Grrl Power #590 – Fall from shower
One of these days, all of Dabbler’s perverse antics will probably be a boon to the team. Today is not that day. That’s the danger of being progressive beyond the fringe. You have to wait for the rest of the world to appreciate your forward attitudes.
Maxima can control her strength, as she has her power pool she can use to boost a stat. Normally that potential energy is there in the void, waiting to be used. She doesn’t have to have it spent at all times, but her baseline stats are still very impressive. She can actually lower her stats to feed more energy into the pool, but that takes effort, and even being in the military as long as she has, sometimes you just don’t feel like putting forth the work that early in the morning. Thus some of her bathroom fixtures suffer more than other parts of her room.
Still having super strength of any sort would wreak havoc on your daily life no matter how careful you were. I mean, Superman towed the Earth once, so you’ve got to figure he goes through a shitload of doorknobs. There’s just no way he’d be able to tell if a door was locked or not. The difference in resistance between an unlocked door and a locked one with that little 1/16th inch pin holding the knob in place would be like the difference between him using 0.0000000000000001% of his strength to open it and 0.00000000000000001% of his strength.
Yes, I know he has X-Ray vision and could just see if the door was locked, or use his super speed and super hearing to tell if there was metal stress happening as he turned it, and react instantly, but you know what I mean.
Fine. Thor. He doesn’t have X-Ray vision or speed or super ear bulbs, and he’s in Marvel’s top 10%, strength wise. He would wreck shit on Midgard left and right.
Yes, I know Thor could become Donald Blake in some continuities and had human stats. Hercules. He was on the Avengers with Thor and would reak everything he touched probably. Except he never pretended to have a secret identity and probably didn’t care about not breaking puny doorknobs.
Aaagh! *punches doorknobs*
I remembered what day of the week it is! Progress! So Monday is Christmas, and I’ve considered skipping the regular post that day. I’ve never done that before and I really don’t want to, but I’ve gotten a few days behind on doing the comic, but I wound up writing a page that was better laid out as a double sized page, so I tried a new thing with the art that I thought might save a little time, which it very much did not. Basically, skipping the inking and coloring it straight from the flats. I like the way that looks when it’s done right, only I’ve never really done it before. Once or twice, actually Dabbler’s hoof on this page is done like that. I tried it as a test, but it was actually a poor test case because it didn’t involve two things that were the same color overlapping each other. Without inked lines separating things, I needed to spend extra time on the edges to make sure something like a skin colored arm stands out when it’s in front of a skin colored body. It also didn’t help because I’m not used to that particular workflow. There are probably ways to work faster in that style, so it probably won’t be my last attempt. The other factor is my parents will be visiting for most of that week and I probably shouldn’t totally ignore them and work on the comic? Right?
So yeah, I’d really prefer to post a comic as usual, but I miiiiight not. Xmas, as you might imagine, is a pretty slow traffic day for any webcomic, and if ever I was going to skip a post, that’d be it. The other option is to probably split another double page I’m planning into two singles, which I’d also prefer not to do, but is looking likely, and also really skimp on the backgrounds on a page or two. A scene where everyone stands in an indistinct white hallway or something. :/ So swing by on Xmas, I’ll probably have a new page up, but don’t be too shocked if I don’t. I probably will. I should.
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You know… if your flimsy [-stuff-] that you use on a consistent basis keeps breaking, the answer isn’t to just keep replacing it… it’s to get something built that won’t break so easily. Granted, not really a solution in public places, but really. Private shower? Should totally have already had everything tailored to default setting. Maybe slightly tougher than default. I’m sure the sex-crazed alien-techie would be able to help in providing materials in that regard.
Well… on second thought… probably shouldn’t trust her. Might install a camera in the shower knob or something.
Voice control. If there were superstrong people, there’d be a real incentive to replace physcial controls with voice controls.
Clever idea.
Do bear in mind security problems though. Listening devices pick up everything said in their vicinity (even if only programmed to react to certain key words) and can be hacked.
Or, if set up too securely for that, replaced with enemy controlled items. Security sweeps would pick up a ‘known’ voice activation device. Yet it would actually be eavesdropping for the enemy.
way back in the day, devices were not automatically hackable until proven otherwise. plugging everything from sneakers to jet planes into fricken global network, and making it available to every bad guy in the world, is probably not humanity’s greatest design achievement. I don’t know how it coulda been avoided. The whole internet security situation is the result of a nerd cultural collective “hold my beer” while doing incredible things both with and without wires.
I think the height of that insanity has to be the IOT teddy bear which connected insecurely to an unencrypted database containing all sorts of confidential info about the companies clients on an unprotected server directly exposed to the Internet. The security researcher who exposed this discovered evidence that the database had been copied and/or erased by hackers on multiple occasions. Although you can’t really call accessing an exposed database hacking.
And you could alter the database to play back any potentially inappropriate sound clip you wanted on the teddy bear
until google specifically blocked, you could google the keywords for Microsoft database login strings (like “password= -note the missing end quote) and get thousands of hits. Every one of them was somebody’s database. I only looked at one of them – an employee database for the county works department of a county in Ohio. That scared me – even dropping them an email warning them could get you arrested for “hacking” in those days. (that may still be true)
I was designing a db app in the early 90s. We dropped Microsoft from consideration as the db engine because of stupidly silly security issues like that.
Hacking is only possible with devices that are *networked*. If the device is completely self-contained, and has no external ports, it cannot be hacked — and being a “dumb” hydronic thermostat, needs no sophistication, no diagnostic access (simple and cheap; if it fails, pluck & chuck)
You know there’s got to be someone out there with cyber-telepathy. Of course such a person probably has better security-endangering things to do with than eavesdropping on Maxima’s private bathroom.
Let’s assume that this building provides the most protection to the craziest sorts of superpowers they can imagine existing (or have on record) you can reasonably expect, and that if there’s someone who can ignore all that anyway, a voice-activated shower isn’t gonna be the big security flaw.
Except it is not dumb, as it needs to be able to do voice recognition. Something that pushes even AIs with access to vast pools of data and fancy learning algorithms. The less resources available to the device the less reliable it will be at voice recognition. If it is too simple it may not interpret verbal commands correctly.
Either it needs to have sophisticated equipment built into it* (to be self-contained) or it needs to access such information elsewhere. Requiring network or internet capability.
Plus, as accents vary, there must be a way to program it to understand the user’s voice. And, as our voice recognition capabilities are still formative, there is a need to patch and update the program. Giving it these kinds of functions opens up the ability to hack it.
* Making it expensive to replace. Plus the more complex it is (to do its job better) the more components involved and (generally speaking) the more likely to have some part fail. Bearing in mind that this will be operating in close proximity to a super who breaks metal items like the rest of us crush a grape.
The voice recognition is “dumb”, the hydronic thermostat is, an example of some devices that don’t need to be networked, and thus not typically hackable
You guys are waaay overthinking this.
It’s not like Max needs the water to be a certain temperature. She can withstand any level of heat. So the water temp should always be the hottest it can be. Heck, she probably uses dish soap because her skin is like metal. It’d be just like washing a pot.
and here we’ve got a classic case of problem solving applied in practice! good job!
That clapper commercial – the guy in his home claps his hands next to the dark christmas tree, and the room lights come on and the tree stays dark.
Heh. Yea.
But a good solution that would cut down on broken fittings, without the security risks of voice recognition software.
To be fair, the world in question has magic. So a self-contained, magic, voice recognition hydronic thermostat wouldn’t be that difficult for archon to get for Max, considering they work with a council of people who can make a glamour that only makes certain creatures look different and seems to have a friend/foe setting so that not everyone sees the glamour instead of the true form.
the other possibility is an electronic shower valve with an external push button. replace the push button with one rigged like a mechanical keyboard switch- where the goal is to get the contact past a certain point rather than bottoming out. rigged properly you could make it so that the ‘stop’ is a pair of external rings that are intended to be the fail point. I wish i could put a quick sketch up- the idea is push too had and the shaft shoots out and into the shower or room depending on the direction. since the weak point (by a factor of 2 or more) is the split ring- a small supply (100-200 or so) and max can fix her own temper tantrums. if its done really smartly the shaft is fairly simple to make of readily available material so spares of it can be on hand.
the key is not to make it fail-proof, instead make the failure predicable and easy to fix.
Optical controls, no contact needed. Wave your hand *here* to turn water on/off, move your hand “there” to adjust temperature.
No need for voice recognition, no need to be networked. Just make sure that the electronics are waterproof and you have a Ground Fault Interrupter on the power.
*blink* Yes, I *am* an engineer. Does it show?
You’re hired!
Archon obvs needs a few guys like you. :)
Good grief, people, Google has voice recognition and took less than a minute to learn my voice, and “Ah’ve gotta accent that’ll make the Deliverance hillbillies say “Wha he said?”
And it sends that information, via the internet, and interprets it in the cloud. Where it has access to the intensive resources it needs to do that feat so easily. Including loads of samples of different accents.
I don’t think transmitting conversations from the vicinity of Maxima’s shower (possibly within earshot of her office, if not then her private quarters) through the internet is a good option security wise.
Especially using such a common program. The more users there are of a program the greater the number of people working on exploiting any security flaws. There is a reasonable correlation between the numbers of users and the quantity of malicious software, such as viruses, trojans and other hacking attempts, when compared to similar less popular programs.
It really doesn’t have to be connected to the internet to function effectively. simple voice command software has been around for ages now.
“Around” and “works reliably” are two different things.
Even in this thread anifreik commented about having a strong accent. I have sympathy as I grew up with a very strong accent, so have paid attention to the never-ending stream of complaints about how poor voice recognition was. Until recent breakthroughs through throwing huge resources into solving the problem.
Doubtless we will get a cheap, reliable, dumb device, which does not need to be connected to the internet, that can cope with varied accents and disabilities, and can be reprogrammed to distinguish new users. But I do not think we are there yet.
I think the simpler options, like the clapping or various types of motion sensors would be the better option until we do. Rather than discriminate against folks who do not have ‘average’ (common white Western able-bodied) accents.
Although I can see many folks are going down the route of internet connected AI voice recognition. The ability to show off, combined with the convenience of its versatility and improved reliability are strong selling points. For situations where people are not concerned about security.
So, bathroom clapper?
Well, the bathroom is a good place to get the clap, not as good as the bedroom mind…
Damn you ZLOK…first thing that popped into my head when you asked that? Crapper Clapper.
Sounds a lot better than touching the handle in a public loo! The best ones just have a proximity sensor, so a wave of the paw can flush the loo. Far more hygienic.
Then you just have to figure out how to open the door without touching the handle.
That’s why you should wear steel-toed shoes when using public restrooms.
You can still have a closed network of one device accessing the resources it needs without having any connections to anything else. The only security concern is ensuring that the resource database that allows the voice recognition AI to function optimally is, after making a backup, disconnected & isolated as you update the database to improve it. This ensures that you can keep it clean and unable to tamper with the voice command system.
Good points.
To quibble though, not quite ‘the only security concern’. It will still have identical function to a bug, so will be all but indistinguishable to any technology looking for such. We do not have the level of technology to point a hand held device at the gadget and have it confirm ‘yes this is a bug but it is a friendly one, there is no other bug placed next to it and using it to conceal its operation, and it is the untampered original version that we installed’.
You are still introducing various extra security risks which would need to be carefully countered and which open up the risk of human error.
Even if the procedure calls for ‘dismantling the device, removing it from the room whilst the bug scan is done, sending it off to the laboratory to be examined for tampering, and replacing it with a fresh safe version in the meanwhile’, time pressures, resource shortfalls and incompetence could all lead to lapses. All to provide a trivial level of utility.
Which could be exploited by any foreign spy or super villain who wants to know Archon’s secrets. Provided of course they could, at some point, get into either the shower room, or access the remote processing unit.
The latter though could be done at any point prior to it being installed (a real risk unless it is created by a highly security conscious manufacturer) or whilst it is being serviced (thus requiring extensive checks on any plumber and electricians involved, including off-site if it sent elsewhere for repairs etc).
The “must be networked” thing isn’t entirely true, btw – it’s known that the Russians were actively monitoring electronic leakage from electric typewriters back in the day. All it really takes is a distinguishable output that is dependent on the input.
In the 80’s TEMPEST testers demo’d reading the text being typed on an IBM selectric typewriter – from a van outside the building, about 50 feet away. My company was going secure for government contracting work, and that was part of how they (the US feds) impressed on employees that secure ops was not business as usual. At the time, we only had one hardline out of the building, and inside the building, most of the computers were sneaker-netted (ie, round reel mag tapes). Radio neteorking was only done in space (almost).
Hacking can be done with hardware, and everything electronic emits rf.
Which is the reason why Furby was banned on any property holding a National Security Agency clearance. I wish I was making this up, but I’m not. There were concerns that they may be used to record and repeat classified information. Turns out that while they do respond to sound, they have no ability to do any recording whatsoever. What they hear when you talk or make a noise is a loud BEEEP, and no words or waveforms can be made out at all. The ban was withdrawn after this was demonstrated.
She could get a clapper for her lights, a touch screen or a closed circuit datapad type device that can be switched in and out for the heat controls and water system. that way when she breaks one she an just clip in a new one.
Actually Since she is Nigh invulnerable all she needs in a waterproof industrial button to turn the hot water on and then off when done, don’t need to over think the situation.
That is almost certainly what she already has. That is still flimsy compared to her super strength, even on her default average.
Then replace it with a simple motion detector switch instead. No touching = no breaking.
Since when does metal need to shower? Does she sweat? Do her pores give off anything she might want to wash off? Or is it just a habit from her less-bullet-resistant days?
Even she gets dirty and needs to clean up. I think more of it has to do with her still wanting to feel human, and it’s a way for her to just relax after a tough day.
Yep, I’ve got an RPG character, a cyborg weighing in at around 500kg. And she spends a lot of her time dealing with the fact that the world around her isn’t really rated for someone of her mass… all her furniture has to be custom, because you just can’t find a mattress that can cope with half a tonne of metal trying to sleep on it.
I have been thinking about a hero character with high density bones, armor under the skin and say, 5 times the strength of a normal human, and NOT with a bodybuilder shape. Weight about 3-4 times of a normal human with that build. Let’s say, 300kg. There are humans of that size, so beds and mattresses are available, but you’d get quite the attention buying one. And cars, buses and trains… You would not leave footprints on the floor, but a bus may tilt a little bit when you step inside. Worst is, people don’t expect this. So when someone pushes you, they expect a reaction according to the build of your body, not something/someone who is 3-4 times heavier, so the surprise makes you appear even heavier than you are.
And the guy is paranoid to be found out. So I got no idea about a story at all.
> And the guy is paranoid to be found out.
And the guy is paranoid about being found out. <- this should be better English.
Just remember there is always a water level.
I can think of a few early stories. And the establishment of a foe for him to fight.
Wasn’t there a plotline based on a similar situation in an episode of Ghost in the Shell? I seem to remember that they discovered that there was a cyborg wearing thermoptic camouflage in the Section 9 HQ based on extra weight in the elevator.
And even if I’m wrong about that, there’s also one of the Metal Gear games where it turns out that Snake was not alone on the elevator…
Oh for the love of….INSTALL A HANDLE!
Or a pocket door.
Okay, going to try and circumvent the giant conversation here.
Let’s see we have magic, cyber telepathy (hello list of powers you’d have no way of knowing you’d have in a natural setting), voice recognition software, stronger materials, ect…
But I have another solution. Panels. Install large stone panels into the wall that connect to sensors behind them. Place hand on stone panel, longer hand is on top part of panel heat or cold goes up, lower part heat or cold goes down, central panel turn on.
So no need to grab and twist anything or complications from magical or electronic voice devices.
*Came up with the panel idea when imaging the sort of tech a race of Hulk like super-beings would develop*, something big, easy to touch, and no minimal movement/contact with the activation mechanism so little risk of a slight spasm when twisting or grabbing to crush it.
Actually, I like that idea~!
One question: if this ‘Hulk’ race is able to build something like these panels, would they need the panels? o_O
Yes, for the same reason humans being able to build a drop resistant phone still needs the drop resistant phone.
Never assume all consumers are as delicate with the product as the engineer might be, and accidents happen. But punching your wall, or just body weight or arm weight alone against it is the least likely to result in said accident.
This is perhaps the most awesome and nerdy conversation ever, with several very promising solutions.
Next topic – that whole Middle East thing…
::scurries away as fast as his hooves will carry him before the webpage implodes::
Oddly the proposal I am currently preparing to publish would be usable in the Middle East, as a way of helping to bring peace. Sadly it will not help against situations where a group specifically wants to kill the members of another faction.
But it can where a group feels that they are sidelined, and do not have any control over their own affairs, plus do not get a fair allocation of resources, or if they feel that their culture and beliefs are being subjugated in favour of others.
Importantly it has mechanisms to prevent the situation that we have seen, in more than one country, where those who were being persecuted manage to restore their rights, only to turn on their rivals and persecute them in turn!
I must say I’m impressed with the Commentariat’s restraint in this thread. Not a single (expressed) speculation about what sort of ‘shower knob’ Dabbler would try to install!
I really like the relationship Kenya and Max have — most people, I think, wouldn’t get away with calling Max “Princess”. (Kinda the way Kenya called her “babe” during the Vehemence fight.)
prolly helps that out of all the (female) supers on the team, anvil is the best capable of taking a maxima dope slap to the back of the head and not ending up a fine pink mist. kinetic absorption is an awesome power, when you consider all the possibilities.
These images of Anvil are the best Christmas gift a webcomic can make.
You deserve a break from one of my favourite webcomics over christmas. It’s worth waiting for.
I’d imagine that if you had super strength you might still have fine tuned dexterity and sensitivity. Like if you can tell that someone is tickling you with a feather you could tell if a doorknob is moving freely or not. It might depend on your specific breed of super strength, but to be able to go through your daily life without being clumsy or breaking things seems a necessity. If you have super strength you should still be capable of fine dexterity and sensitivity, otherwise everything would seem like Styrofoam to you and you’d not be able to lead a normal life
Then again, it’s not uncommon for people to feel a bit groggy early in the morning. I don’t recall Maxima mentioning her powers make her snap instantly awake, all cylinders running. If she gets tired, and if she has mornings where she’s just going “Coffee… shower”, an accident could happen.
This is one reason why Maxima cannot date a squishy.
Aha, someone else familiar with the classic essay “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex”.
Hmmm, this raises another pondering.
If she can be groggy enough first waking up to not have full control of her strength…then what happens WHILE she is asleep? A simple tossing and turning in bed while sleeping could decimate her bedroom. Heck I have had nights where I’ve pushed the mattress part way off the box springs from too much tossing and turning, I could see Maxima waking up abruptly because an uncomfortable mattress caused her to turn on it hard enough to send it flying off the springs and across the room.
People have been killed by sleeping partners, as successfully defended in at least one court case I recall (where the prosecution maintained that it was a fabrication to cover premeditated murder).
Whilst that guy was acquitted, I think, even under identical circumstances Maxima would face an additional ‘reckless endangerment’ charge, if she slept in the same bed as a squishy human. For precisely the reasons you detail.
Maxima was protecting the Comix guy, in turning him down. Physically, if not emotionally.
Yeah, that charge is used for people who sleep with their newborns in the bed and small pets. People simply don’t have much physical control or sense when asleep. Personally I am woken up my certain sounds instantly, yet I was once stung repeatedly on my toes by a wasp and didn’t wake up.
So grabbing her sleeping partner up like a comfort pillow and not feeling him or her struggle to escape as they are crushed or suffocated would be a big problem. A good reason why She-Hulk’s (retcons aside) list of partners has mainly included god like super beings.
Superman’s excuse is “precise muscle control” and “don’t think about it”.
Ouchies!
I sleep with kittens on me. Not in a bed mind, but on a sofa, with my back flush to its back. Plus they remain on top of my duvet, so they cannot get entangled. Meaning that if I shift in my sleep, they can easily hop off.
Not that I can do much about it. I can only afford to heat the one room, so the rest of the house is sealed off and too cold to live in. Even if I go to sleep without them on me, I wake up with them there.* Waking up to a kitten hugging your neck is rather pleasant. The next-best thing to Sydney.
* Barring when I have had a restless night. My kitties are not dumb, and will curl up together next to my sofa, under those circumstances.
My sister’s kitten once decided to sleep on my face while I was sleeping.
It has been over five years and the feline in question will not sit on or even particularly near me…
Technically, the kitty didn’t actually *hit* the wall…
I am decidedly above average in the strength department. Not super powered level, of course, but very strong. Even at my absolutely human level, I have some trouble not accidentally destroying certain things.
It happens.
I once had a styrofoam cup from McDonalds sitting on the work bench at work. I had been doing some quick work and ran back to get a drink and for some reason instead of grab and lift I *crushed* it and spilled the drink everywhere.
or the time when people accidently throw a pen or remote when they go to pick it up.
The first office I worked at, one of the ladies asked me to open a stuck window for her. With my first tug, I ripped the entire thing off the wall, frame and all!
With that I have to mention this.
As a kid I thought my sister was holding the front door shut so I shoved it and ripped the deadbolt out of the frame (she had locked it as a joke)…my parents were not happy…on one ground of me breaking the door, the other learning how easily a deadbolt can be broken *yeah wood frame vs metal deadbolt, talk about a false comfort*
There is a one-page Fantastic Four comic of an alarm clock going off, a rocky orange fist smashing it, then the Thing gets up, goes to a closet filled with boxes of the same alarm clock. Then he unboxes one, sets the correct time and puts it on his nightstand.
“Aw, fer cryin’ out loud!”
…Yeah, it’s, financially speaking, a good thing to be a member of Fantastic Four Inc.
probably also has a shed fulla nightstands out back of the garage, too.
Don’t sweat it if you aren’t ready. We all need a day off sometimes and this is vacation for LOTS of people, so it’s not a bad thing to take a break. (All my games and stuff are on hiatus this coming week.)
I agree. Don’t stress about an update when you should be enjoying Christmas. We’ll all still be here on the 28th.
Assuming, of course, that spending time with your family/parents is enjoyable. If, like some people, you would prefer to be flayed alive and then boiled in acid then by all means put up a comic on Christmas Day as an alternative.
That’s why logarithmic scales are so useful.
I don’t think even armour plating would stop him.
Just dawned on me. Dabbler got taken out by one of the weakest, strength level wise, members of the team. Is Dabbler just a glass cannon?
Dabbler’s a magic user. We all know what they’re weak against.
“No matter how subtle or powerful the wizard, a knife in the kidneys will seriously cramp his style”
Why is everyone assuming that Dabbler is down in pain? It may well be that being struck in the… whatever-she-called-it… causes cascades of escalating multiple orgasms, and she’s on the shower room floor wallowing in ecstasy until the pain/pleasure trigger un-pulls.
The name does imply that granted. Likewise the expressions can be similar.
I think the one thing tipping it the other way is that Dabbler likes showing off, especially with sexual matters. So if she was enjoying herself, she would make the effort to show that, even in the throws of passion.
She is writhing naked on a wet slippery floor with her butt in the air.
I’d say she’s playing around waiting for that sympathy smooch. She has shown interest in Sydney, probably making her a “pet project” like Maxima.
Heh. Conceded.
She may well be ‘playing dead’…. sexy.
Maybe she just like the view from that particular shower floor.
Of course not, she’s just playing.
Dabbler shook off getting hit by Cooter, I doubt Sydney’s one punch did more damage than that.
Maybe it’s about where Sidney punched her. That organ with the weird name she mentioned could be somewhere between the human kidney and the scrotum in sensitivity, and she usually keeps some armour plating or a protection spell over it.
ovum. as in ovaries. ow.
Oh ye of little faith.
Coot didnt hit her right in the ol’gazorpazovum.
Or maybe Sidney hit her *just* right – and she’s still enjoying the sensation it gave her.
True, true.
Sydney can do some pretty respectable impact damage if she uses one of her orbs as the bludgeon.
Actually I’m shocked that Dabbler is still hamming it up. Shower room floors are never the most comfortable even in the best of circumstances, and with Max in attendance I’d think she would be front row center waiting for Max to start the soapy shower scene.
..
..
..
Though I suppose once the water is running Max could be in at out shower literally before her towel hit the floor.
As long as Max thinks she’s down for the count, she could (theoretically) get away with peeking–or even sneaking up for a grope.
I think if Dabbler went in for the grope there might be another shower area in need of repair…
I remember a conversation with my dad when he complained that people should not be able to get up when Hercules punched them (watching Kevin Sorbo as Hercules). My response was that Hercules was not actually punching people with more force than someone like me can punch someone, based on the speed of his fist. Its when flash punches people with his super speed that I can not believe that people get up (seriously, there heads should explode, a fist impacting at 2000 ft per second come on people)
The infinite mass punch never made ANY sense to me. Considering Flash does not have any sort of invilnerability or superhuman strength. His hands should be so heavy that gravity would affect them, since he is still subject to gravity even with access to the speed force.
Or if he was somehow not, then he would either be unable to affect anything else, making the infinite mass punch useless, or he would also shatter his hand and arm when it contacts anything with a punch. If you fire an arrow at mach 5, and somehow make sure it wont get destroyed from friction, it would still get destroyed when it hits the target, even if the target is as well, unless its hitting something much weaker.
If it was actually called “infinite mass” punch, that’s a serious misnomer. The mass involved was Flash’s fist, plus what his ordinary musculature could put behind it, plus a percentage of his body weight as transmitted through his skeleton….and a sh*t-ton of velocity. Which is *energy*, but not *mass*. Bullets with less mass do more damage….but you can’t show that in comic books! The “not shattering the hand” element falls under the category of “being immune to the effects of using one’s own superpower”, a general requirement for superpowers to exist and be usable. Speedsters like the Flash break the laws of mundane physics worse than almost any other power. Technically, at superspeed, the least bit of exposed skin should be flayed away, and anything short of adamantium armor would be as well. How can he breathe? etc. etc. etc.
If I understand Pander’s premise correctly, relativity gives it mass. The closer something gets to C (speed of light in vacuum), the more effective mass it has. At C, mass would effectively become infinite (by the theory).
That’s what the comic said, yes :)
Not only is it called the infinite mass punch, the reasoning, in comic, that they use is because his fists reach ‘infinite mass’ at infinite speed.
Btw, being immune to ones own powers is one thing – having that immunity affect OTHER people is another. Being immune to ones own powers is, for example, that his own skin doesn’t get flayed off from air friction (because he’s surrounded by a connection to the Speed Force), or Human Torch not being burned, or Cyclops’ eyelids arent destroyed by his optic beams.
Btw, the whole ‘energy’ thing – comic book writers for the Flash said it was because of E=MCsquared. Mass and energy can be converted. They just don’t understand how that works beyond what an 8 year old might think when hearing that.
Comic book writers so often don’t understand physics :) They gave the reason IN the comic that because of relativity, his fists have infinite mass when punching at a certain speed. Even without getting into the idea that ‘infinite’ mass is not a thing, even if it’s just ‘a whole lot of mass’ – it would still hurt Flash a whole lot more than anyone else before he can even use it offensively.
The physics of that sounds like it works the wrong way. His gig is going really fast. And the fastest he should be able to go (under conventional physics) would be at the speed of light. The closer you get to the speed of light (and thereby the faster you are going) the less mass you have. Until, when you reach it, you have no mass at all.
So I fail to see how his power could be rationalised to provide an infinite mass. Because even if he reduced his speed to zero he would just have the same mass as any other person standing still.
and logically unless he is invulnerable and super strong his speed should become more a liability than a boon due to “relative speed/force”, if he punches a brick wall while going at 1000 miles per second that should be the equivalent of him (as a normal human) have a brick wall smash into his fist at 1000 miles per second. So decimated bones and flesh in other words, pretty much every time he hit any thing even a little bit harder than himself…and even thing softer than himself…I mean he can run on water…so relative force should be in effect because the speed makes the water feel more solid *like hitting the water at 30 miles per hour is enough to make it feel like concrete…hence broken bones when you fall and hit water from a great height*.
One of the things I like about Drew Hayes’ “Superpowered” series is that his supers are not always totally immune to the effects of their powers.
I’m thinking of a first-year sparring session where a speedster learned the hard way why it’s a *bad* idea to do a super-speed kick or punch to an opponent that can turn into steel. And why the training program always has super-powered healers on call.
Which reminds me of a funny thing,
the X-men were originally designed around the idea of super-powers that have draw backs/limitations, like you can fly but you need wings (per Stan Lee’s own words). But before too long due to some oversight of physics issues they decided that mutants were immune to their own powers and then immune to those of siblings *provided it was energy or psionic based and not claws or something*
which is why Fire Star was an interesting case, she turned out to be a mutant-mutant, she had a defective X-gene so she wasn’t completely immune to her own powers and was eradiating herself with some microwaves when she used her powers.
I am a mutant mutant. Oddly the second mutation reverses the first one, to make me appear to just be a normal doggy, with no special powers.
heck we could make a list of “defective” superpowers. Like being immune to poison but your body still shows the symptoms aside from dying from it.
A better known example would be Laserpony from (Super Redundant Heroes), he has laser (optic blasts) vision but using it made him go blind, and even if he fixes his eyes he will go blind the next time he uses his powers; can still use them while blind though.
I’d think an oxymoronic one would be a separate list of *only if someone can sense your powers or they can be identified via aura-quality or genetic means* like the weird redundant lists online where *can breathe underwater but not when wet* would fall under that rather than a list of powers with real limitations and drawbacks where they can still be identified as a superpower. Like Rogue, able to absorb the powers, life force, and memories of others through touch; but can’t turn it off so can’t make skin to skin contact with anyone ever.
-A super power that is also a super disability.
‘The closer you get to the speed of light (and thereby the faster you are going) the less mass you have. Until, when you reach it, you have no mass at all.’
yorp- that’s backward. as you approach the speed of light the functional mass increases. that’s why acceleration stops- it takes more and more ‘fuel’ to maintain the acceleration. ‘fuel’ in the previous sentence is a handy term for whatever is providing the acceleration- mass ejection, energy ejection, chemical reaction, or something else.
Is what I was basing this on. Yet, that aside, you are right in as much as:
Physics does some weird shit.
Ok, some physics time.
According to special relativity theory, the mass of an accelerating object does increase, and reaches infinity when it gets to light speed. HOWEVER, like everything else in relativity, this is talking about comparing two objects of different inertial frame of reference: ie, to someone standing still, the Flash’s fist accelerated to the speed of light would have infinite mass, but to the Flash’s fist / the Flash himself, it mass is still the same (same inertial frame of reference). ALSO, to the Flash’s fist, the person standing still would have infinite mass, because from the point of view of the Flash’s fist, the person standing still is the one accelerating to the speed of light (ever sit in a car traveling down the road and see everything else outside the window move backwards? Same deal here).
Which is also why the Infinity Mass punch, if it is explained via special relativity (I don’t know since I don’r read much of the Flash), shows the the writers have a total misunderstanding of the relativity theory. It is not the ABSOLUTE mass that increases (because in relativity theory such a thing does not exist), but the “comparative” mass “seen” from the relative view.
Correction: replace the words “accelerate” with just “travel”. Special relativity works for different velocities,. Acceleration changes stuff a bit.
I’ve always considered a kinetic multiplier and kinetic dampener intrinsic as part of every supers powerset (anime too). You might punch with the force of a ramming harrier jet, but the impact is dispersed to every atom in the recipients body. This explains the tremenduous knockback inherent in both genres, and also how speedsters could work in a realistic setting.
We mused about what Vale’s ability was a few pages back; that she might be a match for a powered up Sciona. And a realistic approach to speedsters could be exactly it, considering they are a staple of the genre but we haven’t been introduced to any.
–
On a side note, the ability to move your body that fast and not burn up due to atmospheric friction, or shatter every bone in you leg when it impacts the ground at mach 20, must also mean speedsters has a really good resistance to the strain of their powers. Or possibly a localized time dilation field, which means they spread the strain, and damage, out over a longer timeframe. Even a punch that can shatter mountains would merely push you if you experienced it over the course of an hour.
This is also an explanation and simultaneously answers the question of superhuman reactions/processing speeds.
The actual answer is probably a combination of sorts, or that writers aren’t physics nerds and just writes a cool (subjective) story.
We have seen a speedster: see #219 – Mach the Knife; Jun 2, 2014.
We always assumed that most anime universes have either:
1) Everything has a -1/4 LIM – 2x Knockback, Only to determine distance flown, does not affect damage applied (practically any anime) OR
2) Everything has a -1 LIM – 2x BOD from “God Powers” (Tenkuu Senki Shurato being the best example of this)
LIM?
1/4 Linear Induction Motor – 2 x Knockback?
Would this result in a 1.75 Linear Induction Motor knock forwards?
Just gonna say it… Sydney w/o glasses… last panel…
I should be ashamed of what I’m thinking.
I’m not.
…but I should.
Does someone need to borrow my red labcoat?
The only red labcoat I can think of is Dr. Horrible.
Better off Ted had an episode featuring a red labcoat.
i’m still in the myself. that shot isn’t bad, mind you, just doesn’t top just-woke-up-but-still-mischievous for me.
Yea, that was a great look.
But Sydney has since then found the “Life Support Function,” they won’t have to worry about CO2 buildup any more, even when carrying several people. They could still use the couch with seatbelts & etc…
I think the pertinent part, regarding Sydney’s appearance, was panel 3.
There is a problem with the point you make though. Halo is holding both the flyball and the shield orb, in that scene. In order to free up a hand she would have to release one of the others. Meaning that they would still need to periodically drop to a height where they will not freeze (unless the life support orb unlocks an upgrade to provide for that too).
So no change to the routine we saw there. Little point in grasping the life-support orb when natural fresh air is automatically replacing the muggy stuff, by virtue of having lowered the shield.
If Sydney wants to fly to the Moon she will need Varia as a co-pilot. But they can make a very comfortable space ship by having an airtight space-safe shell, designed to fit inside the embiggened shield.
They can fill that with all the necessary Yorpie Snax, water, communications, navigation equipment, space suits, couches, home entertainment system, generator and emergency life support etc. The latter example being needed in case the shield user’s orb gets knocked out of whatever they use to keep it firmly trapped in their palm. Or if they need to use other orbs in some emergency.
Plus there would be little point in going all that way only to remain trapped in a shield. So it needs to be able to remain habitable whilst they go off for a walkies. Ooh, ooh, and they will need a tree in there – for necessary bodily functions. No trees on the Moon. They do not grow well in Wenseydale cheese.
Sydney missed a real opportunity. She has her obs with her in the shower room. She could have dropped an Anvil on Dabbler! (probably be considered a breech of etiquette without permission first)
There are rules. Sydney is not allowed to do that, unless it is funny.
Ah yes the Roger Rabbit school of etiquette.
I would have laughed at that, even though it’s a repeat joke. Then it could be establishing itself as a Running Joke. But in this instance, DaveB would have had some trouble trying to keep Anvil’s lower towel down far enough to keep this PG-13.
+1
Nnnnot a strictly professional response by Maxima to violence in the workplace, but perfectly understandable given the circumstances. :p
Heck, I think Dabbler would get beaten up a lot more often if not for her unfortunately undeniable skillset(s).
Rule of Sydney
I’m not sure Max was there to see the punch. Sydney didn’t explicitly say how she paid Dabbler back, just why. It’s entirely possible Max assumes Syd told an overly erotic joke Dabbler had never heard before. (OK, it’s highly unlikely, but until an explicit mention of actual violence comes up, she doesn’t have to assume it.)
Well, it’s not like Max can be too critical of Sydney hitting Dabbler: She has tried to do the same; https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/620
At Marvel- Hercules or the Thing. Ben often bemoans living in a world too small for him since issue #1. He’s been shown accidentally smashing everything from door frames to chairs to car doors just by shifting his weight too much. Herc on the other hand just isn’t that careful a guy, and that’s when he’s sober. I imagine he’s hell on the Avenger’s insurance rates.
that is probably nothing compared to villains constantly exploding the place.
super insurance is a coverage in marvel.
“Extraordinary Activity Assurance”
Premiums on that must be biblical.
Well at least the terms and conditions will be written in stone…
… or maybe fire.
I think it would be awesome if you ever got the time to do an x-mas special/holiday special where Sydney and Max have to covertly save Santa, and Max pulls a Rudolf and lights the way with her reflective skin and a party favor glow ball. And Sydney is constantly being slapped by an elf while trying to peek into the present sack.
Weird fact: pretty sure both Marvel and DC have done something like that, in fact Santa once got his mittens on the Infinity Gauntlet. https://2.media.dorkly.cvcdn.com/51/81/b8588327382636db8764bd86dab799a7.jpg
I saw Marvel doing a parody with a Christmas issue, where they re-worked the Night Before Christmas poem. In it, Santa got caught up in the traps that Dr. Doom had installed at his castle. Santa was injured but needed time to recover, so Dr. Doom had to take Santa’s place to deliver the presents.
…Make of that what you will…
I would have thought the lump of coal Santa must have been carrying would have put him off the idea.
Happy Holidaze Dave. if you need to take a day off we will understand
+1
Steve Niles did a pretty nifty comic once called Fused about this guy who is trapped inside a 7 or 8 foot tall combat robot (its has full life support and organic intergration). Well one of the best scenes is when the guy is trying to change the channel on his tv, he keep crushing his remotes. But the next panel pulls out and you see that he’s got this large crate of universal remotes he keeps digging into everytime he breaks one. Just such a nice touch in the story I thought.
Hope they put one of those shower heads nice and high on the wall for Anvil.
While she is out they should dress her in something concealing and take photos. So Embarrassing!
Heh. Ankle length skirts, top buttoned up to the neck and posted on the magical internet (when back online), with the caption ‘succubus gone good’ … totally humiliating!
Full nun’s habit, with wimple.
I would be very surprised if Dabbler did not have a (kinky) version of that already, complete with matching naughty underwear.
So… Dabbler would be a nun with bad habits?
(Sorry. So sorry. I just couldn’t resist.)
Well superman supposedly has as one of his (many) extra powers “precise muscle control”, but that he in the 2nd continuity of DC universe (post crisis pre 52) subconsciously weakened himself because how fragile the world was around him.
But that said, super strength is one of those things you rarely see being treated (consistently) with a character or how they interact with the world around such as *just because THEY are invulnerable and strong enough to not be “moved” by your attack doesn’t mean the ground under them was, so unless they could fly to push back they should still be pushed away as the ground is torn up behind them.
Personally feel the best example of someone adapting to super strength comes from a somewhat unexpected source (Tenchi Muyo GXP) a regular guy finds himself recruited to the Galaxy Police and enhanced, however he has to adapt to the new super strength and speed through rigorous daily training *even things as simple as lifting wooden blocks without accidently crushing them or throwing them miles away*, heck the best part was that he had to relearn to walk because his strength was so disproportionate to his weight that his usual effort to take a step sent him flying through the air.
Has anyone tried going into the cast page lately? I can’t get it to load anything besides the top and bottom banners, bottom advertisement and the links found just under the top banner and under the usual comic.
It’s been broken for a while (and wildly out of date for longer than that) Hoping to fix it after the holidays.
Thanks, DaveB. Great comic, by the way.
If a guy said that he had ‘cracked his knob’, he would be in need of a trip to the hospital!
No foolin’
That seriously IS “a thing” that can happen.
Phew, I thought Roger & Jessica were gonners for sure!
But what about that sinister-looking time-traveller, with the gun, in the background?
*paces nervously*
As for people wondering why Maxi’s shower has been reinforced: when Sydney first arrived, ARQ-HQ still had final touches being added, which implies it is a brand new building, Maxi hasn’t had time to break things (well, not intentionally anyway, other than Ari’s poor window :P)
Dang it, meant Maxi’s shower has NOT been reinforced
I’m now seeing a bathroom full of those huge gray steel wheel valves you see in submarine movies.
Heh.
Don’t stress during the holidays, Dave. Having a relaxed writer/artist full of inspiration in the new year is a better christmas present than one or two extra comic pages.
I’m sure political argumentation is frowned on in this comment thread, but having no prior offenses, I feel I have to risk it for the sake of my conscience. I need to call you out on this one, David, because of this line in your artist commentary:
“That’s the danger of being progressive beyond the fringe. You have to wait for the rest of the world to appreciate your forward attitudes.”
This statement is one of the best illustrations I’ve ever seen of the crappy liberal attitude which conservative people are deeply disgusted with (as reflected in last years elections). The automatic, unquestioning assumption that the progressive viewpoint is not just correct, but completely inarguable, and that anyone who holds a differing opinion is obviously wrong. Phrases like “you’re on the wrong side of history”, and even the word “progressive” (as if all other philosophies are anti-progress), speak to a smug, self-superior assumption that your way is the only right way, and that is incredibly insulting to people who have different perspectives….and might, just maybe, even have come from the same perspective as you, by equally valid logical routes, and have reached a different conclusion. People who believe that there are significant problems with the progressive agenda are very tired of being dismissed as backward hicks, ignorant Luddites, literal racists, and worse, all because we don’t instantly and unanimously fall into line with the One True Way that you have all agreed on, by refusing to hear any attitude that you’ve decided to declare invalid. (Disclaimer…I say “we” not because I identify as a conservative, but only as a nonliberal.)
Dabbler is NOT in the right in this matter. She is not from a more enlightened society who are sex positive because all sufficiently advanced societies have raised the art of seduction to such heights that their equivalent of a handshake looks like sexual harassment to us poor, backwards humans with our primitive superstitious taboos against sex. Dabbler is a *deviant*, and her behavior is massively transgressive. Max is from a military background, she knows that concepts like respect and boundaries are the difference between civilization and anarchy. To her, the culture Dabbler comes from would doubtlessly regard as nightmarishly degenerate, and that isn’t an invalid, barbaric viewpoint. Dabbler owes both Sydney and Maxima apologies for her outrageous behavior; she has no right to try and inculcate them into her “higher” way of life by using these little seductive “pranks” to try and wear down their resistance.
Although I do agree that Dabbler’s “side effects” were wrong, I think Sydney’s reaction was correct, if a bit extreme, but then again, I’m not female, so maybe it was appropriate. But politics has nothing to do with this. In human terms, it’s sexual harassment or assault; in terms of Dabblers culture, it may be perfectly innocent. This is probably an aspect of cultural relationships that can never be resolved; Those interacting have to find some kind of negotiated middle ground – like pounding the “personal space invader” as a gentle reminder to leave the neurotransmitters alone.
See? no politics required.
Well, I was being a little tongue in cheek when I called Dabbler “progressive beyond the fringe” Sex is a different sort of commodity to succubi since it’s an essential part of their nutritional requirements.
And you know, usually when someone accuses someone else of being on the wrong side of history, it’s because that person has an opinion that used to put them in the majority, but since societies are not static constructs, views and attitudes change over time, they now find themselves clinging to a minority opinion.
Often these involve moral positions, like attitudes towards slavery or refusing a certain gender or sexual orientation equal rights. When people are challenged on things that are baldly morally indefensible, it is an unfortunate attribute of the human condition that they probably more likely to double down as they are to recognize their position is antiquated.
But this only works when there is clear societal momentum in a given direction. If someone says slavery is peachy, it’s fair to say they’re on the wrong side of history. It’s also ok to punch them in the liver. If someone says the next “thing” is to chop off your dominant hand and sew a rotting fish head in its place, and if you disagree then you’re on the wrong side of histroy… that would be an inappropriate use of the phrase.
I don’t believe I’ve ever used to defend fish fisting.
Only if the fish was into that kind of thing and compliant.
“if someone says slavery is peachy, it’s fair to say they’re on the wrong side of history. It’s also ok to punch them in the liver.”
This is where you’re wrong. It is always equally unacceptable to use violence against people who have done nothing other than exercise their freedom of speech. If you punch a seeming Neo-Nazi and say “that’s for slavery”, you are no more in the moral right than if a random barfly had glanced in the direction of your girlfriend, and you punched him and yelled “that’s for looking at my woman”. Actions may be repaid with actions; words of any sort should only provoke more words. If you find someone actually enslaving a person, or having already done so, then you punch them. But if all they do is say “we should bring back slavery”, the correct response is simply to say “no we shouldn’t”.
Slavery is thriving in modern society. There are tens of thousands of cases known in the UK alone. I am perfectly comfortable with punching anyone actively championing that, be it verbally or otherwise.
Talking about it in the abstract, no problems. Verbally encouraging the practice, attempting to get it legalised or trying to make it socially acceptable and they can expect a bloody nose!
Some things are worth taking a stand on.
Yes, and preventing the widespread acceptance of preemptive violence against people who are only exercising their freedom of speech, I’d call that one such thing.
Actually incitement to conduct a crime is itself a crime and thereby is precluded from the right to conduct free speech. So your characterisation of it being such is incorrect.
However I am willing to accept their incarceration in lieu of the satisfaction I would get from throwing the punch. They will get far more inhumane treatment, inside a prison, than just one punch from me.
… How long have you been sitting on that Purple People Eater joke?
I’m ashamed that I only just thought of it while writing this page.
For those who don’t get it, listen and enjoy (there is also a movie, if you are really interested)
Thanks. I had heard it mentioned many times, in the past. So frequently that I have dropped the name a few times. But I do not recall having heard the song before. Or at least not when I was paying attention to it. Which probably explains it, as the style of song would not elevate it above ‘background musak’.
Who makes the brassieres for the female supers, Goodyear?
there are bras for women irl who have bigger breasts than that
But none so metallic. Probably wears thru normal bras, especially if the material snags on hard points.
We have seen who they get their bras from, or they could have a cross-over with “Wapsi Square”
Nine out of ten smartgunners buy their bras from Jenette.
In this comic, Archon hires the services of a super-powered tailor (hires Fashion Ninjas as assistants, no less) who usually makes their uniforms & other such clothing…He can make a regular cotton shirt about as bullet-resistant as kevlar cloth. However, he has his own business & clientele taking up most of his time, so there just might be the possibility of a Wapsi Square crossover should he be too busy for Archon at some time.
It may be good to be the queen, but you know that you’re the queen’s BFF when you can razz her like that and get away with it. ;-)
Or the CO’s top NCO. Although, in this case, I think it’s both.
top NCO maybe, but in a team full of commissioned officers. hiro is a major. peggy is a pilot, so she should be Lieutenant at least. dabbler and stalwart are PMCs, with unclear position in the structure.I think the military would give them a rank equivalent. I think Harem is a corporal. heatwave, halo and jabber are recruits.
Sounds like Maxima could make use of (and be one of the few on the planet) that could enjoy a Bloody Stupid Johnston shower.
I’ve noticed on occasion that some commenters would like there to be some sort of up-vote down-vote system. Perhaps something like the the widget on https://shivae.net/blog/comic/inktober-10-gigantic/ could be implemented?
Good suggestion.
Dave is wary of messing with the comments though, in case it causes them to be corrupted or lost. He is an artist and writer, rather than an IT professional or programmer. So caution is wise.
I foresee this leading to a much more subdued Dabbler when it comes to Sidney.
Sidney: “Yo, can I get a warmth spell over here?”
Dabbler: “Um… No.”
Sidney: “What? Why not?”
Dabbler: *looking glum* “You expressed outrage over the side effects of my incantations in a most precise manner. To put it simply, I don’t want you to punch me again.”
Maxima: *whispering* “Sid, I’ve never seen her like this… All subdued and robotic… Any chance you could tell me precisely where you hit her and how hard?”
Again, Sidney’s problem was that she was not warned before hand
Yeah, I could see Max asking a question like that…for future reference purposes, of course.
ᗒʖᗕ
Hey, who HASN’T been found twitching on a shower stall floor at one time or another.
I am surprised she even uses shower at all. If we recall the scene of slipping camouflage, dirt literally cannot stick to her. Her entire body is super-hydrophobic. I guess water could be used to clump up a few remaining dust particles, but her hair should not even be wet. And water would roll off her body too.
It is not so much that it cannot stick, just that it does not stay where she put it. Her camo paint smeared all over the place, for instance. So Maxima will indeed find it easier to clean herself, but her powers do not make it automatic. She can and will have dirt on her. Just not as much as others might in similar circumstances.
Plus if Maxima is perspiring, her sweat is being generated inside her personal force field. Whilst the force fields must be air and water permeable,* it may well impede the transfer. Meaning that Maxima may have to scrub really hard, in order to eliminate any potential odor.
* In order for her cells and lungs, as examples, to be able to function and get nourishment)
Where did you get the idea Maxi was repellent to water? Or, basically, any of what you just typed? o_O
Is it just me or did Sidney get an upgrade in the beauty department in the last panel?
she almost looks like Harem
I think it is more a return to form. Sydney originally used to have that more angular face. Since developing the new style though DaveB tends to draw Sydney with a very rounded face at times. But I agree that she looks better when she reverts more to her original face shape.
There is more to it than just that mind. The new style does soften Sydney’s face, so that is adding to the effect you mention. Plus not having any glasses will shift your perception of her.
Merry Christmas to DaveB, Keith and all fellow readers. And seasonal greetings instead, where applicable.
I will be happier knowing that Dave is getting a break, over Christmas, rather than working. Well deserved!
Yups, regardless how he spends it (or with whom), he deserves at least one day off out of 365 :D
A bit out of left field. I just binged the entire comic strip over the last two days.
Aside from a few odd questions regarding if certain characters like some of the recruits will appear more regularly…or if the one blond recruit will have his actual powers known *he joked about being made of spiders but I don’t think we ever were told his actual powers*
Another thing more recent came to mind, the vault guardian.
It attacked the council members when the door was open. But we found out Sciona’s team showed up further inside behind the second door, breached one of the inner chambers, and shortly after Sciona ditched everyone after she set the death field…which had the Scythe dimension ripper thing inside it…so odd Wyrmwil got ahold of it…but Deus and his team look to have had to leave shortly after as well because of the expanding field, just enough time to knock over and grab a few more artifacts before the field filled it range limit *of the entire room*.
So…why did the guardian in the outer room attack the council members?
Sciona didn’t reprogram it, my next guess would be Deus but given some of the mess and lack of obvious human footprints in the gore filled room between them (that he obviously didn’t step through as that would be a clear indicator someone had walked from that room to the outer room *bloody foot prints outside the gore room, no need to cover that up if the golem is set to attack*.
So…why did it attack the council members? Is there another third party we aren’t seeing yet? Or another explanation?
Sciona can teleport, so we should not assume that she left the complex at the last point we saw her (when leaving Deus and co’s area). She had the run of the place, whilst they were busy looting and avoiding the death field.
So either she or Deus or any of their crew could have done the reprogramming. Or there could be a third party.
Sciona seems the most likely though as she clearly knows her way around magical guardians.
I would deduce Vance’s powers as being: Fear, Weaving (good enough to make an outfit that looks like a member of a completely different species), fear, eating bugs & fear.
Or, it was simply programmed to attack anything that came through the front door, Sci-fright and company came in via the basement while Deus came in via a window, also, they were all in the Vault itself, the Guardian was outside the vault
That is an option that the vault designers may have chosen. But it seems unlikely that none of the council members would be aware of that security feature. It is their vault, so you would expect them to know how to deactivate the guardian or otherwise have it recognise them as legitimate visitors. Especially as they had correctly used the multi-council member identification system!
What Yorp said, If I designed a robot or golem to protect my private armory or treasure vault but failed to give it a face recognition, voice recognition, proper code entry, aura recognition, or something means to NOT attack me when I came in through the front door to deposit or retrieve something it would be a monumental oversight on my part.
Well, until a reprogramingization is shown in-comic, going to go with the old “one of the council members is a traitor and deliberately messed up the door code in an effort to kill everyone else” tactic (which is just as plausible, and unverifiable, as Sci-fright or Deus reprograming the door-bot)
the council member could be third party, we did see those vampires with Sciona during the council room battle, so it could have been another trap they set for their own reasons not directly related to Sciona or Deus. After all just because villains are working together doesn’t mean they are working to the same goals.
Plausible.
It’s also possible that the vault guardian may have been part of the vault’s fail safe mode (which we saw being triggered), in which it defaults to a kill anything that moves state. The designers protected the vault against teleportation and so could assume you would have to leave via the normal entrance, so this would help as a safeguard against someone who was authorised to access the vault/was able to trick the guardian, and then steals something.
We saw it attacking intruders. I would not characterise that as being a fail safe mode though. That is a normal part of its function, rather than its state when broken.
A fail safe mode would, for instance, be a door that will remain locked if the power fails. Rather than its mechanism requiring power to remain operational. Electronic dinosaur fences being an example of something which fails unsafe.
Plus, even if the vault had entered a failsafe mode, the very fact that the council used the appropriate method to gain access to the vault (the mechanism for which was clearly working) should have rescinded whatever emergency state it had enabled.
The vault is specifically designed to oppose any intruder until help arrives. Whilst we know that the call for help did not get through (because the magical internet was offline) that would not stop the vault from following these instructions.
An implicit part of which would be that ‘when help arrives, and confirms it is genuine by using the correct protocol, do not kill them!’
Granted a really badly program could be bugged in that the vault was unable to make the call for help, therefore help is not expected. But if it was that flawed then every attempt to enter the vault would be treated as if they were intruders, as the vault would not be expecting them either.
Yet we know that periodically visitors do come here, if nothing else, to add a new artefact, whenever one is captured.
Anytime you want to have Anvil drop those towels on DeviantArt, that would be fine for me. ;D
Not gonna lie, anvil is pretty darn appealing.
Happy Holidays, DaveB! Take a break!
Why is maxima’s right hand on her left arm in that last panel?
I’m pretty sure it’s the left hand on the left arm. Try pointing at yourself in the mirror with both hands and compare.
Index finger should be the one closest to body no matter which hand it is, try it.
Her palm is facing up, thumb on outside overlapping top pointing inwards so index finger is outside away from body.
yeah the picture is the way it should be,.
When the thumb is facing out, so is the index finger
Seeing how was asked never to comment again in YAFGC, will answer your question here: why would Niko be bluffing? Mama Hunter is still good looking and they did just get married (sleeping with The Cad’s mother would just be another thing to make him grumpy about :D)