What would have happened...

[ghoul-n]

...if Elan didn't kiss Haley all the way back in #400?

Like, imagine this scenario:

:haley:: "...Therefore I think the best thing to do is just put it behind us and act like adventuring professionals. We're both adults, ostensibly, so while it may make things a bit awkward, I don't see any reason why we can't just forget it and move on."

:elan:: "OK, see ya tomorrow, we can buy some ice cream if you want." *walks away*

:haley:: ...:smallfrown:

So, what the consequences would be?

Would her speech problems and self-loathing have resurfaced eventually?
What would have become of Elan as of #438?
Could they have had another shot at the romance somewhere down the road?
Would Therkla have made that Fortitude save after all?
How would the meeting between Haley, Bozzok and Crystal went (if went at all)?
Would Haley end up leading the Resistance anyway or gone totally rogue after being abandoned with Belkar?
How would the plot between Elan, Nale and Tarquin differ?
Was there any lasting impact on lives and well-being of other members of the Order and/or that of recurring characters'?

[Jasdoif]

I don't think it'd be overly different, at least for the next book or so; it's not like Haley's existence is dependent on her relationship with Elan. She and Elan are still members of the Order of the Stick, she (and Belkar) were hanging around in Azure City waiting for Durkon to contact them for an extraction, she (and Belkar and Celia) headed out from Azure City to get Roy resurrected, and Tarquin's problem with Elan and Roy had little to do with Haley.


With that out of the way....I think it unlikely Therkla would've survived; it didn't look like the kind of situation that would provide a bonus on a save, assuming a bonus would've been sufficient to make a difference. Therkla might consent to being raised from the dead after being killed by the poison, contingent on the Azure Fleet having (or being able to get) enough diamond dust to do it; raising Therkla at the expense of being able to resurrect Roy isn't a bet I'd find in Therkla's favor.


Ian and Geoff would almost certainly still be in jail. Haley wouldn't have told Elan (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0681.html) about Ian being held in Tyrinaria (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0680.html), meaning Elan Elan wouldn't have made the connection (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0759.html), so he wouldn't have any reason to tell Haley (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0764.html), and therefore Haley wouldn't have gone to the prison to see Ian (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0769.html) or told Roy to take Ian with him (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0773.html), so Roy wouldn't have convinced Tarquin to release Ian and Geoff (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0813.html).

And because of that, Geoff couldn't tell Bozzok anything about where Haley was (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0942.html), which might have prevented Bozzok intercepting Haley at Tinkertown (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0974.html) and the Crystal golem encounter.

[Synesthesy]

...if Elan didn't kiss Haley all the way back in #400?

Like, imagine this scenario:

:haley:: "...Therefore I think the best thing to do is just put it behind us and act like adventuring professionals. We're both adults, ostensibly, so while it may make things a bit awkward, I don't see any reason why we can't just forget it and move on."

:elan:: "OK, see ya tomorrow, we can buy some ice cream if you want." *walks away*

:haley:: ...:smallfrown:

So, what the consequences would be?

Would her speech problems and self-loathing have resurfaced eventually?
What would have become of Elan as of #438?
Could they have had another shot at the romance somewhere down the road?
Would Therkla have made that Fortitude save after all?
How would the meeting between Haley, Bozzok and Crystal went (if went at all)?
Would Haley end up leading the Resistance anyway or gone totally rogue after being abandoned with Belkar?
How would the plot between Elan, Nale and Tarquin differ?
Was there any lasting impact on lives and well-being of other members of the Order and/or that of recurring characters'?

The end of that book would have been the same - the party split -, but what next?
I think that Hayley would have done exactly the same, as she is still good and loyal to the Order, while Elan would have made a romance with the sexy ninja girl, as it's his own bard duty to do so, as with Samantha. And as Therkla is truly in love with him, maybe he would love her too. This could lead to a big butterfly effect on the next arcs...

[Jay R]

Elan would be a very different character, some readers would have left because the characterizations aren't consistent and the story's less fun, and somebody other than Rich would be the author.

There is no legitimate way that a carefully reasoned intellectual argument keeps Elan from trying to make out with a girl who just said she was in love with him.

It's like in the bard charter or something.

[No, it is **NOT** true that the bard charter only discusses female bad guys, and ignores female good guys. No.]

[DeliaP]

Elan would be a very different character, some readers would have left because the characterizations aren't consistent and the story's less fun, and somebody other than Rich would be the author.

There is no legitimate way that a carefully reasoned intellectual argument keeps Elan from trying to make out with a girl who just said she was in love with him.

It's like in the bard charter or something.

[No, it is **NOT** true that the bard charter only discusses female bad guys, and ignores female good guys. No.]

Perhaps more relevant is that Elan has already (Pg 2 Panel 6, 11 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0367.html), Panel 3 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0389.html)) realised his own feelings for Haley....

[And what does the bard charter have to say about male bad guys?]