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1* {{Adorkable}}:
2** Blackwing. Half his appeal is just how much of a dork he is. When V informs him that their back-up plan for protecting the ''Mechane'' is polymorphing him into a gigantic Roc, he's torn between outrage and giddy anticipation. When V confirms they will not sit on Blackwing's shoulder and pretend to be his familiar, he decides on outrage.
3** While she's plenty badass, Minrah's bouts of GenreBlindness, tendency to over-explain everything, and comical gushing over Thor [[spoiler:during her time in the afterlife]] all make her rather dorkishly endearing.
4** [[spoiler:Sunny, a beholder who should normally be a Lawful Evil AbsoluteXenophobe, but calls Serini "Mom" and cheerfully chats with Elan -- and apparently plays with crayons.]]
5* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
6** Miko, the biggest BaseBreakingCharacter in the entire comic -- KnightTemplar or KnightInShiningArmor?[[note]]The author has made clear that she's an interpretation of the WRONG way to play a paladin, e.g. a KnightTemplar, but that doesn't stop the debate.[[/note]]
7** Vaarsuvius -- JerkWithAHeartOfGold or SociopathicHero?
8** Belkar -- Chaotic Evil or Chaotic Neutral ([[WordOfGod Word of the Giant]] be damned)? Other fans debate how much of his CharacterDevelopment is fake, and whether the amount changed. Note that [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0058.html an early strip]] strongly implies that his constant anger and aggressiveness is a consequence of his low Wisdom; being temporarily wiser turns him into a non-violent nice guy.
9** Girard Draketooth -- Chaotic version of a KnightTemplar or ProperlyParanoid?
10** Malack. Exactly how evil he really is has been up for debate since the very beginning. How much he cared for his children, how much he does or does not genuinely respects Durkon, and a lot of other parts of his personality are up for debate. It was partly settled when Malack was revealed to be [[spoiler:a vampire who planned an endless campaign of human sacrifice when he took over the kingdom, perhaps employing a [[Film/SoylentGreen special chamber]]]]. [[OddFriendship Then again, it was also made clear he did genuinely respect Durkon.]] [[spoiler: He raised him as a vampire after all, and honored his last request to protect the Order of the Stick.]]
11** Thog -- Severely mentally handicapped man being manipulated into evil by the Linear Guild? Genuinely and knowingly evil despite his low intelligence? Or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs genuinely evil]] ''[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs and]]'' [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs a severely mentally handicapped man being manipulated by the Linear Guild]]? There are several points in the comics where he shows intentional, unprovoked malice and also several points where it seems he's not fully aware of what's going on, making it very unclear exactly how much moral agency he actually has.
12** Does Tarquin really care for [[spoiler:Elan]] as his son, or does he just think of him as a plot device? Given how dedicated Tarquin is to narrative tropes, a possible answer is ''both.'' This can be expanded to question the entire character's motivations and relationships -- how far do Tarquin's TheEndJustifiesTheMeans tendencies in relation to his EvilPlan extend? Does he really care about his relationship with colleagues like Malack, or is his [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0854.html seemingly reasonable and emotionally intelligent response]] to Malack's fury about Tarquin's actions during the battle for Girard's Gate merely a continuation of his willingness to manipulate everyone around him in order to achieve his, Tarquin's, desired goals? Malack's status as a divine caster of equal level relative to Tarquin's CrazyPrepared melee fighter, in a world in which LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards is in full effect, leaves the question open-ended; it's in Tarquin's interests to make it seem to Malack that Tarquin understands that his actions are selfish and unreasonable, regardless of whether he actually does recognise this. As Tarquin is a skilled manipulator and peerless liar who is [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0933.html demonstrated]] multiple [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0936.html times]] to perceive everything in terms of its impact on his desires, it's entirely plausible that his relationship with the entire Vector Legion is, to him, a purely transactional one. Equally however his apology to Malack above ''appears'' entirely genuine, and does cause him to change his approach to tackling the Order.
13*** Similarly, Malack indicates Tarquin has fully approved of his plans for the Western Continent after the rest of the Vector Legion has passed away. However, Tarquin also takes it as a given that his death will come about from some hero killing him while in the process of overthrowing the Legion's empire. Is he truly on-board with the plan, or does he think it will never come to pass and is merely placating Malack? And if the latter, is Tarquin's approval him manipulating Malack to keep him compliant, or is he just trying not to rain on his friend's parade?
14** The Snarl, as a result of EpilepticTrees, has several. One notable one is that [[spoiler: the planet within its realm is its effort to create life and an orderly world, unlike the chaotic nonsense which lead to its formation.]]
15** The Oracle is read by the majority fans as a simple {{Chessmaster}}, but a subset of fanfic writers have taken to a rather tricky interpretation of the whole [[spoiler:"Lickmyorangeballshalfling"]] thing. The theory goes that the Oracle, [[spoiler:being totally omniscient and thus unable to be surprised by ''anything'', is some kind of sociopath who manipulates people just to have some form of entertainment. After all, Belkar's prophecy was entirely self-fulfilling: he ''did'' end up "causing the death of" the Oracle (by, y'know... ''directly murdering him''), but only after being goaded into doing so by the Oracle, who claimed that Miko and Windstriker's deaths were indirectly his fault. The cyclic nature of the prophecy has been extrapolated by some to create a truly terrifying character]]. However, he ''is'' perturbed by Roy thinking he's a JerkassGenie and feels the need to overspecify his question; the Oracle repeatedly asks if he's ''sure'' he wants to ask that way.
16** When Vaarsuvius [[spoiler:wipes out a quarter of the world's black dragons]], the IFCC are visibly shocked. Were they [[EvenEvilHasStandards horrified that they would go so far]]? Did they fear such an action would have ramifications for them? Or did they just [[DidntSeeThatComing genuinely not expect it]]?
17** How genuinely ignorant Elan was of Haley's attraction to him and how much was ContractualGenreBlindness? [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0246.html These]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0316.html strips]] seem to indicate the latter, along with the fact that he generally seems to care a lot about her in general before they hook up.
18** Hel's petty, vindictive, ungrateful to the few friends she has, and is unspeakably cruel. However, from her VillainousBreakdown scene, it's clear that the way she gathers worship is taxing on her psyche. Was she different before the bet on worshipers? Or has she always been the way she is? Is the stress changing her personality, or just bringing it to the surface?
19** While Eugene is [[spoiler:impersonating his daughter Julia and talking to Roy]], he seemingly expresses that he regrets burdening his family with the Blood Oath while he is unable to help. Is this proof that he's genuinely sorry, or merely a lie [[spoiler:to keep his cover intact]]?
20* AngstWhatAngst: [[ParodiedTrope Parodied]] on the page image, but a straighter example comes after [[spoiler: the mirage in Girard's gate vanishes. Having what must have been ''months'' of mostly realistic justice and happiness ripped away from the party hardly even affects them, and they sorta just stand around and discuss what happened as soon as it dissolves, not even mentioning it ever again after the arc ends.]]
21* ArcFatigue:
22** Started to set in for some fans towards the end of Book 5 as [[spoiler:Tarquin obsessively pursues the Order attempting to force Elan to follow the "correct" narrative structure.]] From his reappearance in comic #910, coming after [[spoiler:the destruction of the Gate and a pointless battle with a monster summoned by Redcloak]], there were a further 26 strips of this, released over 4 and a bit months, before they finally managed to shake him off.
23** In Book 6, the Order of the Stick first gets redirected [[spoiler:by the High Priest of Hel]] to the Godsmoot in hopes of finding someone to resurrect [[spoiler:Durkon]]. Then it turns out there's a vote there by the gods on whether to [[spoiler:end the world]]. Then the vote goes to a tiebreaker, and Roy tries to fight [[spoiler:the High Priest of Hel]] to stop a vote, then the tiebreaker requires a tiebreaker when the final tiebreaker voter needs to convene a council far away, which results in ''another'' detour by the Order to prevent the final tiebreaker vote from being manipulated. Fans got so vocal that WordOfGod eventually addressed it on the forum (in a now-deleted thread).
24* ArchivePanic: Over 1200 strips -- and the "strips" are at least an A4 page's worth each, and sometimes more than one. In dead tree format, there are six books in print, plus three prequels, plus several side stories and bonus material.
25* ArtistDisillusionment: Not total disillusionment, but interactions between the Giant and his fans can be rather surly, especially if he's being forced to explain himself to fans regarding perceived plot holes, alignment concerns, and the creepy worship of certain characters. Even things that might bear discussion get rather blunt shutdowns from the author.
26* BaseBreakingCharacter:
27** Miko is a... polarizing character to say the least. Fans of the comic generally either love Miko or hate her. They started arguing about her back after being revealed at comic #200, and it's now over seven hundred strips later -- [[spoiler:and she's been dead since #464]] -- and no end in sight. Even among people who love her, there's still a very strong divide between people who love her because they see her as a sympathetic-but-wrong TragicHero, people who LoveToHate her (something between these two seems to have been the intended response), and people who love her and see her as unduly maligned by the narrative, at least in her early appearances.
28** There is a bit of a divide among fans regarding how [[WordOfGod Word of the Giant]] states that Tarquin is not necessarily TheChessmaster, and is more of a high-functioning and extremely lucky BigBadWannabe. Specifically the Giant's claim that [[UnreliableExpositor we only had Tarquin's word]] for [[MilesGloriosus how awesome Tarquin was]] and that he hoped GenreSavvy fans would have picked up on this. For some, this was a welcome bit of canon and substantiated the implications they perceived that he was WrongGenreSavvy, whereas others appreciated it because they viewed him as a borderline Villain Sue who needed to be knocked down a peg. Still others view this as spoiling one of their favorite villains, and claim it makes no sense with what Tarquin actually achieves in-story, citing how various unbiased characters have commented on how powerful and dangerous he is (Geoff and Ian mention how he took over a good chunk of the continent in less than a year through sheer strategic prowess, and was only defeated by a federation of ''twenty-six enemy nations''), the successful long-con on the Western Continent was his idea (unless that was a result of UnreliableExpositor too), and his demonstrable battle prowess against the Order. Another minor split along these lines is whether or not his tendency to adhere to story tropes means he's a strategic genius on a meta level, as he really is in a story, or whether it means he's severely hampered for when the story doesn't go the way he thinks it will, as the plot has outright defied several of these tropes in the past.
29** Belkar has always been one of the more divisive main characters but has become even more so in later strips with his 'fake' CharacterDevelopment. Some fans welcome the possibility that he will be redeemed and possibly die a hero. Others are less thrilled, either because they prefer him as an amusing, completely amoral Chaotic Evil HeroicComedicSociopath or because they don't believe that any amount of good deeds can make up for the actions he's performed and therefore any redemption would be unearned.
30** In Book 6, Bandana and Andi, the acting captain and the chief engineer of the ''Mechane'', both of whom are intensely polarizing characters. Andi (as well as some of the rest of the crew) don't take to Bandana's leadership well. Some readers insist that Bandana is reckless, incompetent, and egotistical, getting the ship into increasingly dangerous situations without adequately preparing for them, and trusting her crew to keep saving her bacon even as everything crumbles around her, and that Andi is the OnlySaneMan desperately trying to take control of a bad situation to get the ship to safety. Others argue that Bandana is a skilled and capable captain, and Andi is a petty, egomaniac lunatic who seized the ship out of sheer jealous rage and then immediately delved into CommanderContrarian, proving why she shouldn't be in charge of the ship like she desires. And then, there are those who TakeAThirdOption and think neither woman has the talent to be a captain. Still others think that Julio Scoundrél must have had good reason to promote Bandana as he did, and that her eventual performance proved him out. A major point that kept the debate dragging out was the ArcFatigue of the sequence in the series where they are the most prominent.
31* BetterOnDVD: Like many other webcomics, the series has long story arcs, as well as a rather sporadic release schedule. To many people, it's easier to enjoy a story arc by plowing through it in one go rather than waiting several days for each new page, so they enjoy the print collections more.
32* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Elan distracts an oncoming swarm of angry monsters with, out of ''absolutely friggin' nowhere'', [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0091.html Fruit Pie the Sorcerer's Fruit Pies]] (a parody of Advertising/DeliciousFruitPies). Most chalk this one up to EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.
33* BrokenBase:
34** Sadly, like most stories of sufficiently [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment lengthy length]], ''The Order of the Stick'' has succumbed to this, with fans unsure whether they prefer the series pre-CerebusSyndrome or post. Fortunately, most seem to be civil about this.
35** There's another controversy about which fans ''aren't'' civil. Miko Miyazaki: TheFettered Lawful Good KnightInShiningArmor, or Lawful Evil KnightTemplar {{Jerkass}}? Pick one or the other; as Miko herself would be the first to insist in either interpretation, you are not allowed to compromise.
36* CanonFodder: See the WildMassGuessing entry. Also, ''anything'' involving Miko that isn't Canon already can be this.
37* CargoShip: Elan×Banjo Puppet, Haley×Sack of Gold and possibly Roy×His Sword.
38* CompleteMonster: The silly-seeming but utterly ruthless [[BigBad Xykon]] plans to unleash the destructive Snarl to obliterate his enemies, uncaring of warnings that it is a beast with the potential to destroy the world. Sacking Azure City to claim their gate which will help him control the Snarl, Xykon gleefully uses a Symbol of Insanity to cause their entire guard to kill each other, deeming it to be the [[ForTheEvulz most fun way]] to wipe them out. In [[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickStartOfDarkness his backstory]], when a then-child Xykon's dog dies and he resurrects it, he happily watches it devour a bird, showing he was twisted [[EnfantTerrible from the start]]. As a teenager, Xykon kills and zombifies anyone who bothers him in any way, including a man offering to train him as a sorcerer and [[SelfMadeOrphan his own parents]] for having let the man into their house at all. In the present, now a SorcerousOverlord, Xykon carries out horrific acts solely for his own amusement and abuses his goblin henchmen to the point one tries to assassinate him. Allowing the brother of his would-be assailant to kill his brother, Xykon binds him to his service, then mocks him and forces him to bring his brother back as a zombie. Trapping the souls of two mages within a gem where they are doomed to [[AndIMustScream suffer for eternity]], Xykon is a PsychopathicManchild of a ruler devoted only to hurting others to entertain himself.
39* CrackPairing:
40** [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111631 Eight]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125046 shipping]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129876 threads]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133747 and]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136627 thankfully]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138468 at]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141065 a]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144143 halt]]. Warning: Due to the tendency of forum posters to write {{fanfic}}s of their absurd pairings, visitors are advised to keep BrainBleach handy at all times.
41** It would also seem that Vaarsuvius has become the [[LauncherOfAThousandShips Village Bike]] of the fandom.
42** [[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Edward Cullen]]×Literature/HarryPotter×[[{{Literature/Dragonlance}} Raistlin Majere]]×Xykon×Tsukiko×Lien×[[{{Webcomic/Erfworld}} Stanley the Tool]]×[[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6419640#post6419640 Winston Churchill]]. Sometimes they get a little psyched up.
43** Unfortunately, some idiot came and overdid it (by posting a pedo/incest story). As a result, the CrackFic thread was shut down. Now, we have to find them off site [[http://www.fanfiction.net/comic/Order_of_the_Stick/ here,]] [[http://www.fanfiction.net/community/Order_of_the_Stick_Crack_Pairings/76363/ here,]] [[http://forum.fanfiction.net/forum/Welcome_to_Crack/71859/ here,]] and [[http://crackpairings.wikidot.com/ here.]]
44* CreatorWorship: The fanbase for Rich Burlew, a.k.a. the Giant. There are entire threads devoted to archiving his every word and all discussion or dissension on a storyline or plot element usually ceases as soon as he posts in a topic. (There's also the fact that he's the chief forum moderator and regularly locks threads which cross a fairly strict list of "banned" topics, such as "morally justified behavior" in the fictional world, real-world religion, and several others.)
45* CreepyAwesome: Malack; when he lets on his full [[spoiler:vampire]] side he is frightening, a bit disgusting ([[spoiler:blood, sure, but he also adds warts in his tea]]) and really intimidating.
46* CrossesTheLineTwice:
47** Xykon does this constantly finds new and worse evil acts as part of his villainous humor. [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0448.html For instance...]]
48** Thog, as a NightmareFuelStationAttendant, is prone to terrifying events that become funny as a result.
49** In one early strip, Elan takes his clothes off and starts running around naked because of a (mis)understanding of the stealth rules. Even Belkar is traumatized.
50** In his attempts to get information out of O-Chul, Redcloak threatens to throw a group of civilians off a tower and towards the Gate rift in the hopes that one of them will yell something relevant to their attempts to understand the Snarl... and throw another group off the other side "as a control".
51** After charming the worm in the desert, Haley says they "can hightail it out of here while it just looks on lovingly!" To which Belkar replies, "Just like leaving Grandma Bitterleaf at the nursing home!"
52** The reason Hilgya didn't leave her child in the care of someone at Loki's church. We cut to a priestess of Loki playing cards with the Greysky City thieves, placing a baby on the betting table.
53** The first thing to happen after Durkon's resurrection is Hilgya killing him again with a ''flame strike'' because he proposed to her. Then she shuts down the outraged Order by pointing out that she's rich and can just resurrect him again.
54* CryForTheDevil: The rest of the comic carefully establishes that Hel is an evil jackass who is not only cruel and petty to the souls in her power, but takes both the worship she used to receive and her very small number of friends for granted. Yet, her VillainousBreakdown reveals just ''how badly'' the long-term consequences of being stripped of mortal worship has affected her, and even her prankster father walks away miserable at how deeply his own daughter has come to hate him.
55* DiagnosedByTheAudience: The Monster in the Darkness has the mentality of a child, forgets crucial information that has just been told to him (what gate?) and is generally oblivious to the things around him. When O-Chul asks him why he lets Xykon and Redcloak boss him around, he says he doesn't like thinking for himself because it's too hard. However, he is shown to be smart when he finally puts his thoughts together. Given that Oona describes him as small but will grow in time, he might actually ''be'' a child.
56* DracoInLeatherPants:
57** Belkar. Thanks to his "fake character development", some insist he's Chaotic Neutral, despite [[WordOfGod Word of the Giant]]. Note that [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0058.html an early strip]] strongly implies that his constant anger and aggressivness is a consequence of his low Wisdom, being temporarily wiser turns him into a non-violent nice guy.
58** Redcloak. His [[DeadpanSnarker dry wit]] and [[FreudianExcuse fairly sympathetic backstory]] has won him a lot of popularity -- though there are those who see him as a CompleteMonster with a MisaimedFandom.
59** Around the time Tarquin [[spoiler:burned thirty escaped slaves alive as a present to Elan]] and some people argued he wasn't evil, and the person morally responsible for this was [[spoiler:Haley for freeing them and "forcing" Tarquin to do this]], it became apparent that Tarquin has a pair of pants so tight he had been sewn into them. Possibly because he looks like [[BrainlessBeauty Elan]].
60** Thog. Being lovably dim doesn't eliminate the fact that he's a [[TheBrute brute]] and a bully who works with the bad guys.
61** After the reveal, [[spoiler:Malack]] has gotten this. Despite the fact that he openly plans to [[spoiler: sacrifice a thousand people per day to his god.]]
62** Miko is considered by many to be a {{knight in shining armor}} who is unfairly treated by everyone around her, despite her personal failings (such as her self-righteousness and [[NeverMyFault refusal to accept responsibility for her actions]]) and [[spoiler: killing her liege lord because she's decided that he needs to be executed based on scant circumstantial evidence, and again, dooming Soon Kim's attempt at killing Xykon and Redcloak]].
63** Hilgya. There seemed to be a substantial portion of the readership who felt that she was justified in trying to poison her husband and then scam his family out of their fortune (all of which she admitted or was seen in flashbacks) in order to get out of an {{arranged marriage}}. They also get upset at the Lawful Good Durkon for not accepting her Chaotic ways, including her seducing him before revealing that she was already married.
64* EnsembleDarkhorse:
65** Thog, the henchman for a B List villain, who was kept in the comic because of his unexpected popularity with fans. Which is lampshaded in the comic, naturally. It's worth mentioning that Rich Burlew also really likes Thog due to his endless potential for comedy; the Lampshading was simply him expressing confusion about how people felt the need to think he wasn't evil on the basis he was lovable (when in Burlew's mind, the two are not mutually exclusive).
66--->'''Tarquin:''' It's weird, [[DracoInLeatherPants no matter how many people he kills]], [[HypocriticalHumor the audience still thinks he's lovable]].
67** O-Chul is probably the most prominent member of the Sapphire Guard, but he mostly appears in a couple arcs at most. He is definitely a supporting character but has as many fans as a main character for being aptly described as "everything right about paladins". Although now that he is the star of his own prequel comic, whether he is ''still'' a "darkhorse" is no longer accurate.
68** The "[[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-85008.html bandana paladin]]" also gets more than a few mentions here and there. His reappearance [[spoiler:in the afterlife]] was [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?59703-OOTS-493-The-Discussion-Thread noted with much excitement.]] It helps that he seemed to be on very good terms with O-Chul and [[spoiler:died fighting his brethren that Xykon drove temporarily insane.]]
69** The Booted Wight is a nameless mook but popular enough to receive a nickname from the fandom. [[spoiler: Unfortunately won't be appearing in the comic anymore]].
70** That Guy with a Halberd. Over a year after his appearance, [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86816 an [=OotS=] fan decides to mount a campaign demanding his return]].
71** Tarquin is an ArcVillain at best, one step above Kubota, but was being compared favorably to ''Xykon'' before his first featured arc was even over. Again, possibly because he looks like [[spoiler:an older Elan]].
72** Malack, essentially the NumberTwo for Tarquin, is also very well-liked, though the bulk of that came [[spoiler:before the readers knew the depths of his monstrosity]].
73** For someone who originated as a ContestWinnerCameo, Veldrina - one of the clerics at the Godsmoot - has proven to be very popular.
74** Team Evil newcomers Oona and Greyview are loved for their humor, as well as Oona's general [[AffablyEvil affability]] even to enemies. They are so new, they're introduced in the final arc.
75* EpilepticTrees: The Snarl has become the subject of these ever since [[spoiler:Blackwing's vision of a world inside its prison]].
76* FandomEnragingMisconception:
77** The misspelling "''Zykon'' the sorcerer" remains a [[{{Pun}} bone of contention]] not just for the forums, but even in-universe for the dread lich himself, who can even spot his name being mangled in a [[FourthWallObserver speech bubble]].
78** Other (traditional) examples in the forums: Hailie/Hayley/etc. for Haley, and Shinjo (portmanteau of Shojo and Hinjo).
79* FanNickname:
80** Originating from his own words -- Belkar ''is'' the '''SEXY SHOELESS GOD OF WAR'''.
81** Durkon gained the nickname [[spoiler:"Durkula"]] very quickly on the official forums once [[spoiler:he got vamped]]. Got a FandomNod in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1030.html "Naming Names"]], where it's one of many options rejected by Roy when he tries to crowdsource an InSeriesNickname. Later, the most ridiculous suggestion in that page ("Greg") got adopted as the fan nickname instead.
82** To go with [[spoiler:the High Priest of Hel's]] InUniverseNickname of "Lurky Corpsewhiskers", the [[spoiler:new High Priest of Hel]] is being called "[[ShoutOut Macey]] [[WesternAnimation/TheModifyers Shadows]]" by some.
83** The other human female vampire is nicknamed "Ponchula", after her suggestion that the High Priest of Hel brings a poncho to some messed-up activities her host wanted to try...
84** While using the spell ''[[{{Sizeshifter}} Thor's might]]'' to become giant, Minrah gained the nickname "Maxrah".
85* GeniusBonus: When Haley is rendered unintelligible from seeing a large amount of treasure destroyed, she only speaks in cryptograms until cured. Not only can all the cryptograms be translated, but ''the translation keys themselves'' occasionally have hidden messages.
86* HarsherInHindsight:
87** A brief gag in [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0044.html the strip (properly) introducing the Linear Guild]] has Nale claims that all (Player Character) Drow are "ChaoticGood" Rebels, [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch trying to throw off the reputation of their evil kin]]. In the Fifth Edition, [[https://dnd.wizards.com/news/diversity-and-dnd WOTC would eventually make the Drow similarly more varied in alignment]], which would be HilariousInHindsight if not [[UsefulNotes/BlackLivesMatterMovement for the reason behind the change]].
88** Everything about Malack before TheReveal. Including what some readers probably felt was a typo in the name of a tea...
89** [[http://www.cafepress.com/orderofthestick/8305389 The T-shirt]] of Durkon turning [[Literature/TheTwilightSaga a vampire]] has become this now that [[spoiler:Durkon has become a vampire]].
90** And, while not very funny to start with, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0333.html Durkon's joy upon being told he'd return to his homeland after dying]] becomes far worse when [[spoiler: he does so as a Vampire in order to destroy the world]].
91** Up to eleven at the Godsmoot. Even some good gods (through their emissaries) like Heimdall voting for the destruction of the world and all the people in it? That's already pretty harsh. [[spoiler:But made considerably harsher when it is revealed later that they have gone through the motions literally millions of times. The (good) gods aren't callous or apathetic, they just learned the hard way that destroying everything and starting over from scratch is their only available option.]]
92** V says it would be great if some of their enemies fought each other for their amusement [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0399.html in a gladiator match]]. [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0783.html This does happen later on]], but in a much more [[KickTheDog cruel]] and [[TearJerker sad]] way. Made worse when [[FridgeBrilliance you consider that]], Vaarsuvius being at least a [[ByronicHero Heroic Schizoid]] if not a full-blown SociopathicHero, V may have actually enjoyed the spectacle; we didn't get to see their reaction.
93** There's also [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0016.html an early strip]] where Durkon demonstrates the typical cleric reaction to the slightest hint that there may be any undead about. [[spoiler:[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0878.html 860 strips later]] Durkon disliking the undead becomes a lot less funny.]]
94** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0399.html this strip]] V asks what the problem with binding someone's souls with dark magic is. Cut to a few hundred strips later, and a certain angry dragon...
95** The gag panels with Hel arguing with Thor aren't quite so harmless once it is revealed she plans to wage war on the dwarven homelands.
96** When V describes their happy marriage, considering that [[spoiler:it has now fallen apart.]]
97** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0275.html "Crayons of Time #3"]], Thor taunts the Snarl as the latter is trapped. [[spoiler:In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1139.html "To Remember Them By"]], Thor is the one to reveal the second world didn't keep the Snarl trapped. [[WhamEpisode Or the third. Or the fourth. Or the fifth...]]]]
98** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0301.html "A Brief Intermission"]], a parody of mid-20th century movie intermission cartoons, was nothing more than a humorous BigLippedAlligatorMoment at first. [[spoiler: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1140.html Twelve years and over 800 pages later]], it's revealed that one of the worlds that the Snarl destroyed was populated with sentient theatre snacks, which is pretty clearly the same world that "A Brief Intermission" takes place in -- it even features the same characters and makes a direct callback.]]
99** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1012.html Strip 1012]], in response to Hel's EvilGloating, Loki exasperatedly says, "Really? The premature villain gloat? I'm a failure as a parent." [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1176.html Strip 1176]] seems to imply that Loki regrets how Hel turned out as a result of his wager with Thor.
100* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
101** In the midst of his DespairEventHorizon in [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0881.html #881]], Roy sarcastically asks if [[spoiler:vampire-Durkon would be kind enough to drive a stake through his own heart. [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1131.html Turns out]] that's not far from what actually happens]].
102** As it turns out, [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1136.html Thor thinks the dwarves' dislike of trees is ridiculous]], but as we saw earlier, [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0874.html he's still willing to use it as an argument to keep his followers' souls from Hel.]]
103* HesJustHiding: Some fans suspect Thog is still alive. The truth of the matter remains unclear, but the fact that they NeverFoundTheBody and Rich Burlew declined to confirm his fate one way or the other lends fuel to the fire.
104* HilariousInHindsight:
105** In ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickOnTheOriginOfPCs On the Origin of PCs]]'', one of the party members Roy tries to recruit is Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer. As it turns out, one of their foes does turn out to be a vampire... and he ends up being slain by another blond.
106** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0121.html "The Return of Mail Call"]], Belkar says that Barbarians suck. Belkar takes levels in Barbarian in later comics.
107** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0474.html "The Body Snatcher"]], Haley wonders if the hobgoblin clerics turned [[spoiler:dead Roy]] into a vampire. [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0878.html Around 400 comics later...]]
108** When [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0485.html Roy's dad is mocking him in the afterlife]], he says, "Ooooo, yes! And while your friends collect the seven magic spheres to wish you back to life, you can train with the secret martial arts master who lives here in the afterlife!" Although it's a ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' reference, it doesn't change the fact that [[spoiler:Roy learns a new feat from his grandfather while training with him in the afterlife]].
109** In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0657.html "Second Chance"]], Xykon monologues to Vaarsuvius about the nature of power, the point he makes being that spells don't equal power, "[[ShapedLikeItself Power equals power]]." The date on that strip is 2009; three years later, the ''Series/GameOfThrones'' episode "[[Recap/GameOfThronesS2E1TheNorthRemembers The North Remembers]]" has Cersei Lannister "teaching" Petyr Baelish the very same lesson, almost verbatim, except with "power is power" instead of "power equals power" (and "knowledge is power" instead of "spells equal power").
110** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0698.html "Stopping for Direction"]], Belkar's [[JerkassHasAPoint observation]] that people who spend all their time cooped up in a hideout in the desert would probably head to a brothel first chance they get becomes even ''more'' [[DumbassHasAPoint spot-on]] when we learn that [[spoiler:everyone who guarded Girard's Gate was family]].
111** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0337.html "Brief and to the Point"]], Nale rhetorically asks "who can get anything really meaningful said in 25 frickin' words?" [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0931.html As it turns out, Elan can.]]
112** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0727.html "And It Will Never Work Again"]], Tarquin says that his most recent wife (his ninth) recently died from "mysterious circumstances." The fact that he's been acting pretty suspicious up to this point (plus it being his ninth wife) means that most readers probably assume that he killed her. However, once we learn the truth -- that she was killed by Vaarsuvius's Familicide spell -- "mysterious circumstances" turns out to be a pretty accurate description of her death, at least to anyone outside the very limited group that know what V did.
113** When Haley and Ian reunite in the Empire of Blood's prison, Ian says (while explaining why his plan to recruit fellow prisoners to his rebellion didn't work) that "smart people aren't cut out to be gladiators". Around forty strips later, Roy defeats Thog in the arena... using his smarts.
114** Loki caps off his speech to the Norse Pantheon with "Vote Loki 2016". This is now the title of an [[ComicBook/VoteLoki actual comic]] starring the Franchise/{{Marvel|Universe}} version of Loki.
115** Someone at Creator/SquareEnix must be a fan of the comic, because in ''VideoGame/{{Dissidia Final Fantasy|2015}}'', [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Locke Cole]] seemingly channels Elan by shouting "I'm a wizard!" for his only magical attack. The same Locke who Elan has been [[WholeCostumeReference cosplaying as]] for the better part of the strip.
116** ''Start of Darkness'', as a gag, portrays Sorcerers as being like the ''ComicBook/XMen'''s Mutants. Then ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' comes along and does just that, using the Sorcerers' bloodlines to give them actual powers outside their spellcasting and even some physical mutations.
117** Zz'dtri [[spoiler:is freed from infringement prison and returns to the main cast by declaring himself [[ParodyRetcon to be a parody of Drizzt]] rather than a rip-off]]. The ''VideoGame/{{Bravoman}}'' webcomic would later do the exact same thing with the character Brave Man, 3 years later.
118* HoYay:
119** Belkar has a canonical attraction to [[AmbiguousGender Vaarsuvius]], as confirmed in the print version of ''Don't Split the Party''.
120** Shortly before they enter the arena, Gannji gives his partner-in-crime Enor a MagicFeather in the form of the [[RedStringOfFate red Lizardfolk Victory String]], and [[TearJerker offers up his life to keep Enor alive]].
121** Zz'dtri's smile when Tarquin rubs healing ointment on him.
122** Les Yay (Female examples):
123*** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0309.html Haley has "[tnbbye h pnfr] udfy ckhw dwly"]] (kissed a girl more than once).
124*** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0419.html Sabine thinks Miko is hot and would look good as a blackguard.]]
125*** Note the final panel of [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0794.html strip #794]]. Then, note that its title is "We Recommend [[DarkActionGirl Tsukiko]]".
126*** The unnamed female vampire in Hel's forces kicks up a VillainousFriendship with her host cleric, who [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1112.html according to her]] has been "[[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything repressing some major evil tendencies her whole life]]". She then expresses their shared intent to "go try some messed-up stuff she's been thinking about for a bajillion years".
127---->'''High Priest of Hel:''' She doesn't even do that thing where she pretends to be horrified while secretly thrilled?\
128'''Female Vampire:''' Nope, she's just down for whatever. It's great!
129* JerkassWoobie:
130** Vaarsuvius is arrogant, selfish and at times uses their spells just to screw with people they don't like. At the same time, they're humbled at the Battle for Azure City and haunted by the memory of it, sued for divorce by their mate and discover that [[spoiler:[[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom they're responsible for the deaths of countless innocents because of one epic spell they cast]]]]. Not exactly pleasant fates.
131** [[spoiler:Yukyuk]] when Belkar decides to get back at him for injuring Mr. Scruffy. ''Gross''.
132** Nale spent most of the comic as an unrepentant mass-murderer. But the we get to meet his father, and realize what sort of childhood he must have had and how it formed him to the man he became, placing him in this trope. On the other hand, he ''is'' shown being cruel as a baby even when his parents were (presumably) together, so it's not all on Tarquin.
133** Miko Miyazaki is everything wrong with a paladin, but one of the bonus strips shows her trying to socialize with other paladins to celebrate New Year's only for her own KnightTemplar tendencies to alienate them, forcing her to celebrate New Year's alone with Windstriker. It is implied this occurs every year. Miko's own zealousness causes her to be alone. [[spoiler:Miko's subsequent fall from grace is also her own fault, but it means that when [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe she dies]], she is denied the only thing that still matters to her -- being a paladin. Not to mention following on the heels of a nasty BrokenPedestal moment. At least [[ThrowTheDogABone she'll have the chance to see Windstriker again in the afterlife]].]]
134** Thog. His mass-murder aside, the half-orc is little more than a child mentally and it's up for debate whether he even ''realizes'' he's evil. He thinks that he and the rest of the Linear Guild are friends having a big adventure, when really Nale and Sabine only keep him around because they need a frontline fighter. They consider him a burden and an annoyance that needs to be pacified with ice cream. The only mutually respectful relationship he has, not coincidentally, is with [[TheHeart Elan]]. Even his final fate is [[UncertainDoom left deliberately ambiguous]].
135** Crystal. [[spoiler:Since coming {{back from the dead}} as a self-aware flesh golem, she claims to be [[AndIMustScream in a state of constant agony]]. The forum-goers' hearts went out to her almost immediately; no-one, they felt, deserves that -- not even Crystal.]] While Haley [[spoiler:drops Crystal into lava to prevent her from killing anyone else]], she takes no pleasure in the act.
136** Belkar [[LaughablyEvil of all people]] has his moments. After his character development (fake and real) kicks in, he finds himself struggling to process the feelings he didn't experience or didn't pay attention to before. [[spoiler:Survivor's guilt after Durkon's sacrifice doesn't help.]] It doesn't make him less Chaotic Evil, but gets him some sympathy points.
137* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: [[KnightTemplar Miko Miyazaki]] manages to be more divisive than most of the villains despite the fact that, even after everything she does, she's still ostensibly on the heroes' side. This is because she's incredibly abrasive and judgmental even in the best of times, while the villains are more entertaining to watch.
138* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Vaarsuvius; being of ambiguous sex and sexuality lends itself to that.
139%%% When adding examples, please remmeber that "Love to Hate" is different from "Evil is Cool".
140* LoveToHate:
141** Xykon's [[{{Slimeball}} completely unsympathetic]] and yet [[LaughablyEvil highly entertaining]]. His misdeeds are the worst in the comic, but he also makes some of its best jokes and a lot of his villainous actions crossover into ComedicSociopathy. He is also highly entertaining whenever something rattles his smug cage. For someone with only a skull for a face, his NotSoStoic expressions are priceless.
142** Tarquin's savviness, collected nature, and intelligence make him the ideal villain to contrast a meta-humor TheFool-style hero like Elan because he does such outlandishly evil things like ''burn people alive'' to spell out his son's name. He's especially banking on this in-universe, saying people always like the villain more anyway.
143* MagnificentBastard: [[ApparentlyPowerlessPuppetmaster Lord Shojo]] is the seemingly senile but secretly canny ruler of Azure City. He [[ObfuscatingInsanity poses as a senile old man]] to manipulate the nobles and prevent unrest by making them believe they are manipulating him into siding with their own choices. He introduces himself to the story by having the Order arrested under false pretenses and faking their trial so they can be found innocent. Having them released, he cooperates with Roy behind the Sapphire Guard’s backs to take down Xykon, taking measures including releasing [[TokenEvilTeammate Belkar]] and lying to the authorities about it, intentionally breaking Soon Kim’s oath because he knows adhering to it would be much worse in the long run. Even in his final moments at the hands of Miko, he calmly accepts his arrest, and when she kills him, he manages to survive long enough to see her lose her Paladin abilities, [[DefiantToTheEnd getting in a snide remark at her expense before moving on]]. Calm, collected, affable and humorous to the end, he aids the heroes throughout his appearances, and manages to [[AmbiguousSituation potentially]] do so even posthumously for Belkar.
144* MemeticBadass:
145** "That Guy with a Halberd", as a result of the [[http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86816 campaign demanding his return]].
146** O-Chul. The fandom tends to treat him as the ''[=OotS=]'' answer to Creator/ChuckNorris. This is not unjustified, as it's been determined that he has a hitpoint total well over 150, putting him on par with creatures two size categories larger than himself. He's been immersed in a tank of acid for almost a full minute, escaping after being launched out by a shark-bite; he's tanked a disintegrate spell from Redcloak, followed by a Meteor Swarm from Xykon, without going down, and he beat Redcloak in a one-on-one fight while half-naked and with nothing but a metal bar.
147** Julio Scoundrèl is basically [[Franchise/StarWars Obi-Wan plus Han Solo]]. Think about that.
148** Meanwhile, Tarquin is Darth Vader as a troper. A theory that these three men between them fathered most of the ''[=OotS=]'' cast made the rounds on the forums.
149** Belkar. Despite Roy pointing out to him (and us) that he's bad at taking hits and has some weaknesses, he's still known as the '''SEXY SHOELESS GOD OF WAR!''' for a reason.
150** Kazumi Kato after she became a PregnantBadass; the "make more in my tummy" line below was put on a shirt thanks to her.
151* MemeticMutation:
152** "Evil! It's a growth industry!"
153** "I am a sexy shoeless god of war!"
154** "Who cares how many people I kill? I can just make more in my tummy!"
155** Someone on the OOTS forums referred to Bandana as "Banana" by accident. Then someone else posted a [[http://i.imgur.com/PZyXIVy.png drawing]] of an anthropomorphic banana commanding the ''Mechane''. No getting rid of the Banana after that!
156** [[https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Thog_edits Thog Edits]], born from an anon in /tg/ trying to shorten particularly verbose comics by removing letters and whole words from the speech balloons and mutating into what's essentially [[YoutubePoop Comic Pooping]] through the same manipulative letter removal.
157* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: Thog [[DavidVersusGoliath solo-killed a Stone Giant]] -- a Stone Giant with class levels, no less. Plus, watch out when he starts raging.
158* MoralEventHorizon:
159** Disturbingly, the times Xykon crosses it tend to be Moments of Awesome in that they are so evil you can't help but be impressed with which the style he pulls them off, even as you are appalled.
160** Miko crosses this when she [[spoiler:takes the law into her own hands and kills Lord Shojo]] and [[FallenHero the gods themselves take notice]]. By contrast, ''Start of Darkness' goes out of its way to demonstrate that there was never really a point where Xykon was not balls-out evil.
161** Nale crosses the line in the first story arc when he stabbed his brother Elan through the back simply for refusing to be part of his group (literally).
162** The end of ''Start of Darkness'' for Redcloak. Engineered by Xykon, who happily explains that he can now trust Redcloak to do any despicable action Xykon asks of Redcloak because otherwise Redcloak would have to face that he crossed the horizon for nothing.
163--->'''Xykon:''' You'll obey me forever now, because I give you an excuse for your inexcusable behavior.
164** Kubota attempts to have Hinjo assassinated so that Azure City will fall to Xykon and he can liberate it next week and be appointed emperor.
165** [[spoiler:Vaarsuvius]] views themselves as having crossed it by [[spoiler:casting ''familicide'' and wiping out a quarter of the Black Dragon race]], since it [[spoiler:killed a number of innocent people who were related to people who were related to a dragon]].
166** [[spoiler:Malack crosses it when he states his plans to continue Tarquin's empire... and kill 1,000 people every day.]] And if that didn't convince you, [[spoiler:he follows this up by killing Durkon and turning him into one of his children (though he states he will see him as a brother).]] Not to mention [[spoiler:when he reveals that he killed his own seven brothers in the past]].
167** Although his villainy was always horrific, it was generally played with some kind of humor, or at least [[EvilIsCool some reader respect]]. However, Tarquin [[spoiler:calmly telling Elan that he is going to murder Haley, then murder everyone else on the ''Mechane'', then top it off by [[ShoutOut cutting]] [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack off]] Elan's [[AnArmAndALeg hand]] with a [[DissonantSerenity completely calm, straight face]]]] cements him as a monster at worst, and extremely frightening at best.
168*** Also, any possible claim Tarquin might have had to [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans be a force for good in the Western Continent]] evaporated when it was revealed that he was cognizant of and okay with [[spoiler:Malack's]] plan to [[spoiler:inherit the Empire and institute [[IndustrializedEvil industrial-scale sentient sacrifice]]]] after his death. It was having a bigger statue that won him over.
169*** He crosses it yet again by killing [[spoiler:[[OffingTheOffspring Nale, whose body is disintegrated right away by Laurin so he couldn't be resurrected.]] Right in front of a horrified Elan.]]
170** Bozzok crosses it by [[spoiler:using the money that was supposed to be used to resurrect the dead Guild peons to bring Crystal back as a self-aware golem just so he can vindictively send her after Haley]], especially given the [[AndIMustScream side-effects of making her self-aware]].
171** [[spoiler:Golem Crystal]] cheerfully admits that she plans to go on a killing spree among the gnomes since killing helps her cope with the pain of her new form. She doesn't even consider Haley's suggestion to turn over a new leaf and go on a quest for an actual solution to her condition. In-universe, this convinces Haley that [[spoiler:Crystal is an unrepentant murderer who needs to be destroyed]].
172** [[spoiler:The High Priest of Hel forcing Durkon to re-live the worst memory of his life, then bragging about how his EvilPlan will condemn all the dwarves to become slaves of Hel and asking Roy [[RelativeButton how many pieces they found his brother's body in]]]] is about when he finally went over the line. Alternatively, he may have crossed it earlier when he [[spoiler:killed and vampirized the Exarch for fun]].
173* RewatchBonus:
174** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0113.html See that baby wearing orange, in the last panel on the second last row?]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0496.html He'll come up again.]]
175** Almost everything [[spoiler:Malack]] said or did in the Empire of Blood arc comes back ''hard'' in the Girard's Gate arc, making re-reads way more shudder-inducing.
176* RonTheDeathEater: For a time, directed at Lord Shojo. Some of Miko's more die-hard fans claimed that executing him could be justified at first. The comic went on to show that no, it could not, and this went away rather quickly.
177* SavedByTheFans: Invoked by WordOfGod. Thog was originally going to be killed off, but the fans loved the big galoot so much that he rewrote the script and let him live. This wasn't done begrudgingly, though -- at first, it was because there had been little to no major plans for the comic so it made little difference, but Burlew later admitted that he really liked Thog too, since he's a [[LaughablyEvil comedy]] [[PluckyComicRelief goldmine]].
178* TheScrappy: Roy's LoveInterest Celia was quite popular at first being a funny and competent lawyer in the setting and a pretty neat romantic foil to Roy. When she was made into a major character many soured on her because of her sudden reversal to StupidGood tendencies. WordOfGod was that he tried to pit Celia's Naive yet good nature against Haley and Belkar's more pragmatic and darker natures to try and show a contrast in ideals, something the comic has done many times before. Unfortunately nearly all of Celia's points just ended up failing and a number of fans who liked her smarter moments felt she fell hard into the "naive" category.
179* SelfFanservice: Fanart that discards the stick-figure art style in favor of something more realistic can become this by default, depending on who you are.
180* {{Shipping}}:
181** The "Crack pairings" threads were among the most popular on the forums.
182** When O-Chul and new character Oona were revealed to be in the same geographical location (although they haven't met except in a single brief and inconclusive fight), out of nowhere came the new ship O-Choona, in a thread that ran for several weeks and will no doubt start up again as soon as either character reappears in a new strip.
183* ShockingMoments:
184** Strips #823 to #830: The "Team Evil getting ready to leave Gobbotopia" arc. It includes (within seven strips) [[spoiler:the recovery of the phylactery by the resistance, the summary total annihilation of the resistance (save one member) and recovery of the phylactery by Team Evil, the outing of Redcloak's plan by Tsukiko and Tsukiko's subsequent [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath (gruesome)]] death at Redcloak's hands]]. Holy Shit.
185** strips #868 through #879. [[spoiler:Belkar meets Malack! Malack easily beats Belkar! ''Malack is a vampire'' '''and he just bit Belkar, intending to make more "children"!''' Oh wait, Durkon's here and he's ''actually fighing Malack on even terms'' -- oh crap, Malack has a workaround for Mass Death Ward! And now he's bitten Durkon! ''Durkon's dead!'' And now '''Durkon is a vampire!''']] The HSQ was raised dramatically by many of these strips being posted on subsequent days, which in contrast to the usual update schedule effectively turned the whole thing into a single feature-length WhamEpisode.
186** #899 to #916: [[spoiler:Xykon arrives just in time for the entire pyramid to explode, the Order glimpses the mysterious world through the broken gate, the Monster in the Darkness saves the Order from a premature final boss fight, a few strips to rest, then (in rapid fire) Malack's death, Durkon is no longer a Thrall, Zz'dtri's death, Durkon is working with the Order again, Redcloak's elemental is destroyed, Tarquin has brought one colossal army to the party and THEN, when everyone thought the shit had stopped hitting the fan, Tarquin kills Nale. '''then''', as Tarquin seems hellbent on piling the HSQ on, he decides to order Elan's party dead on the spot to force him to become the main protagonist]].
187** #1105 to #1144: This set of strips contains a barrage of epic twists and Wham moments which a) outdo anything the strip has managed to pile on so far, and b) have HUGE significance for the final resolution of the story as a whole. To wit, and not that there wasn't a fair bit of HSQ in the build-up: [[spoiler: The Order are rescued from a cunning trap laid by Vampire Durkon by the return of Hilgya, a character not seen for over a decade of real-world time, with Durkon's son. During the confrontation with Durkon, we learn that years ago Durkon's mother gave up a fortune in diamonds to save a group of dwarves who died from a gas leak (i.e. not in battle, meaning they were doomed to Hel's clutches for eternity) whom she had never met before. Thanks to EvilCannotComprehendGood and residual baggage from occupying Durkon's body, this so completely baffles Vampire Durkon that he asks Durkon for the rest of his memories allowing him to process this knowledge -- and in the process becomes Durkon himself and lets Belkar stake him to death. Durkon and Minrah, now in the dwarf afterlife, meet Thor, who reveals that this world is not the second, third or fourth, but somewhere around the ''billionth'' or so world the Gods have made, the Snarl having destroyed every other one. Thor then reveals that the Snarl cannot be contained by the remaining gods because it contains the essence of all four pantheons, while the gods only have the power of three available due to the destruction of the Eastern pantheon when the Snarl first emerged. However, he then reveals the Dark One carries a new essence -- which could put an end to the threat of the Snarl for good -- and charges Durkon with finding a way to convince Redcloak to listen to their plan.]]
188* {{Squick}}:
189** Tsukiko's "tastes" (i.e. [[ILoveTheDead Necrophilia]]) tend to inspire that. Even to Xykon, who isn't "one of those disgusting biophiliacs".
190** "If I ever see you with more eyes than assholes, [[AssShove I'm going to shove one into the other]] and then give your cloak to that hobgoblin."
191** Tarquin's banquet serves phoenix pâté. Since phoenixes explode when they die, the liver has to be cut out [[CruelAndUnusualDeath while the bird is alive]].
192** As revenge for Yukyuk hurting Mr Scruffy (and to continue with his theme of utilizing kobolds' heads for various purposes), Belkar has Mr Scruffy use Yukyuk's mouth as a litterbox, while he's still alive. Bonus points for mentioning that "dairy just is NOT good for a cat's digestion".
193%%%* StoicWoobie: Vaarsuvius
194* StrawmanHasAPoint: Eugene arguing that the dwarves should throw themselves into mass suicidal charges against dragons or even each other seems to be a jab at the commenters that suggested that very thing. Except the problem is that many dwarves have been shown to do that exact thing. They are so dedicated to dying honorably that even one member of Durkon's family was seriously considering picking a fight with one of his elderly friends "so that he would at least die with an axe in his hands". Yes, dwarves are willing to kill their friends in a duel to ensure that they go to Valhalla. While a lot of people in and out of universe argue that the dwarves have a raw deal, it doesn't change the fact that they HAVE to die honorably and they've long ago accepted that and have it culturally ingrained. Thor can only do so much to argue their souls away from Hel who vents all her frustrations out on her captured souls.
195* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The reaction by a subset of the audience to the latest art upgrade, in which the stick figure limbs are now colored in to denote skin and pants, who nicknamed it "[[NoodlePeople The Order of the Noodle]]".
196* TooCoolToLive: Lord Shojo. Even Belkar likes him so it passed that he [[spoiler: was murdered and then refused resurrection because he was already old and frail.]]
197* ToughActToFollow: ''Blood Runs in the Family'' has been consistently [[https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?612032-Ultimate-OOTS-Book-Tournament-2-The-final-match topping]] favorite book [[https://www.reddit.com/r/oots/comments/hkrkge/favorite_book/ polls]] thanks to the popularity of [[EnsembleDarkhorse Tarquin and Malack]], the exotic setting, the intricate GambitPileup plot, and the flurry of genuinely unexpected twists. The consensus seems to be that while ''Utterly Dwarfed'' is a good book in its own right, it doesn't quite reach the sheer awesomeness of ''[=BRitF=]''.
198* TrappedByMountainLions: The frost giants arc, which took about a year of time to complete. It amounted to a glorified random encounter of some frost giants in a mountain pass. Not only was this a distraction from the significantly more important end of the world plot, the characterization focused solely on the personalities and struggles of bit characters introduced in the same chapter, including Thrym's crush on Hel and the petty power struggles between Andi and Bandana.
199* UglyCute: [[spoiler:Sunny is absolutely adorable for a beholder. [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1283.html Baby Sunny]] was even cuter.]]
200* UnintentionallySympathetic: Rich Burlew himself acknowledged this turned out to be a problem with Crystal after Haley killed her in ''Don't Split the Party'', owing to a very inopportune choice of a DeletedScene: that being, the mini-arc showing Haley and the Thieves Guild raiding Grubwiggler's home to retrieve Roy. Said mini-arc was cut (being restored in the collected edition) due to the fact that it would have broken up a rather crucial sequence (that being, Vaarsuvius's rampage), but it featured scenes of Crystal killing Grubwiggler and Giro after they had surrendered for no reason, deliberately setting off a trap so that it would blow up in Haley's face, and telling Haley outright that she still planned to kill her at some point in the future. With those scenes removed, it seemed like Haley had murdered Crystal in cold blood solely to not have to pay Guild dues, and that the worst thing Crystal was guilty of was following Bozzok's orders and being an idiot.
201* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
202** You could argue that Therkla was treated very sympathetically considering her actions. This is obviously meant as an example of LoveRedeems, but she didn't exactly know Elan to any depth and on a closer reading it comes across more like "Unrequited Lust Somehow Redeems". She was happy to kill other Azurites or members of the Order unless he asked her not to, out of loyalty for an ambitious and clearly evil aristocrat. Wanting Elan to leave Haley to be with her wasn't a particularly noble motivation; one wonders if her attraction would be seen as more romantic or creepy if the genders were reversed.
203** Celia and Haley have an argument over Belkar's murderous tendencies when he kills a nameless hobgoblin soldier and Solt Lorkyurg, an innocent gnome merchant. Celia feels that both murders were wrong and accuses Haley of falling under WhatMeasureIsANonHuman by justifying the hobgoblin's death over Solt's, whilst Haley argues that the hobgoblin was an enemy soldier and not comparable. It's supposed to be one of the times the comic deconstructs common fantasy tropes and gives a balanced argument, but most fans sided with Haley's pragmatism and thought Celia was just being naïve. Unlike other examples of WhatMeasureIsAMook or Non-Human, this hobgoblin was an armed enemy soldier and part of the occupation of a conquered city instead of some random monster Belkar decided to pick on.
204* UnfortunateCharacterDesign: Those [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1139.html markers]] representing [[spoiler:worlds devoured by the Snarl]] lose a bit of their emotional heft when you realize they look a lot like flared buttplugs.
205* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Despite being a fan favorite, Belkar is disliked by 99% of the cast (the remaining one percent consists of Lord Shojo, Mr. Scruffy and a female Greysky rogue he seduced). The fact that he's a HeroicComedicSociopath explains both reactions.
206* TheUntwist:
207** The usual {{Wild Mass Guess|ing}}ers wanted [[spoiler:the white-haired guy who's locked up in Bloodstone Correctional Facility to be Ian Starshine]]. For once, they were right.
208** So many people considered [[spoiler:Malack being a vampire]] to be too obvious to actually be true that they were surprised when it turned out that way.
209* ViewerGenderConfusion:
210** The RunningGag of V's mysterious gender was initially caused by the fact that no-one in the audience could agree on what it was.
211** According to the forum, Bandana has caused this for several people, including, initially, her character entry on This Very Wiki.
212* ViewerNameConfusion:
213** People often spell Hilgya's name as Helga or Hilga.
214** Similarly, people confuse Durkon and Dorukan's names.
215** Xykon's name is sometimes mistaken for "Zykon", both [[PsmithPsyndrome in-universe]] and out. This is a [[BerserkButton point of contention]] for him. Has also been confused with "Xyklon", including on this very wiki.
216* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical:
217** In the Empire of Blood arc, Roy and Belkar got imprisoned for life for not having entrance papers. Apparently illegal immigration is SeriousBusiness in a Lawful Evil nation...
218** In the commentary for book 5, the Giant acknowledges that it's no coincidence that the villain is an older white guy who just naturally assumes that the leader of the Order (and overall protagonist of the whole story) is Elan rather than Roy, and can't wrap his head around that not being the case.
219** There's a lot of this relating to Redcloak, particularly during the founding of Gobbotopia. Pretty inevitable when you've got a character [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized fighting for the liberation of an oppressed people using evil methods]]; [[WordOfGod The Giant]] says no direct allusions are intended.
220** The situation of goblinoids vis-a-vis the other humanoids bears a distinct resemblance to the situation of Blacks in America. Redcloak's telling how he can't walk into a human town and not be considered a monster is similar to Blacks describing how they feel in white neighborhoods; the fact that humanoid races are profiting from a situation they did not set up, and whether they have a duty to change it, mirrors the debate about systemic racism.
221--->'''Durkon:''' Can a dwarf get a minute ta solve worldwide gen'rational inequality??
222* WhyFandomCantHaveNiceThings: It's noticeable that The Giant (Rich Burlew) doesn't respond as much in the forums lately. This is undoubtedly due to unspecified health issues, which already make it harder to devote time to the comic; but one can't help feeling there's an element of ArtistDisillusionment as well, given the tone of some of the posts and the frequent questioning about the schedule.

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