Dangerously Chloe 18-03-19 A Mindless Slave

[Jason Waltrip]

new Strip! Chloe tells Naomi about Teddy's condition and confesses she is at a loss what to do about it.

[FuzzyFace]

So we got an explanation... and Chloe is sort of maybe looking for a solution?

[SAGG]

So we got an explanation... and Chloe is sort of maybe looking for a solution?

Teddy's no longer at the academy. Here's a thought: Release him now so he can think for himself...?

[Fereshte]

“I don’t know what to doooooo”

How about just take off the collar?

[brasca]

So we got an explanation... and Chloe is sort of maybe looking for a solution?

Teddy's no longer at the academy. Here's a thought: Release him now so he can think for himself...?

That seems simple enough. Let’s find out why this can’t be done.

[sparky]

More stuff like this would really have been a lot better than the endless strips where he was randomly banging everyone. I don't remember who mentioned that originally but you were right!

[Gotoh]

“I don’t know what to doooooo”

How about just take off the collar?

So he can finish what he started? That's like telling Princess Zelda to release Calamity Ganon.

Anyhoo, called it. Choe summoed Naomi 'cuz she needs someone else to solve her problems. Again.

[Dragon Paladin]

“I don’t know what to doooooo”

How about just take off the collar?

No, that would actually make sense. It must be something more convoluted, like the bangermones in his succuincudeathgelgodeneal gland won't allow him to gain free will unless he screws every single sentient being in the entire multiverse.

[joe england]

How about just take off the collar?

So he can finish what he started? That's like telling Princess Zelda to release Calamity Ganon.

This assumes that Teddy will immediately revert to being a rampaging beast. They've earned more credit than that. In spite of everything, they're still a (somewhat) noble person who has consistently acted on a desire to protect their friends and loved ones. Sure, in the immediate aftermath of their transformation they were rampaging a little, but there's no reason to assume that they would continue to do so when surrounded by those loved ones in a secluded environment.

But, alright, there's still reason for concern. There's also an easy fix here. Chloe could simply tell Teddy to speak freely, to behave as though they were not in the collar's thrall (albeit without their ability to rampage). Wouldn't that be an option? Or are the powers of the collar not nuanced enough to allow for any measure of autonomy? Heck, they made the crystal bikini, which indicates imagination.

In any case, I just hope that Chloe manages to find a solution which requires her to actually use the traits which define her character. The good ones, I mean. The ones that set her apart from most of the other Succubi and make her a protagonist in this comic. The qualities of kindness and compassion that are supposed to endear her to the audience. Throughout this whole story I've focused on those aspects, and not the mistakes or escapades or liberties she's taken. I mean, this slavery thing, treating Teddy like a lapdog... yeah, it's repugnant, but I still want to give her the benefit of the doubt. However flawed she is, she's still basically a nice girl who means well. It's what's made her life complicated up to this point. She hasn't always done the right thing (or, okay, even made much of an effort), but I can't think of her as a villain, either. Her moral center has been the driving force of the plot, and I want for its resolution to be a factor in wrapping this all up.

[Gotoh]

This assumes that Teddy will immediately revert to being a rampaging beast.

You're saying he wouldn't still have it in for Ilsa? I'd find that hard to believe, unless Chloe (finally!) had a moment of clarity and fully explained everything that lead up Abby signing the contract. But I wouldn't put money on that either, since Chloe is still keeping him collared and has admitted to not knowing how to resolve the issue.

They've earned more credit than that. In spite of everything, they're still a (somewhat) noble person who has consistently acted on a desire to protect their friends and loved ones.

"Noble" is hardly the word I'd use to describe Teddy, given his conduct and his decisions so far.

There's also an easy fix here. Chloe could simply tell Teddy to speak freely, to behave as though they were not in the collar's thrall (albeit without their ability to rampage).

That's expecting Chloe to think and act sensibly, which has never happened.

Don't get me wrong: I'm usually all for giving characters the benefit of the doubt, but Chloe and co. have steadily made a comparitively simple issue (i.e. punch Chloe's v-card) into a clusterf**k of much bigger problems (ex. the sex change story, the enthralled girls, Abby's contract, Teddy's current state, etc.).

[joe england]

You're saying he wouldn't still have it in for Ilsa?

Even if he does, he might have calmed down by now. A lot of time has passed. And if he hasn't calmed down, well, Ilsa isn't in the vicinity, and Teddy doesn't know where they are. Hell, they're probably in a whole different dimension. And even if Teddy's omnipotent, I doubt that their first priority on being freed would be to rush back to Hell and murder Ilsa. Chloe and Naomi should be eager to attempt to communicate with Teddy rather than assuming that they're a maniac who can't be let off a leash for even a moment, and if they're really that concerned for Ilsa's welfare then maybe they could warn her ahead of time to see if she can prepare some kind of defense for herself. They could even blackmail her into destroying Abby's contract so Teddy won't NEED to kill her. Point is, they're not without options here.

"Noble" is hardly the word I'd use to describe Teddy, given his conduct and his decisions so far.

Teddy's pulled some crap, but they're still a teenager. I'm willing to be a little forgiving. At the end of the day, they've still proven themselves to be admirably loyal to the folks they care about. Helping people is more important to them than hurting people. So you can say they're no hero, but they're not actively malicious. And, sure, they acted pretty malicious after their ascension, but that was quite a rush they were experiencing and I still say that they deserve better than for their loved ones to give up on reasoning with them. They barely had a chance to speak before Chloe eliminated their freedom. I just want her to show some faith in a person that she's clearly grown to care very strongly for.

That's expecting Chloe to think and act sensibly, which has never happened.

Don't get me wrong: I'm usually all for giving characters the benefit of the doubt, but Chloe and co. have steadily made a comparitively simple issue (i.e. punch Chloe's v-card) into a clusterf**k of much bigger problems (ex. the sex change story, the enthralled girls, Abby's contract, Teddy's current state, etc.).

Yes, that's all true, and it's frustrating. But I'm not expecting them to act better, I'm hoping for them to act better. That's the nature of the relationship between a story's protagonists and its readers. The central characters in any halfway decent adventure always need to face down their own shortcomings, and we keep reading because we want to see them overcome those failings. We want to believe in them, just like I want for Chloe to believe in Teddy. For my part, I'm going to hang onto that benefit of the doubt.

[OllieOrOlly]

Talk about an exposition dump! Aha. I guess, I'm normally one to bemoan the lack of plot-relevant dialogue, but going too far in the opposite direction isn't ideal either. (Perhaps this could've been explained more gradually if more time was devoted to story, instead of, well, you know that broken record by now).

Naomi has acclimatised to that solid crystal armour like a champion; moving around and managing to make somewhat out of character lewd remarks. I suppose a lot has happened with her, mostly off panel, but even so, she didn't seem like one to make a joke in a stressful situation, let alone a "self-screwing" joke.

The implied *obvious solution* of Chloe unlocking the collar seems to be gotten around adequately enough - Chloe believes Teddy's god power fed into the enslavement collar, thus the collar's spell became so powerful that it broke his will into a mindless slave. Maybe she has entertained the notion of unlocking the collar, but believes a mindless and unchained god would become a catastrophic danger... Or, maybe there is a joke that Chloe forgot the key can unlock the collar? Well, as dumb as the strip can get, it hasn't gotten into that specific kind of dumb, so I doubt the forgetting angle is the real reason Chloe is at a loss.

[lordoffiling]

I think it might be like a recursive reference error in Ted’s mind?

Chloe pointed out that you’re not supposed to need to order someone to follow orders when they’re in the collar, but she did. So now he’s wearing an obedience artifact and being told to obey. It’s like what happens when you point a camera at its own monitor, it just loops into infinity.

She could order him to stop obeying, but that might be worse. He’d be wearing an obedience artifact and ordered *not* to obey. That would be like saying “New mission: Fail this mission!” His brain could snap like a twig under paradox load.

[Valkog]

It’s like what happens when you point a camera at its own monitor, it just loops into infinity.

That would make for a pretty rad TV intro, though.

[brasca]

I think it might be like a recursive reference error in Ted’s mind?

Chloe pointed out that you’re not supposed to need to order someone to follow orders when they’re in the collar, but she did. So now he’s wearing an obedience artifact and being told to obey. It’s like what happens when you point a camera at its own monitor, it just loops into infinity.

She could order him to stop obeying, but that might be worse. He’d be wearing an obedience artifact and ordered *not* to obey. That would be like saying “New mission: Fail this mission!” His brain could snap like a twig under paradox load.

Interesting premise and Naomi is probably the only one that Chloe could think of to help. Pandora really isn’t the best person for this job. She hates Charity. And the only one else is Alchemy and I’m not sure what happened to them.