“Because if you SMUDGE stuff, you’ll have an accident. A happy, fluffy little accident.”
“Pardon?”
“Sorry, with all the painting metaphors Bob Ross was bound to worm his way in somehow.”
Ah, good old Bob. Wait wait, THE Bob Ross? That b*tch of a son stole a few wands of mine a few decades ago! I thought I had forgotten to pour some paint thinner on someone’s grave! Now I just have to decide what brand to use…..
Whose monologuing brought defeat? Taro didn’t monologue to Ardaic, he was just telling his lie for his plan. He monologued to his father, sure, but that has nothing to do with his defeat.
I think that’s the point. This feels a bit like Robb outlining the evidence to Cersei… Ardaic may have been better off outlining his suspicions to the Marshal rather than laying them out to Taro.
However, Ardaic isn’t a player, he’s a servant. A high-ranking one, to be sure, but I think he’s more comfortable just doing his job than getting involved in intrigue. Taro is probably going to find out that he overreached and lose in the end, but he might well be able to take Ardaic down first if Ardaic isn’t careful.
I’m pretty sure Ardaic is using this to his advantage and make Taro his pawn before the other Heads can get their hands on him. It’s not about power, it’s about Syr’Nj.
He still calls them the Peacemakers, he’s glaring daggers in the third panel when Taro makes fun of them, and Ardaic has no idea that Byron is back from the dead and therefore he can’t try to make another pass at Syr’Nj after he manipulates the government into allowing them back into Gastonia.
I mean, him doing this in part for her is one thing, but Ardiac is a patriot. He would never change the course of a nation solely for his own benefit. Part of why he’s staring down this little brat right now is that he knows that isn’t the case with Taro.
I’m sure he’d love if Syr’Nj saw him in a different light in the aftermath, but if he found out about Byron yesterday I think his course would be the same.
Really worried about Ardaic here. Really worried. Knocking Taro out of the game can’t be THIS easy.
—
Oh yeah, sorry for the late comment on the topic: the member of Bandit’s group in Taro’s house. He can’t be there by coincidence. Of course, he’s not responsible for the death of Taro’s family. So, even if innocent, Taro is actually right on him being “oily”, funnily enough.
Don’t be too quick to underrate Taro. He’s a venomous little snake and he only has to bite a fellow once. You’ll just get Taro where you think you can control him, and he’ll slip free just long enough to sink a fang in your arm, and then that’s it for you.
Oh.
I think I’ve figured it out and I hate myself for it.
What’s Ardaic’s prime motivation been this whole time?
Gastonia.
What would happen to Gastonia, with most of the movers-and-shakers dead or discredited, the monarch and his family killed by the heir, with cultists lurking underneath, a disgruntled group of adventurers on the loose while also being in the middle of a war?
Ardaic’s going to keep the murders quiet and put Taro on the throne as a supposed proxy, while knowing that he’s figuratively french-kissing a viper.
That makes a lot of sense, but if it’s true, I think Ardaic will have much darker motives for it. There have been plenty of little moments which implied pretty clearly that he doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the rest of the ruling Council regarding the good of Gastonia. And now here he has a vicious little psycho who has no use for the current order and is willing to do anything, up to and including murdering his own family. And that vicious little psycho is, at least nominally, the heir to the throne.
If he plays this right, he could make Taro the figurehead with him as the real power behind the throne. Then he could egg Taro on to dispose of the rest of the Council for him before finding some pretense to figuratively neuter him, if not out-right get rid of him. Ta dah, Ardaic shapes Gastonia the way he wants it.
Unless Ardaic has troops right outside that are loyal to only him, he probably shouldn’t be laying out his suspicions to the little psycho like this. It rarely works, unless all your own pieces are already in place.
I was thinking the same thing. I’m still wondering what Ardaic seemed to sweep into his hand in the last page though? Some failsafe evidence of Taro’s guilt, hopefully?
Important lesson for a would-be conspirator. No matter how good your precautions, no matter how good you think you are, no matter how clever you think you are….
Do not call the cops to investigate the scene of the murder you’ve just committed. Especially if the detective acts a bit slow and easily underestimateable. I mean, watch some Columbo, man. Every time you call the cops to investigate your perfect crime, the scruffy and slow-seeming detective finds that one piece of evidence you overlooked and *bam* you are off to jail.
“Because if you SMUDGE stuff, you’ll have an accident. A happy, fluffy little accident.”
“Pardon?”
“Sorry, with all the painting metaphors Bob Ross was bound to worm his way in somehow.”
Ah, good old Bob. Wait wait, THE Bob Ross? That b*tch of a son stole a few wands of mine a few decades ago! I thought I had forgotten to pour some paint thinner on someone’s grave! Now I just have to decide what brand to use…..
Both of them better watch their glasses, because one of them is getting poisoned soon.
Once again, monologuing brings defeat.
Whose monologuing brought defeat? Taro didn’t monologue to Ardaic, he was just telling his lie for his plan. He monologued to his father, sure, but that has nothing to do with his defeat.
I think that’s the point. This feels a bit like Robb outlining the evidence to Cersei… Ardaic may have been better off outlining his suspicions to the Marshal rather than laying them out to Taro.
However, Ardaic isn’t a player, he’s a servant. A high-ranking one, to be sure, but I think he’s more comfortable just doing his job than getting involved in intrigue. Taro is probably going to find out that he overreached and lose in the end, but he might well be able to take Ardaic down first if Ardaic isn’t careful.
Ned. Ned is the one who talked to Cersei and got beheaded for it. Robb got killed at the Red Wedding.
I’m pretty sure Ardaic is using this to his advantage and make Taro his pawn before the other Heads can get their hands on him. It’s not about power, it’s about Syr’Nj.
He still calls them the Peacemakers, he’s glaring daggers in the third panel when Taro makes fun of them, and Ardaic has no idea that Byron is back from the dead and therefore he can’t try to make another pass at Syr’Nj after he manipulates the government into allowing them back into Gastonia.
I choose to believe that Ardaic would want to make Syr’Nj happy even if he knew he didn’t stand a chance.
DON’T LET ME DOWN, ARDAIC!
He would never.
I mean, him doing this in part for her is one thing, but Ardiac is a patriot. He would never change the course of a nation solely for his own benefit. Part of why he’s staring down this little brat right now is that he knows that isn’t the case with Taro.
I’m sure he’d love if Syr’Nj saw him in a different light in the aftermath, but if he found out about Byron yesterday I think his course would be the same.
And so ends Iwatania. Long live Ardania!
Seas of water, seas of time…
Oh c’mon, boys will be boys. Remember that time when you hit puberty and tried to kill your family?
Oh, I member.
I certainly dismember.
Most of my in-laws are also outlaws, so I just wanted to show that it was a family I could fit into.
Really worried about Ardaic here. Really worried. Knocking Taro out of the game can’t be THIS easy.
—
Oh yeah, sorry for the late comment on the topic: the member of Bandit’s group in Taro’s house. He can’t be there by coincidence. Of course, he’s not responsible for the death of Taro’s family. So, even if innocent, Taro is actually right on him being “oily”, funnily enough.
If oily guy’s name isn’t Gameofthronesreference McGnomepants, I name him Leonhard Euler*.
Of course, that means he’ll have to start wearing underpants on his head, but that’s a small price to pay.
* No, it’s not pronounced “Yooler”.
I feel obligated to make an Underpants Gnome reference here, but I’m stuck on step two.
Kid, you’re just a tad too young and under-prepared to play the Great Game.
Don’t be too quick to underrate Taro. He’s a venomous little snake and he only has to bite a fellow once. You’ll just get Taro where you think you can control him, and he’ll slip free just long enough to sink a fang in your arm, and then that’s it for you.
That’s why you don’t try to control him.
You execute him on the spot.
Oh.
I think I’ve figured it out and I hate myself for it.
What’s Ardaic’s prime motivation been this whole time?
Gastonia.
What would happen to Gastonia, with most of the movers-and-shakers dead or discredited, the monarch and his family killed by the heir, with cultists lurking underneath, a disgruntled group of adventurers on the loose while also being in the middle of a war?
Ardaic’s going to keep the murders quiet and put Taro on the throne as a supposed proxy, while knowing that he’s figuratively french-kissing a viper.
That makes a lot of sense, but if it’s true, I think Ardaic will have much darker motives for it. There have been plenty of little moments which implied pretty clearly that he doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the rest of the ruling Council regarding the good of Gastonia. And now here he has a vicious little psycho who has no use for the current order and is willing to do anything, up to and including murdering his own family. And that vicious little psycho is, at least nominally, the heir to the throne.
If he plays this right, he could make Taro the figurehead with him as the real power behind the throne. Then he could egg Taro on to dispose of the rest of the Council for him before finding some pretense to figuratively neuter him, if not out-right get rid of him. Ta dah, Ardaic shapes Gastonia the way he wants it.
Careful, Man. He’s a sneaky little murderer.
Ardaic looks about as angry as we’ve ever seen him.
Unless Ardaic has troops right outside that are loyal to only him, he probably shouldn’t be laying out his suspicions to the little psycho like this. It rarely works, unless all your own pieces are already in place.
I was thinking the same thing. I’m still wondering what Ardaic seemed to sweep into his hand in the last page though? Some failsafe evidence of Taro’s guilt, hopefully?
You mean like the new servant in the next room who heard the entire dinnertime conversation?
You’re pulling a Ned there Ardiac
Ardiac… kick him in his undropped testicles.
At least hard enough to ensure that they *don’t* drop for the next decade or two.
“You remember that time when we tried to kill you and you were like ‘No Way!’… That was great.” – GLaDoS
Important lesson for a would-be conspirator. No matter how good your precautions, no matter how good you think you are, no matter how clever you think you are….
Do not call the cops to investigate the scene of the murder you’ve just committed. Especially if the detective acts a bit slow and easily underestimateable. I mean, watch some Columbo, man. Every time you call the cops to investigate your perfect crime, the scruffy and slow-seeming detective finds that one piece of evidence you overlooked and *bam* you are off to jail.
I’m thinking ardaic knows iwatani doesn’t know how to cover his tracks and ardaic is going to let iwatani drown in his own hubris
In last panel, he’s not making a threat, he’s trying to teach iwatani not to be so obvious and predictable
Ahh, flashbacks of older times, younger days. The world looked so different back then.
“No painting! No painting! You’re the painting!”
And then Taro becomes king despite everything.
I kinda hate myself being the person to point this out, but:
Why is Persson tagged but Gravedust and Byron are not?