Gunnerkrigg Court 7: Psychopomp and Circumstance

[137beth]

It was when I accidentally posted in the wrong thread

[137beth]

Hmm, the sky symbol suggests a diplomatic meeting is imminent. That means it's finally Annie's turn to do something about this whole sequence of events.

[Vinyadan]

Coyote really wanted Annie to be a medium,

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and this probably was what convinced the headmaster not to make her a medium, since it means that Annie is part of Coyote's plans. And now we might see what Coyote had in mind, concerning her.

[Ellen]

We ended this chapter with not much resolved. That strongly suggests this is the new normal. Ysengrim insane(er) and ready to destroy the Court, the Court Jeanne-less but protected by robots (for now--batteries, programming, and free will all being potential dangers [normally, I'm not against free will, but the robots all deciding to go off and see Paris right about now would be a very bad thing for the Court), Coyote, sort of dead and sort of not for reasons of his own, but still talking to Annie.

So, it's all very precarious and it's going to keep going on being precarious while Coyote's plans continue to unfold.

Coyote: Local deity most likely to destroy the world just to hear the bang.

[Feyblade]

Schrodinger's Coyote. This whole chapter was a mess and I never expected it? It felt very fast paced and I'm not sure what's going on but I must know what happens next.

[137beth]

Evac. The Court is no longer safe for students.

[Ellen]

How big is the court? It seems like its own kingdom.

[Potato_Priest]

I'm pretty sure the answer to your question is "big".

T my knowledge there aren't any specifics about it though.

[wingnutx]

The Court is very big, and largely empty.

Kind of like those deserted cities in China.

Or even like Miranda.

[Vinyadan]

Is that guy Eglamore?

[wingnutx]

Is that guy Eglamore?

The one with the brown jacket & briefcase? No.

[guttering flame]

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no surprises here. Juliette and Arthur is sweet. Can anyone remind me what the ceramic chip is and when it was discussed previously?

[Narkis]

Spoiler: new comic

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no surprises here. Juliette and Arthur is sweet. Can anyone remind me what the ceramic chip is and when it was discussed previously?

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http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=220

It's discovered here. I don't know if they discuss it again later. The next page is also when Robot first calls Kat an angel.

[Iruka]

I wonder if this is a continuity error: In 1851, the background of the first panel seems to show "standard" CPUs of Court robots, all of them with the blue square that is supposedly the "unidentified ceramic chip".

[NRSASD]

Spoiler: Today's Comic Rant

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WHAT? How is this your fault?! Am I missing something or is Annie being an idiot again? I'll admit to wallowing in self-blame more than I should, but come on, this is ridiculous even by my standards.

[Iruka]

Spoiler: Today's Comic Rant

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WHAT? How is this your fault?! Am I missing something or is Annie being an idiot again? I'll admit to wallowing in self-blame more than I should, but come on, this is ridiculous even by my standards.

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Maybe she blames herself for not being enough of a calming influence on Ysengrin? Coyote implied that Annie's influence had readied Ysengrin for receiving his power.
I guess any mediator would question themself to a certain extent if conflict broke out and Annie has always been prone to self-blame.

[Leewei]

Annie schemed and eventually freed the river guardian - the bound vengeful spirit that kept the forest creatures away.

[Fawkes]

Personally, I blame Tony.

[137beth]

It’s all Diego’s fault.

[sihnfahl]

Annie schemed and eventually freed the river guardian - the bound vengeful spirit that kept the forest creatures away.

Ah, but she didn't know the true purpose. All she and Kat knew was that Jeanne was bound to the river, and was angry at EVERYTHING because of the loss of her elven lover.

It wasn't just the forest creatures that got near the river that Jeanne attacked; even psychopomps and people from the Court. And when they found out about the Arrow...

So I see it as two young people with a TON of compassion wanting to free the two.

Also, I would guess they inferred that Diego's comments implied that they only sought to bar the creatures of the forest from crossing at whim by binding the elf's soul to the river with the arrow, thus erecting a barrier. He probably did not intend for Jeanne to die of a broken heart ... or turn into what she became. But because 'The Brute' insisted, no attempt was made to undo what was done. Or was permitted...

"She died, and we did nothing."

Does the current Court know? Perhaps, perhaps not... but would they care? Probably not. The vibe I get is 'the binding of one soul to madness versus the entire Court.... we choose the Court.'

Now Kat and Annie see why ... after Ysengrim wrecked a portion of the Court and forced people to flee... and then there's the personal cost in Arthur.

[guttering flame]

Personally I'm glad to see some green trees in the vast technological desert that is the Court. Maybe they lost power and their robot servants but that's not terrible, just irritating. In the long run this is a very good thing. The Court feel stagnated. Compare them to the founders and their works. The golem-robots. making the court itself. Interaction with the living magic of the Forest will revive this place through synthesis of the two worldviews.

[Ibrinar]

Now who is an expert on robots has access to them and is in a good position to get access to the research of Kat's mom? That is right Kat is the evil mastermind!

[sihnfahl]

Now who is an expert on robots has access to them and is in a good position to get access to the research of Kat's mom? That is right Kat is the evil mastermind!

Problem is, with the way Tony talks, we don't know if he's telling Kat or accusing Kat.

The fun part is, if Kat was the one who set up the shield protocol itself, she wouldn't have to be trying to figure out what can and cannot pass through the shield; she'd already know, since she would be the one who set those protocols up in the first place...

[eee]

I've revised my opinion a bit. Originally I proposed the creatures who beat Tony up and told him how to summon up Surma were trying a backdoor way to kill Annie and the fire elemental. I still think that's valid; but now I'm also thinking, they knew what sort of a person Tony was and said, "Heck, let's bust his face, just because."

EDIT: Also, who could have programmed the robots to use the shield? Whoever is running the Tic-Tocs. Which we haven't seen for a while.

[guttering flame]

I've revised my opinion a bit. Originally I proposed the creatures who beat Tony up and told him how to summon up Surma were trying a backdoor way to kill Annie and the fire elemental. I still think that's valid; but now I'm also thinking, they knew what sort of a person Tony was and said, "Heck, let's bust his face, just because."

EDIT: Also, who could have programmed the robots to use the shield? Whoever is running the Tic-Tocs. Which we haven't seen for a while.

The Creatures took off with his hand. His busted face is Zimmy's work

[Fawkes]

The Creatures took off with his hand. His busted face is Zimmy's work

And we salute her for it.

[Leewei]

...

EDIT: Also, who could have programmed the robots to use the shield? Whoever is running the Tic-Tocs. Which we haven't seen for a while.

I have to wonder if Jones has a hand in this. She's one character with ties to Gunnerkrigg who has been around as long. Alternately, there's Coyote, himself.

[SZbNAhL]

I have to wonder if Jones has a hand in this. She's one character with ties to Gunnerkrigg who has been around as long. Alternately, there's Coyote, himself.

Neither of whom are particularly big on technology.

[Fawkes]

The fact that Tony thinks that this is a good idea makes me instantly think this is a bad idea.

[Zea mays]

Place your bets: who’s coming with Annie to the forrest, Anthony or Egglamore (you know, that one guy)?