Grrl Power #535 – The best defensiveness is a good offensiveness
English has the word “twice” and even the somewhat archaic “thrice” but there’s no words beyond that. Fource? Frice? uh… Sice? It’s odd having a sequence that caps out at three.
Apparently this elite military squad’s schedule includes a 1 pm break for sunning. It’s kind of ridiculous I know, but given their public relations responsibilities it makes some amount of sense. Maybe this is just how those guys are spending their lunch hour. Though I don’t imagine you get an hour for lunch in any part of the military… except Archon. Other parts of the service probably consider Arc-SWAT to be a real cushy assignment compared to say, serving on the deck of a carrier… and they’d be right, especially considering the pay differential. But as the only part of the military that has a continual domestic presence, getting your hair did or going on a shopping spree to a fancy store with lots of cameras around is part of their M.O. So yeah, when SEAL Team 6 digs on Arc-SWAT for having spa days, they can be all “boo hoo, now I’m going to teleport on to my pile of money and have a blub.”
Varia’s bikini is nice and… I don’t know, exotic’s the wrong word, but it seems to be a good match for her. But I don’t think it’s the sort of thing you’d want to get a tan in, cause the tan lines would be weird looking. They do make UV (semi) transparent cloth, but the necklace thing it’s attached to would leave a pale ring around your neck.
Ooh, someone should make a UV transparent shirt with a non-UV transparent part that says “dork” or looks like a dong. Buy it as a gift for someone you don’t like!
You know what, I forgot to put a hat and sunglasses on Sydney. According to everything I’ve established about her, she should be as blind as a Drow seeing her first sunrise right now.
Oh, and uh, ignore the fact that the pool seems to have gotten bigger since I drew it last. Actually the only time I think I’ve drawn it was some aerial shot of the Archon building, and it was just a little blue square on one of the towers, but I decided it needed a gazebo with a sofa and a fire pit, because as previously discussed, they’re all hardened military types like that.
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Took forever for me to realize that her suit was complete. I thought it was missing the shoulders and arms, but now I reread the page and see they are just pink.
Same here. I was about to comment that.
I thought she had gotten a new tattoo!
‘New’ tattoo? When did Sydney have an old tattoo? o_O
It just means this one is new, but it doesn’t even exist
Oh right, yes
You mean she never showed you her tattoo? Hmmm… guess I’m special.
Kind of dissapointed that Sydneys wetsuit top is wrong color to be Star Trek themed…
They need to make Star Trek uniform wetsuits. I’m sure they would sell.
Star Trek Wetsuits? Boom. Done.
Star Trek Swimsuits? Boom. Done.
Start Trek Swimsuits? Boom. Done.
What else you need? ::wiggles his ears in mirth at the combined powers of geekdom and the Internets::
::mutters something about stupid cut/paste not working right again…::
One link per message.
https://www.thinkgeek.com/star-trek-trekini-swimwear/
You’re welcome.
Shutupandtakemymoney.jpeg
Johhny T?
Maybe it was, which was why she got it, but then it turned out that the red dye on it was really really crappy.
Apparently that was a problem for a long time with the British Army’s traditional red coats, which meant that after they’d been out in the field for a while only the commissioned officers (who got a better-grade dye on their uniforms) were actually still wearing red rather than pink…
And then there’s “hunting pink” (traditionally worn by fox-hunters), which is red now but presumably used to fade out like that before dyeing improved…
there is also mountbatten pink in ww2, which was to be used for warships, and was used for spy planes.
two things 1st i want to see sydney in a bikini now she has a nice body. 2nd didnt notice that was jiggawatt still forgetting the hair color change.
I completely understand why Arc-SWAT affords them such an insanely cushy standard compared to any military unit likely to exist in the world (and likely most law enforcement units to boot).
They WANT these supers working for them. The money is the main attraction but there’s plenty of other workplace bonuses that an employee would take into account when giving their services and the private sector is very likely to pay equally big and competitively while offering similar luxuries.
Now they still need to maintain a level of discipline, order and such, but its much more relaxed so as not to scare their supers away. You want to seriously weed out the weaker members of other military units where there are plenty to replace failed candidates. Not so much when the supply is more limited.
Especially if you consider that you’re more likely to come across civy supers than military supers. Especially when you consider that only 0.4 % of the US population is actively in the Armed Forces.
So having things laxed enough for civilians (like Sydney), but structured under the DoD (for national protection and security) would be a rather difficult balance.
Given her complexion, a full-body suit isn’t a bad call on Sydney’s part. It’s either that or constant re-applications of full-band sunscreen. She’s not the whitest of white, but she’s definitely on the Burn-before-Tan spectrum. Of course Dabbler would say it could be a bit more form fitting… okay, she’d say it would need to be totally form fitting… like body paint…. But I think that will have to come in time as Sydney gets toned through PT, and builds confidence there.
Daphne’s gonna burn if she isn’t double coated in sunblock.
As an aside, Sydney’s got a great base body type for being a diver (scuba or platform). She’d also likely feel really comfortable skiing. And likely cause crashes if she rocked one of those sleek alpine racing suits. Arianna, winter shoot idea, Snow Bunny Halo in action shots doing high-speed slalom.
You mean a racing suit like this? o_O
Exactly like that.
Yeah, she won’t ever willingly wear something like that
She could definitely pull off albino enthusiast surfer.
Dorje Sylas: “She’s not the whitest of white, but she’s definitely on .the Burn-before-Tan spectrum.”
Oh yes…Definitely.
IMO, this suit does her more justice. Can’t go wrong with shiny.
That was because she couldn’t fly with her primary one before the fly orb. Probably ruined it in that early days of learning to fly.
Or the fact that showing off her waistline suddenly became slightly less…
ok majorly less…
alright TOTALLY ruined.
Also probably got a new one. More expensive one. Well with the bank she got she probably got these tailor made buy the guy who made her gear. I would.
Do full supers ever burn?
Depends entirely on what you consider a full super. Anvil probably can because she decided to hide behind the shield as her powers primarily revolved around kinetic battery. I don’t expect sunlight to be something she can absorb.
Math is still probably staring at boobs but I suspect he’d be immune to burning purely by training or lack of contact with sunlight.
Varia might be related to a sun god and as such would be immune to burning. Poll is still out on that one.
Jiggawat is most likely capable of burning but it would take immense amounts of power to burn lightning.
Harem would totally burn. Someone link the insult Halo said “so I shouldn’t say…”
“Potato-deficient famine jockey”.
Daphne has freckles, so probably.
Now I have to see what website will allow me to add “Delicious Chocolate Peach” to a pair of shorts.
any place that does fabric printing i imagine. i’ve gotten away with some pretty offensive slogans in the past.
Her backstory was “She got her orbs while diving”… why would any of her teammates be surprised by her owning a wetsuit? That’d be like being surprised that Aquaman hangs out at the beach!
Because Harem was not there, when the backstory was told. Plus Maxima has ordered her not to teleport into rooms with secret stuff going on. So we know that there are things which Harem is not briefed on. This is confirmation that Sydney’s backstory is not something Harem knows about.
Butt, she was there during the team-meet, when she was formally named “Halo”
She just said her powers then. I cannot recall her mentioning diving (but I can see that it may have been mentioned and am just forgetting). Too sleepy to look it up right now.
Having a room-full of kittens, I only get to sleep when they do. Cat-napping is not compatible with doggies!
and how many of those “accidental” times were her doing her “Double Agent” thing for Mr. D?
All of them.
She found her orbs when she was swimming in the ocean.
Have you ever swam in the ocean, Daphne? Ever? Seriously, you’d own a wetsuit if you’d ever gone swimming in the ocean.
Okay, this isn’t the same suit she wore when she was scuba diving. That means that she owns at least two wetsuits, which is weird.
The orbs were discovered on vacation (Sydney’s, not theirs). She may not have wanted to pack all of her gear with her to the Florida keys. It is probably cheaper to rent the stuff than to pay baggage fees. She may have gotten a discount on needing the ‘children’s size’ anyway. :)
I still call bullshit on the orbs being something Sydney found in the ocean.
Off the coast of the Florida Keys.
A better question would be: why not a one-piece swimsuit? It’s more modest than a bikini. I mean, I’m no model, but even if I was, I’d rather not show off with a bikini. I swim to swim, not to attract shallow guys.
And honestly, Sydney, if a guy doesn’t like you simply because you’re not drop-dead gorgeous, he’s not worth the trouble. I think us less than gorgeous people have it easier when finding a mate that’s sincere and worthy of a long-term relationship simply because we know it’s not based on our looks (or we can easily tell if they start spending time with prettier ladies).
While I appreciate someone realizes and admits that showing off wearing clothing meant to draw attention is for the purpose of drawing attention… why would a guy have to be shallow if he thinks you’re attractive looking? If you’re at the beach or pool and see a guy you find attractive in his trunks, are you shallow? Does it work both ways?
It’s not the part about him thinking I’m attractive that’s shallow, it’s the part where he only cares about my looks that is. Yes, I know that not all men who look are shallow, but like a friend of my dad’s found out, you do get a lot more attention from them if you show off your body.
Men will look. It’s their nature. Not that women don’t look, but it sure seems that men look more, or at least longer, though that could partially be due to social stuff about men not supposed to be staring at girls’ breasts and stuff. Also the testosterone.
I am unsure how to phrase my confusion at your impressions of things. It sounds like you have a very shallow understanding of both genders…
Christyflare is making sound observations. Men do tend to look more openly, for example. Whilst the reasoning for why is fairly vaguely expressed, such as has been said is again true.
Although I can appreciate vagueness leading to confusion, there is no need, as there are truths, in the argument, which can be picked out. More importantly there are no untruths, which would indicate an incorrect understanding. Whilst you have not stated this, the term “shallow” has “negative connotations“, which could be taken to infer this. For example ‘3. Concerned mainly with superficial matters.’
Compounded by the fact that it is in a reply to a comment which does correctly use that word with that meaning.
Wheres making social commentary is not shallow. Rather than unfairly dismissing it as ill-thought out (per the implications above), it would be more constructive to show how to express the reasoning better. To wit:
Men do tend to look longer and more openly. It is part of a reproductive strategy, which favours men spreading their DNA as much as possible. This does have a link to testosterone. The higher the testosterone levels, the more pronounced such behaviours are. Likewise with other related activities, such as following that up with an approach.
This supports the statement, at the top of the thread:
Doing the converse will lead to approaches by a disproportionate proportion of testosterone-driven guys. Further, because they are more driven by hormones, to be more promiscuous, this also increases the chances of becoming unfaithful. Therefore the above statement is a reflection of a sound reproductive strategy.
As most guys are attracted to women in bikinis, that would include most sub-types. Including those who have depth to their personalities (whilst noting that it is possible to both have high testosterone levels and depth of personality). However it is not easy to pick out depth and sincerity. It is all too easy to fake both. Meaning it is still wise to avoid attracting too many testosterone-driven guys, in the first place.
If seeking a lower-testosterone guy, with depth of personality, it is indeed wise to use a different approach. Be observant, in settings where depth of personality will be more readily apparent, independent of any romantic-oriented socialising. Especially in settings that are not as appealing to the testosterone-driven ones.
Finally though, don’t take it too far. Or you can end up being single, for as long as I have.
Going to have to agree with Harem there. What the hell is wrong with her? :p Not saying she needs a bikini, but a swim suit tends to be used for a pool.
Who uses a wetsuit at a pool? :p
Yeah she’s in need of a shot of confidence as far as body image goes.
“Who uses a wetsuit at a pool?”
People with body issues, and have seen plenty of wetsuits used at pools
It is plausible that Sydney simply hasn’t thought of a one-piece, possibly because they tend to leave your arms and legs totally bare
I’d say it’s equally possible she simply hasn’t purchased a one-piece or a bikini and only had the wetsuit because of her scuba diving experience.
She probably has a swimsuit to wear under the wetsuit. Wetsuits aren’t super smooth and a layer between it and sensitive body parts is a good idea. Also, having a swimsuit under the wetsuit allows one to leave the wetsuit partially on in warm air.
Been to many pools and have never seen anyone in a wetsuit, unless they were in a scuba class :p
Or or and give me a chance here, beyond the body issues she hates the sun.
I get hypothermic easily. I got a wetsuit so I can swim in colder water for longer time.
I use it in pools so I can get used to the feel of the wetsuit.
heh, Anvil is wearing a Maxima-skin bikini.
What would really turn a few heads is if Maxima showed up wearing that style suit. How close would you have to get to tell that it was a suit? (I would be willing to volunteer for this test.)
She should do it just to troll Dabbler and Math.
With Maxima’s specularity, she’d blind everyone there by sunning.
Plus I doubt Maxima can get a tan anyway with her gold skin.
I think, in the proper swimwear, Sydney would get just as many if not MORE looks at a swimming pool. She doesn’t realize she IS adorkably cute and rather attractive. Little bit of self-esteem I think, needs to be built up.
To be fair, that’s like their tech guy standing next to all the buff super powered guys while wearing a speedo.
You might look good by normal standard, but these guys and gals aren’t normal.
Or… You might like skinny guys, and so the tech guy draws your attention regardless of how many muscles may be dancing around
Thought bubble… Would Sydney’s shield prevent harmful U.V. rays?
Quite possibly yes, Halo’s shield did block those laser beams during the restaurant fight, that said it also doesn’t block plain visible light otherwise Halo couldn’t see out of it and/or people couldn’t see in.
So maybe the shield filters out harmful light only which then brings up the thought of what level of light energy is considered harmful and thus blocked.
I’m starting to think/hope that some of the upgrade points for the shield will allow customization of what is allowed to pass through.
Actually we don’t know if those beams were concentrated photon beams, or if they were charged particle streams. We need to fire LASERs at Halo… for science. Actually the easy/safe way would be to put a spectrometer inside her shield and see what it picks up (or doesn’t). Everything from UV onward would likely be blocked or heavily filtered, including x-rays and gamma rays, if the Shield is on semi-automatons “deflect subjectively harmful things away from my user.”
I had an idea to give Sydney her own death ray. (besides the PPO)
– Hover a few feet above the pool
– activate the shield to grab about a foot of water in the bottom
– Fly a few feet over top of the intended target
The lens shape of the water puddle will act as a giant magnifying glass to concentrate the sunlight into a point. (Careful flying will be needed to reduce the slosh effect.)
If we could convince Heatwave to do her now canon anti-heat beam she could freeze the puddle into a giant ice lens.
Of course Sydney has a wet suit, she took scuba diving lessons, and found the orbs while she was scuba diving.
Hope I’m not the only one who remembers her origins.
Also, wasn’t Harem present for the story, or was it just the higher ranks?
Bodie (aka Punk Harem) showed up just after that reveal (and almost got punched in the face, again, but Sydney displayed rare control by simply saying “Boo!”)
i can’t believe that it’s 3 pages of comments and that NO-ONE has made a comment about “Never Say NEVER Sydney!!”… i guess that this is just a Chekhov’s Gun that he’s laying out on the poolside deck right now…
Is “Chocolate Peach” going to be Jiggs’ new codename? Or at least used amongst the core team
No.
Aww! Why not? o_O
Yes. From now on that’s her secondary codename. It’s official now. So sayeth me, an anonymous reader.
We do see Sydney being able to be in the sunlight and not blinded. Plenty of times. Like when she was working out. A few flight scenes. When she was demonstrating her powers. Etc.
It’s more like she doesn’t like to be surprised attacked by the evil ball of cancer and hate. And she’s so white that she probably gets burnt by the moon on cloudless nights. Possibly so used to artifical lighting that the feeling of actually metabolizing Vitamin D is her kryptonite.
New Hallo Headcannon.
The orbs proyect antylight for her tu “survive” under the unforgiving scorching DayStar.
Some kind of… shadow that is actually light but… dim
I seem to have run out of Dang. Does anyone have some I can borrow?
Sorry my give a dang’s busted.
you’ll have to scrounge up the D and the NG for yourself, but i’m perfectly willing to let you borrow a few A’s from my DAAAAAAANG!! to fill your lack thereof… :D
Was a joke off a song
I happen to have a spare bottle of Damitol here…But I never just give any.
Actually, it makes more sense for the melanin-endowed women to wear the impractical swimsuits. It’s not like they are worried about tan lines, since they are less likely to get them (I speak from experience of being melanin-endowed, but not a woman). Sunning for the ‘sun feels good on my skin’ bit of things is more likely (although that does not explain Jiggawatt -whose name I still hate- undoing her top. Not that I am complaining.
I did actually manage to get sunburn once, but that took serious effort.
On the subject of a prospective Sydney’s sun hat…
Would the orbs make it spin? Could she use that power to run one of those tiny 1-can coolers?
She could wrap some wires into her new headband and tape some magnets onto the orbs. Then when they rotate she could be her own generator to keep her wrist comm charged up.
Super late and I don’t know if anyone will read this, but how long you get as a lunch break can vary a lot in the military. Obviously when you are deployed, it depends on the needs of the mission. However, when we are at home, 1 hour lunch breaks are the norm. A lot of commands actually have two hour lunch breaks and encourage service members to use lunch as an opportunity to get in some personal PT.
If Sydney wanted to wreak her vengeance on those she thinks have been wrongly gifted over herself she needs to:
1) dive into the pool
2) take a deep breath and swim down a few feet
3) activate the shield orb to form a bubble
4) grab the flight orb and fly up over the row of lounge chairs
5) let go of the shield orb
Had a similar thought (about the water bubble for fire-fighting duties), but don’t believe Sydney would do that to the taut tanned trio, Blondini on the other bubble… :D
I just noticed the recommended comics section Dave. You like a bunch of adult comics but don’t want to put your main character in an adult situation :p? I kid, I kid, but seriously, those are some pretty good comics. Also, do you not like the other comics on Collective of Heroes? Or do you just not put them in the “If you like Grrl Power” section because you already have a link to all of them?
DaveB has, I understand, made adult comics before. However, this is not one of them, so no adult stuff beyond a certain line.
Yes, this comic is aimed at the PG-13 market: plenty of beef- and cheese-cake, but no full frontals, that’s what the invotives are for (and his dA account)
Oh, yeah. I knew the comic was PG13 and I have no problem with that. I was more referring to the fact that he only draws select characters nude in the voting incentives (to my knowledge). Unless I missed some (is there a place to see old incentives?), he’s only drawn Harem, Dabbler, and I think Maxima with certain body parts shown to the voting masses. Is there a place to see previous incentives? I never save them when I see them
He also has drawn Peggy and Heatwave
Check his Deviant Art account
If memory serves, the choice of subject for the incentives is strongly influenced by the character’s personality. If they wouldn’t feel comfortable in that situation, Dave doesn’t ‘force’ them. Or is careful to show their discomfort relative to an in-context influence, in cases such as the team bra fitting.
Hey, is that the suit or are Sydney’s shoulders blossoming? All those push-ups are finally paying off.
…they KNOW that she’s got SCUBA certification. How is her owning a wetsuit so weird?
This has been said a couple times, Marr965, but ONLY Maxima, General Faulk, Zephan, and Arianna KNOW that she’s got SCUBA certification. Gwen, Dabbler, and Harem didn’t arrive at the briefing until AFTER her origin story where she revealed she found the orbs while SCUBA diving, and none of the others were there.
The military tends to compartmentalize information even when it’s not classified, so it wouldn’t be general knowledge unless Halo herself spread it around ARC-SWAT headquarters.
Have to remember (or realize) MSpears: most people don’t read the comments unless, even if it was the post directly above theirs given the answer to the question they just asked, let alone if it happened to have been on the first of three pages
Oh, I realize that. Doesn’t mean that it isn’t as annoying as f–k to have to repeat myself just because someone can’t be bothered to read the comments.
I only went back to the relevant page after I’d posted my previous comment.
Don’t worry too much about that. Obviously option is divided in the community, but I encourage people to post their comments, even if the do not have the time to read through all the previous ones. This comic does generate vast numbers, after all, and not everyone has that kind of time free.
It is fair for the regulars to vent their frustration though, when duplicate comments occur a lot. But please do not take it personally. I think the community is richer both if we encourage wider participation (by encouraging those who do not have lots of spare time to speak out) and because such comments can include many that are unique or come from an interesting perspective.
Something that would be lost if we discouraged people from posting unless they had read through.
I try to field as many duplicate comments, as I can, to try and head off such frustrations. But it can also be rewarding, as I try to keep variety in the replies, which can make me either improve on a previous reply or find some new angle. So that very process can enrich the debate and improve the community.
Sadly I am getting increasingly tied up with other matters. But I would encourage others to take up the mantle, when I am unable. Should it appeal to anyone, that is. It is time-consuming, but can be rewarding. Especially when a new angle spawns an interesting thread.
Imagine Sydney in this “Wetsuit”….
https://www.yojoe.com/images/resize/w/MAX/imagestore/119/77265.jpg
Love the freckles!
Sydney go from being svelt to looking like a pudgy baby seal in panel 5. Is that her self image, or is she half puffer fish?
Gonna get this off my chest.
NO-ONE SHOULD BE SURPRISED THAT SHE USES A WET SUIT GIVEN HOW SHE ACTS FULLY CLOTHED UNDER THE SUN.
I’m still surprised she hasn’t ordered a sombrero with her new uniform.
Hey what kind of turbulance do you think the spinning orbs create underwater?
OOOOHHHH! What if they made snap-on plastic frames for the orbs with little fins/screws/impellers on them so that she could spin/orbit them in a way that propels her through the water!?
They don’t orbit that fast, and it’d be pretty redundant what with the fly ball. Unless you just want halo to rock a schweet propeller-beanie?
And it seems to be clothing optional here too. Just getting irradiated as normal. Yet no one has chlorophyll their tissues so can they get cancer from all the UV rays? Me I just stay out of the sun more than in it. I reach my vitamin D production level all too quickly. After that get out. Sun bathing is an insanity that is still believed.
I like being nude outside like anyone but not in the sun for long.
I love sun-bathing myself. Not that I have had the chance yet this year, what with affairs of state. Or my attempts to have affairs, anyhow.
Even so it is nice that I live near to a coast-line full of sandy beaches. Even nicer that the surf is mild enough, to allow me to doggy-paddle out a long way.† I then flop over, on my back, and just float. Usually for an hour or more.
Heavenly.
*drifts away, on gentle bobbling memory waves*
† I keep it just close enough that life-guards do not start to panic, I made that mistake once, many years ago, finding one swimming out to check I was not a corpse!
it’s probably a good thing the characters don’t know the name of the comic. They’d be wondering why someone in Japan made an anime short called Grrl Power in 2004 lol https://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=822
DaveB for future ref – 4- I did ask ye fourt(h)
5- Pence times I asked ye 6 half a dozen etc
sydney’s swimwear is 100% Omar approved!
Because people might not like what you have to say?
Sydney just needs to keep up with the exercise. Might not increase her bust, but she’ll be sexy shredded like the rest of the team. Think Peggy. Besides, Sydney has the start of an hourglass; a good frame for muscle curves.
And yes, Max, Sydney is a person with a personality. But being sexy with a fun personality is winning. Personality adds to sexy. Date sexy, marry personality. Amirite?
It goes “Once, Twice, Thrice, Quadrize, Cincize, Sexize, Octize, Nunize, Dicize”
Shoot, I got it slightly wrong, and missed sept.
Once, Twice, Thrice, Quadrize, Quintize or Tetrize, Sexize, Septize, Octize, Nonize, Decize.
Single, Double, Triple, Quadruple, Quintuple, Sextuple, Septuple, Octuple, Nontuple, Decuple