Predats And Bevies 2016-04-20

[lake_wrangler]

What's a "bevy"?

"Predat", obviously. But what's the derivation of "bevie"?

AFP, you need to correct the date on the thread title...

[AnotherFairportfan]

While we're seeing things from one point of view, Katherine wasn't terribly different from an outraged mother that didn't like that her daughter was around people who like their own gender. Something tells me we won't see that sort of connection though.

I'd say it was rather the opposite - "Oh, no! My daughter just killed one opponent and mauled two more!"

Not so much what might happen to Atsali - rather what Atsali might lose control and do.

And THEN what might happen to Atsali.

And, if they're playing non-para teams, what might happen to the whole para community.

The same sort of thing that Phix was tearing Monica and Shelly several new orifices each over.

[Graybeard]

Re the predat/bevy thing: One thing I don't get is when, and why, Wapsi Square started doing thematic crossovers with "Kevin and Kell."

[FreeFlier]

EDIT: No one noticed that we all were posting... IN DA FYU-CHA!!!!????

100 years, to be precise... Will Wapsi Square still be going on strong, by then? How many generations of characters will have passed, at that point?

Ninety years, actually . . . 2106-2016 = 90



--FreeFlier

[eee]

Ah. That sheds some light of Coach Adler's behavior. Since she - who I assume is a predator - doesn't tear her husband apart (sexual matters aside), she assumes others will have similar restraint, and everyone needs to learn to live together. Which is great, until you run into someone who can't or won't control themselves, and people get hurt...

(This also explains why she focused on Atsali. 'Sali could well be the poster child for 'Predator restraining their natural tendencies'. Most of the time, that is.)

[Atomic]

"Giving in to instincts and tearing someone to pieces," you say?

As my parents (often) reminded me -- Control yourself, otherwise everyone will control you!

[Skywatcher68]

Contains Zootopia spoiler. Skip if you're waiting for Netflix.

Ah. That sheds some light of Coach Adler's behavior. Since she - who I assume is a predator - doesn't tear her husband apart (sexual matters aside), she assumes others will have similar restraint, and everyone needs to learn to live together. Which is great, until you run into someone who can't or won't control themselves, and people get hurt...

(This also explains why she focused on Atsali. 'Sali could well be the poster child for 'Predator restraining their natural tendencies'. Most of the time, that is.)

:penny drops:

Ah! Adler has been trying to pull a reverse Bellwether.

[Dave]

Realistically in a modern age nobody is eating anybody else in the para community. Sphinxes are... well I've not seen any except for Phix and Shelly and something tells me Shelly has a fridge stocked with meat.

You don't become a modernized civilization without having more reliable sources of food than "You made me mad, so I'll eat you."

The daily practice may be to have beef and lamb from the local butcher, rather than go out and run down a Faun from the local flock ...

... but the instincts and the "old culture" are still very much in play, at least among the sphinxes.

We've seen Phix literally knock the head off of Medeia, a Sphinx who had taunted her... and, being hungry, Phix ate her body. The sight of this shocked Monica into near-catatonia.

When Shelly formally joined Sphinx society as a guardian, another Sphinx challenged her right to do so. We don't see the incident, but it was apparent from what both Phix and Shelly said to others that Shelly killed her challenger, and that Shelly and Phix ate the body... a nice family dinner, Sphinx-style.

I suspect the same is true of other para predators. They have developed societies that can coexist mostly-peacefully with others, and they have sublimated their predatory instincts to a large degree, but the instincts are still there and can be awakened/triggered by the right circumstances. Once triggered, the "killer instinct" might have to play itself out... it might not be something that the predator could get back under control quickly.

That seems to be exactly the concern Kath and others have about Atsali. She's a lovely, pleasant person most of the time... but if her "killer mode" is triggered she could kill someone in an instant and might not be able to stop herself from doing so. We know she has a "combat mode" and we know she can instinctively kick hard enough to decapitate when startled... she does have the capability to kill in an instant.

Remember what happened when Justin snuck up behind Shelly and spanked her on the butt. In a flash, she half-morphed, slashed a big punching bag into ribbons, and half-disemboweled the man she loves... all before she realized what she was doing. If he hadn't been a paranormal self-healer he might have been dead a few minutes later; at the very least he would have needed serious surgery to survive.

That's the sort of incident that the "no paras in contact sports" rule is there to avoid.

[meisdadoo]

A bevy is one of those group words: troop, gaggle, pride, flock... That sort of thing.

I don't know what it might be in this context, though...

In this context the term "Bevie" is obviously a singular member of a "bevy", which appears to be the general classification given to non-predators.

In the human world, non-predators tend to gather into groups for self preservation and protection from the predators, making it much harder to catch and eat the stronger members most suitable for reproducing strong offspring, the old, weak, and diseased are easier to catch. Some bevy species will form circles around their young (like the Musk Ox) others will feign injuries and lead the predators away from the nest (like quail). Schools of fish on the other hand tend to have the strongest ones at the center and they push the small and the weak to the outer edges.

In the human world, most bears are omnivores and wont catch and kill unless they are really hungry (polar bears, being the exceptions due to the lack of berries and picnic baskets in the Arctic--although, they will raid the trash cans and become a nuisance if you let them). So I'm not sure what group Nadette would be in, as bears don't travel in herds/schools/flocks, neither are they known for their hunting skills. More of a scavenger/forager, so there's that.

[Dave]

So I'm not sure what group Nadette would be in, as bears don't travel in herds/schools/flocks, neither are they known for their hunting skills. More of a scavenger/forager, so there's that.

Being sort of in the middle, diet-wise, the bear-folk might be the "centrists" and diplomats of the para world.

That could leave them subject to bribery, though. We have yet to see Nadette and Berdine be truly tested... it could turn out that pick-a-nic baskets are their kryptonite.

[meisdadoo]

It also seems the the queen b and her entourage are all predators.

Well, most are predators in this story. I am not sure just exactly what Devyn is . . . more like a skunk or a porcupine than a hunter. Not known for attacking, but taunting one is a really bad idea . . .

In the Human world, most school "Queen bees" and their entourages, tend to act like predators, seeing everyone outside their group as fair game for their amusement. (throws a copy of the fish and game regulations into the pun jar)

[meisdadoo]

well it may be 'nice' to rip someone apart, but then there is the murder inquiry, the jail sentence, etc, etc....
(and I guess Mrs. Adler was 'high' on something - "hey she was going to equalize, we needed that score!!! " )

To say nothing about ruining the reputation of the school, and even the whole sport... every time a boxer gets a really bad injury, calls are made to ban it, etc...

Yeah, about that. Pretty sure the rules are different for paranormal on paranormal--they sure as hell aren't going to human court.
Based on what has happened to adult paras throughout the story-line, it seems that the only real rules are do not provoke a predator bigger than yourself lest you be eaten; and "Don't let the normal general public know that you exist". Everything else seems to be more of a guideline . . .while the MIB cover up and hide the evidence.

And if Mrs. Adler was "high" on anything, it would have been the rush of adrenaline (and other endorphins) that makes predators so dangerous when in the hunt and kill mode

The amazing thing to me was how fast and far she backed down when faced with Katherine in her "Angry mama bear" mode.

[AnotherFairportfan]

The amazing thing to me was how fast and far she backed down when faced with Katherine in her "Angry mama bear" mode.

Katherine has A Rep.

... and Friends.

[AnotherFairportfan]

I suspect the same is true of other para predators. They have developed societies that can coexist mostly-peacefully with others, and they have sublimated their predatory instincts to a large degree, but the instincts are still there and can be awakened/triggered by the right circumstances. Once triggered, the "killer instinct" might have to play itself out... it might not be something that the predator could get back under control quickly.

That seems to be exactly the concern Kath and others have about Atsali. She's a lovely, pleasant person most of the time... but if her "killer mode" is triggered she could kill someone in an instant and might not be able to stop herself from doing so. We know she has a "combat mode" and we know she can instinctively kick hard enough to decapitate when startled... she does have the capability to kill in an instant.

Have you seen Zootopia?

[GlytchMeister]

Re: Polar Bears: they scavenge too, I think. I believe I saw a tv nature documentary where a bunch of polar bears were eating a beached whale carcass or something like that.

[Thor]

I suspect the same is true of other para predators. They have developed societies that can coexist mostly-peacefully with others, and they have sublimated their predatory instincts to a large degree, but the instincts are still there and can be awakened/triggered by the right circumstances. Once triggered, the "killer instinct" might have to play itself out... it might not be something that the predator could get back under control quickly.

That seems to be exactly the concern Kath and others have about Atsali. She's a lovely, pleasant person most of the time... but if her "killer mode" is triggered she could kill someone in an instant and might not be able to stop herself from doing so. We know she has a "combat mode" and we know she can instinctively kick hard enough to decapitate when startled... she does have the capability to kill in an instant.

Have you seen Zootopia?

Some of us don't see movies until they are out on Blu-ray and/or streaming, because theaters have become expensive venues with uncomfortable chairs and overpriced foods filled with children who can't stop discussing the movie at the top of their voices and adults who can't put their phones down for two consecutive seconds.

The spoiler avoidance can be tricky at times, but it's not impossible. I still remain unspoiled on almost everything about The Force Awakens, and that's a major cultural touchstone.

[GlytchMeister]

Some of us don't see movies until they are out on Blu-ray and/or streaming, because theaters have become expensive venues with uncomfortable chairs and overpriced foods filled with children who can't stop discussing the movie at the top of their voices and adults who can't put their phones down for two consecutive seconds.

The spoiler avoidance can be tricky at times, but it's not impossible. I still remain unspoiled on almost everything about The Force Awakens, and that's a major cultural touchstone.

For once, Thor, I agree with you wholeheartedly.

If I ever go to a movie theater, it's a matinée, I bring my own food, on an off day when almost nobody else is there... And someone else bought the tickets.

[AnotherFairportfan]

I go once or twice a month, i guess - not nearly as often as i did when i was working third or second shift and living near a ten-auditorium $1.50 second-run theatre...

Zootopia was one that i decided to take the girls (and their mother, because i was pretty sure that the theatre wouldn't let me bring my whip and chair...) to.

The girls and i pay the same for tickets - they're kids and i'm apparently considered to be in my second childhood - and we hit a matinée so Helen did, too. The girls know better than to expect any food or drinks at the movies.

[jeffepp]

Re: Polar Bears: they scavenge too, I think. I believe I saw a tv nature documentary where a bunch of polar bears were eating a beached whale carcass or something like that.

All top predators scavenge. Hunting is a hit and miss thing, with risks of injury. But, if you are big and scary enough, you can chase smaller predators off their kills, without a fight.

[GlytchMeister]

I kinda thought at least some predators wouldn't eat something they didn't kill in case it might make them sick.

Not sure though. What you say makes all kinds of sense.