Strong Female Protagonist II

[The_Snark]

I see a problem in Feral clones being autonomous, conscious beings that can feel pain and make choices distinctly from Feral, and they would be created for dissection.

My first guess was some kind of... clipping, I guess you'd call it? Rather than having one or more duplicate Ferals, the doctors cut off portions of her body, and let those regrow enough to harvest organs - but they don't let them regrow a central nervous system, which keeps them nonsapient. It seems at least vaguely plausible that Feral's regeneration couldn't handle that before, but can with Max's aid.

Not sure how they'd handle the other issue you bring up, though.

[Fjolnir]

So which body horror thing do you thing happened to Feral? Bifurcated and heal cloned, Organs giving self healing, causing everyone who receives them to get tumors, partial decaptiation, or removing the higher function portion of the brain and supercharging healing to the extent that that heals into a feral with all of the memories of feral while they harvest brainstem feral for parts?

[Traab]

So which body horror thing do you thing happened to Feral? Bifurcated and heal cloned, Organs giving self healing, causing everyone who receives them to get tumors, partial decaptiation, or removing the higher function portion of the brain and supercharging healing to the extent that that heals into a feral with all of the memories of feral while they harvest brainstem feral for parts?

Now that her healing was boosted they can cut one copy of each of her organs in half and it will regenerate into two. That means they dont need to harvest her anymore, just keep feeding the removed organs blood and oxygen to keep the regeneration going. Plus with not having to recut into her body over and over, the harvesting process has been greatly sped up, meaning she is providing 6x as many organs per hour as she was when they had to hack them out of her one at a time.

[Kantaki]

New comic

And we still don't know what exactly happened.

However, it seems something happened with Tara’s power.
So I guess Alison did in fact torture Max for a single person.
And no, even if Tara’s organs donate themselves now it doesn't count as saving „countless lifes” or whatever she tried to feed Max before going tyrant on him.
Unless they regenerate even faster now all lives safed would have been saved anyway.

[Traab]

New comic

And we still don't know what exactly happened.

However, it seems something happened with Tara’s power.
So I guess Alison did in fact torture Max for a single person.
And no, even if Tara’s organs donate themselves now it doesn't count as saving „countless lifes” or whatever she tried to feed Max before going tyrant on him.
Unless they regenerate even faster now all lives safed would have been saved anyway.

Chances are if they do regenerate on their own thats pretty much exponential growth right there. Lets say her liver, cut it in half, both regrow, we now have two livers, cut them in half, they regrow, we have 4, etc etc etc. Shortly after starting this they have so many organs the only choke point is flying either the regrown organs out to the various hospitals or flying the patients in when it comes to saving everyone on the donor lists lives.

[Kantaki]

Chances are if they do regenerate on their own thats pretty much exponential growth right there. Lets say her liver, cut it in half, both regrow, we now have two livers, cut them in half, they regrow, we have 4, etc etc etc. Shortly after starting this they have so many organs the only choke point is flying either the regrown organs out to the various hospitals or flying the patients in when it comes to saving everyone on the donor lists lives.

One of each organ for every hospital in the world would qualify as saving the world I guess.
I hope we will learn what happened soon-ish.

And I have to say that in panel one Tara looks absolutely adorable.

[Vinyadan]

Chances are if they do regenerate on their own thats pretty much exponential growth right there. Lets say her liver, cut it in half, both regrow, we now have two livers, cut them in half, they regrow, we have 4, etc etc etc. Shortly after starting this they have so many organs the only choke point is flying either the regrown organs out to the various hospitals or flying the patients in when it comes to saving everyone on the donor lists lives.

Oh my, we can feed the world!

On a more serious note, livers already do that, although not that fast. The liver can heal itself from massive injury, and it is possible to cut half a liver from a donor and implant it into a receiver, and after a while both will have a full liver. It's probably what prompted the Greeks to create the myth of Prometheus.

[Gez]

Chances are if they do regenerate on their own thats pretty much exponential growth right there. Lets say her liver, cut it in half, both regrow, we now have two livers, cut them in half, they regrow, we have 4, etc etc etc. Shortly after starting this they have so many organs the only choke point is flying either the regrown organs out to the various hospitals or flying the patients in when it comes to saving everyone on the donor lists lives.

The organs keep replicating themselves, within a few years the entire world is buried under several layers of Feral-brand hearts, kidneys, livers, and intestines. As centuries pass, the organosphere covering the Earth keeps grows past its atmosphere, eventually swallowing the Moon. A few millennia pass and the nightmarish flesh planet becomes the largest body in the solar system, growing ever more massive. It reaches a point where it swallows the Sun and several other planets but keeps expanding until it finally gets so massive that it collapses into a singularity.

[Morquard]

If the organs start regrowing outside Tara's body, why would they stop at the edge of their organ? Why wouldn't they begin to regrow an entire Tara?

[137beth]

The organs keep replicating themselves, within a few years the entire world is buried under several layers of Feral-brand hearts, kidneys, livers, and intestines. As centuries pass, the organosphere covering the Earth keeps grows past its atmosphere, eventually swallowing the Moon. A few millennia pass and the nightmarish flesh planet becomes the largest body in the solar system, growing ever more massive. It reaches a point where it swallows the Sun and several other planets but keeps expanding until it finally gets so massive that it collapses into a singularity.

Or until whatever created the biodynamic anomalies in the first place sees what's going on and counters it.

[Maryring]

At this point I think that the authors are intentionally trolling the readers.

[Traab]

The organs keep replicating themselves, within a few years the entire world is buried under several layers of Feral-brand hearts, kidneys, livers, and intestines. As centuries pass, the organosphere covering the Earth keeps grows past its atmosphere, eventually swallowing the Moon. A few millennia pass and the nightmarish flesh planet becomes the largest body in the solar system, growing ever more massive. It reaches a point where it swallows the Sun and several other planets but keeps expanding until it finally gets so massive that it collapses into a singularity.

Well they only replicate when cut in half, so maybe... stop cutting them in half?

[137beth]

At this point I think that the authors are intentionally trolling Feralling the readers.

"Fixed" that for you! Because in SFP, we have a different sort of strong regenerating creature!

[Kantaki]

New comic

Well, that answers that.
Whatever Alison did doesn't prevent Tara’s organs from being donated.

I just hope the price for this isn't that a (few) Tara clone(s) suffering in her place.

[Traab]

New comic

Well, that answers that.
Whatever Alison did doesn't prevent Tara’s organs from being donated.

I just hope the price for this isn't that a (few) Tara clone(s) suffering in her place.

Im betting its a limited version of the whole "endlessly cutting and regenerating organs" thing. Like, They cut out an organ then can cut that in half a few dozen times before it stops being able to regrow itself. So she could come in once a month and donate fresh organs and still donate the same total number as being in unending hell. But I wasnt expecting it to be a permanent upgrade which is odd. I thought it was similar to Leech from Xmen. As long as you are in his vicinity, your power gets increased/suppressed. But ah well.

[Morquard]

So that would indicate whatever Max can do is a permanent enhancement, or at least long term enough that it makes little difference.

Which might explain Max' reluctance to reveal his power. If a supervillain only needs to get his hands on him once and the buff lasts forever... why keep him around afterwards. All he could do is buff his enemies now, so best to get rid of him, right?

[Kantaki]

So that would indicate whatever Max can do is a permanent enhancement, or at least long term enough that it makes little difference.

Which might explain Max' reluctance to reveal his power. If a supervillain only needs to get his hands on him once and the buff lasts forever... why keep him around afterwards. All he could do is buff his enemies now, so best to get rid of him, right?

Well, it depends.
Maybe the buffs stack.
Then he will „merely” spend the rest of his life locked up in someones attic/basement, buffing them regularly.

[Gez]

The regenerating power is now so strong that each separated organ is growing back into another Tara. This has had explosive consequences for all the hosts of a Feral organ transplant. Anyway there are thousands upon thousands of Ferals in the world now.

[Kantaki]

The regenerating power is now so strong that each separated organ is growing back into another Tara. This has had explosive consequences for all the hosts of a Feral organ transplant. Anyway there are thousands upon thousands of Ferals in the world now.

Not all of them.
Only those that get one post-enhancement.
Unless it works retroactively.

[virgileso]

I feel like her anomaly has been boosted such that they just need to cut off Feral's head and let her grow a new body.

[The Glyphstone]

I'm just waiting for the inevitable reveal that Max's ability (who I just realized the possibly-unintentional pun on his name vs. his anomaly) is only a temporary boost, and that it wears off eventually.

[Lethologica]

I'm just waiting for the inevitable reveal that Max's ability (who I just realized the possibly-unintentional pun on his name vs. his anomaly) is only a temporary boost, and that it wears off eventually.

Ah, futz. That's totally what's going to happen, isn't it. #HighOnMax

[137beth]

Well, now people can finally stop complaining that we don't know what Max did.

[Nettlekid]

Is anyone else alarmed that the doctor is so nonchalantly remarking on Allison having "arranged a procedure" that improved Feral's regeneration? Max wanted his power to be secret, but it sounds like Allison is somehow taking credit for it. Otherwise the doctor would be saying "We can't explain this unprecedented increase" or something. But no.

I'm also a little annoyed at Feral tearing up about the prospect of not having to be in surgery. Like yeah, it was a hellish torture that anyone would want to stop, but it's one that she voluntarily chose to go into. She fought to do it 24/7. If she was going insane with agony, then take a break. No one was telling her not to, she was the one who decided that it's something she wanted to do every second of every day. She was forcing herself to do the maximum because that's what she felt she needed to do in order to change the world in her way. Nothing that has happened should be changing that ideology. If Max's upgrade lets her get harvested once and then the organs make as many copies of themselves as Feral normally could by being harvested (we still don't know what it did but I'm assuming it's like that) then she should still be asking to stay in surgery so they can get an exponential amount of organs. Until they have as many organs as there are people in the world with organ failure and until it literally makes no difference if Feral is in surgery or not, her initial stance shouldn't be changed. Because that was the whole point.

[Lethologica]

You're annoyed that Feral is tearing up because one of her friends somehow arranged for an unprecedented procedure to try to alleviate her extraordinary suffering?

Yes, the suffering was voluntary, and yes, she might still go back under the knife voluntarily depending on what exactly happened (it's not inconceivable that the change has led to circumstances where Feral's further direct participation would have a negligible effect, and the exponential situation you postulated is actually one of those circumstances)...but it isn't at all hard to see why she might be emotional about it.

[danelsan]

If it does turn out that her organs now regenerate outside her body, or a drop of her blood given to someone else makes that person regenerate themselves or something like that, it makes me more curious about Max's powers. Like, how the hell did they knew it would do that instead of the much more obvious "increase Feral's regeneration rate"?

Could he "amplify" Cleaver's power so that instead of being a cancer-blade monster he can explosively expel all that from his body, severely damaging the surrounding area and curing his disease? Make Alison telepathic in addition to telekinetic? Make Hector able not only to shrink, but also to become a giant? Make fire-dude (Furnace, I think?) able to create other forms of energy?

[Nettlekid]

You're annoyed that Feral is tearing up because one of her friends somehow arranged for an unprecedented procedure to try to alleviate her extraordinary suffering?

Yes, the suffering was voluntary, and yes, she might still go back under the knife voluntarily depending on what exactly happened (it's not inconceivable that the change has led to circumstances where Feral's further direct participation would have a negligible effect, and the exponential situation you postulated is actually one of those circumstances)...but it isn't at all hard to see why she might be emotional about it.

I guess it could be that she's touched by Allison's concern, but the vibe I was getting from it was that she was crying tears of relief that she wasn't going to be in that level of surgical torture anymore. And that's what I found annoying, because not only the torture but the extreme degree was all Feral's decision. If she's so touched that Allison did all this to give her a break...I mean, she could have just taken a break. Taken Allison's advice from Volume 3 and not gone to that extreme. It's a solution to a forced problem, and if Feral's going to stick to her principles then it's actually not a solution at all.

Let's say that before Max's power boost she could donate X organs a day, as long as she's undergoing horrific torture. She wants to donate as much as she can, she's not willing to donate X/2 by undergoing surgery only half of the day, or even X-1 by taking a little breather. That was Allison's protest way back when, that she was sacrificing her whole life. Now with Max's power boost maybe her organs can produce X organs a day on their own, and so she's providing as much as she just was without the torture. But if she's not willing to produce X/2 if she can produce X, then she shouldn't be willing to produce X if she could produce 2X, or X², or however it ends up working out. If she's sticking to the extreme principles that she was before, she should be going straight back into 24/7 hell surgery, and Allison changed nothing in her life. If she's willing to let those principles slide and donate less than she can, then Allison fixed a problem that Feral could have fixed on her own. That's why I'm annoyed by it.

In this webcomic characters have deep-seated, firm, lifelong convictions about their perception of what their believe is an objective morality...that happen to change chapter by chapter as the plot dictates and without reasonable external stimulus.

[Lethologica]

I guess it could be that she's touched by Allison's concern, but the vibe I was getting from it was that she was crying tears of relief that she wasn't going to be in that level of surgical torture anymore. And that's what I found annoying, because not only the torture but the extreme degree was all Feral's decision. If she's so touched that Allison did all this to give her a break...I mean, she could have just taken a break. Taken Allison's advice from Volume 3 and not gone to that extreme. It's a solution to a forced problem, and if Feral's going to stick to her principles then it's actually not a solution at all.

Let's say that before Max's power boost she could donate X organs a day, as long as she's undergoing horrific torture. She wants to donate as much as she can, she's not willing to donate X/2 by undergoing surgery only half of the day, or even X-1 by taking a little breather. That was Allison's protest way back when, that she was sacrificing her whole life. Now with Max's power boost maybe her organs can produce X organs a day on their own, and so she's providing as much as she just was without the torture. But if she's not willing to produce X/2 if she can produce X, then she shouldn't be willing to produce X if she could produce 2X, or X², or however it ends up working out. If she's sticking to the extreme principles that she was before, she should be going straight back into 24/7 hell surgery, and Allison changed nothing in her life. If she's willing to let those principles slide and donate less than she can, then Allison fixed a problem that Feral could have fixed on her own. That's why I'm annoyed by it.

In this webcomic characters have deep-seated, firm, lifelong convictions about their perception of what their believe is an objective morality...that happen to change chapter by chapter as the plot dictates and without reasonable external stimulus.

You suggested exponential amounts of organs--not X, not 2X, not X², but 2^X. Which is the natural outcome of "cut an organ in half, get two organs." In that situation Feral's donation rapidly ceases to be the limiting factor and she isn't needed.

It seems to me that your annoyance isn't with the comic, it's with your own assumptions. Why not wait a little longer and see if those assumptions are justified?

[Nettlekid]

You suggested exponential amounts of organs--not X, not 2X, not X², but 2^X. Which is the natural outcome of "cut an organ in half, get two organs." In that situation Feral's donation rapidly ceases to be the limiting factor and she isn't needed.

It seems to me that your annoyance isn't with the comic, it's with your own assumptions. Why not wait a little longer and see if those assumptions are justified?

Well, I'll agree to a middle ground. I'm making certain assumptions about the end result of the highly controversial last few pages, because we're all eager to see what ends Allison was using to justify her actions. If the assumptions I'm making are correct, then I will be annoyed with the comic. If the comic rolls with this in a direction I didn't anticipate or otherwise sets up a reason that Feral can stop being operated on without a moment's drop in organ transplant efficiency, then I will recognize that the comic has done a good job.

[Kantaki]

Since the doctor said they don't need Tara in constant surgery anymore I guess whatever Max’s power did to her doesn't make the process work completely without cutting pieces out of her and didn't make her organs duplicate endlessly.