Recall Tod and family have experienced slightly Selkie’s own venom from kiss contact. Easy to forget so it’s not as if he didn’t know, but clearly he’s kind of accepted that these things will happen. Personally I like how he and Phol are just rolling with it. These things do have to be addressed for them to co exist with humans.
Another day in the life of a father. Kids have Lazer eyes, almost getting killed by murder parrot eel, friend’s kids bite and can kill you. Another day indeed.
LOL yeah me too. Yes, theoretically, Pohl should have told him before this happened, but within context they’re both just kind of… figuring this out. It’s one of the first sarnothi-human friendships out there, probably, and they both have a lot going on. Even the best parents’ small children occasionally have something scary and preventable happen, because life is just that way. You can’t prevent everything.
Also explains why other humans newer than Tod honestly freak the F out over Lazer eyes and venom bites- even Tod’s parents aka his mother. Even Tod has a laps of oh, yeah, not everyone is in the know enough to be chill (cuz mother understandably freaked out ). So yeah. Freaking out at this point won’t help anyone so okay. At least it’s not getting eaten by an eel.
There’s Todd scale- okay is it Lazer Fire Eyes, bitten by venomous baby or I’m getting eaten by an eel? Somewhere in there is child at risk of forced hibernation and random freedom fighters crashing my sister’s wedding. It’s a work in progress.
Let’s not forget finding out people want to use the kids to make war weapons and as using them as tools of war and just flat manipulation and lies for the greater good that he hasn’t been fully hit with.
I’m pretty sure, given how much we’ve seen of Sarnothi teeth, that the venom is in the saliva (like a komodo dragon) rather than being directly injected.
And it just causes an itchy rash when applied topically rather than put into the blood stream.
Because, working on the theory that they are modified humans, when they were asking for all the benefits they would get with their new form, they went all out. Hell, the spirits gave some of them laser eyes, for crying out loud.
There’s a fair number of insects and plants whose primary defense mechanism is just “tastes bad”. If it keeps birds from eating monarch butterflies in one gulp, it could be viable for eels too.
There’s a big difference between poison that you inject through biting (technically, venom), and being poisonous to eat. Many venoms are actually perfectly safe to eat because your digestive system breaks them down before they enter the bloodstream! And even if not, they’re liable to be present in your body in much smaller quantities (only a gland near your teeth, instead of everywhere in your body).
Presumably, they were already venomous before they evolved intelligence, and just… kept it. Or at least a vestigial version, I don’t think their venom is all that strong? If it were seriously dangerous, this situation would warrant a little more panic than what we’re seeing.
Also remember that tool use is a long road. Early in the Stone Age when your best tools are pointy sticks, you’ll appreciate a little extra.
I know for modern anti-venom they give tiny doses to specially controlled sheep, then draw the anti-venom they develop from their blood. All precisely controlled to prevent discomfort and other problems….
I wonder if their venom is standard enough for the same treatment, or if the composition varies between Clans/families/each other? If standard enough, I can see a batch of sheep with a new purpose….
Wait, didn’t Amanda tell someone/demonstrate via bitey-spitty brawl that she’d developed a resistance to Selkie’s venom? So we know that it’s possible. Has that information not gotten to Pohl yet? Or Todd?
I don’t think it was so much that she had developed a tolerance to it, as that she’s been spit on so many times she just ignores it. She knows it will itch, but she also knows it will not kill her.
This, I believe, would be retconning. Because Selkie was not aware that she had poison spit. Had to kiss Todd and Marta and Antwan, before she, and they, accepted the fact. So if she had routinely spit on Amanda when they were arguing, she would already know about it.
Now I’m wondering if there’s a connection between Amanda’s long term casual exposure to Selkie and her Echo suppression device, plus a face full of venom that allowed for Amanda to develop Echo abilities.
Uhhhh paralytic shock?
yeah, like a blue ring octopus
…OK, at this point it’s even odds that Pohl is just messing with him.
So Todd is now a guinea pig. Great.
“We asked about testing, but people get this really odd look on their faces whenever you start talking about proper control groups…”
Recall Tod and family have experienced slightly Selkie’s own venom from kiss contact. Easy to forget so it’s not as if he didn’t know, but clearly he’s kind of accepted that these things will happen. Personally I like how he and Phol are just rolling with it. These things do have to be addressed for them to co exist with humans.
Another day in the life of a father. Kids have Lazer eyes, almost getting killed by murder parrot eel, friend’s kids bite and can kill you. Another day indeed.
LOL yeah me too. Yes, theoretically, Pohl should have told him before this happened, but within context they’re both just kind of… figuring this out. It’s one of the first sarnothi-human friendships out there, probably, and they both have a lot going on. Even the best parents’ small children occasionally have something scary and preventable happen, because life is just that way. You can’t prevent everything.
Also explains why other humans newer than Tod honestly freak the F out over Lazer eyes and venom bites- even Tod’s parents aka his mother. Even Tod has a laps of oh, yeah, not everyone is in the know enough to be chill (cuz mother understandably freaked out ). So yeah. Freaking out at this point won’t help anyone so okay. At least it’s not getting eaten by an eel.
There’s Todd scale- okay is it Lazer Fire Eyes, bitten by venomous baby or I’m getting eaten by an eel? Somewhere in there is child at risk of forced hibernation and random freedom fighters crashing my sister’s wedding. It’s a work in progress.
Let’s not forget finding out people want to use the kids to make war weapons and as using them as tools of war and just flat manipulation and lies for the greater good that he hasn’t been fully hit with.
IIRC that wasn’t venom (that Todd experienced from the kiss), but rather just an anaphylactic reaction to her saliva.
I’m pretty sure, given how much we’ve seen of Sarnothi teeth, that the venom is in the saliva (like a komodo dragon) rather than being directly injected.
And it just causes an itchy rash when applied topically rather than put into the blood stream.
Why are sarnothi even venomous in the first place? They are already apex predators that can use tools
Because, working on the theory that they are modified humans, when they were asking for all the benefits they would get with their new form, they went all out. Hell, the spirits gave some of them laser eyes, for crying out loud.
Species evolution. Being venomous would be WHY they are apex. Also- any advantage over them murder eels you get you keep.
Itchy skin won’t even slow down a giant eel that can fit your torso in its jaws
There’s a fair number of insects and plants whose primary defense mechanism is just “tastes bad”. If it keeps birds from eating monarch butterflies in one gulp, it could be viable for eels too.
There’s a big difference between poison that you inject through biting (technically, venom), and being poisonous to eat. Many venoms are actually perfectly safe to eat because your digestive system breaks them down before they enter the bloodstream! And even if not, they’re liable to be present in your body in much smaller quantities (only a gland near your teeth, instead of everywhere in your body).
Itchy skin was only in the case of skin contact with the saliva. In a wound though? Well, they literally mentioned that in the comic.
Presumably, they were already venomous before they evolved intelligence, and just… kept it. Or at least a vestigial version, I don’t think their venom is all that strong? If it were seriously dangerous, this situation would warrant a little more panic than what we’re seeing.
Also remember that tool use is a long road. Early in the Stone Age when your best tools are pointy sticks, you’ll appreciate a little extra.
I know for modern anti-venom they give tiny doses to specially controlled sheep, then draw the anti-venom they develop from their blood. All precisely controlled to prevent discomfort and other problems….
I wonder if their venom is standard enough for the same treatment, or if the composition varies between Clans/families/each other? If standard enough, I can see a batch of sheep with a new purpose….
There’s also the risk that repeated exposure would do cumulative damage or degrade resistance over time, which I’ve seen happen with snake venom.
Wait, didn’t Amanda tell someone/demonstrate via bitey-spitty brawl that she’d developed a resistance to Selkie’s venom? So we know that it’s possible. Has that information not gotten to Pohl yet? Or Todd?
I don’t think it was so much that she had developed a tolerance to it, as that she’s been spit on so many times she just ignores it. She knows it will itch, but she also knows it will not kill her.
This, I believe, would be retconning. Because Selkie was not aware that she had poison spit. Had to kiss Todd and Marta and Antwan, before she, and they, accepted the fact. So if she had routinely spit on Amanda when they were arguing, she would already know about it.
Or she just thought there was a difference between spitting and kissing.
What is intended by the change in colors in Pohl’s speech-box in the second panel? Is he flip-flopping between Sarnothi and English?
That would indicate that he’s switching from active echo to normal person, i.e., he’s allowing the “fire eyes” to shut down.
Now I’m wondering if there’s a connection between Amanda’s long term casual exposure to Selkie and her Echo suppression device, plus a face full of venom that allowed for Amanda to develop Echo abilities.