10/17/2011 [DMFA #1255] - The end of the line

[RandomMetaphysics]

Hooooooooo boy!

It looks like Cyra has made enemies not only with Dragons, but other Cubi!

That last panel makes me wonder where Mink is... and who it is pointing that sword.

[AmigaDragon]

Or it could be someone just picking on the newb. They better watch out, he's not just a new incubus, he's also an experienced adventurer.

[Tapewolf]

It looks like Cyra has made enemies not only with Dragons, but other Cubi!

Unsurprising.  Folks who had their Leader killed by the Dragons may not be terribly happy about it.  That said, I think SAIA is enforced neutral territory and students are not permitted to act out inter-clan grudges.
So either someone's out of line or it may be some kind of sparring class that Dan has just failed miserably at.

[Maark30]

Unless this is a class the Dan decided to give a try.  The aggressor will probably turn out to be a member of Clan  Taun.

[RandomMetaphysics]

Unsurprising.  Folks who had their Leader killed by the Dragons may not be terribly happy about it.  That said, I think SAIA is enforced neutral territory and students are not permitted to act out inter-clan grudges.
So either someone's out of line or it may be some kind of sparring class that Dan has just failed miserably at.

Well since this is Dan we're talking about here, odds are somehow he managed to get into trouble in what one would assume to be the safest place for Cubi.

Not to mention Abel just invoked this trope.

[Tapewolf]

It just occurred to me that carving a little 'Z' in his forehead could be within the rules.

[Sid]

It just occurred to me that carving a little 'Z' in his forehead could be within the rules.

Well, it would be nice to have one more decoy clan mark to distract from the one that says "CYRA!!!", I guess...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

It just occurred to me that carving a little 'Z' in his forehead could be within the rules.

*You*, sir, get a cookie.

[MT Hazard]

End of the line bucko...thank you for using the Cubi-trains service, now with swords and sorcery theme!

[justacritic]

Odds ten to one Jyrras used sappy sweet cute eyes.

Also didn't Dan promise his mother never to fight other cubi?
So he could be following that promise to the extreme

[Ghostwish]

... Am I too much of a nerd if the one thing that sprang out to me on this update was the DR/5 Bludgeoning comment right below it? Is this canon? :>

P.S. Just noticed the Additional Options. Huge plus to the forum gorillas for implementing that. :P

[Mao]

I may be wrong, but I believe the Additional Options have been around for a bit.

[Ghostwish]

I may be wrong, but I believe the Additional Options have been around for a bit.

Emphasis on 'Just noticed'.

[VAE]

... Am I too much of a nerd if the one thing that sprang out to me on this update was the DR/5 Bludgeoning comment right below it? Is this canon?

P.S. Just noticed the Additional Options. Huge plus to the forum gorillas for implementing that.

You're the lucky one - changes nothing for ya even if it's canon.

[joshofspam]

I wonder if this is a Taun that's pointing a sword at Dan? Though it could be some strange form of dating ritual or possible form of finding Dan's place in the student pecking order.

It seems like Jyrras and Lorenda are sucking the joy out of Abel in that last panel. I hope Lorenda asking about that caterer doesn't lead to more reflection on memory lane for Abel. With how Kria is now, I could see just about anything and including Kria arranging for her to be placed in the cake and popping out to give Abel a hug.

You really can't predict what Kria will do or say next.

Edit: Thanks MT Hazard for catching that. Corrections made.

[MT Hazard]

Jyrras and Regina? Don't you mean Jyrras and Lorenda?


Also, is it just me or does Abel have a black eye?

[Tapewolf]

I wonder if this is a Taun that's pointing a sword at Dan?

It would make a lot of sense if it was, yes - or a member of her clan.  Taun clan might well have a problem with Cyra on the grounds that they kicked off the war.  Members of Taun clan are more likely to use a sword than a random 'Cubi who has perfectly good wing-tentacles.

Taun herself wouldn't be bound to the same rules as a student and Fa'Lina might not be able to contain her or indeed, predict her actions within SAIA.  'Course, killing a student would likely see her clan barred from the academy and her from any future gatherings of the clan leaders.

EDIT: 'Course, you'd think Taun would know that, so I think it's more likely to be one of her clan.  I guess we'll see.

[Infranscia]

I'm trying to remember if someone else in the comic called Dan 'Bucko'...  I dunno, it sounds familiar to me, and I'm wondering if there's a connection.

[Naldru]

My gut feeling is that it will be followed by Dan going "That's a nice move.  I've got to remember that one."  After all, fencing clubs would seem logical for Dan.  (As much as Dan is logical about anything.)

[joshofspam]

For what it's worth Tapes, Play sparring with Dan is another possibility a member of Taun's clan might have been up to here.

Their clan is known for being adventurers in their spare time. So both his clan status and his carrier might motivate certain interaction with Dan. If Dan and his father are known far and wide, then it might be that Dan may have even meet a Taun or two in his carrier and never knew it.

[lilpuppy23]

Oh wow, Abel must feel OLD.

(<~offtopic>Though not as old as Adam Savage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-X5Ylka1_s . That reminds me, Dan will outlive many of his friends by many many many years, even more than Adam. I wonder what Dan has planned to try to save them? Especially Alexsi. Maybe Dan should watch this </~offtopic>)

[icarus]

really? nobody's noticed that abel's 400th birthday has some other, more serious implications?

[Mao]

really? nobody's noticed that abel's 400th birthday has some other, more serious implications?

It's a topic that's been brought up a few times, particularly when Abel first mentioned it to Dan (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_1116.php)

And again when this one was posted (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_1193.php)

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

really? nobody's noticed that abel's 400th birthday has some other, more serious implications?

Not really. I mean, it's been fairly well established that he's got nothing to do on his birthday...


Edit: Dammit, Mao.

[icarus]

y'all aren't thinking big enough. i mean for dan.

dan is at the academy. aniz's next offspring is due to show up any day now. and we all know how aniz felt about destania and her clan, of course...

[joshofspam]

y'all aren't thinking big enough. i mean for dan.

dan is at the academy. aniz's next offspring is due to show up any day now. and we all know how aniz felt about destania and her clan, of course...

Well I guess there could be more to that Mytho's attack case that Alexsi's parents were investigating.

It could be interpreted that they caught Aniz after a partially failed plot to make another child to send to the academy. Still, I doubt that Aniz lived long enough to put part of his feelings for Destinai in his child....If he had a child that is.

[techmaster-glitch]

My gut feeling is that it will be followed by Dan going "That's a nice move.  I've got to remember that one."  After all, fencing clubs would seem logical for Dan.  (As much as Dan is logical about anything.)

I was actually thinking something along similar lines. I don't think what we're seeing is as serious as it sees on face value, I think there's more going on here. The thing that led me ontp this line of thinking was actually Dan's face. His expression isn't so much "OhcrapI'mgonnadie!", it's more "Well, darnit. That sucked.", which makes me think there's more going on here. I think this is a bait-and-switch, we're seeing a single panel that's probably out of context and falling for it, and next strip is going to show that things really aren't bad.

[Greyman]

My instinct is that it's just someone in a pirate outfit directing Dan to go to the end of a line.

I think this is a bait-and-switch, we're seeing a single panel that's probably out of context and falling for it, and next strip is going to show that things really aren't bad.

It's not exactly unprecedented.

[Balance]

dan is at the academy. aniz's next offspring is due to show up any day now. and we all know how aniz felt about destania and her clan, of course...

Let me muddle through the timing...

Aniz was killed by Quintinga Ti'Fiona, who also died in the fight. Alexsi said her father married Destania about two years later, two months after they met. Assuming cubi don't have drastically shorter gestation periods than humans, Aniz had been dead for at least two and a half years when Dan was born. Dan is 25, so Aniz died about 28 years before the ban ended.

From the one example we've seen, Aniz's MO was to drop his disguise as soon as his current child manifested undeniable cubi traits--specifically headwings--and whisk the kid away to SAIA. Presumably, he would have tried to time this to coincide with the end of Fa'lina's ban. Abel was 24 when it happened to him, and Dan "matured" at 25, so 24-25 may be the typical age. Aniz wouldn't have wanted the complications of a kid maturing before he had access to SAIA, so he would logically wait until he only had about 25 years to go on the ban before conceiving another child. He'd want the child to be about 24 when the ban ended.

So, unless Aniz changed his strategy or got impatient enough to endanger his plans, he probably had three years to go before fathering another child when he died. Assuming I didn't goof somewhere, I wouldn't expect any new Aniz-spawn to show up SAIA at this point.

In fact, if I were to venture a wild guess at this point, I'd suggest that maybe Aniz was planning to kill and replace Edward. He was found out, and that's how he and Quintinga ended up fighting.

[Prroul]

Yanno... it occurs to me:

1) Being an adventurer, it is entirely likely that Dan had, during the course of his adventures and travels, killed someone fairly important to a member at SAIA. Thus while clan bickering might not be the source of the problem, personal vendettas are always an option

2) Dan is one of two non-leader members of his clan. We already know he can do the heads-on-wing-tentacles thing. We already know that this means he has a *LOT* of power for a Cubi, mostly because, well, all the clan's strength is paired up in two individuals, and his mother isn't pulling much right now. Now combine this with being a seasoned veteran with plenty of 'kills' under his belt *BEFORE* he hit this power plateau... whomever this individual is, I very much doubt he's going to be able to do much to Dan, and I very much doubt he's going to be able to do much of anything other than 'lay on the floor and groan' shortly thereafter.

3) Dan's life has been all FUBAR'd for, what, the past thousand strips or so? FINALLY, he gets something normal, like a sword in the face. In all honesty, I can see him being cheered up by this.

3a) This could simply be a sparring match set up to help him settle in.

4) Considering Dan's mother's reputation, I could easily see Dan running a bluff along the lines of "You *DO* know my mother is Destania, right? If you don't get that sword out of my face, I'm going to show you a few lessons she taught the kids that Fa'lina wouldn't let her teach here. But don't worry, I won't kill you... but you'd be surprised what you can live through..."

5) Actually... considering Destania's well-earned reputation, once someone points out the relationship, I could see the holder of the sword pulling a " Step 1: Piddle self; Step 2: Run" at the thought of either what Destania might do to him if he were to harm her kid, or at the thought of what she might have taught her only son and only other member of her clan at the moment... with no action on Dan's part necessary, leaving him with a 'Wut?' face.

6) It could also be a giant rabid dire-badger wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt. Because, yanno, this is Amber's comic, and whenever she's involved, you should never neglect this possibility.