Annotated 24-15
Pretty sure Stewart’s outburst here is modeled on my own behavior with Phil: still waters running deep until you get in my face one too many times and then, boom. Actually, Sundar and Stewart respectively look an awful lot like Phil and I did at the time. It’s not hard for me to see the autobiographical inspiration for this overwhelming backlog of busywork, either. I’m sorry, bro.
Stewart may think he’s the professional one here, but he’s just leaving those expired jobs up on the post when he could at least take down most of them. Oh, what’s that, Stewart, “It’s not my job to take things down, just to put them up?” C’mon, man, don’t put yourself in that small a box. Have some pride in your workspace, for gosh sakes. And get Phil those earnings reports, already!
The most startling thing about Frigg’s idea will turn out to be that she’s actually got some relevant thoughts about governance. Syr’Nj is rubbing off on her a little. (A very little.)
Those are quite amazing Frigg faces. Love the use of her glowy hammer as a lightbulb.
Sooo only discovered this web-comic recently, so this question might well have been asked already BUT why are the other adventurers so dismissive toward E-merl?
The guy is staggeringly competent in the field, handsome, erudite and powerful. He uses his magic very cleverly imo.
I might not raise him as high as Syr’Nj on tactical flexibility, but I’d certainly put him on a par with (say) Gravedust.
I know he is short of cash and has a low self-opinion of himself, but even the ‘wiser’ members of the guild don’t seem to rate him. Are his powers then so common?
heh, I suppose rating fictional characters against each other is hardly sensible. Still, I don’t quite get it – not when viewed against Sundar.
Personally I can’t really think of anyone being dismissive towards E-merl, except maybe Gravedust, who can be grumpy toward anyone and everyone on his worst days.
I think it’s more a matter of E-merl having very low self-esteem, and thus not putting himself forward.
IOW, he is dismissing himself.
I don’t think they ARE that dismissive toward him as a competent adventurer. He’s only benched once in the course of the series, and that’s an instance where he’s not quite himself. In the previous chapter, they relied on him as both a fighter and an illusionist.
He has some major issues of character, or to put it more gently, he has some growing up to do. His self involvement is a huge block that still stands in his way, and he has trouble seeing other people clearly, because he can’t see past himself. With Rachel, he could only see her rejection of him, and not her crises of faith. There was no thought of how he might have to change how he acts, or to find a middle ground with her need to love others, in order to be in a relationship with her. Or even how she might be feeling uncertain and compromised by this situation, in what is a moment of emotional vulnerability. In fact, all it took was some silence from her and he was entirely ready to supply a narrative of his own as to why she was rejecting him. She makes one, very emotional statement, and he proves her right by focusing on how he still ends up rejected, instead of trying to understand where the woman he loves is coming from. He then spends the rest of the chapter avoiding her, and rendering her no aid when she is in crisis multiple times, and she in fact ends the chapter humiliated (that was a kinda bummer chapter for Rachel).
The thing is, E-merl is a great guy, but people can see when you can only see through one lens, and doubly so when that lens is your self worth. Best and him are at two ends of the scale, but they both have the same problem, they both have an inner doubt as to their worth, which motivates them. Best uses a reliance on faith in a prophecy to support him, and expresses that belief through a massive ego, using it s a shield against self doubt. E-merl shields himself in humor and self deprecation. But the both of them spend most of their time thinking about themselves, and more importantly look at situations through how they affect them first. One of the redeeming things about them, one of the things that makes them heroic, is that (usually) they put this selfishness aside in a crisis and will put themselves on the line to aid others, but not always. And that uncertainty is why neither of them get quite the regard one might expect given their accomplishments, at least not from other heroes who actually know them. (Plus with both of them, it’s possible there’s some underlying racism involved, I believe their particular brand of elf is known as “Shit Elves” so that cannot be good for the self esteem.)
Lastly, in spite of his accomplishments and acceptance (like T says, the entire team relied on him last chapter, and they got him a gift at not-Christmas) he still walks around like everyone is going to reject him or thinks little of him. Guys part of an elite task force that is at the height of authority and prestige in the country (even if technically most of the governing bodies hate them) and he’s still walking around with a chip on his shoulder.
No way in hell you didn’t write that alt text more than three years ago.
Almost all the alt texts are unchanged from the originals.