Pecking Order 2012-08-14

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Julie
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Julie »

themadkansan wrote:
Fairportfan wrote:
themadkansan wrote:...not unless the human male in question was powerful enough to bind her in some fashion - don't know of any that would even come close to it; I think the 'f$#!ed' reference was more colloquial than literal, calling her weak for being taken advantage of.
Phix seems to have been somewhat submissive in the past.
...I highly doubt that she would be that submissive to a mere human trying to force themselves on her - from what we've seen, she's usually the one who does the stalking - albeit politely. :mrgreen:
Rape isn't only performed by men on women. That's just the most common version that people hear (and others don't accept the rape of men as real because they can't imagine a woman overpowering a man and getting him to perform).
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The Old Wolf
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by The Old Wolf »

I have long wanted to see Phix do what Sphinges do. She's an awesome being - wise, caring, and kind - but she's always seemed a bit out of character with the teacup and all. It does my heart good to know that, after all, she doesn't deny her true nature. This strip just keeps getting better and better.
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Julie
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Julie »

DNTME wrote:Just a quick post before being banned.

As I predicted (it's so easy to predict), when it comes to gory killing taking place in the comic (in the current time period), it would be of males by a female. Actually, come to think of it, the only really gory killings shown before were of males by a female. Apparently Paul has planned this for some time by making the Apos as the guardians (male sphinxes). No doubt further gory killings will follow this pattern. I would not be surprised to see the mass slaughter of males coming along just any time now. This is also typical of the mindset. Yes, I know, the demons who were "taken care of" were females, but you'll notice none of that was shown, as it is here. We don't even know for certain they are dead (and eaten). As usual, that was not made clear.

Now, if I'm wrong and the Apos are also females (or this one, at least, happened to be a female), then I'll be happy to eat crow and apologize. I'm pretty sure, however, that won't be necessary.
It's possible that there are females among the apos...but Fairportfan has produced sufficient evidence for me to accept that this critter was male. For your concerns about the "mindset" of this comic, well...while we haven't seen the gory murder of women by women or men, we have seen some brief glimpses of the torture that some women endured at the hands of men. If you then remember that the girls being tortured (the GGGs) were then killed (except Jin, who committed suicide to try and break the control of the priests), hopefully you'll see past your concerns and grasp that this is just a comic with mature content (and a kick ass story). Trying to assign a slant or an agenda to the whole thing beyond telling a great tale is reading waaaay too much into things.
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Julie »

Bathorys Daughter wrote:Oh good lord, she's cannibalistic too? She eats other sentient beings after she murders them? This has just gone from gory and disgusting to loathsome and sickening. I don't believe it was ever confirmed she actually ate demons, just killed them. The sphinx life may be brutal, but are there no laws governing their conduct towards one another, just as there are towards demons?
There may be laws governing their interactions, but those laws may endorse violence against another in order to "promote" themselves in the sphinx hierarchy. While it would be great to think that all sentient beings are civil towards each other and put laws in place to protect the population from unnecessary violence (even from peers), it's a tad unrealistic to think that all species and all worlds would evolve with that kind of mindset. Boxliar had a great reference point for this concept:
Boxilar wrote:Klingon Promotion in full effect.
Some races/species may just develop with a more militaristic or brutal society where death at the hands of another is embraced and celebrated so long as it is carried out within specified norms (be it ritualistic dualing for honor or advancement by epic punch). While I seriously doubt that Paul would endorse or promote this kind of behavior among humans, Phix isn't human, and isn't subject to our standards of right/wrong or acceptable/gross.
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Julie »

The Old Wolf wrote:I have long wanted to see Phix do what Sphinges do. She's an awesome being - wise, caring, and kind - but she's always seemed a bit out of character with the teacup and all. It does my heart good to know that, after all, she doesn't deny her true nature. This strip just keeps getting better and better.
Well now I just feel cheap for being excited that "we got to see her be badass." Your reason for liking this strip was so much deeper than mine. :P

(EDIT: Sorry for the multiple posts in a row! I wanted to respond to multiple conversations, but not as one mega-post.)
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by TheDOCTOR »

Hard to imagine Alex Kingston saying Phixs' lines in this one. All I can think of is John Cleese saying the infamous line ...."in a White wine sauce with shallots smothered in garlic." ;)
Sorry, Pythons warped my mind ,I'm afraid. Well,looks like everyones said it all except...Phix should save a few strands of hair from the tail for when shes finished. You know, for FLOSSING? :lol:
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by MrFireDragon »

wow....ok..... anyone up for a barbecue? I'll have a good'ole hot dog thank you....
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by TlalocW »

Anyone else just incredibly turned on by today's strip?

Just kidding.

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Mark N
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Mark N »

TlalocW wrote:Anyone else just incredibly turned on by today's strip?

Just kidding.

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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Atomic »

zachariah wrote:Yeaa Phix! A one punch lunch! So does she ask for a doggy bag if she can't finish it all?
Guess this counts as a power lunch.

<clink>

On the various posters who are suggesting Phix was raped or othewise forced to breed with a human (thus creating Shelly's father), I vote no. More likely, given Phix's overall desire to "First, do no harm" toward humans (re: her revulsion over killing in demon hunting, etc), is she actually fell in love with one of the Library visitors who passed her challenge. Perhaps he was an interesting character, returning on occasion to honestly explore the library's wealth of knowledge, and bring home what he could use to better serve his people.

A young Merlin, perhaps?
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Dave »

TheDOCTOR wrote:Hard to imagine Alex Kingston saying Phixs' lines in this one. All I can think of is John Cleese saying the infamous line ...."in a White wine sauce with shallots smothered in garlic."
The apo taunted Phix... he was trying to "get her goat".
He succeeded, and she "got her goat".

Be careful what you try to achieve. You might succeed... and the Universe has a thesaurus with a weird sense of humor.

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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Hmmmm... the laws of the feral seem quite disgusting to us 'civilized' humans, eh? Just remember that as a species, WE define 'brutal' and 'inhumane' far better than creatures of 'less intellect'- I assure you, I have seen what 'civilized man' is capable of and it makes this look like child's play.
Meanwhile... Apos Sphinx? Does one use traditional butter and garlic or should we try five spice and terriake?
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by bmonk »

NOTDilbert wrote:Oh, come on! NO ONE has made a 'splitting headache' joke yet?
I didn't think of that one. I was more thinking of "She moves up the pecking order; it's natural to feel peckish."

[drops in the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked.]
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by The Old Wolf »

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.
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by kingklash »

You're supposed to serve Punch after you eat. With cake or cookies.
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Dave »

Sgt. Howard wrote:Apos Sphinx? Does one use traditional butter and garlic or should we try five spice and teriyaki?
Hmmm. Predator meat. Likely to be lean and tough, and probably somewhat gamey. Probably should be cut thin, and then marinated overnight to tenderize it... maybe a bit of papaya in the marinade. Garlic and black pepper, and then grill over hardwood charcoal?

This conversation does seem to be getting rather surreal... but, after all, Wapsi Square is all about "a little slice of the supernatural" :P

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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Bookworm »

Well, it was a rather cutting discussion, with blunt emphasis.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Yamara »

TheDOCTOR wrote:Hard to imagine Alex Kingston saying Phixs' lines in this one.
So do you think Phix's speech is slipping more into a Cockney, or more into a Doric accent? Being distracted by all that delicious meat, and all.
Dave wrote:Well, we've heard sphinxes described as the apex predators of the paranormal. I guess we're seeing why they have that reputation. ...

Hadn't foreseen cannibalism, either. Grisly, and gristly.
Greek mythology is pretty much a charnel Chik-fil-a. But Paul has been building to this for some time. I especially like the wall-of-skulls motif. First we're like, "uh oh-- wall of skulls". And then after Shelly's punch we're all, "ha! it was just wall-of-skulls wallpaper! cuuute!" And now it's, "oh right that's why Phix likes wall-of-skulls wallpaper."

Sgt. Howard wrote:Hmmmm... the laws of the feral seem quite disgusting to us 'civilized' humans, eh? Just remember that as a species, WE define 'brutal' and 'inhumane' far better than creatures of 'less intellect'- I assure you, I have seen what 'civilized man' is capable of and it makes this look like child's play.
zachariah wrote:To really upset people, a lot of people practice ritual cannibalism requalily when taking the bread and wine in church. They symbolize the body and blood of christ you know.
Here's a cookie, pumpkin.

Sgt. Howard wrote:Meanwhile... Apos Sphinx? Does one use traditional butter and garlic or should we try five spice and terriake?
Eating the idiot raw does seem overly dramatic, especially since she's so conversational about it.

Maybe she should ask a close friend if he or she knows any recipes. . .

Yeah. Paul has been taking his time to reveal this. But it's been in the mix for a very long time:


http://wapsisquare.com/comic/verydangerous/


^That's the closing of a loooong Monday that included Bud's nightmare of Bia.

Bon appetit.
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by bmonk »

Yamara wrote:
Dave wrote:Well, we've heard sphinxes described as the apex predators of the paranormal. I guess we're seeing why they have that reputation. ...

Hadn't foreseen cannibalism, either. Grisly, and gristly.
Greek mythology is pretty much a charnel Chik-fil-a. But Paul has been building to this for some time. I especially like the wall-of-skulls motif. First we're like, "uh oh-- wall of skulls". And then after Shelly's punch we're all, "ha! it was just wall-of-skulls wallpaper! cuuute!" And now it's, "oh right that's why Phix likes wall-of-skulls wallpaper."
So now it's just her trophy rack, or maybe her leftover storage rack?
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Re: Pecking Order 2012-08-14

Post by Yamara »

bmonk wrote:
Yamara wrote:
Dave wrote:Well, we've heard sphinxes described as the apex predators of the paranormal. I guess we're seeing why they have that reputation. ...

Hadn't foreseen cannibalism, either. Grisly, and gristly.
Greek mythology is pretty much a charnel Chik-fil-a. But Paul has been building to this for some time. I especially like the wall-of-skulls motif. First we're like, "uh oh-- wall of skulls". And then after Shelly's punch we're all, "ha! it was just wall-of-skulls wallpaper! cuuute!" And now it's, "oh right that's why Phix likes wall-of-skulls wallpaper."
So now it's just her trophy rack, or maybe her leftover storage rack?
I think it's like putting a photo of an obese person on your fridge in order to keep to your diet.
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