Gunnerkrigg Court 8: Thrown for a Loup

[Willie the Duck]

So... He rejected the Ether to join a group of people who are trying to give up the Ether, but who still intend to steal a whole bunch of Ether from some source or another to move away from the Ether to another place that has Ether.

Oh well... At least it sounds like some form of Zen...

Pull out the jargon, and we're left with the forces of Technology/Order/Reason not really liking or understanding Magic, but knowing it exists and has power; and wanting that power for themselves to help create a more Technology/Order/Reason-friendly world (or go to a part where only they are using whatever powers magic for their Technology/Order/Reason ends). Reminds me of Mage: the Ascension/wakening or stuff like that.

[BRC]

I think the key to understanding the Shadow Men is to look back at what we already know about the setting.

So, The Court was founded on the principle of Etheric Science, the impossible technologies of the Court are made possible by combining The Ether and mundane Science and Engineering.

Since then, they have learned that the Ether can be extracted, measured, and used, but not Understood in any real way. By it's nature it defies understanding.

The Shadow Men therefore reject The Ether, they cannot understand it, therefore they cannot trust it. The reliable uses of it may stop working tomorrow. For all they know the things they can reliably do with it, like Parley's Teleportation, only happen at the whim of some powerful entity like Coyote.

The Shadow Men hate that, but the Ether is baked into the very heart of the Court. Dragonslayers and ghosts and psychics are everywhere. Heck, the Robots themselves are magical in nature.


So they want to start over, they want to create a new Court, one where they understand everything that's going on. However, so much of what makes Gunnerkrigg Court possible is based on the Ether that they can't just go cold-turkey with the Ether, that would just make them another MIT or whatever.

Their solution, as far as I guess, is to Steal a massive amount of Etheric energy to use as the basis of their New Court, then take it far away from any godlike entities. The Court was built in the Gillette Wood, to make use of the ample supply of Etheric energy found there, which means that they don't control it. This New Court would run it's etheric technologies off the battery of stolen power they brought with them, something safe and controlled.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Ether way, I don't get it.

The best kind of Zen. Also, good pun.

EDIT:

The Court was built in the Gillette Wood, to make use of the ample supply of Etheric energy found there, which means that they don't control it. This New Court would run it's etheric technologies off the battery of stolen power they brought with them, something safe and controlled.

...Right up until the battery runs flat.

I assume that there are other revelations to come that will make this make sense.

Oh, random thought while I was half-awake this morning: Zimmy reversed Loup's splitting of Annie, and Loup was surprised (and angry, 'natch) about it. Where does that put Zimmy on the power scale?

[Ellen]

1) I'm assuming "not allowed to go" and "not alive to go" are synonyms in this case.

2) And, by "go," I wonder if they mean, "Wipe away every sign of anything that ever used ether," including the forest, people like Annie, etc.

3) Of course, it's also possible they have some way of their own to use ether (or are hoping they can use it) and will wipe out the competition. Envy has pushed folks to do things like that in the past. But, I'm still betting on etheric armageddon.

4) Since ether seems to help the world go round and also plays a role in the afterlife in this story, that would be a very, very bad thing.

5) I think the court managed to corrupt a bodhisattva. I'm not Buddhist, but I thought the flaws of our world (including inequality) were supposed to be driven by desire or craving. The envy over etheric abilities would seem to be right up there. They've got a bodhisattva who is working for a group driven by jealousy and desire. To serve them, he's willing to not use his abilities to end suffering (or he is in theory) and considers helping others wrong if it means using the extra abilities he's been granted to do so.

6) If being left behind is fatal, I see why not letting that happen was the bribe/threat that made Annie's dad cooperative. Not sure what he knows about this--he doesn't seem to trust the court, either--but I think he knew Annie was in danger.

[137beth]

IIRC, Zimmy said she thought the Court was almost done with her. Presumably that means she won't be allowed in the new Court, since she can use the ether.

6) If being left behind is fatal, I see why not letting that happen was the bribe/threat that made Annie's dad cooperative. Not sure what he knows about this--he doesn't seem to trust the court, either--but I think he knew Annie was in danger.

But Annie can use the ether, so it would seem she won't be allowed in the new Court no matter what. I think we need another info-drop to make sense of what is going on.

[Willie the Duck]

1) I'm assuming "not allowed to go" and "not alive to go" are synonyms in this case.

2) And, by "go," I wonder if they mean, "Wipe away every sign of anything that ever used ether," including the forest, people like Annie, etc.

Why would we assume either of these, rather than 'we're leaving for safer shores, and you can't come with us?' It seems like Shell would be a little more actively upset about her (or at least Aata) not going.

[Gez]

So the Shadow Men don't know about how Kat is actually an Ether-user too? They should have been clued by how nobody understood how her antigravity device works.

[Lizard Lord]

I mean...there is surely no way Kat is leaving her best friend, her girlfriend, her life's work, and nearly all of her other friends as well actually. All of those are disqualified for either being either users, non-humans, or both. (At least i assumed talking to animals is ether use.)

[Yuki Akuma]

So the Shadow Men don't know about how Kat is actually an Ether-user too? They should have been clued by how nobody understood how her antigravity device works.

I'm not totally convinced Kat knows she's got anything to do with the Ether.

[Kornaki]

This plan doesn't make a ton of sense. Do we know... Anyone who would go?

[DeTess]

This plan doesn't make a ton of sense. Do we know... Anyone who would go?

It makes a lot of sense for the court as a whole(given how they are portrayed I'm sure lots of people that have never been on screen would want to go) but since most main characters wouldn't want to leave, I doubt the story will follow the exodus if it occurs.

[Ellen]

Why would we assume either of these, rather than 'we're leaving for safer shores, and you can't come with us?' It seems like Shell would be a little more actively upset about her (or at least Aata) not going.

I'm assuming Shell and Aata aren't on the need to know list.

From what we've seen ether users can show up anywhere. Also, it seems like the court should already have the means to pack up and relocate without all this work. Sure, they'd leave some buildings behind, but Loup has seriously damaged those already. Collect your insurance and build elsewhere (yes, that's assuming they have coverage against supernatural beings attacking. But, given the neighborhood, they should).

[Squire Doodad]

I second the notion that the exodus will not be followed by most of the current cast.
However, if this means there will be only a few dozen of the humans left in the current court area, that may mean this conflict with Loup will be the climax, as opposed to one last story arc after Loup is gone centered around Zimmy and "Omega".
We're close either way...

[Manga Shoggoth]

Hmmm... Remembering Shell's comment here, I wonder if this is Aata at least trying to make sure that the non-court folk aren't suddenly left hanging.

[sihnfahl]

Hmmm... Remembering Shell's comment here, I wonder if this is Aata at least trying to make sure that the non-court folk aren't suddenly left hanging.

Given his history as a bodhisattva, are you surprised?

[Max_Killjoy]

If Aata is what it's implied he is, then there's also some things to learn about Coyote (or the fragment of Coyote) in the way he treated and commented on Aata.

[Squire Doodad]

If Aata is what it's implied he is, then there's also some things to learn about Coyote (or the fragment of Coyote) in the way he treated and commented on Aata.

The bitterness is likely in regards to Aata's views of the Ether. Aata may well have privately resented not being allowed to use the Ether at all...or maybe he resented that it was a part of him?
He may be on our protagonist's side in the future, but it's plausible the fragment was making the same conclusion - Aata not being allowed to use the Ether was because of jealousy from the Court. And, as a result, much of Loup's wrath is coming in part because of said jealousy.

[sihnfahl]

The bitterness is likely in regards to Aata's views of the Ether.

Or that Aata rejected it in favor for the Court.

Aata not being allowed to use the Ether was because of jealousy from the Court. And, as a result, much of Loup's wrath is coming in part because of said jealousy.

Jealousy, probably not. Remember, they were trying to manipulate the ether using machines, rather than 'abilities'. He most likely wasn't allowed to use the ether because it would skew their results during testing by drawing in ether naturally, rather than through mechanical means.

[Squire Doodad]

Jealousy, probably not. Remember, they were trying to manipulate the ether using machines, rather than 'abilities'. He most likely wasn't allowed to use the ether because it would skew their results during testing by drawing in ether naturally, rather than through mechanical means.

Hmm, good point. Pragmatism wins again!

[Manga Shoggoth]

Given his history as a bodhisattva, are you surprised?

Not especially - Less by being described as a bodhisattva, more with his dealings with the fae a few pages earlier when he had nothing to gain. Not much to go on, true, but after a major disaster he was still prepared to be polite to the two fae.

[Vinyadan]

The bitterness is likely in regards to Aata's views of the Ether. Aata may well have privately resented not being allowed to use the Ether at all...or maybe he resented that it was a part of him?
He may be on our protagonist's side in the future, but it's plausible the fragment was making the same conclusion - Aata not being allowed to use the Ether was because of jealousy from the Court. And, as a result, much of Loup's wrath is coming in part because of said jealousy.

At the moment, I think the bitterness really referred to the injustice of the ether, which won't be accessible to everyone. Aata would be bitter towards this fact, because of his kindness towards other people.

Coyote also calls him cousin, so I assume that he sees him as himself, born from people's beliefs. And failed because Aata didn't embrace his own nature and instead is living like any other man.

By the way, Aata tryng to be just a human reminds me of what Ysengrin said after Coyote revealed his great secret: "Does [Coyote] think we would be mere simple minded animals were it not for humans? Impossible. I cannot bear the thought." Besides how Aata might be feeling about his own situation, I can't help but feel that the Shadow Men are short-circuiting the process. If powers are due to belief, if everyone believed that every human has a connection to the ether, then maybe it would really happen. Instead, they force their adherents to act as if they had none, reinforcing the belief that men have no connection to the ether.

[sihnfahl]

Oh. Hi Loup.

Who'd have guessed he got to that point?

[Manga Shoggoth]

It's not a good sign, is it...

I went back to "She Gave Us An Ocean" to see if Loup got in there, but there's no sign of it - so must be more recent.

[eee]

Oh. Hi Loup.

Who'd have guessed he got to that point?

He's acting smart. For once. Whatever Coyote told him must have rocked him to the point he decided being ego-stupid was a bad idea.

[Lizard Lord]

I reread it just to make sure, and Kat never actually met that form. Admittedly I am unsure to what (if any) degree of making human bodies Kat has a direct hand in vs. just making the process automated so it is possible she wouldn't realize he wasn't one of the former robots anyways.

[Zea mays]

Nice parallel to Renard posessing a random court schmo to woo Surma.

[sihnfahl]

Admittedly I am unsure to what (if any) degree of making human bodies Kat has a direct hand in vs. just making the process automated so it is possible she wouldn't realize he wasn't one of the former robots anyways.

That was in the chapter 'She Gave Us An Ocean'

They can customize their appearances.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Hmmm. Shell went from "Thank you. I love this dress." to "This old thing? Why, I only wear it when I don't care how I look.".

She's putting on some form of act, but for who and why? Well, apart from Aata, of course...

[Ibrinar]

Well she is saying the second line while posing.

[hungrycrow]

Hmmm. Shell went from "Thank you. I love this dress." to "This old thing? Why, I only wear it when I don't care how I look.".

She's putting on some form of act, but for who and why? Well, apart from Aata, of course...

I think the first time she was too riled up to put on false modesty.