Funny / Harbourmaster

• In "Tourist Dispute", when Gilou identifies and resolves the tourist's complaint about her tour guide.
• After Tal cut his hand slicing a roll of bread and asks Gilou to help patch it:
  Gilou: I didn't realize it was so late — I was going over reports, then I got caught up talking to Zefonith. You should have called me. I would have made lunch.
  Tal: Gilou, I'm perfectly capable of making a sandwich.
  [Gilou gives Tal a look.]
  Tal: There were extenuating circumstances.
• Tal's discomfort with sexual matters has created quite a few, such as this page from the chapter "In Which The Main Characters Are Damp".
• When Her Royal Highness Jillienne Stelton of the Kingdom of Larry lands and is met by Governor Bretnon Falstoph Perius Tallifens Monteblanc LVII, the first thing Jille does is ask to see Tal's hands. Because she's looking for someone to date and -- because her father's kingdom is a dairy farm -- he needs to be someone who works with his hands.
• In "A Picnic In The Shrine", when Javin and Gilou tease Tal.
• Javin is a professional blogger (although his official title is "Public Nuisance") ... who wears a pork pie hat with "VOID" tags stuck in the band, instead of a trilby with "PRESS" tags.
• "Founder's Day", in which Tal realizes that he needs to give a speech and no longer has Partasah to write it for him, has quite a few funny moments:
  • When Tal tries to get Javin to write his speech.
    Tal: Doesn't speechwriting fall under your duties?
    Javin: Nope. Partasah was too smart for that. You really wanna get up in front of a crowd and read something I wrote?
    Tal: ...all right, that's probably a bad idea.
    Javin: "People of Port Tethys, I'd like to take a moment to apologize for my lack of fashion sense, and that I apologize far too much..."
  • ...and while he's wandering the town asking everyone for advice:
    Kere: I think your speech needs to be about how everyone should eat deep-fried seafood and that my shop is open late for the holiday.
    Tal: Kere, you are the first person to give me a solid answer.
  • At the end, when Tal finally writes a speech for himself and delivers it to the awaiting crowd:
    Tal: People of Port Tethys ... keep up the good work. Enjoy your holiday.
    The audience [as Tal walks off stage]: Yay!
    Gilou: Seriously?
  • ...and on the page after, the reaction of Tal's father and grandfather, watching the ceremony on the news feed.
• In Devoir Familial, Tal has an exceedingly awkward conversation with his grandfather about marriage and relationships. It continues for a few pages.
• In "Pulp", Zefonith's reactions throughout.
  • First, immediately after his Fish out of Temporal Water patient, Richard Stevenson, awakens in his lab.^Translation from IPA: Panel 1: "Human. You've slept long enough. No use putting it off. Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life." Panel 2: "I don't understand a word you're ... of course — language barrier." Panel 4 (as he allows Stevenson to haul him off by the arm): "I suppose I'd be rude if I woke up in a strange laboratory, too."
  • Second, after he's recruited Governor Monteblanc to translate, and Monteblanc is busy trying to explain to Stevenson his actual situation.^Translation Zefonith: "Twenty years and I finally found a use for the Veran." Jendolyn: "Sh."
• Javin flirting with Gilou. ("Don't you humans know how to state your intentions outright?" "Ah, but what if my intention is only to trade lines?")
• Richard Stevenson tries to yell at 'Frenchie' about the side effects of his resurrection.
  Tal: What's wrong, Ri— [sees Richard naked, brandishing a towel] — what has everyone got against clothes?
• Tal starts walking downstairs to meet Javin, who is talking with someone on the phone ... and then starts running when he hears whom Javin is arguing with: Tal's evil grandfather.
• The snippet we hear of one of Javin's 'the despot is a no-fun jerk' editorials.
  Javin: '...and furthermore, our governor dresses funny, and he smells.'
  Gilou: He smells sort of like vanilla. I think he and Anthemys use the same shampoo.
  Javin: Details.
• At the end of "Pulp":
  Gilou: I take it Richard is on his way to Veras?
  Tal: I don't think the Ukariels are awful enough to deserve him, but I'm selfish enough to be glad that he's no longer my problem.
  Gilou: Want me to mind the office a while longer?
  Tal: No, I'll be fine. I'd rather get right back into my regular routine—
  Tourist: [barging in] I was filming a tamtusuchus and it ate my camera! You owe me a new camera!
  Gilou: I'll leave you to your routine.
• In a flashback to Jendolyn Basaday as a child:
  Capt. Basaday: L'il Jendy, you can be anything you want.
  Zefonith: You could be a fish.
  Capt. Basaday: What?
• For all that Gilou is an excellent physician, they've never been all that artistically inclined, even when inspired by a life drawing.
  Partasah: So much for any hope that we're raising an artist. Looks like we've got a doctor.
  Nephos: Balak said that it's the most accurate drawing anyone's ever done of him. Gilou will be smug for days.
• In the winding down of a Wham Episode, Tal wakes up on the surgery table. One of the first things he says:
  Tal: Where are my clothes? I had trousers on when I went under!
  Zefonith: Good to hear your priorities are in order.
• Perius finally realizes that maybe, just maybe, Gilou would be a good choice for his grandson, Big, Screwed-Up Family be damned.
  Gilou: Perius, I know you're only being truthful with me because you think it will give me a dilemma — should I tell Tal the terrible secrets or leave him in comfortable ignorance? But there is no dilemma. He would want to know and I tell him everything.
  Beat
  Perius: Did Tal really turn you down?
  Gilou: Yes.
  Perius: That stupid boy.
• Mazair revealing her secret to Tal and Javin is hilarious if you think about the implications: it's the safest way, because Javin would've probably figured it out anyway, but just telling him, then informing him that he has to keep it a secret? Not only does that spoil all the fun, but it goes completely against his life's work. The poor guy has to be seething.