2007-05-18 Ouch (Abel 90)

[Paul]

I can see a line in "I punched May" t-shirts, mind you.

Couldn't resist.

(Hi there.)

[Lucheek]

I beleive that May was a protitute, because of Strip 82. She says she did selfish things when she was a teenager. I'm imagining that the selfishness was taking the money.

And this has probaly been said on a past forum, but I'm waiting for Edward Ti'Fiona to break in and kill Aniz. This maybe why Abel "cares for [Dan's] welfare" in comic (527), because his father was the hero who slayed Aniz....

[Tapewolf]

And this has probaly been said on a past forum, but I'm waiting for Edward Ti'Fiona to break in and kill Aniz. This maybe why Abel "cares for [Dan's] welfare" in comic (527), because his father was the hero who slayed Aniz....

I'm pretty sure Amber said that Abel and Edward haven't actually met.  I'm not sure I want to believe that Edward is a Creature either

[rabid_fox]

I can see a line in "I punched May" t-shirts, mind you.

Couldn't resist.

(Hi there.)

I desperately want that T-shirt.

[Nerikull]

This just gets better! I'm almost getting impatient for the next comic to post! 

[Stygian]

This just gets better! I'm almost getting impatient for the next comic to post! 

Ehem... I know this is a bit redundant but... Za?

Also, I think that Aniz went just a liiittle bit past the line with that last comment. Now, sure, he may be feeding off their emotions like crazy, but why does he have to take it all in such a huge damn gulp?

[nikename2]

Mabye he suffers from emotional feeding bulimia? 

[ShiningShadow]

Aniz will be killed by May after that comment as I see it how the death scene will go as followed.

1. May grabs Aniz by the neck and strangle him till he is blue or the neck snaps.

2. May gets a knife while Aniz back is turned and stabbed him repeatedly like 20 or 30 times blood all over the place and flesh galore.

3. May get a .22 put it behind Aniz ear and pull the trigger and the rest you know put the body in a 72 buick and park it under the Pulaski Skyway in NJ.

Okay I'm done bye now.

[Aridas]

This is why I hate you.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Okay Okay   Now for something Really WILD, but  

SO far we have had "only" Aniz's Word, That he killed Cid....

YES, he tricked May into thinking that he was CID some 25 years ago, so he could beget Abel...   But Why kill Cid if you do not have to, he could try again with someone's innocent wives, as Cid raises your son for you.  That way the chances that your clan mark will be seen by May are smaller.  You get to have fun with other Being females, and maybe get another cubi child.

So, Aniz the jerk, could be lying to cause the most hurt and pain to May and everyone.  Just like his reference to her wild past, that is meant just to twist her pain a little more.   But Aniz has gone too far with that remark, May has fought too many people over that part of her life, to let that go unchallenged.. She will come out swinging after this.... She may died, but she will died trying to protect her son and her honor.  

And Cid could come home any minute.

[Magic]

Ehem... I know this is a bit redundant but... Za?

Also, I think that Aniz went just a liiittle bit past the line with that last comment. Now, sure, he may be feeding off their emotions like crazy, but why does he have to take it all in such a huge damn gulp?

Well, he can't very well feed off of May after this since he did say he was going to leave and it would entirely daft to try to trick the same person twice, so why not?

YES, he tricked May into thinking that he was CID some 25 years ago, so he could beget Abel... But why kill Cid if you do not have to, he could try again someone other innocent wives, as Cid raises your son for you?

There's a problem with that. Having someone else raise your son will make that person a better parent than you are. If Aniz did that, he will fail in his attempt to use Abel to his own needs. (EDIT: Not counting what had recently happened. That is outside of the argument.)

Since Aniz was the kind, caring Cid all throughout Abel's life, it would make it hard for Abel to denounce his father, no matter how much an asshole he is.

[Shadowcatcher]

Although, really... he *is* really Cid. He's the only Cid Abel ever knew, and she's probably spent at least ten times as long with him as she did with the real Cid. "Ah, but that was only ACTING!" ... yeah, whatever. People put on an act for their relatives all the time.

We have no proof that May ever knew the *real* Cid.  Aniz claimed he killed him, and he took his place.  Killing an assuming the identity of a young and elgible bachelor adventurer would go a long way if Aniz was looking for ideal childbearers.

I still think back to Devin's story.  How his father just looked at him once and then walked out.  I'm still convinced that was Aniz.  He was probably in the business of assuming the identity of several adventurers at once, capitalizing on the fact that an active adventurer can be away from his family for months at a time.  Plenty of time to have plenty of "other lives", other tries to roll the cosmic dice to try get the result he wants: a cubi offspring.  What a damn yiffy thing he is!

Devin got a dice roll which instantly indicated he was not an incubus.  Abel got the dice roll indicating he had the potential, which is why Aniz waited to this day, to see if he was truely an incubus, or just a being with wings.

As I said, baby cubi must not be detectable as anything other then altered beings.  Quite a survival feature in what is a dangerous world.

[Naldru]

What about the statement from Devin's mother that she killed the previous infants?  That doesn't sound very promising for getting Cubi offspring.  Aniz may be in the unpleasant category, but Devin's father sounds more like the neurotic/psychotic type who should be institutionalized.  The one possible explanation that comes to mind (not that it is a justification) is that Devin's father knew he was sterile or impotent, and therefore knew the kid wasn't his.

And now for something completely different.  Suppose Aniz is on the run from some very nasty, very powerful people.  Now that Abel is revealed as a Cubi, he has to go on the run again.  He doesn't want May used as a hostage, and this way anyone reading her mind would be less likely to assume that Aniz would return for her.

One more thing.  In the Hitchcock movie Rear Window, there is a scene where views of Jimmy Stewart's face are intercut with the view through the telescope.  If all you see is Jimmy Stewart's face, he appears to have the same look each time.  If you add the view through the telescope, people tended to assign different emotions to Jimmy Stewart's character each time.  Picture Jimmy Stewart, Robin Williams, or Jim Carrey  reading Aniz's lines.  Would it sound the same?  Is what you believe Aniz to be infuencing your opinion of his actions.

I once heard an agnostic defined as a person who knows he doesn't know, but also knows that you don't know either.  With regard to Aniz, I think I'm an agnostic.

By the way, I believe in being nice to people even if I think they are being nasty.  I may be wrong, in which case they don't deserve the nastiness.  And I have found that nothing drives a truly nasty person up the wall as much as being nice to them, and in that case they deserve it.

[superluser]

May does not have a case.  She was married to Cid, not Aniz.

They might be considered married by common law, if they've lived together for long enough.  Again, though, there really isn't anything that May could get out of divorce proceeedings--she can't get custody of Abel, since he's an adult, and she probably can't get much more money.

Domestic violence laws, however, might be stringent enough to get Aniz.

SO far we have had "only" Aniz's Word, That he killed Cid....

YES, he tricked May into thinking that he was CID some 25 years ago, so he could beget Abel...   But Why kill Cid if you do not have to, he could try again someone other innocent wives, as Cid raises your son for you.  That way the chances that your clan mark will be seen by May are smaller.  You get to have fun with other Being females, and maybe another cubi child.

Yes, this is very possible.

There's a problem with that. Having someone else raise your son will make that person a better parent than you are. If Aniz did that, he will fail in his attempt to use Abel to his own needs.

I was going to respond in prose format, but I think a list is clearer.  Unfortunately, it makes me look like an *ss.  Please pretend that the following is in prose.

1.) He doesn't seem to care about parenting.  He wants someone to carry on his clan, and I suspect any parenting from here on out will be about as warm as William Munny.

2.) Aniz doesn't actually need to have replaced Cid all those years ago--he just needs to claim that he did for what you're suggesting to work.  Better still--if Aniz isn't that good of a parent, having Cid do all the work may make it easier for Abel to bind to Aniz.

3.) Judging from all the personal accounts of abuse that I see in the media, it's fairly common for children not to forgive an abusive parent, regardless of how nice s/he might have been to the child.  Common enough not to be worth the risk.

4.) It is entirely possible the Aniz has centuries of parenting experience already, from past children.

Abel got the dice roll indicating he had the potential, which is why Aniz waited to this day, to see if he was truely an incubus, or just a being with wings.

It should have been obvious that Abel was an incubus when he got his clan marking.  I don't think that anything other than `cubi get those (though I have been wrong in the past).

And now for something completely different.  Suppose Aniz is on the run from some very nasty, very powerful people.  Now that Abel is revealed as a Cubi, he has to go on the run again.  He doesn't want May used as a hostage, and this way anyone reading her mind would be less likely to assume that Aniz would return for her.

I like, I like.  You just pushed my probability assessment of a bunch of other theories down.

[Valynth]

Suppose Aniz is on the run from some very nasty, very powerful people.  Now that Abel is revealed as a Cubi, he has to go on the run again.  He doesn't want May used as a hostage, and this way anyone reading her mind would be less likely to assume that Aniz would return for her.

Odds are that if they're ruthless enough to take hostages, they're ruthless enough to get rid of useless hostages as well as anyone or anything related to Aniz.  Essentially causing this plan to backfire rather badly.

Of course Aniz simply might not have thought about that.

[superluser]

Odds are that if they're ruthless enough to take hostages, they're ruthless enough to get rid of useless hostages as well as anyone or anything related to Aniz.  Essentially causing this plan to backfire rather badly.

Well, the issue is whether May tries to figure out where Aniz is going.  If Aniz leaves and says, ``Don't worry, honey, I still love you,'' May might be tempted to figure out more about him, where he went off to, what drove him to do what he did, &c.  If May is left with the impression that he's a flip, uncaring jerk, then she might simply tell the local adventurers' guild and have done with it.

Without her following him around, she's less likely to have information that potential adversaries can use.

[Valynth]

I think his claim to have killed the real Cid is more cause for research into to him than simply claiming that the 'real Cid' was actually a disguised 'cubi because he feared the reaction of others and wanted May to like him *yada yada, sap sap*

Then 'Cid' could explain that he needed to take Abel to be trained as a 'Cubi, because there were people after him and that May should tell no one else.  That way Aniz never uses his name and therefore this seems to be an unrelated issue to the chasing of Aniz to begin with.

[kaskar]

      So is this where May gets so angry she literely stakes Aniz out, like Mab did with Abbie . Aniz, as an adventurer, should have a spare sword, dagger, or spear lying around handy for May to do the deed. ( note: Is there an abandoned wive's pension ? ) May could then study to earn her morningstar as an adventurer, ( if she wished ), just to keep the land free from scum like the jerk,  Aniz. Of course there is scum like Aniz that are not creatures,  and so Aniz is giving the group, ( creatures ), a bad name ...

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

The one possible explanation that comes to mind (not that it is a justification) is that Devin's father knew he was sterile or impotent, and therefore knew the kid wasn't his.

Erm. Why wait for the birth, in that case?

[Prof B Hunnydew]

The one possible explanation that comes to mind (not that it is a justification) is that Devin's father knew he was sterile or impotent, and therefore knew the kid wasn't his.

Erm. Why wait for the birth, in that case?

Amber has said that there is no Half Cubi, so if one of your parents is an incubus and you were born with wings, then chances are that you are a sucubus or incubus.  Aniz is most likely the Father of Devin, and he could have been playing the field all over town, being this one's secret lover or husband, when Cid was home, or when Replaced Cid should have been adventuring, he was morphing into May's neighbors, and playing with their wives.

  Aniz has just been waiting on Abel's  second wings to come in before he reveiled himself..  Was he waiting in the shadows all these years or playing at being Cid?, now that is the question.


PBH

[Naldru]

I just had a weird vision based on the old Japanese movie Rashomon.  (In this movie, different witnesses describe a crime from their point of view, with each telling radically different stories.)  Abel's story would be followed by May's story, which would be followed by Aniz's story, which would be followed by Devin's story, which would be followed by Amber's complete collapse from mental and physical exhaustion.

May's story would start with her wild and selfish days before she met Cid/Aniz.  Please note:  the following is completely made up from whole cloth from my own imagination and any resemblance to Amber's imagination or plans would be completely coincidental.  Repeat, I'm making it up.  Perhaps May was running with a gang that was captured by Aniz acting as Cid.  Cid liked what he saw in May and wooed her in a manner reminiscent of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.  As I said, I totally fabricated this scenario on my own.  However, wouldn't it fit the story as well as some of the other conjectures about May's past?

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Let's just stick to the facts....Amber has other stories to write

PBH

[Aleolus]

*twitch twitch*  Ok, I was batting for you, Aniz, and now you're starting to make me go along with the "Kill Aniz!" crowd, which I don't like.  I have delusions that everyone has some good in them, and if there is anything that makes me angry, it's getting my delusions, *starts to grow and turn green* spoiled!
*becomes the Hulk*  Me smash stupid cubi!

[Naldru]

I wasn't implying that Amber would write the stories.  You'll notice that scenario ended with Amber's collapse, which would mean no more DMFA.  What would I read?  The thought of the withdrawal pains feels me with dread.

My point with the potential scenario for May's background is that there are internally consistent back stories other than a few of the ones that have been mentioned before.  (I won't go into detail, because I won't use that kind of language.)  Whatever our feelings towards Aniz/Cid, let's give May the benefit of the doubt for now.  It's true that there are no hard facts supporting it.  What I was indicating was that there were no hard facts supporting some of the other descriptions of May's prior occupation and lifestyle.

I don't know what's going to happen.  Those who know aren't talking.  Those who are talking don't know.  Furthermore, authors have the right to change their mind during the writing process.  As I said before Aniz likes to mess with your head and so does Amber.

And so I bid adieu, leaving you with this thought:  Do not be too quick to attribute a person's actions to maliciousness and diabolic planning when they can often be simply accounted for by the fact that he's just a flaming idiot.

[Shadowcatcher]

Abel got the dice roll indicating he had the potential, which is why Aniz waited to this day, to see if he was truely an incubus, or just a being with wings.

It should have been obvious that Abel was an incubus when he got his clan marking.  I don't think that anything other than `cubi get those (though I have been wrong in the past).

Yep, which was noticed by May that morning, so it appeared sometime between this and his last visit home, assuming that he's moved out and living elsewhere now that he has a job.  Whether Aniz/Cid caught wind of it or noticed it earlier that day is debatable, as he seemed more interested in snitching from his breakfast plate instead of examining every square inch of his son.

[superluser]

Yep, which was noticed by May that morning, so it appeared sometime between this and his last visit home

It first appeared two years before May noticed it.  We don't know how much time passed between when May noticed it and Abel got the letter informing him of Cindy's death, but there were a few days between when Abel got the letter and when he left for the funeral.

Abel seemed to be making no effort to hide the mark, since he wears open-backed clothes.  Even Dan wears clothes that cover that area, and he has nothing to hide.

[nikename2]

Even Dan wears clothes that cover that area, and he has nothing to hide.

I don't recall Dan ever wearing anything that covered his back, except his wings. Plus his marking didn't even come in yet since he hasn't used magic since his childhood. Depending on where it comes in I guess it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect him to sort of freak out and try to cover it.

[superluser]

I don't recall Dan ever wearing anything that covered his back, except his wings.

Don't post when tired and rushed, kids.  You are right.  I was confused by the fact that the neckline continues around the back, so I assumed that there were two smaller holes in the back, not one large one.

Still, it would have been easy enough to make a shirt that covered Abel's mark but not his wings, which was my point.

[kaskar]

The one possible explanation that comes to mind (not that it is a justification) is that Devin's father knew he was sterile or impotent, and therefore knew the kid wasn't his.

Erm. Why wait for the birth, in that case?

Amber has said that there is no Half Cubi, so if one of your parents is an incubus and you were born with wings, then chances are that you are a sucubus or incubus.  Aniz is most likely the Father of Devin, and he could have been playing the field all over town, being this one's secret lover or husband, when Cid was home, or when Replaced Cid should have been adventuring, he was morphing into May's neighbors, and playing with their wives.   Aniz has just been waiting on Abel's  second wings to come in before he reveiled himself..  Was he waiting in the shadows all these years or playing at being Cid?, now that is the question. :mowcookiePBH

Was he revelling at playing 'Cid while he made sure that Abel was his. If looks could kill, the look Abel gave Aniz would have left a purile corpse, with his look of daggers ...  Will Aniz step down a bit, and leave the Cubism of Abel to S.A.I.A, and give May a better payout, or end up a corpse ...

[Naldru]

The one possible explanation that comes to mind (not that it is a justification) is that Devin's father knew he was sterile or impotent, and therefore knew the kid wasn't his.

Erm. Why wait for the birth, in that case?

Very good point.  I've thought about it some more, and now feel that Devin's father was simply a despicable cad and a bounder, as the Brits would say.  And unfortunately for Devin, his mother wasn't the most stable personality.  However, I have heard of worse situations in real life.  The husband is selfish and uncaring and doesn't want kids because he doesn't want to be tied down, while the wife thinks a baby will somehow magically produce a sense of commitment on the part of the husband.  The cases I heard about were very, very unpleasant,  I actually feel depressed thinking about it.

The chances of Aniz being Devin's father just went down in my mind, because I can't see Aniz sinking that low.  Furthermore, if Aniz was looking for Cubi offspring, he would probably want a healthy environment in which they could be raised.  Devin's family wouldn't be it.

Compared to the cases I'm thinking of, Devin's life turned out very well.  I'm signing off now.