The Monster Under the Bed by Brandon Shane is licensed under a
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The Monster Under the Bed
“Embrace your fear.”
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Panel 1: Shadow, whatever you do, DON’T EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING THAT SCUMBAG GIVES YOU!
Panel 2: Based on that smile I see on Shadow, she knows better than to trust Termite here, I presume.
Panel 3: The way Termite smugly smiles when he offers to “protect” Shadow isn’t reassuring me whatsoever. If anything, I’m getting more concerned about Shadow if she accepts his offer.😰
Panel 4: … Uh oh, why do I feel like this will be a “Careful what you wish for” moment for Shadow?
Panel 5: … That noose… oh Makers, what’s gonna happen!? What does it mean!?
To me the noose at the end is the trap he’s set and is trying to lure her into. Figuratively he’s trying to get her to willingly put her head in the noose. I hope that she is either smart enough and emotionally strong enough not to fall for his obvious trap, or that the “rescue party” interrupts him.
The noose at the end, in white no less, is to illustrate that if she stays, she will be executed. Look at page 331, or all the way back on 22. It’s been made pretty clear what the penalty is for getting friendly with the prey.
that…is super harsh.
A human black ops group is hunting noxians. Humans learning about nox is an existential threat, so actually teaching one is high treason, which is why Ruthless lives in exile. So, harsh is called for.
Thank you for the new chapter! Right now I’m dealing with a snowstorm, so this is the boost I needed today.
Hope you aren’t dealing with this kind of weather today? If yes, than I wish you the best of luck.
Unrelated Note: I thought of this when I saw the title of this page(#347: Deal with the Devil). Based on the Noxian’s appearance, I take it they inspired quite a few legends in the human world, correct?(Ex. Demons, boogeymen, etc.)
Like I s’pose, y’know “monsters under the bed” (who guessed?)
Go with it. Out of the cell, she can escape.
that’s what noose for so she cant she be his prisoner and pet
Who knows how to die, cannot be a slave.
While I know Shadow knows better than to trust Termite, I also worry for her being left alone with this sleeze.
When a deal is too good to be true, there’s always a BIG downside
I would rather stay in jail.
The alternative is worse, a “private dinner” with Wormite?
That’s a sure path to sexual assault (to put it politely).
It’s potentially on the menu, but Shadow’s a smart girl.
Physical strength also matters.
Is Shadow strong enough to deter the Wormster?
Does she know any (the) relevant strike points? I assume that Anna can confirm that Noxian male anatomy is sufficiently similar to human.
I told yous he going this happen saw this coming this was so predictable
going use Tim get to shdow girl told him about Tim dude knows cant get shadow so going use Tim threatened her
he knows she loves Tim and don’t want others to know
we know shes not going say no shell go with him Tim get there be to late
this reminds me of a movie think Brandon going off movies while he’s writing
hope I’m wrong but see she go with guy Tim get there be late
Man, what an asshole
So many analogies come to mind…
“First, comes the carrot…then, comes the stick.”
“Baiting the hook.”
“Honey instead of vinegar.”
…but, hopefully, Tim has shown Shadow enough “Star Wars” for “IT’S A TRAP!!” to ring loud and clear through her mind.
I actually feel like this is the better choice, he’s warning her about Tim possibly being executed
Shadow is the one facing execution, not Tim. Fraternizing with the prey is apparently a capital offense under noxious law.
“Apparently” nothing!
It has been explicitly stated and is canon lore.
Other contributors have given the references.
Look it up!
So Tim, who’s possibly a hybrid, would just get off scot-free? I don’t buy it.
Tim is definitely (not “possibly”) a hybrid.
Can Noxian law be applied to a hybrid non-citizen of Nox,non-resident in Nox?
i cannot say for sure but any rational legal system would proably have problems with the concept of ‘jurisdiction’.
You may not like the idea but that has little to no effect, “buy it” or not.
Until very recently, no one in power in Nox knew Tim was a hybrid. I believe at this point in the story Moonie still doesn’t know. Now that he has set foot in Nox and is in their jurisdiction, things might change.
But, considering Ruthless can slip in and out of Nox at will, has escaped that same fate herself, and has a terrifying reputation bordering on mythical, the real question is who is going to be brave or stupid enough to mess with her son?
What’s the catch?
wait…hold on, that last panel, is she actually being sentinced to death?
Unless the depiction of the noose in the final (appropriate) panel is figurative, Brandon has at last shown us what is the method of execution used in Nox.
“Hanged by the neck until you are dead” is the formal phraseology which WAS used when that form of execution was still in practice.
Attempts were made to make the practice more humane by ensuring that the victim’s neck was instantly broken and death was instantaneous, but the attempt was NOT always successful and the victim was left to strangle slowly for around a quarter-hour until death.
It was inhumane & I hope that Brandon hasn’t been practicing drawing Shadow in that situation.
It’s more symbolic than anything, but it gets the point across.
Thank you
> It was inhumane
(innocently) As opposed to what?
Are you looking for an example of a humane method of execution, or just trying to push your personal viewpoint that ALL executions are intrinsically inhumane?
In my opinion, Shadow needs to take his deal. No, it is not ideal but it is the only way to get out of that cell. He is not wrong when he says her options are limited behind bars.
True. Probably right.