Gunnerkrigg Court 6: Fire Away

[137beth]

I think the maze is the lock from Annie's perspective.

Agreed, that's why I want to see it being solved from Annie's perspective

Well, it is Jeanne's first real fight against a real fencer in ages,
and she has nothing else to do.
So, I'm quite sure she is enjoying it, and will be drawing it out,
as much as she can

It could also be that she is still partially distracted by whatever Blue is doing to her.
Or maybe Parely has just had a lot of practice fights with Jones to get used to stalling against a stronger opponent.

[halfeye]

Spoiler: New comic

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That's probably good.

[eee]

YAY!

(Bip bip hooray?)

Keep it up, George! Don't give her a chance to figure out what you're doing or it's all over.

[Giggling Ghast]

Well, that's one way to counter super-speed.

Of course, these love taps are meaningless to a ghost.

[137beth]

They aren't totally meaningless. They are confusing Jeanne as to how it is happening, plus they are clearly having some effect. She's really just trying to stall Jones while Annie and Kat work, and bip-strikes do seem to have stalled a little.

[eee]

DAAAANNNGGG, she's good.

Let's hope Jeanne is confused long enough for Kat and Annie to get the Arrow. Technically this SHOULD be stalemate, as George can constantly bip outside of Jeanne's reach. But that assumes Jeanne can't figure out a counter, or doesn't go after Smitty or Red and Blue.

I kind of wish George would see if Jeanne's willing to talk now...

[AdmiralCheez]

I had no idea ghosts made crunching noises when you hit them. I guess it really is having some kind of effect.

[Giggling Ghast]

To clarify:

If you hit a living person in the back of the head like Parley did, you'd crack their skull. If they took a hit in the mouth like that, they'd lose half their teeth.

But Jeanne is a ghost tethered to the mortal plane. All it's doing is pissing her off. Parley isn't winning this fight; all she's doing is staying alive.

[Fjolnir]

Whelp, it's been shown to work twice, by dramatic rules the third time will either be a total failure that they may or may not survive or a hypervictorious superstrike of great justice...

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Whelp, it's been shown to work twice, by dramatic rules the third time will either be a total failure that they may or may not survive or a hypervictorious superstrike of great justice...

It looks like it's working and turning the tide in Parley's favour after she was losing, so narrative logic dictates the third strike should be a disaster. If this was a shonen, Jeanne would be about to reveal her own special move that just happens to completely counter Parleys's.

[137beth]

Hrmm, I wonder what sort of effect an unrestrained water creature will have on a giant robot. Kat's etheric form is probably water-proof, but if it isn't, how would she perceive a water-based attack in her view of the ether?

[Zejety]

New comic

Spoiler

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This is going really well for Parley. As SlyGuyMcFly said, probably to good. As great as a fighter Parley is, her flat out defeating Jeanne would invalidate a lot of build up that presented Jeanne as pretty much undefeatable (although one could argue that blips are her direct counter).
However, I hope that her landing these blows will accomplish something and that those accomplishments will be recognized. People here have already pointed out that she is buying time for Robot and the ex-fairies at the very least.

I would love for her to get through to Jeanne on a conversational level, too. Maybe she can appreciate her swordsmanship?

[eee]

Note to self: Never get in fight with Parley.

Jeanne's down but I doubt she's out. In fact, she'll probably get up and get serious now. I assume, since she could cross the Anna Waters, that she can teleport, too. Maybe turn invisible. Or move faster than George can react to. I previously thought George's bipping might lead to stalemate, but on reflection, I suspect it will escalate things, instead.

[danelsan]

Note to self: Never get in fight with Parley.

Jeanne's down but I doubt she's out. In fact, she'll probably get up and get serious now.

"I'm not right-handed"

[Giggling Ghast]

"Boy, that new monster is really giving Saitama a pounding, and it beat all those other heroes. Maybe he might lose this fight!"

HA HA HA NO

[137beth]

Yea, the other shoe is going to drop pretty soon. Jeanne is going to start fighting a lot harder.

I'm not sure that Parely is actually going to use Coyote's tooth in this fight, in spite of everyone else seeming to assume so. For all George knows, cutting Jeanne with the tooth could permanently damage Jeanne's soul, which is not what Parely wants. It's still possible Parely will at least pull out the tooth, but I don't link it is a certainty.

[guttering flame]

Yea, the other shoe is going to drop pretty soon. Jeanne is going to start fighting a lot harder.

I'm not sure that Parely is actually going to use Coyote's tooth in this fight, in spite of everyone else seeming to assume so. For all George knows, cutting Jeanne with the tooth could permanently damage Jeanne's soul, which is not what Parely wants. It's still possible Parely will at least pull out the tooth, but I don't link it is a certainty.

Or she could be turned into two murderous jeannes

[eee]

Lucky, HA! Say rather, "Smitty".

I wonder how this will work. Kat sees the lock as a lock, Annie sees the lock as a maze. Annie has the skill and tools to pick the lock, but not the perspective. Can she direct Kat?

[Qwertystop]

I hope we see it from both perspectives, whatever it is.

[137beth]

I hope we see it from both perspectives, whatever it is.

Agreed, if only because it would look way more awesome from Annie's perspective.

[eee]

Agreed, if only because it would look way more awesome from Annie's perspective.

Hear hear. Let's consider what Annie may be seeing now that is beyond her ability to describe. Kat sees the lock as a lock and herself as normal. Annie sees the lock as a massive, extensive, three dimensional maze that she is stuck inside, and Kat as a towering titan. Kat picking the lock may therefore look to her like Moses parting the Red Sea if she were inside the sea, or an ant whose anthill is being dug up by a giant, or as if she were Jones back when the Earth was being formed and she was being knocked around and surrounded by forces far beyond her.

Yes, that'd be a bit hard to put into words.

She's not flinching or panicked, so the changes must not be affecting her directly.

[Ibrinar]

I would be miffed too, her version is much easier to manipulate but man is it boring compared to the ether Annie sees.

[Nettlekid]

I'm pretty sure the joke in this strip is that we're not going to see it from Annie's perspective. Annie saying that she can't describe it is the author's nudge-and-wink way of saying "Hey, imagine something super awesome because I'm not drawing that."

[SlyGuyMcFly]

There's definitely some authorial winking at the audience going on.

[stsasser]

I'm pretty sure the joke in this strip is that we're not going to see it from Annie's perspective. Annie saying that she can't describe it is the author's nudge-and-wink way of saying "Hey, imagine something super awesome because I'm not drawing that."

My thought was 'That is as skillful a bit of writing that you will see in webcomics.'

[Lethologica]

My thought was 'That is as skillful a bit of writing that you will see in webcomics.'

I'm appreciative, but also infuriated.

[guttering flame]

I hope they can magic-connect enough to see through each other eyes. It won't work otherwise. Kat can't lockpick and Annie can't see the lock

[stsasser]

I hope they can magic-connect enough to see through each other eyes. It won't work otherwise. Kat can't lockpick and Annie can't see the lock

Kat should set the picks inside the lock and let Annie, with her eyes closed, take them to work by feel...unless her tactile sense has also been distorted?

[Qwertystop]

Kat should set the picks inside the lock and let Annie, with her eyes closed, take them to work by feel...unless her tactile sense has also been distorted?

I don't think either one is seeing anything inherently more real than what the other is seeing. Most likely, if Kat did that, Annie's perspective would shift - maybe to some central structure that controls it, maybe to out above the maze.

[Fjolnir]

A thing is occurring that may or may not keep Jeanne from turning this fight around...