BAROQUE

[goggleman64]

> Hiss and slither out of reach.

Alternatively,

> ~Bite him~

[GenTrigger]

>Slither away and cry.

[Anthano Zasalla]

Weep crocodile tears

I'm sorry

[ArcusofBrambles]

Hiss in distaste. Put a hand to the red mark, but don't say anything.

[neverosa]

As soon as the pain sets in you begin to cry and run away. In times like these, you seek out your tetta. She always speaks words of comfort, though for the past several weeks, she's been sitting in the middle of the praying room floor, sometimes going a couple days without eating. But she's still always there for you.



Bellinda: Tetta!



Bellinda: Tetta!
Tetta: ...Oh...? Bellinda?
Bellinda: Jiddo struck me for acting like a snake again! He doesn't love me! What do I do?
Tetta: Cease playing as a snake, of course.
Bellinda: B-but that's not fair! I'm not hurting anyone, I'm just trying to have fun...! There's nothing else to do! Jiddo won't let me draw and I can't read any of the books here... And the TV in Jiddo's room is off-limits... Why does he hit me for trying to have fun?
Tetta: Child, your intentions are pure but you are still ignorant. هكذا يقول رسول الله: "Some snakes are jinn; so when anyone sees one of them in his house, he should give it a warning three times. If it return, he should kill it, for it is a devil."
Bellinda: ...Wh-what?
Tetta: ...If you know what is good for you, you will stop. Please obey your tetta.



Jiddo: BELLINDA RA'S ATH-THU'BAN WADJET.
Bellinda: Ah??
Jiddo: Again you ignore me! I told you to stay away from my wife! She's sick and doesn't need you pestering her! You had better go hide somewhere until I get a cure for her illness, or I will not hold back on you. I will count to three, and when I am finished, you will be gone. Do you understand me?!

Before he even begins, you make a dash for the basement. Since there's a bathroom and a pantry down there, you decide you will spend the night down there among the laundry. Hopefully by then, jiddo will have calmed down.

[Pick Yer Poison]

Bellinda: dream of a friendly snake.

Observations:

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According to this webpage, this is a quote from Islam, which confirms the religion of Bellinda's family, in case there was any doubt. As long as I'm clarifying things, I might add that jinn are unseen spirits who, like humans, can choose between right and wrong. The purpose of the three day's warning (or three warnings; it is not clear on this page which is the correct version) was to avoid killing a jinn in snake form - if the snake ignored the warnings, it was not a jinn, and could be killed.

So why might Jiddo be hitting Bellinda when she acts like a snake? Perhaps be is afraid that she is (or is possessed by) a demon making his wife sick. Or maybe he finds her imitating a demon upsetting. Tetta, on the other hand, seems to know it isn't Bellinda, but likely cannot oppose her husband's decisions because of the subdued power of women in old Muslim communities.

[BigBurkhart]

Jiddo still looks like Bluto to me.

Is this flashback taking place in a heavily Muslim neighborhood in the U.S. or England, or is it in a Muslim country?

Hide in a pile of socks. Maybe one of them will talk to you.

[neverosa]

Is this flashback taking place in a heavily Muslim neighborhood in the U.S. or England, or is it in a Muslim country?

I don't feel the need to make it known within the comic thing itself but this is in the US. bellinda's father and both of her grandparents were originally from egypt though. (she's first-gen arab-american like her mother was)

[BigBurkhart]

I don't feel the need to make it known within the comic thing itself but this is in the US. bellinda's father and both of her grandparents were originally from egypt though. (she's first-gen arab-american like her mother was)

Thank you. The reason I ask is I was going to suggest running away from home, but in certain parts of the world that could bring upon consequences that make a backhand from Jiddo look inviting.

[Whimbrel]

Bellinda> Don't be a snake; Jiddo's gonna killlll youuuu

[goggleman64]

Bellinda> Stay in the laundry room even after tonight is over; consider your options.

[Kaynato]

Bellinda> Fail to listen.

[neverosa]

Even a day after escaping to the basement you have not stopped crying. Without being able to talk with your tetta, you feel completely alone and unloved. This home is no place for a snake like you. Maybe you'll just have to run away... No, you know you wouldn't make it very far. Besides, you have to do the laundry for tetta.

Aw, why the elongated face, sweet patootie?

...What, who said that?

Yoo-hoo! Earth to brodie. You got the brain of a four year old or something? You should probably give it back, poor kid. The reptile on the pile of clothes, to your right.

...



Hey, there ya go, bright eyes. How's a pip like to help an old snake slither, huh?
B-but you're... a sock.
Oh, a real Abercrombie, huh? I'm a snake. You like snakes right?
You're... a sock...
Who are you going to believe, me or your lyin eyes? Look, unless your blinkers are broken, we're perfect for each other. I even hiss! You just have to get a few shots of hooch behind me first.
...Really? What kind of snake are you?
A real slippery one. You can trust me on that. Go on, try me out.



A real snake friend... This is great...
Ah, now here's a dame with an open mind-- you can feel the breeze from here! Now, I understand you got a little problem with the big guy upstairs. Your old pal has the low down on him. He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot. With me by your side, you won't have any problems having fun freely. If we were any closer, I'd be on the other side of you!
...What's your name? How old are you?
What? Are you paying attention here? Well, whatever. I'm Geb. And I'm old but truthfully, age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough. Speaking of, how's your grams doin? Last I heard, she was in diapers. Not my idea of a wingding... But all this aside, I know how you and me can hoof it outta here without having to worry about being chased or even missed. What do you say? And it better be in English because you keep mumbling something and I can't make it out.

[Pick Yer Poison]

> Ask him what the plan is before you agree to it.

Hastily done 2 am notes:
The first image has the most to note about it. The two washing machines in the back form a pair of eyes - more importantly, snake eyes. We can also see a clear contrast between the white pile of clothing on the left and the black pile on the right. White usually represents the good/correct path, while black is generally the bad/wrong path. Note that Bellinda is wearing black, and Geb is in the white pile of clothes. Which one would be more appealing?

The only other thing of note is that I checked back a couple pages and the writing in the last panel is "hiss" over and over again. Also, Bellinda's eyes have grown larger and clearly resemble snake eyes. This update is the first time in this entire flashback that we have seen her eyes open and been able to discern the pupils. We've seen her pupils in previous updates before the flashback and they still resembled snake eyes. When Bellinda met Geb, she opened her eyes and revealed what was inside.

[BigBurkhart]

Grab the snake and make a slithery getaway. If the cops ask you what you're doing, tell 'em you're running from a beating with your new best friend.

[Solaris]

Confer to the snake all of your secrets.

[suomynonAyletamitlU]

Confer to the snake everyone else's secrets.

What use is possibly being crazy if you can't get in trouble with it

[ProfessorLizzard]

>Give some eyes for the snake

[Soadreqm]

Yes! Run away with your snake friend!

[TwoKillerMockingbirds]

> Show your Jiddo your snake friend tomorrow. Now you won't have to pester him with your games anymore~

[neverosa]

You spent an extra day in the basement, passing the time by chatting with your new friend Geb. You actually found him to be rather rude and demanding but still very silly and cute. You equipped him with some super cool and super soft eyes you made out of fabric crafting balls much to his delight. He seemed to be able to see fine before somehow, but he told you they were really stylish, which made you happy. You just had to introduce Geb to your tetta! You waited until you heard him go to bed, the floor creaking loudly underneath his weight. Slithering upstairs in the dark like a snake stalking some prey! Maybe. You actually aren't sure if snakes hunt at night ever? Besides, it was a bright, clear night.

Bellinda: Psst, tetta! Wake up, tetta~ There's someone I'd like you to meet... so...



...



Bellinda: Wake... up...?
Geb: Well would you look at that, old girl's gone and kicked the bucket. I'll remember her in death as I knew her in life: not at all.
Bellinda: She's dead, Geb...
Geb: You’re heading for a breakdown. Why don’t you pull yourself to pieces?

[BigBurkhart]

Oh god run. Run as far and as fast as you can. Even if Jiddo doesn't blame you for this, he's not going to be very happy.

Or as the snake would say:

Vamoose, kiddo! That big lunkhead's gonna put the squeeze on that skinny little neck of yours, and your head's gonna pop just like a balloon, since they're both filled with close to the same amount of air!

[Pick Yer Poison]

Notes:
Tetta's in white. Bellinda's in black. Tetta's got a patch of white over her, which Bellinda is obscuring. SYMBOLISM. (But probably not. It's 2:30 am)

Also shenanigans

EDIT:

K▲✞: there's nothing to point out though, this is coming from the author's mouth lol...

And then neverosa goes and confirms there is absolutely nothing in this picture oh come on :<

FURTHER EDIT:

K▲✞: I'm gonna read incest doujins

REASONS

[BigBurkhart]

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FURTHER EDIT:

K▲✞: I'm gonna read incest doujins

REASONS

[neverosa]

asl;kdfj ignore that, it's out of context