Grrl Power #589 – Hot box
Whoops! Holidays are throwing me off, sorry for the late page!
I’m pretty pleased with how my wet skin work came out on this page, enough that I think the rest of the comic is just going to take place in the ladies shower. Possibly under waterfalls or in the rain. Maybe sweaty in the gym. No, gym equipment would be super tedious to draw. Showers it is.
Ok, so now that I’m up, here’s a little more commentary on this page. The 4 small panels where Sydney realizes Dabbler’s spell is, you know, migrating, is them floating up back to the surface in her bubble. It’s probably a little hard to tell, and originally I wanted those panels to be larger with fish and whatnot in the background. In my head, this plays out like a movie, so there’s always room for everything I want. Even after doing this for as long as I have, I don’t really think in comic panel terms. Anyway, originally I wanted Maxima to idly comment “Wow, look at the size of that tuna.” and then, “I guess they’re all that big. I’m used to only seeing them in can form.” Tuna really are humongous. Depending on the species an adult can weigh from 130 lbs to 1,500 lbs. Maybe it’s just me, but I always assumed tuna were like a foot long for some reason.
Also, in the last panel, Sydney originally called Dabbler a “god damned sex witch” because I wanted Gwen (Zephan’s goth assistant lady) also showering in the background with an offended look on her face, but again, no room.
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that face on dabbler in the last panel XD
That angle, that view Sydney has in the last panel. I’m beginning to question her heterosexuality, honestly.
It’s a succubus. If people aren’t questioning their and others’ sexualities around her, she’s lost her touch.
Unless they already knowingly swung that way.
Most likely Dabbler hurt or not fell instinctively in such a fashion as to flash the most people the most naughty bits. Heck it might even be a defense mechanism, because if just looking at her boobs a bouncing can transfix V into stopping a fight, I sure that view would be even more..uh.. enchanting.
The combat monster demon gets floored by Ms. Noodle Arms? No. IMO, Dabbler acted that out in order to let Sydney express her frustration. And to deliberately end up in an indelicate pose.
Noodle arms? She threw a guy with his tongue. Not to mention that if she hit a weak spot, like a humans kidney or solar plexus, she probably could drop her in one shot, especially if Dabbler wasn’t prepared for the hit.
The Gazor-paz-orvum to be exact, and yeah I do believe that would hurt a whole lot if the etymology of that word is close to what I think it is.
Isn’t Gazorpazorp where those sex robots came from?
They came from their mummies.
On that planet. Another Sherlock Holmes roll made! WHOOT!
To be fair he did intentionally dive due to the fact that the illusion would break should he “stretch” like normal.
Aww, getting a lovely warm feeling.
Warm…everywhere…
What DaveB did there…I saw it.
Side effects…
Maybe it’s tuned to do more and that’s not really side effects but intended.
Or is she overreacting again?
Not according to panels 5-7, she isn’t.
I can’t believe it took me 4 rereads to get the metaphor in panel 5.
Ahh, so I guess you missed the metafive?
If the effects last more that 4 hours please call a doctor, or a lawyer, or anyone really, and invite that person to come over to your place ASAP.
It’s also possible that Dabbler used tantric energy to power the spell and all spells that use said energy have this as a side effect.
LOL, Dabbler strikes again. (In all honesty though, Dabbler not warning Sydney of the ‘side effects’ is kind of a low blow. But at least now we know that Sydney has good taste in husbandos.)
Honestly, though – if it’s something Dabbler did, then the side effects should be anticipated. A warning would be redundant.
It is possible that Dabbler (being, among other things, a succubus) has those “side effects” as an integral part of her magic, and probably doesn’t even notice them when she casts them on herself.
On the other hand, she did say that she gained sustenance from erotic emotions, so it might be intended, as a kind of “refill” mechanic…
indeed, nothing like a spell that restores the mana you cast it over time.
Given Maxima clearly suffered no such side-effects from the cleaning spell that was used on her they’re clearly not an inherent aspect of her magic and it was simply an aspect of the warmth spell she cast.
The cleaning spell has makeup side effects. This is a warming spell; the side effects are in line with the direction of the spell.
Except spells don’t have side-effects they just have effects, and my response was to the suggestion that all of her spells have a ‘leave you turned on and needing some relief’ effect built into them because she’s a succubus. Clearly that’s false because the spell used on Maxima didn’t have such an effect, and ‘leave you physically warm’ and ‘leave you needing a good time’ are completely unrelated items, the latter is simply not a reasonable aspect of a spell meant to simply make you warm. It has to be something Dabbler has included in the spell by choice for some reason.
In the Grrlverse spells are created by a programming language. “Bug” is another word for “side effect”.* You can be sure that many spells have those as a result. Any which have useful side-effects though, the creators just palm off as ‘features’!
Those with a sense of humour will do so tongue-in-cheek. But the net result is that such side-effects are not prioritised for correction. In succubus society any bugs with sexual enhancing properties would increase the desirability of the spell, rather than reducing it. So it is easy to see how Dabbler would acquire those.
Likewise programmers often have to make a compromise between what they aimed to create and what they can actually achieve with the programming tools, their skill and, in particular, whatever interface they have with the real world. So if trying to program a robot arm, you are limited to what that arm can do mechanically.
So when programming a spell, to affect a living body, Dabbler may not have had something which was designed to directly adjust temperature. So she may have adapted the off-the-shelf succubus spells for bringing people into ‘season’ (regardless of whether their species normally operates that way).
Although, of course, Dabbler will be certain to add sexual features to spells which do not have them already, if she sees an opportunity to do so.
She better figure out a way to make them optional though. If she wants to keep her organs from being bruised.
* We have already seen a major one with Krona’s power. Although she does not use spells her powers are spell-like and do use programming.
Except that while we may say someone is ‘in heat’ when they’re horny it actually has nothing at all to do with making them actually warmer even if they might think that they’re warmer. There’s zero reason to think the ‘make them horny’ portion of Dabbler’s spell is anything but a feature of that spell, one that also generates body heat for the targeted individual (probably so one could have a good time in freezing climes or in the snow or similar conditions). Being a ‘bug’ just isn’t a logical extension of things. Remember also that just because Sydney calls it a side-effect doesn’t mean it actually is a side-effect, only from her perspective is it a side-effect. Clearly to Dabbler that feature is simply an expected part of the spell.
Agreed. Just as with the makeup on Maxima, as a side effect of cleaning her. Dabbler is intelligent and knows the properties of her spells. Which does not affect whether it was originally intended, when the spell was created.
However, even linguistically speaking (and ignoring the mechanics of how it was made) if a spell has a primary feature, and the one for which it is presently being used, then it is appropriate to refer to any secondary (and especially unwanted) features as being ‘side effects’.
Noise pollution is a side effect of aircraft flight. We know it will be present in any powered aircraft that we make, and the greater that power the louder the noise (generally speaking). Yet it is undesirable. So a lot of money is spent trying to reduce that side effect.
Likewise for creating a slip-stream, or sonic boom. All of which are features which the pilot knows intimately and has to adjust the way the aircraft is flown, in order to minimise the inconvenience and risks to others. Yet Dabbler did not even bother warning Sydney of the effect, nor seek her permission. Something she could easily have done in the circumstances.
Actually numerous magic systems rely on sympathetic magic to work. Namely using something to represent another thing. If you want to cast a fireball you might need to have sulphur and bat guano as material components, for example (to cite a dungeons and dragons spell).
Likewise voodoo may require placing something of a person (say a lock of hair) in any figurine used to represent them. Both the wax figure and the item within are symbolic representations of the target person, in their own way. One being shaped like them, the other actually being a small part (or otherwise closely associated with them).
So the symbolism of ‘feeling hot’ could certainly be used with sympathetic magic to transfer that from a mental state to a physical one. In fact it can even be used if it is only a cultural belief, if we take it that the symbolism is that which the caster believes, to reinforce their mental associations, in order to make the magic create the desired result.
Actually there are several reasons. Of which you attempted to counter only two (and not sufficiently to convince me). What we have are differences of opinions. But just because you hold yours strongly does not make the opposing point of view lack any merit. Not unless you can prove such irrefutably.
Actually I laid out my argument in a logical fashion. Whereas this counter appears to rely on its own statement, without providing any logical basis to support that.
That is exactly Sydney’s problem: whether it is a ‘feature’, a ‘side effect’ or a ‘bug’ doesn’t change the fact that Dabbles didn’t inform her first, arguing about it is just pedantry
Hey, money is tight, and podiatrists can make a good income.
This is a bridge too far when it comes to assumptions. A ‘side-effect’ of a spell isn’t the desired effect of that spell, but anything that, because of the spells mechanics, must come along for the ride.
FREX: If the energy behind succubus magic always induces feelings of arousal, then that would be a side-effect of any spell using that energy. Now, as we know from the make-up spell, this isn’t always the case in-universe, but it may be that some spells, for a succubus, do require dipping into a well of eros energy.
(Another example would be the save-point time-bubble spell from earlier; it turned out to have several consequences that were not readily known, nor desired by the creator of the spell.)
Some side-effects are quite predictable, in some magic systems; others may be wildly in the other direction, almost impossible to know ahead of time. This would be especially true of magic cast ‘on the fly’ (vs. well-established spells that are cast by rote).
That said, the odds are high that Dabbler knows the effects of her spells (especially those commonly used), and thus this is another example of how Arianna is failing at her job. (Seriously, the first Archonite to sue for sexual harassment is going to win so hard they’ll have to turn over the building. I’m surprised Deus hasn’t tried to slip a plant onto the team with just that very intent.)
Actually, there is probably a clause in all of their contracts (including Maxi’s) stating that they can not sue for Sexual Harassment
Such would be unenforceable in law. And, depending on the jurisdiction, may be result in a civilian company being fined by regulators or prosecuted.
This is a basic legal principle for matters like this. For instance a car park sign which says “Customers use this car park at their own risk” does not obviate any obligations that the car park owners have under law. So whilst it would protect them from being liable for a car being broken into or stolen, it will not protect from the company being negligent in some manner.
An example of which would be if they laid out the markings in a manner which could result in accident or injury. A company was successfully prosecuted for this, in the UK, within the last year. Their notice did not negate their obligations under law.
Archon is a military organisation however, so their personnel will have far more restricted rights than any civilian. Not through their contract though, but under the military laws covering such matters. In past discussions other readers have cited relevant portions, in US military codes, which do have bearing on sexual harassment. Although my memory is not good enough to recall the details.
I am going to post something long and legal when I get home :)
*buys a bottle of aspirin*
*gets popcorn ready*
Can’t be long now …
*sitting on edge of dog-basket*
As long as the company provides all reasonable safety measures, they are not responsible if a car owner leaves their car unlocked with expensive-looking items visible on the front seat, same in this case: ARCHON is not liable for the inappropriate behaviours of their personnel (their personnel themselves are another matter)
I did say that the company would be protected from liability for theft. The point was that they cannot wave all liabilities. In the example I cited they had laid out the lane markings in a dangerous way, which had contributed to cars crashing. As such they were held liable.
Whereas you are mistaken in thinking that a company cannot be held liable for the actions of their employees. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of employment tribunals and/or court prosecutions which do find companies liable every year, for sexual harassment. Because the law requires them to provide a safe working environment.
If they are unable to keep their predatory staff under control (or fire them) then they pay the price.
In this case Archon have chosen to employ a demon who requires sex as a source of nourishment. They are most definitely liable, should it ever come to court (military rules permitting)! Even without needing to mention “demon” or “magic” Dabbler’s behaviour is routinely sufficient to prove sexual harassment.
Dabbler continuing to behave this way shows that the precautions they have been taking are inadequate. Archon had better hope that Sydney has managed to sort the situation herself.
Wait, Edward Elric and Wolverine? I sense a theme.
Yes, Sydney likes guys. Especially those with built-in weaponry.
*hurrs on claws, and buffs them against chest*
But Batman. Maybe it’s the lack of having to meet any parents that most appeals to her. That is, after all, a very tense relationship moment.
A utility belt is the nearest a normal person can have to built-in tools and weapons. Well without cybernetic surgery or strapping weapons onto your arms.
Do note how excited Sydney got at Dabbler’s cybernetic arm, to the extent of being willing to have her arm chopped off to gain its powers too.
As for the relationship side, we know that Sydney is heavily influenced by her dad (who got her into comics in the first place) and that she was severely depressed at having to keep her powers secret from them. As she did this to protect them, even though we know she would have loved to tell them, we can see that her family are very important to her.
So, whilst I get what you are saying, in that she would sympathise with them loosing their parents, I do not think this would cause her to prefer orphaned heroes over those with family.
Whilst there is a link, I do not think it is through her, as a reader, but between authors. Killing off parents is a way of forcing the character to rely on their own capabilities rather than seeking help from their parents. Likewise if wanting a character to be a loner, but giving them a reason other than being a sad looser. Plus it is a convenient way to start off a hero with a revenge motive.
As a result of which there are a lot of orphaned superheroes. At least up until it became enough of a cliche that writers had to come up with another angle.
In our author’s case, getting Sydney to isolate herself, to protect her friends and family, was a very clever solution to creating a self-reliant hero. Her months of self-isolation, combined with her desire to share her feelings and show off her powers, has very convincingly helped push Sydney into bonding with her unit, as a substitute family. Without having actually lost them.
Hmm.. are there anyone who honestly dont think thats a unreasonable and ungrateful reaction to a spell that likely saved her from litterally shutting down in the middle of everything?
Only in certain kinds of stories do the “rescuers” expect a specific kind of “reward” for the rescue.
And while Dabbler wasn’t the recipient of the “reward,” if Sydney swung that way she certainly might have been.
Well put. Don’t forget Dabbler’s porno sense though. Dabbler will have been feasting on Sydney’s reactions, even if she was not personally in contact with her.
It certainly is a thought that crosses the mind. But then think about Dabbler using a spell to conduct sexual assault on someone who suffers from this degree of trauma from even verbally suggesting something.
Even if you save someone’s life that does not give you the right to mess with their genitalia!
This question is, does Dabbler have ANY non-sexual spells…
maybe her fire ball. But that one could have an interesting shape.
I think Dabbler’s kind of like a D&D sorcereress – their spells usually have an aspect that reflects the sorceress’ origins – EG, a Magic Missile cast by a sorceror with Air Elemental blood might be lightning missiles. In Dabbler’s case, all of her spells reflect her succubus heritage.
So, thankfully, no.
With Dabbler’s technical brilliance, sydney had reason to believe Dabs could whip up a warming whatsit without the side effects; and probably already had one. Dabbler’s comment indicated she was applying first aid, not foreplay. But responding with a tko is probably over the top.
The first time they met, Sydney hit Dabbler on the head with one of her orbs, which Sydney then admitted was an overreaction. So if Dabbler didn’t see this coming, I’d say it’s her own fault.
There’s no ‘maybe.’ That was definitely “unreasonable and ungrateful.”
-2 to Halo for major overreaction for a minor side effect to a probably life saving spell.
-4 fo Halo for the sucker punch to the kidneys.
+2 to Dave for how hilarious the last panel is drawn.
Bullshit. That’s no more a reasonable conclusion then saying that Trenticle should be rewarded for tentacle raping Sydney until she, like all Japanese school girls, was writing in ecstasy so much that it warmed her up. Fixed up that hypothermia danger just fine, didn’t he?
Crossing the line while also providing needed assistance doesn’t make crossing the line any more excused. If you drive a tow truck and arrive on the scene of a break down only to then demand oral sex from the owner of the vehicle on threat of leaving them there, you’re still a detestable jackass.
are you sure dabbler has kidneys there or at all? she is an alien daemon hybrid after all.
Obviously she was hit in her Gazorpazovum.
Neither unreasonable nor ungrateful. This isn’t “I had to share a sleeping bag with you in the nude to fend off your hypothermia”. It’s “I used a spell on you without any warning about the side-effects, just for shits and giggles, violating your autonomy in a way that’s going to make you richer than Croesus if you ever decide to sue ARCHON for it.”
If Dabbler had offered the spell with full forewarning, Sydney might very well have chosen to take her up on it, knowing that Edward awaited her return. But that should still be her choice.
Well put. And, to extend your analogy, it is like sharing the sleeping bag, to ward off hypothermia, then choosing to ‘cop a feel’. An inexcusable action (other than with a willing and receptive partner).
For some reason the comic is not letting me translate panel 5.
So I shall censor it somewhat. It means:
Hot pus*y.
Thanks Yorp. I was scratching my head a bit just thinking it was a cat curling up by the fire and why she was over reacting and got it from your comment. I think my brain is slowing down till its reboot at the year end.
I took it to mean Sydney felt the cozy kitty cattishness just before getting overwhelmed by thoughts of her waifu back home.
That’s much clearer than my translation, “olde-tyme radio kitty cat”.
I would have thought “cat in heat” personally, but that could also work.
That sounds like a good translation – the spell doesn’t just warm the affected body area, it applies… conditions (stimulus?) to it also.
You know that punchline to the old joke? – “Yeah, but it’s a dry heat.”
In this case I’d say it was the humidity Dabs induced that earned her a punchline.
Well Dabbler was asking for a good fisting.
I don’t think dabbler has to ask for it…Everybody who knows her is already aware that, if offered, she’d never turn it down anyway.
I find it amazing that even though you are a fine artist, your shower scenes aren’t the slightest bit erotic. Are you doing this on purpose somehow to taunt me?
It’s sexual preferences test, in case, you know, you were confused. Now in your case, none of us are confused.
Well, they’re supposed to be tantalizing without being dirty. Personally I would be totally fine with drawing all kinds of shower shenanigans, but I try and keep the comic PG-13…ish.
Oooh, DaveB, incentivize me. I’ll vote for you all night long.
Oh for shame…DaveB already has a “significant other” in his life. Just because you might be within the “age of majority” & can legally stop being a kidder doesn’t mean you’re any more legal to be an adulterer.
O.o
Well he is since there’s no *laws* about adultery ;)
Wait, when did they stop arresting people for adultery? o_O
There are only 18 states in which it is even illegal anymore. And in those 21, they are rarely enforced, but here’s a list (from 2015, so some of these may have been abolished):
Arizona – Class 3 misdemeanor, 30 days in jail
Florida – two months in jail, up to $500
Kansas – one month in jail, up to $500
Illinois – up to one year in jail
Massachusetts – up to three years, up to $500
Oklahoma – up to five years, up to $500
Idaho – up to three years, up to $1000
Michigan – One of only two states where it’s a felony. The punishment is really vague: “Jail or other immediate sanction”.
Wisconsin: Up to three years, up to $10,000.
Minnesota: Up to one year, up to $1,000.
Utah: Up to six months, up to $1,000.
New York: Three months.
Mississippi: Six months, up to $500.
Georgia: Six months, up to $1000
South Carolina: From six months to a year OR from $500 to $1,000.
North Carolina: One month.
Maryland: $10.
(Yes, you saw that right. Going to the movies is more expensive than adultery… the punishment for adultery is ten dollars.)
In the other 32 states I didn’t list? It isn’t illegal at all! (But it’s still grounds for divorce, of course.)
wait, the us jails people for adultery?
Well conduct the deed with the wrong members of the Royal Family and it constitutes treason. Under E.U. laws such no longer carries the death penalty (or, at least, it is automatically overturned), but it used to result in death by hanging, drawing and quartering.
So Brexit does allow a return to the old ways, if parliament decides to overturn the human rights act.
So invert your staps while you can, everyone!
*stamps, I got a tad carried away.
Invert? You mean put them upside down? Do that anyway, upside down or sideways, don’t have to use stamps often though, be surprised how many Freepost addresses or envelopes there are over here
Sure does. Parts of it, anyway… in theory. But it almost never happens, because by its very nature, adultery is something that usually occurs in someone else’s home, or somewhere else that the right to privacy is assumed. Usually if a man wants to bang someone else’s wife, he’s probably not going to do it in the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart.
That’s why so many states have repealed their anti-adultery laws. There’s just no point in allocating police resources to try to enforce something that is almost unenforceable. West Virginia repealed theirs in 2010, New Jersey repealed theirs in 2014, and so on.
That doesn’t mean you’ll get away with it, though. It still carries a stigma with it, especially in the military. According to the UCMJ (Unified Code of Military Justice), adultery can get you a year in prison and a dishonorable discharge. And even in states where it isn’t illegal, there’s a good chance you might be sacked from your job.
ah yes the stupid “you can be sacked because I feel like it” rules of the US.
Those same rules also allow you to quit at any time because you feel like it. Have you ever heard the phrase “You can’t fire me, I QUIT”?
For the record, the entire U.S. doesn’t have those rules, either. All but eight states have a “public policy exemption” (meaning you can’t be sacked if it violates the state’s public policy doctrine, or a state or federal statute).
36 states have an “implied contract exemption”… Under the implied contract exception, an employer may not fire an employee “when an implied contract is formed between an employer and employee, even though no express, written instrument regarding the employment relationship exists.”
Eleven states have recognized a breach of an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing as an exception to at-will employment. This means that an employer cannot sack someone without just cause, or for malicious reasons, such as terminating a long-tenured employee solely to avoid the obligation of paying the employee’s accrued retirement benefits.
And all states have a number of statutory protections for employees. For example, they cannot be fired for refusing to commit illegal acts. They cannot be fired for taking medical or family leave, and they cannot be fired in retaliation against the employee for a protected action taken by the employee – such as testifying as a witness in a wrongful termination case.
In practice, employees are almost never sacked “because I feel like it”, either because they signed an employment contract, or because the business owner is afraid he might have to defend himself in a “wrongful termination” lawsuit.
The problem is that in many cases, it’s VERY difficult for an employee to demonstrate they were fired for an illegal reason. Family and medical leave are prime examples–it’s not that difficult for an employer to come up with an entirely legitimate reason to fire an employee (such as economic exigency). Without a contract, the employee in such a case is screwed.
Don’t you get a (slightly) larger severance pay if you are fired than if you quit? Most businesses want an employee to quit so as to avoid paying out the severance
stop slut-shaming XD
I always thought you would be a great R rated comic artist. You could always branch out for a few side comics involving Dabbler
Hmmm… It’s not about more skin. Fully clothed characters can be very erotic to me. (Eg. El Goonish Shive, League of super-redundant heroes.)
Dabbler never learns. Never try to magically, sexually manipulate Sydney when she doesn’t want you too. OR anyone for that matter. Its just rude as hell and can come off rapey.
News Report: Sexual Harassment Allegations rise against Archon’s team member “Dabbler.” More at 11.
If they were goning to have a “film at 11,” then that would be the first news show I would have seen in more than 10 years…
“Film at 11 and a constantly looping video clip on our website!” Remember, it’s no longer about the TV ratings, it’s about getting people to the right websites to collect the cookies and harvest the rich metadata within.
So it is not so much a ‘body heat’ spell as an ‘incentive to share body heat’ spell.
It’s a “heat” spell in multiple senses of the word heat.
Warming gels are a thing. This seems to be the next level up.
I shall build a shrine to Dabbler.
Is it odd I find it somewhat charming that her body pillow seemingly loves her back?
*hastily hides “Grimoire of Yea Spells of Transformation into Pillows”*
Charming. Yes. Very.
There is a whole grimoire dedicated to that spell?
There are lots of different types of pillows. Feather pillows, down pillows, silky pillows, memory foam pillows, microbead pillows, buckwheat pillows, matron pillows, sleep apnea pillows, neck pillows, body pillows, monk pillows (made of extra itchy hemp) and so on.
Lets not forget the various combinations of the above, besides differant shapes, sizes and extras for body pilows, but could have hemp or silk body pillows, etc.
I dare you to google “dutch wife”
Dutch wife
noun
a bolster used for resting the legs in bed.
Meh.
No points for playing it safe.
And yet, most of them look japanese… : )
At least it’s not a Dutch Oven…
I hope Edwin used a French letter.
Maybe Dabbles can programme her tickle-gun to issue commands in French…
I hope he used a raincoat.
Spoiler Alert: The pillow was a transformed Dabbler, who planned this outcome from the start. Sometimes you want to assert your ‘cubus nature to the fullest, and sometimes you just want to be the passive participant and let your partner (and her hentorb) do all the work. It’s like the difference between cooking yourself a great supper and ordering cheap takeout.
One can only imagine at what noises where heard emanating from Sydney’s quarters.
Continuity error!
Sydney’s flesh coloured towel has turned white!
;-)
No error, wasn’t a flesh coloured towel to begin with
:-O
You suspect a shape-shifting metamorph?
Nope *get’s 20 gallon bucket ready*, Sydney was completely naked for the entirety of last page
*nosebleed*
Aren’t you glad had this large bucket handy? Oh, that’s a doozy, better get the large skip, and start an infusion going: what goes out must go back in, one way or the other, would you prefer a drip or an enema?
Owch! Sucker punch! Now, a hit in the gazorninplidney would have really been a low blow. Fortunately, Dab’s has three more gazorpaovums, so she’s really not bothered. Jeez, Syd, is sex really that scary?
With no consent, no warning and in an inappropriate situation it becomes problematic. Dabbler had the 10 seconds it would have taken to warn Sidney and then the 5 minutes of agonized waffling before getting consent to apply the spell anyway.
Not even that! Just “For the record, the way this spell works is gonna make you horny. Not ‘lose control of your sexuality’ horny, but… horny. But it WILL save your life.” I think that wouldn’t have taken long for consent.
Well with Syd it might :)
lol, Gazorpazorp…
That’s ‘gazorpazovum’.
you know…if a succubi’s breasts are hypnotic…what’s about to happen when Sydney realizes what she’s looking at? XD
:-D
I think seething anger gives +5 resistance to hypnotic effects.
And in Sydneys case, she gets extra bonuses since she tends to jump from mild, to seething skipping any intermediate buildup stages in between.
Barbarian rage renders the Rager immune to all mind affecting spells … or good sense …
Well, she is so mad, I am surprised she doesn’t kick Dabbler there.
If she did she would only end up with an epic nosebleed.
And a swallowed foot…
Holy shit, I know this is a comedy comic and all, but in what universe where the social interactions, at least, are even remotely realistic is that anything but the response of a psychotic two-year old?
Are we reading the same comic? Maybe we just don’t have the same values but I feel like giving somebody one hard punch for metaphysically manipulating your libido without consent is a pretty reasonable response.
I’m in agreement with catchTwentythree on this. Dabbler gave no warning about the side-effects of that spell. If she cast that spell on me without a warning, I would’ve given her a good punch too. Let me remind you of something: it makes you horny. Dabbler needs to warn people about that and get consent, or it’s sexual harassment.
(clicked the Submit button too soon) … or it could even qualify as sexual assault, in which case Dabbler would get a hell of a lot more than a punch in the face and a kick between the legs (which she probably enjoyed).
Horseshit – intent of actions counts, and even Sydney acknowledges the horniness was just a side-effect.
CanuckAmuck: It doesn’t matter whether she admits it was a side-effect or not. Legally, it is exactly the same thing as slipping an aphrodisiac into someone’s drink without consent. You’re absolutely right, Dabbler doesn’t deserve a punch in the gazorpazovum… She deserves to be hauled in front of a jury and jailed for sexual assault. Which is exactly what would happen in most jurisdictions in the real world, if Sydney decided to press charges and there was some way to prove it. (Magic being something that the courts haven’t quite caught up with yet).
Of course, we already know that Sydney’s not going to press charges. It would be literally impossible to prove, and I don’t think Sydney’s the kind of person who would press charges for that anyway… she knows Dabbler wasn’t being deliberately malicious (it isn’t like she slipped Rohypnol into Sydney’s drink.) But she obviously does want Dabbler to know that she considers it unacceptable.
Plus Sydney is following established diplomatic protocol – when dealing with a demon.
And then Arianna deserves to be dropped into the abyss of a thousand lawyers as Sydney demands compensation from ARCHON for a hostile workplace environment. Again–Deus should be planning this maneuver already. Just plant a likely ARCHON recruit and wait for the inevitable to happen, then file suit. Hell, ARCHON would probably pay literally any settlement offered, just to ensure the words, “Today the U.S. Government had to defend itself against a lawsuit claiming that ARCHON permitted a demon to sexually harass an employee.”
You remember that huge stack of papers Sydney had to sign? “Will not sue ARCHON or the US Government for any reason, for the duration of the existence of either ARCHON or the US Government” was on page 359 Sub-section QI
Also, they would have to prove that ARCHON gave Dabbles a permit to sexually harass employee’s, and considering Maxi’s reaction to Harem during the pool-scene, that is clearly not going to be the case
An organisation does not have to ‘give permission to sexually harass employees’ in order to be prosecuted under sexual harassment laws. All they have to do is fail to provide reasonable protection to their employees.
Bear in mind that I can only speak to laws pertaining to civilian companies, as the military operate under different rules. However, in the situations where their personnel are allowed civil protections, they will operate under the same basic principles.
One requirement is that the organisation is obliged to ensure that its staff understand the issues around sexual harassment. Which does include training them, especially if they have been shown to flout or act in ignorance of such laws. We have seen Sydney being referred to such training, so it is very likely that Dabbler has too.
Another is for the management to take notice of actions which are creating a hostile working environment, and to act in an effective way to remedy that. Maxima has previously reprimanded Dabbler (most energetically).
Finally they should act on any complaints. Sydney has chosen not to raise any, but to resolve the matter herself. This is permissible. Her means is not appropriate (legally speaking) but if Dabbler is willing to take her licks, without management becoming involved, then it is purely a matter between the two of them.
Of course if any of the superior officers become aware of this incident, then they would be obliged to act, as neither of them behaved appropriately. Barring if it resolved the issues satisfactorily. The military do have to operate in a tougher environment than civilians, so we should expect boundaries to be pushed harder and protected more vigorously than we would see in civvy street.
If this continues to be an ongoing issue, then Sydney’s emotional health could be at risk. So management should intervene. But if the matter is adequately resolved, and Dabbler keeps her behaviour below such an intrusive level, then the unit effectiveness would be better served by ‘turning a blind eye’. Barring an official complaint, of course.
Heh, it might be more then a little hilarious to see a panel where everyone had to take a sexual harassment course.
With Dabbler in the back appalled and everyone else not really taking it seriously except for max and Arrianna. Well, I guess a bunch of them would I suppose now that I think about it, but Math, Harem certainly not …Maybe Sydney, though that might just be mostly with her mind a wandering to who knows where.
I’m not sure how Dabbler, Math, and Harem would react to such a course’s announcement.
Scenario 1:
“I don’t need to go on a Sexual Harassment course. I’m already an expert!”
Scenario 2:
“A Sexual Harassment course? Sign me up! I’m good already, but even if there’s nothing new the practice should be fun!”
That was kinda what meant by “gave Dabbles a permit”: as long as the company makes it common knowledge, and company policy, that it is against harassment of any kind, and provides adequate means of reporting breaches, then the company should not be liable
Problem is, America is rife with frivolous and stupid lawsuits: “The coffee shop served me a hot cup of coffee, it burnt my tongue, I want $2 million in damages!!”
You are getting there, in stating two out of the requirements. However they are also required to enforce those rules. Many companies pay lip service, of the sort you state, but fail to act on any reports. Likewise they turn a blind eye to infringements they see, or put it down to ‘horseplay’.
So it is quite right that they get punished for their failings.
Finally you are way off course implying that sexual harassment is frivolous! If you are economically trapped in a job, where you are being routinely persecuted, having sexual assaults conducted on you (which is what Dabbler just did) and constantly fearing more, then it becomes a nightmare for the victim.
It is akin to being in prison (if the alternative is loosing your job and having no means of making a living), and it has been known to be so overwhelming that it drives people to suicide. So in no way is sexual harassment frivolous. And certainly not in this example!
https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/2566
This also doesn’t fly in all military and most civilian organizations. Dabbler would not be the only one facing legal repercussions at this point in the comic.
The small humans are the most violent ones. Regardless of age.
Morally, it’s exactly the same thing as slipping an aphrodisiac into someone’s drink without consent. In many jurisdictions, it’s a crime (except for the magical nature of the act – the law takes time to catch up).
no matter how I spellcheck, “aphrodisiac” looks wrong.
Actually panel 6 is the one I’m not deciphering at all.
Sydney’s rubbing her two boots against each other, because her legs are overcome with the feelings which Dabbler’s spell is causing.
Ever notice scenes where someone fighting the urge not to pee themselves they sometimes rub their legs together tightly or their feet as they’re struggling to maintain control and hold off until they can get to a bathroom? This is the same deal, she’s overcome with the urge to satisfy herself but can’t due to where she’s at so she’s squirming around trying to keep from doing anything until she can get somewhere private.
Never trust a succubus. I would have asked for the other one to help. She seemed a bit more… unlikely to try and manipulate things of that nature.
Wow, your ‘never’ did not even last beyond your next sentence! Decollette is a succubus too. One who clearly took her school course on ‘how to appear innocent’.
heh. Two badonkadonks don’t make a right.
But it makes for a great night
I imagine if it had been a spell from Decollette it wouldn’t have included the arousing features, she’d have seen that as improper to do without consent and just been a straight warming spell. Her social etiquette clearly involves knowing what is and isn’t proper based on the situation.
Yea, I guess so. After all Decolette did attend sexual finishing school.
“Lunatic sex harpy” made me laugh so much, even more so than Max’s “colossal space floozy”.
The thing about aliens is that they are alien – foreign, strange, unpredictable. The thing about demons is that they are all too familiar, and predictable. Dabbler’s definitely more of a demon than an alien.
Dabbles is part Alien though
Or maybe Predator? Either way check next time she smiles.
Pretty sure this counts as assaulting a superior, Syd…. In the military, that’s a No-No.
Dabbler is a civilian contractor.
so only assault and battery. not that much of an improvement.
No, no, no! Sydney would never assault anyone!
…because she always strikes without warning. :>
(‘Assault’ as a legal term means to threaten someone in a credible way. ‘Battery’ is actually carrying through on the threat.)
Depends on which jurisdiction they are in, exact phrasing is different in different states.
Oh wait nevermind, the explicitly said that already in this comic.
Dabbler would be wise not to raise a complaint. Given it was provoked by her sexual assault on Sydney!
Aha! I see that you transformed into one of the plushies on Sydney’s bed. Bet you were gutted to find out that she had an Edward body pillow!
So, most important question: does that mean Sydney just went home then (ditching the mission) to have her fun, or did she have to wait until the mission was finished?
I think Max would have words for Dabbler if she had impaired a team-mates ability to perform their duties.
I expect that she had to finish the mission first, which makes the punch even more justified as it means she had to endure possibly for hours before able to pounce on the (lucky) Edward body pillow.
I susspect the trip back out of the vault is where the issue of lack of heat came to be an issue (im sure its cold several hundred meters under water) plus the flight back to base.
Remember, Sydney ended up jumping into the moon pool to wash all the blood off here from her accidental discovery of Sciona’s portal.
Personally I’m confused by the timeline. There’s a few time points here.
1. Underwater bunker with the warming spell. (Post Cooter escape)
2. Hot shower at base.
3. Back at base and talking to Arianna. Clearly after the first shower. (This is where Jabberwocky sees Trent)
4. Second shower with Jabber/Dabbler.
5. In her room with Elric.
Points 1, 2, 3, and 4 clearly come in that order. 1 has to be first. 3 right after 2, and 4 could be several hours later. (Or minutes) 5 has to go after 1 and before 4, but where?
Did she jump into her bed while still covered in scab sludge? Is she having a post-shower towel talk with Arianna while horny?
First panel says “last night” so this is the next day, probably after their morning PT. Panel 1, Sydney talks about the spell. Panels 2-7, Sydney remembers the spells effects in a flashback. Panel 8, Sydney comes out of the flashback and punches. Panel 9, the results of the punch. So panels 1, 8, and 9 are in sequence and panels 2-7 are a flashback in sequence.
0 – Go for a swim in a pool of blood and gore.
0.5 Hot shower at underwater base.
1.5 Cold shower at underwater base (to try and counter the spell side-effects).
2.5 Go home, shower, quality time with Elric.
2.8 Cold shower (before seeing Arianna, with the risk of being in proximity to anyone hot)
3.5 Hot shower (that gore feeling has still not gone away!)
4.5 Cold shower (after being around Dabbler’s hypnobody)
5.5 Cold shower (Elric has to go into the washer)
Yeah, I came up with these pages kind of independently so the timeline is a little confusing. Basically, she got back to the base and attacked Elric, then felt like she needed a shower, partially for practical reasons, and partly because Dabbler’s spell migrated inwards and left her with cold limbs. That’s when we saw her talking to Arianna. Then she went back to bed, but Dabbler’s spell was kind of lingering, plus, you know, sometimes you need a little something to wind down from an exciting day, so she got up and took a shower in the morning with the rest of the team.
Thanks MrB.
I hope they have ample supplies of bedding on base… Berthing on my boat always seemed to be low, and after something like that, I’d bet she’d need a new set.
To be fair, Dabs doesn’t see kicking ANYones libido up a notch as ‘a bad thing’. And even thus afflicted, Sydney wasn’t impaired. She got all the way back to her room from the Council Supersekrit vaults without humping anybodies leg.
When Dabs is part of an adventuring party, that ‘bedding down for the night’ doesn’t mean the same thing as ‘time to sleep’ is a given.
“Bedding down for the night” should mean “time to sleep” for an adventurer of her caliber. Especially given how much she wears out her partners, unless y’know, she brings a bevy of hirelings whose only job it is to entertain her at night. 1 per night then take a quick recall scroll back home so they don’t get murdered.
This gets even more important if she’s a wizard type who needs actual rest to regain mana/spells/whatever. This part may be moot since I don’t think she’s a Vancian style caster.
Though it has been strongly implied, both during and after the battle royale at the restaurant, that Dabbler charges up/refills her mana pool via sex. I would expect any adventuring party she is included with is aware that if they want their caster to be able to give 100% once they enter the dungeon, they should make their peace about giving her 100% the night before.
I cede that Dabs ‘can’ wear out a partner, or partners, if given the proper conditions. But I posit that she can also show restraint, and not exhaust the same if she knows they have work to do tomorrow.
We’ve only really seen her ‘gorge’ with Barberian, who was stuck at ARC until he was cleared of charges anyways.
Dabbler has been banned from consorting with her teammates precisely because she cannot. Even Barberian, with super-stamina, was unable to function
normallyat all the next day.What Dabble can do though is avoid having sex, and instead get her tantric energy in small doses from sexual activity going on around her. So she was snacking on Sydney’s arousal.
Not exhausting her companions would also be easier with a greater number in the party. The Barberian wasn’t up to very much in the morning, but that was after giving a 90% charge in one night after a hard and draining fight. With five or six in the party sharing ‘recharging’ duties each night, each need only be called on for a far more sustainable 15-20%. (Thin-air numbers, but you get the idea.)
It’s good that your priorities are straight, DaveB.
I’m Gazorpazorp-f**king-field, b**ch. Now give me my f**king enchiladas.
lol. This webcomic never disappoints. :D
Hey, you need to go through your ads. I keep getting that “your phone is 28.7% damaged” redirect and I have to come back here five times on average to get through a whole comic. Got lucky enough on this round to not have it at all to leave this comment.
I know what you mean. I hate to do it to GrrlPower, but I had to take it off my whitelist because of that ad. DaveB, once you’ve taken care of the offending ad, I’ll put you back on my whitelist again.
I surf with an ad blocker (Windows based Adblock Plus) and get to the site with no problems. I am not sure what the equivalent options are on different OS desktop machines or portable devices.
If you are connecting on a public WiFi this could lead to other problems like malware if not careful, especially if you don’t have a up-to-date antivirus.
A lot of those ads are region based. I get a lot less malicious ones in Canada.
Hmm, I haven’t seen that one. I don’t know if I can blacklist ads with Google’s ad service, but I’ll look into it.
I have my uBlock Origin turned off for this site and I’ve never experienced that advert while coming here. Have you cleared your browser history and double checked to make sure you haven’t picked up some malware that’s replacing the official ads with their redirecting ones?
I can’t speak for LaughingTarget, but I make my living fixing computers. That includes cleaning malware off of them. If there were any malware on my home computer, I would know.
Groovy, that helps a lot for figuring out the problem. If you’re using a phone like I assume LT is (based on the redirect message), then we can prune things down further.
I want that Ed body pillow. Does the other side have less clothes on?
In that last panel, I can’t tell if Dabbler’s face is one of pain or pleasure.
I’m thinking a little of both.
Is it just me, or is Dabbler rather hot in panel 1? And I mean not related to her being wet and naked (though that is a bonus). I mean with the look in her eyes, the tousled hair, and the curve of her lips.
She looks perfect…except for her lowest thumb on her bottom left hand. Just a wee bit off.
Sydney could do some excellent Winry Rockbell cosplay, I would think.
I would agree. She has the attitude for it.
You have created a need that must now be fulfilled.
She already has… pretty much the exact same hairstyle? I wonder what informed that particular decision.
I gotta admit, it took me a few seconds to get it. I thought the Squirm effect was something else. The “hot kitty” didn’t register immediately. I mean, it’s Dabbler. That should have been the first thing you would think of :)
Cat by a heater registered as a metaphor for ultimate satisfaction for me. Didn’t mesh with the dialogue at all and took multiple rereadings to correct in my head.
Does Dabbler have two belly buttons?
Yes.
Two of something else too.
now,my question *holds of a box of Yorpie Snax(tm)* is if you were meaning something blatantly obvious there or not ;)
Yes, I was doing that too.
*assumes begging position*
It’s the eyes that ‘sell’ it…
…nobody can resist the eyes.
(…spoken thru a mouth-full of (C)Yorpie-Snax…)
“Re-fif-foms Is Foof-ful!”
(…nom!…)
Is it me or does Dabbler have two navels in that first panel?
You would have to send me a photo of yourself to answer that. But, as for Dabbler, yes she does. And always has. This is not the first time we have seen them.
Kenshi Masaki’s legendary massages and their side effects… First thing I think of XD
Or Just Ace’s Legendary Foot Rubs (almost got married, several times, when his mother was stationed in Korea), not sure if “To Much Information” is working properly anymore after the webhost deleted nearly the entire series (just when it was getting good)
From now on,Sydney will have to seek…someone else…for a similar spell!
Could someone please identify ‘Eddie’ for those of us less versed in nerdcore?
That’s Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Edward Elric.
Psst. I should not earn nerdcore points for this. I had no idea who he was. I had to make a Sherlock Holmes check to learn the answer.
Can’t speak for the original or manga, personally, but FMA Brotherhood is well worth the watch.
Well, since you asked… (ok, no you didn’t. But here’s my opinion anyway.)
The original anime is worth a watch as well. Yes, it does deviate from the manga, especially when it gets about two-thirds of the way through… but that’s because the manga wasn’t finished when they got to that point. The author, Hiromu Arakawa, specifically told them that she didn’t want them to have to wait for her to catch up, so they should write their own ending… which they did, and Arakawa was quite pleased with the result.
Edward Elric, the primary character of “Full Metal Alchemist”
Whom Sydney occasionally resembles…
Lesson 1: never, EVER, trust a succubus.
Also, I thought Syd punched Dabs on the face, but apparently punched her in the back? Sucker punch?
Is a succubus back her erogenous zone? Or the entire body?
Panel 8 shows Sydney hitting Dabbler in the back, where a human would have her kidney’s.
“Every part of a succubus is literally hypnotic” ~ Dabbler
It seems likely that they are all erogenous too. It does not matter if their partners are into feet, or ears, or breasts, or bums – a girl has got to feed.
Some people say her erogenous zones start some four miles from her actual body. Ford Prefect disagrees, saying five.
All I can really add is that in panel 1 Dabs is certainly rocking the 4 pack, with 2 travel kegs.
Sydney thought a kidney punch would serve Dabs right for the side effects… judging from Dab’s anatomical description, Syd punched her right in the babymaker… As I read that, I kept imagining Jack Sparrow saying: “I deserved that…”
The descriptive imagery Syd was experiencing was down right masterful Dave… I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe!
I wish Dabbler had said “Ow, right in my ovipositor” just to mess with Sydney.
I laughed so hard when I saw that, if succubi mess with normally htero individuals and blur the lines just imagine how bad it would be if her anatomy also blended the language used to describe her in Sydney head. By common understanding if it has the implanting equipment it’s male, if it has the other equipment it’s female. But the actual definitions say if it’s got eggs it’s female and if it’s got sperm it’s male… Unfortunately for hypothetical Sydney, your eyes/sex drive doesn’t usually give a darn.
I used to do an “Ow, my lumbago!” gag that the wife would laugh at. Then she was being tested for possible MS. It wasn’t a diagnosis, just tests, but this was before The ACA (Obamacare) and also before it’s likely repeal or at least complete subversion or undermining at the hands of the Trump administration, and the destruction of affordable healthcare for US citizens.
And so we were very sensitive about exactly what went into her medical records. We expressed these concerns to the MRI tech who ran the tests, and she put “lumbago” on the records. Which both made us love her for doing so, and also gave us a good laugh due to my “Ow, my lumbago!” gag.