3-22-2007 Abel's Story # 77 inky bus? We'll dye of fright

[superluser]

Cubi cannot alter their clan markings through natural shapeshifting. They can easily hide them with such low tech means as clothing or dye.

You know, I had a similar theory--specifically that Destania is the same color as her clan marking, and that that isn't necessarily her natural color.  Everybody dumped on me for it.

Anyways, I do note that Abel's hair can cover his marking, so presumably you could shift a flap of skin over your clan marking and cover it up.

Cid revealing himself as a Succubus

Now that's a possibility I hadn't even considered.  Bow chicka bow wow!

[kaskar]

And many times snap at us for trying and figure out the future plots (Don't smite me Amber). Anyway I think when Cid walks in I think the whole thing will be out in the open.

Cid revealing himself as a Succubus May will be in shock and Abel hmmmmmmmmmm I might be wrong on this but hey it could happen.

Does Amber just leave all of these scenarios hanging in mid air , or is it done to make us concentrate more . If she has a pre -planned plot , is it just using a " teaser " ?

[Tapewolf]

Does Amber just leave all of these scenarios hanging in mid air , or is it done to make us concentrate more . If she has a pre -planned plot , is it just using a " teaser " ?

Don't know.  My understanding is that the basic storyline is already worked out in advance, but exactly how it's presented and some of the finer details are done on-the-fly.

[superluser]

Don't know.  My understanding is that the basic storyline is already worked out in advance, but exactly how it's presented and some of the finer details are done on-the-fly.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Abel 78 was done in response to your speculation that Cid will freak out and try to kill Abel.  That strikes me as unlikely, and I suspect that the original plan (while still leaving this a cliffhanger) was probably less dramatic.

[Keleth]

Something makes me highly doubt Cid would try to kill his only son, a loved member of his family of many years just because he's got headwings and is technically a creature.

I really hope his love for his son wouldn't be that shallow.

It's why I think He's maybe going to go "WTF" and maybe have a bit of a panic attack. But I don't think anything overly rash is gonna happen with Cid.

[Tapewolf]

Something makes me highly doubt Cid would try to kill his only son, a loved member of his family of many years just because he's got headwings and is technically a creature.
I really hope his love for his son wouldn't be that shallow.

Well, the idea came from one of my favourite films.  Granted in that case it was less obvious that she was her father's only daughter, but it might still pan out that way here if Cid gets the idea that his son has been killed and impersonated by a shapeshifter.

It would explain the cover picture and the reason Abel is trying to survive entirely on his own, without relying on others in any way.

[superluser]

Something makes me highly doubt Cid would try to kill his only son, a loved member of his family of many years just because he's got headwings and is technically a creature.

I think he's proven that he's not that shallow.  He doesn't care that his son has wings.  He doesn't care that his son's friend has an eye in her hand.  Heck, he even left them alone together.

No, the theory (and it's not a bad one, just unlikely) is that Cid will see Abel with headwings, freak out and assume that it's a creature come to kill them all, and kill Abel.  This might be an instant reaction, but if he takes even a second to think about it, he'll realize that any `cubi that come to impersonate and kill his family would make sure to hide the headwings.  And that at the very least, unlike the clan marking, they must be able to hide the headwings, or else any adventurers that claimed not to know that they were dealing with an impostor would be rather incredible.

[Keleth]

One of the easiest ways to tell though, would be to ask something that only the person being impersonated would know. And it could be incredibly vague.


It's what I would attempt to do anyways, though, I could easily mess up on something like that and end up blowing up the house. =P

[Tezkat]

You know, I had a similar theory--specifically that Destania is the same color as her clan marking, and that that isn't necessarily her natural color.  Everybody dumped on me for it.

Anyways, I do note that Abel's hair can cover his marking, so presumably you could shift a flap of skin over your clan marking and cover it up.

The way I understand it, the immutability of the clan symbol merely provides constraints on innate Cubi shapeshifting abilities; it isn't meant to be a giant "Here there be Cubi!" sign. For example, your scenario of shapeshifting one's fur colour to match a clan symbol sounds a bit too easy on first glance, but the end result is an even greater limitation of flexibility. Replacing "must have a red symbol on his back" with "must have red fur" is hardly an improvement. Neither is needing to have hair long enough to cover a marking or a body so fat as to hide it under rolls of skin. It's not unreasonable that Cubi would perfect a Being disguise specially tailored to hide the clan marking, but most practical uses of shapeshifted disguises lie in being able to emulate other people (or at least types of people)--i.e. working with external constraints under which shapeshifting around the clan marking may not be viable.

Does Amber just leave all of these scenarios hanging in mid air , or is it done to make us concentrate more . If she has a pre -planned plot , is it just using a " teaser " ?

I would be shocked to learn that Amber hadn't worked out all the details of Abel's parentage before she even started that storyline. She works with no buffer, however, so there's a lot of room for the story to evolve on the fly. A number of recent Abel strips appear to have roots in community reactions. For instance, page 73 does little to advance the storyline--Amber likely inserted it in response to the whole "medical healer" debate here on the forums. Page 76 turned up in the wake of a thread full of speculation on what the amulet would do to Hennya.

The moral of the story is that if we really want a conclusion to the mystery, we should all just shut up and stop giving Amber fodder for filler strips. Yeah, yeah... fat chance of that happening.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

... besides, filler strips are Fnu!

[Stygian]

Would it not just be so simple as to use an amulet or a really powerful transfiguration spell instead of mere shapeshifting, if it were really a matter of having to perfectly impersonate someone? Or a patch, perhaps? All might be useful. Unless, of course, a cubi's clan marking is pervasive, and shows through even such effects somehow.

Still, I state that if it was about really impersonating someone, I think even a cubi would have the sense not just to rely on shapeshifting, but also to do research and use multiple mind-affecting and reading magicks.

[Keleth]

Or they could use a spell/enchant like Kria did. :p

[Stygian]

Or they could use a spell/enchant like Kria did. :p

I said that. Weren't you wa... Oh, never mind.

[Magic]

Well, there's a problem with really powerful transfiguration spells.

Although magic is generally a better tool if you want to impersonate someone (with a great deal of precision); It's also something that properly trained beings can readily detect like a huge billboard sign that says 'here be 'cubi'. (Normal incubi/succubi shapeshifting in this instance is better, since the group never realized that 'Merlitz' was Abel. Then again, that could be because they assumed that Merlitz' magic was working.)

[superluser]

One of the easiest ways to tell though, would be to ask something that only the person being impersonated would know. And it could be incredibly vague.

This would not work, since `cubi are mind-readers.  They could just pluck the answer out of your thoughts.

On the other hand, you could ask the person in question something that you *don't* know.  They can't read your mind, and you can tell if the response is the sort of thing that they'd say.  For example, you probably don't know if I'd prefer something set in Caslon or Baskerville, but if someone impersonated me, I'd like to think that you could tell by the way the answer was phrased whether or not that was me.

Neither is needing to have hair long enough to cover a marking or a body so fat as to hide it under rolls of skin.

I'm not talking about rolls of fat.  More like eyelids or fingernails.

Unless, of course, a cubi's clan marking is pervasive, and shows through even such effects somehow.

Don't know about each of those, but Abel's marking was still there when he had the brooch.

[Aridas]

Mind if I add another cubi parentage theory?

What if one of abel's parents (assuming cid here) was transformed like abel did to dan, and then brainwashed to forget and ignore his heritage? That'd work too. It almost worked in Dragonsphere.

[techmaster-glitch]

Due to the current topic of this thread being a bit off from the original, and may not be obvious to people as to what the current topic is when they look at the tread, I am starting a new thread with all the theories, with the new input data that people have suggested. This way, everyone will know to go to "Abel's Heritage Theories" if they want to debate and offer information.
Please don't flame me if you think this is uneccesary, I think this is a huge topic that will be talked over in just a few days, until the next Abel's Story update.

[Reaver225]

I just hope that Cid actually does enter the house and sees Abel like this... I think many forum-goers may die of suspense if he does something like "Oh yeah, did we need milk? I'm going to pop down to the store now! Bye!"

I know I just might...

[superluser]

I just hope that Cid actually does enter the house and sees Abel like this... I think many forum-goers may die of suspense if he does something like "Oh yeah, did we need milk? I'm going to pop down to the store now! Bye!"

Yeah.  ``Ladies!  I'm home from being gone all day!  And I bring good news!  And I forgot to get milk so I'm going to go right back out and not tell you what the good news is!''

Also, what if you got home and your wife told you that your daughter had her first period today?  I don't think you'd yawn.  Neither would Cid be blasé about Abel getting his headwings, even if he expected them.