not surrendering without a little--"
Miko: "As you wish." *attacks*

Yeah. Not having humor was not exactly the limits of her faults, even then.

[Alfryd]

Yes, I think maybe she does[ want intimacy]...but I'm not convinced it's brought out in the strip...
Well, logically she wouldn't have bothered responding to Roy, however belatedly otherwise, so, yeah, it is kind of brought out in the strip. Plus, she was rather trusting of Durkon.

But I WANT to think about it!
I mean that's Miko's perspective, on a 'non-admitted' level.

...but you can see how she constantly pretends she doesn't notice Roy's attraction to her...
I think this may simply be rejection becuse she considers Roy a mysoginist pig. Once he appologises for his 'terms of endearment', she's the very model of exuberance... by prior standards.

...every time someone acts nice to her, she comes back with insults.
Specifically? Look, Elan can tax the patience of saints and Hinjo, let alone sexually-frustrated monks with Aspberger's.

The character has never learned that in order to receive, you need to give.
That's not the problem. She just assumes that her actions will speak louder than words, and her actions, on average, are reasonable and benign. Of course, the converse is true. Elan, for example, endears himself to all and sundry through a sunny disposition and unfailing tact, despite destroying the lives of all he touches.


Aside from that, Roy wasn't at fault--he didn't bring the explosives, and he sure didn't light the fuse.
But he did impersonate a local monarch, and assumed being able to do so was a mark of Divine Providence. Which was remarkably stupid. Pot, meet Kettle.
All Miko says is that if they'd followed her advice, they wouldn't be in this situation. Which is entirely accurate.
Sure, fingering the Gods was pointless, and this is one of Miko's major problems- not that she doesn't believe in coincidences, but that she always assumes they're a Sign.

"My blades will bathe in the blood of those responsible."
"The tragedy here is that this could have been avoided if I had just made a Gather Information check instead."
Roy: "And you, buddy, we're not surrendering without a little--"
Miko: "As you wish." *attacks*

Yeah. Not having humor was not exactly the limits of her faults, even then.
Grandstanding.
Humour, completely-legitimate self defence.
Under the impression the OotS were guilty of the Linear Guild's crimes, and thus perfectly aware of what they did wrong. Oh, and more accurately Belkar's. Surprise was of the essence.

Think man! Think!


Oh, and Alfryd, Consigliere! The fanclub and the mafia need you!
Sorry. Can't do it. Once Miko atones, I might resume my station with some dignity.

[Caractacus]

Well, logically she wouldn't have bothered responding to Roy, however belatedly otherwise, so, yeah, it is kind of brought out in the strip. Plus, she was rather trusting of Durkon.

I mean that's Miko's perspective, on a 'non-admitted' level.

I think this may simply be rejection becuse she considers Roy a mysoginist pig. Once he appologises for his 'terms of endearment', she's the very model of exuberance... by prior standards.

Specifically? Look, Elan can tax the patience of saints and Hinjo, let alone sexually-frustrated monks with Aspberger's.

That's not the problem. She just assumes that her actions will speak louder than words, and her actions, on average, are reasonable and benign. Of course, the converse is true. Elan, for example, endears himself to all and sundry through a sunny disposition and unfailing tact, despite destroying the lives of all he touches.


But he did impersonate a local monarch, and assumed being able to do so was a mark of Divine Providence. Which was remarkably stupid. Pot, meet Kettle.
All Miko says is that if they'd followed her advice, they wouldn't be in this situation. Which is entirely accurate.
Sure, fingering the Gods was pointless, and this is one of Miko's major problems- not that she doesn't believe in coincidences, but that she always assumes they're a Sign.

Grandstanding.
Humour, completely-legitimate self defence.
Under the impression the OotS were guilty of the Linear Guild's crimes, and thus perfectly aware of what they did wrong. Oh, and more accurately Belkar's. Surprise was of the essence.

Think man! Think!


Sorry. Can't do it. Once Miko atones, I might resume my station with some dignity.

Got all confused there for a moment - blimey! I wrote all that? style of thing, then I realised there were lots of us in there... *phew* :smalltongue:

I want a Miko atonement, too - think I may join the fan club then...

[Lord Zentei]

Got all confused there for a moment - blimey! I wrote all that? style of thing, then I realised there were lots of us int here... *phew* :smalltongue:

I want a Miko atonement, too - think I may join the fan club then...

Anyone who wants that is a fanclubber at heart, if not in fact. :smallwink:

[Caractacus]

Anyone who wants that is a fanclubber at heart, if not in fact. :smallwink:

I...I'm...diseased...help me!:smalltongue:

[Jazzvader]

:miko:will never atone because she thinks that she is right and the Gods will give her back her Paladin powers. One thing I found strange though is that she's still acting like she's got the Paladin pole up her ass. Maybe it's because she's had it there for so long that it has become permanent

[Learnedguy]

But he did impersonate a local monarch, and assumed being able to do so was a mark of Divine Providence. Which was remarkably stupid. Pot, meet Kettle.
All Miko says is that if they'd followed her advice, they wouldn't be in this situation. Which is entirely accurate.
Sure, fingering the Gods was pointless, and this is one of Miko's major problems- not that she doesn't believe in coincidences, but that she always assumes they're a Sign.

Dunno if it was that stupid really. I mean, they did what? Got some special treatment, that's all. With the "filthy lucre", they could easly have paid for it, so I can't see how it would have done any real damage.

The problem really was when the King was to be assassinated^^ Too bad that by some strange twist of fate, the assassins took wrong. So, Roy adn company saves the day, and a peace treaty I belive. Whooo! Too bad those explosives the dwarf brougt went off. But that was hardly anyone fault (twas an accident).

[Callista]

:miko:will never atone because she thinks that she is right and the Gods will give her back her Paladin powers. One thing I found strange though is that she's still acting like she's got the Paladin pole up her ass. Maybe it's because she's had it there for so long that it has become permanentShe thinks that now; but that's just a rationalization and she knows it at some level. She could change her mind, especially if someone shows her mercy. She's been shaken up pretty badly by the loss of her powers, no matter how she rationalizes it; her future is still very unpredictable and could go either way.

What's nice about Miko, though, is that whether she returns to Good or turns Evil, she'll be a really cool character either way.

Re. The inn: They tried to make Miko pay for the bill, remember?

[Demented]

Haley didn't try, she succeeded. I'd use the word "conned", myself. Otherwise, Roy would have had everyone paying for their own rooms. (Or he pays for their rooms, whichever it is.) Of course, you could always blame Durkon for convincing Haley to go along, with his "free trip" spiel, but then we do that whole blame-wheel argument again.


As it is now, Miko was shown mercy, and she didn't take it.
What she needs is a straightjacket, and THEN mercy.
Perhaps a whole lot of mercy.

Or some therapeutic bumping of uglies.



....I meant hobgoblin-killing, you pervs.

[Thog's Puppy]

Hopefully there will be a comic when Belkar kills miko just like the oracle said he would.

[Callista]

But then there wouldn't be any more Miko! :frown:

[Alfryd]

I think NCftPB mentions that Miko will be around at intervals throughout the story. When and if she dies, she does so near the end.

[Estelindis]

I'm very impressed by your analysis of Miko, Callista. It seems spot on to me. Well done!

[Tilian]

Anyone who wants that is a fanclubber at heart, if not in fact. :smallwink:

It's funny, but I never thought I would join until she fell. Right at that moment, I had to jump on. I'm really looking forward to some tough atonement drama.


One thing I found strange though is that she's still acting like she's got the Paladin pole up her ass. Maybe it's because she's had it there for so long that it has become permanent

I really think it's just a Miko pole. One has to wonder what she'll be like once she finally loses it.


As it is now, Miko was shown mercy, and she didn't take it.
What she needs is a straightjacket, and THEN mercy.
Perhaps a whole lot of mercy.

Or some therapeutic bumping of uglies.

I'm pulling for something to happen in the heat of the moment with :roy:. How much would that mess them up? :smallwink:

[Demented]

I'm pulling for something to happen in the heat of the moment with :roy:. How much would that mess them up? :smallwink:

The Roy-ites would say they knew it all along. The Miko-ites would say that Roy has hit a new low for cheating on Celia. The belkar-ites would just stab everyone. And the neo-miko-ites would be jumping at the chance that she's somehow atoned.

Everyone else would be speculating that Durkon is about to get in on the action, just to cause strife, and would be making fan-art glorifying the subject. Followed by much melting of brains and burning of eyeballs.

Oh, and someone would make a Riko couple fanclub just to add to the pain.

It would be chaos.

[Tilian]

The Roy-ites would say they knew it all along. The Miko-ites would say that Roy has hit a new low for cheating on Celia. The belkar-ites would just stab everyone. And the neo-miko-ites would be jumping at the chance that she's somehow atoned.

Everyone else would be speculating that Durkon is about to get in on the action, just to cause strife, and would be making fan-art glorifying the subject. Followed by much melting of brains and burning of eyeballs.

Oh, and someone would make a Riko couple fanclub just to add to the pain.

It would be chaos.

This has potential! I welcome the hypothetical coming storm with open arms!

[Alfryd]

...It would be chaos.
Ahh... glorious, magnificent, vibrant Havoc.
Ah, the carnage, the mayhem, the wailing and the gnashing of teeth, yes, it swells like a dark symphony to a crescendo and denouement of madness.
BWAHAHAHAAH!

*ahem*
I'm CG, honest.

Anyways. If this did transpire. It would require that Roy and Miko be in company, alone, whilst travelling under non-hostile pretenses. This is improbable for the forseeable future. And Roy does have significant fondness for Celia, and Miko probably has the whole 'oath of chastity' thing going. Which would, of course, only add to the delectable pleasure of the act, but does make it marginally less likely.

*sighs.*

[Freelance Henchman]

I also see her issues exacerbated by conflicting class concepts: Monks are the epitome of relentless self-perfection. Paladins enjoy a gods-given state of grace. Mix the two, and you have a perfect recipe for hybris... it's no longer a gift from the gods, but a natural consequence for unwavering dedication. Paladins who don't grow the mandatory stick are not trying hard enough. Etc, etc.

At least in the computer games (NWN) this is something of a munchkin-y build. 1 level of Monk gives you a bunch of useful feats (Cleave, Evasion) and two levels of Paladin give you Divine Grace, Heavy Armor, martial weapons etc. After that just go with any class you *actually* want to be, and never bother with specific Monk- or Paladin-roleplaying again.

I wonder if the Giant may be making fun of munchkins with Miko? Or simply exploring how someone like that would actually have to be roleplayed?

[EvilElitest]

"What I see in this: Miko deliberately keeps others at a distance by acting in a way which ensures they won’t like her. In return, others--including the OotS--treat her just as badly as she treats them. When Durkon takes her side, and even more when Roy apologizes to her, she shows a very slight openness to friendship; but that opening is repeatedly closed when those she has alienated refuse to respond to her overtures, however slight they are.

As a result, Miko lives a life of aloneness even when she is in company; she is most comfortable, though certainly not happy, when the whole world stands against her, and she against the world. She probably believes friendship to be a weakness; her early love of her parents--we don’t know how old she was when they died, but she must have been very young indeed to have time to live at the monastery and gain several levels of Monk before the age of 13--could have been the only love she has ever truly felt.

Naturally, this sort of a life, deliberately and stubbornly alone, puts a lot of stress on someone; and Miko is no exception. Eventually, something had to give; and it did. Miko’s delusions--seen during the last few strips--are delusions of grandeur and paranoia, designed to keep her distanced from other people in the first case, and to make that distance seem like a good thing by making her feel as though she is intrinsically better than other people--“chosen by the gods”. They are essentially defenses against being wrong, against being fallible, against having to trust anyone but herself--something Miko truly fears."

Wow, that is a massive Maytr complex right their. Remarkable that you don't take into acount any of Miko's true flaws and how it is everyone elses fault. Ah zealatry, will it ever sence to find fault in others but fault in the things you like. Good day
From,
EE

[Lord Zentei]

Wow, that is a massive Maytr complex right their. Remarkable that you don't take into acount any of Miko's true flaws and how it is everyone elses fault. Ah zealatry, will it ever sence to find fault in others but fault in the things you like. Good day
From,
EE

First: quote tags are your friends.

Second: I doubt anyone here is denying her character flaws, but that's not to undermine analysis.

Third: how the holy FSM are you getting the idea that the poster in question is claiming that it is everyone else's fault with sentences such as this:


Miko deliberately keeps others at a distance by acting in a way which ensures they won’t like herSure doesn't seem like an attempt to shift blame to me, at any rate.

"Zealatry", indeed. Wow. :smallsigh:

[agentx42]

One of the best researched posts I've ever had the pleasure to read! YEAH!! Oh, and I appreciated the "unedited version" a lot better, from a purely biased standpoint. Just sayin'.

Ain't joining no Miko fan club until she atones, and that's gonaa be a long, looooong time...

[Zephra]

she's like that 'cause of the monestary she grew up in

[Demented]

Aiiieee, low-level thread necromancy!
Does this mean we'll now have an undead Miko?

[Draz74]

You missed a very important (one-panel cameo) appearance of Miko in #298.

[MReav]

But then there wouldn't be any more Miko! :frown:

Dude, I'm dubious that anyone Belkar takes out will be permanently removed.


This is why I think Belkar will kill Roy and/or V. In DnD, death isn't that big an obstacle.

[KillerCardinal]

I want a Miko atonement, too - think I may join the fan club then...Anyone who wants that is a fanclubber at heart, if not in fact. :smallwink:

After reading this, I decided to join. I love the character although she drives me nuts sometimes. Then again, I have most of my best friends are like that too:smallcool:!

[Mr Teufel]

Oh, and Roy's impersonating the King didn't have anything to do with it? Like you said, she allowed them to sleep in the inn (when by right, as her prisoners, she could've forced them to sleep in a ditch) and what was the result?

The inn blowing up, her almost getting sticked with the bill and almost losing her life. Yeah, I can see why she would be slightly ticked off. Amelia from Slayers constantly chastises Lina for her :over the top" responses but like Miko, she's right.
If the dwarf assassin hadn't brought two kegs of explosive for an assassination where he ostensibly wasn't going to use either, the inn would not have blown up. Since he didn't want to kill innocents, only to use the explosives as threats, why didn't he use fakes?
You can't blame OotS for foolish and incompetent assassins.

In this you can already see Miko's tendency not to bother with facts when something bolsters her world-view. "Self indulgence"="disaster" despite the fact the inn would likely have blown up, or at least the King of Somewhere have been assassinated, whether the party was in a ditch or not.


The problem is this. We, are reading about the OotS. Everyone else they interact with, are just props and thus not really a concern. When you have someone like Miko who is trying to bring "reality" to the series, of course she's going to see like a bad guy.

I mean, pre-chain gang, the main fault with Miko is that she didn't have a sense of humour. So?

It's a comedy. Not having a sense of humour in a comedy is a crime :smalltongue: or at least doesn't bode well for your character.

[Callista]

You missed a very important (one-panel cameo) appearance of Miko in #298.It's been added. Thanks.

[Karkadinn]

I also see her issues exacerbated by conflicting class concepts: Monks are the epitome of relentless self-perfection. Paladins enjoy a gods-given state of grace. Mix the two, and you have a perfect recipe for hybris... it's no longer a gift from the gods, but a natural consequence for unwavering dedication. Paladins who don't grow the mandatory stick are not trying hard enough. Etc, etc.

This is actually one of the best explanations for her psychological issues that I've ever seen. I'm startled that such a simple idea never occured to me before. And IMHO it's pretty accurate... the most major 'out of line' thing I can remember her doing early on (you know, before everything went FUBAR) is the 'Sleep in a ditch, not an inn!' thing, which is total monkishness at work.
Thinking along these lines, I'd be willing to bet that most of her problems stem, not from her paladin side, which places emphasis on doing smiting evil, but on her monk side, which places emphasis on weeding out personal weakness. You have to allow yourself to be human before you can allow other people the same luxury.

[Karkadinn]

Anyone who wants that is a fanclubber at heart, if not in fact. :smallwink:

What if you want all the characters to become good and join hands and sing songs of love and harmony, because you appreciate the entire cast and don't want to see Lovable Character A still condemned to fighting with Lovable Character B when it's time for the story to end?
I like Roy, I like Belkar, I like Elan, I like Haley, I like Xykon, I like Redcloak, I like Miko, I like Shojo, I like Thog, I like the flumphs, and I wish they could all just get along. :smallbiggrin: I will not wish even a fictional character to eternal damnation and misery, there's quite enough of that in the real world.

[Lord Zentei]

After reading this, I decided to join. I love the character although she drives me nuts sometimes. Then again, I have most of my best friends are like that too:smallcool:!

See, now that's the spirit! :smallcool:


What if you want all the characters to become good and join hands and sing songs of love and harmony, because you appreciate the entire cast and don't want to see Lovable Character A still condemned to fighting with Lovable Character B when it's time for the story to end?
I like Roy, I like Belkar, I like Elan, I like Haley, I like Xykon, I like Redcloak, I like Miko, I like Shojo, I like Thog, I like the flumphs, and I wish they could all just get along. :smallbiggrin: I will not wish even a fictional character to eternal damnation and misery, there's quite enough of that in the real world.

I have no idea whether that was meant to be sarcastic or not.

But in case it is sarcastic: pfffft! :smalltongue:

[Alfryd]

Dunno if it was that stupid really.
Typically speaking, impersonating a ruling monarch carries severe penalties under the best of circumstances. Also, for all the people noting Miko's 'divijne providence' excuse, didn't Roy use exactly that to justify his R&R?

You can't blame OotS for foolish and incompetent assassins.
You *can * blame them for trying to gut lawyers, impersonating monarchs and misplacing weaponry.

"Self indulgence"="disaster" despite the fact the inn would likely have blown up, or at least the King of Somewhere have been assassinated, whether the party was in a ditch or not.
Uh... I remind you that Roy explicitly lied about his impersonating the local monarch, so to Miko's knowledge the assassins were after greenhilt and greenhilt only, therefore she knows nothing about the mixup and the assassins' true target or intent.
I also remind you that the dwarven assassin had no intention of using the explosives against innocent targets, so it took Belkar to trip the fuse.
You seem to be in the habit of disregarding a few pertinent pertaining facts of the case yourself.


Not having a sense of humour in a comedy is a crime...
Now, now. There have been glimmers of wit here and there.

I also see her issues exacerbated by conflicting class concepts: Monks are the epitome of relentless self-perfection. Paladins enjoy a gods-given state of grace. Mix the two, and you have a perfect recipe for hybris...
Or, alternatively, a perfect recipe for introspective humility. It's like the old parable of the bimbo and the nerd. "Let's get together. With my looks and your brains, our kids could do anything."
"Yes my dear, but what if the converse were to occur?"

I will not wish even a fictional character to eternal damnation and misery, there's quite enough of that in the real world.
I agree wholeheartedly, but the problem, as one guy said, is that the boredom you get in heaven is only slightly better than the excitement you get in hell.

[Tilian]

I agree wholeheartedly, but the problem, as one guy said, is that the boredom you get in heaven is only slightly better than the excitement you get in hell.

Nah, all we need to do is have someone keep tugging Miko along the alignment axis and not stop until she's at CG. She'll have much more fun in Arborea than she would with those ol' stick in the mud at Mount Celestia! Or even worse, Arcadia...

(though honestly, Elysium is my favorite of the bunch)

[Alfryd]

Nah, all we need to do is have someone keep tugging Miko along the alignment axis and not stop until she's at CG.
Well, I meant to illustrate that blissful paradise doesn't ordinarily make for great entertainment.

:belkar: "Greetings, then, to ye fellow baskers in the idyl of Asgard! Tell me so, how fare ye all?"
:redcloak: "Idylically!"
:belkar: "Very good. Very good. Ah, so... are there any amusing slipups or inconveniences one might narrate by way of diversion from our... ah, idyl?"
:miko: "Slipup?"
:redcloak: "Why that would imply there was something wrong."
:miko: "Heaven forfend one should ever be inconvenienced!"
:redcloak: "I find this conversation perturbs me greatly. I am off to bask."
:miko: "In idyl, one presumes!"
:belkar: "Hah ha! Kill me now."
:miko: "Haven't we been over this?"

[Iranon]

Or, alternatively, a perfect recipe for introspective humility. It's like the old parable of the bimbo and the nerd. "Let's get together. With my looks and your brains, our kids could do anything."
"Yes my dear, but what if the converse were to occur?"

Every conflict is a chance for personal growth - particularly if it is resolved successfully. I didn't mean to say this was the inevitable outcome, but holding oneself to high personal standards yet remaining tolerant towards people who don't is rather exceptional.

[Ampersand]

Nah, all we need to do is have someone keep tugging Miko along the alignment axis and not stop until she's at CG. She'll have much more fun in Arborea than she would with those ol' stick in the mud at Mount Celestia! Or even worse, Arcadia...

(though honestly, Elysium is my favorite of the bunch)

I think Miko would actually be better off in Ysgard than Arborea. In Arborea they party and (since a lot of them are elves) talk about how pretty they all are...in Ysgard, you get to party, drink tons of mead, throw axes at young womens' plaits, and go out, die gloriously on the field of battle, and be better in time for the next feast.

:durkon: This...this not be wha I was expectin'...
:miko: Lighten up, Durkon. C'mon, party at Loki's. Do I look okay in this steel bustier? One of the valkyries gave it to me.
:durkon: Err...aye, lass.

[Alfryd]

...in Ysgard, you get to party, drink tons of mead, throw axes at young womens' plaits, and go out, die gloriously on the field of battle, and be better in time for the next feast.
Oh. In that case, I'm sure Belkar would fit in splendidly.

[Ampersand]

Oh. In that case, I'm sure Belkar would fit in splendidly.

Nah...first of all, Belkar's not cool enough to be a Viking. Miko's a ninja, which is like a baby step away from Viking terms of coolness. And there's the issue that Ysgard is the border plane between Arobera and Limbo, meaning that while it's Chaotic there's also a healthy dose of Good in there too, mostly expressed in a "brothers in arms, I kill you now but that doesn't mean I hold it against you later in the mead hall" way.

Besides, find an Asgardian deity willing to leave finger prints on the wreck of the Bitterleaf Express and I'll give you a shiney copper. Not even Loki or Hel would touch that particular wreck...just because they're amoral doesn't mean they don't have standards. He might be able to get in with the giants, though. On the other hand, I could see Tyr or (particularly) Heimdall playing "Bait the Snarl" with the Twelve for a crack at Miko's soul.

[Josh Inno]

Belkar is a Barbarian! If he got his alignment in order, how would he not qualify for Ysgard?

[Demented]

And there's the issue that Ysgard is the border plane between Arobera and Limbo, meaning that while it's Chaotic there's also a healthy dose of Good in there too, mostly expressed in a "brothers in arms, I kill you now but that doesn't mean I hold it against you later in the mead hall" way.

Strangely enough, you couldn't make a heaven more perfect for Belkar than that.
Well, assuming there are ogres are involved.

Of course, boost his wisdom and it would be a perfect hell.

[EvilElitest]

First: quote tags are your friends.

Second: I doubt anyone here is denying her character flaws, but that's not to undermine analysis.

Third: how the holy FSM are you getting the idea that the poster in question is claiming that it is everyone else's fault with sentences such as this:

Sure doesn't seem like an attempt to shift blame to me, at any rate.

"Zealatry", indeed. Wow. :smallsigh:


Ah, and i just finished defending you on the PC make armies irrvelvent thread, ouch.
What i am commeting upon, while i have no problem with a history of Miko, the whole thing seems very slanted. Hell look at the complete collection near hte beggining. It is all about how unloved miko is, how evil everyone else is ect. I don't mike fanclubs, but i like the unbais way.

[Justinian]

Belkar is a Barbarian! If he got his alignment in order, how would he not qualify for Ysgard?

Belkar is going to the Abyss where he belongs. He's going to be some Balor's plaything.

There is, however, the possibility that upon the OOTS defeating the Snarl, the gods will take mercy upon him. Otherwise, yeah, he's pretty much Blood War fodder.

[V Junior]

Couldn't have put it better myself!

Using this information, one could probably track Miko's psycology, relationships, actions, ect. And that's what I'll do! Thanks Callista!

[dragongirl13]

Justinian's right about Belkar in the fact that he's gonna go to the Abyss, but Belkar would sooner kill the balor for XP and get energy drained by a succubus in halfling form than be the balor's plaything.

[TARINunit9]

Try as you might, you can't change the fact that Miko is an overbearing, self-righteous, uptight, closeminded *****. But you DID make a good explanation for those adjectives of hers! Well, better get back to work! Or sleep. Or whatever...

[Callista]

Figured I'd do one last update on my Miko history. The first post now contains all the comics she appears in, as well as some of my own musings about her life.

Kudos to Rich for a fascinating character. Too bad Miko had to die so soon--I'll miss her.

[David Argall]

Though the blowing up of inn really wasn't the OOTS fault. Heck, Roy really saved the ass of the king y impresonating him^^


The blowing up of the inn was very much the fault of the OOTS, Roy in particular, and Roy was fully aware of this as is shown by his ordering the inn evacuated. He deemed it a substantial risk that just what did happen would happen. If he had done nothing, the assassins would have escaped into the night reasonably harmlessly. That the assassins in particular, and Belkar accidentally also bear much blame does not absolve Roy. In any court case for damages, Roy is liable.

That he was trying to catch the assassins does not protect him here, tho it might well get Miko's approval. The cop is not allowed to ruin the lives of innocent bystanders merely because he hopes to catch a crook.

[teratorn]

David, this thread is undead. Callista just made a few final touches on the timeline. Look at the dates in the posts.

[Callista]

Yeah, but I did have to post that I'd finished the chronology, or nobody would've read it.

[Ariko]

Miko's a ninja

I know..its close to 2 weeks old, but I have to ask..Miko a ninja? since when? :smallconfused:

The quote is almost 2 weeks old I mean. not the last post

[teratorn]

The quote is almost 2 weeks old I mean. not the last post

You forgot to add 5 months to those two weeks (it's from 02-17-2007).

[Roupe]

#463:

At her death, Miko indirectly admits, possibly for the first time, that she has been wrong; but this is too little and too late for redemption.
I respectfully disagree with this, no evidence of that. In this comic thought bubbles have occured. A thought that was regretfull or that would have miko admit or regret, I would classify such a thought as significant to warrent a drawn thought bubble -and yet there isnt one drawn.

Mikos face expressions
:sigh:- when asking for reward
(could be hope or urging)- telling soon to catch the enemies
(could be Hope)-asking if she would be reinstated as paladin
(Shocked, unhappy or frown) when beeing told that she was wronged
:annoyed: this is annoyed-when told she has failed redemption,
:sigh: (could be tired/weary) - -asking about windstriker & last words

Thus I see No face expression, showing that she is admitting she did wrong.

No statement such as, "Im sorry" ,"Forgive me". So no proof that she admits to her faults.

Soon gave her a chance to achive a late realisation of her wrongdoings "Anagnorisis" -but there is a absence of signs (bubbles, drawn expression or speech )- that shows her to accepting it.

Instead she shows acceptance of her upcomming fate and closure with it.


Miko will go to an afterlife different from that she might have had, if she had died a paladin--but one to which she can be escorted by paladins, and one at which Windstriker, a celestial warhorse, can visit her.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2936160&postcount=68

[Callista]

Miko accepts her fate--that of not being with the other paladins. From this I conclude that she is showing the very first understanding of her error, in not protesting being sent to a lesser afterlife and in submitting to Soon's judgment. (If you will remember, earlier on, she found a way to explain her way around the gods' judgment!--that she does not do this with Soon's verdict is already a sign of improvement.)

I do agree this is not enough for actual redemption. She has not yet actually admitted "I was wrong", nor felt remorse; she's still going by her sense of Law--that is, justice--and that sense tells her that her fate is just. So building on that, she could conceivably understand the situation in its fullest, given time to reflect on it.

[Gol_Stoan]

Miko has my vote for atonement. I miss her in the story. She sort of reminds me of a female version of Javert (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javert) from Les Miserables.


Probity, sincerity, candor, conviction, the sense of duty, are things which may become hideous when wrongly directed; but which, even when hideous, remain grand: their majesty, the majesty peculiar to the human conscience, clings to them in the midst of horror; they are virtues which have one vice,--error. The honest, pitiless joy of a fanatic in the full flood of his atrocity preserves a certain lugubriously venerable radiance. Without himself suspecting the fact, Javert in his formidable happiness was to be pitied, as is every ignorant man who triumphs. Nothing could be so poignant and so terrible as this face, wherein was displayed all that may be designated as the evil of the good.

-Victor Hugo

[Dalboz of Gurth]

If Miko were to be resurrected she would need to change her attitude, or become a ninja-type.

Otherwise, I hope the only place we see her is as a ghost talking to Roy.

She really started acting a lot like Elena the Fallen-Paladin Domain Lord from Ravenloft

[Green Bean]

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h87/osiris32/gallery_2063_3_17264.jpg

[MCerberus]

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h87/osiris32/gallery_2063_3_17264.jpg

I tap my snarky response card.

[Dalboz of Gurth]

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h87/osiris32/gallery_2063_3_17264.jpg

I see your smart alec card, and raise you a motivational poster:


http://members.aol.com/dalbozofgurth/startrek/bleach_opinion.jpg