davebarrack
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Grrl Power #840 - Patreon 2x
🕑 Added 2020-05-14 10:05:01 +0000 UTCThanks so much for your support!
To view the full-size version, left-click the image once, then right-click and open in a new tab/view. At least that seems to work for some people.
I think Maxima ordered Steak Oscar, except instead of Bearnaise sauce, it came with a fancy Hollandaise sauce, and also a side of scallops. Because you know what goes well with Hollandaise sauce? Literally almost anything. It's just a fuckton of butter with egg yolk and a drizzle of lemon. I'll eat god damned toast slathered in Hollandaise sauce. Fortunately, I only make Hollandaise sauce 2 or 3 times a year, because it's just a fuckton of butter, and I want to live past 55.
One of the reason Deus's Galytn experiment is working as well as it is, is because, to the best of my knowledge, no impoverished, out of the way country like them has ever had a crazy billionaire come in and just start throwing a ton of money at a bunch of core problems, and do it responsibly. Sure, there have been plenty of government changeups in various third world countries, and every once in a while the new dictator will actually go full ham on infrastructure or something, but... as often as not, they're involved in industrial grade drug trade to fund it, or are genociding some religious minority on the side, so whatever good they're doing gets overshadowed by the other stuff.
Deus legitimately has no other agenda than improving the country... yes, so he can sort of become the Weyland Yutani of Galytn. I don't mean that in the sense that he's repeatedly fucking himself with ill advised bio-weapon experiments, I mean it like he is THE employer in the country. He understands that a comfortable and well educated middle class is one of the best engines for economic growth. A great deal of that economic growth goes back into his coffers, yes, but he's continuing to improve the country to continue to improve his return. But then he goes and says something like on this page, about annexing nearby cities in order to improve the lives of the citizens there. It's suspiciously like he actually cares about the quality of life of people under his "rule." Which in itself seems suspicious.
A billion dollars in America will buy you a bit of highway and a decent sized mixmaster. Imagine how much roadwork you cold get done in BFE with that kind of cash. Deus is a big believer in public transit though. He's built some roads but also a lot of railway. He thinks that the infrastructure cost of maintaining a few hundred million miles of roads and highways can eventually become prohibitive, not to mention the burden of putting the cost of car ownership on up and coming but still poor citizens. Plus... if you sell someone a car, you make X dollars from them, and a well maintained car can be run for a decade or two. If you sell someone a bus or rail pass every week for the rest of their lives, it provides a steady and predictable source of revenue.
Comments
Aclys
I get the feeling he wont make the mistake of under-estimating Halo/sydney per say... especially once she makes a quick promotion by her efforts and hell, she went into space and got Herself back. On the other I cant help but imagine that she will wind up utterly kicking his ass (possibly metaphorically) someday.
Erin Palette
Oh yes. He's not a benevolent despot because he's benevolent at heart; it's because he realize that being benevolent helps protects him from overthrow. "Yes, I'm enriching myself. But if you overthrow me, millions will starve. Which is the greater injustice, hero?"
akrasia
Beginnings are effortless, middles are easy, it's the endings of stories that are hard. Deus' story is still in early days, and he hasn't had to fight anyone in his weight class or heavier. I'll reserve judgement on Deus' villainous competence until I see what he does when matched or overmatched.
Nicholas Grey
Deus is showing himself to be VERY good (though as yet not-quite-successful) at a gambit that many of the more lawful type of villains often try: organising things so that other people's best interests and courses of action are primarily to your own benefit. He's being obvious enough about it because Max would be highly suspicious is Deus *didn't* seem to be up to something, but he's very nearly convinced Max several times in spite of her natural antipathy. Honestly, Deus, in spite of his melodrama, is one of the best-rendered intelligent-villain types I've seen represented in fiction.
Lex of Excel
There's a pretty subtle element in Aberrant in that the home base of Project Utopia is in Addis Ababa. Aka, the capital of the only nation in Africa to avoid colonization by Europe.
Bryce Maryott
Rome did all of that and killed everyone's culture (and gods) in order to install their own. I don't think Deus is... (wait, "Deus" means "God"... um....)
Erin Palette
This reminds me, in a very good way, of the "Aberrant" RPG setting where supers would hire out as mercenaries and become effective one-man armies in African brushfire wars. I'm pleased to see this concept is being developed here. I also adore how Deus is following the "Evil Playbook" even though by all accounts he seems to be a rather benevolent despot
AlpineBob
Just have one unit with no supers go in and plant the flag. Maybe disguised as tourists or something. Once it is your territory, supers units go in as support. Though it is actually easier than that - announce which territory Galytn is claiming (or "taking back", if they had any prior claim). Then it is yours, at least for purposes of arguing in court about putting your supers in.
I've always wanted to corner an economist and get a serious analysis of Vimes' Boots Theory, it actually makes a ton of sense on the surface. :)
Dave Barrack
Hah! Thanks. That is a tough angle, so I wound up having to use a 3D model for reference. It's probably why her jaw looks a little different than the other panels, but I was loathe to tweak it and spend an hour trying to figure out why it looked weird.
Jared Juetten
Holy! Panel 8 is AMAZING! It's terribly difficult to draw faces at that angle and make it look good yet you did an awesome job. Fun stuff here! Can't wait to see how it all plays out... :D
Lex of Excel
Ah yes, the Romanization argument. Aka, "conquering these people is for their own good." Sorry, Deus. That excuse didn't make it okay for fruit companies to overthrow legitimate governments just because they improved infrastructure. F**k off. If Max actually buys this, she's the most gullible mark alive.
A Patreon of the Ahts
I think the flag is brilliant the way it is.
JBomb110
Dave, thank you for adding the comments to the Patreon. As someone who only keeps up with Grrlpower by reading the emails sent from Patreon, it’s great to get these additional thoughts.
Andrew Denton
Nah, the flag should be the flag of the country that they're invading, with a slash through it.
Town Crier
Since Deus is being quite blatant (or is he?) about his motivations, the flag should be something like an iron fist holding a wad of sweaty money. Or maybe the Ferengi flag, or a variation thereof.
Andrew
“Deus, this book is just $1000 notes bound together.... of course it is”
Rens
Affordable public transit is also significantly easier on the environment *and* infrastructure than everyone buying the cheapest (and therefore likely least efficient, most polluting, and, in the long run as per the Sam Vimes Boots Theory of Economic Injustice, most expensive) car they can afford because there's no alternative.
U.Kaya
I think a simple gold coin or a flag size paper bill works as a flag of nation who literally tries to make greed a religion
akrasia
The best way to lie / conceal something is to tell juuuust the right amount of truth. Being openly nefarious with a grin and a humanitarian pretext is a very slick sales pitch!
akrasia
I see someone has read the Evil Overlord list. http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html Also, "Operation Cha-ching"? That's comedy gold right there. Also-also, if that's the actual flag of Galytn, I will apply for their passport just so I could fly that flag...
Michael Obert
This is certainly more exciting than 'My Dinner with Andre'; also, more nefarious.
