Grrl Power VII: Let Me Explain For The Next Thirty Comics!

[Mechalich]

Or a super watching over him to keep him from being hurt. Cause, you know, he DOES go out now and then.

Deus keeps Vale as a full time bodyguard. She's extremely powerful - able to match the upgraded Sciona - and possibly doesn't need sleep, being some sort of eldritch horror. While we haven't seen her in the recent strips, I suspect Deus believes (probably rightly) that she cramps his vibe and his military base is suitably secure, I imagine she's not far away. He certainly felt comfortable walking around the Fracture with only her for protection. Maxima is on a genuinely short list of people who could take Vale in a fight, and an even shorter list of those fast enough that Deus couldn't get away.

[lord_khaine]

I'm leaning more towards gossipy than spying. She's not really giving up any real info, IIRC.

Well thats kinda the idea behind a tripple agent.
Telling Deus what Archon wants him to hear. While learning of his motives by seeing what he asks.
Of course he has guessed this. And i assume are banging Harem for the fun of it (cant blame him).

Or a super watching over him to keep him from being hurt. Cause, you know, he DOES go out now and then.

The context there was the potential conflict between Deus and Maxima.
Where unlike another genius billionaire Deus is to smart to put on a purple battlesuit and go for a slugging match.
Instead he is verbally attacking Max's ideology (or trying to).

I don't think he sees himself as particularly benevolent, just a better option than most. I mean, he still uses bribery, blackmail, murder, etc, to get his aims finished. But I'm guessing it's the lesser evil, in his eyes, than letting the folks he targets run amok.

I think he does. And to be fair. There is a solid argument for it.
He has taken one of the worst and most corrupt hell holes in afrika. And made it into a thriving place where kids go to school.
While his mid term plans seemingly involves building infrastructure. Yes he has done the odd spot of murder. So has Max.
But i cant recall cases of blackmail.

It's also a possible reason why he's raising Galtyn. Smart workers mean he can get tech workers. Which means companies he controls, in a country he effectively controls, in sole possession of making the technology he wants to market, with a lower risk of any corporate espionage.

Hmm.. he really dont need to. For a start he really dont need to do anything. He is wealthy enough he could retire to his private island banging foto models for the rest of his life.
And its a titanic project building a country up. He could easily have done the same in some south/east tax haven. Where he would not need to raise his workers himself.
Also looking at things Galtyn is at least 8-9 years in the past. It was started long, long before Deus had access to alien tech.

[Kantaki]

New comic

Yeah, I'm with the Alari. Bet to win.
Unless we're talking some token wager.
And even then I'd probably place it on whoever I think will win.

[Shining Wrath]

Note to self: never make Dabbler angry. cringes

[lord_khaine]

I do think its mostly in her mouth.
Well. By the look of it most things eventually end there xD

Though interesting development.
Mostly on that Deus is able to hold another mostly relaxed conversation with Max.
I do think he is using the Water on Rock method of seduction here.

[Rydiro]

God, Dabbler is so obnoxious.
If I was Tom, I'd rip out all Mana out of Dabbler right there.
Yelling about instead of having a normal conversation is one thing.
But pulling out a weapon and threatening him just because her sister happens to work for him ... What the ...?

[Keltest]

God, Dabbler is so obnoxious.
If I was Tom, I'd rip out all Mana out of Dabbler right there.
Yelling about instead of having a normal conversation is one thing.
But pulling out a weapon and threatening him just because her sister happens to work for him ... What the ...?

"hurt my family and i will inflict retribution on you" is a pretty standard trope.

[lord_khaine]

It is a rather dumb trope.
I would say Tom is so far the mature one.
But at the same time pulling Dabblers sister out is kinda immature.
At the moment the scale says they deserve each other.

[Rydiro]

But at the same time pulling Dabblers sister out is kinda immature.

It seems the sister climbed through Toms portal on her own. Also, Tom didn't know Dabbler was there. He is probably on a business visit to Deus.

I don't see a hint that Tom pulls her out to annoy Dabbler.

[lord_khaine]

His comment about "perhaps another might be better behaver" certainly seems to be designed to get beneath Dabblers skin.
And well. While in theory there isnt anything against sleeper with the younger sister of your ex.
Then at the same time its kinda fair if she has an oppinion on the matter, that she want to share loudly.

[Shining Wrath]

I think Dabbler has enough history with Tom to think that perhaps he might mistreat her sister - for example, using her only as a tool to get at Dabbler. Emotional cruelty can be pretty painful, especially if you're a slave-with-some-rules-but-still-a-slave. She certainly knows him better than we do.

So, if you think it's possible Tom might be mean to your little sister, and you're as dangerous as Dabbler is (which is to say, pretty dangerous), threats of retribution come with the territory.
My read is that Tom is not a completely bad guy (that would be too easy) but is also not very trustworthy - he did show up announcing his intention to conquer Earth and impose order on us all.

[Radar]

... he did show up announcing his intention to conquer Earth and impose order on us all.

To be the demon's advocate, he did have a detailed presentation prepared on why it would be very beneficial for people on Earth.

[Shining Wrath]

To be the demon's advocate, he did have a detailed presentation prepared on why it would be very beneficial for people on Earth.

Prepared by a minion, who was quite disappointed it didn't get shown. So he's actually like Deus - he thinks him ruling the world would be a good thing.

[lord_khaine]

I think Dabbler has enough history with Tom to think that perhaps he might mistreat her sister - for example, using her only as a tool to get at Dabbler. Emotional cruelty can be pretty painful, especially if you're a slave-with-some-rules-but-still-a-slave. She certainly knows him better than we do.

Counter point. If Tom was the type to mistreat his succubi how the heck did he pass the intense scrutiny of the Council of Matrons not once but twice?
Let alone, if it was the case why would Dabbler still be with him instead of with an inexperienced master from earth she could twirl around her finger?

Prepared by a minion, who was quite disappointed it didn't get shown. So he's actually like Deus - he thinks him ruling the world would be a good thing.

Well of course? part of being a good leader is the ability to delegate.
Employe's need tasks to feel useful. And i doubt there is a single General on earth who does his own presentations.
So i cant see how this is a point against Tom.

For that matter. Its honestly not a hard presentation to make. Objectively speaking we are doing an antrocious job of ruling ourself.

[Rydiro]

I think Dabbler has enough history with Tom to think that perhaps he might mistreat her sister - for example, using her only as a tool to get at Dabbler. Emotional cruelty can be pretty painful, especially if you're a slave-with-some-rules-but-still-a-slave. She certainly knows him better than we do.

So, if you think it's possible Tom might be mean to your little sister, and you're as dangerous as Dabbler is (which is to say, pretty dangerous), threats of retribution come with the territory.
My read is that Tom is not a completely bad guy (that would be too easy) but is also not very trustworthy - he did show up announcing his intention to conquer Earth and impose order on us all.

It doesn't seem to add up. Dabbler still keeps Tom as her Master. And she is pretty okay with the arrangement so far, in her own words. Even if they are somewhat estranged. Since the Master-Slave contracts seem to be consented upon by both sides, there is no reason to assume Tom is doing anything wrong. Heck, look at Dabbler. She basically has NO obligations to Tom whatsoever.

But hey, attacking a guy with a magic weapon is funny, lolz.
Dabbler is just agressive, possessive and toxic, jumping to threats and violence without any background information.

[Mechalich]

Dabbler is just agressive, possessive and toxic, jumping to threats and violence without any background information.

Plausibly the baseline for arguments between demons is different than that for humans. It's entirely possible to imagine a species where low-level violence is considered a perfectly reasonable portion of reasonable debate.

However, if that's the case the ability of said species to live harmoniously in the company of humans without some rather stringent cultural management protocols is highly dubious. There's a universe where Dabbler works as a character, insofar as Grrlpower still obeys any internal rules at all, it's not this one.

[Rydiro]

However, if that's the case the ability of said species to live harmoniously in the company of humans without some rather stringent cultural management protocols is highly dubious. There's a universe where Dabbler works as a character, insofar as Grrlpower still obeys any internal rules at all, it's not this one.

She is far too often used as the joke character, like 90% of the time.
Usually sexy jokes, but now possessive violence jokes.
I actually liked her in the beginning as a smart contrast to maximas sometimes prudish feminism.
Now the smart has been replaced by lolz.

[Nettlekid]

Man, this is pretty bad. Has the thread been completely lost on what this comic wanted to be? I'm sick of aliens, and worse yet everything being explained by being aliens.

[Traab]

It just seemed like the usual over reaction you see in media for dads and their daughters, or older siblings for their younger ones when dating comes into play. After all, over the top is common. For example. Bad Boys 2. This is NOT sfw. But its a great example of the sort of reaction that wouldnt be considered that far from the comic.

[Kantaki]

Is it just me, or is Parfait's look kinda off?
Half the panels she's onscreen there's something just a little bit wrong (or not so little) and the other half she just presses the "kill it with all the fire" button.

I think her eyes are definitely part of it, but I'm not sure what else...
Would be less weird if she wasn't the only character in the comic with that effect, but even Tom looks more normal to me and his face looks like bits glued to the front of his head.

[Radar]

Is it just me, or is Parfait's look kinda off?
Half the panels she's onscreen there's something just a little bit wrong (or not so little) and the other half she just presses the "kill it with all the fire" button.

I think her eyes are definitely part of it, but I'm not sure what else...
Would be less weird if she wasn't the only character in the comic with that effect, but even Tom looks more normal to me and his face looks like bits glued to the front of his head.

She is pretty much exactly in the uncanny valley and I think it is mostly about the eyes - a bit similar to Alita (that CGI movie) frankly: almost human face with unnatural eyes. On the other hand Tom is different enough that he does not trigger any instinct in us.

[KillianHawkeye]

Is it just me, or is Parfait's look kinda off?
Half the panels she's onscreen there's something just a little bit wrong (or not so little) and the other half she just presses the "kill it with all the fire" button.

I think her eyes are definitely part of it, but I'm not sure what else...
Would be less weird if she wasn't the only character in the comic with that effect, but even Tom looks more normal to me and his face looks like bits glued to the front of his head.

Frankly, I've been thinking this about a LOT of the characters since the latest art style was adopted...

[TeChameleon]

Yeah, I noted that about Max at one point in a previous thread. Something's different about the eyes, and every so often it swan dives into the uncanny valley something fierce.

[sihnfahl]

Heh.

Supers For Hire.

And love the destination stickers.

[DataNinja]

Note for today's comic... anyone who's squeamish like me should not read today's author notes. There are some, uh, very graphic descriptions of torture methods in there, and... yeah. Ugh.

[lord_khaine]

The Blood Eagle is exceptionally nasty yeah. So is crucifiction.
I actually think Deus makes a moderately decent point about the danger of random supers popping up.
Or at least about humans likely being the space orks if given a chance.

Of course in relation to humanity unleashed on the galaxy as a whole.
Then it kinda overlooks that while powerful. Supers are not worth much in space.

[The Glyphstone]

That assumes they don't get access to spaceships, though. Considering they already have 1 intact ship and 1 broken one to study, let alone any ships that people just end up selling or trading them once Earth joins the space-community, I don't think the fact that most supers can't function in hard vacuum will be a big obstacle.

[Keltest]

That assumes they don't get access to spaceships, though. Considering they already have 1 intact ship and 1 broken one to study, let alone any ships that people just end up selling or trading them once Earth joins the space-community, I don't think the fact that most supers can't function in hard vacuum will be a big obstacle.

Indeed. Its also not like thats a particularly uncommon weakness either. I think you would struggle to find a species that can function in empty space to any meaningful degree, so supers will still absolutely have a place.

[lord_khaine]

That assumes they don't get access to spaceships, though. Considering they already have 1 intact ship and 1 broken one to study, let alone any ships that people just end up selling or trading them once Earth joins the space-community, I don't think the fact that most supers can't function in hard vacuum will be a big obstacle.

No it does not not :p
It points out it dont really matters how powerful a super is if it dont work in hard vacum.
As the solution then always becomes "shoot the space transport"

Its honestly the 40k issue again. There is a lot of fanwank over how badass Space Marines are.
But that kinda overlooks that the important part is the Imperial Navy. Air superiority wins conflicts.

And not even Maxima can survive a surprise hit from a space ship.
(estimate based on official data regarding her power level)

[Shining Wrath]

This reminds me of Oscar Wilde: "In heaven, an angel is no one in particular". In Deus' projected future, a super is no one special. And if 1% of the population of supers are bad actors, they can make life miserable for the rest of humanity.