History Heartwarming / EightBitTheater

** The next strip qualifies, too, with Black Mage [[spoiler:telling Fighter to just get White Mage away from him. Of course, it's immediately subverted, but still]].

* I think [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/01/09/episode-1209-pep-talk-of-doom/ this strip]] counts a bit: I actually went "aaw" at the Light Warriors trying to cheer up Black Mage.
-->''"You guys are '''almost''' as good to me as I deserve."''
** It does count... As a very twisted one, but still.
** Technically, it's almost a SoProudOfYou moment. A disturbing one.

* [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/12/02/episode-486-fell-down/ This one here.]]
** To extrapolate, [[spoiler: Fighter finds a note written by Black Mage for White Mage explaining that he doesn't mean to act the way that he does around her, it's just that whatever he tries to say to her gets messed up and creepy on the way out of his brain and to his mouth. He recognizes this as a problem and doesn't blame WM at all for not wanting a thing to do with him. It is truly one of [=BMs=] very few redeeming moments regarding their "relationship." Doubles as a TearJerker of sorts since it shows that [=BM=] has a shred of humanity under all the evil.]]

** Remember, this is [[HeroWithAnFInGood Red Mage]] and [[TheEvilPrince Thief]] we're talking about. When they see how far Black Mage has gone, neither of them even HESITATES to act like non-stupid non-[[NominalHero evil]] honest to god HEROES
* While Thief and Black Mage try to abandon Red Mage instead of fighting [[spoiler:Sarda,]] it's worth noting that Thief does come back to drag Fighter away with them.

* ''[[Webcomic/EightBitTheater 8-bit Theater]]'' gives us a Meta example (like the actual strip itself could ever pull one of these off.): The author faked an AllJustADream GainaxEnding for the sole purpose of pissing off the fans, expecting a ton of angry emails about the AntiClimax. Instead he got a huge number of emails from readers expressing gratitude for all the work he had put into the comic, saying it was great while it lasted. He even got these from ''people who hated the ending''.

** Remember, this is [[HeroWithAnFInGood Red Mage]] and [[TheEvilPrince Thief]] we're talking about. When they see how far Black Mage has gone, neither of them even HESITATES to act like non-[[StaticCharacter stupid]] non-[[NominalHero evil]] honest to god HEROES

* [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/19/episode-1129-there/ An often missed nostalgia moment]]

** Red Mage establishes a support group for the survivors of secret societies like himself. White Mage questions why he would want to chat with her since she used her connections [[FakeUltimateHero to present the Dark Warriors as the true saviors of the world.]] [[SweetAndSourGrapes Red Mage calmly tells her that he's merely content with the adventure, not the glory.]]

** Red Mage establishes a support group for the survivors of secret societies like himself. White Mage questions why he would want to chat with her since she used her connections to present the Dark Warriors as the true saviors of the world. [[SweetAndSourGrapes Red Mage calmly tells her that he's merely content with the adventure, not the glory.]]

** [[AwesomeMomentOfCrowning Thief becomes the King of the Elves]]. He tells White Mage that he will let her know if his spies find out where the rest of the Light Warrior are.

** [[AwesomeMomentOfCrowing Thief becomes the King of the Elves]]. He tells White Mage that he will let her know if his spies find out where the rest of the Light Warrior are.
** [[ThoseTwoGuys And finally, Warrior and Black Mage go back to mucking about and bickering]], [[BookEnds just as they did in the first comic strip.]]

** To extrapolate, [[spoiler: Fighter finds a note written by Black Mage for White Mage explaining that he doesn't mean to act the way that he does around her, it's just that whatever he tries to say to her gets messed up and creepy on the way out of his brain and to his mouth. He recognizes this as a problem and doesn't blame WM at all for not wanting a thing to do with him. It is truly one of [=BMs=] few redeeming moments regarding their "relationship." Doubles as a TearJerker of sorts since it shows that [=BM=] has a shred of humanity under all the evil.]]

* Shortly after Black Mage becomes ruler of Hell, he just can't bring himself to tell Fighter that he didn't go to Heaven. In his words "Even though I'm the embodiment of all mortal evils, I just don't have the heart." He gets another one a strip or two later.
-->Fighter: I bet in Heaven they let you eat cookies for breakfast every day!
-->Black Mage: Yes. That is what they do.

** To extrapolate, [[spoiler: Fighter finds a note written by Black Mage for White Mage explaining that he doesn't mean to act the way that he does around her, it's just that whatever he tries to say to her gets messed up and creepy on the way out of his brain and to his mouth. He recognizes this as a problem and doesn't blame WM at all for not wanting a thing to do with him. It is truly one of [=BMs=] few redeeming moments regarding their "relationship."]]

** To extrapolate, [[spoiler: Fighter finds a note written by Black Mage for White Mage explaining that he doesn't mean to act the way that he does around her, it's just that whatever he tries to say to her gets messed up and creepy on the way out of his brain and to his mouth. He recognizes this as a problem and doesn't blame WM at all for not wanting a thing to do with him. It is truly one for BMs few redeeming moments regarding their "relationship."]]

* Although it may not be quite as touching as some of the other examples here, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/02/12/episode-1093-night-of-murder/ this]] strip (especially panels 4,5, and 7). Despite all the ([[RuleOfFunny often hilarious]]) horribe things they've done to people and to each other, there's something strangely touching about seeing three of the Light Warriors share a bed, with the sight rendering [[ThePsychoRangers Drizz'l]] unable to kill them.
* I think the [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/01/09/episode-1209-pep-talk-of-doom/ latest strip (as of 1/9/10)]] counts a bit: I actually went "aaw" at the Light Warriors trying to cheer up Black Mage.

* Although it may not be quite as touching as some of the other examples here, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/02/12/episode-1093-night-of-murder/ this]] strip (especially panels 4,5, and 7). Despite all the ([[RuleOfFunny often hilarious]]) horribe things they've done to people and to each other, there's something strangely touching about seeing three of the Light Warriors share a bed ([[YaoiFangirl NO.]]), with the sight rendering [[ThePsychoRangers Drizz'l]] unable to kill them.

* Thief and Red Mage briefly teaming up to protect White Mage against Black Mage. Made even more surprising and heartwarming by Thief's ''extremely'' uncharacteristic HeroicSacrifice and then Red Mage's even more uncharacteristic last stand against Black Mage.

* [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/05/09/episode-1126-impasse This]] strip is considered a CMOHW by this troper. Why? Because instead of murdering a person, Black Mage actually gave him a chance to back down. The clincher? It was Fighter.
** YourMileageMayVary, but ThisTroper thought the next strip qualified, too, with Black Mage [[spoiler:telling Fighter to just get White Mage away from him. Of course, it's immediately subverted, but still.]]

* ''[[EightBitTheater 8-bit Theater]]'' gives us a Meta example (like the actual strip itself could ever pull one of these off.): The author faked an AllJustADream GainaxEnding for the sole purpose of pissing off the fans, expecting a ton of angry emails about the AntiClimax. Instead he got a huge number of emails from readers expressing gratitude for all the work he had put into the comic, saying it was great while it lasted. He even got these from ''people who hated the ending''.