2013/01/28 [DMFA #1373] - She's as cold as Ice

[Les]

I've been thinking, (A dangerous occupation 'tis true.)

Dragons are OMG powerful, but still not so powerful that they're untouchable.  Cyra, pre-tri-wing-ascension, thought she had good odds against M'Chek in a throwdown and Cubi are one of the least powerful (in absolute terms) of the Creatures.

Then we have the Fae, who are often lumped-in it seems with Dragons as to relative power level.  What was it said?  "No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder-blades will cramp his style."  The current Queen of the fae got a Harpoon between her shoulder-blades and all it did was make her (temporarily) 'pointy'.

Dragons ARE powerful, but Fae are in an entirely different league, the only reason they remain comparable is because the Fae by their quite 'Alien' (in the Chthulu Mythos sense of the word.) nature have little vested interest as a race in the whole linear physical reality 'thing' compared to the Dragons.

The Dragons, being enormous egoists by all appearances, will not let this stand.

M'Chek was harvesting souls from an entire City, a City large enough and powerful enough to make a tempting target for other creatures, M'Chek should've completely curb-stomped Cyra with contemptuous ease with all that 'I can't believe it's not Biggatons' power... but he didn't.  So the question becomes, What was he doing with all that power in the first place? 

Perhaps it was part and parcel with a plan for the Dragons to meet/surpass the Fae in power, and all that has been un-done by one Cubi who just wanted to be the mayor of Cooltown.  No wonder they're pissed at the Cubi race.

[Nino]

It was all a little unexpected, but I can understand Destania. Really.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know that she's an antagonist, and that her dream will never come to fruition: it's rather clear that the comic is gradually moving towards the dawn of the age of beings and technology.

The thing to remember is that dragons are, generally speaking, bordering on being cthuloid horrors beyond the comprehension of beings and creatures alike. According to the demonology section, Bajorie (a "very young dragon") is still older than Nicky ("by far the oldest demon" with no memories older than 100 years), and several times that of Fa'Lina. Some of them are no doubt old enough to have some very hands on experience concerning evolution.
I can think of few things more evil than setting yourself up as the guardian of a city, and then harvesting the souls of the inhabitants. Although less gory than sitting down and eating infants, it's ultimately more cruel and inhuman. While there is no guarantee that the other dragons do similar things, I don't think we have seen much to discourage that assumption either. Additionally, dragons appear to be far less individualistic, indoctrinated by their elders.

Which is to say, Pyroduck is just about unique. There's unlikely to be much in Destania's experience that would lead her to the conclusion that a dragon could sincerely act selflessly. She's more likely to believe that Pyroduck acts like a nice person, while working to increase his power, like essentially all dragons do.
Declaring her adopted daughter expendable is pretty cold, but it's no more ruthless than any parent willing to send their offspring to war. And honestly, while I am quite devoted to my family, I can imagine situations that would cause me to lose that loyalty. Joining one of the darkest and most twisted factions of the past century might have done it.

All that said, Dee does remain a dangerous fanatic, and her mission is misguided at best. Even if it had some merit once, her goals and methods are about to become obsolete. In the end, the masses will be empowered, and even the nearly godlike dragons will lose most of their power, no longer able to get away with exploiting entire societies.

Really interesting thoughts! I do wish you wouldn't act like you know the ending to DMFA already though - although it does seem to be heading in that direction, it's not on paper yet!

But great analysis going on with Destania. I think someone who legitimately wanted to bring down the dragon race for the reasons that they're terrible and cause a lot of pain to other races could be a much more morally ambiguous character, but since she's doing it ostensibly MOSTly out of obvious personal bitterness, she definitely tilts towards the 'selfish bad guy' end of the spectrum.

I think Destania legitimately thinks Pyro isn't trying to be selfish and gain personal power in the way you said, since she called him Falina's pet and all (implying she assumes he's been 'brainwashed' sufficiently to not be anti-cubi), it might be one of those things that she's just been around long enough to believe that eventually, years and years and years in the future, he'll end up being an adversary after all. Especially if she destroys all the other dragons, she couldn't very well leave him alive and expect him not to seek vengeance for his race. Thus, even if he's relatively harmless in intentions now, he's an eventual threat either way, so he's an obvious enemy for her.

[A.J.]

Holy wow, some discussions going on here. And so civil! Amazing.  

Not all comic discussions are full of the "I'm right/you can go suck it" mentality.

Spirit Studios, I think maybe Wildy gave him that necklace. Seems like a birthday gift type dealie.

It could also be a gift from their deceased mother, now that I think of it.

Maybe the whole situation might have hit closer to home for Biggs then we suspect.

Both of these are quite possible, but I still think it has a different kind of significance. Possibly a charm of some sort?

[Tuyu]

A thought re: Cyra vs. M'chek.

He was really powerful--enough so that it was worth the risk to Cyra to try to kill him and take that power.

But--did his connection to the city and the souls he had consumed make him even more powerful than she expected?

And she still managed to kill him?

Maybe she had an "advantage"...one that could only be used against a single dragon, but one which could, with the right resources applied to it, be used against the entire dragon race?

[Tzenker]

I do wish you wouldn't act like you know the ending to DMFA already though - although it does seem to be heading in that direction, it's not on paper yet!

Oh, heck, I don't know anything for sure. That goes without saying (and if not, I apologize). I do think that every sign points in that direction, but it could be a red herring. Mind you, I don't necessarily think that would be the END. There would be plenty of opportunity for intrigue and adventure in such a setting.

Re: Pyroduck, I will admit that I oversimplified it somewhat. I was getting excessively wordy, and was a bit concerned about that.
I don't think she considers him friendly to cubi. Possibly at the moment, but likely ready to turn at any moment. I suspect that she believes Fa'Lina to be horribly, horribly wrong about not only Pyroduck, but the dragons and peace accord. Perhaps she even believes that if she doesn't get rid of the dragons, they might get rid of the cubi sooner or later.
I imagine that her reasoning is layered, like a delicious and demented pastry.

[Les]

A thought re: Cyra vs. M'chek.

He was really powerful--enough so that it was worth the risk to Cyra to try to kill him and take that power.

But--did his connection to the city and the souls he had consumed make him even more powerful than she expected?

And she still managed to kill him?

Maybe she had an "advantage"...one that could only be used against a single dragon, but one which could, with the right resources applied to it, be used against the entire dragon race?

The vibe I'm getting is that Cyra's plan didn't originally involve stealing M'chek's 'Power' power, more his 'power' power.. i.e. his influence and political power being the patron of a large city (kind of like Kria with her city) rather than 'I swallaz U Soul!'   She may not have even originally intended Ascension and that was just a side-effect of 'be at ground-zero when Biggatons of Souls go-bewm'.

And again, Cyra originally, if we believe her story, had no idea about what M'chek was doing with the souls under his patronage, she just saw him as a dragon in an influential position and if she could replace him she'd be set for her (very long) life.  If M'chek had personal authority to use those souls for himself I think he could have probably curbied Cyra easily, but as it was he was a dragon... but just a dragon.. and still within Cyra's competance-range for a take-down. 

So, what were the souls For?  My theory is still 'surpass the Fae' plan, which was dealt a significant blow by Cyra's 'Whoopsie'.  Declaring war of Genocide on all Cubi seems a bit much to do just to cover-up M'chek's indescretions (if they were in fact not sanctioned by Dragonkind as a whole) and avoid a PR nightmare.  Which looks worse on your resume?  Being a member of a race that had one bad apple go Om-Nom-Nom on being souls, or being a member of a race which is attempting to utterly wipe-out an entire species for no reasons those outside-the-loop can descern?

[Tapewolf]

Being a succubus, Dee is incredibly sensitive to emotion, because, in this (DMFA's) and many other incarnations of the species, succubi and incubi are most aptly described as "emotion incarnate." There is a large possibility that she is just caught up in an emotional loop and has yet to be broken out of it. In fact, she might have been caught in it for so long, she's unable to be freed from it.

That's very interesting.  It's possible that she's lived more than twice her nominal span because she's got herself in such a loop.

[BlackFulcrum]

That's very interesting.  It's possible that she's lived more than twice her nominal span because she's got herself in such a loop.

I don't think Destania living over 7000 years is that odd for a cubi actually, maybe odd in the way that she's still alive after all this time while being No. 2 on the Dragons most wanted list, right after her mother, for all that time, but otherwise not odd at all.
In the Demonology 101 section cubi lifespan is listed as 3000+, the plus is the important part, it denotes there is no true known upper limit.

So with a stable source of emotional food, and secure location, like the Academy, any cubi can live easily to 7000 years, like Destania did, so anything over 3000 is normal for a cubi as long as they don't encounter some zealous adventurer.
If you check the cubi clan leaders, the oldest is Quoar at 75,000 years old, now tri-wings are of course of a whole other magnitude then normal cubi, but to compare, homo sapiens, our own species, took 50,000 years to go from cave man to where we are today, he's 25,000 years older then that.

If you look at the Demo 101 lifespans for the different races, Cubi slot pretty much into 4th place, right after:
1. Fae (eternal until they willing choose to be reborn, if what Mab did to Nutmeg is any indicator they also cannot be killed by any known means)
2. Dragons (Immortal, cannot die of old age, can still be killed tho)
3. Mythos (differs vastly between the different mythos subspecies, age limit 15 - 100,000+ years, again no true upper limit)

Also as nice side note, Balorie, mentioned in Demo 101, is at 57,822 young for a dragon, so many of the living dragons are really really ancient.

[Tapewolf]

I don't think Destania living over 7000 years is that odd for a cubi actually, maybe odd in the way that she's still alive after all this time while being No. 2 on the Dragons most wanted list, right after her mother, for all that time, but otherwise not odd at all.
In the Demonology 101 section cubi lifespan is listed as 3000+, the plus is the important part, it denotes there is no true known upper limit.

Yeah, but I don't think it's that simple.  As I understand it, the nominal lifespan is about 3000.  Where it gets fuzzy is that it can be extended by various means - souls being one of the more notorious.  The amount of energy which a 'Cubi needs to retain their youth does tend to increase with age, you live about 3000 without taking extra measures.  I'm not convinced that 7000 is normal for a regular 'Cubi.

The other thing, and probably the real reason for the 'plus' part, is that if you're able to successfully ascend, you have an indefinite lifespan and life processes that generate so much surplus energy that it gives a power boost to all your relatives as well.  Quoar, Fa'Lina, Cyra et al - all the tri-winged Clan Leaders - have reached this state.  Destania hasn't, and probably won't given that it's extremely rare for it to succeed and that it takes an astonishing amount of energy to do so.

[Amber Williams]

Emotional loops are fairly short.  Like 10-30 minute short before usually they fizzle...and also they tend to be easy to knock out of loop.  It's more on the principle of folks who get angry and "see red" where for a brief bit of time they just don't think and just react and cycle around  in a thing.  And more importantly they tend to make folks do incredibly short-sighted stupid things because they cannot think of anything outside of the immediate.   Emotional loops are usually bad for Cubi because in terms of adventuring if you can get one of them into that, it makes their ability to tactic go down the slope and much easier to kill because of it. One of the best tactics an adventurer can do to a Cubi is to get them into an emotional tantrum.  So I'm gonna have to bring down the god boot and mention that it would be pretty impossible for Destania to be in an emotional loop for that long.

As for the Demonology 101 thing, I should probably fix that.  A big downside is a bit of what was written was back in a time when I was really throwing around big numbers because I didn't have enough ranks in worldbuilding and didn't realize how ker-derp some of those numbers are.  The + part however implies very specific exceptions...like once you pass the 3k mark you are pretty much going to need an outside source of energy to handle your upkeep (which is why many go into soulstealing).  In Destania's case, the answer is a lot less complicated in that as Cyra's only child: Cyra has been using the clan's energy to extend Destania's life and youth.

[A.J.]

Whelp... there goes half of the discussion topics I had! Ah well, at least now we have a definite answer to several of our questions.

[VAE]

Emotional loops are fairly short.  Like 10-30 minute short before usually they fizzle...and also they tend to be easy to knock out of loop.  It's more on the principle of folks who get angry and "see red" where for a brief bit of time they just don't think and just react and cycle around  in a thing.  And more importantly they tend to make folks do incredibly short-sighted stupid things because they cannot think of anything outside of the immediate.   Emotional loops are usually bad for Cubi because in terms of adventuring if you can get one of them into that, it makes their ability to tactic go down the slope and much easier to kill because of it. One of the best tactics an adventurer can do to a Cubi is to get them into an emotional tantrum.  So I'm gonna have to bring down the god boot and mention that it would be pretty impossible for Destania to be in an emotional loop for that long.

As for the Demonology 101 thing, I should probably fix that.  A big downside is a bit of what was written was back in a time when I was really throwing around big numbers because I didn't have enough ranks in worldbuilding and didn't realize how ker-derp some of those numbers are.  The + part however implies very specific exceptions...like once you pass the 3k mark you are pretty much going to need an outside source of energy to handle your upkeep (which is why many go into soulstealing).  In Destania's case, the answer is a lot less complicated in that as Cyra's only child: Cyra has been using the clan's energy to extend Destania's life and youth.

Ehh. The big numbers  (or rather, the dynamics of long and short lived races) are one of the reasons it's interesting - think Easterners(humans) vs Dragaerans in Stephen Brust's books, where the latter can (but not usually do , simply given to unnatural deaths) live for thousands of years and some particulars of their politics take centuries.

[ChaosMageX]

Emotional loops are fairly short.  Like 10-30 minute short before usually they fizzle...and also they tend to be easy to knock out of loop.  It's more on the principle of folks who get angry and "see red" where for a brief bit of time they just don't think and just react and cycle around  in a thing.  And more importantly they tend to make folks do incredibly short-sighted stupid things because they cannot think of anything outside of the immediate.   Emotional loops are usually bad for Cubi because in terms of adventuring if you can get one of them into that, it makes their ability to tactic go down the slope and much easier to kill because of it. One of the best tactics an adventurer can do to a Cubi is to get them into an emotional tantrum.  So I'm gonna have to bring down the god boot and mention that it would be pretty impossible for Destania to be in an emotional loop for that long.

Fascinating.  However, this makes me and at least one other person wonder about an example of self-feeding you gave in the past that's linked on the wiki.  I apologize in advance for dredging up such an old topic, and I'll understand if you don't want to answer it, but frankly curiosity is getting the best of me right now and I just can't help at least trying to ask about it.

This emotional loop self-feeding reminded me of your walled up Cubi example of self-feeding.  Since you stated that such an example is very rare, would that just be an extremely rare instance of an emotional loop lasting longer than half an hour?  

Or is there something other than an emotional loop that allows Cubi to feed on their own emotions and that lasts longer than a half hour?  You stated that the walled up Cubi example required an insane amount of discipline and determination to pull off, which seems to be the exact opposite of an uncontrolled emotional loop.  That's why I wonder if there are other techniques for self-feeding, like forms of meditation or something.

EDIT: Just to be clear, I'm just asking about world building.  I definitely believe that Destania's long life span is completely due to Cyra's power.  After all, Piflak limits the population her clan in order to use her power to extend the lives of her clan members as well.

[Amber Williams]

You pretty much nailed it in the latter half in that they are two different things, but have enough similarities to get confused up.

Emotional loops are loops...in that they just cycle the individual around and around in a certain emotion...kind of like a washing mashine.  It's kind of haphazard, tumble-like, and usually makes the Cubi not really in control of their better senses.

The thing like with the walled in Cubi requires discipline and more a constant push.  It also requires an immense amount of emotion, but unlike a loop...that instance has the energy being channeled.  And generally it requires some sort of emotional trigger to start it...something which meditation and self taught techniques I cannot imagine would work.  It's like surviving a bullet to the head. Yeah...there are stories of it happening and it is a possibility...but the reason they are fantastic to read about is because they are so exceptional.  You can't really train yourself to get shot in the head.

[ChaosMageX]

You pretty much nailed it in the latter half in that they are two different things, but have enough similarities to get confused up.

Emotional loops are loops...in that they just cycle the individual around and around in a certain emotion...kind of like a washing mashine.  It's kind of haphazard, tumble-like, and usually makes the Cubi not really in control of their better senses.

The thing like with the walled in Cubi requires discipline and more a constant push.  It also requires an immense amount of emotion, but unlike a loop...that instance has the energy being channeled.  And generally it requires some sort of emotional trigger to start it...something which meditation and self taught techniques I cannot imagine would work.  It's like surviving a bullet to the head. Yeah...there are stories of it happening and it is a possibility...but the reason they are fantastic to read about is because they are so exceptional.  You can't really train yourself to get shot in the head.

Ah, so the walled in Cubi case is only similar in that it's an emotional trigger that's properly focused with enough luck to create that exceptionally rare case whereas in most other cases with most other Cubi it would just become a typical emotional loop.

True, you can't train yourself to survive taking a bullet to the head, but I'm guessing in the case the walled in Cubi harnessing rage, it's more like individuals who've disciplined themselves to put the energy of their anger towards doing productive tasks instead of throwing a tantrum, right?  Sure, it's obvious it takes an extreme amount of luck to focus it and keep pushing it when it happens and not fall into a typical emotional loop, but it can happen once in a blue moon during a meteor shower with a Kieper Belt comet visiting.

[Nino]

Ah, so the walled in Cubi case is only similar in that it's an emotional trigger that's properly focused with enough luck to create that exceptionally rare case whereas in most other cases with most other Cubi it would just become a typical emotional loop.

True, you can't train yourself to survive taking a bullet to the head, but I'm guessing in the case the walled in Cubi harnessing rage, it's more like individuals who've disciplined themselves to put the energy of their anger towards doing productive tasks instead of throwing a tantrum, right?  Sure, it's obvious it takes an extreme amount of luck to focus it and keep pushing it when it happens and not fall into a typical emotional loop, but it can happen once in a blue moon during a meteor shower with a Kieper Belt comet visiting.

Well I don't think she's saying it's either-or. I think it could start with an emotional loop either way but then the training comes in later when the cubi has to will itself to maintain that emotion. If I'm reading correctly.

[Prroul]

Of course, now that Dan is a full-fledged Cubi, Des is... well... not as unexpendable. If her actions become detrimental to the clan as a whole, Cyra may well decide to cut off her supply.

In particular, if Des goes 'wiggy' and Dan tries to square off against her, I could very easily Cyra doing something about that as well. The very LAST thing she needs is for her last two descendants to kill each other off. Probably some form of 'time out', pulling them into whatever bubble in the fabric of space and time that Cyra is in.

Mind you, I could easily see Cyra going on-board with 'killing all dragons', as long as the plan had a good chance of working. If Destania's anger at loosing most of her clan was bad, think about what it did to Cyra, after all. However, if that plan goes sour, Cyra may well decide to cut losses so she can focus on keeping Dan alive long enough for him to start repopulating her Clan.

Now, an upswing in the population of Clan Cyra is going to *really* piss off Dragons, and might spark another Dragon/Cubi war, but that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

Also, considering this is a typical response by Jyrras to feeling overwhelmed, I wonder what the next batch of toys is going to look like...

[A.J.]

Mind you, I could easily see Cyra going on-board with 'killing all dragons', as long as the plan had a good chance of working. If Destania's anger at loosing most of her clan was bad, think about what it did to Cyra, after all. However, if that plan goes sour, Cyra may well decide to cut losses so she can focus on keeping Dan alive long enough for him to start repopulating her Clan.

I would like to dispute part of this claim, on account of this page: http://missmab.com/Comics/Vol_1215.php

True, Cyra does not like dragons in the least; but it seems that she's had time to consider why the dragons don't like her either. She is obviously feeling remorse for destroying Hishaan, even if said remorse was initially a response to the near total loss of her entire clan. Cyra has probably realized by now that something like a plan to eradicate all the dragons in Furrae is not, and will not ever be, a good idea. In my opinion the only reason she's even letting Dee go on with her plotting is because, for now, it's keeping her only daughter, and subsequently her only grandson, safe from the reach of the dragons.

However, if Destania's plan should pose a threat to the safety of Dan, I do believe that Cyra would probably put her demi-goddess foot down and stop it before things got out of hand, so long as she didn't reveal herself, as that would set off a sensory alert for every dragon in Furrae.

Of course, now that I think about it, not every Dragon (excluding Pyro, and debatably Pip to some degree) poses a threat to Dan. I'm referring back to comic #143. Although I realize this is probably all taking place well before the storyline as it is now was even conceived, I still think it's worth mentioning that apparently not all dragons despise Cyra for what she's done, otherwise Dan's adventuring career would have ended long ago.

[Tapewolf]

However, if Destania's plan should pose a threat to the safety of Dan, I do believe that Cyra would probably put her demi-goddess foot down and stop it before things got out of hand, so long as she didn't reveal herself, as that would set off a sensory alert for every dragon in Furrae.

I doubt she'd need to reveal herself.  Siar was able to compel her children to assist her, a siren song that reached even into SAIA's dimensional bubble.  It's quite likely that, should she need to, Cyra could give Destania (or Dan) similar commands from wherever she is.

Of course, now that I think about it, not every Dragon (excluding Pyro, and debatably Pip to some degree) poses a threat to Dan. I'm referring back to comic #143. Although I realize this is probably all taking place well before the storyline as it is now was even conceived, I still think it's worth mentioning that apparently not all dragons despise Cyra for what she's done, otherwise Dan's adventuring career would have ended long ago.

And Shanna, of course.  But we don't know.  It's possible that either of them would have killed him in a heartbeat had they known he was Daniel Cyra.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

And Shanna, of course.  But we don't know.  It's possible that either of them would have killed him in a heartbeat had they known he was Daniel Cyra.

I like to think Shanna would have taken a moment to miss the sweet, fluffy mystery before dispatching him, though. At least in remembrance of Hannah...

[Zebra Bug]

I was under the impression that Shanna was a Mythos, not a dragon, but I could be mistaken. Makes me wonder about Aliyka though.

And woot for all the Steven Burst references. I love Vlad. Not Cawti so much, but Vlad is tops.  And I love his 'sister'.

[Nino]

I was under the impression that Shanna was a Mythos, not a dragon, but I could be mistaken. Makes me wonder about Aliyka though.

What, Aliyka is like the poster child of Phoenix B. "Avian, usually has second form."

[joshofspam]

I was under the impression that Shanna was a Mythos, not a dragon, but I could be mistaken. Makes me wonder about Aliyka though.

What, Aliyka is like the poster child of Phoenix B. "Avian, usually has second form."

You know, it's kind of funny.

If you look back on old character pages, Aliyka is indeed listed as a  Phoenix B. But when you read the biology page for that race, it states their alternate form as a regular  Being. But her being form is anything but regular.

It's just an odd thing I noticed with a little bit of looking back through things. Of course if that size in form is normal for all their kind, it explains why their well known in legends for marching into battles and righting wrongs.

[Ignuus66]

I guess the conservation of energy in this universe is nonexistant, or Cubi are the perfect recyclers.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I was under the impression that Shanna was a Mythos, not a dragon, but I could be mistaken. Makes me wonder about Aliyka though.

Shanna is/was the blue Dragon. Hannah was the brown-furred undead. Anna was/is the green Mythos.

Are you perhaps confusing which one was which?

[Tapewolf]

I guess the conservation of energy in this universe is nonexistant, or Cubi are the perfect recyclers.

What, with self-feeding?  No, I think Amber said that the actual energy comes from somewhere external, and the emotional energy is more like a catalyst to access it or something.

[Prroul]

I guess the conservation of energy in this universe is nonexistant, or Cubi are the perfect recyclers.

What, with self-feeding?  No, I think Amber said that the actual energy comes from somewhere external, and the emotional energy is more like a catalyst to access it or something.

I believe she compared it to emotions being like sunlight and 'cubi are capable of photosynthesis, at one point.

[Zebra Bug]

I was under the impression that Shanna was a Mythos, not a dragon, but I could be mistaken. Makes me wonder about Aliyka though.

Shanna is/was the blue Dragon. Hannah was the brown-furred undead. Anna was/is the green Mythos.

Are you perhaps confusing which one was which?

No, I'm not confusing any of them with eachother. I just thought I remember someone in that situation (Dan, DP...) refer to multiple Mythos which I took to mean Shanna and Anna. But like I said, I could be mistaken, and likely am. 

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

No, I'm not confusing any of them with eachother. I just thought I remember someone in that situation (Dan, DP...) refer to multiple Mythos which I took to mean Shanna and Anna. But like I said, I could be mistaken, and likely am. 

Ah. It's also entirely possible, if not probably, that _Dan_ was mistaken. After all, he didn't recognise Hannah as Undead until after her head came off... so he's not the most observant. ;-]

Edit: Also, there were two Mythos who did the initial kidnapping. Maybe those two?

[MT Hazard]

I guess the conservation of energy in this universe is nonexistant, or Cubi are the perfect recyclers.

What, with self-feeding?  No, I think Amber said that the actual energy comes from somewhere external, and the emotional energy is more like a catalyst to access it or something.

I believe she compared it to emotions being like sunlight and 'cubi are capable of photosynthesis, at one point.

I'm pretty sure they feed on magic, but can't do directly. Eating emotions is just their way of consuming magic.