Yes, really old bean, even the Sky Elves were kind enough to let it slide when the kid took one of their flying cities out for a joy ride. Don’t be such a “gnome” about it.
Frankly, I’d expect better of the ruthless humans. Yes, he’s one of your house, but goddamn it you didn’t get to be the powerful, war-mongering bastards you did by protecting the troublesome idiots who just happen to be family.
If this was to go how actual politics would, I’d expect Captain Insincerity to quietly disappear…down a flight of stairs.
I agree with Steelraven, I think they put the lil’ bastard there to begin with. They knew what they were doing and used gnome town and a test area for the tank.
I’m pretending that he’s using all of his willpower to keep the quill from writing his thoughts on what to do with that kid. Probably also preparing his grocery list.
*IF* he were smart that book would be magically linked to another ‘brother’ book like it back home. Both would be recording everything the council discussed and would become public in the event of any shenanigans: a knife suddenly appearing in his back, a sudden to drink 20 ounces of laudanum, that sort of thing …
He’s so sorry… that he got caught.
He didn’t mean to break Gnometown, he meant to destroy far more.
It’s wrong to steal warmachines that don’t belong to you, far better to just use the political system to “requisition” them for your needs.
He’s learned his lesson, don’t get caught.
And he promises he won’t do it again. He’ll do something worse.
That’s the spirit, old chap! Keep up the passive-aggressiveness, and we might give you membership to our “Xenophobic Arsehole Club!” Except we won’t, due to you being a gnome, but, hey, we’ll let you stand out in the lawn in front of the clubhouse, wearing a silly hat! You gnome types like that sort of thing, right?
I count six “Or Else”s + one “Don’t look at me, I only work here”.
Three of the Or Else-guys are leaning forward into a “Come on ya runt, make my day!”.
Wouldn’t it be fun if the elf suddenly blasted all the guys to his right with an eldritch deathray? Cathartic, at least.
Does the gnome look familiar, by the way?
That has to be the most …. insincere/ ‘apology’ I’ve ever heard.
As to the empty seat I suspect it belongs to whoever is standing at the podium next to the brat. Can’t make out who it is but I suspect it’s ‘pornstache’…
A specialized inspection team has been sent to World’s Rebellion facilities to assess their production of plate armours and tower shields. The Rebellion claims they are meant for the protection of combat personnel but the international community suspects they might be used to construct weapons of mass friggage.
“Suppose you were an idiot. Then suppose you were a member of the Council…but I repeat myself.” (yay for mauling quotes)
I can’t say I’m really surprised – the kid should have been punished the first time around for kidnapping his peers, etc. Clearly he wasn’t even slapped on the wrist.
Insincere apology? Even better! He’s “apologizing” for the wrong things. What he ought to be sorry for is the underlying choices that led to him stealing the hammertank and breaking Gnometown. But, of course, that would require an actual change of heart.
As for parents…something tells me that one or another of the Council members is a relative if not the brat’s father.
For shame, they were the victims in all of this! The pirates have been marginalized and cannot find proper jobs! That’s why I’m proposing a bill to reinstate the Letters of Marque. Let them harry our foes.
Actually, at this point I’m pretty sure the kid has earned death. He killed a few people along the way and he is unrepentant. He’s also about old enough to understand what he did as well as he ever will.
…On that cheerful note, WTF is with this kid? First the pirate ship, now this? Who raised this hellion and is there a legal way to take away any other children in their care?
I think the point is to characterize all the major nobles as total douchebags. And not in the Payet Best “basically good if not always considerate or lawful” way, but totally evil douchebags.
Oddly enough, it seems that the “Ballsy midget race” in this fantasy setting is not the Dorfs, but the gnomes! That’s actually rather original as far as fantasy settings go.
Does Gravedust even binge drink? Or Tantrum spiral when the butcher kills his stupid cat? Terrible Dorf, really. He’s probably never even MADE anything that menaces with spikes.
And these are the GOOD guys, ladies and gentlemmen.
…well, the politicians in charge of the country that our good guys are aligned with, at least. I wouldn’t call the majority of them lawful neutral, at best.
I’m not sure it’s ever been established that these are the good guys. All we’ve so far seen is that their speciesist, mysogynist, and that they pay well enough to keep the heroes.
Good guys, bad guys… they are the guys with the boomstick.
I’m afraid we have seen this sort of ‘research’ right here at home.
Poor black men with STDs left untreated, Soldiers dosed with radiation, experimental vaccines… this crap happens far too often in the real world.
We should just be grateful no one found any uranium ore in the comic, or Gnometown would already be glowing in the dark from the research or worse yet, a ‘demonstration’
FIRST!!!
I smell an assassination.
Can we assassinate the idiot who came up with this “first!” garbage?
Yes, please do.
Even if you could, what good would it do now that it has already spread?
(Completely unrelated: It sure would’ve been nice to have a link to the page where that gnome councilman appeared last time.)
It would temporarily satisfy our quest for vengeance, and hopefully prove to be a sufficient disincentive to prevent other memes from arising.
I assumed time travel was involved.
Does the first first smile a little more with every new first she sees?
Uhhh… What?
Only if the pun-brigade are assassinated with him.
I have a far less kind term for them. I wont share it.
Let me guess who’s idea it was to stash ‘ittle Hitler in Gnome in the first place (I’m guessing it was a 6 to 1 vote)
No, dude, you don’t really have a choice.
Yes, really old bean, even the Sky Elves were kind enough to let it slide when the kid took one of their flying cities out for a joy ride. Don’t be such a “gnome” about it.
Frankly, I’d expect better of the ruthless humans. Yes, he’s one of your house, but goddamn it you didn’t get to be the powerful, war-mongering bastards you did by protecting the troublesome idiots who just happen to be family.
If this was to go how actual politics would, I’d expect Captain Insincerity to quietly disappear…down a flight of stairs.
I agree with Steelraven, I think they put the lil’ bastard there to begin with. They knew what they were doing and used gnome town and a test area for the tank.
This isn’t gonna work out.
Seriously!? What a bunch of assholes, dude blew up like half the freaking town! Politicians, I should have gnome better.
A penny for the elf’s thoughts.
He’s probably given up long ago. He just sits there expressionless, staring at nothing, waiting for the bell to ring.
He’s focusing on keeping that book and quill in the air so that he doesn’t have to listen to what’s going on at that moment.
I’m pretending that he’s using all of his willpower to keep the quill from writing his thoughts on what to do with that kid. Probably also preparing his grocery list.
*IF* he were smart that book would be magically linked to another ‘brother’ book like it back home. Both would be recording everything the council discussed and would become public in the event of any shenanigans: a knife suddenly appearing in his back, a sudden to drink 20 ounces of laudanum, that sort of thing …
*sudden urge to drink
I don’t think he’s sorry at ALL!
He’s so sorry… that he got caught.
He didn’t mean to break Gnometown, he meant to destroy far more.
It’s wrong to steal warmachines that don’t belong to you, far better to just use the political system to “requisition” them for your needs.
He’s learned his lesson, don’t get caught.
And he promises he won’t do it again. He’ll do something worse.
Kids about as sorry as Paul Christoforo.
That’s the spirit, old chap! Keep up the passive-aggressiveness, and we might give you membership to our “Xenophobic Arsehole Club!” Except we won’t, due to you being a gnome, but, hey, we’ll let you stand out in the lawn in front of the clubhouse, wearing a silly hat! You gnome types like that sort of thing, right?
Alright, but only if I can have a fishing pole, too.
Oh yeah, this subplot! I forgot that I liked those two guys sitting on the end. You tell ’em!
Wow. This is the biggest council of idiots I’d ever seen. They compete with real life politicians.
Nothing competes with real-life politicians. Have you seen Virginia’s latest anti-abortion attempts?
Seven against one and two are giving the “or ELSE” look… I’d say that’s a no on the choice part.
I count six “Or Else”s + one “Don’t look at me, I only work here”.
Three of the Or Else-guys are leaning forward into a “Come on ya runt, make my day!”.
Wouldn’t it be fun if the elf suddenly blasted all the guys to his right with an eldritch deathray? Cathartic, at least.
Does the gnome look familiar, by the way?
whose seat is empty there?
and just who are the brats parents?
The empty seat probably belongs to the guy who’s at the podium.
facepaln, thanks
That has to be the most …. insincere/ ‘apology’ I’ve ever heard.
As to the empty seat I suspect it belongs to whoever is standing at the podium next to the brat. Can’t make out who it is but I suspect it’s ‘pornstache’…
Damnit – I suck at HTML tags. Only that first word was supposed to be in italics. :(
you can tell the ‘old bean’ is a good guy because he’s the only one on the panel with eyes!.
Then again the kid has eyes too….That’s why he’s getting out of trouble! They’re related.
Every village needs an idiot…
Besides, admit it… you all want a ‘Round 2’ between the brat and Bandit.
“…but it’s good to know the device works.”
Really sir? Even after it was taken down by half a dozen mercenaries?
You truely consider that a quality demonstration?
Feh. He’s scarily plausible.
Maybe he knows that they can’t mass-produce Frigg?
True, it was taken down by half a dozen mercenaries … but the pilot was an unqualified idiot.
and it leveled half of a town effectively, though it still needs more dakka
Can ALWAYS use more Dakka!
A specialized inspection team has been sent to World’s Rebellion facilities to assess their production of plate armours and tower shields. The Rebellion claims they are meant for the protection of combat personnel but the international community suspects they might be used to construct weapons of mass friggage.
“Suppose you were an idiot. Then suppose you were a member of the Council…but I repeat myself.” (yay for mauling quotes)
I can’t say I’m really surprised – the kid should have been punished the first time around for kidnapping his peers, etc. Clearly he wasn’t even slapped on the wrist.
Insincere apology? Even better! He’s “apologizing” for the wrong things. What he ought to be sorry for is the underlying choices that led to him stealing the hammertank and breaking Gnometown. But, of course, that would require an actual change of heart.
As for parents…something tells me that one or another of the Council members is a relative if not the brat’s father.
Well, I think the blame for the kidnapping went to the pirates.
For shame, they were the victims in all of this! The pirates have been marginalized and cannot find proper jobs! That’s why I’m proposing a bill to reinstate the Letters of Marque. Let them harry our foes.
But honestly, I’d like the next Bandit vs Brat session to end with this kid in the stocks and Bandit administering corporal punishment.
Actually, at this point I’m pretty sure the kid has earned death. He killed a few people along the way and he is unrepentant. He’s also about old enough to understand what he did as well as he ever will.
…On that cheerful note, WTF is with this kid? First the pirate ship, now this? Who raised this hellion and is there a legal way to take away any other children in their care?
I think the point is to characterize all the major nobles as total douchebags. And not in the Payet Best “basically good if not always considerate or lawful” way, but totally evil douchebags.
I’m getting serious Seele from Evangelion vibes here.
not enough pseudo-occult symbols, yet.
Its like playing Mass Effect all over again.
but without the sex option.
are you sure about that?
“Ah, yes. Taking responsibility for his actions involving the destruction of Gnometown. We have dismissed those claims.”
O.O !!!
“Can it wait? I’m in the middle of some calibrations.”
I wish that worked for me when I was a kid…Not that I stole war machines or anything… :[
Working theory is that the fellow on the far left, bottom panel, is the kiddo’s father. Based on the colour scheme.
On another note, I’m loving the design on Admiral Square Jaw and Grumpy Robes (Only Human with a full beard).
But if he was stealing war machines belonging to him, wouldn’t he be doing it even more wrong?
They should get Bandit to set the brat straight.
“Wait, are you tellin’ us that because you mean it, or because you think it’s what we wanna hear?”
“I’m tellin’ you that because I think it’s what you wanna hear.”
“Well, okay, then.”
Oddly enough, it seems that the “Ballsy midget race” in this fantasy setting is not the Dorfs, but the gnomes! That’s actually rather original as far as fantasy settings go.
Does Gravedust even binge drink? Or Tantrum spiral when the butcher kills his stupid cat? Terrible Dorf, really. He’s probably never even MADE anything that menaces with spikes.
And he completely failed to suggest they weaponize all that lovely lava when they were facing the Mouth of Tectonicus.
I’m wondering what the little red inverted triangle on the top of the gnome’s coat of arm could possibly mean.
Is it an allusion to the gnomes ancient homelands with their red mountains?
Or maybe it’s a traditional symbol of status amongst the gnomes?
Is it religious?
What could it be!?
I believe it is the traditional Gnomish “Pointy Red Hat”.
Given how the races in this setting treat each other, it’s probably got more in common with being forced to wear a yellow star or pink triangle.
Good ol’ ‘boys will be boys’. Boys will be boys never hurt anyone.
Except boys.
The writing continues to astound, engage, and keep guessing.
Maybe I’ve just been reading too much Homestuck, but I’ve got this voice going BR1N4 TH3M TO JUST1C3… huh.
Anyway I wonder if he’ll get away with it? Seems like the authorities are almost as bad as the criminals.
And these are the GOOD guys, ladies and gentlemmen.
…well, the politicians in charge of the country that our good guys are aligned with, at least. I wouldn’t call the majority of them lawful neutral, at best.
*would.
I’m not sure it’s ever been established that these are the good guys. All we’ve so far seen is that their speciesist, mysogynist, and that they pay well enough to keep the heroes.
Wait wait wait wait…
…wait.
It’s totally been established that they’re the good guys. They’re HUMAN!
Good guys, bad guys… they are the guys with the boomstick.
I’m afraid we have seen this sort of ‘research’ right here at home.
Poor black men with STDs left untreated, Soldiers dosed with radiation, experimental vaccines… this crap happens far too often in the real world.
We should just be grateful no one found any uranium ore in the comic, or Gnometown would already be glowing in the dark from the research or worse yet, a ‘demonstration’
I really think this is going to push some gnomes right toward the “bad guys”.