You know, from the start syrn’j (while possibly misspelled) has been my favorite character. But this time… this time this red-hot-headed fighter really did me a number.
Great art on the expressions, body language art, and comic pace!
Folks, this was the first time in many ages I actually laughed out loud at a story. Well done in both dialog and in the absolutely believable constipated expression on Frigg’s face as she steadfastly restrains the righteous urge to utterly pwn some n00bs who desperately deserve it.
Wow, internal auto-guilt trips. Those can be a real bummer. Then again, doesn’t Frigg realize that, while she doesn’t have to kill them, there are plenty of ways to… Persuade them to see things her way WITHOUT killing them?
…. And no, I didn’t mean it THAT way, you sick, twisted gutter-minds, you.
Chess is all strategy, though, and Frigg is THE TACTICAL. She could give them a good run, but if they’re really as good as they claim to be they’ll be practiced at eluding a clever tactical player with long game strategy.
I hope she doesn’t win in the end, but at least manages to impress the gnomes with her determination to keep at it and improve. They’d probably get tired of beating her but at least admire her for being a good sport (if they only knew)
And some day, years later, she beats Bandit in a casual game of chess and WINS AT LIFE
I do so much love how she’s killed one of them in her little daydream there. Chessboard to the brain…does it count as blunt weapon trauma if it is wedged into his skull?
I love that the very first scenario she envisions is killing everyone in the room. Yes I know her conscience/pride/n33d2bl33t got in the way, still her base instinct was to use the chessboard as a weapon, and that is a crowning achievement.
naaaah, Frigg’s too happy and collected when she’s fighting, notice even after a few days of beatings and torture at the hands of her sisters she wasn’t visibly angry. Berserkers are all about the anger and rage, though Byron might not agree with me.
I know two variants of this game that I would love to see her play: Drinking chess, where every time you take a piece, you take a shot. The other, strip chess, take off a piece of cloths every time you lose a power piece or every two pawns.
You know she could start describing, in detail, what she either will do to him if she doesn’t win the next one, or what she will not do if she does win. That should break his concentration.
Also known as “mouseover text”, if you hover your pointer anywhere over the comic it should appear for you.
Back in the days of slow dialup connections (why yes, I do still have my 1200 baud modem, thank you), alt-text was a text alternative for large bandwidth pictures. It would dsplay while they were loading, usually with a description of the picture. They were also handy for text-only browsers like Lynx.
Now that my stsus as “internet old fart” is secure, I’ll move on. History class dismissed!
o i c wut u did thar. Frigg is not short-tempered. ..Okay maybe she’s still that, but Frigg is not short-sighted. Frigg has certain values that lead her to say what she says and bash how she bashes. None of this means she cares about the gnomes’ lives or what Ardaic thinks. But can she look ahead and decide what she wants doesn’t want to happen? Yes. (The ‘first’ page in a sense shows Frigg can abate her temper, too.)
And we see confirmation of a tiny little ‘shipping. <3
This pretty much happened to me in real life (if I was a gnome). I used to be a nerd into chess. Then after high school, the king jock of our school took up chess in addition to his prodigious athletic exploits. I played him a couple times, and found myself about even with his play level. I haven’t played much since.
Awww, she really DOES care.
Only ’cause total noobs suck at life.
But she totally wins at killing people to death.
Totally.
Tempering rage with pride…. not the best mix. but a start.
You know, from the start syrn’j (while possibly misspelled) has been my favorite character. But this time… this time this red-hot-headed fighter really did me a number.
Great art on the expressions, body language art, and comic pace!
“Urge to kill…growing!”
I thought it was “rising”.
No, it is growing. The urge has already risen. She just has tried to ignore it. The bigger it gets, the harder it is to ignore.
That’s what SHE said.
My DICK is rising.
Folks, this was the first time in many ages I actually laughed out loud at a story. Well done in both dialog and in the absolutely believable constipated expression on Frigg’s face as she steadfastly restrains the righteous urge to utterly pwn some n00bs who desperately deserve it.
Dusty said it in his notes..under that coarse exterior beats a heart of gold.
Well, probably helps that the whole crew busted into Sincerity Monastery just to save her from a lifetime of yardstick welts.
Inside of Frigg’s head is possibly one of the best places I’ve ever seen.
So. Much. RESTRAINT.
From a day one reader I just have to say, it keeps getting better and better.
thanks to frigg, these guys are finally initiated as gnomish adults.
uhh, blue-guy won again.
maybe furcoat doesn’t have any HANDS? hmm? you havn’t seen them. it’s not nice to make that kind of judgement.
Naah. Watchin’ onther folks playin’ chess just makes ‘im EXCITED.
“He gets his kicks above the waist-line, sunshine!”
10 points to whomever knows where that quote is from!
The song: One Night in Bangkok.
Thanks for the points :)
From the shockingly boring musical “CHESS”.
I’d let you watch; I would invite you but the queens WE use would NOT excite you.
I don’t care if it is essentially an ABBA song, it’s one of my favorites of the era.
Yeah, ABBA and Tim Rice. One of my fav’s of the era too. I’m surprised a rock-opera about chess isn’t more popular.
Probbly because that’s the only song from it that’s interesting. IMO.
I just love Frigg’s thought-pattern and Ardaic speaking all Frigg-like. Hell, I just love Frigg *w*
I am *so* running my next paladin this way.
Cut to another group for a bit, cut back to Frigg and she’s kicked all their asses and learned strategy!!!
I have a hunch that Frigg might refuse to learn strategy on principle.
why can’t the queen just kill them all, shes the best fighter!
Awesome, and the alt-text made me lose the Game.
it went over my head :-(
Mine too.
…actually I had to go look up who Daft Punk is after reading the comments today :(
./fails at cool
Stop failing dammit
My gosh. She’s learning to think ahead. Wait…wait..character development! It’s happening.
Though for a moment there, before I scrolled the rest of the way down, I thought she had really killed them, and I was amused.
I remain amused at how you manage to make her look uncomfortable and awkward in that dress.
Great strip, by the way. I followed Erica over from her “I fail at life” blog. An original twist on a heavily-trodden genre. ..bruce..
Ok, I officially love Frigg now.
Wow, internal auto-guilt trips. Those can be a real bummer. Then again, doesn’t Frigg realize that, while she doesn’t have to kill them, there are plenty of ways to… Persuade them to see things her way WITHOUT killing them?
…. And no, I didn’t mean it THAT way, you sick, twisted gutter-minds, you.
Nice. It’s not that she can’t let her self lose. It’s that she knows those sissies wouldn’t last a minute without her.
I can’t help thinking that once they explain that Chess is a battle simulation, where battle position is key, she’ll suddenly get it.
Chess is all strategy, though, and Frigg is THE TACTICAL. She could give them a good run, but if they’re really as good as they claim to be they’ll be practiced at eluding a clever tactical player with long game strategy.
Frigg: the tactical nuke.
Had to be done, sorry.
Just have to brake the rules down to her level.
Rook=Jab
Knight=Hook
Bishop=Cross
Queen=Uppercut
King=head butt
Pawn= pwn
what’s castling?
I can totally imagine the Kill Bill combat music playing while she’s looking at him in that last panel.
Chess or GTFO!
Made me crack up.
Which voice do you recommend for hearing Frigg in your head?
This is a great page; Frigg’s expression is priceless. I can’t help wishing Ardaic actually talked like that.
I hope she doesn’t win in the end, but at least manages to impress the gnomes with her determination to keep at it and improve. They’d probably get tired of beating her but at least admire her for being a good sport (if they only knew)
And some day, years later, she beats Bandit in a casual game of chess and WINS AT LIFE
I love Frigg. I loooove Frigg.
Ah, Friggian dialogue. Probably one of the greatest draws of this comic.
At least for myself, as an avowed member of the shady(er) underbelly of the internet.
…and thanks to the alt-text, I just lost The Game.
Love the Daft Punk references. :)
Gold Star.
Out of all the Daft Punk songs you could have serendipitously included in your dialogue, I’m glad it was ‘One More Time’ and not ‘Robot Rock’.
I do so much love how she’s killed one of them in her little daydream there. Chessboard to the brain…does it count as blunt weapon trauma if it is wedged into his skull?
He was Board to death. Okay!
I’m gettin’ creeped out.
I like that her boss is her conscience.
I love that the very first scenario she envisions is killing everyone in the room. Yes I know her conscience/pride/n33d2bl33t got in the way, still her base instinct was to use the chessboard as a weapon, and that is a crowning achievement.
maybe the wrong person has the apellation ‘berserker’. just sayin’…
naaaah, Frigg’s too happy and collected when she’s fighting, notice even after a few days of beatings and torture at the hands of her sisters she wasn’t visibly angry. Berserkers are all about the anger and rage, though Byron might not agree with me.
Heh, you said ‘crowning’… *cough* o.O;
I know two variants of this game that I would love to see her play: Drinking chess, where every time you take a piece, you take a shot. The other, strip chess, take off a piece of cloths every time you lose a power piece or every two pawns.
You know she could start describing, in detail, what she either will do to him if she doesn’t win the next one, or what she will not do if she does win. That should break his concentration.
As I said before, there’s a measure of psychology in chess.
“I suggest a new strategy, R2: let the Wookiee win.” -C3PO
For some reason this scene reminds me of Twin Peaks.
It’s like Frigg’s having one of those *Fire walk with me.* moments.
All in all very good show.
Ok, I give. Where is the alt text. Keep hearing about it.
Also known as “mouseover text”, if you hover your pointer anywhere over the comic it should appear for you.
Back in the days of slow dialup connections (why yes, I do still have my 1200 baud modem, thank you), alt-text was a text alternative for large bandwidth pictures. It would dsplay while they were loading, usually with a description of the picture. They were also handy for text-only browsers like Lynx.
Now that my stsus as “internet old fart” is secure, I’ll move on. History class dismissed!
Also good for blind browsers. I believe alt-text is required for US Federal “Section 508″ compliance.
But, Reverend Master,we already knew that by your grey-shot ponytail and Birkenstocks!
Judging by the look on the gnome’s face in the first panel I’d say gnomes perceive beating someone constantly at chess as a form of rape.
Ugh. Did you have to go there?
o i c wut u did thar. Frigg is not short-tempered. ..Okay maybe she’s still that, but Frigg is not short-sighted. Frigg has certain values that lead her to say what she says and bash how she bashes. None of this means she cares about the gnomes’ lives or what Ardaic thinks. But can she look ahead and decide what she
wantsdoesn’t want to happen? Yes. (The ‘first’ page in a sense shows Frigg can abate her temper, too.)And we see confirmation of a tiny little ‘shipping. <3
This pretty much happened to me in real life (if I was a gnome). I used to be a nerd into chess. Then after high school, the king jock of our school took up chess in addition to his prodigious athletic exploits. I played him a couple times, and found myself about even with his play level. I haven’t played much since.
I would love to live in Frigg’s head. It seems like a fun trip in there.
How did you know I was listening to Daft Punk?
Red screen needs Kill Bill music.
If they’d actually heard the sinister underlaying tone of her voice, they should consider loosing the next couple of matches…
I didn’t even realise that was Frigg till this page.