Feeling BetterqnjonesFebruary 14 2006, 00:11:14 UTC
I had an inspiration this morning for a Liz storyline, so I'm interested in playing her again.
Liz has finished reading her cat psychology books. Now Liz and Shiimsa have a very close mental connection. The problem is, cats turn out to truly be evil. In this case, Shiimsa's secret cat name is Angra Mainyu, which is the name in the Zoroastrian religion for the personification of evil.
As you can see from the posting, Liz is aware that Shiimsa is able to "influence" her to do things. She thinks this is just because she is so smart about how cats think now that she can read Shiimsa's mind. She doesn't know that all those "guides for stupid people" have unlocked Liz's mind to become Shiimsa's plaything. Liz just thinks they are playing a funny joke with the Angra Mainyu posts.
Also, Shiimsa's valentine for Paul: at Shiimsa's request, Liz dyed Shiimsa's fur bright red with Kool-Aid. When Paul arrives tomorrow, he is going to find a demonic little red furball with a white lace collar waiting for him. Liz thinks this is a very sweet little surprise. But Paul is deeply disturbed by it (red = the devil), which is what Shiimsa actually intends.
It is Shiimsa's true nature to be evil, but it is a sociopathic sort of evil--she can cover it up when she wants to.
Re: Feeling BetterhowtheduckFebruary 14 2006, 05:42:06 UTC
My first thought is: You must not be a cat person (or maybe you are and despite that believe cats are evil).:)
My second thought is: I like the idea a lot. It stretches the Shiimsa - Liz relationship to an extreme which is an excellent method of snarking, particularly since the strip and the monthly letters have made such a big deal about how Liz can't handle her cat, how it is important that Paul likes her cat, and of course the crucial ingredient -- Liz has a cat because Elly doesn't.
My third thought is: I don't know if red=devil in Ojibway lore, but I suppose it does not matter. No one will know the difference. The Ojibway word that translates to devil/satan (maji-manidoo) just means evil spirit. There is a legend of a river cat demon that I may play on with the Ojibway shaman. However, I envision the shaman as being part exorcist / part Dr. Phil / part those pet psychology shows on TV.
Re: Feeling BetterqnjonesFebruary 14 2006, 06:34:45 UTC
Ha! I am very much a cat person. I have two cats, Oedipuss Rex and Cosmic Creepers. I love them to pieces, but I recognize that if cats were people, at least 95% of them would be sociopaths. My cats are adorable, and they love me to pieces, but they are also naughty little rascals. And C.C. is downright evil to everyone but me and Rex.
I don't think it matters if there is the concept of the devil in Ojibwe. If there is an idea for "evil," that's all we need. Also, despite her location, Shiimsa apparently has Parsee/Zoroastrian roots. Perhaps she was a Parsee reincarnated as a cat? Who knows.
I think the resolution I expect is something along the lines of: Shiimsa is kind of evil, and Liz knows it, but loves her anyway. Which is true of many cat lovers, including myself.
Re: Feeling BetterhowtheduckFebruary 14 2006, 07:44:49 UTC
Ah, self snark. That is the best kind of snark. I agree it doesn't matter about the concept of the devil in Ojibwe, however, I have a particular obsession over these kinds of things (as I hope you know from my Icelandic wedding research), so if I can find one that fits what we are doing, then I will try to sneak it in.
Re: Feeling BetterhowtheduckFebruary 16 2006, 03:06:01 UTC
Just a suggestion for how to end this sequence, if you haven't already thought of a way. Jesse Mukwa wants to be a shaman when he grows up and has a connection with Shiimsa from the very beginning. He could be a player in Shiimsa's exorcism. What do you think?
Re: Feeling BetterqnjonesFebruary 16 2006, 04:52:07 UTC
Well, here's the thing: I want this to be Shiimsa's true personality. Maybe Jesse the little shaman-in-training ("sh.i.t.") could help Shiimsa get in touch with the nicer aspects of her personality. Kind of like anger management therapy.
Re: Feeling BetterhowtheduckFebruary 16 2006, 05:13:53 UTC
It's a good idea. I like the "Angra Mainyu" posts from Liz. They are very funny. However, anger management may be just what little Shiimsa needs to blend funny Angra Mainyu with the cuddly cat aspect of Shiimsa which is also in the strip.
Re: Feeling BetterqnjonesFebruary 16 2006, 08:58:07 UTC
I am modeling Shiimsa/Angra Mainyu after the cat our family had when we were growing up. We called her Tickle, but she was a total badass. She could be cute and playful and even sweet sometimes...but like all good sociopaths, her bottom like was that acting sweet was just about 1) her whims and 2) getting what she wanted out of people. She could charm the pants off you one minute, and the next minute, she'd rip your face off. She once stopped in the middle of torturing a baby bunny to death to "make cute" to me to try to get something I had that she wanted. She's making this cute face at me, but she had a baby bunny held down under one paw, twitching and jerking, big hunks bit out of it, blood gushing out of the wounds. Totally psycho if she were a person, but typical for a cat.
My current cat C.C. is the same way, only the lite version. She purrs and makes nice until my parents put food in her bowl. Then she hisses at them if they try to come near her.
That's sort of how I envision Shiimsa. I see Jesse teaching her things like "love thy neighbor" and "turn the other cheek," but it's clear she doesn't take them to heart--she's just doing what she's told. That sort of thing.
Re: Feeling BetterqnjonesFebruary 16 2006, 20:34:14 UTC
Yeah, she's just not getting it yet, is she? :)
I think we will have Jesse say explicitly that cats are like this--that they like to project a tough persona and take a tough sounding "secret cat name."
Liz has finished reading her cat psychology books. Now Liz and Shiimsa have a very close mental connection. The problem is, cats turn out to truly be evil. In this case, Shiimsa's secret cat name is Angra Mainyu, which is the name in the Zoroastrian religion for the personification of evil.
As you can see from the posting, Liz is aware that Shiimsa is able to "influence" her to do things. She thinks this is just because she is so smart about how cats think now that she can read Shiimsa's mind. She doesn't know that all those "guides for stupid people" have unlocked Liz's mind to become Shiimsa's plaything. Liz just thinks they are playing a funny joke with the Angra Mainyu posts.
Also, Shiimsa's valentine for Paul: at Shiimsa's request, Liz dyed Shiimsa's fur bright red with Kool-Aid. When Paul arrives tomorrow, he is going to find a demonic little red furball with a white lace collar waiting for him. Liz thinks this is a very sweet little surprise. But Paul is deeply disturbed by it (red = the devil), which is what Shiimsa actually intends.
It is Shiimsa's true nature to be evil, but it is a sociopathic sort of evil--she can cover it up when she wants to.
What do you think?
Reply
My second thought is: I like the idea a lot. It stretches the Shiimsa - Liz relationship to an extreme which is an excellent method of snarking, particularly since the strip and the monthly letters have made such a big deal about how Liz can't handle her cat, how it is important that Paul likes her cat, and of course the crucial ingredient -- Liz has a cat because Elly doesn't.
My third thought is: I don't know if red=devil in Ojibway lore, but I suppose it does not matter. No one will know the difference. The Ojibway word that translates to devil/satan (maji-manidoo) just means evil spirit. There is a legend of a river cat demon that I may play on with the Ojibway shaman. However, I envision the shaman as being part exorcist / part Dr. Phil / part those pet psychology shows on TV.
Reply
I don't think it matters if there is the concept of the devil in Ojibwe. If there is an idea for "evil," that's all we need. Also, despite her location, Shiimsa apparently has Parsee/Zoroastrian roots. Perhaps she was a Parsee reincarnated as a cat? Who knows.
I think the resolution I expect is something along the lines of: Shiimsa is kind of evil, and Liz knows it, but loves her anyway. Which is true of many cat lovers, including myself.
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I love the Jesse idea!
What do you think?
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My current cat C.C. is the same way, only the lite version. She purrs and makes nice until my parents put food in her bowl. Then she hisses at them if they try to come near her.
That's sort of how I envision Shiimsa. I see Jesse teaching her things like "love thy neighbor" and "turn the other cheek," but it's clear she doesn't take them to heart--she's just doing what she's told. That sort of thing.
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I think we will have Jesse say explicitly that cats are like this--that they like to project a tough persona and take a tough sounding "secret cat name."
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OK. Paul is clueless, but I can have Howard claim he has a Mtigwaki connection and launch Jesse into action. Does that sound good?
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