Favorite OOTS Character Tournament: #12 SHOJO vs #5 BELKAR

[alwaysbebatman]

Voting is closed.

I want to keep this tournament rolling on schedule, but life is getting in the way, so I will pretty up this top post later.

For now: LORD SHOJO vs BELKAR BITTERLEAF. WINNER GETS MR. SCRUFFY. No, actually, the winner survives to face either Roy or Blackwing in Round 2.

Which cat companion do you prefer?

GO!

[Ruck]

Aww, man. What a tough matchup. As Tracy Jordan would say, the mentor vs. the manatee. I'm gonna have to think about this one. (I put Belkar higher on my ballot-- he's funnier for longer and his character development has been a treat-- but Shojo is one of my two or three favorite supporting characters.)

[Euclidodese]

I'm voting for the icon, the man, the myth, the living legend, the franchise player, the cult of personality, and the quintessential stud-muffin:

The five star general, the front line veteran, the man your mother warned you about, and the only man who matters, the coolest thing since the other side of the pillow, and the funniest gag in the whole damn comic:

The first six numbers on your girlfriend's speed-dial and undoubtedly The Sexy Shoeless God of War:

Your boy: Belkar "I don't know what I'd do if I woke up in the morning and I wasn't me." Bitterleaf.

Remember that name… You'll be screaming it later.

[Peelee]

Shojo.

Also, when the vote's over, you should put a big bold "Voting has ended" thing in the first post. And last post. And people will still ignore it. Fun, right?

[alwaysbebatman]

Ah, I didn't think to put it in the top post, thanks for the suggestion!

[Rogan]

:belkar:

Shojo was an interesting ruler and played an important role, but he can not compare to Belkar
Think of all the Splashpanels The Sexy Shoeless God of War got...

[martianmister]

Shojo all the way.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Lord Shojo, I guess.

[bguy]

Lord Shojo.

[2D8HP]

:vaarsuvius: Look—look here. He is perched upon my shoulder this very moment.
:belkar: I don't see anything.
:vaarsuvius: That is because you have the sensory acuity of loose gravel, you moron!
:belkar:...Did you just call me a cutie?


:roy: Is he flipping me off as he floats gently down to the ground?
:elan: Belkar, that's the wrong kind of bird! That one can't fly!!



The Belkster gets the nod.

[Arkku]

Sexy shoeless god of war! I vote Belkar.

[Hamste]

I like both but going with Lord Shojo.

[Dr.Zero]

Shojo is lovable.

Belkar is just the one with the most great punchlines in the comic. And two of the most epic scenes (the dream+the aftermath battle, and the battle at Azure City). And...

Oh, sorry, Lord Shojo, but Belkar gets the vote.

[drazen]

Not really a huge fan of either. Belkar's recent growth is nice, but he was an irritant for hundreds of strips. Meanwhile, Shojo didn't do all that much.

Nonetheless, I'll vote for Shojo on this one.

[Sylian]

Belkar gets my vote.

[littlebum2002]

Belkar


Belkar gets my vote.

I'm sorry, I have to tease you just one more time...

Don't you mean "Belkar gets my vote, based on his amazing prequel story Uncivil Servant, available now on PDF"?

[Laurana]

I like Shojo, but Belkar is just fantastic (like Euclidodese said :smallcool: :smallbiggrin:). I vote for the sweet halfling.

[alwaysbebatman]

Belkar Bitterleaf

[Sylian]

Don't you mean "Belkar gets my vote, based on his amazing prequel story Uncivil Servant, available now on PDF"?Pay what you want*.

*Minimum payment $1.

Some of Belkar's best moments are, in my opinion, in Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tales, available both in PDF and print.

[Potatomade]

Belkar. Can't say no to the evil bastard.

[137beth]

I'm going with Belkar. He's sustained my interest longer than the now-dead Shojo.

[Joerg]

Shojo. I still don't like Belkar.

[white lancer]

I think this vote would have been different for me a few years ago, as Shojo was one of my favorite NPCs while Belkar was easily my least favorite member of the Order...but I think Belkar's development after the Malack/Durkon stuff has pushed him ahead for me. I'm voting Belkar (even if I still find him overrated--#5 seed, really?).

[KorvinStarmast]

Arrgh, hard choice.

Voting Belkar, because I played so many hobbits and halflings over the years (edition dependent). But this is a very hard choice. Shojo is such a great character, but since I love to cook, and Belkar is a gourmet cook, and he whipped up that impromptu dish in the middle of the battle, I'll vote him over Shojo this time. But maybe not next time.

[Fincher]

Belkar, Belkar, Belkar.

[L8r]

Lord Shojo of course.

[LadyEowyn]

Voting for Shojo.

[Concept]

Shojo

Going with the underdog here because Shojo owned and subsequently dream-mentored Belkar. Kind of an unfortunate pairing for Belkar.

[JbeJ275]

Shojo

Belkar would be nothing but a one-dimensional murderhobo if it wasn't for the advice he got from Shojo. For that shojo deserves our thanks.

[Mandor]

Rough. Both characters have had some serious Moments of Awesome in the strip.
But I like Shojo better, and he gets my vote.

True, Shojo is ultimately a side character, and Belkar is in the Order.
But I still burst out laughing when Shojo is mimicking the skeleton of his dead wizard talking to Roy and then throwing it at Roy after the incident wtih teh Roc.

[NontheistCleric]

Shojo. Shojo.

[The Curt Jester]

My vote is for Shojo. I like Belkar, but Shojo is the one who gave him a kick to start the character development going. Belkar can thank him.

[StreamOfTheSky]

I like both, but Belkar is one of the best characters in the comic.

[Zaclock]

The dead wizard jokes were A-MA-ZING! And Belkar , ex aequo with Xykon in being hilariously hateable, is the one who appreciated them the most!

[KishouTheBadger]

Belkar. He's a murderous sociopath but dammit is he hilarious, even when he's the butt of a joke, like the "Welcome to the Village of Lickmyorangeballshalfling" punchline.

[Chei]

I'll give it to Shojo. He was funny in his own right, and Belkar would still be one-dimensional without him.

[Ruck]

What's the deadline on this vote?

[Kardwill]

Mmmh, the sensei or the student, heh?

Although he's funny, I really dislike "callous stupid psycho who think he's cool" characters, and Belkar really grated on my nerves. But his slow transformation, the way he's started showing signs of empathy while still being Belkar, and the fact he seems to be not completely oblivious of the fact... The little guy is really growing on me, lately

So Belkar

[alwaysbebatman]

@Ruck: all polls are to be open a full week. I will close this batch sometime on the 5th and declare winners. Or if I forget to close it, any vote after midnight on the 5th will not count.

ETA: Also, be sure to check out the full updated schedule I just posted to the tournament discussion thread.

[Peelee]

@Ruck: all polls are to be open a full week. I will close this batch sometime on the 5th and declare winners. Or if I forget to close it, any vote after midnight on the 5th will not count.

ETA: Also, be sure to check out the full updated schedule I just posted to the tournament discussion thread.

Midnight occurs 24 times a day. CST, GMT, UTC+2?

Not trying to be a pain or anything, just figured a clear, exact answer is helpful if you ever need to reference it in the future.

[alwaysbebatman]

Oh, sure. To be clear: assuming I close it, that's when it closes. On the off chance I'm super busy and never get around to closing AND somebody tries to throw in a last minute vote, I will count it as long as it's before midnight their time.

Unlikely situation, but yeah. If I haven't announced a winner and it's still that day in your own time zone, your vote can still count.

Unless I ninja you while you're typing it... 😂

[Euclidodese]

Midnight occurs 24 times a day. CST, GMT, UTC+2?Weirdly enough, there are actually 39 different time zones.

Shout out to OOTS fans in Nepal! (GMT+05:45)

:smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbi ggrin:

[Peelee]

Weirdly enough, there are actually 39 different time zones.

Shout out to OOTS fans in Nepal! (GMT+05:45)

:smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbi ggrin:

Damn, I even googled how many time zones before I wrote that to make sure.

[Liquor Box]

This is no contest. The strip is still primarily about getting laughs, and Belkar is responsible for more laughs than any other character in the strip, and possibly more than all other characters combined. He's had his own epic moments, like when he entered the fray at the thieve's guild and turned the tide. And his character development/stroy arc is probably more interesting and realistic than any of the other protagonists.

A couple of people have pointed out that Shojo was influential in Blekar's character development. Would those same people choose Tarquin over Elan because of his influence? Without Shojo, Belkar would still be the sexy shoeless god of war. Without Belkar, Shojo would just be a quest-giver.

[Ruck]

What's the current tally?

[alwaysbebatman]

Man, I haven't tallied anything for three or four days. There are three contests that finish tomorrow, I will get those updated first. I'll get to these other three later this evening. Probably.

[Ruck]

Oh, yeah, no rush. I'm having a hard time deciding so I'm trying to push it to the last possible minute and see what I feel in my gut.

[alwaysbebatman]

This has been a dramatic struggle, with the underdog getting big runs, just to be cut off when they force a tie.


12 vs 5 Nods
#5) :belkar: Belkar Bitterleaf 18
#12) http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i294/trytoguess/Shojo.png Lord Shojo 14

[GuySmiley1970]

I like Shojo for sure, but Belkar gets my vote.

[KarlMarx]

Belkar has managed to sustain character development while also keeping what's funny about him.

It's true that Lord Shojo started that, but at this point Durkon has played a similar role, so I can't go the Shojo-because-Belkar route.

I vote for the Sexy Shoeless God of War himself,

Belkar Bitterleaf

[alwaysbebatman]

Any last minute votes, you have about 24...


12 vs 5 [th] Nods
[/td] #5) :belkar: Belkar Bitterleaf 20
#12) http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i294/trytoguess/Shojo.png Lord Shojo 14


Winner goes on to face Roy or Blackwing tomorrow.

[Ruck]

Mmm, I think that's wide enough for me to vote Shojo; though I like Belkar, Shojo is the kind of character I'd love to get some prequel stories on.

[elros]

Good job pairing these too. Makes for a tight contest.
But I vote for Belkar. First of all, he supplies most of the one liners in the comic (e.g. first panel here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0028.html)). And he headlines an entry on TV Tropes (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeroicComedicSociopath), and receives mention (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SociopathicHero) in several (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CharacterDevelopment) others (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AntiHero).
The Giant gets a lot of mileage out of this guy...

[alwaysbebatman]

21/15 in Belkar's favor. Just a few hours left to get in those last-minute votes!

Winner goes on to face Roy or Blackwing, that contest will start this afternoon/ evening, right after this one finishes.

Voting is closed. Roy will face Belkar in their 2nd round matchup asap.