When we last left our heroes...

[OctaviaMoon]

Was just about to post this when I noticed Jmundt had posted ---but we never did see (or hear) what Dani said to Mallory, Marleise, Jacqui or Erin when she put them under! She might have already been programmed herself (as the head of the NYC Harem) to make sure girls who were programmed didn't draw too much attention. So she may have naturally suggested "You will do anything and everything your master wants, you only wish is to make him happy and fulfil his desires, but he must believe this to be a natural phenomenon, ...n'es pas?"

[GodWilling]

.

[Daphne]

A couple of implications that we need to tease out:

(a) Who was using the watch at any one moment is what established a pecking order among the harem.
(b) The only conversations about the operation of the harem between the women are ones we've seen.

I don't think either of those are necessarily true.

[mns_95125]

(a) Who was using the watch at any one moment is what established a pecking order among the harem.
(b) The only conversations about the operation of the harem between the women are ones we've seen.

I don't think either of those are necessarily true.

Yeah, what Daphne said.  As one of the people who initiated the whole 'cohort' thing, I should mention that I always thought of it as a purely structural/descriptive thing.  I never thought that implied that the first cohort was somehow 'in charge' of the second, although I do think they know more about the nature of their relationship with Adrian.  Laura's most recent conversation with Adrian confirms that much.

[GodWilling]

.

[Daphne]

But I'm not sure how it explains Dani's version of events in 126.

Well, all she says on the topic is, "I was worried that you would, you know, freak out, vous savez?" That's really not a "version of events," is it?

[jmundt29]

Perhaps you could provide a harem hierarchy at some point in the near future because the interconnections and coincidences end up giving us a..well, as a Spinelli fan, I'd call it a Cobble's Knot.

Also, if I might be permitted to step in just for a moment--I get the impression that part of what GW is expressing about 126 is that the impression Dani leaves in 126 (that she directed the deception) seems to be contradicted by 75 and 76 when she's being reprogrammed by Mallory and Marliese and the second cohort is getting the "We feel this way naturally," programming.  However, what I didn't notice--and haven't for more than a year and a half is that the new girls are reciting this...wait a minute....

[mns_95125]

It's not about the first cohort being "in charge" of the second; it's about the first cohort being in charge of the harem.

I think it might be narrower than that: it's about the first cohort being in charge of the watch.

(And we have had second cohort members talking about awaiting further instructions, and the like...)

The person I remember doing that was Laura, who seems to have taken a somewhat ironically self-aware approach to her harem membership.  ("A fine bunch of sex slaves we are.")  I took that as part of her personality, not as a sign of an authoritarian hierarchy in the harem itself.

[jmundt29]

Laura's the most overt about it, but Jacqui and Amy agree with her and Erin's lobbied a couple of times to add Raven...or at least once.

That speech bubble in 76 is funky.  There are four people talking in unison and one would think the fourth person is supposed to be Dani, but her situation in the frame makes that a little confusing.  I thought for a second that maybe Marliese was giving the three new girls a cue response, but none of the tails on the speech bubble look like they direct at her.  It's late for me, and I'm going in circles.  I'll check in tomorrow after the new posting to see if anything's been cleared up.

[Daphne]

Perhaps you could provide a harem hierarchy at some point in the near future because the interconnections and coincidences end up giving us a..well, as a Spinelli fan, I'd call it a Cobble's Knot.

Easily done!

Adrian
  \
   all eight girls.

I'm not being flip, either.

[Daphne]

It appears that the core contradiction that is of concern goes something like this:

(a) Dani (under the hypnotic influence of Zenon) kicks things off by enslaving Erin, Mallory and Marliese, and starting on Jacqui when she's interrupted.
(b) Dani appears to shake off the influence of Zenon, and loses her ability to use the watch, leaving Erin, Mallory, Marliese and Jacqui (partially) enslaved.
(c) While Adrian and Dani are off rescuing Caitlyn, Amy and Laura, Marliese seems to figure out how to turn the watch back on, and completes Jacqui's enslaving. They keep this fact quiet to Adrian upon his return, for reasons that are never explained on-camera.
(d) While Adrian and Erin are upstairs breaking the bed, Mallory, Jacqui and Marliese enslave Caitlyn, Amy, Laura and Dani using the watch, and appear to program them to not realize it is the watch that caused it.
(e) Then, subsequently, Adrian finds out what is going on, and makes that clear to Jacqui (in 122). Jacqui bursts out that "Dani said we shouldn't ever...", implying that she received instruction from Dani about how to handle Adrian, but when would that have happened? Jacqui was actually part of the crowd that reprogrammed everyone in (d), including Dani.
(f) Dani then says pretty much the same thing to Adrian in 126, implying at least that she made a decision not to tell him she was his slave. But when and why did she reach that conclusion?
(g) Dani does, however, remember that the watch exists, and that it has some kind of malevolent effect and is important.

Did I get everything there?

[jmundt29]

Everything except for Dani being in Derek's power during the rescue mission and freed somehow that isn't explained (because it doesn't appear that Adrian tried the hypnocock trick on her...is that just an example of Derek being professionally helpless and moronic, or is there something ese going on there? ).

[Daphne]

Everything except for Dani being in Derek's power during the rescue mission and freed somehow that isn't explained (because it doesn't appear that Adrian tried the hypnocock trick on her...is that just an example of Derek being professionally helpless and moronic, or is there something ese going on there? ).

That would have happened in 74, but it appears that Dani was never woken up from being triggered until she was exposed to the watch again.

[jmundt29]

Wait what?  If she wasn't awakened, why didn't she remember how to use the Watch?  Or is she only awakened when given the command "wake up" while exposed to The Watch?  Huh?

[Werdna]

She did remember.  See issue #73.