Gunnerkrigg Court 8: Thrown for a Loup

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Calling this one way in the air: when the moment comes, Annie is going to refuse.

Because, Coyote:

Spoiler: She-Ra Season 4

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[Typewriter]

I could see her wanting to refuse but Ysengrin reaching out and asking/begging her to do it.

[Zazu Yen]

The point is Annie hates causing death or even pretending to cause death, more than any other character I can think of in the comic. And, I suspect Coyote knows this.

Indeed. Annies hatred of death has driven her from contact with the Psychopomps. It seems to me that this is an elaborate ploy not just to teach Ysengrin a lesson but to bring the Psychopomps back into her life.

[Ellen]

I think there's some method to Coyote's madness.

He gathered up all the rage of Ysengrim, who hates humans and the court, to create Loup, who damaged the court and will also force Annie to kill him (and Loup will see it as a necessary thing when the time comes, according to Coyote).

Meanwhile, Coyote arranged for Reynardine, who cares a great deal for humans, to be at the court. I'm assuming there's some purpose in that as well, although I don't know what (I'm assuming it's something more than being Annie's mentor/protector). My guess is that part of this is to have Rey far away from what's about to happen in the forest.

I don't know why Coyote intends to die but my guess--and it's only a guess--is that it has something to do with ether. The court has been storing it up and disturbing the balance of nature. We've seen some of this through Zimmy, whose condition was getting a lot worse when the court was storing up the ether normally released in rain.

(And, is it possible that Zimmy is in the unbalanced state she's in because ether that should be part of the environment is missing? Thought that's just another wild guess)

Coyote is a major focus of ether and is about to be released into the comic's hereafter, which is literally made up of ether. So, is he restoring the balance? Or maybe taking the ether the court has stolen and releasing it back where it should be?

I think, whatever Coyote does, it will do something to the court (I'm assuming he'll harm it in some way, though it may not be his definition of harm).

[DaFlipp]

I had a somewhat distressing thought the other day that I haven't been able to dismiss, and wanted to put my predictions down here.

Spoiler: Prediction!

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I worry one of our long-running cast members is going to get severely hurt, if not killed, in this chapter.

Loup is *not* happy, and is about to lash out. Yes, the Shadow Men are going to face the brunt of his wrath, but Loup made it pretty clear that he sees everyone but Annie as fair game. And it's not like our heroes to just stand back and do nothing.

My thought is that Eglamore, Parley, and Cvet are going to spring into action to evacuate as much of the folks present as possible. Parley can teleport people away one at a time, and Cvet is big enough to fly multiple people out of harm's way.

That leaves Eglamore. I think Eglamore is going to do his damnedest to distract Loup while his partners perform the vital task of getting folks back into the Court. Annie will try to help too, but Eglamore would *insist* on getting her out of harm's way, too.

Eglamore's had this job for a while. He is *good* in a fight, and we may find ourselves surprised at how well he stands up to the rampaging god.

But I don't, under any circumstances, see him winning.

(Of course, all this could be undone if Coyote's whispers to Loup send him off in some unpredictable direction. And since unpredictable is one of Coyote's favorite things to be, that may be the case!)

[Ellen]

Well, this is interesting.

I hadn't quite grasped that the Shadow Men had something more than a general plan going. I thought it was the usual. You know, abominations of science, learning secrets man was not meant to know, that sort of thing (or, in Gunnerkrigg, I suppose it's not so much "not meant to know" as "don't learn about aether just so you can use it as a power source, dweebs"), that sort of thing, with a pinch of Cold War (that might turn hot) with the Magic Woods on the side.

Instead, it's a program where even higher echelon members can be tossed out.

But, what's he being tossed out for? Use of magic? Unauthorized burning up of his aetheric energy allowance? Something else?

Whatever it is, he just went from cold, reckless back-stabber endangering everyone on the mission to the guy who sacrificed everything (whatever "everything" is to him) to save a life. That's a touch disorienting.

And how is what he's doing a "failure"?

And what did he just prove himself correct about? And how does saving a life or creating flower magic or some other aspect of what he did/is doing prove him correct?

It's chapter 84, page 34. Shouldn't I know what's going on by now?

[Lizard Lord]

I am guessing that he is being kicked out for using magic and considers this proving him right that they need to steal magic from the forrest and use it for themselves/humanity.

[Kornaki]

Now I'm wondering if these guys are all forest creatures that turned into humans, and they're going to get kicked out of that.

[Spacewolf]

It could be he's failed to detach himself from the world as a buddha candidate should, so he's failed to reach Nirvana and become a god but shown his morality.

[tyckspoon]

And what did he just prove himself correct about? And how does saving a life or creating flower magic or some other aspect of what he did/is doing prove him correct?

It's chapter 84, page 34. Shouldn't I know what's going on by now?

This particular character has only actually shown up in like ..five pages so far? And I think his interruption into Coyote's chat with Annie is the first time he's actually been given any dialogue or action that would hint at whatever he has going on beyond just passing down orders from the Court and standing around in the background making grumpy faces. The revelation that the Court and the Shadow Men actually have etheric beings/magical practitioners and aren't just fumbling around trying to figure out how to control the Ether with tech is a new aspect of a group that was previously largely a background detail already - so.. no, you aren't supposed to know what's going on here yet, I think.

[eee]

She?

My bad.

[PhantomFox]

So... the knowledge that Loup doesn't have Coyotes tooth seems to be causing insanity or pain rather than anger. Why do you think that is?

[Ellen]

He knows someone has the power to kill him and is not handling it well?

I wonder if Coyote told him Annie has the tooth or if he's saving that for a surprise?

[Squire Doodad]

Someone on the site's comments summed up Annie's feelings about this page pretty well

* Raging flurry of roots * "It's cool, I can block that."
* Distorting the spacetime continuum * "Uhhhhh I can't block that."

===

So. That happened.

This is...not going to go well, is it.

[Lizard Lord]

.....that's not a good sign.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Yeah, the phrase "suitably ominous" comes to mind.

[Ionathus]

So... the knowledge that Loup doesn't have Coyotes tooth seems to be causing insanity or pain rather than anger. Why do you think that is?

My guess is that Loup thought he FINALLY had every piece of Coyote that had been taken from him. The goose bone, the river water...and now the tooth. He feels like he'll never be whole; that Coyote outmaneuvered him and scattered his pieces everywhere and he'll keep getting sent on a snipe hunt to track them all down, and therefore Loup will never have the full power of Coyote that he craves.

And, on a more personal note, the last few pages are probably an appropriate artist's rendering of how I'd react if my teeth started falling out. Thanks to bad dental genetics and a root canal therapy conga line across the past few years, I think about my teeth falling out quite regularly. It's one of the most terrifying body horror concepts that might actually happen to me some day.

That scene in District 9...*shudders*

[Ionathus]

Hmm, we've now had two fully-black pages in a row.

I stand by my recent assessment that we are, in fact, entering the endgame.

[137beth]

My guess is that Loup thought he FINALLY had every piece of Coyote that had been taken from him. The goose bone, the river water...and now the tooth. He feels like he'll never be whole; that Coyote outmaneuvered him and scattered his pieces everywhere and he'll keep getting sent on a snipe hunt to track them all down, and therefore Loup will never have the full power of Coyote that he craves.

And, on a more personal note, the last few pages are probably an appropriate artist's rendering of how I'd react if my teeth started falling out. Thanks to bad dental genetics and a root canal therapy conga line across the past few years, I think about my teeth falling out quite regularly. It's one of the most terrifying body horror concepts that might actually happen to me some day.

That scene in District 9...*shudders*

He's also seeing evidence Coyote was right in that the missing "gifts" Coyote gave aren't the reason Loup can't control the forest.

[Typewriter]

Spelunkerkrigg

[Ellen]

Had a dream the other night that James was really Annie's dad. It was a weird dream. There was an extensive back story which doesn't make sense with what's been in the comic.

But, now I keep thinking that's the back story while Annie and James interact in the tunnels.

[wingnutx]

This is how Tony can show he cares, action not mushy emotional interaction.

[Typewriter]

So... random question - but what's up with this discussion post lately? I swear I used to be able to come here and read several comments every M-W-F and often the days between, but lately we regularly have 1-2 weeks before spurts of discussion crop up. Is it just that the current pace/arc doesn't lend itself to discussion or is something else going on?

[JavaScribe]

So... random question - but what's up with this discussion post lately? I swear I used to be able to come here and read several comments every M-W-F and often the days between, but lately we regularly have 1-2 weeks before spurts of discussion crop up. Is it just that the current pace/arc doesn't lend itself to discussion or is something else going on?

I dunno about others, but personally, I feel like the writing has gotten less creative and mysterious over time. I think I was starting to lose interest a few chapters before Antimony's father showed up. At this point, I might review the comic once every other month or so instead of the 3 times a week I used to.

[eee]

So... random question - but what's up with this discussion post lately? I swear I used to be able to come here and read several comments every M-W-F and often the days between, but lately we regularly have 1-2 weeks before spurts of discussion crop up. Is it just that the current pace/arc doesn't lend itself to discussion or is something else going on?

A story often lives or dies by the enemies the hero faces. And Loup isn't really that fun an antagonist. Jeanne was terrifying and sad, Coyote was clever and you weren't sure what he was up to, Anthony you wanted to punch repeatedly even if you could understand why he was such a jerk. But Loup is a crazy, mean spirited, irresponsible fool with tremendous power. And he's matched against the Court, which appears to be the same. With Annie stuck between them. This is not a happy situation. A lot of the mysteries of the series have been revealed, but what's left is even more confusing and unclear. There's not much to speculate about because we don't know enough, there aren't new interesting characters (although Aata is showing unexpected depths and development), and great changes are happening that leave us uncertain. You can't talk a lot if you don't have a lot to talk about.

[wingnutx]

Is it just that the current pace/arc doesn't lend itself to discussion n?

That's what it is for me.

[Typewriter]

I know Loup was sort of a catalyst for me to... not lose interest but sort of... de-prioritize the comic? I still read it but I don't check the forums (or participate in them) as much as I used to. But I feel like Loup was a long time ago and it seemed like things have really just tanked lately, discussion wise, so I wasn't sure if it was him or something else.

Looking back over the recent chapters the pacing has been really a bit off IMO. In the last 16 chapters (66 onwards) we've had Loup created, the court attacked, and Annie split in two with the comic following a 6 month 'gap' with the Annie we followed. Then we spent a few chapters learning about what happened during the 6 month gap, a few chapters resolving the Annie situation, a few chapters dealing with 'side' things like Kats impending godhood, a couple of chapters addressing Loup, and now the Court is attacked again. It all just feels very rapid fire and... not inconsistent but something inconsistent adjacent.

It honestly feels like we're flat-out missing a chunk of content. Maybe that's intentional to cause a certain degree of confusion/disorientation for the reader so that they match the atmosphere of the story but unless a chapter soon somehow comes in and fills in the blanks in a meaningful way it all just winds up being a waiting game for things to 'get back to normal' for me.

[Willie the Duck]

what's left is even more confusing and unclear. There's not much to speculate about because we don't know enough

I think this part is a the primary issue. What's really going on with the court (specific to anything not already wrapped up)? What's going to happen with Loup (barring a straight-forward 'Annie kills him with the tooth')? Who the heck knows? If there's foreshadowing to either topic, it's subtle enough I've missed it. I could randomly guess, but that's all it would be (hot take: Everything we knew was a lie and the court will use previously unmentioned technomagic to send Loup back in time to be Surma's father... somehow).

[Typewriter]

I think this part is a the primary issue. What's really going on with the court (specific to anything not already wrapped up)? What's going to happen with Loup (barring a straight-forward 'Annie kills him with the tooth')? Who the heck knows? If there's foreshadowing to either topic, it's subtle enough I've missed it. I could randomly guess, but that's all it would be (hot take: Everything we knew was a lie and the court will use previously unmentioned technomagic to send Loup back in time to be Surma's father... somehow).

Oh come, that's absurd. Loup won't be Surma's father. The time travel will split Loup back into Coyote and Ysengrin and they will be Surma's mother and father.

[Vinyadan]

A story often lives or dies by the enemies the hero faces. And Loup isn't really that fun an antagonist. Jeanne was terrifying and sad, Coyote was clever and you weren't sure what he was up to, Anthony you wanted to punch repeatedly even if you could understand why he was such a jerk. But Loup is a crazy, mean spirited, irresponsible fool with tremendous power. And he's matched against the Court, which appears to be the same. With Annie stuck between them. This is not a happy situation. A lot of the mysteries of the series have been revealed, but what's left is even more confusing and unclear. There's not much to speculate about because we don't know enough, there aren't new interesting characters (although Aata is showing unexpected depths and development), and great changes are happening that leave us uncertain. You can't talk a lot if you don't have a lot to talk about.

To paraphrase Coyote, "It's a pity that Loup is less than the sum of his parts". He's less interesting than Isengrim, who had his own troubles and was dangerous but, in certain ways, admirable, and also was important to Annie (aka the Main Character) as a teacher. Loup is also less interesting than Coyote, who actually knew what he was doing, shared very little, and again had an important relationship with Annie.

More importantly, Loup isn't really his own character (yet). He's a pawn of Coyote. He's trapped in schemes he cannot understand, and, at the same time, he's too unhinged to harbour any shred of mystery.

Bizarrely enough, this would make him a decent main character in a tragedy. However, he isn't; he's supposed to be an antagonist, but he's really more of a reliably bitter force of nature, who's been pulling off the same moves over and over (attack the court, forcibly move the forest creatures). Even doubling Annie (quite original, I must admit) didn't lead anywhere.*

In a situation like this, the "good" characters should be pulling the weight of the plot (inner conflict, that sort of thing), but I don't see it happening. You know, for example, massive conflict against the shadow men as Loup convulses in devastation until he self-destroys.

*but why did he do it? Was there ever an explanation? Because a Coyotesque decomposition into "the true Annie, the Annie other see, the Annie Annie sees" would at least have had a clear origin. "Hey, little miss Know-It-All, do you remember that time when...?"