Grrl Power #968 – Menagerie Fu!
I think I said it before when Jabberwokky was first introduced, but it’s been a while. She has a super weird power. She has basically any power or set of powers she wants, so long as she can justify them thematically. Usually that comes in the form of animal based kung fu styles, whether or not such a form of martial arts actually exists. Also… this give her some pretty wide leeway. There was some old kung fu theater movie I saw where a guy used Toad Style, which meant his skin was basically impervious. Like… toads have rough skin, but I don’t think of them as being particularly tough. I don’t think the have armadillos in China, but maybe go for Turtle Style instead?
Anyway, despite her “unlimited” power set, she’s still kind of constrained by physics? Well, not really, because in panel two there, it looks like Vehemence has about four hundred pounds on her, but she catches his fist and throws him. Not even like she’s using judo/his own strength/momentum against him. She actually seems to out-muscle him there. But she is constrained by her own mental idea of what kung fu is limited to, even if it is fairly crazy movie kung fu. For instance, yelling out “Eagle Style” doesn’t allow her to fly. It might let her jump high and even glide for a bit, but straight up flight seems to elude her, as do hadoukens and yoga teleportation. I guess she hasn’t watched Dragon Ball or OnePunch Man. Not sure if her powers would suddenly evolve if she thought cartoon martial arts counted, but I’m sure a terrible live action OPM movie is on its way.
Tamer: Enhancer 2 – Progress Update:
Getting close to finishing the final chapter, but… I don’t know, the ending I had planned kind of feels dry? I might want to extend to book to end on an action note? I think that would add 1 or 2 chapters. I’d be worried about that making the book too long, but honestly I’m not sure why that would be a problem. I’ve gotten used to reading pulp sci-fi and fantasy that usually clock in around 90K words, but there’s nothing wrong with a longer book, so long as there’s interesting stuff happening in it, right? Well, I’ll have to finish the “final” chapter and see how I feel about it.
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…Nobody introduce her to Wire-Fu.
We could tell her that Internet Trolling is a martial art….
What does that comment make you? Yellow belt? 4th dan? ;}
Enthusiastic Amature
so you spin right round baby right round? or has the demon autocorrect struck again?
as usual I goofed
Man I can, if you want…
What we see Jabberwocky doing is still very much within the constraints of physics, because physics isn’t biology and quite loose in it’s restrictions. She does have the volume, power and material composition to do these feats(A machine her size made of carbon could do it).
Biologically this could also make sense if we conclude from the Math panel Vehemence has bad footwork, since Jaberwocky could be instead of stopping the punch moving with it and pulling the last part to destabilize him, after which the turn would still be very heavy, but something that could be done. This requires bad footwork, because to avoid this he would just have to step with the punch, which would also give it more power.
Ay, Math and Jabberwocky! Out two favorite martial artists! xD
She locked her arms and didn’t go flying… comic book physics right there :D.
Okay it’s a nitpick but it’s a comic so no one really cares. I would however encourage Dave to take up some classes so that he can teach these heroes a thing or two about maximizing their strengths.
Little more of a nitpick, she plants herself with her left foot forward, I assume she has taken a step forward or backward so reverse this. But she apparently takes another step back on the left to deliver the throw. Something about this seems awkward. As Smoutwortel suggests she could have tugged him along at the last moment, but… her arms we locked, that would have been tricky. :/ Hmmmm
(Again no one cares its awesome).
She didn’t go flying, instead she dug in her feet while leaning into it, and was pushed back several feet. Since it wasn’t an uppercut, this is plausible physics, merely requiring good balance, lots of strength, and Vehemence being a lousy martial artist.
And the ground not being too hard to dig your feet into.
It’s not even as bad as those idiot, “Pushed back a dozen feet leaving a track, *while standing perfectly upright* scenes.
On the other hand, rhinos don’t use their hands, so there’s that.
Tell you what… go stand on a soft field put your arms out in the locked position and then get someone to push you. It’s really easy for them to do so. If her arms were bent slightly and rounded, (try it), I reckon she would have withstood without moving (since as you say, she didn’t move very far having locked arms). Locked arms are great for delivering power (remember to unlock them) but really bad for defense.
But, in the panel where her feet have changed, her arms are no longer locked, they’re bent, perhaps as a consequence of stepping forward, she could no longer keep them locked.
For women, locking the arms like that can be bad.
The elbow joint in men bends to just short of 180 degrees: Totally overload a man’s effort to keep his arms straight, and the elbow bends in the direction it’s supposed to bend.
In women, the elbow joint bends a little beyond 180 degrees: Totally overload a woman’s effort to keep her arms straight, and the joint dislocates.
In gymnastics class I saw a girl slip on the high bar, land with both arms extended. A guy would have face planted, but his arms would have been OK. She was carried out on a stretcher with two dislocated elbows.
Sounds like gymnasts should take some Judo training. One of the first and most important lessons is how to fall such that the impact is spread across a wider surface and is absorbed/diffused by muscles rather than bone. I haven’t played in decades, and I’ve lost a lot of those trained reflexes; as I’m getting older I’m starting to think I ought to get back in practice, against the day when falls become more common
I am surprised no one has brought this up.
Typo in Dabbler’s speech bubble in the last panel. It should either add ‘to’ to read “…don’t need to experience vicarious face kicking…” or remove the word “experience” to read “…don’t need vicarious face kicking…” As written, it’s not just a technical error but doesn’t scan for practical everyday conversation.
And sorry if it was brought up. I just did find searches on both pages of comments here at the time for “need to”, “need vicarious” and “need experience” and there was only one hit between the three that was not about any error.
I noticed that too, but if you thing about it, it’s actually very realistic. People do omit words and change sentence structure mid-statement. There’s no backspace in speech.
“if you thing about it, it’s actually very realistic”
I see what you did there…
Duke’s response might explain it, but written typos are not the same as verbal omissions. That is nof a natural omission in regular everyday conversation anymore than properly spoken grammar, I mean as spoken.
Again Duke may have something, but I think it’s been obvious where it’s English as her latest language and this doesn’t have that feel (also, I’m failry certain she’s used verb to verb before, but am not looking back. :/).
…think about it… (rather like speech, there’s no edit on this comment section)
There is a typo I often make…that I made on a post it note to myself the other day.
that is typing the word “not” when I meant to type “now” and vice versa; spell check and grammar check seem to rarely catch it so some stories may have this odd moment if I don’t catch it on a re-read.
well…as I said I wrote a post it note to myself for something I needed to buy and actually wrote out “not” instead of “now”.
English is not Dabbler’s first language….it’s like, her 130th-ish, I think?
I think you can forgive her the occasional verbal whoopsie-doo.
Does Rhinoceros Style mean that she is getting horny?
Nah, that’s Triceratops style :P
This came to mind when Math showed up.
(I prefer this version to the original tbh)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wC2jOSj8xU
I’m pretty sure “Boot to the Head” is a direct reference to this comedy sketch, seeing as it’s somewhat famous among nerds
Not criticizing Dave at all, but isn’t Math’s position in that panel like, literally the exact same as a move he made during another fight – I wanna say the big throwdown where we first meet Vehemence, but I’m not sure.
Again, I’m not criticizing here, but I mean, it looks to me like he literally just took that panel, cropped it, edited everything that wasn’t Math, & then stuck it in there.
Dating myself terribly, but every time I see the phrase “boot to the head” I’m reminded of this.
https://youtu.be/tfMcxmOBmpk
I think thats the joke, or a reference to the more famous Phoenix wright version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wC2jOSj8xU
Frantics version is the original. I prefer their later take but admit I was unaware of the original. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ajEOZ4tBqjQ
That version uses the Frantics audio.
Got to say, Rhinos are typically known for being the ones to dish out damage. While they have tough defenses, they aren’t really dexterous enough to spin a guy in the air like a top. Which is why they are better known for charging attacks. Maybe Hippo, or Gator/Crocodile style?
I remember the movie Kung Fu Hussle the character “The Beast,” was a user of toad style. Though in that he got on all fours, could ribbit like a real toad, and his main form of attack when using it was to launch himself like a flying battering ram. I imagine if Jabber did use a toad Style it be like that.
And to answer you’re Question, they don’t have Armadillos, but they do have Pangolins which are also naturally armored and would make a great Kung Fu style.
You know I seem to remember “Kevin,” doing allot better the last time he fought them. Guess he must e really out of sorts nearly wasting away in jail.
Believe it’s more a case of Rhino Style to block the punch, nothing to do with treating Kev like a record and spinning him right round
Fairly sure Jabs used Pangolin Style during the Rumble with Math
If she uses Panda style, Jack Black is summoned to help her in the fight.
Now I want to see the rest of the cast of the Fabulous Five here as well; didn’t recognize all the voices back when it first came out, but it’s a surprisingly star-studded group.
Jack Black is the one person I think can fit into any scenario with absolutely no context needed and I would accept it.
Panda that does kung fu and uses his fat and love of eating food as a weapon? No problem.
Luchador who runs an orphanage? No problem.
Heavy Metal Rock and Roll barbarian? No problem.
Person who plays the best song in the world in order to appease the devil but can’t remember it so instaed plays a tribute to it later on? No problem.
Here… watch.
An anthromorphic goose who needs to recover the 7 infinity rings in order to awaken a dragon from the core of the earth and realize his true potential as the President for Life of the very concept of ROCK AND ROLL?
No problem. I can totally see that being Jack Black as well.
Italian Shao Lin Drummer who arrives at Archon to teach the heroes/heroines the true meaning of friendship and heroism through an ancient lost form of capoeira-inspired interpretive dance, as Maxima realize he is the man of her dreams and Deus’s long lost half-brother from a dystopian future where hyperintelligent waffles have taken over the Earth?
No problem. Totally a Jack Black persona that I could believe would happen.
I think we could improve her “eagle mode” by having her watch Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and then giving her a Jade Sword.
Sure, it’s like giving dumbo a magic feather, but if she’s convinced that it’s jade sword style that lets her cross lakes and wire drift on bamboo…
I gather screaming eagle mode is more of a Dabbler move.
Jabberwaky’s ability is powerful, but it comes with an important restriction – she most likely needs to have a certain percentage of completion of the martial art for her to use it – she couldn’t just “make up” a martial art, she would have to have a certain percentage of the instruction manual for it to be useable. (ironically, it means some of the most powerful “martial arts” are ones she couldn’t use, because no one could ever uses or explains it well enough)
You are correct: she couldn’t just ‘make up’ an entire martial art, she is simply making up martial art styles, which is what most of the martial arts are
Cartoon martial arts, you say? https://www.egscomics.com/comic/2002-04-07
That’s actually ANIME style martial arts and if she studied THAT she would probably learn to fly.
I mean Nanase has a bad habit of floating around in complete defiance of physics, though it does turn out later that thats just magic
Where did Jabs’ tats go?
And so she just realizes “Hey, Maxima is a thing that exists and stuff. Maxima style.” and suddenly… yeah. not *quite* Max 2.0, but a fairly impressive attempt.
Yeah…doesn’t have to be an animal, since Crusader Style was a thing. She could totally do that.
Like, shag them till they give up?
I’m fairly sure that would be Dabbler Style (or Succubus Style in general). I’m also fairly sure that if Maxima heard you make that comparison, you would have to start running while hoping she’s in a listening mood…
Someone show her Grappler Baki. It straight up has a “Triceratops Style” that’s….. actually kind of similar to her Rhinoceros style right here actually.
How healthy do you have to be for pretty fucking?
When Dave said Mosquito Style I thought at first he was referring to Dabbler.
The terryfying Mosquito Style. A succubus special.
Also these last few pages are some of my favorites in terms of style. I haven’t been a complete fan of the ones before that.
I don’t know if its out yet (in universe) but if she can swing Bending from Avatar the last air bender. she’d be devastating even if she can only do one at a time. Earth bending alone would end several fights right there. The bending is explicitly a martial art so its not that far a stretch.
Jabberwocky needs to watch Kung Fu Hustle. Shaolin Soccer might be a bit too out there for her to reproduce, but in a world with powers, Kung-Fu Hustle isn’t as SoD breaking, since it seems her power runs on SoD. They’re both hilarious movies, but for power’s sake, the first would be more relatable for her.
I would add ‘Man with the Iron Fists’ to that list.
Ah… so with Vehemence it is not just that “Violence feels good!” it is that “Violence necessary to survive!” in the real world.
I can believe it… it could very well be that he is a demi-god of violence and he needs some violence done around or to him in order to survive and thrive. Less that he ‘likes’ it, more that he ‘needs’ it.
Replace “Violence” with “Food” and you will have it exactly. “Food feels good!” “Food necessary to survive!”.
Turtle Style is obviously reserved for DBZ references
Really loving the return to a more 2-D, comic-booky syle for these last too pages, I always think your art looks its best like this! :D
Write it longer, then settle in for a session of “killing your children” and edit it down/tighten it up to where you think it needs to be. Yes, that’s harder and less fun than writing per SE, but it’s a skill worth developing. And if there’s good stuff that doesn’t fit, well, maybe that’s seed material for the next.
I love how Math is doing the same attack that he did to Concretia that knocked her on her ass right before hitting with the palm strike. “There’s no such thing as JUST HUMAN.” Page 209. And don’t tell me Steve Blum couldn’t voice him.
Most people don’t need *to* experience vicarious face kickings?
“Primal” … hmmm … have we just acquired a bit more world-building?
Succubi are derivative of a primal energy (obviously) and celestials of another (but what?) and violence is yet another of the primal energies.
[pondering Dabbler’s diagram of Thaumic reality….]
omfg I just realized Jabberwocky is an Infernal Exalt
She should start reading some wuxia novels, that’d give her some crazy techniques.