03-01-11 double pepperoni with sausage

[Gil Hamilton]

What beef, Azrael? We are just talking here about that speculation, nothing more. However, you did make a pretty profound leap in logic in your argument and did make contradictory statements, so it isn't personal that I address them. It really doesn't follow that because she is a sentient being, she could be both a constrictor and venomous. Her sentience isn't related to her species method of predation. Relax, mate, this isn't a fight. ;)

Incidentally, you didn't finish the article that you linked. There are reasons why some species of venomous snake will constrict and envenom, which the article spells out. Those are that (1) a particular snake's venom isn't very potent so they have to bite multiple times (that means hanging on), (2) a snake's venom isn't lethal but aids in digestion. It isn't to give the snake "choice" on how it wants to tackle its prey, as you seem to be asserting. A large constrictor (which none of the snakes in your article are, by the way) like an anaconda or presumably a melusine doesn't need venom for defense or digestion (as snakes go, melusine are enormous), there isn't much of a reason for them to evolve it. You point to her teeth, but you know, venomous snake teeth aren't commonly shaped like that, either, since you aren't going to find too many snakes with scythe shaped teeth, rather than thin pointy ones.

[BobDole]

Pythons may not have fangs, but they absolutely do have some long, nasty looking teeth that could be mistaken for fangs due to the spacing and shape.

Here's a good picture of what I'm talking about: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26485684@N08/2517875142/

[Geeno]

<pedantic nerd>Actually, only Vipers (hinged front fanged snakes - Rattlesnakes, Adders, etc) can dry bite by choice; Elapids (fixed front fanged snakes - Cobras, Sea Snakes, etc) and Colubrids (rear fanged snakes - Boomslang, Cat-snake, etc.) cannot. The latter two always envenomate unless you're very, very lucky, and caught them short on venom.</pedantic nerd>

That said, monsters are usually envisioned as being the absolute worst they can be; makes them scarier. It would not surprise me if melusines were super-snakes with extremely potent venom, powerful constricting muscles and a king snake's immunity to snake venoms.
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[Radbaron]

I can't believe this...

5 full pages of discussions...

...and NOT ONE JOKE on how "Brooke would like the sausage"...

[Ravenhull]

And double pepperoni... (insert pizza boy jokes now)

[wrong wolf]

long time reader, first time poster.

Just wondering....do melusines swallow their food/prey whole like snakes do or do they eat 'em like humans do? Brooke talks about wanting to take a bite of the pizza so I guess she chews her food. But what about live prey? Do them melusine kids in the party, for instance, chew them mouses or do they gulp them mouses down whole?

[WCRI]

Well given that while in melusine form, Brooke's throat region seemed to enlarge to... oddly enough nearly the width of her exterior throat... whereas while in human form, her throat is of "average" size and shape. I'd say that if they're eating live creatures, that they'd do so in the melusine forms which would have the largest capacity to ingest their prey whole. Less messy, or aggravating than simply biting chunks off at a time like predatory creatures with smaller ingestation orifice.

[theodoric476]

Some of have wondered why Brooke has been reluctant to use her snake form at time it might be appropriate, for instance the attack of the lovesick zombies or the face off with Blair. This strip might hold part of the answer. Perhaps she has less control of her predatory nature when she is a snake. Perhaps there was more truth in her words when she told the Lizard twins, who were wrapped in her coils, that "Snakes eat lizards!"