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Post by zimmyzims on Sept 18, 2013 21:00:18 GMT
Well, it is pretty 100% certainly a hymenopteran, but seen that there are quite many hymenopteran species that do not fall under any of the families you mentioned, you have not yet counted out all possibilities bar wasp. Hm, actually I have a certain degree of certitude that all hymenopterans *do* fall within those four "groups"; if you can call them this way; there are two suborders, one for sawflies, one for everything else, and within this latter suborder, bees and ants are just a few families within the superfamilies apoida and vespoida, respectively, with more families both inside and outside these two superfamilies that consist of wasps, wasps, wasps everywhere aaah--- sorry, about that; there are few individual things that are called neither "wasp", "ant", "bees" or "sawfly", such as the fairyflies, but they nonetheless belong to the same groups, and in fact fairyflies are often just called fairy wasps, and are considered a kind of chalcid wasp. Firstly, you talk about two big suborders, one for sawflies, horntails and parasitic wood wasps, the other for ants, bees and wasps. And then there's the artificial family of mixed 'parasitica'. Chalcid wasps are in this family, aren't they? There are a plenty of species there that are neither waps, bees, ants nor sawflies. Even if in some categorisations you may see parasitica dumped in the same category with wasps and bees and such, they nevertheless are not what we understand by wasps and are functionally very different. You cannot simply deduce that if a creature you see is neither bee, wasp, ant nor sawfly, it is not a hymenopteran, because the hymenopteran consist very importantly also of these creatures. Like this:  And this:  |
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Post by Mezzaphor on Sept 18, 2013 21:57:46 GMT
Did you know that ants descended from wasps? I thought it was crazy that tiny, mostly harmless ants evolved from the most wretched, horrible, evil repugnant insects on this world. Harmless? Ants? Ants have already conquered the world. They just let us humans think we're in charge because it amuses them. |
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Rafael
Full Member
Cute and spunky
Posts: 202
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Post by Rafael on Sept 18, 2013 22:46:45 GMT
Aw, COME ON!
I was so excited about it. Stupid glowy wasp thing.
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Post by TBeholder on Sept 18, 2013 23:17:09 GMT
Or: position of the Forest Medium has its privileges.  |
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Post by Georgie L on Sept 18, 2013 23:33:29 GMT
I just thought, hetty was not pointless but a foreshadowing character to show that possibly evil animal spirits exist that aren't gifted it by Coyote.
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Post by Daedalus on Sept 19, 2013 2:25:10 GMT
Ehh, Hetty will forever remain an irritation to me. I mean, she had Renard's powers to a T: possessing inanimate objects, have a symbol to illustrate binding, inability to disobey an owner directly, etc. If she did not get that power from Coyote, where would they come from? Is this a common power to see in the forest, under exactly the same rules? Doesn't make much sense, that.
Only thing that I can think of that fits in that context is that she could copy powers from others, but that's WAY too far-fetched to consider, methinks.
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Post by Stately Buff Cookie on Sept 19, 2013 8:03:43 GMT
For the sake of discussion, let's assume this is an arranged test by Coyote and Ys. Since if it's not, there's not really anything to discuss for where I'm going. So just play along.
What is the proper solution to this test as given by the test givers? Is it to see if Annie will pull the trigger and burn mother fuckers burn? Maybe it's to see if she can really keep her calm "lets talk this out" image in the face of something that quite possibly wants to stab her and lay eggs in her body so the children may eat their way out and infest the court when she pops like a ripe tomato on her way back. Maybe the test is to just see which way she goes with it?
If I were in Annie's position, I would have already volcanoed the damn thing. Which I think might be the wrong choice here.
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Post by sidhekin on Sept 19, 2013 11:30:58 GMT
Recalling the reactions Annie and Kat had to Ketrak, I don't think Annie has much of a kill-the-damned-bug instinct.
I expect her to treat it much like the others that have tried to trick, use, and/or kill her ...
...
... they'll be best of friends before we know it, right?
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Post by AluK on Sept 19, 2013 12:13:24 GMT
Looks like a Paper Wasp, to me, from the genus Polistes - either a Gallicus or a Dominula, but I'm leaning more towards the Gallicus. Tom obviously took some liberties with the shape of the antennae and tarsi, but it's fairly recognizable anyway.
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Post by TBeholder on Sept 19, 2013 12:43:34 GMT
I expect her to treat it much like the others that have tried to trick, use, and/or kill her ... ... ... they'll be best of friends before we know it, right? .  There's something funny in her pose and phrase in the first panel, though. As if she thought about suddenly imitating Red and saying "Liar, liar, pants on fire!". Of course, given the situation, she may just as well end up quoting this and proposing to "bargain down from it". |
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Post by arf on Sept 19, 2013 12:55:41 GMT
Waspy things aside, I've only just noticed that Annie's makeup doesn't carry over into the aether. (not in this sequence, anyway)
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Post by Ophel on Sept 19, 2013 14:07:52 GMT
Sadly, that, too, is very, very possible. So the rest of the comic we see Annie being eaten alive by the wasps offspring; somehow I don't think so. But I think she failed a test needing Coyotes help to see the thing for what it is. Well... that's not exactly what I meant. What I wanted to say was that the intention of the wasp feeding on Annie is entirely possible. Whether it happens or not is a different matter. For the sake of discussion, let's assume this is an arranged test by Coyote and Ys. Since if it's not, there's not really anything to discuss for where I'm going. So just play along. What is the proper solution to this test as given by the test givers? Is it to see if Annie will pull the trigger and burn mother fuckers burn? Maybe it's to see if she can really keep her calm "lets talk this out" image in the face of something that quite possibly wants to stab her and lay eggs in her body so the children may eat their way out and infest the court when she pops like a ripe tomato on her way back. Maybe the test is to just see which way she goes with it? If I were in Annie's position, I would have already volcanoed the damn thing. Which I think might be the wrong choice here. My thought is that this could simply be a test examining Annie's ability to see through deception. With the possibility of having to deal with Coyote more closely than she could have as a Court medium, I imagine having greater grips at lie detection would be something of a perquisite. Or at least... you know... for Annie's own self-preservation. Having to work with trickster deities, I think, is no simple job. Going with what Smitty can do though, he should be fine in theory. Still, I worry about how he goes about working with Coyote. Um, anywho, talking about self-preservasion, it could also be a test to see how well she helps herself in life-threatening situations such as this. Coercing the monster to not feed on her is not something that I would expect out of this supposed test, but then I don't know how Coyote or/and Ys work in setting tests. I can imagine, but Coyote is a bit chaotic to predict. Also, can't we all agree that it's a hymenopteran? Maybe it's not meant to be any specific species and is just a generalized wasp. Also this. Since it's a spirit, it may be more logical that it is not, or does not try to attempt to be, a specific real-life wasp, but a wasp designed for fear. Though not so horrible as to be like those eldritch abominations. |
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Post by Stately Buff Cookie on Sept 19, 2013 14:53:26 GMT
That's a good point. It could be a pure and simple test of wit. Perhaps I'm too caught up on Ys claiming they're making this little trip to make her 'stronger'. His definition of it being somewhat vague.
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Post by Ophel on Sept 19, 2013 15:06:41 GMT
That's a good point. It could be a pure and simple test of wit. Perhaps I'm too caught up on Ys claiming they're making this little trip to make her 'stronger'. His definition of it being somewhat vague. But that does not mean you are wrong in thinking so, either, I think. Ys being vague with "stronger" may imply whole-rounded strength, if that makes sense, as in strength in quite a few things which pertain to not just combat, but also wit, a little bit of strategy maybe, and also in coercion. Basically anything that would be useful to a Medium of the Forest. I mean, we still don't know what being a forest medium means or what they need to do, so maybe this chapter might divulge in that, going by its title. That's what I'm hoping for, at least. |
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Post by Per on Sept 19, 2013 16:35:21 GMT
Spirit bees no, but Spirit ants, yes. Spirit ants. Spants. If that wasp were predisposed toward wearing pants Spirit pants. Spants. |
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Post by The Anarch on Sept 19, 2013 17:12:04 GMT
Spant spants?
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Post by GK Sierra on Sept 19, 2013 18:58:16 GMT
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Post by xylemphloem on Sept 19, 2013 19:18:03 GMT
As much as this setup does have a Coyote air about it, I'm thinking the idea of "testing" itself is more something the court would do, not the forest. Testing implies that you care about teaching something, or care enough about the learner to assess their abilities. I think Coyote is more self-centered than that. He does things to get his way, not to see if someone is smart/capable/wise. He could be having fun at Annie's expense, or trying to get her to think a certain way, or even innoculating her (pun intended) against certain ideas that could eventually hurt him, but I don't think he would be interested in assessment for assessment's sake. Same for Y -- if you're not capable, the forest is going to eat you. Tough tooties. No need for him to assess or predict if someone is likely to be eaten or not. They both may teach, in their own ways, but they are not the types to set up a tough scenario and then step out of the shadows saying, "you have done well, grasshopper."
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Post by Daedalus on Sept 19, 2013 23:55:16 GMT
I don't know, Coyote has kind of done this kind of lesson way back in Chapter 26: he puts her in danger, then rescues her, just to prove a point. People have argued he would have done the same thing in Chapter 39, if Eglamore had not intervened. Either way, if we accept the postulate that Coyote's crazy, comical incompetency is at least partially a mask, it becomes perfectly possible that he manipulated her into this situation, and is about to step out of the shadows. He is a trickster god, after all. However, I'm still voting that the wasp (or whatever it is) gets barbecued by Annie. Flame on! |
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Post by Mezzaphor on Sept 20, 2013 5:22:12 GMT
Spirit bees no, but Spirit ants, yes. Spirit ants. Spants. Ether, ether, what hast thou donst? Bless you, spirit ants. Blspants. |
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Post by arf on Sept 20, 2013 6:59:13 GMT
Were Ms. Carver to endure an infestation of spirit ants, they would be the Anne's Spants!
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Post by zimmyzims on Sept 20, 2013 7:42:48 GMT
Looks like a Paper Wasp, to me, from the genus Polistes - either a Gallicus or a Dominula, but I'm leaning more towards the Gallicus. Tom obviously took some liberties with the shape of the antennae and tarsi, but it's fairly recognizable anyway. To me it looks like spider-hunting wasp, but then again, I know awfully little about hymenopteran. The main reason I think it is a wasp is that I don't know a hymenopteran that would look more like that. But it is also the reason why I am uncertain: because there is a plenty of hymenopteran that I do not know while I know many of them have looks similar to wasps. What do you make of the extra projections it has in its rear-end? I do not reckon wasps having that stuff, and they remind me of some types of parasitic hymenopteran that lay eggs inside other insects or maybe sometimes inside half fire-elementals. ...and now for today's page.... what will happen to Annie, and will Coyote jump out of the bushes... oh the suspense. ...okay, by now, little matter what it was, it is mash. |
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Post by philman on Sept 20, 2013 8:29:21 GMT
Ether, ether, what hast thou donst? Bless you, spirit ants. Blspants. I remember the night floating at my door chitinous, small and black I observed you in awe 'cause I like you, my friend I respect you, my friend I'll encourage you, my friend through and through Hey now little ants, I hope we understand one another. Hey now little ants, show me what to do (little ants!) |
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Post by quinkgirl on Sept 28, 2013 1:00:23 GMT
Ether, ether, what hast thou donst? Bless you, spirit ants. Blspants. I remember the night floating at my door chitinous, small and black I observed you in awe 'cause I like you, my friend I respect you, my friend I'll encourage you, my friend through and through Hey now little ants, I hope we understand one another. Hey now little ants, show me what to do (little ants!) Did you make this up? I don't really understand it, but it sounds interesting. Uh... Blspants? That sounds like some sort of new type of pants |
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Post by Mezzaphor on Sept 28, 2013 9:31:55 GMT
I remember the night floating at my door chitinous, small and black I observed you in awe 'cause I like you, my friend I respect you, my friend I'll encourage you, my friend through and through Hey now little ants, I hope we understand one another. Hey now little ants, show me what to do (little ants!) Did you make this up? I don't really understand it, but it sounds interesting. Uh... Blspants? That sounds like some sort of new type of pants :D It's from the British TV series Look Around You, a parody of 70s science documentaries. The whole first series used to be up on youtube, but it seems to have been taken down now that it's available on DVD. Per and I were riffing on a scene from the "Water" episode, and Philman was riffing on the song "Little Mouse" from the "Music" episode. |
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