A Mortal Descendant 2013-05-28

[Dave]

Oh damn... Brandi's last line... I get the feeling that she's talking about Lily... Lily is Brandi's mortal decendent... well, WAS until she became a vampire...

Brandi's descendent, or Bia's?

As far as we know, Brandi had no children when she was alive in Lanthis... and I don't think there's been any suggestion that individual golems can reproduce.

[Timotheus]

It's a safe bet that clay statues can't reproduce genetically. Now reproduction through some form of budding may be a different story (new meaning to the term "bun in the oven").

So our first guesses are Miss Lilly in the desert with the crystal doll and Dr. Gilchrist in the conservatory with the fish bowl.

[DilyV]

It's a safe bet that clay statues can't reproduce genetically. Now reproduction through some form of budding may be a different story (new meaning to the term "bun in the oven").

So our first guesses are Miss Lilly in the desert with the crystal doll and Dr. Gilchrist in the conservatory with the fish bowl.

The Chotsky's that were used in the righting of the calendar machine were diamond... I'm thinking the Kachinas were something a little more earthy... like Clay... I think it is entirely within the realm of possibilities that Lily is a decendant of Brandy... a chip off the old block as it were...

*Drops a stick of grey modeling clay in the pun jar*

[shadowinthelight]

Lily is Brandi's mortal decendent... well, WAS until she became a vampire...

...or IS she?

Are you implying she is pulling a Nicolas Cage?

[Fairportfan]

Katharine. That might explain how she has the necessary DNA...

[dex drako]

my question is this part of Brandi trying to stop the prophecy outright or make sure the prophecy comes to pass the right way?

[jwhouk]

my question is this part of Brandi trying to stop the prophecy outright or make sure the prophecy comes to pass the right way?

Knowing Pablo, the answer is "Yes."

[chicgeek]

I was messing about, clicking the random button, and got this one from 2009.
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/uponatime/
<img src="http://wapsisquare.com/comics/2009-01-16-uponatime.gif"/>
Clicked forward a little, and got this.
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/throwingusaway/
<img src="http://wapsisquare.com/comics/2009-01-2 ... usaway.gif"/>
Am I the only one who sees hints of Brandi/Director Obduya here? And the reason they were in the new world in the first place...hmm. I need to do an archive binge one of these days!

[Dave]

I was messing about, clicking the random button, and got this one from 2009.
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/uponatime/
<img src="http://wapsisquare.com/comics/2009-01-16-uponatime.gif"/>
Clicked forward a little, and got this.
http://wapsisquare.com/comic/throwingusaway/
<img src="http://wapsisquare.com/comics/2009-01-2 ... usaway.gif"/>
Am I the only one who sees hints of Brandi/Director Obduya here? And the reason they were in the new world in the first place...hmm. I need to do an archive binge one of these days!

In the case of the first one... I wouldn't be surprised if you're right.

We know that Brandi tried (with some success) to pass information and plans from one time-loop to the next, by way of the book that she wrote and (if I recall correctly) by having the book stored in the Library so it wouldn't be lost in the time reset. By this means, she was able to try various strategies for interrupting the time loop, and advise the "her" in the next loop of what had and hadn't worked in the past.

I don't think it's ever been clear just which aspect of Brandi was making these plans and writing the information in the book... at the time we learned about the time loop and the book, the Brandi/Oduya personality split wasn't really apparent in the storyline.

Looking back at it in retrospect now, it does feel as if her Oduya personality was more likely the one doing the scheming and writing.

As to whether the Senior-Director-to-be played a role in the GGs being sent to the New World in the first place... I'm not sure we know enough to know whether that's plausible. It seems unlikely to me that Oduya could have had an influential role of any sort before Tepoz was given charge of the GGs and separated them out into three true individuals once again... and we don't know how much time elapsed between then, and the move to the New World.

If the GGs spent a significant amount of time working with/for the Lanthian survivors (the Lakhenaten group in their undersea habitat, I think it was?) before being taken to the New World, then Oduya might have had both the time and the opportunity to have influenced (or even set up) this move, I suppose.

[Fairportfan]

I don't think it's ever been clear just which aspect of Brandi was making these plans and writing the information in the book... at the time we learned about the time loop and the book, the Brandi/Oduya personality split wasn't really apparent in the storyline.

Looking back at it in retrospect now, it does feel as if her Oduya personality was more likely the one doing the scheming and writing.

Considering that one of the most important things in it was "Bud, don't tell me what I wrote here"...

[Wyvern]

Considering that one of the most important things in it was "Bud, don't tell me what I wrote here"...

That's far from conclusive; Jin was the only one of the Golem Girls to keep her memories through the Calendar Machine resets. The point was that present-Brandi had to carry through with past-Brandi's scheme without too many second thoughts at the moment. Good point, though.

There's no reason to believe that she was always thinking the same way when she wrote in the book, either.

[My2Cents]

EDIT: Also, if I recall correctly, Bia DID get an immortal heir in Shelley. Is this whole thing just a cat fight between Bia and Brandy?

Nope, Shelley is mortal. http://wapsisquare.com/comic/yes-and-no/

[Dave]

I don't think it's ever been clear just which aspect of Brandi was making these plans and writing the information in the book... at the time we learned about the time loop and the book, the Brandi/Oduya personality split wasn't really apparent in the storyline.

Looking back at it in retrospect now, it does feel as if her Oduya personality was more likely the one doing the scheming and writing.

Considering that one of the most important things in it was "Bud, don't tell me what I wrote here"...

Good point. Seems as if Oduya is an Equal Opportunity Chessmaster, willing to manipulate her(future)self along with everyone else, in order to achieve the commonly-desired goal.

[shadowinthelight]

EDIT: Also, if I recall correctly, Bia DID get an immortal heir in Shelley. Is this whole thing just a cat fight between Bia and Brandy?

Nope, Shelley is mortal. http://wapsisquare.com/comic/yes-and-no/

Inconclusive. Shelly didn't know she was part titan yet so she might be wrong.

[Timotheus]

Shelly has three brothers too (I think), also half Titan, 1/4 sphinx, 1/4 human.

[Sidhekin]

Seven older brothers, actually. If we believe the cast page: http://wapsisquare.com/about/attachment ... -wahnee-2/

"Shelly was the last child of eight and has seven older brothers"

We've been told that "male human-sphinx hybrids of Phix's species can't morph", but yes, there are seven half-titan, quarter-sphinx, quarter-comanches presumably running about unaware of their momma and grandma's respective natures.

I'm more intrigued by the question of what her father knows of his mother, but if Paul ever wants to mess things up a bit (er, more), he sure has seven mighty pawns up his sleeve!

[jwhouk]

I'm starting to think that Jin wasn't the only one who had ulterior motives in becoming part of the Chimera.

[Julie]

Since no one else seems to have linked the more relevant pages ...

• Brandi "didn't know that" Shelly's a sphinx: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/best-plan/
• Bia explains "where sphinxes come in": http://wapsisquare.com/comic/where-you-come-from/

So, Brandi's view of Bia's directing has gone from "wrong direction" to "that plan was best"?

Did Bia actually surprise Brandi?

I'm inclined to think that the Brandi who didn't know that Shelly was a sphinx wasn't the Senior Director...and since we "know" that at least one of Brandi's personalities is not aware of everything that the second personality knows...well it's certainly possible that Senior Director Oduya was very aware of Shelly's nature and still thinks that it's not the "best" solution to the prophecy Bia heard.

EDIT: Also, if I recall correctly, Bia DID get an immortal heir in Shelley. Is this whole thing just a cat fight between Bia and Brandy?

Nope, Shelley is mortal. http://wapsisquare.com/comic/yes-and-no/

Inconclusive. Shelly didn't know she was part titan yet so she might be wrong.

I think it's not so "inconclusive" at this point...not after what Shelly learned from Bia.

[Sidhekin]

Now, yes, but when Shelly said she'd "only live as long as any human", she still didn't know momma dearest was a titan. That she thought herself mortal when unaware of her own half-titan nature, is, as shadowinthelight writes, inconclusive.

And I'm inclined to believe that the Brandi who said she didn't know that Shelly was a sphinx, was if not the chessmaster herself, then at least aware of the chessmaster, telling Monica about "what they created that day", about her deal with the demon world, about how she could come up with a plan that would end up with someone cutting out their own tongue, about how she doesn't like who she is when she thinks too much ...

The combined shock of Jin's mortality and her fear that the vimana cell had been removed from the world grid, had shook Brandi. After declaring "that plan was best", she goes on to describe how she thought of people as "more like chess pieces". And how she got herself back by becoming a pedestrian. She was in a different state of mind than usual, and seemingly much more aware. She seemed to know she could have prevented Shelly's stay in the time forest. She seemed to know Tina and Monica would be dead if she did. If we assume the Senior Director was aware of Shelly's nature, why should that fact be hidden from Brandi, while she was aware of so many other facts and plans relevant to Shelly? Does that make sense?

[Yamara]

Now, yes, but when Shelly said she'd "only live as long as any human", she still didn't know momma dearest was a titan. That she thought herself mortal when unaware of her own half-titan nature, is, as shadowinthelight writes, inconclusive.

As Julie pointed out, Shelly has been told she's immortal. When she's surprised with news that she's been played (Justin's butt slap, Phix revealing Justin's true identity, Bia telling her she's never returning to mortality) --Shelly loses control over her morphing. I suspect Shelly actually knew more about Bia than she let on, since she isn't there for Nudge's reveal in the Library, but is casually talking about it with Bud later.

Shelly probably learned about her ancestry from Nudge while in the Time Forest. Later, she had forgotten everyone, as well a part-human might after 80k years. But those were just some secrets to keep, until her memory returned, and she would remember how important they were.

So while Shelly was surprised that Justin is Epimetheus, she was not surprised Bia was her mom. She was confused at first by Bia's lies, and then disappointed and ashamed of her mother, because Shelly already knew that much of the truth.

Oh, and Shelly was surprised that she wasn't mortal. Because she had figured out, over 80k years, that a mortal would fulfill the prophecy. So that's why she's so casual with Monica while she's dying repeatedly: Monica is the mortal descendant.





Similarly... but very very differently... Brandi is keeping secrets from herself.

And I'm inclined to believe that the Brandi who said she didn't know that Shelly was a sphinx, was if not the chessmaster herself, then at least aware of the chessmaster, telling Monica about "what they created that day", about her deal with the demon world, about how she could come up with a plan that would end up with someone cutting out their own tongue, about how she doesn't like who she is when she thinks too much ...

The combined shock of Jin's mortality and her fear that the vimana cell had been removed from the world grid, had shook Brandi. After declaring "that plan was best", she goes on to describe how she thought of people as "more like chess pieces". And how she got herself back by becoming a pedestrian. She was in a different state of mind than usual, and seemingly much more aware. She seemed to know she could have prevented Shelly's stay in the time forest. She seemed to know Tina and Monica would be dead if she did. If we assume the Senior Director was aware of Shelly's nature, why should that fact be hidden from Brandi, while she was aware of so many other facts and plans relevant to Shelly? Does that make sense?

In chess, the players themselves are not on the board, but they are symbolized by the king. The object is not to capture the opponent's king, but to get the king into a position where it cannot avoid capture. Or to convince the opponent to resign. In any case, it is the only piece that is handled exclusively by its player.

The chessmaster has never gone away. In any given scene, we have no way of being certain whether Brandi is being the genuinely sweet Brandilyn, a Brandi suspicious of herself... or the Chessmaster pretending to be the sweetie.

Bud knows, though. And who knows how much she's shared with Shelly.

And probably Jin hasn't been fooled either.

They've mostly just let her handle herself.