Let the gender in games be moved here PLZ

[dancrilis]

I find it exceptionally badass.

And you are allowed to - there is no hard and fast definition and even if there were we could argue over the definitions of the words that form that definition.

However for my Elan got his badass moment when he defeated Kubota, or when he defeated Nale after getting the Dashing Swordman level.

Haley has a few as well as documented by others above, as do all the other characters.

Haley grabbing Crystal and flying up and dropping her in the Ocean? - Yea badass, likely awesome.
Talking her down and turning her on Bozzok? - Awesome, not badass.

[Reddish Mage]

On the subject of the most awe-inspiring, personal-victory-through-uniquely-personal-means moment of the Characters:

Roy: Defeating Thog through Knowledge: Architecture
Vaarsuvius: Defeating the Ancient Black Dragon
Elan: Swooping in to save Haley at the last moment (someone was Damsel'ed there)
Durkon: Still forthcoming
Belkar: I'M A SEXY SHOELESS GOD OF WAR! + saving Haley (what again?) + Riding a goddamned dinosaur into battle!
Haley: Diverting Crystal through reason and shiny objects

Of these, I'm not sure why Haley's victory is eliciting so many comments, and what's too incredible about it.

[Liliet]

On the subject of the most awe-inspiring, personal-victory-through-uniquely-personal-means moment of the Characters:

Roy: Defeating Thog through Knowledge: Architecture
Vaarsuvius: Defeating the Ancient Black Dragon
Elan: Swooping in to save Haley at the last moment (someone was Damsel'ed there)
Durkon: Still forthcoming
Belkar: I'M A SEXY SHOELESS GOD OF WAR! + saving Haley (what again?) + Riding a goddamned dinosaur into battle!
Haley: Diverting Crystal through reason and shiny objects

Of these, I'm not sure why Haley's victory is eliciting so many comments, and what's too incredible about it.

Okay so
my personal reasons for loving this victory very much

1. I've wanted Haley to be friends instead of enemies with one of her only two female peers we know of from Crystal's very first introduction, especially given how dumb a reason for their rivalry was (and playing on freaking awful gender stereotypes and expectations)
2. This strip has been built up to over an extended period of time, creating tension and excitement. It even had steampunk gnome police force, for hell's sake!
3. Haley hadn't really gotten a prolonged, epically built-up-to moment of personal triumph like this before. She got offhand acknowledgement of her supreme badassery and scattered moments of brief on-screen awesome, and also several instances of being damsel'd.
4. I, personally, as a (mostly potential) DnD and general videogame player, find non-combat skills and their uses to save your ass in ways other than "hit it in the face until it falls down", really freaking awesome.
5. I love it when characters display bravery. Not just badassery, like when Belkar was mowing down hobgoblins in hundreds, but bravery. When the character is up against someone above their level, and still persists and protects others. V got a moment like this in Xykon's tower, and it remains just about my favorite sequence of all this comic. Roy got a moment like this on the arena. Durkon can be said to have gotten a moment like this in the dungeon, although him actually losing made it sad more than awesome. Nobody else in the party has, as far as I remember.
And Haley got her moment of _bravery_, of going against a known more powerful opponent and distracting it and leading away from civilians, and trusting into her abilities and Crystal's remaining personality over hatred... she got it now and she got it there. I had my breath baited when she stopped and turned to Crystal, and when Crystal stopped too...

This was freaking awesome.

[Lissou]

Durkon can be said to have gotten a moment like this in the dungeon, although him actually losing made it sad more than awesome. Nobody else in the party has, as far as I remember.

Durkon kind of won. I mean, yes, obviously, he was turned into a vampire (and I think we're slowly going towards a big Durkon success related to that) but it fits very well with his personality to sacrifice to save the others. And he did. He did make Malack promise to leave the others alone, and as a result, Malack said nothing when he noticed the Order in the corner (right next to the gate). I find it significant, even if it's not "badass" in a showy way.

[Liliet]

Durkon kind of won. I mean, yes, obviously, he was turned into a vampire (and I think we're slowly going towards a big Durkon success related to that) but it fits very well with his personality to sacrifice to save the others. And he did. He did make Malack promise to leave the others alone, and as a result, Malack said nothing when he noticed the Order in the corner (right next to the gate). I find it significant, even if it's not "badass" in a showy way.

True. It was a built-up intense sequence too, with a week of daily updates, if I remember correctly.

This was such an event for Haley, and I find it freaking awesome.
And anyone who said that when confronted with an objectively stronger opponent the best Haley can do is just hope her party members arrive on time... *rolls eyes so hard they nearly pop out of the sockets*

[LadyEowyn]

I agree heartily with both Reddish Mage and Lillit's analysis. This is Haley's first big multi-strip arc of her taking on a personal enemy and defeating them without someone else showing up to help, while most of the other characters have had one. I was expecting that Roy would have to show up to help Haley - not because he's male, but because Crysal's build seemed tailored to not be vulnerable to anything other than "hit it a lot with something sharp and heavy", and Roy's the party member best equipped to do that. I like that Haley was able to use her own skills to find a more innovative way to 'defeat' Crystal.

Although with regard to Haley being "damseled", I think she's rescued Elan more times than she's been rescued by anyone else, and there have also been clear subversions, for example, here: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0722.html.

[Kish]

Am .. am I being lectured on how to sound human by a pony? How is this even ...?

Ah, well. If the meatbags mistake me for human then I guess it's not really a problem.

Tongue-in-cheek,

Brian P.

Considering you appear to be a blank white square, yes, I'd say a pony is closer to human than that.

[Zyzzyva]

Considering you appear to be a blank white square, yes, I'd say a pony is closer to human than that.

He's a set of (chinese?) characters, although you can only see that if you open-in-new-tab or similar.

Possibly you might want to invest in a lower-resolution avatar, Pendell.

[pearl jam]

He's a set of (chinese?) characters, although you can only see that if you open-in-new-tab or similar.

Possibly you might want to invest in a lower-resolution avatar, Pendell.

That's a single character: 礼




But a smaller image would seem to be in order, yeah.

[137beth]

Okay so
my personal reasons for loving this victory very much

1. I've wanted Haley to be friends instead of enemies with one of her only two female peers we know of from Crystal's very first introduction, especially given how dumb a reason for their rivalry was (and playing on freaking awful gender stereotypes and expectations)
2. This strip has been built up to over an extended period of time, creating tension and excitement. It even had steampunk gnome police force, for hell's sake!
3. Haley hadn't really gotten a prolonged, epically built-up-to moment of personal triumph like this before. She got offhand acknowledgement of her supreme badassery and scattered moments of brief on-screen awesome, and also several instances of being damsel'd.
4. I, personally, as a (mostly potential) DnD and general videogame player, find non-combat skills and their uses to save your ass in ways other than "hit it in the face until it falls down", really freaking awesome.
5. I love it when characters display bravery. Not just badassery, like when Belkar was mowing down hobgoblins in hundreds, but bravery. When the character is up against someone above their level, and still persists and protects others. V got a moment like this in Xykon's tower, and it remains just about my favorite sequence of all this comic. Roy got a moment like this on the arena. Durkon can be said to have gotten a moment like this in the dungeon, although him actually losing made it sad more than awesome. Nobody else in the party has, as far as I remember.
And Haley got her moment of _bravery_, of going against a known more powerful opponent and distracting it and leading away from civilians, and trusting into her abilities and Crystal's remaining personality over hatred... she got it now and she got it there. I had my breath baited when she stopped and turned to Crystal, and when Crystal stopped too...

This was freaking awesome.

Yes! All of these! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who wanted to see a Haley and Crystal team-up.

Everyone go home, Liliet won the thread.

[pendell]

He's a set of (chinese?) characters, although you can only see that if you open-in-new-tab or similar.

Possibly you might want to invest in a lower-resolution avatar, Pendell.

Japanese Kanji. Imageshack has been giving me grief and I will probably be switching to a new avatar at some point.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Zyzzyva]

Japanese Kanji. Imageshack has been giving me grief and I will probably be switching to a new avatar at some point.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

Gif of Aretha Franklin, maybe?

[pearl jam]

Gif of Aretha Franklin, maybe?

LOL. Nice.





Also, the term "Japanese Kanji" as a differentiation from "Chinese" characters is humorous, given that the word "kanji" literally means "Chinese character".


漢字

[Reddish Mage]

Japanese Kanji. Imageshack has been giving me grief and I will probably be switching to a new avatar at some point.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

I think its time for Pendell to pick a pony avatar.

Friendship is verisimilitude Magic