Welcome to your home away from home. Boy do we gots some catching up to do. No guess you can't blame her for asking she hasn't seen Noctis yet and might not recognize her in sweats, question where's Ada? Getting reamed by the "Almighty" Cent and will we get to see the showdown between Cent and Dolly?
Between Dolly, Ada, TeeDee,Lynn and Calliope wonder how many circuits and Dolls Cent looses in the near future.
"Guess what. Acantha. Since that roach of a brother of yours got himself caramelized by Kali, you're the new ruler of Nova Roma.
(pause) Would you like a cup of orange juice?"
Technically, no one is ruler, or regent right now, as the Senate has not named or confirmed anyone. AFAIK, Aeneas cannot be ruler or head of state; it must be a human.
I'd bet Acantha would love some water or orange juice!
WATER.. NOT orange juice .! orange juice has acid's ... nothing right after surgery ,, except water,, until the doc examines you , then clears you.. usually soft food then..
The look of pain on Acantha's face in panel 4 is very nicely rendered (assuming that was what was intended ^_^); however, what is that device hovering over her right hand intended to be?
Also, as a minor nit, was the plushie moved between panel 1 and panel 2? Because, in panel 2 it looks like it is resting naturally on the pillow beside Acantha, but in panel 1 it kind of looks (to me) like it is levitating.
Looks like an IV port, to me. (It'd probably take forever to ray trace, if it and the tube were transparent)
I wrote a long explanation of why I have an IV phobia, but I deleted it, because it's not a good fear to share.
If you have to get an IV, try to get them to put it in the middle of your forearm. Having the needle or the bend in the tube near a joint is not pleasant.
I would assume that the item hovering over her hand is an oxygen monitor. It's in about the right place. They normally clip onto the finger. I think of the look on the face as the "fuzzy look". Pain, grogginess, and a touch of painkillers. It's like a layer of gauze is separating you from the world, and everything seems a little fuzzy.
I'm waiting for Acantha to start asking all sorts of pertinent and technical questions of her care givers concerning her procedures. After all, she's been being trained as a medic/doctor/priestess in Nova Roma (as a possible way to get her out of her brother's clutches and into the churches).
Although I am sure that will happen (barring creatrix-induced catastrophe ^_^), @Timotheus, I doubt we will see much of it on-screen, since I have my doubts a large dose of medical minutiae will make for entertaining drama. (I am, however, very often wrong. ^_^)
@Gilrandir actually I expect to see at least *some* discussion on-screen about such things, considering the very different medical approaches between Roma and Troy...
Medical people are the <strikethrough>best</strikethrough> worst patients. If we are conscious, we constantly want to know our condition, even though we're in no way in the correct State of Mind to interpret it. If I'm being treated I've gotten into the habit of telling them ahead of time so they don't take it personal that I'm asking questions about how well that I'm being cared for.
BTW, for the record, it appears they are still in 3C (which makes perfect sense to me) for those of you who were wagering. The evidence is in panel 3. (Unless my inference is in error.)
Well, they obviously didn't move her out of the medical facility right after the operation... The interesting question is rather what happens once she is good to leave the medical centre.
Well she doesn't technically have to have the other operation. Her synthetic heart should do the job just fine. The other one is just because Nova Romans generally prefer the organic approach to the mechanical approach.
They have these modern inventions called 'telephones' ... ^_^
Assuming trade relations between Nova Roma and New Troy are regularized, there would be no reason why Dolly would have to go back herself -- which isn't to say she wouldn't. How much time passes, of course, could be an issue.
She has no reason to suspect she might be a prisoner. She has done nothing which would be a crime in, or against, New Troy.
Hostage, maybe.
Prisoner, No.
Hostages are typically held as prisoners ... otherwise they could just leave whenever they want. ^_^ (Unless we are discussing certain exchanges in which people voluntarily(?) offer themselves as hostages for a variety of reasons.)
Acantha didn't exactly object to being taken to New Troy, but she didn't exactly go voluntarily. I can see where she might think they were turning the table on her, OTOH, why would she think Lynn would have taken her prisoner? She is in pain and groggy, and she is trying to make sense of it all. :D
She wouldn't think that Lynn has taken her prisoner -- just that she has been assigned as her keeper, while Troy officials (i.e. probably Commie) are holding her hostage... Ya know, kinda like Acantha had been assigned as keeper to Lynn in Roma :-)
"Uh... Yes! You're MY prisoner! I won't release you, until we've watched the episodes of Lost in Translation that we missed in the last few days. I didn't have the heart to watch them, while you were sleeping... Of course, YOU don't have the heart to watch 'em now."
"Huh? What?"
"Yeah, you had a broken heart, after Dickimus stabbed you, but we found an old aquarium pump to keep you going."
"Miss Taylor! The Jarvik-77,000 is a state of the art artificial heart. It is perfectly capable of sustaining the Empress, until her replacement heart is grown."
"See, Acantha? I can't let you return to Nova Roma, now. They don't need another heartless ruler."
"Ha… ha… :p … Wait?!? What do you mean 'ruler'???"
"Yeah, your brother and his a-hole squad are toast. Asses to ashes, and all, Your Majesty. And, since you're gonna be spending the first weeks of your reign lying down on the job, we might have to binge watch a few seasons of Lost in Translation. You certainly won't wanna binge on the hospital food. It's tasteless, even by New Troy standards!"
"Miss Taylor, I think that is quite enough news for the patient, for today. I will push this extra bed beside hers, for you, because you also need rest, after your ordeal. I will put an old episode of Lost in Translation on the monitor screen, for the two of you to watch, and bring popcorn flavored nutritional cubes and fizzy vitamin beverages, for you to enjoy."
"Thanks, Florence." (note to self: Ask Dolly what popcorn is)
"Thank you, Florence." (Popcorn… Pop corn… Pop, pop, pop corn… What are corns, and why would you pop them?... Wait!... Aren't corns things on your feet???... Eww!... The pain meds must be making me loopy… ZZZzzz…)
"You're welcome. And, Miss Taylor, I will assure Miss Livius' protector that you were being humorous, when you said that Miss Livius was your prisoner. I believe that she understood that your statement was in jest, because I detected a 1 millimeter rise in the corner of the protector's mouth, but she makes me as nervous as Cent-Comm does."
Noctis: "Because it is my duty as your guardian to protect you, princess, I will also watch these episodes of this pointless program you humans seem to be so fond of..."
Noctis: "Besides, I've waited quite long enough to see how Jacob reacts when he finds out he's the father..."
(They've both fallen asleep... I suppose I should pause, and wait for them to wake up... but, a few more minutes wouldn't hurt...)
"What!!! Jacob is the father AND the mother! First Circuit, I never saw THAT coming! Only someone like Setorius could make that happen."
"Wha'? Huh? Is someone attacking, Noctis?"
"No, no, it's nothing. Go back to sleep."
"M'kay... ZZZzzz..."
(Setorius... Hmm... You know, I've never actually watched the credits for this show...)
...
MEDICAL INFORMATION ADVISOR....SETORIUS AXINIAN
...
...
SET MEDIC......................SETORIUS AXINIAN
...
(O!...M!...G!... By the First Circuit!...)
"LunaComm, this is a Priority Red, Top Secret emergency call from Nova Roman Imperial Guardian Cassian, codename Noctis, to Setorius Axinian, Archpriest of the Church of Purity, Nova Roma!"
"One moment, please... You call is connected. Thank you for using LunaComm."
"Noctis! This is Setorius! What's wrong? Did something happen to Acantha?"
"Huh? No. She's sleeping like a baby. TELL ME ABOUT JACOB!!! Is he really the father AND the mother? And is it just the character that's pregnant?"
"Noctis! Shame on you, using a code word LunaComm line for such things... Buuut, since you're already on the line... Jacob just might be passing out cigars, at his baby shower."
"No way! Oh my... The girls will not believe this."
"Aaaand, I DO sometimes assist certain celebrities with their reproductive dreams... A certain actor-ess might have received help fulfilling his-her dreams of fath-motherhood..."
"I THOUGHT he, uh he-she looked kinda chubby, in those beach photos of him-her in a man-kini! Wait'll I tell -"
"No. Remember, this is a Top Secret LunaComm communication. And, now it's a Nova Roman State Secret. You know the penalties for divulging any information you might have received during this call. You can't even tell Acantha that you made this call, until she's confirmed by the Senate, here in Nova Roma."
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGH!!!!" *click*
"NOCTIS, what is it? Are we at war?"
"HUSH, CHILD!!! Close your eyes. You're having a strange dream, caused by your pain meds."
"Mmmhmm... ZZZzzz..."
(Sleeping here... Sleeping here... Did not just overhear that whole conversation... I wonder if I can tell Dolly?... No!... Sleeping... But, wearing a man-kini while pregnant?... Sleeping... Nice Cassian... Sleeping...)
You are right DLKmusic! You might wanna add: " . . . and swallow what you have in your mouth, and THEN finish reading!" (this could save your keyboard, and nose as well)
Acantha: (ZZZzzz...) "One Petri dish of eggs, please. Hold the sausage." *snrk* (ZZZzzz...)
Lynn: "Wait a minute! What did they do to me during that physical exam, while I was asleep?!?!"
Noctis: "You were supposed to be sleeping, Miss Taylor, not listening in on Top Secret Nova Roman communications... But, I happen to be wondering the same thing..."
[minutes later]
Lynn: "So, Setorius, you Stole some of my eggs, and used them to impregnate the person who plays Jacob?!"
Setorius: "Yes, Miss Taylor. That is correct."
Lynn: "So, that means my biological baby will be on-... OH!... MY!... GOSH!!!... MY BIOLOGICAL BABY WILL BE ON 'LOST IN TRANSLATION'!!! THAT... IS... SO......
AWESOME!!!"
Acantha: "Huh? You have a BABY? How long was I out?"
Guess I could have mentioned that earlier: but I'd just like to say that this page made me inexplicably happy :-)
Inexplicably, since frankly I have been quite confident Acantha will make it, ever since Ada's analysis showed she was only *mostly* dead... Yet it's very nice to actually see her stirring after all this time, and slurring some questions in her own special silly-serious way :-)
*Happy Dance*
Where is Noctis?
Between Dolly, Ada, TeeDee,Lynn and Calliope wonder how many circuits and Dolls Cent looses in the near future.
(pause) Would you like a cup of orange juice?"
I'd bet Acantha would love some water or orange juice!
Also, as a minor nit, was the plushie moved between panel 1 and panel 2? Because, in panel 2 it looks like it is resting naturally on the pillow beside Acantha, but in panel 1 it kind of looks (to me) like it is levitating.
I'm not sure I'm seeing the same thing you are with the plushie though . . . it looks OK to me?
I wrote a long explanation of why I have an IV phobia, but I deleted it, because it's not a good fear to share.
If you have to get an IV, try to get them to put it in the middle of your forearm. Having the needle or the bend in the tube near a joint is not pleasant.
Wow the details and the view and the monitors - great =)
{edit}
If she ever wants to return to New Rome with any sort of freedom, she has to have the second operation.
Assuming trade relations between Nova Roma and New Troy are regularized, there would be no reason why Dolly would have to go back herself -- which isn't to say she wouldn't. How much time passes, of course, could be an issue.
Hostage, maybe.
Prisoner, No.
prisoner.. erhh .. "guest" of Nova Roma.It's not unreasonable for Acantha to think something likewise has happened in return.
(See "The Demand.", presently at http://datachasers.thecomicseries.com/comics/547/ )
"Huh? What?"
"Yeah, you had a broken heart, after Dickimus stabbed you, but we found an old aquarium pump to keep you going."
"Miss Taylor! The Jarvik-77,000 is a state of the art artificial heart. It is perfectly capable of sustaining the Empress, until her replacement heart is grown."
"See, Acantha? I can't let you return to Nova Roma, now. They don't need another heartless ruler."
"Ha… ha… :p … Wait?!? What do you mean 'ruler'???"
"Yeah, your brother and his a-hole squad are toast. Asses to ashes, and all, Your Majesty. And, since you're gonna be spending the first weeks of your reign lying down on the job, we might have to binge watch a few seasons of Lost in Translation. You certainly won't wanna binge on the hospital food. It's tasteless, even by New Troy standards!"
"Miss Taylor, I think that is quite enough news for the patient, for today. I will push this extra bed beside hers, for you, because you also need rest, after your ordeal. I will put an old episode of Lost in Translation on the monitor screen, for the two of you to watch, and bring popcorn flavored nutritional cubes and fizzy vitamin beverages, for you to enjoy."
"Thanks, Florence." (note to self: Ask Dolly what popcorn is)
"Thank you, Florence." (Popcorn… Pop corn… Pop, pop, pop corn… What are corns, and why would you pop them?... Wait!... Aren't corns things on your feet???... Eww!... The pain meds must be making me loopy… ZZZzzz…)
"You're welcome. And, Miss Taylor, I will assure Miss Livius' protector that you were being humorous, when you said that Miss Livius was your prisoner. I believe that she understood that your statement was in jest, because I detected a 1 millimeter rise in the corner of the protector's mouth, but she makes me as nervous as Cent-Comm does."
"Hee hee… ZZZzzz…"
Noctis: "Besides, I've waited quite long enough to see how Jacob reacts when he finds out he's the father..."
"What!!! Jacob is the father AND the mother! First Circuit, I never saw THAT coming! Only someone like Setorius could make that happen."
"Wha'? Huh? Is someone attacking, Noctis?"
"No, no, it's nothing. Go back to sleep."
"M'kay... ZZZzzz..."
(Setorius... Hmm... You know, I've never actually watched the credits for this show...)
...
MEDICAL INFORMATION ADVISOR....SETORIUS AXINIAN
...
...
SET MEDIC......................SETORIUS AXINIAN
...
(O!...M!...G!... By the First Circuit!...)
"LunaComm, this is a Priority Red, Top Secret emergency call from Nova Roman Imperial Guardian Cassian, codename Noctis, to Setorius Axinian, Archpriest of the Church of Purity, Nova Roma!"
"One moment, please... You call is connected. Thank you for using LunaComm."
"Noctis! This is Setorius! What's wrong? Did something happen to Acantha?"
"Huh? No. She's sleeping like a baby. TELL ME ABOUT JACOB!!! Is he really the father AND the mother? And is it just the character that's pregnant?"
"Noctis! Shame on you, using a code word LunaComm line for such things... Buuut, since you're already on the line... Jacob just might be passing out cigars, at his baby shower."
"No way! Oh my... The girls will not believe this."
"Aaaand, I DO sometimes assist certain celebrities with their reproductive dreams... A certain actor-ess might have received help fulfilling his-her dreams of fath-motherhood..."
"I THOUGHT he, uh he-she looked kinda chubby, in those beach photos of him-her in a man-kini! Wait'll I tell -"
"No. Remember, this is a Top Secret LunaComm communication. And, now it's a Nova Roman State Secret. You know the penalties for divulging any information you might have received during this call. You can't even tell Acantha that you made this call, until she's confirmed by the Senate, here in Nova Roma."
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGH!!!!" *click*
"NOCTIS, what is it? Are we at war?"
"HUSH, CHILD!!! Close your eyes. You're having a strange dream, caused by your pain meds."
"Mmmhmm... ZZZzzz..."
(Sleeping here... Sleeping here... Did not just overhear that whole conversation... I wonder if I can tell Dolly?... No!... Sleeping... But, wearing a man-kini while pregnant?... Sleeping... Nice Cassian... Sleeping...)
I might need Dolly and Noctis to protect me, when Rose sees the last little question I added about the eggs. ;)
When someone posts something this good, you PUT THE DRINK DOWN AND FINISH Reading!
My monitor has not been bathed in Iced Tea this evening!!!!
Acantha: (ZZZzzz...) "One Petri dish of eggs, please. Hold the sausage." *snrk* (ZZZzzz...)
Lynn: "Wait a minute! What did they do to me during that physical exam, while I was asleep?!?!"
Noctis: "You were supposed to be sleeping, Miss Taylor, not listening in on Top Secret Nova Roman communications... But, I happen to be wondering the same thing..."
[minutes later]
Lynn: "So, Setorius, you Stole some of my eggs, and used them to impregnate the person who plays Jacob?!"
Setorius: "Yes, Miss Taylor. That is correct."
Lynn: "So, that means my biological baby will be on-... OH!... MY!... GOSH!!!... MY BIOLOGICAL BABY WILL BE ON 'LOST IN TRANSLATION'!!! THAT... IS... SO......
AWESOME!!!"
Acantha: "Huh? You have a BABY? How long was I out?"
Noctis : wait, what ? I have sperm ?
EDIT: Cent says that I can't write that into continuity.
Inexplicably, since frankly I have been quite confident Acantha will make it, ever since Ada's analysis showed she was only *mostly* dead... Yet it's very nice to actually see her stirring after all this time, and slurring some questions in her own special silly-serious way :-)