Let's Burn Some Muscle!! p137
Added 2015-11-21 17:38:41 +0000 UTC
Comments
Portrait of the artist perhaps? ;)
strange lights
2015-11-24 22:16:33 +0000 UTCI'm reading The Book of Five Rings myself,and it is very insightful.Granted,Than has never been known to use violence to get her way;the violent scenes involved her Security Guardswoman fighting Miriam and her pervy henchman getting the beating he deserved from Alexis and later the Bulked-up Bouncer Babe.Nonetheless,she carries out her plans in a very strategic,adversarial,and even militaristic fashion,and it's clear she takes great pleasure in "subjugating" her opponents.
CZealot
2015-11-24 00:36:54 +0000 UTCActually businesses ARE participating in even more deadly combat than typical wars. Sure, they rarely lead to millions of physical deaths, but when someone like Elop start quoting Sun Tzu with subsequent backward application of it's teachings… attack enemy where he's strongest, withdraw troops from where you are winning… the end result affects literally billions of people! The fact that death of a business does not mean the death of all the workers means business battles are even more furious than real battles… although, admittedly, less bloody…
Khimru
2015-11-23 12:46:17 +0000 UTCThe lessons of the Art of War have found application in a wide variety of fields outside of actual war. It, along with things like Musashi's Book of Five Rings have come in and out of vogue among businessmen who are, presumably, not facing on another in mortal combat.
zdemian
2015-11-23 07:31:30 +0000 UTCIt's possible that Cowloon and Patagon are “not too far away from each other”, but highly unlikely. Than's original lair is pretty far from Cowloon: pages 72-73 where Than explains that Alexis' “sponsors” have “never visited” because they are “not local” and page 76 where trio (Alexis, Miriam, and Ysabel) traveled for a long time to reach Cowloon on plane (Miriam was dozing there, remember). We don't know how far Patagon is it from Cowloon and it's possible that That have taken “a ghost town” near Cowloon and “turned over” it (page 107) but it'll be really strange to see it near Cowloon and thus really far from the original Than's lair. Than does not look like a picture of mobility which could fly back and forth daily to me, you know—and she was shown as someone who still participates in both her establishments in the side-stories.
Khimru
2015-11-23 05:51:35 +0000 UTC"Than's top-sikrit “the only advertisement for this place is by word of mouth” establishment (which is obviously not that far from Patagon)" is wherever LBSM begins,which was an American unnamed city,where Alexis' business was based.That same city was also where Than's headquarters was based,which was where Alexis was held captive and Miriam and Kay tried to infiltrate. That city was also where Kay returns home with Mister One Forty-Two,to get scolded by Sadie. Now I'm clear that Cowloon and Patagon are separate,but they might not be too far away from each other.
CZealot
2015-11-23 03:51:09 +0000 UTCI get the impression it is, now that I've looked back on it.
Mason Dunne
2015-11-23 02:15:33 +0000 UTCPlease read pages 121-125 again, really. It's all explained there in a VERY explicit form. Patagon couldn't achieve “corporate statehood much like Cowloon” (direct quite from page 122) if it's part of Cowloon! This would make no sense! Part of something couldn't have the same status as said something! Yes, it's unclear how the large country where Patagon is residing is called (but then Zdemian often keeps people and things unnamed for years thus it's not surprising), but it's very clear that Cowloon and Patagon are two distinct entities. And this very page which we are discussing here explains how exactly “coup” could be staged, too! Sun Tzu quotes are there because, well, it IS a “coup attempt”—but without military. Patagon charter, section 8.00.8.5 is at the center of the attempt, not guns and bombs!
Khimru
2015-11-22 21:19:10 +0000 UTCPatagon is the Administrative District of WHAT COMMUNITY if not Cowloon? When the planes started dropping those tanks in the streets of Patagon I suspected they were military aircraft,since Than Dall and Annabell started quoting Sun Tzu's "The Art of War".It's clear Alexis was trying to stage a "coup" and she has the backing of the Feds.
CZealot
2015-11-22 19:53:10 +0000 UTCCowloon is “an autonomous corporate state” (page 78). Think Kowloon ( <a href="http://goo.gl/Cfxq08" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/Cfxq08</a> ), Hong Kong, Singapure. Separate laws, neighbouring countries couldn't do anything without explicit request from materfamilias (that's why Alexis was safe there), etc. Patagon is an “an administrative district” ( <a href="http://goo.gl/gqp6N1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/gqp6N1</a> ). The same laws as the rest of the country but most of these are enforced locally. Feds could still control it, but their power is limited. And while it's on the verge of receiving “the corporate statehood” it's not yet there. We have no idea where they are placed geographically, but apparently they are not close to each other: apparently Rhea have never visited Than's top-sikrit “the only advertisement for this place is by word of mouth” establishment (which is obviously not that far from Patagon) because Cowloon is so far away (pages 72-73). We have no idea how many members there are in “the Synod of shareholders”, but my guess would be four: Mr. Ey & Mika vs “Moarcraft II wonderboy” & Than—and “Moarcraft II wonderboy” & Than hold the majority of votes. And I don't know what “invading troops” are you talking about. There was air-delivery of some filler (saline? silicone? anything else?) on page 128 for Alexis, but I don't remember any troops.
Khimru
2015-11-22 12:01:11 +0000 UTCHmmm... So was that Than in the sketch with Mr. Moarcraft with the zero-gee and the gloves?
sawyer90
2015-11-22 03:36:39 +0000 UTCI still need clarification:what is the difference between Patagon and Cowloon? What other laws govern these two communities? Exactly how many members are there in this Synod of shareholders? Just what did those invading troops do when they touched down?
CZealot
2015-11-22 00:24:56 +0000 UTCOn one hand I'm dying to see these early days of Alexis/Rhea, Than/“Moarcraft woderboy”, (how he ended up with Than and why they still have completely separate companies if they are so close?). Heck: it's not clear why Than have TWO separate empires in the first place! She has an origin in a wealthy family, she don't need to build “startup capital” using not-entirely-legal schemes… But on the other hand I want to see the current story more. Perhaps Zdemian will add more side-stories later?
Khimru
2015-11-21 19:07:51 +0000 UTCThis charter almost seems like it could be amended on a whim! But considering that an android/gyniod would be connected online in some fashion nearly continuously, she really has no excuse to not notice an update in the charter, especially if its something that involves something like her vote. She really should have left her automated updates running with a reminder anytime a new one is enacted! It gets me to wonder, Who in the hell founded Patagon in the first place? I mean, Alexis got her business running and Prois Fitness, but Than didn't really have any background to her how her own empire was created.
Mason Dunne
2015-11-21 18:56:09 +0000 UTCmoarcraft lol
Chounyuu
2015-11-21 18:20:38 +0000 UTCInteresting. But changes to chapter often require more that just the majority. Often ⅔ or even ¾ of votes are needed. And if you have enough votes often you couldn't just go and change things (recall all the Carl Icahn shenanigans)… although I'm not sure that where Zdemian wants to move the story: legal battle over minor issues like that would be too life-like even for LBSM, I'm afraid.
Khimru
2015-11-21 17:53:30 +0000 UTCI'm really digging these two. and of course I'm eagerly anticipating the girl trying to boost herself to get a more prominent voice in the council.
BioYuGi
2015-11-21 17:41:05 +0000 UTC
