Gunnerkrigg Court 7: Psychopomp and Circumstance

[eee]

I dunno, that's an awful lack of concern for Jones. I can kind of figure the Court taking that attitude, but Kat and Annie? Either they knew Jones was in orbit and haven't made any attempt to get her down, or Jones just disappeared and they made no attempt to get her back.

I'm suspicious. I was apparently wrong about traveling back in time, but I'm now even more curious about CourtAnnie's shortened haircut and apparently tenuous connection to her elemental side, and the lack of concern about Jones is another alarm bell.

Something is very definitely up.

But look at it from CourtAnnie / Kat's point of view. Jones went up in the sky. Where to? Was she in orbit, on the Moon, heading out of the Solar System? Did she get dropped on a mountain or the deepest part of the ocean and was having to walk back to the Court? Did she get frozen in time again? It's not as if Kat operates at Girl Genius level Sparkiness, can do anything no matter how scientifically impossible, and could make up a Jones detector that would tell them where she was regardless of distance. Nor apparently does Jones register in the etheric realms, meaning CourtAnnie couldn't search for her magically. The unconcern may have been the simple realization that "We don't know where Jones is, and have no way to find her, we'll have to wait until she returns on her own if she ever does or somebody tells us what going on".

We'll see.

[Fawkes]

Jones is also apparently invulnerable and unkillable, so there's really no need to be concerned.

[eee]

Aw, come ON, Kat, elucidate! How are the patched robots different?

(Kat seems to be adapting to two Annies without problem...)

[RowenMorland]

Aw, come ON, Kat, elucidate! How are the patched robots different?

(Kat seems to be adapting to two Annies without problem...)

For better and for worse all the Court robots are descended from their creator, Diego's (?), heart. These override robots are an instrument of the Court's will and a reflection of its current needs.

[JavaScribe]

New comic.

Annie's in a rivalry with herself.

[eee]

"We didn't start the fire..."

CourtAnnie's a fire elemental. If ForestAnnie is too, that argues they're both real.

(I'm curious as to what the dog is after. And where ForestAnnie went, she was right in that seat there...)

[Vinyadan]

We've already seen these things, I believe. Eaglemore's teacher fought them?

[eee]

We've already seen these things, I believe. Eaglemore's teacher fought them?

This is true. But before, they were apparently being used as transport vehicles for shadowmen. This one seems more aggressive. Although pausing long enough for CourtAnnie to talk with Kat, fire up, and fry it is... odd.

[sihnfahl]

This is true. But before, they were apparently being used as transport vehicles for shadowmen. This one seems more aggressive. Although pausing long enough for CourtAnnie to talk with Kat, fire up, and fry it is... odd.

Talking is a free action.

[Iruka]

I wonder if CourtAnnie's style of fire bending is influenced by teachings of Tony.

[Mith]

I wonder if CourtAnnie's style of fire bending is influenced by teachings of Tony.

I am just wondering why they accept CourtAnnie having this degree of control, which ForestAnnie never had, unless the idea is that she has practised daily to master her skills.

[DeTess]

I am just wondering why they accept CourtAnnie having this degree of control, which ForestAnnie never had, unless the idea is that she has practised daily to master her skills.

CourtAnnie seems to have had about 6 months of postapocaliptic living under her belt. That might have helped her a bit in learning how to efficiently kill things.

[Willie the Duck]

CourtAnnie seems to have had about 6 months of postapocaliptic living under her belt. That might have helped her a bit in learning how to efficiently kill things.

I think there is (Doylistically) a bit of 'you are meeting your self, and one of you doesn't measure up.' If both of them survive, I suspect forest Annie will start wearing yellow and join the Maquis.

[Ellen]

Court Annie's competence is making me question whether she's a real Annie or not. She's too useful to be casually restricted because someone like Forest Annie (who they likely don't trust, anyway) says she's suspicious.

[Wayson]

Court Annie's competence is making me question whether she's a real Annie or not. She's too useful to be casually restricted because someone like Forest Annie (who they likely don't trust, anyway) says she's suspicious.

As someone already said, she's been presumably living under near-constant attack for six months. She's using her abilities a lot more than 'normal' due to the situation, which has produced some increased aptitude.

[wingnutx]

Six months in orbit and Jones looks great!

[geoduck]

Six months in orbit and Jones looks great!

Assuming it has been six months from her perspective.

[Ellen]

If I had to make a choice which Annie I thought was real, I'd pick the one we've been with for weeks.

If Eglamore has to make a choice, he'll pick the one he's been with for weeks.

Can't say that isn't logical.

Since Loup's stated goal (meaning highly suspect and may be missing important details) is to get Annie to move to the forest, this is a good way to make her feel unwelcome in the court.

That doesn't mean Court Annie isn't still real. It also doesn't mean she isn't. Maybe, if Forest Annie decides to go to the forest, Court Annie will go into attack mode.

Or maybe I'm going all paranoid and evil on a completely real Annie.

The way Eglamore is.

Can someone get Rey? I'd think he'd know how this works. Or maybe the psychopomps? If dead people can't tell whose soul they're dealing with, who can?*

*I know, I know, I may really regret getting the answer to that.

[wingnutx]

Coyote could fool himself into thinking he was Annie, if he hadn't been eaten.

[eee]

I wonder what Jones was looking at? She doesn't have Etheric senses, that we know of, so it would have to be purely visual inspection of ForestAnnie. Retinal patterns, skin texture, expression?

[Vinyadan]

I wonder what Jones was looking at? She doesn't have Etheric senses, that we know of, so it would have to be purely visual inspection of ForestAnnie. Retinal patterns, skin texture, expression?

"Does she fear me? Or is it Coyote and will it start laughing?"

[RowenMorland]

I think the next chapter will begin with a third Annie showing up and all three of them will be walking dreams from Annie's physical self which Loup is holding in an induced sleep in the forest (because he's a creep).

[137beth]

Here's my speculation:

Coyote's tooth will be the key to stopping Loup. Coyote planned this in advance, and this is the reason he gave Annie the tooth in the first place. The reason Coyote didn't want Annie to tell Ysengrin about his tooth when she was staying in the forest was because he didn't want Loup to know about it.

The memory that Coyote gave to Parley and Smitty is Coyote's own memory of giving his tooth to Annie.

[RowenMorland]

Here's my speculation:

Coyote's tooth will be the key to stopping Loup. Coyote planned this in advance, and this is the reason he gave Annie the tooth in the first place. The reason Coyote didn't want Annie to tell Ysengrin about his tooth when she was staying in the forest was because he didn't want Loup to know about it.

The memory that Coyote gave to Parley and Smitty is Coyote's own memory of giving his tooth to Annie.

I agree. The tooth is what Coyote wants to hide. One of the gifts has the memory of Coyote giving Annie the tooth, the other has the memory of which memory Coyote put in the first gift.

[Ellen]

Indicator to look for to tell if Court Annie is a Real Annie: Is her wrist in danger of being cut through if she tells anyone about the tooth? Loup might have given her one, but it won't operate by the same rules (since he didn't know what those rules were).

But, how can Forest Annie test this without getting one or both of them to lose a hand?

And, even if both Annies are real, would telling herself what she already knows get her hand cut off? I'm not sure. But, if one of the
Annies is fake (or not as real as she should be [which might be both of them as a result of being split), Loup may know as soon as one of the Annies tells the other Annie.

So, as a test, it has a lot of drawbacks. Hand loss at best, losing the last chance they have of dealing with Loup at worst.

[SZbNAhL]

Indicator to look for to tell if Court Annie is a Real Annie: Is her wrist in danger of being cut through if she tells anyone about the tooth? Loup might have given her one, but it won't operate by the same rules (since he didn't know what those rules were).

Didn't the binding only last for the duration of her Summer in the forest? She's already told Andrew, Parley, Jones, Shadow2 and Robot.

[137beth]

Annie took the binding off after she got back to the Court.

[guttering flame]

Shame on you, Eglamore!

[eee]

The test will be Rey. HE'LL know which of them is real. Or if they both are.

[RowenMorland]

Indicator to look for to tell if Court Annie is a Real Annie: Is her wrist in danger of being cut through if she tells anyone about the tooth? Loup might have given her one, but it won't operate by the same rules (since he didn't know what those rules were).

But, how can Forest Annie test this without getting one or both of them to lose a hand?

And, even if both Annies are real, would telling herself what she already knows get her hand cut off? I'm not sure. But, if one of the
Annies is fake (or not as real as she should be [which might be both of them as a result of being split), Loup may know as soon as one of the Annies tells the other Annie.

So, as a test, it has a lot of drawbacks. Hand loss at best, losing the last chance they have of dealing with Loup at worst.

Did Coyote specify "Don't tell anyone in the forest"