Grrl Power #436 – Muppetosis
Ok, now before anyone rushes to post that drugs take longer than that to take effect, or that Muppet Vision isn’t a side effect of Adderall, one, a-doy, two, this is Sydney we’re talking about and three, you know, the weakness on the webcomic format is that you have to wait for the next page, at least if you’re reading along in real time. Of course, the strength of the webcomic format is that you guys can comment, speculate, and share your favorite slow cook recipes in the meantime, so have at it!
The difference between a fanny pack and a proper “utility belt” is that the utility belt should be properly packed so it doesn’t rattle in case stealth is needed. Even her little pill carrier isn’t just a hollow tin clamshell, it’s got a foam bed in it with slits to hold the pills securely so she doesn’t sound like she’s running around with a box of tic-tacs in her pocket. Of course that means she can only fit a dozen in there instead of like 30, so she’s got probably 2 extra Adderalls, some ibuprofen, a couple allergy pills, some proper painkillers, and other assorted over the counter drugs. Her first aid kit though, has a collection of antidotes to various poisons, which Sydney is absolutely not allowed to get in to yet cause she has no training with that stuff, and if your face is sliding off your skull cause someone slipped weaponized leprosy into your waffles, reading the little booklet that comes with the antidotes may not be an option.
By the way, this belt isn’t her full loadout, it’s literally just a belt with some pouches that Sydney’s stuffed with goodies she’s imagined needing. You’ll notice for instance it doesn’t include her sidearm (which she wouldn’t be carrying anyway until she’s certified) Her full combat loadout includes a tactical vest with a crossdraw holster, ammo pouches, etc. I imagine it will be suspiciously similar to this design.
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Weee, speculation time!
A. The water she put her hand into was actually poisoned and Dave’s commentary is a bit of preemptive information about that
B. It’s a new communication system. The others had to ditch, so Maxima left her “communicator puppet” there.
C. The unknown green orbs has been activated (the one with the “look mama, no hands” pip) and it’s powers are… weird.
D. There was a super in one of the stalls and she wanted to mess with Sydney. Maybe she even wants her to flee back into the bathroom for some more private time.
E. Pixel is a super, and this is some way to pitch her powers against Sydney’s Truesight.
F. It’s an attack. Someone was really pissed when he/she saw all the attention the team was getting so he/she turned them into the “puppets” they are in his/her mind. Sydney lucked out by not being in the same room.
That should be enough for a start I think.
A; Hmmm, maybe, but I wouldn’t bet on it…
B; LOL “Damn, we gotta run. Pixel, where’s my Commuppet?”
C; Unknown orb activating spontaneously? That would be amusing for no other reason than seeing Sydney flipping out over it firing up, despite how many times she tried getting it to work…
D; Hmm, make Sydney hallucinate to mess with her? Sounds like fun till the PPO comes out…
E; Let’s see if Sydney thinks of grabbing the “Orb Of Omens”…
F; It’ll be interesting to see how she reacts to it then…
I think that Dabbler has a Maxima puppet stored in a dimensional pocket and is now using it for its intended purpose of pranking a team member (Halo, in this case).
Better question, who on the team keeps a Maxima puppet? Also do they have a full set? Will Arianna have a mini-joy-gasum when she discovers this possible marketing avenue. Obviously the Halo puppet will have the orbs sold separately, as Velcro add-ons for the head.
Possible alternative, this is already Arianna’s marketing at work, and we got a hyper-fan on the restaurant staff who’s already buying in.
I’m afraid to ask what a Dabbler puppet would look like…
There’s a…few places…to put your hands…?
And only your hands.. let’s be clear on this. Hands ONLY.
That didn’t help with poor Lambchop :(
It will come in several varieties. Each assuming a particular pose, and if squeezed, it will say “Insert hand here”.
Squeezing it a second time will get the puppet to offer… alternate suggestions.
Reminds me of Jeff Dunham. One year, he actually performed at the university I attended. He was going to have Peanut act out an emotion. Someone in the front row immediately yelled out “lust!”
Jeff: “Lust? Going straight to the top, I see. Lust… Peanut, can you do that?”
Peanut: “Not with you I can’t. I know where your elbow is, but that don’t count!”
The halo orbs wouldn’t be velcro. They’d have a ring on a pivot that was mounted on a crown or something. That way you could put them on the ring and then make it spin around her head.
Wow, I only just now noticed that she’s wearing a shirt with HER OWN logo on it.
Shoes, too!
Well spotted, on the theme co-ordination front. Arianna must have pulled out all the stops getting those produced. if they are logo-bearing! If not, one or the other showed good fashion sense in off-the-shelf shopping coordination. Possibly Sydney had that pair and chose the logo colour because she knew it would match. But I suspect the hand of Arianna was behind that.
Thought they were normal yellow desert army boots
Yorp I was rereading yesterday and I’m pretty sure that her shoes are the same ones she was wearing with the Wonder Woman shirt on the first day. If they aren’t they’re damn near identical to me.
They are.
I think the crossbar of the ‘H’ should be the Hentacle. It would make it more unique, and also highlight one of her super-powers.
…Did she not realize that this was a perfect time to test if one of the two mystery orbs can heal her?
Try the orbs woman!
I’ve been screaming that since she’s showed her bruises on the second day.
I do hope that DaveB decides to show Halo testing the orbs for healing soon. Perhaps he has some plot reason for not doing it yet. But, failing that, it is getting very frustrating because the vast majority of readers clearly expect her to try and heal an injury. Each and every time one occurs. Despite having to use Super Doc, eye patches and band-aids.
Whilst I am happy to take it that she has tried it, off-camera, and failed, I think that, for most other folks, it is a case of “Show or tell”. They do not want to assume.
I’m almost certain that she’s injured herself since finding them, and probably already tried that. I could see the orb being able to heal others, since she’s not revealed them to anybody else yet, but I doubt it heals herself.
Actually she already said no to testing her orbs for healing by papercut. I don’t think she’s done a lot of self-testing to see if one heals.
Not so, she just says “Don’t say papercut“. However I do agree that it indicates she will not have self-harmed in order to conduct tests.
That said though, we have seen the typical daily rate of accidental injury that Sydney suffers. Let alone any others sustained through tom-boy behaviour. Plus we have directly seen several injuries. So Sydney has had many opportunities to test them. She is not stupid. Unless she had a very good reason not to do so, Sydney will have tried testing the orbs for healing, on one or more of those occasions.
She has even stated that she does not have regeneration, so clearly has done at least that much testing.
Ok, that’s sort of terrifying
If by ‘terrifying’ you mean ‘adorable’ :D
Adorkifying?
i did previously mention side effects associated with taking extra meds on top of your daily dose, i did not however consider muppet-vision to be among them
Heh, muppet-vision: if symptoms persist, RUN AWAY FLAILING ARMS WILDLY!!!
“Exit, screaming all the way, stage left.”
If you know that reference, you’re probably as old as dirt.
Heck yea, if I had not followed that advice then I would have been buried under all the ash, at Pompeii.
Err… in a dream… yea that was it. In fact forget I said anything at all! I am a perfectly normal person.
*dashes off and hides in kennel*
That was one hell of a cookout we had there.
To bad the booze fell in the volcano.
Was Lurcio there?
Yeah, he was there.
Till he tripped and fell in the volcano while carrying some booze.
Sydney shakes her head and when she looks up again,Maxima is buck naked!!!!!
Another shake of her head and everything is back to normal….
…but hanging off the roof…
That is normal ;)
Page two and so far nobody? Really?
Ok, fine! I’ll go first.
I loved the video, I’ll have to try that someday soon. I even think I can get the banana leaves in my local LA Mart. I typically do ‘traditional’ BBQ pork butt, which is not chopped up as in the pibil recipe.
Grab your Butt! ~8 lbs bone in, or go smaller with a boneless butt. Let stand from the fridge for about an hour. Rub all over with a cheap yellow mustard. Rub deeply, not being stingy, with your favorite pork rub recipe:
1/4-cup coarse salt (kosher or sea)
1/4-cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4-cup paprika
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
1-tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon celery seeds
Mix ingredients and store in an air-tight bottle.
Throw it onto your grill at 250-275, not over flame, with a shallow pan underneath to catch the drippings. Load your smoke box with damp wood chips. Apple is nice. Pecan, oak, or cherry are options. Don’t use mesquite. Set it over a low flame and monitor for refills. You should be able to do this by watching for smoke exiting the grill. ~4 hours of smoke is fine. Keep the grill closed or cracked 1″ and monitor the heat.
Load up a cooking-safe spray bottle with a mix of 1/3 canola oil 2/3 apple juice. Need I say that oil and water don’t mix, so shake before each use? Every hour spray with the ‘mop’ spray and flip the butt and spray again. Starting this at 3+ hours is fine. You can use a grill mop but the spray bottle has won my heart. I still use a mop for heavier sauces and such.
6 hours later check with a meat thermometer. Somewhere between here and 8 hours in you should see 180f and then it’s done.
Pull it off the grill and double wrap in foil. Let stand 30 minutes. Remove from the foil and pull apart with two forks.
Use the drippings to flavor the beans you’ve had simmering on the stove for the past hour.
Serve with the beans, and several starch options such as soft white rolls, cornbread, rice and macaroni (not cheesed!). Collards are a good option, I love them when made right. Broccoli rabe is a favorite of mine. And you can’t go wrong with corn, green beans, etc. Of course also provide a couple BBQ sauce options. The rub can be the spice mixture for either a tomato or a vinegar based sauce, but using the mix w/o the brown sugar is probably a better option.
===
Now I’m kinda sad I bought a leg of lamb for the Independence Day BBQ…
The banana leaves are unnecessary. As he says they’re really just for show. I simplify the recipie with half a cup of lemon juice instead of the hassle of juicing my own lemons, and a tablespoon of minced garlic like you can get in a jar with the oil, not dried. That saves a few more minutes of dicing up a clove of garlic yourself.
I don’t have a smoker, just a regular gas grill. I suspect the propane wouldn’t last for 4 hours, but it sounds good.
I had the house natural gas run to the grill, so I have endless grilling w/o the hassle of swapping a tank and refilling a tank for my grill. As long as I pay the bill. :-P You have to get a grill with venturis made for natural gas instead of propane, since they burn differently, but that’s not an issue if you buy from a place which doesn’t just have a few grills as a sideline.
I had the technician (it needs to be a ‘pipefitter plumber’, at least in VA, to be qualified to mess with the natural gas fittings) install a valve at the meter end and another at the grill end. In season I leave the meter end open all the time, and flip the grill end when I’m grilling. Off season I set both to closed for a ‘belt and suspenders’ approach.
A smoker is unnecessary, and an expense that most people won’t indulge in. It is expensive, specialized, and takes up space. I use the hell out of my grill (I’ve grilled in the snow many times) and I still don’t have a smoker. I just use a smoker box for the grill and keep a supply of wood chips on hand. Works for me. It’s a cast iron beast with a hinge-less lid. Which means it’s tongs-only for removing and refilling during a long smoke. If I did it again I’d get one with a hinged lid, but I’d still look for cast iron for the heat retention. At least for the body of the thing. Pansy aluminum might be lighter and easier to work with, but it doesn’t hold heat worth a crap.
Quick and dirty method for those w/o a grill.
First, buy a grill! Ok, just kidding. But really, buy a grill.
Marinate the butt overnight in a mixture of one flat beer (and this is perhaps the only time you’ll see me recommend an American-style mega-lager such as bud or coors or michelob), 1/4 cup kosher salt, and 3 tablespoons of smoke flavor.
Remove from fridge and let stand 1 hour. Rub all over with a cheap yellow mustard. Rub deeply, not being stingy, with your favorite pork rub recipe. Reserve the marinade.
Heat oven to 250. Double wrap the butt in thick foil and place in the oven. 6 hours later check with a meat thermometer. Somewhere between here and 8 hours in you should see 180f and then it’s done.
You can also kick the oven up to 325 after about 3 hours and cook for another ~2 hours. These times are more suited for the smaller boneless butt.
Remove from over, let stand still wrapped for 30 minutes. Remove from foil, conserving drippings, and pull apart with two forks.
You can blend the drippings and the marinade, but if you do bring it to a boil before mixing with the beans or using in any other foods since the marinade was in contact with raw meat. Test for salt level!
Only got my first slow cooker a few months ago, still experimenting. There are a few whole-chicken recipes I like, but my wife has no patience for finding tiny bones. :D
This is delicious (reduce the sauce afterward): https://thestayathomechef.com/slow-cooker-chinese-bbq-pork/
Best corned beef recipe I’ve come across, and the associated recipes are awesome too: https://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2013/03/17/guinness-crock-pot-corned-beef-cabbage/
I use this one with leg quarters: https://allrecipes.com/recipe/236609/honey-garlic-slow-cooker-chicken-thighs/
Oh, and I plan to try this within the next week or so: https://thestayathomechef.com/slow-cooker-raspberry-chipotle-baby/
Ok, if you have a slow cooker you really must try a coq a vin recipe. You can Google it, but at the essence it is chicken parts cooked in red wine. It is really awesome, and you can go in a lot of different directions with the recipe. Let me know and I’ll provide my own favorite recipe.
It is no use Sydney already got her points for Making Maxima Say “chicken parts”.
So, I did a search for ‘coq a vin’ on that slow cooker site and I am shocked, shocked I say, to find that there is
gamblingno recipe for this dish on the site. I don’t own a slow cooker but to me it seems like a natural marriage of an old school recipe to a new fangled contraption.I do all my ‘crock pot’ style cooking in a Le Creuset cast iron pot. Which costs just as much or more than a crock pot but provides the additional feature of not having any of the slow cooking apparatus. So it’s stovetop or in the oven for it. But it’s worked for me for so many years that I’m not inclined to change my ways now.
*Finally*. Sydney looks normal in panel 8, at least the way her face is drawn.
I’m sure we’ve seen it before, but it’s been a while. (Maybe during the Vengeance fight when she tilted her head 30 degrees.)
I also love how Max looks like a Sesame Street character. (Was it Bert or Ernie?)
Neither, Guy Smiley
Halo is meant to have an anime style. Dave has toned it down somewhat, over the years, but it is still intrinsic to her looks.
It is one of the reasons why Sydney instinctively disliked Pixel. She was muscling in on Halo’s territory! Sydney does have a deep-rooted insecurity, at being phased out, after all.
If Muppet Maxima isn’t added to the random rotation at the top of the page, I will be disappointed.
Seconded.
I’ll third that.
*raises a dew-claw upright, to indicate approval*
Actually, I have had second thoughts about this. The Muppet image would constitute a spoiler. Much of the impact comes from not expecting something so bizzare. Whereas new readers, seeing that in the banner, would loose that element of surprise.
Maximuppet!
What an awesome avatar!
Shame they are so far from home. Otherwise, I would love Sydney to walk out into the street, to check if it is a wider phenomenon, and see a blonde lady Muppet, leading her Muppet dog.
Then I could have a new gravatar too! :-D
I know what you mean, Yorp. Since your first appearance in the comic, there just hasn’t been any decent close-up pic of you…
There was an NPC super in a game I’ve played in whose power set involved control of light. So, invisibility, detection of illusions, ability to see colors of light humans don’t normally see, lasers. You get it.
One of his favorite tricks was large stage illusions that covered over “laser orbs” that performed state oscillation of air to produce sound (not really a practical thing in RealSpace, but hey, since we’re violating at least two rules of physics in supers comics, what’s another one or two amongst friends?). Instant puppet shows. Usually looking a lot like the “Spitting Image” show and including the various PCs behaving stupidly.
Anyone else wanna call for an animation to that muppet Maxima panel? Cause dang it I can see it in my head but I no got the skills!
It would consume too much time, and cut into the comic-production schedule. But I am sure that Dave would be OK with it, if a fan wanted to do an animated giff for that scene.
Actually if I was Archon one of the first things I’d do with Sydney is a full diet and drug work-up to learn what she’s doing right or wrong and establish protocals; we’re talking about a very powerful person with “interesting mental issues” that can be easily aggravated by chemical/drug imbalances. Muppet-vision is funny, but impaired thought and judgement is the real problem.
Well, sure, but that wouldn’t be as funny.
On a serious note, they may have to revisit her medication at some point.
True: the Rule of Funny must prevail.
I can imagine Sydney having an “episode” where she freaks out at something and tries to KILL IT WITH FIRE, then wakes up in the infirmary (fortunately Maxima and Dabbler stopped her). The next scene can have her referring to the diagnostic procedures they put her through. For the old-school reference…
Chekov: “Blood sample, Chekov! Marrow sample, Chekov! Skin sample, Chekov! If – if I live long enough, I’m going to run out of samples!”
Sulu: “You’ll live.”
Chekov: “Oh, yes. I’ll live. But I won’t enjoy it.”
(Star Trek Classic, The Deadly Years.)
so… was that about the movie Limitless or the show Limitless, cause I’m only now realizing how much Sydney reminds me of Brian.
Probably the show
My family just recently started doing Sous vide and it is delicious. It requires a bit of an initial investment in a precision cooker and vacuum sealer, but in general pays off. You seal your meat and spices inside a plastic bag with all the air sucked out, then put it in a large pot. The precision cooker keeps the water at a constant temperature, lower than most cooking. Just leave it to sit and it can come out great! The awesome thing is, the best meat for sous vide is often the cheap meat with more gristle. In addition, because of the precisely controlled conditions, you can easily adjust your technique after every meal.
Yep, it takes an initial investment. $30 for a cheap countertop deep fryer and $15 for an electronic kitchen thermometer (because the temp control on the deep fryer isn’t calibrated to a low enough temperature OR sufficiently precisely).
Hah. I appreciate the “Calvin & Hobbes” reference. Well done.
I thought that was the dance she was doing. Yay!
But will it start snowing?
https://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/laurasnow75/CalvinSnowDance.gif
You know nothing, Jon Snow.
O.B. Juan; you wouldn’t happen to have a relitive named Obie, would you?
No, but he does have a cousin, Olivia-Beatrice Have (prefers to use her initials for some reason >_>)
I’m just curious, because as a Star Wars fan, it would be interesing to meet O.B. Juan’s kin, Obie.
lol. I seriously doubt trying to spread weaponized leperosy via waffles is going to immediately have your face sliding off your skull. First, it’s not a chemical, so an antidote wouldn’t work (antibiotics might); also means that the bacteria would probably die after being cooked and no longer be infectious. Second, it’s a disease that takes a long time to manifest. Can take up to 20 years after exposure… not a great weapon in terms of efficiency.
Now, if you’re still set on bio-related weaponry and doing skin damage, might I suggest a modified Staph aureus‘s exfoliative exotoxin? Even after successful toxification, there’s a high chance the malicious act will go unnoticed; it simply a case of poor food safety and poisoning.
I’ve always preferred a cross draw for my pistols. I only ever carry revolvers, and my EDC is a Charter Arms Pink Lady I keep at my left hip in a cross draw style. Just feels more natural drawing from my left to my right.
Is there any difference? Does anyone know?
In draws? A cross draw could easily cause you to accidentally flag ( point the muzzle at ) someone that you don’t intend to shoot without some good training. Same goes for shoulder holsters, which is why the military generally goes for strong side hip, or belt, holsters. You draw in line with the target and there is less chance of flagging/shooting someone or something you don’t intend to. It’s also harder for someone else to take it off you that way, with the exception of a chest holster of course. I think that answers your question.
Also, it takes longer to draw from a cross draw holster then it does from a hip or drop holster. This is because you are reaching across your body, then bring the weapon back to your normal side.
Personally I prefer hip holsters that are set slightly below waist level. This is because my arms are slightly shorter than normal, so a full drop holster would be too far down for me. No, it is not really noticeable so you couldn’t tell just by looking at me.
Hmm, interesting points. Minimizing Sydney’s chance of accidentally shooting the wrong person is something the team should consider when setting up her gear.
You also might want to consider that as a branch of the military Archon might go with modular vest setups. It would all them not only to tailor their layout to any mission specific, but for more experienced personnel, like Peggy, use layouts optimized to their personal styles. They would have some standardized layouts for different mission sets and individual roles. And considering the make up of Archon it helps lighten logistical loads as equipment remains standardized while still providing for customization.
But…
of course one of the reasons why non-special forces must carry the same equipment is economy. But there is also a second, more important one that makes it logical to even carry the same equipment in the same specific places. It makes it easier for soldiers to pick up things from fallen comrades or help them if they can’t communicate. Example: Every soldier gets some basic medical training, but imagine one has used all his bandages when he comes to an injured comrade that’s hurt out of his mind. It really helps if he knows that the other soldier should have his own bandages in his lower right trouser pocket. Less searching makes the helper faster and means the injured body must be moved less. Of course it makes less sense that every soldier has his cap in the same pocket, but that’s military for you. Strength through unity and all that.
Now this does make more sense in the cannon-fodder part of the military than in the supersoldier part where every person is an expensive highly specified weapon. And a trained soldier will recognize a magazine pouch even if it’s at an unexpected place. Still: It helps when it’s visible which pouch has been emptied or which contains an empty magazine – it even helps yourself if you’ve mechanically grabbed one mag after the other while retreating and you now have ten seconds behind cover to switch your brain back on and assess your resources.
So in conclusion: I, too, would wager that they have very individualized, modular load-outs. But the individual pouches will probably be standardized, maybe even marked with easily recognizable symbols or colors. And they will want each soldier to know what the others are carrying. It’s a risk if there’s a spy in their ranks, but the rewards probably outweigh that risk by far.
About the only thing I know about cross-draws is that they make for a quicker, easier draw, as they have the arm performing a single motion rather than the several motions involved in a strong side hip draw.
That said, given that old west style quickdraw duels are hardly the standard of firearm conflict in the modern era (and indeed may have been more a matter of romanticism than reality in the old west), it makes sense that safety would take priority over speed. Especially for Sydney, given that a firearm is decidedly not the most potent tactical option in her kit.
The next hallucination for Sydney will be her imagining the orbs as Golden Snitches from Harry Potter and she will run around the room grabbing at them.
Maybe not “GOLDEN Snitches” as such, but maybe (Insert orb colour here) Snitches… :P
Rainbow Snitches!
Muppet Max LOL
Funnier than Operation Angry Muppet
Less Limitless, more Uninhibitedness/Unrestrainedness.
UHm….you realize, Dave, now that you’ve drawn it…someone is going to have to actually MAKE the Maxima Puppet for you…
And probably many of them… maybe a full line of character plushies. :D
Daniel the Human & I recently went to Perth Supanova (Anime convention), & in Artist Alley there was some people who made puppets of stuff, including Optimus Prime & various other characters. If THEY read Grrl Power, I could see them making a good quality MaxiPuppet… :P
This comic reminds me of the time I saw moose antlers on a car while on the freeway (fortunately I don’t drive, ever). Not Adderal related, I’m not actually on meds for my ADHD at the moment, I’m a little more worried about the PTSD and the depression than my lack of attention span.
I was actually taking an anti-nausea drug and some vicodin when I had what turned out to be an ulcer. This is not at ALL a common reaction, the doctors were all super baffled, but I didn’t have a problem as long as I only took half a vicodin, which still killed 90% of the pain.
You can rest easy. I too have seen antlers on a car. It is a thing. A weird thing. But people do do it sometimes.
Of course, you may still have been hallucinating. Perhaps the moose was real, and running down the road fast, so your brain tried to rationalise that by adding the car?
;-)
Just seeing the light side, by the way. It is not my intent to mock such serious conditions and symptoms. That combined package must be very hard to cope with.
This page made me think of a CHAMPIONS campaign I was in many years ago. One of the characters wasn’t really into the whole super-hero schtick, and a little bit lazy, and so for her costume she simply wore a set of baggy sweats she bought off the rack at K-Mart and a pair of sunglasses. This outraged our Game Master, who with her husband was also a cosplayer; (and who also had little liking for the “My Street Clothes ARE My Costume” school of 1990s comic books)
GM: You’re wearing a FANNY PACK???
LISA: It’s not a fanny pack, it’s a utility belt!
GM: IT’S A FANNY PACK !!!
Apparently a recent NYT crossword puzzle had the clue “Decidedly non-feminist women’s group.” and the answer was “harem”. Someone on Slate was complaining about it, but thinking about it in terms of the comic I had a good laugh, especially with the contrast seen .
But that got me thinking: if “molestorb” was a non-starter, did Maxima ever have objections to Harem’s code-name?
Messed up the link tags. This really could use a preview option.
I had not seen that art before. Thanks. It made me laugh.
Maxima will have hated the name, and probably tried to veto it. But, if it was something that Daphne had always wanted to call herself, as a super-name, that could have been a “If I can’t choose my own call-sign, I am out of here” moment.
Plus the military tend to be quite relaxed about rude call-signs, historically. Typically they are chosen from bonding incidents, so allowing the freedom of speech, to choose such, is good for morale.
Yeah, she wasn’t pleased with it, but Daphne’s been going by that nickname since she was a tween.
Honestly it would be SO COOL to see Muppet versions of the heroines of this great series. I mean a Muppet Harem must be hilarious to see and the many antics of Dabbler would be worth the one-shot alone. :D
Where did Sydney get the matching shoes?
Oh right, she’s been wearing them the whole time.
Well spotted. I guess that Halo’s colour scheme was originally picked, for her collar, because of the outfit Sydney was wearing at the time.* Both the Wonder Woman top and those shoes. Which would require the logo-bearing top to also be yellow and white.
* And presumably Sydney liked the colours, otherwise she would not have worn that in the first place.
I am expecting to see the restaurant chef to come out, chasing an escaping chicken.
Which our vegetarian heroine will try to save, naturally.
Couldn’t play the linked video–YouTube redirects it to another page before it has a chance to start.
Didn’t have any trouble playing that vid this morning, or just now, may be something on your end
Still working for me too. Perhaps it is a regional issue? Sometimes YouTube will block stuff from playing in some countries, but not others.
So here is a different clip, but similar enough that it serves just as well.
*claws crossed, that this one will work for you*
Which our vegetarian heroine will try to save, naturally.
Couldn’t play the linked video–YouTube redirects it to another page before it has a chance to start.
I don’t think it is on Yorp’s end as I have no trouble launching it repeatedly. What is the browser y’all are using, and do you have any plugins that might be doing anything.
By the bye, I am currently on an Acer Chromebook 13, with the latest Chromium update.
I use Google Chrome, but doubt it is a browser issue, unless His Imperial Majesty has general problems with YouTube videos.
That second post was just an accidental double-post by His Imperial Majesty. It has happened to me a number of times, usually when holding down the “Submit Comment” button slightly longer than normal.
I think it is aggravated if suffering from lag, as the frequency of such incidents was higher when my system was running really slowly, when accessing the net. By contrast, now that I have been upgraded, to cable and a better PC, I have had no problems.
*touches head, with paw, followed by an elegant bow, for His Imperial Majesty*
Using IE11, with no known addons
Default silk browser on an Amazon Fire tablet (which I blame foir the double post).
The video plays fine now, so it may just have been a temporary blip at the time I tried to access it.
As a person who takes meds for anxiety?OCD/depression (escitalopram – generic Cipralex and half of Selexa [sp?] does all three), I can say that just the act of taking the medication can cause psychosomatic effects equal or near equal the effect of the actual drug if you’re used to taking it all the time. So Sydney getting such a response is, while stretching it, not 100% out there (maybe 90%).
You know, if we assume that the mystery orbs do not include a healing suite, what is the most logic add on to the power suite? Since it seems more like an explorers power suite, than a combat set.
A small scale fabricator for roughing it. Or a stealth function (which she wouldn’t notice, since she’s experimented alone.) I can’t recall if she’s attempted to use the mystery orbs in the presence of the team or just talked about them
I tend to favour a protection orb (with a hands-free capability). Various options can include protection from radiation, biochemical attack, mind-control (she does not have that yet, the aggro field affected her), magic (likewise, if we assume that the aggro aura was magical), psionics and custard pies.
But I like your suggestions too.
*swishes tail encouragingly*
Hmmm, 1 orb stealth/sensory invisibility (Daniel the Human knows big words ::P ) hiding her as well as the orbs themselves (they’re already hiding from every known scan, magical & scientific), maybe even from actual sight with the right upgrades. The other orb preventing mutations from radiation, biochemicals, etc…
Hmmm, yeah, could work…
The shield DID protect her from the aura… When Vehemence was outside of said shield.
and in the following page the aura clearly affects Sydney, though she resists it. :)
Of course, this is just Vehemence’s aura, so a more direct mind control might be more effective, but given how the shield has been impenetrable so far… I doubt it ^_^
Hrm. Tags did not work. Here are the pages I meant to link to, in order
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1564
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1572
Yea, I was just referring to the latter, to show that the mystery orb is not providing immunity, otherwise she would not have been affected at all.
Thing is that if she were just a soldier, the shield would be enough. Halo could remain bubbled up as long as her air supply was good, and attack from within its protection. But as a cop, she will face many situations where civillians need to be protected. Of the entire team Halo is the most suited to providing that. But, in order to get hostages and survivors into the shield, she has to lower it.
This means that if they are evacuating a nuclear plant, or if some mad scientist has released a disease, or any similarly dangerous situation, Halo’s shield will not protect her. The dangerous elements will have been let in by her! Hence why she would either need a healing orb (which it seems very unlikely that she has, never having used it) or a protection orb.
All true things! :D
Tbh, I’d be surprised if the remaining orbs gave immunities or other such things, given how what we’ve seen so far of the orbs functions have little to no direct overlap in the purposes they serve; shield and immunities are such an overlap.
Just waiting for that eureka moment of possible uses that haven’t been thought of yet!
For their primary purposes, true. However there is a president I can cite, in that the fly ball provides low level protection for things like wind buffeting and bug/bird strikes. This is an overlap with the Forb, which allows moderate speed flight, without needing to have the shield up.
Ok, try this one on for size. One of the mystery orbs is already active, and is used hands-free, which heightens the user’s own abilities. Up until now we have viewed Sydney’s extreme characteristics as being purely down to her wacky personality mixed in with ADHD, with everything being hyped up to the max for comedy.
But what if it is the orb which is magnifying these things? So she genuinely has superhuman immunity to spicy foods. Her ADHD multi-tasking and tangential thinking is enhanced to mega-computer levels. Sydney’s cuteness is boosted to the same degree that a Succubus’s sex appeal is increased. Her swearing just used to be moderate, but orb-enhanced it is world-class!
What I like about the mystery orbs right now, is that they are “Schrodinger’s cat(s)”, until Dave gives the reveal. All speculations of their function is possible, it’s everything and nothing at the same time. I want to know, but the suspense of not knowing is still exciting as well.
Just so. Long ago I said that the mystery orbs have two powers:
One is to provide mystery and speculation until its reveal in a major arc (possibly this one, as we know it to be a long one, per a comment from Dave).
The other could remain an eternal unknown, to keep the readership wondering, exploring and debating, for all time. That is a mighty power!
So maybe “immunities” like that could be possible upgrades for the Shield ball, instead?
An ability to leave its radiation screen up while letting physical objects pass would seem reasonable…
I would like to see someone with powers touch one, or both, of the unknown orbs. Next thing ya know Halo can mimic that super’s power. Other than Sydney, no else has touched them. Math and Dabbler came in “contact” with different orbs, and Varia only touched Sydney herself.
*nods*
Entirely plausible. It does not feel right for the tone of her powers mind, but it is could be possible.
Dabbler probably had her tech systems create a Maximuppet robot, programmed with Maxima’s voice and attitudes, just to mess with both Sydney and Maxima.
Heck, if I had her gear, that’s EXACTLY what I would do!
+1
+1
+1
“You’re a bloody puppet!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0I6hgf9U2g
The bandage goes from her right hand in panel one and jumps to her left for the remainder of the page.
I hate that, that was my very first comment. I love your work! Re-reading your archives brings me a beautiful, self inflicted lack of sleep on a regular basis.
The first panel is Halo looking at herself in a mirror. You can see the sink and her elbow in the foreground.
Panel one is a mirror
And just to complete what the others had said, it was her left hand that got burned. So it is all correct.
Don’t worry that you missed the mirror, it was easy to do. Welcome out of the shadows! I hope that you stay here now that you have ventured into the light.
We do offer free dental. But I am not sure how that will work if the Muppet Contagion continues to spread beyond the fourth wall! Perhaps a free plushy mouth stitching service? To fix wear and tear or cure Tourettes, at your option.
But that “free dental” is Yorp’s way of offering to bite you.
I would never bite a sentient being.
*whistles innocently*
Well, maybe a postman.
*looks at Elfcake, and licks lips*
No matter how delicious they look!
When Yorp has a particular bone to pick with someone, it’s usually one of the long bones in the leg…
I have (genuinely) bookmarked this page, with the following caption:
Certainly a good one to read. Personally I think the one with Peggy and Halo when they are getting something to eat before the press conference is another great one.
I noticed that Sydney is not too sore from PT to dance. Something is giving her healing a bit of a boost. She should be miserable for about a week after she starts.
Post-injury adrenaline. It is acting as a pain killer. It will be wearing off fast. I would not advise any more dancing, not even if an orchestra pops up out of nowhere and starts up the Muppet show theme!
*starts humming, and spontaneously breaks into a doggy song and dance*
It’s time to play the music
It’s time to light the lights
It’s time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight
It’s time to put on makeup
It’s time to dress up right
It’s time to raise the curtains on the Muppet Show tonight
Let me guess, your favourite dance step is the fox-trot? (yeah, it was the closest could think of for a puppy :()
Sadly, I haz four left feet. So my dancing is more comical than elegant. I would need to drink a bottle of vodka before setting paw on the dance floor. So I avoid doing that.
I hear that Shaggy likes the Shag though.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1937
Post-injury adrenaline or not, Sydney should really not be dancing…
Dave, I notice the orbs being in reverse order when Sydney is looking in the mirror. Fine attention to a small detail, that.
Y’know, I only JUST noticed that she’s now got her own superhero insignia on her shirt. That must be a fantastic feeling.
Hey Joe! Too bad Zandra and company can’t make a cameo appearance!
Am I the only one who find’s Sidney’s lips weird on this page. I don’t know if it is the shading or just how they’re drawn, but they look off in almost every panel for me (mostly panels 1, 4 and 5 (kinda). Also her entire face just doesn’t look like her in panels eight and ten to me.
Personally the whole page looks good to me. The only one which looks a bit out of Sydney’s normal range of expressions is panel 4. Which I get a vibe that she is putting on a bit of a piss-take of an infomercial, so that worked well for me.
My favourite is in panel 3, the Sydney with her head thrown back. The whole pose and facial expression just conveys unbridled joy to me!
Recipe:
6 eggs
1/2 pound of bacon (more or less depending on meat love), cut into squares
1/2 onion, chopped
3 large potatoes, cubed
Salt, pepper, dill weed to taste
Oil of choice (I prefer to use peanut oil
Heat oil in a frying pan. Add potatoes and brown thoroughly. Add bacon to to potatoes and cook until almost done, this is to your taste, as I prefer my bacon to be chewy. Once the bacon is to the point before where you like it, add onions and allow to saute slightly. Mix eggs, salt, pepper, and dill weed together while onions are cooking with everything else, then add to the pan. Food is done when eggs are fully cooked. Serve with toast (I prefer rye bread for mine, after all, it has all gone awry) and orange juice.
Links below are to my Youtube channel where I cook such a meal. Not a slow cooker recipe, but I figure it is tasty enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNwQlg1-13c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S58mZFHYezI
I think Sydney has stumbled through a stargate! All those aliens have to get here somehow. And if they are working as waitresses, and the like, I doubt they own their own star ship.*
Now just look at the symbol, in easy-to-understand galactic community icons. Namely the blue and white sign, on the door to the teleportation rest-room (in panel 8 and the final panel).
At the bottom we have the typical Imperial Star Destoyer. Clearly, in this context, just symbolising travel between star-systems. The flaming engines showing this to be in working order.
Which is pointing at the planet with solar-panel bearing satellite, above it. Obviously any traveller would want to be assured that the destination is not in orbit, for example. So this is telling them that it goes to a planet, and even indicates the tech-level, via the solar-powered satellite.
Doubtless this is all concealed to look like a regular restroom, but with that subtle clue for inter-stellar travellers. Whilst still being easily mistaken for the Earth “Ladies Restroom” symbol, to the natives.
Something about Sydney, an/or what she did, allowed her to accidentally activate it, to travel to the Muppet alternate Earth!
* Excluding any junior sanitation engineers, of course. Aka Flinx.
That sounds plausible to me…
^_^
Mystery solved…
Wow. I do not want you snooping around MY secret rooms. Nothing personal, but they probably wouldn’t stay secret for long if such a keen intellect starts to take their details apart. My supply of emergency-bribe Yorp-Snacks is limited, after all.
But I do appreciate that you didn’t give away that it must have been the dance that activated the system. I mean it’s obvious for people like me who build such things regularly, but the general public…
… damn … I gave it away, didn’t I.
Curse you! I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling dog!
Well everyone is referring to it as the Calvin and Hobbes dance. It does seem to be an appropriate way of unlocking a gate to the Muppet universe.
Well, you have to admit that Yorp is one of those who just have a good nose for sniffing out mysteries…