Comic for Friday, June 2, 2023

[The Old Hack 2,448]

Called it.

https://www.egscomics.com/comic/layers-008

[ijuin 572]

The “group of elderly ladies” disguise is a good choice for deflecting suspicion, as long as they don’t pull anything too flashy in public view.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

2 hours ago, ijuin said:

The “group of elderly ladies” disguise is a good choice for deflecting suspicion, as long as they don’t pull anything too flashy in public view.

We have yet to see them as they are. 'Future King' seems to say they plan to pull the same $#!# on this side that they did on the other side, long ago. Liam is not a good guy, or he'd terribly gullible. Dwight should have eaten them. Maybe he's smarter than he appeared to be. I wonder how much Virginia is in on it.

It seems clear we have our new antagonists.

 

3 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

Called it.

You were right, it was apparently just hair - ambiguous though, as it was a projection, as is their current appearance. This one seems well thought out. The gangsters, not so much. Human looking, low key gangsters would have made sense.

[Amiable Dorsai 70]

21 minutes ago, Darth Fluffy said:

The gangsters, not so much. Human looking, low key gangsters would have made sense.

They're still learning.

 

[Darth Fluffy 302]

6 minutes ago, Amiable Dorsai said:

They're still learning.

Hopefully, from their POV.

I no longer assume that's a given. Children a prone to learn. Adults are prone to re-entrench.

These three seem to have an arrogant air about them that would suggest a certain resistance to changing their opinions.

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

Mental & physical illusions that don't match?

It may divert attention at first.  But too many incidents where what's on camera does not match witness testemony gets the attention of conspiracy theorists.

 

[mlooney 3,417]

2 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

'Future King' seems to say they plan to pull the same $#!# on this side that they did on the other side, long ago.

It's possible that they meant on the their side of the coin.  They know that "magical royalty" here doesn't rule as such.

[Amiable Dorsai 70]

2 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

These three seem to have an arrogant air about them that would suggest a certain resistance to changing their opinions.

Activists, I suppose, must have the courage of their convictions. They can be, must be, so convinced of the righteousness of their cause that they will take great risks in its service, as these three have done. If they are to be effective activists, however, they must be able to learn to adjust tactics when the situation calls for it..

[Amiable Dorsai 70]

The trailing invader (activist, guerilla, illegal alien? I need a word.), Mist, seems to have a horn that persists though the projections. Does that mark it as a Seyunolu?

[ijuin 572]

1 hour ago, mlooney said:

It's possible that they meant on the their side of the coin.  They know that "magical royalty" here doesn't rule as such.

Given that we know that Uryuoms are restricted from high technology on their side, their goal may be to acquire tech that would aid them in overthrowing the Royal Mageocracy. Watch out for them trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

As for Magical Royalty ruling here, since First World nations are all either Republics or have only token monarchies (British Commonwealth, or any other present European monarchies), the Mages do not hold the public leadership positions, but if DGB is any indication, they do pull strings from the shadows.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

3 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Mental & physical illusions that don't match?

It may divert attention at first.  But too many incidents where what's on camera does not match witness testemony gets the attention of conspiracy theorists.

It will get the attention of the witnesses themselves, if they have access, the clerk, for instance. If he reviews the video, he's going to see a different set of customers than the ones he vividly remembers. Not sure what he can do with that information, but if is surely a weakness in the plan.

 

1 hour ago, mlooney said:

It's possible that they meant on the their side of the coin.  They know that "magical royalty" here doesn't rule as such.

It is odd that they intrinsically think of them as 'royalty'. If they intend to go back, then maybe Liam is off the hook, but their appearance in the comic does not bode well for 'zero interaction with the natives of the EGS realm'.

 

1 hour ago, Amiable Dorsai said:

Activists, I suppose, must have the courage of their convictions. They can be, must be, so convinced of the righteousness of their cause that they will take great risks in its service, as these three have done. If they are to be effective activists, however, they must be able to learn to adjust tactics when the situation calls for it..

They should not be activists in the EGS realm, though, should they? Maybe mlooney has it right and they intend to go back to fight their battles.

I wonder, how did they get their intel on what were the norms and what was acceptable on this side.

 

1 hour ago, Amiable Dorsai said:

The trailing invader (activist, guerilla, illegal alien? I need a word.), Mist, seems to have a horn that persist though the projections. Does that mark it as a Seyunolu?

I like 'illegal aliens', it has a Firesign Theater cache to it.

Mist in the guerillas could work.

 

[mlooney 3,417]

10 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

If they intend to go back, then maybe Liam is off the hook, but their appearance in the comic does not bode well for 'zero interaction with the natives of the EGS realm'.

I don't think anyone from the griffin side said that they would have zero interactions with the EGS side.  I don't think that they are trying to take over the EGS side as 3 persons isn't enough to do that, no matter how powerful they are.  Like it was said, a gun will beat a mage every time, assuming you don't have an immortal on high guard.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

3 hours ago, mlooney said:

I don't think anyone from the griffin side said that they would have zero interactions with the EGS side.  I don't think that they are trying to take over the EGS side as 3 persons isn't enough to do that, no matter how powerful they are.  Like it was said, a gun will beat a mage every time, assuming you don't have an immortal on high guard.

Good points. So, why are they here? Acquire something seems likely, but what occasion do they have to know about the EGS side? Lore from previous incursions, perhaps ages ago? If they aren't allowed tech, haw do they know about it and how it works?

The griffins all seemed to respect royalty, the four we've met, including Liam. Why is Liam aiding a group that is anti-royalty?

[The Old Hack 2,448]

2 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

The griffins all seemed to respect royalty, the four we've met, including Liam. Why is Liam aiding a group that is anti-royalty?

The griffins have a lot more societal privilege and are less likely to face oppression from royalty. In effect the situation is like the different way police is viewed by rich white people as opposed to poor Black people living in ghettos. It is a little hard to view a group positively if a nonzero percentage of it considers you subhuman and useful only as target practice.

[Southern Cross 5]

True enough, but these three seem more like would-be Sith Lords than freedom fighters. That "royalty scum" seems more like something an Empire supporter would say.

[ijuin 572]

Yes, actual freedom fighters would be more interested in overthrowing the system of Mage Monarchy than in installing one of their own as a King. This is less a bid for liberty than a bid for a higher position in the pecking order.

[Darth Fluffy 302]

5 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

The griffins have a lot more societal privilege and are less likely to face oppression from royalty. In effect the situation is like the different way police is viewed by rich white people as opposed to poor Black people living in ghettos. It is a little hard to view a group positively if a nonzero percentage of it considers you subhuman and useful only as target practice.

How does that apply to Liam? In your analogy, he's in the role of a cop. I could see Virginia aiding them. Perhaps his positive relation with Virginia makes him a sympathizer?

[The Old Hack 2,448]

5 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

How does that apply to Liam? In your analogy, he's in the role of a cop. I could see Virginia aiding them. Perhaps his positive relation with Virginia makes him a sympathizer?

Nope. Not a cop. I said less likely to face oppression from royalty. He is clearly aware of the inherent unfairness of the system. On the other hand, the gate guard griffin was clearly in the position of law enforcement and look how he reacted to Virginia when she showed. It's a bit like cops from our world facing a Black man with a cell phone and shooting him twenty times. I do not know how that would have ended if Liam had not intervened but I am, shall we say, not eager to bet a thousand dollars on the outcome being harmless and without injury.

Liam, I suspect, is in the position of being immensely privileged but not having the leverage to intervene directly. He may be helping the rebels because he believes he can shape the situation to reach a less destructive outcome than open warfare. It would be unsurprising if saddening if the rebels were much less optimistic about that and were preparing for violence anyway.

[mlooney 3,417]

19 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

Liam, I suspect, is in the position of being immensely privileged but not having the leverage to intervene directly. He may be helping the rebels because he believes he can shape the situation to reach a less destructive outcome than open warfare. 

Liam more or less said this, in that he's as high a rank as possible for a griffin. I would assume from his actions that he's supporting the underground as much as he can.

https://www.egscomics.com/comic/balance-153

 

[Darth Fluffy 302]

21 hours ago, The Old Hack said:

Nope. Not a cop. I said less likely to face oppression from royalty. He is clearly aware of the inherent unfairness of the system. On the other hand, the gate guard griffin was clearly in the position of law enforcement and look how he reacted to Virginia when she showed. It's a bit like cops from our world facing a Black man with a cell phone and shooting him twenty times. I do not know how that would have ended if Liam had not intervened but I am, shall we say, not eager to bet a thousand dollars on the outcome being harmless and without injury.

Liam, I suspect, is in the position of being immensely privileged but not having the leverage to intervene directly. He may be helping the rebels because he believes he can shape the situation to reach a less destructive outcome than open warfare. It would be unsurprising if saddening if the rebels were much less optimistic about that and were preparing for violence anyway.

Liam was, however, Dwight's superior, no? He had a clear deference to 'royalty' on the EGS side (once he got past the induced killing spree compulsion; he did not expect to find royalty on this side.)

I agree that Dwight's reaction to Virginia holding 'tech' that she was attempting to return to its owner seems all too familiar.

[mlooney 3,417]

5 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

I agree that Dwight's reaction to Virginia holding 'tech' that she was attempting to return to its owner seems all too familiar.

Yeah, I suspect that sans Liam, that would have ended badly for Virginia.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

7 hours ago, Darth Fluffy said:

Liam was, however, Dwight's superior, no? He had a clear deference to 'royalty' on the EGS side (once he got past the induced killing spree compulsion; he did not expect to find royalty on this side.)

Superior to, perhaps, but not necessarily his direct superior. Consider: Dwight is the equivalent of a beat cop. Law enforcement. Liam strikes me as more like a noble or politician of great rank, let's say a Senator. A regular beat cop would probably give a lot of deference to a Senator, especially in what was obviously becoming a complicated political situation.

[ijuin 572]

10 hours ago, mlooney said:

Liam more or less said this, in that he's as high a rank as possible for a griffin. I would assume from his actions that he's supporting the underground as much as he can.

https://www.egscomics.com/comic/balance-153

 

IIRC, Liam is basically a Captain of the Royal Guard? (Or whatever you call a high-ranking Royal Guardsman who is not a General. Would they use Colonels?) Dwight addresses him as “Lord”, which implies a rank of Nobility higher than Knight but probably lesser than Baron.

[mlooney 3,417]

1 hour ago, ijuin said:

IIRC, Liam is basically a Captain of the Royal Guard? (Or whatever you call a high-ranking Royal Guardsman who is not a General. Would they use Colonels?) Dwight addresses him as “Lord”, which implies a rank of Nobility higher than Knight but probably lesser than Baron.

Lord is a tricky rank.  It ranges from lowest level of nobility too the 3rd most powerful noble in the British Isles.

[ijuin 572]

I was thinking in terms of Life Peerage type Lordships, as are granted by the modern British government. The Mage-ruled side of the EGS world seems to be willing to grant noble status to any sufficiently powerful Mage who is willing to swear fealty to the reigning Queen or King, but it is kind of implied that this is a status granted to the individual rather than their bloodline—any descendants would have to prove their own worth, and a child with no potential to become a Mage would not inherit a title.

Anyway, I would think that if Liam Tyrant-Slayer had a more specific title (e.g. Count or Baron), then it would have been stated, which is why I speculated that he has some sort of Peerage-at-large (i.e. he has the rank and a substantial salary/stipend, but no specific landed estate tied to his title of nobility as opposed to private holdings).