Grrl Power IV: Constantly Expanded Universe

[-D-]

I don't think she will dissolve, she'll probably be possessed and get glow-y eyes and float-y bits (because Power Floats and Power Gloves)

[lord_khaine]

Im not saying she will dissolve. Im saying she is already dissolving. We can see it on the last panel of the comic.

[Dragonus45]

Yea from her complaints about how she just got her body back it’s pretty clear that she is losing it one way or another here. Probably from blood loss after casting this big spell.

[lord_khaine]

So.. called it a few times

And yeah.. Sydney is indeed genuinly ****ed now. And not in a good way.
Its going to take Max quite a while digging the Brane Ripper up again.
And Dabbler a while to make a new portal.

[Traab]

So.. called it a few times

And yeah.. Sydney is indeed genuinly ****ed now. And not in a good way.
Its going to take Max quite a while digging the Brane Ripper up again.
And Dabbler a while to make a new portal.

Its a good thing she has discovered her enviroorb and that her shield works in space. Now she needs to activate her warp drive orb upgrade. :p Quick, someone recheck the orb tree and see if there is an orphaned flight node that may not be accounted for yet! But yeah, this looks pretty bad. Monster behind her, lost on an alien world with no way to get back, she earned this extra loud curse. Hey maybe the last orb will be navigation! Like, her teleport power only activated under the right circumstances, so maybe if she hits orbit she can somehow use her last orb to point her the right way, fly till she has to recycle her air, then reorient and repeat. That will take some serious orb juggling, and without a warp rive is laughably ineffective but still, a reasonable use for the last orb along the space ship route.

[Sean Mirrsen]

There is one, tiny, possibility that Syd can make it back on her own power. I'm not sure whether it would be a good thing for narrative purposes (she's plenty overpowered as is, having to wait around/survive on an increasingly-more-blasted hellscape until she's rescued could be good exercise), but it could work.

She will probably level up at this point, and if she lucks into a "return to location/place/person I remember" function of the Commball's telepresence power, she could well teleport herself back. It would be overpowered as hell, and would quasi-mirror a power of one of the existing heroes, but it seems like something a sensor suite like the Commball could have.

Technically, Deshantis herself could also 'port back, the memory of the place is probably vivid enough to try and get there. But she'd have to unteleport the rest of her to be able to carry Syd back.

[40kenthusiast]

Very dangerous moment for Sydney. She may have to confront whatever got out of the Screw-ship alone.

[Onyavar]

Okay, that is going bad for Sydney, sure.

But what does that all mean for Earth? I count ~25 souls rushing towards the portal, and none are seen after it closes, and the battery itself contained a few less than that - visually, at least. Maybe each horror face represents a few thousand souls, but I first assume, it just a few dozen.

So, do they possess human bodies? How fast? Are they incorporeal/insubstantial? Maybe even indestructible, but decaying when out of a soul battery? If they decay, how long before they do so? Can supers be immune? If so, which ones? Will we finally see one of the good guys die? Or are the batteried souls just a nuisance?


Do the possess multiple human bodies?

[halfeye]

So.. called it a few times

And yeah.. Sydney is indeed genuinly ****ed now. And not in a good way.
Its going to take Max quite a while digging the Brane Ripper up again.
And Dabbler a while to make a new portal.

Sydney has one unidentified orb out of a suite that screams "spaceship", warp/FTL seems like quite a likely option. Then she would need navigation, but maybe the aliens mopping up the alari aren't that unfriendly to humans?

[Nettlekid]

Sydney has one unidentified orb out of a suit that screams "spaceship", warp/FTL seems like quite a likely option. Then she would need navigation, but maybe the aliens mopping up the alari aren't that unfriendly to humans?

I'm going to guess that hyperdrive is a level-up of the flight orb, and the unknown orb is a trans-galactic navigation panel.

[Rogar Demonblud]

I'm wondering if she's about to run into someone who can explain the orbs to her (and us). We're overdue for an infodump on the Spectrum Spheres.

[halfeye]

I'm wondering if she's about to run into someone who can explain the orbs to her (and us). We're overdue for an infodump on the Spectrum Spheres.

That might happen, or it might not, it isn't necessarily something that the Author has actually worked out yet.

I'm going to guess that hyperdrive is a level-up of the flight orb, and the unknown orb is a trans-galactic navigation panel.

I don't like that idea, because FTL is non-trivially different than swimming. I mean, she does need navigation, there's no question that that would also be good, I just can't see FTL as the first level up from flight, because that implies there's a second level up. Where do you go up in power from FTL, if the FTL is adequate to get her home from here in significantly less than years, it's got to be pretty much full power FTL, it's faster than Trek Warp drive.

[Keltest]

I don't like that idea, because FTL is non-trivially different than swimming. I mean, she does need navigation, there's no question that that would also be good, I just can't see FTL as the first level up from flight, because that implies there's a second level up. Where do you go up in power from FTL, if the FTL is adequate to get her home from here in significantly less than years, it's got to be pretty much full power FTL, it's faster than Trek Warp drive.

Who said anything about the first level up? Unless the species that created the orbs had 8 arms or something (admittedly, not impossible), requiring three different orbs just to do FTL starts getting complicated fast.

[halfeye]

Who said anything about the first level up?

If she's going to get it now, then it would be the first surely? I don't remember what she leveled before, but I didn't think it was flight?

Unless the species that created the orbs had 8 arms or something (admittedly, not impossible), requiring three different orbs just to do FTL starts getting complicated fast.

Sure, but I'm thinking she drops flight for FTL. It's sad that feet don't work, and even odd, given the feet of chimps and monkeys are more or less hands. Hm, maybe Dabbler's species is the intended user, they've got hooves and four arms.

[lord_khaine]

Technically, Deshantis herself could also 'port back, the memory of the place is probably vivid enough to try and get there. But she'd have to unteleport the rest of her to be able to carry Syd back.

Wont work, she cant TP other people with her. Vaia is the exception because of her own power.

But what does that all mean for Earth? I count ~25 souls rushing towards the portal, and none are seen after it closes, and the battery itself contained a few less than that - visually, at least. Maybe each horror face represents a few thousand souls, but I first assume, it just a few dozen.

So, do they possess human bodies? How fast? Are they incorporeal/insubstantial? Maybe even indestructible, but decaying when out of a soul battery? If they decay, how long before they do so? Can supers be immune? If so, which ones? Will we finally see one of the good guys die? Or are the batteried souls just a nuisance?


Do the possess multiple human bodies?

All this is extremely good questions!
And unfortunately impossible to answer with the available information. I do suspect there are more than just 25 souls though. Else it would hardly be worth it.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Wont work, she cant TP other people with her. Vaia is the exception because of her own power.

Varia. And, is it a matter of being unable to teleport people, or a matter of not being able to teleport enough mass to take a person along? I can't remember which it is.

Either way, I think short of re-corporating Sciona and repeating the portal stick trick, Harem is still the only field agent capable of assisting Sydney there. Even if it's by grabbing the portal stick and carving a portal to anywhere else, away from the murderous alien apocalycorkscrew.

[Rogar Demonblud]

We don't have hard numbers, but a Barrett .50 is about the limit with all five Harems active. Which means her limit when down to one self is still going to be less than Sydney's weight. I think we figured out that she might be able to transport a child masswise.

[Traab]

Im thinking the last orb almost HAS to be navigation. We have shields, weapons, communication, environmental control, that light hook as a tractor beam equivalent, all we are missing is navigation.

[Sean Mirrsen]

The interesting thing is though, we don't really have communications. The "commball" is Sensors and Transporters, i.e. what on a 'Trek ship would be the bridge post of the Science Officer. It doesn't offer ranged communication (just regular speech, even if via telepresence), or broadcasting. The last unknown orb may well be actual Comms, assuming that the latest 'air supply orb' acts as both Life Support and Medical.

Navigation, and FTL flight if such functions exist (not all spaceships are meant to be interstellar), would probably be a part of the Flight orb.
edit: or, activated as part of synergy between Flight orb and Commball, assuming those interconnections on the skilltree are for that purpose.

[Traab]

The interesting thing is though, we don't really have communications. The "commball" is Sensors and Transporters, i.e. what on a 'Trek ship would be the bridge post of the Science Officer. It doesn't offer ranged communication (just regular speech, even if via telepresence), or broadcasting. The last unknown orb may well be actual Comms, assuming that the latest 'air supply orb' acts as both Life Support and Medical.

Navigation, and FTL flight if such functions exist (not all spaceships are meant to be interstellar), would probably be a part of the Flight orb.
edit: or, activated as part of synergy between Flight orb and Commball, assuming those interconnections on the skilltree are for that purpose.

Too be fair, we dont know what the range is on the orb. Just that it lets her infiltrate a warded warehouse from across the street at the very least. For all we know, she could have ftl communication methods available on the com orb. It works as a combo of the communicator in star trek, and the holo projector in star wars, and in addition lets her scan things like a freaking tricorder AND act as a transporter. This thing by itself is a swiss army orb. There is no telling exactly what it might be able to do.

[Sean Mirrsen]

It's not really about the distance it can project the lightbee to. It's just not a communications device. Sensing auras, seeing through illusions, data gathering by reconnaissance, projecting distractions. It's a tactical orb. There's no "send message", let alone "receive message". No broadcasting, no listening in, no jamming, no translation. A proper communications device would have at least some of those things. The 'commball's communications are limited to an equivalent of "walk over and tell somebody".

[Traab]

Wow Dabs, kinda quick to cut sydney loose arent you? Dont you have any interstellar connections? Maybe talk to the alien representative on the council, find out the feasibility of sending an intergalactic uber to pick her up? She DID just get stuck on another planet while trying to help said council not get wiped out. You owe her one.

[Nettlekid]

I get that this comic is supposed to be cheesecake with "plot," but did we really need Dave to spend 75% of the commentary on boob size?

[lord_khaine]

Wow Dabs, kinda quick to cut sydney loose arent you? Dont you have any interstellar connections? Maybe talk to the alien representative on the council, find out the feasibility of sending an intergalactic uber to pick her up? She DID just get stuck on another planet while trying to help said council not get wiped out. You owe her one.

I suspect she just dont expect Sydney to survive that long on her on in hostile territory.

We dont know how far away the Alari empire is. It might take a couple months to get there for all we know.

I get that this comic is supposed to be cheesecake with "plot," but did we really need Dave to spend 75% of the commentary on boob size?

Yes.. yes we did.. the comic is kinda serious today. Im 110% alright with the boob focus being in the author comments.

[Sean Mirrsen]

I suspect she just dont expect Sydney to survive that long on her on in hostile territory.

We dont know how far away the Alari empire is. It might take a couple months to get there for all we know.

Possible existence of commercial FTL travel aside, this might be a more serious situation. When the location you want to get to necessitates a whole sidequest arc with acquiring two artifacts of uncertain doom and tearing Reality a new one with the pair of them duct-taped together, and when your resident Quantum-Entanglement insta-teleporter person feels woozy just being there, you might be dealing with a place you can't just book a transstellar flight to.

[HandofShadows]

I think Harem's problem is that the gate was messing with the quantum connection in her head(s). Without the gate being open she should be fine.

[Keltest]

I get that this comic is supposed to be cheesecake with "plot," but did we really need Dave to spend 75% of the commentary on boob size?

Its always been rather stream of consciousness about some quirk of the drawing process he noticed, sometimes combined with all the background stuff he has going on in his head.

[halfeye]

We dont know how far away the Alari empire is.

The text below the comic says "No woman left 700 light years behind". Unless that's a reference to something that has a number in it, I think that is probably an indication of how far away Sydney is. Which compared to the size of the galaxy (100,000 light years) isn't that much, but at c it's 700 years, so FTL travel (or a portal) is necessary to get her back.

[Sean Mirrsen]

The text below the comic says "No woman left 700 light years behind". Unless that's a reference to something that has a number in it, I think that is probably an indication of how far away Sydney is. Which compared to the size of the galaxy (100,000 light years) isn't that much, but at c it's 700 years, so FTL travel (or a portal) is necessary to get her back.

700 ly isn't even half the thickness of the galactic disk. So given the amount of trouble Sciona went to, it's probably not a relevant number.

[Rogar Demonblud]

At least Maxima remembered to do a head count. One bit of professionalism achieved.