Gunnerkrigg Court 6: Fire Away

[stsasser]

I was thinking that they paused because they couldn't see if the Court was still there and is that bridge really there or is this another Coyote trick.

Then I saw this mentioned in a GC Forum post and am now thinking Tom likely would reference it, even though it is a US rather than a UK thing.

[eschmenk]

I was thinking that they paused because they couldn't see if the Court was still there and is that bridge really there or is this another Coyote trick.

Then I saw this mentioned in a GC Forum post and am now thinking Tom likely would reference it, even though it is a US rather than a UK thing.

I think it's just the awkward moment before they start talking about how Annie just ignored Smitty bleeding on the ground while she took care of her hair clip and some other things that she hasn't explained to Parley and Smitty yet. Neither of your ideas are consistent with their facial expressions so both of them seem less likely.

I doubt they will chew out Annie quite like Red did, but something vaguely similar will probably happen. It would probably be more a matter of Parley and Smitty wanting Annie to explain why she did what she did and probably what the deal with the pomps was about. If not those things, they may try to decide what to do about the fact that they weakened the Court's defense against the Forest.

[137beth]

Robot is back, along with the chapter 40 retrospective video.

[eee]

Well, that's a ringing endorsement of Annie's plan and actions. Not.

[halfeye]

Well, that's a ringing endorsement of Annie's plan and actions. Not.

However, that one pretty much is.

[stsasser]

Per Tom's comment: Looks like we've hit the downslope for GC.

What will be his next project? He's mentioned The Adventures of Zimmy and Gamma and the lifestyles of Urban Faries.

[eschmenk]

Kat has been giving some good input for Annie. Some of Red's logic was not valid in-story. I admit that I was wrong about that.

Per Tom's comment: Looks like we've hit the downslope for GC.

What will be his next project? He's mentioned The Adventures of Zimmy and Gamma and the lifestyles of Urban Faries.

What comment? "For reference: the entire comic up to this point?" I don't know why Tom wrote that, but I don't see how that indicates that we are on the downslope for GC. Often those comments seem very random to me.

[AdmiralCheez]

Yeah, I thought he was just referring to her "obsession" that had been the entire comic up to this point.

[guttering flame]

There's plenty of story left to tell, I believe. Things might change drastically now, though.

[eschmenk]

Yeah, I thought he was just referring to her "obsession" that had been the entire comic up to this point.

Yes, I think that's the best explanation.

BTW, Annie is misrepresenting (misremembering?) the conversation with Muut a bit. He arrived to help Annie by giving her the blinker stone, which Muut claimed was a gift from Mort. Muut appreciated Annie being nice to Mort and the pomps were grateful for Annie's help with Jeanne, but I don't recall them asking for her help with Jeanne the way Annie claims. Saying, "The pyschopomps started all this," and saying they asked for help amounts to her blaming them too much. She's probably remembering it that way because she doesn't like them, I think, or maybe she's in denial about her own desire to solve problems like that. Probably a bit of both, IMO.

Alternatively, Annie meant her "obsession" with the afterlife in general, in which case she could have been referring to the flashback scene in the hospital. The pomps did ask for Annie's help with the boy who was killed in the fire. If that's the case, it's odd that Tom showed Muut giving Annie the blinker stone in the background, though.

[BRC]

Yes, I think that's the best explanation.

BTW, Annie is misrepresenting (misremembering?) the conversation with Muut a bit. He arrived to help Annie by giving her the blinker stone, which Muut claimed was a gift from Mort. Muut appreciated Annie being nice to Mort and the pomps were grateful for Annie's help with Jeanne, but I don't recall them asking for her help with Jeanne the way Annie claims. Saying, "The pyschopomps started all this," and saying they asked for help amounts to her blaming them too much. She's probably remembering it that way because she doesn't like them, I think, or maybe she's in denial about her own desire to solve problems like that. Probably a bit of both, IMO.

Alternatively, Annie meant her "obsession" with the afterlife in general, in which case she could have been referring to the flashback scene in the hospital. The pomps did ask for Annie's help with the boy who was killed in the fire. If that's the case, it's odd that Tom showed Muut giving Annie the blinker stone in the background, though.

All Mutt said there was that Jeanne was beyond the Pomp's reach. I don't think they ever actually asked Annie to do anything about Jeanne, and Muut certainly didn't do so on the shoreline that night.

[Rodin]

All Mutt said there was that Jeanne was beyond the Pomp's reach. I don't think they ever actually asked Annie to do anything about Jeanne, and Muut certainly didn't do so on the shoreline that night.

Muut did later say that they needed Annie's help, and had Mort give Annie the blinker stone to give her the tool she needed to learn about the ether. They didn't directly ask her because she would have refused, so they sneakily manipulated her into doing so of her own accord.

I'm not sure if that's better or worse than directly asking her to take on an insane rage-ghost.

[eschmenk]

Muut did later say that they needed Annie's help, and had Mort give Annie the blinker stone to give her the tool she needed to learn about the ether. They didn't directly ask her because she would have refused, so they sneakily manipulated her into doing so of her own accord.

I'm not sure if that's better or worse than directly asking her to take on an insane rage-ghost.

I didn't remember that, but you're correct (also next page). Another thing on that page is that the pomps considered it inevitable that Annie would help sooner or later, so a second reason for them not asking Annie is that they didn't actually need to. Between that and what Ankou said about Annie's desire to claim Jeanne, I'm wondering about how much free will Annie has when it comes to claiming spirits like Jeanne. I think Annie is wondering too.

[Rodin]

I didn't remember that, but you're correct (also next page). Another thing on that page is that the pomps considered it inevitable that Annie would help sooner or later, so a second reason for them not asking Annie is that they didn't actually need to. Between that and what Ankou said about Annie's desire to claim Jeanne, I'm wondering about how much free will Annie has when it comes to claiming spirits like Jeanne. I think Annie is wondering too.

And today's comic adds a further mystery to it.

Why didn't the psychopomps ask Surma to do it?

[stsasser]

...a-and they would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for that darn meddlin' Kat!

[Mith]

And today's comic adds a further mystery to it.

Why didn't the psychopomps ask Surma to do it?

It could be that the "obssesion" only takes hold when one sees the spirit if they do not have a specific domain. That could even be how domains start. And tje psychopomps were unable to get Surma down into the Annan Valley, either because of rules or because they didn't consider the possibility.

[137beth]

It could also be that they didn't really believe Surma would want to do it. Remember, Surma was actually loyal to the Court, much more so than Andrew, let alone Annie. She might not have been willing to eliminate the defense mechanism that the Court's founders created. Annie, by contrast, holds no loyalty whatsoever to the Court, and so they could more likely count on her to do the right thing.

[eee]

Come on, Annie, ask Kat how come she's a gigantic terrifying robo-god in the Ether; you KNOW you want to!

[eschmenk]

New comic

Annie tries to draw the "gigantic terrifying robo-god in the Ether." It should have been more like this (how Zimmy sees Kat) or this or this, not that I could have done any better.

[guttering flame]

I can see what she was trying to show with that lousy sketch: a face (the roundness!) radiating wires/pipes (the lines!)

[Shadow of the Sun]

This strikes me as going very badly.

[eee]

Let's see... Robot is only a head but fully active and has so far overheard that Annie has been dragooned into working for the psychopomps and that she may not like it, and now he's hearing that the Arrow is a tremendously powerful weapon that is currently unlocked but can be programmed, and that anyone can use, and Kat is the only guardian.

I see no potential problems with any of this...

[geoduck]

Yeah.. I like the characters and everything, but after this little scene, I almost want to see reality smack them both upside the head.

[eschmenk]

And Parley and Smitty brought pieces of Coyote back to the Court with them. Maybe the kids had so much fun with Jeanne, they decided to have a little more danger in their lives.

[PhantomFox]

By the way, we're at page 50. Any suggestions for new titles? How 'bout "Now with 100% less fairies!"

[guttering flame]

By the way, we're at page 50. Any suggestions for new titles? How 'bout "Now with 100% less fairies!"

We agreed on: Psychopomps and Circumstance

[137beth]

We agreed on: Psychopomps and Circumstance

I like this one the best.

[Lethologica]

All right, then:

NEW THREAD