04/26/2010 [AS2 #99] Not very surprising

[Shachza]

not like it was terribly complicated, but here is Destania cleaned up:

What is with the asymmetrical sleeves of that outfit?  It almost looks like a skimpy set of jousting plate; the weapon arm sporting more overall armor.  But it's leather...  As though she's about to do battle with another whip wielding 'cubi...

Erm...

/drool  

[VAE]

Hmm, looks i am the only one who *doesn't* have a  skimpy leather outfit fixation. 

[Arcblade]

Well... I'm female... and straight... and not particularly into bondage, so... no, you're not.   

[Mao]

Well... I'm male.. and straight... and while bondage doesn't particularly interest me (but it can be quite hot).. strength does.  Dee has it, imho.  This outfit just adds to the whole idea.

To each their own really.

[MT Hazard]

Am I the only one who read 'element of suspense ' as  'element of surprise' the first few times?

[Aurawyn]

Destania's dominatrix outfit is giving me a nosebleed...

I can't stop staring........  *drools*

We have "Gay for Abel", now ew need "Gay for Dominatrix Destania" or something...

[psilorder]

Destania's dominatrix outfit is giving me a nosebleed...

I can't stop staring........  *drools*

We have "Gay for Abel", now ew need "Gay for Dominatrix Destania" or something...

otherwise if a non-gender-based one is required....
"Sub for dominatrix Destania"

[Bjalf]

Now, if Dan had seen his mother in that outfit ...

Edit:
Actually, that gives me an idea. To force Dan to learn how to block his own and other peoples minds, Abel just has to think strongly of Destania in that outfit whenever Dan is around.

[Pvblivs]

Now, if Dan had seen his mother in that outfit ...

Edit:
Actually, that gives me an idea. To force Dan to learn how to block his own and other peoples minds, Abel just has to think strongly of Destania in that outfit whenever Dan is around.

There's a slight problem with that.  Abel seems not to want to think of Destania at all.

[AmigaDragon]

Thinking about Aary like that might work too, though we don't know that Abel ever reciprocated her desire or even mere attraction.

[Atharyn]

Looking at the "she's EEEEEEEVIL!!!" arguments going on, I'd like to point out that Amber has shown several times that "evil" is a matter of perspective.  Reference, Kria paying a fine for killing someone.

Consider this -
Most folks eat meat.  It comes from a variety of animals including pigs and cows.  While cows aren't all that intelligent, pigs can be.  In fact, pigs have proven to be problem solving intelligent at times.  Regardless, we eat them.  They're food - something we need to consume to live.

If you were a Cubi, you need to eat emotions.  Depending on your clan, that gets into many different emotions.  Some are tasty, some are repellent.  Ink, for example, doesn't like the taste of Joy.  If you happen to feed off of despair and pain, you're not going to be having a positive interaction with your host.

So, if they're food.. and you're only doing what you need to survive.. how is that evil?

Note the important distinction here - I'm suggesting some Cubi don't view beings as people.  They're just food!  "Happy Meals with legs" to quote Spike.

Also be aware, it's possible to experience emotions without negative impact.  Consider the last movie you saw.  Most modern movies try to run the emotional range.  Frustration, joy, elation, triumph, defeat, humor, love..  If a movie is depressing and makes you feel bad, is the movie evil, then?

[VAE]

I agree - it is simply a clash in species' interests - something like 1st and 2nd world back then.
The cubi have no second qualms about "resolving" beings, and the opposite - is not a matter of morals as of nature.
I can just about imagine going - Nothing personal against you, but here's a bullet!

(Ok, i would probably fervently try to become one - tentacles, teleportation, no food bills, a shot at achieving immortality... sounds like a career plan)

[Tapewolf]

Most folks eat meat.  It comes from a variety of animals including pigs and cows.  While cows aren't all that intelligent, pigs can be.  In fact, pigs have proven to be problem solving intelligent at times.  Regardless, we eat them.  They're food - something we need to consume to live.

If you were a Cubi, you need to eat emotions.  Depending on your clan, that gets into many different emotions.  Some are tasty, some are repellent.  Ink, for example, doesn't like the taste of Joy.  If you happen to feed off of despair and pain, you're not going to be having a positive interaction with your host.

This is true, but it's a bit more murky with 'Cubi.  They aren't restricted only to the emotions which their clan thrives on, though they seem to get better results from that.  If you don't like your clan's affinity - think Abel - you can focus on provoking other emotions if you want, or just consume everything passively and supplement your diet with physical food.

Note the important distinction here - I'm suggesting some Cubi don't view beings as people.  They're just food!  "Happy Meals with legs" to quote Spike.

That's almost certainly the case with Destania.  However, to go back to your earlier analogy, there is an important difference.  A young 'Cubi is basically a Being with wings.  Their father or mother can be a Being.  If humans were pigs until they matured, or could have a pig as one parent, I'm not so sure they would be on the menu.
A full-blood 'Cubi may well be as you say, but to my mind, 'Cubi who have a Being parent are likely to be a bit more sympathetic to Beings, especially if they thought they were one.

[AmigaDragon]

Looking at the "she's EEEEEEEVIL!!!" arguments going on, I'd like to point out that Amber has shown several times that "evil" is a matter of perspective.  Reference, Kria paying a fine for killing someone.

Consider this -
Most folks eat meat. ...

If you were a Cubi, you need to eat emotions.  ...

So, if they're food.. and you're only doing what you need to survive.. how is that evil?

If consuming said emotions (like an overflow over a dam) doesn't harm the food source, how could it be considered evil?

[null0010]

not like it was terribly complicated, but here is Destania cleaned up:

What is with the asymmetrical sleeves of that outfit?

i would go with "it looks cool."

[Bjalf]

If consuming said emotions (like an overflow over a dam) doesn't harm the food source, how could it be considered evil?

It's the thought that counts.

What is with the asymmetrical sleeves of that outfit?

i would go with "it looks cool."

One is for pleasure, the other is for pain. Hmmm, but which is which?

[Tapewolf]

If consuming said emotions (like an overflow over a dam) doesn't harm the food source, how could it be considered evil?

Well, there's actually about four distinct feeding patterns, five if we include eating food.
First is passive absorption, which is more-or-less what Dan does.  That, as you say, is pretty innocuous.  You just make sure you live and/or work in a reasonably crowded area and the emotions will come to you.  At most, going to church or some social event once a week certainly won't do any harm.

Secondly, is deliberately provoking emotions, or otherwise going out of your way to get them.  This is probably what he/she was referring to - this would be where someone like Destania or Aary would deliberately inflict pain on a victim so that they had the full benefit of it, or those guys in Que'tnar clan who kidnap babies for desperate parents.
Of course, it doesn't have to be that way, since a pain 'Cubi could work in A&E without causing any harm.  Someone like Dan could (and probably does) get their kicks from slaying rampaging monsters.  And then you have theatre actors.  You probably get a lot of 'Cubi working as projectionists or cinema ushers as well.

Thirdly, there's feeding off dream energy, which has not been shown in the comic and we know nothing about, other than that it was mentioned in the cast page.

Fourthly, we have soul-eating, but this seems to be comparative rare.  As a general rule, 'Cubi prefer not to kill their prey - as I understand it - since you can't harvest the emotions from dead people.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Of course, there's always option two via option four - soul feeding so you can eat the pain of the people related to the recently deceased...


Kind of like having your cake and eating it too, as it were.

[Tapewolf]

Of course, there's always option two via option four - soul feeding so you can eat the pain of the people related to the recently deceased...
Kind of like having your cake and eating it too, as it were.

I can imagine Destania doing that, but for most people, I suspect it would shorten your life considerably if you made a habit of doing that.  Taun and Nact'larn clan might decide that you're giving the race bad PR, for instance.

[VAE]

I can imagine Destania doing that, but for most people, I suspect it would shorten your life considerably if you made a habit of doing that.  Taun and Nact'larn clan might decide that you're giving the race bad PR, for instance.

Nact'larn, maybe, but i am not persuaded about Taun -  Aniz ruined several long-time diplomatic works on his rampage, and murdered several folk straight in city , yer Fa'Lina could not sort him out because Taun was against
To me Taun seems to be protective of cubi no matter what the clan or misdeeds , simply because "them are me family"