Pibgorn by Brooke McEldowney

Tags: No love like a demons no rejection like a fairys, Its not you its me, We can still be friends. Add Tags

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Sisyphos said, 8 months ago

Oh, excellent! I was afraid it wouldn’t be up until morning….

Is Pib “letting him down easy”?
Fairportfan said, 8 months ago

Poor Pib.

Okay, let’s look at this:

Unless the Master plans to change the name of the strip, Pib stays.

If Dru believes that Geoff loves Pib as much as she loves him, thewn she’s not going to take him, even if Pib hogties him naked on the bed and leaves them alone together - in fact, she’s already not taken him once for much those reasons; she wants him to love her genuinely, as she loves him.

The strip needs Geoff, because it needs someone to represent the (more or less) normal human viewpoint, so it’s unlikely he’s going to be written out.

And no matter whether Dru’s love for Geoff dwarfs Pib’s, Pib does love him, and if she gives him up, what will she do and where will she go? (I don’t think that Pib could do the equivalent of what Dru has been doing all these years.)

So i suspect the next arc is going to (at least partly) be Dru, Geoff and Pib adjusting to this new knowledge on Pib and Geoff’s part.

Fasten your seat belts - it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Sisyphos said, 8 months ago

That extreme close-up in panel 4 is great! How blue Pibby’s eyes are!
Fairportfan said, 8 months ago

Yay! It’s up!
txmystic said, 8 months ago

Holy Schnitt! We have always found that Dru’s propensity for love was to be at the very least an “issue” given her standing as a fully-functioning member of the demon contingent hell-bent (pun intended) on earthly armageddon, but to learn that it was more intense and all-encompassing to make Pib doubt her own depth—wow.

I wonder if that is the real reason Dru is collapsed in yesterday’s edition—despair intensified by her new mojo…I wonder what Pib is going to do next!

I’m off to the hot tub with some Stoli/Cranberry (old school tonight)—I’ve left some mocha truffles and some imported Brie de Meaux with some crusty bread for snacking…wake me if I start to slouch…
Sisyphos said, 8 months ago

“Things are not the same for us now.”
txmystic said, 8 months ago

Sisyphos says:

That extreme close-up in panel 4 is great! How blue Pibby’s eyes are!

Looks more like teal on my minotaur…

GoodNightNow!
Fairportfan said, 8 months ago

Fascinating. The first comment i posted tonight was posted when none were there. It was, for a while, the only post.

Now it’s after the one i did after it.

And the time listed for its posting is, in fact, one minute after the time i saw on my computer clock (which is synched to the Naval Observatory or similar time standard) when i was checking the time the post shows…

They definitely have a problem with time hacks…
Bender_Sastre said, 8 months ago

Read through “Drusilla’s Daughter”.

Have one thing to say:

http://picayune.uclick.com/comics/pib/2004/pib040103.gif

Damn! If I ever run into a woman from the 20’s, brought to our time by some time warp piano, dressed like that, I will drop the hypothetical $5,000,000,000 in my hands and do her absolute whimsical bidding.
Fairportfan said, 8 months ago

I’ll go with teal, or maybe something greener than that for Pib’s eyes in Panel 4 - does it bother anyone that apparently her irises are black and her pupils are blue/green?
ejcapulet said, 8 months ago

An 800+ year-old succubus has more ability to feel anything. And it’s not how Pib feels about Geoff that makes things the way they are - it’s Geoff’s love for Pib.
Captain Smokeblower said, 8 months ago

Wow, Dru loves Geoff, Geoff loves Pib and Pib harsh buzzer sound “Wrong answer.” Is there a word for “Love triangle missing a vertex”?
I’m not sure Pib is letting Geoff down so much as she’s disappointed in herself – she can’t love as strongly as a succubus.
Sisyphos said, 8 months ago

In a way, one has to feel sorry for poor Geoff. He’s just a church-organist, swept up into all this otherworldly romance and adventure, batted back and forth between lusty succubus and ingenuous fairy, loved by both, trapped in the middle, none of it his doing. And both the ladies are sympathetic characters, each in her own distinctive way. Anything he does will seem wrong. Anything he does will hurt someone who loves him. What’s a guy to do?
Fairportfan said, 8 months ago
Incidentally - fom an online dictionary:

espalier
(noun)
1. A tree or shrub that is trained to grow in a flat plane against a wall, often in a symmetrical pattern.
2. A trellis or other framework on which an espalier is grown.
(verb, transitive)
1. To train as or on an espalier.
2. To provide with an espalier.
Fairportfan said, 8 months ago

Captain Smokeblower says:

“Wow, Dru loves Geoff, Geoff loves Pib and Pib harsh buzzer sound ‘Wrong answer.’ Is there a word for ‘Love triangle missing a vertex’?”

There may be, but i don’t think it’s applicable here - i think Pib loves Geoff at least as much as he loves her. I think your next graph holds the answer:

“I’m not sure Pib is letting Geoff down so much as she’s disappointed in herself – she can’t love as strongly as a succubus”

The only addendum to that i’d offer is that no-one who’s not a succubus who’s fallen can love that deeply … because succubi aren’t supposed to love, and when one does, it must be supernally strong for her to feel it at all.

I’m willing to say that i don’t think Brooke plans to break up the team, or take Geoff from Pib, or she from him… But i’ve been caught more than once leaning the wrong way when i thought i could/had anticipated developments in one of his twisty plots before.
Fairportfan said, 8 months ago

Sisyphos says:

“Anything he does will seem wrong. Anything he does will hurt someone who loves him. What’s a guy to do?”

Close his eyes and think of England?
Gweedo Murray said, 8 months ago

Hope I did that right.
Sisyphos said, 8 months ago

fairportfan: or “just lie back and enjoy it”?
Gweedo Murray said, 8 months ago

fearciuil says:

If you would like to ‘favorite’ the strip, (and maybe the sketch, too), simply log in and click on the ‘Favorite’ star directly above the strip. Mr. McEldowney very kindly asked for us what purpose is served by favoriting, and this was the answer:
I asked my editor at Gocomics about the purpose of “favoriting” a strip. Her answer was this: “‘Favoriting’ allows people following you to see what comics you like. ‘Favorited’ comics also show up under your profile, and allow us to see what comics people are enjoying.”
Basically, I think it provides a method for spreading the word.
Brooke

ccdesan has been kind enough to provide several resources:
Pibgorn in-depth background info, strip history, synopsis of story arcs, etc.
• http://home.comcast.net/~ccdesan/Pibgorn/Pibgorn.html

9 Chickweed Lane in-depth background info, strip history, synopsis of story arcs, etc.
• http://home.comcast.net/~ccdesan/Chickweed/Chickweed.html

GoComics comments posting guide to special formatting: italic, bold, indents, large fonts, etc.
• http://home.comcast.net/~ccdesan/Pibgorn/StyleGuide.html

fairportfan has samples and a guide for converting 2D comics to 3D and for “flicker” comparisons:
3D conversions of a couple of Pibgorn panels, go to:
• http://electronictiger.net/stereo/dru.htm
How to Commit 3D - quick-and-dirty guide for stereo images:
• http://electronictiger.net/stereo/demo.htm
Index of “flicker” images:
• http://electronictiger.net/avail/flick/
Flicker Picture Tutorial:
• http://electronictiger.net/avail/how2

Joe_Minotaur has a number of fan fictions based upon Pibgorn and TV police dramas:
• http://home.earthlink.net/~joeminotaur (start reading at the bottom of the page!)

Free registration to participate in a forum dedicated to Brooke McEldowny’s work:
• http://www.talkaboutcomics.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=568 [link to forum]
• http://marmoe.livejournal.com/34590.html [for registration assistance]

Brooke McEldowney info at:
• http://officialpibgorn.livejournal.com/ [Brooke’s Pibgorn blog]
• http://chickweedcafe.blogspot.com/ [Brooke’s Chickweed blog]
• http://www.wuky.org/tonicarchivesvisual [WUKY NPR interview (audio)]
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooke_McEldowney

Come one and come all, de-lurk and join in!
Add your own voice to our great, joyous din!
Just one bit of wisdom ere joining our game:
Read the comments! All of them! Or you’ll miss something! (Shame!)
(No trolls need apply.)
And please do not feed the cuisine-challenged bridge substructure symbionts.
http://picayune.uclick.com/comics/pib/2002/pib021218.gif
http://chickweedcafe.blogspot.com/2009/02/on-return-of-loons.html

Today’s 9 Chickweed Lane can be found at:
http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComic.mpl?date=2009%2F3%2F2&name=9ChickweedLane
An index of old 9 Chickweed Lane strips, 2001-present, can be found at:
http://www.comicstriparchive.com/9ChickweedLane/
Phoenix_Ascendant said, 8 months ago

If you love them, let them go…
Fairportfan said, 8 months ago

I’ve slightly revised my commentary on the flicker for 3/2/09 {http://electronictiger.net/avail/flick/090302.htm} in light of thoughts this strip engendered…
BJamesB86 said, 8 months ago

I guess it’s time Geoff knew the truth…
Fly Guy said, 8 months ago

@Gweedo: good job on the boilerplate.
One small problem…….
The end of the 9CW Houston Chronicle URL should be …
name=9underscoreChickweedunderscoreLane
But when you put the underscore in the comment block, it invokes
a style command.
Is anyone still awake who knows how to overcome this problem?
debra4life50 said, 8 months ago

Sisyphos - Pib’s eyes are green, like the grass they’re sitting on. It goes with her hair.
Gweedo Murray said, 8 months ago

An index of old 9 Chickweed Lane strips, 2001-present, can be found at:
http://www.comicstriparchive.com9ChickweedLane/
.
Howz this Fly Guy?
It did that italic thing by itself and I didn’t happen to catch it. I just copied the whole thing and boldened it.
Fly Guy said, 8 months ago

@Gweedo :Nice try but still messed up!
baslim_the_begger said, 8 months ago

Here are some excellent quotes:
http://www.poemofquotes.com/unrequited-love-quotes.php
Fairportfan said, 8 months ago

Fly Guy says:

“The end of the 9CW Houston Chronicle URL should be …
name=9underscoreChickweedunderscoreLane
But when you put the underscore in the comment block, it invokes
a style command.”
“Is anyone still awake who knows how to overcome this problem?”

Yup. you “escape” the underscores by putting a backslash in front of the and it works, for instance: http://www.comicstriparchive.com/9_Chickweed_Lane/

(Now, of course, it won’t work and i’ll look silly…)
farren said, 8 months ago

“Anything he does will seem wrong. Anything he does will hurt someone who loves him. What’s a guy to do?”

How about loving them both? Would the fact that he loves Dru hurt Pib? Would the fact that he loves Pib hurt Dru? Only if he is in the “if I love one of them, I can’t love the other” mode, which is, frankly, absurd. They are two different people, God knows, neither one of which appear to be monogamous by nature.
edcoyote said, 8 months ago

I don’t think all is as it seems.

Dru has absorbed all of this black energy, to the extent that her “plumage” has gone vulcanized.
Prior to this, she was enamored practically to the exclusion of all else with Spinky. Most recently, she wrapped Pib up in an energy cocoon, for no apparent reason, and dismissed her.

Dru is pure passion. But that’s not love. Succubi aren’t built for love. There’s got to be that “hole” in their center that constantly has to be filled, so they can “do that voodoo that they do so well”.

What Pip felt when merged with Dru were her own feelings for Geoff reflected back from the dark mirror of Dru.

With Dru’s attitude of late, I thinking that Pib has had a spell put on her to clear Dru’s path to Geoff.

Just my 2 cents.

Aren’t there still loose ends to tie up from the previous/current arc?
fatuncle said, 8 months ago

farren

I was sort of thinking myself it would end up a polygamous relationship. Bear in mind that you are dealing with one of the fay, and a demon bound by nothing but her own will - I’m not sure “normal” mores apply. If so, whose? Defining normal around those two gals could pose a problem.

I had not thought of it, really, but poor Dru has been most cruelly used by circumstance.
DeathDealer said, 8 months ago

I think that we are looking at the first of a new concatenation of events in which Mr McE will take us on a “…saga of adventure both high and low of forbidden passion….”
Bucky Katt said, 8 months ago

On the one hand, this could be very romantic. On the other, it could be that Pib’s merely getting an object lesson in where stalkers come from.
paciii said, 8 months ago

From yesterday:

txmystic: 7.
Sisyphos says:Me: 19. Lets have a virtual bash on the couch, no?

me: 21. Sounds good! Burger cookin & Corn on the cob?
paciii said, 8 months ago

I think they may be getting beyond the emotions felt among lovers to the emotions felt among family. If you go back to greek, where there were “kinds” of love words: Agape or philia love rather than eros love.

Considering the comments from yesterday, both Pib and Dru will (unless something unnatural occurs) outlive Geoff. So a family relationship would be easier to deal with when he goes. [[ the next story arc will be when Pib and Dru adopt Geoff!! ]] Of course that wouldn’t be easy for any of them unless they all also got partners to express their “other” loving sides. But that may have precedent (for Dru at least) in that she stated she found a soulmate in Spitcock, even though that wasn’t ultimately the best relationship. So has she resigned herself to finding someone else? Could Pib? After all, she’s with Geoff, initially at least, because he thawed her out.

I’m rambling… better go soak my head in the hottub for a while… blub…. blub…. blub…

Splash 9CwL: neat ring, [thanks for the pics CC] Now what COULD that secret message be that isn’t a secret anymore… Hmmmm….
Dypak said, 8 months ago

Don’t forget Pib, it’s not just about you or Dru. How does Geoff feel? Can he return Dru’s love? Or does he love you like she loves him?
Dry said, 8 months ago

I just went to the 9CWL site listed here, it’s yesterdays strip!
Dry said, 8 months ago

Gweedo, why are you doing the boilerplate?
gg015879 said, 8 months ago

fairportfan says:
Fascinating. The first comment i posted tonight was posted when none were there. It was, for a while, the only post.

Now it’s after the one i did after it.

And the time listed for its posting is, in fact, one minute after the time i saw on my computer clock (which is synched to the Naval Observatory or similar time standard) when i was checking the time the post shows…

They definitely have a problem with time hacks…*

problem with time hacks

Brings to mind a sci-fi short story(?) I read in college(?) mucho years ago. The world had an issue with small ‘time kinks’ - which might spoil the milk, too quickly ferment the beer, cause trees to bloom or bear fruit out of season. I can’t remember if the kinks in time were visible? but for some reason my brain thinks of them as small whirlwind-ish things, noticeable if one is looking directly at it while it is happening.

Perhaps a small ’TIME KINK’ resides in one of the gocomics servers?
I remember nothing else about the story, including why I read it - - Modern Lit class??
gg0
Emlyn said, 8 months ago

I don’t think we ever found out how Dru met Geoff in the first place, and why she didn’t just have her way with him in her usual manner. Her feelings for him must have been strong enough to overcome her basic nature.

I always felt that Pib’s feelings for Geoff were of a carnal nature, albeit innocent, as befits a wild thing.
gg015879 said, 8 months ago

I gotta post again!*

reading Pib daily and reading the comments, thoughts and theories and sharing my own - - - well… I gotta say. . this lil’ ol’ place has a real homey feel. Gives my brain somewhere to go where it is welcome, EVERY day, no matter what!*

THANKS GUYS . . (smile - sniff sniffle!)

gg0
Joe Minotaur said, 8 months ago

Pibgorn talking about Dru’s feelings for Geoff reminds me of this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9rDBohg1yc
maeverin said, 8 months ago

Emlyn:

we know that Dru was a soprano in Geoff’s church choir, so we can presume they met there (Dru was sent by her masters to infiltrate a place of worship and see how the humans would hold up against the apocalypse).

what attracted Dru to him in the first place is an interesting question. i’ll bet that Geoff playing the piano is not unlike Amos playing the cello, and his passion caught her eye.
maeverin said, 8 months ago

9CWL:
sigh
alright, no proposal. i feel a pout coming on.

incidentally, Brooke emailed me back about the school shooting and says it was published (coincidentally) concurrent with the death of Princess Di, so 1997. He says he’ll try to find it.
bmonk said, 8 months ago

Well, I’m off for a couple of days to a workshop. I shudder to think of how long it will take to get everything back up to speed afterwards: Pib (with comments), RL, etc. etc. But no, I’m not a Pibaddict. See, I can quit any time…I really have to.
maeverin said, 8 months ago

poor Geoff. but i think he’ll end up choosing Pib anyway–he fell in love with her for a reason. I don’t think Pib will say “i’m leaving you because i don’t feel the intense love she feels for you”, that doesn’t mean she thought their own relationship was frivolous, just not “all-consuming”.
which is healthier.
then again clearly i have been wrong before.
Joe Minotaur said, 8 months ago

I think we may still be in the wrap-up stage of this story arc. Brooke seems to be mindful that there are still questions to be answered. Most important of which is the relationship of the main characters.
Plus: Even though Spitcock is dead, we do not know if Lena destroyed the portal in Roger’s Realm. If the only thing she attacked was Spitcock, then Roger would still need Dru’s power to open the portal and generate a new Satori. Roger knows that she is just a program, but does that matter to him?
…And where’s Luciano?
aerwalt said, 8 months ago

49 WOW!
Tera S said, 8 months ago

Love can make you do things you never imagined you would… Sometimes offering to give up what you have for another’s happiness makes your own love that much stronger… I don’t believe that Pib means to leave him… I think she’s trying to reconcile what she’s learned from Dru and what she can do to “fix” this for all of them.

As for Succubi and passion…

What is passion without love?

I think that Dru has discovered what that means and that is what is causing her the pain we see at the moment…

But I hope that this all works out well for them all somehow…
maeverin said, 8 months ago

see you soon, bmonk!

we’ll keep your spot on the couch warm for you!