Pecking Order 2012-08-14

[BallBearingMousetrap]

Given that we've already established that sphinxes consider daemons legitimate prey... Phyx is a predator, Nudge is her kill, she's entitled to eat if she wants.

However, given that Nudge is a fairly compassionate trickster daemon... and that Nudge deliberately provoked the attack ... I'm expecting Nudge to show up intact (or mostly so) and ask "Got it out of your system? Ready to talk about it?" Or this may have been entirely a fantasy sequence for Phyx, though the "yeah, you need to kill something, let me help you" scenario does seem like something Nudge would do.

Remember, we've also just seen Nudge outside with Shelly.

[BallBearingMousetrap]

I'd also point out that "cannibalism" specifically means eating a member of your own species. Killing and eating another intelligent creature would be called something different, though I can't think of what offhand.


As Euriale (yeah, I know, misspelled) pointed out, Monica is hanging out with people (using the term broadly) who do have literally monstrous amounts of power. Of course she's not exactly a wimp herself... but her powers, and her experience with them, don't tend to be something she'd lash out with unthinkingly.

On the other hand, as the brief skydiving excursion demonstrated, she too can be extremely dangerous when she wants to be.

[Fairportfan]

Given that we've already established that sphinxes consider daemons legitimate prey... Phyx is a predator, Nudge is her kill, she's entitled to eat if she wants.

However, given that Nudge is a fairly compassionate trickster daemon... and that Nudge deliberately provoked the attack ... I'm expecting Nudge to show up intact (or mostly so) and ask "Got it out of your system? Ready to talk about it?" Or this may have been entirely a fantasy sequence for Phyx, though the "yeah, you need to kill something, let me help you" scenario does seem like something Nudge would do.

Remember, we've also just seen Nudge outside with Shelly.

It's not Nudge - horns aren't nearly big enough.

[Boxilar]

Given that we've already established that sphinxes consider daemons legitimate prey... Phyx is a predator, Nudge is her kill, she's entitled to eat if she wants.

However, given that Nudge is a fairly compassionate trickster daemon... and that Nudge deliberately provoked the attack ... I'm expecting Nudge to show up intact (or mostly so) and ask "Got it out of your system? Ready to talk about it?" Or this may have been entirely a fantasy sequence for Phyx, though the "yeah, you need to kill something, let me help you" scenario does seem like something Nudge would do.

Remember, we've also just seen Nudge outside with Shelly.

Not to an ass or anything, but Senior 'Splodey Head, the critter lying on the floor decapitated, is not Nudge. It was a male ram headed Apotropaic Sphinx who had the suicidaly bad idea of insulting Phix at a time when all her friends had sense enough to leave her alone with her anger. If you look closely, you can see a horizontal bar shaped pupil in the critter's eye. Goat's and sheep have eyes like that.

Ninjaed by Fairportfan.

[Mark N]

Just FYI, but Nudge is not a demon. She is a trickster. In some mythologies this puts her in place with demigods if not gods.

[jwhouk]

What I *was* reminded of is a line from Silence of the Lambs. I wonder if Phix has a nice Chianti to go with that Apo's liver.

Don't forget the fava beans.

[BallBearingMousetrap]

OK, if not Nudge then I really don't have clue who it is. Could someone provide a pointer?

[BallBearingMousetrap]

Re Nudge not being a demon: Remember where we first encountered her? I don't think it's a clear either/or.

[scantrontb]

OK, if not Nudge then I really don't have clue who it is. Could someone provide a pointer?

you have exactly the same info as we do... make your OWN inference...

however, since her comment about "moving up" in the pecking order, then the deceased was obviously the same species as Phix is herself, just one that was slightly higher status than her (and probably male, to boot)... now that she killed him (implied gender, we're not SURE yet) it either raises her one spot, or possibly raises her to whatever spot HE HAD, before death... and if he was sufficiently high enough rank, she may end up being able to change her societies viewpoint much more easily than before, when she was low-man-on-the-totem-pole as it pertains to the "killing the human to get to the demon, but she was against it" thing... mostly due to the "might-makes-right" rule that seems to be in effect in her society, now that she's higher rank, she can start telling those lower than her on the pole to "jump" and they had better ask "how high?" while on the way up!! or they'll be "trouble"...

[lake_wrangler]

Looks like my "maybe it's a demon" theory isn't holding water...

Looks like there isn't much of him that's going to hold any water any time soon...

[Dave]

Looks like there isn't much of him that's going to hold any water any time soon...

Oh, I dunno. The use of tanned goat-hide to make water and wine flasks dates back a long way in human history.

Normally, the symmetry of vengeance would require "pouring wine from a flask made from your enemy's hide, into a drinking cup made from your enemy's skull" but in this case I don't think the skull is intact enough to allow for that. Phix hit her too hard (and, yes, Pablo just said that this particular rude apo was female).

[themadkansan]

(and, yes, Pablo just said that this particular rude apo was female).

...Where? (NOW what did I miss? )

[MrBill]

Notwithstanding the events of the past couple of days...

Shelly was working with Phix to learn how to control her temper and sphinx transformation. Shelly expresses a concern that she might 'lose it' some time and kill someone. Phix consoles Shelly with the thought that she's still partly human, and will always know right from wrong. However, Shelly loses her temper when she found that she may - or may not - have been 'set up' with Justin.

Bia then appears on the scene. Bia admits to being easily angered and stubborn. Bial tries to comfort Shelly by telling Shelly that she doesn't need to worry about losing her temper, as Shelly doesn't need to answer to anyone for *anything*. Bia then states that Shelly's time in the forest *removed* her human side, which might possibly be construed as conflicting with what Phix just told her. Bia informs Shelly that she's an immortal sphinx - Titan hybrid that will live through things that would have lesser beings begging for death. Bia then drops the bomb that Phix is Shelly's grandmother. And that Shelly is also related to Bia. Shelly does not appear to be jumping for joy during this relevation. Monica and Euryale poit in to see how Shelly is doing and meet Bia. Shelly siips (poits?) outside to ponder all this.

As the action continues inside the library, it appears that Bia isn't really all that nice of a person. Nudge then lets the cat out of the bag about Bia's relationship to Shelly, which causes Phix to express her (ahem) lack of appreciation (ahem) for Bia's actions vis-à-vis Shelly. Bia then departs the scene through an ah-hoc exit. Phix then stalks off stage, seeking some alone time.

Monica wants to console Phix, but Euryale demurrs - explaining that Phix is in what might be deemed 'a dangerous mood'. There is a brief debate between Monica and Euryale regarding the wisdom of speaking with Phix at that particular moment until Euryale's temper gets the better of her and she accidentially freezes Monica. When Euryale unfreezes Monica, Euryale reiterates her point that sphinxes, Gorgons, Titans, etc., are dangerous folk & it would be a good idea to leave Phix alone for a while. Another sphinx picks the wrong time to harp on Phix about Phix being weak. Phix's response to this jibe made clear her feelings about the matter, and she then decided to take a break for lunch.

So, what have we learned?
1. Tina has stated time and again that sphinxes are dangerous 'critters'. Of course, the opinions of prey regarding their predators may occasionally lean towards being somewhat biased, but she may have called this one right.
2. We may now know why Shelly was having such a hard time controlling her temper. Also, whatever we thought Shelly was a while back isn't what we think she is today. Tomorrow - ?
3. Bia is a new player in town who may have some issues. She's the personification of force, admittedly disfunctional, and seems to be been working towards some mysterious goal in her spare time. Oh yeah, in the past, Bia used to hang around with the ferryman to Hades. Are they still buddies? Do we care? Additionally, Bia may not be overly pleased with Phix at the moment.
4. Justin/Ephmetheus is also a Titan. From what little mythology I know and the minute amount that I actually understand, Justin/Ephmetheus may have some reasons for not particularly caring for Bia.
5. Monica may have 'leveled-up' with exercise and picked some high-tech support, but Monica-as-we-understand-her-today is involved with individuals whom are somewhat more dangerous than the smugglers she encountered during the calendar machine exploit. Of course, we know that Monica has eye- and face-lights and can poit both people and incoming projectiles, so she's not exactly the stereotypical girl next door - except possibly in the Wapsi Square neighborhood. I keep thinking that some day we'll find that Monica is more than she seems...
6. Euryale's role in all of this - outside of helping Monica chill out ('clink, clink, clink' goes the pun jar) - has yet to be clarfied. Meanwhile her sunny exterior masks an inner icy calm. (clink!)
7. Outside of Shelly inquiring as to the possibility of Brandi's potential involvement in some matchmaking, we don't know how Bud, Brandi, and/or Jin might be involved in all this. Bud may originally be from somewhere around Greece, so she's probably in. Brandi's name has come up (clink!) so she's probably in, too. Jin? No idea. While Jin's not the golem that she used to be, she's no more fragile than Monica.

Do I have a point to make? No, not really. However, the pieces are starting to appear on the board, and the plot is starting to take shape. It looks like Paul's got an interesting story up his sleeve.

As for me, it's time to pull out a bag of popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show.

-- Bill

[chibichibi01]

(and, yes, Pablo just said that this particular rude apo was female).

...Where? (NOW what did I miss? )

Yeah, i missed something here too.

[Wdot]

Looks like there isn't much of him that's going to hold any water any time soon...

Oh, I dunno. The use of tanned goat-hide to make water and wine flasks dates back a long way in human history.

Normally, the symmetry of vengeance would require "pouring wine from a flask made from your enemy's hide, into a drinking cup made from your enemy's skull" but in this case I don't think the skull is intact enough to allow for that. Phix hit her too hard (and, yes, Pablo just said that this particular rude apo was female).

That's all right, it looks like the dead sphinx can supply two very nice drinking horns to go with the wineskin made from the hide.

[Wapsi]

I had a post up in response to someone who had said they were done and fed up with my comic, yet had come back only to gripe and complain. I since deleted those posts as they were not on topic. Here is what I had written.

"Not all Apos are male. Not all sphixes without wings are male. I would've thought that it was obvious that the sphinx Phix killed was a jealous female rival. Yes, the sphinx that is dead IS female. But honestly, if I knew it would've pissed someone off who already has a bug up their butt about turning the tables on men, who have clearly had the long history of treating women the way that I show men treated in my comic, I probably would have made the sphinx male."

[Yamara]

Re Nudge not being a demon: Remember where we first encountered her? I don't think it's a clear either/or.

Well, trust her former roomies, then:

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/demigod/

Nudge is a demigod. The Tina covey would have been unable to have a functional body without her, presumably due to her powers of regeneration:

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/the-nudge/

Finally, Euryale has just confirmed Nudge is an older, generally kind being, not a timeless incorporeal psychic torturer:

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/for-a-while/

Nudge can take many forms. One of them is the form of a demon. She's that good.

[Boxilar]

I had a post up in response to someone who had said they were done and fed up with my comic, yet had come back only to gripe and complain. I since deleted those posts as they were not on topic. Here is what I had written.

"Not all Apos are male. Not all sphixes without wings are male. I would've thought that it was obvious that the sphinx Phix killed was a jealous female rival. Yes, the sphinx that is dead IS female. But honestly, if I knew it would've pissed someone off who already has a bug up their butt about turning the tables on men, who have clearly had the long history of treating women the way that I show men treated in my comic, I probably would have made the sphinx male."

I read that post earlier and stewed about it while I was out and about today doing off day errands. I had a resoponse all ready in my mind when I came back and found both posts deleted. I, like a lot of folks, just assumed Senorita 'Splody Head was male. It works either way. Stupid Sphinx is now a dead Sphinx.

[Bathorys Daughter]

I had a post up in response to someone who had said they were done and fed up with my comic, yet had come back only to gripe and complain. I since deleted those posts as they were not on topic. Here is what I had written.

"Not all Apos are male. Not all sphinxes without wings are male. I would've thought that it was obvious that the sphinx Phix killed was a jealous female rival. Yes, the sphinx that is dead IS female. But honestly, if I knew it would've pissed someone off who already has a bug up their butt about turning the tables on men, who have clearly had the long history of treating women the way that I show men treated in my comic, I probably would have made the sphinx male."

Wow, how ironic. On a couple of levels even. I guess he didn't see that post. I didn't see it either, and apparently some others in here didn't see it. Maybe if he had seen it he might not have said what he did. If he sticks to his word, he will be back with an apology. It'll be interesting to see what he has to say now, assuming he can show his face around here again after his unwarranted outbursts. I'm glad now you didn't make the "prey" male though since that would have given him justification, in his mind anyway, for what he spouted. At least I'm assuming he is male. I could be wrong about that just as I was about the Apo Phix killed. Fortunately I was not alone there so I don't feel too stupid.

Anywhattheever, thanks for the information. It's always nice to have these clarifications for future reference. Also, let me take this opportunity to thank you for the forum. I never did like to post much in the old format. I find this much better.

[Bookworm]

Frankly, I read the posts, looked away for a bit, read the posts again, and decided it wasn't even worth worrying about. However, I don't get final say on what's posted here - eets not my comic, mon.

I just get final say on code