Wapsi Square Forum

I think this is just perfect. She's just come down from the state she was in as depicted in Fallen Angel, and it is still unclear if this is before or after the full force of realization is upon her. The oft-mentioned "morning after" effect is beautifully depicted here.

I also believe as far as time passing is concerned that, being the library, this whole thing might have taken place in one overnight while much time has passed on the outside, so she also has to deal with the realization that Monica and Euryale walked in on her...

Ever wake up with the vague realization that someone might have witnessed some intoxicant-driven behavior that you'd rather they didn't? This is amplified, like, a thousandfold...

I have had mornings like this. Hell, in college most mornings were like this.

One gets too old for this after a while. I can only imagine what it must be like at her age.

txmystic wrote:I think this is just perfect. She's just come down from the state she was in as depicted in Fallen Angel, and it is still unclear if this is before or after the full force of realization is upon her. The oft-mentioned "morning after" effect is beautifully depicted here.

I also believe as far as time passing is concerned that, being the library, this whole thing might have taken place in one overnight while much time has passed on the outside, so she also has to deal with the realization that Monica and Euryale walked in on her...

Ever wake up with the vague realization that someone might have witnessed some intoxicant-driven behavior that you'd rather they didn't? This is amplified, like, a thousandfold...

And it'll get even worse once Phix realizes how badly traumatized Monica was by that (what are the odds of PTSD and screaming hysterics if she sees Phix or Shelly in sphinx form?)

I expect that she's not going to recover from this right away. there will be consequences.
The kind that usually involve her "betters" coming down on her harder than a druggie coming out of his euphoria.

Think of it like getting really wasted one night and finding out the next day that you ran your car over some kid's puppy...

... and the kid.

liquidschwartz wrote:I expect that she's not going to recover from this right away. there will be consequences.
The kind that usually involve her "betters" coming down on her harder than a druggie coming out of his euphoria.

Haven't seen any books around her yet.

What does "apo" stand for again? And how/why is Phix not one? Or is she?

EDIT: And help me figure out how Shelly, Bia and Phix are ACTUALLY related? Are they not?

so, this is going to be a moral hangover for the ages? yup, I think it is.....

she looking into pool of blood on the ground like she thinking..... Do i know you?...

starkruzr wrote:What does "apo" stand for again?

Apotropaic.

starkruzr wrote:What does "apo" stand for again? And how/why is Phix not one? Or is she?

EDIT: And help me figure out how Shelly, Bia and Phix are ACTUALLY related? Are they not?

"Apo" is short for "apotropaic sphinx", and "apotropaic" means "a ward sgainst evil". In Egyptian and Indian mythology, sphinxes were often portrayed as guardians against evil, protecting temples or other ritual sites. In the Wapsi universe, the apotropaic sphinxes defended humans against the demons... in part, by killing any human they determined to have been taken over by demons. Phix rejected the "kill them to save them" philosophy, which is why she is often referred to here as being distinct from the apos.

Relationships: at this point, it appears that Shelly is Phix's grand-daughter, by way of Phix's half-human son.

Bia at first claimed that she's one of Shelly's ancestors (great grandmother) but not her mother. However, Nudge specifically "admired" Bia by saying that she's not just an ancestor but is in fact Shelly's mother (having "become" her father's childhood friend and then marrying him) and Bia did not deny this.

So, at the moment, information suggests that Shelly is one-quarter sphinx (via Phix), one-quarter human (via whatever man Phix had an affair with) and one-half titan (direct from Bia).

Some or all of this could be wrong, of course.

Yamara wrote:Haven't seen any books around her yet.

You lost me.

liquidschwartz wrote:

Yamara wrote:Haven't seen any books around her yet.

You lost me.

That is, it's probably not the library, where there would be books?

bmonk wrote:

liquidschwartz wrote:

Yamara wrote:Haven't seen any books around her yet.

You lost me.

That is, it's probably not the library, where there would be books?

It's hard to say if there would be books around. She was somewhere in the stacks, but, looking at the area she went feral, we saw walls with some sort of reliefs and mosaics (with Bia's name on it which probably didn't help her mood at that moment), so she may be off in a corner of the area somewhere, away from the books per se.

Come to think about it, maybe she went there to punch Bia's name out of it to relive her anger and PMS-Sphinx got a redirected wallop.

Of course, it's not how many times you fall, it's how many you get back up that matters.

liquidschwartz wrote:I expect that she's not going to recover from this right away. there will be consequences.
The kind that usually involve her "betters" coming down on her harder than a druggie coming out of his euphoria.

Think of it like getting really wasted one night and finding out the next day that you ran your car over some kid's puppy...

... and the kid.

I really don't think Phix has to worry about anyone higher on the pecking order than herself.http://wapsisquare.com/comic/play-nice/ What she has to worry about is how she scared Monica. She also has to worry about losing her own "humanity." I think what Phix is telling Shelly applies to Phix herself. Phix hasn't lost her humanity completely and given into the apex preditor part of herself. I think that's why she changed into a human as frequently as she has. So while your average sphix would have no problem with what she did, I think Phix is going to have a guilty conscience about this and is going to be ashamed of herself for giving into that side of herself, even given the provocation she was. Also, she's going to still be royally P.O.ed at Bia.

I don't think Bia is going to be as awful as she is being made out to be. I think she may have had a very pressing reason for acting the way she has. Maybe the equilvalent of plunging a spike in Monica's head type reason. Just my thoughts.

From her conversations with Charon (The ferryman of the river Styx) and what she said to everyone, i think her reason for making a new Titan was a reaction to the prophesy so it would involve saving the world. If not she just wanted a child that would not die on her. So one way we can find her admirable in in intolerable way and on the other we can think of her as a selfish, self serving B**CH. Either way this ride is gonna be fun.

bmonk wrote:

liquidschwartz wrote:

Yamara wrote:Haven't seen any books around her yet.

You lost me.

That is, it's probably not the library, where there would be books?

As in, she may no longer be worthy of any of them, and they are gone.

A little note: Bia specifically said "No" when Shelly said, "mommy?" in this strip.

Bia isn't her mother. She's her maternal grandmother.

I'm pretty sure the books only disappear when someone tries to take them with 'improper' designs on them. And even if I am wrong, where would the books poof to but back to the library? So if the books somehow vanished due to Phix's behaviour, they would simply return to.. the shelves.

Right?

-

Oh, help me out here. Who or what did Phix eat?

Mark N wrote:From her conversations with Charon (The ferryman of the river Styx) and what she said to everyone, i think her reason for making a new Titan was a reaction to the prophesy so it would involve saving the world... So one way we can find her admirable in in intolerable way and on the other we can think of her as a selfish, self serving B**CH.

Saving the world, or restoring it... somehow undoing the damage (imbalance?) which was done by the Chimera. Sybil's prophesy referred to her descendent "setting the powers right".

Hmmm... could it be that the priestly rebellion in Lanthis, which led to the creation of the Chimera and the resulting devastation, was caused by some sort of power struggle among the gods and titans? Possibly some deity was backing the priests, trying to set up a theocracy which would then support and strengthen this deity? There's plenty of tradition which says or implies that gods are nourished by the worship of their followers... this could be seen in religious/spiritual terms, or as an inter-dimensional visitor seeking to set up a power base here on Earth. Bia has been described as one of Zeus's supporters and trouble-shooters... perhaps she's acting as Zeus's agent even now, trying to reverse or combat an insurrection among the Powers?

So, yes, Bia may turn out to have a worthy goal, and really terrible methods. A personification of Force would not be expected to be all that good at subtlety and sensitivity, I suppose.

She should really try to remember the lesson of Boreas, patron of winter and the north wind: the road to hail is paved with god intentions. (*clank*)