Cubic nightmares

[Tangent]

I'll freely admit I didn't expect the twist Amber pulled with Abel's nightmare sequence there. (Indeed, I suspect only a remote few readers thought "dream sequence" leading up to the final two strips. I have to applaud those who theorized on that, even if they didn't take their intuition very seriously).  However, it does raise an interesting question: why did Abel have that nightmare?

Let's think about it for a moment. Has Abel shown any homicidal tendencies? He acts like a Jerk with a Heart of Gold (TV Tropes link left off so not to devour endless hours of link-clicking). His initial attack on Dan has since been countered with numerous instances of decency and kindness. Indeed, while he drove several former roommates nuts, we don't know about the character of those roommates. Were they "stereotypical cubi" who thought of Beings as prey and playthings? Did they do something to deserve Abel's ire? We honestly can't tell at this point without more information... but from everything we've seen, it seems likely that Abel would be hard-pressed before he acted like he did in that nightmare.

So then, why the dream? Further, why a nightmare where he's compared to a father he's disowned?

What if the nightmare was induced? And what if the culprit behind the nightmare... was Aniz himself?

Think on that for a moment. Aniz is approaching the time where he can bring another child to the Cubi Academy. And he's not exactly stable, unless 374 years have given him a chance to heal from having his clan pretty much annihilated. So then... why prey on Abel? Unless Aniz is trying to "toughen Abel up" in preparation for not only another child (or multiple children) being sent to the Cubi Academy... but for the inevitable hunt that will happen once Aniz shows his face again. Abel... is a target. By going after Abel, people who either want to finish wiping out Aniz's clan or want revenge for what he did to Abel's mother and Hennya could try and draw Aniz out. Most probably wouldn't care what happened to Abel (and some may very well see killing Abel as an added plus, such as the Dragons or pretty much almost anyone but Ms. Soulstealer).

Also, the one person who knows Abel's last name... his issues with blood... even what happened the day he learned he was a Cubi? Is his father, Aniz.

I must admit some curiosity here. Amber is quite apt at pulling off storyline twists; it's one of the things I truly enjoy about DMFA. So, is Aniz's inevitable return going to be played straight, with people waiting for the twist that doesn't happen... or is Aniz going to find some way to redeem himself? If only a tiny bit? I must admit, I'd love to see Aniz reintroduced, acting polite and respectful, and for Abel to be so sure it's a trick... only for it to be that Aniz finally grew up. Heck, it would be amusing to learn that Aniz did settle down with another (maybe another cubi, or a Being) and told them the truth ahead of time.

But if Aniz is behind this nightmare... then it seems unlikely he's seen the error of his previous actions.

(One last thought: why did Aniz replace Cid? Did he do so before Cid and May started seeing each other? Did Cid attack him as "just a Cubi" and after Aniz took him down, he decided to masquerade as Cid, found a girl with a somewhat unhappy life who was crushing on Cid (that being May, who from what we've heard in Abel's Story didn't exactly have an enjoyable life before marrying Cid), and gave May a moment of happiness so to continue his plans (and bring about Abel's existence)? Or were Cid and May already a couple... and Aniz took that from May as well? I wonder if we'll ever learn that part of Abel's backstory... of what came before Abel's birth... and if Aniz killed the man May loved or if he became him and then wooed May, making that entire relationship a lie.)

[Tapewolf]

Also, the one person who knows Abel's last name... his issues with blood... even what happened the day he learned he was a Cubi? Is his father, Aniz.

Interesting, but that's not strictly true.  Aniz knows this, yes, but Fa'Lina also knows all of those things.  It's not her style, but there are any number of people who might know this.

Aside from Aniz and Fa'Lina, we've got Dr. Ink, who was one of those tasked with healing him immediately after Abel made it into the Academy.  And then of course we've got Destania, who scanned his mind enough to pull off a convincing Devin impersonation and had a vested interest in manipulating him.
In short, pretty much anyone at SAIA before Abel was able to put up a mind-shield could have seen basically all those things.

Then you've got Fae characters like Mab, and it's entirely possible that Pip is Fae himself, if Pip was the one causing the dream to occur.  We don't know the limits of the Fae powers, but they may be able to mind-read or otherwise obtain this sort of private information (for example, Albanion knowing all about Jyrras' secret lab).

Now this is an interesting strip:
http://missmab.com/Comics/Ab_059.php

"There are forces at play who would be happy to manipulate you.  Some of which you haven't even met yet."

[Tangent]

True. I should amend what I said there.

The one person who is not at the Cubi Academy who knows all of that information. Mab might... but we don't have evidence that she does. Pip might as well, but he's pretty much in the same category as Mab. And again, you are correct when it comes to Destania... but why would she return to the Inn at this point? I get the feeling she's staying with the Munchkins to keep the Dragons away from her children. Going back to the Inn to antagonize Abel is too big of a risk of being detected, and having the Dragons go after Dan and Alexis.

And curse your link! I got sucked into Abel's Story again! ^^;;

[Drayco84]

Let's think about it for a moment. Has Abel shown any homicidal tendencies? He acts like a Jerk with a Heart of Gold (TV Tropes link left off so not to devour endless hours of link-clicking).

Thank you! Thank you kind sir/ma'am/whatever-the-frig you are! THANK YOU!

There's also one other person not mentioned so far, despite the fact that it's been cliche'd to death... Abel himself. One's subconscious mind has a very funny/twisted way of informing one of possible calamities.

If only for the sake of principal, I'm putting my money on Abel's subconscious. I may be wrong, and it could be Aniz (No logic behind it, but he is kinda insane.), Destania (But how would she know?), Fa'lina (Not usually THAT heavy-handed...), Mab (She sees your logic, and raises you a goose. I dunno how that works, either.), or possibly even Albanion. (Who, as we know from Jyrras, loves to play Bad Guy for Mab.)

[VAE]

Hmm, interesting.
The thing is, firstly i think Aniz is not alive by now, as i  have already explained...
Besides he is busy trying to father as much kids as possible so that the clan is rebuilt, (that is if he lives)
Fa'lina has much better means of influencing Abel than this comedy.
He appears to me as not important in Destainia's plans.
The other candidates - Mab is slightly too nice for this .
Pip might be -he is able to speak to mab as was shown - although others might not understand this, he may know to influence dreams.
Thirdly it could be somebody else entirely... who says all important characters have been introduced?

[127.0.0.2]

Keep in mind, there is also this theory - as of now, it could very well not have been a dream at all. We know for sure that Pip can talk and that it's affiliation with the Fae seems to be a lot more strange than thought before. And with all the magic powers of the Fae, I think it's quite possible Pip somehow faked the waking up instead of the dream.
Why should he have done that? I've no idea. Maybe he wanted Abel to know that the Fae know about who he is without Abel realizing that this has really happened? Or maybe the Fae have an interest, too, that Abel is "prepared" when Aniz returns.
Another possibillity would be that Pip did want Abel to know but didn't like where the whole discussion was going and pulled the emergency brake.

(Also, what is it with TV Tropes? I don't know of any other side that has such a vortex-like effect if you try to surf it. How are they doing that?)

[Turnsky]

y'know, when i first saw this topic i thought people were dreaming about Llearch.. 


that said, as per the comic, i think Abel was more rattled that somebody actually got into his head than the actual dream.

[Tangent]

(Also, what is it with TV Tropes? I don't know of any other side that has such a vortex-like effect if you try to surf it. How are they doing that?)

I'll answer that with another question: why do you click additional links when visiting Wikipedia?

It's a related phenomena. The difference is that TV Tropes is built around a sense of whimsy and fun. This draws you in and keeps you in. You continue clicking each new link because it's fun. And when you add the fact that you can edit in stuff and comment on your favorite comics or TV show or movie or whatever? I'm surprised that TV Tropes doesn't suck even more people in. ^^;;

---------------

I looked at the arguments for the other characters... and there's a decided lack of motive. If this had happened right after Abel had chewed out Dan? Sure. But this is how long afterward? And the other characters lack that motive.

It's clear this is a means for Amber to introduce Aniz into the primary storyline. But if Abel had stopped dreaming... then this suggests that this dream was instigated by an outside source. None of the other characters really have reason to cause Abel to think about his father or even compare himself to Aniz. However, Aniz does. If Aniz can make Abel think "I'm no better than he is" then maybe it'll keep Abel from trying to stop him.

Realistically, there are three people who are a threat to Aniz and his plans. Fa'Lina, who probably just wants to avoid another Incident like with May. Kria Soulstealer, who is currently occupied with Jyrras. And Abel, who while he's supposed to be teaching Dan... is mostly slacking. As usual. ^^ Though I'd not be surprised if something happens to Kria... if only to take her out of the equation for a tiny bit.

[Psychedelic Mushroom]

Hm, Think think think.. Abel having nightmares..-- Possibly could be the work of Cubi getting at him. Stress, or basicly having a nightmare that terrifies the crap out of him for no reason. I get that alot myself, and usually just as scary as his give or take a litte. ANYWAYS I DIGRESS.

The Fae. Why would the Fae be after Abel? I don't recall Abel doing anything to a Fae to make a Fae want to harass him like that. Hm. Guess we just have to wait around and see? My bets are on Aniz, and I highly doubt Destinia, she's changed since the last time she messed with Abel's head. 

[D'ymkarra]

Abel's nightmare could very well just be his own subconcious messing with him; or more to the point, trying to remind him of something. How many times have you yourself had totally outrageous and/ or violent dreams that make little or no sense?
As for outside influence, it's entirely possible, especially in the dmfa universe. Though looking at the short list of suspects:

Mab: She likely has abilities as a fae well beyond what we know of; if this is part of her 'plan' it would also explain Pip's role in the dream somewhat. Fa'Lina and Mab are also old friends, which lends itself to her knowing Abel's family name.
Fa'Lina: Much as she did where May was concerned, she'd likely take a much more direct approach.
Destania: Too busy atm plotting with Biggs to destroy the dragon race. Although the shock of hearing Abel actually left SAIA might have caused her to rethink her plans a bit.
Aniz: Most likely motive, but there's little hard evidence to support his presence, beyond the fact that Fa'Lina's ban is to expire soon.
Kria: Obviously has a huge soft spot for Abel, so she would likely try to save him any mental anguish if she could help it. Although it may be in her powers as a demon to do so, we all know subtlety is NOT one of Kria's strong points.

Relating to the three Cubi involved, from what it says in Demonology 101, it would seem that when a cubi mind-surfs, their image does actually appear in the dreamer's mind; hence Abel would have known exactly who his tormentor was.

[AmigaDragon]

Kria: Obviously has a huge soft spot for Abel, so she would likely try to save him any mental anguish if she could help it. Although it may be in her powers as a demon to do so, we all know subtlety is NOT one of Kria's strong points.

And here I was going to point out that everyone was forgetting about her. Knowing him since his childhood, she would know many of his idiosyncrasies. But then that soft spot would get in the way of her doing this to him... if she even knows he's at Lost Lake yet, and if she even has the capability (natural or spells) to enter dreams.

[Escher]

As long as we don't go into multivariable, non-Euclidian, or non-linear differential nightmares, I'm fine with whatever Amber thinks up.

[Mao]

...or it could just be that it was a dream and nothing more.  I know Abel seems to be under the impression that cubi don't dream, but they also don't need to eat or sleep.. and bam.. what does our boyo seem to do both of frequently?  He slept through disco as I recall.

[Tapewolf]

Abel's nightmare could very well just be his own subconcious messing with him; or more to the point, trying to remind him of something. How many times have you yourself had totally outrageous and/ or violent dreams that make little or no sense?
As for outside influence, it's entirely possible, especially in the dmfa universe. Though looking at the short list of suspects:

I think we can probably rule out a few on that list or at least make them less likely.

As for the subconscious theory, the thing is, Abel's been in SAIA for most of 400 years, and it seems fairly clear from his attitude that he's never come across an instance of a fully mature 'Cubi having a dream.  We don't know if he's been a regular sleeper at SAIA, but if he has he's been sleeping for maybe 300 years without this happening.  Also, if I was prone to nightmares like this, I'd make it a habit of not sleeping, just in case.

Now it might be one of those things which happens less and less often and he just got unlucky, but IMHO that makes it far more likely that it was deliberately caused using a technique which he's never heard of.

Now, the shortlist:

Destania might be able to do that, given that she's been studying evil for 7000 years.  If it's possible for a 'Cubi to do this, Fa'Lina almost certainly can, but she's had ample opportunity to do this during SAIA and it just doesn't strike me as the sort of thing she'd do.

Aniz hasn't spent much more time at SAIA than Abel did himself - unless Destania taught him how.  Even so, making a creature that cannot dream have a nightmare sounds like it would take a lot of skill and brute magic power to pull off, probably more than Aniz is capable of, especially now his Leader has been destroyed and he's no longer inside SAIA.
Now.  From what he says here:

http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Abel_110.php

...I read that as him saying that if Abel comes to him, he'll be ready for it, but he's not actually going to be looking for Abel, since his plan seems more along the lines of a production line than actually nurturing the end product.  (Also he was half-mad at the time - if he snaps out of it in 300 years he might be all "Did I really say that to my son...?")
And of course, he might be dead, or simply given up the project after a 300-year time-out.

Kria might have the brute magic power to do it, but she's unlikely to know how to create a dream in a creature that can't.  Plus she has a soft-spot for Abel and this is far too subtle for her.

Frankly I think it's either a high-end 'Cubi, a Fae or a Dragon.

I don't think it's the case that someone hit him on the head to make him dream.  For one if you're knocked unconscious you don't dream or have any sensation at all, you abruptly find yourself waking up (with no transition).  Also, if this worked I imagine you'd have 'Cubi in SAIA hitting each other to try and get into their dreams...

If it really happened - to any extent at all - we're basically left with the Fae/Dragons, because AFAIK no-one else would be able to undo the trashed floor and bar-top.

[D'ymkarra]

I think we can probably rule out a few on that list or at least make them less likely.

That was pretty much my intent; perhaps I didn't clarify that point enough  

And here I was going to point out that everyone was forgetting about her.... if she even knows he's at Lost Lake yet

Hard to say. We don't know if Lorenda and her mother have spoken since then

[Tapewolf]

That was pretty much my intent; perhaps I didn't clarify that point enough 

Or I skimmed it too fast 

[Tangent]

I'm still curious about Aniz and May's relationship. All things considered, May wasn't miserable for Abel's entire childhood; Aniz didn't abuse her (until the end) or anything. It's more that he fed off her little miseries and worries while watching his son grow up. So... did he kill May's husband? Or her boyfriend? Or did he kill an adventurer and then use his guise to create a relationship based off a lie to bring about Abel?

And which of those three is the most horrific?

[A. Lurker]

With regard to Aniz, every once in a while I find myself questioning if he's really quite as much of a villain as it seems on the surface. I re-read the start of Abel's story some time ago, and it occurred to me that he may honestly not have wanted for things to turn out the way they did -- that he just horribly messed up at a critial moment (and if we take Fa'lina's word on his mental state at face value, that wouldn't even be such a big surprise) and then did his best to salvage what he could out of the situation afterwards.

It could even be that just like his son's, Aniz's admitted jerkassery is at least partly an act. They've both been pretty seriously traumatized in similar ways, after all (one could even go out on a limb and claim that Aniz got hit worse than Abel ever did), so it's not wholly implausible to think that they might both have found some comfort in hiding behind a mask...

[Tapewolf]

With regard to Aniz, every once in a while I find myself questioning if he's really quite as much of a villain as it seems on the surface. I re-read the start of Abel's story some time ago, and it occurred to me that he may honestly not have wanted for things to turn out the way they did -- that he just horribly messed up at a critial moment (and if we take Fa'lina's word on his mental state at face value, that wouldn't even be such a big surprise) and then did his best to salvage what he could out of the situation afterwards.

Yeah, I'd like to think that's the case.  For instance, it seems pretty clear that he was horrified at killing Hennya after it had happened.  Note the way his eyes weirded out like Dan's did when fighting Regina - I don't think he was really in control of himself at that point.  Yes, he pinned the blame on Hennya herself, but if I just did something like that I'd be pretty messed-up too.
When all is said and done, he did kill Cid - in circumstances we do not know - and beat May up for no good reason.
So no, he's not a nice person, but I'm not convinced he's evil incarnate so much as half-mad and incredibly desperate.  One of the reasons I'm kind of hoping Destania didn't get him is to see if he snapped out of it and went on to do something constructive by the time of the main story.  (Is a sucker for redemption stories)

[VAE]

Aniz is insane. Heavily. His plan did not turn out as he planned, and he shortcircuited. As Tapewolf mentioned the scene with him killing the mythos, his reaction kind of reminds me of some films with similar explanation given to police, as well as a case where a drunk russian was injured trying to use a racoon "for the other use" which did not take it lightly, and to the militia he said that the racoon behaved teasingly

[Tangent]

As I mentioned earlier, one big question is: what were the circumstances between Cid and May's relationship? If Cid was just an adventurer who picked a fight with a monster (that happened to be Aniz) and come out the loser... then Aniz may have decided to take advantage of Cid's identity to try and bring about one of his plans: to father more members of his Clan. He may have entered the town where Cid and May lived, noticed May's thoughts, the fact she wasn't happy but did have a bit of a crush on May, and decided "I'll use her."

In that case... what he did was disturbing and horrific... but not to the level of Uthar Pendragon, who took on the guise of a rival who's wife he desired and then in essence raped her (and then fathered Arthur, eventual King of the Britons).

And his blaming Hennya was a defense mechanism... but not something he truly believed. When Abel asked him "why" afterward... Aniz basically said "nothing I say is going to fix things. I have no excuses." Yes, Hennya attacked him... but he could have done a number of other things. He could have waited until evening, when May was asleep, and then grabbed Abel and run, leaving her alone and with no answers. He could have killed May as well. He could have tried to set it up so it looked like May and Hennya killed each other, or even that Abel did and then fled. There are many things he could have done that would have been worse.

The one thing I must admit to some curiosity though is why he limited himself to one child with May. Why not have several? It seemed like he was unsure if Abel would be Cubi... but even so, why not roll the dice several times, just to increase the odds?

(Off on a tangent, I also am curious if Alexsi will eventually be adopted into the Cubi race; she's a mother and brother who are both Cubi, and a boyfriend who has an adoptive mother who's also Cubi. I could easily see Fa'Lina adopting Alexsi and allowing her to do whatever ritual was needed to turn a Being into a Creature, as has been mentioned in the Cubi Clan Leader files.)

Anyway... Aniz may or may not be evil. The dream, at the very least, is a means for Amber to bring Aniz into the primary storyline. Still, something makes me think that Aniz is responsible for that nightmare.

[jeffh4]

What I keep coming back to is the motive for causing this dream, assuming an outside party put it in Abel's head.  What do they expect Abel to do?

I can't predict what Abel's actions will take as a result of this dream.  Go out and prove himself or stay in his room?  Finally talk to someone or become more withdrawn?  Become more cautious and thus have slower reflexes in his next fight?  Distrust Pip? Maybe the source just likes to mess with people.

If it's just to cause misery, then we look for a Cubi who is attuned to misery (like Aniz). Maybe Pip really is Aniz.  

The other "makes sense" source would be the subconscious/super-ego "voice in your head or your dreams" which tries to control you with shame.

Unless the motive is clear, I can't trace the dream back to its source.

Edit:
I just looked over 'Dan meets Cyra' sequence (999-1004) and noticed something.

Dan had a nightmare about Regina belitting him just before Cyra jumped in his dream.  It's pretty clear that noone was putting the Regina dream in his head except for himself. So we have a precident for subconscious/superego causing nightmares, rather than an outside entity.

My vote goes to Abel causes Abel's nightmares.

Edit edit:
There's a "modify" or "edit" button for a reason, jeff. Don't go double posting. It's frowned upon, and the management get annoyingly grumpy about it if you persist.

You don't want to get us grumpy. Or even grumpier...

  -- llearch

[A. Lurker]

If it's just to cause misery, then we look for a Cubi who is attuned to misery (like Aniz). Maybe Pip really is Aniz.  

Maybe he really is.

Maybe he really has been all along.

[VAE]

To do with all the aniztalk i think i have logicsed something out
I think Aniz substituted cid shortly before Abel was ehm. .conceived.
This would explain why he was waiting such a long time to check if he's a cubi - he could have thought the wings to be an anomaly like the hand-eye - besides he might not have had a good grasp on genetics either (especially the difficult furrean kind)

[Tangent]

And Pip and Mab have been taken out of the equation for potential blame. Sure there is a long long shot that Mab is lying even to Pip, or Pip didn't tell Mab the whole truth, but the relationship those two have kind of suggests they'd not lie to each other about that sort of thing.

Unless of course it's all an act, they're both fully aware of the audience, and are lying to us.

[Trazz]

Wow, they can see through the fourth wall? Fae just keep getting weirder and weirder...

[Tangent]

Of course they can! (As can Dan and Alexsi, it seems...)

[Shachza]

Of course they can! (As can Dan and Alexsi, it seems...)

If they start responding to out-of-character conversations like an insane non-player character did in a Vampire: the Masquerade game I played in, then I'm out.