Least Favorite Member of the Order

[acire]

Strange that was the time I felt least connected with him. He completely ignored that she just admitted to trying to poison her husband and instead focused on how she ran away from what she described as an abusive relationship (admittedly it wasn't from the strips we saw but Durkon probably didn't know that) she was forced to marry into (It was a crossbow marriage). Of the two things to lecture her on and break up over he chose her running away over attempted murder.

Yikes. I think I failed to catch that because we saw the strips, so I kinda forgot that Durkon probably wasn't privy to the same information. Of course, that would make it even more ridiculous to zero in on "freedom-loving adulterer"'over "attempted murderer" for a breakup motivation. That's rather unfortunate. I feel less sad for him now, which just drives him further into the "least liked character" slot.

[Knewred]

I'm not really a huge fan of Haley myself. It's not that I don't like her, because I do, but I've never really had much of a desire to see more of her. She just seems to sort of be there, and none of her arcs seem particularly interesting to me. That's probably just personal preference though, and I certainly won't try to convince anyone not to like her. From best to worst, I'd probably look something like this:

1) Vaarsuvius
2) Belkar
3) Roy
4) Elan
5) Durkon
6) Haley

I like them all, though. I wouldn't want to see any of them written out of the story.

[Mad Humanist]

Yikes. I think I failed to catch that because we saw the strips, so I kinda forgot that Durkon probably wasn't privy to the same information. Of course, that would make it even more ridiculous to zero in on "freedom-loving adulterer"'over "attempted murderer" for a breakup motivation. That's rather unfortunate. I feel less sad for him now, which just drives him further into the "least liked character" slot.

I cannot dislike Durkon for having an unyielding sense of morality. When I was about six I was convinced it was totally immoral to colour in a dot-to-dot puzzle after you had joined the dots. Dot-to-dot puzzles had one purpose and were not to be teleologically abused.

I like all of the order and it would be hard if not impossible for me to put them in any sort of order.

[Liquor Box]

Elan would probably be my least favorite. He does get some funny jokes though, like when he took his clothes off to be invisible.

[Auburn Bright]

For me it's gotta be Belkar.

Not because I think he's a bad character. He's not! But the rest of the Order have some really human flaw or struggle that I can relate to and want to see them overcome. Belkar's easily the funniest but I've never felt that type of connection to him.

Also, he's not my fave, but I really like Durkon. I wish he got more focus so we could get a more nuanced picture of him, but I don't think that's a problem with the character per se.

[Vinyadan]

To me, it changes over time. The problem is, I like characters who do stuff more than characters who think about what they have done. So, to me, V having his asides with Blackwing was the least likeable character. I also am not a big fan of character change when it's too strongly emphasized, to the point of overcoming action.

That's why my favourite character is Miko: she is so bound on movement, she end up doing all the dumbest things in a way that moves the plot and is coherent to her character. Plus, I like strongly polarized characters (in literature. IRL I'd call the cops.)

[LuisDantas]

So what's your least favorite character?

Belkar all the way, hands down.

[Sheba]

I think there is a big distinction between which member is one's least favorite character in the Order, and which member is one's least favorite person.

Belkar is a great character, but he's a horrible, horrible person. You wouldn't want to be around him IRL, and the fact that he might off you on a whim at any time wouldn't be the only reason. He'd not only be a mass murder, he's the type of mass murderer who make people who are opposed to the death penalty want to make an exception in his case.

Durkon is the opposite. IRL, he'd be an admirable person (though not necessarily someone you'd exactly like, because he'd be too stodgy and stiff for most people to want to just hang out with--though I guess Malack would disagree), but as a character, even with the recent character development, he's a bit bland.

Strangely, while I agree with the statement in general here, I just cannot apply it to Belkar. He's by far my least favourite character not only in the Order, but also in the whole comic. And that's not because he's a horrible person. He is, but hey, my very favourite character in the comic is Malack and he's also really far from being a good person. Belkar does get character development, yes, but I just fail to be able to see him as a great character because to me he gets away with way too much when it comes to the consequences of his actions. The recent fall from the mountain demonstrated that again. He didn't even get a scratch. But it happened before as well - one of the biggest letdowns was comic #570 for me. But this of course might also be my very subjective opinion since I just dislike Belkar that much.

I actually really enjoy Durkon, though - maybe because he's the character I relate with the most. He's not my favourite, though, because I agree he's a bit bland. I actually find it difficult to really make a list because none of the Order-characters rank very high in my favourite characters list when it comes to the whole comic. I find myself liking most of them in certain plots far more than in others and it's pretty inconsistent, which is rare for me. For example, I really disliked Haley for the whole arc when Roy was dead, but really liked how she in the end handled Crystal and killed her for good. Sometimes I think Elan is awesome and funny and sometimes I think he's just acting like a moron. I liked V in the beginning, hated them after Azure City but now I'm pretty neutral because the interactions with Blackwing are just awesome. Really, the only consistent positions I can give are Belkar as my very least favourite and Durkon somewhere around place 2-3.

[Emanick]

Belkar does get character development, yes, but I just fail to be able to see him as a great character because to me he gets away with way too much when it comes to the consequences of his actions. The recent fall from the mountain demonstrated that again. He didn't even get a scratch.

Is that really a problem? His Feather Fall item made his scratchless condition totally unsurprising, and he had the item for a very believable reason.

I mean, yes, he didn't die, but he did lose the battle, fail in his mission, and almost die. I don't think he exactly got away scot-free from taking the risk he did (which wasn't a terribly unreasonable one to begin with - it's the sort of thing Haley could easily have done).

[Windscion]

Least favorite = Elan, easy. Mind you, I actually kinda like him now. Despite being dumb, he plays to his strengths -- he is skilled with people, brave, loyal and good. But I'm no fan of using stupidity to move the plot. (As you might imagine, this makes it hard for me to watch many episodes of the Simpsons.)

Then Haley -- hard for me to relate, but a fine character. Rogues are not my thing, I hate deceit. I just find it stressful AF.

Then Belkar -- I can relate to him a little, he's basically just an id on legs. He blows past peoples pretences, which I can appreciate.

Durkon is very much the PC I would play, and I can appreciate (while not sharing) his somewhat blindered approach to life. Thinking too much can be quite dangerous. Actually, Durkon and Belkar are kinda equal and opposite. Belkar is all id, Durkon is all superego. But they don't conflict much because Durkon's lawfulness is not the type that feels a need to tell other people what do.

Vampire!Durkon, however, I don't care for at all. If he counted he would be my least favorite, but he is not a member of the order.

Roy is, I think, the most 'heroic'. He makes mistakes, he learns, he grows. I totally root for him.

But V and Blackwing are just awesome. As V talks less, BW talks more. If Durkon is my PC, V is me. (I wish I had a talking raven familiar, too.)

[Mordar]

Vaarsuvius because he's a mass murderer.

Well, that's certainly different than every other member of the Order...

[Lotana]

Belkar is not my least favourite: he is firmly in really disliked.

He supposed to be comic-relief character, but his murderous, violence-based humour just doesn't do anything for me. His "character development", if it could be called as such, is minimal. At most it changed him from psychopath to be a sociopath instead: Still derive pleasure from violence, just on the victims that the rest of the party hates.

Haley rose quite a bit in my eyes in comic 570: She did what Roy should of done long before. As for "Keeping him around so that he does not do more damage" excuse: Just kill him like Roy killed all the other evil creatures. There are plenty of other combat-oriented characters that can be recruited without the overhead of Belkar's excesses.

My least favorite is Durkon. Purely because he had no character development and passivity.

[martianmister]

Belkar is not my least favourite: he is firmly in really disliked.

He supposed to be comic-relief character, but his murderous, violence-based humour just doesn't do anything for me. His "character development", if it could be called as such, is minimal. At most it changed him from psychopath to be a sociopath instead: Still derive pleasure from violence, just on the victims that the rest of the party hates.

Haley rose quite a bit in my eyes in comic 570: She did what Roy should of done long before. As for "Keeping him around so that he does not do more damage" excuse: Just kill him like Roy killed all the other evil creatures. There are plenty of other combat-oriented characters that can be recruited without the overhead of Belkar's excesses.

My least favorite is Durkon. Purely because he had no character development and passivity.

Same for me, Belkar all the way. He never face the consequences of his evil actions.

[A.A.King]

I don't get why people are so upset about Belkar not having any consequences to his Evil actions when they don't make such complaints towards Haley. Belkar may be a murderer (among other things) but Haley is a Thief and while Murder trumps theft on the sliding skill of evil, it is still evil. Not only that, but she stole from the party pretending loot she got never existed and scamming them into taking worthless pieces of rock as theor share of the loot. These are all acts of betrayal from which she suffered no karmic backlash. Haley is by far the wealthiest member of the party and not because she works more or made smarter investments (unless you count thief tools as a smarter investment ;) )

In the end these are just characters in a fictional world with rules and laws very different from our own. If 'Evil' is an acceptable choice (and certain gods aswell as the simple alignment system seem to imdicate that) then you can't exactly expect punishment for a crime well commited.

No my least favourite are simply the ones whose contribution to the story I find least interesting (with least in no way being an indication of 'bad') which would have to be V. More even than Haley (whose whole 'I can't talk routine' didn't interest me much) V's story is an internal struggle. It might not be quite as internal as Durkon (who is literally trapped inside of his own head) but the tension between him and the spirit is far more interesting than the simple debates between V and Blackwing.

[Kish]

In the end these are just characters in a fictional world with rules and laws very different from our own. If 'Evil' is an acceptable choice (and certain gods aswell as the simple alignment system seem to imdicate that)

The alignment system which states that players shouldn't play evil characters?

How do you figure Rich determined that Roy would be the protagonist, and Xykon the antagonist, of his overarching story, rather than the other way around? Did he flip a coin, perhaps?

[A.A.King]

The alignment system which states that players shouldn't play evil characters?

How do you figure Rich determined that Roy would be the protagonist, and Xykon the antagonist, of his overarching story, rather than the other way around? Did he flip a coin, perhaps?

You are assuming that Roy really is the protagonist, I'm still convinced that in the final battle Xykon will win in such a way that we the reader realise that he was the true hero of the story all along ;)

Also the alignment system doesn't state that players shouldn't play evil characters, it only states that the non-evil ones are the 'standard' for players the other three are still very much open. Anyway my point simply is that the D&D world is a world where 'being evil' can be an active choice with literal actual divine GODS backing your choice. You cannot expect perfect karmic backlash from a story if it is set in a world where the not all creators agree on who should and who shouldn't be punished. The story has all kinds of criminal and do-no-gooders who get away with their crimes simply by aligning themselves with our heroes. I just think it is very silly to demand consequences for Belkar, especially when you single him out and make no comment regarding the other criminals who are regarded as heroes and thus also face no consequence for their actions

You may of course disagree that is the beauty of opinions.

[Whelk]

Vaarsuvius takes my "least favorite" slot, but I still like him a lot. I particularly enjoy that he feels deep and genuine guilt (and fear) over his actions when spliced. The way he talks and makes understatements cracks me up. I root for him when he blows up bad guys (sometimes - other times I smirk at the overpoweredness, but that fact seems to be acknowledged and played for laughs in the comic, and even for character development).

I figured a lot of people would pick Durkon, though he's my favorite. I've always enjoyed the honest, dependable types of characters - I feel that type of thing is really underappreciated these days. And to the person who griped about him allowing his group to be taken to be executed - if I recall correctly, all they knew was that they were charged for crimes against existence and that they were being taken to Lord Shojo. Nothing about execution was ever mentioned. And considering that brought to light a threat against existence itself, can we really fault Durkon for wanting to go and learn more?

I have a love-annoyed relationship with Elan. I don't mind the foolishness so much as the silly way he talks sometimes - particularly when he uses the word "like" in a sort of "valley talk" way.

[Knaight]

You are assuming that Roy really is the protagonist, I'm still convinced that in the final battle Xykon will win in such a way that we the reader realise that he was the true hero of the story all along ;)

That wouldn't prevent Roy from being the protagonist. The story mostly follows his view point, he's in vastly more strips than Xykon, his narrative arc dominates the story overall while the rest of the order tends to see focus mostly in one book, etc. Him dying at the end wouldn't change any of that, the same way that Walter White dying at the end of Breaking bad doesn't retroactively make the protagonist one of the more moral characters, or how Nameless's death at the end of Hero doesn't retroactively turn the emperor of Qin into the protagonist.

Back on topic: Elan. I still like Elan okay as a character, and there are some very good lines, but he's not up to the standard of the rest of the order.

[Agnostik]

It's a toss-up between Haley, Belkar and Elan. But if I had to choose one... Haley. I'm sort of tired of her by now.

[The Pilgrim]

Right now my least favorite member is Haley, as she is the closest to an idealized character. No flaws, voice of reason, is a walking deus-ex-machina right now because she can pull any magic trick via a wand... meh.

It used to be Belkar because I could totally pass without the psychopatic "humor" he was the channel for. It actually diminished the comic IMHO. However after his developement into a less bitter leaf he has become interesting.

Vaarsuvius hit rock bottom with familicide, but she shown genuine terror when faced with the consequences of her action. And, really, an Elf being actually the least wise member of the party is a good subversion of the trope. Also she subverts the trope of the androgynous elf, as instead of being played for homophobic humor, it's actually played to make funny of the people who have a problem with it.

[KorvinStarmast]

It used to be Belkar because I could totally pass without the psychopatic "humor" he was the channel for. It actually diminished the comic IMHO. However after his developement into a less bitter leaf he has become interesting.

Give credit to Mr Scruffy.

[Cizak]

Right now my least favorite member is Haley, as she is the closest to an idealized character. No flaws, voice of reason, is a walking deus-ex-machina right now because she can pull any magic trick via a wand... meh.

You misunderstand what a deus ex machina is (don't worry, you're in good company on these forums). Since it's been established that Haley is carrying wands, they're not unexplained or unexpected when she pulls them out. Not to mention that both times she has done it this far, they've haven't even been able to solve the problems she tried to solve. "Being the thing that solves the problem" is pretty much the most defining trait of a DEM, besides "being introduced out of nowhere". Also, a high level rogue having wands really isn't more of a DEM than a wizard being able to cast spells.

[Moo, I'm Human]

Best to worst:

1 Every animal ever.
2 Belkar
3 Elan
4 That one hero in the arena
5 Haley
6 Everyone else
7 Durkon

[An Enemy Spy]

Right now my least favorite member is Haley, as she is the closest to an idealized character. No flaws, voice of reason, is a walking deus-ex-machina right now because she can pull any magic trick via a wand... meh.

Haley has no flaws? The woman who cons her teammates out of gold, is so obsessed with money that losing it literally took away her ability to speak, and couldn't tell someone she loved how she felt about him because she has so little self respect that she can't conceive of anyone loving her back has no flaws? Or do you consider these traits to be positive qualities?

[Ruck]

Haley has no flaws? The woman who cons her teammates out of gold, is so obsessed with money that losing it literally took away her ability to speak, and couldn't tell someone she loved how she felt about him because she has so little self respect that she can't conceive of anyone loving her back has no flaws? Or do you consider these traits to be positive qualities?

To be fair, Pilgrim said "right now," and I don't think anything you've described has happened for at least 600 strips. (Haley apparently still cheats at board games, though.)

[theinsulabot]

belkar, pretty easily. been waiting for the prophecy to put him out of my misery for a while now.

[Emanick]

To be fair, Pilgrim said "right now," and I don't think anything you've described has happened for at least 600 strips. (Haley apparently still cheats at board games, though.)

She's still very greedy, though. It isn't emphasized as much anymore, but on the occasions when she's talked about money recently, that fact's been made abundantly clear.

[Unregistered]

Elan. I get the least laughs out of his jokes and the least "Oomph" out of his actions.

[Themrys]

As people?

I hate Belkar, which I am sure is intended.

Other than that, well, Elan behaved like an immature little **** at times (like when Roy was poisoned and paralyzed and Elan wrote insults on the wall behind him)

And all the male members of the OOTS drooled over Haley's wardrobe malfunction and her conversation with V.

And V really should'nt have committed genocide, but I have come to like hir more in the recent events.


There is no one I would consider a badly-written character.

I cannot dislike Durkon for having an unyielding sense of morality. When I was about six I was convinced it was totally immoral to colour in a dot-to-dot puzzle after you had joined the dots. Dot-to-dot puzzles had one purpose and were not to be teleologically abused.

I like all of the order and it would be hard if not impossible for me to put them in any sort of order.

I quite like Durkon, but his telling a victim of domestic abuse and rape (that's what she made him believe, after all) to return to her husband and be miserable, instead of, I don't know, telling her that murder is not the ethically correct way to solve such problems, was clearly wrong. Though that's one of those parts of the comic where I'm not sure whether we are to take things seriously. It makes no, or at least not much sense for dwarves to have a society where forcing women into marriage by threatening their lives is totes okay, but men are socialized to offer their wives foot rubs instead of raping them. While it is possible that her husband just happened to be a total sweetheart in spite of dwarven culture socializing him otherwise, such is unlikely, and it also clashes with the portrayal of Durkon's past, which does not contain any oppression of women that I remember.

[Ruck]

She's still very greedy, though. It isn't emphasized as much anymore, but on the occasions when she's talked about money recently, that fact's been made abundantly clear.

Sure-- we just had a joke about it-- but even being greedy isn't much of a character flaw if you aren't actually doing bad things out of greed.