We can assume Sydney went into more detail and possibly did some demonstrations while Deus was having a laugh on the previous page.
The vote incentive is updated with Dabbler answering more questions about Harem.
If you enjoy the comic, share it and/or throw me a vote and maybe someone else who will enjoy the comic will find their way here. Thanks!
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SuperheroThey're super, thanks for asking!
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Meatspace ComicSeriously these are awesome. Check 'em out!
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Not UpdatingNo longer updating or only updates sporadically, but definitely worth reading.
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SeriouslySeriously you guys. If you like Grrl Power the check these out.
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"Mature"Mature subject matter and occasionally something explicit but usually safe. Can't guarantee the ads are safe though.
X
Dongs Ahoy!Full frontal and backal. Lots of skin, sex on some or all pages, explicit or otherwise.
Yay, Molestorb action upcoming!
My prediction is for Math to go with the basic Bugs Bunny ‘distract your enemy’ line of attack.
1) Slip inside the orbital defense shield using his speed and reflexes.
2) Launch a torpedo down the 2 meter thermal exhaust port (Oops,sorry. Wrong battle plan)
2) Plant a big mega-smooch kiss on Sydney to distract her and derail her her next move.
(which also keeps in character with his mega-perv reputation)
3) Covertly slip a pair of hand-cuffs on her while her hands are behind her back in the hope of keeping her from effectively controlling her orbs
4) Drop a paper bag over her head so she can not see where to focus any orb she might grab at random
(unable to be removed due to her being hand-cuffed)
5) Dart around saying ‘Hey over here!” in front of other persons he wants to be the target of any random outbursts she might be able to unleash.
End result: he gets to keep his reputation as hand-to-hand combat master and gets to school the uppity new kid while causing sufficiently amusing chaos in the office meeting room.
That all depends on Sydney needing to see which ball she’s summoning to her hand, if she can summon the telepresence ball without seeing it he looses most of the advantages to that plan. All she has to do is summon that ball, and continue her assault.
A competent, well-planned attack by Math seems far more likely than one by Sidney. Other than bonking people with one of ’em, I see no sign that Sidney’s thought much about how to fight with her orbs – let alone practiced, to have a worthwhile reaction speed.
It’s probably coincidence, but has anyone noticed that ultra-spicy meals seem to make Sidney more aggressive? I could say it’s post-meal blood sugar affecting her moods, but a Pepper-Powered Super ‘Tude sounds cooler.
Actually, I kind of see Sydney as the out-of-the-box strategist type. She has a long history with comic books and RPGs apparently, so coming up with plans like that is probably something she’s done for a while. Not to mention the fact that she’s had these orbs for a while now and nobody to use them on, so it wouldn’t surprise me if she’d spent a lot of that time fantasizing about how she’d defeat various comic book characters with them. She may have a Batman-eque list of plans for various super hero/villain types already in her head.
But, we’ll see how much of that is true and how much her own ego trips her up.
OMG, I’m laughing so hard after reading the sub-text at the bottom of the page. Well done! XD
I think Sidney is using the Com-ball and Math will connect with nothing and go spinning into a wall,
The com ball is floating above her head the whole time, she’s not using any right now.
Plus Sydney hugs Math, so we know that she is physically there. If it were her telepresence self her arms would have gone straight through him.
As regards the orb itself, we may find that it only allowed itself to appear in hand, in her earlier demonstration because it was a demo and was not utilising its full capability. We may yet find out that the technology/magic behind it (or more accurately the creators) were/are sophisticated enough to not show the orb in hand if a genuine attempt to deceive is being made.
Or, it could be created by technically smart being(s) who failed to consult their five year old child on simple ways to overcome the ultra tech illusion/uber magic item.
Ray Bradbury: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Is the TARDIS a magic device or the product of super-science engineering? The four-dimensional interface to a very sophisticated multidimensional object or a dimensionally transcendental magic box that travels through time and space? Can you tell the difference? The same logic (with different examples) applies to Syndey’s power orbs.
Yup. No argument here. I just lacked a word to cover both options. To solve that problem, henceforth I shall use the term: “Magitek”. Being a contraction of both. Needless to say, Googling it, I see that it is not a new idea. But that shall make it easier to encourage propagation of the term.
By the way, as with anything that I do not know, or cannot find out by myself, I have a cunning technique. I ask somebody who does know.
And thanks to DaveB, whilst this reminds me. I now spend far fewer hours browsing Wikipedia, looking up junk I probably will never need to know. And far more browsing Deviant Art. Lovely to find a place that has tons of legitimately free wallpapers, to turn my desktop into an art gallery.
Are you sure she’s not using any? I believe she has seven orbs, but I only see six orbiting her in the last panel…
Consensus of opinion, amongst the observant commentators is that the green orb may be behind Math’s head. The Comm Ball, which provides her telepresence power, is the tan/yellow orb, which is currently one of those in plain sight so, as Antonious says, she cannot have that in hand.
Looking at the final panel, I think that the missing orb is too big to hide in Sydney’s right hand, when you compare it to previous images of her holding an orb. However, you could be right if she is hiding the green orb behind her left hand.
Not that she can use any special powers with it, as it is one of the mystery orbs. But I could see her launching it at him (with a similar flick of the wrists to Spiderman firing his webs, which would fit in her world view very nicely).
The other option is that the green obs is hiding behind the text balloon.
Uh, make that green orb is hiding. I really need a
Previewbutton to aid in the proofreading process.Sydney is getting very big for her britches. And being a bit arrogant here. Can’t wait to see how it shakes out. Will there be survivors?
Panel 5 *That face* Math is ugly when he’s angry.
A lot of people are. But I am reminded of Akuma here….
Akuma is always angry.
$50 on Sydney one-hitting him again!
i think he only did that to try and get some pity-X(fill in X with w/e you want ;P )
OK, my guess for Sydney’s battle plan: make like she’s only using the spheres for defense and have them move around in a blocking pattern, then grab the shield and tentacle orb, put up defense for herself, go on offense with the tentacle and most of the free spheres, and then surprise hit him with the green one that she’s apparently already sent into hiding.
My guess for Math’s battle plan: look prepared to fight, suddenly look surprised, point at Dabbler and shout “Look out! An alien!”, then dodge between the orbs and give Sydney a headlock + noogies.
No idea which plan would work best though. :-P
She may have ADD, but she has already met Dabbles
You’d be surprised how many people I’ve distracted by excitedly pointing up to the sky behind them and shouting, “Look! A dead cow!” ;-D
If you do it right, it’s surprising how reflexive it is to look, even if it’s just to figure out what the other person is talking about.
Of course I’d like to see Syd beat this guy but after the fight I really want her to turn to the group and say
“Lesson for the day: Not only do I have the swiss army knife of powers, but I also fight dirty – as the stretchy guy over there can tell you.” Then she winks at Mr. Amorphous.
[I’m betting getting more info on the bank robbery was her one condition for signing up]
She saw him in disguise so she won’t see him here and my not know that he was part of the team.
Is it just me, or does Sydney’s eye patch look more like a thong on her head?
Just you. Except in panel 4, where it seems to have grown an extra strap. Unless always normally hidden under her hair, it should have been visible before. For example whenexamining her contract. Of course, Sydney has manga hair, so my petty comments are pretty much over-ruled by that.
Granted a three tie eye-patch is an interesting concept, and it looks like a clever design. Although all I have ever worn or seen only have the two. But it does seem quite strange there. Probably just because we would expect to see a normal strap continuing above the ear, rather than going both steeply above and below it.
I have seen a three-strap eye-patch IRL and even worn a two-strap one myself (years ago whilst on-stage playing a pirate… Go figure… :)), but the way I wore mine I had the strap go under the ear, not over it. Not quite sure how the patch would stay on with the strap over the ear, but if it worked for you…
I did check Google images of eye-patches, before posting, to see if I was a mutant. It turns out that, when visible, more than 90% of the images had the strap going above the ear.
Hmm 10 dollars on Sydney to win!
At some point Leon will have to shout out from the balcony “I bet 100 Quatloos on the newcomer!” just to give in to his geek side.
[Ferenghi] 10 Bars of Gold Pressed Latinum on the human female! (disgusting how they are all clothed) [/Ferenghi]
Yes I agree remove their clothes at once!
Max: I told him not to, but Sydney, that is what you get for taking on our best fighter.
Since nobody’s said it yet…
Round One. FIGHT!
As long as there is no Fatality!
MORTAL COMBAT
Mortal Kumquat!!!
logicless victory
Math looks hella badass in that last panel.
And on a completely different note: Because of the way the orbs are tethered to her, couldn’t Sydney use them to swing. Like Spidey? If she managed to hook them around a corner that is.
Interesting concept. I had not thought of that one. Possibly. But probably would require too intensive training to master, given that she has the fly orb anyhow. But it would be an interesting option for circumstances where she was already committed to using two orbs for some other reason (holding something precious with the tentacle orb and staying alive with the force field orb, say).
Maybe for close quarter maneuvering, to redirect her momentum. It’s a bit hard to judge from the “Hiding under the Ambulance” scene, but I don’t think the range on the orders is more then 20 feet or so.
….range on the orbs…..
She can also pull the orbs to her, so she can also hook it on something shorter and potentially raise an lower herself.
Or just make a four or five point seat…
I simply love the sh1t eating grin Penny has when Sydney says she beat Math
Penny? Who’s that?
I think he meant Peggy. She has a tiny little grin up in the box seats in panel 2.
I hate you so much right now, I don’t wanna wait for Monday!
Panel four…. Shouldn’t there be people behind math?
Unless everyone lined up behind him, he’s rather skinny. Theres supposed to be three people visible, even with the slight angle change of the view.
For tactics, Its rather certain sydney has hidden the green orb, as most tellingly, there are no green trails around sydney.
Using that, its clear she’s actually goading him into the fight just to show off.
Anvil from the side: *flick ‘I win.’
Comparing skill levels, Math should wipe the floor with Sydney. She may be armed, but she is a rookie. A skilled martial artist can disarm a cocked gun held at his head. That is a real life example, albeit a controlled demonstration, not something out of a movie. If he is as good as his profile suggests, Math should be able to disable her before she even realises he has started to move! Bare in mind that Max could move before a teleporter could react and he is listed as being almost as fast as her.
Of course, if Sydney whacks him on the back of the head with her green orb, he might be out of the fight, before it begins (well spotted those who picked up on that). Or she may be underestimating the perceptiveness of a pre-eminent warrior. He has been caught out by a hidden orb before, I doubt he will fall for that again. Even if her own eyes do not betray her, there are plenty of witnesses who’s looks he can interpret . Let alone reflective surfaces (the other 6 orbs for example).
If her genre-savviness extends to martial arts, and she realises how outclassed she is, she may prevail, by raising her force field at the outset. If she can still use the orbs outside that, or the powers of other orbs, like the tentacle or PPO, then she should be pretty much invincible. Of course, he will likely be fast enough to out-maneuver all her attacks (unless blind-sided). Resulting in a stand off.
One other point to consider is that now Math has been called out in front of a room full of his peers, he is not likely to hold back. Amongst his other listed powers is the symbol that I take to indicate blaster abilities. At a power rating equal to Halo’s PPO! Whether this represents his skills with thrown weapons, such as shurikens, or if he actually has Liu Kang style fiery attack abilities remains to be seen. Either way it is something that, without a raised force field, Sydney will be very unlikely to counter fast enough.
A lot of ways it could go.
Personally, I suspect that Sydney may lose this one, if only because she now seems to be getting rather full of herself. Pride Goeth Before The Fall, and all that.
The problem with disarming Sydney is that she has some ability to summon the orbs back to her.
I want to see Math try to disarm Sydney of 7 ords while Sydney is summoning them back to her.
I purposely said “disable” as regards Sydney, rather than “disarm”, although I did confuse the issue by linking to a disarming clip (but only cause it was a really cool demonstration that showed raw speed in a normal but highly skilled mortal).
Given his capabilities the options available to him are vast. But rendering her unconscious would be the most effective. I suspect he will rule out pain techniques though, as they are more likely to invoke berserk tongue-fu than submission!
Any ‘staged’ demonstrations of skill by a martial artist is just that: STAGED!!! and as such, invalid as a true comparison of skill (they might as well be using nerf guns)
If I were being held hostage, with a gun to my head, I would rather have that guy standing next to me, than Bruce Willis. If you check his credentials, he trains police in disarm techniques. Including how to minimise the risk of the trigger being accidentally pulled in the disarm.
He is not a stage illusionist. He is just giving a demonstration of a hard practiced technique. And checking out his own comments, he is not fool enough to try it unless the situation favoured it. I would prefer the hostage taker be talked down than take the risk. But if it looked like he was pysching himself up to pull the trigger, I would rather a controlled disarm were attempted than a head shot.
Is it my imagination or is Sydney dropping into horse stance? While annoying it does make it harder for someone to knock you on your can and most of the effective attacks can be launched from this stance. I suspect this is her way of climbing to the top of the fighter heap she may very well actually know how to fight and has more then likely been practicing with the orbs for this sort of fight.
I have to ask, is Zoeng and Maxima up to something? Seems to me all this is just a bit out of sink.
I would think that Maxima will stop the fight after a couple of minutes.
What better way to let eveyone else see what Sydney’s able to do then to take on another superhero.
But Maxima will want to stop the fight before Sydney uses the PPO orb.
Forgetting about Syd’s obvious powers for a second – how far away from he head can she make those orbs orbit? Could she sit inside a forcefield and have the orbs circle outside it? Math can’t hit her, but she can hit him from six different directions at once … and have them chase him down the hallway if necessary. :-D
Judging from past pages, I’d guesstimate about 15-20 feet. So yes, she could sit inside a forcefield and have the orbs circle outside it.
She could use the Flying orb combined with the Force-field orb and still have then orbit out side of the field. That way if he even moves away she could just fly over to him protected.
Read this for the 2nd time and Sydney still reminds me of Edward from FMA
Wow they kind of have the same bangs. I’ve only ever seen the first episode of that. I should stick it on my watch queue.
Can we pretend they are brother and sister?
I would recommend the (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood) series as its closer to the original Manga, and actually makes sense in how it ends. The original series is close but only up to a certain point; when the Manga was then behind the anime, so the anime writers, like with so many other series like Chrono Crusade or the Bleach filler arcs took it in their own direction…and what they came up with actually made the original writer laugh.
there has been a movement in Japan in recent years about keeping anime true to the Manga, hence Full Metal Alchemist the Brotherhood, the new Hellsing series that removes the additions, and Dragon Ball Z Kai which edits out filler moments and episodes put in by animators.
now if only they would go back and put the correct continuation on Chrono Crusade instead of the teeth kicking crap the animators put in there.
I so agree with you!
It wasn’t the hair style that said “Edward” it was how she over-reacted to everything. Like Edward does if some one calls him short.
Anyone notice the bet at the bottom. I’m betting with Max on this one.
No fight today. Fight tomorrow! There’s always a fight tomorrow! (Sydney and Leon would get the reference.. ;)
But really, no fight today. They got a press conference in a couple of minutes, do they not ;D
I always cringe when I see “arse” spelled “ass”. Not sure why, never happens with other American spellings.
unlike other “spellings” this one is a different word. We pronounce it differently.
Yeah, but ‘grass’ is also pronounced ‘gr-arse’ and ‘gr-ass’ (‘gr-ass’ is the wrong one btw)
I never heard a Brit pronounce Grass as Grarse.
watch any british cop show ever
you implying the cops or low brow Brits they arrest?
which would be like pointing out the American show “Cops” and implying how the hicks they arrest stand for correct American dialect pronounciations.
You implying the only ones they arrest are ‘low brow’?
no, but if their cop shows are anything like American ones then those people are the ones that bring in ratings so are very likely to be seen on the show.
neither, just sayin that if you want to hear grass pronounced as “grarse” use the above method or talk to an Aussie
i thought an ass was the cross between a horse and a donkey (or something like that) and an arse was something you sit on and politicians speak out of
that would be a Mule or “Jack Ass”
an Ass is a Donkey.
Part of Math’s skill is in reading the muscles/body of his foe. Sidney’s muscles will not give away anything with the orbs so Math will have to track all seven orbs plus Sidney… not impossible, but not as easy as he is used to with the other teammates. I’d give the edge to Sidney but it can go either way (including a double knockout).
She gets her ass handed too her and she learns humility.
Or, she wins inflating her ego. Then gets her ass handed to her in the first day of training and learns humility.
At some point she need a fifty pound sack of humility.
No, no. She wants a pony, not a donkey!
LOL, took me a minute to get that joke.
That was a good one, thank you
Omg I need more….. XD I’m laughing too hard
I think it would be awesome to see Math grab one of the orbs then get taken for a ride as it follows it’s defeault trajectory around Sydney’s head.
if he figures out it can do that, he could take Sydney by surprise by riding the orb in for an attack.
You think Syd wont consider that? I would, and then I would play “whip the boy against the wall.”
A fun game, I’m sure. Unless you’re the one getting whipped into the wall.
or the ceiling, or the floor
I like how Math has plus things on his choker. It fits perfectly. I guess I never noticed until now. I can not wait until next week to see how this fight goes.
Next scene, Sydney uses the tentacle orb to rip Math’s shirt off, drools, he gets a bit of his own lechery medicine from the new girl, but then Sydney smiles and says something about some tentacle fun.
Maxima decides to break it up right there, Dabbler disagrees, Sydney says she was just joking anyway, but implies only because there are so many people around.
I love this! I want to see this as a guest/filler strip if it can’t be added to the storyline!
This can go both ways… truly, but if Sydney needs to learn something, its a bit of humility… somehow, and soon!
… however, I truly hope for Math learning the art of Tentacle Fu, on the receiving end!
YES! Cthulhu-Fu!
“This can go both ways…”
Yes, and so does Dabbler! (rimshot)
“(rimshot)”
Dabbler did what to who now? (ba -dum kish).
“Both” implies that there are only two options, and Dabbler can go alot more ways than just two.
DaveB the other day you mentioned that there were a number of technical odds and ends you had on your to do list. If any of them are related to the email notifications for new comments, could you make a minor alteration to the automatic email?
Specifically, to separate the “unsubscribe” option from the “view comment” link by pushing it further down the email, into a separate paragraph. My aim can be rather vague at times, and I have clicked on the wrong line more than once. Including this occasion.
*Just remembered to put a fresh check mark in the Email me box! *
Getting it to take you to the specific comment would be nice, whilst on the subject. But I appreciate that is a more complex operation than pushing a line further down a page.
That’s just a plugin I’m using so I don’t know how much control I have over the formatting in the email, but I will look into it. Or I’ll add it to my to do list and eventually look into it.
Cool, that was quick work! You have now given it idiot proofing. I need that. :-) Thanks.
This has got to be the longest hour EVAR!
Since the time they were told the press conference would be in an hour, they’ve had lunch, gone to the infirmary, lectured by Max, geek-quizzed Leon, gone over a hefty contract, introduced Sydney to the team, and now are taking the time to fight Math? And they seriously want Sydney on stage when she hasn’t even been briefed or sworn in, much less has her uniform issued. She hasn’t even picked a handle yet!
they borrowed heavily from The Order of Wen the Eternally Surprised.
I like toast.
While I must applaud your selection in glucose-enriched breakfast foods, I emplore you not forget the noble pancake.Clearly one should not forget the revered Donut, but this goes without saying.
You’re just waffling. :P
Yea, maybe. But it is all about the dough. :p
*groan* there getting worse
If I were just loafing around, I would follow the trail of breadcrumbs in this conversational thread to see if it leads to a gingerbread cottage.
It may lead to the Hostess. But all you Twinkie’s would just be leering at the cupcakes.
*sniffle*
Ever since Ghost Busters, I have wondered what a Twinkie is. Then, when I found out, I wanted to try one. Plus they keep cropping up in movies. Being heavily featuring in a recent very good zombie movie.
Despite which, I hear that they will not be produced any more. Something else that will not be crossed off my “Things to do before I die” list.
Although Hostess, the company that made Twinkies has gone out of business, I understand that another company has purchased their product line, and will be making Twinkies.
Yay! *hugs*
*rubs out strike-through on Twinkie line of list*
*adds extra underscore on “Attend Solstice at Stonehenge 3,000* (no intentions of dying anytime soon)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/03/12/twinkies-buyer-says-cakes-could-return-summer/Q0v2ZN3KprQe3AQsYnrNlL/story.html
I’ll leave this here to amuse you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j43UxmAMbWc
From the glowing contrails, I’m pretty sure the missing orb is hidden behind the small of Sydney’s back.
Thats a possibility, but following the trails only reveals the six visible. There is no green trail so its just as likely to be behind math as people suggest.
Hmm. Yeah, on closer examination I think it’s the blue’s contrail that I was looking at. It kind of vanishes against the couch after it passes Sydney.
Behind his back would be the obvious place for Syd to put it but in that location her move would for all intent be a “donkey punch.” Dangerous. If she wanted to have some real fun she could drop the ball to near floor and place it just above Math’s foot, pinning it there. Math getting knocked unconscious from behind would be a “low blow.” Math tripping and falling flat on his face is a gag.
One thing to help you guys. Check panels 2 and 4. The green orb is between the com ball and the force field orb. However, panel 5 we can clearly see that there is no green orb between them.
Too bad about the exclusionary way they vote, I recall it drive me nuts trying to figure out how to vote last year.
So he said donate to paypal and I could vote, pay pal was still open, like whose subscription that? Still no chance to vote yet he’s talking about buying votes.
Isn’t there some other site we can do this kind of thing for you that isn’t so crazy to use?
6 comics I’ve heard of is better then the last time, and out of all I read last time, even the winners, I note, they aren’t on my lists… except the 2 sites that referred me to vote for them there.
Bummed again, Scott
Ha you may be facing another comic that is in the contest aswell. I hope you two don’t have to face eachother… I wouldn’t know who to vote for then.
Correction to that. “You may be facing another web comic that I know and love in that contest as well.”
Perhaps this personal appeal might sway your vote?
I will almost definitely have to borrow that if you don’t mind. :)
Heh, how could I object when it is your own art! I would, of course, be honoured if you did.
Dude!!!!!
That almost made my “Warm and Fuzzes” start me crying.
In other words….AAAAAWWW!
I’m worried about Order of the Stick. I think that may be the end of the journey. OotS’s readership has got to be 10x what mine is, he’s been doing it for 10 years now, and he’s the guy that asked for $50K on his book reprint kickstarter and wound up with $1.2 million. I’d like to make it further in the tournament but I couldn’t feel too bad if I lost to him. I will probably at least try begging all my friends on facebook for a vote though. :)
Guess we’ll find out. If you have to lose, best lose to a giant. ;)
Remember DaveB, when you do a kick-starter for a book, get insurance for every one’s screens, because everyone will be throwing money at them! :p
As of this moment, with 436 votes it’s:
Order of the Stick – 220 votes
Grrl Power – 216 votes
Four more votes for you and it’s tied. Five and you’re in the lead.
I’d say that’s pretty damn respectable. :-)
Yeah, I was hoping to slip by OotS unnoticed, but I think on of their readers noticed and is spreading it around. OotS’s facebook page has 20K fans. One post there and it may be over, but I’ll fight tooth and nail while I can!
Voting is closed and they just have to add in the final Hero Initiative vote totals, but with 666 votes it’s:
Order of the Stick – 336 votes
Grrl Power – 330 votes
Still a pretty darn close race. We should know the final results later today.
OOTS is currently ahead (315 to 286), but they don’t count the Paypal votes until the end of the round. Too bad I’m out of lunch money. :(