Let Yourselves Feel 2014-01-14

[Timotheus]

White wings, eyes, fusing soul/consciousness, Titan. What's the next level beneath a Titan in the scheme of things and and is there a special class of messenger beings? In Norse/Germanic they were the Swan Maidens/disir.

I don't think Bia doing it, she's just the best(?) person available to help Tina deal with what's happening to her (probably according to Phix who is calling in a marker).

(Bia is neither bad nor good. She's a Titan and lives by her own standards and judges her own actions according to them. I'm sure she sees herself as generally caring.)

[themadkansan]

OK, I am confused. Confused by the vitriol aimed a Bia.

The way you speak about her, it's as if she was the great villain of the comic, the architect of all that is wrong in the world. Yet, she is no less a manipulator of events than her "partner in crime", Pix. Yes, she gave birth to a Shelly (or Michelle, or what have you) in each time loop, but Pix gave birth to the fathers of those girls for each loop as well. It was Bia pointing this out that prompted Pix to hit her. And yet, with out our Shelly, as well as all the others, the time loops could never have been stopped. If anything, the real villains of this have been trying to thwart Bia, Pix, Nudge, and all.

So, why is it that so many of you hate her? Is it because she left Shelly at a young age? If so, keep in mind that she had to do so, so that Shelly would go on that "Spirit Quest", that would make her what she needed to be. And, it would seem that she and Shelly have been making up time, referred to in the "phoenix blood" story line.

Is it because WE have seen little of her? That we don't know her as a close character to us, the viewers?

Or, is it because of the little spat between her and Pix? That some of us feel we have to take sides? Yet, it was little more than a "love tap", a quibble forgotten nearly as quickly as it flared up, between creatures that have the power to level mountains.

I make these points, not in defense of Bia, but to understand all the hate. I have no strong feelings about her, one way or another, yet many of you do. Very negative feelings. And this, I don't understand.

...Start here, and work your way forward. It should become very clear why Bia is not much liked.

[zachariah]

White wings, eyes, fusing soul/consciousness, Titan. What's the next level beneath a Titan in the scheme of things and and is there a special class of messenger beings? In Norse/Germanic they were the Swan Maidens/disir.

I don't think Bia doing it, she's just the best(?) person available to help Tina deal with what's happening to her (probably according to Phix who is calling in a marker).

(Bia is neither bad nor good. She's a Titan and lives by her own standards and judges her own actions according to them. I'm sure she sees herself as generally caring.)

Below Titan is sub-titan. Monica qualified. It is an inexact rating as all it seems to mean is powerful but not up to a titan.

Bia may help but it is for her own reasons. She is not naturally bad, or evil, but she is not motivated by any concern for the pawns she uses. The only thing she is concerned with is the objective. The ends justifies the means is her motto. So there is no real kindness there, just making sure a tool is not damaged too much while it is being made.

[Fairportfan]

OK, I am confused. Confused by the vitriol aimed a Bia.
I make these points, not in defense of Bia, but to understand all the hate. I have no strong feelings about her, one way or another, yet many of you do. Very negative feelings. And this, I don't understand.

She lied and manipulated, yes.

And she faked her own death in order to manipulate Shelly even further.

I wouldn't say i think definitively that she's evil (though in myth, the Titans were pretty bad - and that's compared to the gods, who were no prizes themselves), but she's sure as hell amoral.

She seems to operate strictly on expediency, and she doesn't seem to care who gets hurt. The end does not necessarily justify the means.

Let's put it this way - forget how Phix feels about her; Nudge despises her. And, oddly enough, Nudge is the Big Paranormal character we've seen so far that i would actually trust to be honest (even if, as one of Sprague de Camp's characters said "She's honest - you just have to watch her, that's all.")

[scantrontb]

In addition to her eyes, her skin is apparently feeling the sunlight unlike before. Something could go very right or very wrong with this new world of sensation she is experiencing, like when the Borg queen tempted Data.

My Wapsi-Fu is weak today, i tried looking but couldn't find it... i'm thinking that this is just the next stage in her evolution from the strip where her kitty cat scratched her and she was contemplating on the metaphysics of just *how* she felt it, rather than just, "letting herself FEEL it" as Bia would say... so it's probably NOT that she has never felt the sunlight before, it's just that she's never *felt* it before, it was always being observed from a third-person perspective (that of the Demons), but NOW it's in the FIRST-person mode... and it's driving her bonkers with the *extra* sensations that she's never had before... kinda like Cmdr. Data did right after he got his emotion chip turned on for the first time... it's not so much that she's actually being hurt by the sunlight on her skin, it's that for someone who's NEVER FELT IT in the first place, or, has felt it, but only second-hand thru a filter (her host body's nervous system as compared to her Demon body's equivalent) then it can be extremely disconcerting to NOT be able to STOP FEELING IT!!!

[Jay-Em]

Ohhkayy..

Someone correctly interpreted the glyph as Bia's.

Not good. What is she up to? What is Tina about to get involved in?

Bia is a schemer by nature, I very much doubt she does ánything from "the goodness of her heart". And yet. She birthed Shelly. An ultimately good hearted, well-meaning person, be it somewhat clumsy at showing that. Those character traits cannot solely be coming from Dad.

Could it be that Bia somehow means well too, after all, all her scheming was ultimately to "repair" time, but is só detached from humanity that she has nó idea how to interact with "Family", and that she, somehow, wants to connect to Shelly, and éven her Mother-in-Law?

Of all the people she is around, If I remember correctly, Tina is the only one that wasn't privvy to the dramatic conclusion of the Phix-Shelly family-spat. Maybe Bia wants to use Tina as an intermediary to mend relations?

..and maybe I am too much of an optimist, and see light where there shouldn't be?

I can only state this: I don't trust Bia, but she isn't "evil", More like "chaotic neutral" And the way she "fixed" time, makes me understand why the Olympians and Titans were constantly quarreling, and the Titans were, in the end, utterly beaten by the Olympians. (Know thy Greek legends..) Truth be told, the Olympians were also not exactly the epitomes of benevolence, but have been friendlier to humans than the Titans.

Well, just rambling and trying to make sense of it all.. *shuffles off to The Confusion Corner©*

[Sidhekin]

Yes, she gave birth to a Shelly (or Michelle, or what have you) in each time loop, but Pix gave birth to the fathers of those girls for each loop as well.

Word of Paul seems to be that only the last Shelly was half-Titan/quarter-Sphinx, that all Shellies were Comanche, but otherwise had no constant to their heritage: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=523&start=60

So no, not in each time loop, for either of them. As Dave noted, "Shelly-57's father may have been the first human-Sphinx hybrid available for Bia to seduce at a suitable time," and may even be the only offspring Phix ever had. (I don't believe we've been told differently.)

[TazManiac]

It isn't Hate for Bia, it's Fear...

Bah Bum Baaaaaahhhhhhh.... indeed.

[Jay-Em]

It isn't Hate for Bia, it's Fear...

Bah Bum Baaaaaahhhhhhh.... indeed.

That too. Come to think of it, For all we know Bia could be scheming to use Tina's unique status, to somehow bring the WorldGrid down, to let the rest of her "Family" in. Maybe her "repairing of time" was just because the time-loops were "inconvenient" to her plans of bringing her Titan brethren back to earth.

And the sudden elevation to Titanhood of Monica, the Upgrade of Tina, Shelly's new status as Sphinx/Titan hybrid, her boyfriends' nature, the "new MIB" could be part of -yet another- elaborate scheme by Brandi. A scheme to exactly prevènt the Titans from entering, míght Bia succeed.

The Wapsi-Crew as "The New Olympians" so to speak.

[Mark N]

It isn't Hate for Bia, it's Fear...

Bah Bum Baaaaaahhhhhhh.... indeed.

That too. Come to think of it, For all we know Bia could be scheming to use Tina's unique status, to somehow bring the WorldGrid down, to let the rest of her "Family" in. Maybe her "repairing of time" was just because the time-loops were "inconvenient" to her plans of bringing her Titan brethren back to earth.

And the sudden elevation to Titanhood of Monica, the Upgrade of Tina, Shelly's new status as Sphinx/Titan hybrid, her boyfriends' nature, the "new MIB" could be part of -yet another- elaborate scheme by Brandi. A scheme to exactly prevènt the Titans from entering, míght Bia succeed.

The Wapsi-Crew as "The New Olympians" so to speak.

I somehow doubt that Bia means ill for the world or wants to let the others into our world. From her older appearances when looked at without mistrust, show someone trying to repair past damage and maybe even up the sides so that something can change for the better without all the death and destruction.

[My2Cents]

OK, I am confused. Confused by the vitriol aimed a Bia.

Not just our opinion. See http://wapsisquare.com/comic/for-petesake/

Bia obviously never intended to acknowledge that she was Shelly's mom and make up. http://wapsisquare.com/comic/no-way-to-behave/, or why hide the relationship?

Phix was the only one who came to visit Shelly in the Time Forest as a friend and mentor http://wapsisquare.com/comic/yes-and-no/. Bia could have, but didn’t. Odds are Bia never checked up on the Shelly in the real world either.
Then when Shelly needed a teacher to train her to controlling her inner Sphinx, Phix just shows up and volunteered http://wapsisquare.com/comic/keep-control/. Shelly refers to Phix as her mother figure http://wapsisquare.com/comic/fringe-paranormals/, and changes to calling her grandma http://wapsisquare.com/comic/speak-only-when-spoken-to/ after the truth comes out, roles that Phix seems to relish.
Phix obviously still greaves about having to give up Shelly’s father http://wapsisquare.com/comic/a-place-to-grow/, something that Bia all but admits she manipulated Phix into as part of a larger scheme http://wapsisquare.com/comic/a-place-to-grow/. Phix didn’t like that much http://wapsisquare.com/comic/here-nor-there/ and http://wapsisquare.com/comic/for-a-while/,as would any parent in that situation.

Odds are Shelly and Bia haven't said 2 civil words to each other since that scene http://wapsisquare.com/comic/why-is-phix-cryi/.

So yes, we agree with Nudge that Bia is a “thoughtless, emotionless, bitch”.

[My2Cents]

Aaah, crap. Here we go. Everyone, strap in, and keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. "Wham Episodes" incoming...

CAUTION: TVTropes link below - click at your own risk!

Wham Episode

Yep, and these were the "Gut Punch Episode" http://wapsisquare.com/comic/worst-fing-nightmare/ and "Breather Episode" http://wapsisquare.com/comic/turning-blue/.

Hold on to your lunch folks, this one is going to be rough.

[illiad]

Interesting comment about stars don't give light, they just emit radiation. Seems like the word "light" has a different meaning to those that don't have human eyes.

The point about 'light' - it is only the *name* given to that radiation that humans can see with their eyes... So YES stars do emit light, as well as a fire, and the piece of metal heated up will glow red too, so humans can see it..

[Mark N]

All this Bia is back so we are in for some shit may be correct; but, then again, we may be wrong. We seem to be missing a point that this is quite a while since she was outed as Shelly's Mom and found that Phix can punch her out of the library. In this amount of time she may have been exposed to the people she left behind, For all we know Phix has started a relationship with her son and other grand-kids after all this time as well. If any of that is true then it is possible that Bia may have changed from her admittedly "Dysfunctional" self to a more caring person. If that is true then she has honest caring for Tina and what she is going through. An event that She and Phix may have had a direct hand in creating. We will just have to wait and see.

[Sidhekin]

Oh, Bia is a harbinger of shit, all right.

But she's not malevolent. Or she would not have had access to the Library in the first place ...

Hey, how did she get to Tina now? Unless she broke through one of the soft spots in the World Grid (with what consequences?), she must have passed through the Library, right? Not impossible, I guess: Though it's her home turf, Phix doesn't seem to have have absolute authority there ... it can act on its own. With whatever implications that would have for Bia's schemes.

[eee]

It's interesting the Tina knows Bia's voice well enough to consider it familiar, but not to the point she immediately recognizes it.

Also, Bia is being far gentler and patient in dealing with Tina's confusion that I'd have thought her capable of.

[GlytchMeister]

OK, I am confused. Confused by the vitriol aimed a Bia.

The way you speak about her, it's as if she was the great villain of the comic, the architect of all that is wrong in the world. Yet, she is no less a manipulator of events than her "partner in crime", Pix. Yes, she gave birth to a Shelly (or Michelle, or what have you) in each time loop, but Pix gave birth to the fathers of those girls for each loop as well. It was Bia pointing this out that prompted Pix to hit her. And yet, with out our Shelly, as well as all the others, the time loops could never have been stopped. If anything, the real villains of this have been trying to thwart Bia, Pix, Nudge, and all.

So, why is it that so many of you hate her? Is it because she left Shelly at a young age? If so, keep in mind that she had to do so, so that Shelly would go on that "Spirit Quest", that would make her what she needed to be. And, it would seem that she and Shelly have been making up time, referred to in the "phoenix blood" story line.

Is it because WE have seen little of her? That we don't know her as a close character to us, the viewers?

Or, is it because of the little spat between her and Pix? That some of us feel we have to take sides? Yet, it was little more than a "love tap", a quibble forgotten nearly as quickly as it flared up, between creatures that have the power to level mountains.

I make these points, not in defense of Bia, but to understand all the hate. I have no strong feelings about her, one way or another, yet many of you do. Very negative feelings. And this, I don't understand.

The way I see it, Phix is in no way a "partner in crime" to Bia.
Phix gave birth to Shelly's dad. Bia convinced her to give him up. Later, she seduces the same guy and marries him. Why? Because she wanted kids who weren't just strong, like most Titan-human hybrids, but immortal. She used a human-sphinx guy to provide that property to her kids. She manipulated some poor dude into screwing her so she could have immortal kids, and did so until she had Shelly. Then, she pretended to die, scarring Shelly so badly that she still has issues from it. She didn't know that her "death" would cause the whole vision quest events. She just did it to basically torture Shelly into being stronger.
As for your so-called "little spat"?
...that, my dear friend, was just short of a city-leveling argument. Do not underestimate the power behind Sphinxes and Titans. It's incredibly intense. And it was certainly not forgotten. Phix cried.

[Dave]

I'm in the camp of those who don't hate Bia, but would not trust her around my loved ones any further than I could spit a rat. The heartless way she manipulated Shelly (including lying right to her face) seems to adequately confirm Nudge's statement that Bia is heedless of the costs others pay as a result of her manipulations.

"Chaotic neutral" is indeed a good summary of what we have seen of her character. So is "sociopath", I think, in the sense that she seems to think of, and treat other people (including her own daughter!) as things... as tools... rather than as sentient beings who are worthy of real respect.

Phix can be manipulative and secretive at times, no question... but she cares about people... quite a lot. She has a strong conscience. We haven't seen or been told that either of those things is true of Bia.

Something is clearly afoot, and I hope Tina isn't going to be set up for a fatal fall-girl role.

[jwhouk]

Pix

Phix.

As for the rest of it - Bia ticked off two sphinxes: one of them her mother-in-law, the other her own daughter.

And we all have a vested interest in her daughter.

By the way - in case you'd forgotten, Bia does have an ulterior motive. There was something our Nu Gui let slip back in late May of last year:

Bia may have heard the prophecy, but she is directing her energy in the wrong direction! All towards an immortal heir, and not a mortal descendant!"

EDIT: And I fully expect a cookie from Pablo for remembering that line.

[as363]

Dazzed and Confuzilated - think I'll retire to the couch with a plate of warm scones - and a bottle of GlenFiddich - anyone who wants to join me can do so. (Bring you own glass...) I'll see later if Mr. P. makes any mention on his Facebook page.