Grrl Power #1391 – Flourish with unsuccess
Yes, Max is Neo-ing him. At the end of Matrix 1, when he IDDQD’d after getting shot? You know the scene.
It’s the no-look more than the one-hand that’s really got to sting. The only way this would hurt more is if Max manages to add a few pumps of apple pie filling from the nearby condiment dispenser to the top of her funnel/warp cake without missing a parry.
Man, imagine if apple pie filling was a regular condiment alongside ketchup and mustard and mayo and “magic sauce” which is really just horseradish and BBQ sauce mixed together. Would I try a few pumps of apple pie filling on a hamburger? Especially one that had cheddar cheese and bacon on it? Hell yeah I would. A waffle or pancakes? I mean, I have eaten that. It’s great. A hot dog? No, probably not. Unless the hot dog had sauerkraut on it. Sauerkraut and applesauce work well together, so yeah, I would probably try that. Though sauerkraut dogs usually also come with spicy mustard. I don’t think that would work well with apple pie filling. Hmm…
Anyway, if life were a game, this guy would be surprised by how much XP this duel earns him, since he doesn’t realize how many ranks higher his opponent is. That is, assuming the game doesn’t give you any hints about relative level disparity, and also grants XP for non-mortal combat. Which games really should. Grant XP for sparring, I mean. I understand why most don’t, because you could level in total safety, but if it doesn’t then what would be the point in practicing? Like, schools for learning weapons wouldn’t really exist if you couldn’t advance your skills in them. This assumes, of course, that XP in a given game is simply a numerical representation for skills learned, and not some external system that functions as a sort of currency for purchasing level ups and new abilities.
Ooh, look! A new vote incentive! And it’s updated with color!
Well, in progress, obviously. I have another one that’s actually a bit further along, but everyone was all, “Sydney Kobold vote incentive!” So I switched to this one. Plus the other one was a multi-character picture so it will actually take me longer to finish. I hope to have an update for this one each week, so stay tuned. There is a slightly higher res version on Patreon.
By the way, this gunmetal blue-ish background and teal pencils are how I draw the comic. I set it up this way so I don’t have to spend all day staring into a bright white blank page.
Double res version will be posted over at Patreon. Feel free to contribute as much as you like.
Can we pause for a moment and recognize that the arrogant young clown did a genuinely honorable thing by adding bluntness to his weapon when he thought his opponent would be relying solely on armored shoulder-length gloves?
This will to have a somewhat fair fight, is the fundamental distinction between sparring and genuinely lethal combat. He acknowledged that he had no intention of killing his opponent, and that does in fact earn him at least one point of honor, even while losing several dozen points for sheer arrogance and disrespect.
Points for skill, not so much. At least not that we’ve seen.
Although given Max’s thoroughly unnatural speed and strength, it would probably be hard to tell whether he does have any actual skill.
I suspect that is a standard dueling thing.
I would think that he is, indeed, a quite accomplished swordsperson, in his dojo, possibly the best of his peers in sparring. And possibly the best in mock fights against his trainers.
However, he seems to never have fought against a veteran of any combat style, thinking quick mall-ninja maneuvers would win him a day when his foe gets to vote, too.
A real+mortal veteran would not get himself distracted with funnel cake in this situation, because a crazy competent rookie can pull all kinds of stunts that could lead to either side getting grievously harmed.
But Maxima is invulnerable and could increase both speed and force here… This is really a joke to her.
The weapon design of the sword is interesting. That hooked tip is a feature of some versions of the Khopesh, but it comes on the end of a much more traditionally balanced sword.
Like the hooked-tip Khopesh, this would make a truly horrifying wound on a backhanded slash by cutting muscles and tendons. But also like the hooked-tip Khopesh, it would be prone to getting ‘stuck’ in the enemy’s body if it catches on a bone. If you’re fighting more than one opponent, you really don’t want your blade to get stuck.