Pro Tip: Whenever someone says anything along the lines of "with due respect", odds are really good that they mean that they are according you zero respect, if not a negative quantity.
Oh my, the stripes that people wear are now being clearly shown.
Decimus has a plan he does. He is many things, but he is not stupid. A logician knows the rules and how to manipulate them. Frankly, this is a setup meant to push some people to the edge, and beyond to treason. I fear it may work.
There have been off the wall pronouncements before but this insults douchebags all over the universe, From now on he is relegated to SFB status. This should trigger the flight with the girls to the nether regions of whereever IF and thats a big IF Acantha will leave.
@Haegan He is pushing Maxus, Acantha the Doctor, Lynn and The Priest to the limit, and remember he has his little "Hit Squad" recruited from the Cassions in reserve with, I am sure instructions for assassinations before dawn. In fact it would not surprise me if Maxus's Lady was not alreadt prisoner. This has been planned since the night Maxus beat him senseless with the Pugil Sticks.
Unfortunately, the Cassians are Androids hard wired to obey SFB even though they want to do other wise and the human added is from his private Army, not under Maxus Command therefore will slit any throat he can if it means he can continue to run roughshod over civilians.
How is he pushing Archpriest Setorius to the limit? Setorius is here for some light conversation and a well-made meal. (He is terrible at conversation, but, well, one must make an effort.)
Yeah, I was wondering that. They don't seem to have made any comments about this. Once Acantha stops yelling, maybe there will be an awkward pause and then Setorius will turn to Julia and say something like, "So, have you read the latest issue of Weird Science Monthly?"
Brain vivisection did wonders for Walter Bishop. Of course, that's way beyond cutting edge surgery. In fact, you could call that surgical technique "Fringe Division"
And lets not forget that shit floats downwards, so the gutters will soon be filled to capacity. Many parts or not, stepping out in the gutters will not be advised - For Dolly is around, and she likes to shoot gutters!
Unless someone smart and with much power has already dug a hole for him, so they only need to give him a little nudge so he fals into it ... metaphorically speaken, I mean.
If Decimus thinks he's the only one around with a master plan, he's sorely mistaken.
Interestingly, Setorius has not spoken up yet.
Beware the slow river, for it often flows deep and strong, and hides bodies better than shallow ones!
Who knows? He might know something about freshly dug graves .. erhh .. I mean, holes ofcourse. :)
He probably needs many for his experiments.
Next thing you know, Setorious will ask to have Lynn as a novice instead of having her enslaved.
Acantha too, if he can get away with it.
Ofcourse, if Lynn is made into a slave, then Setorius could simply command her to join the Church of Genetic Purity, and in one fell swoop, he would have ruined Decimus' plans, gotten Lynn out of enslavement and gotten himself a new Novice until he releases her to Calliope, *and* also gets on her good side, including whatever interesting new research she has access too.
He *is* after all annoyed at the lack of Nano-Tech in Nova Roma, so if there's a chance of improving his research ... well .. then Decimus could go and jump in a dark hole for all he cares. XD
Yeah, she doesn't have the skills nor does it sound like she has the interest to REALLY assist Setorius. So she would be decoration, or a chit to be redeemed at a later time from New Troy.
Ooohhhh ... like one of those hat racks that can smile, be pretty, and even dance around when they're happy about getting out of enslavement? Y'know, the kind that comes with a royal sidekick?
You know, if I have interpreted the various parts correctly, Decks isn't above the law. We have proof he has committed crimes here. You know, they could arrest him.
EDIT: Yeah, I'm back to commenting. Haven't had much to personally say for a while that someone else hadn't already expressed.
Once again, I return with tinfoil hat on head... okay, neutronite combat helmet but same difference.
I have a feeling this is the ace in the Cassians' hole at the moment.
The main issue is that DECK doesnt see it the way others do .. and he thinks he IS above the law. and can rewrite facts as needed to fit his little vision :D
Curiously, you can stop oilwell fires with explosives,
And stop forest fires by burning off an area where it wants to spread, so there's nothing left to burn.
Wow, just wow. Douchebag tries to remake the world to suit himself. Doesn't seem like anyone else is interested in allowing him to get away with it though.
Holy crap. This whole scene has been movie quality scripting. Rose, Cent, I have been blown away by this comic in general, and this scene is just fripping amazing. I almost went over to Rose's place to give her a hug. Can't wait for more!
Screw the gasoline, MST3K... It looks more like pure OXYGEN to me. Copious amounts even. Douchebag's little spark just turned into a flame that could consume all of Nova Roma.
Since apparently Maxus can beat the ever loving crap out of this punk with no global repercussions I suggest he take him back out behind the woodshed. Preferable for an extended stay, say til Deci's dies of old age.
That ability only works so much. Maxus isnt the type to abuse his power like that. although. Maxus's internal regulator is beginning to feel a bit of a pressure build.
Royalty and law makers through the ages have always manipulated the laws they write to evolve around their needs, sometimes throwing whole empires into crises in the process.
Our beloved Prince here is just another shining example.
Revolution is nearly always slow to build momentum, but when it does... I think the saying goes, the greater the height, the farther the fall.
One can only hope the Prince has a moment of clarity when it all crashes down.
That would ultimately depend on how much of Deci's mental illness shows it's self in the laws, edicts and more importantly their practice outside of the palace. You could have a raving hair-pulling paint chip eating idiot on the throne but as long as the administrators buffer that on its way down to the people, no one would even know.
The problem here is the prince himself is not an idiot. He may be an over-indulgent, insidiously cruel man with an impulse control problem, but he is not stupid. His agents are effective, informed, and loyal (as long as that loyalty either meets programed perameters, or ensures continued positions of power).
We haven't really seen just how large a body politic is involved in the day-to-day governing of Nova Roma, but my guess is it likely has hundreds of people keeping the wheels turning, and each of them has a personal agenda (corrupt and not) in motion.
As long as the laws put in place do not shake the table this house of cards sits on, the Prince will have enough support to stay in power. This is probably why no one has has made a real move against him. A lot of pieces need to be in place first.
The only good thing that will come from letting the Prince enact and enforce unjust laws, is when the revolution comes, the Prince will have already lost the support of his people.
You know, it could be worse. Calling her a servant (or even a slave) is one thing, but putting her technically under Maxus's authority, and into service with Acantha, just means she's going to be pretty much doing what she's been doing all along. Neither Maximus nor Acantha would insist that Lynn do anything that a regular slave would do, but they could probably fake it if Decimus wanted proof that she was toeing the line. If Decimus leaves it at that, Lynn's not actually going to be harmed. I'm thinking he wants to drag her into a video conference with her mother - wearing a collar, of course - thinking that will get Calliope to cave in to his demands. Going to be some very pretty fireworks when Calliope sees that, and naughty boys who play with fire get burned ;)
More like a swarm of locusts Hornet. Nano-tech hunter/killer locusts, devouring EVERYTHING in their path. Concrete, rocks, people, plastics... you name it. Make them out of something that is highly flame resistant, and you couldn't even burn them in sufficient numbers.
"The swarm of locust covered the entire sky, hiding the sun and darkening the land. Its size and destruction were never equaled in the past or the future."
if she is a slave, she becomes property.. and that would make the legalities of extracting her from nova roma a bit trickier after all is said and done... not that it matters too much.. but.. it could cause legal issue later down the road
The problem isn't so much as with how Lynn will be treated, Kitty. It's the change of legal status that is at issue.
Going from political prisoner to slave is a blatant act of war. there's no gray area here, and even someone who IS loyal is going to object to that.
I'm actually hoping that this is enough of a loophole for the Cassians to slip through. (See me, Cent and Rose? I'm holding my breath on this one!)
Thought- Wearing a slave collar puts her in the same rules and laws all slaves live (or die) by in New Rome. If someone commands her to do something no matter what as long as the rules are followed there is nothing she can do but obey or be punished. Not something her thin skin would like. That could be part of Deci's plan to humiliate her in front of New Rome citizens which would give him some form of respect and adulation from the populace. Not to mention showing her to Calli as a slave to belittle her offspring to show he is not one to argue with but to give in to his way.
I think Douchebag is trying to push Lynn in that direction. Change her status from political hostage to something that would allow her to be abused. But the law is against him, and even rulers can be removed if they fail to follow the rules enough. For while he may be the single most powerful person in Nova Roma, there are many others with lesser powers whom together may surpass his power.
One thing to remember is that Prince Douchebag is the tacit ruler of Nova Roma, but he's not the state of Nova Roma. If it comes down to saving the empire or saving Douchies tushie, guess what wins? Prince Charming has effectively designated himself an enemy of the state and is therefore entitled to the retribution thereof and even his hand picked killbots won't be able to save him.
The thing saving his royal pain in the ass is that his grandfather managed to overthrow the city's AI control and replaced it with a no intelligence analog network that's booby trapped to his position of power's well being.
New Rome's water, power, communications, support services, et al are run by automaton systems that are hardwired to go crazy if something happens to "THE IMPERATOR."
Even worse, this also applies to the remaining city defense systems. Except for the cassians they are true "Kill-bots" which will just slaughter indiscriminately friend and foe if "THE IMPERATOR" sends the signal so they turn on without controllers. The citizenry and army can probably stop this after awhile, but there won't be much city left afterwards.
The Cassians may have enough self freedom to not go on a killing rampage on their own but probably cannot be counted on to help stop the carnage until a new Imperator is seated according to the rules to order them to erase their previous instructions.
(Have I got it right?)
Either which way, it's bad news for the people of Nova Roma.
But he has made one serious blunder, Calliope Taylor probably does not know of those booby traps, and would have no compulsion to not kill him, if she saw an opportunity for it.
Deci is the older one of the two AND Imperator and thus also responsible to continue the bloodline.
Yet I haven't exactly seen anything like a wife so far. For a good reason, obviously. But it pretty much ruins his whole reasoning there.
Do you think any girl would WILLINGLY marry that Jack ass? LOL! and really he doesn't give a care about after hes gone. - after all Im going to live forever right! :D
Why would he need a wife to make a prince? As ruler can could just name a street bum at random to be the heir and no one could speak against it, at least not openly. So why not naming his own son from a slave girl?
Well, no one said anything about "willingly", did they? Although in these situations there's usually no shortage of people with more ambition than brains who think that bagging a prince and producing an heir is the way to easy street. Their plans often blow up in their faces, but the next generation never seems to learn from that :(
Heck, there's even been a couple of brainless ones that were kind and just smart enough to know they weren't smart enough to run the whole shindig, so they let ministers do the hard work, while they themselves could sit back and relax while living the playboy style - And outrageously enough, they were getting away with it, and sometimes even prosper from it!
And regardless of what he believes will or won't come after him. Him not leading by example still completely destroys his reasoning that Acantha should start entertaining suitors because she's getting too old not to.
:D
Decimus has a plan he does. He is many things, but he is not stupid. A logician knows the rules and how to manipulate them. Frankly, this is a setup meant to push some people to the edge, and beyond to treason. I fear it may work.
@Haegan He is pushing Maxus, Acantha the Doctor, Lynn and The Priest to the limit, and remember he has his little "Hit Squad" recruited from the Cassions in reserve with, I am sure instructions for assassinations before dawn. In fact it would not surprise me if Maxus's Lady was not alreadt prisoner. This has been planned since the night Maxus beat him senseless with the Pugil Sticks.
I think he is attempting to see who will betray him at this dinner.
I think that might give his hit squad a loophole in the whole loyalty clause.
This is gonna get .. very roller costery soon !
And in Decimus' mind, he can do no crime .. he is Imperator!
And after that, there would be an even longer uncomfortable pause, with Decimus turning beet red!
The Ides of March IS this Sunday!
too many moving parts
unintended consequences
will rapidly accrue!
I have seen this before somewhere. Is it like Haiku or something similar??
And lets not forget that shit floats downwards, so the gutters will soon be filled to capacity. Many parts or not, stepping out in the gutters will not be advised - For Dolly is around, and she likes to shoot gutters!
When do you want dinner? NOW....
Do you want to be pet? YES....
What's bothering you? LITTERBOX....
These are daily conversations...
"FOOD"
Or a "Yeees. Yeees. Feast and batten yourself! Soon I will feed on your succulent flesh!"
Seriously, Decimus needs to suffer a "tragic" accident. He's dragging everyone and everything around him down.
If Decimus thinks he's the only one around with a master plan, he's sorely mistaken.
Interestingly, Setorius has not spoken up yet.
Beware the slow river, for it often flows deep and strong, and hides bodies better than shallow ones!
Who knows? He might know something about freshly dug
graves.. erhh .. I mean, holes ofcourse. :)He probably needs many for his experiments.
Next thing you know, Setorious will ask to have Lynn as a novice instead of having her enslaved.
Acantha too, if he can get away with it.
He *is* after all annoyed at the lack of Nano-Tech in Nova Roma, so if there's a chance of improving his research ... well .. then Decimus could go and jump in a dark hole for all he cares. XD
Man, I've always wanted one of those. :)
EDIT: Yeah, I'm back to commenting. Haven't had much to personally say for a while that someone else hadn't already expressed.
Once again, I return with tinfoil hat on head... okay, neutronite combat helmet but same difference.
I have a feeling this is the ace in the Cassians' hole at the moment.
He had enough time for that...
... he thinks.
Poor Lynn *hugs her*
So, douchie is starting slow, now comes the big stuff...
PS: *lol* @heading and alt text :D
David Bowie
And stop forest fires by burning off an area where it wants to spread, so there's nothing left to burn.
hides.. erhh, lives?/MrBurns
Eeeeeexcellent! >:)
::lurks in back of burrow, hissing::
*throws little pieces of raw meat into the cave*
Gotta keep our writer in shape for the Great Hunt in the Nightside! :)
Our beloved Prince here is just another shining example.
Revolution is nearly always slow to build momentum, but when it does... I think the saying goes, the greater the height, the farther the fall.
One can only hope the Prince has a moment of clarity when it all crashes down.
We haven't really seen just how large a body politic is involved in the day-to-day governing of Nova Roma, but my guess is it likely has hundreds of people keeping the wheels turning, and each of them has a personal agenda (corrupt and not) in motion.
As long as the laws put in place do not shake the table this house of cards sits on, the Prince will have enough support to stay in power. This is probably why no one has has made a real move against him. A lot of pieces need to be in place first.
The only good thing that will come from letting the Prince enact and enforce unjust laws, is when the revolution comes, the Prince will have already lost the support of his people.
"The swarm of locust covered the entire sky, hiding the sun and darkening the land. Its size and destruction were never equaled in the past or the future."
Going from political prisoner to slave is a blatant act of war. there's no gray area here, and even someone who IS loyal is going to object to that.
I'm actually hoping that this is enough of a loophole for the Cassians to slip through. (See me, Cent and Rose? I'm holding my breath on this one!)
Heck, both Putin and Obama probably have such discussions all the time, and they are not even that insane.
New Rome's water, power, communications, support services, et al are run by automaton systems that are hardwired to go crazy if something happens to "THE IMPERATOR."
Even worse, this also applies to the remaining city defense systems. Except for the cassians they are true "Kill-bots" which will just slaughter indiscriminately friend and foe if "THE IMPERATOR" sends the signal so they turn on without controllers. The citizenry and army can probably stop this after awhile, but there won't be much city left afterwards.
The Cassians may have enough self freedom to not go on a killing rampage on their own but probably cannot be counted on to help stop the carnage until a new Imperator is seated according to the rules to order them to erase their previous instructions.
(Have I got it right?)
But he has made one serious blunder, Calliope Taylor probably does not know of those booby traps, and would have no compulsion to not kill him, if she saw an opportunity for it.
Deci is the older one of the two AND Imperator and thus also responsible to continue the bloodline.
Yet I haven't exactly seen anything like a wife so far. For a good reason, obviously. But it pretty much ruins his whole reasoning there.
And regardless of what he believes will or won't come after him. Him not leading by example still completely destroys his reasoning that Acantha should start entertaining suitors because she's getting too old not to.
...this guy is amazing.