Grrl Power #540 – Bubble trouble
Ok, I will admit, that pool is ridiculous, especially considering it’s on like the 10th floor of the building. Actually, more like the 7th through 10th. I don’t think it’s probably even possible to do that. The weight might be manageable, but the outward pressure the water would exhibit on the walls would be considerable, so let’s just say some metal-kinetic helped build it or something.
This seems like a pretty dumb mistake for Sydney to make, but consider this. Imagine you’re playing a Grrl Power video game, and when you’re playing as Sydney, you have to hold the left bumper to pull up a radial menu to select an orb for her left hand, and the right bumper to do the same for the right. (Or Q and E on the PC, obviously.) Tell me you wouldn’t at least one time, while flying over the lava level, accidentally replace the shield orb with the Lighthook, and comically flail around with the whip as Sydney turns into a sparkler then tumbles into the nearby bubbling caldera, forcing Krona to pop her checkpoint on you. (By the time the game comes out, she will have worked out the bugs.)
Dabbler’s level would be a Boris Vallejo-esqe scanty clad world, only she’d be shooting the trolls with railguns and chain lightning spells. Also her other level would be the alien bazaar. Maybe that would be her hub area. Yeah, I think about this stuff even though I don’t know how to program or have any time to work on a game.
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So after 286 posts, apparently I’m the only one who thinks of Robert Aspirin’s Myth series from the descriptions Dabbler’s levels in the video game. Reference of Trolls (the male side of the race, where the females are Trollops) on one level and the other level involving an alien marketplace, which makes be think of the bazaar that takes up the entire dimension of Deeva (Deva?).
No one else?
Im not shure most people have even read mythadventures
I read them, up until I became a hermit doggy. I haven’t re-read any in my library since then mind. So those details above were not ringing any bells.
(raises hand) Fan since the first book.
Same here.
Oh heck yea! Now I need to go back and re-read all my old Myth-books. Hooray Robert Aspirin
Check out his Phule’s Company series as well. A young trillionaire, the son of a interstellar arms manufacturing executive, enters the Star Legion and is placed in command of the Omega Mob, the dumping ground for the dregs of the dregs of the Legion. It’s amazing.
+1 trillion.
Very much so. The first two are great. The last though, not so good.
Oh yeah, almost forgot. The Cold Cash Wars was a pretty good one off story too.
Huge fan of both Robert Aspin and Phil Foglio from back in the Dragon days. Shame about Robert, was making a strong comeback when he passed away.
wait…. what? is that why I can’t find anything new from him? I know I let life distract me from reading/ books for a little while but that…. he ……………….. I need to go cry for a while.
There was a co-author on the
myth books. I think she did some solos after he died, maybe? Or spin offs? Obviously I’m not too sure.
Yeah, and they just didn’t have the right spirit.
It was my first thought too.
Hell, yes. With Phil Foglio artwork for the character models, even.
Well, at least if it’s a platformer, or maybe a Brawl style fighting game. For an FPS or a Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat style fighting game, I would base the models on the Kelly Freas art. I suppose you could also do an Overwatch style MMO fighting game using a mix of the two styles.
Though thinking about it, what the Myth series really calls out for is a Lucasarts/Sierra Online style adventure game along the lines of Space Quest or Maniac Mansion. It could work for a Final Fantasy sort of team game, as well, I guess.
For a Grrl Power game? Definitely a an over-shoulder MMO fighting game.
I sort of jump a few steps there didn’t I… I had in my mind to do this thing about how Myth would be good for a computer game, and kind of wander towards that a bit more first, but somehow that part just sort of vanished. Sorry for being insane.
Also, the word I couldn’t remember until right this moment was ‘MOBA’. Me R De Dummass
For a Myth video game, I’m really seeing the Sierra style graphics, but then, I was around then. ILM (still dating myself) though? Well, if they could really go all out.
Personally I would rather that Grrl Power became the defining game that brought virtual reality to the mass markets.
The shower scenes would be really steamy. ;-)
That would explain why shes such a perv….ect team member >.>
+1
I’m a little surprised she had the scuba gear on but let the forcefield be full of air.
i mean, she IS scuba certified.
Why get wet if you don’t have to? The scuba mask is for emergencies… provided those emergencies don’t include loss of scuba mask like in the page
She’s not a cat, she likes getting wet…like learning (and paying for!) scuba.
I’m kinda surprised she had the mask on loose enough for it to get pulled off like that. She wasn’t paying attention during the lessons for securing the mask.
Also, scuba training teaches what to do in this exact situation… ok maybe not with your legs chained up, but mask being ripped off you are trained to get mask back on and clear it (they spend significant time training this). Patience Max, let Sydney remember her lessons (plus Math might like to provide the CPR that he was denied when they fought the first time).
The impact from the collapsing water sphere would be considerable. Greater than what you’d normally get from jumping into the water, being pulled along by one of those scuba submarines, or other typical impacts/forces the mask would be subjected to.
But yeah, it’s still attached to her by a tube of life-giving air, so despite having a leg tangled up she should be able to ‘rescue’ herself in just a few seconds.
I was wondering about that too. You wouldn’t even need the chains to hold down the shield if she justformed it under water. Though, ringing out what happens with the air bubbles from her breathing apparatus would be interesting. ( does the sphere expand or does the interior increase pressure with each breath? Alarming implications there for long term use.)
I can answer the pressure bit: it does not change. Dave has indicated that the shield compensates for pressure changes (for instance should the shield embiggen, whilst already raised), such that the environment remains safe for the wielder.
Regarding games – you do know that a lot of people make games (usually mods – check moddb.com) for fun in their free time?
And that a lot of projects are shut down by the copyright owners?
With your huge fanbase I think you could reach someone interested in making a free Grrlpower game if you grant them a licence.
Which would be a horrible idea unless done right. And being done right involves lawyers and a lot of money spent on them.
to clarify: shut down by copyright owners when people for example make stargate tribute games. There is a lot of tribute mods out there, and they usually gets shut down when they get popular enough to notice, especially if the game is based on some copyright that 20th Century Fox owns.
So… Why did they go through with this convoluted procedure instead of just having Halo go underwater without her forcefield and then create it underwater, so that it was full of water and didn’t have buoyancy issues? She’s got a breather over her mouth.
I am guessing because Maxima specifically wanted to test the Unknown Orbs while Sydney had her force field up.
Probably in case some unexpected effect endangered Sydney, the water might dampen it, protecting the environment, while the force field protected Sydney. Maxima is of course being overly confident that she herself might be fine dealing with such an effect.. albeit for a reasonable reason.
…and since I can’t edit: the reason for having the force field be full of air would be to make a drowning incident less likely.
…of course, that bit backfired…
Ok, A lot of people don’t seem to get this, so I will be the person on this page of comments to try to remind the readers who don’t know why something is happening >.>
1st – Why is Halo working in an Air bubble instead of filling the bubble with water and/or just not using it yet?
A) Maxima is military, understands safety procedures, and has been party of training supers for quite a long time. In reverse order of those points, during training you generally want to try everything you can under as “standard” conditions as you can, hence the reason to try the bubble out 1st underwater. ARC would try as many other versions of practice they can, but for a newbie (Sydney) you want to start from the most basic part you can. For safety purposes, we have already seen Maxima test the F-Orb and knows that it is pretty damn strong, so it also makes sense to have it up to protect Sydney when the other orbs get checked out in a new environment. As military, there tends to be procedures in place for most things that need to be done. While not precisely the same training program per person since powers are different per person, generalities can be made for beginners. Remember, in the press conferance, it was pointed out that powers had been in part of the government for a long time.
2) How could Sydney make such an error of dropping the wrong orb, that is just impossible to imagine her doing!!!?
A) No, not as much as you think. The part people are forgetting is that Sydney never got to practice in a methodical manner like she is trying to do now, as she was always afraid of “government sponsored vivi-sections”. Yes,she played with the orbs, and even got to the point she got fairly good with a couple, but honestly never got to actually TRAIN with them. She was finding out info about the orbs in all sorts of places after joining ARC, simply because she never got to use them practically, or to even do anything beyond her apartment in size. The fact that Sydneys comic book style knowledge makes her a natural at grasping how to apply her skills is just a bonus that tends to cover for inexperience.
3) Wait a minute, that doesn’t explain why Sydney would forget about her Flight Orb, that is just why she might not know how to use it right!
A) Ok… true, I forgot that part in the initial explanation, but the same point remains valid if in a different direction. Syndey has ADHD, so her mental impulses can move far more rapid then her body can keep up combined with not getting to practice with them. It is very, VERY easy to believe she could be thinking of switching orbs, and try to swap the wrong hand, and realize it just a second to late when her mind catches up to her impulse.
… there are other points, but those are the main ones, and anymore is to much babbling…..
To add to the point 3, it is very easy to do all kinds of dumb stuff if you don’t concentrate all of your will to it, even without ADHD. I have almost peed to the kitchen trashcan several times and gone to toilet when I wanted a drink from the fridge. I walk into doors all the time. You just can’t assume that Sydney is in complete control of her orbs at all times, human mind just doesn’t function like that.
What I keep coming up against is that the setup required both flight and shield orbs, result is that she can’t use any other. she drops shield, this happens. She drops flight orb, force dynamics all change, including tons of pressure suddenly applied to chains. It may even be that dropping the shield orb was safer than dropping the flight orb, for the risk to damaging thepool and surrounding building structure.
Other than dry/wet comparisons, I don’t see where this was going.
It was going straight to the rule of funny. For me, it missed. Sorry DaveB.
Now, if she was just walking around with an orb in each hand, unused, I might see this happening. But she’s not in that position. She’s just started a test and is actively using both orbs which have only been in her hands for a couple of minutes, if that long. So other than rule of funny, I just don’t buy it, ADD or no ADD.
You don’t have adhd. with add/adhd, it doesn’t matter how important a piece of information is, like “fly ball is in left hand instead of right” when you want to release the fly ball. There’s a non-zero probability that a needed piece of information won’t make it that last little bit to pop up in your awareness when you need it. I don’t often use grocery lists anymore because I’ll end up walking around the store trying to recall what I need while holding the list in my hand. the existence of the list tells my brain “no need to store this list of items up here”, so I’m more likely to forget the items. But I’m not anymore likely to remember the list, even if I’m holding it. AND anything I’m holding in my hand may get put down without me noticing at any given moment that I’m not actively using that thing.
this is not even remitely an exaggeration or invented example.
Yea, it struck me that ADD/ADHD would be highly significant. Dismissing the condition shows a lack of understanding.
The rest of the comment shows that it also extends to ‘not everyone is the same’. Some people are more susceptible to things like this. I certainly am absent-minded enough that I can see myself easily making such an error.
Plus nobody is immune to such a lapse in concentration. Ever misplaced an item, such as your keys? Bet that was not done on purpose. Never done that? Well I have heard bullcrap before, so it does not surprise me when people say that. If you get to know them long enough their bravado is invariably exposed.
There is a big difference between ‘that would not happen to me’ and reality. The most anyone could truthfully say is ‘that is not likely to happen to me’.
Whereas, for Sydney, it is likely. And Dave continues to write her true to her condition, no matter how many people say it is unrealistic.
by a completely unconscious coincidence, After that last comment I made, I went to grocery store. I wrote a list because my sister was going with me (and easier than than getting her to accept the reality of my adhd). Got there and back without once thinking to take the list out of my pocket. and yes, I forgot a coupla things.
I’m going to apologize in advance for sounding callous. I’m sorry.
You are correct, I do not suffer from ADD/ADHD, my son, however, does. So I am familiar with it’s affects. That said, just commenting on your example, if making a list so you don’t forget things tells your brain that there is no reason to store the needed information and then you disregard the existence of the list, that’s not your ADD/ADHD, that’s a stubborn refusal to use the tools at hand (literally in your example) to deal with your medical condition. Then blaming said medical condition for forgetting what you set out to get, is just taking an easy way out. “It’s not my fault, it’s the ADD/ADHD!” If you are truly that forgetful, you’re not safe to be out in public.
Ah… your son is not very old yet right? If you have yet to hit the point in puberty where advanced brain functioning is turned on (aka – abstract thinking) – then you have yet to experience just how truly wonky and dysfunctional things can get. Doesn’t matter how many trusted experts tell you otherwise – its hard to comprehend a massive difference in brain function like ADHD until you see it for yourself.
I’ll do “future you” a favor and remind you that:
– your son is NOT being lazy
– your son is NOT being stupid
– your son is NOT forgetting stuff on purpose
…. no matter how much it looks like that.
(Oh, and your son will also be a normal teenager so… being lazy, stupid and purposefully dense is stuff he will try at least a few times. But as his parent you’ll be able to tell the difference)
And no, lists don’t actually WORK for many ADHD people. Unless the act of writing the list (and deliberatly leaving it behind) suffices.
Kin – thank you.
anifreik – you’re just wrong. You truly do not comprehend what adhd affects in the brain.
A little late to the party, but I thought I’d throw in my own two cents.
For anyone who doesn’t know, in the Portal games, you have a gun that creates two halves of a portal. One blue, one orange. Left mouse button repositions the blue half, and right mouse the orange half.
There are a few points in Portal 2 where the game actually cheats, and if you fire the wrong half, it will “correct” it for you. Basically, half of the portal was not in easy view, and playtesters forgot which half of the portal they needed to use. They’d fire the wrong one, and promptly die, having to redo the area. It was common enough (and frustrating enough) that Valve decided it was worth bending the rules.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reached to take my keys out of my pocket when I was already holding them, spent five minutes looking for the glasses I was wearing, etc. I have ADHD, too, but I’m pretty sure this stuff happens to neurotypical people, too (just, y’know, not as often). So forgetting which orb is in which hand is not that unbelievable.
What Sydney SHOULD do is designate a specific hand for flight and shield. So flight is always in her left hand, and shield in her right. Any other orb goes in whatever hand she has free. If she needs to use the PPO while flying, it goes in her right. Use it while in a shield, it goes in her left. These two are her most commonly used orbs, and the most dangerous ones to accidentally let go of in the wrong situation.
Kind of like how I always keep a spare set of keys on me, for when I invariably lock my main keys in my car. Only cooler, because owning a Honda Civic isn’t a superpower.
On point one, I feel like you answered why she has the shield up (for safety), but I don’t feel like you answered why it has to be full of air.
Several people people have mentioned safety for that point as well (drowning), but I think that’s bull. Not only does the current situation act as a counter example, but just the complexity of what they are trying to do should make it obvious that it’s less safe. Lots of other things could have gone wrong as well.
Some others have suggested that they are just being thorough with their testing, but this seems like the last thing you would test, not the first. If the unknown orb really only works with an air filled shield underwater, then it’s a pretty useless orb. Now maybe you discover what the orb does this way and then find out a way to use it practically, but again, test the simple case first.
I love this comic and Dave for writing it, but honestly this feels like a little plot hole contrived to get Sydney in her current situation.
Sydney’s shield can hold a lot more air than she can carry in a tank on her back. As such it is reasonable to assume that most of the time she will opt to have it up, with air in it. That will provide her with much longer operational endurance. The scuba gear is there as a back up, in the event of a failure, rather than as her primary option.
Halo can always take along ballast if travelling to a known depth, where she is expecting to have to switch from the fly ball to using the other orbs. So it would actually be practical to operate in this manner. Therefore it is best to see what works in this mode.
Note that they do have time constraints here. Archon has already had several major engagements in just a few days. So finding out if the orb can operate like a submarine and (perhaps) has extra useful underwater capabilities is a sensible first test. They may not get time for a second, before the next crisis kicks off!
You are, of course, right that safety must take priority. Whilst testing it air-filled is dangerous, Sydney has survived this as the test was near the surface (and the orbs do have a number of safety features). However just think what might have happened if Sydney was forced to submerge in an emergency* situation, without having this problem highlighted.
At any depth that error would have almost certainly been fatal.** Sydney now knows that she must take extreme precautions (such as duct-taping the orb to her hand) if in submersible mode.
So even if the mystery orbs do not kick into operation, the training is providing Halo survival-critical information and practice.
* Whilst sending a raw recruit into a hazardous situation is not normal, if the alternative is, say that the crew of a submarine dies, as there are no other options to hand, then it would be right to deploy Halo. So finding mission-useful options, and discovering what dangers are involved with them, is important.
** Unless the orb has significantly powerful safeties, for such eventualities. The fact that the orbs were discovered underwater, without a living owner, does give a broad warning not to rely on this possibility though.
Bunk. The average 12L scuba tank filled to 200 bars pressure will last the average diver at 10M depth in normal activity approximately an hour. Sydney’s shield has been shown to be getting oxygen poor in 15-20 minutes, so you missed it on this one, doggy. No Scooby Snax for you.
No I was going by the actual time that people can survive with that volume of air, rather than what has been shown in the comic. The two are not the same.
He’s actually right about how a scuba tank would hold more air than Sydney’s bubble. They tested it already for that. Both with other people inside it and without other people inside it. After about 8 minutes with 3 other people also in there, it starts getting sort of rank, and Sydney also started getting woozy from lack of air in the aftermath of the Vehemence fight, I think. Might be wrong about the second one but there was some point in the comic where Maxima yelled at Sydney to take down her shield for 5 seconds to get more air.
Your comment is citing in-comic examples, so is flawed in attempting to refute a statement which specifically excludes such.
I have been trapped in an airtight, fully loaded, elevator (about twelve people, all shoulder to shouder) with a volume of air less than we see in the Halomobile. We did not all die after eight minutes. Nor after half an hour. Nor an hour.
If twelve people can survive with that amount of air, for over an hour, Sydney has more than enough air.
Their sensor was just set to go off as soon as the air started to get a bit muggy. They were on a field operation, so were erring on the side of caution. The very very very far side of caution.
Also recall the shield can be embiggened enuf to enclosed a gaggle of reporters that aren’t crowding each other, and still be strong enough to withstand Max’s Arianna-baiting. that volume may surpass standard scuba tank capacity.
That kind of volume is comparable to a submarine’s, so yes. Put in a few air scrubbers and other suitable life support systems, when embigggened, and Halo could remain submerged for days or weeks.
They can probably figure out a way to safely mechanically test the shield’s crush depth. Once they have done that, Halo will have all the capabilities of a deep-sea submersible, of that depth rating. Especially as the tentacle has far more versatility than any mechanical claw ever made.
Far more useful for international rescue operations (which are part of Archon’s remit) than just going scuba diving.
Where did you find an airtight elevator that isn’t in a pneumatic tube?
Heh, yea, there was a bit of seepage. But we had a claustrophobic who was so badly affected that she was trying to breathe by being up close to the crack. In the hope that I could calm her down and tell her that we were getting enough air coming in that way I very carefully tried to detect any hint of draft, coolness or fresh air.
I could not. So all I could do was assure her that we had plenty of air in with us, and that the lift repair team were on their way.
So, yes, there probably was some seepage, but I do not believe the quantity could have been significant. When the air situation was originally shown in the comic, I did do the math to confirm it. Which I cannot recall being challenged. I don’t feel inclined to go through the process again each time anyone queries that though.
If anybody wants to crunch the numbers from scratch, please feel free. Be sure to estimate the volume of air the sphere contains and to ignore any other in-comic references. All we need to know is how long a female can survive with that amount of air when conducting:
1) sedentary activity
2) strenuous activity.
Most of the time Halo will fall under 1), but extreme stress might push her closer to 2) if she is hyperventilating or otherwise not controlling her breathing.
To answer the air part specifically, or at least reasonably. They are testing the orbs under the most “standard” condition Sydney using them would be under.
If Sydney was in combat, Maxima has told her that her 1st impulse should be to put her shield up, then see about getting in the way of things the more vurnerable people could get hit with.
Under that condition, IF Sydney was flying underwater for some reason, she both 1) wouldn’t stop to try to equalize the water/air normally, and 2) does not normally have scuba gear on her.
These points combined mean that besides a chance to summon Captain Planet, ARC is trying to test the orbs in the best way to see how they will work in the most normal way Sydney would be using it. (And again, the safest place to let Sydney try new things is inside the F-Orb anyway, but you got that part >.> )
If she is flying underwater without her shield, for whatever reason, putting up her shield would only give her a shield full of water. It encloses whatever is around her at the time, it doesn’t provide atmosphere, of any type.
And personally, rather then one of the unknown orbs Sydney tries being a water effect orb, I am going with a “Summon Creature” orb, where the summon is based on the element the creature is summoned from or around, or both. …. Maybe a spirit/energy form that uses the materials nearby to make a body to protect its caller.
How about “Summon Random Creature Orb” for the potential comedy?
Why not Summon Bigger Fish?
or summon babelfish. or “phone home” to original owners, who are probably much bigger fish.
Yes
another theory on the orb’s origin and how they got where sydney found them:
Mr C. dropped his keys.
Hopefully Sydney will learn the powers of those two mystery orbs before she causes another mishap that Maxima will have to bail her out of…!
And the chances of that happening…
…yeah, I wouldn’t hold my breath… :P
It is best to, if wishing to avoiding drowning.
Well technically I DON’T need to hold my breath, Minicon & all, but I do like to continue venting heat…
then should I remove the padding/ insulation I put on your fins (radiating vanes) as a joke?
That…would be nice, thanks. I thought Daniel the Human did that. Bit hard to reach my back…
Serendipity. As Mr Heinlein put it in one of his books, that’s when you dig for worms …. and find gold instead.
I bet that this specific mishap will reveal (or unlock?) a previously unknown capability. Which is what Max was going for in the first place, just in not such dramatic fashion.
dig for gold, find worms, use worms for bait, sell fish.
Wondering…. is there a time where Sydney ISN’T being a complete spaz?
Having had adhd for several decades myself, I can assure you the answer is NO. sometimes more or less, sometimes spaz, or forgetful, or apparently clumsy. Even with the right therapies, it still happens, just not as much.
I was diagnosed as an adult, and when I started treatment, discovered I wasn’t impatient or short tempered at all – I had lived every moment of life in a state of continual frustration. When it happens to neurotypical people occassionally, other humans are accepting and sympathetic. when it happens to you every minute of every day, people are unsympathetic and condemn you as if you’re an idiot or are doing so by choice.
I sense a “reveal” in the force…
Illuminatis you must.
The walls are fine at least for water pressure. Gravity pulls down so all the weight is downward. The force on the wall isn’t that big. Force = Pressure x area. Assume a pool wall 2.8 m deep and 10m wide. The total force on the wall is 31971 Newtons. The surface area is 28 square meters. So that is 1142 kg/m2, which converts to 1.62 pounds per square inch. Unless I made a mistake, which is possible. It has been a long time since physics 101.
This pool pales in comparison to the Singapore rooftop pool in size.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/singapore-rooftop-pool
One of those photos shows the potential hazards of dolphin-jumping out of a skyscraper roof pool!
This may have been mentioned already, but I didn’t find it in the comments….
If Sydney is flying inside the force field, in air, and presumably is stationary, then why, in panels one and two, is her hair being floaty?
I replied on the previous page that it was the effect of null grav from the fly ball. I was reminded that in previous flights the orb gave directional gravity with user’s head always being the top of the gravity field regardless of body orientation. It is different his time. She is acting like there is no gravity.
options:
1) We have discovered a new function for the fly orb that is activated when used under water.
2) The flight gravity field is set mentally by the user. Syd saw Max’s hair swirling like in zero G and subconsciously canceled her own gravity to match.
3) Dave may have originally drawn her underwater without the shield in panel one and two. He changed his mind and later added the shield in without fixing her hair. Probably because he had the idea to double her trouble by bursting her bubble.
By the time this “test” is over, they’ll be able to see the rubble from the Hubble..
Looks to me like the flyball suspends Sydney in a replica of the nearby conditions. Floating above the ground, she experiences gravity as normal but it cancels out the momentum change that would cause her to drop and reorientation its effects to match her.
Here, however, Sydney seems to be experiencing buoyancy as though she were still underwater but, again, without the momentum change that would cause her to float off.
I just realized that for a ‘test’ of something unknown they don’t seem to be recording anything to document what is happening. It is possible that the pool has cameras built into the walls (which seems kind of pervy).
My suggestion (after the rescue) would be to give Achilles a quick-release weight belt and a waterproof video camera and throw him in the pool. He doesn’t need to breathe. He could just walk around on the bottom getting shots of whatever tests they can think up (and survive any unpleasant ‘surprises’).
They do carry recording devices, such as Sydney’s pip-boy.
Pervy? NASA use underwater training for astronauts, and video everything for study. The offshore oil industry uses underwater development, and films the results.
If that’s a purpose-built training pool, OF COURSE it has video equipment
Yeah, pretty sure they said it was designed for diving training & so on. Being so deep & all that. So cameras to record the training are more than likely. The Fan Service is just an added bonus for the camera operators… :P
For a training pool for Supers the idea of camera’s in there only makes sense, with multiple recording variables (thermal, UV, ect.). It would actually be odder NOT to have them in there. Not to mention it would have (or at least should) several different ways to change the water. Vents, wave machines, dye to change the visibility, insulation’s against multiple energy types, fast temperature control, quick drain/fill, and I am sure there are several others i am forgetting.
Just in case Syd wasn’t sure about the ADHD tests, Archon decided to run another. This time with chains.
Ok your speil under the comic got me thinking. Lost the flight and went to light hook. Could she make a spring out of it (via greenlantern style)? If so would it be flame retardant, burn, or transfer any of that heat to her. If it doesn’t transfer heat could she lifteraly make a boat of weaved lighthook and float on a river of lava (with a breathing apparatus, for the fumes)? Just a few random thoughts.
And is this leading up to her panicking, grabbing the wrong ball, and getting gills or some such? (ok I really need to log off. Brain loopy and I have work tomorrow)
She could, but using the Lighthook requires Sydney to have the image of whatever she is making using 1 line. Since Sydney can also make the F-Orb whatever size she wants, and is equally resistant to direct damage, that would be what she would use for a lava boat. (If she needed one for whatever reason)
Now, as a platform or boost for someone to jump on, that would be more likely for us to see.
Hehe we’ll call this episode of Training with Sydney a lesson in linked events.
Given that Sydney has taped the flight ball to her hand before now (I can’t find the reference) why doesn’t she have a mitt with an elastic palm, so she can slip the ball inside, against her hand?
That would be a very good suggestion. Certainly important for any survival critical uses, or things like extended flight (that is both survival critical and likely to cramp her hand from needing to hold it for prolonged periods).
Halo does need to practice her quick swapping capabilities though. Her two-orb limit is the most notable constraint on her powers. Being able to swap between them fast (and without killing herself) is something she needs to build up ‘muscle memory’ (for her hand) and concentration skills.
On the latter Sydney does have a major handicap, namely her ADHD. Which requires a host of techniques, including medication management, to try and minimise any distractions and to keep focus on the task at hand.
In other words Halo will need lots and lots of practice. But she cannot do that if relying on an artificial aid. Remember that mittens are her weakness. Although Halo can summon an orb to hand, in an instant, she would have to ensure the other hand is free, to peel back the glove and allow the orb to slide into position.
So this actually briefly limits her to just the one orb (being a serious problem if underwater, as we can see from all the chains). Whilst it should be possible to slide the orb out mentally, it is possible that the elastication will snag it, holding it in place If that does happen then, yet again, Halo would need to free up her other hand to correct the problem.
It is though a very important tool. I feel sure that Halo will have a pair of such gloves permenently in her utility belt, in due course. Although she could have a custom pair of gloves made up, that keep her palms free, until she pulls a strap over, with the elastication section, this does have snag potential.
So I suspect they will live in her belt most of the time. Only to be put on when there is a specific need.
How much hand does Sydney have to use to activate the orbs? If just fingers are needed, then you oculd remove the fingers from those special gloves so she can use an orb with that hand even when she doesn’t need to strap it onto that hand.
specified palms earlier and syd tried to use just fingers (as per testing sample imaged) without success.
the only test that I can find, she has a glove on and is holding the orb up to her forehead
Maybe something like a simple sweat band on her wrist, slide it down with the other wrist to hold the orb in place?
There are various options available. But pretty much all will have to trade-off on the following factors:
1) Potential snag risk (a sweat band has that, but not much, unless stretched over an orb).
2) How well it can hold an orb in place (a standard sweat band would be bad at this, but a purpose-made wide one should be OK, not perfect but OK).
3) How easily it can be moved, to allow full contact with her palm, for rapid swapping (the sweat band scores well here).
4) Long term comfort (probably OK, although I could see it getting itchy, especially if sweaty).
5) Whether it causes problems with other gear (on her off hand nothing, but serious problems for the pip-boy arm).
6) Other health-and-safety risks (snagging is the most serious, but in the ‘other’ camp there is the fire risk. Off-the-shelf improvisations would have this potential problem, in a super-fight. But purpose made ones would minimise the risk to be similar to that for their regular gear, not quite the same, as the stretchy requirements do require a compromise, but not significantly).
The points i would make about this otherwise brilliant idea are 2 possible flaws.
1) Just like the person above, i wonder what counts as “holding” for the orb to be used. Sydney has tried other ways to hold the orbs, so its quite likely it needs to be held intentionally or with the whole hand.
2) The orbs are controlled by Sydneys mind, and are insanely strong (remember Maxima trying to move “tubey” after the robbery?). So I would also think its fairly likely that no matter how Sydneys hands are covered, she would be able to pull any orb out of it with her mental switching, or – for thwarting a future mitten based villain – could pull an orb into her hand no matter how its blocked.
1) Halo has actually used masking tape, so the principle is both sound and canon.
2) Re-read your comment but look at it from the angle of how fragile Sydney’s hand is. So you raise a good point, but not necessarily from the most significant angle.
If Sydney’s gloved hand got snagged on some bit of jagged metal (say when swimming underwater) and she ordered the orb to break free (so she could swap it for a more appropriate one), then there would be a serious risk of that action causing major injury to Sydney’s hand.
True, i hadn’t considered it from the perspective of the possible glove part of the physics of the Orbs abilities to move around / thru stuff, just the Orbs themselves. Might not cause to much damage depending on the materials or angles, but it could seriously wreck the hand in general.
I could offer my meager skills in programming (transferring for a bachelors in Computer science). I could always use another pet project in class, besides turning my EDH deck into an AI program.
oh please, we all know that Dabbler’s level wouldn’t stop at just being a ‘scanty clad’ world; it’d almost single-handedly cause the GrrlPower game to be rated as AO (Adult Only) [or just flat out X-Rated or whatever ratings you want that would go with that], with Harem’s upping that :P
Hey Dave, is Evan Sabahnur where you got your inspiration for Sciona?
If I have any criticism, it’s just that this whole letting go part would work better if it isn’t completely unnecessary. So we’ll probably figure out one of the orbs, or something else important, from this mistake.
In relation to the notes below the comic, I think Dabbler’s level would be more like Bayonetta.
Oooh, or like Lollipop Chainsaw.
SEAL candidates have to go through BUDS before they can start SEAL training. A significant portion of the candidates fail BUDS because they cannot stand the feeling of water on their face. Apparently, if you are not exposed to water as a child you have a hard time getting over it.
AM I the only one who’d rather see a pen and paper rpg for this setting than a video game?
No, as an avid DnD player since 2002, I would love to see this as tabletop game. I am even working on my own based of of several sources. (keep failing playtest of combat system). Although I beleive there are several superpower games out there that this could be adapted into already.
It would be perfect for tabletop, especially given the opening scenes!
The biggest problem is the discrepancy in power levels. But sensible hero systems give guidance on how to handle such. For instance ensuring that there are always multiple tasks to perform in a situation, with varying degrees of difficulty. Such that the apex heroines have to tackle the most challenging aspects, leaving it up to the rest of the team to handle the remaining ones.
Each of which can be just as challenging and rewarding, if suitably balanced to challenge the character’s capabilities.
Importantly though this would either require a good games master or a commercially designed scenario, to ensure that the balancing is done appropriately. A novice games master would be better off ensuring that teams are only composed of comparable level player characters.
Which, if choosing to only play with the pre-built characters matching the comic, would mean only playing in small groups, if the players want to use the apex-level characters, like Dabbler, Maxima and Halo. Go beyond that and the power level drops off fast and someone is going to have a hard time coping.
But any big group could have quite a wide range of mid-range characters to choose from. And their power sets tend to be more specialised, meaning that relatively weaker heroes (even Peggy, as the most extreme example) would still have some opportunity to shine.
But only when circumstances do not suit the strengths of their companions. Unless, of course, the novice GM pulls of the trick of having suitable elements for them to deal with.
Either the Champions or Mutants & Masterminds RPGs could handle this setting without much mechanical issue. The actual logistical issues are what a living GM is for.
In fact, I highly suspect DaveB has written one or more of the ladies up for such a system in the past, especially considering Maxima’s explicit use of a ‘power pool’ common to Champions characters.
Having wide power level variations between members of a super team has been a tradition ever since both Batman and Superman (and yes, Aquaman) joined the Justice League/Super Friends.
Or the GM can arrange a demented series of tasks (with some designed for powers apex doesn’t have) in one lane and a single task that is trying for any non apex in the team lane that pushes cooperative efforts to the limit.
+1
Yorp buddy, gotta disagree with you on this. “The biggest problem” with doing this as a pencil-n-paper tabletop game is the disastrous lack of cheesecake (or beefcake, for those who prefer).
True. Imagination can fill the gap. But for best effect we need to sign up for LARP.
Then I could get to meet Sydney!
*faints*
Heh. For some reason, my thoughts on the ‘mystery’ orb just shifted.. Maybe upgrading that orb allows her access to using the other orbs without touching them? Kind of like how in a video game you’d have your subset powers, while there’s another tree of ‘null’ which just allows you to increase everything else’s effectiveness as a whole.
I dont quite get How Sydney managed this one.As snarky as I am about her isnt this one of the few things shes explicitly been trained for?What with being a trained diver n all?*Shrugs*
True, but _more recently_ she has been training (BY MAX) to hold the damn flyball. So when she goes to switch, she follows muscle memory and swaps the other hand. Get it?
There is no training for how to stop an air bubble collapsing and the incoming water knocking your mask off. So that part would happen to anybody, regardless of training. But I am sure you are referring to the aftermath.
As for that we have only seen her predicament, how she reacts to it will doubtless appear on the next page.
Ooh, and having just checked for that, as I typed it, well… no spoilers. You have to hit the next page button to find out!
I feel like Maxima aught to maybe not waste time sighing and talking to herself. That kind of impact from the water and entanglement from the chain could have knocked a lot of air out of Sydney’s lungs which could put her in very immediate danger.
Talking is a free action, in this comic. In other words the action is paused whilst comments are made.
This is a very useful narrative tool that, in this instance, allows us to know Maxima’s thoughts on the situation. Whilst this could be done with a thought-bubble, it is actually something that Maxima would want to say to Sydney.
Plus, of course, it is giving an indicator to the director of Grrl Power, the Movie, on how to shoot this scene. Basically that dialogue would take place whilst Maxima is moving. Which is not something that can be easily conveyed (without wasting valuable panels) in comic form.
Hence why the ‘talking is a free action’ rule is in place. It allows the author to convey the intent of the situation, but without having to sit down with a stop-watch and time how long it takes to say stuff.