How Far Is Too Far For Crisis?

Zoekin wrote:

I have actually asked Karbo this question.........

In the EXTREMELY unlikely event of a very young child running around in Felarya should run into Crisis then it's definately on the menu. Please don't hold this against Crisis. She is a predator and must do what she can to survive.

I should point out that Crisis would face stiff oposition from both Anna and Katrika if such a rare event should come to pass. I certainly won't write it.

Katrika-"And I'm not the only predator out there with a soft spot for children either. Sophie the mermaid and Ryla the Naga/Siren both refuse to gulp down kids too!"

Markie-"And I keep an eye out for this advent too. You mortals have my word on that!"

Okay and what happens if the humans cook up Crisis' hypothetical baby naga to make a statement? Or a naga's entire egg nest is blown to kingdom come?

Humans would absolutely certainly go after the babies to prevent future generations of predators. They do it to each other.

(Oh and Rin might also oppose Crisis on that.)

Actually, I find it likely that if humans encountered an infant predator, they might actually try to get on its good side in order to enforce the notion that humans aren't bad.

If you kill it, it MIGHT work, or you might piss off people in high places. But if you befriend them, you suddenly have a powerful ally.

GREGOLE wrote:

Actually, I find it likely that if humans encountered an infant predator, they might actually try to get on its good side in order to enforce the notion that humans aren't bad.

If you kill it, it MIGHT work, or you might piss off people in high places. But if you befriend them, you suddenly have a powerful ally.

You would have two opposing camps there.

One group would, if the parents are alive, try to make an example of it and then try to kill the parents to send a message to the rest. The proverbial dead giant naga on a spike, and all that. This group would be the ones whose family members got eaten by a giant Naga. You would also see this in retaliation for a giant Naga attack on a village.

On the other hand, you have the Miratans, or whoever befriended Rin. Proof of concept exists in that she's never eaten a human. But I will say this, I would not want to be within range of Rin's shadow if she marches off to war with the Miratans against another city, or if I'm taking down Terra with a wire-guided RPG into her ear when she forgets herself and decides to eat a human for some reason. Rin's track record does not guarantee her future behavior. If I were a Miratan in her combat unit I don't care what her mentality is - I would grow eyes in the back of my head and wear a very large detpack.



Oh and on a side note, there's no reason why an accomplished giant Naga hunter, for instance, would not want to make snakeskin boots out of a giant naga kill.

I would certainly prefer to befriend a baby predator than kill it but that's just me. Especially a race as intelligent and beautiful as nagas.

You never know when the favour may be returned. I'm betting even a hungry Crisis would draw the line at eating someone who was a parent to a baby naga. It would really confuse her if nothing else if a young naga came racing out of the underbrush, grabbed hold of the human she was trying to swallow and screamed "Daddy!"


But once again-that's just me.

Katrika-"As for the boots-BAD IDEA!"

Zoekin wrote:

I would certainly prefer to befriend a baby predator than kill it but that's just me. Especially a race as intelligent and beautiful as nagas.

You never know when the favour may be returned. I'm betting even a hungry Crisis would draw the line at eating someone who was a parent to a baby naga. It would really confuse her if nothing else if a young naga came racing out of the underbrush, grabbed hold of the human she was trying to swallow and screamed "Daddy!"

But once again-that's just me.

You can't deny that benefit. My preference depends on the situation. Baby nagas are not within the realm of ethics any more than our kids are in the realm of theirs. The choice to save a baby naga would be purely based on utilitarian issues.

Quote :

Katrika-"As for the boots-BAD IDEA!"

Of course it's a bad idea - that would enrage a naga who saw someone wearing it and the naga happened to recognize what she was looking at. That's why you'd have to be the baddest naga hunter since Godzilla, to survive long doing that. I'm sure no town short of the Miratans would let you wear those boots around there, and with Rin around they might not.

The Mongols hung heads on pikes to enrage - or scare - other hostiles and those who would not bow to their greatness.

But yeah, humans do that kind of thing all the time. Trophies are a prized thing with us.

All good points. However I think choosing to spare a naga in my case would be an emotional decision too.

As for Katrika-well her sister was slain to become boots so she takes it a little more personally.

Silent_eric wrote:

I'd think Vivian wouldn't mind. If the child is old enough to be 'hypnotized' by her, she'll probably eat them. I also think Anko, Menyssan, and Drayla would eat kids too. And several of the fairies. And definately Violet. So Zoekin does have a character who would eat young 'uns too. ^^

Actually no not Violet, she actually enjoys being a story teller to young childern, Erica on the other hand is a little less... well yeah.

Zoekin wrote:

All good points. However I think choosing to spare a naga in my case would be an emotional decision too.

As for Katrika-well her sister was slain to become boots so she takes it a little more personally.

Ah, she was, eh? I did not know that. Of course Katrika, being a man-eating beast, is a bit hypocritical about that. She is very sadistic when she eats people. She's a good reason why people would utterly burn with hatred for Nagas even if she spares children or nursing mothers. If Crisis is the Joker card in the naga deck of most-wanted cards, I'd say Katrika is an ace of hearts.

Moonlight-pendent wrote:

Silent_eric wrote:

I'd think Vivian wouldn't mind. If the child is old enough to be 'hypnotized' by her, she'll probably eat them. I also think Anko, Menyssan, and Drayla would eat kids too. And several of the fairies. And definately Violet. So Zoekin does have a character who would eat young 'uns too. ^^

Actually no not Violet, she actually enjoys being a story teller to young childern, Erica on the other hand is a little less... well yeah.

Gah! Mixed up my V names. ^^; ... I meant to say Velvet. The giant slug girl. She eats young slug girls, so why not young humans and nekos?

GREGOLE wrote:

Actually, I find it likely that if humans encountered an infant predator, they might actually try to get on its good side in order to enforce the notion that humans aren't bad.
If you kill it, it MIGHT work, or you might piss off people in high places. But if you befriend them, you suddenly have a powerful ally.

I find that a mite bit less likely. I think the first thought that would enter most adventurers minds if they found a sleeping helpless naga with no sign of their parents around, they will at least think of hurting it. Or another scenario, a young naga is running from a larger predator, most adventurers would not interfere. Why put yourself in danger for one of them?

Most adventurers don't have the luxary of sitting back as we do and understanding how predators think. In fact, many still think of nagas as dumb giant animals. By the time they are proved wrong, they usually don't have time to regret it.

Raevolution : I find your tone a bit agressive and provocative in general... I'll be grateful if you tone it down to keep discussions nice and healthy ^^;

Well, I'd say it would be most advantageous to save any helpless creature you find in the forest. They always help out in the end.

For example, I'm sure the fairies are happy they saved Crisis during her youth. Thanks to them, she's playful, kind, and takes alot after them in cheerful stride. And where they could've made a terrible enemy, they instead made a wonderful friend.

If you were to save a baby naga, she'd do the same. And they'd make great company.

But it's more of an ethical thing with me.

Pendragon wrote:

Well, I'd say it would be most advantageous to save any helpless creature you find in the forest. They always help out in the end.

For example, I'm sure the fairies are happy they saved Crisis during her youth. Thanks to them, she's playful, kind, and takes alot after them in cheerful stride. And where they could've made a terrible enemy, they instead made a wonderful friend.

If you were to save a baby naga, she'd do the same. And they'd make great company.

But it's more of an ethical thing with me.

Of course we'd think that because we're not being hunted down and eaten. The average Felarya adventurer (or just average person) probably wouldn't be thinking about the advantages to raising a baby Naga. He or she would probably be thinking about any potential family members that they lost to a Naga or any other predator which would bring up anger and heartache and they'd probably take that anger out on said baby Naga.

All good points.

But taking that into consideration, some would think of using that against the nagas. Instead of killing the baby naga, they could go as far as to raise it as their own, then train it to mercilessly kill other nagas. That would be revenge on the most ironic scale.

In fact, that sounds like a story idea... hmm...

*runs off*

Daimo wrote:

Of course we'd think that because we're not being hunted down and eaten. The average Felarya adventurer (or just average person) probably wouldn't be thinking about the advantages to raising a baby Naga. He or she would probably be thinking about any potential family members that they lost to a Naga or any other predator which would bring up anger and heartache and they'd probably take that anger out on said baby Naga.

Be close of your friend and even closer of your ennemy

It's true that many people would look to kill a baby naga - but the problem is that whenever I see this in Felarya fiction, that's ALWAYS what they're out to do.
The thing is, humans are just that: human. They're complex creatures and I find it more than likely that a signifigant portion of the times a human or human group runs into a baby naga, they would probably try to stay on its good side.

We're not simple-minded animals who instantly assiosciate a naga with evil, regardless of its age. In fact, I think encountering an infant is one of the surest ways to see nagas as genuinely human creatures.

Humans MAY try to kill any infant predators they run accross, but it's just as likely that they'll want to raise it as their own, or at least have a problem with killing such a helpless, clearly human creature.

Bottom line, this delves back into one of my greatest pet peeves in the Felaryan fiction community: De-humanization of humans.


For the record, I don't buy into any of this "she's not human so she doesn't have human morals" rubbish. Nagas = humans with tails. Period. Any implication that they believe that humans aren't people is, in my book, as bad as religious teachings and need to be exterminated as quickly and absurdely as possible.

I'm very sorry that you feel that way GREGOLE. It's the unique nature of naga's and the other predators of Felarya that makes them so very attractive to me. I love the way Crisis keeps me guessing all the time as to what is going on in that pretty blond head of hers.

I doesn't see them as part-human. I see them as people in their own right with their own view of the world and where everyone fits into it.

I do agree that humans need more respect in Felarya. They are more than meals walking around waiting to be eaten. (Anko strongly objected to that view point!!)

I don't expect nagas to act like humans. That's one of the reasons I like them so much.

Zoekin wrote:

I'm very sorry that you feel that way GREGOLE. It's the unique nature of naga's and the other predators of Felarya that makes them so very attractive to me. I love the way Crisis keeps me guessing all the time as to what is going on in that pretty blond head of hers.

I doesn't see them as part-human. I see them as people in their own right with their own view of the world and where everyone fits into it.

I do agree that humans need more respect in Felarya. They are more than meals walking around waiting to be eaten. (Anko strongly objected to that view point!!)

I don't expect nagas to act like humans. That's one of the reasons I like them so much.

You got a point. Assuming we got a human who raised himself in the wild (Not Felarya wild, ordinary wild) since his birth, I doubt he will act the same as a civilized human. Predators have the sentience, sapience, and self-awareness of humans, but they simply don't grow in the same conditions as humans. Of course, there ARE exceptions.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just feel that it isn't fair to judge Crisis by our standards. I don't think that Crisis is a monster. She just sees the world in a very different way than the rest of us and that's one of the things I love about her character.

Katrika-"Um-I feel I should point out that Zoekin is a VERY forgiving character and -um-how shall I put this-FOND of anything with scales!"

Quote :

I don't think that Crisis is a monster.

I'm a firm believer that she is a monster.

A monster is defined as "A mysterious beast".

Nagas are definitely mysterious and so far as I know, have yet to be classified. Their anthropovorous tendencies definitely render them "beastly" enough to fall under that lable.

Of course, I'm also a firm believer that being a monster isn't, in any way, a bad thing.
Gamera's a monster, aint he?

yeah, I gotta go with the whole "Crisis is a monster" opinion too. although to be fair, a lot more interesting and a lot more pleasing on the eyes than your average monster. but I'd imagine your opinion of a monster depends a lot on whether they consider you a person or a snack.

GREGOLE wrote:

Quote :

I don't think that Crisis is a monster.

I'm a firm believer that she is a monster.

A monster is defined as "A mysterious beast".

Nagas are definitely mysterious and so far as I know, have yet to be classified. Their anthropovorous tendencies definitely render them "beastly" enough to fall under that lable.

Of course, I'm also a firm believer that being a monster isn't, in any way, a bad thing.
Gamera's a monster, aint he?

I believe there is many definitions of the word monster:

wiktionary wrote:

Noun
Singular
monster
Plural
monsters


monster (plural monsters)

1. A terrifying and dangerous creature.
2. A bizarre or whimsical creature.
The children decided Grover was a cuddly monster.
3. An extremely antisocial person, especially a criminal.
4. (figuratively) A badly behaved child.
Sit still, you little monster!
5. (bodybuilding): A bodybuilder of exceptionally large weight and proportions, typically weighing more than 135 kilos (300 lbs).

Zoekin meant the 3rd definition.

Quote :

1. A terrifying and dangerous creature.

Wrongzorz.

By that definition, a lion, a tiger, a bear, a crocodile, a cobra, a komodo dragon, a brown recluse, a fat-tailed scorpion and a T-rex are all monsters.

They are not.

"Mysterious beast" is the one I'm going with.

It's wiktionary, I simply quoted what it said, so it must be right.

Actually, they are according from someone's percpective. A kid who sees a lion up close for the first time will think it's a monster. It's all a question of percpective.

Quote :

It's wiktionary, I simply quoted what it said, so it must be right.

Well, I just proved it wrong, so obviously me > wiktionary.

Remember that, ALL OF YOU!

GREGOLE wrote:

Quote :

It's wiktionary, I simply quoted what it said, so it must be right.

Well, I just proved it wrong, so obviously me > wiktionary.

Remember that, ALL OF YOU!

*dies laughing* No, you're not. It's all a question of context those definitions are used. Zoekin meant the word monster in the context of someone who intentionally means harm.