Grrl Power #295 – Ovareaction
I’m sure no woman has ever done this. I’m also fairly certain most women have wanted to. Yes that’s right, Book 2 opens with our heroine punching herself in the ovaries. That should set the tone nicely. Eventually I will go back in and draw a splash page to insert before this one indicating the new chapter.
I thought a lot about whether book 2 would just start with the next day or jump ahead a few months, maybe to catch us up with the flash forward at the beginning of the comic, but I knew if I did that, then half the comic would wind up being flashbacks to Sydney going through basic training because there’s a whole lot of humor to mine there. Plus my favorite part of most superhero stories is the origin tale slash discovery phase where they’re learning about their powers and limitations. (Except when a movie studio is rebooting a franchise for the third time and for some reason feel the need to retread the origin story. It’s like sitting through a long joke that you already know the punchline to. Everybody knows Superman is from Krypton and Spider-Man got bitten by a spider!) But don’t worry, day two will not take another 300 pages to get through, in fact I think book two should cover several weeks of time.
Also, evidently Sydney’s version of quarters is played with 20-siders – although the 20-sider in panel 5 seems to be sitting outside of her bowel, which is… concerning, now that I think about it. In any case I may have taken some liberties with the background of that panel. Sydney does not, for example, have a broken Guyver unit where one of her kidneys should be. The dragon thing is probably true though.
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.
Considering this and previous self-treatments, I’m glad Sydney isn’t going into the medical and/or psychiatric professions.
Why does one of her ovaries have a moustache?
Enquiring minds need to know!
How else does one counter the bowler
Peanuts and other reasons.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QCufdbla_9Q/UFzJkOXwM8I/AAAAAAAAArA/Nb80ewTtz0g/s1600/keepcalmstache5.jpg
that’s awful
Visual puns, you really can’t beat them.
Anyone else feeling a bit at a loose end now that the big fight is over. it’s been going on for so long in terms of page updates part of me is almost “oh right, there’s plot stuff in this comic. back to it then :)”
I hope that DaveB is working on an age gate, as we speak. The background in various of the panels, such as the last three, have me hopeful. It is not gratuitous if it is a slice of life. Besides which, fans need servicing from time to time.
Or we could settle for tasteful, if we absolutely must.
*glares towards the feminist audience, with wry resentment*
As a feminist, I have to ask why you’re hoping for fanservice from Sidney of all characters when you’ve got a genuine succubus in the cast?
Because I prefer Sydney.
Besides which, she is our principle protagonist. When I get in the shower, or stand in front of the mirror afterwards, there is not a blurry patch in front of any indecent bits. Nor a conveniently positioned shampoo bottle. Having such things happen, whilst I am empathising with a character (seeing the world from their perspective), just takes me out of the moment.
Barring when it is done for comedy effect, of course. In a suitable tongue-in-cheek movie.
It is one of the niggling irritations of our societies obsession with modesty and censorship/self-censorship. Yes, we have to comply with nudity taboos in public, or else face the wrath of the law, for indecent exposure. But where the body is normally seen, I find it annoying that it intrudes even there.
The nude body is a beautiful thing, and deserves to be depicted as such. Rather than being hidden away.
But, just to be clear, I do object to it being done gratuitously. Or in a way which might demean or be undignified. However, I do not see Dave as being likely to handle it in such a way. And this is an appropriate setting, should he choose to follow the principles of the comic. Namely showing gorgeous female super heroes in a realistic way. Pixelated breasts are not natural.
Sydney is physically my type: small body, long hair, but… her ADHD and mine would be in a constant feedback loop XD
i agree…we would be fighting over who gets the (insert shiny object). or we would have long discussions that would get so off topic one of us would say “how did we get to talking about (insert random subject)” to which the other would not be able to answer since our attention span would require us to go backwards through the conversation which would probably get derailed halfway through…
Need a t-shirt for that one.
“How did we get from Star Trek to (insert painful disturbing strange thing here)?”
“Well we started on Star Trek and got off into a tangent about alien women, which reminds me….”
I do think there are a few like that, if not we might be able to mak…ask Dave to do it ^^
That was half my conversations with my teachers as a kid
Yeah, train of thought gets derailed going forward, then gets derailed going back to find where it got derailed in the first place :D
Well we got as far as the spinning tassel in the wardrobe malfunction imagination joke.
I and others would not desire this change based on various reasons (only some of which are below depending on the person). It would lower our enjoyment of the comic and perhaps drive some away. But if DaveB were to join you in believing that such a level of nudity were necessary for story or comedy in the future and wished to make such a change perhaps there is a compromise? If he can afford some help with the website maybe something that can register your desire to see or not see such content and then send you to either the censored or uncensored version of your choice with a cookie so you can just click through most of the time after that. Would be nice if we had the same comment sections though. Perhaps a traffic counter for both sides of the comic and a way to indicate which camp you were in on Patreon as well so you wouldn’t receive unwanted “extras” and Dave could see how many of both groups were paying the bills so he could adjust content accordingly. (even though I don’t want tons of nudity Dave’s got a right to make money and if my side isn’t getting it done them’s the breaks I guess… *shrug*)
If Dave is reading this he probably wants to know if I want a pony and fries with that as well… XD
Below is a bunch of extra thoughts on the subject for those that like my blah blah comments or blah blah comments in general. But nothing earth shattering so feel free to ignore.
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I grew up with that level of “stuff in the way” tactics obscuring bits and so it doesn’t take me out of anything. Just like Sydney’s big eyes don’t take me out of this comic because I have adjusted to this style from the artist. What usually takes me out of a story is when it breaks its own form by suddenly doing things different. Like ignoring its own stated rules for how powers/physics/society works in that world or say the comic suddenly starting to show full nudity after a whole book of not doing so despite tons of opportunities.
Some reasons I don’t like full nudity in my entertainment or don’t see it as necessary.
1) It usually gets used in place of creativity. Either intentionally from the start or it creeps in as the creators get in a bit of a block or creativity lull for jokes and character development to entertain us with and in a semi-harried moment think, “HEY, let them have nakey people!” “They’ll like that, it sort of fits whats going on/the character and I haven’t done that sort of thing before/that much.” The crowd loves it and those that don’t are replaced by those who search the web for series willing to show such. The next time the creator is harried, maybe setting up a new part of the web site or a store or something, and they get a bit behind they remember that it “worked” last time and throw it out there again. The first so many times its not too bad cause they had some ideas built up that can use it smoothly but if it keeps getting easier to fall back on till its a crutch eventually it will replace superior creative ideas. (cause it works sadly.) Yeah, I know DaveB is “different”. Everybody is… till they aren’t…
2) I have like exactly one friend who has any desire to see that sort of entertainment so heaven forbid the whatever it is IS any good I now can’t share its awesomeness with anybody in my circles. Sharing is a big part of the fun!
3) It reduces the total audience available to DaveB. A very bad thing. The more audience he has the greater the potential for other people to use Patreon to pay for the comic I am enjoying for free and if enough money pumps into DaveB it might improve his tools or give him access to time saving services in his regular life or even people to share the work load on the comic so that we would get either more comic per week or a higher quality comic. And it would be reducing the audience for something that would add nothing to the story and very little to the humor. (besides being “beautiful” I have to admit nakey folks can be hilarious at times but MOST, not all but a lot, of those jokes can still be conveyed perfectly [our imaginations do a better job of filling in the gaps then any artist anyway] without actually showing every little thing [heh])
4) It feels odd to me to see a character nude who would not want me to see them nude. Dabbler would want me to see and probably Harem so while the above reasons still apply I at least don’t feel like this is an unnatural act. Sydney is telling me this story and she is easily embarrassed/body shy so I feel like even if she were directing a movie the nudity would be obscured but most importantly HER nudity would never be shown. Not even the tassel thing in the wardrobe malfunction. She would have just show it cut to just enough of a level to suggest nudity and then shown strippers tassel swinging into view as she gyrated IF she allowed the joke at all. So if the only way Sydney nude works for me is if it is of HUGE importance to the story cause it would be of huge importance to her. If its just for laughs then go ahead and put that potted plant or desk there.
5) “The nude body is a beautiful thing.” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If there is something in existence then somewhere there is a human who wants to see it. The reverse is also true. There are some forms of nudity I don’t want to see treated casually… ever. Never ever. I just watched a British show called Doc Martin where his fat elderly farmer auntie is in hit on and eventually won by a young man with an Oedipus thing for her. They decided to show Doc walking in on his Auntie for laughs and to illustrate the mental scarring of the moment but chose to not show anything beyond her naked legs swinging out to the sides while the rest was blocked by the clothes they had just barely opened enough for the deed and the angle of the shot. I am very glad they did. I don’t want to see that. Is that ageist or some kind of ist? Don’t care, don’t want to be so “tolerant” if that is indeed what being cool with watching the elderly getting it on is. If its a personality defect I’m gonna just go ahead and hang on to it. (even when I’m that old I’m thinking I’ll only want to see my significant other of that age naked. Love changes things up a bit after all)
6) Many of us, and certainly all us older folk, grew up with these nudity hiding actions and most of us know what is involved by second nature now so I know exactly what the story is trying to “show” me when I see clothes dropping to the floor, the right stretch of shoulder/back/curves/whatever and it doesn’t take me out of the world anymore then a 3D movie having cruder graphics once I have adjusted to their level. Or say when an anime character goes super deformed to show an emotion. THAT is in no way natural at all and goes way beyond the “normal” larger eyes/hands etc… conventions of general cartoons but once my mind has adjusted to this language’s meaning as it pertains to that storytelling medium it works fine as a replacement for the fine detail of expression I would be able to see in a live action close up of a face.
7) As it stands the group that wants to see it and the group that doesn’t can both view, completely comprehend and greatly enjoy the same comic. If the comic goes big into nudity one side looses the ability to view the comic in an enjoyable fashion. Now there are different shades of people on this issue obviously. Some of us who don’t want to see it so much can tough it out but the more its used the more we will feel diminishing returns on what enjoyment we get from the regular content. I just don’t think its that important to the the themes and purposes of this comic’s creator to have full nudity.
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Very well argued. I think the most compelling one is point 3. Reducing the audience is indeed a bad thing, financially or otherwise. And it would not be good if it caused embarrassment.
Mind you, that does lead to one counter-argument. Should it cause embarrassment? For those who have grown up under censorship, I can see how it does. But if we enter an age where everybody is comfortable with their own bodies, and seeing others, would society not be better off?
Rather than treat the symptoms of censorship, with more censorship, why not try curing embarrassment, by having entertainment with sensitively portrayed nudity?
Short short answer:
You have a lot of faith in humanity.
Not quite as Short answers:
Nope, from a purely logical standpoint, it shouldn’t. (humans… logical… BUWAHAHAHA!! XD )
No. Humans don’t work like that. We always find ways to make it suck. (differently but equally!)
That would be fine. A decent part of the entertainment industry won’t do that unless laws force them however. When overexposure bores society about nudity they will switch to straight up perversion/sex/mutilation whatever gets the job done that nudity or near nudity used to accomplish for the cheap thrill. Personally I would rather keep nudity taboos in place and occasionally reinforce them (as they constantly erode) as a buffer for these types of humans to beat their heads against…
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Additional thoughts:
Its one of those things that is impossible to know, for sure, the full ramifications until you’ve accomplished it.
Individually humans can choose to be truly awesome. And those individuals might benefit greatly from this wonderful new naked society of yours. As a group though humans generally respond to their instincts in several different levels of disappointing ways.
So I guess the real answer is that if more nudity is shown it wouldn’t fundamentally change anything so why not go ahead and do it? After all we are already going that direction. Shows like Game of Thrones are starting to pop up and attempt to make nudity and even straight up porn/bdsm etc… more mainstream.
So we will get there. And when we get there it will change nothing and we will be just as crappy to each other and probably somebody will incorrectly blame some of it on all the casual nudity and then the pendulum will start to swing back the other way…. *sigh* humans…
But I’m getting older and like all people starting to age they feel an increasing resistance to unnecessary chance followed by a hatred of all change but I’m not there yet. So since ultimately it won’t change how crappy we are to each other I would like to keep a few things the way they are.
I would like nudity or at least full nudity to be rare enough that it would still be a gift given to someone you care about even if you are an actor/actress (because in your improved world actors would have to, career wise, show themselves if the story “naturally” would at that point).
And also I would not want to see the bizarre body alterations that would be done when people expected to have their bodies seen as often as going to the beach, pool, some kinds of exercise/yoga/sports or where ever it was convenient or natural to be naked. Their flesh would essentially become part of their wardrobe and with the desperate need humans have to present certain images for various instinctive reasons they would feel a great need to control that flesh’s appearance to a much greater degree in a world where it is more likely to be seen on a semi-regular basis.
And some stuff I can’t imagine given just the space of this comments typing to come up with. But you know it would suck for those who succumbed to it like so many do now to a lesser degree (cause at least you can hide alter some of that stuff with just clothes if you fold to societal/instinctive pressures).
Before everybody jumps up and says BUT ITS ALREADY THAT SHITTY >>with<< clothes! If you read back through my comment you will see me acknowledge that fundamentally there would be no difference but I'm old enough I am used to the current ways in which humans are shitty to each other. I'm aware of it, would seek to make it better if I'm given an opportunity, but I've adjusted to it enough that I don't have to constantly have strong emotions about it which would burn me out.
Please spare me new and improved versions of the same issues that would make it impossible for me to find any peace when they were present.
Good points. 4) is the big one for me, I generally wouldn’t want to “break character” and do a nude of a character that wouldn’t pose for one. I don’t plan on really ever having nudity in the comic itself anyway, maybe except for the odd butt used for comedy effect. As far as bonus material goes though, obviously that’s fair game on occasion. Personally I’m a fan of sexy comics with rampant nudity (so long, as you say, the nudity adds something to the comic, not takes the place of something else like humor or character development) but it’s not the flavor I want for this comic.
What I’m pretty sure Yorp is getting at here is that you’ve got an amazing track record of putting cheesecake where it would logically be located. Here for example.
That particular impulse is one of the reasons half the webcomics I read are adult-rated. They aren’t afraid to put adult things where they’d actually go. One of my single biggest peeves in art is the intentional self-censorship of “objectionable” material. I’ve dropped many artists because they do that before, and even some author/writers.
I’m all for not putting gratuitous anything in art. Violence, swearing, nudity, you name it. If it’s out of place, it’s out of place. But the reverse is also true. If it belongs there and you DON’T include it, the omission is glaring (at least to me).
That being said, you naturally avoid the kind of situations where I would be screaming obscenities at my screen for blatant censorship. If you want to avoid nudity, that’s your choice and I respect that. Just please don’t “avoid” it by using cheap gags and cop-outs repeatedly?
Warning: TvTropes link incoming. Click at own risk!Scenery Censor is a cute gag once in a blue moon, but I’d much rather an artist/author just avoid the situation entirely than use it with any regularity.
By the way: Thanks for making such an awesome comic! I actively look forward to comic updates, which is something I can’t say about a lot of the comics on my piperka list (centralized comic update checker. I got tired of having a bunch of bookmarks in date-delimited folders that were wrong half the time anyway)
Actually what Yorp said was that he hoped there would come a time (soon) where DaveB would show nudity freely (no oddly clingy soap bubbles, wisps of steam or well placed objects in the way of nipples, etc… ) because he apparently has the type of mind that can’t fully adjust to these things and will always notice them, at least a little, so it takes him out of the “moment” in the comic. According to Yorp’s standards DaveB is already doing this kind of censorship with the way shots are framed, wet clothes that somehow show us everything BUT nipples, etc… and perfectly positioned objects. Like this.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/933
And Yorp is right. This is a self censored comic above and beyond simple avoidance (as DaveB says himself it won’t have full nudity beyond a bit of cleavage on both ends). I prefer this and Yorp does not. But both of us are flexible and just like I would probably not drop the comic if it started showing a few nipples here and there Yorp is not going to drop it cause it refuses to show them with a few little “tricks” now and then.
That is cool. It will not lessen my enjoyment in any way, and avoids alienating others too. So a very balanced course to stick to. As ever, I shall look forward to any of the bonus material, as and when it may come along.
*wags tail contentedly*
Concerning the Patreon “Extras”:
Well, is that set up in such a way that if we pay we don’t have to see it? Is it large thumbnails or like just a text link or something? Never used Patreon. Donation buttons on occasion here and there when the cash was flowing.
I’m not sure if it would be a problem for me or not to tell the truth but for all those “listening in” for whom it would be a problem you wouldn’t want them thinking, after reading all of this, that, “Well, I better not give them any money or if I do be darned careful about how I check my dashboard. (or whatever Patreon has)
So those would be some good questions to answer for the, “I’ve got money to give but don’t want THOSE extras.” camp. Which I suspect is a small camp here but still.
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For OTHER (not DaveB) prospective webcomic authors who may be listening in:
I think what would be nice. I mean I wouldn’t want nor do I have the right to ask someone to screw up the natural flow of their comic but:
Should you start a comic in the future where you DO think full nudity will be a big feature please get some of the “highest level” of nudity/sex/whatever in as early as you can. Or at least a solid indication of same, a hard to miss text warning of all that will be involved or whatever you think will work best. Cause nothing is more painful then devoting years of your life to something and then realizing some sudden shift in said levels is going to ruin it for you to the extent you will naturally stop reading it. It won’t really affect you either way but it is a nice way to do things. Also it will attract your proper audience and give them a solid taste of the goods as early as possible so you can start making money (where/if possible)
Like Grrlpower has done. Grrlpower is, so far, holding true to the standards set up both in comic and in author text comments at this time. And its a great level. It has enough titillation to hold Yorp while not driving everyone else. We are loosing a few extremists of both varieties but getting the bulk of humanity who lies in the middle. (and picking back up quite a few of the one type of extremist with the paid for “extras” so yay! All sexy monies to Dave while us prudes coast for FREE!! MUWAHAHAHA!! )
In the words of a particular undead necromancer (insert irony here): FOR PONY!
You just don’t put your shampoo bottle in the right spot
Are you suggesting that it is acceptable to “objectify” aliens? Or perhaps that it is okay because Dabbler asks for it? Victim blaming for the win!
Personally I think that equating “focusing on/acknowledging sexuality” with “objectification” is absolutely absurd, as is the idea that paying attention to a character’s sexuality is a bad thing. But if you are going to do that, you should pay attention to the natural implications of your comments.
It’s not victim blaming to point out that she really was consenting, if this is the case.
That said, I’m kind of lost on what the root comment here means. Is it because she’s in a bathroom?
It was just the shower curtain. Sometimes the background is just the background. But Sydney is dirty, and does need a shower. Dave can simply skip past this, of course. But, I am an optimist. It is a tricky moment for him, though.
He does actively champion issues in this area. And has attracted a good proportion of feminists amongst the readership. Which is a very good thing. So he will be wary of alienating us. So I am just putting forward the case that he is capable of doing a nude scene (either discreetly, if lacking an age gate, or realistically, with the aid of one), without intrinsically violating the principles he, I, and other moderate feminists, are in favour of.
That said, I respect the views of ‘rabid’ feminists (just a wry allusion to Maxima, as opposed to taking the mick), even if I do not agree with them.
>It’s not victim blaming to point out that she really was consenting, if this is the case.
It is still “objectification” which is usually viewed by the people who use the term as objectively wrong. Dabbler has never suggested that she wants to be treated as an object. Rather, she wants to be treated as a sexual being. However, everyone I know who uses the word “objectification” equates the two, despite them being entirely different meanings. So it doesn’t matter whether she is okay with it, it is still “wrong”.
Remember kids, enforcing views of sexuality on other people is bad unless a feminist is the one doing it.
Thinking on it, also as a feminist, * I find it sad that Sydney should be considered as a lesser candidate for guys to find attractive. Especially as there are far more girls out there (some of which will be reading the comic or even these comments), who will be closer to Sydney’s build than Dabbler’s.
Just because many guys will like extrovert behaviour (I do) and large breasts (I do not), does not mean that girls with more modest physiques and a shy personality should feel that they are inferior. Far from it. I way prefer those characteristics.
Sydney (and the other non-supers, such as Peggy) are far more realistic/average than the ‘natural-born supers’. As such we should celebrate her, and them, whenever we get the opportunity. Feel proud of your bodies girls!
Likewise, for a token nod to equality, the same goes for any lads out there. Even if you are not hung like a porn star, you should feel proud to be as you are.
* Yes, a bloke can be one too. One of the reasons why I inserted the ‘wry’ in my glare emote, above. It was intended to be partially self-depreciating, for those who know me well enough. Likewise I champion many politically correct issues here. Yet I actively oppose over-political correctness.
Both being overly political correct, and overly feminist, can cause problems in our society. A balanced line needs to be drawn. And I am happy to fight for where I feel that should be.
For instance, I see the that, because of over political correctness (and other issues feeding into it, for fear of being accused of over-simplification), whole generations of children are not getting to play outdoors any more.
As a kid, my parents were not viewed as being neglectful if they let us play unsupervised. And town councils used to be able to erect enough playing grounds for kids. But now, if it does not have a couple of metres of padding, ‘in case the poor dears trip over’, they feel that it is too risky to build them. And the safety costs have pushed it so high, that they cannot afford to do that. So many areas have no facilities at all.
Hear Hear!
Also I’d like to see some of Leon or basically any non-super dude. Heck, some more of the super dudes too if possible; I’m for equality! Only if it fits naturally into the narrative of the strip though, since, in my humble opinion, forced feeling fanservice is one of the quickest ways to ruin entertainment.
Stereotypes notwithstanding, not all guys who are attracted to women find the same physique most appealing. Lushly curvacious, strongly athletic, and slender tomboy looks all have their adherents. Of the women we’ve seen so far in the comic, I personally would consider Sydney the most attractive in purely physical terms, and Dabbler one of the least attractive.
Yeah, I like Dabbler a lot but it’s more because she’s bold & flashy…She’s in your face & invigorating.
Sydney is more like the “every day” portion of a person’s life. Despite her quirkiness, she lives up to her adult responsibilities (the comic store, her own living space & paying the bills, etc) which is something that Dabbler ignores.
Liking Dabbler is like being a fan for a Hollywood celebrity, the flash-in-the-pan that may be vivid & exiting at first, but likely to leave you constantly exhausted & unable to live out the other aspects of your life. Whereas Sydney’s like the girl next door or someone you could settle down to live with for the rest of your life. She’s quirky enough to make the time with her fun, but she’s so far shown that you can rely on her to get things done on a day to day basis.
Here’s your fan service…https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/153
Hey, that is why I am optimistic. That and Dave’s D.A. gallery pictures. We know he does draw such images. But he is also aware that he attracts a lot of feminists, in this comic.
In a polite community, such as we have, it is a lot easier to speak up for politically correct/conservative viewpoints. Whereas folks are likely to be shyer about talking out in favour of the more controversial end of the spectrum. But shyness is something that I am (mostly) cured of. So I do my bit.
Not that I would want to push him into it, if he would prefer not to. Be that for age-gate, to keep the widest audience or just his own feelings.
That third panel is what I was coming to comment about – kudos to the artist for making it both recognizably Sydney and still a much more attractive version of her at the same time.
funny – creep panel 3 is creepy is what I came here to comment about too… the eye….. THAT EYE!!!!! OMGBOMBS THAT EYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Agreed. Those of us, who are freaked out by it, seem to be in a minority though.
I think DaveB has hit on a Marmite formula there. You either love it or hate it.
What are you talking about? Only Aussies hate Marmite (they prefer ‘vegemite‘ o_O)
Marmite? Ohgodihateitsomuch! Not Aussie, either – I’m as whitebread Midwestern as they come, but I’ve tried the stuff enough to know I hate it. ;p
and I’m British and to be honest I don’t have a Marmite reaction to Marmite,
its ok i suppose
And I bet you find the eye, in panel 3, to be just average?
It is so creepy it even makes Sydney’s half-smile, feel like she is going all Joker on us!
OMG now I’m imagining Sydney as Harley Quinn. Bad doggy!
More like:
Drawing several characters but especially the females with varying degrees of large cartoon/anime sized eyes has always been Dave’s style.
Of the more commonly seen characters Sydney has always, give or take a few panels at the start, had the hugest eyes to face ratio of the comic. Not even mentioning that the last half of her face barely exists in many shots.
So I have loooong since got used to Sydney looking like some exotic type of borderline super deformed a lot of the time. If I hadn’t or if I shut those filters down and really LOOK (O.O) at her in some shots she is darn near this,
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/2e/5d/9d/2e5d9d9e584271960cf2f1d7076f3b7f.jpg
merged with this,
https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/5/58897/1837540-free_vector_bubbles_005_powerpuff_girls1518.jpg
‘cept for a bit more nose and super bangs.
So for me this is neither love nor hate. As a part of Dave’s style for her its just automatically adjusted for/interpreted into the cute little firecracker of doom I’ve come to know and love.
I think the distinction is indeed the uncanny valley, in this instance. The various chibis, and all-out weird ones (breathing fire, looking demonic, having fangs), are all just clever short-hand associations.
This image though, gets close to being a real face. But with just enough ‘wrongness’ to seriously trigger ‘this is inhuman’ feelings. For a small minority of readers.
Yeah, profile (from the side) shots of Dave’s always used to look a little weird to me anyway. Like this:
https://www.darkcrystal.com/site_images/encyclopedia/enc_thedarkcrystal_inset_3_580x280px.jpg
But I guess I’ve gotten used to expecting things like this.
A better way to say it is actually: Her eyes often look really odd to me and I’m kind of surprised it hasn’t been mentioned more in the beginning.
For me it was a little different: I liked it okay, until you pointed it out and I looked at the individual panel as an individual image.
To me, it looks like she is trying to look at her cheek directly, as opposed to looking at her cheek through the mirror. Her eye doesn’t seem to be aimed through the mirror.
that cute smile in panel 3 :D
The smile is in panel four, not three
It’s in 3.
Yes. Although it may be the cuteness that was being disputed (inadvertently or not).
Attack of the spaghetti code is back :(
I noticed that, just logged back in to see if any had replied to my post and the spaghetti disappeared somewhere between pages 1 and 2 comments
Dave had to remove any text which contained potentially malicious code. Copying and pasting it, even with the good intentions of bringing attention to it, inadvertently risks propagating such. Given that our comments can activate tags and other html code. Most of it is disabled in here, so the risk is probably low. But he is very wise to reduce it to zero.
Oh, re-interpreting your comment, that will just be Dave running a cleaner. He does such every time he spots the spaghetti*, and is working on a way of permanently blocking it.
* Which can be speeded up by mentioning it to him on twitter.
Ok, I’m totally lost here. What in the world is Spaghetti Code? Is this something I need to be concerned about? (Someone mentioned “malicious code”)
At the top of the page, just above the comic, a block of code has been visible. I didn’t really look that closely at it but I got the impression that it was a Java script that had been clumsily injected and ended up being displayed instead of executed. As I didn’t really try to read it I have no idea what it was trying to do so I have no idea of if this particular code would have been dangerous if it had worked as intended.
The fact that Dave apparently didn’t put it there is an indication that it might have been intended to be malicious. What’s more unsettling is that he has said that he doesn’t currently know how it’s been added to the page, and that the only reason most of us know that it was there is because it didn’t work as intended. So just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean that it’s not there…
The only way to be sure you’re not at risk is by disabling Java scripts in your browser, at least until Dave gets the site locked up tight again.
Think like a Spaghetti Bowl intersection. It’s poorly planned code that gets to where it needs to through unnecessary paths. Ending the simile, something else can hook onto these unnecessary bits of code to run their own code.
Source: Basic programming knowledge, I could be wrong.
Personally, I am not at all concerned, as Avast picks it up, if it behaves maliciously. But if you do not run a virus checker (never a good idea), or if you want to totally eliminate any risk, then you should follow Cpt. Obvious‘s advice above.
I think she looks pretty cute in panel 4, too, but then I like the “kitsune” look on girls…
Here be dragons ? Night Fury ?
TMI !
At least it means that the teeth are retractable…
I wonder how deliberate that joke is…Toothless vaj?
We guys better hope to god that it’s toothless! Nothing I can think of that would ruin the “mood” any faster or more completely than discovering that there’s a woman with teeth down there!
O.O
Can remember a series of books that dealt with time travel, and the females of the time period they arrived in had literal teeth ‘down there’ (or maybe it was just one female, can’t remember, it was about 30 years since read them, the author was named “Julian” something)
the author was Julian May, and the series was the “Saga of Pliocene Exile”, i THINK it was book 3? “The Non-Born King” i referenced it in one of my posts on page one of the comments…
You might want to avoid watching the movie Teeth…
I found it amusing, in the same way that any B movie which doesn’t take itself too seriously might manage to be amusing.
It might be a call for her penchant for spicy foods https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/194 “…actually has me worried about later tonight.” Where her pepper breath may sting the eyes : https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/241 , and her backside “exhaust” may have more of a dragon-like burn to it.
I think mythbusters tested the knock your socks off and it took hitting the dummy with a massive tow truck going 70 mph to impart enough force to knock socks off a dummy’s feet. Sydney has one hell of a falcon punch is what im saying. Sure stalwart, hiro, anvil (after taking a few shots) harem if she went to one body, and max could manage it, but short of punching herself with the lighthook, I just dont see sydney managing it
Ah, but you’re forgetting one of the laws of storytelling: The Rule of Cool and the Rule of Funny both have higher pay grades than the Rule of How Things Actually Work…
Ah, but those were new, inert socks on a dummy suspended in midair. Knowing Sydney’s clothing budget, this is probably a two-years-old loose sock worn all night and half off the foot to begin with.
The elastic in the sock may be worn out.
Speaking as a female who has suffered from killer cramps (and excessive bleeding, to the point that the doctor I complained to about how much I was doing so–even after hearing I was taking iron supplements–wanted a blood workup anyway for iron and WBC to make sure I wasn’t anemic…anyway, I’m digressing worse than Sydney…) I have never actually falcon punched my guts. I think.
I may have thumped the side of my fist against my abdomen a few…dozen…times over the years, but mostly it was just plain pressing in to try to control the pain, or soaking for hours in a really hot bath, or sleeping on top of hot water bottles, and trying various pain meds.
But after calculating all the hours and days that I suffered from killer crampness, cramming them together into a block of 24/7/365, I realized I have spent 3.5 years of life, three and a half solid years, in agony.
So, all this lovely Life Experience™ has taught me a few things.
*** IMPORTANT MESSAGE *** This advice is good for GUYS to know, not just the gals. 50% of the world is female, give or take a few decimal points, and of those, roughly 14% are going to suffer from killer cramps and worse symptoms. More than that will suffer from mild to moderate cramps and other symptoms–so in other words, easily half the women you meet could have these problems, if not more. Guys, you do need to know these things. This could be happening to any female you know–your mothers, your sisters, your cousins, your daughters, your significant others, your co-workers, so on and so forth. Don’t bury your heads in the sand. The problem isn’t going to go away, and if you learn a few things now, you’ll probably find it’s easier to be sympathetic about the very real suffering some women go through. (Which makes you not only less likely to be labelled an impolite term, if you help a significant other or family member with some of these things, it could have you labelled as a monthly hero type because of your patience, understanding, and ability to locate white chocolate at the nearet 24 hour Walgreens or something.)
With all that said, here is Ladyofthemasque’s Advice List For Managing Killer Cramps:
1. Caffeine makes things worse for some ladies, so try cutting back on coffee about a week before you think you’ll be due, and don’t have any until after the last day of the period is over. In fact, if you can…cut it out of your diet entirely. (Obviously some jobs will prohibit this, but…try anyway.). Chocolate contains a caffeine-like substance, BUT white chocolate (the kind made with cocoa butter, not the waxy white crap) has the substance your body needs without the caffeine crap.
When I cut caffeine out of my diet (*sob* I had to give up cherry coke!), I dropped 2 levels on the 10-point pain scale. And when I added eating white chocolate…I dropped 1-2 points on top of that. More to the point, when I told other suffering ladies about that, and offered them some from my personal stash, they, too, reported pain levels dropping significantly. White Chocolate.
So ladies, when it’s getting close to (within a week or so) or the actual during of that time of the month, go eat white chocolate. (After a while, you may get bored of it. Peanut butter is a good accompaniment to get that stuff down.) Gents, if you want to score Wonderful Person Points, read the labels on white chocolates (Lindt makes a good white chocolate with real cocoa butter), and give your suffering lady some. Also, Lindt white chocolate truffle balls are an excellent “prescription” size–take 2 to start, then 1 every handful of hours thereafter. I tended to time them with my painkillers, which leads to the next piece of advice.
2. Aleve = best med ever, it’s super-effective at controlling inflammation, which is a majority of the pain issue. Start with 2, preferrably as soon as you know you’re going to cramp or have started. After that, just 1 should be all that’s necessary, but take it at regular intervals of around 6-10 hours (depending on how your body metabolizes pain meds; 8 is average). But, most important: Take it consistently. Try not to skip any for the usual duration of pain (3-5 days on average). If you prefer ibuprofen (Advil), Take It Consistently. Tylenol rarely does jack diddly for cramps, because it’s an anti-bleeding painkiller, and what you want is an anti-inflammatory painkiller.
3. Hot baths. You can lounge in a hot bubble bath. A lot. White chocolate, hot bubble bath, Aleve, and of course a good book (graphic novels count!) to read = very good prescription for pain management of cramps.
4. Those ThermaCare thingies are godsends, it’s like a hot water bottle you can carry around in public, only much more discreetly. If you’re worried about heat burns, try attaching it to the outside of the undies, or the inside of the pants. Or wear two pairs of undies with ’em sandwiched between. (We won’t tell, and no one else will notice.)
5. Be aware that PMS isn’t just Pre-, it can also be Post-…and what I like to charmingly refer to as “Participatory-“, e.g. during…so try to take a deep breath now and again. Be aware that you are currently at the mercy of hormones and energy levels clashing inside your body, and just try not to be too hard on yourself and/or others. Awareness is key to self-control.
Gents…this is a touchy area to help with, I know, I know. If you are close enough to this female to know when it’s that time of the month, consider asking self-evaluation questions, like, “I can see you’re irritated by (whatever) right now. How is your body feeling? Any pain, or discomfort?” And remember, as someone who wants to support your friend/loved one/family member…take a deep breath, it’s only for a few days. Don’t blame; that’s pouring oil on a blaze that’ll just burn both of you even more. This is literally something that cannot be completely, 100%-perfectly controlled. Not even with the best of meds. Don’t take anything personally, and don’t make any of it personal. Believe me, we usually know we’ve been awful or out-of-control, and we do feel bad about it. Self-control is aided by others being understanding and helpful, not scornful.
6. Be aware that your energy levels will drop, ladies. Don’t be afraid to nap if needed. Gents, if you have a ladyfriend who is all “Bluhhhhh” a few days a month, take over the chores for the day and let her nap, or take a hot bath. Wonderful Person Points will accumulate, even if all she can say is, “Guhhh” or “Flrghlblrgh” instead of a clearly enunciated “Thank You” at that point. We do remember such kindnesses, honest.
7. Lastly, if your abdominal pain is worse than a 2nd degree burn that’s an inch long and a quarter inch wide (which I got from a fryer cage working fast food)…you might seriously want to consider talking to an OB/GYN. There are a lot more ways to control such things–and doctors who will actually believe you are suffering!–than there was when I was a teenager. You may respond to estrogen. Or that may be bad for you (as it was for me) and you may instead respond to progestin. Or (and particularly in my case if it comes with other, increasingly unmanageable side symptoms) you may want to consider ablation or removal.
It is YOUR body, ladies. Find a doctor who will tell you ALL of your options, and whom is willing to work with you, step by step, to manage things. Gents…help support your lady in this. It is HER body; she knows what’s happening inside her own skin. Particularly remember that it is NOT all in her head. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Being told that my pain–which had me crying with uncontrollable sobs and tears, and even screaming in pain, at pain levels 8 and 9 on a 10 point scale–was “all in my head” ruined my trust in doctors about such things. It took 10 years, a full decade, before any doctor actually paid attention to my symptoms, believed they were real, and told me to start cutting out caffeine, take hot baths, and take naproxen sodium (aleve) for my cramps. Gents. Support your ladies. It’s not your body, so you literally have no clue what pain they’re experiencing. Don’t invalidate, don’t try to gaslight, and don’t try to lay blame for biological processes that–even with medication!–are just sometimes beyond anyone’s control.
Just be supportive. Serious amounts of Wonderful Person Points await you when you do.
…One additional thought: I don’t know how much of any of this Sydney has to go through or knows about for handling it…but you know, in a way, it doesn’t matter? What with the whole ADHD thing, she might know it, yet still forget to apply it!
My mother was in that 14% and I remember how things were for her during that time, the women who get lucky in having it not be a problem have no idea how lucky they are after seeing how much my mother suffered from it.
And now we know.
And knowing is half the battle
I learned to just bring chocolate and back away slowly, looking down at the ground to avoid eye contact.
That had me in stitches.
Did you turn your back to her within 10 meters of her?
Yorp probably forgot to bring chocolate fudge syrup with the ice cream…And the chocolate sprinkles.
Wise is he in the way of non-controntation. Try gifts of white chocolate, too. (Also, white chocolate hot cocoa is pretty darn good! One of my friends bribes me with a cup every once in a while when he and the others gather for game night at my place.)
I know one who can’t take anything listed as NSAID. She can risk types that are so low on the nsaid scale that they can be taken at half dosage.
That pretty much limits the pain relief options without prescription strength.
And the options she does have, run the risk of damaging her stomach since she has a higher tolerance for pain medication so has to take more than the normal dose.
Have her try white chocolate. It wasn’t just a placebo panacea; it actually does work for a good number of women. Also, my deepest sympathies; things got so bad before I was told to give up caffeine, regular painkillers weren’t working. I can only imagine how very awkward things are for your friend, having such limited options.
Another had a high biological sensitivity to the point that if she ever got pregnant, she’d die at the 3rd month. She chose the hysterectomy route for health reasons. The sensitivity increased any sensation by 30 percent.
Has, not had sensitivity. Didn’t mean to imply past tense
I’d be interested to know how hypnosis can affect those symptoms, if at all. I’ve recently become interested in hypnosis. With all the ways hypnosis can affect the body and pain… Guess I’ll be doing some research!
There are examples of people self-hypnotising well enough to stay concious during major operations, which normally require general aesthetic. Not easy though.
A quick Google search had many results. Here is one: Self Hypnosis Can Help with Dysmenorrhea
Well worth giving it a go. Probably best to check out several sources, to make sure you have your bases covered. Some may give advice that others do not. In particular pay attention to the accreditations of the individuals providing the advice, and judge it accordingly. This is an area where you can get a lot of quackery.
Once you are satisfied that you have good sources, follow whatever practice or exercises they might suggest. You want to maximise your chance of success, first time, otherwise it may hurt the self-confidence enough to discourage trying again. But it is a sound enough discipline to be worth the effort. If you go for it, I wish you the best of luck.
Jokes about her period. Ha.
Sydney is too extreme for periods. She has exclamation points instead.
And we got a good look at her colon.
Ok, this thread needs to come to a full stop.
Yes, I’d like to underscore that point. We would make a total hash of this discussion. Anyway, must dash…
Wow… this has been in a comma for months.
Your explanation marks the end to a long space slash waiting period.
That’s a very bold claim. I’d question that mark.
I would quote a greater & lesser [delete], but I would make a hash of it, by activating auto-correct, so there would be no percentage in doing that.
I suppose that makes this comic a…. period piece
Bloody heck, I suppose I may as well go with the flow, pain though it is. However much it may cramp my style getting in the mood. I shall temper the discussion mind, rather than discharging abuse.
Question for you Dave, were the names Bowler and Gaston randomly assigned for comedic value or did Sydney name them?
That’s what Sydney calls them, after old time gentlemen pugilists.
Even for being pugilists (brawlers), they were still gentlemanly enough to wait for Sydney to wake up before they got started. As bad as Sydney is apparently getting it now, I’d hate to see how bad she’d be acting today if this was coupled with “lack of sleep.”
As lovers of literature, Bowler and Gaston put great importance upon dramatic convention. Thus, they waited for her mood to near a peak – that being the appropriate moment for their starting bell.
Somehow, Gaston reminds me of this guy: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/overly-manly-man
And Bowler keeps bringing this guy to mind: https://media.photobucket.com/user/rantista/media/blog/clockworkorangealexbowlerhat.jpg.html?filters%5Bterm%5D=bowler%20hat&filters%5Bprimary%5D=images&filters%5Bsecondary%5D=videos&sort=1&o=14
You can actually sleep through that much pain…if you’re that exhausted. Once the body is toasty warm, imobilised, plus belly-down sleeping does seem to help…yup, you can go out like a light. Getting to that point can be awkward.
Shoot, I almost forgot!
8. General Warmth Helps, i.e. consider turning up the thermostat or invest in a single room space heater. I discovered this one in a heatwave. (Where I live, we don’t get ’em often, so nobody has airconditioning, practically.) Bad cramps started up in the middle of the night, the day turned into a scorcher…pain started easing… So the next month when it was cool weather, I turned on the heater (zone heating in my house), cranked it up a bit, and felt better whenevr I’d spent an hour in the heat.
Pretty pretty please unsubscribe me from this! (I did not know what I did when I ticked the little box and your auto-unsubscribe seems to be resistant to me.)
You should be removed now.
Just a tip, for anyone who likes to pick up when comments are made on old pages, is simply to avoid clicking the ’email me’ button, until closer to when the next update is due. That way you do not get the flood of notifications, as pages of comments are added in the first day or two.
Normally my overies falcon punch themselves. -_- Periods are awful, and don’t none of you forget it!
Funny, I thought I was reading Grrl Power, not Sarah’s Scribbles.
There is nothing here which strays from Grrl Power’s mandate. In particular:
Yep. Even Heracles had to learn how to lace up his sandals.
Sometimes you take what you can get.
I actually have punched my ovaries during my period. Not good times. I was really sleep deprived and I couldn’t sleep cause of the pain so….I was angry and punched my ovaries. Not a good move. When I don’t sleep enough I start acting…drunk? high? bipolar? Not mentally correct. Yeah, so don’t be so sure on the no woman punching her ovaries thing. Or I could just be a special snowflake.
I had this kidney stone attack and went to the doctor for pain meds (cause all you can do is ride it out till the little randomly occuring little bastard and possibly his friends LEAVE!!!) but he gave me some sad Tylenol with codeine crap (might as well have given me sugar… preferably with chocolate.) So I went to a my old diagnostician who I had convinced me he wasn’t a moron for a second opinion. He took half a look at me and not only got me the usual Vicodin but this shot of something special (oooooooh yeeeeeaaaaaah) and recommended a trip up for a scan.
Even though I was expecting more intelligence from him this massive difference surprised me to ask what convinced him of so much so fast. He got a mirror and showed me my side and back. I had perfect hand and finger prints on my side and back around my kidney and the tube leading down. Bruises that looked exactly like my hands and fingers all over the place. I hadn’t even realized what I was doing to myself.
So, yeah I agree, pain does funny things.
Thank goodness my kidney stones don’t come anywhere near as regularly as periods do for women. Though some are not so lucky. And one of those who I know of has kidney stones all the time is also a young lady with a lifetime of periods and kidney stones to look forward to. CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE the horror of that.
I’ve taken a Vicodin when it gets really bad, or ibuprofen or alieve
So they will prescribe Vicodin for that? Cool.
Ok, clearly sydny is a very disturbed young woman. Yes she is accident prone. but punching yourself in the gut goes past that and into nutcase territory. It is more sad than funny, I hope she gets the help she needs
Well, it has been done for comedic effect. And, as such, should never be taken too seriously, in this comic. You will note that the more cartoon-like behaviour rarely has any lasting ramifications.
Pain
Enough Pain = Temporary Insanity (especially when it lasts DAYS and you don’t know when it will stop. And secretly wonder IF it will despite logical assurances… )
Note the “Temporary” part.
So many disturbed ladies on these comments admitted to this act or a similar one. o.O
ok time for my own comment instead of responses to others…
I like her reaction to her cheek hurting in panel 2 and the fact that she (nearly) forgot about the fight the day before. i’m surprised she didn’t get that bruise checked out by a paramedic before going home…she should avoid putting makeup on that area for 2 reasons, 1) because excessive makeup to try to hide it would call attention to the fact that she got hit in the face hard enough to bruise and 2) because now she has visible proof to show joel that she was in a super fight yesterday so he doesn’t get too angry about her not coming back from the bank. if nothing else she can now show joel the orbs without worrying about being dissected.
The paramedics were a tad busy with other somewhat more serious injuries. Bruised testicles, shot out eyes, stabbed mouth, feet, burns, electrocutions, and claymore-mine exploded bodies.
Regarding 1) and 2), a counter-argument is that DaveB would not need to keep drawing it. Plus the fact that it messes up Sydney’s pretty face!
* Barring the slight dashing Heidelberg duelling scar vibe, that she gets off it, in a few angles.
The blood spot on her shirt is gone again. I think one of the orbs must have a ‘laundry’ function. On the plus side, she gets clean clothes when she wakes up. On the minus side, she wakes up ‘all itchy’.
Dave, I hope you read this, as I have a burning question about your Grrrl Power-verse.
Are there any “double” power sets in your comic? For example another one with Vehemence’s powers? Or another one with Maxima’s powers? Or are they all unique?
And if they’re all unique, what happens when a Super dies? Is that power set lost forever, or does a power reïncarnation take place?
(kinda like One Piece where a Devil Fruit user dies, the Fruit respawns and can be eaten by anyone else? SPOILER: Like how Sabo ate the Flare-Flare Fruit after Ace died. )
This is an entirely meta answer, and I don’t actually have any more connection to Dave than you do, but…
Aside from evil-twin and evil-twin-team plots, it will be extremely rare for any individual power to be duplicated *exactly*. There will be (sometimes subtle, but always important) differences. For example, nearly all of ArcSwat can physically slug someone really really hard, but there’s a huge difference in the powers they use to do so and in what (if any) setup they need.
And aside from evil-twin plots, it will be even rarer for a character’s complete power set to be duplicated in another single character. (An evil-twin-team plot might have all the individual powers duplicated but distributed differently among characters.)
Why? Because having things different is more interesting.
Just throwing in my observations here too.
I think you do not need to worry too much about there being no replication. Given that there is a lot of duplication of individual powers. Many have super-strength. Likewise super-defences. And flight. And super speed/reactions.
If we analysed all of the brawlers, in the car park, I am sure we can come up with at least a couple who both have super strength and super defence (or just one or just the other). Yet having no other (known) powers. Which would (reasonably) prove that the sets are not unique.
True, but there are numerous different ways to obtain super defense and super strength.
For example: Nemesis and Concretia use two VERY different skills but are hard to take out.
Stalwart and Hiro also use two different approaches with the same results.
That’s what I meant: Is there another Super that can change his body weight like Stalwart can.
Yea, solid counter. Which DaveB has kindly resolved for us now below.
I really hope there isn’t a future villain with the power mimicry power. Always hate that power in comics, cartoons, and mushes:) plus they already did it with the copy cap… :)
Powers aren’t unique – there are a lot of strong guys for example, though someone with the exact same power set would be rare, and someone else with a very rare power like Vehemence’s is unheard of, but not explicitly impossible.
It’s pretty much: they may have the same power, but how they use it differs
Like when Emma Frost ‘possessed’ Bobby Drake’s body: she used his powers in ways he had never thought of, even though he had had been using them for about twenty years or so (comic time, seeing how he’s still, forty odd years later, in his early twenties)
Oh god that kind of cramps is the absolute worst. I usually spend the first day and a half in bed, away from civilization to minimize the risk of being a total bitch to any poor souls that wouldn’t deserve it.
Gentlemen, imagine this: someone is violently and repeatedly stabbing you in the back, more or less a bit lower than kidney height, and simultaneously someone else is viciously kicking you in the groin, just a bit above the actual junk, you also have your head in one of those vice-thingies (I don’t know the name in English, it’s a tool thing), there’s a 10 inch nail stuck somewhere in your spine; and your nipples are being pinched.
That’s on average, a lady’s body condition during such days.
It’s a very dark time. XD (I know some lucky ones that don’t really have it that bad, but generally most women that have no children or are under 40 in general get really bad pain).
Still, I’ve never really punched my own guts, even though I once punched a wall until my hand bled (to, you know, try the whole “since the brain only feels one pain at a time, create a worse pain than the one you’re currently in to divert attention” thing… it didn’t work). So I can sort of see where Sydney is coming from, but… no, sis, sort yourself out and take some painkillers.
It’s a vise. In English, a vice is a bad habit and a vise is a certain sort of tool to squeeze something and/or keep something from moving (an actual vise is pretty good at both; a metaphoric vise, or something with “vise” as an adjective, might do only one of them, or provide a firmly-attached temporary handle, or…).
Don’t feel bad about getting it wrong though; lots of native English speakers mess them up. They even have identical pronunciation to not-help.
However I’m now picturing the original cast of Miami Vice. and I don’t think I want to try and bring that mental image into focus
British native English speakers spell both meanings as ‘vice’. It’s not necessarily a mistake.
Yea, “vise” is wrong, in real English. But, the world is richer for variety, so all is good.
Actually the vise or vice thing only occurs in American English. Anyway I’d assume you’re referring to a bench vice.
The El Goonish Shive sex-swap parties sound like a good idea. Get to see how the other half live, knowing that you can safely get all your junk back, unharmed, at the end of the evening. Not to mention discreetly slipping off for an examination, in the bathroom. Ahem… purely for scientific reasons!
But, not so fun if your party is spent smashing the wall, with your fist, to reduce the agony.
–EEeeurrrgh! I am SO very glad teh boobage only got the Angry Tender Ouchiness Of Swollen Doom sensation for a few days a month, and not the nips, too!
You’re a lucky, lucky person.
Love the pic of toothless. :)
Pretty sure I’ve done that at some point. And instantly regretted it.
Decided yesdterday to sit down and read all of book 1 again in one go. It was an easdy and enjoyable read. I know many people were complaining about the length of the big fight and in particular V’s part of it. But sitting and reading in it one go made it seem more like an epic conclusion to a crazy day. In the end I felt the flow was excellent. New readers will have no problem getting hooked on this story!
Now if Sidney would just change her clothes……..
Its time to do my comment instead of just to reply. I want to be original and I know its not. (lots of folks have brought it up).
But I can’t stop thinking about that dragon though… toothless…
wow
I can’t help seeing the same face (Toothless) on Sydney in panels 1 & 8.
That’s probably what’s making panel 3 stand out so much…
Panel 8? You see toothless’s smiling face on the talking uterus panel 8? HAHAHAHA
I don’t think you said the right panel but thanks for the laugh none the less. XD
NINE!
*cringe*
Yes, I missed the divider between 4 & 5 … somehow.
Something about panel 5 may have distracted me from that little detail.
I figured.
But my mind played merry hell trying to find more and more disturbing places and orientations for poor Toothless’s mug. I was all like. O.O XD O.O XD O.O XD for a bit. (Sick game of pin the tail on the donkey! XD )
Panel 9. Actually is quite a bit of similarity with how wide mouths and eyes can get on Dave’s characters.
I love that panel in the upper right. It’s a really unique view of Sydney’s face that we havent gotten to see before.
Honestly, my first reaction to that panel was “Sydney is best pony”… >_<
There's one for Arianna: "My Little ARCHON"…
So is that broney, for ‘she is cute’?
Or is it…
‘She looks like a horse.’
Sorry, unless I know whether you like Marmite, hate it, or are some weird in-between Brit, it is hard to tell. Going by the known statistics, I am guessing the former option though.
It’s “she’d look cute if she didn’t look quite so unsettlingly much like a horse”… I think that the change in perspective makes her eye look too big, and as though it is side facing (prey) rather than forwards facing (predator)
As for Marmite – on the right occasions, such as crumpets or muffins, it is excellent, but certainly not in all circumstances. Malt-loaf requires cream cheese, and fruit loaf is fine with just butter.
The hair-forward look looks good on her (panel 2 & 3)
Just something I have to say (without reading other comments):
DAY 1 IS FINALLY OVER!!!!!
day one is over? oh boy….
She’s gonna get to work and find out that this is actually a Groundhog Day comic and we’re back at the start of day 1.
Which, admittedly, will make the Vehemence fight WAY easier.
Although…if she has cramps and bruises today and didn’t have them yesterday, I guess that’d make it more of a Day Break comic.
As bad as it is for Sydney there is the slight hope this triggers an unknown orb – because now she WANTS to be healed / the pain to go away. If she has healing abilitys maybe she wasn´t willing to use it because it´s “a bad power”.
The hair and bruise in panel 3 makes me see Starbuck (the viper pilot). Nose and eyes are total different but I just cannot unsee it.
I would offer you some of this brain bleach (cheap generic non-brand legal alternative), but Starbuck is cute. Unless you are talking original series. In which case Dave got the drawing waaay of the mark.
Original (and best) Male Starbuck? Or rebooted (and crap) Female Starbuck?
Any chance we can get the brown background for a wallpaper? It would be cute: “Da Vinci meets Nerdom”
Nerda Vinci?
So I gotta ask: What happens when either Bowler or Gaston wins?
It won’t matter which wins, Sydney will probably lose…
:-/
Or, under the right circumstances, Sydney Scoville Junior III.
They are too equally matched. They’ll take a break for about 3 weeks then resume fighting. This will keep repeating until they die of old age at around 40-ish years old. It is the way of all ovarian battles
I want to know who Dabbler’s, ahem, partner is that has “something” in her middle.
Any speculation?
Quite a lot, in the various pages of comments under that image. Achilles and Vehemence topped the list, in terms of frequency of mention.
Personally I am going for ‘third bloke from the left’.
I.e. a random unnamed person. It is possible that DaveB was giving an early hint as to some relationship, but I suspect it was just meant to be representative of the fact that Dabbler is not all show. She really does behave like a succubus. Sans soul-stealing and/or killing. She is a super-hero, after all.
oooooooh la LA. Sydney minus the glasses is a real LOOKER! <3
that third panel =w=
Maybe Sydney is really hard-core about tattoos, and the 20-sider, Sanguine Humor, Here Be Dragons, and whatnot are all tattooed on her internal organs. Or perhaps Bowler and Gaston try their hands at art when not pummeling one another.
I stumbled across this page, and note that the eye in the final panel looks perfect. But (not that I am a reliable judge of these things), the eye does appear to be quite a bit smaller there, than in panel 3 above.
I wonder if the fact that the pupil (or the coloured area, anyhow), is that much larger, might also have something to do with the odd effect it created for some of us? Clearly it does vary considerably, due to artistic licence and the effect Dave is attempting to create. But it does seem to be larger than in even the bigger portrait (as opposed to profile) pictures.
That may be an optical illusion mind, because of the narrowing effect caused by the profile of the eye not having the roundness of the forward facing eye. But, perhaps it is like the Greek columns, needing an artificial bulge, to appear straight? The anime eye might need the pupil (/coloured area) reduced, in order to offset the effect? If there is such an optical illusion.
So she is strong enough to punch herself in a full circle.
The force is strong in this one. Gravity is her bitch and comedy her gimp.
Yorp is going for a record in most replys
OMFG WORD WALLS
And congrats Dave, your smooth comical transition into Book 2 has sparked the biggest debate over cramps Loli brony pony and who is dabbler banging
Sorry.
*hangs head*
Actually I used to hold that record I think.
“Sneaks up behind Yorp with a noose”
*Hands Dr. Revenge an axe*
Methinks time to exit wormhole stage left!
*tosses some Scooby Snacks*
What? We were helping you hang your head as opposed to your whole body.
And I know a good taxidermist .
I kinda hope it isn’t.
Because Sydney is hilarious.
Everything about it. Here be dragons! XD