Grrl Power #365 – The actual most dangerous game
Harem is a real gigglepuss isn’t she?
Arianna’s probably not the only one worried about their new team getting photographed mid-celebutard activity, and there will be plenty of opportunity for it in the upcoming days. Some of them garner more concern that others. Harem can’t fly, but she’s still high on the list. Heatwave is as well. Achilles, well guys can certainly do moronic things on camera but at least there is far less of a chance of a wardrobe malfunction with them. Barring kilts.
Is it weird I have 3 female characters who don’t own dresses or skirts? Not that it’s some sort of requirement for women, especially in this day and age, but personally I don’t know about women who don’t take advantage of the option. But I started thinking about it and I just couldn’t see any of those three wearing them. Maxima because she perpetually downplays her femininity, and also figures at any moment she might get into a serious fight that involves kicking someone in the neck, and would be severely displeased if any panty shots of her started getting shared around. Peggy is just a straight up tomboy, as is Sydney, though I will say of all of them, I could see Sydney choosing a long skirt over shorts in the summer since it would allow her to slack off more on the personal grooming front. It’s just over the years her wardrobe has leaned more and more heavily on jeans until all she had left was the odd skirt for a bit of cosplay. In reality she probably still has a few buried in the back of her closet but she hasn’t worn any in so long they’ve slipped her mind since they’re so far out of rotation. Varia is a tomboy too, (you guys think I have a type?) but I could totally see her rocking a dress/skirt and some big ‘ol boots.
#MakeComics: There are a few ways to introduce a new character. From a humor standpoint, I think the worst way is to have a joke that relies on prior knowledge of the new character. I think writers are prone to doing this because they forget that the readers aren’t as familiar with the character as they are.
The other way, besides just walking them on to the page and saying “this is Phil” is to bring them into a scene in a way that establishes something about them, but doesn’t require prior knowledge. Instead you infer implied prior knowledge about them from what you seen in the establishing scene. I’d like to think I did this here, but in reality this page could have benefited from having Omar (that’s the guy in the beard) introduced previously. Most of you know Max is a bit of a strident feminist, and you can infer her relationship with this guy from what’s going on in the page. Unfortunately I am the least qualified to judge this since it’s my own characters and my own writing. I wrote myself into a little bit of a corner as I realized this scene only has a few more pages and if I wanted to get this joke in I had missed the opportunity to introduce him prior to this page. Also I’m breaking my own rule about putting people in the Who’s Who before they’re named in the comic just cause people will want to know who this guy is and that’s where they should be looking. I could have easily had Max saying “Damn it Omar” but I preferred her with just the death stare.
This page colored by Keith.
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.
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Please make the anger album a real thing! It would be hilarious!
Yesss!
and also you mentioned before that it would take too much time to go through all the battle details, but can you maybe make some bonus pages sometime when you’re not busy with the regular updates for those of us who like nitty gritty walls of text!
It’s cool if it’s on the deviantart!
Also as we’re talking about bonus art like the anger album and text info blobs, can we get a snap of everyone in regular non military clothes? like the recruits. (a different outfit for math would be nice coz he always wear the same thing, and something that’s not just a plain t-shirt for hiro)
coz like i get achilles is 80s fashion ect. and i get all the different harems styles but i don’t know if heatwave for example would hate or love leopard prints or if varia is more of a biker gear chick . .dabbler would probably go with the skimpiest thing she could get away with.
these burning questions are the kinds suzie wen really needs to be asking!
Ohhhhh and can you tell us roughly how many members are in each division arc sparq, arc darq (if that’s not confidential), arc light ect. I know you’ll probably get around to telling us the necessary qualifications or degrees usually necessary but gahhh I’m so curious!
(Is there gonna be an interview phase for all these -Before sydney gets claustrophobic and does something crazy which shuts up/changes the plotline away from the interviewers i mean)?
thanks for another great comic Dave.B
Make sure to include captions as to why she is angry in each pic.
They can be succinct. This one would be “Expressed she should wear a burka.”
…they’re all as good as dead, aren’t they…
When Maxima inevitably goes rogue, yes, I expect Dave will seize the opportunity to “Joss Whedon” a couple characters that we’ve grown attached to.
Don’t you mean “George R.R. Martin”?
Joss is by far the more famous, world-wide.
Whedon, R.R. Martin, Hussie. All of them mean the same things. :D
Joss Whedon and George R.R. Martin walked into a bar. There were no survivors.
This is an interesting definition of ‘inevitable’.
No one expects a Martin character to survive.
GRRM can’t use Twitter because he’s already killed off 140 characters.
that made me laugh out loud for real irl
Ok, that was pretty funny.
Grrl Power is “real world plus super powers”. Girl Genius is “real world plus the spark* “.
It is entirely possible for Grrl Power to be read in the Girl Genius Europa. Penned by a spark-inspired genius comic artist/writer, who envisaged a world without the spark, then depicted what it would be like when it was introduced. But with heroes being more prevalent than mad scientists.
And mad science can easily find a way to travel to even such a weird technological world. Or, for that matter, a technological world mad scientist being drawn to the appeal of a world dominated by her kind. With the aid of super-powers, or technology, she too could find a way.
We have the basis for a cross-over episode!
*wags tail, in such frantic excitement that it almost falls off*
* Which can either result in heroes or mad scientists.
What scares me is the idea a Super powered Spark building clanks.
Is s/he a good Spark or a bad Spark?
*Gets confused at Spark references…* Eh? Real world + Cybertronian spirits? I’m guessing not, but still…
They are referring to the comic Girl Genius https://girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php you should read it, its awesome and has a similar style of humor to Grrl Power, just steampunk/mad science rather than superheros
*Starts reading, gets into binge reading, enjoys comic until something is realized*
So these “Spark” people are essentially REALLY good with machines or some other form of science, & while most fire up while they’re teens or later but some really powerful ones start even sooner? AND they’re almost all crazy to varying degrees?
*Looks at some stuff Daniel the Human has made & is on display, including the customized model kits (some heavily) as well as the Lego machines made while he was a young child*
Help me…
Help? sure master, what benefits do we lowly minions get for helping your mad, er – i mean misunderstood genius – plans of world domination. I only ask so I can recruit as much assistance as you could ever possibly need, sire….
You got it Screwball, and grey picked up on one other integral trait I forgot to mention. They all ooze charisma. Making them natural leaders. The three traits can vary in degree though. So some might only attract one or two minions, whereas others can command everyone in a room, with a glance and a word.
Likewise the madness varies, usually in the direction of barking mad. But even the rare, moderately sane, ones need to delve deep into madness for the greatest sparky feats.
Heroes swap out the inventiveness for the ability to infuriate everyone they meet. Which is heavily linked to them becoming hard to kill. And one of them takes that even further.
Daniel here. Been reading it a bit too, & I gotta say, I probably would end up a “Spark”. Always did enjoy customizing things, model kits are the easiest but before that I made thousands of Lego creations as a little kid in the single digits, still got my favorite tho it’s in need of repair. Combined with the fact I recognize my view on reality is noticeably different from others (in other words, I’m kinda already a bit crazy), I think I fit into the “Mad Scientist” category well… }:D
As for charisma, not too sure on that. I usually like to keep to myself, the weirdo-loner, but that said I have discovered 1 or 2 people have had a crush on me without me knowing, so there might be a little charisma there…
Oh, & Grey, I’m kinda glad Screwball’s scared of me at the moment, cause otherwise he might be strutting around with an inflated ego. I hate having to pop it…kinda… :P
Oh, & Yorp? I’m watching you, spoiling my joke on Screwball like that… :P
Well Dabbler kinda has The Spark though it’s more toned down.
And Sydney has the crazy part :D
The inventiveness side, sure. But she is completely lacking in the madness side. To get a true spark we would need to build a machine which could combine both their minds. Mmm, we would probably need to make it produce perfect coffee too. The combination is bound to take a long time and the stimulants will be necessary to keep them alert during the process.
Now the combined four-armed nerdy genius is bound to need minions. I think dogs would be ideal, but they must be able to talk. Now we should not be too worried about any risks of madness inherent to the process…
*starts sketching plans on a blackboard, with complex inter-dimensional equations*
“*starts sketching plans on a blackboard…”
Apparently, you’ve already invented a type of paw-glove that would allow you to hold onto the chalk…
:D
Mmmble mmmble
*spits chalk out of mouth*
Sorry, bit busy right now. The rest of those equations have to wait. I switched to making a message for Sydney-Dabbler.
I’m thinking that this is all just a fraction of your overall plot to bridge the gap between your dimension & that of [Callahan’s Cross-time Saloon], so that you can find “Ralph von Wau Wau”:
[https://callahans.wikia.com/wiki/Ralph_von_Wau_Wau]
Whatever gave you the impression that I fancy dogs? Ok, chatting to a talking one would be interesting. But, given the choice of that or meeting Sydney, in the flesh? No contest!
I want to circle back to when Peggy explains why Max is allowed to break the rule of never pointing a gun at anyone.
Given how Max can be surprised and not catch things in her surroundings objectively slower than a bullet (e.g. candid photo and projectile fear vomit), following the rules, she probably should not be allowed use that manner of explanation anymore given how there is a chance she fails to catch the bullet on the off chance it fires.
Max is surprised because it is funny. That takes priority over everything.
Besides which, when Max is in a situation where she may need to catch a bullet, she ramps her reflexes up to maximum. If you check out the author’s comments on the page you are referring to, you will see that confirmed by him. Maxima had her speed set to full in that scene.
You are not comparing like-for-like, therefore your conclusion is unsound.
While I don’t agree that comedy takes priority over keeping to the established rules set in this world, Max being on full speed is enough of an explanation.
I didn’t consider that when writing out my comment.
The trope is titled: “the Law of Funny” and it trumps all else.
Except perhaps the Rule of Cool, which is basically the same rule but uses x instead of y.
Maxima is kind of becoming the exception for many things. I’m expecting her to show up one day in a Mongol-tage Shirt.
Also:Max loosing her Cool is the Funny … so does this become the Rule of Uncool?
When it ceases to be funny.
*rolls eyes heavenward*
Ooh, now that is an interesting sight…
You mean a Mongols shirt like this?
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCMGA3-Wb4cgCFQhtPgodFRUIuw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FFrugal%2Fcomments%2F1t99sx%2Fjust_let_go_for_most_americans_storage_units_are%2F&psig=AFQjCNERU93BSvAKnDav9VN4InGJ0GfiBw&ust=1445985953920955
Disregard that link. use this one instead.
https://store.dftba.com/products/crashcourse-mongols-shirt
Or maybe a shirt with this Mongul on it?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongul
For a moment I read that as ‘Mongo’ and had a mental image of Max punching a horse.
Was thinking the same thing :P
Well yeah, but if you’re holding a gun at someone I’d expect you’d probably be pretty focused on it, the person you’re pointing it at, and the space between you. Slightly different than candid camera.
Good point. I hadn’t considered that she’d keep speed maxed out while pointing her gun at someone.
I was actually imagining different horrific scenarios in which her explanation goes horribly wrong like a practical joke happening at the same time in her vicinity (or hypno boobs) while a super with bullet teleporting powers chooses the perfect time to load max’s gun.
But she’s likely too well trained to be distracted while pointing her gun.
Sometimes you need to bend the rules in teaching moments. It is not a pleasant thing and it comes with its risks. But in the case of teaching someone with Sydney personalty that may of been the best way to make the point known.
Agreed. I argued that point heavily, at the time.
Plus no rules bending is actually required. Military exercises, which involve pointing real guns, loaded with blank ammunition, at each other, in simulated combat exercises, happen all the time. It is vital for military personnel to know how they (and others) will realistically react under such circumstances.
Impromptu funny explanations and combat practice are 2 different things.
No rules were bent anyway since Max is above this one rule.
I just realized it seems that I may be reviving a concluded discussion. I’ll go and read the comments on the page in question instead. I want to see how that turned out. Maybe Dave cleared it all out.
No problems. You raised a good point initially, so it is entirely justified.
Just to clarify one point, I was not intending to say “Breaking life-or-death rules, in the real world, is ok if it is funny”! Especially as Maxima was doing that demonstration in earnest, not as a practical joke, or a way of explaining it in a funny manner.
Rather, what I was quoting is the primary rule of this comic. Funny trumps everything. Dave tries to keep things realistic, but if realism gets in the way of a hilarious gag, the joke takes priority, Period.
Personally I like the irony of that scene being conducted in deadly earnest. Including terrifying and angering Sydney. But, despite that, still being funny to us, this side of the 4th wall.
Given that I have zero tolerance of anything which endangers our precious Sydney, that is quite a feat! But it works because I know it was being done in her own best interests. And is likely to save her life, in due course.
I understood what you meant. By “this world”, I meant the grrl world. Is there a set term for it that I’m not aware of?
I do now sort of recall that rule of funny taking precedence being mentioned.
You’re right about how well that scene was handled. It was perfect.
And by handled, mean handled by Dave.
I think that Sydney is getting the crash course on being a super hero. Already she’s had Max pound on her bubble, blast away at her shields at the range to test it’s power, had Max point her hand cannon at her face… All hard lessons intended to push very succinct points home to Sydney. You may have powers, but there is huge change in mindset that you need to accomplish to protect yourself… and you don’t have much time to burn those lessons into your memory to make them automatic.
Yea, Sydney needs it far more than any of the other heroes too. For a couple of reasons. One being that she is a top-tier super which makes all the stakes much higher.*
The other being how new she is to her powers. Most of the other heroes have likely had theirs since their teens or younger. So have had years to come to terms with them. Sydney is playing catch up, and Maxima is her primary mentor.
Mainly because she is one of the few who can handle it, if anything does go wrong. So can best handle the necessary pushing.
* The damage she could cause inadvertently, the loss to the unit of her leaving for any reason, the disaster if she goes rogue or allies with enemies and so on.
“No rules were bent anyway since Max is above this one rule.”
When referring to Max & Sydney at the firing range, Max didn’t break any rules. Max had the permission of the Range Master (Peggy) before pointing the gun at Sydney. Plus, Peggy & Max already know each other well enough that Peggy was confident enough in granting persmission that Max would be as cautious as possible to prevent an actual accident.
And that if by some miracle the gun was loaded and went off, Max could and would catch the bullet.
NO ONE should be above that rule!
Especially Maxima.
It is poor discipline, and promotes overconfidence which can prove deadly in the long run .
I always thought Maxima did break a serious rule, and Peggy was covering for her commanding officer. I imagine with Maxima’s temper, she has been skating on thin ice for a while. Pointing a weapon at a recruit is just the sort of fuel her enemies among the officer’s corps could use.
Maybe it’s a completely different comic in my head.
Covering is not required. Peggy was the range-master, is familiar with Maxima’s capabilities and extended (via their informal method of picking who to conduct the training) her permission for Max to handle the demonstration. Peggy has long been a friend and collegue of Maxima, so they might well have jointly experienced how a pointed finger (instead of a gun) can endanger life in such circumstances.
It may well even have been Peggy who convinced Maxima to wear a gun, for precisely this reason!
Until Sydney had a strong lesson in how people can misinterpret a death threat, if it does not look credible, she was a danger to the public, herself and the unit. Thus it is not just an excuse, it is absolutely vital that Sydney have it drummed home to her, in a way she will never forget.
For these reasons (and only after getting permission) the rule that military personnel must know how they (and others) react, when a gun is pointed at them, took precedence over the normal rule, that guns must not be pointed at people on the firing range.
As a final piece of information, Maxima’s gun was not loaded, she had her finger off the trigger, and could catch a bullet in mid-air even if the gun did go off. Which we saw her doing in a bank.
Rules that apply to humans do not have to apply the same to super-humans, who can move faster than a speeding bullet. Not when there is a greater need for them not to.
“Which we saw her doing in a bank.”
Don’t forget that Sydney saw that also. Even though Peggy didn’t see that particular instance, she already knows Maxima IS that fast..
For that paragraph, the important witnesses were this side of the 4th wall, rather than their side.
The possibility of somebody who doesn’t like Max too much in the room with her snapping a picture of her pointing her hand cannon at the freshly recruited unpredictable Sydney is an idea I’m so happy you put in my head.
That picture is so easily misconstrued out of context.
Harem was there, right? Isn’t she also possibly a double (triple maybe) agent for the lightning-on-demand bad guy?
I can derive so much from this. Thank you!
This idea isn’t already mentioned in that page, is it? I have a feeling it is already though. Given the fanbase, you guys probably discussed all the possible outcomes.
I’ll read that page tomorrow.
Omar really has the smug face down :D nicely done, now to wonder about possible revenge, maybe he will be the first to taste Sydney’s food?
Just throwing this in there:
Female personnel in the Air Force (and other services) are issued both skirts and undergarments (seriously) so she’d have had issued ones for more formal occasions. HOWEVER since she’s commander of a brand service she’s got a huge amount of control over required uniforms. I can see “No Skirts!” being mentioned.
Also, considering the amount of time Anvil seems to spend in the air (and the black lace that was revealed…), I think the directive should be for all of them.
Didn’t we see Max in a formal military-style skirt when talking to the higher-ups once? I vaguely recall something to that effect. Also had one of those pointy hats they like to stick on people on such occasions.
No, Maxi always wears trousers
You are probably thinking of when she, General Faulk and Arianna were on a balcony, looking down at Sydney teasing Heatwave about the voices (on the phone). Simply because that was the first time we saw Maxima in the dress uniform. Which we would expect to be worn with a dress, from normal convention. But the balcony (or bottom of the panel) blocked our view.
Thank you. It’s likely my mind filled in the blanks as convention would make me assume ‘dress’ in sed situation.
Well, it helps if you can train your mind to recognize the difference between “dress” & “dress uniform” too. After all, even the guys in military get issued “dress uniforms” that don’t included dresses…
:P
I’m blaming it on watching too much JAG in my younger years.
Also, no capes!
Omar is the new Carl… LOL
Oh, and Harem can be as giggle pants as she wants to be… it’s hard to pick a favorite character in this comic… but Harem is in a four way tie for first with me… Sydney, Max, Dabs and Harem. Um… come to think of it, that might be an eight way tie depending on how many times you count Harem!
As for he guys, Math seems the perfect fit all around. The perfect foil for Max, somewhat of a Sensei for Sydney (Three. Moves. Ahead.), and seems to be the master annoyer for everyone else, except for Dabs, who just has fun pushing his buttons… because she can!
Hiro is the female members of the teams’ happy place… (Remember Syd got the pic of him on her phone).
Omar is the new Carl…
“That’s it, Dennis!”
Oh yeah… I almost forgot… You do know everyone is going to want a look into the Anger album soon, don’t you? Hilarity will ensue! Of course, for context you have to show how the situation unfolded to set up the photo… Extend Scene powah, activate!!!!!
I wonder if the directors of Grrl Power the Movie, will review their casting, in view of Hiro’s changing looks? Perhaps going for a more western look or trying their best to retain the original ethnic likeness?
Oddly enough this is the same thought I have every time i see a promo for the new supergirl series. “You fly and you choose to wear a loose mini-skirt”? I must be getting old.
The show actually premiers tonight. Either Dave planned it that way, or his special ability is “super coincidence power”.
The series outfit design is at https://www.squareeyed.tv/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Supergirl.jpg
In this version of the character they at least give her tights to wear under the outfit.
And in today’s world shouldn’t they at least spell it ‘Super Grrl’?
Thanks to Daniel the Human, I’ve been poking at Anime, spotted a few older shows that have girls in flying/regular high wind/0G situations, yet short skirts are worn. Supergirl’s outfit reminds me of Sailor Moon’s combat outfit, tho both are probably a body suit with skirt over it. I’ve also seen girls who get into battles involving explosions that regularly generate high level winds, but still, short skirts. And yes, I’ve even seen 1 Anime where they’re in a spaceship, regularly exposed to a no-gravity (0G) environment, and yet the main protagonist’s childhood friend wears a short skirt, with 2 panty-flashes seen to date. Not bad for 1979…
Yup, all the Scouts wear leotards and a skirt
To paraphrase the Great Super Designer: NO TIGHTS!!!!
They have added her TV look to the DCUO game, but they made the damn tights even darker than on the actress! :(
> “You fly and you choose to wear a loose mini-skirt”
Technically speaking, a skirt is only a problem in this regard if what’s under it shouldn’t be seen. However, the distinction between “panties” vs any other kind of garment that doesn’t cover any part of the legs (e.g. a swimsuit, or the “body suit” Screwball mentions) is likely to be lost on both Arianna and the media types she’s worried about.
I’m a girl who only wears skirts when it’s historical costuming. (I LOVE the Ren Faire.) I do have a few that are not costume skirts, but I pretty much never choose to wear them. Even in the summer I wear capris, not skirts (and not shorts). …I also do not pay any attention whatever to “the grooming issue” and if people don’t like my hairy legs they can either not look or deal with my response to their complaints. They’ll have a better day if they do the former.
So there you go, the perspective of a woman who doesn’t wear skirts unless it’s a costume. I also don’t wear high heels. Ever. At all. I was very relieved when I was able to use the excuse of “my feet are deformed” (it involved surgery, it’s the best they could do to correct it) when people try to press me to wear heels. They’re horrible for doing much of anything in, even just walking, unless you’re one of those people who has Barbie doll feet.
I’m also a female who wears trousers more than skirts, I have a few for fancy dinner type occasions, but I spend the rest of the time in trousers because quite frankly its more practical. That said, I have 2 dogs and do quite a bit of outdoorsy stuff and my motto is not to wear anything I won’t feel comfortable getting covered in grass or mud from impromptu dog cuddling, or crawling under sheds to rescue kittens etc. And its a shame people pressure you to wear heels, I’ve never had that problem, I just wear trainers and see how many months they last in my care then buy new trainers when they fall off.
one way you could have gotten around the “didn’t name Omar in the comic” thing (because yeh. death glare from Maxima was more likely than her saying something at that point), was instead of just having Achilles say “Ohhh nice!” he could have said “oooh, nice one Omar.” and continued on from there.
but that’s beside the point…which is: lovin this comic. srsly. <3
You don’t wear underwear with a Kilt. It doesn’t happen.
Neither should you fly with one.
Arianna cares not!
Actually, Ari does care, a lot! :P
she care she cares alot (screams as care bear theme locks into mind). why did you go there gues, mind? why?
Was actually thinking of that Dr. Seuss story (and no, not “Horton Hears a Who?”
Traditionally a Scottish kilt is worn without underwear, but nowadays many prefer (or need) to wear underwear. In fact, highland games athletes are required to wear shorts under the kilt to prevent ‘wardrobe malfunctions’. With the viking kilt (which i only discovered the existence of relatively recently), underwear is expected to be worn (though it is not considered essential).
tl;dr version: It does happen, quite a lot.
“Semper ubi sub ubi”
That can’t possibly be the correct Latin.
“Always wear underwear.”*
* Google translation. But only found under “alternate translations”. However I felt that “Cogito” was a bloody stupid one for it to pick as the primary translation into English. I contributed that thought to the cloud though. So maybe you will get the right one.
I have no idea where it got “Cogito” from, but the literal meaning is “always where under where” [and the pun doesn’t actually work in Latin].
Hmm. I really want to see Maxima in a dress now…
Omar is playing a high risk, high rewards game. he must have super luck
Regarding Max’ history with mosques, shouting things that belong to the vocabulary of non-progessive muslims in her vicinity is a genuinely bad idea.
It was one mosque.
And it was an accident!
(mostly)
With Omar I’m reminded of an exchange between Krillin and Tien in Team Four Star’s DBZ Abridged series where Krillin remarks on Tien’s mocking of Vegeta.
Krillin: Why do you antagonize him like that? You know he can kill you right?
Tien: At this point it’s a game. If he gives in, I win, and he knows that.
Nice introduction; the only thing I’d change is for Maxima to shout “What the hell, Omar!?” instead of just “What!?” It’s a way to get his name out there, and also the simple “What!?” is an over-used cliche that you never hear in real speech.
If you check the author’s blog, above, he did give that careful consideration, before choosing to go the way he did. Although Dave seemed to quite like a reader’s suggestion that Achilles could drop the name in his dialogue naturally.
That said, it would probably require resizing and rearranging the speech bubbles, rather than a simple text edit. So I doubt there will be any changes. And Dave granted him the Who’s Who entry regardless, as it was significant dialogue, despite the normal requirement of an introduction.
Yeah you’re probably right, people don’t say just “what”
Characters in animes on the other hand…
Did you ever consider adjusting Mr. Amorphous, or Achilles’s dialogue to include his name?
yeah, they usually add “The F$%K!” after it…
OR:
Maxima has heard “What The….?” as a new person sees her for the first time, SOOOooo many times, that now she’s subconsciously repeating it herself?…
Actually, plenty of people say “What?” as a question, “What the Frank’n’wienie!” is more of a statement, and Maxi was going “What did you just say?”
In Sweden a comic whit that joke in it would be braned as rasist and be banned,
cite hacked and cartoonists face and name put on the first pages of every news paper
whit the words “Nazy cartoonist offends imigrants”.
Democrasy and free speach my ASS.
Thought that that was only with the prophet? o_O
Is it just me, or is wrong that they are putting a Prophet on the same, or higher, as their God?
It’s all fun and games until someone crazy threatens you irl and is completely willing to carry out sed threats. That’s where sed threat-spewing barbarian (I apologize to all the civil barbarians out there) should be put in jail and his right to free speech be taken from him immediately upon making the threat. Sadly, in The West, most people in power are too comfy to dare act against a small group of organized sociopaths, hence it’s simply easier to blame the victim and forget it ever happened. This lasts until things get too close to home (on a personal level) and then it’ll start getting interesting.
For contrast, the same thing happening in Russia, China, Japan, most Eastern European states, anywhere in Asia, etc would probably result in at the very least cops removing the offender. Russia/China would probably arrest him/her within the first 5 minutes. Culture-wise many things are defiantly more pleasant in western countries, but there is a price and flaws such as this and more are starting to become a more evident within these cultures. It is and will be interesting to see how western countries respond to this, with ever more tension building up.
My gut-reaction to such behavior would be ‘fuck em’, but as I don’t live in such a society, it really is more academic then personal – though I do get tangentially poked with these issues via Internet osmosis and friends that live abroad talking to me about it. Oddly enough, I now feel much safer here in Romania as far as the long-term is concerned then I would about going to Germany for example – even though I lived there for a while and quite liked it – but it’s developed such as it will become (nearly already is) very unstable socially in the next few years and I don’t really want my future family to deal with riots. France already has plenty of violence and is getting worse, while Sweden/Finland/Norway still seem to be somewhat stable, but the kettle is slowly boiling over there as well, as evident by recent political trends. I’d wager Switzerland/TheVatican/Luxembourg are the only ones largely unaffected. Maybe Portugal as well, since I recall them having economic troubles a few years back, hence they’d be largely avoided by the economic-immigrant waves and overly-accommodating bs that comes with it.
Hmm… this got very rant-y, moderately fast. *shrug* Nature of the beast, I suppose. Think I kept writing in case the largely US & western audience here would be interested in a different perspective from someone that shares a very similar culture (as in, I was raised on USA/German exports) / society (most urbanites where raised with similar strong ties to western culture => a distinctly western society with a few twists). I was tempted to elaborate on modern-day differences between German society and Romanian society, but then I realized it’s probably a TL;DR post anyway so I think I’ll stop while I can pretend I’m ahead. :P Also sleepy as fuck since I didn’t actually sleep last night because… well, idiocy, really. Right, shutting up now. Cheers guys, stay safe and bla bla sunshine-rainbow-kittens for all. Tootles.
PS: Might get this out of the way now. Personal grumble: how in Poseidon’s Watery Balls didn’t I yet find a brick&mortar shop that sells kilts in the 3rd largest city in my country?! >.< I swear, those things don't exist. I might as well MAKE one myself at this rate (could order directly from the UK, but I'm not that rich enough to spend 300 GBP on what would essentially be fancy summer pants). Blarg!
Try ordering them from India. Many of the apparently* Scottish ones are actually made there. They will be discreet about undercutting their primary customers, but if you shopped around you may well be able to find very modestly priced international orders.
* As in sold in Scottish shops and/or worn by Scotsmen. I am not just talking about them being palmed off to foreigners as if ‘made in Scotland’. Of course, on the other paw, they are not going to point out the place of manufacture any more than might be required by law.
A splendid idea / insightful paw pointing me in the right direction. Thanks! ^_^
Produces delicious treat for the ever-so-helpful Yorp.
Yummy!
*nom, nom, nom*
Mmbmmble fank u munchmunch
*pet pet pet* ^_^
I doubt it. I am sure Swedish editors know how to identify sexist and/or racist material. Which the above is not. It is one person teasing another because she is overly sensitive on politically correct matters.
Anyone who thinks otherwise should go attend ‘identifying sexism and racism courses’. Or read through previous comics where the distinctions are discussed and debated in detail, and at length.
Wow. He must really know Maxima well to know to expect her to react that way. A prank like that can backfire in such a way that everyone just goes really silent and stares at you as if to say, “Did you seriously just say that?!” And then it’s awkward for everyone and not even a little bit funny.
That response only works if the whole room uses it. If enough people respond even remotely favorably then the effect is muted.She saves that ‘silent treatment’ response for when she is just about ready to remove the offender from the gene pool.
I would imagine early on after gaining her powers that Maxima started building the habit of making rage faces instead of throwing rage fists. Although since she can dial her super strength up and down, I don’t see why she’d be running above “normal” human strength most of the time.
If it were me, I’d be running “normal” strength, high defense, and slightly above average speed most of the time. Being super fast all the time means hightened time sense and everyone moving like meat glaciers, very boring in “daily” interaction. High defense means if something unexpected happens, like a random teleporter popping in with a nuke on 1ms fuse, you’ll live (sucks for everyone else, but one can’t be moving faster than the speed of an electrical circuit all time).
So actually Maxima would be “normally” safe to be around. Well as safe as being around anyone with her musculature and tone. But what’s a broken nose, bruised ribs, or a dislocated jaw between friends… and your super doctor. ;P
You appear to have misunderstood Maxima’s situation. Her normal state is super strength, and she has a reserve that she can dial to give her extra super strength (or extra super speed, or extra super …). She can’t dial back to normal human strength.
As I understand it, she’s got what you said — high bases stats, plus a multipool that she can allocate — but she’s also got a “allocate multipool + suck points out of base stats to supercharge one thing” ability. That’s what she did when she punched V in the neck. So, technically, she *could* dial her strength down to human levels, she’d just have to supermaxing something else all the time. (Defense being a good choice.)
True. However, the cast page says she only does this “in extreme cases”, so it might not be possible to maintain this for extended periods.
DaveB has confirmed that Maxima has a minimum level in all of her attributes. So never approaches human levels. Maxima’s power sharing pool does not include her energy attack, as that is a separate power (the rest all stem from her zero range telekinesis/force field).
Even at her minimum, Maxima is always super strong AND super fast AND can fly AND is super tough. I would guess about two or three star ratings, from what we have seen. So, no matter how much was diverted out of each Maxima would:
• be able to fly faster than Heatwave (one star flight).
• beat Math at arm-wrestling, or weight-lifting (one star strength)
• soak up a blow from Achilles* (one star strength)
However Super-Hiro would be stronger than her, able to faster and able to soak up any blow Maxima could throw. All at the same time. Of course Maxima’s surplus pool has to be somewhere, so (for all the previous examples) she might have put the surplus into reflexes. Thus would have five star speed, despite being weak in the other areas.
Further Maxima may also have some to spare, for boosting another attribute somewhat. But Hiro is high in all his, all the time, so the extra might not be enough to overcome his level.
* But not from Math. Because he would not have to rely on strength alone. He could use his five star martial arts to strike with much greater effect, thus easily overcoming her toughness.
“able to faster” = “able to fly faster”
Super Hero Info: Fly ***, Defence ***, Strength ****
His backup saved the situation from being a massive awkward to only a tiny bit awkward, washed down by the in-joke that likely everyone on the base will understand.
Insubordination, improper respect. Improper reaction of an officer.
Are all irrelevant if he turns out to be a civilian, who is not attached to the unit.
We have not been told his relationship yet. He could, for example, be a politician, from Washington, as an observer.*
Besides which, this unit is an elite unit which has a very relaxed attitude. You would find similar behaviour (and a lot worse) in many of the Battle of Britain squadrons, as an example. Maintaining high morale being considered far more important than prudish behaviour. Especially when there are world-changing events in progress!
Don’t forget that the unit just came under deadly attack, whilst they were relaxing in a civilian environment. Maxima should be very happy that her subordinates (be they civilian contractors or otherwise) are relaxed and happy. Just as long as they retain the necessary discipline to obey their orders and do not become lax in other regards.
* Not likely, but just pointing out the jumping to conclusions angle.
He’s ArcSPARQ so he doesn’t fall under Maxima who is in charge of ArcSWAT. It says that in the Whose Who and probably will be clarified in later chapters.
Thanks, and well deduced.
Lighten Up.
I cannot help but wonder… now that Arianna has come out and stated “no commando with skirts”… will Dabber not just see this as a challenge to give the media as many crotch shots as she can manage, just because… succubus?
Or she could be a bit mischievous and wear panties, but the split-crotch kind.
Technically correct is the best kind!
Or she could just get some flesh toned panties.
Then watch Ari’s head explode.
Twice.
Then there’s always the bald merkin for choices…
panel 3: https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1819
Dude, I’m a woman and I hate skirts. Make me feel naked. But if you think its so awesome then by all means wear kilts! There are some lovely utility kilts that can make a mans legs look very nice.
Also, bating a woman because of her defensiveness towards the oppression she faces is making light of that oppression and marginalizing her experiences. So those guys are being sexist assholes without thinking of themselves as being sexist. Because sexism is just in your face and insisting on burkas.
Granted, she should, in theory, know that this guy doesn’t actually believe this so her response says that she is racist…
Ah, intersectionality. Making life difficult for a majority of the population.
How do you know that Omar is not just following Maxima’s orders?
“I need to work on reigning in my temper. Keep finding ways to push my buttons. Any time you succeed, put the photo on my ‘wall of anger’, to remind me”.
Plus, formal orders or not, he is doing her a valuable service. Her hair-trigger is not appropriate for a commanding officer, in her position. It could be exploited to compromise her, in a variety of public situations. Possibly even on the battlefield too. Elite officers need to be able to handle such behaviour. She is wise to accept the prank as gracefully as she can.
As a side note, I am sensitive to Maxima being a victim of sexual harassment. And she probably still suffers from that, despite being super-powered. This is not an instance of that though. She has never been required to wear a burka,* so that is not an instrument of her oppression. Omar is just taking the pee out of her political correctness.
By the final frame, Maxima is more irritated with herself, for having fallen for the prank, than anything else. She certainly is not feeling sexually harassed. As you realised, she worked out that he was only saying it as a joke. And it was not one directed at sex or being female. **
Any racist element is brought by the observer, rather than the participants. It is not an issue to them.
* Unless Maxima had to go under cover sometime. But, in that circumstance, it is an advantage, rather than a disadvantage, for someone with golden skin!
** DaveB keeps pushing the envelope on these things. However I am perfectly happy defending him. Because he knows the distinctions extremely well, and keeps his humour on the correct side of the dividing line. Despite giving impressions to the contrary!
He does us all a service by making us examine these issues though.
Another thing to consider, one point that was made in a mandatory sexual harassment training class a number of years ago that shit doesn’t flow uphill, that is you can’t sexually harass someone who outranks you. The thinking was, if they are offended, they have ways of remedying the situation, many of which involve you looking for a new job. I haven’t been in one of those courses in a while, so I don’t know if that principle still holds.
on a no so similar thought… when i was active duty in the Navy we had a “Red Light, Yellow Light, Green Light” thing for sexual harassment. Green being things that are NOT SH at any time, Yellow being things that SOME people DO find offensive, and that SOME people DON’T find offensive, so you have to be careful, and Red being SH EVERYTIME (along with it probably being a criminal act, etc)… I’ve been out for quite some time and haven’t kept up if they still use that system or not, but at the time there was a crude joke that went around about how SH would probably still continue, since you only have to “stop at a red light until it finally turns Green…”
… You do realize that sexism extends beyond sexual harassment? It is about gender, not necessarily about unwanted advances? So my comment had absolutly nothing to do with Sexual Harassment, just her being provoked explicitly on the terms of gender based oppression, which clearly Maxima has more than enough experience of.
And lets be honest, it is very condescending to say that pulling someone’s trigger without prior permission* is “doing them a favor.”
*(IE your “Following Orders scenario, which I admit is a possibility but must, due to the American Cultural Circumstances, assume is not the case until proven otherwise)
I’m not saying that this scenario isn’t realistic, I’m just not as impressed as you have been with DaveB’s grasp on these issues. Perhaps that is as related to experience and privilege. So I’m pointing out something that I’m not sure that DaveB would realize Maxima is experiencing at that moment.
That also goes for the subtext of racism, which Omar could also be pressing (quite fairly!) Maxima’s buttons on. White Feminism has a tendency to be very… patronizing. In particular, the tendency of western, white feminists to see and insist that the Hijab (and variants) are universally symbols of oppression. https://contagiousqueer.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/briktzqciae5kg23.jpg (cute and accurate comic)
Again, they don’t have to be making a big deal out of it for the subtext of racism to be there. Racism and white supremacy are subtexts that run through our culture without us realizing it.
Please understand I’m not trying to make every statement or action in the comic “perfect” or even conform to good behavior. Using imperfection and bad behavior well actually can do more to advance interesting ideas and discussions more than something more strident. I just want to help DaveB be aware of the currents that I have not seen him be sensitive to. I want to see him use these things well, esp. since he has a lot of opportunity to play with it and advance conversations beyond the most surfacey understanding. He (a man) has taken on the task of making a comic about Grrl Power with a mainly female cast. That requires a lot from him in terms of understanding women’s struggles. I really like the comic so I want to help him out.
And then I thought a second longer and wanted to add that I also write comments for the peanut gallery here, as I’ve seen a lot less understanding of the issues by commenters here. For example: ya’ll do realize that the military has a horrific (seriously and deeply horrifying) record as far as women and sexual harassment/rape goes, right? Doesn’t that make you question even a little bit the value of what the rules and regulations around sexual harassment that you might have learned there?
…
Ok. I have really written enough about this. Shutting up. Going to bed.
ArcSWAT is a police unit. But, in addition to that, their unit is required to defend against foreign countries using supers in hostile actions. Which includes war. As such it places the team firmly in the category of special forces, in addition to their policing role.
DaveB may not intend delving too far into the realities of such forces. But they face unique situations which would change the way they view situations and behave. Which can make them unlike the rest of society. So please do not attempt to extrapolate these comments to apply beyond such. Especially not into civilian life.
One aspect is that they endure brutal training techniques. If you are of a sensitive nature, please just leave it at that, and do not click. These include counter interrogation and torture resistance training. Incorporating being stripped naked, humiliated and sexually harassed. Along with exposing them to a variety of torture techniques, in common usage around the world.
Clearly this is not something we would want anyone to go through. But the bravest members of our society are willing to endure such, as part of the process that makes them tougher than their enemies.*
And there are women who are willing to do that too. But are denied the right, because of sexist attitudes in society. Such as male-dominated top brass, who do not wish to see women subjected to this (laudable as that is, in its own right).
I however do not feel they should be denied the right to pursue the same goals as their male counterparts. They are every bit as capable and even have the advantage of being able to endure worse pain than men!
Note that what troops may need to suffer, in training, should not be used as an excuse for ill-treatment outside of that context. All too often (talking in the wider military context now) hazing is used as an excuse to mask bullying, harassment (sexual or otherwise) and even rape. And our armed forces are not doing an adequate job countering that.
But, that aside, a significant degree of leeway needs to be allowed for banter or even pranks. They are used to sound out team-mates and assess if they have what it takes. Helping them to build confidence in one another. And pushing someone hard (like Maxima above) may expose warnings, if they are cracking, have an uncontrollable temper, or other serious character flaw, or possibly a mental condition (such as PTSD). Even more so for special forces than regular units.
So we do need to factor in that (if being realistic) such forces will push the envelope a lot further than we are comfortable with in a civilian environment. But, ultimately the same rules do apply, even if the dividing lines are positioned differently.
Hopefully this clarifies my previous comments, without needing to reiterate them.
* So in this regard, it is highly appropriate to model supers on them, despite the problems it causes for dealing with the normal social issues, such as sexism and sexual harassment. Simply because they are the nearest thing we actually have to supers (along with Olympic medallists).
Ot the ladies could do what Fabiola does and wear spanx or biker shorts underneath.
https://youtu.be/SliXyNnhnC4
I like those girls…
That looks like it might be fun :D
Talking about characters I went and looked at the cast page, and I am a bit confused by your power rankings. You have Math as a Higher level than Sydney. While Math was able to quickly defeat her previously I wonder how successful he would be if she had her shield up and simply blasted him.
You might want to re-think the levels you have given people as you have defiantly over estimated some and under estimated Halo. (Hiro and Stalwart you have too high given the power set you have listed, Math as well. Halo is too low given the incredible power set you have given her)
It’s desperately in need of an update. Sydney’s initial low score was due in part to her unfamiliarity with her powers, but she probably should be bumped a little.
Ooh, I qualify for an extra “I have been ninja’d by DaveB” t-shirt! Or do I get double discount on the first one?
Just as well you said about the possible bump up. I really was struggling to justify parity for Stalwart vs Halo. Which is only likely in the kind of narrow circumstances I restricted it to, where initiative is key. If Halo has even a moment’s advance warning, up goes the shield.
:-D
Hehe, I’ve mentioned this before :)
Oh. Please please do update! Please!
It is all down to effective power. Sydney is an untrained, erratic rookie. Plus if, this instant, Math decided to kill Halo, she would be dead.* Math has four star reaction speed. That is just one category below Maxima’s bullet-catching speed. Sydney’s as a normal human is zero stars. She would be dead before she even realised she was being attacked. That is one of several reasons why Math is above her.
Super Hiro, as his name implies, has a weakened version of the Super Man package. He has also risen up through the ranks the hard way. Then gotten promoted to an officer. Then worked up to major. To do that much, as young as he is, means he has seen a lot of combat promotions! He is a hell of a lot more experienced than you give him credit. Hiro vs Halo = dead Halo. She would hesitate, he would go for the kill.
Stalwart has had a previous career too. One involving fighting super villains. As a vigilante. And, more significantly, as the leader of their team, and good enough at it that he is now an officer too. He may have a limited power set, but again his hands-on experience. Which has been factored into all the power ratings. As has the fact that Sydney might do ditzy silly things, get distracted or make a rookie mistake.
Stalwart has the ruthless experience, but just lacking enough in power versatility to be able to deploy it with certain effect. He has a range of tactics to take her out, before she realises she is under attack, such as blind-siding her, ambushing or trickery.** If he fails to do that, and Halo gets her shield up, then she is likely to win. Hence the equal ratings.
In time their relative power levels will change. Sydney will shoot up the scale, and could even surpass her. But not at the present time.
* Ignoring anyone else as we are comparing just those two.
** Yes, yes, Sydney can make plans too. But I consider myself an armchair tactician of equal skill to Sydney. Yet I would have no doubts that a veteran soldier could kill me before I realised we were in a fight. Even if I had nice shiny toys that gave me extra powers. And I have a lot more martial arts training than Sydney, by several years!
unless one of the unknown orbs has some sort of mortal danger activation trigger.
which, by definition WE don’t know about, and NEITHER DOES SYDNEY!!! so, until W.O.G. says otherwise, we have to go on theorizing and plotting like we’ve been doing… which means we can’t factor that in…
Good point. Nothing activated when Shadow Boxer was trying to stab her in the back mind. But that does not preclude that such an orb might not activate under other circumstances. Say when there is nothing she could do about it, by other means.
Plus you are right to point out that I had not mentioned the mystery obs. But, like her skill tree, they are part of the reason why her rating will be going up. Once she finds out what they actually do. Until then she is not being as effective as she could be.
When was it stated that Stalwart was a vigilante? Mr. Amorphous, Heatwave and Achilles were the vigilantes. Stalwart’s past has not been disclosed yet.
Oh that is just my weird mental condition I am afraid. My brain likes to grab the name I want and swap it with a random one. Usually from the same mental pigeon hole, but not always.
Substitute “Mr Amorphous” for “Stalwart”, and it should make sense.
How does the phone survive long enough for the image to get into any album? You’d think Max would grab the phone with super speed, switch to strength, crush it to powder, then tell Omar to see Leon for a new one
Maxima is under direct orders by her commanding officer, General Faulk, not to crush any more phones. Plus she lost. Maxima is not dishonourable. A normal person defeated her. The trophy is his.
Max wouldn’t even need to crush the phone. Super speed photo deletion…..the slowest part would be waiting for the phone’s user interface to catch up to her finger movements.
There was one time when Sydney wore a skirt. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BtS5T-ICAAEpw8I.jpg:large
Drawn by Armando Valenzuela of Atomic Laundromat.
Very cute and well drawn, but I don’t feel that that’s really Sydney. It would have to be some special circumstance.
I felt it captured her. The look is younger than our present Sydney. In my minds-eye I saw this scene:
MOM: See, I told you that you would look cute in a skirt!
SYDNEY (pouting): But they are no good for climbing trees in!
MOM: But boys like girls in pretty skirts.
SYDNEY: Well I don’t like those boys!
MOM: What about that tall, dark-haired one? You know, the one who you said likes comics.
SYDNEY (awkwardly tries to conceal her affection): ….
*camera snaps*
Of course, the orbs would not be there, if such a scene had happened, as Sydney only discovered them a few months ago. Plus we know her mum has never seen them.
But it is a fan-pic and not meant to be canon. I agree that it does not represent her typical self. However her shy side does show itself often enough. And that would come out if she had to wear a dress, or any other ‘girly outfit’. Sandwiched between protestations and objections.
Technically, Harem can “fly”, in the sense that she can teleport to certain elevations to gain momentum like she showed Sydney earlier.
But based on how random her ‘porting can be, there’d have to be a lot of camera coverage to try and get a lucky upskirt shot of her.
Nice intro to Omar. You also make a valid point about character introductions and how writers handle them due to prior knowledge. #Bravo
This is all stuff I don’t think about until I write myself into a tough spot, then I spend like 4 hours trying to write myself out and make a post about it so people will think I’m much smarter than I really am cause they don’t know about the 4 hours I spent trying to fix my own mistakes. :)
Only “The Shadow Knows”…
oh, yeah, and now WE know… because you just told us!… :D
Sometimes, desperation is the mother of genius…
Don’t quite get what the image in the first panel meant. A leopard in a box?
Also it’s nice to know that some fun can still be had at the expense of our super god level, gold plated, Vulcan, femanazi.
leopard = cat = pussy
box (slang) = pussy
So no pussy pussy? That’s like a double negative. Which makes it all the more confusing.
More like Pussy Galore.
Well there is the fact the spots are open rosettes not solid spots so it’s a jaguar not a leopard, but either way it’s still a big pussy-cat that likes to eat primates
As Loki put it; “are you ever going to not fall for that?”
Just realized that Heatwave and Anvil could be an extremely potent combination.
Anvil absorbs kinetic engergy.
Heat is kinetic energy.
Heatwave is an effectively limitless supply of heat.
Heatwave can give oodles of ammo to Anvil.
Anvil’s power is more absorbing Impacts than atomic vibration.
Agreed. I would say Heatwave gives out radiant heat thus (if she were able to survive there somehow) her heat aura and beam would be effective in outer space. It does not need to be conducted through an atmosphere. Importantly that means it has no kinetic component. Just think of the Sun’s energy to realise the truth of this. It gets to us through space.
In the past I have had a halogen heater, which is a source of radiant heat, so intense that it glows orange. Much like Heatwave. If you got very close to it, you could feel thermals rising up, so radiant heat was being converted into thermal heat too.
But only a relatively trivial amount, as the radiant heat could be felt (intensely) long before you got to the thermal. In fact you could only do that safely/comfortably above the heater, out of the arc that the radiant heat was being focussed in (by the mirror behind it).
Anvil would suffer from precisely this problem. She is vulnerable to any non-kinetic energy, just as much as the rest of us mortals. Anvil would be badly burnt by the radiant heat, before she could attempt to gain heat from the thermal.
And even then (regardless of what physics lessons might have to say about thermal energy being atoms in motion) Anvil’s power may not turn out to absorb the thermal heat. In which case the only kinetic energy to absorb would be that of the movement of the air, which is just a gentle breeze.
Regarding the last point. Just think of how long a steam engine has to be stoked (in technical terms: ages) before the pressure has built up enough in the engine, to provide motive power. The pressure is what represents the kinetic energy. It takes a lot of thermal energy, operating for a long period of time, to produce a significant amount of kinetic energy. For our purposes of using either in the real world.
Your kettle, at home, likewise. Even if you waited the minutes it took to boil, you could overcome the pressure just by using your hand to cover the spout. This would cause you severe burns of course. But no pressure damage. It would need to boil for much much longer (and you would need to disable any thermostat/mechanism, which regulated the temperature within the intended operating range) before you would run the risk of the kettle blowing up, from the pressure of a blockage.
I clicked on DaveB’s “giggelpuss” link and the page reminded me realize something. It was said super females have no body hair but what about Supers that are equipment-based like Sydney? I’m mostly getting this from an idea inspired the D.Gray-Man manga. I imagine equipment-based supers still have regular body hair because their powers aren’t a part of their body.
Sydney still has body hair, hence her self consciousness.
Sydney also, technically, does not have superpowers, she just has access to something which has powers. So one could say that tech-based supers are not, per se, “supers.”
Anyone else feel that Varia was querying Sydney about the cosplaying and not the lack of dresses?
Who wants to bet that Varia also cosplay’s?
Me, on the former. And confirmed, I believe, by Dave’s comment that Varia is a bit of a tomboy too. Varia came across, to me, as being a bit surprised. Given how obvious a tomboy Sydney is (eg challenging Math to a fight, especially in the manner she did), the ‘not wearing dresses’ would be very unlikely to surprise Varia.
As for the possibility of Varia cosplaying, I don’t know. Her surprise could either stem from: ‘Oh, I never took you as one of those?’ Or: ‘Ooh a kindred spirit? The lack of make-up fooled me.’
Not all cosplayers are ‘in costume’ all the time, or like to wear makeup (except to hide nasty bruising)
Indeed. But, without something to give you a hint, you are left in the dark and cannot tell anyhow. With make-up you might be able to guess at someone’s tastes, if they look similar to a celebrity, for instance. Or if it differed radically from yesterday, an experienced cos-player might well get a vibe or even spot a subtle cos-influence.
Not necessarily being ‘in costume,’ but maybe the technique is not ideal for their aesthetics, but would be useful in altering a face, from one look to another. Something a cos-player would be more adept at, than someone trying to idealise their own look.
Just idle speculation though. My experience with cos-players is transitory. I would see or meet some at conventions, but they were in a minority, so most of my contact was with non-cosplayers.
I am a guy, and I will say this with sincerity. The “burka” comment is NOT funny. The world is full of fanatics and theocratic places where women are killed, if they’re lucky, if they’re found not wearing a burka. There are also people, IN THE US, pushing for Shariah law. Ie, if you’re a woman, and are caught wearing clothes that shows anything but your eyes, you can, and will have acid splashed on your face, and if you complain, you could be stoned to death, among other things. RADICAL Islam is a very misogynistic religion.
Not finding it funny is perfectly fair, and a good thing to say. We all have our tastes, and it is good to know when a joke falls flat. Especially if it is connected to a sensitive issue like this.
Do note though that what is being targeted is Maxima’s temper and her overly-developed sense of political correctness. After a moment, to reflect, she clearly realised that his comment was a prank and not sincere support of requiring women to wear burkas.
Rather, by joking about it, Omar is actually distancing himself from that camp! Showing that he is not an extremist himself. If he were known to actually hold those views, everybody would be reacting very differently, himself included.
Not that establishing his own political views is the main purpose of the scene, but it is an aspect, nonetheless. One which makes the rest of your comment a nonsense.
So, whilst I respect your not being amused, the rest of your comment is saying “we should not parody politics”. Which is what feminism is. I identify myself as a feminist, very strongly. But I have no objections to someone making a joke about it. Not when there is no victim or harm done. To the contrary, once you realise the subtext of Omar actually being anti-burka wearing. So he is a feminist too!
The only people who actually have a right to be offended, are those who feel that their right to wear what clothing they want, or use it to show their religion, or respect their culture. If they say they do not find it funny, for that reason, I would have every sympathy. It would probably irritate the hell out of them.*
Clearly that aspect is of no interest to you though. But it is necessary to be aware that not all females in Islamic society feel that they are being oppressed by burka wearing. Including some highly educated ones, who live in the west and suffer no social pressure forcing them to do so (in their own judgement).
As a feminist, I of course, I give higher weight to the majority, who do not have the freedom to choose. But I do not ignore the rest. Nor do I think that it is right for us in the west to take away the right to choose,** by insisting that they conform to what we decide is the best solution.
* Although, I would hope that the more savvy ones would appreciate that the targets were Maxima’s temper and her over-P.C. reactions, rather than it being an anti-Islam stance. And would point that out, if they missed it.
** As opposed to finding a way to give them the choice.
You should read up on it. Wiki is not 100% trustworthy, but it at least covers enough basics to show the subject is nowhere near as simplistic as you think. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia
Shariah Law is NOT about forcing non-believers to wear burkas, OR in terrorizing or attacking those who do not follow certain strictures. Yes, some interpretations of Sharia are used to justify the actions of Radical Islam – exactly as the Bible and the Torah are both sometimes used by especially nasty people to justify THEIR actions. Think about it.
For anyone reading this; a Wiki is designed to showcase the history and usage of things, not list their actual usage. For example, “Gun” doesn’t have a list of mass shootings because that’s irrelevant.
Sharia Law is horrific. It makes Stalinist USSR look good – and that is not hyperbole.
The Quran, the holy book of Sharia Law and Islam, explicitly exhorts readers to commit acts of terror and murder:
– Quran 3:151
– Quran 8:12
– Quran 4:89
– Quran 9:5
– Quran 9:111
That last one is terrifying. Imagine a god who purchases your life and hence condemns you to constant violence. Sounds like the devil himself, heh.
I don’t think there is anyone taken seriously in America who is pushing for Sharia law. It makes me wonder why certain republicans are trying to create laws preventing its establishment. I can only assume they are unfamiliar with the first amendment which already covers establishment. That or they’re just pandering to their racist/islamaphobic constituency. Probably both really.
Maxima is obviously in agreement with you about the more radical elements of Islam, and Omar knows that. He is in fact Muslim, but in a thoroughly Americanized weekend Muslim way. You know, he goes on the major holidays, sometimes more often but it’s more of a community thing than a religious thing.
If he ever does anything radical it will be on a skateboard.
The Daily show did a piece on this subject about a year ago where they interviewed some politicians in the deep south that were introducing a bill that would prevent the adoption of any ‘foreign laws’. This was to keep out any (nonexistent) threat of Sharia, but as worded would also prevent any rulings based on the Christian bible, since in the USA it was in fact a ‘foreign’ document.
https://www.cc.com/video-clips/vho4ny/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-the-zone-rangers
The real irony is many of the tenets of Sharia law are official policies of the Republican party.
Coincidence? I think not. ;)
Showing how little you know about both Sharia law and the Republican party all at once.
Or how little you know but I did say many not all.
Except for the fact that there have already been attempts in this country to implement Sharia law, in some predominately Muslim communities, there is at least de-facto Sharia law. Also, the problem with relying on the First Amendment protections is that liberals have spent decades either misinterpreting it or deliberately lying about what it says, to the point where a lot of people in this country don’t know what it says.
Wear underwear under a kilt?! SACRILEGE!!
Who has a greater right to say that, than your plushy tartan self!
A point of interest for international readers, if the city they are based in turns out to be Dallas.* Kilt-wearing and bagpipe playing is actually surprisingly common in Texas. Enough that manufacturers recognise it as a distinct market on the world stage. And pipers and bands do travel overseas, to Scotland and other countries, thus are earning international respect.
So, all joking aside, it is entirely plausible that Hiro does have friends who are into the scene. Plus he is likely to be (or maybe has been) asked to appear at one of the piping festivals.
* Officially it is a generic American city, until or unless Dave decides otherwise.
Max has a Hair Trigger, doesn’t she? It shouldn’t have been that easy for Omar to maker her angry, unless Max has had a previous bad experience with Burkas?
Well observed. :)
Don’t think she has anything ageist Burkas personally. But a guy saying she should wear a burka is enough to get her feminist goat.
I’ve been visiting TV Tropes for some time now and tend to waste hours when I find something interesting. Some of you have mentioned Grrl Power being there before and I finally went to see what their was. What did I find? None other than our own Yorp!
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Webcomic/GrrlPower
Should I be concerned, I wonder? :D
Not at all concerned, if you are afraid of me getting addicted. I take precautions, to avoid that.
The Grrl Power page being an exception, needless to say. I am always happy to visit there. And proud to serve as an honorary representative too! It is nice to check off the promised attractions, listed there, in my head. And we were recently able to add “ninjas” to the list of appearances.
But I do note that the final one is still absent. “… probably pirates”.
To compensate for this, I envisaged what my Grrl Power counterpart might be up to this week. Unless of course if there is an emergency.
Hark! A troper!
Would be nice to have a list naming all the members that go “commando.”