Gunnerkrigg Court 6: Fire Away

[eee]

Not good. That's pretty deep, but no blood. On the other hand, would a spectral knife draw blood? Her sword cut Annie's face etherically, and there was blood splatter from that, but everything - blood, cut, and Jeanne - disappeared when Kat showed up. I don't know if Andrew's mortally wounded or not.

http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=141

And is that Robot's hand, or is Mr. Green Elf regenerating and still up for a fight?

[CWater]

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This looks really bad.

[guttering flame]

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Are we about to learn what happens to a mortal when he's fatally wounded by a spirit-blade?

[137beth]

It's a little hard to tell, but based on the coloring, I'm pretty sure that the tan thing the hand is reaching for in the last panel is Annie's boot. Is that the body of the elf?

[CWater]

It's a little hard to tell, but based on the coloring, I'm pretty sure that the tan thing the hand is reaching for in the last panel is Annie's boot. Is that the body of the elf?

That, or the Court has some more skeleton's in the closet river.

[137beth]

That, or the Court has some more skeleton's in the closet river.

Skeletons, or zombies?

[guttering flame]

The green sinews make me think this is Green Elf.

[Chromascope3D]

Jeanne is stabbing Smitty from the right so maybe she pierced a lung and not the heart. A bad injury but not a fatal one if he gets treated quickly.

As for expulsion, wouldn't they all get expelled? Annie didn't force them to join her. But remember, Jeanne is the Court's dirty little secret. Those who still know the details would want to keep it quiet. If they're Machiavellian enough they might try to recreate the ritual using Smitty and George.

Yeah, but I figured that Annie would be the most likely, since this is nowhere near her first infraction, and the Court might see her role in this less as a psychopomp helping a tortured soul move on and more as a known forest agent sabotaging the Court's first line of defense.

[Mith]

I wonder if Annie could use the Court Reincarnation device, or argue that Andrew has left his body behind to join the forest.

Edit: Spotting mistakes due to typing on mobile.

[137beth]

Maybe the thing in the elf's hand was what allowed him to return as an undead, and now Annie will have to burn his body before taking him into the ether.

[eee]

Everyone has noticed Parley has tossed / dropped her sword to go to Smitty's aid, I'm sure.

RE the hand: Kat's artificial muscles and tendons are sometimes purple and green, I recall. Jeanne chopped Robot up pretty good, but I can't see how one of his arms might have reached the water. On the other hand (so to speak), if it is Mr. Green Elf, he moved pretty darn fast, to be able to keep up with an outboard motor. It may be something new. We'll see.

[JavaScribe]

Yeah, but I figured that Annie would be the most likely, since this is nowhere near her first infraction, and the Court might see her role in this less as a psychopomp helping a tortured soul move on and more as a known forest agent sabotaging the Court's first line of defense.

How powerful is the court? I would expect necromancy like what bound Jean to be extremely illegal. If it became too public, they would probably want to distance themselves from the incident as a relic of a tainted past and figure out a more subtle way to punish her.

[Ibrinar]

I am still not sure how the general world is set up. Is magic someone everyone knows or is the court secret?

[Mith]

I am still not sure how the general world is set up. Is magic someone everyone knows or is the court secret?

My guess is that magic is common knowledge within the Court, but not so much outside the Court. Although some understanding may be kept around through cultural traditions.

There may be some recognition of magic, since Parley's dad won the Psychic Challenge.

[137beth]

Yeah, but I figured that Annie would be the most likely, since this is nowhere near her first infraction, and the Court might see her role in this less as a psychopomp helping a tortured soul move on and more as a known forest agent sabotaging the Court's first line of defense.

Annie also has the least to lose from expulsion, though. She has a home outside the Court, and she has two career options, neither of which require a high school diploma. A year ago she would have been upset that she couldn't room with Kat or see Kat in classes every day, but both of those things have already been taken away from her.

On the flip side, the Court has more to lose by expelling Annie than anyone else. Right now they have some degree of control (albeit limited) over the forest medium, and they'd be giving that up if Annie moved full-time to the forest. An "expelled" Annie could be just as disdainful towards the Court as Ysendrin was. Moreover, Annie living in the forest would most likely lead to Reynard also living in the forest (since it's not the middling laws of man that keep him in the Court). We know that that possibility is something the Court is afraid of.

A few strips ago, I was more worried about what sort of punishment Smitty would get. Potentially they could remove him from the position of Court Medium, given his unruliness. If he dies though, I guess it becomes a moot point.

Will they let Parley remain the Court Medium's Protector, and the Court Protector-in-training, though? If she helps destroy one of the Court's key defenses and fails to protect the Court medium, they might decide to demote her.

[stsasser]

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What REALLY happened to David Bowie

[eee]

Holy Regeneration, Batman!!

(This saves Parley, at least. Jeanne is too distracted right now to finish her.)

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What REALLY happened to David Bowie

Good one!

[Ibrinar]

Phew I thought it was an undead monster rising from the depths but itt is just some random person passing through the river, nothing to see.

[Giggling Ghast]

I suspect the object in the dead elf's hand is ...

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... an engagement ring.

[eschmenk]

I suspect the object in the dead elf's hand is ...

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... an engagement ring.

IDK. In the A Coward Heart chapter, Jeanne thought that Parley was mocking her with her "gleaming heart." It seemed to be reminding her of something that was very important. Also, notice in the bottom right of this earlier page how Jeanne automatically acts as if she's holding something when she first sees Parley's heart. Perhaps hearts can be held and exchanged and the elf was delivering his.

Also, story-wise, it might be nice if the elf showed up with a spare heart. Smitty's original one got punctured, so he probably could use a replacement. (Yes, that's mixing metaphorical and literal hearts, but who knows, magic may let you do that.) Granted, maybe Smitty could make use of an engagement ring, too, but he probably shouldn't let Parley see him get it for free from some undead, green, slimy guy who crawled out of a river. Also, I realize that Gollum wasn't undead or green, but taking rings from people coming out of the water with it sometimes leads to bad things happening. (Actually, I can't remember if Gollum or his brother originally found the ring.)

[137beth]

IDK. In the A Coward Heart chapter, Jeanne thought that Parley was mocking her with her "gleaming heart." It seemed to be reminding her of something that was very important. Also, notice in the bottom right of this earlier page how Jeanne automatically acts as if she's holding something when she first sees Parley's heart. Perhaps hearts can be held and exchanged and the elf was delivering his.

Also, story-wise, it might be nice if the elf showed up with a spare heart. Smitty's original one got punctured, so he probably could use a replacement. (Yes, that's mixing metaphorical and literal hearts, but who knows, magic may let you do that.)

Huh, I'd forgotten about that!
Now I have to reread all of the past appearances of Jeanne and look for visual clues I might have missed.

[Mith]

IDK. In the A Coward Heart chapter, Jeanne thought that Parley was mocking her with her "gleaming heart." It seemed to be reminding her of something that was very important. Also, notice in the bottom right of this earlier page how Jeanne automatically acts as if she's holding something when she first sees Parley's heart. Perhaps hearts can be held and exchanged and the elf was delivering his.

Also, story-wise, it might be nice if the elf showed up with a spare heart. Smitty's original one got punctured, so he probably could use a replacement. (Yes, that's mixing metaphorical and literal hearts, but who knows, magic may let you do that.) Granted, maybe Smitty could make use of an engagement ring, too, but he probably shouldn't let Parley see him get it for free from some undead, green, slimy guy who crawled out of a river. Also, I realize that Gollum wasn't undead or green, but taking rings from people coming out of the water with it sometimes leads to bad things happening. (Actually, I can't remember if Gollum or his brother originally found the ring.)

Good idea. Sadly it conflicts with my prediction of Annie reincarnating smitty as an arwen (green elf person).

[guttering flame]

new comic

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lolwhat?

Green Elf dude kept the hairclip 1st year Annie dropped in the river for some reason. Why? Who knows.

(Annie is acting way too laidback with Smitty fatalstabbed and then Annie zombieanklegrabbed. This girl got ice flowing in her veins)

In better news, Green Elf dude is starting to look handsome. Also, hope Jeanne will now pull out her big knife from Smitty's chest and he will be all better.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

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Uh, a hair clip? This is no time for a cheeky callback Tom. Smitty is still very much stabbed, and even if it didn't hit his heart (which looks unlikely) it's still a stab.

Prediction: maybe elf boyfriend will sacrifice his life to restore Smitty, then he and Jeanne can both die in peace, or cross over in the case of Jeanne.

[eee]

What the <bleep>???

[CWater]

new comic

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In better news, Green Elf dude is starting to look handsome. Also, hope Jeanne will now pull out her big knife from Smitty's chest and he will be all better.

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Actually, if Smitty has really been stabbed by a solid weapon, pulling it out is the last thing they should do. It looks like he's still alive, so the wound couldn't have been insta-fatal, but he needs to see a healer/doctor immediately!

Unless of course the whole thing is made of ether, in which case other rules may apply.

[137beth]

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Actually, if Smitty has really been stabbed by a solid weapon, pulling it out is the last thing they should do. It looks like he's still alive, so the wound couldn't have been insta-fatal, but he needs to see a healer/doctor immediately!

Unless of course the whole thing is made of ether, in which case other rules may apply.

In Stephen Schwartz's Pippin, pulling a knife out of someone who was stabbed to death can bring them back to life.

[Chromascope3D]

In Stephen Schwartz's Pippin, pulling a knife out of someone who was stabbed to death can bring them back to life.

You could also say the same about vampires and heart stakes.

[guttering flame]

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Actually, if Smitty has really been stabbed by a solid weapon, pulling it out is the last thing they should do. It looks like he's still alive, so the wound couldn't have been insta-fatal, but he needs to see a healer/doctor immediately!

Unless of course the whole thing is made of ether, in which case other rules may apply.

The fact that there's absolutely no blood leads to the suspicion this is some kind of spirit blade. If Jeanne wants to undo stabbing damage (can't love George anymore? he's halfway to becoming a soulless green zombie?) pulling it out will do the trick. Probably. Backbenching medicine is a lot of fun and risk free. Smitty is a lucky guy.

[eee]

Regarding the hair clip, let's think this through. It fell off when the Tick-Tocks dropped Annie in the Annan Waters on the Forest side, after they slowed her down when she was knocked off the bridge. It is unthinkable that it floated down into Mr. Green Elf's skeletal hand, especially since his finger bones looked like they were closed around it. Just as it is kind of unthinkable that he was able to reach the shore at roughly the same time Kat and Annie did in their life raft, when said raft was driven by an outboard motor. That would have required superhumanly fast underwater swimming, while he was still a skeleton. Unless he managed to somehow grab the raft and was pulled along by it.

I hypothesize that when the Arrow hit him, it forced his spirit out of his body, but he didn't die. Rather like Jeanne. So he too became a ghost, but a water ghost. Maybe he even became the Annan Waters, themselves. When the hairclip fell off for some reason it was so attractive to him he moved it to his body and put it in his hand for safe keeping. After the Arrow was removed, with his body now free, he moved his skeleton through the water after the raft even as it was regenerating, just as Annie was able to move her body to put the Arrow in the case before reintegrating. This would explain the how; but not the why or what happens next.

We'll see if I'm right.