Abel's Heritage Theories

[techmaster-glitch]

Ok, I think that this is a rather big discussion topic that needs its own thread. So here it is.
All know theories of Able's cubi causes, and my logic-crunched conclusions based on all of the info I have gathered, including new data that was posted after this in the thread "#77 Abel an inky bus? weel dye of fright"
Ok
Theory #1: May is the Cubi parent.
Judging by her reactions and ignorance to basic cubi traits, she must be an extreamly good actor AND quick thinker in order to be the cubi parent. Also thereis another thing that is a big debate topic that I will bring up in the next theory
Verdict: Given the reactions, it is extreamly unlikely she is the cubi parent.

Theory #2: Cid is the Cubi Parent.
I would have to say, this is much, MUCH more likely, if not for one fact. No matter what they do, a Cubi CANNOT hide their clan marking. Even if one was skilled enough to morph into some sort of monstrous blob, that marking would still be somewhere. Whenever May and  Cid are in the house, I would assume they sleep together, and on occasion, do more than just sleep *wink wink*. May thinks the marking on Able's back is a tatoo. This means that she has never seen it before. Not even on Cid. I seriously doubt Cid could hide his marking every night they are in bed together. "what if his marking is under the eyepatch?" I doubt he sleeps with it on. Even if he does wear it to hide the mark, I'm sure May would have taken it off herself at some point, knowing that she loves him enough even if she thinks the reason he wears the eyepatch is because he is missing an eye. An if Cid were to try to stop her, that would raise some sort of tension between them, and she might just take it off anyway in HIS sleep.
However, this is where the new data i collected must be inputed. People have suggested other ways of hiding clan markings, and someone pointed out that people who really Do lose an eye sew their eyelids shut.
That being said, it is again possible for Cid to be the cubi, but something crossed my mind that really bothers me. Why would he want to hide it anyway? Especially since he should have know that Abel's headwings would come in sometime, don't you think he would have told and warned May, or even Abel himself for that matter? It just doesn't make sence. May would still love him even if Cid is a cubi.
Verdict: While possible, Amber will have to come up with a very good reason for him to hide it like this when he should have know it would fall apart eventually. I am also open to any reason any of youcome up with, so if you have an idea, post it.
So I think unlikely, but still very possible.

Going back to the first theory, May would have an even harder time hiding her marking than Cid, because she doesnt have a convenient sew-up eye for it to be cliche hidden behind. Even though I'm sure Cid would still love her even if she is a sucubbus, why play 'charades', like at Abel's birth when they were discussing his wings, that they both know the truth, and they both know the other knows? Just doesn't make sense.

Theory #3: Random magical energies influenced Able's birth.
First off, magical energies can only cause what some would consider deformities. Cynthia is a perfect example of this. There is no way any RANDOM energies could have caused Able to become fully a Cubi. It would also have to somehow carry clan implications, also impossible.It could possibly cause someone to be born with wings, but like Cid said, doesn't make him an angle, or grant him the full traits and abilities of one, let alone a cubi.
Verdict: Impossible.

Theory #4: Cid was cursed with a non-random, structured spell specifically designed to make him have a Cubi child.
This one just bothers me. If any spell could even do that, why would he not tell May about it, as to prepare her for what her own son is going to be?
Verdict: Probably impossible.

Theory #5: May, or Cid, or both, are partially cubi, or have some distant cubi heritage.
This one is probably the most finicky of the lot. The only thing we know absolutly sure is that you cannot be partially cubi, you are fully cubi or not at all. And that doesnt help much. Amber hasnt done the Hybrid genetics mini-arc, so we can't know if "cubism" is genetic or magical.
Verdict:Given the amount of uncertainty in this one, I cannot draw a conclusion that I would be comfortable with.

Theory #6: A Cubi has killed and replaced Cid or May.
Like some pointed out erlier, the 'new' Cid or May would have to be able to act just like the originals. While that is entirely possible with cubi mind-abilities, there is STILL the simple and show-stopping "hide the marking" problem. And even if, like some have suggested, there ARE ways to hideit, surely the cubi living a lie for so long would just break down and tell the real one?
Verdict: Unlikely

Theory #7: A Succubus tricked Cid.
If that were to happen, the succubus would have to kidnap and somehow keep May out of the picture for at least 8 months, starting from the time said cubi had sex with Cid, ending at the time of Abel's birth. Then the succubus would have to implant all of it's memories into May so she would think she was there the whole time. and THEN there is the damn "hide the mark" AGAIN, because the succubus would have to pull it off for at least 8 months.(unless she found a way to hide it, like suggested.) And if I were the sucubbus, I would just end up killing May and staying with Cid anyway, which would fall under the theory above.
Verdict: Unlikely.

Theory #8: An Incubus tricked May.
The last one, and just F.Y.I. i never inteded this one to be the end-all answer, it just makes the most sense. Cid is out on one of his many long adventures. May is asleep, dreaming about him. An Incubus chances by, enters May's mind, and finds about Cid. Incubus takes Cid's form and has a nice night with May, probably making her think she is still asleep. Cid finally returns, and neither of them know the difference, even when May turns out pregnant, because genreally, couples don't lead sexually inert marriges. And with Cid constantly being gone, they probably do it as often as they can (Until Able was born, and Cid gave up adventuring). Backing up a bit, hell, the Incubus doesnt even need for Cid to be on an adventure, Cid could just be gone in town for just one night and the incubus could pull it off. And there isn't the "hide the mark" problem, because the Incubus would only have to try to hide it for one night, not for months or years on end. Easily doable.
Verdict: Yes, I would have to say this is probably the only answer.

A note, All of the theories that are halted by the marking problem, you might say that the marking-bearer could pretend it was a tatoo. Well, if that was the case, then why did May express surprise, and not suspicion, when she saw Able with the very same tatoo? "Able, that tatoo looks just like Cids!", not "What, praytell, is that on your back?" would have to be what she should have said in order for that to be possible. And if she was the one with the mark, what is the point of bluffing?

Ok, i fitted in as much of the new data that i could. Now let the debating and new-theory suggesting begin!

[devilsislegrl]

I still like May for the Cubi for a couple of reasons. 

1.  The clan marking only shows when a cubi uses magic regularly. This is why Dan doesn't have one.  Morphing to hide wings doesn't really count, because it's natural for a cubi (Case in point, Vol #691).  Because Abel's clan is so fractured, this might be all she was taught, as a defense.  Because she lives pretty low-key, she might not absorb enough emotions to stay young, so she may appear to age more like a being.  Also, remember, she was reluctant to learn magic when Kria started teaching Abel.

2.  In Abel's Story, Page 27, Cid makes the observation that Abel, like May, hardly eats, yet they suffer no ill effects.  Remember that before Dan's headwings manifested, Alexsi had an idea of what was coming...

3. IMHO, I just think May works better as a Cubi than Cid.  (I'm done with logic.  Facts are boring... )

EDIT: O yeah, I forgot.  According to the wiku-wiki, you can't be half-cubi.

[kaskar]

    Seems that the female gene comes in again . This would allow for all the skin markings , and if May ran a straight shift, would never be noticed . They were practically outcasts from their old town , and if May occaisonally slipped in her markings in Zvinth , a city of demons and others would not give it a second thought . Cid was out a lot of the time . In Dan's case, Destina became swept into a marriage , that led into the birth of Dan , who had a relativliy stable upbrining . Bit too stable, as he tends to make too much advantage of Alexi at Lost Lake .

[Stygian]

The "May for Cubi" theory does show some merit... But I do not see how it would be all that logical in the long run. Considering her actions and responses, it would not fall together very properly with the story, unless Amber made a big turn. Also, I suspect that being someone else's child and his mother being deceived is what initially sparked Abel's distaste for shapeshifting and taking on others' appearances.

[Tapewolf]

They were practically outcasts from their old town , and if May occaisonally slipped in her markings in Zvinth , a city of demons and others would not give it a second thought . Cid was out a lot of the time . In Dan's case, Destina became swept into a marriage , that led into the birth of Dan , who had a relativliy stable upbrining . Bit too stable, as he tends to make too much advantage of Alexi at Lost Lake .

I don't think the inn belongs to Alexsi.  She's acting as steward but it most likely belongs to Edward and Destania.  Also Dan seems to be living off his loot from the adventuring days, so he could pay his way if need be.

The only way it can belong to Alexsi (squatter laws notwithstanding) is if Destania legally transferred it to her, which is unlikely because:

• It would leave her and Edward homeless in the event that she rescued him
• Alexsi would probably have been a minor at the time and unable to enter such a contract
• She'd need Edward's consent since it is ultimately their joint property
• It would leave Dan without an inheritance, and he is arguably more important to her than Alexsi since he is the continuation of her line and she isn't

...but I digress.  As for the May-is-a-succubus theory, don't forget she has family in Zinvth too.

[Aridas]

Other than my new theory in the other thread, I can think of only one other thing... and I won't mention it, just in case i'm right

[kaskar]

    while all this may be so, what happens when time passes on . With his lifespan measured in thousands of years, and his race being described as devilish boogymenhe could suffer severe phsycological problems in his future years . Look at Dan . Good thing he had so much support around him , but in some ways he emotionally collapsed in part., and even wildy couldn't get him to give a bar a go

[Prof B Hunnydew]

A note, All of the theories that are halted by the marking problem, you might say that the marking-bearer could pretend it was a tatoo. Well, if that was the case, then why did May express surprise, and not suspicion, when she saw Able with the very same tatoo? "Able, that tatoo looks just like Cids!", not "What, praytell, is that on your back?" would have to be what she should have said in order for that to be possible. And if she was the one with the mark, what is the point of bluffing?

Really the mark isn't that much of a problem for Cid.   May could still remark to Abel "What praytell is that on your back?" even if she knew about a similiar one on Cid. 

But try this one for size:  Cid was replaced by an Incubus after a adventurer trip, and new "Cid" tricks May into think Cid is badly scared and will only do "it" in the dark or very low light.  They are married and "Cid" could always be on top.  All other times, he has a shirt on and showers alone.  If his clan mark is on his back like Abel's, May chances of see it become very low. 

OR

Cid just said it is a tatoo, that his adventurer buddies "gave" him it.  May will think it weird that her son gets the same "Tatoo" from his friends.. But May is more upset about Abel"s Partying at College.   

Remember folks, Once you start a Lie, it can get very big the longer it is in place.  The Incubus may have grown to love May, as time when on, but he would be afraid he would lose everything once, May learns the true, and Abel will most likely turn against him, too.  Little mistakes and errors will be over looked by May, because she loves "Cid".

PBH

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

There's also the point that, if it -is- Cid that is an incubus, and his mark is on his back... How often are you facing the back of the guy? Honestly?

It wouldn't surprise me much if he could manage to keep it a secret. Particularly since he wouldn't need to sleep, and could be sure to get up earlier than May....

[superluser]

The only way it can belong to Alexsi (squatter laws notwithstanding) is if Destania legally transferred it to her, which is unlikely because:

• It would leave her and Edward homeless in the event that she rescued him
• Alexsi would probably have been a minor at the time and unable to enter such a contract
• She'd need Edward's consent since it is ultimately their joint property
• It would leave Dan without an inheritance, and he is arguably more important to her than Alexsi since he is the continuation of her line and she isn't

Some legal issues might be easier to deal with if the inn is in Alexsi's name.  For example--what if that reporter claims that there's a rat infestation?  Alexsi can't sue for defamation because she'd have to prove that such statements were damaging to her livelihood, and since she doesn't own the inn, it's not damaging to her livelihood.  It's damaging to Edward, but he can't bring suit.

An easy way out of this would be for Destania to have the courts declare Edward dead and pass the inn on to whoever was named in Edward's will--possibly still Alexsi.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Why are we debating the ownship of the Inn?  When we were talking about Abel's Cubi Heritage?

But be that as it may, Alexsi can legally declare that her father and step-mother are dead since it most likely has been seven years or more since any word has been heard from either of them (legally anyway).  If Alexsi needed too, she could take ownship in their absence

And once they return, Edward and Destania can prove that they are a live.  and they can take the Inn back or not?  This is a loving family, I can see them fighting over the Inn.  And Alexsi would most likely leave with Pyroduck, if there were a fight.


PBH

[devilsislegrl]

...but I digress.  As for the May-is-a-succubus theory, don't forget she has family in Zinvth too.

Where does it say that?

Also, I suspect that being someone else's child and his mother being deceived is what initially sparked Abel's distaste for shapeshifting and taking on others' appearances.

point taken.

[Tezkat]

The only way it can belong to Alexsi (squatter laws notwithstanding) is if Destania legally transferred it to her, which is unlikely because:

• It would leave her and Edward homeless in the event that she rescued him
• Alexsi would probably have been a minor at the time and unable to enter such a contract
• She'd need Edward's consent since it is ultimately their joint property
• It would leave Dan without an inheritance, and he is arguably more important to her than Alexsi since he is the continuation of her line and she isn't

Some legal issues might be easier to deal with if the inn is in Alexsi's name.  For example--what if that reporter claims that there's a rat infestation?  Alexsi can't sue for defamation because she'd have to prove that such statements were damaging to her livelihood, and since she doesn't own the inn, it's not damaging to her livelihood.  It's damaging to Edward, but he can't bring suit.

An easy way out of this would be for Destania to have the courts declare Edward dead and pass the inn on to whoever was named in Edward's will--possibly still Alexsi.

Hmm...

Lost Lake Inn is most likely an incorporated entity which owns the property. (They do exist in Furrae--Jyrras owns a rather famous and successful one.) The establishment sees a fair bit of traffic--enough to be noticed by and benefit from (presumably non-local) news coverage. It is also a popular watering hole for more than just the regular cast members. Even in our world, anything larger than a little B&B would be incorporated for tax purposes, easier asset management, liability issues, and so on. Furthermore, given Edward's dangerous profession, it seems quite reasonable that ownership of the inn would have been structured in such a way as to ensure uninterrupted operation and facilitate transfer should he ever fail to return from a mission.

Regardless, even if Alexsi is not yet a majority owner, she currently has executive control of the operation.


Back to the heritage question...

This whole debate about Cubi markings begs the question as to why anyone in Furrae would even care about such a thing. Cubi are so rare as to be virtually unknown. Even if an adventurer happened to be familiar with Cubi abilities, it's quite a stretch to suggest that individual clan markings would mean anything to them. That would demand a more esoteric study of a rare, reclusive, and mostly dead race--not the sort of thing covered in the standard "If it moves, hit it till it stops." training.

So... even if the Cubi parent did have means to hide their markings, why would they have gone to all that trouble to hide a "tattoo"? We haven't seen any on either of Abel's parents; any markings would be in locations normally covered by clothing. Thus, hiding that sort of thing from one's spouse on the unlikely chance it might be associated with a race of demonic soul-suckers would seem to require a special sort of paranoia and lack of trust.

[Tapewolf]

As for the May-is-a-succubus theory, don't forget she has family in Zinvth too.

Where does it say that?

Whoops, brain fault.  It doesn't.  I was thinking of this:  http://missmab.com/Comics/Abel_21.php

...but it doesn't say that her mother is in Zinvfth, I just misconstrued it that way.  Better make sure that didn't end up in the wiki.

What SL is saying about the inn does make sense, but it would kind of suck - from that position, Alexsi, who is extremely volatile, could quite easily turn her parents down if and when they return.  They wouldn't even be able to pay rent since the inn is/was their livelihood.  She probably wouldn't do that, but she could.  But perhaps we've talked about the inn too much.  This is supposed to be about Abel

[Zedd]

COuldnt say it better...Shall I go into head kicker mode Tape?

[superluser]

Lost Lake Inn is most likely an incorporated entity which owns the property. (They do exist in Furrae--Jyrras owns a rather famous and successful one.) The establishment sees a fair bit of traffic--enough to be noticed by and benefit from (presumably non-local) news coverage. It is also a popular watering hole for more than just the regular cast members. Even in our world, anything larger than a little B&B would be incorporated for tax purposes, easier asset management, liability issues, and so on.

I dunno.  For a one-man operation, incorporation is pretty daunting.  At the very least, you'd need a full-time accountant.

Also, just because it's called a corporation doesn't mean it is.  I once worked for a company that was called World Wide News, Inc.  But it was in actuality a DBA. (it also didn't own the property--just leased with an option to buy from the previous owners)

Back to the heritage question...

Yes!  There's another option that we're all forgetting.  What if May was unfaithful...and knew that she was being unfaithful?  She claims to be concerned for Abel, but...

What if the real reason that she wanted to move to Zinvth was that her gentleman caller was moving there?  She gets concerned when she sees Abel with a symbol that she's only seen on her other lover--she thinks that Abel may know.  She doesn't eat much in front of Cid because she has dinner with her other lover.  She gets upset at Principal Sally because she has to keep up appearances.

...and so on.  This is perhaps the sorriest bit of speculation I've ever done.

[Tezkat]

What SL is saying about the inn does make sense, but it would kind of suck - from that position, Alexsi, who is extremely volatile, could quite easily turn her parents down if and when they return.  They wouldn't even be able to pay rent since the inn is/was their livelihood.  She probably wouldn't do that, but she could.  But perhaps we've talked about the inn too much.  This is supposed to be about Abel

Um... Destania must have 7000 years worth of collected assets, many of which could have been sitting around collecting interest during her time at SAIA. She's working for Biggs right now because a genocidal conflict with one of Furrae's most ancient and powerful races just happens to be her thing, not because she needs to pay the rent.

Whoops, brain fault.  It doesn't.  I was thinking of this:  http://missmab.com/Comics/Abel_21.php

...but it doesn't say that her mother is in Zinvfth, I just misconstrued it that way.  Better make sure that didn't end up in the wiki.

Despite the mistake, that's actually an interesting catch. We know that May has a mother who was alive while May was a child. If May is the Cubi, is her whole family in on the ruse? 

I dunno.  For a one-man operation, incorporation is pretty daunting.  At the very least, you'd need a full-time accountant.

Not really. I incorporated my first business without the benefit of a full-time accountant. If you already keep very good business records, it's not that much more paperwork.

Also, just because it's called a corporation doesn't mean it is.  I once worked for a company that was called World Wide News, Inc.  But it was in actuality a DBA. (it also didn't own the property--just leased with an option to buy from the previous owners)

Um... that's not legal. The various corporate designations (Incorporated, Limited, Corporation, etc. and their related abbreviations) can only be used by corporate entites.

[techmaster-glitch]

Ok, seriously, stop talking about Alexi owning the inn. The whole reason I made this thread is to AVOID non sequitors. If you want to talk about it, make your own thread, please.

Now, the reason I kept making the "hide the mark" problem such a big one is that May clearly has not seen it before, unless she is bluffing, which she would only do if SHE was the succubus. However, i the thread this used to be in, many people suggested ways to hide the mark without natural shapeshifting. But that aside, a new question came up to me, that i already explained,but apparently must bring up again.
WHY hide the mark/being a cubi in the first place? If May Or Cid is the cubi, or if May or Cid were replaced by a Cubi, they would HAVE to have know, the moment they saw Baby Abel with wings, that he would grow up to be a cubi. They would have to know it is inevitable that Abel's headwings would come in eventually, and bring the entire charade crashing down. Alexi made the mistake of forgetting to warn Dan that he was a incubus, but that was an accident. The situation with Abel's family would have to have been thought out in advance, as well as  the contingency of Abel's cubi side finally beggining to kick in full swing. It just doesn't make sense that whoever is the cubi would just LET this problem happen. However, in all the senarios of Cid the cubi, May the cubi, Cid/May being replaced by a cubi, I think that if one of these HAS to happen, it will almost definatly be Cid being the cubi, and Amber will still have to come up with a good reason for why  he would want to hide it like this.
That being said, I still contend that the theory of an Incubus tricking May is the most likely, and for another thing that I forgot to mention. I don't know about you, but if I were to have freaking wings sticking out of my head because some stranger Incubus stole my dad's form and got yiffy wth my mom, thus turning ME into a cubi, I would almost certainly hold a grudge against any cubi that uses it's shapeshifting abilities to impersonate someone, if not the entire cubi race.
I meant to post this with the original list of theories, but when i did so i was quite rushed and didnt put as much spit'n'polish on it as I wanted.

But again, seriously STOP TALKING ABOUT ALEXI OWNING LOST LAKE. that is a non sequitor, so put it in its own thread, but stop posting it here.

[superluser]

Um... Destania must have 7000 years worth of collected assets, many of which could have been sitting around collecting interest during her time at SAIA. She's working for Biggs right now because a genocidal conflict with one of Furrae's most ancient and powerful races just happens to be her thing, not because she needs to pay the rent.

Alternatively, the take-home pay for SAIA professors may be quite low.  Given that they probably need to live on campus in order not to make SAIA's presence too obvious to the surrounding community, and rent for a place at a magical hidden academy of arcane arts is probably not cheap, plus some heavy duty health insurance for a species that is probably unknown to most doctors...

I wouldn't be surprised if Fa'Lina just provided whatever the professors wanted and called it even.

Also, from time to time, the place gets attacked, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the older `cubi were expected to pitch in for the rebuilding costs.  Destania may be flat broke.  I think that's a bit unlikely, but I wouldn't find it at all odd if she had less than $10,000 to her name.

Not really. I incorporated my first business without the benefit of a full-time accountant. If you already keep very good business records, it's not that much more paperwork.

I find it very hard to believe that Alexsi could man the inn for probably something like 12+ hours a day and still find time to do the paperwork.

Um... that's not legal. The various corporate designations (Incorporated, Limited, Corporation, etc. and their related abbreviations) can only be used by corporate entites.

I think it was another corporation doing business as this corporation.  But my point remains that just because it's JyCorp doesn't mean it's incorporated.

Ok, seriously, stop talking about Alexi owning the inn. The whole reason I made this thread is to AVOID non sequitors. If you want to talk about it, make your own thread, please.

You can't own a thread, but I think I'm done with this stuff.

If May Or Cid is the cubi, or if May or Cid were replaced by a Cubi, they would HAVE to have know, the moment they saw Baby Abel with wings, that he would grow up to be a cubi. They would have to know it is inevitable that Abel's headwings would come in eventually, and bring the entire charade crashing down.

Unless they skipped health class.

Otherwise, that's a really good point.

Another prosaic option that no one seems to have considered--what if there's a `cubi family in Cantiv wondering why their kid's headwings haven't come in yet?  I can't imagine that the hospitals there are that scrupulous about this stuff.  He's manila colored.  He's got spots.  He's obviously yours.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

     Yes, Why hide the mark/Tatoo?  May doesn't know anything about Cubi, so just tell her it's a tatoo.  I still say you are read too much into one sentence... If Cid has a "tatoo", which May could know about but wishes Cid didn't have.  May's reaction to Abel's "tatoo" could be  more likely,
            1) My Son, my little baby, has a Tatoo!...
            2) My Son, is getting Drunk enough not to remember Anything! not even a Tatoo. What's next? a pregnant girl on my door step?
            3) And how offen does he get drunk that it is no big deal?

   May could have seen that Abel was sporting a Tatoo, But she was too shock by that fact alone to Say That It looks the same as your father's.  Or shocked that Abel gets drunk.

As for Cid (or May) not saying anything about Abel growing head wing: 1) the parent figures that he or she will be there for Abel when it happens... 2) and saying anything about Cubi is going to expose the LIE...

PBH

[Tapewolf]

Another prosaic option that no one seems to have considered--what if there's a `cubi family in Cantiv wondering why their kid's headwings haven't come in yet?  I can't imagine that the hospitals there are that scrupulous about this stuff.  He's manila colored.  He's got spots.  He's obviously yours.

Good idea.  Like most of the happier theories it doesn't explain Abel's detestation of shapeshifting though.  I have a strong feeling it's tied in with his heritage - if it was something he'd picked up during SAIA (almost said 'Uni') it's likely they would have been able to talk him out of it, so I'm thinking it was burned into him before he attended.

[Amber Williams]

But again, seriously STOP TALKING ABOUT ALEXI OWNING LOST LAKE. that is a non sequitor, so put it in its own thread, but stop posting it here.

Please stop telling the forum what to do.  If the conversation goes naturally to a slightly different topic yet there is still intelligent discussion, it's more rude in my opinion for someone to constantly try to shoehorn things back to what they want. You may have been the thread-starter, but since this isn't an RP, it doesn't give you control over the thread itself.

[Stygian]

[ignores previous banter and dispute and gets with the topic]

Who here did not notice the thing about the clan mark dissappearing if the 'cubus in question does not practice magic for an extended time period (where did you get that information, by the way?)? If that is indeed the case, and shapeshifting, being a natural ability, does not count as magic for a cubi, then wouldn't that just write off all the requirements for concealing or explaining it? And if that is true, is that not a point in favor of Cid being the 'cubi in hiding?

Jeez. [sighs]

[Tezkat]

WHY hide the mark/being a cubi in the first place? If May Or Cid is the cubi, or if May or Cid were replaced by a Cubi, they would HAVE to have know, the moment they saw Baby Abel with wings, that he would grow up to be a cubi. They would have to know it is inevitable that Abel's headwings would come in eventually, and bring the entire charade crashing down. Alexi made the mistake of forgetting to warn Dan that he was a incubus, but that was an accident. The situation with Abel's family would have to have been thought out in advance, as well as  the contingency of Abel's cubi side finally beggining to kick in full swing. It just doesn't make sense that whoever is the cubi would just LET this problem happen. However, in all the senarios of Cid the cubi, May the cubi, Cid/May being replaced by a cubi, I think that if one of these HAS to happen, it will almost definatly be Cid being the cubi, and Amber will still have to come up with a good reason for why  he would want to hide it like this.

Some food for thought while we're adding new theories...

We know that Abel's clan is nearly extinct, and that his Cubi parent(s) are no longer around during his time at SAIA. Up until this point, we've been operating under the assumption that the Cubi parent is SAIA trained, with full knowledge and command of all Cubi abilities. That's not necessarily the case. Abel's clan may have been so fractured that they don't even know about SAIA. His ancestors may have continued the line through Cubi-Being partnerships, and any premature death of a Cubi parent along the way would translate into a significant loss of racial knowledge. They may be genuinely ignorant about the details of Cubi trait inheritance or development.

In such a scenario, Abel's Cubi parent may have been living in mortal fear of discovery by Adventurers or townsfolk with pitchforks. For that matter, there might even be a state of denial regarding the possibility of Abel becoming a Cubi. They're only wings, after all... We can't hide that, but it doesn't make him an Angel... He'll have a normal life, unlike mine...


It's still difficult to support May being the Cubi parent, however.  She would have recognized the headwings regardless, because she's old enough to have them herself. That she's still acting dumb now that Abel's are out strains credulity.


As for Cid... keep in mind that lies tend to grow with the telling. He may have quite innocently been hiding his Cubi nature when they got married. As the years went by it became more and more difficult to come clean, because the sense of betrayal at having been lied to for so long increases the longer you live the lie.

"Honey, I'm gay. You know how you thought I was out playing poker every Thursday for the past ten years? Well..." 

"Honey, I'm actually a soul-sucking demon. You know how you thought I was off slaying monsters...?"



It may not even be that he doesn't trust May. Perhaps such a revalation tore his own parents apart, and it was so traumatic that he doesn't want to risk breaking up his own family like that.

I don't know about you, but if I were to have freaking wings sticking out of my head because some stranger Incubus stole my dad's form and got yiffy wth my mom, thus turning ME into a cubi, I would almost certainly hold a grudge against any cubi that uses it's shapeshifting abilities to impersonate someone, if not the entire cubi race.

Oh, I dunno...

If I found out that my real dad had given me superpowers, magical talent, and near immortality, I might be inclined to adopt a rather different view from the one you describe.


Abel is hardly anti-Cubi. His disregard for identity concealment may stem from reasons completely unrelated to a traumatic past. It could be vanity, for instance; we do know that he spends a lot of time on clothing and appearance.

I find it very hard to believe that Alexsi could man the inn for probably something like 12+ hours a day and still find time to do the paperwork.

[...]

I think it was another corporation doing business as this corporation.  But my point remains that just because it's JyCorp doesn't mean it's incorporated.

Geez... I don't know about Furrae, but on this planet, a corporate entity can have as many trade names as it wants, but you cannot give your business a corporate identifier without being incorporated. Furthermore, once the corporation is set up and running, this "additional paperwork" burden consists of things that you would (or should) be doing anyway. For a one-man show, the only practical difference is that you submit taxes slightly more often. For a high cash flow business like a tavern/inn, a corporate structure can even make your accounting easier.

Another prosaic option that no one seems to have considered--what if there's a `cubi family in Cantiv wondering why their kid's headwings haven't come in yet?  I can't imagine that the hospitals there are that scrupulous about this stuff.  He's manila colored.  He's got spots.  He's obviously yours.

An interesting point, though it does make one wonder about the state of health care in a small town 400 years back. They may not even have a hospital, and it's a bit difficult to mix up babies if you go the midwife route.

Who here did not notice the thing about the clan mark dissappearing if the 'cubus in question does not practice magic for an extended time period (where did you get that information, by the way?)? If that is indeed the case, and shapeshifting, being a natural ability, does not count as magic for a cubi, then wouldn't that just write off all the requirements for concealing or explaining it? And if that is true, is that not a point in favor of Cid being the 'cubi in hiding?

I doubt the clan mark ever disappears, but not practicing magic will prevent it from turning up in the first place (as is the case with Dan).

[Tapewolf]

If I found out that my real dad had given me superpowers, magical talent, and near immortality, I might be inclined to adopt a rather different view from the one you describe.

Amen.

Abel is hardly anti-Cubi. His disregard for identity concealment may stem from reasons completely unrelated to a traumatic past. It could be vanity, for instance; we do know that he spends a lot of time on clothing and appearance.

Possible, but his reaction to being forced to become Merlitz was rather acute.  It wasn't disdain, which is what I'd expect from vanity, it was more like fury.  See 695, 696 (I recorded several takes of Merbel throwing them out - in some of them he was almost crying.  That's just my reading though.)

Ultimately he only did it because the alternative was leaving Dan alone with a dragon who'd been sent to kill him (in Abel's PoV).

An interesting point, though it does make one wonder about the state of health care in a small town 400 years back. They may not even have a hospital, and it's a bit difficult to mix up babies if you go the midwife route.

They've got some kind of medical establishment, see Devin's memories.  It might be more of an Ultima 7 hospital (i.e. a wooden shack with beds in it) but there y'go.

[Keleth]

I for one am still able to accept the fact that both of Abel's parents may be perfectly normal.

And just through either random Mutant factor, or Magic being magic. Abel was born the way he was.

[Kibin]

Unless it's been mentioned before.... there's also both of them being cubi possibilities, with both of them disguising it from the other.

[MT Hazard]

Theory #4: Cid was cursed with a non-random, structured spell specifically designed to make him have a Cubi child.
This one just bothers me. If any spell could even do that, why would he not tell May about it, as to prepare her for what her own son is going to be?
Verdict: Probably impossible.

If he knew in the first place, would he tell them? How do you tell some one that kind of thing?

Would he have made the connection? It was mentioned somewhere that creatures can turn somebody to another species with magic.

I don't think we can discount anything as impossible, unlikely given the story structure and our knowledge of it, but not impossible.

Plus were talking about (fictional) magic, here for crying out loud, how can we know its limits?

Ultimately its up to the author/artist Amber, if she really wanted to she could say the entire comic run so far was a dream by a flying sheep and we would have no power to change that.

[techmaster-glitch]

If I found out that my real dad had given me superpowers, magical talent, and near immortality, I might be inclined to adopt a rather different view from the one you describe.

You're missing the point Tezkat. Seriously, how would you feel if someone used their natural shapshifting to impersonate your dad in order to @#!& around with your mom? No matter what abilities I gain from that, I would still hate ANYONE who uses a natural ability like that. And I most definatly would not want to do that myself, either. Just like Abel, that is where I would set my standards.

Like most of the happier theories it doesn't explain Abel's detestation of shapeshifting though.  I have a strong feeling it's tied in with his heritage - if it was something he'd picked up during SAIA (almost said 'Uni') it's likely they would have been able to talk him out of it, so I'm thinking it was burned into him before he attended.

his reaction to being forced to become Merlitz was rather acute.  It wasn't disdain, which is what I'd expect from vanity, it was more like fury.  See 695, 696 (I recorded several takes of Merbel throwing them out - in some of them he was almost crying.  That's just my reading though.)
Ultimately he only did it because the alternative was leaving Dan alone with a dragon who'd been sent to kill him (in Abel's PoV).

Tapewolf makes a perfectly good point point right there.

[techmaster-glitch]

As for Cid... keep in mind that lies tend to grow with the telling. He may have quite innocently been hiding his Cubi nature when they got married. As the years went by it became more and more difficult to come clean, because the sense of betrayal at having been lied to for so long increases the longer you live the lie.
It may not even be that he doesn't trust May. Perhaps such a revalation tore his own parents apart, and it was so traumatic that he doesn't want to risk breaking up his own family like that.

That is a good point, though.

At this time, I think there are only two likely(and possible) theories.
1: Cid is the cubi.
2: Some Incubus tricked May
ASSUMING, not asserting, that these are the only two options, one of two senarios will play out once Cid walks into the room in the next update that will dictate which theory is true.
Senario 1: He expresses shock and surprise, genuinely not knowing what the hell is going on. In that case I belive that it is Theory 2 that must be correct.
Senario 2: At first he seems surprised, but then deflates as he realizes what has happend. Then he finally reveals himself as an Incubus to May and Abel, thus proving Theory 1.