Comic transcript
Rule 19 of the Ideal Rules to Remember and Obey Is
DO NOT STARE AT THE MO0N
Pondering the rule as they wander, Broccoli traverses an eerie forest beneath the shattered moon in the cloudy night sky.
Broccoli: This rule puzzled me... But I believe the reason for it is because: "It is rude to stare." I figured out that the moon was alive when I noticed it followed me around.
Back in the blank, white VOID, Broccoli and Lady Doris are sitting at a table adorned with cake and other treats.
Doris: The moon does not follow you around Broccoli. It only appears that way because you are two years old.
Broccoli: Oh. It...is alive though, right?
Doris: No...the moon has been dead for quite some time.
Broccoli: man...
Rule 6 of the Ideal Rules to Remember and Obey Is
DO NOT KILL
Broccoli: This is my most favorite rule because it carries with it MANY implications. Such that being alive is VERY COOL.
Broccoli is shown giving a big thumbs up to emphasize said coolness.
Doris: What a scholar you are, Broccoli.
Broccoli: There are so many lovely sights to see... So many delicious fruits to eat. To deprive someone of such pleasures is truly the greatest Evil.
Broccoli: But sometimes life can be tough... That is where rules 11, 16, and 21 come in.
Rule 11: Be kind
Rule 16: Teach as many people as you can how to make tea
Rule 21: Say one nice thing to every person you meet
Broccoli: All in all, I think Politeness and Goodness is really about making other people happy (Yanno?).
Doris: ... Wel-
Broccoli: OH and speaking of making people happy.
Broccoli: I got you a Gift! [Broccoli presents a red box wrapped in a pink ribbon]
Doris: Oh goodness. Whatever could it possibly be?
>Doris unties the box's ribbon with her long, needle-like fingers to reveal
Dark Chocolate Truffles
~Oh you shouldn't have...
Broccoli: These took me a whole hour to make!
Doris: Three hours, because you kept messing up. This is a very thoughtful gift, thankyou Broccoli.
The two of them, seated, continue smiling at each other.
Broccoli: Aren't you going to eat it?
Seemingly momentarily surprised, Doris picks up one of the gifted treats.
Doris: Ah yes, of course.
Doris dramatically lifts the chocolatey sphere above her open mouth with a stretched and angularly twisted arm.
Doris: mmm!
It appears that she has put her whole hand in her mouth. She turns to look at Broccoli, her hand still behind her head.
Doris: Delicious.
Broccoli: Lady Doris. Did you just pretend to eat that just now?
Her hand is shown behind her head, still holding the truffle.
Doris: ... Perhaps...
Broccoli: Are you not hungry?
Doris: Broccoli, I-
Broccoli: ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO NUTS?
Doris: I am not allergic to nuts.
Broccoli: W-WAIT... you don't like tea- do you not like food either? Do you not like sweets?
Doris: No, Broccoli... I...love sweets. [Her red eye is revealed] But to consume such a richly sweet dessert would be...decadent.
Broccoli: That means tasty right?
Doris: Actually it means Evil.
The gift of understanding assures Broccoli - "She's right it actually does mean that"
Doris: You see... Politeness and Goodness is not just about making people happy. It is about
DISCIPLINE
RESTRAINT
SACRIFICE
Doris: I can do anything I want, Broccoli. Literally anything I want. [She is shown holding something akin to a Bohr model of an atom] But I do not.
Broccoli:
Doris: It is very important that I do not. There is no one else that can stop me. No one to bind me in chains. I deny myself most things... because no one else can.
Broccoli:
Broccoli: Dude it's just a little treat. Eating a little treat won't make you, like, a maniac.
Doris:
Doris: You know what would truly be a "little treat" Broccoli? Watching you eat it instead.
Broccoli nervously takes the truffle treat.
Broccoli: But I want you to have it.
Doris: That's very Polite of you.
Broccoli: It is?
Doris: Of course. It is Oolite to give, but not to take.
Broccoli:
Broccoli: mmm
Broccoli stands just inside a portal to her room from the VOID, still wielding the stick.
Broccoli: Hey guys, I'm back from-
Student: Hit us.
Broccoli is surprised to find Student and Waffles playing a card game with poker chips on the floor. "EVIL LAIR!!" is scrawled on the wall. Student appears to have all the poker chips.
Broccoli: I leave for a few minutes and already you are teaching my Student to GAMBLE?
Waffles: Haha, yeah. He's pretty good, too. Our boy's a little card counter. You know, they'll kick you out of a casino for that.
Student: :3
Broccoli: You-
Waffles: Now that you're here we can play poker. Sit down, I'll deal you in. [Waffles is riffle shuffling using his sprouted hands]
Broccoli: Gambling is not Polite and Good.
Waffles: Why.
Broccoli:
Broccoli: I don't know.
Broccoli sits down.
Broccoli: Deal me in.
Waffles: YEAAAAHHHH That what I'm TALKING ABOUT give into TEMPTATION!
Broccoli: Oh also I made these truffles if you want any.
Waffles: Don't mind if I do!
Waffles gobbles the truffles by dumping the whole box into his mouth with a sprouted arm. Broccoli, holding playing cards, is smiling.
Comments (118)
aughhh mkay
so waffles immediately devours the truffles, while Doris deprives herself of even the smallest of pleasures, for the sake of "polite and goodness" this along with Doris saying "it is polite to good, not to take" and broccoli saying "it is polite and good to make others happy" feels a lot to me like Doris' idea of polite and goodness is (at least in part) such utter and extreme selflessness to a degree in which you deprive yourself of ANY pleasure, of ANY "selfishness" just to make other people happy. which I find, relatable
and in keeping with the theme of religious trauma. while broccoli's idea of polite and goodness is just to make other people healthy, I can maybe see how broccoli currently is struggling with finding a healthy balance between "perfect" polite and goodness and waffles' "temptation", I believe that this balance is also represented in the peppermint that Broglie gave to doris
to add to this, doris tries her best to keep PERFECTLY on the path from before, and shows signs of severe distress upon even a slight deviation
as such, I feel Doris has standards for herself so high, that she expects complete perfection from herself, and I feel in effectively raising broccoli, they seem to be picking up on some of this
Another interesting thing is that she wants Broccoli to consume the chocolate which would be an Evil act (as it is not Polite to take and neutrality does not exist). Doris holds Polite and Goodness as the highest ideal but the code of P&G contains contradictions that only resolve if some people are *not* perfectly Polite and Good.
She not only holds Broccoli to a lower standard than herself but *actively encourages* them to be less than perfect. I'm not totally sure what that means but it's probably something.
That's pretty interesting. Its possible that some part of Doris thinks it's actually better to be less-than-perfect.
perfect beings are rather simple, after all.
It would be evil for DORIS to consume the chocolate. Politeness and goodness are also canonically separate factors, so BROCCOLI consuming the chocolate doesn't have to be evil, just impolite. It has only been specified that DORIS consuming the chocolate would be evil and that ANYONE consuming the chocolate would be impolite. Therefore, it cannot be conclusively stated the BROCCOLI consuming the chocolate would be evil.
I interpret that last part as Doris giving Broccoli, essentially her child, all of the joys of life that she wasnt allowed to have. Its also why she has never once been truly mad at Broccoli. Always forgiving them and treating punishment as a formality than an actual educational need. At the same time, Doris does trap Broccoli in the rules and worldviews she's been taught from birth, thus spawning contradictions in the rules of polite and good
Totally! And following the thought of the means to maintain Polite and Goodness is through a lot of depriving, Student might not be so wrong while interpreting it as "bringing things to a lower energy state". It, as someone (or something?) that is coming from nothingness to consuming through learning, having that interpretation is literally the vision of P&G outside of it's on system.
In other words, when Polite and Goodness loses all personal meaning and feelings, it becomes just keeping things as down, basic and silenced as possible.
Lady Doris, please don't kill me. Also, how is the weather?
Absolutely. Like, Lady Doris I get that anyone with that much power needs to have control over themself, but you are so repressed it is probably physically painful. All things are supposed to be in moderation, including moderation. Plus, isn't it the duty of a best friend to not let their best friend be evil? According to her own belief system, in giving Broccoli things and refusing to accept their gifts, she is making them lose the morality contest. When you think about it, that in and of itself is kinda evil.
Okay, but what killed the moon, Doris? Why should we not stare at the moon, Doris? Could you please explain yourself, Doris?
ok I am definitely going crazy here (somehow more than my previous comment) but maybe the moon has something to do with being, heavenly
as the moon is commonly seen as something divine,
and of course there's the often observed contrast between the sun and moon, which (while this is definitely a LONG shot) may have something to do with the contrast between Doris and student or waffles
I feel the divinity of the cosmos prolly has smth to do with soop lore, hence the tea having stars in it, the moon, the void, the empty, vast space which student came from
I don't think it's Polite & Good to stare at corpses
Good point
excuse me, I stare at corpses all the time and I am *VERY* polite and good.
says the self-proclaimed "evil chaos tornado" ō_Ō
They proclaimed themself an "evil chaos tomato" not an "evil chaos tornado"
I stare at corpses too! I’m a medical student 🙂
you might get moonscorched if you look at it
I FEEL LIKE LADY DORIS KILLED THE MOON BEFORE SHE STARTED RESTRAINING HERSELF AM I THE ONLY ONLY ONE FEELING THAT OR IS THAT OBVIOUS??
Wait… this is making me wonder if the “there is no one here” from before was actually just Doris denying HERSELF the joy of being known. There’s almost certainly more under the surface here.
Or there might literally be a being named "no one"
b- bald?!
bald.
Bawld
BALD! BALD!! BALD!!!
BALD!!!
MY EYES!!!!
BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN ITSELF-
oh noes its reflecting the moon at us
I just found this place today and have read it all in one sitting c:
Thank you for making such a polite and good thing, I really needed something like this in my life right now <3
Yipee another person joins to the soup :D
the soup bowl grows fuller and fuller
I have been utterly ensouped by this Polite and Good comic :)
I did the exact same thing!
same here, soup is peak :)
Same.
soup
Me too, friend! All in one day!