02/09/09, give or take a day or so - Ruh Roh! *tritone chord*

[VSMIT]

When did we find out about that?  As far as I know it seems either one could be it.

Boogeyman was speculating based on only this comic.  He forgot that Abel actually went to a funeral.

[Valynth]

Personally, I'm in favor of the "father replaced by cubi" scenario.  Mainly because Abel has a green eye and we know where he gets the blue one from.

Side theory:  Maybe Abel's father saved a cubi, but the effort ended up killing him and his dieing wish was for the cubi to protect his wife so the cubi covertly replaces him as the husband as a means of fulfilling the wish.

[superluser]

Whoof.

Meat cookies at a feast?  This is looking more and more like Titus Andronicus.

[Madd the Sane]

I wonder who Ahnora is. Maybe he's the teacher from earlier. Hmm...

He got a mention back in http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Abel_28.php

Check strips #23 and #24.

...he might be one of the children there.
I didn't notice that the girls' headsnakes laughed in 24 

[VSMIT]

...he might be one of the children there.

If I had to guess, I would say that he is the rat behind Hennya.  I just can't imagine him with wings.

[LigerJet]

Hmm...I don't think it's Cid.  Would not his ear be messed up in the shadow?

[Aridas]

Check strips #23 and #24.

Wow.  I just realized how much bigger a child's eyes are compared to the rest of their heads than an adult's.  Compare #24 to #72.

I thought that was the logical thing... What I keep being told is that the eyes are the only part of the body that don't grow sideways, only from front-back.

[VSMIT]

I thought that was the logical thing... What I keep being told is that the eyes are the only part of the body that don't grow sideways, only from front-back.

I'm more of a Chemistry guy.  I only took a year of Bio, and I thought that the eyes still grew in proportion to the rest of the body.

[Grenn]

This post has less to do with today's comic then... well.... .anything.

I had to say this though.....

Nice Star Trek Generations quote from Data in the title bar on the page today. 

[Valynth]

I thought that was the logical thing... What I keep being told is that the eyes are the only part of the body that don't grow sideways, only from front-back.

I'm more of a Chemistry guy.  I only took a year of Bio, and I thought that the eyes still grew in proportion to the rest of the body.

Nope, as previously stated, they only grow forwards and backwards.  Thats why while you may not need glasses as a child, you might eventually need them as a teen/adult.  If they expanded in the other dimensions equally, they would never need corrective lens-es, because the primary cause of blurred vision(the angles of light hitting the back of the eye changing) would never happen.

[Aridas]

Well, that's if it doesn't grow right, I think. I thought it did something to make up for all that as it grew, didn't it?

[Valynth]

Well, that's if it doesn't grow right, I think. I thought it did something to make up for all that as it grew, didn't it?

Ussually the lens in your eye will adjust to compensate, but in many cases, the lens gets damaged, or simply can't adjust to match the eye's design, Aka, it's flawed.  Depending on how the lens is flawed compared to the way your eye grows is the reason my friends, glasses exist.  And why you should see and eye specialist every year or so if you can't see properly.

The growth of the eye is ussually the primary factor that causes natural blurred vision, because the lens doesn't really do anything, which is itself a problem, but one that would be solved(or at least rendered moot) if the eye grew equally in all directions.  Unfortunately, that would be a difficult task since the lense itself will have to be enlarged, which would drain nutrients like no-body's buisiness.

[Tapewolf]

Side theory:  Maybe Abel's father saved a cubi, but the effort ended up killing him and his dieing wish was for the cubi to protect his wife so the cubi covertly replaces him as the husband as a means of fulfilling the wish.

Oh, I like it.
As for the shadow, it's definitely Abel.  Look at the shoulders - those are the sort of sleeve-things he wears instead of a shirt.

[Dard]

A necklace for a tentacle head as engagement ring?
I think that is a very cute idea! 
Looks like the tentacle head really doesn't mind the additional weight. 

[Arcalane]

When did we find out about that?  As far as I know it seems either one could be it.

I'm fairly sure it's established in either the main arc or Abel's Story. Also, it's worth pointing out that when Abel is apparently in his mid 20's, May hasn't changed a bit and Cid's got... beardy.

[Tapewolf]

When did we find out about that?  As far as I know it seems either one could be it.

I'm fairly sure it's established in either the main arc or Abel's Story. Also, it's worth pointing out that when Abel is apparently in his mid 20's, May hasn't changed a bit and Cid's got... beardy.

If you can point to anything conclusive, I'd like to see it.  Given Amber's statements on 'cubi-being inheritance, the most likely theories at the moment are that Cid is the 'cubi or that Abel is a cuckoo.

[Tycoon]

Gaaaaaahhh!!!!!! Too much cute in panel 2! Ehg...

*Collapses on the floor*


Two days in a row of overly cute comics take a toll on one's sanity.

[Ted Schiller]

Hmm, is this for the 10th?  I know it's still the 9th, but it's the comic for tomorrow. 

*Charline grins*  And now for the killing off of more family and friends.  Delightful!   

It's my bloody birthday, I get to set the date to it. 

So you won't be born until September 9, 2009?     

With regards,
Ted

[DeedaeicMess]

When did we find out about that?  As far as I know it seems either one could be it.

I'm fairly sure it's established in either the main arc or Abel's Story. Also, it's worth pointing out that when Abel is apparently in his mid 20's, May hasn't changed a bit and Cid's got... beardy.

If you can point to anything conclusive, I'd like to see it.  Given Amber's statements on 'cubi-being inheritance, the most likely theories at the moment are that Cid is the 'cubi or that Abel is a cuckoo.

I don't know a whole lot about Cubi in Furrae myself. Mind explaining this one for me?

[superluser]

the most likely theories at the moment are that Cid is the 'cubi or that Abel is a cuckoo.

I'm with DeedaeicMess on this one.  As I understand the term cuckoo, it would imply that May isn't Abel's mother, which is one thing that we're pretty sure of.

[Stygian]

Come on... Take a look at May in the first appearance panel. Does she look like an old mother to you? She has changed in color, and that's all. But how much do you think wrinkles show through fur?

When I was younger, some people used to mistake my mother for my sister on occasions. There is nothing that's unusual or incredible about May's appearance.

And that Abel would bear that kind of resemblance while being a cuckoo is just ridiculous.

[superluser]

And that Abel would bear that kind of resemblance while being a cuckoo is just ridiculous.

Well, that and the prospect of switching eggs in utero is pretty difficult.

[Tapewolf]

the most likely theories at the moment are that Cid is the 'cubi or that Abel is a cuckoo.

I'm with DeedaeicMess on this one.  As I understand the term cuckoo, it would imply that May isn't Abel's mother, which is one thing that we're pretty sure of.

Apparently none of you people have read John Wyndham or seen Village of the Damned?
By 'cuckoo' I am referring shorthand to the theory that whoever conceived Abel was not Cid. 

Double-checking I note that the children in The Midwich Cuckoos didn't actually resemble their parent, but there you go.
If you can come up with a better name for it, I'm all ears.

[DavidRokon]

You know, considering cubi don't need to eat, if they have a decent source to feed from...

[The LizardKing]

I see Hennya is planning on getting her wedding dress (look on the table in front of her in panel 3)
ANd secondly, I think that those windows on the house door are Smashed. They have jagged edges and the glass is broken. Nobody's noticed that. Strange. But yeah, that's definitely abel's shadow at the door.

Happy news indeed.

[Tapewolf]

You know, considering cubi don't need to eat, if they have a decent source to feed from...

[May-doesn't-eat-much line]

Indeed, but according to Amber, when a 'cubi and Being interbreed, the child will resemble the Being parent (which to me suggests an adaptation to allow them to foist children upon unsuspecting foster parents, hence my use of the term 'cuckoo' to describe this).
Hence, May might be a succubus, but that ain't the way things are looking.  

The three most likely theories are:
1. Abel's father was an incubus pretending to be Cid that she would bear his child in a desperate attempt to prolong his line.  Val's "last dying wish" theory is a variant on this.
2. Cid is really an incubus in disguise (eye patch covers clan marking?)
3. Both of them are 'cubi (possibly having deceived each other for their entire married lives)

Bear in mind Abel's detestation of 'cubi who shapeshift to assume other people's lives.  The most likely cause for that would be (1).  2 or 3 might, but they are less likely since it would still be his parents who had raised him, even if they were pretending to be Beings.  (Abel doesn't mind hiding his wings)

The other point is that Abel goes into a long state of depression at SAIA.  He hasn't tried to contact his parents after he left, which suggests to me that they're Beings and therefore long-dead.

[MaskedRetriever]

Well, that and the prospect of switching eggs in utero is pretty difficult.

*trying really really REALLY hard not to think of how it would be slightly easier for a Cubi than, say, someone without tentacles*



I'm inclined to think that both Abel's parents know why he's a Cubi, but given the darker tone of Abel's Story in general it's actually really, really plausible that his coming home with wings comin' outta his head is going to unseat some presumption and create MASSIVE CUBI EMOBOMB that ends up with Sulkykitty Poutyface in SAIA gettin' mercilessly teased by that loveable PsychoPoodle of Cubi Mayhem, Fa'lina.

[Stygian]

Loveable? You're taking an inordinate amount of pleasure in that... Personally, I don't enjoy seeing that. It's a contributing factor to Abel ending up much more of a jerk later, I believe. So, it is simply negative influence.

[KarlOmega1]

When I went to the main website, I notice that it said "I just love scanning for lifeforms" at the top of my window...seems someone has seen the movie "Star Trek Generations"...

[superluser]

Indeed, but according to Amber, when a 'cubi and Being interbreed, the child will resemble the Being parent

I think we need another emoticon.

Not exactly my best work (OK, actually pretty bad work), but still:



As to the term cuckoo, the facts that

(A) a cuckoo parent doesn't interact with the foster parent, and
(B) the cuckoo typically looks nothing like the foster parents

were throwing me off.  I, however, can't come up with anything better that would be understood by the general population.  Olympides might be a pretty good term, but how many out there would get the reference?

his coming home with wings comin' outta his head

Not only is he not coming home with wings out of his head, but Abel is coming home with no wings *at all*.  What's going to happen when May sees him without wings?

For that matter, what's going to happen when Hennya sees the charm?  I wouldn't be surprised if she knows what it is.  Furthermore, what would happen if Hennya took the charm?  Would her ring fall off?

What will Cid and May say when they see Abel suddenly grow two sets of wings?

And finally, of course, what would happen if either Cid or May took the charm?