Odd Symbols 2013:01:30

[Jabberwonky]

Well, there's been a lot of concern over the figures as compared to the figures Shelly had. But the creepy baby looks, to me, nothing like the Lanthian relics. Plus the fact that it probably would have been mentioned if the dolls were made of compressed diamond.
Of course that may mean, should it be a Lanthian relic, that the surviving Lanthians had Miller 'disappeared'.
If it isn't a Lanthian relic, then there were six other survivors of the crash.

[jwhouk]

All right - Four of the dolls were the ones Shelly had (are they still sitting in the Temple of the Jaguar?).

The Fifth was the key that Tina had that featured "the spike".

The Sixth was apparently this little baby.

The Seventh... Was the seventh the missing vimana cell?

Or is it something that no one ever even thought was a "kachina doll", and is off in some weird corner of the universe?

Like Ireland?

Or maybe... Minneapolis?

EDIT: May of 1976... There's something about that date. If it wasn't that I didn't think M was that old, I'd swear that was when she was born.

DOUBLE EDIT: Waitaminute. Someone born in May of 1976 would have been roughly 25 years of age when the comic started in September of 2001... (eyes M shiftily)

TRIPLE EDIT: "Nightmares". That seems to confirm the Vimana Cell theory.

[Boxilar]

I'm going to hold speculation on the dolls, beyond the fact that there is a resemblance of "ancestor baby" to Kath.

Regarding Shellys brothers, Bia said that Titan/human hybrids were exceptionally strong but not immortal, and that males of Phix's species couldn't shape change. Shelly being a half Sphinx, and female, was the key to her immortality.

I still say that Katherine is more than what she knows. Still, while she was part of solving the Calander Machine problem, I get the impression she's been left out of the loop where recent events are concerned. I think Monica impressed on her how much it would hurt her carrer to reveal the connections of Lanthis to later ancient civilizations, so Katherine is looking for an adventure to point Monica at. From Senior Director Odouya's breifing of Agent Pratt, and the fact that the Vamps are now assigned to M, it seems to me they will be crossing interests quite soon.

I'm still curious how much Monica is going to tell her friends that are in the know about what she has become. For one thing, I'm sure she'll be wrestling with the ramifications for a while just as Shelly did on her return from the Time Forrest, and for another, how will they react? Monica rubbing elbows beings of Phenomonal Cosmic Power was one thing. Becoming one of those beings is something else alltogether.

At least Kevin can talk to Allen about a similar experience.

"Hi, my name is Kevin, and I sleep with a woman who can destroy the world."

"Hi, Kevin."

[jwhouk]

In archive binging, found this little nugget (after they "found" the other end of the blanket):
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/fairytale/

...And the Monsters around
Are brought by the child.

[Wyvern]

EDIT: May of 1976... There's something about that date. If it wasn't that I didn't think M was that old, I'd swear that was when she was born.

DOUBLE EDIT: Waitaminute. Someone born in May of 1976 would have been roughly 25 years of age when the comic started in September of 2001... (eyes M shiftily)

Just FYI, who it fits depends at least partly on how you want to account for webcomic time. Counting from the start of the strip, yes, that could nicely fit Monica. Counting from now? Tina.

Let the wild mass guessing continue!

[Yamara]

All right - Four of the dolls were the ones Shelly had (are they still sitting in the Temple of the Jaguar?).

The Fifth was the key that Tina had that featured "the spike".

The Sixth was apparently this little baby.

The Seventh... Was the seventh the missing vimana cell?

Or is it something that no one ever even thought was a "kachina doll", and is off in some weird corner of the universe?

Like Ireland?

Or maybe... Minneapolis?

By way of Peru?


Not certain the "Lanthian" Ritual tchotskis are the Miller kachinas, though. The tchotskis and the Key are harder than diamond, and the "Peru" kachina was flexible. Bia may have merely been... inspired. Kath is a materials expert, she'll want to know what she's looking for.

Since Tina Guzmán is probably born around 1976, the threads of the past are starting to weave together.


LIKE A SPIDER WEB

[Sphinx-Napped]

ayone gettthing inking that that doll we see on the comic today looks like one certain demon filled coffee barrister that we all know and love,,,

[jwhouk]

I KNEW someone was going to pull ol' Roy out of a hat here!

"Amanda, do you still have that voodoo doll I sold you years ago?"

"Yeah. Selenium uses it as a chew-toy. Why do you ask?"

"WHERE IS IT?????"

[jwhouk]

Anyone getting inking that that doll we see on the comic today looks like one certain demon filled coffee barista that we all know and love,,,

Actually, I'm thinking it's someone else.

[Dave]

ayone gettthing inking that that doll we see on the comic today looks like one certain demon filled coffee barrister that we all know and love,,,

I always knew that there was Something Not Quite Right about lawyers!

(Actually, there's a clear distinction to be seen. When you deal with a barista, you give him or her a big chunk of money, and receive something that's dark, bitter, and will keep you awake at night. When you deal with a lawyer, you ... um, well, if you're getting a divorce then maybe the distinction isn't quite as clear as I had thought )

[Dave]

I KNEW someone was going to pull ol' Roy out of a hat here!

"Amanda, do you still have that voodoo doll I sold you years ago?"

"Yeah. Selenium uses it as a chew-toy. Why do you ask?"

"WHERE IS IT?????"

But, is there a character in Wapsi Square who for some unknown reason always appears as if he or she has been marinating in cat saliva for the past ten years?

[Wyvern]

By way of Peru?

Not certain the "Lanthian" Ritual tchotskis are the Miller kachinas, though. The tchotskis and the Key are harder than diamond, and the "Peru" kachina was flexible. Bia may have merely been... inspired. Kath is a materials expert, she'll want to know what she's looking for.

Since Tina Guzmán is probably born around 1976, the threads of the past are starting to weave together.

Bravo! I just love a continuity callback all the way to strip #3! No, I don't believe they're connected - but I love the back-references.

And you're right not to jump to any conclusions about the two sets; we don't have any real evidence that they're linked, just the coincidence of being small figurines. Likewise the coincidence that six of the kachinas were lost about the time Tina was born - lots of people are about 36. Shelly's in her late 20s, Monica's a year or two older than Shelly, the Golem Girls look younger (but aren't); it would be odd if their social circle didn't include someone in their 30s.

[Atomic]

In archive binging, found this little nugget (after they "found" the other end of the blanket):
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/fairytale/

...And the Monsters around
Are brought by the child.

Foreshadowing Time!
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/whatsthedeal/ and the next one...
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/pickthisuplater/
"Yes, you might have to look long and hard for information on communication with the spirit world."

Guess what just got a Whole Lot Easier?

[Julie]

*casually nibbles her muffin in Confusion Corner*

This ride sounds...interesting...fun...both?

[Aleister Crow]

I like where this is going. Nice to see Kath as part of the plot, too, instead of an interlude between story arcs.

I also don't think the dolls are related the the Calendar Machine adventure. I think we're on a whole new mystery.

So I did a bit of research. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kachina

A kachina (pron.: /kəˈtʃiːnə/; also katchina or katcina; Hopi: katsina /kətˈsiːnə/, plural katsinim /kətˈsiːnɨm/) is a spirit being in western Pueblo cosmology and religious practices. The western Pueblo, Native American cultures located in the southwestern United States, include Hopi, Zuni, Tewa Village (on the Hopi Reservation), Acoma Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo. The kachina religion has spread to more eastern Pueblos, e.g. from Laguna to Isleta. The term also refers to the kachina dancers, masked members of the tribe who dress up as kachinas for religious ceremonies, and kachina dolls, wooden figures representing kachinas which are given as gifts to children.

Kachinas are spirits or personifications of things in the real world. A kachina can represent anything in the natural world or cosmos, from a revered ancestor to an element, a location, a quality, a natural phenomenon, or a concept. There are more than 400 different kachinas in Hopi and Pueblo culture. The local pantheon of kachinas varies in each pueblo community; there may be kachinas for the sun, stars, thunderstorms, wind, corn, insects, and many other concepts. Kachinas are understood as having humanlike relationships; they may have uncles, sisters, and grandmothers, and may marry and have children. Although not worshipped, each is viewed as a powerful being who, if given veneration and respect, can use their particular power for human good, bringing rainfall, healing, fertility, or protection, for example. One observer has written:

"The central theme of the kachina [religion] is the presence of life in all objects that fill the universe. Everything has an essence or a life force, and humans must interact with these or fail to survive."

Mesa Verde was home to one of the Pueblo tribes, and a place you would expect to find kachinas. The Mapimi desert on the other hand is roughly a thousand miles away, in the middle of Mexico; Pueblo territory didn't extend nearly that far. There is believed to be trade between neighboring cultures, but would that have included something integral to Pueblo beliefs?

Really makes me wonder how the dolls got there in the first place. Were they stolen and abandoned? Are they haunted (seems likely)? Evil spirits, or just someone in need of a Jaguar Girl to talk to?

Interesting coincidence- both Mapimi and Mesa Verde are located in proximity to a place called Durango.

[Yamara]

I KNEW someone was going to pull ol' Roy out of a hat here!

"Amanda, do you still have that voodoo doll I sold you years ago?"

"Yeah. Selenium uses it as a chew-toy. Why do you ask?"

"WHERE IS IT?????"

But, is there a character in Wapsi Square who for some unknown reason always appears as if he or she has been marinating in cat saliva for the past ten years?

Amanda's tidier than that. She probably tucked the doll away somewhere safe... and dark . . .

where nothing with four legs could get at it.


Sweet dreams, Mr. Miller.


Sweet dreams.

[liquidschwartz]

Pot, meet kettle.

I'm inclined to think that the doll is a representation of her. The eyes match.

[jwhouk]

I'm wondering about the seventh doll. Perhaps it is a combination of Maya and or Bia?

[DilyV]

EDIT: May of 1976... There's something about that date. If it wasn't that I didn't think M was that old, I'd swear that was when she was born.

DOUBLE EDIT: Waitaminute. Someone born in May of 1976 would have been roughly 25 years of age when the comic started in September of 2001... (eyes M shiftily)

Just FYI, who it fits depends at least partly on how you want to account for webcomic time. Counting from the start of the strip, yes, that could nicely fit Monica. Counting from now? Tina.

Let the wild mass guessing continue!

In the strip "Do the eyes" Tina's collective says that Tina's body is 36 years old. You'd have to do some time counting back to her birth date from there. To put it like the strip, "SHAZOWIE!!!"

EDIT: The age reference is actually in the strip "IN LAYERS" which is the strip before "Do the Eyes." from like mid april 2012. Skinny jeans indeed!!! WE CAN HAZ BADONKADONK!!!

[RunningBull]

I hope Katherine's only role in this new adventure isn't just to bring this info to Monica's attention.