After a case of mistaken identity, will awkward Daisuke find help from excitable Mamo, or will his love life be thrown completely off track?
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Mac Hall
Matt Boyd
The legendary early-aughts webcomic that inspired a wave of webcomic creators.
The Otherknown
Lorian Merriman
Chandra is a 12-year-old accidental time traveler with a reluctant new dad, who happens to be a member of a feared galactic crime syndicate.
Paint the Town Red
Windy, Winter Jay Kiakas
Winona runs a werewolf shelter with partner in crime, Odile in the Gothic city of Merlot. One day they take in an injured vampire, and soon unravels many of the dark secrets of Merlot.
Slightly Damned
Chu
Rhea Snaketail returns from the dead, befriending a Demon who falls in love with an Angel. The afterlife ain't what it used to be!
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
Blindsprings
Kadi Fedoruk
Tamaura, wrested into a world 300 years in the future, must find a way to save the magic fading from her country.
Fantomestein
Beka Duke
Desperate for companionship, Frankenstein's Monster pretends to be the Opera Ghost. A grave mistake.
Namesake
Isa, Meg
There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Beeserker
TJ Cordes
This comic is about a robot powered by bees, but it's also about the kind of people who think filling a robot with bees is a good idea, and why they're wrong.
Countdown to Countdown
Velinxi
Iris Black is a self-proclaimed inventor with the curious ability to bring his drawings to life, and yearns to find a space where he can use his powers freely.
Yeah, she’s clearly still working with Reynolds, or else his reactions are inexplicable (and his presence in the conversation narratively pointless). Whether Reynolds and Byron are actually working together, or Reynolds is just taking advantage of the fact that Byron is willing to look the other way if unaligned adventurers do it, is less clear. (The latter would be smarter for them, as the fewer Heads who are actively involved the less havoc Gobligno can cause if he successfully investigates Bandit’s actions.)
I think she’d be furious if she knew she was being played regardless of the cause. This might not be Byron’s doing, but simply looking the other way while Dean Reynolds assigns Bandit to these raids.
Welcome to politics! Where people in chairs take advantage of the actual doings of the people.
I mean we are all just people, after all, with causes. Thanks for working in my favor.
Additional benefits:
You do not have to feed them, host them or cure them.
You do not have to forcefully breed them, as they will thrive on their own.
You do not have to micromanage them, as they can be self sufficient.
They may even become more loyal then when they were enslaved.
This is exactly like my fish-tank.
I provide the tall long grass for the spawn, but nothing ever comes of it.
The cost of maintaining the population is pretty higher. It would be so much easier if they just reproduced like I want them too.
It goes deeper than that. A slave’s primary motivation is to work just hard enough to keep being fed and avoid being beaten. A free worker’s primary motivation is to earn the biggest profit per unit of work, which encourages them to innovate and to gravitate toward the areas of the economy where their skills are the most in demand.
If the goblins keep their slaves Don can ensure that he will remain the wealthiest person in the local economy. If he frees them he loses that guarantee, but the way unfettered economies tend to grow exponentially means that as long as he doesn’t completely mess up his personal business he’ll end up far wealthier as the employer of free orcs than he ever could have as a slaveowner.
So he needs to decide what’s really important to him: The social prestige of being the wealthiest goblin? Or actually having wealth beyond his ancestors’ wildest dreams?
A free worker’s primary motivation should be to gain SUFFICIENT resources for themselves and their own.
Resources are finite. Profit is finite. Greed in one begets suffering in others… and that suffering often begets retribution, all for diminishing returns. A million means less to one with a billion than to one who has nothing.
In short the only difference between the slavery and the “free workers” is that the ones with all the resources no longer feel obligated to let the latter keep their upkeep.
Ah yes… the capitalist approach. Pay them pittance (under threats of hiring someone else who works for less), then trick them into spending the pittance on distracting trinkets and baubles so you get the money back and they have nothing.
I admit I don’t understand how a single member of this council is holding up what the rest of the council seems to agree on, or at least a majority, but cool that they insist they let the slaves be slaves and only free a few at a time?
It could just be that they have a weak central government, where member races really have little power over the laws in the territories of the others. So slavery could be illegal in the former Gastonian capital but still be legal in Goblin cities. Sort of analogous to the situation where some States prior to the Civil War kept slaves and others didn’t.
Don mentions that Gobbos bought a bunch of slaves from the trolls, who likely sold them all off shortly before it became illegal to own them in Troll society.
Either that or this actually *isn’t* a central government yet. It’s just round-table negotiations and nobody has votes yet.
In which case, Don has a lot of say in these matters because he’s representative of the industrial and financial arm of the World’s Rebellion and technically the sovereign of the Goblins, who likely have their own undespoiled cities.
So you have a situation in which Don has too much invested here that he won’t walk away from the table, but won’t knuckle under to agreements or treaties which you have no power to enforce over him. He’s also owed a lot of money, so he’s got quite a bit of leverage here.
Just so I understand, the “working class adventurer” goes on a series of quests, gets hitched, finds out their entire world is a lie, takes down literal viruses to the game in which they live, stops a mad programmer, and becomes leader of their race? XD.
Whaddyaknow, the orcs can build their own villages and have rich social lives. Color me unsurprised. How many generations until they get a seat in the council?
Like three or four generations, but then said Orc council member will get accused of being born in Cyberia and a member of the Countless cult and their replacement will be another Goblin who definitely has Orctown’s best interests at heart.
So far we had greedy grinning, diabolic grinning, work-well-done-grinning, we-are-free-now-grinning, generic-happyness-grinning…gah…I’m not sure if I can take much more of it.
Meteorite strike, please.
NOW.
Guessing that Bandit has a new boss…
Bandit’s been working with (not really for) Reynolds since chapter 42.
But how will she take the news that she is also working with and/or for Byron?
I’m not sure I’d really say she’s working “with” Byron.
Working in parallel, perhaps?
Yeah, she’s clearly still working with Reynolds, or else his reactions are inexplicable (and his presence in the conversation narratively pointless). Whether Reynolds and Byron are actually working together, or Reynolds is just taking advantage of the fact that Byron is willing to look the other way if unaligned adventurers do it, is less clear. (The latter would be smarter for them, as the fewer Heads who are actively involved the less havoc Gobligno can cause if he successfully investigates Bandit’s actions.)
That smugness is perfect. He went from being bumbling and naive to being underhanded.
Yeah, those expressions are priceless…
Que sera sera…
Guessing that Bandit isn’t as mad at Byron as we thought. Just a game to make it look like they aren’t working together.
While lies are the more available tool for manipulation, the truth is far more potent a weapon for those who are proficient in the use of it.
I think she’d be furious if she knew she was being played regardless of the cause. This might not be Byron’s doing, but simply looking the other way while Dean Reynolds assigns Bandit to these raids.
Welcome to politics! Where people in chairs take advantage of the actual doings of the people.
I mean we are all just people, after all, with causes. Thanks for working in my favor.
Aw man, look at those adorable troll builders, they’re all so cute!
The Don’s being short-sighted. A liberated slave can still be a source of cheap labor, and has the additional benefit of being a potential customer.
Additional benefits:
You do not have to feed them, host them or cure them.
You do not have to forcefully breed them, as they will thrive on their own.
You do not have to micromanage them, as they can be self sufficient.
They may even become more loyal then when they were enslaved.
This is exactly like my fish-tank.
I provide the tall long grass for the spawn, but nothing ever comes of it.
The cost of maintaining the population is pretty higher. It would be so much easier if they just reproduced like I want them too.
It goes deeper than that. A slave’s primary motivation is to work just hard enough to keep being fed and avoid being beaten. A free worker’s primary motivation is to earn the biggest profit per unit of work, which encourages them to innovate and to gravitate toward the areas of the economy where their skills are the most in demand.
If the goblins keep their slaves Don can ensure that he will remain the wealthiest person in the local economy. If he frees them he loses that guarantee, but the way unfettered economies tend to grow exponentially means that as long as he doesn’t completely mess up his personal business he’ll end up far wealthier as the employer of free orcs than he ever could have as a slaveowner.
So he needs to decide what’s really important to him: The social prestige of being the wealthiest goblin? Or actually having wealth beyond his ancestors’ wildest dreams?
A free worker’s primary motivation should be to gain SUFFICIENT resources for themselves and their own.
Resources are finite. Profit is finite. Greed in one begets suffering in others… and that suffering often begets retribution, all for diminishing returns. A million means less to one with a billion than to one who has nothing.
In short the only difference between the slavery and the “free workers” is that the ones with all the resources no longer feel obligated to let the latter keep their upkeep.
And thus began the age later known as the Jim Don era.
Ah yes… the capitalist approach. Pay them pittance (under threats of hiring someone else who works for less), then trick them into spending the pittance on distracting trinkets and baubles so you get the money back and they have nothing.
A smile comes easy
Each step and strike is their own
The fruits of freedom
what is this?
a haiku contest?
sign me in
what is this, right here?
Is it a haiku contest?
Okay, sign me up!
[It’s five – seven – five, not three – five – three.]
I recall learning
Haiku in primary school
I was transcended
3-5-3 is a legitimate alternate format.
Of course, it doesn’t really count unless the syllables are Japanese.
I admit I don’t understand how a single member of this council is holding up what the rest of the council seems to agree on, or at least a majority, but cool that they insist they let the slaves be slaves and only free a few at a time?
It could just be that they have a weak central government, where member races really have little power over the laws in the territories of the others. So slavery could be illegal in the former Gastonian capital but still be legal in Goblin cities. Sort of analogous to the situation where some States prior to the Civil War kept slaves and others didn’t.
Don mentions that Gobbos bought a bunch of slaves from the trolls, who likely sold them all off shortly before it became illegal to own them in Troll society.
Either that or this actually *isn’t* a central government yet. It’s just round-table negotiations and nobody has votes yet.
In which case, Don has a lot of say in these matters because he’s representative of the industrial and financial arm of the World’s Rebellion and technically the sovereign of the Goblins, who likely have their own undespoiled cities.
So you have a situation in which Don has too much invested here that he won’t walk away from the table, but won’t knuckle under to agreements or treaties which you have no power to enforce over him. He’s also owed a lot of money, so he’s got quite a bit of leverage here.
My understanding is that it’s mostly Goblins still keeping Orc slaves, so swaying the Don would be the way to convince the Goblins.
it’s not an easy task.
Troll might be convinced that doing the job by themself (not relying on the orc) is a sign of being powerful.
Goblin probably already have a mindset that “letting other do your jobs” is a sign of being wealthy
Please let Bandit and Byron have made up. It’s killing me to see old friends hating each other!
Just so I understand, the “working class adventurer” goes on a series of quests, gets hitched, finds out their entire world is a lie, takes down literal viruses to the game in which they live, stops a mad programmer, and becomes leader of their race? XD.
Well, more of a CEO than a programmer but he personally adds stuff to the game so it’s the same sentiment.
Whaddyaknow, the orcs can build their own villages and have rich social lives. Color me unsurprised. How many generations until they get a seat in the council?
Like three or four generations, but then said Orc council member will get accused of being born in Cyberia and a member of the Countless cult and their replacement will be another Goblin who definitely has Orctown’s best interests at heart.
I dunno, happy orc children begging for lettuces is … well … odd. Nice, but odd.
Begging? Looks more like they’re playing around, and/or welcoming back their dad.
I have never seen anyone as happy and excited to see a lettuce as that orc girl!
Also: such an adorable scene, in panel 1. =]
those troll smiles are so darn wholesome <3
So far we had greedy grinning, diabolic grinning, work-well-done-grinning, we-are-free-now-grinning, generic-happyness-grinning…gah…I’m not sure if I can take much more of it.
Meteorite strike, please.
NOW.
As a gnome, Reynolds has a genetic imperative to whistle nonchalantly whenever someone issues a denial.