Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

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SangheiliSpecOp
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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#16 Post by SangheiliSpecOp »

ibneko wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:01 am I must say, I really love the wide range of facial expressions on this page.
I agree, I'm loving it too! So much so that I even logged in and posted here lol

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#17 Post by GaySailors »

Image

Relevant, I think.

Stay safe, wolf himbo.

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#18 Post by SangheiliSpecOp »

GaySailors wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 2:10 pm Image

Relevant, I think.

Stay safe, wolf himbo.
Haha! This is genius

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Scow2
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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#19 Post by Scow2 »

Makes me think Clovis is admitting his love to Brutus, but he's incapable of expressing himself in any manner OTHER than malevolent scheming dispassionate villain.

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#20 Post by AmigaDragon »

Technic[Bot] wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 4:31 am Damn it Brutus. Use your brain for once and Run! Before it is too late
Run where? He's in a cage with the boss blocking the doorway. He hasn't realized yet what Clovis didn't say when he denied burning him to death. Brutus might be saved yet, RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE in panel 5 might be Reni coming down to the dungeon.

A fine line of interpretation in these last two pages, the way Clovis talks and acts, I think the amulet has not broken Nora's curse, only temporarily (and maybe not entirely) suspended it.
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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#21 Post by DragnMastralex »

incoming Kylo Ren moment with Han Solo

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#22 Post by Wolffan »

Clovis _loves_ his/her big, strong, beautiful, Brutus.

Brutus really wishes that he was somewhere else. Pretty much anywhere else.

There's gonna be a problem.
There is only one! :natani:

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#23 Post by Alvin-Earthworm »

DragnMastralex wrote: Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:35 am incoming Kylo Ren moment with Han Solo
Seriously. Why is everyone saying this? First on e621 and now here?

Do you really think Clovis would personally go to such significant effort just to kill Brutus? He literally has the big guy cornered in a cell naked and defenseless, so what exactly is stopping him from killing him right then and there? You could see the genuine concern on his face when he noticed how scared his right hand wolf was.

I think you guys are reading too much into this. There's no ulterior motive here. He's not luring him into a false sense of security. Clovis clearly loves the big doofus and risked his own "powdered butt" to rescue him. I just imagine it's difficult for a complete sociopath to properly show compassion for someone other than himself.

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#24 Post by Bellhead »

Alvin-Earthworm wrote: Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:44 pm
DragnMastralex wrote: Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:35 am incoming Kylo Ren moment with Han Solo
Seriously. Why is everyone saying this? First on e621 and now here?
*snip*

I just imagine it's difficult for a complete sociopath to properly show compassion for someone other than himself.
I have no doubt in my mind that he was expressing genuine emotion, and that it was difficult for him. Best I can explain it, the general understanding is that he didn't realize how much Brutus meant to him, being the psycho that he is. While it would be nice for him to embrace that level of emotion, mental health wise, it's the general consensus that he would instead choose to remove it from his life entirely rather than allow himself to feel that much of a connection to something that could be used as leverage against him. Fear of commitment, as it were.
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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#25 Post by Alvin-Earthworm »

Bellhead wrote: Sat Jan 23, 2021 2:10 pm It's the general consensus that he would instead choose to remove it from his life entirely rather than allow himself to feel that much of a connection to something that could be used as leverage against him. Fear of commitment, as it were.
Unless he kills Brutus in the following page, that theory is thrown completely out the window. He had the perfect opportunity to torch both wolves at once, yet he didn't. Why even waste valuable time going on this mushy spiel if he wanted him dead to begin with? It's just not logical.

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#26 Post by steelabjur »

Cosmacelf wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 2:06 am
MaverickMopete wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 11:31 pm
Bellhead wrote:If you kill him, Clovis, I hope you die a death worse than fire.
Or are forced to be be a pole dancer in female form for the rest of your life.

I have a feeling that Clovis is actually telling the truth here. Brutus is one of (if not the only) follower that's stupid yet blindly loyal. The kind that always does what Clovis says without question or hesitation.

That's too valuable an asset for a crime lord to throw away unless he really screws up.
I agree. Regardless of Clovis' unfortunate choice of words about killing Brutus, I think that embrace is genuine. Clovis really does like, dare I say love, Brutus. Isn't it about time that TwoKinds has a same gender pairing? Platonic or otherwise, I think they care for each other.
To add to that, check out what he says in the second to last panel:
"But then I learned you were alive, and... despite the amulet, my very first thought was getting you out."
I think a lot of commenters are thinking that he's speaking of having the amulet in his possession, I suspect however, that he's speaking of it's effects. In other words, like the doubt Natani once expressed about his feeling for Keith, Clovis thought his feelings toward Brutus were being influenced by his then female anatomy, but has since been proven wrong.

Alvin-Earthworm wrote: Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:44 pm
DragnMastralex wrote: Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:35 am incoming Kylo Ren moment with Han Solo
Seriously. Why is everyone saying this? First on e621 and now here?

Do you really think Clovis would personally go to such significant effort just to kill Brutus? He literally has the big guy cornered in a cell naked and defenseless, so what exactly is stopping him from killing him right then and there? You could see the genuine concern on his face when he noticed how scared his right hand wolf was.

I think you guys are reading too much into this. There's no ulterior motive here. He's not luring him into a false sense of security. Clovis clearly loves the big doofus and risked his own "powdered butt" to rescue him. I just imagine it's difficult for a complete sociopath to properly show compassion for someone other than himself.
Yep, he even goes so far as to assure Brutus that he has no reason to be scared of him when he sees that Brutus is disturbed by the murder he just committed. Heck, I commented earlier about how Clovis seemed to be on a 'high' coming in to rescue him, only to seemingly crash when he saw Brutus' worried expression. It's clear that Clovis has feelings for him that go beyond mere crime boss-lackey. For someone in his position, a relationship beyond that is a weakness, as it leaves him open to being betrayed by that person or manipulated by others (like Roan and Sam were thinking of doing by rescuing Brutus on their own). That he's decided to "tolerate" that weakness plays into the title of the page.

Also, past comments make it clear that Clovis doesn't intend on killing Brutus (at least right now):

Brutus is
"the one wolf [Clovis] enjoys having around most!"
Clovis (while drunk), according to Brutus.
"I'll be fine. I'll have my right-hand wolf soon, after all."
Clovis to Romulus and Remus during their break in on why he doesn't need an escort.

Also, I just realized Reni didn't get around to getting Brutus any pants...

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#27 Post by Rasol »

No. Brutus is dead. Unless something happens that manages to save him from Clovis, he is dead.

Lets look at what Clovis says, and take them into context shall we? We will go line by line.

Clovis: "Brutus… Why are you looking at me like that? There’s no need for you to be scared. I know how you feel about being burned. It’s a painful way to go. I would never kill you that way."

Clovis is reassuring Brutus that he needn't be scared. But he doesn't say why, or at least it doesn't seem that way. The separation of the panels masks the way this would sound in a conversation. Clovis isn't reassuring Brutus he won't kill him. He is reassuring him that he will not kill him by burning, since he knows it's a cruel way to end a life.

Clovis: "When that dragon hit you and you fell from the wall, I assumed you’d been killed. I was sad… but I had my amulet. I told myself it was meant to be. A tidy end to a rotten era."

Here we hear him talking about how he had already let go of Brutus. He thought him dead already. He had already justified his loss, and written him off, even if begrudgingly.

Clovis: "But then I learned you were alive, and… despite the amulet, my very first thought was getting you out. It made me realize just how much I’d come to value you. To the point where I’d even consider risking my own… substantially more valuable self."

This is what a lot of you are assuming is a confession of love. It is. Clovis DOES love Brutus. He loves the big, dumb oaf enough to consider risking his own neck for him. Key point is that he THOUGHT about it. This is what makes the next line so ominous.

Clovis: "Brutus…You’ve always been my most loyal friend. A weakness I’ve allowed myself to tolerate."

Here is where Clovis tips his hand. on their own, the words can seem rather innocent. But in context to his previous line, the message is clear. He had a moment of weakness. A brief, fleeting thought that he should risk his OWN neck to save an underling. This is not acceptable. This is a weakness. Brutus is a weakness. One he has allowed to grow onto him.

The implication is clear. Clovis cannot afford to have somebody like Brutus in his life. Clovis' psyche is built on cold, callous detachment. Brutus is about to find out the hard way what that means. Clovis won't be burning our dear himbo wolf, but he WILL kill him. Quickly, mercifully. A death that only HE can provide. A death he will make certain of with his own eyes. He will close this chapter of his life. "A tidy end to a rotten era" as Clovis himself said.

<Note: I used male pronouns in this, because Clovis views himself as a male, regardless of any curses.>
<Note 2: This post is what finally broke me, after literal years of lurking these forums>

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#28 Post by Alvin-Earthworm »

Rasol wrote: Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:52 pm No. Brutus is dead. Unless something happens that manages to save him from Clovis, he is dead.
Nope, Wrong! Go back and read my previous posts.

If Brutus was such an emotional liability to Clovis he would have ended him right there and then along with Roan. There is literally no point for him to play the long con like that (Other than contrived reasons).

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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#29 Post by Bellhead »

Alvin-Earthworm wrote: Sat Jan 23, 2021 6:46 pm
Rasol wrote: Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:52 pm No. Brutus is dead. Unless something happens that manages to save him from Clovis, he is dead.
Nope, Wrong! Go back and read my previous posts.

If Brutus was such an emotional liability to Clovis he would have ended him right there and then along with Roan. There is literally no point for him to play the long con like that (Other than contrived reasons).
Respectfully disagree. He killed Roan because of how Roan acted towards him, and the actions he took leading up to this point, all of which had proven that he could not be trusted. Near as we can tell, he was just a random henchman, anyway.

Now on the subject of Brutus.
He had the opportunity to kill him right then and there, true. But, as he stated shortly after, "It's a painful way to go." Clovis clearly feels for him, and would not burn him as he did Roan, as he has far too much love for him to watch him suffer like that. Also factor in that, with how much Brutus meant to him, Clovis would have felt an extreme need to give him a proper goodbye, which he definitely would not have done in front of Roan, regardless of whether or not Roan would survive.

That honesty was reserved purely for Brutus, and for him only. Keeping that conversation private has no bearing on whether or not Clovis is willing to kill him. He's not hiding that he sees his relationship as a weakness, and he's not even denying that he would kill him. It is possible he was just confessing his feelings, but given how open he's being, despite his character, I don't see Brutus living much longer.
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Re: Comic for January 21, 2021: The Value of Brutus

#30 Post by Technic[Bot] »

I was planning on a long response but the points i was planning to make were already laid out better than I ever could.

I also believe Clovis is planning to kill Brutus. He realized his feeling were real, not a by product of the curse more importantly he realized they were true. Unfortunately, for Brutus, he dismissed that as weakness. He did not killed him right away because he is too precious to him. He wants to come true to him, explain himself, say goodby and kill him, perhaps a quick and soft death but dead nonetheless.

In any case if for some reason we are wrong, i kinda wish we are this makes Clovis a more interesting character, and does not kill him now I doubt he wont try to kill him before he leaves the state. And who knows maybe he realizes he can't kill him even if he wants to and decides to change even if just for Brutus sake.
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