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Messages - bulmabriefs144

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481
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: July 22, 2015, 08:27:03 pm »
These vindictive cruel bastards want HER badly!  It so perverse how wicked-hearted miscreants want to corrupt  innocent and kind-hearted people.  Guess it just makes them feel more justified with their evil ways.

Again I don't think this is about solely the fans or the money.. these Sick SICK Bastards want to make Bern compromise her ethics... just to make a point that everyone is a corruptable as them! 

I mean come'on.. you think that Bern and Polly's conversations in their 'gilded cell' are not being monitored? Seriously?!?  These people ARE plain EVIL... and they take perverse pleasure in spreading the evil of their own avarice. Yes, the Arena coordinators will make a profit at this cause of one jaded fan's fantasy fulfilled, the fact that this DIRECTLY goes against Bern's professed monogamous fidelity... is NOT just a coincidence!  They REALLY want to erode her noble and honorable heart!

You cannot be corrupted unless you choose to be. Last I saw, Bern wasn't into abstinence. So the real issues are that Bern doesn't give in to the violence of her culture, and the biggie right now is Maytag.

You cannot be corrupted without your failing. As in, if Bern is doing something in a moment of weakness, this is her being corrupted. But if Bern does something "corrupt" for a noble reason, is it atill corrupt? Or has she made a choice that she believes  in,  in which case would that would be noble, since it is her choice not being manipulated by Warden.

As much as she loves May, this is someone she also loves. It was May's decision to be exclusive, she didn't make Bern do this. So this is a choice she can make according to her own morals. Now, here's the real thing. She loves Polly. But she doesn't want it to be cheap. To be like bad porn.

482
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: July 22, 2015, 05:28:40 am »
Bern is a bit of an idiot for jumping at deals. She can't help it. She's honest, and wants to help, and doesn't tend to think ahead. But yea, she's better with this than with a random stranger. The real problem of course is there is another person involved (remember? May?) So this isn't cut and dry.

483
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: July 15, 2015, 06:32:58 am »
I would imagine mildly so.  As in, more of a "guys are icky" deal (hence most of her love interests seem to be girls) than a sorta "men shouldn't be allowed to vote" thing.  She thinks guys that actually show talent (like big I-beam guy) are cool with her, but probably sees alot of guys that are all talk and no action. Or who are pushy jerks that want to rape her.

Keep in mind we have seen Maytag have sex with either gender, but Bern seems to be gold star lesbian. At least some of that is from either sexism, or really bad experiences with men in the past.

Pffft. Bern is sexist, maybe. Maytag on the other hand, is a sex fiend.

http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=2123

Something occurred to me when rereading this. The guy said Harker used to be in charge, and he had a rape penchant, and went on and on about it. Yet Warden calls the guy Harker. Given that I think she'd know the difference between two people... is it possible this guy has a Jekyll and Hyde personality? That Harker "isn't in charge anymore" because he's gotten control of him?

I saw Inside Out too! It was so cute...  :-*

484
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: July 13, 2015, 04:25:22 am »
You'd be right and wrong. First off, out of the gate, it's an anarchy. There are no known anarchies in this world. The closest thing is Switzerland, which allows all citizens to basically carry around guns with them, and has meeting summits for world leaders. How does it maintain sovereignty? By having everyone armed to defend the country. Second closest is the Holy Roman empire, which last years and years, despite being a disorganized mess.
"Nature abhors a vacuum," they say but actually it's just fear and uncertainty. In any case, no such restrictions exist here. Since it's there, there are forces both for its stability, and for its destruction. On the one hand, it is likely to cannibalize itself either through  taxes, corruption, or something else. On the other, it has a healthy economy, doesn't appear to want to change (meaning no voting for leader, and no revolt, and no revolt), is a tax free state, and really isn't a state meaning there are no rules. It also runs a justice system very effectively on bread and circuses. Yeah there are many things kinda sick about the country, but I can see why Polly used to say she loved the country.
It's not for everyone, clearly. But between that and creepy wizards controlling everyone with smoke and mirrors, I think I trust a government that doesn't lie about what it is more. It's disorganized, it's greedy, and its prison are hypocritical. I don't think they claimed to be any utopia, whereas the other place has a whole magic kingdom that we later find out is fake, supported by science when most of the citizens are blissfully unaware of how the tech they use works or even what a machine is.

Anyway... this filler strip is kinda funny, because this is largely what Flipside has done with the gender roles of the characters. Bern, Maytag, and other women seem very much in the lead. The men on the other hand, are largely in the background.

485
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: July 12, 2015, 04:48:18 pm »
Nah, there is an upside. It's a free country as long as you mind other people's space. You wanna turn tricks? Have a con artistry business? Nobody cares. Free country, free enterprise, and no taxes. Just don't bully ppl. There's plenty good about the country, but only if you can understand how to live without hurting others.

Of course, it's easier for people with a business mindset than people who are only good at stealing.

Nudity wouldn't cut it as a deal. They'd need more than that.

486
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: July 10, 2015, 08:48:20 am »
I seriously don't think anyone cares about Bern's sexual purity, guys.   ;D

I know how gambling works in boxing and horse-racing, from watching movies, and it tends to run like the following.

http://flipside.keenspot.com/comic.php?i=2593

High bidder sees a favorite, and the house will either: (a) set things up so the favorite is provoked (either by "treats or threats") to throw the match, giving them the money of what would have been a clear winner, (b) set it up to look like a long shot, arrange a deal with the highest bidder, and make him win like crazy while everyone else is fooled, or (c) fail to do either of these, and eventually they run into a "no contest" situation where the person is too good, and they have to give handicaps to them. This was done in a movie about horse-racing and eventually they had to hobble the horse. It still won, but they had to retire it eventually.

Given what we know of Bern and Polly, I can imagine B but not A.

Also, love this flat "Get out."   

487
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: July 08, 2015, 01:53:38 pm »
I think they're gonna tell Bern and Polly that it's important they throw the match. Something about odds looking too good. Which of course is something Bern isn't okay with. If she refuses, she'll probably hit them with some obnoxiously hard match.

Kinda sucks. Her blade is indomitable, she has the skill, and she has a great teammate, but corrupt betting systems are what they are. Hopefully, this thing will pass and Bern will actually be able to pay down their stuff.

In all likelihood, Bern will be too much of a boy scout (sorry, girl scout doesn't really match because mainly all they do now is sell cookies) to outright agree to throw the match (plus seeing as how she almost died  last time, yeaaaa... no). But she might meet her halfway, and agree to make the battle look much harder than it actually is, while people are still betting. Some goodwill goes a long way, though she still wants to win.

488
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: July 06, 2015, 07:27:52 pm »
No, all this sacrifice was just to let Bern do this rank-up match.
I am really surprised that Bern is able to sleep through all this. She could've tried a little harder than "Are you sure...?" to convince her. But I guess Bern doesn't really want to have sex with random dudes for 19 days; she would've probably done it for one time (or whatever the initial price was; why Polly set the price so high is beyond me). Can't blame her, but I was expecting her to try some kind of maneuver to fix this.
I do hope that the comic will fast-forward to some point after the deed has been done.

She set it that way so Bern would just drop the issue. She wanted Bern to get her stuff done without being all screwed up. Geez guys, hasn't anyone done something for you, without letting you pay them pack? She sees herself as already tainted and wants to keep Bern from getting screwed up similarly.

Her motive right here.
And here.

You see Polly as an innocent, but she's done worse, as far as she's concerned (remember, perspective is a good portion of this, and many rape victims feel like they deserve it). Bern very much would want her to be free from this, but she will need to do it some other way.

Also, this skip may very well be conservation of detail. Since Bern's not awake to stop it, we don't see it.



489
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 30, 2015, 04:11:50 pm »
I've known a girl like this (her name was Paula, so it even sounded similar). Polly likely will try to hurt her if she messes with her decision. She can offer to share, but not to take it instead. It just doesn't work that way.

Anyway, we can quibble all we want about how Bern didn't really earn stuff, and we have to earn everything in life. But life doesn't necessarily work that way. Bern's dad sold everything he had to give her a fighting chance. Polly put herself into sex slavery so that Bern could have a better life.

Yes, I know it's easy to see this as an obligation to pay off. But the fact of the matter is, these were not favors, they were love offerings. Trying to undo their sacrifices is like saying "I don't appreciate your gift." Bern can ask if she can share this with Polly. But likely if Polly wanted that, she would have allowed it earlier. You have two people who are noble and stubborn. Bern can't win here, because sex slavery is exactly what Polly doesn't want for Bern.

No, Bern should not offer to take her place. She should instead try to fight for Polly's freedom from the deal.  Challenge someone, and be like, "if I lose I share her price, if I win, I buy her freedom from this."

490
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 28, 2015, 04:14:12 am »
I agree with it being short (about that length), loose, and removable.

What I don't buy is the absolutely shabby material cost, and the the fact that it provides zero protection for your bum from illness. Simple fix make it closed in back, but stretchy so it can be adjusted easily. It's not just a fashion concern, it's a health concern.

They have better designs they can use. They just aren't using them.

Who knows how many sick people before you have been lying down on that sickbed? Oh sure, they clean the hospital. But ummm, I worked as a janitor for a brief stint, cleaning hospitals. I don't recall ever spraying the beds, we mainly dusted and mopped. I wouldn't lie on that bed if I could help it. Not with an exposed rear end.

http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/72-statistics-on-hourly-physician-compensation.html

I typically make $10 an hour. Are you telling me that at over $200 an hour, they can't cut maybe $5 hourly from each doctor's paycheck and pay to make a better design? Even a buck would probably pay to have one with the butt covered.

 The comparison is that the prison gladiator thing could give prisoners better clothes to wear. Better treatment. Better lives. But they aren't. This is not because of some secret fetish thing. It's because they are cheapskates and want to squeeze as much money out as possible. The people running this show are basically too busy making money hand over fist, but "we're struggling" or "times are bad" (or "we've had a recession lately") whenever anyone asks them to shell out any money for human rights. What? You think people like worrying about the fact that before they came, people were even getting raped? No thanks. 


491
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 26, 2015, 03:42:23 pm »
I dunno. I try to avoid hospitals as much as possible. The fact remains, even though your clothes might contain contaminants there is no good reason for the sort of assless chaps thing going on with hospital gowns. The hospital is cold, and the ventilation system can spread disease through coughing and puking. As noted on several articles about anal sex, that area is disease sensitive.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/01/health/hospital-gown-fashion-makeover/

Yes, some of it is staffing. But some of it is that doctors are arrogant and on a power kick. "This patient was rude to me, so let's ignore him for awhile." And some of it  is outright incompetence. My dad was in emergency for upwards of six hours. He had a side collision while driving into an intersection that had power outage from a hurricane. I was not allowed to ride in the ambulance, unless I got treated (no joke, being family didn't mean a thing, so I get to walk upwards of six blocks to a hospital where they took him).  I got to the hospital, and it was two hours, before they even checked him in. Seriously, they didn't know who he was, and I wasn't allowed to go in do to stupid rules. Then I call my mom, and she gets there from another town, squawks, and finally they let me see him. The doctors were useless. Triage (ppl get separated into not serious enough to treat, dying regardless, and dying but we can prevent it). He's not critical enough that we have to perform surgery, so rather than staffing even one doctor on him, hey ummm, yea. The sooner you treat, the sooner we can go home and be out of your hair. A quick cast, pain medicine, and a wheelchair home. That's all he needs. Nope, they sat and joked with each other, while my mom was freaking out, and we get to figure out what to do with our car (no insurance after that one). So yea, I wouldn't put it past them to pull stuff like that.

Basically, if you have an organization that is not funded by the state, they will try to save money (ditto, if the state sets cost regulations). They will do so by cutting material costs however possible (hence the hospital gown comparison, sure maybe there's different reasons, but it is a cheap as heck gown). If Bern had been given D Class weapons to go with her armor, this would basically be some cheap sword that would break after a few swings, and she'd be told "not my problem" if it broke.

492
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 24, 2015, 02:57:56 pm »
No.

Totally not fanservice.

Quote
I believe that Flipside has had uncovered breasts in the past. I couldn't say exactly when, though. The only thing that comes to mind right now is Maytag bathing with Regina.

Maytag got stripped nude by that sword attack with the guy wearing the Xibulba collar.

But really, the fanservice seems to be currently following rules of plotline. As in, you couldn't reasonably expect Bern to go braless for like 30 pages. You could possibly expect Polly and Bern to at some point get it on, and this would be a plot reason for showing bare breasts. Or when Polly is making out with a bunch of people to pay off that debt.

Quote
Oh also bulmabriefs144 didn't even catch that the arena clothing was meant to sexualize the fighters so perhaps that indicates that the arena clothing designs are a bit too plain, too close to gladiators which were half naked but not really really meant to be sexualized... I think...?

Actually, you will notice that on men and women, the uniforms basically cover the sex organs. They aren't to wear much, but not just because of sexuality. It's cheap to make, a few strips of cloth to cover the essential bits, so they can pretty much get away with it because it entertains those watching the show. It's also degrading. As in, it makes you feel less powerful or worthwhile to be stripped almost naked and forced to fight. Don't believe me? Explain the rationale behind hospital gowns.  Now explain why people don't tend to quibble with doctors after being forced into the gown, left alone for hours, and told to poop in basins instead of proper toilets. You can think it's all about sex, but actually, it has little to do with it.

It also appears you can buy in for clothing or weapons, in a piecemeal fashion. The A ranks had capes, the old guy was fully clothed (thank god), and the girl had armor on one side.

This scene was adorable.

493
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 22, 2015, 02:27:43 pm »
Have you considered counseling for your sex addiction?

Never even thought about this. It's an outfit, it's for fighting, we don't need to fixate on it. Gladiators are scantily clad because it's cheaper to do so than give them full armor. At a certain point, crossing into sex fetish zone and the fighters would complain.

494
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 21, 2015, 06:52:34 pm »
Polly asked her how she felt, and she answered.

Also, again, she never asked this. She got outbid. Reread the thing. Even had she tried to do it, "nope, I'm gonna bid 10 for each you do, so you're hurting me." "...Okay I'll stop."

Bern seems selfish, maybe, but saying this would be so out of character it wouldn't be funny. If Polly was like "So not looking forward to spending time with a bunch of men/women/dogs" Bern would be like "There has to be some other way! You don't have to do that." As it is, Bern got outbid and threatened, so she's not gonna push the issue. Also, not reminding Polly of this, is kinda a sore point.

"I'm sorry you have to sleep with..." "^&#@*$ Bern, why did you bring that up?"

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tact

Also, I've known real-life escorts. I've almost been an escort. Being preachy and moralistic does not make you come across as unselfish. It makes you come across as a jerk. Polly chose this, saying this belittles her sacrifice.  I had a friend who did garden work, and she wanted me to help her hook up with a guy (bringing me along). I was like "fuck that, don't wanna" and she's now kinda an ex-friend. In general, yes, it is a sad fact of life for women. But it's something Polly decided.

495
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 19, 2015, 06:37:40 pm »
"Keep up the good work, and you'll be paying down those marks in no time!"

Translation: "Keep fighting as well as you did today, and you'll be increasing our profits in no time!"

Yeah, 'Sex-plotation' is our business after all!  Nothing draws more audience than two sexy scantily clad hotties kicking Ass in our arena!  We don't Even have to pay you for the work... win-win-win! {At least for us the arena admins}... don't die ...too quickly! :)

..All of these people as Ass-hats!!!

Room and board is actually reasonable. In this day and age, we forget that these scraps of paper are only valuable if they add up to living wages, and many people are actually living outside their means.

Like ummm, possibly the arena guys. Sure they could be living in mansions, but seriously, I don't envy what they have to go through to earn it.

Remember, the definition of slavery is not "didn't pay you money" it's "didn't pay you a living wage and/or the work you are doing is such that you should be paid way more for putting up with it." Trust me, I've worked at places that technically did pay me but not steadily enough to live on, and the job was degrading. Still felt like slavery.

They still need to escape though, as they can't keep hurting people just to live.

496
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 16, 2015, 08:10:14 pm »
Why do I feel sickened at the crowd's roar of approval for Bern's victory? What a bunch of monsters...  >:(

They didn't know they were trying to kill her.

There goes that theory. If the prison director is making such bets, then murder must be a known and accepted option in Marvolo. This kind of changes everything in the prison, and maybe town.

Where was Brion's post about what goes there again?

Not necessarily.. he IS the director and certainly 'in-the-know' of things going on in the prison... things the general public are not likely aware of.  I could see a private betting pool between the officials running the prison on special events.

But you are correct, this is pretty damning of their entire "justice" system...!!!

Bern in her 'crime' did not hurt anyone, did not kill anyone, and only intimidated the possibility of force ...Only to get a professional healer to heal on their agreed upon time that they said they would wait for her to acquire the funds to save a man's life...  AND simply because Bern refused to be their sex toy or maim herself or torture/kill another person ALL for their Sick pleasure... they decided to have a hit-squad of killers brutally murder her in a arena spectacle that they intended to make money off both with admission fees and side bets!

The Marvolo 'government' are the lowest of the low... a mockery of any real government.

ANY veneer of "rule of law" or legitimacy as a justice system is clearly a sham!  In my opinion Bern would be quite justified in just rampaging her way through them all and fighting her way out of there... regardless if they declare her outlaw!  Considering their "justice" system, or lack thereof... I would consider it a badge of honor to be declared Outlaw and Criminal by their 'society'.. if that's what you want to call the thuggery they are touting as a Government, Law, and Justice system!!!

Quote
Basically, if the government won't pay for healing and the government won't protect healers from being forced to heal at below market prices, healers will find their situations highly tenuous and likely will leave for better governed lands (changing jobs is possible, but less attractive given your investing into becoming a healer, especially if you can't hide the fact that you used to be a healer well, as then people will simply hit you up for healing on your new job) or will choose to not become healers in the first place, as it would be seen as a job for suckers that don't mind being robbed. In either case healing would become rather hard to come by if you lacked the wealth to personally hire and guard a healer, for personal or "general" (very expensive) use. Obviously the government is leaving some things to be desired, but unless there's reason to believe that effectively abolishing healing would push enough relevant people over the edge to successfully and without excessive cost overthrow the government and replace it with a superior enough one (I believe it's unknown to us whether such violent revolution is truly possible, as well as whether the new government would be better or worse, and by how much) it would seem better to keep the market for healing functional.

Uhhhh, just a heads up.

Unlike certain governments, they make no pretense at law or justice or anything like that. They are a constitutional anarchy governed by a commercial punishment system. It's very much a business, and everyone knows it. If you pay a commercial group to enforce law, they figure out how to make it profitable.

Government doesn't pay for anything. Because they have basically no taxes, and people do what they want. If there is a need (say, electricity) people hire someone to take care of it. Given this, yes medicine can be stingy, and yes there is some pretty sketchy justice system. Bern made the mistake of putting her norms into this. But it's not really subject to them. Mind your space, and it treats you okay, just don't threaten anyone.

Also, where's my mini-fridge?

Quote
The punishment is not a violation of the social contract. Bern used force to demand a service. Punishment was meted out. Bern agreed to the punishment. This is all reasonable and thus far she has no cause for complaint.

The problem is in the manner in which the punishment was meted out. Bern broke the rules of the jail by refusing to fight. What did she think was going to happen? It's foolishness. But the rabid response by the authority, including the attempt on Bern's life, violates the agreed upon terms. That was a murder attempt by authority against Bern. No one in authority seems to have worked to avoid it.

Bern has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In commission of her crime, she stole someone else's right to liberty and pursuit of happiness. Therefore, it is natural that hers be revoked for a little while. That was just. Bern agreed to the terms of her captivity. She could have languored in prison, instead chose to be a part of the arena. But the attempt at murder violated the social contract. Bern and those who support her cause have the right to violently oppose this authority (in a manner consistent with preserving the natural rights of others) until the conditions have been rectified.

This is all very interesting, but these rights can be suppressed (not revoked, mind, not while you live). If you are a prisoner, you are not free, and largely cannot pursue happiness. So you effectively have to earn your freedom. Given this, it is not reasonable to assume that life is guaranteed. It isn't that they are trying to kill her so much as they don't care enough to stop her from dying at bottom D rank.

This is not the US, it's more like the Roman Empire, minus centralized power.

497
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 12, 2015, 09:22:32 pm »
Let's think about boxing. It's not set up as a bloodsport per se. But because of the better culture, it becomes extremely corrupt. Not only that, because blows to the head are not discouraged (well, it involves a knockout, rather than like sumo a simple ringout, and while you could in theory knock someone out through body blows, the results in long term might be internal bleeding), it is easy to over time crush someone brains out. This is a sport with known potential for corruption.

Or football, where 300+ lb guys are encouraged to tackle (pinning would be alot safer) meaning a high-speed impact with 300 lb of weight. These might as well be human cars. To say nothing of also extreme brain injuries because of the extremely hard helmets (what was wrong with leather headgear again? Seriously). This is a sport where there might be corruption, but we would not know about it from the setup.

The audience doesn't think about the lethal aspects of the event, if it's not commonplace. If it is commonplace, they can become desensitized to it. But in the cause that it is rare, there is such a thing as a planned accident.

Let's use football as an example again. Suppose a player was really unpopular, some idealist type that made a lot of changes and upgrades to the sport. The teammates love them, the audience doesn't know about this, and the officials hate them. Under family-friendly rules, let's say the teams are paid money to arrange a little "accident". Sometime during the 3rd quarter, the player has the ball after being hiked back, and is preparing to throw it. Instead of guarding the player, the team fans out, as if preparing to catch the pass (but in fact, leaving that player completely  open) while they figure out who to throw it to. In comes the other team, slamming together against this player. From the audience's perspective, it's a bad play. They don't think "that guy is going home in a body bag."

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/03/american-football-third-us-teen

I don't know that it's to that point yet, but still...

So back to the "games". We know that this country, because there are no taxes, everything including basic utilities is run by business. We also know that it is a constitutional anarchy. The games, then, are every bit as corrupt as boxing, and worse, the audience is probably told that the players are healed after every game, and repeatedly told about the penalty (as in, propaganda that the games are safe). Whether people are alive and wounded, or very clearly dead, they are likely walked off the field in much the same way so as the audience sees what they expect to see, not someone killed because they were a trouble maker, but X fighter beat Y in battle, so rather than a bloodfest, they just think of it as an exciting fight.

There is also the fact that there is the "no force" culture. You can conceivably have that, but there are certain side effects, like that some violent drives get pushed into the background and people subconsciously crave things like gore and rape. That is, without reasonable situations where people would fight to defend themselves (think about Bern's original situation, and how she was basically not even allowed to threaten the guy), the outlet for some of their flight or fight hormones manifests in weird ways.

Hopefully, between her dad betting on her, and possibly the warden betting on her, her debt can be paid off. Otherwise, I don't know how she'd hold up in future battles, except against opponents that didn't understand her sword. Hopefully, she can use the downtime to figure out more of what it does.

498
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 10, 2015, 09:12:43 am »
Modes? This isn't digimon.  ;D His sword just had a stun effect for the flat of the blade.

That said you have a point (also, in the portion above, the Warden actually has had her back, as she pulled some strings to get her the swords and the battle; it's just she has a narrow view), as from studying how these swords work, I have a pretty good idea how they work.

It's called transference. They aren't antimagic so much as able to transfer heat, cold, force, physical power, etc. Given this, I bet if she wanted to, she could use them as healing swords (by transferring injuries to herself, though). And I'm sure there are other things she can do. It probably can "dispel" magical weapons (by pulling the magical power from the weapon, and having it on short-term storage). And it probably can cut through magical forcefields.

Bern would probably be okay with sex with Polly, but thankfully not random strangers. That said, I think Bern has a strong need right now to remain faithful. It's one of those things couples discuss together, because cheating is not okay, but May might be open for a threesome if asked.

499
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 09, 2015, 12:16:12 pm »
Yay! Battle won!

Two worries though...

One, the crowd may call for blood in order for her to get A rank.

Two, I'm not clear how the bidding went on those handicaps. As in, Warden said something about how all previous bets are in place or something. Does that mean that while Polly outbidded her, she also has to spend a few nights with strangers? Or is it all on Polly?

500
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 04, 2015, 06:56:46 am »
I honestly don't know if what the warden is assuming is true, but her analytical thinking (and assumption) is impressive. I'll make yet another bold prediction down the line: Bern and the warden WILL do battle for Bern's (and quite possible Polly's) freedom. Whether or not Bern tries to escape now, or later. And it will be a battle of epic Flipside proportions, possibly the greatest battle of Bern's life...  ;D

I thought so too. I also think that the Warden's filter of how events were will give her an advantage in said battle. The bruiser she's fighting now figured out what's up, and this is precisely why the battle is so hard (plus his crazy determination). The Warden sees it as a hot sword, because she has a filter around what Bern can and can't do, and has been consistently seeing Bern as just fighting well, yet not seeing the reality of what is happening. When she gets outmatched, her filter sees "just as I thought, she isn't a real warrior." Bern proved her wrong, and rather than admit it, "Oh she got lucky and/or planned this." Maybe she isn't a "real" warrior, but she can hold her own. It isn't that the Warden underestimates her though, but rather, she completely sees her as worthy and simultaneously completely missed this battle because she knows the swords are magical but doesn't understand them.

Fact: She was not in contact with the sword for long enough for it to still be hot, and if it was, it would have conducted into the weapon when she blocked it. Not to mention burning her hands. Fact: Her swords actual power is to take the force with one sword, and transfer it into another. Fact: None of this is shown in the previous comics (I checked) meaning Warden is taking minute details and spinning it to match what she saw.

That is, the "hot" sword was actually giving pain that he was giving her. But, what the audience is explaining it as (since they're far away and can't see directly, and because filtering it another way is at odds with their understanding of how magic works) is as a "hot" sword. Or maybe Bern is wrong about the sword. Truth is in eye of the beholder, I guess.

501
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 03, 2015, 06:19:30 am »
Lolwut?  ??? I don't even remember that event. She touched the ball for all of two seconds while on the ground.

I think she completely failed to realize what this sword does from where she sits, and made a screwy assumption.  Also, that moment  totally looks planned, right?!? (Wrong, starting with her "planning" on getting choked to death)  ;D

Which kind of defines the situation, from where the audience sits they probably see her having a really strong sword, and are filling in the gaps with their assumptions (I wonder what they saw when the sword mirror-swapped those two spells). It's all about perspective and assumptions.

502
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 02, 2015, 11:20:59 am »
It's actually simple physics.

The guy is holding her. One sword is embedded inside, he chokes her and applies force. Her sword touches him and "burns" him (actually what is happening is more like a super-strong arm grab to his arm, breaking his grip). He lets go. Now here's where physics comes in. She's effectively using leverage/momentum/gravity to push her leg against him. This is not a kick, this is a "my sword is stuck inside you, so I'm using my feet to lean against you to pull the sword out." Note that she showed her foot pressing flatly against is chest, near the sword. This is exactly what's happening, she's pressing against him to pull her sword out. The sudden loss of suction as the sword comes out is knocking him off balance, not her strength. This is also what is causing a massive amount of blood to fly out. Consider it like this, the sword was attached to his body like a giant sideways T, she pulls the line out, and he falls over because he's not attached to her anymore. Effectively, even if she exerts no strength, leaning on the sword like that is 125 lb or so of weight.

 


503
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 01, 2015, 06:32:54 pm »
Welp, everyone called it wrong, no dismemberment (not sure if that refers to hands, or organs).

But she did get to kick him away.

And blow the Warden's mind.

504
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 01, 2015, 09:00:51 am »
Fair enough.  :-X

More seriously, hopefully this will end soon, and Bern will move on. Battle is too long.


505
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: June 01, 2015, 01:20:09 am »
More like Black Knight jokes. Seriously, did Brion stay up watching Monty Python? I imagine him biting her next.

506
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: May 30, 2015, 04:22:59 pm »
Limbs can easily be stapled back on, as established with may, but I haven't seen the dead brought back to life in flipside yet.

I guess you forgot that part.

Also, the author apparently doesn't understand medicine. Heart wounds are not automatically fatal.

Hey, Warden is the one who said it, not me!  Perhaps SHE is the one who doesn't understand medicine.

Not dying immediately, so... Also, there's the whole concept of bleeding out.

But nice save.  ;D

It sorta begs the question with the warden though. Supposedly, when one pays off the debt, they're free to go. But I have a feeling (based on what's happening with these three) that this is a pretty rigged game. So I wonder if the reason Warden's so downer is that she's stuck here. That she was prisoner, but ummm circumstances happened, and she wound up staying. It almost seems like the reason she gave those swords is that she wants Bern to prove her wrong.

507
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: May 28, 2015, 02:39:21 pm »
Pffft, Mr Universe. You have noticed that her right hand sword is now nearly to the arm.

Dresden Files had a long speech about exactly this topic.  Yea, found it.

Quote from: TurnCoat
Here's something a lot of people don't know: being choked unconscious hurts.
There's this horrible, crushing pain on your neck, followed by an almost instant surge of terrible pressure that feels like it's going to blow your head to tiny pieces from the inside. That's the blood that's being trapped in your brain. The pain surges and ebbs in time with your heartbeat, which is probably racing.
It doesn't matter if you're a waifish supermodel or a steroid-popping professional wrestler, because it isn't an issue of strength or willpower?it's simple physiology. If you're human and you need to breathe, you're going down. A properly applied choke will take you from feisty to unconscious in four or five seconds.
Of course, if the choker wants to make the victim hurt more, they can be sloppy about the choke, make it take longer.
I'll let you guess which the skinwalker preferred.

Basically, even if you're super strong, squeezing a neck isn't the easiest thing to do.

I think this warden is one of these people with a pet theory. The thing is, social Darwinism is a load of crap. At this point, she's just making a load of rationalizations.
Supposedly, Bern was only strong if she had "moral adaptability" and was "willing to get her hands dirty." Next supposedly, Polly made a bad choice by making her sacrifice for her, and she had no chance of winning. Okay, so what about that theory, hmmmm?

In this last chapter, while keeping her principles, she's managed to defeat two people just by blocking. She's screwed up his sword when supposedly it was "over" for her. And she cut his arm off like nothing.  Warden, meanwhile, has been consistently wrong so far but still manages to spew out cynical garbage, and act like it's the truth.

There will always be people who feel its their duty to "educate" the "dreamers" of the world about "reality." (In fact, this was the whole plot of Tomorrowland) Maybe you don't know reality as well as you think you do?

Maybe "that's the way things are" or maybe things are that way because people don't work together to fix things. Maybe because people don't do anything to help people who are struggling that we all have to struggle and fight and compete with other in this world? Warden is okay (helped her with the swords and getting into the match), but if she dropped this nonsense, she could be part of the solution as to making this place decent. People pay their dues, are willing to entertain, the audience gets their entertainment, but this place doesn't need to be the hellhole that it is.

Also, the author apparently doesn't understand medicine. Heart wounds are not automatically fatal.

http://www.cracked.com/article_19698_7-deadly-things-you-wont-believe-most-people-survive.html

You Have a 1 in 3 Chance of Surviving Getting Stabbed in the Heart

33% survival rate is good odds.

Compare that to gut wounds.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=650313

Kidney wounds can cause rather quick unconsciousness (in a few seconds, and death within the minute), because they mess with blood pressure and cause anaphylactic shock, and that's just one organ there. To say nothing of blood loss.

Thrashing around, as she's likely to do while choking, she'd probably hit his arm by accident (the other sword is already touching him). I have no idea how she figures things are already over. There's still life in her and all she has to do is whack his arm, while her opponent is bleeding to death.

508
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: May 27, 2015, 04:59:42 pm »
I dunno that seems weird. Why talk about someone for 43 chapters and just throw them away? That makes no sense.

Polly is the sorta character the lot of us could say that about, since she's gotten maybe 5 chapters of development, but Bern is kinda like Beckett in Castle. The story makes little sense if she's gone, except as a revenge tale. In fact, I think at one point, the author labels it as a story of two women.

I find it sorta funny that the comic is delayed until tomorrow. Normally when you choke someone, it's extended for a period of time until either the hold is broken or the person passes out. So it's sorta like deciding what to do about the neck, and we're waiting for the author to stop choking her.

I don't believe he has the strength left to crush her throat. But she could easily wake up the victor, instead of finishing stuff.

509
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: May 27, 2015, 12:12:55 pm »
    What bother me about this situation is if she could read his quick strikes with the pole arm weapon remains how did she not read he was dropping his weapon and going for a grab? Even in this position she has multiple escape options, or at least given how badly injured the man is.

    I saw earlier a mention of a push off from his chest motion she could do, which seems likely, but really all she has to to do is stab him with the swords repeatedly... he only has one arm after all.

    Being choked certainly isn't the end of a fight, and a stab wound of that caliber (he had at least 6+ inches of steel in his gut, it is bound to have hit something vital). Granted in a world of magic I suppose "being realistic" is up to interpretation. Even simply hitting his arm with her swords, to inflict cuts along it or perhaps even severing it, isn't farfetched considering she already cut his arm off with just one of the swords.

Reading attacks is not the same as being ready for all counters. Also, you've obviously not been trained in any martial arts.

Sword 1 outside-blocks the club or whatever, sword 2 stabs. The thing about an outside block is that the arm is --> while he simply dropped the weapon and moved out of position to do a grab. This means for her right hand to attack, she has to sweep across her body from low-mid outside to high center, while having little breathing space in her lungs to work with. The other arm has just been out of his chest, and in a weird position to block.  The most effective thing she could do is aim sword 2 slightly upward for a light stab, and kick with both feet. This would instantly break his hold, and knock him over. Or an inside block with the hand that just struck him to knock his hand away.

If she dies, I think alot of us would give up on this story. Not to mention, since she's May's love interest, it would kinda mess up the entire plot.

510
Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion
« on: May 25, 2015, 06:19:13 am »
Good lord.  :o Stop it man, enough is enough.

Or pass out. He has a bound up left hand, chest shrapnel (or whatever that was), and a gut wound.

Currently at this range, she has about four moves.
  • Stomach launch, basically putting one or both legs at his stomach to push him back.
  • Scissors his arm. He'll never fight again without serious improvising or prosthesis.
  • Scissors his head. Unless she's deciding now is a good time to cross that line
  • Groin kick. I think I saw him wearing a rather large codpiece though, so maybe that's out. It would be "super effective" though.

This reminds me of an episode of Beet the Vandel Buster, a lesser known anime in some circles.

They fight Grunide, this monster who spent his life containing his rage and his power. Anyway, he goes berserk, and they can't beat him (because he's using his actual rage to regenerate) until they do a completely crazy teamwork attack that cuts his horn. This is supposed to stop him as the horn is the source of power for the Vandels. But he sorta final attacks after the final strike and they're caught off guard. All it takes is a last push, of Beet using his magic to touch him with his hand on fire, and he falls back (of course, after that he explodes and they have to run for the hills).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQPnbUgmFOw&spfreload=10

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