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  1. - Top - End - #1
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    GreataxeFighterGirl

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    Default Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    I've been a huge fan of Order of the Stick for a long time now, but I've just had a bit of a problem with Tarquin. Ever since he detailed his win-win plan of infamy or ruling a country until he dies old and happy, I've really wanted to see him get what's coming to him.

    And I can only think of two ways:

    1: Xykon pops in, and completely schools him. Kills him in a horribly undramatic fashion, binds soul to something, and tosses it into a void of never-ever-able-to-find-it. All while giving him a killer "This is why you suck" speech.

    2: Elan takes him down by pointing out how his ability to abuse tropes and expectations has made him a "Boring invincible villain". Given how Tarquin composes himself, this could likely send him into a berserker rage. Hopefully.

    Anyone want to add something, please say so here.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    I actually quite like Tarquin - I know a lot of people feel he's way too powerful or prepared, but I've never found that an issue. (And on the preparedness front, if I were a D&D player whose party had spent ten years or more ruling over most of an entire continent, I'd have amassed a pretty awesome collection of magic items, too.) But I do kind of wonder how he'll react when he realizes he's not the main villain of his son's campaign.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    No. No, I really do not want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in, because that's exactly what he is expecting. I mean, he actually said that that was in his plan - sooner or later, some random peasant schmuck was going to burst into his room and do him in, but that's alright with him; he already "got to live like a god for three decades", in his own words.

    No matter what happens to The General - including a slow, painful death in obscurity - he still wins. He already has.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    I'll just copy my post from the main dicussion, since it is pretty much about this topic.

    I think that people who see (or, possibly, wish to see) Tarquin dying alone and unremembered, or getting squished by Xykon like a bug he is, or some other sort of anticlimatic death just underestimate his importance in Elan's character developement.

    Tarquin is as important to Elan as Xykon is to Roy. Elan is clearly the second most important character of the whole comics. And since it's not probable that a bunch of dire half-dragon bone-eating saltwater werepiranhas consume Xykon and his bauble on his way to a gate, I guess Tarquin's defeat will also be a more or less direct result of Elan's actions. Nale and/or Haley may shuffle the cards a bit, but Elan will pull off the winning move.

    And when I say defeat, I mean death will simply not do it. Tarquin, on certain level, is perfectly willing to accept death. He won't like a gruesome or anticlimatic one, but that won't be enough to sway his belief that ultimately, he got what he wanted by paing the price he was willing to pay. By his definition of victory, he has already won, plotting and living like a god for a long, long time. Anything more he gains at this point is merely another helping of cream on his cake made of Win.

    This is a contrast to Xykon, who will be defeated when destroyed with his phylactery, and whose moment of Win hasn't come to pass yes. Xykon wants to exist and to rule, and he does see his destruction as a defeat. Tarquin does not, and that's why I see his defeat coming in a different manner.

    I believe that if the old man saw Elan without his Glasses of Fatherly Pride, it would kick him in his gut way more than if he got eaten by a dragon. I guess something like that will happen at some point in the future. And after that, Elan will triumph with his plan.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by Emperordaniel View Post
    No. No, I really do not want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in, because that's exactly what he is expecting. I mean, he actually said that that was in his plan - sooner or later, some random peasant schmuck was going to burst into his room and do him in, but that's alright with him; he already "got to live like a god for three decades", in his own words.

    No matter what happens to The General - including a slow, painful death in obscurity - he still wins. He already has.
    ...Okay, then the priority shifts from "stop Tarquin from achieving his definition of victory or, what amounts to the same thing, from spinning whatever outcome comes up into something he can accept as a victory" to "stop Tarquin from harming as many people as possible as quickly as the current mission's pressures allow." There's wanting to see a villain get hoisted by his own petard, and then there's just wanting the villainy to stop because darn it, fictional people are suffering on their account. Unless you're suggesting that Tarquin should just be left to die of old age (or gain eleven levels in Wizard and make the transition to Lichdom), which would not only leave a plot thread hanging, it would give him an outcome he can spin into a victory and would do nothing to arrest the ongoing harms he's perpetrating on the people of the Western Continent.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by zimmerwald1915 View Post
    ...Okay, then the priority shifts from "stop Tarquin from achieving his definition of victory or, what amounts to the same thing, from spinning whatever outcome comes up into something he can accept as a victory" to "stop Tarquin from harming as many people as possible as quickly as the current mission's pressures allow." There's wanting to see a villain get hoisted by his own petard, and then there's just wanting the villainy to stop because darn it, fictional people are suffering on their account. Unless you're suggesting that Tarquin should just be left to die of old age (or gain eleven levels in Wizard and make the transition to Lichdom), which would not only leave a plot thread hanging, it would give him an outcome he can spin into a victory and would do nothing to arrest the ongoing harms he's perpetrating on the people of the Western Continent.
    What I have in mind for Tarquin's fate is somewhat similar to that of the Big Bad from Avatar: The Last Airbender; somehow, Tarquin would get permanently level-drained, making him not much more powerful than the average guy you'd see walking down the street. He'd then be left to die of old age - in captivity. Perhaps in the Azure Colonial Islands...

    Anyways, I wouldn't be too surprised if Tarquin does get killed in this arc; however, I wouldn't like him to be killed, as that's what he wants (and if it's not Elan, he may want to be taken down by someone like Xykon instead, as others may very well see it as "I was so badass that it took the most powerful Epic individual in the world to defeat me").

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by Emperordaniel View Post
    What I have in mind for Tarquin's fate is somewhat similar to that of the Big Bad from Avatar: The Last Airbender; somehow, Tarquin would get permanently level-drained, making him not much more powerful than the average guy you'd see walking down the street. He'd then be left to die of old age - in captivity. Perhaps in the Azure Colonial Islands...
    Ozai's fate left him in a position to get inside Zuko's head and spawn two series of sequel comics. And he was a stereotypical cackling megalomaniac whose plan for world domination involved the in-universe equivalent of waging a nuclear campaign against a non-nuclear power. What about the savvy manipulator Tarquin makes you believe he would be unable to parlay his imprisonment into an asset, or even a position of power, at some point?

    That you reach across the ocean to the Azurites for someone to actually keep him imprisoned shows just how much of a stretch this plan is. For one thing, of what are the Azurites supposed to convict him, and on what evidence? They don't have the kind of jurisdiction they did when they sent Miko after the Order, and even that was highly suspect. If you're suggesting that the word of one or more Order members might be enough to sway Hinjo and the magistrates, well, we saw that situation already with Kubota. Elan, Kazumi, and Daigo were prepared to testify against him, and he was confident not only in his ability to beat the charges, but also, for a time, to get the case kicked out of court should it ever be brought. As for going around the legal system, well, that was the old regime son. These days the Azurites do things by the book.

    Anyways, I wouldn't be too surprised if Tarquin does get killed in this arc; however, I wouldn't like him to be killed, as that's what he wants (and if it's not Elan, he may want to be taken down by someone like Xykon instead, as others may very well see it as "I was so badass that it took the most powerful Epic individual in the world to defeat me").
    Yeah, he doesn't actually want to get killed. He's prepared to accept his own death, however it may come, or at least he says he is. As for Xykon, well, that's spin. Another way to spin it is that Tarquin's getting killed by Xykon means he meant as much to the story as Jeff, who not only died off-panel, but didn't even make it into the online comic. Thing is, Tarquin at his moment of death has an audience of himself, and possibly whatever devil is assigned to his case - who has undoubtedly heard it all before a dozen times or more. He can spin anything however he wants, and no one but him will notice or care. The person who actually gets to do the spinning to a mortal audience would be Elan. Tarquin seems to take it for granted that Elan will tell his story how Tarquin wants it told, and that he will tell it in the first place. Neither of those things is a given.

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    NecromancerGuy

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by zimmerwald1915 View Post
    ...Okay, then the priority shifts from "stop Tarquin from achieving his definition of victory or, what amounts to the same thing, from spinning whatever outcome comes up into something he can accept as a victory" to "stop Tarquin from harming as many people as possible as quickly as the current mission's pressures allow." There's wanting to see a villain get hoisted by his own petard, and then there's just wanting the villainy to stop because darn it, fictional people are suffering on their account. Unless you're suggesting that Tarquin should just be left to die of old age (or gain eleven levels in Wizard and make the transition to Lichdom), which would not only leave a plot thread hanging, it would give him an outcome he can spin into a victory and would do nothing to arrest the ongoing harms he's perpetrating on the people of the Western Continent.
    The problem with Tarquin's death right now is that then the heroes will have no reason to come to the western continent ever again and deal with the four remaining Tarquin's allies, who aren't likely to come into play this arc. So even if Tarquin's personal evil deeds cease, his grand scheme of conquest will live on. The obvious way to deal with it would be to leave Tarquin safe and sound right now and deal with him and his allies after the Gate plot arc is over.

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    RedWizardGuy

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Tarquin's one weak point is being in denial of the fact that Elan is a comic relief character, and I guess his demise will involve that point in some way.
    Last edited by aldeayeah; 2012-09-18 at 06:26 AM.
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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    If it were not for his fan club on the forums, I would consider Tarquin pretty much the same as Nale or Xykon.

    However, his fan club exists, and therefore I wish his demise to involve a humiliating, no-one-could-deny-it's-a-failure-even-here failure on his part. And the sooner the better. Let's get back to wondering why Elan isn't suddenly becoming intelligent, how Belkar will evade his death prophecy, when Roy will finally multiclass, and why so many people on the forum think there's something wrong with genocide.
    Last edited by Kish; 2012-09-18 at 07:40 AM.

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    OldWizardGuy

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    As I mentioned in the other thread, I fully expect Tarquin to get stomped by Xykon pretty darn soon.

    Until then, I'm going to continue to enjoy his presence in the comic.
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    Kobold

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    You know, I'd like to see him get the tar knocked out of him, regardless of whether or not you call it a "defeat." Maybe it's because I want to see the Order come into its own, or would like to see how Batman McXanatos tries to deal with something outside context, or outright beyond his scope... hell, I'd like to see him blindsided by Elan, even though that is exactly what he'd want. Even if he is not seriously put off by it, I want to see him taken down. It's cathartic.

    Being absolutely humiliated and deposed, and possibly disposed would be good too, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kish View Post
    However, his fan club exists, and therefore I wish his demise to involve a humiliating, no-one-could-deny-it's-a-failure-even-here failure on his part.
    Good luck with that. The Giant could show him sitting there, absolutely dejected, possibly soul jarred up somewhere, his entire rule somehow retroactively Snarled out of reality, talking to nobody in particular (already an established character trait), saying "Ah crap, I lost," and people would still insist he's winning.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    I want Elan's plan to be brilliant. A real win for him as a hero, that shows him outwit his father in a manipulative but narratively satisfying way, effectively showing him to be Tarquin's heir, but still keeping him as a good guy.
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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by VariableNature View Post
    I've been a huge fan of Order of the Stick for a long time now, but I've just had a bit of a problem with Tarquin. Ever since he detailed his win-win plan of infamy or ruling a country until he dies old and happy, I've really wanted to see him get what's coming to him.
    Short answer; yes, a lot of people here really, really, really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in. There is a significant Tarquin hatedom.

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    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by Joe the Rat View Post
    Good luck with that. The Giant could show him sitting there, absolutely dejected, possibly soul jarred up somewhere, his entire rule somehow retroactively Snarled out of reality, talking to nobody in particular (already an established character trait), saying "Ah crap, I lost," and people would still insist he's winning.
    Conversely, I really don't think there is a realistic "lose" condition that could completely satisfy Tarquin's rabid hate-dom. No matter what happens, there will be people complaining that it wasn't a painful, or humiliating, or thorough enough of a defeat, and that Tarquin still died as a little bit of a magnificent bastard, and he shouldn't get to do that because he's evil and I don't like him. *stomps foot*

    I'm not really anticipating Tarquin's eventual defeat to be a complete repudiation of him and everything he stool for because, well, what about the OotS-verse so far has ever indicated that people always get what they deserve? From what I've seen, this is a universe where sometimes good people die bad deaths, and bad people sometimes escape what should maybe be their due. Oh, sure, sometimes they get what they deserve (Kubota springs to mind), but not always. Did Shojo deserve to die like he did? Did Fyron? The Draketooths? How about Bozzok - he's free and running his guild and turning a tidy little profit despite the fact that he's an unrepentant murderer. I mean, heck,
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    Lirian and Dorukan are stuck in a gem in Xykon's left pocket despite having dedicated their lives to defending the world from utter annihilation.
    And don't even get me started on that whole mess with the Black Dragons.

    Tarquin, from his own perspective, has won, and at least in his own eyes looked really cool doing it. There's nothing that can be done about that now. All that's left is to limit the damage he might do in the future. I suspect that anyone who is holding out hope for him to die weeping, having realized the enormity of his error, is going to be disappointed. Tarquin, almost certainly, is going to die thinking that he won, and that seems to bother a lot of people, because that knowledge, the knowledge that *he* is the winner, seems to be the thing that is the most valuable to Tarquin (or at least, it's something he values very highly). And that knowledge? It's not something that anyone can take away from him. So Tarquin gets to die holding on to one of the things he values most. So his defeat can never be the soul-crushing total defeat that a significant portion of his hate-dom seems to desire for him.
    Last edited by rgrekejin; 2012-09-18 at 02:19 PM.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    The funny thing about Tarquin is that he's done such a good job of being a manipulator. He's manipulated both Elan and the readers into caring about his opinions and his plans, instead of about the people in his kingdom. Why do we care about whether Tarquin's plans are justified or whether he feels things are worthwhile or not? Why should Elan care?

    Tarquin is a villain, albeit one running a stable kingdom. If there's time to overthrow him and improve things without throwing everything into war and anarchy, it should be done to make all the people in that kingdom better off. Otherwise, it will have to wait until later. How it happens isn't important as long as it's not so grand as to inspire imitators.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kish View Post
    If it were not for his fan club on the forums, I would consider Tarquin pretty much the same as Nale or Xykon.

    However, his fan club exists, and therefore I wish his demise to involve a humiliating, no-one-could-deny-it's-a-failure-even-here failure on his part. And the sooner the better. Let's get back to wondering why Elan isn't suddenly becoming intelligent, how Belkar will evade his death prophecy, when Roy will finally multiclass, and why so many people on the forum think there's something wrong with genocide.
    A scenario that could potentially satisfy you then:

    Nale and Tarquin turn on each other again... Z remains loyal to Nale, plane shift to what Z presumably still believes is the demiplane of extremely painful torture (correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think he's seen V yet since the plane shift).

    It's hard to be a cool badass villain when your only option for conquest is to usurp the throne of the Hidden Valley from Prince Oozalot while setting up the evil sauce dragon as a puppet ruler. I also doubt that Gootrude or any of the other amorphous sauce blob ladies would really get his motor running.

    Added bonus: it would be a cohort of Nale's, and not Elan, that led to his defeat/humiliation.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kish View Post
    If it were not for his fan club on the forums, I would consider Tarquin pretty much the same as Nale or Xykon.

    However, his fan club exists, and therefore I wish his demise to involve a humiliating, no-one-could-deny-it's-a-failure-even-here failure on his part. And the sooner the better. Let's get back to wondering why Elan isn't suddenly becoming intelligent, how Belkar will evade his death prophecy, when Roy will finally multiclass, and why so many people on the forum think there's something wrong with genocide.
    I have to agree with this. At the end of the day he is a horrible Tyrant. I wan't him dead. I wan't him to stop seeing people around him like background dancers for his show.

    I would like him killed by just a random NPC that was upset at his rule. Thats it. So Anti-climactic.

    And I wan't the bloody fan clubs to die out. So many people argue its alright if he is a despotic, torturing, mind powdering, monster as long as things are stable because hes smarmy.
    Last edited by Scowling Dragon; 2012-09-18 at 12:27 PM.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Frankly, I don't care. I just want the action along the way to be funny.

    Based on his previous background, I expect him to abandon Nale to his death, like he's done with Baron Tyrinar and everyone else he's ever "served".

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kish View Post
    If it were not for his fan club on the forums, I would consider Tarquin pretty much the same as Nale or Xykon.

    However, his fan club exists, and therefore I wish his demise to involve a humiliating, no-one-could-deny-it's-a-failure-even-here failure on his part. And the sooner the better. Let's get back to wondering why Elan isn't suddenly becoming intelligent, how Belkar will evade his death prophecy, when Roy will finally multiclass, and why so many people on the forum think there's something wrong with genocide.
    So you basically say that you wish Tarquin a horrible death not because of his character or deeds, but because you want it so negatively impact the people that happen to like him. I think you take it too seriously.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    I really like Tarquin, but jut as I like Redcloak, I know each of them will bite it at one point. It's just fitting for Tarquin to die in a way that would deny him conclusion to his arc with Elan he dream's of. I could see him dying at the hands of Xykon, it would probably be most fitting.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by VariableNature View Post
    I've been a huge fan of Order of the Stick for a long time now, but I've just had a bit of a problem with Tarquin. {...} I've really wanted to see him get what's coming to him.
    Where you lose me is when you say "I'm a fan of the comic, but I really want to see this villain getting the tar beaten out of him," as though the two halves of the statement were in conflict. I consider a comic that makes us really root for the villain's defeat to be more enjoyable, not less. Why is wanting Tarquin to "get what's coming to him" a "problem"?

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by jere7my View Post
    Where you lose me is when you say "I'm a fan of the comic, but I really want to see this villain getting the tar beaten out of him," as though the two halves of the statement were in conflict. I consider a comic that makes us really root for the villain's defeat to be more enjoyable, not less. Why is wanting Tarquin to "get what's coming to him" a "problem"?
    Too much exposure to the Tarquin superfans?

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by jere7my View Post
    Where you lose me is when you say "I'm a fan of the comic, but I really want to see this villain getting the tar beaten out of him," as though the two halves of the statement were in conflict. I consider a comic that makes us really root for the villain's defeat to be more enjoyable, not less. Why is wanting Tarquin to "get what's coming to him" a "problem"?
    Well, there are two ways of disliking a character: intended-dislike that a love-to-hate villain is supposed to get, and unintended-dislike, in which you're just sick of the character and don't want to read about them anymore. The OP may be feeling more of the latter, although I'll admit it doesn't actually sound like it, but certainly some people on here are feeling that way.

    On that note:

    Quote Originally Posted by 2323mike View Post
    So you basically say that you wish Tarquin a horrible death not because of his character or deeds, but because you want it so negatively impact the people that happen to like him. I think you take it too seriously.
    I'll freely admit that all (or at least most; increasingly the hatedom is also a big part of it) of my unintended-dislike for Tarquin is a direct result of his fandom - by which I mean the rabid "Tarquin is Epic and going to usurp Xykon as Big Bad and not-really-that-bad-even-though-he's-technically-Lawful-Evil" people, not "people who happen to like him" - not anything in the comic. So while I don't personally think this, I don't see it as a particularly far-fetched reaction for others to do so.

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    1. I'd wish Tarquin a Darth Vader death. Peaceful, accepting his fate by his son's hand. However, in his dying moments, he would come to a realization that it wasn't worth it to be separated from his better son that way. His final regret being that he took in the wrong son.

    2. If Xykon kills Tarquin, I don't think he would gloat much or do any horrific things to him or his soul. Xykon generally reserves that type of punishment for stubborn holier-than-thou paladin types and general good guys. From SoD: "I like the sound paladins make at the moment they realize that all their ideals of a good and fair universe fall apart when they are on fire."
    And also, in his battle vs. Vaarsuvius, Xykon said: "You are here to kill me just because I exist. I can respect that."
    So I think Xykon would actually respect Tarquin as a fellow evildoer, especially one with a solid working evil scheme, because he would understand and acknowledge his philosophy. After all, Xykon himself once wandered in search of a villain scheme for himself. Tarquin has no ideological illusions, and made evil path his rational choice.
    Xykon may, however, sneer a bit at the fact that Tarquin loses anyway. I.e. "I respect you, but that doesn't mean I won't kill you. You are a wizard of the warrior kind. You believe in preparation and careful study. I've known a warlord like yourself at one time. He told me I was not archvillain material. That I lack scope and tactical preparation. Well, time for mano a mano. Let's see how well prepared you are for THIS. ENERGY DRAIN!"

  26. - Top - End - #26
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    The main weakness in Tarquin's plan to achieve "legendary" status is that everything he's accomplished has been from behind the scenes; when he falls nobody will remember him because no one ever knew he was there to be remembered.

    As to the how, I predict it will be due to one of his own underlings, possibly Mallak, but more likely Kilkil, who will then take over as puppet master of the EoB and (knowing where the bodies are buried) will see to it T and his pals get the obscurity they deserve.
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  27. - Top - End - #27
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    GreataxeFighterGirl

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by jere7my View Post
    Where you lose me is when you say "I'm a fan of the comic, but I really want to see this villain getting the tar beaten out of him," as though the two halves of the statement were in conflict. I consider a comic that makes us really root for the villain's defeat to be more enjoyable, not less. Why is wanting Tarquin to "get what's coming to him" a "problem"?
    Mostly because a lot of people saying "Oh my gosh, it's like Nale, but AWESOME!" to the point that I'm starting to get tired of it.

    And I guess I should make my position clearer: I like OotS. I like the writing. I like the way that Tarquin has been dealt with SO FAR. My only problem is that, the more I'm looking at him, the less I can see any real way that he can be "beaten".

    Take Xykon and Redcloak, for example. Xykon gets defeated when his soul gets destroyed along with his body. Fair enough. Redcloak? Get past his fancy god-connection, and he's only flesh and blood. Kubota? Thwart his plans, then deny him the trial that would most likely get him off (granted, I see that as V going too far, but never mind). Miko? Show her that she isn't as all-righteous as she claims to be. Each of the other characters that have been described as "evil" or "hindering the party" have some sort of "If this button gets pressed, I lose" thing, even if that button requires 50 zillion steps to unlock.

    But for Tarquin, he doesn't seem to have an "I lose" condition. From the plan he detailed to Elan, he seems to have planned for everything. He's essentially the "perfect" bad guy, and that just rubs me the wrong way.

    So. Too long didn't read version: I like Tarquin as a character. But I don't like that he seems to have no weaknesses.

  28. - Top - End - #28
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Cleverdan22's Avatar

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    I think it's funny that people go on and on about how much fandom love there is for him, and I'm seeing far more people who hate him.

    Tarquin really hasn't been around for that long people. Real-time, sure, but in scope of the comic he's still quite new. It's an okay thing to see a villain appear that is prepared for things. That's just being a smart villain. Any character who pops up like that will be undone by their plans unraveling, that's just how it's going to go.
    A handful of true friends, an infinite supply of sodas, a collection of bad movies, and a full supply of webcomics are all one really needs to be happy.

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  29. - Top - End - #29
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    BlueKnightGuy

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by VariableNature View Post
    And I guess I should make my position clearer: I like OotS. I like the writing. I like the way that Tarquin has been dealt with SO FAR. My only problem is that, the more I'm looking at him, the less I can see any real way that he can be "beaten".

    ...

    But for Tarquin, he doesn't seem to have an "I lose" condition. From the plan he detailed to Elan, he seems to have planned for everything. He's essentially the "perfect" bad guy, and that just rubs me the wrong way.
    I'm kind of surprised at this, because he seems pretty fragile compared to the other examples you give. Tougher than Redcloak? Xykon?!?

    Tarquin, in my estimation anyway, is a melee type with above average stats and effectively unlimited WBL. He has a ton of handy magic items (AC/Save Boosters, Ring of True Seeing, Ring of Regeneration, Glammered Armor, Gloves of Arrow Snatching [probably]) and your standard "Smart-Fighter" Combat Expertise + Improved X Feats, but I would be shocked if he was much tougher than Roy without all his toys.

    IMO, his weakness is the same as his strength; his planning. He relies so much on his layers of contingencies, he will eventually hit a situation he didn't plan for and be blind-sided by it. His kind of villain tends to crumple like old newspaper when a wrench falls into the gears.

    That said, I really hope his defeat is ignominious and definitive. Not because I hate him, but because I love his character; it is the ultimate ironic twist and thus the most dramatic possible option for him to die unknown and alone. Personally I'd like Nale to do it, and step up to the plate as a major villain, but more character development for Elan is also nice.

    No to Xykon killing him though. Ugh, that would just be awful.
    Last edited by Water_Bear; 2012-09-18 at 07:03 PM.

  30. - Top - End - #30
    Titan in the Playground
     
    WindStruck's Avatar

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    Default Re: Does anyone else really want Tarquin to get absolutely bashed in?

    Quote Originally Posted by Incom View Post
    As I mentioned in the other thread, I fully expect Tarquin to get stomped by Xykon pretty darn soon.

    Until then, I'm going to continue to enjoy his presence in the comic.
    Hehe, it could be the next strip, even.

    *Xykon and company pops in via plane shift or teleport*

    Hey, nice ride.

    *Finger of Death*

    Sweet! Haven't had one of these since that one guy got all up in my business and defaced it.

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