Grrl Power #479 – The Junior Supernatural Detective Squad leaps into action
Well normally comics posted on major holidays have a slow start, but you guys seem to like Clover. She’ll be in a few more pages during this arc, but since I have that disease where I can’t help but introduce characters like a crazy person (can you spot the two new ones on this page?) it dilutes the amount of screen time tertiary characters get.
Speaking of new characters, I won’t go into a lot of detail about them yet. I’ll let you speculate for now. I’ll just say that the gal attached to the book – I got the idea for her when I mis-read the introduction of another character (actually from Wearing the Cape book 5: Ronin Games) So, that ADHD thing when you’re trying to read and your eyes are darting around on the page is good for something I guess.
Be sure to check out Wearing the Cape: Team-Ups & Crossovers. Sydney’s first Crossover! I’ve made a dedicated blog post for the book, please comment there. If you got it already, there’s an updated Kindle version that fixes some weird text formatting stuff in Sydney’s chapter that was showing up on some readers, plus a minor edit for clarification. Also, the paperback is available now as well, at the same link as above.
Double res version will be posted over at Patreon. $1 and up, but feel free to contribute as much as you like :)
Here’s the link to the new comments highlighter for chrome, and the GitHub link which you can use to install on FireFox via Greasemonkey.
SuperheroThey're super, thanks for asking!
Meatspace ComicSeriously these are awesome. Check 'em out!
Not UpdatingNo longer updating or only updates sporadically, but definitely worth reading.
SeriouslySeriously you guys. If you like Grrl Power the check these out.
"Mature"Mature subject matter and occasionally something explicit but usually safe. Can't guarantee the ads are safe though.
Dongs Ahoy!Full frontal and backal. Lots of skin, sex on some or all pages, explicit or otherwise.
I think I’m falling for Kat <3
And Clover has me wondering, anyone else a fan of Honey Badger Radio? ^3^
Well, Kat already fell for the SWATaton >_>
Be sure to pick her up, gently, whilst you are down there.
I thought about making a comment referencing Honey Badger Radio, but couldn’t think of anything clever to say, so I didn’t.
Oh well. You guys should check them out. They sometimes say clever things. I recommend starting with the Ragening playlist.
That piece with the glyph…is it only me or does that look like somebody cut a piece of a sword and used that to power automaton and/or give automaton skills? It has 2 definite edges and is made out of metal of some kind, by the looks of it.
Not just you, it was suggested on one of the other comment pages
*raises paw*
Hats off, mr RobinBobcatSir! Totally missed that comment. Note to self, read ALL the comment pages before making remarks.
Personally do that as well: if someone already made a comment about something you were about to, you can easily tag your comment onto theirs if it wasn’t properly answered, plus, you can find other fun comments to join in with :D
Rarely have the time to do a whole read so I often opt for search a couple key terms instead. Usually works fine.
Oh, there you are! I was searching for ‘key terms’ because I thought that is where I would find you.
Read those terms carefully. If your girlfriend sneaks in ‘key sold, in exchange for soul’ those key terms are unacceptable! Or a negligible price to pay, if an atheist (and right)
If the second one is to ‘loose all rights to your first borne child’, you may wish to run the agreement past a competent divorce lawyer. Perhaps one specialised in supernatural contracts.
Assuming that the metal piece is from a sword blade, it appears to be from a modern decorative sword.
The grind is hexagonal with double fullers. Nothing unusual in this, but…
The edge appears to be ground to ~40 degree included angle (20 degree each bevel), which is suitable for hacking tools (machete, splitting maul, meat cleaver), but is not suitable for actual cutting.
The fullers (groove used to make blade lighter without losing too much of the stiffness) are too small to have any practical effect on blade weight, so they are just decorative.
The flat of the blade appears to have black enamel, while the fullers have red enamel. This is very rare on actual weapons, since enamel may shatter on impact.
It is very easy to make this kind of blade using flat stock steel and a milling machine, since the narrow fullers and 40-degree edge require minimal amount of stock removal. However, it is not practical to make this kind of blade with forging.
May just be paint rather than enamel
the ruins and blade coloring seem simliar to Dabblers sword: https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1355
Definately not the same blade (for one, dabbler hasn’t lost hers, for another, her’s is bigger) but possibly of the same origin, or even the same blacksmith.
Good spottage
Oh, funny. After all this time, I finally managed to translate the runes on her sword! Orienting it the same way depicted, in your link (i.e. pointy end to the left, hilt to the right):
Source: Rune Swords for Dummies
Oops, the magic power of the runes caused it to hide itself (really, it invoked hidden powers in the real world)! Clearly the runes must be linked to the Veil, to be able to make things invisible!!!
Here is a carefully crafted version, which will not invoke the magic:
<—USE POINTING THIS WAY. HOLD THIS END ===>
That’s actually not where I went, as that looks amazingly like some of the “data chips” that my son’s toys have used.
Back to the rune…it reminds me of something i saw on a Mistborn cover.
Wait a minute, wait a minute… I was promised leaping here and I ain’t seeing any!
You didn’t see what The Librarian and Pixelicious were doing in the cloak-room
‘Leaping hare’ became ‘sleeping here’.
Forensics Fellow: *Holding up plastic baggy containing the chunk of metal with glyph* “Well, this is a shame . . .”
Investigator Person: “What’s up?” *Looks at baggy* “Damn! How’d it get all mangled like that?”
Forensics Fellow: “Some nut embedded it into the wall! Between that and what we had to do to pry it back out . . .” *Heavy sigh* “I seriously doubt we’re going to be able to get any worthwhile evidence out of this now.”
Yeah, yeah, before anyone starts to “correct” me, I know it’s not really going to be like ↑ because of magic and super people and stuff. I’m just being silly. ☺
And I really should learn to close my italics tag after that phrase “Heavy sigh.”
*Heavy sigh*
Wait for them to know that the nut was a Foresics fellow herself :)
Yeah, yeah, “imaginary scene”, I’m just taking turns in being silly :P
So does this mean I get nuts or not?
*sniffs at doggy bag*
*licks nuts*
Breathe, Sydney. Remember to vent the shield now and then.
Hey, question to the Author: what happens if Halo tries to change the shield size after it’s established? Does it drop and immediately re-form (which would be one way to grab more air), or are there pressure change effects as it pushes air molecules around? Be careful how you answer; either has both strengths and weaknesses.
Making bigger without dropping the shield first can be just as unpleasant, depending on the starter and end sizes, as making it smaller
Space magic! https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1476
Depends on how pressurized it was to start with, and how big she makes it and how rapidly
Objects in airtight containers tend to expand when the space is made bigger without allowing extra air inside
She’s already done this, and asked the question in-comic, and as of yet we have no canonical answer.
There really hasn’t been much in the way of orb R&D though they do have a plan for upgrade potentials. They need to test the limits of capabilities as soon as possible to give themselves a baseline to work from…..
Actually there was quite a lot done earlier today. Whilst Sydney was napping.
Very wisely mind. That way Sydney can state something definitively (because she was told, off-screen, about the conclusions, from the experts who conducted the analysis) but without the author having to detail it in advance, and possibly paint himself into a corner.
I.e. wait until there is a specific plot need before revealing the conclusions they came to. Rather than give lots of exposition, then have to reverse canon, when one part becomes inconvenient, to an otherwise good plot idea.
Because we know that the investigation work has been done, we will not feel that it is a last minute, out-of-the-blue constraint/ advantage, made up on the spur of the moment, with no prior in Grrlverse justification.
The way Halo is panting, she’d better drop that shield or she’ll pass out and release her own captive. I wonder if her CO2 detector has an audible alarm?
The WOG has already spoken and said that the panting is due to nerdgasm, not oxygen deprivation.
I believe that’s known as Fred Perry Disease.
Also my Ranger’s pet is a Celestial Dire Honey Badger named Frank.
Pixel: This? Why, I can make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl…
Well, ok, maybe not the pterodactyl.
You don’t know the skills of Pixelicious :D
Well, I did add a “maybe” in there.
i havnt read all the responses ( cause i is 2 sheets too the wind ) but shouldn’t it be gleam not glean?
TL/DR: No, glean works fine. :-)
From the word of Google
Glean
1.
obtain (information) from various sources, often with difficulty.
“the information is gleaned from press cuttings”
collect gradually.
“objects gleaned from local markets”
2.
historical
gather (leftover grain) after a harvest.
“the conditions of farm workers in the 1890s made gleaning essential”
So no, glean is quite valid (a little old fashioned in usage and stretching the definition, but still valid).
All true. As it turns out though, the intent was “Gleam”, per the author. The typo just resulted in an unintentional play on words.
Darn! I missed DaveB’s comment on that. Well even if it WAS a typo, it STILL works! This is as bad as the “Legolas and Fimli” incident on ‘go get a roomie’.
(here: https://www.gogetaroomie.com/comic/fanfiction-yes)
Anyway, doesn’t everyone know that shiny things go “Ting” not “Gleam”? :-)
i’m guessing the sigil or glyph is a magical signature?
and also BREATHE SIDNEY BREATHE!!!
She is breathing, the problem is there isn’t much fresh air to breath in (and even less with the rapid panting)
Down Sydney! Down! Calm down and lower the shield
That is possible. Maybe in the literal sense, as it could be a necessary part of the binding ritual, so that the manikin is controlled by the owner of that monogram. Or, perhaps, in a figurative sense, if either the ‘handwriting’ or craftsmanship is distinctive, in some way.?
still gonna keep calling her a werevolrine since wolverines are the bears of honey badgers and therefore always awesome
I think you are mixing up your folk lore.
I’m guessing that you will not be able to scare this Honey Badger at all.
lock it in a vault fill of silver coins stacked so high it’s in danger of collapsing with even the slightest vibration and I assure you she will panic.
Honey Badger would not give a s**t.
Because Clover is a giant dire were golden honey badger, and gold beats sliver!
If you name is a play on words with “Honey Badger”: neat :)
Syd better drop that shield or she is going to suffocate to death, that looks like a piece of a sword. Maybe a two handed long sword but why someone put the pieces of their sword in those things is beyond me. But maybe thats how Syd detecte them.
Ye Ritual of Manikin Animation
First acquire a mightay rune sworde. Thence cut thine palm with ye sworde. Recyte ye incantation. Place ye bloody palm, upon the face of ye manikin. Stab thine sworde through the bloody mark. Break off the rune, furthest from the hilt, by a sharp twist of thine sworde. Leaving the rune chip in thine magical manikin.
Thou shalt not callest tho manikin “Mabel” or “Gertrude” or any silly girly name.
Congratulations on your latest product purchase from Machima Industries, Dark Division.
The incantation goes like this, ”F-ing OY! That smarts! An F-ing good idea that! What idjit comes up with these F-ing rituals anyhow? F!”
Pixel, you amuse me. :)
She cutes me :D
Perhaps this fight could be entitled:
“Crouching bunny, hidden chip in manikin.”.
Is it strange I find Pixel the sexiest thing alive?
Not at all, we all have our own tastes, and the world is a better place for that.
Plus she is cute enough to rile Sydney, for honing in on her territory. So she is in the right ballpark, even for those who prefer a different game.
*pointedly looks at ball*
*wags tail*
*looks at ball*
Do you think the manakiller is absorbing Halos amazeball power like that wizard was cause this fight wasn’t nearly as long as the dinner and she seems out of breath
The author has confirmed that Halo was only over-excited at Clover’s action scene. It does not seem likely that any power-absorbtion has taken place, given that it was both very obvious when it happened to Gault and the fact that Sydney is still able to use both her shield and the tentacle. Whereas Gault was completely drained.
It is not impossible mind, as enchanted items (or whatever the orbs turn out to be) may be more resistant to draining, than a mage. So could potentially only be suffering from a partial drain. But if the manikin she is holding, with her tentacle, has absorbed any power, hie is not glowing, so that is unlike the other one. Nor is he showing any signs of being about to blow up!