04/02/08 [Hybrids #2] - Cubi - the Cuckoos

[AmigaDragon]

Well that's good, at least. The thought of undead babies just kinda... sounds creepy.

.. though I could bring on the "dead baby" jokes..

Or perhaps a song?      "Dead puppies, dead puppies. Dead puppies aren't much fun."

[Hanii Puppy]

Wait a minute, lets count here.  You've got 4 legs, two arms, two back wings, two head wings, and a tail.
4+2+2+2+1=11 limbs!!

+4 pip-head-tentacles = 15 limbs.

Anyone know where we can get a hungry radio-active spider so we can try to go for the max?

Alternative ending: It's a 4 legged 2 armed 2 winged 1 tailed 3 eyed purple people eater, sure looks strange to me!

[Saist]

* Saist considers shouting Dan for Matilda and Matilda for Dan again...

would be nice to see Megan again in 3 or 4 years...

[e_voyager]

believe what you won't and  leave while you cant' me no speak bizarro so don't give me chance.
IE whats happens happens. believe it or not. i think Dan really likes Matilda and while her have more legs then him may be odd she does still have that warriors spirit he finds so attractive in amazons and she's self proclaimed immune to cubi charm abilities sticks she he knows she likes him for who he is. who knows in twenty years he may actually call her like she said assuming he gets over his cubi heritage and gets his family back together in that time.

[Amber Williams]

Since older 'Cubi seem to be magic-powered rather than biology-powered, it could be very nasty/fatal if switching to human form interrupts the magic that drives their metabolism 

It doesnt work that way.  The Were turning forms is not a magical light switch that when they hit human-form, all magic whatsoever gets turned off.  The internal mechanisms and natural part of themselves function just fine as its practically a part of their chemistry.  The Weres own magical abilities dont get shut off when they switch forms, they just get repressed or augmented.  A were in human form can still cast magic and do their natural creature abilities.  Granted not as powerfully as their normal or animal form.

Things like a demons diamond-hard skin, cubi shifting, were shifting, dragon changing from big to small...these are racial traits that come natural to the species and dont really work on the same level as a magic spell.

The basic rule to follow is "if you have to learn to do it, its magic. If you have the ability to do it naturally, its a natural ability"  Yeah...Dan will have to learn how to use his shapeshifting and wing tentacles well...but the ability to do them come naturally.

[Tapewolf]

It doesnt work that way.  The Were turning forms is not a magical light switch that when they hit human-form, all magic whatsoever gets turned off.  The internal mechanisms and natural part of themselves function just fine as its practically a part of their chemistry.  The Weres own magical abilities dont get shut off when they switch forms, they just get repressed or augmented.

A were in human form can still cast magic and do their natural creature abilities.  Granted not as powerfully as their normal or animal form.

Ah, I see.  The demonology states that they can't cast healing spells upon themselves while in human form, so I originally assumed the effect was something along the lines of a negate-magic spell.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

+4 pip-head-tentacles = 15 limbs.

Nyet. Amber has said this before - the tentacles are numbered based on how powerful the clan is. And Dan himself has 3, not 4 (I think - I haven't gone to check that)

The tentacles, I would count as the wings, since they're part of the major wings. So 12, -maybe-. Despite that, it's still being picky about the numbers. Sheesh. Get a life...

Since Amber actually gave her a name, does that mean she will be showing up again?

I doubt it. Amber names the flowers on the side of the road in her strips. ;-]

[Tapewolf]

Nyet. Amber has said this before - the tentacles are numbered based on how powerful the clan is. And Dan himself has 3, not 4 (I think - I haven't gone to check that)

Are you certain?  Do you mean tentacles, or tentacle-heads?
It looks to me like Abel in 552 has more than three, despite his clan being virtually non-existent.  And Dan certainly has 4 in 378.

[Amber Williams]

Ah, I see.  The demonology states that they can't cast healing spells upon themselves while in human form, so I originally assumed the effect was something along the lines of a negate-magic spell.

They can still cast the spell...but the spell itself wouldnt work on them.  Things cast upon them dont really work, but internal things (especially things that...you know...are part of their very survival) tend to work just fine.  I mean really...the ability to shift between human to being to animal in and of itself would require a certain degree of magic to it. If the weres became completely magically devoid in human form, they wouldnt be able to turn themselves back.

There is only one type that can be considered truly magic-null...and that is the unfortunate result of a Fae halfbreed.

Nyet. Amber has said this before - the tentacles are numbered based on how powerful the clan is. And Dan himself has 3, not 4 (I think - I haven't gone to check that)

Are you certain?  Do you mean tentacles, or tentacle-heads?
It looks to me like Abel in 552 has more than three, despite his clan being virtually non-existent.  And Dan certainly has 4 in 378.

Stop putting words in mah mouth!

Number of tentacles have nothing to do with clan power. Claws/heads do.  A cubi with heads as a default wing tendril trait is considered to be either very powerful on their own, or from a powerful clan.

A Cubi can make a dozen tentacles from their wings if they really wanted to.  Its more about the skill level one can handle since after a certain point, they have to put their own concentration into moving all those parts.  The average Cubi tends to base off around 4-5 tendrils naturally, though some have been known to do 8.

And really...anything more than that is just excessive and most Cubi know that a dozen tentacles can become a hazard moreso than a benefit.

[Insert Witty Name]

Megan is awesome and cute, awesomely cute, even. And funny, I bust out laughing when I saw the strip.

[Kibin]

Fae halfbreed?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Are you certain?  Do you mean tentacles, or tentacle-heads?

Of course I'm not certain. If I was certain, I wouldn't have said anything. ;-]

Thanks for looking up #378, and I meant the heads...

Stop putting words in mah mouth!

Sorry, boss. *hides*

A Cubi can make a dozen tentacles from their wings if they really wanted to.  Its more about the skill level one can handle since after a certain point, they have to put their own concentration into moving all those parts.  The average Cubi tends to base off around 4-5 tendrils naturally, though some have been known to do 8.

Thanks for clarifying that.

[Netrogo]

Enjoying this arc so far. Since my character's supposed to be a hybrid it's useful info.

[Alondro]

*Charles 'Bleaches' the topic!* The intermediate Espada #6, Luppi, had 8 tentacles!  Grimjow pwnd him in like a second when Orihime healed his arm (or technically, denied the act of it having been cut off in the first place, cuz her powers are god-like).   

*Charline hmms*  Would a human from another world be able to hybridize with a Cubi, considering there are human worlds with no magic at all.  Actually, I would wonder about the stability of their quantum structure if they crossed intoa  world in which magic was allowable by the natural laws of that universe... *deliberately melts Amber's brain!*   

[Psaakyrn]

I doubt it's disliking, more that they cannot be 'done'.

Very true. They are called undead for a reason. No way a walking corpse animated by magic will be able to reproduce.

Doesn't mean they can't do the motions. And that's all that's necessary.

On a related note, it's kind of unfair for the undead, since they wouldn't be able to feel the motions either.

[e_voyager]

First off who said undead can't feel? when Dan and Jy-jy were at the bar the undead  said squishy referring to the tentacles that were inside of it's body.

secondly bad Charline naughty Charline. trying to melt Amber's brain is a no no. besides its run away again due to hideous fan mail using improper mixtures of English and some other language.

[Tapewolf]

First off who said undead can't feel?

Weaknesses: The Undead feel no pain, and in some cases feel nothing at all.
-- Demonology 101 : Undead

[Brunhidden]

it only says some cannot feel at all and that the rest just dont feel pain.

thus the majority of undead can feel things which are not pain, like joy, fear, tickles, and whatever....

suddenly i picture them as a race of people addicted to skydiving, cliff jumping, and bear baiting. i bet they make crackin good gladiators, reusable too

"dude, that was totally your arm, like, four seconds ago"

[e_voyager]

ah i'd forgotten that it said some feel not at all but the lack of feeling pain. I guess it's kind of like leprosy in that fashion when injures can go unnoticed unless you do a visual check of your body. (which Epyon has displayed and is trying to cover for) does not been the lack of all sensation. many can still feel and that allows them to perform skills that requite a sense of touch. after all they have a whole city of undead out there somewhere. i'm sure some if not most of the jobs that are needed in city upkeep require some sense of tactile awareness.

[Kuari]

Since older 'Cubi seem to be magic-powered rather than biology-powered, it could be very nasty/fatal if switching to human form interrupts the magic that drives their metabolism 

It doesnt work that way.  The Were turning forms is not a magical light switch that when they hit human-form, all magic whatsoever gets turned off.  The internal mechanisms and natural part of themselves function just fine as its practically a part of their chemistry.  The Weres own magical abilities dont get shut off when they switch forms, they just get repressed or augmented.  A were in human form can still cast magic and do their natural creature abilities.  Granted not as powerfully as their normal or animal form.

Things like a demons diamond-hard skin, cubi shifting, were shifting, dragon changing from big to small...these are racial traits that come natural to the species and dont really work on the same level as a magic spell.

The basic rule to follow is "if you have to learn to do it, its magic. If you have the ability to do it naturally, its a natural ability"  Yeah...Dan will have to learn how to use his shapeshifting and wing tentacles well...but the ability to do them come naturally.

I'm getting this distinct feeling that a Were-Cubi would be rather OMGWTF strong with what you're saying...

Human Form: Cubi abilities + Immune to Magic = OWWW
Full Animal Form: Cubi abilities + Strongly enhanced magic = Nuke on legs

On the other hand, such half-breeds would probably be relatively rare I'm guessing due to Weres being no slouches on their own..

[Kittastrophe]

All of DMFA has taken place in about a month or so and it's been running since around 1999 IIRC.
If Dan knocked Matilda up right now, assuming a humanoid gestation period and the same rate of time per strip, she'd give birth sometime around 2081.

Hum... o.o that's quite a long time.
... Going off this, when should Moira's baby be due? c8

There is only one type that can be considered truly magic-null...and that is the unfortunate result of a Fae halfbreed.

Well, that does make sense, considering there's 2438165 of them. No more, no less. If a Fae had a halfbreed baby, it wouldn't really be a fae then, would it?

[Psaakyrn]

Unless they're twins, hence having a soul split into 2 bodies, one good one evil, bound by destiny to fight each other to the death so they can merge and become whole again...

[e_voyager]

sounds like piccolo and kami. ah well souls can heal and regrow over time if wounded but the time need it normals much longer then a mortals life span.

[terrycloth]

I'm getting this distinct feeling that a Were-Cubi would be rather OMGWTF strong with what you're saying...

Human Form: Cubi abilities + Immune to Magic = OWWW
Full Animal Form: Cubi abilities + Strongly enhanced magic = Nuke on legs

On the other hand, such half-breeds would probably be relatively rare I'm guessing due to Weres being no slouches on their own..

Except for the part where there are no cubi half breeds -- you just end up with a demon or being or whatever... and when they hit their twenties... pop goes the cubi traits over it.

[Fuyudenki]

Except for the part where there are no cubi half breeds -- you just end up with a demon or being or whatever... and when they hit their twenties... pop goes the cubi traits over it.

Somebody hasn't been paying attention.  That's what he just did there.

Speakin' which, weres are suddenly a lot more powerful than I'd initially thought in DMFA.

On the topic of handwavium, [Well I thought it was funny, but a big fan of not upsetting people today.]

[terrycloth]

No, he added them in addition like a real half breed instead of having them overwrite (because they're actually a cubi). Which is exactly what the comic says doesn't happen.

[Fuyudenki]

post seems to indicate the possibility.  Otherwise, I think she'd have just said "Were/cubi offspring don't shapechange," as that's what Tapewolf was talking about at the time.

So my guess is that the kid would be a perfectly normal Were, save for having wings, until he hits 25 years old, and then *dook!* out pop the headwings, and he can do shapeshifting that doesn't effect his magical ability.

[Tapewolf]

[Oops, that was supposed to be a PM.  This is what happens if you stay up too late.]

[terrycloth]

That particular post doesn't say one way or the other, but the general point ('no real half breeds') that's been repeated OVER AND OVER AND OVER, as well as the comic that was just posted to answer this specific question, say 'no, you don't get to be both a full cubi and a full were at the same time with all the powers of both'.

[Caswin]

Welp, there goes that pairing.