Grrl Power #449 – A surplus of succubi
When two succubi get together, the usual outcome is either a vicious fight (not the sexy kind) or… a vicious fight. Either way they’re establishing dominance.
All succubi are fantastic at all things carnal, but most of them are schooled in social graces and all the other things Decollete mentioned. A sort of Succubus finishing school. Dancing, everything from ballroom to salsa to pole. They’re usually skilled in several musical instruments, culinary arts, etc. Basically super geisha, and you can imagine the local succubi finishing school gets invited to all the dances.
Dabbler has some education in that sort of stuff, but not to the weaponized degree that a “full succubus” does. While her cohorts were learning how to make crepes so good as to be sexually arousing, she was spelunking a forbidden ruin, and trying to concoct some sort of gravity bomb to pull enemies into one spot to make her fireball spell more effective. It was either that or make her fireball spell a double spell that launch a ball of accelerant out just in front of the fireball spell, so she’d get bonus damage on it like when she used a lightning spell on dummies standing in puddles. It was super effective. She wound up burning the ruin to the ground. She only got to loot the first three floors before it all went awry, and to this day her crepes look suspiciously like pancakes.
Unrelated – I have some kittens than really need a home. If you’re in the DFW area and are interested, check out this post.
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To DaveB:
I don’t know if the printed copies of the comic are going to have chapter titles, but I have a suggestion for this one. Considering the lateness of the hour, and Sydney’s reaction to most of the attendees, I propose:
The Curious Incident of the Dork in the Night-Time
It’s…perfect
<3Marry me<3
Now that the subject is at least Dabbler-adjacent again… Has anyone else been hoping Dabbler and Sydney would further explore whether or not her orbs can be used by a prosthetic or cybernetic arm?
If she doesn’t have one already, I’m sure Dabbler could whip up some sort of head-rig for remote-controlling a generic arm. It would be even better if they could find a super who can temporarily grant or grow a third arm for Sydney.
Ultimately, she’d have to stick to 2 orbs for both convenience and character design consistency but having a potential triple-orb combo in the back-pocket would be pretty sweet.
Actually, Sydney did offer up her right arm for that, but quite rightly was declined
Yup, and Dabbler suggested the orbs might not work with a cybernetic arm. So it is probably for the best. Whilst Peggy is fine, as she is, I would rather Sydney avoided maiming herself not only needlessly, but counter-productively.
More importantly the author put the two orb limit in to make the character interesting. There will be the occasional situation where Halo will have to either make a tough choice, or come up with a clever solution, to a problem which requires three of her powers.
The story would be less interesting, by weakening the dramatic potential, of the character,through reducing (or eliminating) her limitation.
The page in question, if it helps…
“or come up with a clever solution”
There is a strong hint that Varia can use the orbs. (I can’t find the darn comic, but when Varia touched Sydney the orbs changed to orbiting both of them.) Since Varia works by contact and isn’t limited to “must touch by hands”, the Sydney/Varia combo could theoretically use four orbs at once.
Three or four yes. But is it the best use of Varia’s capability? Given that she has seven billion gestalt combinations she can make, Varia will have a near unlimited choice of powers. Many of which might be more apt, for a given problem, than deploying one or two of Sydney’s orbs extra.
Of course practical, and political, considerations will restrict the number of people available, capable enough* and trustworthy enough** to actually find themselves working with her.
But, if the optimum person needed for a gestalt is not present, then Varia will have to work with whatever combinations are possible with the members who are. And Sydney would make a good pairing, for a variety of problems. If they manage to figure out why there was no apparent (to them) gestalt power granted.
* A 72 year old granny, who can allow Varia to turn bullets into butterflies, may not be physically fit enough to risk going into the kinds of situations where that will be of use.
** As they will be assisting in police matters, only personnel who would pass muster for a policing role could be considered, under routine circumstances. So members of Archon are all obviously fine, who Varia is already checking her gestalt capabilities with. But likewise members of other police and military branches can also be tested, in due course.
I can see that any rare or useful combinations (let us say raising the dead or unrestricted shapechanging) will end up with the personnel being put on a standby list. Much like a doctor ‘on call’. Requiring them to be ready to respond, at a moment’s notice, to travel to wherever Varia is needed.
Back on the subject of cybernetic arms, nobody is saying it has to replace one of her current arms. We’re saying add a third arm.
https://www.popsci.com/robotic-third-arm-turns-drummers-into-beat-machines
It’s not outside the realm of possibility, my friend is also constantly telling me about research done with monkeys where they’re given a third robotic arm, and a neural control device, and they learn to use it pretty quickly (Although I’m having difficulty finding any corresponding evidence to back up this claim.)
Although holy shit, check this one out: https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/19/7420667/man-uses-mind-to-control-his-two-new-robot-arms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoLs0V8T5AA
‘Nuff said
;)
Yea, we are doing some interesting things with neural control. However the cybernetic arm(s) suggestion does not change the fact that Sydney is a more interesting protagonist with a two-orb limit.
I wonder why nobody makes suggestions for how to overcome Maxima’s similar limitation? She could have six cybernetic brains, surgically attached through her skull, each keeping one of her attributes at maximum power, in theory. Or, in practice, probably doing nothing except creating gaping wounds and risking brain damage or even loss of her power.
See, because the latter option makes for the more interesting story, than creating a female Super Man with a bunch of artificial brains. Ooh, or the artificial brains could be the ones which take control. Real story potential there. At least that gives the rest of the team something to do, other than provide decoration. Although they will probably be killed
Because, if you have someone with that degree of power, and invincibility, all story writing has to start with someone finding a way of weakening the protagonist sufficiently, to be able to actually oppose them. Or making the enemies so powerful, to start with, that the planet would be destroyed, as collateral damage, in any fight! If you actually wrote it realistically.
So allow me to point out the hazards of operating on Sydney. Currently she has twelve neurally controlled limbs. Five natural and seven artificial. To see some uses of them, look at Halo crushing Shadow-Boxer’s nuts, as if she were pinching her fingers shut. Or forming the orbs into the shape of an atomic structure.
This probably puts her at the upper limit of what the human mind could handle. Adding two more limbs, with control systems millions of years less advanced, would likely detract significantly from that capability. At a minimum Halo would probably be restricted to controlling two less orbs. But because of the relative lack of sophistication, I would guess that she would need to sacrifice more, anytime she wants to move the cybernetic limbs.
Further Dabbler has already said that the orbs may not even be controllable via the cybernetic limbs. And that was factoring in her super-advanced alien technology! So all her, Earth-made limbs, would be useful for is picking up cups of coffee!
Clearly there is some fundamental reason why they need to be touched. Presumably to allow hard-line access through the nerves, to the brain. Even if Halo eventually found a way to overcome that, the rudimentary limbs would limit the degree of control she has over the powers. Forget being able to write her company’s name with the tentacle. She will be lucky if she can even poke someone with it!
She still may be able to use more than two orbs in the future. On the skill tree, there is that circle of seven slots that are not directly connected to any of the orbs with two already filled. The one that Zephan mentioned trying out. If she can fill one of them, she might be able to use an additional orb, though, it might take some time for her to achieve anything comparable to her current coordination with more than two orbs.
Dabbler suggesting a cyberarm might not work was for dissuading the idea of chopping off Sydney’s arm, NOT actually testing a cyber/robot arm.
And those suggesting a 3rd arm wouldn’t be a GREAT special-occasion augment for Sydney are being dismissive.
Your distinction, in the first paragraph is true. However, if trying to estimate if something will or will not work, you need to make do with the closest parallel you can find. And that was damned close!
I admit to being dismissive. However that was because I was not keen on the idea. The thought of Sydney mutilating herself, to do that, was not the least appealing. Nor would I enjoy following the story of a character who had unrestricted power.
Halo really is close to that borderline, at the moment. Take away the two-per-time limit, and Halo can keep her force field up permanently (in a robot hand that will never get tired, or loose its grip). Her shield is rated as five-star. Loosely that translates as “the most powerful on Earth” (albeit that others are also in that top tier too, such as Maxima).
So most opponents would never be able to pose a physical threat to Sydney. Whilst she could blast them with her PPO and slam them into the ground with her tentacle. Or use any two orb combinations, all without ever having to expose herself to any risk.
Plus, if she can have one extra arm, why not two, or one per orb? That way she can hold them all simultaneously and have her own hands free, for other uses.
Whilst I do generally try to run with interesting ideas, in this instance I just have to say that is not GREAT. It is BORING.
But please do not be too disheartened by this reply. Thinking of ways to overcome limits, or get around problems, is fun, in itself. However a good story requires more than just that. It needs balance and, from time to time, drama, tension, a feeling of peril, moral challenges, and so on. Many of which would be either reduced or completely destroyed by making the protagonist invulnerable and super-versatile.
Now if somebody made suggestions which countered the increase in power, with something which would restore those lost elements, in an organic and believable way, then I would be more interested.
But I still would not want Sydney hacked open. Especially not in the pursuit of unlimited power. Her abashed look though, when she realised that she had been greedy, in wanting to get hammerspace, was something that I very much liked. She realised the error of her ways, and was the better for that.
The author already has a potential triple-orb, or even quadruple-orb, combo in his back pocket, by the name of Varia. Remember, when she touched Halo, the orbs orbited both of them. it could mean nothing, but if Dave B wanted it to, it could mean everything.
An actual interesting answer to my question. Thank you.
The rest of the comments, except the one guy acknowledging the possibility of a 3rd arm, either misread my question or were totally dismissive. I still think a 3rd arm under Sydney’s control would be an excellent special-occasion attachment but they have to TEST it first.
So… suck out men’s souls is actually a thing? Because I have had some twinges of concern regarding Dabblers partners- and not just on the whole consent thing (does forcing someone to consent through magic still count as consent?)
If she is actually or potentially causing real harm on a certain level, how is it that Archon or some holy roller types aren’t hunting succubi down to save men/women souls?
this guy has a point and since maxima is all about equality shouldn’t she be pissed off first.
Dabbles has never had to force anyone
No it does not. That would be rape. The same as using hypnotism would be in a real-world case.
However Dabbler does not do that. She merely makes herself more desirable. If that was a crime, we would have to charge every woman, who wore makeup and perfume, with attempted rape! Likewise any guys putting on ‘irresistible’ deodorant.
However your suggestion does hold merit, once a truly irresistible attraction is involved.
As such, it is worth noting that Dabbler literally turned Sydney away, when she found herself being attracted, despite her heterosexual nature. She is only interested in informed consent. Note that she clearly fancies Maxima. Plus Max has no super defence against mental or emotional attacks (see Vehemence affecting her as proof). Yet Dabbler has not compelled her, against her will.
Do bear in mind she was making a joke, so taking it literally is not how it was intended. But, should you choose to do so, you need to examine the entirety of her comment. If soul-sucking is being done, it is only by individuals who are ‘one note’.
Look at it the other way. If Decollete had said “Don’t humans kill each other, in crimes of passion?” What could Sydney have done? Go into a long-drawn out discussion, of the more sordid side of human nature? Whilst at a meeting where inter-species harmony needs to be promoted. Or make a witty one-liner, to shift the topic away from something, which although true, only happens in a minority of cases?
This latter is the route Decollete chose to follow. Very politely not drawing attention to the fact that Sydney was being most undiplomatic. And going so far as to draw the focus of being rude, to herself. Perhaps to spare Sydney her blushes.
So Decollete was demonstrating the finishing school training that she has had.
Her cleavage is “literally hypnotic.”
Ahh, but hypnosis is not illegal. So saying “you find my boobs interesting and sexy,” as a part of the hypnosis process would be unethical but not illegal. Using it to say “you want to have sex with me” is.
Whilst it may not be provable that it is impossible to resist hypnotic commands (because some people can and do), it does greatly reduce inhibitions. Rendering them to a state where their judgement is as impaired as if severely drunk. Which can and does find the assailant convicted of rape.
” Likewise any guys putting on ‘irresistible’ deodorant.”
I’ve always wondered about that…a commercial that talks about “when a man wants to smell like a man,” they’re also trying to sell you something to make you smell different?
O.o
“When you want to smell like a hungover bastard who hasn’t washed in a month…”
Some people say that there’s a market for everything.
I doubt there’s a market for that, but you never know… might be a niche market out there somewhere.
I dunno MSpears, a guy I work with went long enough without a shower I (a 12 year smoker), was able to smell him from 20-30 feet out; we ended up needing HR intervention, and it wasn’t the first time this has happened. His wife doesn’t seem to have strangled him yet, so she can’t mind too much.
It’s been noted that the pheromones in some guy’s sweat is actually a turn-on in some cases. That couple might have metaphorical and literal chemistry going on.
In other words, “We’ve had complaints about your body odor. You can choose to take a bath, and use soap, or you can choose to find another job… If you can find anyone who can stand to be within 30 feet of you.”
Like Yorp said, if she straight up mind controlled them then yes, that would be rape. As he also said, dabbler has no need to do anything even close to that as quite frankly, there are very few unattached heterosexual men who would say no if she walked up in human form and said, “Hey, you DTF?”
As for soul sucking, I wouldnt be surprised if they did something very close to it. As an example, killed a man through pleasure overload. Unless you have extensive video evidence, its kind of hard to diagnose the cause of death so old timey folks might claim the succubus devoured the mans soul. When in reality it was death by snu snu. Or maybe they actually can do that, but have no reason to most of the time out of some sort of vampire the masquerade style desire to remain under the radar. Too many people found dead with a joker sized grin on their face and missing pants would eventually cause them to be found out.
As a Robot In Disguise, I’d say if they can it’d be the “stay under the radar” thing. Don’t want that Interpol thing working on the “Case of the smiling stiffs”…
Hmmm…I volunteer to obtain the “extensive video evidence” that you’re referring to.
:P
As per your first question I want to point out that what Syd said, and Decollette do not actually answer, do not correspods with the “normal” concept of succubus/incubus.
Originaly succubi do not “eat souls”, they just have “sexual intercourse” with asleep humans. The myth started in orden to explain “wet” dream, nightmares, and the like; the “soul” was never involved. Religion added that they can tempt humans to sin, drain energy weakening to the point of death, and others of the same sort, but not “eat souls”.
The emergy feeding seems to be a relatively recent addition, and the “soul eating” a missunderstanding.
Of course it has been stated that Grrlverse succubus do (harmless) feed on human sexual energy.
It was also invented to explain why the very chaste Mother Superior ended up pregnant with a child who greatly resembles the addled old doorman: Succubae, well, suck the ‘essence’ out of the male, and then shape-change into an Incubus to deposit it in the victim
Considering the longstanding belief that orgasm drains the male of his vital essences, it isn’t that far of a leap, though…
As per your second topic, well, is a thin line to draw and it depends on how we see and define some things.
We know that lesser organisms are literally slaves of pheromones. And there are “signals” at work even on more evolved ones. Submission postures defuse agressive behavior, who is manipulating who? Also many ways are know to alter human reactions, from simple odors to body language to speach. Candles, perfums, and hostage negotiators do not exist for nothing.
Which “signals”, if any, are strong enough to call it mind manipulation? What about a pile up of them?How much freedom a person have after a lifelong indoctrination through education and media?
Anyway, I would say that given succubus inherent powers humans have not opportunity to give consent. I would also say (as Yorp did) that given Dabbler’s apparent principles she will make a judgment call and avoid rape situations, i.e, turn down who she sense don’t have “real” interest.
Is she actually able to do that rightly? We don’t know, but I’m inclined to trust in her capacities.
The sucking of souls thing is something that will be addressed later. There was no room to veer off in that direction here.
Im sure the consumtion of souls is just oral sex done too far.
sucumpi “oops i suck too hard. Atleast you died with a smile”
Brings to mind that scene from “Hot Shots” where President Lloyd Bridges literally drains the soldier he was hooked up to :D
can our succ beat our other succ? find out another time!
Dabbler’d win. She has her out-armed. ;)
DaveB: you really shoulda gone with panel one for Deco’s mugshot *wink*
It’s not like many people will even be looking at her face (how many noticed she had different coloured eyes?)
How many went & looked?
*Slowly raises hand…*
*paw in the air*
*fingers to maxima steepleage* Excellent! :D
Alright, you got me. Well played.
I did, I really really tried to avoid the trap but no way, I had to go and check. Damn you Guesty.
…wait. I’d swear her eyes are different colors from panel to panel.
Nope, nope. I already looked at them in every panel. No need for me to check again. Everything perfectly acceptable, within the bounds of artistic variability.
Yes, but what about her beauty spot? o_O
Fool, me once, shame on me, etc. :-P
See now if you tried to convince me that Decollete has pointed ears, that might have required another look.
Well, that’s not the only things that are pointy :wink:
It’s even more easily noticed when the weather is cold.
I like the Klingon version.
Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, prepare to die.
Since everyone seems to have been distracted by something else in the panel, I will ask what group is represented by the swirly star pendant in panel two?
“Pendent”, rather than “pendant”, to be pedantic.
Although, just to be sure, I conducted a thorough examination of Decollete’s cleavage, to eliminate the possibility of any pendant dangling there.
Mmm… a shuriken, with six eyes. Well there is one faction that I always suspect is present. Who’s primary purpose is scouting, and intelligence gathering. And they do make good use of shurikens…
Lol. “Pendent” = “Pennant”. I was too caught up in admiring the alliteration.
They say that the “pen-” is mightier than the sword, but a keyboard can put out the words much faster.
But is the extra speed really worth it when so many words have similar spellings? Pendant, pennant, penalize, pencil, penny…The list goes a long way. In a forum like this, there’s no way to edit or correct one’s-self after the fact.
Do you really want to risk typos? Because that’s how you get typos.
Children of Jubilex maybe?
Pictures the protagonists of the show of the same name just standing there slack jawed if these two Did.
There was a succubus character in a RPG I ran many years ago who was considered a pervert by her demonic peers because of the time seduced a Paladin by dressing up in an angel costume and cooing “Be GOOOOD to me…!”
“They think I’m not really dedicated to Evil, just because I like having a good time!”
Seducing a Paladin isn’t considered to be “evil?”
O.o
https://www.succubusjustice.com/page%20007.htm
Ah found it, there was an old comic from back in 2003 or so about a succubus finishing school, the art was typical of that period in Web comics, but I always found this page hilarious
I love that Sidney’s face is almost completely obscured by their boobs. Such a great (half an) expression.
For some reason, I keep hearing this music playing, when I look at the final panel.
Thank you Sir Yorpie, currently playing the three hour version :D
The version played on an ocarina (by an elf lass!!) was good as well
Okay, first question that pops into my head is: if 2 succubi paired up, could they “feed” on each other? Or is that impractical?
Also, can you please tell me Decollete doesn’t have gross hooves. I’m just curious! Not like I have a foot fetish or something!
>_>
<_<
The thing that comes to my processors is “does the other party have to enjoy it too for them to feed?”, mind you those 2 questions are kinda related. I’m gonna go with the other party needs to enjoy themselves too, which is what they feed off, so I guess that means a vibrator isn’t a free feed.
Having 2 Succubi paired up?
I’d imagine it’s turn into a “all you can feed” buffet, both trying to outdo the other then feeding on their “victory”…
Sounds all made up, which is fair since there are no such tings as succubi.
I’d think there would need to be certain questions answered before we can determine exactly what’s really going on.
1: Do the succubi feeding on the energy that’s being spent on the physical effort, the emotional energy that’s specifically linked with a “subject’s” libido, or is it actually “soul energy” they feed upon?
Apparently, DaveB has already indicated that succubi feed on “libido-based” energy, since any other kind of physical activity doesn’t seem to attract their attention.
2: Does a succubus actually project her own “libido energy” during the activity? I would say not, because that’s how she feeds. Certainly, she would have to expend certain degrees of purely physical energy, because it does take effort to move around. However, projecting her “libido energy” would be the human equivilent of vomiting out your stomach contents…she would be losing the “nutritional value” of her food. Even so, it seems to me that there should be a “Law of Conservation of Energy” factor here…They would not be able to feed upon each other, but they could compete with each other to feed upon the “libido energy” being projected by those who happened to be watching.
That all seems likely. The exchange we see at the end of the comic may have only been satisfying, to them, because of Sydney (and other observers in the room) watching the exchange.
Then again of course, they might want to hook up later, even without someone else present, to snack on, just for the enjoyment of sex. Or to assess the competition. Perhaps as a way of establishing dominance…
“Wow, no way can I compete with that technique!” Turns head on side, with a puzzled frown. “I still can’t even figure out how she got into that position?”
You must be thinking that might be what Decollete would be thinking. After all, Dabbler uses positions that require four arms…And some positions that require six arms (in cooperation with her partner).
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1913
That begs the question… do you remember Xenia Sergeyevna Onatopp, the female antagonist in the James Bond movie Goldeneye? Remember how she
practicallyhad an orgasm when she was killing people? Makes me wonder if a succubi observing that scene from a hiding place, could feed on that energy.If so, she could feed both Dabbler and Vehemence, simultaneously.
Yeah, some people can activate their libido in some of the strangest ways…but whatever trips your trigger, I suppose…
She has manicured, perfectly formed, dainty hooves. Which I am sure she would love running up and down, the inside of your leg.
NononononononononoNONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO…!!!!
…Sounds like another satisfied customer…
“Also, can you please tell me Decollete doesn’t have gross hooves”
Hard to say, actually is hard to say why Dabbler have them.
Hooves started to be associated with the Devil when Christianity tried to wipe out earlier religions. Greek Satyr, Roman Pan, Celtic Cernunnos, all gods with animal forms, hooves, and fertility mojos were linked to the Big Bad. But succubi (daemons in general) originally were never depicted having hooves or even an actual physical form other than “disgusting”.
BTW: Succubus adopt human female form, but originally it was not an “atractive” one or anything, since men were taken while asleep (lights out and all that jokes). Luckily religious artist are as pervs as anyone.
Returning to the topic, Dabbler has mixed heritage but identify herself as succubus so I would bet that in Grrlverse it includes the hooves, thus Decollete, in original form, should have them as well.
This has been informative! :D
Oh wait, so you guys see the hooves too? I thought it was just me, since I find them attractive…
See, this makes more sense.
Wait, I don’t remember replying to this comment O_o
Cannonically to this comic, succubi do drain their “victims” of energy so succubus on succubus action would be a constant fight for feeding rights, not a free meal for both.
Dec is basically totally human looking except the horns and ears, and her pupils are slightly diamondy.
A Gray Phantom will be pleased to hear that… umm … where are you, A Gray Phantom?
Oh, you can come out from under that desk now…
*pats own head, with paw, and flinches, in pain*
OUCH! My horns are growing through again. Where is that file?
Umm… Gray’s not here right now; please leave a message and I’ll get back never ^_^;
My favourite part? Panel 5, the respective looks for both Sydney and Decollete.
In particular how Sydney is looking right at me, as she blushes so sweetly!
Her crêpes look like pancake ?! HERESY!
Cepes technically are pancakes, just a very different form from scottish or american style ones.
So basically, ‘full’ succubi have the culinary mastery of protags in Shokugeki no Soma, is what your saying Dave?
Decollete: “It wasn’t much!”
Is Dabbler part of the Twilight Council where she can have a seat as a demon representative?
That would represent a conflict of interest, so I doubt that.
Additionally, Dave has, earlier …
*points paw vaguely at the previous page of comments*
… indicated that Dabbler and Decollage have not met before. Given that Decollage is, presumably, one of the Succubus representatives, it would seem unlikely that she did not know her fellow representative.
Just my best guesses mind, as always.
Err, Decollete, that is.
So Decollete is a diplomat and Dabbler is a scientist. I know how that goes. Sure, I know diplomacy, but others do it so much better than I do, so I am going to leave it to the other guys.
Dabbler: The succubi you want to go to a rock concert or clubbing with
Decollete: The succubi you want to go to a play or classical music concert with
Nah i see it as after the initial encounters
Dabbler is the sort of succubi you want to stay, but wont
Decollete is the sort of succubi you want to leave, but wont
Dabbler specialises in seducing nerds. I would personaly love to talk science with her but nothing more. Best to put a bucket on my head just in case though.
Decolette specialises in seducing high class gentlemen.
I think I will go and talk with Sydney instead.
What? Thought you already had a bucket for a head, so you would put a bucket over your bucket? o_O
random thought. Does a part of this “finishing school” for succubi involve perhaps altering accents? I can almost hear her speaking with a french accent, very sexy. But then again, an italian accent or a russian one can also be very sexy under the right circumstances. It seems like that would be a really nice trick to pick up. Elocution lessons specifically so you can choose the most seductive speech patterns for any culture. Or scenario.
I love accents. To the extent that I have (almost) exclusively dated girls with strong foreign accents. One of the best being a German, who had worked in Italy, long enough for it to influence her accent. Especially whenever she sang “Voulez vous coucher avec voie ces soir” to me. Accent-lover’s heaven!
Darn it “voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir”.
Heh, dont worry, I was able to hear the music from the initial post. :p But seriously though, I bet thats honestly a course at succubi finishing school. To be able to speak with any accent you need at will. Heck, if you ever watched the show Angel, you know that sweet texan twang is sexy as all get out.
Did anyone else notice that the light on the orbs in panel 8 is reflecting off the front of the succubi despite being behind them? DaveB is normally great with the orb light, which is the only reason I noticed this weird detail.
I did not. Well spotted.
Actually, if you meant the Unknown Brown, that is more of the glow showing around the object that is partially obscuring it, the little shiny bits on both succubae chins is coming from somewhere else (you can see them in panel seven when Sydney is much further away)
I think it is just a layering bug, in the art program. Or something odd about how they were set up in that panel. I imagine it is quite tricky, as the orbs normally orbit Halo’s head, but usually she is in the foreground. So there are lots of layers to consider, given that each orb’s position has to be factored in separately (when considering how the scene is built up, rather than just the process involved in actually placing them each time).
Please compare the last two frames. You can see the difference in shading, between the two. Dabbler’s chin has picked up the pink, from the Tentacle Orb, as if that were in font of her chin, rather than behind it. Likewise the brown Mystery Orb is tinging Collete’s skin in the same way.
One final point, to support that, is both those colours are missing from Sydney’s hair. You can see the red from the PPO (even though that glow is closer to the brown mystery orb) plus the green from the other Mystery Orb.
Finally look at the positions of the orbs in the second-to-last panel. Now move them all round one, in the last panel. Each matches that movement. Barring the purple orb. It is now some weird colour (right next to Decollet’s throat). I think its colour has been contaminated, by one of the other orb’s glow. Normally the orbs do not pick up each other’s light.
My best guess is the glows are a separate feature, in the art program, which is normally linked to the orbs. But, somehow, got detached, in the final frame, so they do not map to the correct spots.
“I think it is just a layering bug, in the art program”
It could be if not for the red coloring on Decollet’s chin. All the others can match with an accidental transparency or something like you said, but that one perfectly follows the face contour, it’s clearly an intentional brushstroke. It’s not actually wrong, however, but it went too far, a thin line at the edge of the face would be more accurate in my opinion.
The pink and purple highlights on the other hand, are totally off to me. If you take them the other way around, Dec’s throat illuminated for the pink one and Dab’s chin for the purple one, and also thinner, they would be better, but still.
“Barring the purple orb. It is now some weird colour (right next to Decollet’s throat). ”
I think you are spotting the green orb, the purple one is barely visible as a little chip at the angle of her throat and hair, and it’s the right color.
I think it’s just the Halo effect.
*Warning: bad pun alert*
I propose that Our Syd’s orbs shine through their glamours (related to the Truesight Orb’s seeing through said glamours),
and I further propose that Sydney should immediately go and stand behind Decolette to see if the orbs will make her boobs glow.
In the interests of SCIENCE!, of course.
Ethical vampires, intelligent lycanthropes, good demons, etc, etc.
I like and want new versions and expansions, but why not original names and backstories? (not talking about this comic but the genre in general) do we really need to overwrite the existing myths to the point of turn them into contradictions?
Does someone else here feels that there’s too much cannibalization?
You know it doesnt necessarily follow that these are solid representatives of their species. I doubt a bloodthirsty were would be very welcome at a diplomatic meeting after all. But beyond that, meh, its hardly new ground. As long as the vamp doesnt sparkle and the big bad wolf doesnt turn into a smooth chested pretty boy, I can deal with the rest. As for friendly demons. Its a SUCCUBUS. They are very friendly. Its hard to get sex out of an angry person (barring specific fetishes of course)
As for existing myths, there have been so many variants over the centuries, not too mention country by country, that there really isnt much of an “original” mythos to go by. Dave could have just as easily made vlad turn into an owl, thats an original vampire myth too after all.
It’s not about preserving traditions or something. if succubus (for instance) are no more vicious demons, that rape and consume humans out of pure evil, then we have one monster LESS. We lost.
You want nice sex-crazed pleasure-given energy-hungry friendly metahumans? Me too! But why do you need to destroy hellish succubus just to take the name? Let have them both, be creative. (no, i’m not talking about Dave, succubus have been watered down for decades)
How did we lose? Evil for the sake of evil is a bad design. Ethical vampires are typically the better way to do the story. I’m not talking Twilight, and I’m not talking Vampire Romance Novels. I’m talking vampires who have to fight with their ethics. I’m talking, amusingly, ironically, Dracula.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula was an entity, a vampire, who had far more weaknesses then we traditionally include today. Even ignoring Twilight’s light immunity, that’s actually just another step in a path we’ve been traversing for decades. Running water was originally a means of preventing them, you had to invite them in, they couldn’t deal with faith (Usually depicted as Christian or Catholic), and numerous other little details slimly cut in or out depending on the matter. Very few stories stay true to the source material, because, frankly, the original Dracula was on a different plane of existence in terms of what it could or could not do. Half the damn book has him performing actions at noon, or in the day, or crossing the ocean. Since then, they removed alot of the power, but also narrowed out the weaknesses. Okay, so he can cross running water, but in exchange, he can’t turn into a mist to survive the sun. Okay, so he can’t turn into a dog, but the smell of garlic is no longer an effective vampire repellent, etc etc.
They don’t run vampires as monsters, they haven’t done that since old Bram, not well, not as far as I’ve seen. They run vampires more as another ‘Zombie’ infection, something where…it’s no longer -quite- human, so you can ultraviolence it, and it’s clearly the bad guy, so why should you feel bad? Which is intriguing, because Vampires are one of the least immediately fatal of any monstrousity even in their own, original, mythos. They drink the blood of those who interest them to death, resurrecting them as other monsters (with some lovely scenes of suddenly 0 morality with no explanation evil for the sake of evil nonsense), but they don’t really need to kill, I mean, it took weeks for Dracula’s intended victim to die, with her steadily getting more and more worse off.
So, let’s move on to Weres. I actually agree with you there. Werewolves with complete control of themselves are kinda weak, and I’m actually hoping our resident hare shows that newbs don’t have perfect control of themselves. The two individuals confirmed weres other then her have years of experience, and if you want to proclaim the human mind is incapable of escaping or adapting to the animalistic savagery of our baser instincts…iunno, the innernet is pretty far down the technological advancement path that requires a fairly rigorous society.
Alright, succubi next. Wut? Rape and consume humans out of pure evil? If this were a religious or sheerly monstrous depiction, okay, head nod, agree. As a DND monster, or as a true medi-fantasy variation, sure, I gotcha, cool business. This is a modern fantasy setting, and, if the creator is going to avoid directly saying any one religion is right (and thus avoid getting some pretty big issues with some of the more fanatical individuals) then you’ve gotta attach succubi to something else. So, instead, Succubi are what happens when it turns out those people back in the 70s who talked about free love and sexual healing actually had something to what they were saying beyond a pretty impressive pick up line to throw out in the bar. Different emotions create different energies and succubi are just an alien species that happens to live off of lust. This also means they have a prerogative to create lust and it helps ‘deny proving’ any one religion while also -occasionally- depicting monstrous creatures. It’s a fairly clever solution. Oh, and succubi and incubi, with incubi being first, didn’t steal souls. They stole semen and eggs, more or less. Same species, same entities, and I’m pretty sure it started with some husband whose wife had -some- grip on him (It’s back when latin was a thing people used for naming, so it must’ve been a pretty unusual scenario) walked in and saw her hubby with a whore in a society that didn’t agree to that sorta thing. -shrugs- Regardless, they were considerred bad, because cheating wasn’t agreed with very well. Although incubi were more frowned upon then succubi, even though they were the same entity.
While we’re at it, let’s discuss the confirmed villains thus far. You’ve got Deus, who’s pretty much Lex Luthor with a few more points in his sanity statline and a bit less in ultra-genius, and fits in with the ancient ‘mad nobleman’ route of villain down to a T. You’ve got a mummy of some description, a couple of different cults that I could see, a demon who -is- evil for the sake of itself (See mister Vehemic energy? Remember him? That ‘bad’ demon you wanted was that), our characters own emotions (Maxima’s pride, Halo’s overconfidence mixed with envy, and the various supers’ absolute belief that their powers are infinite amongst archon.), and various other villain rosters.
Yeah, sure, they don’t have monsters as an easy ‘villain a week’…I don’t think I typed in “Scoobydoocomix.com” though, so I -think-, given the creators development of the story thus far, I’m pretty fine with not having easy villains outside of the current reach. That said, I dunno, it seems like Lycans were shown pretty recently to be presuming too much, and Xuriel has been explicitly stated to be an exception, not a rule, to how Succubi normally act.
….I’m also that dick who has literally broken games of DND (And had games broken by other people, come down to it) with illusion magic, so any species that has innate access to that style of mind bender stuff just doesn’t register as having been nerfed.
Interestingly thought through.
Regarding succubus illusion magic, it is worth noting that the basic species capability is limited to disguise. Dave mentioned in comments, when we saw the Muppet Maxima illusion, that Dabbler is very weak in other kinds of illusions. Perhaps some succubi are capable of adapting their racial powers, to more versatile uses, but we have no way of knowing that.
Interesting thoughts. Most of your arguments are in defense of the setting of this comic, though, so I will repeat a couple lines of my posts:
“[I’m] not talking about this comic ”
“i’m not talking about Dave”
Also you should notice that I didn’t mentioned any of the secondary characteristics of the characters (to turn into a bat for instance). Those are irrelevant to the point.
Regarding: “Ethical vampires are typically the better way to do the story.” I totally disagree, the better way to do a story, any story, is do it well. Ethical vampires, vampires, succubi, alien manhunters, whatever, are just ingredients, how good is the story depends on the writer.
Don’t forget that those myths are from a generations of xenophobic humans, who are afraid of the unexplained. If a literal saint approached them, looking like a wolfman, he would find himself being killed by the most expedient method, to hand. And those perpetrating the act, would justify it by how evil he was. Probably embellishing the story, as time goes by, with all the hideous acts the beast had performed.
But, that said, if everybody is good, there does seem to be an issue of ‘who are the bad guys’. However this is a super-genre setting. There are plenty of those to be found. Even in populations of generally cooperative races, there will be evil members to be found. See Decollet’s comment above, for an example of that.
Well yeah, but it’s not about having a bad guy or not, as you said that is easy to work around. The central point of lycanthropy, for instance, is it being a CURSE. The spiritual agony of a person forced to endure being stripped off sense and sensibility becoming no more than a wild animal, and knowing it.
How do you match that with it being a power up everybody would like to get into?
Do bear in mind that what you are saying, in this thread, is “do not explore new ground”. Because if you have a very long-established field, then every key variant of the story has been told before. But if you change the base elements, you can take it is somewhere different.
Dave established that, when he picks his source material, he takes the elements that appeal to him, and leaves the ones that do not. Note that he applies this to the fantastic elements, but not the setting. Which is a very powerful, and sensible, combination. If he kept both, then his stories would have to be as dark as the myths and legends themselves.
By exploring the ramifications of “what if your wish to have powers, is granted?” Which is the central tenant of this comic. Except rather than just being you gaining them, many others do too.
As you say, nobody would wish to have a curse (not of the sort you listed, and excluding the usual batch of idiots, who do not realise that is a problem). But strip that negative element away, and folks will see the attractive side of being a were-creature.
Once the majority of the audience have empathised, with such characters, and wondered how their own lives might be different, with such capabilities, half of Dave’s work is done. He can then show his take on it, and see how such beings will influence both his setting (our world) and the story he is taking us on, through it.
Plus, of course, there is the distinction between a horror story and a light-hearted comedy. Dave has even pixelated a limb being torn off! The psychological horrors, of loosing control of one’s self, are even more fundamentally disturbing, than dismemberment.
So, yes, Dave is cherry-picking the positive elements, but it is for a reason. It keeps this comic out of the Lovecraftian depths. We know we can keep come here, for easy-going fun, rather than soul-tearing angst.
Personally view the weres in this universe to be of two types: the more familiar ‘feral’ ones who are fighting the curse (and losing or lost their ‘human-ness’) and the ones like Gregor and his ‘family who have embraced the change but managed to hold on to their ‘human-ness’
So far, we have just seen three were’s, on a special council promoting co-operation between the ‘normal’ humans (which includes Supers) and the ultra’s (creatures no longer technically human, like vampires and were’s, or were never human to begin with), will we eventually see one (or more) ‘traditional’ werewolf? Possibly, but unless they just ‘popped up’ without warning they will more than likely be dealt with by the Council or their own kind
The reason why it was Archon who took down Kat’s ‘sire’ may have been a show of good-faith (the Council had been tracking his movements but handed over the apprehension because he was actually a ‘non-were’ or they could not catch him themselves without revealing their existence in an irrefutable manner), could have been a warning to the Council (“We know you exist, and we have the means to stop you if necessary”) or it could simply have been an accidental discovery while they were investigating reports of a suspected Super tampering with the blood-supply
Another point that DaveB hasn’t gotten around to during his story-telling yet is that maybe some (at least) of these “monsters” were “endowed” with powers, but many others could actually be “cursed” with powers. DaveB has already established that demons & devils that actually are EVIL exist (such as the one that Dabbler managed to banish, according to one of her flashbacks), & also that magic exists, so that some malicious wizard made “cursed items” that people occasionally encounter. For example, an archeologist finds an artifact that forces Lycanthropy on him, but also includes a forced change, a loss of conscious control & heightened aggressiveness, all in tune with the lunar-cycle…this would certainly be a curse. Or some starved vampire bites/infects someone under violent circumstances…And then abandons the “victim” entirely so that he/she has to learn about their new changes the hard way…Such a person could either become a “villain” or maybe figure out how to handle it & turn out being ethical.
The whole idea here is that there’s really no definitive correlation between “villainy” & any specific “species,” but it’s more a condition of their own individual attitudes & behavior. A good example is Deus, who is definitely a villain (cold, calculating & more than willing to deliberately cause harm & damage for his own personal gains & goals), but he’s still human.
DaveB has yet to show us any “transformed monsters” that are NOT “civil-minded” enough to be at this grouping…The membership of this Council represents only the “civil-minded” among the various species (transformed or natural), and as Gregor (excuse me, Mr. Barkley ;) ) has pointed out, they DO take steps to not only prevent over-population problems, but most likely also provide help & advice to the “newly transformed” when possible.
One thing is certain though, is that the “civil-minded” & responsible monsters can’t be certain of being available to help everybody that winds up transformed. Those who can’t (or won’t) deal with it ethically are the ones who are likely to show up later as the “villains” of the story.
Ok, lets talk about Grrlverse because the parts of my post that say
“[I’m] not talking about this comic ”
“i’m not talking about Dave”
obviously fell under a glamour spell.
In my opinion, what Dave has been doing with the classic tropes is… wait for it… cool.
Well, what did you expected? I’m reading the comic, don’t I?
exit stage left toward Philosophy in Comics forums
And such a lovely, lovely glamour spell it’s been so far…
;)
I should clarify, I’m talking about the characters in the fantasy genre, not the IRL beliefs of past (or present) people.
Besides all of the above as people have been noting, if you’re concerned about the usual “tropes” attached to all of these creatures, remember that DaveB has already said that one of the main properties that he’s writing for it to recognize the “superhero genre” tropes, break them & play with them. He’s already written in quite a few examples all through the comic so far.
So the succubi have a Companion guild like in Firefly?
Not quite. Succubi have a society like the Companion guild in Firefly.
Your thought was right, of course. I just tidied it up, to more accurately match the setting. Note Dave’s comment, in his blog (with my added emphasis):
“Dabbler being our example of one of the exceptions.
huh… i learned a new word today, muliebrity
This comic, and its commentators, do, collectively, educate all of us. I remember that was how I learnt the Latin for “raven”.
There seems to be some smart and educated people around here wich includes Dave B. But I hope there will still be a place for sillyness and stupidity in the comments anyway.
Always. :)
Who would want to hang out where you could not have fun? Besides which, I have not seen anybody here behaving as wackily as Sydney!
Sydney is the ideal we all try to live up to.
But I guess I shouldn’t worry. A comic where you have things like a demon named “Decolette” will attract mostly the silly kind of fans.
Ever make a mistake so dumb that you just gotta tell people about it? Well, here goes:
In panel seven, for just a moment this morning, I thought I saw a spark coming out of Dabbler’s eyes and wondered why no one had mentioned it here and why it had taken me this long to see it. It turned out that I was just seeing things, of course. It was just a bit of texture on the wall behind her.
:-/
Hah, a long way ago I was surprised to note a mole on Maxima’s cheek, until I scrolled down and realized my screen needed a cleaning.
I hope you checked whether they are a protected species, in your region, before disturbing its habitat?
Maybe either Maxima or Ingsol would come along and separate those two…
Probably either one would say: “Alright! back to your corners,the meeting is about to start!”
Which one would say that???
More likely to be Ingie
I think someone has discovered a relative of the rad muncher Dabbler used back in the fight.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1420
https://www.livescience.com/55776-googly-eyed-stubby-squid-spotted.html
(I can imagine Dave thinking at the time “What if I made it bright purple? Nah, too cartoony. No one would believe it was real.”)
Maybe it’s related to Mr. “Angry Muppet” way back here?
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1465
Is “Boob Squishing” the succubus equivalent to arm wrestling? Like, the breasts that give in under the opposing’s perkiness first loses?
Now see? That’s pretty much the same thing I was talking about right https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/2217/comment-page-1#comment-458943
:)
The Olympics committee already closed the proposals reception, right? Damn!
Oh, wait, maybe the Olympus committee, those guys are up for whatever…
I wonder why there are so many species gathered here. Some appear to be indigenous, like the vampires and werewolves. However We know the various sorts of demons are not. Likewise, as a guess, the angels. Then of course there is the alien faction. Clearly, as they were not introduced as representatives of a singular alien race (like the succubi) then they must have a number of members in their faction.
Is this kind of gathering typical, in the greater galaxy? Or is there something special about Earth? We know they are not after our water.
Perhaps the presence of super powers? But that does not seem to be too likely. Given that, historically, they were very rare. Yet the council has been in existance for over two centuries. And even now supers are not a significant percentage of the population (numbers wise).
Plus Dabber has ‘mutant powers’, which I presume is one and the same thing as super-powers. So, even if she is a rarity, it means that super powers can originate extraterrestrially.
We need no explanation for succubi themselves being here. We know they want to breed with everything, so will be present on many planets. Yet there is a whole faction of demons here, not just them. Do the others have similar motivations?
Or is the galactic community just keeping an eye on Humanity, to assess how dangerous they might be?
The Council may have been around for a couple hundred years, but do we know when the aliens joined? Maybe they have only been around since Roswell
True enough.
It’s Earth’s turn to house the Pro Tempore Galactic Council Headquarters. It changes every 87.7 years. During the time the Cosmic Council resides at a planet it grants aditional seats to the representatives that are part of the Regional Council.
“The GC was founded about 8.500 Earth years before TMH. 13% of their foundational representatives were still active. The Earth became part of it about 200 Earth years before TMH, with the creation of a regional branch, the Twilight Council.
When it was the turn of Earth to house the Pro Tempore Headquarters, The Mighty Halo met the Council for the first time. Even at that early time there was those who remarked ‘Like hell it’s a coincidence!’.
Very well we know now, that time proved them right.”
[Encyclopedia Galactica – 12.403th editon – pp 1.208.222 – “Toward the abyss.” by Ford Perfect]
Encyclopedia Galactica? Such a pedestrian work to be citing from. I prefer The Guide because it’s no ways near so dry & boring to read. Indeed, in comparison, The Guide is more like getting hit with a slice of lemon wrapped around a gold brick.
Precisely, a lead dense article like this would never appear in the Guide.
:-D
As if Ford Prefect would ever write for the Encyclopedia Galactica!
But most importantly, the latest update seems to be more than 36 hours behind it’s usual arrival time!
While I am not quite as disturbed as the girls in “Under a Graveyard Sky” when Schlock Mercenary ceased daily updates, I am worried!
You need to check your clock. Or go to the next page. It updated bang on schedule, as always.
It was 100% late here in Australia. which really shouldn’t make a difference but sometimes things like DNS changes can take a while to filter down.
“learning how to make crepes so good as to be sexually arousing” so basically food wars
One thing I’ve been wondering about, related to emotional energy: It mentions the Barberian being exhausted after spending time with Dabbler, but was that something special to do with being used as a power source of tantric energy or just really exhausting and energetic sex, and lots of it? I would assume the second, given that Vehemence’s power actually gave people more energy even after he’d been drawing off them.
Basically, I’m wondering whether succubus powers and the like are end-neutral or end-positive.