Schlock Mercenary V: You're Missing Something Wonderful

[Kantaki]

Unless I missed something, we still don't know whose good will the good will mission is supposed to be cultivating?

Unless I seriously misinterpret what the elder Tagon meant his reaction to his son’s „shoot them up and grab the archive”-plan indicates that getting in the Gatekeepers good books, or at least out of the bad one, is at least a secondary goal.

But doesn't a good will mission usually involve showing good will by helping and not getting someone‛s good will?

[eschmenk]

But doesn't a good will mission usually involve showing good will by helping and not getting someone‛s good will?

No. It's (normally) about gaining good will. Good will, like a good reputation, is something that can be gained. In accounting, goodwill is an asset that can have monetary value. It can be written as goodwill or good will.

Probably the last people who would do something purely out of good will would be the Toughs. How would you talk Kaff into that? They have done things for PR, though. That's an example of gaining goodwill.

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ADDED: BTW, despite what I said, I think it's possible that Karl was using the term "goodwill mission" very loosely. He might have meant that the mission was to protect the goodwill the Toughs currently enjoy from the Oafans and / or Sanctum Adroit and / or not create bad will with the tourists. If the grunts aren't there, they can't pick fights with tourists.

[Kantaki]

New comic.

Meeting old friends is always nice. Causally showing off what kind of resources you and your new friends have is even better.

How many demonstrations of power did Massey and Cindy deliver by now? I think the message should be clear enough by now.

[Bulldog Psion]

How many demonstrations of power did Massey and Cindy deliver by now? I think the message should be clear enough by now.

I wonder how long it'll be before their exaggerated, repeated swaggering will start convincing the SA guy that they have far, far less money and power than they claim?

"The laywer/AI alliance protesteth too much."

[The Glyphstone]

I don't think Cindy was trying to posture there. The Colonel took a (possibly light-hearted) shot at her by implying she 'sold out' in the process of going mercenary instead of the more principled law enforcement of SA. Cindercone fired back by pointing out just how rich she had gotten by doing so.

[eschmenk]

I don't think Cindy was trying to posture there. The Colonel took a (possibly light-hearted) shot at her by implying she 'sold out' in the process of going mercenary instead of the more principled law enforcement of SA. Cindercone fired back by pointing out just how rich she had gotten by doing so.

I wouldn't necessarily read even that much into it. I think Cindy was bragging, but it just may be that she's feeling good about things and it's showing.

Meeting old friends is always nice. Causally showing off what kind of resources you and your new friends have is even better.

How many demonstrations of power did Massey and Cindy deliver by now? I think the message should be clear enough by now.

Massey and Cindy don't have anything to gain by showing off to SA. They never did. If anything the SA guy is starting to look down on them a little because he thinks they are being wasteful, which goes against his moral code.

Really, this is just Howard taking a theme and beating it to death.

And so we get yet another joke about size. Yes, Cindercone is big. Eina-afa is big. The galaxy is big. Infinite lifespans are long. Longcats are long. Yes, Howard, we undersand. You don't need to keep repeating yourself.

Apparently, Howard didn't believe me, so he's telling us one more time that Cindercone is big. And he'll probably tell us a few dozen more times....

[memnarch]

I wouldn't necessarily read even that much into it. I think Cindy was bragging, but it just may be that she's feeling good about things and it's showing.



Massey and Cindy don't have anything to gain by showing off to SA. They never did. If anything the SA guy is starting to look down on them a little because he thinks they are being wasteful, which goes against his moral code.

Really, this is just Howard taking a theme and beating it to death.

Apparently, Howard didn't believe me, so he's telling us one more time that Cindercone is big. And he'll probably tell us a few dozen more times....

If you think so; I think it's just another way to show this point of Eina-afa which you might have missed the first time.

[factotum]

I wonder how long it'll be before their exaggerated, repeated swaggering will start convincing the SA guy that they have far, far less money and power than they claim?

Cindy's statement is entirely factual, and Sanctum Adroit can check it out themselves extremely easily--so no, her statement isn't going to convince anyone that they're *not* enormously rich.

[eschmenk]

If you think so; I think it's just another way to show this point of Eina-afa which you might have missed the first time.

Meh, that just follows from how big it is. Yes, it's so big that people have trouble getting used to how big it is. Yes, the quantity of resources available is so big that people have trouble getting used it that at first.

[Bulldog Psion]

Cindy's statement is entirely factual, and Sanctum Adroit can check it out themselves extremely easily--so no, her statement isn't going to convince anyone that they're *not* enormously rich.

Okay, so they're just being super-obnoxious and sort of passively-aggressively dominating their employees over and over, then. Causing said employees to probably start to hate them.

"Morning, Smith -- by the way, did I remind you that my new car costs 2,000 times your annual salary? And that my shoes are worth three months of your pay? And that my dinner last night cost more than you'll be taking home this month? Hey, careful with that chair, it costs about 6 months of your salary! Dang, I'm so frickin' cool and powerful and rich -- you see this tie tack? You see it? That, Smith, cost twice as much as the best car you ever owned! TWICE!"

[eschmenk]

Okay, so they're just being super-obnoxious and sort of passively-aggressively dominating their employees over and over, then. Causing said employees to probably start to hate them.

Well, technically, it's contractors or subcontractors, not employees, but yes, the principle is the same. And it's getting to be so repetitive that some of the readers are becoming annoyed, too.

As an in-story example, it's a bit like Petey reminding people about how much smarter he is than everyone else, which sometimes causes other characters to become annoyed. Although Petey has done that repeatedly over a long time, I don't remember him doing it as intensely as what's happening now, though. The Toughs are being obnoxious for the sake of humor, so it's hard to know whether to expect other characters to start reacting negatively to their behavior or not.

[Kantaki]

New comic.

Now this is true power. If your name is that intimidating that your foes give up just because they saw that you will join the fray, then you have made it. Wasn't there a Maxim about it? „Your name is in the mouth of others, make sure it has teeth.” It seem Sanctum Adroit is following this bit of wisdom.

[Bulldog Psion]

Interesting to see a new alien species.

Wasn't there a Maxim about it? „Your name is in the mouth of others, make sure it has teeth.” It seem Sanctum Adroit is following this bit of wisdom.

That maxim still doesn't make any sense to me.

[Kantaki]

Interesting to see a new alien species.



That maxim still doesn't make any sense to me.

The bug guy looks weird. This circuit pattern on the wings makes him appear artificial. I doubt we will get a explanation for it but I hope we do.

The maxim, yes that's a odd one...
I think it means that hearing your name/ seeing your banner/ knowing you are coming should suffice to make your enemies reconsider their plans.
Those two clowns in today’s update giving up working in Jumpstar Prime? That is Sanctum Adroit doing their job without spending resources - even without being present. The knowledge that they are coming makes our thieves leave.

[The Glyphstone]

I just assumed the maxim was a fancy way of saying 'Have a fearsome reputation". Which is what this is.

[PhantomFox]

Interesting to see a new alien species.



That maxim still doesn't make any sense to me.

It means that if your reputation is fearsome enough (your name is in the mouth of others), the mere mention of your name will intimidate or 'bite'. If you can get other people to take a bite out of the enemy's morale for you, just by them mentioning you, that's a win. In this situation, the name of SA had enough teeth to scare the pickpockets away when they heard they were coming.

[Bulldog Psion]

Yes, I get that, but why does it say that it puts teeth in the mouths of your enemies?

It just doesn't say what's its supposed to say. It makes it sound like your reputation is helping your foes in some fashion. Now "your name will be in the throats of your enemies -- make sure it has teeth" would sound a lot more menacing, IMO.

[The Glyphstone]

Yes, I get that, but why does it say that it puts teeth in the mouths of your enemies?

It just doesn't say what's its supposed to say. It makes it sound like your reputation is helping your foes in some fashion. Now "your name will be in the throats of your enemies -- make sure it has teeth" would sound a lot more menacing, IMO.

"Your name is in the mouth of your enemies" - I.e., they are speaking your name.
"Make sure it has teeth" - your name is sharp, dangerous, intimidating - just speaking your name can be dangerous.

Yes, technically speech comes from the vocal cords, which are in the throat, but that is not what most people are going to think of. It's perfectly clear if you can be a little flexible about the metaphor.

[eschmenk]

That maxim still doesn't make any sense to me.

It's not just you. That maxim doesn't make sense to Sorlie, either. One problem with it is that it mixes metaphors.

[Kantaki]

New comic.

Please tell me the „cape and leotard brigade” is meant jokingly. Please tell Sanctum Adroit doesn't really have troops in superman cosplay.
Well, it might explain why they are so feared - would you want to be arrested by someone who wears the underwear on the outside?

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Please tell me the „cape and leotard brigade” is meant jokingly. Please tell Sanctum Adroit doesn't really have troops in superman cosplay.

It is half joking, half sarcastic, I think. He probably doesn't think his job is to "fight crime", because he is not doing his job properly if there is crime to be fought - that is reactive policing, and his job is much more than just that: knowing the beat, and the people; understanding the criminal element, and how it operates; other such things. A perfect police force is one that get to a point where criminals can't even start to operate, therefore the crime doesn't occur, and does not need to be fought.

EDIT: Put another way, if he were a software developer, and on the first day at a new project, someone told him "ready to fix some bugs?". A good, proper developer doesn't have that many bugs to fix in the first place, and it reduces the entire discipline to a tiny part that only comes into play when everything else you do has failed to work perfectly.

Grey Wolf

[ryuplaneswalker]

New comic.

Please tell me the „cape and leotard brigade” is meant jokingly. Please tell Sanctum Adroit doesn't really have troops in superman cosplay.
Well, it might explain why they are so feared - would you want to be arrested by someone who wears the underwear on the outside?

Actually, with the losing of certain bits of culture over the eons.

"Superman is a human god" may end up having been a thing, along with the power of greyskull and a chicken bone prayer that the rev used.

A merc company using "The Visage of an ancient human god, known for being unstopable against evil" would be akin to someone today..using the visage of Beowulf or Thor to inspire fear in their foes.

[factotum]

The bug guy looks weird. This circuit pattern on the wings makes him appear artificial. I doubt we will get a explanation for it but I hope we do.

I got the impression that the circuits imprinted on his wings were something to do with his scanning capability--I think he's a natural lifeform with cybernetic augmentations, like many others we've seen.

[Marnath]

Actually, with the losing of certain bits of culture over the eons.

"Superman is a human god" may end up having been a thing, along with the power of greyskull and a chicken bone prayer that the rev used.

A merc company using "The Visage of an ancient human god, known for being unstopable against evil" would be akin to someone today..using the visage of Beowulf or Thor to inspire fear in their foes.

Funny you should say that...


Seriously, that's a soldier venerating Mario's combat style without any hint of irony.

[halfeye]

I got the impression that the circuits imprinted on his wings were something to do with his scanning capability--I think he's a natural lifeform with cybernetic augmentations, like many others we've seen.

I think he's going to meet Ventura, and lose hard, but the bit after that should be interesting.

[Foeofthelance]

Yes, I get that, but why does it say that it puts teeth in the mouths of your enemies?

It just doesn't say what's its supposed to say. It makes it sound like your reputation is helping your foes in some fashion. Now "your name will be in the throats of your enemies -- make sure it has teeth" would sound a lot more menacing, IMO.

Because it doesn't say "enemies", it says "others". That's how Tagon quotes it, and that's how it is written in the list of maxims. People are automatically assuming that Others means Enemies, when it really just means other people who happen to be talking about you.

[Marnath]

Today's update give S.A. a chance to return that volley that Massey lobbed at them earlier. " We are powerful and have ALL the money." versus "Yeah well, we're worth every single credit. You wanted the best and you've got it."

[factotum]

See, I didn't see that earlier stuff about money being Massey grandstanding--it was more along the lines of, "We know you're the best, we don't have much time, and money is no object". He was trying to overcome the Colonel's objections to taking the job, not go "LOL I could *end* you in a minute and never feel it".

[The Glyphstone]

Knowing Massey, it was probably all of the above and more. Establishing the power differential and overcoming the Colonel's misgivings and showing off to a group of 'colleagues' (for a very, very loose definition of the word) and applying a bit of the 'resources are no longer limited' thing the AIs were discussing feels a lot like Tagon's obsession with getting paid multiple times for one job, only through lawyerspeak.

[Bulldog Psion]

After all the swaggering and puffing, it's good to see Sanctum Adroit push back a bit. You tell 'em, Whiskers!