davebarrack
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Grrl Power #1174 - Grape and greet
🕑 Added 2023-07-27 10:00:07 +0000 UTCThank you for the support! You guys are awesome!
The demon there is a Scourger. It's a race, a rank, and a calling. It's like a sergeant, in that they whip the troops into shape, just with literal whips. During action, they stand in the back and whip the troops forward. Also with literal whips. Most things they do involve whips, actually. Point at something across the room? Whip. Turn off the light? Whip. Carve an ice sculpture? Ah! Trick question. It's usually too hot where they live for ice sculptures. But they would still definitely use a whip.
Don't ask why Dabbler is in disguise still. I just felt like drawing her in a floofy sweater and glasses.
Enervated is one of those words that, to me, sounds like the opposite of what it means. It means "without vigor, force, or strength; languid" but it sounds like it should mean "charged up." Effete is another word that doesn't have the meaning it sounds like it should. It means exhausted, or worn out. To me it sounds like saying feminine, but in a specifically derogatory way, like "An effete prince." really means the dude is tired, but to me it conjures an image of someone light on their toes, waving a lacy handkerchief around. A dandy, if you will, which is just an old timey way of saying "metrosexual."
Taking over any country would involve a boggling amount of administration. Not if you just slid into their extant political process, I mean if you topple it and install your own regime. From most things I read, corruption and bribery is SOP in a lot of poorer countries. Of course, "corruption" is a broad brush, and people could make a very strong argument that any country which rules that, for example, "corporations are people," or allows hundreds of millions of anonymous dollars to get funneled into unaccountable political action committees is also wildly and hopelessly corrupt. Either way, Deus has his work cut out for him.
His governmental style is technically an arguably benevolent dictatorship. As his reach expands, he takes less direct control, but set expectations of subordinates, who fully understand his desire to balance rapid change with long term good. Normally that involves a lot of upheaval right at the start, like jailing a lot of corrupt officials. Sometimes it involves violence against the intractable, like some sheriff who doesn't want to give up what has essentially become his own personal fiefdom. The biggest issue with doing this of course, is the unrest that follows, whether it's from people who benefitted from the old system, people scared of any kind of change, to people who would rather knowing live under a corrupt regime, so long as it's their regime. I've read a book or two where the setup was aliens came to Earth, defeats all our militaries and started running Earth under a unified government, and do a way better job at it than we ever did. It doesn't really tax the imagination to picture such a thing, and while there are definitely people who would resist such a thing no matter how beneficial it might be, I know there are definitely a few of us who would breathe a sigh of relief.
Comments
eddi_TBH
Unless he replaces himself with the Deus Mk. 2 bot.
Xinunar
I am having a hard time suspending my disbelief re the government's attitude towards Deus. He is the fantasy communist 'benevolent' dictator: forcing everyone under his control to work for the common good. In furtherance of this, he is conquering every country he can. No way America is going to put up with this, much less cooperate with him, much less let him in on a deal like this.
James
"His governmental style is technically an arguably benevolent dictatorship." So best case, the government which has the problem of "the next guy"
Anton Schleef
Honestly, I think he was confusing 'effete' for 'effeminate' myself. They are fairly similar and I do believe they even have the same origins. Huh, and after doing some definition hunting, it turns out that 'effeminate' explicitly and exclusively means "(with reference to a man) having characteristics and ways of behaving traditionally associated with women and regarded as inappropriate for a man.", which is one of the meanings of 'effete'. Interesting, since looking at the word etymology (as found by Google) for the two they have different origins. 'Effeminate' is also the more recent of the two.
Justaguy
I think you screwed up your effete definition there, it can also, and more often is, used in the way you thought it sounded like it should be: effete, adjective affected and overly refined. Example: "effete trendies from art college" Similar: (of a man) behaving in a way traditionally associated with women and regarded as inappropriate for a man. no longer capable of effective action. Example: "the authority of an effete aristocracy began to dwindle"
Matt Parkent
The perfect example of a benevolent dictatorship is the Tyrant of Anhk-Morpork, Lord Havelock Vetinari.
