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Thank you for the support! You guys and grrls are awesome!

Ooh, Harem's got a secret...

This guy, let's just call him Nthaniel for now, probably could be running some sort of "know what every quark in my vicinity is up to" field, but, maybe he's bored with however many ages of never being surprised by anything. He's got access to really incredibly comprehensively sophisticated advanced predictive algorithms running on whatever the next six steps past quantum computing is, being powered by the total captured energy of a violet dwarf, which is a kind of star I think I just made up that's really good at outputting energy used for computations. And he has senses that are like a million tricorders scanning everything in... let's say in one A.U. So it's hard to surprise him usually. But apparently the branch of Causal Naturalism reality is taking is one of the less likely outcomes.

One of the cooler things I read about in Systema Delenda Est (though I'm not sure of the actual origins of the concept) was Summer Civilizations. Basically, you simulate a civilization in a ridiculously powerful computer, run that civilization forward at ten-thousand times normal speed, then you steal all their patents and weapon designs and cool ideas for the real world. (Or is it the real world!?) And I guess if they come up with any pithy philosophy or good, uh... movie ideas or quilting pattern or whatever, you could steal those too. Anyway, I mention it because if you have your own matrioshka brain, you could probably run a few dozen of those and crib some of the good stuff from them, including their own predictions about any number of events.

I spent a little time trying to write "I'm an advanced being therefore the concept of "I" is too simplistic to encompass my personal pronoun needs," but really, in the end, that seemed sesquipedalian. I wasn't going to write "This unit" or "Entity Alpha" or whatever, and a personal pronoun really only needs to be "I" or "we" if they're some kind of group consciousness. Having multi threaded thought processes to the point that some might begin personality divergence may be a case for some sort of hybrid personal pronouns, but in the end, I just went with "I," because if I used anything else, I'd really need to make room on the page to explain what "Vo," or "Glim," or "Schvarvelshooshisticoli," meant, unless I wanted you guys thinking it was his name.

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Comments

Connor B

A 6th harem? TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!

Michael Obert

Ah Crisitunity! A word I haven't thought about for some time. . . Also, good to see omnipotent (near) beings in the Grrlverse also 'nyah!'

codesurfer

based on the curled posture I think its meant to represent an embryonic position, aka she's on the verge of having a 6th body but might not be there yet or has just consolidated it. which tracks since it has been stated before that she has gained more parallels as she ages and doesn't have to have them physically in place at all times.

Torabi

Well! This is an interesting page indeed! Even more secrets revealed than anticipated!

codesurfer

the author notes are funny since this older cis het man has stumbled upon the complexity of neopronouns and systems that the queer and neurodivergent communities have been toying with for decades.

Miyaa

Why is Sydney turning into Corporal Planet when all her balls combine? Is that what we are seeing from Nathaniel?

Nematrec

Nthaniel as in like Nth+Daniel, as in Daniel Jackson from stargate who ascended to be like the super advanced mcguffin creators? (at least twice)

Andrew Denton

I think that's Max. I can't picture Sydney giving that command.

Fogel

That's Maxima

akrasia

Note the jacket neck ruff, and the pointy ears.

akrasia

Baldur's Gate 3 has for better or worse, assigned expectations for anyone named Thaniel.

akrasia

Ol' Tablehead is behaving a lot like a Marvel Universe Watcher. p.s. When do Syd and Max have their Freaky Friday bodyswap? There's gotta be one, right? RIGHT??

Michael Obert

Except we can't call him the Watcher or they'll be suing! Let's go with Peeper or the Onlooker! lol

Michael Obert

Yeah, It' Max. I think the color are supposed to represent her attributes and how she can adjust them at will (it's a little Voltron color schemed to me, not exactly, but in an abstract art sort of way)

Mike

Wait, there's 6 Harems now? Has there always been 6 and she's been hiding one, or has she levelled up? She did say she gained more bodies over time, maybe it's been long enough for a sixth?

Jared

I don't recall the number she ended up at, but I recall her being able to have another body after the time travel wormhole debacle.

William Elliott

Thats definitely Max. She was "behind" him, and Syd was in front near Harem. He was so distracted by Harem's multi body consciousness that he missed the walking supernova at his back. oops!

Steve Brinich

Not exactly - one body went into the future and got discombobulated because she was suddenly connected to the five bodies existing at that time, creating an "echo".

Town Crier

Hey Max! Nice butt swirl!

Mads Frey Halling

It's also interesting that the lines on the Harems appear to spread out from that one

Town Crier

He's a Cyber Shroom, dude. "Tablehead" is offensive. (This has been a Space Karen moment)

Ampws

Too long between laughs - definitely working too hard.

Connor B

Maybe the 6th Harem is just the original/spare. She can switch it out with the other hers when ever she wants but chooses not to to make sure the original does not die

Richard Riley

I don't know about embryonic. I first assumed a position of capture.

FuzzyDragon Cosplay

Hmm po-boys do sound good right now, a nice roast beef po-boy drowning in gravy... im getting hungry now.

Justaguy

I believe that's the "ooh Harems got a secret!" bit.

Czarzhan

My thought was "sleeping"

Aaron Mauthe

This is now dubbed “The One in Which Dave Causes an Unfathomably Intelligent Alien to Use a Word Coined by Homer Simpson”

Robert J Headley

Is the 6th Harem new, the one that got blasted into the future, or as proposed by Connor B, the original/spare, kept safe so as to not kill off the entire set? Enquiring minds want to know.

LucasTheLost

Nthaniel pulled up the orbs' activity log?! (strange that was in English while everything else was in Nthese, but hey: comic books) Yeah, a bit more familiar with the orbs than some random Nth. And given his reaction to Max there, Im guessing they don't get along with Ntalia (the one who made Max's super-geode, who I just made up, sorry Dave). May she's his ex? There's a cold war thing going between their civilizations... Or maybe he just has some weird technicolor-stary-night-phobia thing going on?

LucasTheLost

Is it just me, or are Max's shoulders Looking at Nthaniel? It would explain the jump scare.

Michael Altarriba

It kinda sounds like you are mocking Dave for not being aware of that complexity / history. Was that your intent?

LucasTheLost

Is it just me, or could Harem DRASTICALLY extend her lifespan by keeping some of her bodies "unteleported"? Time doesn’t pass for them, we saw that when she broke her arm in that first big fight... and if she keeps getting more bodies on a regular basis... ?

Geass

The one that got blasted into the future returned after a few minutes. She must have a sixth one she isn't telling us about or has improved her powers recently that she can create a sixth. IIRC, she couldn't always make five bodies at once, she improved her powers over time.

Raymond Dannelly

Sorta called it that noticing Max was a surprise. Not at all how I expected the surprise to look.

SeaGull (aka FriendlyFire)

Okay, after seeing panels 2 and 3 full sized, anyone else expecting Nthaniel's first audible sound to be "Meep"? Cause I suddenly saw Cyborg Beeker with a hat.

Seph Steel

WAIT! Is THIS the guy* Sydney was talking to when she got kidnapped by Concretia????? Is he reverse-inserting himself into the continuity of events?! *"Sentient representation of the orb AI" - in Sydney's words, but clearly not...

Orlet Soir

If I recall correctly, Harem didn't start off with five copies of her immediately, she gained new clones one by one over time, perhaps as she grew stronger in her clone-fu or teleport-fu, or both. Or maybe there's a small chance that every time she teleports she leaves behind the original copy that then becomes freely controllable by the collective consciousness.

codesurfer

Oh thank you for pointing out my poor wording. I just found it interesting how he goes, with super tech we are no longer 'I' and 'Me' and its like funny story we're already touching that state and there are communities that have explored this linguistic avenue. This is why one shouldn't write comments while on break before having your caffeine kick in

Orlet Soir

I'm reasonably sure Max would be the only one to request "an update at home, Harem". She *is* the commander, after all. But yes, then also the stature, the pointy ears, and Maxima being an individual of an undefined power level even among super-powered individuals. Also her skin's exceptionally high resistance to any interactions with it could definitely mess with Mr. Nthaniel's sensorics in sume funny and unexpected ways.

Steve Brinich

That was part confusion-fu and part using the high-tech glasses to call Cora.

Orlet Soir

I'm loving this arc. What more secrets are getting revealed?! Oh the anticipation!

Steve Brinich

Page 491 has a chart where Harem describes her cumulative life experience. She might be about due for body #6...

Anton Schleef

I like the idea of that geode being created by his ex. If Dave doesn't have a backstory for it yet, and to fully explain this reaction, he should absolutely 'borrow' that idea and credit you with it.

Anton Schleef

So, now we both know that he has audio of their current conversation _and_ that he didn't stop time or some such while he's visiting.

LucasTheLost

IIRC the total amount of mass she can move is increasing linearly over time, and when the amount of mass is enough to make another her, she does. I imagine a distant future where there's only a couple cougar-harems manifested, and dozens/hundreds/millions) of crones that have been unteleported giving the few manifested ones enough Oomph to give Max (ageless) a Hard Time... at least if they weren't such good friends since way back when the Milky Way was still a thing.

LucasTheLost

I'm quite sure he already has it all plotted out, but a guy can dream. Maybe I guessed right.

Erin Palette

I believe the term you're looking for is "fetal position".

JasonAW3

To say his reaction to Max is amusing, understatement the point.

Mark N

So the Nth tech circling Sydney is nothing to him compared to Max. That is truly telling.

Otoger

hm, so Max's power is also or at least close to Nth tech just in a "normal" body?

Chimera80

I didn’t even notice the language thing, but yeah, “Activity Log” => {alien gibberish} is a bit odd on second reflection.

Ayrin Benu Beck

Check the brackets around the „Activity log“. The < … > notation is a common way to indicate a translation in a speech bubble.

Marc Vun Kannon

Is there any significance to the fact that the Peeper has 7 objects of some sort lining the front of his 'hat' or the top of his head or whatever that uppermost disk is called? I can't help but see them as his own version of orbs.

SeaGull (aka FriendlyFire)

Unless you're referring to the blue glowing vertical lines equally spaced around the hat/disk I don't see what anything. In the middle set of panels his back is to the viewer and I would guesstimate there are a minimum of ten if not more lines.

eddi_TBH

Max looks even scarier in 10D.

eddi_TBH

In his POV Max is a swirling vortex of multiple energy forms. Like Sydney's orbs but with no control.

LucasTheLost

Maybe it's an Observer Dependant Phenomenon?

Jared

I think she was connected to both the five bodies of that time and the other four bodies through the wormhole, making it even more of a sensory overload. I seem to recall her mentioning that experience to have helped her level up and get another body, but didn't find it after a skim. Probably confusing it with one of the times Sydney leveled up from an experience.

davebarrack

I was going to point that out in my post, then thought, "Nah, you guys can get figure it out."

IvyReed

Every once and a while I remember that Sydney isn't actually supernatural, she was just incredibly lucky one time, and now has TONS of friends in high places. Given our new super space friend has shown up. Are we about to start the "If you're nothing without the suit then you shouldn't have it" arc? That'll be a right roller coaster! I can't wait! She is at least an official private of Arc Swat, and she's shown herself to be quite clever when it comes to tactics, and has ingenuity in spades, so its not like she'd be fired, but it'd be tough going regardless.

akrasia

I could no longer eat shrimp after I found out how closely crustaceans are related to spiders. You shouldn't either, just in case.

Chaddaï Fouché

The reciprocal conclusion is that you should try to eat spiders and bugs… I must admit to being partial to hypocrisy on this one, continuing to eat shrimp because I love them and abstaining from eating bugs (especially spiders) because ewww (very mature conclusion, I know). 🤪

akrasia

If there were any being saved for me, you are welcome to them. I'll even be happier, knowing that there are less of them in the world.

Nathan Weber

It's very difficult to go against cultural norms. We are predisposed as seeing most insects as disease carrying pests. Although there is a growing locust food industry.