A Few Favors 2013-06-17

[My2Cents]

From the way Bud speaks of her time in the 'Demon Realm', I suspect that it flows faster than in our dimension, because Bud had time to negotiate the favors she is going to call in. Monica is probably going to have to handle the call.

I wonder how the demons feel about a nu gui?

[zachariah]

From the way Bud speaks of her time in the 'Demon Realm', I suspect that it flows faster than in our dimension, because Bud had time to negotiate the favors she is going to call in. Monica is probably going to have to handle the call.

I wonder how the demons feel about a nu gui?

Bud spent the time there when she went to get Maya. Time is different there and she was there a lot longer than she said. Prior contacts were through Maya whom she talked to often.I doubt Monica will be needed to set the deal up. From Bud's comment the deal is already arranged.

[Sidhekin]

Where Bud told us she "was gone much longer than a few minutes": http://wapsisquare.com/comic/how-long-was-I-gone/

Incidentally, the deal mentioned on that page still does appear to have been with demons, brokered by Brandi ... just quite independent of the deal currently questioned ...

I have no idea if it's relevant, but Bud's ghostly girl image and Bia as a girl are wearing similar tiaras.
http://wapsisquare.com/comics/2006-06-0 ... member.jpg
http://wapsisquare.com/comics/2012-06-01-lost-girl.jpg.

Yeah, in the Brandilyn-and-Acacia bit that Katharine and Atsali saw before Atsali stuck a fork in the socket, Brandilyn sometimes has that glyph on her forehead and sometimes not...

Jin had visions of a similar "little girl", tiara and all: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/little-girl/

My impression was that Brandi's "newborn" would neither be walking about nor wearing a tiara, so I never connected it with those Bia-oids. With the glyph, Bia seems connected to Brandi (or SDO) as well. But SDO seems quite distinct from Bia, thinking "she is directing her energies in the wrong direction": http://wapsisquare.com/comic/a-mortal-descendant/

Ergo: Need more data.

[Timotheus]

I'd given up trying to find that one. Thanks for posting it.

[AmriloJim]

Is Brandi responsible for Windows 8?

Nah... the new GUI in Windows 8 comes from an even lower, darker circle of Hell.

(drops full set of Windows 3.11 3-1/4" install diskettes in the pun jar)

[MerchManDan]

Heh, it just occurred to me: Atsali actually has half a clue about what a nu gui is. Our lovable birdbrain gets one right. Now, if succubi are based on nu gui, THAT could explain why SD Oduya has that dangerously-sexy look to her; it wasn't merely a plot device.

Ah. Bud has a nice big wrench to drop in SD Oduya's machinery; let's just hope the Senior Director hasn't accounted for such a thing.

Or, perhaps Brandi has, and this is her plan to rid herself of the Nu Gui!

- Set a thief to catch a thief...

Hmmmmmaybe. This would depend on how much awareness the nu gui has when Brandi is in control, and vice versa. If this comic is any indication, the nu gui is still somewhat conscious while Brandi's up & running; any plans Brandi would make would be nullified, if that's the case.

Also of note: "Let he who hath understanding reckon the number of MerchManDan's posts - for it is a human number."

[Julie]

Ooo...Bud just gave me chills. LOVE her!!!

This is where I get a bit... not confused, just uneasy about what we know. Brandi knows about the deal. She knows that her alter ego does these things... isn't that kind of defeating the whole idea of a deal with the Nu Gui?

Knowing that there's a deal is different from knowing exactly what is resulting from the deal. Heck, she may even know and understand the implications of the deal without truly knowing everything that has happened and is continuing to happen as a result of the deal.

Another thing... evil is a learned trait. An infant isn't capable of evil... is it? I mean it hasn't been on earth long enough to learn evil traits. Of course if someone busted me like a bag of glass tubes with a pole, I guess I'd have a case of the ass too... Which means that somewhere along the way, Brandi imparted this sense of vengeance on this child's ghost...

I wouldn't so much call the Nu Gui evil but rather vengeful. Created by a wrong done to an innocent it strikes back at those who harmed it, or anyone else it feels like. So it is manipulating Brandi into self destructive actions and actions against others. That implies that most of SDO is the Nu Gui pulling the strings.

On the one hand, I agree with zachariah that vengeance and evil are not necessarily the same thing. Additionally, how like an immature being is it to lash out at everything in anger and frustration? It makes sense to me. That said, if you take the whole "reincarnation" approach to the spirit/soul idea (where the soul of a person/baby is fully mature before the body is), then it wouldn't matter when a person was killed for it to have had a chance to learn evil...it could have been evil already without having had a chance to grow old enough to show its true colors.

My impression was that Brandi's "newborn" would neither be walking about nor wearing a tiara, so I never connected it with those Bia-oids. With the glyph, Bia seems connected to Brandi (or SDO) as well. But SDO seems quite distinct from Bia, thinking "she is directing her energies in the wrong direction": http://wapsisquare.com/comic/a-mortal-descendant/

Ergo: Need more data.

Yeah, the "Bia" headband/tiara thing has thrown people off (me included), but now I wonder a couple of things about that. Is it possible that they are seeing Bia's image as a result of having seen Bia there when they were on their rampage as the Chimera? You know, as a kind of recognizable visual association to go with "angry-wronged-child"... The way our minds will insert the faces and features of places we recognize in our dreams when we're dreaming of places and people we've never seen or met. Another thought I had had to do with what children Brandi had been protecting. Was she protecting (as someone else theorized in another thread) the "heirs" of the matriarchical Lanthian society? If so, then why wouldn't the child haunting them appear in a tiara? She may well have been intended to inherit a position of power, so the headgear (which might not have been just Bia's, but something associated with Lanthian society) could very well be appropriate.

[Fairportfan]

That glyph also appears in the Library.

[Sphinx-Napped]

ohhh something we havent seen in a while.... face light glyph and angry bud that ready to drop a nuke on brandi.... this should be fun

/makes a super fallout bunker that can withstand a the GG team up and maybe a few other things..

my bunker is ready anyone want to join it can fit anyone and withstand bud, jin, monica and whoever else tries throws a hissy fit

[DilyV]

Here's the relevant panel, Brandi doesn't say it was with the demon realm, only that the demon realm noticed and that it was while she was under Tepoz's supervision. She doesn't say who the deal was made with. The demon part is only supposition.

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/empty-space/

Right... we've all thought that meant she made a deal with the demons... I was referring to the Wapsi Square Chronology, which clearly still states that Brandi made a deal with the demons. We're starting to see that maybe that isn't quite correct, but its been common knowledge for a long time now... wrong though it may be. Maybe it's time that the Chronology be brought up to date to reflect more recent facts and revelations?


EDIT: Okay I'm going to edit this post instead of starting another...

THIS strip: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/the-deal/ Seems to make it pretty clear that even BRANDI thought she'd made a deal with the demon realm. Could she have gone back into her memories, found the ghost of the baby and feeling it's hate and frustration thought it was a demon? Big oopsie moment for Brandi if that's what happened...

To summarize...

We thought, because of the way Brandi stated that the demon realm had noticed that her deal was with the demon realm.

Did Brandi think because the demon realm had noticed that the being that she dealt with was a demon?

For as smart as she is, Brandi does seem clueless sometimes... or maybe it's Naïveté masked as cluelessness and well taken advantage of by the Nu Gui to enact revenge on her killer and his race. That would make it not so much Brandi cutting a deal with the Nu Gui (in the guise of a demon), but the Nu Gui (in the guise of a demon) cutting a deal with Brandi and Brandi thinking it was her idea all along. You see, demons are like that.... They make you think you are getting what you want, while using you to put their own plans into motion.

[DilyV]

There is only one person who could "exorcize" a ghost from a person (or a golem).

Someone who can communicate with the dead.

(Looks at calendar) You know, we haven't seen the so-called main character of this comic strip since January 25th...

And she'll eventually be brought to bear on this problem... but I think bud is going to have a whack at fixing her friend first before calling in the heavy artillery...

EDIT: "Whack" being the operational word of course!!!

*Drops a whack-a-mole mallet in the pun jar to be on the safe side*

[NOTDilbert]

As to the 'evil infant' question....

That early, evil is too complex an idea to learn - so is language and, for that matter, bowel control. There exists only a kind of primal 'selfishness' - "I need" is about all an infant can communicate.

Now make that selfishness into something infected and festering, for over five thousand years....

Evil? Kinda hard to say - but nothing I want haunting ME.

BTW, the baby was killed when the priests came to get Brandi to incorporate her into the golem - all three GG's have had nightmares about the little girl - Jin's were particularly bad during her breakdown, taking the form of waking hallucinations (out on the frozen lake). So, the infant ghost was also incorporated into the golem and has haunted all three at various times - but the link between her and Brandi is special.

[as363]

And the back-ground music for this panel is ..

And the Shark has
Pearly teeth dear
And he(She) shows them
Pearly White...

[Dave]

Yeah, the "Bia" headband/tiara thing has thrown people off (me included), but now I wonder a couple of things about that. Is it possible that they are seeing Bia's image as a result of having seen Bia there when they were on their rampage as the Chimera?

... snip...

She may well have been intended to inherit a position of power, so the headgear (which might not have been just Bia's, but something associated with Lanthian society) could very well be appropriate.

That glyph also appears in the Library.

Yes, I agree that this glyph seems to be significant in Lanthian society, and perhaps more. The fact that Bia is wearing it, suggests that it may date back to (or have significance to) the Titans and the Elder Gods.

I have a hunch. Likely wrong, but it makes a crazy kind of sense - it ties into the mythology and religious practices of many civilizations throughout history, and could also add some explanation to the power struggle in Lanthis.

Notice that the glyph bears a striking resemblance to a stylized animal head, with horns... like a sheep or a goat or a cow. I don't think this is coincidental... it's key to the meaning that this symbol bears to those who wear or display it. It has something to do with animal sacrifice.

The practice of animal sacrifice to the Gods dates back a long, long way. It's an essential part of many religious practices throughout the world... it's sometimes seen as an empowering or respectful gift to the deity being worshiped, a bonding between deity and worshipper, and (in many traditions) actually a mark of respect and honor for the spirit of the animal being sacrificed.

Many gods seem to have desired or insisted upon it. Not just minor religions and cults, either. Animal sacrifice to יהוה (YHWH) was part of Judaism up through the end of the Second Temple period, and it survives as part of the Samaritan practices in Israel today. We can guess (within the Wapsiverse context) that it actually is important to the Gods in question.

On the other hand, there are religions which find the concept of animal sacrifice to be abhorrent, and any sacrifices are of other varieties (wine, grain, fruit, or symbolic sacrifices).

It's not a big stretch to guess that the differing attitudes of religions about animal sacrifice may (1) reflect differences of opinions among the Gods and Titans themselves, and (2) could be part of what drive religious and political schisms and conflicts within Lanthis. We know that there was an "overthrow of power" in Lanthis, where the matriarchy was deposed by the Priests, but we don't know much about the motivations and differences which led to this... perhaps this is part of why it happened.

So, the glyph that we've seen on Bia's tiara, the windows in the building in Lanthis, in the Library, and on Brandi/Oduya's forehead may be a symbol of one side or the other in this sort of religious / philosophical / traditional conflict or split... a "priesthood" mark of sorts.

I can't really guess which "side" of such a conflict would choose it as a symbol, though. The simple answer would be that it's the chosen symbol of those who perform animal sacrifices, of course. Bia seems willing enough to sacrifice others to her own plans, for that to make a crazy sort of sense.

On the other hand, it might be a symbol of the opposition - groups who choose to respect animal and their spirits as sacred, and wear the symbol of those they honor as a statement against animal sacrifice. The literal meaning of the glyph might be as simple as "POST NO BULLS".

(Drops an entire package of tofu cutlets into the Pun Jar).

[nerf-dweller]

Here's the relevant panel, Brandi doesn't say it was with the demon realm, only that the demon realm noticed and that it was while she was under Tepoz's supervision. She doesn't say who the deal was made with. The demon part is only supposition.

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/empty-space/

Look a few pages back we come to this:

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/no-idea/

That last panel read today certainly has a new interpretation. When I first read it back then, I thought Brandi was referring to her the Chimera's creation and lost of control over it. And Brandi's deal with the demon world. Now it seems to be correctly read as referring to the the Nü Gui.

[Dave]

Incidentally... I love the shift in the cloud and sky patterns Paul used in today's strip. When Bud lights up her glyph, you can almost feel the atmosphere becoming dark and tense, and hear an ominous thunder rumbling in the distance.

[kingklash]

And we may see the one thing Man and God, Good and Evil, Peanut Butter and Jelly, both fear and respect: The Random Element. You can be Crazy Prepared all you want, but you can not be fully prepared for Just Plain Crazy, because crazy sometimes works. Budsy has something hidden up her left field, and nobody said she wasn't allowed to make a few Infernal connections herself.

[nerf-dweller]

Here's the relevant panel, Brandi doesn't say it was with the demon realm, only that the demon realm noticed and that it was while she was under Tepoz's supervision. She doesn't say who the deal was made with. The demon part is only supposition.

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/empty-space/

Right... we've all thought that meant she made a deal with the demons... I was referring to the Wapsi Square Chronology, which clearly still states that Brandi made a deal with the demons. We're starting to see that maybe that isn't quite correct, but its been common knowledge for a long time now... wrong though it may be. Maybe it's time that the Chronology be brought up to date to reflect more recent facts and revelations?


EDIT: Okay I'm going to edit this post instead of starting another...

THIS strip: http://wapsisquare.com/comic/the-deal/ Seems to make it pretty clear that even BRANDI thought she'd made a deal with the demon realm. Could she have gone back into her memories, found the ghost of the baby and feeling it's hate and frustration thought it was a demon? Big oopsie moment for Brandi if that's what happened...

To summarize...

We thought, because of the way Brandi stated that the demon realm had noticed that her deal was with the demon realm.

Did Brandi think because the demon realm had noticed that the being that she dealt with was a demon?

For as smart as she is, Brandi does seem clueless sometimes... or maybe it's Naïveté masked as cluelessness and well taken advantage of by the Nu Gui to enact revenge on her killer and his race. That would make it not so much Brandi cutting a deal with the Nu Gui (in the guise of a demon), but the Nu Gui (in the guise of a demon) cutting a deal with Brandi and Brandi thinking it was her idea all along. You see, demons are like that.... They make you think you are getting what you want, while using you to put their own plans into motion.

There may be different types of demons. The personal demons (Doubt, Vanity, et. al.) are immortal and whom may be hundreds of billions years old. The Nü gui is a demon who are created and exists in the mortal realm. They may be considered a less demon by the Demon Realm.

[nerf-dweller]

Something just occurred to me. How is Bud gonna call in those favors from the Demon Realm? Monica can have her demons relay any messages. But if anything required some personal intervention... Personal demons are trapped inside of their host. Monica's doorway is sealed by the knife that is/isn't in her head. The teleportal cloth is destroyed. The who point of the Calendar Machine saga to was to make sure the doorway was closed.

Edit: I just remembered there were two doorways: Monica and Shelly. If wonder if Shelly is still doorway material?

[sheik]

I'm having trouble reconciling the chimera-blasted girl (which I had assumed to be a young but nevertheless immortal Bia) and Brandi's Shattered Infant.
The only way I can link the two with the Nu Gui is that the chimera-blasted girl was _not_ Bia and was the source of the Nu Gui, and Brandi's ongoing distress about the Shattered Infant allowed the Nu Gui to "take" Brandi once the Chimera had been dis-incorporated.
An infant simply wouldn't have the inclination for revenge, but that young girl definitely had the potential, and Brandi, as part of the Chimera, would have witnessed exactly the same incineration Jin and Bud had.
I'm waiting for some other revelation to make things a little less opaque than mud.