Grrl Power #450 – Bang jail
So… yeah, I’m trying something new with Sydney’s hair for a few pages at least. Sydney’s bangs are distinctive as Decollete says, but they create certain art problems, like when I draw Sydney in profile, they mysteriously just out from her face more than they should just so they don’t overlap her eyes. Her bangs are like Lion-o’s hair, which would often stay pointing the same direction even though he’d turn his head. It’s not like I’m reinventing her look either, I mean I had planned on having her wear a French braid at the beginning of the previous day but I discovered very quickly that they’re a lot more work to draw than a ponytail. Full disclosure, I was also watching an anime called K-ON and one of the characters in (Ritsu) wears a headband. I realized her hair looked a lot Sydney’s only with the bangs pinned back, so I thought I’d try it out for a bit.
Succubi can’t feed off each other. Well, they totally can, it’s just not sustainable. It’s like trying to breath back and forth into someone else’s mouth while you’re both underwater. It’s a game of rapidly diminishing returns. It doesn’t mean they don’t like trying, but they probably have some recharge options on speed dial. Succubi hook up text doesn’t read “You up?” it reads “Carb up!”
Max doesn’t want any Succubus zonking her team, but it’s got to seem like a wasted resource from their point of view. Of course not all supers work for Archon, and any Succubi on Earth probably has a few regulars supers for mutually beneficial… you know, exchanges. To them, Supers are like a big meal full of protein and fiber and healthy fats, only they taste like a pie made out of Twix and Nutella. (Or whatever gets your sweet tooth going. Maybe a giant gooey chocolate chip cookie and big cup of milk for dunking.)
Unrelated to the comic, but – I have some kittens than really need a home. If you’re in the DFW area and are interested (or know someone who might be) please check out this post, and/or share on facebook or friendface or at work or whatever. They’re housebroken and very affectionate and need more attention than I can give them.
Double res version will be posted over at Patreon as soon as I get up. $1 and up, but feel free to contribute as much as you like :)
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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Final panel: Déjà vu chuckle.
just add a shower and i think we may have been here befor :D
I think dabber or decco need to tweek spell to make it visible or people may wonder what the heck is holding Syds hair back..
It’s magical in that it stays in place while being light. It’s still a physical object.
It’s the same colour as Syd’s hair but it’s visible. It took me a bit to notice it too.
Don’t mind me. I just wanted to try something and see if it would work.
♥ Sydney! ♥
Nope. Didn’t work. That was supposed to make little hearts.
:-(
I think it needs a semicolon at the end of each. If it works at all. ♥
Yep, it works. Now to deliberately fake it. ♥
A Semicolon, you say? Trying again!
♥ Sydney! ♥
Hurray!!!
Wonderfully expressed.
♥ Alt + 3 on the numpad is a far easier way to add hearts to your text on PC. ♥
Neato! Now if only there was a way to turn them red . . .
If only.
*sighs, and looks at Sydney*
❤
I think we have a few people- er, beings here who like Sydney. Maybe. Still not 100% certain of this. Shall we call it the beginnings of a hypothesis?
On a side note…
♥ Ooo, Alt + #pad3 DOES = ♥
1☺ 2☻ 3♥ 4♦ 5♣ 6♠ 7• 8◘ 9○
Yaaay, new tricks… :p
Thanks, Screwball! A little bit of research proves that there are all sorts of little ALT symbols that can be used if DaveB and his website choose to let us. See here.
And Yorp? A RED heart?!! Wow . . . How did you do it? I’ll give you a box of bacon and mailman flavored Yorpie Snax™ if you’ll tell.
Trying something else!
♥
Didn’t work . . .
:(
He he. It would be my pleasure.
Just use the following: ❤
More information, about that, can be found here.
Really? It came out as black when I tried it in the Try It Editor. Still, here goes . . .
❤
Success! Yay!!
Now, did I promise you the five dollar box or the ten dollar box of Yorpie Snax™ . . .
Oh, what the hell@ Have the twenty dollar jumbo sized box with my thanks!
What sort of smiley is ☺?
Okay, checked it on the DCUO forums, and it’s a :) type smiley, is there a :P type using that little numberpad trick?
No idea. Embarrassed? I just know Alt + #pad1 = ☺…
There isn’t. Alt 1 is an inverted version of ☻ (alt 2) but these comments autocorrect it to an actual smiley.
Thank you ♥
Just finally noticed that the art style IS updated and it’s not just the lightning. You’ve had this distinct style since the public photo scene, right?
I’m trying some new stuff with the art to see if it speeds me up. So far it hasn’t because I’m learning new techniques and battling old habits at the same time, but if nothing else I “colored the inks” on this page, which is to say I set them at about 65% transparent so they blend with the colors below them, but that involves coloring more cleanly in the first place, so I’m still working on ways to do that without slowing me down.
All for keeping her hair because it’s too goddamn……fitting…..to change?
What? I totally wasn’t thinking adorable.
Maybe this for action moments, and the regular for relaxed moments.
Troy probably wished they looked their gift horse in the mouth (or otherwise thoroughly examined it). Diplomats often work with (or are) spies, so you can never be too careful, check out the Thing.
Succubii in general excel at manipulation. Diplomat Succubii, could be terrifyingly good at it. That makes for a great for spying in addition to diplomacy.
A familiar, especially a personal, object is a lot easier to scry, than a stranger you have only met the once. Especially if they have powerful protection against magical detection.
As a man, I reserve the right to completely not notice the new hair do, or, should I notice it, hate it instantly, because it change. And we don’t like change. Why do you always have to be messing with our relationship? I thought we were doing just fine (translation: I’m getting enough sex, you allow me to fart when I want, and I’m getting a new game console next week along with a new 65″ 4k screen).
But as a concession to her needs, you still have to make your own damn sandwiches…
Sudo, bitch.
(Note that I added ‘bitch’ for humorous effect only.)
I’m not a female dog. If I were, I’d have to compete with Sydney for Yorp’s attention.
Well… I do make great sandwiches, but, I also have a couple of Subways within walking distance.
Lately, whenever I go to Subway, I ask if I could get some Jello Pudding. Nobody with me or working there gets the joke. Too subtle I guess. Or maybe the do get it and think it’s too sick to be funny.
It might be because they, unlike you, are human beings and don’t find the subject of child rape to be something that could ever possibly be humorous.
Aww c’mon. There’s humor in everything. Dark humor maybe but humor nonetheless. Sometimes it’s the only thing that makes something horrible a little lighter to bear.
Have no idea what the ‘joke’ is, but that’s probably a good thing
Likewise. It falls under the category of ‘things I do not want to know’.
Daniel the Human sometimes tells me something is “something you’re not ready to know yet”. Tried looking 1 of those things once……….
….i have never looked at cups the same way since…
Without going into anything approaching graphic detail, Jared, the former Subway spokesperson (‘former’ in that Subway terminated their business relationship as soon as the charges against Jared were filed), has been convicted of many counts of child rape. It turns out that he was using a charitable foundation for children as a way to exploit children instead of helping them.
The very sad thing about this in addition to all the victims that were harmed of course, is that it shows yet again that people with a sickness are more than willing to put up an incredibly elaborate front in order to get what they want.
Catholic priests, Jerry Sandusky, and now Jared. All playing the “I’m a helpful philanthropist, trust me” or very similar card to get themselves placed in positions of trust where they can then exploit the very people they are supposed to be helping.
No way I’m letting someone else do my sandwiches. I want them done my way. This is also why I do most of the cooking around my house.
I feel the same way. For my entire life I have always been a much better cook than my girlfriends and my wife. And cooking is an artistic release for me which I enjoy very much. And so I do 95% of the cooking, and almost the same amount of clean-up. In exchange I haven’t pushed a vacuum cleaner in years, which suits me fine since the noise to me is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.
Sandwiches should not be a matter of slapping come cheap cold cuts and cheese on Wonder bread, all of the ingredients should be of the highest quality, and made interesting with a blend of flavors and textures.
My most recent sandwich creation was mesquite smoked turkey breast ( I did the smoking), with thick-cut apple wood smoked bacon, baby swiss, muenster, fresh ground black pepper, and spicy brown mustard. Grilled until the cheese melted. Allowed to cool only until the cheese gelled slightly (to hold all the components together). Devoured! Simple, elegant, tasty.
Marry me please.
Sounds even nicer than mailman-flavoured Yorpie Snax™!
What if they smoked the mail-meat first?
Tommy Chong for U.S Post Marshall, anyone?
Oops, forgot the bread, a 12 whole grain with nuts, lightly buttered on the exterior to aid in the crisping whilst grilling.
Does anyone have a real world example of Sydney’s hair? I think she looks cool in the comic, but I’m interested to know if it is just a drawing, or that “look” really exists.
I will go google for it myself, but I’m not really sure what to search for besides long bangs.
THX!
No idea what it is properly called. Trying some variants, I got the best results with “double bang hair”. Such as this image.
Most bangs just seem to hang straight down, if equal, on both sides. So the ones which sweep across the face, or eyes, do so from one side. Judging purely by the results I got from a few searches. If you want to get a similar result to Sydney, I suspect you may need to pin the hair at the sides. This is not a match for Sydney’s style, but it shows what I am talking about.
Just be prepared to aim for an effect similar to Sydney’s rather than an exact match. Especially if you want to have enough visibility for driving. Although a good stylist may find a way to get something fairly close, even with that requirement.
If memory serves (& I’m too lazy to try finding it in all of the comments), someone tried to use 3D graphics modeling with Sydney…Her bangs not only defies the laws of physics, but they even defy computer modelling conventions!
I suspect it is a variant on the Bob… But with longer hair in the back.
Ahh, if only it were the other way around, then it could be called the “Kate”. Seeing as how “Kate” is short for “Bob”.
I can’t imagine what you mean by that . . .
The closest I could find is the or the .
Great job!
new theory about the two unknown balls that i got after reading this page:
what if one of them is a “magic nullifier” and when she try to use it, her magical headband fall off, thus how she discover the use of it
Oooh, I like. Woulda been handy in the V fight, though, wouldn’t it.
Well, Sydney tried using the two unknowns during that fight, but only when Vehemence grew as big as the Hulk.
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/1543
i hate to disagree but she was only shown using the forcefield orb. and she wished to unsee as opposed to de-magic
I did say that she tried to use the unknowns. Yes, she tried to “unsee” with them, but if they could really nullify magic, then Vehemence probably would’ve powered down & shrunk back to his normal size; It was his magic use that caused that to happen.
Or possibly just his super power. Above we can see Dabbler casting a spell, and it has very distinctive imagery associated with it.* Yet that is lacking with Vehemence’s “KA-PANTS”.
Whilst Halo’s truesight orb did show a large circle, with symbols, surrounding him, that may simply be how it displays hidden powers, of any sort, to her. The symbols providing the details as to what the power is doing, or whether it is magical, psionic or super based, as possible examples.
* We do not see Decollete in the act of casting, so cannot say how the mirror was created. Albeit that a “mirror spell” seems to be the most likely.
Cunning idea. And it would not be a general ‘super power nullifier’ (which this setting does not have), so is something that is possible. Further it would explain why the magical side, of both Gwen and Dabbler’s investigations, of the orbs, got nowhere.
In FRPGs, if I only get one spell for a character, due to unusual circumstances (like a fighter with a very specific limited wish), I usually choose “Dispel Magic”. It is a great way to ruin the day of a flying spell-caster type, ifyouknowwhatImean.
If you get two, go for wall of stone and dispel magic. All sorts of lovely things you can do with that. Build castles, bridges and cottages. Repair battle damage. Block off tunnels. And put a floor over that nasty 100′ deep pit, with acid-dwelling monsters and spikes, at the bottom.
Then, when some enemy is approaching you, over that spot, make use of your dispel magic.
I hate to be “that guy” but….
*adjusts glasses*
That one is going to depend heavily on the DM….if you are using the RAW D20 SRD version the instantaneous duration as well as the connection to another surface and buttressing requirements heavily implies that the stone, once conjured, is non-magical and not sustained by magic, thus Dispel Magic would not work.
Disintegrate, however would. Just make sure to have a critical support section no larger than 10ft cubed.
It works in my editions of the rules, as it is permanent, not instant. :-P
In older editions of D&D (1st & 2nd eds), the duration description of the spell was “permanent”, which meant it could be dispelled during casting or during the segment the spell was completed, but it could not be dispelled thereafter (although the wall could be damaged / destroyed via structural damage). Sage Advice and its various incarnations later explicitly confirmed that any spell with a duration of “permanent” could not be dispelled once the casting was completed; spells with a duration of “permanent until dispelled” could be unless specifically excluded. I want to say the “Sink” spell in 1st Ed was the only spell that required the reverse of the spell to dispel the effect and excluded Dispel Magic, but I could have the soell’s name wrong (8th or 9th level spell, didn’t come up much in our games).
Exception to the above: In some cases that were specifically called out in the Dispel Magic spell description, a spell made permanent by a Permanency spell could be temporarily nullified (magic weapons, magic Armor, and some area of effect spels made permanent). This was fairly well spelled out in the Permanancy spell (which, itself, could not be be dispelled).
We just used the books, as written, rather than sage advice. Not everyone read those articles, and we all had our stint as DM. So we needed a consistent standard, to avoid having to memorise different house rules, or wait whilst a DM hunted for a particular article, to prove a point. Which, for some reason, folks who depended on someone else’s judgement, always felt the need to do.
A few things, where the rules were totally broken, we turned to sage advice. But mostly we were happy provided everyone kept to the same rules, even if that meant there were a few oddities. That way we could focus on roleplaying, rather than rules-lawyering.
That said, I love wall of stone, so would be perfectly happy to play with a non-dispensable version. All those other uses I listed were far more fun, than the trap building. Because there were other ways you could easily do that, without needing magic. But building a small castle, in just a few days,is simply awesome!
Needless to say, I also liked Drawmij’s Instant Castle. But that could be damaged and destroyed. Whereas even a destroyed wall of stone castle can be replaced in short order. Let alone repairing it, mid battle.
I liked Wall of Stone then used Stone Shape on it, unless there was a significant amount of stone nearby that I could use. Either way, having a large stone column laying on its side & rolled down a corridor was one of the best Trap Detection methods I’ve seen. No need to have your thief in the party risk failing a Remove Trap roll…
Heh, a magical version of a tank with the rotating mine-clearing flails on front. Cunning.
In my first novel I used Wall of Iron and Greater Teleportation for orbital bombardment.
Devastating Edge-on for a flaming guillotine or flat for a fiery slap from heaven. Not to mention cratering and shockwave, for either.
I will leave any quibbling over technical difficulties, to the rules-lawyers. As I haven’t got any manuals beyond 3rd Edition.
I remember gaining a ‘somebody’s instant fortress’ when I’d played as a Kender Mage. I think I’d swiped it from our team’s paladin, and gave it to his opposing faction’s (evil twin’s) church. the Paladin was so cheesed off at me for appropriating it, until i rang it’s doorbell (while his enemies were inside) as the doorbell activated the ‘close up shop to fit back in pocket’ mode.
apparently, you’re supposed to clear it of people first, as otherwise it’ll crush ’em. *giggles*
Most fiendish :)
I liked the “Item” spell for bombardment. It shrunk a nonmagic item to 1/12th its original size, and gave it the consistency of felt. Apply spell to boulder, tie felt boulder to arrow, release; and, upon impact, you have a boulder dispersing a lot of energy. It was also a great spell to deal with those pesky bars/gates that would not bend. Cast spell on boulder, insert felt boulder into crack/crevice, wait for duration to end, or use the mage’s ability to trigger the spell. Make certain to be behind solid protection, as parts will fly.
I was always tempted to use the spell for the former, but never found an opportunity.
Mind you, if I had thought of using it for the latter use, then I might have been tempted to ready it, for general situations, rather than just ‘on demand’.
In old D&D, spells that were permanent could be dispelled unless it specifically said it could not be. “Instantaneous” could not be dispelled (for instance, healing is instantaneous).
One could cast a dispel against some offensive spells that were instantaneous, but it was very tricky. One had to time the casting of the Dispel Magic to end on the same segment as the spell that was being countered.
At least one Sage Advice allowed a Dispel Magic to force a ST versus Spells by the caster of the spell targeted to allow the spell to continue or be dispelled, but I never knew anyone who did that.
That said, if the spell was successfully completed, the result of an instantaneous spell (such as healing) could not be dispelled.
Your comment is FAR more applicable than my follow up.
::Hangs his ears::
I have a priest currently using Wall of Stone, Water Breathing, and Stone Shape spells to build a harbor and piers to support a port for a trading company. The GM isn’t exactly happy about it (he’s not a fan of PC changes to the campaign world), but I’m adhering to the math (at 80% of spell effect and excluding time adventuring), so while it’s taking a while, it is happening. Soon to come – new temple to my character’s deity in a region he’s not well known.
He he. Silly DM. The whole point of being a hero, in a world, is that you are able to shape it. Even if that character dies, he will have left a legacy. Future adventurers, in that region, will have their experiences changed, thanks to that.
And, hopefully, he will survive to turn that isolated outpost into a thriving community, with your deity as their patron. Not to mention forging alliances with the local mermaids. :-D
mermaids just wanna drown ya and eat yer corpse
Maybe it has to do with my love affair with “city building” games (Pharaoh, Zeus, Children of the Nile, Rise of the Middle Kingdom, Tropico, CivCity: Rome, Startopia, etc.) but if the setting permits it, I always allow my characters to shape the world. It usually isn’t something world-shaking, but it might make a difference in the lives of a few NPCs. It lets the players feel like they actually accomplished something significant.
When my most experienced character was granted his own fiefdom, using “construction” magic like that, in conjunction with hiring dwarves & summoning Earth Elementals, embarked on a grand scale of Civil Engineering throughout his holdings. Definitely included on the program was getting sewer systems installed.
The group of players as a whole does things much as you do, but the GM’s understanding of taxation and economics is rather limited. In addition, he’s uncomortable with fiating things that don’t need to be spelled out (economics are tough, even in the real world).
The main thing we work really hard on as players in the game is to limit ourselves to options that are plausible without magic but can be augmented with magic (for example, using Stone Shape to bond bricks rather than mortar). We also take our lumps when that sort of thing isn’t good engineering. We were appropriately astonished when the building we built as a solid edifice shook itself to bits during an earthquake (we consulted with the locals and found out what we did wrong; the second one stayed up).
Having a Civil Engineer, an ER Doctor, a Electrical Engineer, a Physics Grad Student (currently working for CERN in particle detection), and the dillettante that is I (Psychology & English Lit, with smatterings of Comparative Religion, Sociology, and Anthrpology), we spend a lot of time checking our facts since cell phones got hooked up with the Internet.
Oh, don’t get me wrong; I mostly used the character’s accumulated wealth to get things started, but primarily used collected taxes to maintain the public works after getting them started. Considering the quasi-medivel setting, taxes didn’t consist entirely of money; taxes could be paid with labor, manufactured or crafted goods, farmed foodstuffs, raw & smelted metals from mining groups, all sorts of things.
I also had the character set up buildings for schools (scholars, scribes, bards, etc. would hold classes for families willing to directly pay them for the children to attend), sort of civilian police departments (volunteers were trained & paid for the job), fire departments (mostly volunteers that would be paid according to how many fires they fought) & a few other projects that would increase the overall standard of living for everybody…Of course, sewers just had to be included.
;)
The actual income for the character from taxes & fees from foreign trades was modest, because nearly all of it was kicked back into the civil projects & to maintain a strong military defense, that people could actually see what they were getting by paying them. The more that he put back into civil works, the less that people saw any reason to try to dodge the taxes.
Volunteer fire-fighters, who get paid by how many fires the put out?
Did the numbers of fires strangely increase after Bernie McBurnitdown signed up? o_O
He he. I was thinking much the same thing. Had I been the DM, there might have been some mysterious fires, to be investigated, by the players.
Has happened historically, as has competing fire companies sabotaging each other so they could be the only ones responding (or having fistfights with each other as buildings burned).
or burning down un-insured houses as a warning to others. (hasn’t happened in my town, but some of the old-timers reminisce about the VFD stationing themselves on the boundary of the fire district and spraying unburned houses inside the district while watching houses outside the boundary burn.)
They also talk about the time (1974, I believe) one of the local bars caught fire the first day of hunting season–they had to bring in firefighters from towns as far as 50 miles away to get enough men to fight the fire, as everyone was off hunting. In the end, they attached lines from the building to tractors and dragged it off its foundation and into the street to burn, because the creeks were low and they didn’t have enough water pressure for the hose-pumps.
And to top it off, the gawkers standing around ate all the food that was made and brought out for the firefighters!
Fairly similar things still happen today.
He did have precautions in place against that from happening (at least too frequently). Not only did police patrols include a magi-user who could use non-destructive/non-lethal spells to constrain perps, but he also hirred trained MUs that specialized in information-gathering spells (including Post-Cognition). If the investigator reads the history & finds that a fire was actually arson…Well, you should be able to figure it out from there.
Well thought-through. Not having any arson attempted would be a dreadful waste of such careful preparations. You deserve the reward of seeing your investigators* in action!
* The anti-Johnathan Creek force. Instead of using logic to debunk magical fraud, they use magic to debunk logical fraud.
I’d allow that, and give them experience for the value of the improvements and even allow them to negotiate returns on the investment (a small percentage of cargo coming through the docks, or of donations to the temple). I remember one group that exploited loophole in the 1ed light spells and went into business with half the party selling lights to temples, government buildings and wealthy gentlefolk. And the other half selling “darks” to thieves’ guilds.
Eventually some characters realize they can bring in more money this way than through adventuring (and with less risk), and my campaign worlds get some rich and powerful NPCs.
Ditto, within limits. I have a player in the game I run who insists on trying to duplicate modern tech using magic, without anything happening in-game that would even remotely inspire such thinking.
Folks tend to forget that the vast majority of modern tech is less than a hundred years old and strongly relied on the modest innovations of their predecessors (watch James Burkes’ Connections series to get a far better explanation of this point than I could give). Add in the economic factors surrounding propietary protection of magic (magical monopoly makes sense), and much of what this cat wants to do is science fiction in magical disguise.
Call me limited, but genre-mixing leads inevitably to World of Synnibarr (if you get the opportunity, check it out – an interesting idea inconsistently implemented. A world I’d love to sit in and play with the original GM but no desire to run myself).
And, Raven McCracken (the author) just managed to Kickstart a new edition about a month or two ago. Here’s hoping he fixes at least some of the flaws from the first two editions.
It always felt to me that he’d played Rifts (published in 1990) and tried to out-Rifts Rifts with World of Synnibarr (published 1991). So much of the concept is cool (in both the good and not-so-good ways of saying that word), but between incoherent writing at times mixed with no idea what the words “game balance” meant at other times, it’s a heck of a fun read if you enjoy being violently slammed between really interesting ideas side-by-side with what was, to me, drug-induced absurdity (which I do, when appropriately self-medicated).
Seriously, I bet sitting at Raven’s table is just mind-blowingly fun and a clean break from anything like reality. Sit down, strap in, and enjoy the ride. A summer blockbuster of a game to play in.
And incidentally, what color does a Smurf turn when you asphyxiate it?
[I’ve been told jet-black, but I thought that was what happens when you zombie a Smurf.]
I agree–I try not to allow things too far outside the genre or the medieval mindset, (gnomish mechanics went a bit too far for me), but I will usually allow something that becomes blindingly obvious (or just too cool) to be tried on a single-session or -adventure basis, after which I have the option of reversing or modifying the ruling.
I also try to find opposition to player innovation in-world, thus the “darks,” which came about due to a threatened vendetta by the combined Thieves’, Beggars’ and Assassins’ Guilds, who naturally objected to bright lights in the homes and businesses of the wealthy.
Of course, this only works with some groups–if my two youngest brothers are playing, for instance, I will typically stomp on any innovations, as they will gleefully munchkin the hell out of any leeway or advantage they are given–I blame those newfangled “video” games, with their cheat codes and their walkthroughs… *grumbles*
I’ve tried reading Synnibarr, though I haven’t seen the new edition yet. I thought it needed severe editing, for coherence if nothing else.
Yeah, that’s another thing it needs… a complete reorganization. The way the information is laid out requires you to do a lot more page-flipping than is really necessary.
The new edition isn’t finished yet. I guess he really DOES plan to rewrite it from scratch, instead of copy-pasting most of the material out of the first two editions. (The first edition was published in 1991; second edition in 1993. He’s had 23 years to learn how to improve his writing. I remain hopeful, but I’m not holding my breath. I look silly when I turn blue.)
carmeops;
new theory about the two unknown balls that i got after reading this page:
what if one of them is a “magic nullifier” and when she try to use it, her magical headband fall off, thus how she discover the use of it
Yorp;
Cunning idea. And it would not be a general ‘super power nullifier’ (which this setting does not have), so is something that is possible. Further it would explain why the magical side, of both Gwen and Dabbler’s investigations, of the orbs, got nowhere.
That could be the unknown orb with the shared-point-option already filled in they’re talking about mid-page here. If there is a skill-point that allows orbs to be activated permanently/without hands, having a point on that spot for the magic-diffuser-orb means any & all scanning attempts would, oh, I don’t know, come up completely blank, like there wasn’t even anything there…
Hmmm, I think I’m getting, what do you Humans call it – Dejavu? I’m sure I’ve heard of that happening somewhere…
Heh. The possibility of negating the power of this magical headband is a new idea, which does deserve acknowledgement. Especially as I had not considered that here myself.
Sometimes it is worth contrasting such with previous, similar, ideas. Other times though it can stifle creativity. Simply because there rarely is such a thing as a new idea. So it does no harm to praise a comment, on its own merits, rather than judging it against the rest of the 460,000 we already have.
So no need for name calling. “Human” indeed! Harumph!
*sticks nose in air*
in a conversation involving a pony, a dinosaur and a dog so far, can someone explain to me why suddenly the big lizard is using words like “you humans” ?
Why is this a problem? You humans are all racist.
Says the… snail? :)
Am I the big lizard? I’m not a big lizard, That icon’s just from a creature Daniel the Human got made for him. I liked the look of it, so I made a icon out of it. Alright, I bugged him till HE made an icon of it for me.
I’m a Cybertronian Minicon – a small, Human sized Transformer. Well, I’m 3 feet tall, so that’s kinda Human sized, right? Maybe I should get a new Alt-Mode, then I can get a pic of myself to use instead…
Oh, & sorry Yorp, I meant the general meatsack population of this planet calling it Dejavu, not you specifically. Yorpy snack?
You could get a alt mode that is a big lizard in Beast Wars style. That way you don’t have to bother changing icon and as a bonus dinosaur transformers are generaly awesome.
Speaking of that I should get myself a robot or shark icon.
That would be cool. If I might suggest, checking out the stock options, in Deviant Art, is a good option? There is more than one way of doing that, but even a simple search with “shark stock” or “robot stock” should get suitable hits.
Do be sure to check the individual’s terms though. Some are offered without restriction. Others put specific limits on. If it is not clear, for avatar purposes, you can always message them, if they are active members, to see if they will give permission.
Or you could take Screwball‘s, or Daniel the Human’s, route and have one made to order, by commission. If your wallet can handle that. Then you could get a robot or cyborg shark designed to fit your mental image.
Just pick someone with a style you like. Some will want to use their imagination. Whilst others will want a precise description, to get as close to your idea as possible. A written description might be OK. But artists are typically visually oriented folks. So getting two or three reference pictures, may help, to get your message across.
Getting a picture isn’t a problem since I know how to draw if I may say so myself. I’m just very, very lazy.
but, but, but I like my RC plane Alt-mode. I just gotta change it so i don’t get recognized by my old boss who likes to fire employees…
…As if fire AT them with a Fusion cannon…
you sound like Dr Dinosaur from Atomic Robo, calling Robo a mammal
Munch, munch, yum yum, gobble gobble.
*tail wag, tail wag, tail wag*
And a donkey…
::flickers his long silky ears for emphasis::
So, who’s with me on this:
NSFW Vote Incentive or even Patreon Bonus of Decollete and Dabbler “hashing things out”.
Obviously it would be more in DaveB’s interest as a Patreon bonus as a thank you to his contributors as well as a lucrative draw to get more of them. Maybe an unfinished version up as the vote incentive for a little while as a teaser.
Because succubi probably have a non-sexual way of doing such, like needle-point or crochet.
“We’ll settle this in the traditional succubi manner!”
“Awww, my guys little head popped off, you win.”
“You sunk my Battleship!”
I’m assuming this was what they did with Helen of Troy only back then it was with real military back before hasbro made the game intresting
Believe it was a reference to “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” :D
“STATION!!!!!” *Air guitar*
I found a black box thing which showed me the movie…
Make sure you check out the first “Excellent Adventure” ☺
To paraphrase a comment made years ago during the post convention commentary meeting at Project A-Kon:
“I think I speak for everyone here when I say that what this convention (and comic) needs is more smut.”
Brought the room down and began the late night Hentai Fest (started at midnight – bring your picture ID, people, there will be carding at the door).
At the first Official Hentai-Fest, the sound system broke down for about an hour, so we (read: the audience) began taking parts and reading the subtitles in the worst voice acting we could manage. Most fun I’ve had while watching porn, ever.
I wonder, do they still do that at A-Kon, or did the “Family Friendly” crowd win out?
It’s just me or the balls form the reflection are colorles?
It’s a mistake or a hint?
Earlier they showed both Dab and Gwen had trouble reading them with magic so maybe a magical mirror would have trouble with them.
It is not just you. They do not look normal there. And I doubt it is an accident.
But… that said, they are right on the periphery of the ‘magical mirror’, which does have a distorting effect going on. So it could purely be a result of that.
I have a different view on succubi having sex with each other. If they both TOOK evenly it’s a diminishing return event with a lot of orgasms.
But if the Succubi settle DOMINANCE first, the winner gets to TAKE all the energy generated in the event while the sub gets hungrier and hungrier, but her itch is well scratched anyway.
So the Tits out front, stare down and innuendo filled commentary are all part of the Dominance game. what we’ve seen the last few pages is a definite dominance game between two sex demons. How they keep score is unknown.
Perhaps winner gets to “mount” the loser at a time and place of her choosing. Which gives loser time to “Fill up” and “Top Off” before said event- so that the winner has to work harder to get even a fraction of her stored power and maybe she can flip the situation and become dominant. (not likely unless agreed upon.)
Groups sex with the two of them and others would be more dominance competition- only a lot more fun for them and their partners.
Dabbler advantage exotic natural look and four arms. Double tongue. Alien Muscles and internals…adaptive internals too from doppleganger parent?
Decolage advantage full succcubi and a full prehensile TAIL — (why hasn’t that shown up or Sydney noted that? is it invis like Dab’s lower arms are most of the time?)
Also maybe cheating, but Dabbler can hammerspace port in all sorts of toys (some might even be alive and alien like rad sucker).
That sounds about right to me as well
Isn’t anyone going to mention the pun Deco said? “Horning in”? You know, because she’s got horns? Hum? Ok, I’ll leave now…
She is kind of horny, yea.
Well, you have occasionally (read: frequently) shown that, when Sydney is involved, you can be quite the horndog…
;)
*spray bottle held in reserve for Yorp*
Well at least you aren’t advocating “neutering”. But most dogs I’ve known would just try to bite the water.
Water? Now there’s an idea! I keep mine filled with skunk musk!
I’d go for pepper spray. It’d repel Yorp but not Sydney.
There’s an idea for Yorp; a bit of pepper spray in his fur (well away from his face) would likely work on Sydney.
;)
Keep it off the nethers too. I sprayed someone there once(I warned him not to pee on my tent), never again, for any reason.
*hiding, in kennel, quivering*
Awwww, so much mean & nasty treatment for our resident puppy-powered one…
*Tempted to go grab a bag of popcorn…*
…I can still hear the screaming.
Now if only you could thin out Pain Buster II or Icy Hot so it could be effectively turned into a spray, while retaining its potency, that’d be something else to keep away from the nethers.
I actually know someone who mistook the Icy Hot for the K-Y jelly one night in the dark… let’s just say it sounds very unpleasant. Spending an hour face-down in the coldest water the bathtub is capable of, is pretty far down my to-do list.
I also have learned from personal (and painful) experience not to use a product with Menthol as the active ingredient, such as Mentholatum or Pain Buster II, and then use that same hand to hold my nethers while I urinate.
I have to say that Decollette is very good at turning on the charm.
I’m curious, does Decollete have a “Plain Form” like Dabbler’s “true form”? Or is Dabbles’ 4 armed fuzzy nature simply due to her Alien heritage? Because Collie has the horns and fancy ears that Dabbler has…
Dabbler is also part alien (or different alien).
Note one of DaveB’s replies, on the previous page.
Dabbles’ four armed form is her natural form, she is the best parts of at least three different species
Using the quotation marks around “true form” is a legitimate way of expressing something which is alleged or in doubt. The BBC often use that, on their news website for instance (although typically favouring the single quote marks, rather than the double).
In this way it is expressing the public perception, which is a fair enough angle to take. Although I do grant that, in this chamber, that does not have as much meaning as normal.
Oh, so Anvildude was asking if what we are seeing for Deco is more like Dabbles’ ‘battle form’?
One thing: Deco’s ears are closer to Maxi’s than Dabbles
As far as the public are concerned Dabber is the blonde form. So that is her ‘true form’, from their perspective. Decollet’s ‘plain form’ would presumably be like she is now, but without the horns, pointy ears or diamond-shaped pupils. For use if she were to go out in public. Which seems to be something she is likely to want to do.
Although Decollete may consider that having a completely different appearance (say a dusky brunette), might be safer. That way if anybody did happen to spot her, in her demonic form, they would not be able to blow her cover identity.
I do think it highly likely that Decollete will have one, or the other, ‘human form’, as an illusion, given that is a racial ability. Likewise being able to blend in with some of the other alien races we see here, using her power to create a pretty-looking version of those races. As best she can judge, using her training, on such matters
Whereas I suspect that the reading of minds, to find an ‘ideal mate’ image (such as we saw demonstrated with General Faulk) is actually not a succubus power. That is however something which D&D doppelgangers can do. And it would seem an ideal ability for any race which specialises in copying specific people. So Dabbler might have inherited that from the other side of her family.
If not, it could just be how Dabbler chose to develop her psionic powers. Assuming that my guess is right, of course.
Right here Dabbler mentions that it’s a succubus glamor, and designed to be impenetrable, to everything but Sydney’s truesight.
Succubus glamour and Doppelganger image-targeting aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, but rather complementary. The one gives you the ability to make an impenetrable* alternate appearance, the implication being that the Doppelganger version isn’t as robust. The other makes the difference between “your type of attractive” and “ticks all the boxes, including the ones you didn’t even know you had”. Each is a potent attribute in its own right, but the combination goes beyond either.
*Or should that be ‘deliberately penetrable’, to the right target
Perfectly countered. And thanks, I must have missed the original reply, otherwise I would have said something along similar lines.
Assuming my logic is correct Decolette and other Succubi have to use their intuition and finishing school training to guess the most appropriate form to take. So maybe a form like one of the Baywatch babes.
But that would fail with someone like me, who is more into the “A” team.
So Dabbler has compensated, for her incomplete education, by taking advantage of her wider range of powers, to actually make herself better than her rivals. Albeit that they can use their illusions to more diverse effect (look above to see Decolette’s use of such to replicate a mirror).
Note though that most detection methods would not be able to pick up that it is an illusionary mirror (which could be abused by creating a false reflection). This because of the power of succubi illusions. So even a mage casting ‘detect illusion’ would determine that it was actually a magical mirror, of some sort.
Likewise if looking at Dabbler in a green-skinned Star Trek alien girl form. Although ESP was used to find out that the general was into that, the actual recreation of the look was done using her racial ability. So is impenetrable to anything less than true sight.
Okay, I’m suggesting a Dabb and Deco Sex Battle of the Champions, best two falls out of … Let’s say a dozen … Winner take all … No holds, I mean positions, barred. Maybe the Slipshine website would host it. That would generate as much heat as a nuclear reactor and none of that pesky radiation to worry about.
Considering that they’re both demons, I’d say this calls for a Hell In A Cell match.
O.o
Don’t you mean, Cell In Hell match? o_O
I wouldn’t care much where they hold the match, as long as there’s plenty of room for a live audience.
Make sure your ticket guarantees a return, or you may end up as a live captive audience :P
I have a suggestion for Sydney. Don’t settle for a plain headband. Hold out for the tiara.
Sydney have a lot in common with Sailor Moon, like personality and magical items. All she need now is a planet of her own, a tiara and a transformation scene in every page.
Don’t forget the talking cat. Although I suppose Dabbles could be a stand in for that, as they both dished out magical items.
Would a talking dog do?
*Looks at Yorp*
To quote Amy:
“Oh my god he got me a tiara! I got a Tiara! Put it on, put it on, put it onnn!”
That scene is now jutoloaded in my head when someone uses the word “tiara”.
Pity me.
That scene has me in stitches, any time I see it. So perfectly set-up and acted.
It is on a par with Sheldon’s reaction, to getting Leonard Nemoy’s DNA on a napkin!
I wonder if X is being turned on by all this?
*points nose, to an area near by the ninja faction*
Sydney:Get a room you dogs!
She pushes them apart once more just as the meeting gets underway…!
“Medicine Man, how do you choose the names of the children, born to this tribe?”
“Well I smoke the medicine pipe, then, when I step outside, the name reveals itself to me, in the world around. When I saw an eagle overhead, Soaring Eagle got his name. The hunters, returning with the hide of a bear, told me Great Bear’s name. But, tell me why you have a sudden interest in this, Two Dogs Fucking?”
Dabbler: Woof Woof!
Decollete: Bark Bark!
Sydney scratches Gregor down his back,suddenly his right foot starts tapping….!
Naaa, I’ve seen Daniel the Human give a canine (fancy word score :P ) a good enough scratch to get it’s leg going, & he aimed on it’s belly just in front of it’s back leg. So, that would mean on Barkly it’d probably be…..abdomen area, just next to where those “6-pack” things are supposed to be…
…Sydney would probably get rather embarrassed when she realized just where she was moving her hand up & down in a repetitive motion…
So many fancy word bonuses… :p
Given what Dabbler does at the end of her sessions I can picture both of them whacking the other on the head with their amnesia hammers trying to get what happened out of their heads.
naw that’s only for humans cuz if they remembered what she could do then human females would be insufficient, 2 succubi have the same muscles
Thought Dabbles had extra special muscles because she is not a full Succubae
I hate to be “that guy” but….
*adjusts glasses*
That one is going to depend heavily on the DM….if you are using the RAW D20 SRD version the instantaneous duration as well as the connection to another surface and buttressing requirements heavily implies that the stone, once conjured, is non-magical and not sustained by magic, thus Dispel Magic would not work.
Disintegrate, however would. Just make sure to have a critical support section no larger than 10ft cubed.
Bah, reply went in wrong spot. Wish this comment system allowed edits and deletions for when stuff like that happens.
Ditto. The add-on, suggested by a commentator, which allows a correction, within five minutes of posting, sounding ideal.
First panel would of been funnier if she said, “Leave room for Jesus.” Thinking about it some more, it’s probably a reference that would be OOC for Sydney to mention.
Does anyone else read Decollete using the term “delicate” to mean “fragile” and not “light”?
The definition is “very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship or quality.” as in it won’t put too much pressure on the head which is what usually causes the headaches from Headbands.
In response to what you asked it took me a moment to realize she didn’t mean fragile.
“Horning in on your territory?”
Intended pun given the current state of their interaction or just a happy coincidence?
I think they are just messing with Sydney.
Honestly, they probably don’t even realise anyone else is there right at that moment
Ugh, I remember having bangs that length—almost long enough to do something with, but not quite, and more than long enough to block off half of your face if you don’t want to spend half of you time tuckibg them back behind your ears. Hmmmm… but maybe Sydney’s bangs are long enough to weave into a crown braid, side-braid pigtails, or anything else that involves French or Dutch braiding on the sides of the head? Even if they aren’t long enough to easily integrate into one of those styles, she could try braiding each side-bang and pinning them that way (either leaving them visible as fake French braids going towards a high ponytail of a bun, or hiding them under the rest of her hair (braided hair is easier to pin, at least for me)).
I don’t wear headbands myself, but I love to braid scarves into my hair, and I’ll sometimes use them as headbands (which is actually the more common use for them, so far as I can tell). They sell thin scarves specifically for hair, and in my experience they’re more comfortable than the stiffer headbands… but some of them don’t stay in place very well even with pinning and product.
Come to think of it, does Sydney use hairspray or sculpting product, or bobby pins alone? It can really make a difference! Also, second-day (or third-day, depending on how frequently Sydney washes it) hair holds a style much, much better than recently-washed hair.
Sometimes, though, all you can do is wait for it to grow another inch or so, just enough that you can finally, finally yank it all up into a ponytail together.
(It’s funny; I almost never wear makeup (part of why I love being a librarian, although some libraries have different atmospheres than others regarding that sort of thing), but I’ll love playing around with my hair. :3)
I’m impressed of all the things women can do with their hair. Now that you mention it it would be fun to see Sydney trying different hairstyles.
If Sydney’s hair is like mine then finding a product that would hold it more than 5 seconds would be a serious feat. It takes some serious styling if I want to look anything other than how I wake up and, if that includes bedhead, nothing will tame it.
It does braid surprisingly well though.
Thanks for addressing my question before about whether or not succubi can feed off each other.
Didn’t answer my question of “does the other party have to enjoy it (happy endings style), or can a vibe be used as a stored meal of sorts?”. As in Dabbler suggests sex, Other Party agrees, but does Dabbler still get a feed if OP say, has no feeling down south despite being “up” for the task. I’m guessing she can’t feed off a vibe, unless she sucks the life out of the batteries literally…
I can envisage succubi being able to feed off the sexual tension between Mulder and Scully. Doubtless it does not generate as much nourishment, as consummating the act. However you don’t need porno-sense, to detect the sexual energy sloshing around in the X-files!
Nice long foreplay is probably like a sumptuous appetiser, before the main meal. Even if the anticipated part fails to happen, there will have been some feeding, up until that point.
Things are heating up soon the battle dildo (battle-dildo xxx lage vibrating ) will come up and the sucumpus will fight each other too the finale orgasm
I was noticing how Decollete can switch instantaneously and on the proverbial dime between tense aggression with Dabbler and friendly schmoozing with Sydney.
It’s obvious that Decollete is a diplomat . . . or a con-woman . . . or both.
Come to think of it, diplomat and con-person really are the same thing, aren’t they?
The difference is that diplomats are usualy skilled enough to screw you legaly while a con artist usualy is a criminal.
I’d argue that it’s not skill it’s connections. Diplomats are protected by the law and it’s resources and con artists aren’t.
What? Nobody mentioned….KITTIIIIIEEEEEESSSS!
Wish I lived near DFW…kittens are the bestest!
DaveB might be willing to ship them. He could punch a few air holes, mark the box fragile . . .
:D
especially with a good red wine? (sorry, that gravitar just looks wayyyy too happy to be thinking of kitties as pets)
;P
:-D
Agreed, that is not an “I want to pet a kitty” look.
It is very close to a “I want … a kitty.” look, however.
Pervect. or should that be.. Purrvect?
I’m beginning to think Dabbler and Decollete are friends just messing with Sydney. They haven’t been all that hostile, they’re taking a few shots sure, but then end it each time by seducing each other. Sure, it could be domination games (innuendo intentional), but they are both mischievous and it is annoying the crap out of Sydney.
I’ve seen this so many times with people that are friends sharing a playful rivalry while not having any angry feelings to one another.
CONGRATULATIONS!
*sets off spectacular fireworks*
You just made the 460,000th comment on Grrl Power!
*presents a crown with “COMMENTATOR EXTRAORDINAIRE” engraved on it*
*passes over a box of complimentary Yorpie Snax™ and a crate of Cuke.™*
Except, DaveB said they had never met before (fairly sure he posted that, somewhere, as a reply to another post), so it sounds like a typical Succubae dominance-dance (like how dogs greet each other, but 69 times sexier /wink )
Correct, as regards the comment. Likewise I agree with the conclusion. Dabbler and Decollete are aliens who, in this chamber, are able to behave much more like in their normal society, than they would have to, if meeting in disguise, in public.
In the latter case they might conceal their behaviour to blend in more with human society. So putting human interpretations, on scenes, would be more appropriate. Here though, they can just be themselves. Although probably falling short of humping on the table, to avoid embarrassing the more sensitive races present! Otherwise they might not have been so restrained, as they have.
“What do you mean, ‘get a room’? This is a room!”
Xuriel trusts Decollete about as far as she can throw her.
Probably not that far.
Of course Dabbler likely just see’s her as competition for her tasty food supply.
I think Dabbler can throw Decolette rather far considering her size, muscle and several magic and tech tricks.
vote people!
I almost missed one important detail in the second to last panel. Without it, the context looks entirely different to me. The detail in question is the hair band in Halo’s hand. Without it, it just looks like she’s staring at Dabbler’s boobs
Yeah, I commented on that earlier…But really, at Sydney’s eye-level, the only thing she can see are boobs.
They’re literally hypnotic…
Which makes me remember the scene of the 14-year-old kid in Lambda Lambda Lambda standing between two busty women and looking back and forth and then smiling in one of the “Revenge of the Nerds” movies.
Need to rent that pile of cheese again.
Delicious tasty cheese.
Panel 6 looks like Spider Man, and a bunch of the X-Men, have taken an interest in this scene…
A pair of Succubuses (Sucubie?) instinctively trying to assert dominance? Naaa, why would ANYONE wanna watch that… *beeping in background*
Now, if you’ll excuse me… *takes popcorn out of microwave, finds a comphy seat & watches the show…*
Singular: succubus
Plural: succubi
And you can take that to your memory bank.
succuhetro + succulesbo = succubi.
They will suck you any way you lie.
Panel 3 hair-back-Sydney is adorable.
Personally I have never liked the hair she has, reminds me too much of a Yu-gi-oh character or something. not a fan.
Love the use of shadow, on this page, by the way DaveB. Plus Sydney’s gamut of expressions, although that is always true, of course.
… I would like a twix and nutella pie
This week I found that white chocolate Twix, kept in the freezer, and eaten whilst still frozen, has an incredible taste. Likewise I far prefer the white variants on Nutella. White and milk chocolate flavours, swirled together are a poor substitute to the all-white rival brands.
I can only dream about a frozen white Twix and white Nutella pie. Until I next go shopping!
In fact it deserves a name. Mmm…
❤ ❤ ❤ The Frosty Nutwixie Pie™! ❤ ❤ ❤
Wait, there is a white Twix? o_O
Special edition. It may not be available in your hemisphere. :-(
Not in the South? That sucks, we even have a factory up the coast (they were the ones who had the best gooey Cadbury’s crème eggs)
I hope you still get your local formula for the Creme Eggs, or the British one. Trying to convert the formula, to match American tastes, has made them much less appealing to British buyers.
And I am not alone in feeling that. That product alone slumped £6 million in sales, since they did that, last year! And the company’s stock is still sliding downwards.
I hope they do manage to turn it around mind, and break into the American market, in a big way. Because, even if they are inferior to before, it is better than nothing.
It might have been unveiled in Europe first. It won’t be officially available in the U.S. for two more months. Reference: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mars-chocolate-north-america-unwraps-new-flavors-for-snickers-twix-and-dove-brands-300272271.html
Sydney, don’t worry about the hair. Your uniform comes with a hat.
Not that I’m suggesting she try it or anything, but I wonder what Sydney would look like if she just cut her bangs off. Probably, it would be something like her in that upper imagination spot of panel three. It’s by no means a bad look for her, though perhaps a trifle severe what with that frown on her face.
Then there’s the question of keeping them trimmed! Considering how determined her bangs are to grow up and out, I suspect they would look odd for a while as they grew back in. She might look like she has little horns or something projecting from her forehead so long as they were kinda short.
Magical headbands might not just be her best option, they might well be her only option!