Annotated 38-24
“I really hate having to spell it all out for people.” As Frigg would say, “FUCKIN’ OBVIOUSLY YOU DON’T!” He may be almost as famous for not talking as Scipio, but the difference is that if you open Scipio’s spout, you still just get a trickle. Jarvis, however, seems determined to make up for lost time until his daily word-count averages out to normal.
Syr’Nj’s reactions here are not brilliant…but I don’t think they’re unintelligent, either. She is experiencing that terrible feeling that idealists sometimes get, when they thought they’d seasoned themselves with the proper amount of cynicism and find the world far more cynical than they thought. But pretty much the best thing she can do for herself and the other Peacemakers is to let the Altruists continue to tell her everything.
Caneghem in panel 4 is feeling deja vu. He was once on the receiving end of a similar “offer” to the one being given Syr’Nj. His distaste for engaging with Gastonia is probably a little more relatable now.
Are you referring to an off panel offer the Altruists made to Caneghem or that thinly veiled ultimatum Syr’Ng, Frigg, and Bandit delivered to the Sky Elves? If it’s the latter I’d have thought Caneghem would be enjoying the turnabout in so much as he experiences joy.
Canaghem is already part of ‘the inner circle’ so he was theoretically made an offer similar to what’s happening here.
And he knows it was a bum deal, but which he took nonetheless. A fact he clearly isn’t too proud of.
That or he’s been completely aware that Syr’Ng is NOT the kind of person who would just let all this horrible immorality and corruptions simply slide, and has realized that Jarvis hasn’t come to such conclusion. As in, he’s facepalming because Jarvis have made an ENORMOUS mistake in his ability to read the type of person Syr’Ng is.
“We used you for purposes we know you would hate, and we unfairly disadvantaged those you support to limit their power, so would you like to help us to continue doing that?”
… I think he’s missing a big part of convincing people to do things: Show that what’s in it *for them*. Of course, if he thinks that all Syr’Nj wants is power, then the first sentence on the last panel contains everything that’s needed. But he must know that that’s not what she’s about, right?
So then the only other thing he manages to mention is a threat? To me, the whole speech was a list of reasons to oppose the “Altruists”, followed by “we have cookies” and “we would oppose you if you opposed us”
I think I might feel a strong desire to burn that place to the ground.