27/08/07 [#811] Destania: Rapist, torturer... author?

[Psaakyrn]

So.... It get more confusing as ever... but it seems Dan is smarter than he looks.

Notes:
Why did he borrow that book, if not to find out more about his mother? (I doubt he actually wants to learn said techniques)
Judging from his lack of reaction, he probably already know all this. (and from said book)
How did Edward manage to tame such a beast?
Relating back to Aniz... could it be possible that the "She" Aniz referred to be Destania, instead of Fa'Lina?

[Saist]

Dan has always been smarter than he let on. Keep in mind how long he lasted as an adventurer, and his fight against Dark Pegasus.

"It takes a smart fur to play dumb."

***

this also brings to mind the question : We know Alexsi was the third scariest thing Abel ever faced. We can be pretty sure that Destinia was either the first or the second...  How much I want to bet that Dan's father might have been the other? Would make humorous sense for the 3 scariest things Abel has faced to be the Ti'Fiona family.

[Zedd]

I guess it wasnt smart to all hold it back Abel...then again..Ask a odvius question you get a very odvius answer!!

[superluser]

Somehow I doubt that we're getting the whole picture from Abel.  It may be true from his perspective, but I suspect that he might be being a little bit hyperbolic.  Partly because I don't think that Destania has anything as simple as a good/evil switch.  I might believe that she's not evil towards family, but that doesn't sound like what Abel's describing.

After all, I'm sure she's not as evil as Manservant Hecubus?

[Tapewolf]

How did Edward manage to tame such a beast?

I really don't know.  My first guess would be that she was keeping Edward as a pet and living as a Being for a laugh, but in #726 she seems genuinely concerned about him.

Still, she's 7000... maybe she just got bored with being evil? 

Abel's reaction to the fact that Dan is only mildly perturbed should be interesting to see.  I've always had a suspicion that Dan's goofiness is mostly just a front and it's starting to look that way.

Maybe it was that book which prompted the question?

[WhiteFire]

Gotta give him this, that frostbite dig was one of the better yer moma digs I've ever seen.

[Kasarn]

Does the book cover taking candy from babies?

[MT Hazard]

I suspect there will always be suspicion about the true nature of an cubi in DMFA, after all you have one who didn't just imitate someone for 25 years, they were someone else for that long, having to 'kill' that person to become themselves again. Plus of course personalities are in flux, you live long enough and everything about could change, one bit at a time.

Dan's reaction does seem a little off, he freaks out when he finds out his friend is gay (and fancies him) but doesn't bat an eyelid when told his mother is everything he fought against as an adventurer (and perhaps fears becoming himself). Depends on his method of rationalising  I guess.

[Tapewolf]

Dan's reaction does seem a little off, he freaks out when he finds out his friend is gay (and fancies him) but doesn't bat an eyelid when told his mother is everything he fought against as an adventurer (and perhaps fears becoming himself). Depends on his method of rationalising  I guess.

Firstly, he didn't freak when he found Jyrras was gay for him.  In fact, it was his idea that Merlitz was gay for him back in the Disasters arc.  What freaked Dan was finding out that Jyrras was gay for a 'Cubi.  Which makes sense since he's got the idea that all 'Cubi are basically evil to some degree.

To me his lack of reaction over his mother being everything he hates says that he must have guessed long ago.  "The only thing I ever inherited from my mom was her wings, and that doesn't make me a ['cubi]"  As I said once before, that line makes me think that he was fully aware his mother was a Creature generally held to be evil, and that he had hoped/deluded himself that he wasn't going to inherit her less desirable aspects.

He might also have hoped that she had changed, which could conceivably occur a'la Catastrophe Theory, where something suddenly changes state completely after a long period of slow, almost undetectable change.

Assuming she hasn't flipped polarity and become good-with-evil-tendencies, what is curious is that she hasn't instilled Dan with a sense of evil, but she has done a pretty decent job on Alexsi, IMHO (who didn't even have the heart to tell Dan that his mother was still alive by the looks).

A couple of other unrelated points:

Saying this seems to have hurt Abel an order of magnitude or so more than it has hurt Dan.  Again, I wonder if he has read the book from SAIA (which I'm assuming is what Abel's referring to, and not a figure of speech) which is why Dan has suddenly come out with this question.

If Dee really is so cold, was she really friends with Aary?  On a slightly related note, Dee said in the 700 series that she had had high hopes for Abel.  I wonder if they fell out because he couldn't shed his compassion?

[Turnsky]

How did Edward manage to tame such a beast?

I really don't know.  My first guess would be that she was keeping Edward as a pet and living as a Being for a laugh, but in #726 she seems genuinely concerned about him.

Still, she's 7000... maybe she just got bored with being evil? 

well, evil for evil's sake can get boring after a while, perhaps she decided to have a vacation and be a little more "morally ambiguous"?

Abel's reaction to the fact that Dan is only mildly perturbed should be interesting to see.  I've always had a suspicion that Dan's goofiness is mostly just a front and it's starting to look that way.

Maybe it was that book which prompted the question?

well, Dan didn't get to be a good adventurer just by being 'goofy' i suspect that he has a dead serious side, lurking beneath the overall veneer of Dan's outward personality.

[Tapewolf]

well, Dan didn't get to be a good adventurer just by being 'goofy' i suspect that he has a dead serious side, lurking beneath the overall veneer of Dan's outward personality.

Exactly.  We've even seen it come up a few times, yet it's surprising how many people think he's simply an idiot.

I wonder if Alexsi and Pyro are still watching?

[Turnsky]

well, Dan didn't get to be a good adventurer just by being 'goofy' i suspect that he has a dead serious side, lurking beneath the overall veneer of Dan's outward personality.

Exactly.  We've even seen it come up a few times, yet it's surprising how many people think he's simply an idiot.

I wonder if Alexsi and Pyro are still watching?

he's prolly relaxed and aloof when he's not "on the clock" as it were, we all wear masks, Dan's adventuring professionalism is prolly gathering dust somewhere, so to speak.
I reckon that the whole 'cubi deal seems like one big Adventure to Dan, and that might cater to his nature, as well.

[superluser]

You know, I think I realized one of the things that's bugging me about Abel's description of Destania.  It's Aary's description of Destania.  In 294, she looks positively beatific.  The closest that my teachers ever got to giving me a look like Dee did in panel 2 of that strip:



Now, I had some really nice teachers, but as a general rule, I tend not to see teachers smiling a whole lot, even the really nice ones,  Especially the really nice ones.

This may be chalked up to Aary's warped view of life, but I think she'd tend to prefer remembering Destania as being vicious.  After all, I don't remember the teachers that I liked as being smiley.  In fact, the teachers that I liked were the meanest SOBs there were.  Because they made sure that you actually learned stuff from them.

What freaked Dan was finding out that Jyrras was gay for a 'Cubi.  Which makes sense since he's got the idea that all 'Cubi are basically evil to some degree.

I think it's more that dealing with Jyrras would be high stakes, because he's a good friend and can't allow the friendship to end badly.  And thinking that he turned Jyrras gay.

Again, I wonder if he has read the book from SAIA (which I'm assuming is what Abel's referring to, and not a figure of speech)

Well, he did borrow a book from the library (I assumed you remembered it, but there may be others with hazier memories).  Interestingly, Aary seemed repulsed when she returned it.

Oh, also: Psaakyrn missed a golden opportunity to make a reference to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.  Maybe Reaper Rapist Sadist...Scribe?

[Tapewolf]

What freaked Dan was finding out that Jyrras was gay for a 'Cubi.  Which makes sense since he's got the idea that all 'Cubi are basically evil to some degree.

I think it's more that dealing with Jyrras would be high stakes, because he's a good friend and can't allow the friendship to end badly.  And thinking that he turned Jyrras gay.

Perhaps, but he didn't actually lose it until Jyrras said he fancied Abel, and the reasons he gave were explicitly anti-'Cubi.

[Saist]

What freaked Dan was finding out that Jyrras was gay for a 'Cubi.  Which makes sense since he's got the idea that all 'Cubi are basically evil to some degree.

I think it's more that dealing with Jyrras would be high stakes, because he's a good friend and can't allow the friendship to end badly.  And thinking that he turned Jyrras gay.

Perhaps, but he didn't actually lose it until Jyrras said he fancied Abel, and the reasons he gave were explicitly anti-'Cubi.

lesse... Dan's known Jyrras for how long? They've done stupid stuff... how many times?  Who wants to bet that Jy Jy and Dan have both wound up completely pantless after some of their stunts?

Yeah, high stakes is a good term.

[Sid]

Behold, it's Amber, crusher of fandom theories!

At the same time, we finally know what book Dan got from the library. The only remaining question is who taught Destania all that stuff at SAIA... she probably got there just a few centuries or so after it was founded, but I figure she started as a student... (Yeah, I know, it's a minor question, and I don't really expect an answer, but it's a valid question when you're dumb enough to set your fic in that era )

[Tapewolf]

The only remaining question is who taught Destania all that stuff at SAIA... she probably got there just a few centuries or so after it was founded, but I figure she started as a student...

As I understand it she was about 26 when SAIA was founded, which would have put her among the very first generation of students.

**EDIT**
This is assuming the 7000 figure is correct for SAIA.  We don't know, it could well have been rounded down.  I'm not even sure what the primary source for that was now.

[SpottedKitty]

You know, I think I realized one of the things that's bugging me about Abel's description of Destania.  It's Aary's description of Destania.

A good point — we should remember this is one 'Cubi being described by another 'Cubi known to be "just like the monsters in all those stories". Aary could have meant Destania was "a creature of beauty (when in a berserk rage) and grace (when dismembering adventurers)", and other 'Cubi would have understood the unspoken parts of her description.

[rabid_fox]

Oh, I do so hope that last comment of Dan's was a dig at the forum's mad conspiracists.

[Illusionist]

I would think an adventurer and monster slayer would be happy that he had a convenient source of information on how to kill things.

[Regal]

Meh. Every student gets one or two teachers that fit Abel's description. 

[Psaakyrn]

As I understand it she was about 26 when SAIA was founded, which would have put her among the very first generation of students.

**EDIT**
This is assuming the 7000 figure is correct for SAIA.  We don't know, it could well have been rounded down.  I'm not even sure what the primary source for that was now.

Then again, what she's teaching is part of her clan's forte, so she could've been the first generation teacher as well.

I would think an adventurer and monster slayer would be happy that he had a convenient source of information on how to kill things.

Kill perhaps, but that book's not about killing. At least, not killing fast and mercifully. You're better off with the "know your foe to counteract them" theory. But I'd think that book would go into far more detail than any adventurer would need..

[Tapewolf]

What, I wonder, does Dan think Abel owes him for?

[Sid]

The only remaining question is who taught Destania all that stuff at SAIA... she probably got there just a few centuries or so after it was founded, but I figure she started as a student...

As I understand it she was about 26 when SAIA was founded, which would have put her among the very first generation of students.

**EDIT**
This is assuming the 7000 figure is correct for SAIA.  We don't know, it could well have been rounded down.  I'm not even sure what the primary source for that was now.

Yeah, that last part is the "problem". Both Fa'Lina's age and the founding date of SAIA are rough figures, so I guess there's a +/- 100 years or so margin of error. Still, she would've been in the first generation of students (keeping in mind how Cubi tend to measure things like generations and age).

[TheGreyRonin]

 Know what I liked about it? Well, everything, really, but the ultra-special cream-filling was the tail tremble.

On dialup, things load sloooow, so I saw the upper half of the comic for a good thirty seconds before I could read all of it. And Abel's tail spoke volumes.

My cats do that in real life when upset; I had one a few years back who would do the tailtip shake if he saw a spider. Kudos to Amber for covering even the minor details so perfectly!

[Wanderer]

this also brings to mind the question : We know Alexsi was the third scariest thing Abel ever faced. We can be pretty sure that Destinia was either the first or the second...  How much I want to bet that Dan's father might have been the other? Would make humorous sense for the 3 scariest things Abel has faced to be the Ti'Fiona family.

The librarian has to figure in there somewhere.

Well. This is interesting news. Another viewpoint on Destania. I'm honestly at a loss as to what to make of this woman.

[Alondro]

*Charline grrrs angrily*  Destania is NOT more evil than me!  *broods and grumbles*  I'll show her, I'll show them all!  I'll be so savage and cruel that beings will fear to even mention my name for eons! 

*Charles chuckles*  Hee, so you'll be called "You-Know-Who-She- D:<Is".   

*Charline attacks!*  NO HARRY POTTER JOKES!!!!   

*Charles comments before he's once again sliced into bacon bits* This makes the reason Abel is interested in the Ti'Fiona line even more interesting!  Yet Abel doesn't seem to know about the dragon connection, yet he still hates dragons for some unknown reason...  Wow, this plot is really convoluted.   

*Charline ceases her assault and ponders*  Ooo... you're right!  This requires serious analysis!  I need to go make flow charts!   

[GabrielsThoughts]

Who is defining this evil, Evil is a pretty vague and broad subject.

[Aurawyn]

this also brings to mind the question : We know Alexsi was the third scariest thing Abel ever faced. We can be pretty sure that Destinia was either the first or the second...  How much I want to bet that Dan's father might have been the other? Would make humorous sense for the 3 scariest things Abel has faced to be the Ti'Fiona family.

The librarian has to figure in there somewhere.

Well. This is interesting news. Another viewpoint on Destania. I'm honestly at a loss as to what to make of this woman.

Remember that old saying "Thos who can Do, Those who can not, Teach"

Perhaps Destania knows how to do all those things she wrote about, and taught to other cubi, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Also People put on an acts.. Perhaps shes not really as bad as Abel makes her out to be, he just took her at face value, and that was the "Mask" She was wearing for so long,  Aary perhaps saw through the mask.. partially.. to get a more accurate (( But no not less gruesome )) Picture of Destainia...


Side question, that I think has been answered, But if two cudi from diffrent clan's have a baby.. What clan will the infant belong to?

[Naldru]

I have a feeling that some of the drill instructors at Paris Island (United States Marine Corps site for basic training) are nice fellows after hours.  But I wonder if the people they're training might have similar opinions during the training period.

Maybe the reason that Abel is interested in Dan is that he wants to see how somebody could have Destania for a mother and still turn out decent.  Perhaps that could be another explanation for his reaction to the tests that Dan was exposed to.

I'm still curious about the nature of the vested interest that Destania had in Abel.