Grrl Power Thread #2: The Most Common Super Power

[lord_khaine]

The second thread about the now wildly popular web comic Grrl Power, where the series protagonist seems to be one of the only people missing The Most Common Superpower.

Link to the Previous thread where we have observed an amazing evolution in both art and plot, as well as fan service for both genders, currently awaiting the end of the shower scene and shampoo fight.

[BannedInSchool]

Are we not also on Day Two of the story? Wow, we sure talk a lot about the strips if we have fifty pages per day of comic time.

[Traab]

Are we not also on Day Two of the story? Wow, we sure talk a lot about the strips if we have fifty pages per day of comic time.

If you want to get technical, we are actually three months in the past. So we havent even reached the first official day yet. This is all a giant flashback. How scary is that?!

[AvatarVecna]

Just under 5 years of RL time into this, and the comic has gone from -90 webcomic days to -88 webcomic days. Assuming the current rate, it'll be just 220 years before we finally catch up to comic #4.

[BannedInSchool]

Just under 5 years of RL time into this, and the comic has gone from -90 webcomic days to -88 webcomic days. Assuming the current rate, it'll be just 220 years before we finally catch up to comic #4.

And so eventually we can title a thread "More Pages Than the Wheel of Time".

[Rakaydos]

posting for the little star by the thread.

[AvatarVecna]

And so eventually we can title a thread "More Pages Than the Wheel of Time".

We've got a ways to go then. Let's get to work!

[Metahuman1]

I wonder how big a kickstarter would be needed to get the author to make this comic tops of his priority's list so that it can update more regularly with out having to sacrifice quality?

[Traab]

It would probably take a larger patreon support base. That way he knows how much he will get every update and make enough money to support himself on it.

[Lamech]

In case anyone is wondering what Sydney said on page 341, panel 2 its a Hiragana. Its one of the Japanese writing systems/Alphabets. Specifically the "A" sound, or "ah" if you would write it like an English author probably would. But that's because English is a bastard.
You can see a chart here!

Spoiler: Hiragana Chart

Show

[Admiral Squish]

Taggin' the thread for future reference.

[TheEmerged]

Meh, it's a page early but I'm game.

[BannedInSchool]

Yes, how now will we ever be able to tell the difference between Peggy and Heatwave. They're identical now!

[Avilan the Grey]

"Pivot"

ROFL. Seriously.

[Metahuman1]

I'm torn on this comic.


On the one hand, the Pivot was really funny, Sydney was funny, and the tone of over reactions and deadpans was funny.


On the other, I legitimately sympathize with Heatwave here. Loosing a Toe is no even kinda-sorta well adjusted person's idea of a good time or a good first day or good first mission or what have you, and he strikes me as someone who legitimately values what's she's lost more then some of those around her might have.

Add too it the completely and utter lack of any sympathy, and, yeah.


And as an added item, we've used her as the token person to demonstrate there's a limit to the healing powers the Docs have, and thus people can take real injuries that will last. (If I felt the need to do that as an Author I think I'd have had Math just pick up an extra Scar or two in the fight personally.)

[Traab]

Jiggawatt also lost some of her hearing. As for the sympathy, they felt bad sure, right up till she compared losing the first joint of her middle toe with peggy losing her lower leg. She lost her middle toenail and was broken up over not being able to wear "strappy shoes"

[Avilan the Grey]

Heatwave had my minor sympathies until the second she even remotely though she could compare her injury to Peggy's. Also it's a bit sad that she feels she can't wear sandals because of a very minor thing.

Not saying it didn't hurt like hell, though.

[AvatarVecna]

I will reserve judgement until I see a verbal response from Peggy one way or the other. If she shrugs and laughs it off, I'll accept that as being how she sees it (just a thing about her, not something she sees as a big limitation, etc.); if she takes offense, I will be in full support. But I've seen too many cases (mostly IRL) of people getting offended on someone else's behalf and all but socially lynching a person for "offending" them, when it turned out that the offended party didn't really care all that much.

Also, I find it interesting that I'm talking about Peggy as if she's a real person, rather than a character. It really speaks to how skilled Dave is at characterization, given how rarely Peggy has featured in the comic, or even been present. It's one of the many great things about this comic.

[Traab]

Considering the look on peggys face as she intentionally pivoted out of the way, I would say she is unamused. Not necessarily angry or offended or anything, but she isnt about to go with heatwaves assertion that now they are the same or whatever.

"Now we are like sisters!"

/deadpan and disbelieving tone of voice "What?"

"Uhhh, No."

Thats how I interpret the last two panels going by the looks on her face.

[Qwertystop]

Heatwave had my minor sympathies until the second she even remotely though she could compare her injury to Peggy's. Also it's a bit sad that she feels she can't wear sandals because of a very minor thing.

Not saying it didn't hurt like hell, though.

I don't think it's an appearance thing - flip-flops basically require the slight curling of the toes on either side of the top thing to stay on at all.

[Calemyr]

Considering the look on peggys face as she intentionally pivoted out of the way, I would say she is unamused. Not necessarily angry or offended or anything, but she isnt about to go with heatwaves assertion that now they are the same or whatever.

"Now we are like sisters!"

/deadpan and disbelieving tone of voice "What?"

"Uhhh, No."

Thats how I interpret the last two panels going by the looks on her face.

Yeah, gotta agree with this interpretation. Peggy works pretty hard to be casual about it, being the first to joke about it and such, but that doesn't mean she likes to see it trivialized. Her personal discipline and acceptance is such that she doesn't get upset about it, but instead she simply no-sells the entire banter. No talk back, no dumbfounded standing there while Heatwave tries to hug her, no over acting or under acting, just simply not being part of this farce. I gotta say it's probably the best reaction she could have given to the circumstance: she didn't get mad or tell her off or encourage her or let herself become the target of a joke. She was cool about it without being a victim. Another reason why the resident badass normals are among my favorites.

Of course, it could be that she, like Sydney, also has a little bit of an image problem in these showers. Yeah, she "appreciates beauty in all forms" and proudly welcomes Sydney to the "A Team", but we also know that she downplays personal problems by mocking them. Sydney wouldn't take well to being hugged under these circumstances. Peggy may simply be thinking "You want to hug a 'fellow sufferer'? Fine, do it when you're dressed and dry, sister."

[AvatarVecna]

In today's comic, Harem Dabbler establishes that she's not particularly picky in bed (and apparently possesses a turtleneck sweater with a boob window), Sydney showed that she got the reference to a certain sub-genre of internet porn, and we learned that superheroes apparently don't grow hair anywhere except their heads (except Sydney, who is a different kind of superhero).

[Calemyr]

In today's comic, Harem establishes that she's not particularly picky in bed (and apparently possesses a turtleneck sweater with a boob window), Sydney showed that she got the reference to a certain sub-genre of internet porn, and we learned that superheroes apparently don't grow hair anywhere except their heads (except Sydney, who is a different kind of superhero).

That's Dabbler in the sweater, by the way. And I have to admit I was actually pretty surprised to see Harem's reaction to the fur comment. I mean, seeing a ranking member of the Innuendo Squad stunned into silence by Dabbler is... simply impressive...

Also, as awkward as the location is, I'm really enjoying having Sydney interact with her teammates in a non-combat setting. Everyone gets along surprisingly well for such a nascent team, especially regarding Halo who is an oddity from pretty much any angle you care to think of: power level in the same league with Maxima, but a non-super, and a very eccentric, nerdy, diminutive, hyperactive girl to boot. I would have expected supers to have a little more trouble getting used to the concept of a non-super powerhouse. I mean, even Batman still conforms to the superhero archetype in Justice League despite not being a super, but Sydney is continuously an exception to all the rules that define a super in this setting - even the ones that limit the potential of a super. I'm just kinda surprised that they handle her presence with as much grace as they do.

[Avilan the Grey]

I think... that kind of thing is one of the few... things my brain really goes HELL NO on. Personal preferences of course (plus, AFAIR, Dabbler was originally created for an adult erotic comic about that fetish.)

[TheEmerged]

I think it's well established that Sydney is a walking example of "high charisma does not mean good looking" trope.

[Calemyr]

I think it's well established that Sydney is a walking example of "high charisma does not mean good looking" trope.

This is true. The girl is a great example of "charisma as force of personality". She can't be toned down, she can't be controlled, and others have serious trouble not liking her despite that. Or because of it. But supers have not been represented as having high charisma. They've been represented, each one, as being examples of physical perfection regardless of whether their powerset requires it. Even Math fits that bill, though he earns it the hard way. Sydney and Peggy, on the other hand, have to settle for being realistically attractive - not super models, but by no means unattractive. It still puts Sydney in a difficult to quantify category: easily powerful enough to be a super, but a glaring exception to every rule the nature of super-ness seems to stick to.

[lord_khaine]

power level in the same league with Maxima

Ahh.. while i do agree on the rest of your observations then i kinda feel a need to point out that Sydney is not even close to being in the same League as Max.
So far we really have only seen one other person who were in the 9+ catagory.

[Discus-Spinner]

I'm just kinda surprised that they handle her presence with as much grace as they do.

It appears that they were, generally, literally, people before they became superhumans. They're all quite used to dealing with all sorts of other people, and there's nothing about being super-powered that makes it hard to tolerate non-supers socially. If they were all top athletes, or all albinos, or all redheads, or all fighter pilots, we wouldn't be surprised if they managed to hang out with other people comfortably enough.

They might be snobbish about it, but that's not mandatory. Nor have they been pushed into forming an in-group with an "elite" or "us vs. them" attitude. (Peggy and Max might conceivably cop that sort of attitude, having special forces backgrounds, but don't.) For that matter, the command team work fairly well together, and they're a mixture of normals, sort-of-talents, and one super.

Admittedly, Sydney is an extreme sort of personality, but as others have said, she's likable enough in an exhausting sort of way. There's nothing about her that's going to rub supers up the wrong way particularly.

[halfeye]

Ahh.. while i do agree on the rest of your observations then i kinda feel a need to point out that Sydney is not even close to being in the same League as Max.
So far we really have only seen one other person who were in the 9+ catagory.

Without the orbs, Sydney is ordinary (unusual, but ordinary), with them, how is she not in Max's league? Her force field is apparently Max proof, for just one of seven.

[Calemyr]

Without the orbs, Sydney is ordinary (unusual, but ordinary), with them, how is she not in Max's league? Her force field is apparently Max proof, for just one of seven.

Right. Her forcefield alone would be enough to qualify for the big leagues. Then she also has the com orb, which has a true sight powerful enough to see through the disguises of both Dabbler (supposedly impossible) and Mister X (who not even Dabbler is supposed to be able to sense, though she can sense him obliquely). Then she has flight that, if not on par with Max, is still fast enough to impress her. Then she has the lighthook, which was able to even partially restrain a fully charged Vehemence. Then she has a blast power, which certainly is on par with the team for tank destroying power. Then her Comm orb also grants her telepresence as well. Might as well add in that her abilities are still in the early stages of development (her level up screen has a lot of empty circles). And then there's the orbs themselves, which even Maxima couldn't budge when they didn't want to go. And top that all off with the fact that she can use any two powers at the same time, allowing her many combinations. Yeah. She's definitely in the big leagues, despite being a second day rookie.

It appears that they were, generally, literally, people before they became superhumans. They're all quite used to dealing with all sorts of other people, and there's nothing about being super-powered that makes it hard to tolerate non-supers socially. If they were all top athletes, or all albinos, or all redheads, or all fighter pilots, we wouldn't be surprised if they managed to hang out with other people comfortably enough.

They might be snobbish about it, but that's not mandatory. Nor have they been pushed into forming an in-group with an "elite" or "us vs. them" attitude. (Peggy and Max might conceivably cop that sort of attitude, having special forces backgrounds, but don't.) For that matter, the command team work fairly well together, and they're a mixture of normals, sort-of-talents, and one super.

Admittedly, Sydney is an extreme sort of personality, but as others have said, she's likable enough in an exhausting sort of way. There's nothing about her that's going to rub supers up the wrong way particularly.

You raise a good point, so allow me to recast my statement. This organization just went public yesterday. Even given the time to get their ducks in a row, this is still very much a new team in a setting where supers are rather suddenly a thing when they haven't been since... who knows? Greek times? The age of the viking? Either way, from a popular perspective, they're brand new. People for no apparent reason have begun winning the superpower lottery, gaining idealized physiques on top of optimal fitness and straight up superpowers. We're not talking Captain America, here, who had to work to earn his powers in the first place and (in some continuities) only got them because he was a good man to begin with. We're talking about nouveau riche type folks who just became this (though how much of the tertiary aspects like no body hair and physique were always evident?), with neither the discipline a master (like Math) needs to earn his mastery or practiced traditions to act as landmarks in new territory. They are just suddenly "the best", and that can really screw with someone's perspective.

Of course, I'm expecting the team to be predominantly heroic and/or professional. The organization's mission statement set that stage from the get-go. We've got career military types, champions, and trouble makers who would rather be on the payroll than in the brig. The thought that it might be populated with good natured and broad minded people isn't a strange one. However, I expect them to be divas, and I expect them (after finding a club that's made for them and theirs) to already have a sort of disconnect with "normal" people. Sydney is this strange fusion of super and mundane that makes her one of them without being "one of them", if you follow. I didn't expect them to really know what to do with her, and to some degree I was right. Outside of Dabbler (who would kinda revel in it, though not in an evil sense), none of the girls even considered Sydney's image issues. Heatwave is still the dim bulb that doesn't think beyond her own perspective. Anvil is cool about it all but points out how she's actually disadvantaged by her looks because people are judgmental. Maxima is so sick of witnessing the worst in people that it's virtually all she sees now.

And yet, outside of a good natured brawl in the rec room and a wedgie heard round the room, this group gets along very well under the circumstances. It's just kinda nice to see that cliche ("We are a group of people, but what we need to be is a team!") not being played out right from the get-go. I'm sure it will come into play a little, but not even the X-Men or the Avengers were this comfortable around each other at this point, right?