10/25/06 - Winning tastes like Dirt!

[Psaakyrn]

Oh, mabby has a more interesting history (or future?) than people realise.. Ref http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_561.php and http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_581.php

[ShiningShadow]

Yeah Mab is there as old friends with Falina for a very long time hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I don't like this she planning something big that involves everybody in DMFA. Till then I know for sure there a conspiracy at Saia.

[Sid]

Semi-random rant/analysis about Pyro's secret and Mab's omniscience:

Okay, maybe I'm really dense, or people are REALLY assuming that Mab is 100% omniscient.

It's not known if Mab even knows Pyroduck's species. People went from "Nobody knows" to "Everybody except for Dan knows" in just a few comics. What's up with that? Right now, the only basis for this is Wildy's very vague comment, but that only looks like "She knows" because we see what is happening in another room. "He's actually handy. If you ever talked to him, you'd know this." - Hey, people sometimes say the same about me, but that doesn't mean I'm Superman. Pyro HAS been handy (Twink Territory arc for example) without showing his Dragon side. As a consequence, the entire "He can shapeshift anyway" bit is not really a given, so Mab's comment might not have been a secret plan.

Yes, Mab has been blatantly plot-friendly in the past, but I always took that as a 4th-wall-joke and not as full canon. Otherwise, the immediate question would be why Merlitz didn't question Mab's comment (back, when Mab distracted Aary so Merl could rush to see Dan).

I would list things which I see as counter-examples against omniscience, but those would be built on sand because we know very little about the full extent of Fae Magic, about Mab's past or about the unwritten rules some Fae are following (like slipping into "roles" and such). So Mab is a complete wildcard, and since things always worked out in the end, people could argue that Mab is omniscient and basically knew in advance which way would lead to long-term happiness.

*rubs temples*
Here's how I see Mab. Or rather: "Here is how I see Mab in a context that completely ignores that Mab is whatever Amber needs in a situation, so I'm trying to find an explanation of her actions that stays in tune with the comic universe so far (excluding 4th-wall jokes) and doesn't try to assume any sort of never-mentioned power."

We know that she has a good deal of raw power at her disposal (I'm talking about the destructive kind, not regular magic like summoning a present). We also know that she never actually used that power except for one horrible reflex (the one that eventually forced her to move into Dan's closet). The next best thing I can remember is her threat (think it had been just before we learned that Dan's a Cubi).

I somehow don't think Mab can read minds or has some sort of omniscience. Unless I'm really overlooking something, this one is impossible to prove or disprove since any attempt to (dis-)prove it is based on circular reasoning ("I think she does/doesn't have this ability, and I can explain the events of the comic in a way that shows that my thesis is true."). So this is more my personal opinion, based on the fact that I really don't like omniscient characters.

Mab seems to have a talent for saying the right things at the right time. Sometimes at least. But I usually turn this one around, based on personal experience: People hear what they want to hear, Mab just happens to say things other characters might not say. Mab is open, she tries to help, and she tries to be friendly to everybody. So her words are usually free of sarcasm or hidden agendas. Most people simply make the mistake of trying to figure out Mab's "real goal" and react accordingly.

In a way, this is what happens in today's strip. Mab trusts Pyroduck and knows that, if push comes to shove, she and Wildy could do it alone or with Abel's help (since he could take Pyro's place in the rescue party). She also knows/guesses that the magic of two can shapeshift somebody else, and Pyro (being the only other male character in the group) is the only available "target". So the suggestion looks intuitive: "Hey, we can make Pyro look like Merlitz so you don't have to change". It's just Mab trying to be helpful. Abel could simply trust her. After all, Mab and Pyroduck have been around for years (Pyro still lives in Lost Lake, too... I think), so it should be reasonable that Pyro has had more than enough chances to do whatever Abel thinks he is up to. But Abel is so caught up in his paranoia that he sees a hidden plan in Mab's words and feels forced to act.

Which is why I have no idea why so many people think that this had been such a great "plan". Mab is possibly asking herself what was so wrong with her suggestion and Abel is doing something against his will (oh yeah, that'll make him feel right at home). Add to this Dan's unhappiness about not going to save his sister personally, Wildy's potential crisis and Pyro knowing that Abel might possibly tell some misinformation to Dan, and I don't see how this actually helped to make things better.

And a final tangent:
What's up with the recent wave of conspiracy theories? When did Fa'Lina and Mab become the great masterminds of a revolution that will completely change the DMFA universe as we know it?
I'd love to write a parody fanfic about this, but the theories I've seen so far are crazier than anything I could come up with on such short notice...

[DigitalMan]

That is an obscenely large stack of good points. Which will promptly be ignored by many people, in 3, 2, 1...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

now!

[Psaakyrn]

to Sid

a) Falina and Mab apparently recognises each other, based on http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_581.php. Ink also apparently gets along well with Mab, though that might be a non-issue. We do not know whether Falina and Mab's relationship is in the past or future though. (I suspect future)

b) It was never mentioned how Dan and Mab met and got along. I suspect that if this was mentioned, it would only lead to more questions, so I won't dwell on it.

c) We already know Dan is at least a somewhat important figure based on Pyroduck's comment. Mab has been with Dan since childhood. This may or may not be a coincidence.

d) Mab is not as innocent as one might suspect. Ref: http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_409.php

e) You don't need pure omniscience to be plot convenient, you just need some sort of "future instinct" to be such (something like Spiderman's "spider sense").

[Amber Williams]

Spider Mab...Spider Mab...does spider things then calls a cab.
Hey lookout! here comes the spider-mab!


It's got a nice ring to it.

[Zedd]

Spider Mab...Spider Mab...does spider things then calls a cab.
Hey lookout! here comes the spider-mab!


It's got a nice ring to it.

Hope the driver speaks any inglish....Pow their goes ol' family fashioned racism

[Alondro]

*re-reads the SAIA arc*  Fa'lina most assuredly has plans... plans that seem to stretch at least 200 years into the future.  *erfs*  This is gonna be a looooooong comic! 

I expect something will eventually force Fa'lina's hand... perhaps one of the other creatures' plots.  Yes, Fa'lina could be playing a Palpatine-like role, acting all nicey-nicey while secretly directing matters in a way which at the culmination of the various events will lead to her rise as supreme ruler of Furrae!   

*imagines a Star Wars-like scaenario*  Dan, after defeating Dr. Ink, who was secretly Fa'lina's henchman all along, is pulled to the Dark Side of Cubi.  He slaughters everyone dear to him, but loses arms, legs, wings, head-wingies, etc. in the battle with Pyroduck and must be put in a cubi life-support suit!  Then, his secret love Matilda has his twin children!  One becomes strong the Cubi-ness!  A final battle eventually ensues pitting father against son as Fa'lina, contemplating the final end to the Being Rebellion, watches on in delight.  But at last, Dan is struck down... but his son refuses to give the final blow!  Fa'lina, furious at his insolence, zaps Dan's son with Cubi Death Static!  Dan, seeing his son dying, has a change of heart, grabs Fa'lina, tosses her down the tunnel that is only in the scene for that purpose and... Fa'lina just sorta flies back up, "Hello?  I have WINGS!"  Then she kills them both, eats their souls, and rules forever as the most powerful cubi ever.  The End.   

[Grenn]

Hope the driver speaks any inglish....Pow their goes ol' family fashioned racism

Yup. Just like the crows in Dumbo

[DigitalMan]

... It's official. Star Wars and DMFA don't mix.

[Supercheese]

... It's official. Star Wars and DMFA don't mix.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!   {Darth Vader Episode 3-style}

[RJ]

... It's official. Star Wars and DMFA don't mix.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!   {Darth Vader Episode 3-style}

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/20162308/

[ShiningShadow]

All right, all right this crossover is funny as heck but I like the spider-mab hmmm. being bitten by a radioactive mow. 

[Sid]

I'm not sure why you listed those points since they don't directly factor into the conspiracy theories or the omniscience question... but maybe I'm not fully aware of the big picture, so I'll do this step by step anyway.

a) Falina and Mab apparently recognises each other, based on http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_581.php. Ink also apparently gets along well with Mab, though that might be a non-issue. We do not know whether Falina and Mab's relationship is in the past or future though. (I suspect future)

Yes, quite correct. Mab and Fa'Lina seem to have met at some point in the past (How would their relationship be in the FUTURE? Did I miss a theory that involves time-travel? O_o). It most likely can be assumed that both Mab and Fa'Lina are fairly old (we know Fa'Lina's rough age, and I guess that Mab isn't exactly 20...) and know each other well. Since Ink is around Fa'Lina's age (and has been at SAIA pretty much since Fa'Lina opened it), it's hardly surprising that Mab and Ink most likely know each other, too.
My personal theory is that Mab and Fa'Lina haven't been in contact since Mab joined Dan, though. Otherwise, Fa'Lina would have known about Destania's fate and her son (her reaction to Lost Lake (first strip, SAIA arc) seems to indicate that she didn't know about Destania's new life or Dan's birth until the application came in. She also had to send her Wrap-Aci via mail). Additionally, it appears that Mab forgot about Fa'Lina (or at leasts acts that way - neither Mab nor Pip recognized Fa'Lina before their arrival at SAIA), so it's possible that something happened either during her last meeting with Fa'Lina or between then and the start of the arc.

b) It was never mentioned how Dan and Mab met and got along. I suspect that if this was mentioned, it would only lead to more questions, so I won't dwell on it.

Well, we do know that Mab has been around since Dan's childhood (we see an apparently young Mab next to a young Dan in Mab's flashback), so I'd guess that they started out as normal childhood friends and that Dan never really thought about it until he got older (he does know about Mab's personal history... or at least about certain parts of it, so there most likely had been a time when Mab told Dan about her being more than met his eye).

c) We already know Dan is at least a somewhat important figure based on Pyroduck's comment. Mab has been with Dan since childhood. This may or may not be a coincidence.

Mab's motivation to stick around Dan is certainly an interesting case. It might of course be a case of "He had been around when Mab needed to re-live her childhood" or something like that. Or it's because she knows something that made it important for her to stick around. Possible reasons (which have not yet happened in the comic) would be Dark Pegasus knowing about Destania having a child, Regina's connection to Dan, or whatever reasons Abel and Pyro have to care about Dan's health. Whether or not any of those reasons are related (or identical) is another question that only Amber can answer.

d) Mab is not as innocent as one might suspect. Ref: http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_409.php

Yes, she has her moments
Mab is certainly no saint (Then again - who is?), but I would just put that under "regular fun-loving and mischief" and not under "signs of the revolution"

e) You don't need pure omniscience to be plot convenient, you just need some sort of "future instinct" to be such (something like Spiderman's "spider sense").

Good point, and at least as hard to (dis-)prove as the other theories. A related possibility is that Mab knows what to do... but not why she has to do it. For example, she knows that making the suggestion to Abel will lead to the desired result, but she doesn't know about Abel's issues with Pyro or about Pyro's race and abilities.

In the end, it's impossible to pin down Mab's abilities and motivation with only the comics. All we can do is guessing. Kinda like the cavemen in 2001 when they first ran into the Monolith.

[Psaakyrn]

a) Falina and Mab apparently recognises each other, based on http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_581.php. Ink also apparently gets along well with Mab, though that might be a non-issue. We do not know whether Falina and Mab's relationship is in the past or future though. (I suspect future)

Yes, quite correct. Mab and Fa'Lina seem to have met at some point in the past (How would their relationship be in the FUTURE? Did I miss a theory that involves time-travel? O_o).

The part about future instinct? If you have a gut feeling that you'll be having a working relationship sometime in the future, it's best to have a good first meeting.

[Sid]

a) Falina and Mab apparently recognises each other, based on http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_581.php. Ink also apparently gets along well with Mab, though that might be a non-issue. We do not know whether Falina and Mab's relationship is in the past or future though. (I suspect future)

Yes, quite correct. Mab and Fa'Lina seem to have met at some point in the past (How would their relationship be in the FUTURE? Did I miss a theory that involves time-travel? O_o).

The part about future instinct? If you have a gut feeling that you'll be having a working relationship sometime in the future, it's best to have a good first meeting.

Oh, future instinct factoring in there? Hrm... that sounds all sorts of farfetched to me.

On the other hand, the SAIA arc is fairly confusing when it comes to timing and character whereabouts, so we're missing out on some potentially interesting character interaction there. Still, I (personally and subjectively) doubt that Fa'Lina's weird line refers to a future point.

[Tapewolf]

I still think Mab has reset herself to childhood to grow up with Dan for some unknown reason (which may be of cosmic significance or simply a whim) and Fa'lina remembers her from before.

[TheDXM]

... It's official. Star Wars and DMFA don't mix.

I wanna see a cubi proficient in lightsaber forms though.

I can't see many things stopping that.

[Kenji]

... It's official. Star Wars and DMFA don't mix.

I wanna see a cubi proficient in lightsaber forms though.

I can't see many things stopping that.

Throw a room's worth of chairs at em.

[Zedd]

... It's official. Star Wars and DMFA don't mix.

I wanna see a cubi proficient in lightsaber forms though.

I can't see many things stopping that.

Throw a room's worth of chairs at em.

I'll raise you a two tables with your chairs and i will folds

[Magic]

Spider Mab...Spider Mab...does spider things then calls a cab.
Hey lookout! here comes the spider-mab!

Bwahah.

[ShiningShadow]

... It's official. Star Wars and DMFA don't mix.

I wanna see a cubi proficient in lightsaber forms though.

I can't see many things stopping that.

Throw a room's worth of chairs at em.

I'll raise you a two tables with your chairs and i will folds

I will throw in a ladder a Game cube system and a kendo stick beat that.

[Aridas]

Um, nobody has to "beat" anything. you're betting. besides, Zedd folded, so you must be betting against yourself.

[ShiningShadow]

Um, nobody has to "beat" anything. you're betting. besides, Zedd folded, so you must be betting against yourself.

I won the pot . Anywho when the strip will start the Wildly and others finally going to twinks territory, and when Danielle and Merlitz will have the interview for the Bar at Lost Lake. WHEN, WHEN I TELL YOU.

[keybounce]

d) Mab is not as innocent as one might suspect. Ref: http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_409.php

More to the point, her power level: She's not saying she can't grant wishes, only that she doesn't want to.

[ShiningShadow]

But Mabs has power I think is off the scale. Very Dangerous to boot if you get her angry.

[Zedd]

Bewareeesss!  <- *at shineing*

[ShiningShadow]

Beware of Mabs getting real angry at someone.
preferably anybody at DMFA in range of her anger.

[Madmann135]

Mab practally vaporised her glen when someone surprised her.  A magic release like that on a whim by shear surprise means she has magical properties that are off the scale or nearly off the scale.

Not to mention that she made a Gift for Widly with a few simple words and a twiddle of her fingers when Abel explained how hard that is to do.