05/16/07 Abel's Story [89] Something for the future

[superluser]

And yet we have seen no ways in which he tried raising Abel to be evil.

Evil's a strong word.  We haven't seen him try to raise him to believe any sort of `cubi values, though.

P.S. Does Aniz in panel 2 look to anyone else like the unholy union of Don Knotts and Marty Feldman?

[kaskar]

 It seems to be as if Cid was the 'fake', and Aniz is the real thing. As with most villians everwhere, ( e.g. Look at the Master in Dr. Who ), they tend to the extrovert, are quite colorful, can con anyone, and are not trustworthy. Manic Excitement !  May seems to to be fading into the wallpaper ...    So did Aniz spend 25 years there just to carry on his line ?

I presume that Ms. Soulseeker is due soon to reclaim the morphing stone. I hope she will explain to everyone there, ( and
to us readers here ), the best thing to do and what should be done. ( Bet if Kria hears Aniz punched May's nose, he'd get more than a clip over the ear ... )   Is Kria to be the one mare cavalry ?

[LigerJet]

Perhaps his idea of preparing Abel to carry on his line is to um...mess him up in the head.  Maybe Aniz suffered through something that made him what he is today, and he figures if he messes Abel up, he'll carry on his work.

[Aridas]

It's pretty clear here aniz doesn't know what the hell he's doing... He's looking and acting evil but nothing he says is actually evil.

[WhiteFire]

And yet we have seen no ways in which he tried raising Abel to be evil.  Parents are highly influential, but only while the child is young.  He had years, and while Abel has grown up to be something of a dick in the future, he is not an asshole.

...or a pussy. Therefore he must have been raised to be a member of Team America.

I'm really not sure there is a deeper meaning beyond: He wanted to raise a child to help their declining clan, and this was the way he went about it. Had he bred with another Cubi, it might have come out another clan. That or he is just such a jerk he could not pull it off any other way.

The fact he was not "done" when the clan mark came in, but instead when the headwings did implies to me that he was just waiting to put him into SAIA.

Personally I'm more curious how this all ends up making him semi-adopted by Fa'Lina... I fear this means something bad may be about to happen to his mother. 

[Tapewolf]

Personally I'm more curious how this all ends up making him semi-adopted by Fa'Lina... I fear this means something bad may be about to happen to his mother. 

Not necessarily.  Remember, she's just a Being.  If Abel breaks ties with his apparently-evil father and goes to SAIA, his mother will be dead long before he's even an eighth of the way through his course.  That would kind of freak him out.

[Zedd]

Well its almost said and done what he wants to do with him..Then again most nasty,sinister,evil types out there arent usely bright

[Alondro]

*Charline bah*  Aniz is impatient.  I've had a joke set up for 2007 years now!  I'm still waiting for the punchline.  Oh it's gonna be good! 

Some things are worth the wait...    *Charline: most ebil cubi EVER*

[Reaver225]

Perhaps his idea of preparing Abel to carry on his line is to um...mess him up in the head.  Maybe Aniz suffered through something that made him what he is today, and he figures if he messes Abel up, he'll carry on his work.

If his plan was to make Abel an introverted jerk who hides in the basement, he certainly succeeded as far as the current storyline goes.

[Zedd]

*Charline bah*  Aniz is impatient.  I've had a joke set up for 2007 years now!  I'm still waiting for the punchline.  Oh it's gonna be good! 

Some things are worth the wait...    *Charline: most ebil cubi EVER*

Not if Zedd beats you first...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Zedd is into BDSM?

[techmaster-glitch]

Zedd is into BDSM?

Where the hell did THAT come from?? 

[superluser]

If Abel breaks ties with his apparently-evil father and goes to SAIA, his mother will be dead long before he's even an eighth of the way through his course.  That would kind of freak him out.

Not particularly, I'd bet.  He should expect his mother to die after the next twenty years or so.  Most people have their parents die around that age, and most people deal with it and move on.

[rabid_fox]

Apparently Aniz was the lyrics writer for Mike and the Mechanics. Small world.

[Kragoth]

I'm getting the distinct impression that Aniz doesn't know what the heck he's doing at the moment. Sure, he sounds all evil and stuff, but in the mean time... And come on, what kind of reason could a cubi clan leader have to spend 25 years raising a son (who doesn't even know he's a cubi) when he could be doing so much more? Sure, 25 years is not a lot in relation to a cubi's lifespan, but 25 years is still a lot of time in which he could have been scheming and plotting other stuff.

And golly, mister Aniz, if you want to save your clan, why not impregnate at lot of female beings all at once if you want to save your clan from extinction?

No, I'm going along with the idea that Aniz is just some low-class cubi who got a crush on May and doesn't want to be seen as a total wuss. Or something. I think.

[Aridas]

I'm getting the distinct impression that Aniz doesn't know what the heck he's doing at the moment. Sure, he sounds all evil and stuff, but in the mean time... And come on, what kind of reason could a cubi clan leader have to spend 25 years raising a son (who doesn't even know he's a cubi) when he could be doing so much more? Sure, 25 years is not a lot in relation to a cubi's lifespan, but 25 years is still a lot of time in which he could have been scheming and plotting other stuff.

I already said he didn't know what he's doing, Kragoth. Stop stealing my ideas

[Tapewolf]

If Abel breaks ties with his apparently-evil father and goes to SAIA, his mother will be dead long before he's even an eighth of the way through his course.  That would kind of freak him out.

Not particularly, I'd bet.  He should expect his mother to die after the next twenty years or so.  Most people have their parents die around that age, and most people deal with it and move on.

Most 'Cubi don't, though.  Be that as it may, Abel seems to come across something that he can't deal with and move on from.  Arguably if his mother was brutally murdered by Aniz, your suggestion would also hold true - after all, it's a bit pointless brooding over her murder a hundred years later when she'd be dead anyway.

Just like any father wants his son to do..Passing on the torch

Well, he's messed that up big-time   Abel's freaked out so badly that about 400 years later he's emotionally incapable of forming a relationship.  Granted that this may possibly be something that happens later on in SAIA, but given his hatred of shapeshifting and avoidance of discussing his parents in the mainline, I'd say it was to do with what's happening now.

P.S. Does Aniz in panel 2 look to anyone else like the unholy union of Don Knotts and Marty Feldman?

Not particularly, but now you mention it, the first one is not too far off Marty (and heck, any excuse for some practice with Photoshop):

[WhiteFire]

Well, he's messed that up big-time   Abel's freaked out so badly that about 400 years later he's emotionally incapable of forming a relationship.  Granted that this may possibly be something that happens later on in SAIA, but given his hatred of shapeshifting and avoidance of discussing his parents in the mainline, I'd say it was to do with what's happening now.

This is one thing that I don't quite understand, and have been puzzling over.

Whatever his motives are, one would presume that he wants to be on somewhat good terms with his son. Starting out by socking Abel's mother in the nose and then going into a bad villainesque crazy mode taunting rant right after does not exactly seem like the way to accomplish this. He must know that Abel cares about his mother (or he is really lousy Cubi..)

Speaking of that: I find the "he does not know what he is doing" argument a bit weak. If he was so completely incompetent there is no way he could have fooled them for 25 years. Or, at least, I'm having a hard time seeing that.

So... I'm really confused what he is up to here.

[LigerJet]

Perhaps his idea of preparing Abel to carry on his line is to um...mess him up in the head.  Maybe Aniz suffered through something that made him what he is today, and he figures if he messes Abel up, he'll carry on his work.

If his plan was to make Abel an introverted jerk who hides in the basement, he certainly succeeded as far as the current storyline goes.

I never said he succeeded at his potential plans. 

[superluser]

Not particularly, I'd bet.  He should expect his mother to die after the next twenty years or so.  Most people have their parents die around that age, and most people deal with it and move on.

Most 'Cubi don't, though.  Be that as it may, Abel seems to come across something that he can't deal with and move on from.

Abel, at this point, doesn't know that most `cubi have parents that live well into their 2000's.  He'd probably have been to the funerals for both of May's parents, and quite possibly at least one of Cid's.  He's probably had friends' parents die, and before he met up with Devin and Xander, he seemed to be dealing with and moving on from Cindy's death quite nicely.

Abel can certainly deal with and move on from things, he may simply choose not to.

Arguably if his mother was brutally murdered by Aniz, your suggestion would also hold true - after all, it's a bit pointless brooding over her murder a hundred years later when she'd be dead anyway.

Now, that I don't get.  I could see him brooding over that, but not if May dies of natural causes.  What could Abel have done to prevent that?  He can see a million things that he could have done to change it, but he can't go back to change it.

Not particularly, but now you mention it, the first one is not too far off Marty (and heck, any excuse for some practice with Photoshop):
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/dmfa/aniz_feldman.png

Heh.  I was mainly referring to the fact that his eyes seemed to be bugging out of his skull.  At least to me.

P.S. Here's a wild idea.  There have been two theories floating around here.  One is that Aniz is going to pass Abel off to a good cop whom he will attach to.  The other is that Abel owes Edward Ti'Fiona for killing Aniz.

Now let's connect them.  It would explain why Abel was so furious upon hearing Edward's name.  After all, how could Edward be alive after so many years, unless...

[Tapewolf]

Arguably if his mother was brutally murdered by Aniz, your suggestion would also hold true - after all, it's a bit pointless brooding over her murder a hundred years later when she'd be dead anyway.

Now, that I don't get.  I could see him brooding over that, but not if May dies of natural causes.  What could Abel have done to prevent that?  He can see a million things that he could have done to change it, but he can't go back to change it.

I still say that if he can get over both parents dying, he can get over one of them being murdered in less than 400 years.

Incidentally, Ink mentioned that most 'Cubi are at their most depressed at around 200.  I don't know if that's canon or not.

Now let's connect them.  It would explain why Abel was so furious upon hearing Edward's name.  After all, how could Edward be alive after so many years, unless...

'Cubi Edward?  Not sure what to make of that suggestion.  I'll consider it.  But to be honest I suspect Edward is a Being and that whatever happened to put Abel in his debt happened within the last 50 years.  Abel and Edward haven't met, but if Ed killed Aniz, it's likely Fa'Lina would learn of Abel's father's demise... somehow...

[nikename2]

Abel and Edward haven't met, but if Ed killed Aniz, it's likely Fa'Lina would learn of Abel's father's demise... somehow...

Hmm, well how would Abel, or Fa'lina find out about this. Oracles is a possibility, if Aniz is a leader then surely he's probably talented enough to block out any other cubi from searching for him. Perhaps an oracle went to SAIA at one point and Abel found this out from him, or Fa'lina went to an oracle to find this out. So its not much of a stretch that "Ed killed Aniz", is just their vague way of telling that Aniz had a son in Edward, and thus it was misinterpreted like how Aary messed up the whole "Dan killed Destinia" fortune.

[Tapewolf]

Abel and Edward haven't met, but if Ed killed Aniz, it's likely Fa'Lina would learn of Abel's father's demise... somehow...

Hmm, well how would Abel, or Fa'lina find out about this.

To be honest, I have no idea.  But whatever and whenever it happened, she did find out about it.

[superluser]

I still say that if he can get over both parents dying, he can get over one of them being murdered in less than 400 years.

Most people get over the deaths of their parents.  Usually within six months to a year.  Seeing your father murder your mother at age 24 and then start speaking kindly to you while the body's still warm and you're unable to stop him might be a little more traumatic.  He could be seriously screwed up for the rest of his adult life because of that.

Or, as I mentioned before--he could easily be capable of getting over it, but choose not to.

'Cubi Edward?  Not sure what to make of that suggestion.  I'll consider it.  But to be honest I suspect Edward is a Being and that whatever happened to put Abel in his debt happened within the last 50 years.  Abel and Edward haven't met, but if Ed killed Aniz, it's likely Fa'Lina would learn of Abel's father's demise... somehow...

I'm not the first to suggest it, but I might be the first to suggest that Aniz and Edward are tag-teaming it.  Of course, as you point out, Abel and Edward haven't met, so that's out.  Among the other extremely incongruous elements of that theory, I would assume that he wouldn't keep his name for 400 years if he were trying to blend into an adventurer society.

[Manawolf]

And yet we have seen no ways in which he tried raising Abel to be evil.

Evil's a strong word.  We haven't seen him try to raise him to believe any sort of `cubi values, though.

P.S. Does Aniz in panel 2 look to anyone else like the unholy union of Don Knotts and Marty Feldman?

Evil, dark side, life of a master manipulator, whatever.  In any case, Aniz has chosen a bad time to start coaxing Abel over to his side.  The boy is currently in a state of mental distress, having his world turned upside down in one day by the loss of his best childhood friend, witnessing the death of at least two other people he has known, discovering that he is a creature that is often thought to be evil, and then finding out his father has been dead for over two decades and the imposter has just made his mother bleed, his mind is not going to be open to suggestions, it's going to lock up, and stick to whatever ideas it already has formulated on its own.  Current idea: Aniz is an evil bastard, who's made me a bastard, and is now thinking I'm gonna go quietly?

Somehow, you'd think a mind reader would be more knowledgeable of how the humanoid psyche functions.

[GabrielsThoughts]

If you want to get technical Abel's father died before he was born, so if you think about it Abel only really learned that his father lied to him his whole life and that Aniz is an a$$eloh!

[Manawolf]

That's pretty much the idea Abel is having right now, so I get the feeling Aniz didn't think his brilliant plan all the way through.  Nice way to waste a quarter of a century there.

[rabid_fox]

Taking all bets on Surpise-Cubi-May in the next panel!

Seriously. How f**king ace would that be?

[superluser]

In any case, Aniz has chosen a bad time to start coaxing Abel over to his side.

Indeed.  There should have been no doubt as to what Abel was when his clan marking came in, and at that point, he would have been more than capable of tending to himself.  He would probably still have been much more impressionable, and he wouldn't have had any `cubi powers, making him much easier to manipulate and more docile.

Had Aniz taken him then, it would have worked out much more to his benefit.

Somehow, you'd think a mind reader would be more knowledgeable of how the humanoid psyche functions.

But he's not a humanoid.  He's not even a being.

If you want to get technical Abel's father died before he was born

No, Cid died before Abel was born (or so Aniz seems to be claiming).  Abel's father did not.

Taking all bets on Surpise-Cubi-May in the next panel!

I'm voting for unsurprise `cubi May in about 5 strips.  Or rather, I've voted that way before.

[rabid_fox]

Ok then, fine.

Suprise-cubi-Kurt-Cobain, for NO apparent reason in the ultimate dues ex machina ending to Abel's Arch.