OOTS #316 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[ArlEammon]

Awww. Poor Haley.

[Elnaith]

Great comic! I love the look on some faces over there :).

[Lianae]

Nooooooo! Haley!

Also, the look on V and Durkon's faces: Classic.

[Guntarrr]

Wow, I get to be one of the proud and few to witness it in the first five minutes of posting.

[Erlindur]

Awww. Poor V.

[PhoeKun]

Did you ever laugh while you felt bad at the same time? The last panel in this strip did that to me.

Also, I will never tire of jokes involving dwarves and alcohol. Ever.

[Zzarchov]

ug poor V!

REGARDLESS of Gender I feel I should add..thats just nasty..

[Leo_Forestclaw]

I'm not sure which is worse, Haley not kissing Elan or V getting kissed by Belkar.

Still sort of twitching over the B and V kiss... so. many. questions. Like. Ice. Cream. Headache.

ARGH.

BTW, Rich, the strip has been looking *GREAT* these last few weeks. Just wanted to say so.

[JustyUekiTylor]

OH MY GOD!!! That was beautiful. Can't stop laughing. Belkar... kissed... V!!! One must wonder what he will be thinking the next morning. And poor Haley stil couldn't bring herself to kiss Elan. We'll see how long that ultimately takes (i'm betting quite a while).

[Shauky]

Poor Haley? Belkar will be the one having a headache! Yeah yeah, poor Haley as well :-)

Yay, first page!

-Shauky

[theKOT]

Hehehehehe. Oh, I loved Belkar kissing V! This one made me laugh more than any comic has for a long time. I love dwarven drinking traditions. Agh! I've burst a jugular and I'm spraying fanboy all over this post! Better critique something...
Is that supposed to be vomit or drool on Belkars face?

[Adder]

Great strip, but... So cruel... Poor Haley

EDIT: It' just like "Gone with the Wind"... I keep rereading it, in the hope that the end might change :'(

It nevertheless is a great strip, mind you, it's just so sad.

[Krytha]

WAAAAAGHHH!! OMG!

ARGH! TOO! FUNNY! MUST! NOT! DIE!

oooh... Belkar... I think V is going to need a mark of Justice to prevent homicide... or... hobbicide... *hides from lawyers*

[Zaku_III]

No, pretty much whenever someone counts.

Edit: First page by the skin of my teeth.

[Lo_aJeNo]

good strip :D
However, what about V and Belkar? Is finally V a female? or has belkar a dark past we dont know :D?

I'm sure Haley says "happy new year"

[theKOT]

Huh, Roy and Celia are still first-basin' it up there.

good strip :D
However, what about V and Belkar? Is finally V a female? or has belkar a dark past we dont know :D?
Ten+ beers makes V look like Paris Hilton.

[JungeonJeff]

Has Haley's last comment been translated yet? -I mean, I thought the gaming forum was har to get an overveiw of... :-/

But yes, indeed, poor Haley

[TheWanderingLlama]

Wow.... Poor, poor Haley....

Any thoughts as to what Haley says? I was thinking "That's my life" at first, but that doesn't quite work out.

[xyzchyx]

Poor Haley??

Poor V!

Anyways... great comic. As always. Happy southern new year.

[Edna]

Poor Haley :(

Is Belkar going to remember this in the morning?

Edna

[EscherEnigma]

I... feel really really bad for Haley. And I'm not gonna bother translating her statement, but I'm sure it's something depressing.

[divine]

ok fanboyz where is my haley translation? about the end of the second page here already ;)

[Gary_Howard]

Has Haley's last comment been translated yet? -I mean, I thought the gaming forum was har to get an overveiw of... :-/

But yes, indeed, poor Haley

"Happy New Year."

[Krytha]

Man, I was about to demand translations, but apparently its up already (not through actual work, but guessing is just as good)!

Aww... Poor Haley

[Skyserpent]

Wheeehehehehheeheheheheee!
and poor haley...

[Glorfindel]

Happy new OotSyear :)

Great comic! I feel pity for V, (s)he should cast Alter Memory on ()self for this.

Belkar might be thinking he is Medium-sized, but alcohol seems to have as much effect as when he was Small-sized ;)

[eof]

Has Haley's last comment been translated yet?
Easy. "Happy New Year."

[Lilly]

I don't know wether or not to feel more sorry for V or for Haley. I think Haley's winning. V can rightly fireball the dirty little halfling to next tuesday.

But as a general comment, the "SIX" in the gradient looks a little funky.

[TheWanderingLlama]

"Happy New Year."


Oh, duh. Why didn't I think of that??

[sorwrith]

V and Belkar.....


EWW... JUST EWW....

[EscherEnigma]

Oh, duh. Why didn't I think of that??
because you were feeling bad for Haley? I know that's MY excuse.

[TheWanderingLlama]

because you were feeling bad for Haley? I know that's MY excuse.


Me too! (I'm an excuse pirate.)

[Gunslinger47]

Heh. That answers this (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=comics;action=display;num=1145892368 ) question, doesn't it? ;D

[Gamaliel_the_Bard]

Ahhh...The Fun, the Humor, the Love, the Pain of a New Years Night...sigh.

I am glad for Roy and Celia, sad for Haley and Elan.
I'm ROFLMAO at Belkar and V, and wondering if Durkon has scroll to cure the hangovers soon to be.


On an artistic note: I like how The Giant mixed together the blue of Celia's speech and the white of Roy's speech as they were counting down at "six". Nice effect.

Haley Translated: " Happy New Year."

Add-on:

On page 6 Reply#83:
warmachine said:

It is curious that, at midnight, Elan turns to face Haley and expects her to do something. Was he expecting a kiss or a hug? Does he know taking the initiative and approaching her would frighten her? Why doesn't he chase her and tell her that random women kissing him at midnight is nothing compared to their friendship?

I have respect for Elan for not taking advantage of the situation. He could have tried making a move but didn't, more out of compassion for Haley and not because of cluelessness. He obviously got the "hint" Haley wanted to be with just him on this night when she rolled successfully on her "grapple".

[Jonathan_Crane]

I know I should be feeling sorry for Haley, but man, that girl needs to go to the Wizard and get herself some courage. And any pity for her was washed away by the Belkar - Vaarsuvius kiss. Once again, fate conspires to inflict grievous psychological harm on the long-suffering elf. Oh, and Roy - YOU DA MAN!

[xyzchyx]

Y'know... in the last panel, everybody's pretty much done their midnight smooch, but Roy and Celia are still goin' at it....

Talk about yer public displays of affection...

[Jannex]

GAH! Haley! You see? This is what happens when you don't listen to the voice in your head that tells you to do things!

Erm, wait...

But yeah; come on, Haley--what's it going to take? Almost-certain death? Do you want to speak normally again or what?

...Okay, I'll stop yelling at the fictional character now... :-X

[illathid]

wow... i've never had so many conflicting emotions come from a source other than real life... Giant, you truly are master of tales.

[Flak_Razorwill]

Wow.

Just...wow.

I gotta sit down.

[Gengy]

An act of drunkeness? Or... an act of Belkar Vengence? (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=221)

Well played, Rich. Well played. I now lament that I must wait till about Monday to see the next strip.

[Invariel]

V getting kissed by Belkar is nothing but revenge. (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=129)

All in all, it's nice to see Roy having a good time, though I can't help but feel sorry for Haley. Poor girl.

[Gary_Howard]

At least Elan seems concerned about Haley. That says a lot for him.

[Shadow_of_Light]

I am glad for Roy and Celia, sad for Haley and Elan.
I'm ROFLMAO at Belkar and V.

That echoes my feelings perfectly. :)

Although I'm surprised V didn't blast Belkar to pieces after that kiss! (S)he must have been seriously gobsmacked.

Poor Haley. She was finally taking the first step towards Elan in the third last panel... then got beaten to the punch. :/

I wonder if Belkar will remember ANYTHING the next day. Heh. ;D

[Krytha]

I know I should feel bad for V for having come into physical contact with that diminuitive scumbag rodent, but I can't stop grinning like an idiot!

I wonder if Roy and Celia are going to come down this...
HEY! GET A ROOM ALREADY!

There is no party like New Years in Azure City.

[Bozidar]

Eww! Belkar kissed a maybe-guy! ;)

[DraxtonSmitz]

I actually read it scrolling down REALLY slow to be more dramatic. I was shocked at the end!!

[malcolm]

Well many of us have always known that V is a girl, but that aside - nice use of gradients in the speech bubble "SIX." you've come a long way giant and the comic looks great ;D

[molonel]

Agh! I've burst a jugular and I'm spraying fanboy all over this post! Better critique something...

Fear not. I'm still here.

:D

[Martok]

1st reaction: "This is a New Year's tradition?" "No, pretty much whene'er anyone counts." LOL!

2nd reaction: Go Roy and Celia! Woohoo!

3rd reaction: WTF??! Did Belkar just....NO WAY! HE DIDN'T!! HE DID!! OH MY GOD!!! And the shocked look on Durkon's face? Priceless. :D

4th reaction: Oh, Haley. :'( [sigh]

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

has anyone noticed how progressively less happy elan looks, particularly after he was kissed by that non-haley woman?

[LesserHellspawn]

Is it me, or is Elan having just as much difficulties with showing affection as Haley does ?

There he is, expecting the kiss from Haley, even asking when she stays frozen, and then some other chick ruins it.

The look on his face, when she is walking away in the last panel, isn't exactly happiness. I guess he cares more for here than we have so far guessed.

[ZacK88]

WooT!!

Very Cool, V- Belkar... I would have never put that together...

Its good to know that the spoiler came true.. I don't know where the post is, but someone thought that some off the wall chick, might pop up and steal haley's kiss..
Love the effect on the #6 in panel 7 tho.. Awesome!!

Overall, Extreamely well worth staying up till 1 in the morning.

G'nite all,

ZacK

[jaredforshey]

Long-time reader of the comics and lurker of the boards, today inspired to create an account simply to add to the lavish praises already heaped upon #316.

Rich, really nice work. If you're giving any talks at Origins, I'm so there!

[The Doctor]

Perhaps Belkar has, deep down, a total crush on V. Or perhaps it's just his way to deal with loneliness. B&V... it would be a very volatile relationship.

Now Haley... that is sad. But how dimwitted can Elan be? I hope he goes after her. This would be the moment to show that she is good enough for him...

[Rainee_Sue]

For about three seconds when I first read the comic, I thought Generic Azurian Chick #14 there was Miko.

So while I still feel bad for Haley, it's not so gutwrenching an "OMGWTF" as it was when I first scrolled down.

As for V and Belkar... well, Belkar is as small as Durkon, if not smaller, and without the traditional dwarven iron liver. Not only did he probably not know who V was, he probably didn't know who HE was at that point.

[Neal]

Maybe Belkar's just trying to solve a long-standing debate. After all, it LOOKS like he's trying to cop a feel in that kiss panel...

[KayJay]

Ouch, I feel Haley's pain. :-[ Cute touch- how the three was said in a smaller speech bubble :)
After rereading it, the best part: How Durkon's expression is exactly the same in the panel where he sees Belkar kissing V and the very last panel- very reminiscent of how Haley's aphasia set in!

[Nodles]

This one deserves a big "I LOLLED"

Great wrap up Rich! Great wrap up! ;D

[Ravens_Wing]

ARGH! Awsome comic but so many conflicting thoughts!

happy for roy, sad for haley, sorry for V,lol at Belkar, wondering about Elan,just ARGH!

nice effect on the "six"

and *shudder* Belkar and V *shudder*...lol

keep up the Awsome Work!

[enigma]

I actually yelled at my screen. How sad.
First thing first though- Go Belkar! You know he'll have no memory of the incident and he got to freak out V and Durkon. Evil even while drunk.
Poor, poor Haley. I totally thought the Azure chick was Miko too. I had to scroll faster to the bottom to make sure Giant didn't go crazy. Hopefully the sad look on Elan's face will mean he'll go to Haley and not somewhere with random Azure chick.

Enigma

[Gary_Howard]

And I quote: "Mmmph!"
These are not the words of a man who is enjoying his kiss.

[dsavereide]

Is it me, or is Elan having just as much difficulties with showing affection as Haley does ?

There he is, expecting the kiss from Haley, even asking when she stays frozen, and then some other chick ruins it.

The look on his face, when she is walking away in the last panel, isn't exactly happiness. I guess he cares more for here than we have so far guessed.

This is not a spoiler thread so I'll say it in white:

I want to see Elan run after Haley and grab her hand and look her in the eyes. He's confused. I thought you liked me.

[Nikolai_II]

And I quote: "Mmmph!"
These are not the words of a man who is enjoying his kiss.

Which makes it all the more interesting that no such sounds were forthcoming from the Belkar/Varsuuvius coupling ;)

[GM_West]

Great ending to the New Year's Day! Durkon standing with mouth agape at the fact Belkar kissed V (who STILL may or may not be a man...) is a nice touch.

Poor Haley... But I'm happy for Roy. Jeez though, I've still got a bad feeling about that whole scenario... It's kind of like in the action movie where the main character gets a new partner. I've seen enough Dirty Harry movies in my day to know what happens to THOSE guys...

[prettyripples]

Wonderful strip, it rounds off that bunch of subplots perfectly (for now, at least), and leaves you free to carry on with the story (hint, hint). I laughed out loud when Belkar kissed Varsuvius.

[Piedmon_Sama]

I gotta say, I'm pretty elated to read this comic---because maybe it means we're finally moving out of this "downtime" and getting into some crunchier plot. At two updates this week, I think OOTS really needs to make each update count for more: right now Giant is having a problem that was common in comics right up until a few years ago and still is known to happen: decompression. He's pacing things for the collected volume, when you can read all the strips back-to-back, which makes it murder for us who are hanging on week after week.

But hey: I don't pay to read it, the guys who buy the book do. So whatever. =p

On the positive side: "Nah, whenever we count!" Burlew is really good at the offhand, blink-and-you'll-miss-it gags that take just one panel. Belkar smooching V was hilairious, reminds me of a story I could tell from just last weekend when I'd had a few....

Earlier today I was feeling kinda down about OOTS, thinking it was on a downward trend. I hope this strip's the turnaround point!

[prettyripples]

It's kind of like in the action movie where the main character gets a new partner. I've seen enough Dirty Harry movies in my day to know what happens to THOSE guys...

Eh - she's already been turned to stone in mid-air. How bad can it get?

[Rowanomicon]

Darn you! Darn you to Heck, Giant! How could you be so cruel to Haley. Not to mention that but I was kinda ready for the whole "should I kiss him? yes no maybe so" issue. Oh well, still a great comic. I think the shining star of this comic was Durkon, Belkar, and V. The other two scenes were like the stuff you read cuz you're hooked on the story and waiting for the comic relief.
Good comic all 'round though.
*cough*although some dungeon crawlin' or adventurin' could be nice*cough*

[Aranth]

One word:

ARGH.

[turkishproverb]

The below is a transcript of my reaction to the kisisng scenes in this OOTS.

Aww, thats so sweet. Now for the next pane.......DEAR GOD!!! My eyes! MY POOR EYES!!

[TB]

Which makes it all the more interesting that no such sounds were forthcoming from the Belkar/Varsuuvius coupling ;)
That's because V was too shocked to react at all. See how he has the ( ) around her eyes?

[WarriorTribble]

I liked this strip. Plus, thanks to sleep deprivition I thought Miko was the one kissing Elan and had to do a double take. Least the shock'll help keep me awake while cramming :).

[The Doctor]

Cute touch- how the three was said in a smaller speech bubble :)

Definitely very romantic. I totally know the feeling, staring in the other's eyes, your heart racing, knowing that you are moments away from that kiss... the anticipation, still, somewhere, that uncertainty that this is all real.
And so you whisper the words, and then fall silent, and while everyone arounds you shouts, you lean closer and finally kiss Sarah Jane Sm... eh... Celia, of course.
Yes. Ahem.
Very romantic.

[eof]

Maybe it's just me, but I thought that even if Haley had kissed Elan at the stroke of midnight, it wouldn't have done any good.

Her speech problem is caused by her not being honest with Elan about her feelings for him, and other stuff along those lines, like "[she is] afraid to [...] show him who [she is] when [she's] not lying." Also, "[she is] never going to get [her] speech back until [she] stop[s] hiding."

(Or everything points to it, at least).

So how would this "deniability" thing have worked out, anyway? ???

[Vanidel]

Man I did not feel like working today (European morning thing and all) luckily there are these things that can totally change someones mood.

Thanx BIG G

[ProfaneArmorGhost]

Poor, poor haley. But at least Belkar got his come-uppances!...

"Are you sure we can't look at the shiny light some more?"
"Yeah i'm sure..."

[Peptuck]

Okay. Belkar kissing V is either the most powerful form of revenge ever or distinct proof that he can't hold his liqour.

Either way works.

[Piedmon_Sama]

Just to add: I honestly don't even feel sorry for Haley. I understand getting jitters when you tell someone how you feel and put yourself out there.... but this is ELAN.

ELAN.

The man does not have a mean bone in his body. The worst he'd be able to do is just shift from one foot to the other, smile sheepishly, and tell Haley he likes her but not in "that" way.

I've had my own problems trying to get up the courage to ask girls out and stuff. I know that's hard. But.... seriously, this is just sad. And more than a little pathetic. =/

[charik]

I didn't even notice V's kiss - I was too busy with Elan and Haley - until I read this thread. :-[

[edited to remove spoiler - sorry]

[CelestialStick]

Wow! The comic's been up for only an hour and there are already six pages of comments!

I laughed so hard when Belkar kissed V that I woke up my cat way back in the bedroom and she gave up valuable kitty-sleep time to come out and see what all the fuss was about. That was hysterical! Good going, Rich.

Poor Haley. I am so disappointed. She who hesitates is lost.

I love the last scene that brings together all the members of the Order of the Stick, with Belkar passed out and drooling, Durkon and V looking at him aghast, and Celia and Roy up in the night sky. :D

[MrSokkie]

Aawwwwwwwww, poor Haley!

Come on, you can do it!... pucker up and :-* him!

[Holy_Knight]

Wow... fantastic comic, Giant! There's so much to notice about this one:

--Celia wanting to keep looking at the pretty light

--Durkon's "Pretty much whene'er anyone counts" line

--Roy and Celia's "blended" speech bubble

--Roy and Celia's quieter, intimate "three" (great characterization there)

--Belkar kissing Vaarsuvius!!! (I know this phrase is overused, but seeing that literally made me laugh out loud, and at some length!) :D

--Finally, Poor Haley! :'(

...and, from the looks of it, poor Elan too. For whatever reason he's quite upset with how things turned out there, which is interesting (off to the spoiler threads for me now!)

I really liked this installment. Very well done. :)

[warmachine]

It is curious that, at midnight, Elan turns to face Haley and expects her to do something. Was he expecting a kiss or a hug? Does he know taking the initiative and approaching her would frighten her? Why doesn't he chase her and tell her that random women kissing him at midnight is nothing compared to their friendship?

[somatic]

I can't believe I feel this gut-twistingly bad for a comic character. At least I'm anonymous in my shame.

Haley :-[

[Peptuck]

One additional note: excellent work, Giant. I loved the double comic, and appreciate that you were able to put it out in spite of your busy and limiting schedule. Great job. :D

[Lloyd]

OMG!!! So many reactions to this comic, all rolled up into a neatly packaged double length comic. Kudos to you, Giant, for putting in the extra time to do this one as a double length, especially with your hectic schedule nowadays.

First: I laughed: "Are you sure we can't stay and look at the shiny light some more?" I wonder what Roy had to do to snap her out of it in the first place?

Second: I laughed harder at the ale, but then realized, as V did a few panels later that it was going to spell some sort of trouble. Nice foreshadowing there!

Third: "Come on, Haley, you can do it! It's just a kiss!"

Fourth: "WOOT! YOU GO ROY!"

Fifth: *falls off chair, hauls self back up to stare at the screen in disbelief* OH! MY! NO WAY! HE DID NOT JUST KISS V!

Sixth: "Come on Haley, just do it alre--- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Last: Yeah, look at Roy and Celia still going at it high in the sky... wait a minute, did Belkar throw up in V's mouth? No! NO NO NO! HALEY! HE'S IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

My goodness Giant, I haven't had this much fun reading a strip in recent memory. This is definatly one of the best.

[Evik]

HA! everyone got some action except Haley and Durkon LOL look at V OMG shock central!

[A_Gray_Phantom]

Well, yeah, that was funny. I liked it a lot, and I am kinda sad... not about Haley or Elan, but because of the light :'(...

What about the pretty light? Can we go back to the pretty light? I wanna see the light again! Can we see the light? So shiny... So pretty... I think I wanna touch it... Ooh, I'm gonna get you... I'm gonna be your best friend...

BZZT
Happy feeling's over...

[tee_kay_one]

I wish I had more hands so I could raise 4 or 6 thumbs up! Extremely funny (and sad for Haley) comic, Belkar kissing (or biting?) V, hilarious.
Thank you so mucb Giant, that salvo of uncontrollable laughter saved my day! (And made my colleagues shake their heads at me...)

EDIT:typos, typos everwhere...

[Sebastian]

Eww! Belkar kissed a maybe-guy! ;)
And to make it worse a married maybe-guy. :)

[Albion]

Meh... One does not simply intrude into V's private space like that! +a myriad of smilies. Is that a word? now it is.

I guess I'm the only one who read "SEX!" for a split-second with unremarkable reactions. Why did I even write that.

This one was just a lot to take... thanks, really good.

[Kishkumen]

I guess I'm the only one who read "SEX!" for a split-second with unremarkable reactions. Why did I even write that.

I saw that, too. It's because the letter 'i' in "six" is almost the perfect shade to match right in the center of that color transition, and the left serifs disappear while the right ones stand out, making it look someone like an 'e'

[Charity322]

I think it's lucky Belkar was on stilts or he would have kissed Durkon. ;D

Him kissing V really cracked me up.

Notice Roy and Celia still going at it in the background of the last strip. ;D

And ... is that the girl of room 115 fame??

[Soniku]

For a moment I thought that was Miko kissing Elan :o

boy would that have been hard to explain

[tee_kay_one]

on a second thought, maybe it's sad for Haley for the moment, but later on everything will work out fine. Because, even Elan HAS TO REALIZE there's something going on now, right? How could he ignore such a reaction from Haley??
Next strip he will approach her, romantic music will suddenly start, everything becomes warm and fuzzy... ;D ;D ;D

[Felinoid]

Reading the comic, a number of things went through my mind. But they all went out the window when I saw who Elan kissed, and all I could think was something I've heard Lewis Black say many a time...
SON OF A B****! >:(

Having read through this thread brings back what I was going to talk about, though.

-Who didn't know that dwarven drinking rule? :P
-The gradient on the "SIX!" and then the blending of the "Three." really strikes true. Damn, those two are in love. :)
-Oh, good glaeven. I hadn't recognized Belkar. To think that he kissed V, after all the tongue-in-cheek comments about it...I think I'm going to be sick. (And I won't be surprised if V joins me shortly.)
-And back to my main point, where the f*** was the other Haley when the real Haley needed a psychosomatic physical push into Elan's arms!?! >:( And now she's just plain gone? She should be as big as a mountain by this point, not gone! Haley used to be one of my favorite characters out of the six, but she's really starting to lose me here.

Other things I'm noticing just now that got overshadowed by the severe cross-firing of neurons...

-Love the looks of shock on Durkon and V's faces, even through to the last panel. One wonders if Belkar has some sort of paralyzing kiss/gaze attack. :P
-Elan's obliviousness seems aimed squarely at the demi-humans' drama at the moment, as he finally notices Haley. :D
-Where are the fireworks? And will the lovey-dovey couple get down in time? :o

[eheins]

This fanbase is clearly warped, if a new comic gets six pages of response between 2 and 3 AM. Present company, obviously, included.

Clearly, stilts may make an acceptable disguise, but they don't increase your body mass. Ten beers for Belkar = 40 for a human... I'm astonished he stayed on his feet that long.

Would a Slow Poison prolong the effects of alcohol?

[Efogoto]

Is that supposed to be vomit or drool on Belkars face?
It looks clear, I'm thinking drool. For V's sake, I'm thinking 'drool' really hard.

[Oorlof]

Bleagh, what a let-down.

[LightShia]

This is by far the best work you've done so far. Look at all the comments people are posting! Think of all the people bursting to laughs, spilling their drinks and falling of their chairs :p
I even got in the trouble of posting.

Seriously all very planned to detail. All three substories, each has romance (and partly humor), laugh (and partly wondering if something is hidden behind of the act) and "nooooo.... why???" :(

And having that bitter sweet taste in the end... Damn, you knew it wasn’t going to happen like this, it felt wrong inside didn’t it?
Afterall it’s the part that is mostly anticipated. It will turn out sometime. It will be more perfect than this strip. (Is that possible?)

Keep up the awesome work Rich.

[Efogoto]

... is that the girl of room 115 fame??
No, she had green-ish hair (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=302).

[silvadel]

Bah I wanted to point out V was married first(took 9 pages of responses for someone to say it -- if I didnt read them all I would have posted it as original as I did come up with the idea from the comic itself)...

Something tells me Vs revenge is going to be even worse than implied before....

Never mess with someone who knows a spell that causes tenticles of forced intrusion....

[RoseKnight]

I couldn't let myself go to sleep without posting on this one...

I have to congratulate you here, this is the first piece of media ever to give me mixed feelings after viewing it.

Happy, Sad, Disgust, Humor, all at the same time.

wow.

can't wait to see what happens next...

[Holy_Knight]

Huh, Roy and Celia are still first-basin' it up there.
Ten+ beers makes V look like Paris Hilton.

!

Dude... Paris Hilton?! What? ...You're clearly suffering from some kind of butter-induced delirium. I think you better lay down and sleep it off. :P



And ... is that the girl of room 115 fame??
I thought it might be her too, but I checked 302 again, and it isn't her. This girl's hair (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=302) is different.

[LostInBrittany]

Wonderful strip !!!

I love how the last four or five strips have been slowly bringing us to this one.

[Psychomancer]

Well, it did seem a bit too easy a solution...

But for the record, I feel for Haley. Feelings are hard. Running away and hiding is easy. Lord knows I've managed to make a life from it...

[The Glitter Ninja]

Great strip! And a double. Woohoo!

I got nervous reading this because I was afraid something else would happen at midnight. I won't say what.

Poor Haley. I'm curious as to why she thinks she isn't good enough.

[Antina]

"Six - Seven... - aehem - counting down - so FIVE of course!"-Mistake of our drunken Belkar - to sweet! ;D

And kissing V? Showing his real feelings finally... ;)

I liked the fading countdown letters combined with the slow turning towards another of Roy and Celia.

Beer and dwarfs - great combo - as always :)

A+ for the GIANT once more!

[plommon]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

:-X *mute from grief.....

(why Haley? Why?)

[Max_Sinister]

Argh! At first I feared the Giant would make another cliffhanger, showing us what Haley'll do only in the next or even later comic... but now that... poor Haley...

[silvadel]

Love and Hate can be a razors edge from each other.

[Gnorosch]

This comic started great, gave a good example for dwarven tradition, finished the horrible kitchy Roy-and-Celia-in-love-but-not-yet-a-couple thing. Also, Belkar kissed V - great. This kiss was a stunning attack to which V failed its saving throw. Then, the almost desperate Dark Mistress Shadowgale, trying to push Haley - alas, she cannot for being insubstantial. End then Miko kissing Elan - wait, why does Miko do this? Wasn't she after Roy? Oh, it is not Miko after all. Looks back. Hmm. Elan seems to have expected something from Haley and seems really dreary about her leaving. Alas, his wisdom stat of probably around 4 makes him unable to react properly. (Running after her and asking "what is wrong with you, you seemed unhappy the whole evening")

[Raeden]

I laughed my pants of, literaly. I couldn't stop laughing for 10 minutes! This comic is my new favourite.

[DarkCorax]

Great comic,Gives me a Mix of feelings

> "are you sure we can't stay and look at the shiney light some more" - LOL

> "Na pretty much whene'er we count" - LoL

> like the effect on the six

> Sev.. uh.. Five! - :P

> Roy + Celia - AHHH

> V + Belkar, coupled with the fact V said "This certinaly promises to spiral out of control"- XD..... Eww

> Haley & Elan - Poor Haley :'(

[cuibono_219]

But... but... V's friggin' Married!!!!! :o

[Danath]

Hi there, finally I registered...

because I can't believe that I'm the only one who is missing those blue sticks in Celia's hair!

In #315 she only has those things in the last strip, and they don't appear in any strip in #316

Dwarf & Beers, great combo haha

[AtomicKitKat]

I foresee roast hobbit, and there shall be much rejoicing(amidst the gagging from the stench of permed foot hair).

[Bakta]

For one thing, I am not sure Celia needs to beat her wings 43 times/min to maintain airspeed velocity, but I' m pretty sure she runs on oxigen. A good thing there are no more pannel than that or she and Roy may enjoy the benefit of Newton's law should she passes out. And don't tell me the number six, being the fourth number being reached has to be written this way ;)

As another thing, this strip illustrate once more why dwarves are my favourite race of all ;D.

And either Belkar is the nastiest little piece of work around or he just can't hold his liquor. Either and both, are fine by me ::).

[Adeptus]

Brilliant Rich! Brilliant! :D

This one really made my day.

Poor haley though :(

[Silmarwen]

Oh, Giant...you 're so cruel :'(

[Helios]

Yeah - that made me laugh, but got me right in the red vital organ... :'(

Poor Haley....

Yay for everyone else - including Belkar! :D

[Nikolai_II]

That's because V was too shocked to react at all. See how he has the ( ) around her eyes?

So you stick to he, hmm?

That would make this slash fiction, no? Or maybe not this comic, since it is canon, but the fan fiction that will rise from that simple kiss to claim the usenet internet for ever ;)

[ScreamerSimon]

Only one word to describe:

FANTASTIC!

Had to laught out loud in the office whilst I was on the phone... not good, but definately worth it....

[TheWanderingLlama]

Hi there, finally I registered...

because I can't believe that I'm the only one who is missing those blue sticks in Celia's hair!

In #315 she only has those things in the last strip, and they don't appear in any strip in #316

Dwarf & Beers, great combo haha

From our point of view, the Giant forgot them/got sick of drawing them. From the story point of view, they slipped down. Hairsticks can slide out very easily when you're active (especially when you're flying around carrying a fighter.) She should've used spiral hairsticks...

How can you tell I have long hair myself?
;)

[U2QueenBee]

:'(

I didn't get the job I interviewed for, and now this. I'm having a bad day. :(

[paul_brown_1973]

Nooooooooooooooooo<deep breath>oooooooooooooooo!

Did someone accidently activate Belkar's curse? (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=295) "If the curse is activated, he'lll get sicker and sicker". Can't get much sicker than that without kissing Durkon too, but, by the grace of Thor, he appears to have passed out before he got the chance.

[Freelance Henchman]

Sad :'(

[KayJay]

You know, what Belkar did could be interpreted differently... he might have been so drunk, he just fell over, and happened to fall over close to V's face...

...no? Well, it's only an idea :)

[WTFWWD]

Heart pounding. I had to stop myself from scrolling to the end!

One side note: When will the cyphers end? How much more need we endure, O Giant?

That being said, I agree that dwarves and booze humor is always funny! Long live the Giant!

[KayJay]

One side note: When will the cyphers end? How much more need we endure, O Giant?
Forever, I tell you! Haley's going to talk like this FOREVER! :o

[Aiani]

That strip was just a complete play on the emotions or it was for me anyway. I was happy for Celia and Roy and then I laughed at Belkar and V but poor Haley. That was so sad. :'(

[kaairn]

just like everyone else, I cracked up laughing at V and Belkar's kiss. Really can't wait to see what comes of that ;)

Poor, poor Hayley, the girl really doesn't have much luck or confidence. Though like a couple of others in this thread, I believe that not even Elan can mistake her nervousness and hesitation before moving forward. I really hope he does react and run after her (though know the evilness of the giant, he probably wont :P). If he took a small amount of initiative, it would give hayley more courage to admit how she feels (even, if she does freak at first :P)

Good comic giant :) this one really does tug at the humour cord and the heart strings at the same time.

[Lauren]

I think the progression of intimacy between Roy and Celia was more perfectly expressed than it could've been in any book or movie. And these are stick figures. Only testifies to the Giant's talent.

I will remain in denial about the Belkar/V snog, maintaining that Belkar just, um, fell over, and his face just happened to be in front of V's face, but that there was no actual contact made. (And while I'm being in denial, I wonder if there was tongue involved. Ewww?)

And as for Haley/Elan, I have never been this frustrated over UST in any form EVER. But on the other hand, while the Roy/Celia relationship could conceivably end without the Order being quite as affected, if Haley and Elan ended up together and then broke up (or even if they didn't break up) it would have far vaster repercussions for the Order. That's not to say that it wouldn't make things interesting, but it sort of makes sense for their love to remain unfulfilled, at least for the time being.

(I'm rambling, but anyone who watched The X Files will know what I mean -- if Mulder and Scully had given into UST earlier it would've ruined the series, and my concern is that Haley and Elan being in a relationship might skew the focus of OotS. I could be wrong, though. I'm ver tired.)

[HabbakukUnknown]

sev..Five!!!

poor haley.

likewise, cracked up about V and Belkar. Can't wait for her revenge...

[Artector]

Insane giant, insane. C'mon Haley!!!


PS: Dwarves drink an extra tankard at 1.

[Bartok]

Belkar was drunk, and the count had come to an end...

He knew he was supposed to kiss someone...

Durkon is definitely male, and with V there is a 50/50 chance...

Much better odds ;D

[Valda, Adlav and Samiam: the Jacked-Up Trinity]

*stares at screen with incredulous expression*

So it is an Azure City New Year's tradition for a girl to come up and kiss a guy.

Oh the irony.

PS

I often wonder how dwarves manage to make enough ale to drink as much as they alll do.

[NecromancersDelite]

Just one quick question, or maybe not so quick, and not so one:


HOW CAN EVERYONE BE TAKING THIS SO FREAKING WELL???????

All I see anyone saying is "Great comic", "Aww poor Haley", or even more loathsome "Ugh! Poor V!"

What the heck?! Why does this not set your fury ablaze with the heat of a thousand suns that threatens to destroy the world that has so cruelly betrayed you?!

Just a couple days ago, I saw people screaming and crying out "Go on kiss him already, Haley", and "Come on, Giant! Let's see the kiss!", and then here, after Haley doesn't kiss Elan, there's this half-hearted response to it. Admittedly, I've only read the first few pages of the posts, so I don't know if the passions have bee n fully unleashed, but I'm going to do my part!

It is a great comic, though. Love it. :)

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

Aww at Celia and Roy.
Hahahahaaaaah at V, Durkon and Belkar.
And awwww for poor Haley.

But awwwwwwwwwwwesome all around, though.

[Shara_Littlebottom]

I really enjoyed this one, clapped my hands with glee! :D The previous couple strips hadn't been as awesome as I'd hoped but this one really rocked. I love it when plot threads come together! ;)

[Rithos]

*single tear drifts silently down cheek*
It is the mark of a true storyteller: if you can take a comic that started out as a bunch of jokes, use it to capture the hearts of thousands, and then engage people so thoroughly that Haley not kissing Elan will haunt them all day...

damn you, Giant!

But that was SO well done...the color fade on the "Six" panel made me pause for a moment, just because the "I" was looking "E"-ish. hehe. And Belkar...let's hope he was too drunk to remember that, because otherwise he'll be forever haunted every time he looks at V.

[Randebor]

Very good comic. Bravo ! ;D

[Mordas]

Great comic, still funny when Belkar kisses V.

[JessmanCA]

The look on Durkon's face is priceless. Absolutely priceless.

[Kanashimi]

Wow.

Okay, Roy and Celia, absolutely adorable

Dwarves drinking like that, expected

Belkar and V. . . ::jibblies::

and my heart broke for Hayley. Just as she takes that first step towards him, the skank from room 115 shows up!

::sigh::

Great comic

[Lasombra]

hehe, V looks so traumatised :P

[Eldhrin]

* wipes tears from eyes *

Poor Haley!

Giant, you are a BAD man.

[Adventurer]

All I see anyone saying is "Great comic", "Aww poor Haley", or even more loathsome "Ugh! Poor V!"

Just a couple days ago, I saw people screaming and crying out "Go on kiss him already, Haley", and "Come on, Giant! Let's see the kiss!", and then here, after Haley doesn't kiss Elan, there's this half-hearted response to it. Admittedly, I've only read the first few pages of the posts, so I don't know if the passions have been fully unleashed, but I'm going to do my part!

You'll find that is the case most of the times, rarely are any complains put forward about the strips, which is okay since Giant deserves all the praise in the world for providing us with OotS all this time! :)

Personally I wanted Haley to deliver that kiss, but I was certain that she wouldn't actually do it. Her insistence in #314 that Elan might figure it out on his own, eventhough she knows that he never will, showed that she is far from being ready to show Elan her true feelings.

One can only hope that she will find the courage to do it soon enough, but after she ruined this perfect chance, I think we'll have to wait much longer.

[Olivine]

Arrrrgh! I am so totally with NecromancersDelight, here. Holy Letdown, Batman! Haley's gibberish has been a fine plot line, but this was a good way to bring a well-derserved end to her affliction! Alas, I greatly fear that Adventurer is right, and we'll have to wait another however many panels it's been.

It's just that Haley is my favorite character, and I hate to see her suffer...
*sigh*
~Olivine

[Griznuq]

NO! NONONO!!! BAH! BLAST!!! GAH...

Rotten azure city tramp!

Sooo... aggrivated...

>8-(

/me shakes his fist at the giant!

hehehe... you know it's nice to realize that I'm so wrapped up in this story that such emotions are stirred...

Seriously though, I'm really bad with crypograms! eagerly waiting for the end of them!

*sigh* poor little rogue...

[old_bard]

Fantastic storytelling. The comic was an emotional rollercoaster.

[Overlord Jack Chainer]

OMFG!! belkar you kissed V.....poor V

[LoH]

Incidentally, there's always been a backup plan to fix Haley's aphasia, but it was projected to take time: a new clerical spell specifically for her.

Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't take care of the underlying issues... just the symptoms.

[lost_child]

Just saw it and screamed with laughter when Belkar kissed V!! Well... just screamed! My neighbours must think I'm insane.
Hilarious, absolutely brilliant. I'm sure no one expected THAT!
Also very happy for Roy, he derserves some good stuff now and then.
But poor Haley... I just don't understand why she's so insecure...

[Solmage]

Sooooo sad!! Sniff! All the joy of Celia kissing Roy just couldn't quite compensate for poor V! Erm I mean poor Haley! :D


I don't know wether or not to feel more sorry for V or for Haley. I think Haley's winning. V can rightly fireball the dirty little halfling to next tuesday.

Good point. Fireball him V! Someone suggested an alter-memory spell, but I say go all out, prepare a wish spell and alter reality so he instead kisses Miko's horse 8)

[Moonlover]

Brilliant...


Laughing with that deep dark laugh.

Like when seeing someone fall , and its so funny...that you can not help but laugh. But you know that they are probably hurting...and you just feel so bad for them.
Yet your face is streaming with tears of laughter!

[Zalathar]

Funny and sad, Go ROy go!

[chibibar]

kissing while in midair... that is impressive... GO ROY!!! :)

Poor V

Poor Haley

my poor stomach... I think I sprain something from laughing too much.

[mad_margaret]

Thats it. I'm done. Haley is the team's only femal character and she has been affectively rendered mute for ages now. I've waited patiently. I've kept my fingers crossed that this agonizingly slow build up would finally give us back my favorite wise cracking heroine, but I refuse to read along while he bascially keeps her muzzled.

I have loved this strip and I hope that one day Giant will let her speak again. When that happens I'll probably come back and read up on all the back story but until then I'm done.

c'mon Giant. You have only ONE female character in your strip. Let her speak.

[Dirigible]

Thats it. I'm done. Haley is the team's only femal character and she has been affectively rendered mute for ages now. I've waited patiently. I've kept my fingers crossed that this agonizingly slow build up would finally give us back my favorite wise cracking heroine, but I refuse to read along while he bascially keeps her muzzled.

I have loved this strip and I hope that one day Giant will let her speak again. When that happens I'll probably come back and read up on all the back story but until then I'm done.

c'mon Giant. You have only ONE female character in your strip. Let her speak.


...so you're leaving cause there's not enough girl talk?

Even though she HAS been talking for the last several strips she's been in? Not to mention Celia going on and on and being all teehee?

Are you allowed to call something 'retarded' on this board?

[Bozidar]

I wonder if Belkar is doing a slight-of-hand to check V's gender once and for all... He DOES have his hand on V's chest, in the boob position..

And I wonder what will bother Belkar more in the morning, the fact hat V might be male too (who knows, he could be down with that), or the fact that V's an Elf.

[OddlyColoredCanine]

wow... i've never had so many conflicting emotions come from a source other than real life... Giant, you truly are master of tales.

::)

Either you've never seen a good movie, read a good book, or you need to take a peek at some of molonel's comments in the thread about strip #315.

[Dirigible]

Either you've never seen a good movie, read a good book, or you need to take a peek at some of molonenl's comments in thread #315.

Which isn't a dig at Order of the Stick! Well, I assume it isn't.

I figure you're saying 'Hey, it's good. But it's a webcomic.' Comments like the one quoted ARE over thet op.

[OddlyColoredCanine]

Which isn't a dig at Order of the Stick! Well, I assume it isn't.

I figure you're saying 'Hey, it's good. But it's a webcomic.' Comments like the one quoted ARE over thet op.

A webcomic would have to be mighty indeed to top a good (or very good, or excellent, or whatever the case may be) novel or movie.

Basically, yes, it's over the top. Ridiculously so.

[Jaime]

Good point. Fireball him V! Someone suggested an alter-memory spell, but I say go all out, prepare a wish spell and alter reality so he instead kisses Miko's horse 8)
Belkar was so drunk he probably won't remember it anyway. =P Then again, Vaarsuvius will probably be so traumatized from kissing a wasted, drooling Belkar that s/he'll will probably alter his/her OWN memory...

[Mouser]

Fear not. I'm still here.

:D

I'm glad everyone is gushing so over this comic...

What is this, Moonlighting? The Comic will disappear if Haley and Elan start [making the beast with two backs] (is Shakespeare clean enough for you?)?

How much longer are we going to have to solve logic puzzles to read this comic?

We get that dwarves like to drink, but isn't the glorifying of binge drinking a bit much for a comic that "claims" to include children in its fan base?

And Just because Belkar kissed it doesn't mean V is female. Belkar is probably trisexual anyway...

He'll "try" anything...

[mad_margaret]

...so you're leaving cause there's not enough girl talk?

Even though she HAS been talking for the last several strips she's been in? Not to mention Celia going on and on and being all teehee?

Are you allowed to call something 'retarded' on this board?

I'm not complaining that there are not enough "girls" speaking. I am complaining becuase Haley, the only female oots member can no longer participate meaninfully or interact with other characters. I miss her banter and her intelligence. I liked her. While Celia may be a nice character, she is not an oots member. Its bad enough that there is only one woman on the team, but to silence her is really frustrating.

As to your last question, I would hope you are not allowed to call something "retarded" on this board. I think that is a nasty and offensive statemet. I haven't said anything to insult anyone and I cant understand why you would feel the need to stoop to grade school level name calling.

[Mouser]

Are you allowed to call something 'retarded' on this board?

Accroding to my MSW sister-in-law, the "politically correct" term is "effected with mental retardation."

Thankfully, "moronic" is still okay.

[SteveMB]

Although I'm surprised V didn't blast Belkar to pieces after that kiss! (S)he must have been seriously gobsmacked.
Well, he did take the precaution of waiting until late afternoon (at least) (www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=20). Belkar had better hope (s)he cools down before having a chance to ready Evan's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion....

[terrainmonkey]

okay, while you guys think this is a great comic and all, i'm frankly getting tired of the build up also. for the past month, i have read and waited for this strip to get back on track, with haley to begin speaking again, for the whole haley/elan thing to work out, the roy/celia thing etc. i thought this strip today was going to finish all that once and for all. and what do i get? a belkar/ V kiss? some tramp and elan, and haley walking away still undeciferable? WTF!? no i know you can't please all the people all the time, and some of you may have liked it and all, but for the past three weeks i haven't laughed at a strip at all, except for the buffalo wings thing.
I know i'm not really alone in this camp, and mr. B, you have a great thing going here, keep it up. while i am not going to leave, i just wish to put my hat into the camp that says, "get on with it already!" give haley her speech back, get on with the adventure, show us the bad guys marching on the town and give us some real action already. All this romantic lovey dovey stuff is good and all don't get me wrong. just hurry it up a little.
and really, would it hurt to have haley finally kiss elan? really? just do it already and get it over with. the perfect chance, timing and everything and i feel let down. completely let down. sorry, i just had to show my disappointment there.

[Kanashimi]

okay, while you guys think this is a great comic and all, i'm frankly getting tired of the build up also. for the past month, i have read and waited for this strip to get back on track, with haley to begin speaking again, for the whole haley/elan thing to work out, the roy/celia thing etc. i thought this strip today was going to finish all that once and for all. and what do i get? a belkar/ V kiss? some tramp and elan, and haley walking away still undeciferable? WTF!? no i know you can't please all the people all the time, and some of you may have liked it and all, but for the past three weeks i haven't laughed at a strip at all, except for the buffalo wings thing.
I know i'm not really alone in this camp, and mr. B, you have a great thing going here, keep it up. while i am not going to leave, i just wish to put my hat into the camp that says, "get on with it already!" give haley her speech back, get on with the adventure, show us the bad guys marching on the town and give us some real action already. All this romantic lovey dovey stuff is good and all don't get me wrong. just hurry it up a little.
and really, would it hurt to have haley finally kiss elan? really? just do it already and get it over with. the perfect chance, timing and everything and i feel let down. completely let down. sorry, i just had to show my disappointment there.


and we made it 10 pages. . .

[Krytha]

It looks clear, I'm thinking drool. For V's sake, I'm thinking 'drool' really hard.

Maybe V vomited right after Belkar did it, so it got on his face. Im actually surprised Belkar is still in one(not exploded or flaming) piece (although I doubt he will remain as such for too long...)

[CelestialStick]

Definitely very romantic. I totally know the feeling, staring in the other's eyes, your heart racing, knowing that you are moments away from that kiss... the anticipation, still, somewhere, that uncertainty that this is all real.
And so you whisper the words, and then fall silent, and while everyone arounds you shouts, you lean closer and finally kiss Sarah Jane Sm... eh... Celia, of course.
Yes. Ahem.
Very romantic.


The Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith? Ha ha! Good one.

[Svella]

Poor Haley. She was finally taking the first step towards Elan in the third last panel

But was she really moving forward ?

For me, it looks like that left foot is taking a step BACK :(

[Dirigible]

I'm not complaining that there are not enough "girls" speaking. I am complaining becuase Haley, the only female oots member can no longer participate meaninfully or interact with other characters. I miss her banter and her intelligence. I liked her. While Celia may be a nice character, she is not an oots member. Its bad enough that there is only one woman on the team, but to silence her is really frustrating.

Yeah, but what do you expect? Women can't fight. Unless it's Foxy Boxing.


As to your last question, I would hope you are not allowed to call something "retarded" on this board. I think that is a nasty and offensive statemet. I haven't said anything to insult anyone and I cant understand why you would feel the need to stoop to grade school level name calling.


I just asked a question. I didn't actually say 'Your opinion is retarded'. Or 'effected with mental retardation'.

[bosssmiley]

Heh, Dwarven counting rituals and wildly random drunken snogging rock! ;D

Oh yeah, and Haley needs to get over herself. ::)

[malcolio]

So, some people are annoyed that Haley hasn't kissed Elan already, while others are annoyed that if she does, it'll be like Moonlighting and spoil the comic? ???

Guess some people just can't be pleased, but I really enjoyed this comic. Good to see all the threads that the Giant has been weaving come together like that, and I'm predicting that Elan will do something in the next strip, to tie up Haley's problem.

[CelestialStick]

Ten+ beers makes V look like Paris Hilton.

Well that would explain the vomit on Belkar's face in the final frame. ;D

[CelestialStick]

For one thing, I am not sure Celia needs to beat her wings 43 times/min to maintain airspeed velocity, but I' m pretty sure she runs on oxigen. A good thing there are no more pannel than that or she and Roy may enjoy the benefit of Newton's law should she passes out. And don't tell me the number six, being the fourth number being reached has to be written this way ;)

Heh, love the Python references.

[The_Librarian]

Wow, this comic's sparked a lot of emotion, hasn't it? Well, in my opinion, #84 (Saddest. Comic. Ever.) needs to be re-named because I felt this one was even more heart-breaking. I'm gonna go find some chocolate now. And some cheesecake. Maybe some cocoa. And put them all in a big bowl.

Poor Haley. :'(

[charik]

But poor Haley... I just don't understand why she's so insecure...
"Like mom left?" (don't remember the exact wording, but you get the point)

[CelestialStick]

Ok, every time I look back at the comic and see Celia and Roy floating in the sky face to face I hear the love theme from Superman: The Movie and the following words:

Can you read my mind?
Do you know what is is that you do to me?
I don't know who you are
Just a friend from another star


Here I am like a kid out of school
Holding hands with a god
I'm a fool


Will you look at me
Quivering
Like a little girl
Shivering
You can see right through me


Can you read my mind?
Can you picture the things I'm thinking of?
Wondering why you are
All the wonderful things you are


You can fly!
You belong in the sky!
You and I
Could belong to each other


If you need a friend
I'm the one to fly to
If you need to be loved
Here I am

Read my mind

[Dark_Stalion]

Hehe, 12 pages in less than 10 hours. Is that a record? I must add to the feeling that this was the best strip I've read I think. Ever. There are some great ones, but this covers more emotions than any, and more laughs than many, so I must humbly bow to hte Giant, and acknowledge him as GOD. Off to create a "Giant is God, Lets ALL Wortship Him" thread. ;D

Ok, only kidding, but still, ;) I'm not objecting if someone does, afterally I think several avatarists and a DM have been worshiped on this site (I should know, I made TSO a god).

[CelestialStick]

Nooooooooooooooooo<deep breath>oooooooooooooooo!

Did someone accidently activate Belkar's curse? (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=295) "If the curse is activated, he'lll get sicker and sicker". Can't get much sicker than that without kissing Durkon too, but, by the grace of Thor, he appears to have passed out before he got the chance.

Hey, did anyone notice that the guard in the strip you linked says the exact some first sentence in response to Belkar that the male buffalo says in the buffalo wings strip?

[Itdano]

Poor Haley? She had, what? Three panels to kiss him? She blew it. You snooze, you lose.

Now V on the other hand... Yeah. Poor V. That was just.... Wrong.

[CelestialStick]

Good point. Fireball him V! Someone suggested an alter-memory spell, but I say go all out, prepare a wish spell and alter reality so he instead kisses Miko's horse 8)

LOL! That's great! ;D

[TinSoldier]

Well, at least Belkar didn't kiss Durkon... :-X

This was a pretty good strip. I came to the message boards quite awhile after Haley started speaking in cipher just to figure out what she was saying.

I'm starting to move towards the group that says "Enough already! Let her speak!"

But even The Giant has said as much in some of the last few strips as well as saying that they should get back to adventuring.

I've liked each individual strip but ever since the Xykon and the Undead Army things slowed back down again. With each day's new strip I keep waiting for that other shoe. It must be falling from a very long way up...

[Gentlemaniac]

I LOVE IT! IT'S FRICKIN' BRILLIANT!

I love Durkon and Belkar sharing a bit of camaraderie despite their alignment difference. I love the dwarven counting tradition. I love the way the color fading in a certain text bubbles makes the I look like an E at first glance. I love the B-V kiss and Haley's bittersweet disappointment. It's so mastefully done.

[Morchaint]

Loved it, until they started drinking, and then it went and died. when haley couldnt kiss elan. and belkar kissing v?!
eww. I understand about haley tho. I, and many friends before me, that I know of , have known the right path to travel, and just can't do it. something just goes wrong.

Still loving the Celia/Roy parts.

Altho. I did expect New years to hit, and Xykon to knock on the door at the same time.

[molonel]

I'm glad everyone is gushing so over this comic...What is this, Moonlighting? The Comic will disappear if Haley and Elan start [making the beast with two backs] (is Shakespeare clean enough for you?)? How much longer are we going to have to solve logic puzzles to read this comic? We get that dwarves like to drink, but isn't the glorifying of binge drinking a bit much for a comic that "claims" to include children in its fan base? And Just because Belkar kissed it doesn't mean V is female. Belkar is probably trisexual anyway...He'll "try" anything...

I am slightly mollified by two things:

1. Rich's comments on the previous thread (comic #315). I didn't know if he was going to go George Lucas on everybody, start screaming and throwing things, mass bannings and random puppy kickings. His response impressed me. Now, while it made me grind my teeth to realize that I'm going to have to endure two more weeks of really bad webcomics - today was no exception - Rich has shown himself to be strongly in the Peter Jackson camp who can stand both criticism, and laugh at himself. While the present comics are nothing much, that sort of attitude actually IS something to compliment the man on.

Here's tipping a beer in your direction, Rich.

2. This forum is ENORMOUSLY entertaining. I think I might be able to squeeze a couple of weeks out of enjoyment out of listening to people compare this webcomic to Buddha's enlightenment, the best sex they ever had, and say that it is better than any play or book or movie they've ever seen.

(Do you people ever leave your computers? Seriously?)

Oh, and just so everyone can get REALLY offended .... handjob! Woo!


okay, while you guys think this is a great comic and all, i'm frankly getting tired of the build up also. for the past month, i have read and waited for this strip to get back on track, with haley to begin speaking again, for the whole haley/elan thing to work out, the roy/celia thing etc. i thought this strip today was going to finish all that once and for all. and what do i get? a belkar/ V kiss? some tramp and elan, and haley walking away still undeciferable? WTF!? no i know you can't please all the people all the time, and some of you may have liked it and all, but for the past three weeks i haven't laughed at a strip at all, except for the buffalo wings thing. I know i'm not really alone in this camp, and mr. B, you have a great thing going here, keep it up. while i am not going to leave, i just wish to put my hat into the camp that says, "get on with it already!" give haley her speech back, get on with the adventure, show us the bad guys marching on the town and give us some real action already. All this romantic lovey dovey stuff is good and all don't get me wrong. just hurry it up a little. and really, would it hurt to have haley finally kiss elan? really? just do it already and get it over with. the perfect chance, timing and everything and i feel let down. completely let down. sorry, i just had to show my disappointment there.

See, the buffalo wings joke didn't even make me crack a smirk. So you're one up on me.



and we made it 10 pages. . .

That's because the rest of us had to read it, and reread it, and re-rereread it for the last eight hours before we finally started nitpicking. As a matter of fact, that reminds me of what happens in all of my personal relationships. I think it all started with my mother ....

EDIT: Changed "are nothing are nothing much" to "are nothing much."

[Starbuck_II]

Loved it, until they started drinking, and then it went and died. when haley couldnt kiss elan. and belkar kissing v?!
eww. I understand about haley tho. I, and many friends before me, that I know of , have known the right path to travel, and just can't do it. something just goes wrong.

Still loving the Celia/Roy parts.

Altho. I did expect New years to hit, and Xykon to knock on the door at the same time.
Think Elan and the town girl will hook up. ;D

I loved Belkar kissing V. Cute couple.
Best comic Ever! (except a few old ones)

[sniffles]

Awesome comic! I went from smiling at how sweet it was to laughing out loud to cursing at Haley's insecurity. Who would have thought I could get so much out of a comic about D&D characters? :)

[Neopolis]

Awesome. I was expecting you'd leave us hanging just at the count of one. Thank god for attacks of opportunity double-length comics. Anyway, very unexpected. Belkar going drunk and kissing V. for no reason, hehe. His little body is not used to that much alcohol.

Oh, and poor Haley too.

[Kruul]

Best part of the comic: combine, blended, and faded speech bubble between Roy and Celia. Golden touch I say, very open to interpretation. As for the other's "What happens in Sapphire city stays in Sapphire city". I have never gripped the mouse so tightly for stick figures before.... Happy New Year.

[Genome]

Accroding to my MSW sister-in-law, the "politically correct" term is "effected with mental retardation."
My Psych 101 teacher tells me that the correct term to use is "cognitively delayed." She has a daughter that falls under that category, so she is rather adamant about it.

On the subject at hand... Wow. Hilarious, but so sad. I understand that having Haley and Elan's romance unsatisfied will keep things interesting, but it still shoves a knife in my heart. This has made me realize what a work of art you have created.

[Xenon]

belkar just got a natural 20 on his craft check for mentaly disturbing images.

[LightShia]

Seriously, this strip has been bugging me all day.
So I went up to see how long this has been going and I noticed that actually the "random towngirl" is the waitress in http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=309

"Dont you think our waitress is pretty, Haley?"
...what an idiot

[Freeman333]

YES!! Back when Roy & Celia first hooked up, I said that all I needed was for Belkar and V to get together and I'd be perfectly happy. Well, the Giant does not disappoint. Who knew he took requests? ;D

[sugarmouse121]

Oh.

Thats all I really want to say. Poor Haley! I'm nearly crying here! I mean, sure V can use Explosive Runes or something on Belkar (unless...... she likes him), but Haley! Oh my god, poor Haley! I'm sure that her personification of her self-loathing whatsit will have a few choice words for her soon!

[SteveMB]

"Dont you think our waitress is pretty, Haley?"
...what an idiot
http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=161

"Hey! I know! Is it because Samantha is younger and has a higher Charisma score than she does?"

[Suki_the_Pure]

DAAAAMMMMIIIITTTT!!!

I KNEW there was going to be a twist like that. ><

Ah, well. V's kiss was plenty funny.

Wonder what V's spouse would say if...um... if V"s spouse found out.

Dang, it is impossible to use pronouns for V.

[Blaznak]

Yeah! Pay-off City!!!
Woot!

[TheWanderingLlama]

Seriously, this strip has been bugging me all day.
So I went up to see how long this has been going and I noticed that actually the "random towngirl" is the waitress in http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=309

"Dont you think our waitress is pretty, Haley?"
...what an idiot

Are you sure it isn't just another girl with the same hair? Maybe she just changed her clothes really fast because she's a ninja.

[Neopolis]

Seriously, this strip has been bugging me all day.
So I went up to see how long this has been going and I noticed that actually the "random towngirl" is the waitress in http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=309

"Dont you think our waitress is pretty, Haley?"
...what an idiot
Actually, I think not... Everyone just about dresses the same in Azure City. I think it might be the room 115 girl.

[chibibar]

Yea.. I can see why some readers are upset at Giant.. but you have to look at Haley's character....

Up until Haley join up with OoTS, Haley's concern has always been for Haley. The only other people she cared for was her parents.

Until she met up with Elan. something about Elan sparks an interest within haley and we all have read how she flirts with him on and off. BUT Elan unfortunately is not "wise" or "pick up" on these kinds of things and she is afraid of direct approach (which normally is not good or hard to do for many people) and thus she hesitate....

That just means that Haley REALLY LOVE Elan and want to be with him and yet don't want to mess up anything... what if Elan doesn't like her the same way? She is not ready for that level of rejection. What if Elan doesn't think Haley loves him that way? With Elan it is hard to read mainly he is pretty much clueless in this aspect.

Elan knows what he should and shouldn't do in terms of "being a bard" flirting with the female enemy is one of those duties ;)

flirting with a teammate/comrade.... that is a different story.

[Dire_Weasel]

I can totally understand Haley's fear of letting Elan know how she feels. It hurts to know that somebody you care about so much doesn't feel the same way.

And Elan isn't just a good, nice guy -- he's Elan, whose goodness, kindness, and compassion outdo any paladin. I'm certain that Elan would qualify as an exalted character, in D&D terms.

Elan would never even think of telling Haley that she's not good enough, and that makes him even better, giving Haley even more reason to feel like she doesn't deserve somebody that wonderful.

[Suki_the_Pure]

YES!! Back when Roy & Celia first hooked up, I said that all I needed was for Belkar and V to get together and I'd be perfectly happy. Well, the Giant does not disappoint. Who knew he took requests? ;D

Oh, silly person. He doesn't. ^^

If he DID, I'd be rooting for Belkar/Miko.

[Zann]

Mad. Completely mad.

And brilliant. Loved the drunken number mix-up. and V's kiss.

I forgot about V's spouse. What WOULD they say?

[Suki_the_Pure]

What'l Belkar say if it turns out V's a guy?! :o

Not that we're going to find out any time soon. ><

[Eriol]

I can't believe this thing went to 14 pages in less than 12 hours.

[TheWanderingLlama]

I can't believe this thing went to 14 pages in less than 12 hours.

Is there time to get it to twenty!? Kidding, kidding...

[chibibar]

I can totally understand Haley's fear of letting Elan know how she feels. It hurts to know that somebody you care about so much doesn't feel the same way.

And Elan isn't just a good, nice guy -- he's Elan, whose goodness, kindness, and compassion outdo any paladin. I'm certain that Elan would qualify as an exalted character, in D&D terms.

Elan would never even think of telling Haley that she's not good enough, and that makes him even better, giving Haley even more reason to feel like she doesn't deserve somebody that wonderful.


You know.. you are right... you might be on to something. Elan is a wonderful cheerful person and Haley isn't used to interacting with that type of people (if there are many of them which I hesitate to guess.. not many at all)

So Haley might feel she doesn't deserve him and would hate to lose any 'illusion" that she created herself. She enjoy the time being with him as it is now. She thinks that IF she kissed him and he doesn't love her back or maybe doesn't feel the same way because of whatever reason.... Haley can't live with that...

Haley rather live with the uncertainty and the "possibility" of what Might happen in the future :)

Sadly.. I know many women who think this way.. so it is not uncommon.

[Farseer_George]

Ten+ beers makes V look like Paris Hilton.

Erm... So clarify this for me. If 10 beers make V look like Paris Hilton, does s/he look more or less like a man?

[TwinFang]

well worth the wait.
First one i translated just by looking at.
ace.

[BigT]

Alright, Belkar making the moves on the V man, and yes Paris Hilton is an ugly person and probably quite manish, besides who says V isn't a woman, that hasn't really been established yet.

[darthmoridin]

Giant,

Once again, I tip my hat to you. What do you use to write these stories? I'm thinking whatever it is it's gotta have a Storytelling +6 enchantment. ;D

Keep it up!

[Yortsed]

A wonderful comic (ah- two wonderful comics!)

But why is everyone assuming V is enraged?
I mean... it could be the beginning of a true love affair, the little man finally cured from his evil ways and showing affection, V realising his/her true feelings...

Well, it even doesn't matter if V is a boy- or a girl-elf. It's an elf...you know what they say about elves....

[Suki_the_Pure]

A wonderful comic (ah- two wonderful comics!)

But why is everyone assuming V is enraged?
I mean... it could be the beginning of a true love affair, the little man finally cured from his evil ways and showing affection, V realising his/her true feelings...

Well, it even doesn't matter if V is a boy- or a girl-elf. It's an elf...you know what they say about elves....

V's also married.

[Mouser]

As to your last question, I would hope you are not allowed to call something "retarded" on this board.

Oops...

Missed this one...

*ahem*

"Get a life."

[Kaerou]

Loved the comic! I especially liked the Belkar + V strip! Awesome!

It was a great strip.. i wonder if we'll see Celia joining the party?

[Mouser]

My Psych 101 teacher tells me that the correct term to use is "cognitively delayed." She has a daughter that falls under that category, so she is rather adamant about it.

Or 'Tard for short.

:D

[Yortsed]

V's also married.


OK, this complicates the thing - but it is not unheard off... ;)

Edit: double negation...

[theKOT]

Erm... So clarify this for me. If 10 beers make V look like Paris Hilton, does s/he look more or less like a man?
I'm just taking the gender ambiguity to another level.

[fithi]

Poor Haley and V!

I admit that I laughed at V's reaction to being kissed by Belkar.

Eesh, Haley's really not having much luck is she?

[avalon_redmoon]

Whoa...love, hilarity and sadness...so many emotions going on one strip...

I love how Celia and Roy finally kissed! And in the air, to boot! So romantic! I've been waiting for that for a loooongggg time...(Though I gotta say, at first, I had kind of hoped Roy and Miko would end up together, but some things just aren't meant to be. Besides, I think Roy and Celia make a MUCH better match.)

My coffee almost came out my nose when Belkar kissed V. (Memo to me: do NOT drink while reading an OotS strip for the first time.) *contented sigh* Drinking jokes are always funny, especially when the outcome involves some form of lewdness. (Drunken liasons...mmmm...)

And Haley...poor, poor Haley...she choked at the bit and someone else took her opportunity...(egads, I'm pathetic--I have the urge to go over and hug and stick figure.)

I gotta say...I love how the OotS is taking a break from adventuring and dealing more with personal relationships. Although that's just the type of person I am--there's always time for a little romance. (Sometimes that drives my husband crazy when we're playing D&D...)

[Kanashimi]

I have to agree. I don't see there being any harm in getting deeper into these characters and how they handle relationships.

in D&D I've spent entire sessions doing nothing other than working out relationship things with other players or NPCs. My DM makes room for those kinds of things because it makes the characters we play real people, rather than stats on a sheet

[chibibar]

yea.. our gaming group are always all guys and our wives are sitting in watching/listening (they seem to enjoy it) and we always have some relationship with the characters and NPC :) it is pretty fun.

[Nighthawk4]

Poor Haley and poor V :D

[battleburn]

I don't know if it has been said allready, but...

Belkar's action must feel like an attack to V.
Does that count??
He's still in the city after all

[CelestialStick]

Seriously, this strip has been bugging me all day.
So I went up to see how long this has been going and I noticed that actually the "random towngirl" is the waitress in http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=309

"Dont you think our waitress is pretty, Haley?"
...what an idiot

I don't think they're supposed to be the same woman. I think they are both drawn to look somewhat Japanese, like Miko. That's why so many people at first thought she was Miko.

[molonel]

I have to agree. I don't see there being any harm in getting deeper into these characters and how they handle relationships. in D&D I've spent entire sessions doing nothing other than working out relationship things with other players or NPCs. My DM makes room for those kinds of things because it makes the characters we play real people, rather than stats on a sheet

I know I prefer the D&D sessions where a man can actually cry, and not be mocked.

During our last session, the Rogue 3/Fighter 2/Monk 1 realized he was gay, and decided to come out of the closet. The Barbarian 5/Fighter 1 was very hostile, and we almost had to role initiative. But then the Cleric of Ehlonna 6 made her diplomacy check, and a failed save versus Calm Emotions allowed the Barbarian 5/Fighter 1 to come out of his rage, and realize that he'd been repressing his own feelings for a long time. A natural 20 on his Sleight of Hand check allowed the Rogue 3/Fighter 2/Monk 1 to gently, unobtrussively slip his arms around the Barbarian 5/Fighter 1 in a tender embrace, and we all wept openly. We're hoping during the next few sessions to confront the leadership of our town about their prejudices regarding same-sex relationships.

Our DM has been reading a lot of background material in Dr. Phil, and I'm confident it's going to involve some of our best roleplaying, yet.

Can someone hold me? I feel myself needing to be affirmed.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I don't know if it has been said allready, but...

Belkar's action must feel like an attack to V.
Does that count??
He's still in the city after all
Unless he's a Succubus, I don't think it counts as lethal damage. Also, never try to match a dwarf drink for drink. Especially when he's managing a mug a second.

Also, my poor little shipper heart is broken in two. Stupid inferiority complex thingy. On the plus side, this sort of thing normally only happens to guys, and it's good to see the other gender portrayed as not knowing what it's doing as well. If only it didn't have to be poor, emo Haley.

On another positive note to cheer myself up, BELKAR KISSED V! Hahahahahaha! Okay, what I was actually going to say is that that's some pretty impressive flying on Celia's part. Must be almost totally instinctive.

[Seik]

Giant,

I've been a detractor recently, but I really liked the strip. Bravo. Had to read it twice to catch everything.

Fantastic! May this herald in the new age.

[Krytha]

I know I prefer the D&D sessions where a man can actually cry, and not be mocked.

During our last session, the Rogue 3/Fighter 2/Monk 1 realized he was gay, and decided to come out of the closet. The Barbarian 5/Fighter 1 was very hostile, and we almost had to role initiative. But then the Cleric of Ehlonna 6 made her diplomacy check, and a failed save versus Calm Emotions allowed the Barbarian 5/Fighter 1 to come out of his rage, and realize that he'd been repressing his own feelings for a long time. A natural 20 on his Sleight of Hand check allowed the Rogue 3/Fighter 2/Monk 1 to gently, unobtrussively slip his arms around the Barbarian 5/Fighter 1 in a tender embrace, and we all wept openly. We're hoping during the next few sessions to confront the leadership of our town about their prejudices regarding same-sex relationships.

Our DM has been reading a lot of background material in Dr. Phil, and I'm confident it's going to involve some of our best roleplaying, yet.

Can someone hold me? I feel myself needing to be affirmed.

BAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! THAT IS HILARIOUS!!

And here's a hug. ;)

[poptartmini]

Poor Haley and V!

I admit that I laughed at V's reaction to being kissed by Belkar.

Eesh, Haley's really not having much luck is she?


This is not a question of luck. This is a question of confidence. And no, she's never had much confidence when it comes to interpersonal relationships. That may be the reason she went goth in the first place.

[atomicmatt3]

That comic made me go...

"Aww..."

[Maelstrom]

I know I prefer the D&D sessions where a man can actually cry, and not be mocked.

During our last session, the Rogue 3/Fighter 2/Monk 1 realized he was gay, and decided to come out of the closet. The Barbarian 5/Fighter 1 was very hostile, and we almost had to role initiative. But then the Cleric of Ehlonna 6 made her diplomacy check, and a failed save versus Calm Emotions allowed the Barbarian 5/Fighter 1 to come out of his rage, and realize that he'd been repressing his own feelings for a long time. A natural 20 on his Sleight of Hand check allowed the Rogue 3/Fighter 2/Monk 1 to gently, unobtrussively slip his arms around the Barbarian 5/Fighter 1 in a tender embrace, and we all wept openly. We're hoping during the next few sessions to confront the leadership of our town about their prejudices regarding same-sex relationships.

Our DM has been reading a lot of background material in Dr. Phil, and I'm confident it's going to involve some of our best roleplaying, yet.

Can someone hold me? I feel myself needing to be affirmed.

I nearly peed my pants and wept with joy - such an overwhelming wave of emotion swept over me at reading this. Your quite the story teller, what do you have a tome of craft(story) +128 and a charisma of 32?? I mean really, an emotional roller coaster for me... I can so empathize with your characters...I really felt as if I were there, sharing in the outpouring of love and support for R/F/M....

LMFAO!


Seriously though...upon first seeing the comic, I did crack a smile. Now reading through all the comments on it though, I find myself liking it less and less...thanks to all the people gushing about the comic...ruining it for me... I think we should require the tag [KY] around such posts to keep me from blowing *my* top...

[Eriol]

Two main things hit me in this one:

1. I feel really sad for Haley. A part of me always wants things to "just work out" for the good guys, and this just makes me sad to see Haley continually getting kicked (or kicking herself) in the gut because of her feelings.

2. How cheap a drunk would Belkar be? As we know, he only weighs 30lbs (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=87), and at about 1lb per pint of beer... let's just say I think he'd be sloshed faster than just about anybody you know. Heck, that countdown alone is 1/3 of his body weight!

[teryakichicken]

poor, poor Haley. and now everyone else is getting someone to go have fun with.

i'm not surprised about V and Belkar. ive suspected it ever since Belkar looked to see V's sex when s/he was a lizard.

[Spanxxx]

Very nicely done!

In summation, we have ...

Good 'ole dwarf drinking jokes, a midget on stilts kissing a genderly ambiguous wizard, a butterfly carrying a human over the city at midnight, a dumb pretty boy getting all the ladies, and a poor stupid girl letting her fear of rejection get in the way of her one true love knowing her feelings for him.

Ahhhh, what a great panel!

btw, V should have gotten an Attack of Opportunity for Belkar entering his square. With the modifier to AC for him being intoxicated, I bet even V could have put a good smackdown on him.


edit: Woot! first person on page 17! YES! ......oh... nevermind... damn brain forgetting today was new OOTS day :(

[garylian]

Another great comic, Giant!

Celia smooches Roy. Belkar, in a drunken haze that will surely haunt him for the rest of his hairy footed life, kisses V. And Haley waits too long, and someone else kisses Elan.

What a way to work a comic!

[Erlindur]

All day I had the feeling that there is something missing from the strip, and I finaly got it.

The fireworks in the night sky on the last panel.

A little touch of joy all over the city in contrast with Haley's sad face.

[Imhotep]

I was SO expecting fireworks - Xykon's army coming in the last panel, shouting "Happy new year!" ::)

[Doug_Lampert]

btw, V should have gotten an Attack of Opportunity for Belkar entering his square. With the modifier to AC for him being intoxicated, I bet even V could have put a good smackdown on him.
V was clearly suprized and thus gets an attack of opportunity only if hir has Combat Reflexes.

V has no weapon in hand and thus is denyed all attacks of opportunity unless hir has taken Improved Unarmed Strike.

That's two feats V would never take since they don't involve secrets that would drive others MAD! MAD I say!

[Mas_Sinoda]

Bravo! Definitly the best episode in quite a while. Enchore!

[Illsbane]

Ahh, Haley ... -_-

What makes it worse, is that it's that wretched woman from before, who suggested Elan bring a friend to visit her in her hotel room.

Who knew Belkar couldn't hold his ale? ... Well, V. now does.

[avalon_redmoon]

I have to agree. I don't see there being any harm in getting deeper into these characters and how they handle relationships.

in D&D I've spent entire sessions doing nothing other than working out relationship things with other players or NPCs. My DM makes room for those kinds of things because it makes the characters we play real people, rather than stats on a sheet

Exactly! At least, that's how I feel about it:) It's too easy to just draw up stats on a character sheet and roll dice. It makes it a lot more fun to make the character as real as one can. And, regardless of how anyone views relationships, they are a factor for nearly everyone. It's how we continue on as a species. Besides, interpersonal relationships [and the problems that can go with them] make a good challenge from time to time.

Though killing monsters with the traditional hack n' slash is still extremely fun! Oh, and treasure. Never forget the treasure...

[Nasrudith]

Great comic, and to muddy the waters of V's gender even more with Belkar kissing hir. Hir reaction to it fits both genders.

Rich had us going, it looked like it was leading up to a climatic kiss. Great one, looking forward to the next comic.

[cyberchihuahua]

"This certainly promises to spiral out of control..."
V has the best lines. ;D

I have this vision of Belkar stressing over V's gender in a big way. His ego simply wont allow any questions in his mind if he remembers/finds out about the kiss. Could be a great running gag.