Grrl Power #571 – Transmogrification
I’m kind of sad that Sciona’s achieved her goal here, or at least one of them. I was getting used to drawing her with the orc body. It’s a pain in the butt to draw with the stitches and the scar all the extra details that take time to select and color and all that, but without them she loses a certain visual distinctiveness.
Everyone has something about themselves they’d like to fix. Most of use could stand to lose a few pounds, unless your job requires you to be professionally in shape, like an actor, model, fireman, soldier, what have you. Maybe a personal trainer, but I’ve seen personal trainers who could definitely stand to practice what they preach a bit more. Having an out of shape personal trainer is a bit like getting a haircut from a hairdresser with an awful haircut. But I digress.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind fixing my thumbs. My whole life I thought they were double jointed because I could bend them backwards so far I could touch the side of my arm, but I can’t lay them flat across my palm, so I guess they’re single jointed and just on backwards. It’s a minor complaint and has never affected my ability to do anything like use a pencil or chopsticks. I actually never realized people could lay their thumbs across their palms until I was like… I don’t even know, like 38 or something? It doesn’t come up often. The only time it messes me up is when I need a reference for a hand doing something my hand can’t do.
I also broke my ankle once and it’s a little weaker than the other one now, and I messed up one of my shoulders good over the course of about 5 years in the gym. I suppose while I’m at it I could stand to sharpen up my vision, but I’ve been wearing glasses since high school so for the first few months after doing it I’d go to adjust my glasses unconsciously and wind up poking myself in the eyes a thousand times.
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Dang! The birth of a villainess!
Rebirth
She was reborth!
You mean re-byoing.
Lol.
You have been sadly quiet of late. But are as witty as ever.
I know. Been busy with a full caseload, so sadly havent had time to post on my favorite webcomic :) Just have time to read.
*tosses a Yorpie Snax*
Busy keeps food on the table. Ooh and in the air!
*holds mouth open to catch snax*
More like re-SHA-WING!’ed. ala Wayne & Garth.
so she just wanted her body back? well with at least one upgrade.
and fix the white temples
Of course, she’d fix the white temples!
She’s a drow. It’s ALL supposed to be white!
I think she might be more comfortable in a Lolth Temple.
But I agree that she checks most of the characteristics of Drow. Mmm, except for those sharp teeth she gained, in the final panel. Perhaps, when we get to see her lower torso we will find out that she is now a Drider!
Or an anatomically vague Barbie doll, draped in tendrils. ;-)
If she’s going to do a lot of combat (for those 99 souls), I’m not certain that’s a real upgrade. It will most likely prove to be some disadvantage in time.
Depends on what her original body was, look at those… teeth!
And the cost of toothpaste
Oh there can be a lot of upgrades incorporated in that which are not visible ones. The glowing eyes, the aura, the blue tendrils, the pointy teeth, these are all hints. OK some may just be aspects of the transformation sequence. But they are indicative of major changes.
Magic girl transformation sequences do go from a mundane form to a powerful one. And Sciona started out powerful!
Just a few possible upgrades:
• Dark elf to dark elf/elder vampire
• Upgraded brain (with massive implications for the power of her magic)
• Permanent regeneration (no longer relying on troll blood infusions)*
• Directly enhanced magical power (able to draw more mana, cast stronger spells etc)
* And maybe being even more powerful. Having gone through the process of relying on a minion to reattach her head to a random body, I am sure she will not want to go through that again. Total instant regeneration of any wounds would fix many problems, and regrowth of lost limbs (or bodies) would round it off.
Improved hydra regeneration would further enhance it (chop the head off and it grows a new body, whilst the body grows a new head – 2 Scionas for the price of one).
Although the two Scionas would be a downside, if they didn’t share a mind like Harem does.
Very much so, and without a doubt.
Mind you I am in the same camp. The world is just barely big enough for the one of me.
Not to mention, they will probably be plotting to kill the other
Well, depending on how paranoid she is. Granted, her willingness to sacrifice(?) Wyrmil doesn’t improve the likelihood of ‘getalong Sciona’, but she may also be the sort to be able to implicitly trust herself- which means implicitly trusting other herselfs.
I trust myself implicit. But would not hesitate to kill any exact clone.
Note the ‘exact’. A Dolly-the-sheep type clone would be more like a child, being younger and having to live through a normal childhood. So would be fine. Likewise even an adult clone, but which did not get my memories or personality. Same deal, even if it is given accelerated learning, so that it has an implanted artificial ‘memory’ to create simulated life experiences (of someone else).
But one that was physically and mentally indistinguishable from me is another matter. It will be finding its brains splattered up the nearest wall!
And for vampires. light immunity
True. Although she may be planning on borrowing the “Big Ol’ Bood of Vampires”, to do that.
Another point. do those lives have to be _human_ lives? You could do it legally by being a state executioner. It might depend on the ‘level’ of lives eg: a bug exterminator. “100 cockroaches? that will fix a pimple”
I’m assuming you need the dagger to deal the killing blow. and I don’t think state executioners condone dagger executions (anymore)…
unless you’re not talking USA anymore, and more places like DPRK, UAE (and/or even Somalia)
Heh. Nice take. The kind of route a cunning (but fair) games master would take.
“Yes you can stick to the exact phraseology of the requirements. But you get what you pay for.
Oh, and any nasty side-effects? Those will still happen, regardless of how much, or how little, benefit you gain.”
A cookie for the people who figured out the Epimorph would let her make a new body for herself one way or another.
I think we need to get the big cookie jar for that one.
*grabs a choice cookie*
Yay cookies!
I think the name of the thing kinda tipped it off: Epi (Epic level)-(Poly) Morph. It strongly implies that she could change into whatever kind of body she wanted.
Not to mention that both of the ones who wanted it have appearance issues….
Except that the ‘epi’ part of Epimorph doesn’t have anything to do with ‘epic’.
So yes, it was in the name, but not in the way you thought and a little more obscure for those not familiar with Latin or these kind of crystals.
I thought it would put the name of the one I quoted on top of it. But the first quote is from Robin Bobcat, and the second is from Oberon. Both can be found here.
We need a BIGGER cookie jar!
It was me.
I’m Spartacus!
`*takes a cookie*
no, I’m Spartacus!
takes your cookie*
*holds paw up, mouth open*
But, but …
… actually that is fair. Enjoy.
Did she REALLY make a new body, though? The name Epimorph means ‘surface change’. It’s possible that the Epimorph has only changed the outer shape and appearance of her body – biologically, she may still be an Orc/Drow chimera.
Possibly. Something so shallow may be in here on nothing more than the strength that it requires the sacrifice of 99 (sentient) lives. However Ingsol was concerned about the vault contents being stolen because most of them were of an apologetically powerful nature. Which cosmetic alteration would not match.
Further that can be corroborated with Deus indicating that Sciona would get a power increase, upon using the Epimorph. Thus making it unlikely. However if the physical changes are only skin deep, then there would need to have been something else significant that it has done, to justify those other comments (assuming that they are correct too, of course).
Which, if the changes are literally restricted to the surface, we should be able to see, unless it is something like becoming a plague carrier. But we do have a visual clue that would allow us to run with this line of thinking. Namely those sharp teeth Sciona gained in the final panel.
So perhaps this is the birth of a new species? Just like, in past generations, the Epimorph created the first part wolf/part human, now known as a werewolf, along with all the other lycanthopic races. Plus, of course, the vampire bat/human who spawned the vampires.
Orc by day, drow by night and, on the full moon, she becomes a Drider!
True to its name Epimorph – Epic morphing ability – She is right that is too useful not to use.
The scary thing could be it means epidermal morph, suggesting the changes are only skin deep, meaning she gets to keep all the additions she has added, like the troll blood and whatever else she grafted into herself. She has her (mostly) original body plus all her upgrades over the year with no visible sign (I know, I closely scanned her just now) of what they may be.
The troll blood was via a transfusion, not a permanent addition
Epi-:
a prefix occurring in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “upon,” “on,” “over,” “near,” “at,” “before,” “after” ( epicedium; epidermis; epigene; epitome); on this model, used in the formation of new compound words ( epicardium; epinephrine).
Possibly. Do not forget though that Deus’s banter strongly implied that Scion would become more power, by using the Epimorph (just not in a way that would allow her to beat Vale).
Plus epi has other meanings:
“A syringe or autoinjector filled with …”
I snipped that off because the rest is a bit too specific medical jargon to support my case. But the excerpt jumps out as matching the use we see above. Then note the second etymology:
“Abbreviation of epimorphism.”
Which expands to “A morphism p such that for any other pair of morphisms f and g, if …. ” *yawn, eyes drooping* “… then f = g.”
So a gripping mathematical term (matching the artifact name) which deals with transforming something from one state to another. Which also has tie-in to the syringe use, giving a nice poetic link between the prefix and the stabbing above.
The important part is we can expect more impressive stuff from her now, since she is back at her maximum power again… in the troll body she was, by her own statement there, weaker.
The interesting part will be to see how much stronger she is now…..
Orc body, even says so in the Auturb (author-blurb)
Well, I can totally see why that thing is in the vault and why Sciona would want it. I’m a bit interested to what end Cthillia is going after that kind of change in. Presumably, it’s to fix her appearance to be a bit more… human maybe? I dunno… she’s a bit of a hard book to read in all of this.
More to the point, Cthillia is probably going to be rather… irked… that she’s going to have to kill 99 people with that blade to recharge it. Especially since Sciona’s rather treacherous and isn’t likely to just hand it over to her…
Well, Sciona’s internal monologue did suggest that she was expecting to not have the item permanently. And at the moment it’s useless to her; it needs recharging. Let Cthillia do that, while she adjusts to the new/old body.
Besides, Cthillia suddenly maybe has backup there. Deus’s little comment about loyalty and trust could be seen as a… hint? Reassurance? I’m not sure what the right word would be, here.
Sedition is the term that the British military would use, in a time of war. Which, historically, could see the individual charged being issued with a wooden box and their own plot of earth to stay in.
*sigh* [wistfully recollecting the glory days of Empire]
Deus’s words are very likely to help drive home the wedge that Cthillia has driven between her own people. OK mainly because Deus has totally shaken Sciona, and blown her composure. Prior to that she had been, well I would go so far as to say ‘tactful’, when you see how she dealt with Wyrmyl’s suggestion of using explosives on the vault door.
Not that I would wish to overstate my case mind. We saw her treating an elder vampire like a refueling station. Something he is used to doing with humans mind (assuming that he is not ethical like the ‘good’ vampires on the council). But tactlessly handled.
So we can see that her natural inclinations are to prioritise her own needs and only care about other’s feelings when she needs something from them. Not to mention the blatantly obvious fact that she will not hesitate to cause great pain (or death, as the case may be), even to allies, without batting an eye.
Which, yea, Deus is very happy to point out. Making it much more likely that Cthillia (as a mercenary) will choose to work for him in future. Although I imagine that she will honour her current deal, if Wyrmil survives. Assuming that Sciona promptly honours the deal and gives Cthillia the Epimorph.
It should not take Cthillia much to recharge it. Perhaps if she needs to stab sacrifices. But very easy if she just has to kill whilst carrying it. Looking at a crowd could probably do the trick!
“Although I imagine that she will honour her current deal, if Wyrmil survives.” It may very well be, that Cthillia was well aware what fate was to befall Wyrmil. She doesn’t seem the caring sort, and it would be safer to include her, then risk her reacting to such an action adversely. But I guess we’ll see in the near future.
And here is breaking news about a sedition charge. Countries do not like it if you threaten their sovereignty, even in part. This is the kind of thing that can lead to civil war. Although less likely in this case. But civil unrest is a distinct possibility. And Spain had decades of terrorism from Basque separatists. Hence why they are taking this so seriously.
Ohhhhh shiitake mushrooms.
In this country being held without bail for the “crime” of speech (all I could find about their jail-able offense was that there was a “1 October independence vote, which the Madrid government regards as illegal.”) would be seismic as well. At least, it would be unless it was labeled “fake news” and then got lost in news cycle as they rushed to cover the latest presidential gaffe.
A key part is:
This is what elevates ‘fair debate’ to ‘sedition’. It does go on to say that he suspended that, in order to allow debate. However his actions were unilateral rather than bilateral. Without getting the concent of the majority of the populace (of Spain, as opposed to just Catalonia) he is indeed running foul of sedition laws.
Not that I am unsympathetic with their cause mind. To the contrary. But you need a solution which is good enough to gain a consensus. And that needs to be found before open challenges to sovereignty are made.
The cast page is not working for me. But my memory gives this thought. Cthillia is the one with the face wrap. Also seen in the look of potential villains responding to the press conference. Spoke what looked to be a middle east language by the font.
Maxima said there is one other person that gave her trouble in a fight and that person is dead. She hopes. So like Sciona she is looking to repair a damaged body?
The cast page hasn’t been working for a couple months, and the ones on it anyway were ARCHON members (and not even all of them)
The one in the head wrap was topless, so that rules out the female Lia
Yea the two are distinct individuals. The one is likely an arch-villain/mastermind, who we suspect got the bandages as a result of a run-in with Maxima. He does match the description given, especially with the Arabic-looking font.
Whereas Cthillia’s headgear,is just a clothing choice, rather than actual bandages. When we have close-ups of her face we can see that she has reptilian skin and eyes. In contrast to the human skin we saw from the other guy.
And, yea, different genders.
Figured the head wrap was religious in nature (seeing how he was speaking Arabic?) rather than to hide an injury
Dave’s outfit choices can often be driven more by a feel than strict accuracy. So you may well be right. However of the two, I would say that Cthillia’s would be the closer of the two.
Incidentally (for interests sake, rather than to be pedantic) for someone of Arabic origin, I think their headgear would be a social choice (for a male) rather than a religious one.
Regionally Jewish men would have religious headgear (for use in a synagogue). Similarly elsewhere we could match form (the bandage-like aspect, rather than covering the face), by referring to the Sikh turban. Likewise an important sign of their faith.
Whereas I suspect that Arab men’s choice of headgear (for instance those which cover the face) has historically been driven more by the practicalities of the desert environment, that many of them lived in.
With the specific forms being influenced by local culture, for instance some favouring the Keffiyeh. Whereas others may choose to avoid it, because of its associations with Palestinians, if that would be impolitic.
Meant ‘cultural’ :(
I’ve tried to recreate the cast page but it’s not working for some reason. I think I’ll have to change the link from /cast to /castpage or something, and rebuild it.
I appreciate that it would be a long exercise to add in all the extended cast, in the same format as before. But if you are rebuilding, may I suggest bringing in the Who’s Who information, for everyone who has managed to feature?
The cast is vast now, so such a list will be invaluable for anybody who has not featured for a while. And hopefully if you can just enter your Who’s who code to bring the information in, it will not be such an onerous task.
All assuming that you can bring it into a cast list page (as opposed to in sidebar format) without requiring complex recoding. If it does just copying the one liner descriptions and just using a link to their picture may be a quicker alternative.
Again making no assumptions that you have the time to do that. To the contrary I still worry that your regular schedule pushes you to overwork yourself!
I hope she brought a spare set of clothes for her new body.
If Vehemence can ka-pants, I’m sure she has a similar trick up sleeve.
Agreed, with both of you. From a personal perspective.
Although I am sure there will be enough fans of well endowed villainesses, that I would not wish to spoil their fun.
*wags tail companionably*
I can only hope a side effect of the process is that the “Bonus” value changes based on her mental state.
With full set of confidence, she can take on the world, knock her hack and deflate her ego to bring back her insecurities…..
I fail to see what the advantage to her would be. At the moment people can have three reactions to her being naked. Some will be incapacitated by drooling, some will just hate her for her looks, some will refuse to look at her and a few won’t care either way. None of these reactions is negative for her at the moment and can even be advantageous.
Now let me have a moment studying this. It’s really out of focus. But if you squint up one eye…
+1
She seems the pragmatic sort.
… that’s four responses.
You never miss a moment, do you Dave?
Reading your comment reminded me of when I found out I was Lactose Intolerant… In my twenties
Man, thank god it only took my parents a few weeks to realize that.
Many conditions have varying degrees, so symptoms may run from mild to severe. Plus there may be many mitigating circumstances. For instance I had multiple conditions, as a pup, so the symptoms of one (e.g. Yellow Jaundice or penicillin allergy, in my case) may mask those of others.
But even with mild symptoms, you are right to feel sympathy for someone going undiagnosed, for so long!
Worse is the damage that can be done to your immune system in the meantime. It was mild at first but I never developed a greater immunity with exposure so by the time I realized it symptoms we’re much more severe. Amusing ly it was a conversation about melted cheese in nachos that made me realize. Before then I never knew that cheese was a constipater for many. I blame Taco Bells reputation if sending people to the bathroom for this.
Noo, poor evil monster. Giving in to peer pressure is unnecessary. It is far better to be comfortable with your own body, rather than listening to the silly extremes that society projects as an ‘ideal’. Down that road lies ear lobes the size of dinner plates and bound feet!
Mind you, getting rid of the Frankenstein’s monster orc look… that was sensible.
Form change net effects:
-6 Intimidate
+1 Persuasion (adj. +3 Persuasion)
Weakness: Identification of adherence to traditional beauty standards
You forget necks like a giraffe and teeth like the front end of a car
So, puppy-alterego, you want them to not give in to peer pressure? Umm, isn’t that giving in to peer pressure? o_O
By telling them not to give in to peer pressure, you are, in fact, pressuring them to abide what you feel is right for their body
Reminds me of an Aesop’s Fable about an old man and his ass (believe a little boy was involved)
Agreed, it’s better to be comfortable with your own body.
BUT, that ISN’T HER BODY. Those asshat Council-beings cut her body off! The Orc body was a temporary loaner, but I’m sure the original owner won’t want it back. She can make what changes to it she wants. If it’s a new body, anyway, she should make herself ‘comfortable’ with it.
Ahh, you miss my point. We can see her restoring her original body, as in panel 5. And a perfectly fine one it is. Yet in the final two panels we see her changing that to a considerably bustier one. Whilst noting that she has not visibly increased her muscles to cope with the extra mass.
As such it is doubtful that she would comply with your comment that “it’s better to be comfortable with your own body”. She will need to take painkillers or use magic to overcome the back pain she will suffer. Plus to repair the injuries she sustains anytime that she looses her balance, and falls forwards!
If I was advising her, based on my tastes, I would tell her to go smaller, rather than larger. :-P
As it is I was only making the suggestion that I quoted from Deanatay. Whilst most of us have things that we would want to change about our bodies, we are better off examining why we might want to look different. If it is to gain a healthier body, then that is a good thing. But if someone makes a change, to comply with what others expect, only to subsequently find that it does not match what they want, then it may be too late to change their mind.
As Sciona has indicated she intends to give the Epimorph to Cthillia, she may not get to correct any mistakes (especially if she returns to Deus’s employment). But, you are perfectly correct that if the choice stems from within herself, to express her fundamental inner nature, then that is reasonable.*
For instance parents, religions and conservative parts of society may well all be pressuring someone to conform to their social expectations. But if an individual feels that they are trapped in a body that is the wrong gender, then their lives can be improved if they are able to bring their body closer to their self image. Assuming that they do not get stoned to death, of course.
As we are in that area though, it is worth noting that people can and do get born with mixed up sexual characteristics. Whilst there are all sorts of variations, one may be female internal organs, but male external ones. Or mostly being one gender, but with some characteristic of another. Which can potentially ruin people’s social lives.
Historically such used to be resolved by a surgeon (sometimes with parents concent, others not) making a choice based on their value judgements, whilst the child was still very young, and unable to even understand a choice. With the very unfortunate result that some could grow up feeling they are the wrong gender, where the doctor/family got it wrong.
So, yes, it is vital for the individual to be the one deciding this. But they must carefully examine their own feelings, to make sure of why they want a change, and to be wary if it is a superficial whim.
Sciona’s “whilst I have got it” very much gave me the impression of a whim, rather than a carefully thought out decision.
* Within limits mind, if she needed a wheelbarrow to carry her enhanced anatomy, that would be unhealthy!
Drat. I was fond of the slim style ladies. Whose betting she might regret that later when she finds back pain, or awkward balance. Well balance in general is going to be rough for her until she gets used to the body again.
However the hell she ended up as a top of the head anyway.
She doesn’t have much more of a “most common super power body” than the other super ladies.
Some how I think super strength and agility deals with both back pain and balance issues.
I love the image of Deus and Vale almost face palming at that pause of hers
No, that’s more of Vale looking sternly at Deus while he’s staring at Sci-fright’s naked body
Told you Sciona had pretty eyes. Although not at her best above.
The pointy teeth are interesting though. Not classic dark elf. Nor classic vampire, for that matter. But closer to the latter, of those two.
Demon, or something of that ilk, is in the running mind. However Sciona is clearly going for the ‘dark goddess’ look now, I think. So none of the secondary changes, in the final panel, may reflect her origins.
We don’t know if that ‘dark goddess’ look is just the lighting, like those tendrils that are of-so-conveniently covering the naughty-bits
And now Dave can post the ‘sexy dark goddess’ pinup of Sciona that has been lurking in his art folders for so long…
Vote incentive!
She still has pretty eyes in at least two panels (the one’s where her eyes aren’t glowing or where she’s just stab herself in the temple)
Feral Ur-Elf perhaps?
I think she boinged, in addition to other things, her teeth as well.
Guess her thumbnail image will have to be changed. Wonder what else she will use that thing? Its probably a pretty nasty weapon if used right.
If she is true to her word, nothing. Not until after she has given it to Cthillia, to use on herself (once she has recharged it).
Maybe she has plans for it again, after that? But I suspect that this is no more than a means to an end. After all she has restored herself to the form she was in before she ‘lost her head’ fighting the Council. Although she has also boosted herself beyond that state now too.
But she still doubtless has the unfinished business from before the council mostly decapitated her.
Given how readily they assumed that her plan this time was to bring down the Veil that may actually be her aim (or part of it). Which she was only feinting towards before, but may now resume in earnest.
Or her underlying reasons for what she was doing previously may have changed, and now she genuinely has new goals.
I doubt that it is limited to just ‘look prettier’ though.
The “hairdresser with a bad haircut” is an old riddle, and that’s the one you want to go to. A skeletal chef might be a better analogy?
Also, all-around glow providing back lighting and a silhouette? We need a version with proper illumination! :P
Yes, lose the spectral-tendrils, they are blocking the view
Oh, and glad someone else brought up that bit about the ‘bad’ hairdresser: in a town with just two hairdressers, you want to go to the one with bad ‘do
+1
My Mum has a saying “Never trust a skinny chef”.
And fatten him up before eating him. Err that being from a cannibal’s mum.
Yea, took me a long time to realise that other dogs do not use their claws to touch-type.
Or that the other birds use “hunt and peck” to type.
Or that cats… You get the idea
HEY! No eating the wee red birdie!!
There’s the Columbus method: find it and land on it.
and say it was what you were looking for even if it isn’t. Kill a whole lot of people along the way and die of syphilis.
There may be a better way.
*puts on crumpled beige raincoat*
So where were you, when these murders were going on? Not that I am accusing you of anything mind. You are free to go about your business, as you wish.
But… before you go… I do have one minor question…
That was Columbo :P
Umm, no, Columbus always claimed to be looking for a western route to India, not knowing there was a dirty great continent in the way, one that should never have been discovered, ever
That’s why he named it the West Indies
And all I can think is much more killable she likely is now…
I’m mean seriously, (I suspect that) all she really needed to protect before was her head… Now? More power, but squishier body? (at least tha t’s what I’m getting from this)
Since this is close to her original body and she survived decapitation like this before I don’t see why she would be at more risk now.
In her orc body the top of her head would be more of a focus point because people can see something is different there, now people might make the same mistake again because it isn’t so obvious she only needs her brain / top of her head to survive.
I’m sure she kept all the upgrades she accumulated in her orc body, which would include troll’s regeneration plus whatever would allow her to best a super-werejaguar with laser claws in combat. Also, Deus indicated that the Epimorph’s use would make her a match for Vale in combat, meaning what changes she did- even if seemingly mostly cosmetic- made her stronger and more dangerous, not weaker and more vulnerable.
Agreed. Although the troll regeneration was from a blood infusion, so she may have chosen to incorporate that permanently, using the power of the artefact. Noting that previously, even with troll regeneration, she considered Wyrmil to be tougher than her.
Yet she was willing to piss him off (assuming he is going to get better soon). So I suspect that her upgraded form will put her more on a par with him too. Such that she could use him so brutally, with little concern for any vengeance he may want.
She is probably will be less killable now. she now has ‘normal’ form (I assume) Things like point of balance, flexibility etc. Probably needs some training again to be at ‘normal’ combat levels again.
The mismatched body might also have influenced her magic etc.
Can you imagine how anti-climactic it’d be if it had turned out the Epimorph is empty and first needs it’s 99 souls?
Yeah, stabbing it into her head like that could have been a real Head-of-Vecna moment…
Head of Vecna. :-) Have a cookie for your nerd lore reference.
I think it would be poetic justice if it was not fully charged, so has only done part of the job.
Not all of that orc guy’s body may have been transformed!
Orcess, not orc guy
The gag requires him to be a guy. And although Sciona identifies as female, and we can now see had a female body originally (working on the logical assumption that she has resumed her original form above), we have no proof that the body her minion found was also female. So could well have been a male orc body.
Which would offer an even greater incentive for Sciona to obtain the Epimorph.
Was simply a flat-chested orcess, even flatter than Sci-fright, giving even more motive for panel BYOING
Let’s let Sciona keep her new form….!!!
Heh, I detect our first dark elf/vampire groupie.
Just remember she uses her minions like disposable tools!
Maybe she should get disposable tools for minions then? Peebochus maybe?
or…Minions. they’re not necessarily disposable, just…indestructible?
Hmm…since she has what she wanted…wonder how much longer she’ll last…
Depends how long she will live off her body’s reserves, then well you preserve her. A week or so, properly butchered, and kept in a refrigerator. Months or a year in a freezer. More if you don’t mind risking her going off.
I meant more in a narritive fashion, but good answer anyway!
It depends on whether Wyrmil gets better. If he does, the successful acquisition of artefacts will buy a lot of forgiveness amongst her henchmen. Without that, well those toys will still be encouraging loyalty.
Along with fear, from any weaker minions.. But they will not turn their back on her. And they will be looking to their exit strategies. Nobody likes being treated as a disposable asset, on a whim.
Outside of their group dynamics though Deus will like having her around. She will be creating a nice diversion from his own acquisitions here. Plus fear of apocalyptic artifacts in the wrong hands will lubricate US funding of Archon, to counter the threat. Which means Machina industries will be pushing its way up the fortune five hundred.
So, although he has been pushing her buttons here, I think Deus will do what he can to both keep her from actively moving against him, and do what he can to stop her from being taken out too fast. Provided he can do so in ways that will not lead back to him. So offering her intelligence of Archon activity against her seems like a solution to both of these aims. For a price, needless to say.
Sciona’s informers are from the Council, whereas Deus has Harem, and likely other sources, in Archon. So he will likely have information that she lacks. Provided, of course, that he does not feel she will pose a danger to him or his operations. So if he believes she will unleash an apocalypse, that might harm his interests, then I imagine he will do what he can to help Archon.
Given the toys he is acquiring here, and how much he obviously knows about her, that may very much shorten Sciona’s narrative role.
and now Heavenly cuts her in two from top to bottom with her new-acquired fancy sword!
:-D
and Deus” never said I let you live once you used your own trinket!”
He said, or implied, the Epimorph wasn’t on his shopping list, and he knows Cthilla wants it too so it isn’t free for the taking yet (plus the whole ‘needs 99 lives to recharge’ bit).
“Have access to a resource that requires 99 people to die per wish? You must be insane. The average person who got their hands on it and wanted to use it — not everyone would, and I’m not judging them for it — would just run amok through the people they knew already and disliked. Like their coworkers. I’m trying to run a business, here!”
Eh, I’d just buy a school of guppies from the local pet store.
Seems like a dumb, unDeuslike idea to let her power up first (he did say she’d be more powerful in this form, and seems to know what he’s talking about regarding these things), not to mention that he doesn’t want the epimorph and would lose her as a scapegoat for this heist.
He also said she only might be on Vale’s level
That’s not an excuse–he didn’t get where he is today by giving his foes any sort of edge he didn’t absolutely have to.
Also, there’s still the whole “this is a horrible place to have a fight” thing.
Do note Sciona’s dialogue in the first panel. She has what she came for. Plus Deus has both indicated that he is unconcerned about her gaining this power and has let Sciona use it unchallenged.
Look at the implications of that, from Sciona’s point of view (especially bearing in mind what you said about both his successful position and how he will not have gotten to it by making foolish mistakes). Then add in the fact that Deus is clearly very well briefed on both the vault contents and Sciona and her team.
Yet, even with all that he is still unconcerned with her new more powerful form.
Finally weigh that against the fact that Sciona knows nothing about Deus, except the fact that her most deadly minion used to work for him (and is presently pissed off with her) and the fact that Deus has just pointed out that she has worsened her relations with all her minions.
It would be suicidal for Sciona to take on Deus, without knowing his capabilities, and with her team’s loyalty in doubt!
Whereas Deus does not want to waste valuable resources like Cthillia. Who is a mercenary, and will likely support her present paymaster (who is paying with an artifact she wants, which is a considerable prize). Yet who will likely not wish to work for Scthillia after this.
Likewise he may attract Wyrmil (assuming that he is presently regenerating, and remains pissed off with ‘the bitch’).
Not to mention that even if they hate one another Deus and Sciona do have powerful mutual enemies (well ones who are likely to become Deus’s enemies, even if they are not at the moment). So even Sciona is a resource that Deus will not want to waste idly.
Meaning that he has played this very well.
Yes, you and I would both favour the ‘do not leave an enemy alive’. But Deus is a megalomaniac, not an average person. He needed to live the tyrant dictator’s son alive (despite killing his father in front of him), in order to have a puppet to rule the country. Something he judged very well, as the son’s situation improved, and he clearly was not that fond of his dad.
Showing that Deus does consider the character of the people he deals with. Alive he can exploit them, or provoke them to doing things to his favour. Or cut a deal. Dead and they are a lost resource.
All that said though, you are right. Sciona hates him, is powerful and resourceful, and may well decide that taking him down is more important than either Archon or the Council.
But I would bet good Yorpie Snax™ that Deus will already have surveillance, or even agent(s) in place, so that he can tell if she starts down that path.
The mutual enemies portion assumes that Deus is not able to get all the blame to hit Sciona. If it does, he can walk away without becoming an enemy of the council.
“He needed to live …” = “He needed to leave …”
When two good guys disagree, they assume the other to be an evil menace that must be stopped. When two bad guys disagree, they just disagree.
“Identifying scars: Like you wouldn’t believe”. Her who is who description might need a little update.
As for the glasses thing – I was wearing glasses since I was a child. Now I’m approaching 40 and decided to try contact lenses… it’s true that the impulse to adjust nonexistant glasses is strong even after several months, but not as strong as to actually poke myself. Not even once. I always remember at the last moment and pretend I just wanted to rub my eye.
The urge to actually rub them will probably get stronger the more you find the lenses irritate your eyes.
Let alone the nightmare of falling asleep in them! Waking up, to find your eyelids will not open (because your contact lenses have stuck to them and your eyeball) is not a pleasant sensation.
*shudder*
You missed the “several months” part. It was irritating at first (*), but it’s constantly getting better. Sleeping with them once in a blue moon – or short nap while traveling – shouldn’t be a problem either according to my research, as long as I don’t make habit of it (I didn’t try it yet, and I don’t plan to if I can avoid it). Or get some that are actually rated for sleep – they DO exist. Not getting glasses all foggy when coming inside from cold weather or having to clean them several times a day should be worth it.
(*) mainly because I had wrong strength measured at the store, and intermixed wearing them with glasses that were even more wrong – I hadn’t updated them for way too long. It feels like eyes are lot more sensitive to precise strength if you can’t adjust distance to face like you can with glasses. To be honest I still have wrong values, but close enough to let me wear them – which surely contributes to my urge to tweak something. There will have to be some adjustments when I’ll be getting next batch.
No, I spotted that. And they did settle down initially, but what was a minor niggle gradually became more noticeable. I put up with mine for a year before the irritation got unbearable. Even switching from the hard ones to the soft daily disposable ones did not help.
But you may have better luck than me. Contacts do seem to suit some people OK.
I would definitely fix natural stupidity levels and a $h1tload old lesions.
Actually, regarding the stupidity levels, what exactly is the power level of the artifact?…I might needed to recharge it .
About this much.
*holds paws the precise distance apart to show its exact power level*
Looks more like trans de-ogre boobification
It’s likely been said already, but I think there’s a difference between having a personal trainer not practice what they preach and a hairdresser with bad hair. The personal trainer know how to get in shape and can do it himself. The hairdresser will have to go to another hairdresser to get her hair fixed, unless they want to do a buzzcut or a bad hairjob.
Zack Tilly correct about the hairdresser bit, mention it above as well, so no need to repeat what can be easily found and read :D
Although making the distinction between the two was a good contribution, despite any duplication regarding the other part.
I’m pretty sure there is a joke about going to the barber with the worst haircut, because that is the one all the other barbers go to. Though a fitness trainer that isn’t fit would definitely not come off well.
Yes, that’s the saying
Any chance Deus has shamed her into using that on Wyrim, since she was the one who messed him up so badly to get the darn thing?
Nope. She’s got no shame. No shame at all.
So good news for those who are hoping to see big boobies bouncing around unfettered indefinitely.
Besides, it would take the sacrifice of lots of people to charge up again. Sciona has shown herself as having the ruthlessness to do it, but she’s thus not likely to take the time and effort to do that for someone she betrayed.
# 568 indicates the Epimorph will make Sciona strong enough to match Vale in combat, so at least it’s use wasn’t just for vanity’s sake- or else that careful planning, creative magic, and sacrificial backstabbing would have made her like General Red of the Red Ribbon Army from the original Dragon Ball. That was a funny twist/gag in that story, but here it would have only made her seem even more petty, especially compared to Deus.
Hm. So what “species” of supernatural being is she? And how did she survive a head transplant? Yeah, blood mage, artificier, and all, but the damage/stitching and her reaction to getting her old body back here indicates the orc body was NOT attached in ideal surgical or thaumatological conditions. And does she keep all her old “upgrades”, like troll’s regen? (Likely so, given that the Epimorph is a sealed epic-level artifact.) I can’t help but think its use was primarily cosmetic, so it should be interesting what kind of a power boost it gave her.
Again, the troll regen was via a vial she injected herself with, that’s why she wasn’t in the room when Sydney Holo-ported in
Hm. Reviewing archives. When in the comic was that said (that she was injecting herself/that she injects trolls blood into herself to heal)?
Fairly sure it was DaveB himself who said that, back when everyone was assuming she had a troll body
Troll blood, does a body good. When Sidney tries to arrest her.
That rings a bell.
Maybe she had a bit of Quasimodo blood too?
what a Pavlovian response
Prefer a pavalova, but not that Aussie rubbish that even they have forgotten (which was more of a sponge cake)
Anyone else getting an Anti-Maxima vibe from Sciona’s new look?
I got that two pages previously (final panel). For me it was more of a Maxima’s long-lost evil sister vibe.
So, dark elves don’t have nipples? I can understand that you don’t want to draw them due to possible reader backlash (although I have trouble understanding how blood and exploding people are OK but nipples are not), but it would have been less immersion breaking to put a bubble/shadow/other-obstructing-element there rather than drawing a smooth manequin like orb.
This way it’s just ridiculous.
Her nipples are conveniently covered by the energy tendril thingies that are conveniently translucent enough to show the shape but not such details.
Which is probably not so much DaveB being sensitive about (female) nipples as that he doesn’t want to have to up the age rating of his comic. And yes, violence and gore are somehow able to pass with a lower age rating than showing the nipple of a female character, and it really is that specific, a guy’s nipples get a pass but not a woman’s.
But nipples also have an outline. A shape. Even if it’s not that cold in the room, there should at least be a hint of them. Especially the way those tendrils are seethrough. You can see the shadows and collor tones beneath them. And the fact that she has no nipples is clearly visible. Dave managed to work around this pseudo-problem quite eloquently in the past, but this is just too in the face. She has breasts like a doll.
The tendrils are above the skin, not on it, and they are not see-through, they are opaque, like a frosted window
Except that differs from panel to panel. Have a look at panel six, left shoulder. You can clearly see the collarbone and trapezoid muscle, shadows and illuminated areas beneath the tendril. The only thing it does in that and other places is colloring what’s underneath with a blue hue. You can, in the same panel, clearly see the outlines of the left breast (observers point of view), where the illuminated part of the breast ends and the shadows begin, as well beneath the tendril as next to it. Including the spot where the nipple should be. Except it’s not.
It would be fine if the tendrils were opaque as you say, but they are not. I really don’t care if the comic does or doesn’t show nudity, but anatomic mutilations like these are just an eyesore.
And in panel “BYOING”, there is a bright flash of light obscuring the nipples, all other panels they are in darkness
Oh, and opaque doesn’t mean you can’t see through, just you can’t see through fully or clearly like you would with clear or even tinted glass: you can see shapes just no details (it’s why bathrooms have them, unless the owner is an exhibitionist)
The definition of opaque notwithstanding, bathroom doors blurr everything to the point that one can hardly discern the shape of a body let alone genitals. The tendrils do not. They are seethrough enough, as demostrated on the shoulders, to not be able to obscure anything. And the BYOING hardly obscures the right breast, let alone the left one.
That’s because the tendrils don’t cover the entire body at once, plus, they are probably in motion meaning they are not a solid obstruction at all times (ie they get ‘thinner’ allowing the view through slightly clearer)
The possible alteration of the tendril’s opaqueness is an interesting thought. And I’d even venture as far as to say that it is visible when you compare some places. But the shadows and hues of the breast in panel 6 are clearly visible beneath it, and as such, so should be everything else.
The word you’re looking for is “translucent”
As you can see, kAnYs, Guesticus is willing to go through literally any amount of mental gymnastics and self deception in her unswerving white knighting of the author for even the mildest of criticisms.
:D I was just thinking the same thing.
There is a history here which Oberon is failing to mention. Namely that Guesticus and I long championed and campaigned for the comic to be more explicit, when appropriate. For instance when Sydney or the other heroines were having a shower. Or, as you point out, in a scene like this.
However Dave gave replies that satisfied both of us, that this would be inappropriate for this comic. And do not forget that he does provide adult wallpapers, from time to time, on his DA site. Plus we hold out the hope that one day Dave will be able to start ‘Grrl Power, After Dark’, a project he mentioned (slightly tongue-in-cheek), which would focus on the naughtier stuff.
So Guesticus is doing what he can to support the well-established policy that the comic has. If it does not come across as being that polished, please do bear in mind that his passions lie on the same side of the fence as you. So it is admirable that he is spending the time and effort to support the author’s decisions.
Generally speaking that is. Here his comments come across more as observations about the technique used. So I would suggest you reread the thread in that light.
I will not suggest that to Oberon mind, as he is deliberately misstating things here, to try and provoke a response. Reading a few of the other threads will show you how much he enjoys insuring the comic and fellow commentators.
Which is a shame, because when he is not in troll mode he is an asset to the community.
No offense intended. And I (think I) understand Guesticus’ position. I just find that feedback is critical to both art and personal development. So when I find that someone seems to have a confirmation bias, I point it out. Doesn’t mean I’m right about it. And I expect the same courtesy, so if you feel like I’m full of shit, let me know :)
Appreciate you pointing out the history, though. Thank you :)
Constructive criticism is always welcome here. It is vital for the author to have feedback. So we all raise points of concern, myself included. We just get prickly if it is done so in a disrespectful manner.
Which yours was not. So you are fine, and most welcome.
“insuring the comic” = “insulting the comic”
*snort*
I really will have to start wearing my reading glasses. The more typos I fail to spot, the more likely I am to miss one that changes the meaning, yet still fits the context. I only know that Oberon likes hanging out under bridges and that we need to keep goats away from him. I have no idea whether he works in the insurance industry or not.
Don’t think too hard about the censoring. Accept it and move on.
I am under no obligation to accept anything :)
There is the alternative of using your imagination.
Something to consider as one other thought, is that Sciona is clearly not human. So nipples may not be as apparent in her race, if they indeed even have such. Her ‘breasts’ may serve a dissimilar function to humans’.
That said, I am only raising options. Personally I long campaigned not to shy away from showing naughty bits. But Dave does want the comic’s rating to remain low, to allow as broad a readership as possible. And, as LordViking correctly points out, he is going by the weird censorship rules that are fostered on us, by the vagaries of history and the whims of censors and those they represent.
-Something to consider as one other thought, is that Sciona is clearly not human.-
Hence my leading question: “So, dark elves don’t have nipples?”
“She’s not human” is about as good an explanation as any, I guess. But then it begs the question, why does she have every single human feature except for the ears and the nipples? Barring any other naughty bits we haven’t seen. It’s really trivial and bordering on irrelevant, but it’s the kind of thing that simply irks me. Like Motoko in the newest ghost in the shell movie adaptation. Perfect replica of a human body except nipples. (and a vagina, but she didn’t have one in the original “Pupet master” anime intro either) Again, easily explained away as: “they didn’t build her with them” but very clearly more of a censorship than a character defining design choise.
It really doesn’t matter that much, it doesn’t take away from the story and wouldn’t add anything to it either (apart from maybe a bit of spice). It’s just immersion breaking. Ripley’s clone has her arms crossed across her chest while unconscious in the incubation tube (a fetal position would make more sense). Starkiller’s clone is cloned in underwear (most ridiculous censorship ever).
Anyone wants to censor, fine. Your product, your prerogative. But at least do it right. Camera angles, paralax occluding objects in the camera’s field of view, shadows, what-so-ever. But seeing a woman sleep or have sex in her bra makes my eyes water and my brain churn.
Well put.
Just remember: there is always the possibility that the full figure uncensored version may show up on DaveB‘s Deviant Art page, just like the Harem topless photoshoot and Peggy’s topless gun-show
Well, I’m not arguing the point because I want to see nipples :) Plenty of nipples to see around the world. And I’m happily married. I just find it ridiculous. An obsession and shame that a large part of the society seems to share. And what’s more, it’s considered so shameful that it is considered improper to be viewed by a teenager until they reach adulthood, while the fact that a lot of those teenagers are already sexually active is happilly ignored. They talk about it, they think about it, they most certainly do it (whether alone or with a partner is irrelevant), but they can’t look at it?
And the most funny thing about it are the hillarious logical fallacies constructed by artists and film-makers, like growing clones with underwear.
But I digress. It’s all irellevant and pointless. Times we live in. Plenty of bigger issues in the world and that. Just makes my brain stop.
First world problems, huh? :)
All fair enough.
*wags tail in a way carefully designed to obscure any view of bum and bollox*
If you go by D&D mythos, Dark Elves are partially the spawn of Lolth, the Spider Goddess, meaning they have a weird hybrid of arachnid and mammallian biology (the specific nature of the mix as dictated by the goddess’s tastes).
If you go by Tolkien mythology, they’re just elves raised without sunlight, and elves are the “older siblings” of humans so you could expect them to have all the parts.
If you go by old mythology, elves are a breed of fey who actually have a fair amount of control over their form, which means that her form reflects her concept of what she feels she should look like, which could indicate Sciona’s never seen a woman naked nor had things explained to her, and her knowledge of anatomy comes from barbie dolls.
Now this is an interesting bit of information. Thank you, I had no idea about the first and last paragraph. If Dave came forth with an in-comic explanation like this (especially the “fey” one), then I’d be hats off to him.
Not… quite, the Dark Elves are simply Elves who worship Lolth (or ‘Lloth’ in their language), they were banished from the surface and fled to the Underground where, over hundreds of generations, their appearance eventually evolved into what we have today as Drow, it is the Drider that have a mix of Drow and spider (typically the upper torso of a Drow grafted onto the body of a spider, thankfully for them a huge giant mutated spider, can you imagine if the spider was the normal size? even that of a Giant Huntsman Spider?)
As for the lack of nippling, that can be explained by the likes of many of the anime Magical Girl Transformations, but we will find out in a couple hours if she really is naked or wearing studded battle-armour
Have sex in, I’d completely agree. My tastes run towards smaller breasted women, but attraction doesn’t either start nor end at one attribute, and especially not a single physical attribute. Of the women I have known with larger breasts the larger portion of them have preferred to sleep in a bra, citing that the support made it more comfortable.
Interesting. Haven’t thought about it like that. Makes sense. Most women I know consider it uncomfortable.
And problem is, most women climbing out of hollywood beds are average sized, which I would expect to fall into the “the bra is evil” kind of cathegory. But yeah, one might play that down to preference.
Completely about the stupid censoring in many (not all) Holyweird products: they will show the aftermath of sex in a bed with the guy nearly completely uncovered showing his hairy chest and a bare scrap of cloth covering his genitals but the women is almost completely wrapped in a sheet (explaining why the guy has only a scrap to cover himself), but the main problem is, she is attempting to cover herself from the eyes of the man she has just had sex with, she will roll over and ensure her breasts are still covered, or she will get out of bed ensuring not even her butt is visible, and yet, the guy is allowed to exit the bed wearing nothing and move and the room completely butt naked
Exactly :D
And now contrast this scene, which is far more common on network television which still has to follow a lot of rules, against cable shows such as Game of Thrones, where the vast majority of nudity shown is female nudity. If there is a dick in sight it is actually news, like they were completely edgy for showing a penis after showing off so many women in full frontal nudity.
Unless Sciona is determined to live the rest of her life on a purely meat-and-baby-food diet, she is going to regret giving herself that carnivore dentition.
I have a feeling that she is thinking more of a blood diet.
My guess was those annoying juice boxes that you have to pierce yet the straw is pretty much never sharp enough to make it through
Yeah, and the straw always bends before you give up and grab the nearest knife or other sharp object and stab the damn box
Aw come on! Be happy with who you are! ….the fact that I like smaller boobs has nothing to do anything…also shut up!
Nice to know others share my tastes.
Well, even before her upgrade Sciona was above my preferred threshold. But within my ‘at a stretch’ limit.
After modification though, no thanks.
Personally, I just preferred how the pre-upgrade form matched her lean but muscular build, breasts conforming at least somewhat to the shape of the pecs underneath.
I will admit that huge also isn’t generally my thing, though.
Looks like she needs a new Who’s Who.
Maybe… Super Saiy-ona?
So, should her “who’s who” be updated, now that she doesn’t have; “identifying facial scars, like you wouldn’t believe.”
Dave may want to wait until he has finished the next comic, so that he has an image which will be more sustainable long-term. The magic-girl transformation sequence images probably not being that representative, long term.
What are the limitations of the artifact?
If it was limited, I would at least use it to change my lifespan indefinitely, have an immunity to all the various diseases and give myself 20/20 vision.
I like change were her hair got a bit longer. I don’t know where but her transformation reminds of something. And the blue magic tendrils covering her n ipples were nicely done. Also, I really like the way how you gave Deus and Vale the small detail of their facial expressions.
I expected her transformation would be more bloody considering she is a blood mage. I guess it must be difficult to draw.
I guess Sciona is just as insecure about her body image like Sydney or any other female her age. Personally, it would have a lot better if she were a bit taller for the intimidation factor and change her appearance so no one would ever recognize her when the ARC team is searching for her.
She’s a blood mage, but the epimorph is not a blood mage artifact.
Does it remind you of the Sailor Moon transformations?
No, it’s not Sailor Moon but something similar to that genre.
Popeye the Sailor Moon, maybe?
*giggles*
As requested.
Sailormoon however, is the only comparison I’ve got. Maybe that Ribrianne from Dragonball Super, but I think she’s more a parody.
I umm….yeah, I’d like to get my hands on that thing.
Not the killing 99 people part obviously, but if it was just lying around fully charged, you know, if it can fully restore your body to match your self image, then…yeah.
Indeed.
On the face of it I might just smooth out my scars, and get a fitter physique.
On the other paw, I could well end up as a dragon. I am a master at lucid dreaming, and love flying, so that is a favoured form of mine. The wings, claws, fangs and sheer size all contribute nicely to an imposing lucid self-image.
Mind you, on yet another paw, I am an innate roleplayer, and can easily overlay any chosen image (that I identify with) enough to treat it as if it were my self-image. The best way to totally get into a role.
So there would be the possibility of ending up looking like a strong female protagonist! For instance if watching Fifth Element, I identify more with Leeloominaï Lekatariba Lamina-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat, than Bruce Willis’s taxi-driving ex-soldier.
If she just wanted a transmogrifier, then she could have saved all the trouble and just used a cardboard box. (Although, legend has it that the box is guarded by a tiger.)
The tiger is both there and not there, simultaneously. Its name is Schrodinger Pandora Purr Purr.
You’re also butt-naked and decided to get a boob-job in probably the world’s most dangerous vault with the world’s strongest known super on her way. You’re an idiot. =w=
It only took a few extra seconds to add more bust to her form and the Epimorph was active now anyway. It would take 99 more lives to activate it again, plus it is Cthtillia’s turn next so who knows when the Epimorph is available again.
Furthermore, the vault has already been breached, alarms have been disabled so nobody is coming any time soon, and it is still hours away from the Council finding out, plus all the more hours it took them to contact Maxima, and even more hours in travel time via the Sydney bubble. (This is still a flashback.)
All in all taking a few extra seconds, or even minutes, aren’t an issue at this time to make sure the new body is exactly like wanted.
+1
And this falls in the category of ‘talking is a free action’. Time would be paused for this, even if there was an explosion going off!
On top of which there is an etiquette in the Grrlverse, not to interrupt a monologue, so she was perfectly safe with Deus. He respects the code. After all he would not want to set a precedent which might have one of his own speeches interrupted!
heh called it! If you want to give her visual distinctiveness you’ll have to do it with clothes. Just like manga.
Lack of clothes is another way of providing distinctiveness. Although I would have only champion it if she had decided to go -2, rather than +2.
Perhaps some nature-loving sylph or faerie would have the right mind-set to choose to appear in their natural state.
Although wings might provide sufficient distinctiveness on their own. ;-)
The ridiculous teeth and spider-eyes at the end are pretty distinctive.
These are spider eyes.