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Currently On Hiatus: Please Enjoy A New Reader Question Every Weekday!

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The more you draw and write Ravi, the more I fall in love with him. He’s so… vibrant! A person I would very, very much like to know for real, odd as that may sound.

Well, the sphinx sexual dimorphism theory is out the window.

Is it?
Species based sexual dimorphism is an ordinary thing in Skin Deep. And so far, everything points towards the Egyptian Sphinxes being male only and the Grecian ones being female only.
No doubt, someone as long lived as Ravi would know the true answer. But in the present day of this story, that information is long gone from the publicly known Histories.

I have to admit that my mind went immediately to the old ’80’s fantasy movie, “The Dark Crystal” and the male/no-wings vs. female/winged sexual dimorphism there….. ^_^ Too many muppet movies during college for me, that’s clear.

I don’t know about that. He was surprised that Michelle’s father was an Egyptian sphinx, which (probably) means that he expected one or both of her parents to be Greek sphinxes.

Well, Kory’s said that the two sphinx species are closely interrelated and that most males are Egyptial and most females are Grecian, but that they are not entirely the same species. Perhaps they’re both one-gender races that can and traditionally have reproduced together? which is why it’s surprising that Michelle is a Grecian, if her father was Egyptian – if she were going to be a sphinx like daddy, she should’ve been a boy.

Of course I’m probably wrong here but from what Ravi is implying it makes sense.

I think I’ve wondered before if you could have recessive monster markers.

Basically what are the chances that Noir’s daughter could inherit the peryton gene?

Going by what is known canon, no.
The child will take after one parent or the other.
Grandparents don’t, as far as we know, factor into what species a child will be.
So if Blanche had a daughter, she would be the same species as her mother. And the only way she would be a peryton, would be if her mother is a peryton.

Not quite. Not all species are connected to their gender the way you’re implying. For example, Tobias is a Common Gryphon like his mother, not an Opinicus like most of the rest of his family. It’s the only example I can think of at the moment, but the gender of the child doesn’t relate to whether they take after one parent or the other unless the species itself is sexually dimorphic like Nixies and Nokks.

Anima, and IslaKariese, the scenario that Kelekona was asking about is one where the father is from a sexually dimorphic male only species, the grandmother is from a sexually non-dimorphic species, would the daughter be the same species as the grandmother.

Yaksha is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts.

From the same page you got that information, they can be benevolent, but they can also be monsters that devour wanderers in the wilderness. So, probably benevolent if he’s a Yaksha, but he could as easily be something else pretending to be a Yaksha.

From historical and mythological research I did as a fan of InuYasha, I read that certain Yakshas also acted as bodyguards to the Buddha during his journeys to the underworld to retrieve the souls of those who had “served their time”, as it were.

I love Ravi! I hope we get to see his other form! <3

won’t be much difference (yaksha are usually depicted ad humanoid except with blue/green skin, long pointed ears, and short tusks (just long enough enough to clear the upper lip. although that could also just be there mid form as they are occasionally depicted with a “dragon face”)

Jim’s really showing how much he and his youngest sibling are alike in that first panel. That’s one major sulky-face going on there. Watch it, Jimothy, or the wind’ll change and your face’ll get stuck that way (as my mom used to say.)

Is it?
He’s like that because he doesn’t clearly understand what Ravi is saying, both accent and spoken content, and can’t handle Ravi’s behaviour toward him.
And because of that, Jim never asked Ravi why.
And now Jim has to sit in on learning Something Important.

Hmmmmmmmmmm….Maybe Ravi doesn’t know everything we think he knows?

What makes you think that?

Well, he did just say that the sexual dimorphism in sphinxes is unusual. It gives me the impression, considering all the weird crap that’s happened to Michelle, that Ravi may not be able to help as much as the foursome would like him too. Don’t think that I think he’s not going to be useful, mind you; I think Ravi is going to be incredibly helpful. I just think he’s not going to be able to answer all the questions Michelle and the gang have

The way I read what Ravi said was that it was unusual for an Egyptian Sphinx father to have a Grecian Sphinx daughter.
This opens up an even bigger question though. Is there Grecian Sphinx lineage on her mother’s side of the family?

I was just wondering that myself. Maybe Michelle’s mom is an unturned, unaware Sphinx; that medallion of her father’s was kept in the box we saw in ‘Homecoming’ supposedly for safekeeping; what if there was another reason? What if it was to keep Michelle’s mom from ever touching it and turning? After all, if her dad had removed it from himself to remain in human form and in hiding, having his wife suddenly poof into a Sphinx would’ve been very, very counterproductive to say the least.

Additionally, I have to wonder how many Sphinx medallions are left undestroyed?

I think if a monster removes their medallion, they would just be a monster. I think Greg’s grandfather went goaty as he surrendered it.

Basically the last owner of Michelle’s medallion would have put it in the box (or a different monster did it,) and his/her children instructed never to touch it. Or maybe sphinxes had the magical clout to cast the child’s medallion-less illusion on themselves, but I doubt Michelle’s dad was turned before death.

Maybe both of Michelle’s parents are unaware sphinx lines, either through coincidence or fate.

Monster species do not have Medallions.
Exchanges: Handshakes page 25.
Eleanor “Bandersnatches don’t have Medallions either. By definition I’m a monster.”
Since Sphinxes and Satyrs both are species which have Medallions, they are both not monster species.

Just had a thought…how does one sip tea with a beak? I see Jim’s cup is empty, perhaps they just have to toss it back in one go like other birds. That, or Jim is being a grump and didn’t pour any for himself.

I am loving Lorne’s face in the second to last panel. It reminds me that this is probably the first he has heard of there being a sphinx survivor from the War.

All birds have some way of drinking, and it varies. A macaw sticks its open beak into the water and laps with its tongue. A hummingbird keeps its beak more nearly closed, and curls its tongue into a tube of sorts. However gryphons drink when in midform, Jim had the option of changing to human form long enough to drink his tea instead. Whatever he did, it was conveniently off-panel.

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