Tarquin's Emotional Control

[RNGgod]

Recently someone mentioned that Tarquin has been a lot more expressive lately, ever since things stopped going his way and his facade of control began to slip.

I have thus gone back and looked at every time Tarquin displayed one of three emotions: "angry" (slanted eyebrows), "shocked" (wide eyes), or "enraged" (both), as I felt these were the emotions, particularly the latter two, which demonstrated Tarquin's true cruelty and madness.
I then determined what percentage of each emotion was displayed post-Empire of Blood (that is, 847 and onward), and post-Malack's death (910 and onwards).

Anger

Ominous Dimmers (751)
Win, Lose, Legend (763)
Gladiators Arrive (776)
Allosaurus Released (784)
Enor and Ganji Escape (785)
Roy Asks for a Favor (813)
Papers are Lost (814)
Ominous Dimmers With Nale (821)
Malack Interrupts (854)
Prismatic Spray (927)
Tarquin Attacks (928)
Chekov's Whip (929)
Julio Arrives (930)
Julio Duels (931)
Julio, Cont. (932)
Cut a Rug (933)
Atop the Mechane (934)

Total Number: 17
Percentage of these that are post-EoB: 53%
Percentage that are post-Malack: 47%

Shock

Fleeing the Flashback (725)
Attacked by Amon-Zora (756)
Allosaurus Attacks (784)
Fire the Ballista! (933)
Bugsby's Pushing Hand (934)

Total Number: 5
Percentage that are post-EoB: 40%
Percentage that are post-Malack: 40%

Rage

Elan Defies Tarquin (930)
Elan Leaves the Desert (932)
Sneak Attack/Crush Elan (934)

Total Number: 3
Percentage that are post-EoB: 100%
Percentage that are post-Malack: 100%

[ReaderAt2046]

Shock

Fleeing the Flashback (725)
Attacked by Amon-Zora (756)
Allosaurus Attacks (784)
Fire the Ballista! (933)
Bugsby's Pushing Hand (934)

Total Number: 5
Percentage that are post-EoB: 40%
Percentage that are post-Malack: 40%



That only makes 80%. Where's the other 20%?

[RNGgod]

That only makes 80%. Where's the other 20%?

Post-EoB and Post-Malack's death are not the only categories. The other 20% occurred during the EoB storyline, or somewhere between Tarquin's introduction and strip 822.

[Sir_Leorik]

That only makes 80%. Where's the other 20%?

You need to double-check your math. There were five incidents, and two of them occurred post-strip 910. Therefore those two also occurred post-strip 847.

EDIT:

Ninja'ed by none other than the RNGgod himself!

EDIT2: On a more serious note, maybe we should also be tallying up the clues that Tarquin wasn't the master general he portrayed himself to be.

[Ridureyu]

So... he's about the same.

[ti'esar]

So... he's about the same.

Except the "rage" expression is new.

[ReaderAt2046]

Post-EoB and Post-Malack's death are not the only categories. The other 20% occurred during the EoB storyline, or somewhere between Tarquin's introduction and strip 822.

Right, my mistake. I misunderstood you cataloging scheme.

[Ridureyu]

Yeah, he hasn't had much that would get him really angry before. But the general trend is that there have been hints for how Tarquin would respond to something like this. Many, many hints.

[Snails]

Yeah, he hasn't had much that would get him really angry before. But the general trend is that there have been hints for how Tarquin would respond to something like this. Many, many hints.

He was always a Mustache Twirling Cliche. Some readers preferred to overlook the obvious because Tarquin is (A) very amiable as villains go, (B) the protagonists are quite unlikable, so this villain looks good by comparison, and (C) many truly horrible people can be tolerable as long as things are going their way.

The arrival of the Order brought his two sons into play -- there is no reason for Tarquin to be anything but glad about that turn of events. It is only with the death of Malack did Tarquin suffer any meaningful setback. And then the facade fell off.

[Sir_Leorik]

Yeah, he hasn't had much that would get him really angry before. But the general trend is that there have been hints for how Tarquin would respond to something like this. Many, many hints.

Maybe we (by which I mean someone other than me :smalltongue:) should collect all the hints that are sprinkled between strip #722 and the current storyline? Starting with defenestrating Haley, moving on to the letter to Gannji, the dinner, Amun-Zora's husband, etc.

We should probably also catalogue all of Malack's reactions to Tarquin, starting in #723. (Again, someone other than me. :smalltongue:)

[Shadowknight12]

(B) the protagonists are quite unlikable,

Personal bias detected! :smalltongue:

[Living Oxymoron]

Have you already imagined his expressions under the helmet? That's the funny part.

[Bulldog Psion]

I'll bet that one expression has disappeared entirely from Tarquin's face: smiling.