Grrl Power #93 – Sydney is the only person to get away with this
So yeah the booms were Max testing the shield out with increasingly powerful hits. We’ll see the fate of that new guy in a bit. A few more pages of Q & A, then Sydney gets unleashed on the team at large.
And one more reminder that I’m looking for a guest strip or two, just to make sure I’ve got something to post the week after A-kon. Make sure whatever you submit is legible at 643 pixels wide, but it can be any height. Due by June 3rd at the latest. Contact me via twitter, facebook, or mailing me at daveb-at-grrlpowercomic.com Ok that doesn’t work I don’t think. Try grrlpowercomic-at-gmail.com. Just for submissions though, I probably will only check it periodically after this week.
Update: Ok, fixed the missing “to”, added the 5 o’clock back in and adjusted a wonky looking eye.
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.
Sydney/Halo has a nice behind as well.
Origin Story!! Woot!!
Have to say I’m extremely pleased to see speedbunny guy there wearing a choker just like the girls. I was quite weirded out when I heard your initial plan to have the girls wear chokers and the guys wear belts. This makes it so much easier to just sit back and enjoy the comic rather than have to worry about planning any Super Equality Marches among the fans. (I wouldn’t see Maxima taking that ‘dress code’ lying down, either.)
Maybe this is the scene that establishes Sydney’s moniker as “Halo.”
love the 1 finger salute Max is doing :D
I’m sure it’s just… accidental.
Another thought as regards the force field.
So far (and this could change, I know), it appears spherical in form. What, if anything, does this sphere centre on? Would seem reasonable to assume that it centres on the orb but, going by what the strips so far show, the sphere centre seems to shift around simehwat independantly of Sydney and the Orb.
DEFINITELY not trying to nitpick here, just noting something interesting.
It probably centers around whoever is holding it.
From the looks of the last few pages it reacts to the perceived threat, in that it only puts out as much energy that is nessicary to stop whatever is trying to penetrate the shield.
Light shield that barely covered her with the foam hit it, but full strong coverage when Maxima hit it.
Whoever built it thought ahead so it could conserve it’s energy for when it was needed.
Good point, there!
If the field’s center is optional, then Sydney could perhaps use it to contain/transport a foe securely, rather than to enclose herself…?
That is also an interesting thought.
If so, I infer that the Orb force field has to remain close to Sydney/Orb, possibly within several feet, in order to stay up. Presumably, whatever was held within the forcefield would still have mass / weight. Then again, if the field is kept spherical, just roll it around exactly like a hamster ball.
Other possible uses in this mode – wrapping the forcefield around an about-to-explode-bomb to contain the blast, or using the force field to protect bystanders (either wrap them in it, or just roll it in front of them.
Womder if, with practice, the force field could be varied in size? Giess we’ll find that out.
Given that Sydney does not seem to have any worries about air supply, this suggests that the force field is not airtight. So it wouldn’t be much help in a gas attack, or if Sydney was suddenly t-ported into deep ocean or outer space.
I wonder if the orb circular configuration amongst themselves is normal for them. A sphere is the obvious 3 D design and a circle is of a meridian 2D slice of a sphere. Even if they are artificial constructs by a species advanced say a million years or more from us could create by means we may not have hypotheses for much less provable theory at this time they would still be subject to some of the natural forces of our cosmos.
Who says it’s a million years more advanced? We could probably create something like those orb’s in 80 to 150 years.
So far it’s been mostly light and gravity manipulation. We have scientists who have been thinking about that kind of stuff for over 50 years now, and have some very interesting ideas of how light and gravity actualy work, and how to manipulate them.
Man has for the last few centuries been progressing at a incredably fast rate. There are inventions out there that if the goverment let us truely know about would make you wet yourself.
Now that is a big maybe in my book. If we could just solve the clean energy problem would be a boon to start with. Then personal devices like that are still way beyond what they are working on. Maybe not a millions years, could be just 100,000 years of uninterrupted development.
There’s a big gap between understanding how a physical phenomenon works and being able to influence it at all, let alone to the sort of fine control the Orbs would need. It’s only in the most exceptional cases that later theories suggest an exploitable loophole in the physical laws that have been derived from and then survived centuries of experiment and observation; usually, when such a loophole is suggested, the confirmation that it doesn’t work is what disproves the theory.
If those Orbs are dimension tech and not just an advanced form of electro-magnetic tech; then I’d put them way above anything in the foreseable future (like was said, being able to hypothesise how something can work and developing a means to control it; especially as anything other than a dimension bomb;) especially as they have no apparent common interface. Basically a technology so advanced that it can’t be distinquished from magic *as in actually compatible with magic* (heh, it’s something i use in my own series known as Goddess Tech).
Actually if these orbs are dimension tech, like ship tools for an ultra-advanced race, then all their abilities can be explained.
1: The gravity control: there is a hypothesis that gravity isn’t actually a force of the universe, but rather is a reaction on space/time by mass reacting with masslessness (or in other words a distortion in dimensions by the presence of mass); if one can figure out how to “strum these chords” as in figure out what fundamental sub-spacial effect is happening *as in what specifically is reacting to mass and why*; then theoretically one can utilize another means (that part alone is the most complex) to set off this effect. In other words artificial gravity.
By using this means one may dampen or enhance the effect; in other words fly, float, or increase gravity; possibly even localize the effect (as in fly and have a different point of axis); and now to overly simplify it *it doesn’t negate the Earth’s gravity for the “same” reason a flashlight can exist in a well lit room. Two sources, one stronger only at a local level with limited range that ultimatly is “outshined” by the larger source.
2: the PPO: this one is simple, it is a foset/surge protector, as in the nozzle of an Einstein/Rosen Bridge (worm hole) that connects to a massive power source (like say a sun, on a Zero Point energy server: which would complicate things if the alien race in question can detect access points). Basically it just opens up the portal and focuses the energy in a stream. The real question would be if the orb can control the “pressure”. from Syd’s flash back I’d say at the very least she doesn’t know how LoL.
Oh, this is just so much fun! I second the “What happens when Anvil hits it?” script. And I’d say that the opening couple of strips definitely foreshadow the forcefield orb.Sydney knows what happens when a laser hits a forcefield because she has tested it Personally!
Hooray! Mycomment made it into someone else’s comment. Thank you Mr./Mrs./Ms. Opus the Poet.
To whoever it was (I can’t remember right now) that posted a link to Freefall in the comments a few pages back, thank you. I just finished a full archive dive over there, and it was a lot of fun. Not quite Syd and Max, but great anyway.
Might have been me. I love Freefall. Well okay it probably wasn’t me, but I still love Freefall.
I want to see where Sydney found the orbs. I foresee a pseudo-Indiana Jones story from her about that! :)
She found them whilst skip-diving one day (that might be dumpster-diving for the americans!)
Knowing Syd, it’s more likely a box got sent to the store by mistake and thinking it was a new RPG she opened it to play it before she’d have to put it on the shelf; https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/135
Or something akin to Monster Rancher or SGVY.
Theories (based on comedic effect)
1: A little alien jumped out and gave them to her.
2: She was walking and fell down a randon hole, into a random cave, and just found them sitting there.
3: #2 only it was a singing cave and she was transported to another world/dimension/reality and the orbs were sitting on an alter.
4: some version of the above, but she didn’t take them; instead they followed her home like ducklings.
5: She said, “I wish I had super-powers” and some capricious supernatural entity (a god, demon, Djinn, ect…) heard her and decided to give her these magic orbs (like just manifested them in her path); poof out of no-where, to see what happens.
6: like 5 only aliens did it.
7: they showed up on her doorstep in a wicker basket and a note that reads, “please take care of my babies….chosen one”.
*Snerk*
Excellent theories. I particularly like the “ducklings” bit. Quack!
What if it’s not a forcefield dun dun dun….
All these posts about different type of fields got me thinking, there is another solution, that goes with magic (and is explained by the neomage genre of dimensional physics) A dimension bubble. In other words a self contained pocket dimension with a selectivly permeable “membrane” *a buffer dimension matrix acting as a boarder between the contained space and the real world; so what is being seen as a “forcefield” is merely the reaction points between “physical space” and the contained space; give the orb a (scan feature *either internal or based on mental control of the operator) and it could select what substances are permitted to pass between the dimensions (such as visible light or air).
In this version any strike against the barrier is pointless as what you are impacting is not matter or energy, but rather a distorted point of space/time that acts as a 3-dimensional window into the sub-space.
I never thought of a pocket dimension to be that small and semipermeable P-branes. Interesting idea. Such places as Jumanji and the Null Void are examples, in fiction, of such pocket dimensions.
On a more grandiose scale, pocket-universes were used by Philip Jose Farmer in his 5-book “Maker of Universes”-series.
I can also recommend Kekaishi, in this series one family (now two families) inherent the power to create what is later revealed to be contained dimensions; their most basic tricks are to use them as forcefield or put them around an enemy and then collapse the dimension on them. Later we see advanced forms like a contained spherical sub-space and a shredded dimension aura *like the Ragna blade (Slayers), chaotic dimensional fluxes in a particular form to give the impression of a shape like a blade*. Kekaishi is kind of iffy, in that the monsters (which are in their own way multi-dimensional; invisible and in some cases even intangible and able to defy gravity to certain degrees) are at stronger levels able to penetrate some of these dimension bubbles and even survive a basic collapse of a small dimension field.
Very interesting idea!
But what about the BOOM – somehow Maxima’s hits cause the “whatever ball shaped object” to emit sound as a reaction to each hit. How could that be explained it it was a dimensional border – I’d imagine it to either be invincibly rock hard (then it would sound like smacking a rock: All you hear is your fingers breaking and maybe a little bit of noise made by air movement – but no BOOM) or rock hard to some extend and when you hit it harder the joints vanish and you find your fist being “beyond” that border but in your own dimension, not within the bubble. Im not sure if that situation might cause a BOOM but anyway, Max is not punching through.
I was just about to posit this idea and then I saw you got it first.
@BOOM: We don’t know if the boom came from the bubble vibrating (and impacting air molecules), or from maxima herself and the air around her vibrating. It could also be neither, but that her fist shunted such that it impacts (somehow) the air molecules surrounding the bubble on all directions without the bubble itself actually vibrating/being impacted
Sonic booms. If so, probably the first couple of taps made little to no noise. Once she got to hitting hard enough to need her fist to go hypersonic, booms. Then louder booms. Then eardrum-shattering booms. Etc.
I was wondering about that in another connection. Obviously, Maxima is applying more and more force with her fist. But how is she doing it? If she were “merely” a very very very strong person, she’d have to be moving faster and faster and faster. But superhero “strength” and “speed” seem to be independent, even when in physics they’d have to be interdependent. Ie, if the Flash can go zero to 60kps in a tenth of a second, the forces he’d need to be applying would make the Hulk green with envy. But… seems like it doesn’t work that way. Or vice versa, if the Hulk applies enough force to have a kilometer-long trajectory, he’d need to be moving awfully fast, and have correspondingly fast reflexes… but he doesn’t really seem depicted that way.
Of course, we already know Maxima’s strength isn’t ordinary strength, by the way she handled the truck. So, I’d suspect she can hit harder and harder without moving faster and faster. Her psi powered strength/invulnerability/whatnot can simply simulate being more massive instead of needing to be faster, or maybe just manufacture the force at the impact point and the punch is just a habitual gesture (xref Phil the Arm).
So all in all… prolly not sonic booms. But it’d still be wicked cool if it were.
Sonic booms ARE her hand hitting the air molecules.
And any sonic boom is ear shattering and window shatter at such a close distance.
realy at such distances ALL sonic booms? then all soldiers would be deaf after the first round the noise from a rifle is mostly sonic boom of the bullet as it leaves the barrel.
The crack from a whip is also a sonic boom.
You beat me to it. There are many noises we deal with on a daily basis, oddly, that are just small sonic booms.Whip cracks, parts of gun shots, thunder (of a sort, supersonic collapse of the “tunnel” the lightning makes)
However I was thinking that, while not transmitting the force to Sydney, the impact makes the force field vibrate at a significant amplitude. This would translate to the air as a loud noise not unlike hitting a very big resonant drum. Think Taiko Drummers, with their huge drums, make them bigger and ALL drum head, moving most of the air in the room. Hit it hard enough, yeah, ear shattering.
Ok, I wasn’t thinking about such small sonic booms as whips and bullets.
But her hand is much larger then a bullet, so if her whole hand is supersonic then she could do some damage.
As far as thunder goes. From what I have read it is pretty destructive at such short distances. But I have never been able to find anything exact and well backed.
To this I will simply ask how many lightning strike victims are permanently deaf? Temporary deafness (partial or complete) could probably be expected in these cases, but it takes a bit more force/more repetition to be rendered permanently deaf.
Only the rumble from a lightningstrike comes from the tunnel collapsing. The initial whipcrack from a lightningstrike comes from the lightning superheating the air to a plasma that expands outwards, also radiating the light of the lightning. MUCH like the sound a laserweapon would make in a realistic setting, at least one effective enough to affect anyone in some kind of armour. (My pet peeve, laserweapons that go ‘Zing’, ‘Peow’ or ‘Humm’ instead of a nice ‘KRACKADOOM!’)
Considering the force that maxima is capable and obviously exerting upon the “barrier” and that the force is completely stop and not rebounded (as her hand isn’t springing back we could use the rules of conservation of force and conservation of momentum to analyze the amount of energy that has to be transfered somewhere. To avoid calculations lets assume that her punch is equal to that of a wrecking ball moving at about 30 mph ( I realize that she is stronger than that) that would mean the force of that ball is suddenly stopped in its direction thus it must be conserved by displacing outward in the form of vibration which would likely given the intensity be in the for of a sudden “boom”.
interesting idea, but my understanding of it (admittedly very limited) is that if the bubble was “between” physical and contained space, there would be no physically contact-able border, thus no way for Max to actually hit it – she’d simply pass through. Of course, if that was the case, Sydney wouldn’t be visible either – she’d simply disappear into her pocket dimension, able to see everything around her, but effectively invisible and untouchable…
Would Sydney even be able to see out? If she can see out, then light can cross the border. OK, so she’s vulnerable to light-based attacks. But if it’s purely a space-time effect, then I’d expect light and matter to be equally affected. So if it transmits light, it should be possible for matter to get through.
The only way I can think of for the space-time tweak to work would be if the membrane effectively compressed several kilometres’ worth of space (at least) into a thin shell, a bit like an Escher print. As far as the leading edge of the fist (or any projectile) is concerned, it simply goes on into the ‘compressed space’ as if it was normal, without hitting anything. Projectiles similarly fly through the ‘compressed space’ as if it were normal space, meaning that the other side of the membrane is simply out of range for anything short of field artillery, for which it’s a small enough target to be impractical at range. Electromagnetic radiation (i.e. light, radio, lasers, etc.) would go through, but would experience ‘refraction’ effects and a time lag. However, I can’t figure any way for this concept to let sound through without severe lag and attenuation (the normal effects of extreme range), and it would have to find some way of filling all this geometrical space or else experience severe pressure-differential problems.
No, there is no actual bubble, and one can not simply walk between dimensions; it would be a (contact point) of distorted space acting as a selectivly permeable membrane (as in a spherical wormhole designed to only allow certain forms of matter and energy to pass between them); basically a contained sub-space with a layered P-brane acting as a “viewing window”. Why you wouldn’t phase through is because the zone is locked out from physical reality *it would be like hitting the edge of the universe* there is and there isn’t a barrier, you can’t go forward unless you are composed of the substance that the orb is scanned to allow to go forward.
*there is a more complex version where the “bubble” its self is the dimensional overlap but the things on both sides are not, *like a spherical wormhole*. Actually not sure if that would be more or less complicated; but to me they are about the same; just in one Sydney and her environment have been temporarily taken into another dimension with a spherical viewing portal that can select what passes between it, and the other is, she and the floor are still there, but now a worm hole exists between her and the outside world that only allows select forms of matter and energy to pass through it; thus acting as a nigh indestructable barrier to anything else.
One cannot simply walk into Mordor!
…. if you aren’t a Hobbit.
I was thinking more along the lines of what happens when you add dimensions to your awareness. If you look at a fish in a shallow tank (roughly analagous to a 2-dimensional creature), then you can see and interact with the fish in ways that it cannot interact with you (you can see it from above while remaining effectively invisible, you can physically move it through “layers” of the 3rd dimension, you can spear it, etc.), but if you move into it’s range by stepping into the tank, it can interact with you in all the ways it could with anything else there. Based on that, I would expect a pocket multi-dimensional “bubble” to have the ability to move outside our reach (and sight), but provide no protection if it WAS visible.
i just had an idea, what if the forcefield DID infact block everything (light, sound, matter) but it registered their impacts and effects on the outward facing side of the barrier and then it re produced the helpful impacts and effects on the inside of the field (for example peoples voices, simulated light so she could see and any other effects deemed as usefull but not harmful for the person in the bubble) now i bet your thinking but then howcome people can see and hear her inside the bubble? well if its able to do that for outside effects it should be able to do that for inside effects, so basicaly it would be a null field completely surrounding her with some kind of audio visual hookup on the inside and outside, it would need a weak point that would be able to transmit the external and internal signals however… so this could be a small hole or semi permiable space that could transmit the signals, in this way the field could block almost anything!
Sweet!
I could just see the bubble suddenly going opaque and soundproof. Inside the bubble, a window appears in front of Sydney with text that says (possibly in an alien script), “You have exceeded the data limits of your plan. Touch HERE to upgrade your plan.”
My thoughts immediately went to Moldiver. Basically same use. :)
Isn’t she the cheeky one!
As Blofelt said about Jill St. John, “nice cheeks too.”
I’m surprised Maxima has gotten to such a rank if she can’t handle being disrespected. All the upper rank military I used to know were very good at keeping their calm until it became time to issue NJPs and redeployment orders. THEN shit would fly when people found out they were being sent to the Arctic Circle!
HEY! Don’t knock the Arctic Circle! My favorite training stint was three months Arctic survival. My favorite moment was when three humpback whales broke a breathing hole through the ice about 20 meters from me. Our native guide/teacher nearly wet himself. I was totally taken by the National Geographic Coolness of the moment.
Okay. Okay. Of the 45 grunts present, I was the only one who didn’t think the training was punishment. After all, I had requested the training after having run several jungle missions. (I HATE hot and humid!!!)
I’ve probably outlined this elsewhere and I don’t know when I’ll get to it in the comic so the short version is:
You’re probably right, but she entered the USAF with the intent to “be a pilot” since she could fly and all, and the military was salivating at the idea of having her in the field since she didn’t cost much more than a regular soldier and essentially came with unlimited fuel and very impressive ordinance. Basically she got fast tracked to… I think 2nd Lt is basically the lowest rank where you get to be a pilot.
From there she leveraged her value as an asset to climb the ranks faster than she would have otherwise, and also avoid too much reprimand for her antagonistic antics. After all no one wants to ground an assett that’s considered as valuable as an entire carrier worth of jets.
She was a Major while still in Afganistan when she was “offered” this position, and she didn’t care for the idea, mostly because of the publicity angle, and stonewalled until they threw in the promotion, which is why I think I should make her a Lt. Col. instead of a full bird. She’s only been at her current rank for… maybe 6 months while they were in the final planning stages of the whole Archon thing.
I see. Then, though I don’t mean to be derogatory toward your story or work, Maxima comes off as prideful and spoiled if she has made her way to this position by dint of her abilities as opposed to her efforts or dedication. If she’s a sufficiently valuable asset that the USAF would give her preferential treatment, it’s vitally important that she have made use of that treatment for reasons beyond herself and her own whims. Pride, greed, the need to satisfy some obsession, these are all pitfalls which could potentially change Maxima in the eyes of the reader.
And make her a particularly nasty Supervillain if she decides to sell Archon out someday.
She has a temper and knows her own self-worth. And she makes no bones about either. What can be simple confidence can be perceived as arrogance. And if she’s challenged by someone who thinks she’s just being arrogant, and she shows what she’s capable of, she ends up being branded a bully or bruiser. She becomes a social outcast through no fault of her own because she does not bother with false modesty. That in turn leads her to think that if she’s going to be punished, she might as well enjoy having committed the crime. Thus the misconceptions of the civil majority and the ostracism of its members becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Well the focus of the comic is definitely humor, but I do want to try and build somewhat complex characters. Max isn’t above taking advantage of her abilities, she actually thinks it would be foolish not to, but she’s also concerned with not being perceived as having coasted, so she put herself through college with night classes and what have you, and when in the field always put herself in the line of fire and made herself endlessly useful almost to a fault.
She’s supposed to be mostly likable, but not completely, that’s… I’d say by design, but really my idea of her evolved to the place it’s at over a long time. We’ll see how she plays out.
So she’s worked to gain respect in fields which her abilities wouldn’t normally predispose her. Cool. I look forward to seeing her develop and her story unfold.
I would also suggest that she had to fight prejudice not only because she was a mutant, but she is female too. So I would say she went beyond even the shit they laid on her to to break her. I gather there are voluminous dossiers of her exploits especially if she has been “loaned” out to the CIA or Delta Force etc. to do very dangerous missions in places like Iran and North Korea that only one person with her skill set and powers could accomplish. But that is just how I would think she would be used. And in her case some of those stories she can’t tell you or she would have to kill you–for real.
Fair point. I understand the US military still treats women as second-class citizens in many respects. In civilian life, I think facing gender discrimination these days is more debatable.
Strange how language sometimes fails, isn´t it?
While “understand” is absolutely correct in the context, it is still strangely misleading.
Unless you really do understand the Armys behavior.
I don´t.
For such an advanced Nation, america has a surprisingly victorian outlook on sex, and yes, i mean that in every context.
Inference versus implication, I suppose. I write with one intent, people read with another, and I’m long past the point of trying to clarify since people take from any statement what they wish to.
I’ve found that if I am not completely definite, precise and fully explicative it can be misconstrued in a variety of ways, some wildly so.
It happens in civilian life as well. Female scientists often have to deal with condescending attitudes from the self-described “real” (male) scientists.
I no longer remember the details, but I remember reading about a woman going for a Ph.D in…I wanna say physics, but whatever. Point is, she got a late-night drunk-dial from her departmental adviser, who told her that women just weren’t cut out to be scientists (too emotional, illogical, and mentally undisciplined). Wish I could remember enough to cite the reference…
Anyway, my take is that Maxima has a perfect right to be angry over the way some people have treated her, but like many who’ve experienced unfair treatment, she’s developed a tendency to infer such attitudes from comments that most people would consider neutral.
Excellent! That sounds like great story-telling to me.
I’m thinking that if anyone so far is poised for the role of “good-guy who is really a mole for the opposition”, that person is…
…Arianna! Consider:
She’s a lawyer whose job requires her to swim the murky waters of “Public Relations”. Whatever situations the “Supers” get into, it’s her job to make it look good to the public-at-large. Her conversation with Max [https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/335] indicates a willingness to keep her “friends” (& later-on, minions?) in the dark – even during situations where gun-play might break out. I’m thinking it may be a short stretch indeed to a full-blown “legality is optional”-mindset.
Murky Waters? Sewage more likely. No, wait. That was politics.
PR is politics.
This back-story adds a whole new dimension to her “rabid” feminism – if she truly did get preferential treatment based on nothing more than her potential to wreak havoc on the enemy (as opposed to, say, demonstrated leadership ability and potential to inspire others to wreak even more havoc), then she’s likely having to deal with a lot of internal guilt and suppressed negative self-talk. The resulting hyper-sensitivity and defensiveness show her to be much more internally-conflicted (and thus, more sympathetic due to her “humanity”), and less iconic.
kudos.
At least the Archon girls really are allowed to be at the frontlines and get to kick some behind.
In the US-military, women are what Afrikan-Amerikans were: second class. They normally aren’t allowed to fight, they have to cover up according to local rules in the middle east and they aren’t allowed to serve on subs.
(If they’re so screwy about the space, then they should just give a couple of subs all-female crews. Bet they’d beat the male crews senseless.)
the sub part is not only for space,, but also for pressure,,, it has been proven that the added air pressure from working on subs and all while under water can accelerate some part of theyr metabolism,, namely theyr mentrual cycle,, causing them to have theyr period as frequntly as once a week for extreme cases
add the proven syncro event of female menstras the whole vessel would be a hormonal bombshell ready to destroy any male it found.
Not to mention the very real likelihood that one or more of the women will end up pregnant while on deployment, which messes with a whole lot of things.
The pressure’s probably not all that beneficial for a fetus either.
Actually the syncronizing periods thing isn’t true. They last a different amount of time for different women, and the actual flow doesn’t happen the whole time during menses, and someone can start late, etc. The result is a household of women, for example, will drift in and out of sync, but confirmation bias makes people only notice when they sync up for a month or two, and disregard when they don’t.
No they wouldn’t. None of the nations that have women on subs have duty rotations longer than one trimester(3months) while all US subs can stay underwater without surfacing for 2 trimesters. The trash disposal on subs is not compatable with pads and tampons they would have to be stored until the mission was over. Most US subs are nuc and radiation affects women and babies more than men, women are born with all the eggs they will ever have. In US subs the sleeping area for 9 men is as big as a standard closet, people on other shifts share a bunk so there is always someone sleeping there. You have to be physically able to drag anouther person to a safe area without majik or powers. If the button that closes a hatch doesnt work you have to do it by hand which requires strength. There was a gas line explosin/fire in CA where the fire wasnt out until over 2hours after the service”people” got to the cut off due to it being a manual cut off. Anouther thing is due to the fact everones lives depend on everyone else, in a sub respect has to be earned, you dont automaticly get respect due to showing up on board with a piece of paper or rank.
In the military a 20yo woman and a 50yo man can cross the finish line on the run portion of the PT test and its possible the 20yo woman passed when the 50yo man failed if women want to be in combat they should be able to do the same PT test as men. I knew one woman in the millitary who had 5 kids from different dads she got education in the military and got pregnant to avoid deployment.
Perhaps they could be photons that are condensed to form a film/coating? It would explain the slight color.
Or perhaps a fixed temperature plasma layer that is is somehow controlled by the orb?
& let’s not forget the one possibility that’s perhaps the most compelling of all: “BTASSYF!!!”
(“Because The Author Says So, You Fools!!!”)
(…sorry…)
(I’ll shut-up now.)
This talk make me think of reversing a Larry Niven essay: “Woman of Gold, Man of tissue paper”. If she got along better with Achilles, then it could be “Woman of Gold, Man of Stone, Bed of Tissue paper” instead. Who could be a viable love interest for Maxima? How far could it go? While Max’s womb would provide ultimate protection, labour could spaghettify the child unless Junior was also super-tough.
Maxima is tough. So tough, she wouldn’t contract while feeling birth pangs. So, not a problem, David.
Considering babies tend to resemble the mother’s species closest, and it would have her dna, it would be fine.
Resemble the mother’s species closest? What sort of interspecies breeding experiment is this based on?
don’t ask. (shudder) just don’t ask.
the less is known, the better (there are neuralyzers on the left though)
Now, someone mentioned earlier the “grey cracking” of the shield under Maxima’s punch, but when I zoom in on that it actually seems to be a bunch of little Möbius strips, all interleaved, which is interesting if that’s what the artist was really looking for. One could assume the force field is using a hyperdimensional ability to reflect the force back onto itself.
So, this forcefield would be weak to something like a vacuum cleaner. Stay away from mutant janitors, Sydney!
vulnerable to vaccuum cleaners? My dogs would agree.
I don’t think I’d be able to function properly with Sydney around. I’d be laughing too much. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the team thinks of her and what she thinks/does to them.
I’d probably use all my time to tape her and sell the recordings to Hollywood.
25% of the earnings would go to the needy, 25 to Syd, 25 for me and 25 to the ARCHON KIA-fund for the families.
I bet we’d all get used to her over time, like a guy who’s been transofmed into a girl will ultimately get used to the new airbags.
Not entirely true.. unless your talking about getting used to the upper changes solely. but even then that would most likly take a long time. This is do in part of the i/o feed the brain has with the body.. if the brain registers as male and suddenly the body was turned female then logically wouldn’t the brain think the changes as harmful since they are not a part of the brains internal blueprints?.. not to mention the potential Phantom Limb effect on the changed anatomy.from what i’ve learned from living with the wrong body is that it is extremely hard to “get used to” a body your brain registers as wrong.
You’re assuming that the brain stays unchanged. In most (fictional) cases where someone’s body is changed gender, the change is complete, including the brain/hormones of the new form. The drawbacks of this are seen in one of Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar short stories (mage turns into a bear and starts losing the complexity of human thought even when in human form).
Dunno what you’re talking about. Sydney is one of the most sensible comics characters I’ve come across in a long time. She thinks Tabasco sauce is wussy, which is true — it’s 85% vinegar!
Cool… I like her pwoers. :)
I’m curious, if these orbs were in a World of Darkness campaign, what kind of dice pool would we be talking about?
1.
Either it works,
or not.
This does not take into account damage rolls, contested rolls or effectiveness of original power stunts.
But, no matter. I think I may have worked out a methodology that would work well enough with WoD game mechanics. WoD is a very adaptable system.
i prefer GURPS
I’m curious. Is she able to call a particular orb to her hand, or do they just float round her head and she has to pick them out for which powers she wants?
Also, the forcefield seems to be able to change shape and size… I would be interested to see how much control she has over it. I’ve often had a thought with forcefields to use them as a weapon. With enough control over one you could extend a thin arm of force out from your protective bubble, and spin it. Or have a spiky bubble, etc etc.
Love the comic btw, i don’t comment much, but i do read!
or the simpler shield smash teq of sudden rapid sphere expansion to either knock the opponent back or push them to/through a wall/roof/floor
Holy crap.
There is seriously a butt load of super smart people who read this webcomic.
I could read through the comments section of each page and probably get a masters degree in theoretical physics by the time I was done.
It’s actually a “boat load”. Keep reading and you’ll qualify for that English degree too.
Boat load, butt load it has the same meaning, though the latter has a sexual implication. Or elimination indication.
Yep, and it also sounds funnier too.
Some of it is still hypothetical but if the math checks out then it is simply (not really) in need of concrete verification which is still a bitch for physicists at this time but maybe in the future, barring the extent of Global Climate Change and what the crypto-fascists have in store for us and the USA as it metamorphosis away from a Republic into an Empire like the Romans did. The dice are still in play.
Frankly, it’s a given. But more like the Byzantines. Check back in 80 years, I’m betting there’ll be 1000+ nations, reduced population, and maybe 1% of the current number of scientists.
Something tells me that whoever the original owner of those things is, they are probably very angry or upset they misplaced em or lost em. Oh well finders keepers.
Depends on how long they have been where ever they were when Sydney found them.
For all we know they could have been there for centuries.
They are invisable to magic senses, and probably a lot of technological senses as well.
his is a webcomic about superheroes who wants to bet whoever is powerful enough to make the orbs is powerful enough to extend his//her lifespan
^this^ my kingdom for an edit button
Shiver me timbers, them’s some great inioamrtfon.
actually i am curious about that, it seems that they are impossible to lose as Sidney has demonstrated, so the only options i can see are that either the previous owner had more knowledge on their working and was able to purposely leave them there, or something killed the previous owner. either way still leaves so many questions.
I can’t honestly say I’ve read all the comments, but is dabbler the same dabbler as in wereworld?
Yes.
okay, so i looked around a bit, werewolrd started in 2002 and Grrl power in 2010,. Rann ( the guy who did wereworld) said he begged for dabbler. That being said I would assume there that dabbler was around before wereworld or Grrl power. I would love to know if the comic that she first appeared in was available for viewing.
There is also of course the chance the two people know each other, and Dabbler is Dave’s character that he had done on paper (hence copyright by defacto) to him for some time. So this Rann guy asked to use her in his comic. It happens. Not sure where but I recall a comic where a character appears frequently, whose original creator just used for Deviant art pages or something.
Shame I can’t draw, I have tons of characters I’ve made over the years; anyone want to use a Kleptokinetic? Or an industrial sabotre with Umbrakinesis? Or perhaps Pizzaman, he fights for justice LoL. Its funny when I look back over my documents and see characters I made ages ago and say, “huh, totally forgot about him/her, maybe I can give them a cameo in one of my stories (which becomes a one person inside joke cameo…man that feels sad doesn’t it?).
We had a listing of weird superpowers in this forum a month or so back.
My idea at the time was a supervillian who’s power was to cause people to have multiple orgasams while he was robbing banks and things like that.
My premis was that no one would press charges against him for using his powers against him. Imagine a superhero trying to stop him. After word got around all the female superheros would be lining up to “try” to catch him.
As a superhero, it’s already been done: “Orgazmo” was a spoof of Hollywood by Trey Parker & Matt Stone, of “South Park”-fame.
(Door-To-Door-Evangelist Mormon(Parker) turns porn-star/superhero)
Saw a kleptovoiant in several episodes of the new “Thunder Cats.” Nice, a sentient raccoon with a master’s ability in taking things.
Yeah I don’t recall where I first posted her online. I had my own domain for a while, so it was probably there, but she wasn’t in any comics, it was just pinup style drawings.
In the USA, it is publication, not creation, that establishes copyright. However, if you want to have any success enforcing your copyright, you should register with the Copyright Office.
Can she use her laser while that forcefield is up, or would the laser just bounce around inside the forcefield and potentially kill her?
I got to wondering. Does she *have* to be holding those orbs in her hands to use them, or will they work if they’re touching her skin? If they can be just touching her skin somehow, that’d make her a lot more versatile, if nothing else. Just thought I’d ask.
It hasn’t been said officially in the comic yet, but only in her hands, so lots of powers, but can only use two at a time. I like superheroes that are powerful but have built in limitations.
I agree. When “The Flash” came on back in 1990, we were shown a super hero who had limitations. He could move fast but he needed to eat lots to keep up his strength and if he didn’t he ran the risk of blacking out. An excellent show killed by a know-nothing poop head who years later said he should have let it live at least one more season.
I am wondering if Sydney’s forcefield is rated at level 5 because that is the maximum level they can test it at.
Check Achilles’s bio entry
Y U hate chairs? Seriously, you never draw them when they should be seen lol.
Smoothly flipping the bird. I can tell, because Maxima can’t possibly feel an itch, whatwith her being so…gold…and whatnot.
I love the hidden middle finger, lol
You know, now I’m waiting for Halo to fight someone with laser beam attacks, and she uses this force-field to deflect the attack.
Am I telegraphing like Anvil? :)
THE SCRATCH-FACE FINGER! TACTICALLY ALLOWING YOU TO FLIP OFF YOUR BOSS SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION!
Should it worry me that combining her force field orb and her flight orb would qualify her as a ballistic weapon?
One more theory on Sydney’s origins, Inspired by Rhuen’s Theories (based on comedic effect):
Sydney was abducted by aliens. She proceeded to befuddle them with her antics, and caused damage to the vehicle’s interior. Also, her stream of invectives convinced them that correct translation of human language was simply not possible. At their wits’ end, they begged Sydney for mercy. She agreed to go, but only if they would give her something that would give her super-powers.
In alien speech:
Doskitoi: Ack! She knows we’ve got those spheres! I told you it was a bad idea to take them!
Sidfurtoi: Bilge! So you told us so! Repeatedly and redundantly. Let it nap as of now!
Figqutoi: You must admit that they have been an abundance of trouble. Give them to her and show her the egress. And be thankful to have retired two disasters at once.
um is Max flipping off Arianna in panel 8?
Stealth flip.
Real quality military move there coming back here and re-reading this years later. It’s not subtle but they can’t really call you out for it because you’re just ‘scratching your face’ or ‘adjusting your glasses’.
I mean, most people will just full out flip you off in front of God and everyone, but most people won’t in front of Officers or the senior enlisted.
Hehe testing orbs in a Ball room.