Who else Cried today after reading the comic?

[the300]

I did. :-(

[Ganurath]

For a good while, yes.

[The Rose Dragon]

I almost did, but I'm too apathetic and tired to cry today.

[Cizak]

I didn't cry, but my happy smile dissapered and I was quiet for a while.


Poor Therkla. :smallfrown:

[Nada Rakshasa]

I didn't cry (I was at work) but I did tear up a bit.

[Holammer]

Nope, I well up simply by listening to Vangelis so I'm a bit disappointed in myself here.

[Sir_Norbert]

It made me cry.

[Kaytara]

I read it minutes ago. I stared, sobbed and am all depressed. <:(

[Martok]

I didn't cry, but I am very sad now. I know that Elan and Haley belong together, but I really liked Therkla. :smallfrown:

[alfredbester]

Why am I so emotionless?

I'm jealous.

[Hzurr]

Hmm...I never really developed any kindof attachment to Theluka. I mean, there was a moment of "Oh, that's really sad" but I don't really feel invested enough in her character to feel for her.

[Aristeidis]

What?!!!!! Are you kidding me?!!! Anyone cried for a comic?!!!!!!!!
Seriously guys.... There's a whole fricking world full of disaster. We read these things to forget it a lit bit. And you cry for a comic?!!!! It's a nice comic to me, nothing more

[chibibar]

I got very misty but didn't cry (at work) but it is a sad moment.

[Mauve Shirt]

I came close to crying. :smallfrown:

[DraPrime]

It felt like a slap to the balls, but it didn't make me cry. Although I think Kubota just raped the dog.

[Centurin]

I didn't. But a certain Bonnie Raitt song did pop in my head, though.

[Sequinox]

It made me really sad, but not quite to crying. Still though, closer than any other story had made me...

Goodbye, Therkla being Haley/ Therkla being Miko/ Therkla being Thog threads... :smallfrown:

[RosesOnConcrete]

Couldn't cry because I read it in class (boring Developmental Psych class = oooh, looky, internet) but damn. That hurt to read.

*hums "A Little Fall Of Rain"*

[dogmac]

I didn't cry, but I did go "what? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

[Lumenadducere]

Found it a little sad, but I didn't cry. I dunno, I think I was a little ready for it, as I figured that Therkla was going to get a bad ending.

[Forealms]

I was in school (supposed to be taking a test) and cried a bit. My teacher thought I was frustrated with a problem :smalltongue:

[Kroy]

Hmm...I never really developed any kindof attachment to Theluka. I mean, there was a moment of "Oh, that's really sad" but I don't really feel invested enough in her character to feel for her.
Same Ooga booga!

[King of Nowhere]

Not to the point of crying, but it makes me sad. I wasn't one of the Therkla fans, but I started to care for her when she decided to left Kubota.
Sigh. I hope the deva would see her conversion and put her in the neutral afterlife.
By the way, I also hope I didn't hijack this thread into an alignment debate that way.

[FunnyMattress]

I cried a little bit.

But man, Elan's gonna kick Kubota's little @$$ now.

[d'Bwobsling]

That was very unexpected

[tribble]

I misted up. little tears, but not enought to exit my eyes. my heart's breaking for Elan right now.

[Gygaxphobia]

You know I just wrote this:


Awesome comic, most emotional death in OOTS so far IMHO.

but no way has this comic ever incited me to cry. (it got close when the damn server breaks down *again* after writing a large post.)

[Prince_Selm]

Definetly the worst since 443 :smallfrown:

[Trizap]

I somehow can't cry.......but I'm frowning the best I can :smallfrown:

[orcmonk89]

Ir arely cry, and this didn't push me over that edge. But all the same, I began to mist up, and went very silent. Which was weird, caus was messing around with mates a few moments before, then felt the old throat swell up, and was deathly silent. :smalleek:

[Deepkicker]

Really really surprised, but not really saddened. I did like her though, and didn't want to see her go.
Personally, I preferred when her crush on Elan was used to comical effect, but I have to hand it to Rich- in the very little amount of strips she appeared in, he did make me care about her, which is no small feat. I'd still rank the impact of her death (be it in how shocking or how saddening it was) behind Miko, Shojo and the Cliffport Chief.

[Itdano]

I thought to myself, "Hmm. Interesting. I bet Elan's gonna go all whoop-arse on Kubota now." But cry? It never even occurred to me that someone would.

[EndlessWrath]

I didn't cry.. I just died a little inside...

*becomes official ninja of the Therka Fanclub*

[d'Bwobsling]

Really really surprised, but not really saddened. I did like her though, and didn't want to see her go.
Personally, I preferred when her crush on Elan was used to comical effect, but I have to hand it to Rich- in the very little amount of strips she appeared in, he did make me care about her, which is no small feat. I'd still rank the impact of her death (be it in how shocking or how saddening it was) behind Miko, Shojo and the Cliffport Chief.

Yeah, she had a nice subplot going, but like the Bandits or even Miko, she coudn't stay around forever. At least her refusal to be raised will stop many "Therkla returns" threads:smalltongue:

[Ceric]

Not yet. I'm still in shock.

[Aron Times]

This strip reminds me of Shirley's death scene in the second season of Code Geass, in that it was really sad.

[Deuce]

A little bit of welling, but no outright tears. Her death didn't shock me, but the "no greater punishment . . ." line was what brought me close.

On a side note,

Anyone else think Elan's heading for a dark moment? Perhaps with V as a witness? Perhaps Elan goes to far for revenge and tells V it's OK, because it's what V would've done? Something along that line.

[Arian]

What?!!!!! Are you kidding me?!!! Anyone cried for a comic?!!!!!!!!
Seriously guys.... There's a whole fricking world full of disaster. We read these things to forget it a lit bit. And you cry for a comic?!!!! It's a nice comic to me, nothing more

People cry and have other strong emotional reactions in response to literature all the time. This strip is a novel written in pixels.

What you read it for may not be what other people read it for. That's a characteristic of literature as well.

[Xeticus]

I was a little saddened and i can't wait to see Kubota to get his comeuppance.

[Ravens_cry]

This is what I like about Order of the Stick. It may be very funny at times and often is, but the characters also matter. It isn't just a gag-a-day, these characters, these people, crudely drawn though they are, are important to us. Each one, even the near-mauve shirts like Therkla, are special. She may have had a only a plot, but we will always remember her.
Thank you for adding some beauty to this word.

[LuisDantas]

To answer the topic's question: I nearly did.

What a touching final speech Therkla gave!

[Jorgo Mono]

I was actaully quite happy that she is finally dead. Her high school crush look at relationships annoyed me.

[Axl_Rose]

I didn't, but I did feel a void in my heart.

[JonathanC]

Not really that surprising that she died. Her whole 'turn' against Kubota due to her infatuation with Elan fits the strips general premise that 'evil' races are not inherently, objectively evil, and are instead just placed in opposition to the 'good' races. Her death seemed kind of broadcast from the beginning of this strip, and arguably since the strip where she was poisoned.

But hey, whatever gives Elan a circumstance bonus on his next fight against Kubota, am I right?

[Swiftbow]

I didn't cry, but sadness did come.

Rest in peace, Therkla.

http://planescapecomic.com/Pictures/OoTSTherkla.jpg

[Querzis]

I didnt cry...but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that I was listening to the song: «I'm walking on sunshine» while reading the strip.

I should really close windows media players before reading an OOTS strip...it kinda ruin the mood sometimes.

But anyway, I cried just two times while reading this comic until now and it was because of: «Home, home, Durkon is going home!» and «It appears...not everyone...agrees with your...analysis.»

But anyway, that speech was just really hearthbreaking. I pity the poor girl so much, its obvious she never had a crush before and that its actually the most powerfull emotion she ever felt. I doubt she ever felt happy before meeting Elan. Even if her crush could have been purely physical, its still obviously the best thing the poor girl ever felt :smallfrown:.

[mroozee]

I did. :-(

I didn't cry (part of me realizes that this is a comic strip), but I agree that Big Red's fate was kind of sad. The guy's not overly bright, has lots of issues that he needs to work through, and despite his reluctance, his "friend" strong-arms him into fighting people he's never met before only to be turned to stone. That's messed up. He's not the one who cast the first sto... er spell. It seems like the "good guys" just attacked him because he looks different. That's Planism and that's just wrong.

[Azazel]

Why am I so emotionless?

I'm jealous.

You needn't worry. You're not alone.
It might be difficult to understand these reactions but keep watching and you'll learn to understand what makes people tick. Then you can fake it and be like everyone else...

[Green-Shirt Q]

I didn't cry until I read this forum and it finally hit me about how said it was. :smallfrown:

[Animefunkmaster]

While I did identify with Therkla more than other characters... I couldn't help but feel ok for her. She died, no more emotional difficulties for her and Elan, and possible afterlife booty. She was crushing really hard, and had a juliet sort of thing going on, and this was honestly the best thing at a happy ending for her (although I had hoped this side character wouldn't die so fast).

There can only be one. You either like Therkla and want her to get Elan, or you like Haley and want her to get Elan. Paligimy is never an option when it comes to the heart.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

There can only be one. You either like Therkla and want her to get Elan, or you like Haley and want her to get Elan. Paligimy is never an option when it comes to the heart.Not in Elan's case, but I do know some Poly people who make it work.

[Querzis]

There can only be one. You either like Therkla and want her to get Elan, or you like Haley and want her to get Elan. Paligimy is never an option when it comes to the heart.

Lots of people as well as entire culture and religion would disagree with you there. Especially since Haley got a nice thing called latent bisexuality.

[GSFB]

It was a little sad, but after watching Dizzy die in Rico's arms in Starship Troopers it was a bit derivative.

[Heroic]

I got a "wow that's sad" reaction but nothing more...

[Corwin Weber]

I didn't, but I did find it touching.

And yes, poly relationships work out quite well all the time.

[CompassRosie]

I certainly did. And not just a tear and a sniffle. I covered my face with my hands and criiiiied.

Poor Therkla. And poor Elan. Those last words of hers are surely going to haunt him.

Giant has done an amazing job of making us care about such a seemingly minor/jokey character. THAT'S good writing.

[charl]

Actually I laughed. Mostly because of:

Resist, resist, resist, resist the deadly poison.

EDIT: Might have something to do with my blood-alcohol level.

[Corwin Weber]

Actually I laughed. Mostly because of:

Resist, resist, resist, resist the deadly poison.

EDIT: Might have something to do with my blood-alcohol level.

That was a terribly Elan thing to do, wasn't it?

[HamsterOfTheGod]

I was hoping there was another way. Therkla was too good to die. Now I'm hoping she'll come back...

[charl]

That was a terribly Elan thing to do, wasn't it?

Absolutely.

[lemonhoney]

I cried. I wasn't terribly attached to Therkla either, but I think in a way, that made it even worse. She wasn't a main character who you get really attached to, but just a cool one that's wickedly fun to have around, and then she dies.

This comic had some of the most tear-jerking lines, also.

"I should know that I'm not even allowed to have it ONE way. Not how my life works."

"I'll take my chances that the afterlife won't have any punishment worse than not being with you."

Holy crap, man.

I know how it feels to fall head-over-heels for someone that you barely even know, to really start to love someone you only noticed because of physical attraction. And to never be able to get them, ever, because of circumstances you can't do ANYTHING about. :smallsigh:

It tears you up inside. There's no punishment worse.

[Elrond]

I was surprised but i didnt cry

[SliderDaFeral]

And here I was looking at the title, thinking "V's headed over to the fleet and catches Kubota -- suck it long and suck it hard, Fu Manchu-kuo!"

It tears your heart out, this particular comic. Very Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. No spoilers for those of you who haven't seen it (and come out from under your rock, please), but suffice to say that one of the romance threads there didn't end well.

[bobothegoat]

At least her refusal to be raised will stop many "Therkla returns" threads:smalltongue:

Fairly sure we'll see those threads anyway, if a certain other death in this story has shown us anything.

And I'm too soulless to have cried at this last comic.

[Dragon87110]

*hums "A Little Fall Of Rain"*

OMG! At least I'm not the only one that thought that!!! Especially the line about "At least I got your arms around me. That's all I really wanted..." *sniff sniff* That sux!!!! poor Therkla....:smallsigh::smallfrown:

[Jerthanis]

I liked Therkla, but felt this death scene was one of the most potent character assassinations possible, and I'm not referring to her dying when I say assassination.

Seriously, "I'll take my chances that the afterlife won't have any punishment worse than not being with you." says to me, "This character wasn't worth the paper that you would hold up to demonstrate how deep it was, and you won't miss it when it's gone." She was saying flat out that without Elan, she was nothing. If she's nothing, why should we have ever cared about her? Really, wasn't it all a trick to try to get you to care just enough so this would provoke an emotional response? Don't you get angry when tricked?

The Giant has made some amazing emotional moments, but that line made me throw up my hands in frustration and anger at this one.

[B. Dandelion]

There were definitely tears. I figured she was marked for death but it really was a punch in the stomach the way it worked out for her. All she wanted was for the people she loved to end up safe and happy -- and her reward was to be poisoned by the man she considered a mentor and gently rejected by the one she loved.

I love your art, by the way, Swiftbow. I may just file that away on my computer somewhere. If that's what she really looked like, she was one attractive half-orc indeed.

[Toad-Killer-Dog]

I'm sad to see the only good half-orc character I have seen in years die such a pointless death.

I love Order of the Stick and ERF, but Therkla's death smacks of the horrible "Kill/Torture/whatever the Girl" Because you always get a bigger reaction if something bad happens to a female character than a male one.

Sorry I really liked Therkla. As someone who has played and loved Half-orcs since he was about eight years old ( which was many years ago I must say ) it was nice to see a Half-orc portrayed as something other than a mindless thug. Although I must say I have a soft spot in my heart for Thog.

I just feel this is a terrible waste of a truly wonderful character who I looked forward to very much. Just because a character has a crush does not mean she could not grow out of it.

She was even a good play on the fact in first edition the only real option for a Half-orc was Assassin. Which made no sense at all as it seems to me that Half-orcs would be rather to conspicuous for an assassin.

I'll miss her and I will always love the comic that showed her parents together. Sorry Therkla you deserved better.

[Fangly]

I liked Therkla, but felt this death scene was one of the most potent character assassinations possible, and I'm not referring to her dying when I say assassination.

Seriously, "I'll take my chances that the afterlife won't have any punishment worse than not being with you." says to me, "This character wasn't worth the paper that you would hold up to demonstrate how deep it was, and you won't miss it when it's gone." She was saying flat out that without Elan, she was nothing. If she's nothing, why should we have ever cared about her? Really, wasn't it all a trick to try to get you to care just enough so this would provoke an emotional response? Don't you get angry when tricked?

The Giant has made some amazing emotional moments, but that line made me throw up my hands in frustration and anger at this one.


This.


I found myself pondering why I was unmoved by this strip. I did the one tear for Roy's reunion with his brother, enjoyed the Monster-san sequence, and my favorite strip is 417 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0417.html). I enjoy some good emotional catharsis.


But this annoyed me. I really liked Therkla (I rarely come across female characters that don't fill me with rage), but the fact that she was willing to die because a guy she had a crush on rejected her? I had hoped she was more resilient. I was also sorta hoping she'd join the team because of her inherent awesomeness.


Anyways. It's not so much her dying that bugged me but as Jerthanis pointed out, her last words. Was she really so screwed up that rejection from Elan was enough to push her over the edge? Twas a tad manipulative too ("love me or I'll give up on life").


Blargh. Someone needs to cast a "Speak to Dead" spell thingy and verbally slap some sense into her. In fact, I'm going to pretend that's why V is rushing over so quickly. Yes. And then she'll get raised and so will Roy and the order will reunite and everyone will enjoy delicious cookies.

[Toad-Killer-Dog]

T
Blargh. Someone needs to cast a "Speak to Dead" spell thingy and verbally slap some sense into her. In fact, I'm going to pretend that's why V is rushing over so quickly. Yes. And then she'll get raised and so will Roy and the order will reunite and everyone will enjoy delicious cookies.

I would like to second the call for resurrections all around and delicious cookies for all.

[Tricia]

I most definitely did.

[someonenonotyou]

i laughed at this comic i mean see died jess you people it is a comic it is fake see did really die she is fake

[Querzis]

i laughed at this comic i mean see died jess you people it is a comic it is fake see did really die she is fake

You should learn to spell if you want anyone to take you seriously. Punctuation would be good too.

Anyway, if you cant feel any emotion while reading a story or cry when a fictional character die, I just feel sorry for you. I honestly woudnt get any enjoyment from reading story or watching movie if I was as insensible as you seem to be.

[Lissou]

I didn't cry. Or feel sad. Therkla isn't important enough of a character, we barely know her, plus, she said she didn't want to live if Elan wasn't with her right before she died, so it was like "okay, then".
I don't know, I felt sadder for her when she was totally in love with Elan and I knew he had Haley, but she didn't.

I was pretty surprised, though. I'm trying to think about what role Therkla had in the comic, to die so soon, and I'm not sure. Maybe she's there to make Kubota less liked, or rather hated to some extent? To show that even though he keeps failing to kill Hinjo, he's not completely incompetent, and rather dangerous?

A part of me is also wondering if the Giant started to get annoyed with all the Therkla plans (Therkla will join the Order/ Therkla will be Haley's new archenemy/etc) and decided to kill her off so people would stop making plans about her, before it was too late (some people still talk about Miko coming back even though there really isn't a reason why she would).

But... he knows what he's doing. He's not going to decide to do that out of the blue. It was probably planned since the first time she appeared. So, I'm not sure. Maybe her role was to both show that Elan is completely faithful to Haley, loves her and trusts she'll be back, maybe her role was to give Kubota more depth as a character, or maybe both.

[Linkavitch]

I didn't cry, but I thought "WHAT! I like Therkla now, and she's DEAD? Oh, come on...{sniff}

[Wreckingrocc]

I did. :-(Wow... Therkla was kind of introduced about 100 pages ago, and had no major subplot. I actually laughed at how silly the Xs on her eyes made her look :)

I'm surprised... It's a comedy comic... Not a teary-eyed drama. I just thought it was pretty funny.

[LordVader]

I don't really cry at comics, but this one was sad, really sad, and illustrates why Oots is probably the best webcomic out there; humor combined with a truly good storyline and characters you care about.

IMO, this is right below Miko's death in terms of saddest moment of the comic to date.

@^- Yeah, the xx's did detract a lot from the weight of the moment. Rich was clearly angling for a very serious comic here, he may want to investigate making the death eyes look less silly sometimes.

IMO, it wasn't the loss of Therkla but rather the manner in which she died which weights this as high as it is; Miko's was a combination of the two, with an emphasis on manner of death as well, and that was one of the most tragic things I've ever seen, webcomic or normal media piece.

[Niley]

Well, at first, I did cry for Therkla.
But then sadness was brushed away by hate. No need to say more.

[SPoD]

I was pretty surprised, though. I'm trying to think about what role Therkla had in the comic, to die so soon, and I'm not sure. Maybe she's there to make Kubota less liked, or rather hated to some extent? To show that even though he keeps failing to kill Hinjo, he's not completely incompetent, and rather dangerous?

I'm guessing that her death will provoke some character growth in Elan, probably starting with learning a few useful healing spells like Neutralize Poison, and ending with understanding the fact that what they do everyday could end up with someone being dead For Real. I mean, Roy died, but they have never stopped thinking about raising him. That's a different set of emotions than someone being dead forever.

It might also affect him due to the fact that she only got into that situation because of him. He essentially led her to her death.

[Shatteredtower]

She was saying flat out that without Elan, she was nothing.Um... no. What she was saying was, "I'm going to take my chances elsewhere," possibly with a bit of, "Because I can't see things ending well if I stick around."

By the time she was poisoned, Therkla had thrown away her career and reputation on Elan. It's possible to rebuild from such destruction (people do it all the time), but it doesn't always go that way, not even in real life. In literature, your odds go up if you're a main character or tied significantly to the main plot, but if you fit in neither category, you're likely to be written off -- with good reason. Rebuilding side characters, such as Therkla means you either put the actual plot on hold or tack on some trite resolution to an event that takes people years to achieve.


If she's nothing, why should we have ever cared about her?

For the same reasons Elan does.


Really, wasn't it all a trick to try to get you to care just enough so this would provoke an emotional response? Don't you get angry when tricked?

Sounds to me like the Giant succeeded with you better than you're willing to admit. I'll admit I could easily be wrong, but that's what I'm getting from your comments.

Part of that is because, no, I don't feel I've been tricked. From the moment it became apparent that Therkla had feelings for Elan, it was obvious that things Were Not Going to End Well for Her. Why should knowing that make me care any less?


I'm sad to see the only good half-orc character I have seen in years die such a pointless death.

Pointless? I'd say the point was that there was no need for her to have died, had Elan been better prepared to actually fill the role of Defender, rather than just playing at it.

I'd also say the point was to address a common school of thought for players of D&D and other RPGs, one that argues that it's a waste of an action to heal allies while your enemies are still active, even if it means letting them die. From a purely mechanical point of view, that's true, but such game were meant to transcend their mechanics.

And the point was to show Kubota at his best (her mentor) and his worst (a man who'd kill a favoured servant without hesitation, even going so far as to prepare her for such an eventuality far ahead of time).


I love Order of the Stick and ERF, but Therkla's death smacks of the horrible "Kill/Torture/whatever the Girl" Because you always get a bigger reaction if something bad happens to a female character than a male one.

I'm not sure either Shojo or the Chief would agree with your analysis. Heck, it's even a toss-up as to whether forum goers were more upset about the death of Samantha -- or her unnamed father.


... it was nice to see a Half-orc portrayed as something other than a mindless thug. Although I must say I have a soft spot in my heart for Thog.

Agreed on both counts.


I just feel this is a terrible waste of a truly wonderful character who I looked forward to very much.

If this was her story, I might agree. Otherwise, I'm glad the series isn't afraid to let bad things happen to good (well, entertaining, anyway) people.


Just because a character has a crush does not mean she could not grow out of it.

True, but such a story would only serve to take us away from the one we're reading. I wouldn't mind reading the fanfic that gives us that alternative, but it's not something I want distracting the Giant from his plot.


Sorry Therkla you deserved better.

It seems to me that she's decided to go look for it, rather than just waiting for it to drop into her lap in this lifetime.


...but the fact that she was willing to die because a guy she had a crush on rejected her?

That's not the case. She wasn't willing to die. She was merely unwilling to return to a life in which she couldn't have him.


...Was she really so screwed up that rejection from Elan was enough to push her over the edge?

Nah. Her death had nothing to do with that.


Twas a tad manipulative too ("love me or I'll give up on life").

Everything we've seen to date indicates that Therkla is -- or at least tries to be -- a manipulative character, but I don't think this line is an example of that. I read it as a "Let's be honest," moment. She knows Elan isn't going to leave Haley for her, and she wants him to admit that. Instead, she leaves him speechless (which is significant in a number of ways, especially since this is Elan we're discussing), but knows the answer hasn't changed. So when it's clear she's, uh, "leaving town", she makes it clear that she's going for good.

A drastic way of washing the man from her hair and a sad ending to this tale, but hardly the end of all things as far as she's concerned.

[SPoD]

It's the equivalent of, "Say you love me, or I'm getting on this train that's leaving for the coast and you'll never see me again." She didn't determine the train's departure time, but she's getting on it nonetheless.

[Mordae]

*hums "A Little Fall Of Rain"*

Yes, that was my thought exactly (Though imagining an orc singing breathy little, "Don't you fret, Monsieur Elan," gives me a funny feeling). I actually expected it to be raining in the last panel, though I admit it's been done before (and perhaps too often).

[Shatteredtower]

It's the equivalent of, "Say you love me, or I'm getting on this train that's leaving for the coast and you'll never see me again." She didn't determine the train's departure time, but she's getting on it nonetheless.Less coercive than that, even. More, "This isn't going to work, so I'm off."

Elan's silence indicates he wasn't ready to admit that.

[lord of kobolds]

I'm not gonna lie, I had no feelings for Therkla at all, except perhaps a bit of irritation. She was very two dimensional IMHO, and it really didn't seem like she would go anywhere in the plot. She just seemed to be more of a plot twist than a real character.

[Fangly]

It's the equivalent of, "Say you love me, or I'm getting on this train that's leaving for the coast and you'll never see me again." She didn't determine the train's departure time, but she's getting on it nonetheless.

You're right, I was applying the rules of real world death to a webcomic. I forgot how different death is here.


However, her belief is that her afterlife will include some sort of punishment (at least, that's how I read her last words). She's resigning herself to this because of Elan's rejection and I find it personally upsetting.


The idea of removing herself from an unpleasant situation is a reasonable idea. But this seems a drastic (and in my opinion, unreasonable) way to do it, even if the afterlife is assured.

[DBear]

I didn't cry, I just got pissed like I hadn't been since reading of
Bran's death in A Song of Ice and Fire

[Vizen]

When I read it, it was at a friends place yesterday, and if it wasn't for the fact that my friend was right behind me, I would of cried, instead I misted up. Vomited not long afterwards, but thats an entirely different issue (Ate reheated mussels for breakfast, big whoopsie there).

But yeah, I actually said "Thats so romantic...Awww." then kind of stopped talking cause my voice was all shakey.

[Occasional Sage]

I'm not gonna lie, I had no feelings for Therkla at all, except perhaps a bit of irritation. She was very two dimensional IMHO, and it really didn't seem like she would go anywhere in the plot. She just seemed to be more of a plot twist than a real character.

Agreed, although I wasn't irritated, personally. I saw this coming quite a ways off, but it was still well written.

[Jerthanis]

Um... no. What she was saying was, "I'm going to take my chances elsewhere," possibly with a bit of, "Because I can't see things ending well if I stick around."

By the time she was poisoned, Therkla had thrown away her career and reputation on Elan. It's possible to rebuild from such destruction (people do it all the time), but it doesn't always go that way, not even in real life. In literature, your odds go up if you're a main character or tied significantly to the main plot, but if you fit in neither category, you're likely to be written off -- with good reason. Rebuilding side characters, such as Therkla means you either put the actual plot on hold or tack on some trite resolution to an event that takes people years to achieve.

It took all of maybe two comics to establish Daigo and Kazumi's new positions, and they had been established as nothing more than resolute "Wedge" characters. She could easily live and say, "Alright, time to move on, I'll be Hinjo's bodyguard now." and fade into the background again in the space of two comics. It isn't time constraints or a thought to avoid triteness or realism when it comes to a person reestablishing their life in different circumstances. Her death is by no means a time saving device or a necessary complication to the story, it's obviously meant to make people sad, and instead it makes me angry.




Sounds to me like the Giant succeeded with you better than you're willing to admit. I'll admit I could easily be wrong, but that's what I'm getting from your comments.

Part of that is because, no, I don't feel I've been tricked. From the moment it became apparent that Therkla had feelings for Elan, it was obvious that things Were Not Going to End Well for Her. Why should knowing that make me care any less?

It's not that things ended poorly for her, it's that she'd be so weak and shallow of a character as to refuse to live if it doesn't end perfectly for her right now. I admit I've got an emotional reaction from this strip (obviously!), but it's clearly not the one the strip aims for. I liked Therkla, and this strip made me hate her. Searching for an agent for this transition, all I can find is the desire of the author to provoke an emotional response and tear the stuffing out of its effigy in frustration.

If she had framed her reasoning behind her decision to no longer be alive in a less... insulting way, I might have had less of a problem with it. As it stands, it comes off both incredibly childish on her part, and disturbingly machoist... to describe a woman as unable/unwilling to continue living without a man to guide her.

...Or if you take the tack that she is simply aiming to ply new ground elsewhere, taking a logical career move to try her hand at the afterlife... but then it becomes not sad anymore in the other direction, where it isn't sad because you're going to wish them well in their new life. Either I'm reasonably justified in anger at a character I like being painted insultingly, or she's not really doing anything worth crying over anyway.

[Lissou]

I kinda agree with Jerthanis... Not quite, but close.

I do think it's a weird reaction. I can't imagine someone acting like that. It must happen, of course, but when I read that I was just "what the hell?!". I would have been surprised to see her die directly, but with her speech before that...
I understand that it's to tell us she can't be brought back to life. She won't. With DnD rules, it's hard for a death to have as much value as it does for us. But I still don't get it.

She can't be her girlfriend, so she doesn't want to be raised? She's willing to "take a chance" in the afterlife, but now to take a chance being raised and starting over?
Elan isn't with Haley right now. Were she raised, Therkla could still be around Elan, protect him and so on. I'd understand saying something like "if we find your girlfriend again, i'll go because it will be too painful otherwise", or something like that. But, right now, she's letting Elan, the man she loves, in the middle of a war. He could get hurt. He could die. She doesn't care, because he won't be her boyfriend, so she'd rather get out of there and let people solve their mess.

Well, yeah, that's childish. Especially if you add in the "I thought we could all be friends and everything would be okay" part right before. I wouldn't say it's out of character because she doesn't really have an established character, outside of "I love Elan", but I just wish her character had been established enough for me to make sense of it, her decision, her last words.

This being said, that's Rich's story. Maybe he was clumsy, but maybe I'm the one who didn't get it, and it will make more sense later on.

[Warren Dew]

It's not that things ended poorly for her, it's that she'd be so weak and shallow of a character as to refuse to live if it doesn't end perfectly for her right now.

That's not a character change for her, you know. She's been entirely driven by her crush ever since we first saw her - "weak and shallow" is an excellent description of her sudden turnaround in 506 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0506.html). To me, the well done death scene is about the only thing that can justify her otherwise pointless existence in the story.


Elan isn't with Haley right now. Were she raised, Therkla could still be around Elan, protect him and so on. I'd understand saying something like "if we find your girlfriend again, i'll go because it will be too painful otherwise", or something like that. But, right now, she's letting Elan, the man she loves, in the middle of a war. He could get hurt. He could die. She doesn't care, because he won't be her boyfriend, so she'd rather get out of there and let people solve their mess.

She doesn't love him. She's "in love" with him - has a crush on him. It's two different things, despite the opinion of people in the latter category. She wants him for herself, not because she wants what's best for him.

[Firestar27]

I rarely cry at any fictional work. The most that ever happens is that my eyes get a little teary. It takes a lot to do that. It isn't that I don't feel sad, just that I don't cry. But that comic made me a little teary. It was one of the most emotionally packed comics. And you could get the emotions from two different perspectives. First I read it through Elan's eyes. The emotion came a lot from his sad eyebrows and his open mouth when all he said was "...". And then I read it through Therkla's eyes. I read the words out loud in the feeble voice of someone who's dying. I got two different sad emotions. And each one made me teary on their own.

[Lissou]

She doesn't love him. She's "in love" with him - has a crush on him. It's two different things, despite the opinion of people in the latter category. She wants him for herself, not because she wants what's best for him.


Well, it's tricky. She's obviously not having the kind of deep feelings that can only come from knowing each other for a long time, but the way she acts during their rendez-vous makes me think it's a bit more. She seems pretty desperate to be with him, she doesn't just like him, she doesn't just want him, she needs him.

I think I'm starting to figure out the character more and more, actually. She needs him. She doesn't act to make him happy, she acts for him to stay alive so she can keep admiring him. He can convince her easily, it's true, but otherwise she doesn't go out of her way to prevent him from being sad like Haley did after Roy abandoned him, without obvious benefits for her.

Maybe Therkla is a parallel. She's acting completely differently, compared with Haley. Haley was insecure about her feelings, Therkla never seemed to try and hide them. Haley wanted Elan to be happy even if it meant never being with him (or never telling him her feelings), Therkla wants to be with Elan, and wants him alive, but doesn't worry about his feelings...

During the Orc arc, she makes Banjo tell people to free Elan's friends, not because she thinks about it and decides seing his friends die might make him sad, but because he tells her so. Otherwise, she wouldn't have cared at all.
She didn't even realise he'd be sad, which also proves another thing: she doesn't know him at all. And how could you love someone without loving them? Put Nale instead, and Therkla probably wouldn't go "NALE???" like Haley did, but probably more something along the lines of "oh, okay, I need to call you a different name, then".
I mean, have we ever seen her comment about how she liked something about him that's not purely physical? She doesn't even seem upset that he has a girlfriend (Haley was really pissed about Samantha), she just wants him to be with her in the meantime.

Maybe she just craves love. I mean, she seems to say she's always been rejected. Kubota accepted her, but in the end she was still disposable for him. Maybe it makes sense that she doesn't think she has anything else to expect from this life.

[Cizak]

What?!!!!! Are you kidding me?!!! Anyone cried for a comic?!!!!!!!!
Seriously guys.... There's a whole fricking world full of disaster. We read these things to forget it a lit bit. And you cry for a comic?!!!! It's a nice comic to me, nothing more


Yes, apperently a lot of people cries when they read this comic. Got problems with that? Well, that sucks for you. Many people cries easely when they watch a movie, read a book or, that's right, a comic. I myself am one of those people.

And no, I don't read this comic to forget about the world disasters. And yes, the world IS full of disasters, but what the hell does that have to do with Oots?