Panel 1: After opening the volume with a Ninjette nightmare, I figured that actually showing another one would be a tad redundant. So, I saved a bit of repetition—and pagecount—by leaving out the bad dream and just jumping ahead to showing Kozue bolting awake. Then again, I did cheese out a tad by using the bog-standard trope of “character gasps, lurches awake from face-up sleeping position.” Perhaps showing her bolting awake from a face-down or lying-on-her-side sleep pose would’ve been a bit fresher.

Panel 4: Cue the “sad trombone” for poor Mellow Mr. Monkey, a stuffed animal just trying to do his best. Note that he’s really in pretty good shape, considering he dates back to Emp’s childhood; a future Empowered story will mention in passing that Eliisa’s had to bring him home to her mom to have him repaired, as Emp’s sewing skills are apparently limited at best, if not outright nonexistent.

-Adam Warren