Grrl Power #852 – Laundry Hold ‘Em
Archon HQ is a bit like the Olympic Village at times. There’s a bunch of super fit people hanging out after hours, and sometimes when the RA/Den Mother is away, sometimes things get sexy. I don’t know if the Olympic Villages have any sort of RA’s, but there are probably quite a few coaches going out of their minds trying to keep their teams from going crazy every night.
Digit, the blonde with the goggles on her head, has appeared before in the comic, but only briefly. She’s one of the Arc-SPARQ boffins, and is one of those mad geniuses that appears totally scatterbrained but still manages to invent crazy stuff all the time. Over the course of losing a few hands, she’s elected to remove everything but her shirt, not because she’s self conscious about her breasts – if anything she’s curiously asexual to the point of being naïve – instead it just didn’t occur to her to take her shirt off before her bra.
Some of you may notice that Jabberwokky is sitting in the same room as Dabbler without trying to fight-molest her. Obviously there were developments there while Sydney was away. It will come up eventually I’m sure, but it’s not like a major plot point.
Apparently it’s an unspoken rule that the girls match their underwear to their hair. That’s my fault. I guess I didn’t want to expend the brain power to try and keep track of underwear color from page to page.
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Sexy times can’t be helped when there’s young fit people around. The Olympic Village is legend for it and I was once assured by a Karate student that the best part of tournaments was the night before if you know what I mean….
So… Harem, Halo, probably Dabbler, and possibly Specs all seem to have a decent chance of being able to cheat at poker…
That’s what makes it fair.
Daniel here. Dabbler & Specs would find it the easiest to cheat, tracking particular cards via visual cues normally outside the visible spectrum (Specs via powers, Dabbler via cybernetic eye. Fingerprints/genetic markers/thermal imprints/etc on particular cards in certain spots, magic based tracking, etc) however I don’t see Harem & Halo finding it easier to cheat.
If you mean Harem’s teleport & Halo’s Com-ball Double, both would be highly visible & therefore painfully obvious attempts at cheating. Harem’s teleport makes a distinct sound and the teleporting body is not invisible, so if she tries teleporting in cards under the table everyone will hear the sound + anyone next to her will see the other her. And I don’t think I see a 2nd Harem, so teaming up with another her is out. Only other way I can think of Harem super-cheating is having 1 body in the surveillance office watching the cameras. But THAT would only work if they’re betting on hands, not just “lowest hands takes something off” rules. And Sydney’s Com-ball teleport/tele-presence doesn’t “see” until it manifests as an image of her, while it’s a floating ball she only senses the layout of what’s around her & whether she’ll manifest in contact with something…
And yes, If I was to actually play poker (never have, don’t really know how, but could look up card combination values), I would probably be the 1 bouncing between looking at a list of card combination values, my own cards and watching everyone else for signs of cheating & tells…
I learned to play at the age of 7!
I learned to play at the age of 7!
Ren would have an edge, too. Being able to see in slow-mo would mean that any accidental show of a card being drawn/discarded would be super obvious, and give him clue as to what is in play.
Adding in that Specs would also have a hard time. Her powers manifest as glowing eye spots clearly visible to the people around her based on reactions in previous comics. This clearly leaves it down to Dabbler as the only one who could cheat easily without being caught and I doubt she is cheating since she would be happy with any outcome that reduces the total number of clothes being worn. And she wouldn’t want to speed things up because the anticipation leads to build up of tantric energy and a more satisfying meal for her.
They’ve got chips, so there’s some betting going on. My guess is that they have to take something off in order to rebuy.
“… the teleporting body is not invisible, …”
Are we sure of this? I haven’t seen anybody react to the visible presence of a teleport, and I always thought DaveB drew them in for our benefit.
You mean, no one other than Sydney when she first met Daphne? Or that time after the Restaurant Rumble when one of the Daphne’s did a coffee run?
Not sure what sort of reaction you were expecting
DaveB‘s effects is so we can tell whether they are *VORP*ing in or out
OK, I can accept a visible “vorp-field” effect on (dis)appearance, just hadn’t thought too deeply about it.
Screwball also says “Harem’s teleport makes a distinct sound“… Would this be the “VORP” that DaveB puts in? Given this could interfere with clandestine work, it would be problematic.
I always assumed that the “Vorp” was the result of the sudden absence or sudden presence of a teleporter. However the process works, it must displace a volume of air equal to the volume of a body, clothing etc.
To avoid a massive implosion, the process must counter-teleport an equivalent volume of air to fill the gap. That air will rarely be at the exact same pressure.
So, “Vorp” is the sound of that displacement.
except that when Specs uses her powers, one or several sets of glowing lenses/eyes float in the air; everyone will know she is using her powers, and if Dabbler cheats it will be to get EVERYONE naked, herself included, so I’m good with that.
I doubt Halo can keep a poker face for long. Especially not in the company of attractive men in various stages of almost nudity. She is not known for being cool.
On the other hand, showing nothing but emotion at all times can also hide your tells, especially if you’re in a state of agitation over something other than your hand.
No, but she’s got that unpredictability… she’s almost certainly going to laugh maniacally the first time you deal her some cards, but with Halo, that could mean anything.
In fact she might very well be laughing manicall all the time if I know her right. That would work as a inverted, yet effective, pokerface.
Dave reveals Sydney is a huge card shark
in the strictest sense of the word, poker [i]IS[/i] a table top game…
The telepresence orb could be used to peek at other people’s hands – although the holo-Halo would be a bit of a giveaway to other people at the table.
digit’s chearcter designe seems a bit chipmunkie to me…….
She was partially patterned after a mouse in Chip & Dale’s Rescue Rangers.
“Apparently it’s an unspoken rule that the girls match their underwear to their hair. That’s my fault. I guess I didn’t want to expend the brain power to try and keep track of underwear color from page to page.”
– if you are managing a group of supers and want them to have their own colour schemes its probably easier to buy everything in those colours to keep things simple. Yeah, right. If this was Marvel I would ask for a “No Prise”
Kind of surprised Brooke and Morph are there, given her reaction to Daph’s prank, but I guess the like to mingle occasionally.
May I point out that Maxima’s thong ALSO matches her hair color (at least, where it’s not diphanous)
seeing Sydney after so much time is nice, but strip poker looks nicer.
They’re playing strip poker. It’s easy to see who’s underwear is whose when they match – if not to return them, then to know who you beat.
Okay, I’m wondering what version of strip poker they aren’t playing. Cause 1 version I’ve heard about you keep playing once you’re naked, and if you loose again, you have to……. perform an act of self pleasure as punishment…
Daniel the Human has never played, he had to pour a bucket of water over me to stop me overheating when he pointed out they were not not playing strip poker, only reason I’m functional right now…
You are adorable. Can I keep you? We have fresh ribeye in the house…
Two things….
1.Underwear matching their hair color-Power Rangers much?
2.Do they have someone as a look out to warn them when Maxima is coming?
1- Eh? Think Ive heard of them, Daniel the Human just chuckled at me…
2- Doesn’t look like it, if Sydney can sneak up on them like that. Might have to watch for Anvil too. Maybe 1 of the team techniwhizes has a system which beeps when someone they don’t want finding out gets close? If so, Sydney obviously isn’t tagged on it…
Unless Anvil IS the lookout.
“from page to page” …not from panel to panel? So, more stripping next strip?
If Maxima should be coming their way,the look out will shout: “Maxima is approaching!!” Cue the madcap scramble to get dressed and maybe Harem or Dabbler wearing t-shirts that are too large!?
Look closely, Digit is still wearing her bra as you can see the upper outline through her shirt. Just saying.
Clever players dress in layers.
Which makes Dabbler sad.
Don’t make space grandma sad.
No. I’m here for the hijinks, not the fan service, but thinking of Dabbler as a grandma still ruins everything.
Happy birthday to you too!
So Digit layered up two bras? But not panties?
We need Sydney to get caught doing Space-FaceTime with her wolfey… would be awesome embarrassment. This could lead to a pillow fight and MATH on duty elsewhere gets suddenly grumpy knowing he’s missing something very very important for some reason.
Or when they convince Sydney to bring them snacks while they play and she runs off and brings back snacks (including melted breaded cheese logs) and Dabbler does her JarJarBinks imitation and burns her tongue on the nuked cheese sticks.
Jabberwocky is having her first introduction to Sydney’s irreverence.
Ah, laundry-related, NOT strip poker! My favourite kind of poker.
Sidney, if they need, they have rooms in the building. I’d assume that with their income they have several sets of clothes stashed there. Or at least their uniforms. Even if there is a laundry room in the building (I would assume the rooms have a washer), there is no reason for them to sit around half-(or more) naked waiting before the wash is done.
Yes there is! They could play Snap!
Wow, at least 9 people playing. Anyway call their bluff and scoop of the pot to go wash it. I’m sure everyone will be fine with you helping out. ;)
It gets worse. If we use the direction Harem is looking and her angle with the table to determine her position and assume symmetry in regard to the line between Halo and Ren, we get 13 people around the table.
Never have more than 7 people at the table, it messes things up, as there are not eeough cards, in the deck.
Nah … you just add another deck.
Makes it fun if two people have the exact same winning hand. lol
Depends on the game. For five card stud, you can have up to 10 people.
And for Texas Hold’em, you could theoretically have 22 people.
… but they’re obviously not playing either of those, not with 3 hole/pocket cards and no revealed/community cards.
… what ARE they playing?
Maybe some flavor of draw and it’s in the middle of the deal? There’s too many players for draw, but maybe they just reshuffle if the deck runs out or something.
Kentrel? 3 card brag? (Not technically poker.) Anything else?
If the unseen man to Jabberwokky’s left is the dealer (likely, since the deck itself isn’t visible), then the “river” would be in front of him.
But they players still wouldn’t have three pocket cards.
…. Okay, I’ve figured it out. They’re playing strip 3 card brag. Because Max order them not to play strip poker.
“she’s curiously asexual to the point of being naïve”
You know asexual is an orientation meaning “doesn’t experience sexual attraction” right? Not someone who doesn’t want/understand sex or sexual things. Obviously you can be a naive asexual, but it’s a noun, not a verb.
– an entirely non-naive asexual (and pedant)
It’s both a noun and an adjective, depending on context. (And honestly if we were going to start taking one of the forms as inappropriate it would presumably be the noun form akin to how it’s not right to refer to somebody as “a gay.”)
And we do by definition not want sex. We don’t all want to avoid sex; some of us are simply ambivalent. But if we wanted sex then we would be experiencing sexual attraction (unless you count masturbation as sex, which you shouldn’t).
— Another ace who is prone to pedantry and is generally not naive
Heatwave–Digit
/ \
Amorphous Specs
| |
Harem Dabbler
| |
Math? Ren
\ /
Jabberwokky
Heatwave–.-Digit
/…………………\
Amorphous….Specs
|………………….|
Harem………Dabbler
|………………….|
Math?………….Ren
\…………………/
…Jabberwokky
Which means Harem is looking at Jabberwokky when talking but that’s my best assessment.
Looks about right, can’t imagine anyone else except Math wearing a singlet (male or female)
Actually I can’t imagine Math staying still or coordinated in a strip 3 card brag game…
It’s been two months, even someone like him should be okay by now, and can’t imagine anyone else of his size and musculature (which rules out Leon) also wearing a singlet
See if Maxi’s prescription worked.
Well, if it is Math, and he’s sitting next to the woman that caused him to receive the prescription… then high odds that it did work
Various stages of this game from different views would make an excellent vote incentive (depending on how NSFW you decide to make it). Or if you ever participate in the VSD again, a comic short.
*sigh*
First, they are playing a variation of Strip Old Maid. Seriously, people, learn your card games.
Second, of course Digit turned in her panties before her top. the panties are worth the most chips.
Anyone who seriously attended Band Camp knows these things.
My band camp was nowhere near as interesting as most, apparently.
Looks like Jabby got to work off that residual energy while Sydney was off star trekkin’ across the galaxy.
Torn on this one. Yay gratuitous fanservice vs beautiful people shenanigans, normies not invited.
Aye. I appreciate fanservice as much as the next five guys, but lookswise they’re all perfect as perfect comes pretty much. Makes them less relatable.
I love those clothes that they’re almost wearing…
Birthday suits?
I think the underwear matching the hair makes sense for a group that meets regularly. They’re not going to care much about the clothing since it’s the first to go.
Specs has crazy eyes.
I like.
Sydney is at her BEST when her ADHD meds are wearing off.
I did not think of that. I thought she was being aggressively innocent I eat choosing to try and believe them because she did not want to not believe them
If the meds are wearing off, she might actually be finagled into playing despite being body-conscious.
…. also, a smash cut would guarantee it.
Sydney IS smart enough, but after boning a space furry, is she self-confident enough to play poker while clothing (including hers) are removed while a mutual laundry day is had?
(Probably the explanation, really it’s just that she was right to begin with.)
I mean, as far as we know, only Sydney and Dabbler play “make maxima say”.
*Did* Sydney bone Frix? I can’t remember.
Probably not, unless she is really uptight about being admired au naturel. Much more likely she and Frix got to know lots more about space-species than they imagined. Think pre-invasion reconnaissance…
I don’t think she’d yell at Xuriel if she didn’t have sex with Frix.
They did get naked together.
Sydney also got a huge romantic confidence boost after that.
She also decided she’d share a man afterwards.
Frix sent her a dick pic after, and she was happy about it. I’m sure just with that, she’d have to have had a sample and wanted more. Otherwise wouldn’t it just be extremely gross and annoying?
No, it seems it was just a… well-exposed… Frix-pic…
Dabs: It’s NOT poker – it’s a demon card game called bilswit! Bilswit isn’t normally played with a standard card deck – I usually use a Tarot deck – but we’re improvising! It’s… a bit like poker… okay, a LOT like poker… except Queens are worth negative points, and 5’s are semi-wild.
Digit: Wait, I thought 4’s were wild.
Dabs: That was LAST round, keep up! And they’re only SEMI-wild. Also, it doesn’t need a ‘stip’ variant – bilswit is ALWAYS played for clothing.
Harem: Whatever, I’m just here to see Ren naked.
Ren: Eh, I don’t mind.
Sydney: Sweet! Count me in!
Dabs: Okay, but… you need to ante.
Sydney: Okay! *mystery brown orb floats down to table*
Dabs: Um… I guess that counts as something you’re wearing…
“Dabs: It’s NOT poker – it’s a demon card game called bilswit! Bilswit isn’t normally played with a standard card deck – I usually use a Tarot deck – but we’re improvising! It’s… a bit like poker… okay, a LOT like poker… except Queens are worth negative points, and 5’s are semi-wild.”
except on Tuesdays
I thought the Tuesday exception was for fizzbin.
That is the reference I was trying to do, yes.
Reminds me of that time the Klatchian Foreign Legion tried to run Cripple Mr. Onion tables at a con.
*sees the Good Place reference and continues*
Also July.
I notice that of all the agents shown here only Dabbler is wearing her official choker. Even Sydney lacks hers.
And then, for the first time, I noticed that in the sidebar only Dabbler, Sydney and Harem show the symbol for their chokers. Don’t the other agents have chokers assigned? Maybe non-field agents don’t get them, but that would only be one or two of the agents shown in the sidebar. I thought all (field) agents had the choker.
Jab and Ren are rookies and so don’t have them yet (Halo and Jig are exceptions to that because they were at the press conference). Specs and Digit aren’t Arc-swat and so don’t have them.
In the comic they just aren’t wearing them (maybe the first thing lost).
Male necks (apart from Math) tend to be too… thick for the normal chokers (which is why Math has one and Morph doesn’t)
As Wanderer said, no chokers when not on duty or when inside ARC-HQ
Dabbles is wearing hers, because hers is the original prototype the others were modelled on
Also, DaveB is notoriously inconsistent about the chokers.
No chokers unless on duty? Dabbler’s only wearing hers to keep in contact with the lookout (which makes sense if she’s the instigator of these shenanigans – which I find likely)?
Maybe it’s lack of sleep but I’m not getting what Digit is confusing for “Lingerie on the table” that she responds with “I’m sitting on a towel”.
Mike: Yeah I didn’t get that one either.
to keep the seat from getting wet, or spoiled by any possible sweat, etc.
At nudist resorts having a towel to sit on is considered common courtesy. Nobody wants to see someone’s skid marks on the furniture.
Depending on what the seat is made from, you don’t want to stick to it (ever sat on a leather or vinyl seat, the sound of your flesh ripping as you attempt to stand again is something you only want to hear less than once)
Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’. Keep those sofas rollin’. Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’, Naugahyde! Sticky in hot weather, I love that phony leather, Naugahyde, Naugahyde, Naugahyde. yahh!
On that note, if you have a bare bum and a water slide, it’s essential to make sure there’s water flowing down the water slide before you slide your bare bum down the slide. Because if you don’t…you won’t exactly be sliding down the slide, if you catch my drift.
Many Oz surf-lifesavers will wedge their budgie-smugglers when using the surf-boats so their bums can slide freely on the laquered wooden seats…
So what’s motivating Digit to play strip poker, if it’s not for sexy times?
I guess she just wanted to feel included?
She wants some new clothes.
Asexual means no sexual attraction. Aesthetic attraction is still on the table. Digit may well want to look at the hot bods.
Not… quite, it generally means no interest in the physical act of sex, and, unless you also happen to be aromantic, can still be physically attracted to someone
Ace’s can still be in a physical loving relationship (same or opposite sex), they just don’t want to have sex (unless they are both Ace, the relationship tends to be ‘open’)
So…. someone is being taken to the cleaners?
Boo! Hiss. Take my Internets, you fiend.
Dave — is the redhead Heatwave, or the pink-haired Harem?
Count the freckles
Jabberwokky’s hair improve on each apparition. I would like to know more about her so I can write some kind of fanfiction/spin-off of her fighting crime and living pulp adventures.
I’m with Killjoy: who’s the person that looks like Heatwave? Is it actually Heatwave? That seems weird since she seems to be very much in the monogamous since she doesn’t take even jokes about kiss marks on her man. So why would she be willing to have sexy stripping times with a whole bunch of…well, not strangers, but people who probably haven’t seen her naked yet? I’m not against it or anything, I just find it weird? Also, is that young-Deus-without-the-scar looking character trying to get a sneak peek of boobs through the hair curtain on panel 4? Also, also, DaveB, would it kill ya to add the characters that don’t have any lines to the “Who’s Who?” section?
That would be Heatwave’s boyfriend, Morph, and he’s looking behind him at the sound of Sydney’s voice (without fully turning his head)
I think the unknown orb has to become a lightbulb for when sydney gets a clue.
So, apparently a) Archon has a large conference room with translucent walls and a poker table in it, implying that regular poker is officially sanctioned, b) a significant portion of the team is fine playing strip poker with their coworkers c) in a semi-public work space where anyone can walk by and see.
Arianna is marketing, not HR, but I am starting to have more and more sympathy for the office people at Archon who have to keep everything from coming apart by managing the culture, paperwork, and PR.
Don’t conference rooms usually come with cameras for things like, oh, conferences?
(Leon may be streaming this via pay-per-view to Math)
Math is there, beside Jabbs
And this is probably after hours (if it’s at the same time as Maxi’s not-date with Valyeur), which means regular staff will be home for the night
Yeah the Arcon leaders would have a much easier job if only people suited for soldier and police work got superpowers. Now they got this bunch of weirdos to play herd the cats with.
Slightly illicit on-base card games (granted, I’ve never heard of any being strip poker) are a U.S. military institution and tradition.
Hey, it was nice that you included an asexual type! <3
Sheesh, you’d think she was bad at keeping secrets. :)
I was wondering who the humanized Gadget Hackwrench was. Thx, Dave!
It’s nice to see that there are other people who don’t do laundry until they have nothing to wear.