Messages

31

Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 20, 2015, 05:51:49 am »

Wow, the sand net went after Ms. Bola, and the Flaming Bola went after Mr. Sand Mage., and they were BOTH too stupefied to react properly.  Yeah, Bern wins. It was so satisfying to see those smug looks disappear. Now comes the aftermath. PLEASE don't do something stupid, Bern. Just accept your A-rank and keep your mouth shut.

I'm wondering if that's possible. With that much power in her hands, hence my prediction that she could take on the warden. Do you really believe that Bern would simply shut up and be a Good Little Girl now? I don't think the warden even knew how powerful those swords were. Thing is, it's a good thing the warden's got Polly all trussed up, because Polly might be the only thing that's going to save her from being attacked by Bern. I don't know if anybody (meaning the guards) are going to be stupid enough to try and restrain Bern after that little show they just observed, if nothing else because they were as shocked as everyone else by what just transpired.  Meh. I guess we'll see... 

And that would be STUPID, as she's still in jail and has to work off her marks. If she revolts now, all she's going to accomplish is making things worse or getting herself killed. (The guards wouldn't have to restrain her. They could just label her a violent, and extremely dangerous threat and attack her from a distance with crossbows.)

Remember, this arena has been around a long, long time. They have measures in place to deal with riots and armed revolts. The best thing for Bern right now is to clear up her marks, get out of jail and then protest. There's no law against speech in this country.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 18, 2015, 05:51:33 am »

Wow, the sand net went after Ms. Bola, and the Flaming Bola went after Mr. Sand Mage., and they were BOTH too stupefied to react properly.  Yeah, Bern wins. It was so satisfying to see those smug looks disappear. Now comes the aftermath. PLEASE don't do something stupid, Bern. Just accept your A-rank and keep your mouth shut.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 17, 2015, 05:47:26 am »

  That was awesome, Bern. A flaming BOLA, and a sand net came your way, yet you blocked them both. Looks like Mr. Sandman forgot what he learned earlier, and Ms. Bola wasn't paying attention. Bern, take them down and go rank S!

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 16, 2015, 05:08:39 am »

And BOOM that's what we were waiting for.  As for Bern getting no character development, she has had tons.  She's being forced to go against her very nature as a pacifist and kill/maim to save not only herself but her friend.  She's also having to accept magic as a source of her current strength.  This is the perfect kind of development for Bern's character.

I agree for this reason and several others that have been hit upon.  I do, however, NOT think this match with the other two is  'won' already.  Brute force may not work on Bern's invincible blades.. but there are MANY ways around the 'blade'.. the other two should be interesting fights.. as they will also have to 'dig-deep' to fight in new and unorthodox ways.

Classically, the way to counter antimagic is to alter the environment around them. A direct attack can be negated, but heating up the air, or removing the land via earthquake means things get uncomfy for the person, and they might be defeated anyway from stuff just being generally unpleasant.

She just sliced chunks of flesh though.

Actually, it looks like his injuries are the result of his own weapon's shrapnel when Bern blew it up. (Look at all those strange cross sections.)

We've already seen that attacks which don't connect with the blades themselves are still effective. Mr. "Sandman" could, and did grab her leg and push her down. If Ms. Magic Yoyo were to tie Bern up, Bern could be disarmed and rendered helpless very quickly. Unfortunately for them, it seems their strategy was "keep her busy until Mr. I-Beam crushes her into paste." With him out of the picture, they'd better start thinking, and fast because now that Bern knows she CAN win, she's getting angry, very angry.

35

Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 14, 2015, 05:11:59 am »

Oh, yeah, way to completely smash that I-beam Bern, and yes, it's an I-beam. It has an "I" cross section but a piece of metal welded over the end to make it look like a club.

Surely thou jest. In reality it was nearly square (rounded corners) but for having four slight indentations, one along each side. It was also consistently this way, and not merely modified on the end. There's no reason he'd have started with an I-beam (which is only symmetrical in two rotations, 0 and 180 degrees, rather than the four, 0/90/180/270 degrees, of this ex-weapon), nor really any reason that I-beams would be much of a thing in Flipside's world, for all we know.

If you look more closely at the debris of that weapon, you will see various pieces all wearing the iconic "I" cross section.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 13, 2015, 05:48:27 am »

I guess it's fair to just assume that beambro is a seasoned veteran and wouldn't do such a rookie mistake just like we just accept that the "split rose" is the "ultimate defense technique" even though it probably doesn't make much sense in a real fight in which lots of sword "clang clang" never really happens.

Do we in fact know this? Maybe he's a person who has gotten by on a heavy weapon and using gravity-self magic. Sort of like if you have wolverine-style healing, and something hits you that can't be healed, you wouldn't normally be good at dodging, because you would be expecting to shrug it off (wolverine, oddly enough being an exception, because despite being night-immortal is also a seasoned fighter).

You think that's all it takes to be way too badass for A-rank? A big stick?
If so, mostly everyone in S-rank is fucked sideways when facing berns no-nonsense swords.

He's A rank because he doesn't have enough control or finesse. He has enough strength and brute force for S-rank, but if he actually wields it, he would kill his opponent.... except now that Bern has the swords of Split Rose.

Oh, yeah, way to completely smash that I-beam Bern, and yes, it's an I-beam. It has an "I" cross section but a piece of metal welded over the end to make it look like a club. Everyone must be going WTF!

37

Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 12, 2015, 01:22:14 am »

The only reason Bern's not moving is that she's being held in place by Mr. "Sand Magic." Otherwise, your analysis is quite accurate. Bern needs to do something though if she doesn't want to be tied up by Ms "Combat Yoyo" like a thanksgiving turkey full of stuffing.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 09, 2015, 05:34:29 am »

And what's his face is clearly SO frustrated and determined to break Bern's guard by brute force that he's clearly going to cripple himself, or lose his grip on his weapon, or both. It's not going to be pretty when that happens.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 06, 2015, 06:31:45 am »

Grant doesn't have access to his daughter or her cell. He BARELY has access to the audience. It was a minor miracle that Bern got her hands on those swords. The "bosses" let it happen only let it happen because they thought she'd be killed anyway.

Little did they know that those swords were BUILT for her, and her fighting style, a style she has mastered.

Bern, now kick some ass before these yahoos get smart and take the swords out of your hands.

40

Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 04, 2015, 01:03:20 pm »

What's going on.
What does "KIII" mean? What sound is that?
I guess it's not supposed to be a clang?
From Berns pose I could infer that she puts 0 effort at all into blocking blows that have 0 force behind them, thus no clang but I'm not sure that's intentional because true strikes pose also doesn't convey "I will strike you with all I got" to me and I guess in that situation, that's something he'd want to try and do.

It's possible that's the sound of metal scraping on metal. Bern had better do something quick though because the yo-yo girl could come along and tie her up with her wicked floss if she only focuses on blocking Mr. I-beam here.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: April 01, 2015, 05:42:04 am »

Actually, the "Avatar" movie's final battle made perfect sense. The greedy corrupt corp execs and their mercs were getting ready to completely genocide the entire native population from orbit, and a frontal attack on the corp hq was their only option. (They had to neutralize the human controlled equipment before the orbital death rays were in position and started firing.) Also, the guerrilla tactics weren't that effective. Sure, a pack of hunters could take out a company of men, or two, but the massive barrage being fielded by scarface, and an automated orbital strike attuned to their unique heat signatures? Not so much. Heck, they couldn't even stop ONE of those super hauler trucks. The best they could do was "blind" it, and that had a heavy price.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 30, 2015, 05:48:44 am »

Oh my god!! Enough trying to dissect the science behind the last attack! This is a world where a woman heals from eating people, another woman is permanently invisible and tiny microscopic machines fill the entire planet creating magic.

So do you really think our worlds physics apply to theirs? lol

A post even more epic than today's comic! Sir I salute you and your wit!

Bern, LET'S GET DANGEROUS!

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 28, 2015, 07:23:21 pm »

Well, this is a surprising result! Rather than simply restoring the mass to its original, the negation altered the incoming I-beam's velocity change. So the momentum Bern is experiencing is actually DECREASED by a square of whatever multiplier Mr. I-beam is using. Say he's altering its mass to swing 10 times faster, Bern is actually feeling 100th of the impact she would normally feel by blocking with the swords. The fight suddenly got VERY interesting.

Edit: After some thought I realized what's actually going on. The enchantment does nothing to alter the I-beam's mass or weight at all. It only affects the speed of his swing, and simply "feels lighter" due to the "magic" applying most of the force behind the swing, and then, on impact, absorbs the excess kinetic energy. As a result, while the additional velocity was negated, the "price," ie, consuming a large percentage of the impact's kinetic energy was not. This makes the force of impact considerably light.

44

Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 26, 2015, 05:23:30 am »

Ugh, we've got an issue here.

If it were a side swing, the magic cancellation effect would indeed rip his arm off.

However, a downward swing, if the cancellation hits, I would imagine this would become heavy at exactly the wrong moment. Or... someone help me out here with the physics. Would it pull him off balance?

Short answer, the impact would hurt, A LOT.

Long answer, changing the "weight" to swing it faster without altering the force of impact indeed is an accurate description of changing an object's mass. Or some effect that mimics that result. When the I-beam connects with Bern's "magic negating" swords, the force of impact, 1/2*mV^2 is going to account for mass "m" which is the I-beam's original mass, but will apply "V2"^2 which is the square of the enhanced velocity. So if the blow connects, it will hit with the square of whatever increase he applied. Double the speed, four times the damage, triple the speed, nine times the damage, and so on. If Bern somehow deflects the blow to either side, the unexpected extra mass will easily pull this guy off balance, at the very least. If this guy put in a large enough multiplier, he's going to find himself pulled forward into the ground regardless of whether he connects properly or not.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 24, 2015, 05:54:01 am »

"violence" includes all forms of theft, pickpocketing, shoplifting, etc.

It does not include certain forms of fraud, as you voluntarily parted with your money or possession, even under a false pretense.

46

Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 21, 2015, 05:53:16 am »

Oh, now it's a sand mage. As if the disadvantage wasn't ridiculously overwhelming enough already! How anyone can consider this "fight" entertaining is beyond me.

An entertaining fight requires the opponent to actually stand a chance.

This is no better than standing back and watching a bunch of schoolyard bullies beat up on the new kid. Anyone who cheers at this needs mental therapy with a two by four to the head.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 19, 2015, 05:09:51 am »

His I-beam is fashioned out of Element Zero from Mass Effect! It can alter its mass at will. Lighter so it swings faster, heavier mass on impact. OUCH! Sir Isaac Newton is the meanest son-of-a-bitch in the universe!

To put it another way...

K=1/2*mv^2. So he wants to double his speed, he needs to reduce the I-beam's mass by a factor of four.

Yeah, if he loses his grip while he's doing swings at incredible speeds, the mass will suddenly increase by the square of the velocity multiplier. He's not just swinging an I-beam anymore. He's got a freaking mass driver!

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 16, 2015, 06:11:29 am »

On another note, what on earth does, say, a baker get for minor transgressions?
Cause if you can't fight, there only seems to be death by torture for which the bar is set as low as threatening someone.

There are, in fact, three options for your penance.

1.) Gladiatorial combat, as seen here. IDEALLY, it's the quickest way to pay off big "marks." Although there are hidden rules that may make it longer, and more dangerous than the others.

2.) Flogging. One mark removed per mark of the lash. Normally reserved for those who are both exceptionally stupid and exceptionally violent to remove them from the gene pool, and eliminate their menace to society.

3.) Dungeon. You get thrown into a cell and get one mark removed per week's stay. Usually the best option for non-combatants, or those with low marks. You'd think this would be the longest, and most dreadful, but if you're in Bern's situation, where you've not only got a high number of marks, but have pissed off the entire arena, audience, gladiators, warden, and manager, have a low rank, and have gotten to the point that even penalties assigned to prevent you from being killed are removed, the dungeon starts looking pretty good. Especially if you're denied fights which is what allows you to remove marks in the gladiatorial combat option.

Edit for new update: Holy crap, as if swinging an I-beam around like a swashbuckler wasn't enough, it's an ENCHANTED I-beam too?! Sheesh! There's overbearing, and then there's freaking ridiculous. This is entering Freaking Ridiculous territory, and even if Bern somehow beats this guy, she's STILL got to face two others that are likely just as hard if not worse, AND in completely different ways.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 14, 2015, 05:21:44 am »

And the narration confirms it. Going in during an opening NORMALLY is the right course of action, but this lug was luring Bern into close combat. Hanging back and waiting for him to get tired swinging that I-beam would be ideal, however....

HE'S GOING TO THROW THAT THING!

Or worse, he calls in his two buddies, and they don't give Bern room to maneuver.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 12, 2015, 05:59:04 am »

And the warden has (perhaps wisely) chained up Polly so she doesn't interfere.

So it looks like Bern doesn't even get to have these guys trip each other up as she's forced to fight them one at a time.

Oh boy, she's in serious trouble. This is even worse than her fight in the castle, because her opponent's advantage there was a magic stick. This guy is that strong, if not stronger, and there's no magic for her to break.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 09, 2015, 05:55:50 am »

Bern, this is a really good time to use another fighting style. Too bad you don't have one.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 43: Discussion

« on: March 06, 2015, 05:04:48 am »

WTF?  He swung a I-Beam at her?!?!  lol!  That's not a weapon... it a piece of Real Estate!!!

QFT! When they said he was holding back, they weren't kidding. He's swinging that I-beam like a baseball bat! Bernadette's dodging isn't bad either. She's so fast, she's leaving after-images!

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Intermission 30: Special Voting Thread!

« on: February 23, 2015, 06:26:43 am »

2. Bernadette (Colosseum Storyarc)

Yes. This arc needs finishing before moving on to the others. The cusp of a major fight scene is a HORRIBLE place to suddenly jump to another story arc. Besides, the other arcs need a bit more thinking.

Maytag: Agreeing to work with The Thin Man at all was a bad idea. She knows what happened to Mary, and she knows that is most certainly NOT something Mary wanted. The fact that she was kidnapped into a meeting with The Thin Man in the first place, and was refused the option and ability of leaving would convince anyone that this guy is NOT trustworthy.

Crest: We know Q'talda loves to play mind games, and sacrificed the Conclave to save herself (not to mention she was calling for Suspira's death before Suspira even arrived). We know Suspira is not COMPLETELY delusional because the bullies she retaliated against DID BULLY HER IN FRONT OF CREST, and were planning some more mayhem (thinking Suspira wasn't even around) when Suspira came out of the wall and did... Something to them. Furthermore, the way she is now... THAT was done to her by either Melter, The Thin Man or both, and she sure as heck didn't agree to it because she was unconscious as a result of The Thin Man's thugs back at the Castle/ Inn. Furthermore, the credibility of Suspira's "parents" is still in question. Q'talda has the ability to loose flesh-eating bacteria on you that leaves no evidence behind. Any random man and woman could have been "convinced" to play the role. Since Crest has, most likely, never been to Suspira's home town, there's no way teleporting him "there" would be sufficient, as "there" could be some OTHER town that Q'talda only SAYS is Suspira's home town. Q'talda's story has too many holes in it. PERIOD. At least, Crest meeting with Suspira again would allow him to tell her that Q'talda survived her attempt. In any event, Suspira, powerful as she is, WILL need help fighting The Thin Man.

So while #2 is the best choice right now, I wouldn't mind seeing #3.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 42: Discussion

« on: February 13, 2015, 07:08:15 pm »

Nothing at all about that from my view. It isn't a moral question. It is a personal accountability question. A couple folk on the forum have been all about the morals of choice A. That's almost irrelevant from the Warden's perspective.

Polly took away Bern's ability to take responsibility for her own actions. Bern had a choice and chance to act like an adult and pay a price in order to make up for previous actions (and lack thereof). And it was a price. Unlike choice C however it was solely a personal sacrifice, not something she'd take out on a third party. As adults we often have to trade off costs vs gains. Polly said to Bern, you're not strong enough/mature enough/capable enough to do so. And by not arguing, Bern agreed. Right now she thinks she's weak and pathetic... and she is. Because she let a friend pay her debt, and pay 10x what she'd have had to pay.

I actually can't see where you think the Warden cares at all about anything sexual or prurient. Nothing she's said or implied hints at her having any interest in such. All of this is a test of Bern's mettle from her perspective. Yes, one of the options involved sexual degradation, probably solely because it has significance to Bern. If Bern had a different personality, the options would likely have been different as well. I also can't figure out what any of this scene would have to do with promiscuity or lust. Neither Bern nor Polly are making a choice based off titillation, it was solely a question of what is a chance to get out of the arena sooner worth to Bern (until Polly disempowered her).

It wasn't that Bern refused to argue. Polly made it impossible to argue. By making it an auction, Polly set it up so Bern's arguing would have only made things worse. Also, the Warden is right in that "Option A" isn't about lust or titillation, it's about pain and humiliation for Bern "to make her a survivor." By forcing Bern to let someone else take that humiliation, Polly has made things harder for her, not better.

This doesn't sound like someone with actual malice. It sounds like someone who has seen this countless times, over and over, and had any objections completely crushed out of her.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 42: Discussion

« on: February 09, 2015, 06:05:03 am »

Remember, everyone. Bern's specialty is COUNTER-attacks. She's not "looking down" or depressed. She's clearing her mind so she can kick ass. The first of these three who goes after her will be used as a club against the other two.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 42: Discussion

« on: February 05, 2015, 06:39:50 am »

I can see Bern winning the fight, turn to the audience and say "THIS is what your 'country of peace' is all about? Having three brutes beat a woman to death because she wouldn't let a couple of self-professed 'healers' cut her down? When she brought her DYING FATHER to them for treatment? And actually dared to complain when they LIED about her having a certain amount of time to gather funds, only to return and find her father IN THE ACTUAL TRASH?! I'm not even going to go into what prisoners are made to do here behind closed doors. If this is your idea of 'justice,' I have no words for the level of contempt your country deserves."

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 42: Discussion

« on: February 02, 2015, 05:35:49 am »

SPOILER ALERT:

Brion based Bernadette's fight on the outcome of the New England / Seattle superbowl game.

You mean they're using illegally under-inflated balls under the direction of a coach who's a known cheater?

In other news, holy freaking cow feces! That's a rather harsh standard. Come on, Bern, you can do this!

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 42: Discussion

« on: January 30, 2015, 08:45:02 pm »

I think I feel an ass-beating in the works... and not Bern's.  I think she's plenty mad enough now to whup some kieshster!

Gah! She's fighting faceless golems! AAAAYYYYIIIEEEEE!!!

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 42: Discussion

« on: January 27, 2015, 05:44:46 am »

And now it's time for Bern's A rank-up test. Is that her father there in the audience? Hmm. I wonder how he was able to afford a ticket.

Confirmed. It's him, and he somehow managed to scrape together enough money for it. And it's worse than he thinks. The arena didn't just force her to fight three on one, they had her friend pay a rather high price for it too.

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Flipside Discussion / Re: Chapter 42: Discussion

« on: January 16, 2015, 05:43:21 am »

Polly, you are seriously F*ed up! You realize that right?

That is all.