Gunnerkrigg Court 8: Thrown for a Loup

[halfeye]

No, I think this is related to how the ether is shaped by stories. Like how a god is a personification for philosophies or forces of nature that the ether turns real.

Since the Court doesn't have warp drives yet, they are instead going to tell a story about how the Court escaped the evils of magic by using magic one last time, to literally sail an ocean made of stars. The ether will somehow translate the Court's story into travelling to another planet at FTL speeds.

On the other hand, maybe the Court have hypnotised the people they don't want into walking into the sea and drowning?

[137beth]

"It's entirely your choice..."
So is the Court going to launch nukes at everyone who stays behind?

[sihnfahl]

So is the Court going to launch nukes at everyone who stays behind?

Do nothing at all.

They're probably operating under the assumption Loup is going to destroy the entire Court... eventually, given the amount of damage he's caused so far.

That he's been relatively quiet is just a sign that he's moving things around that'll smash everything in one go.

[JavaScribe]

If I were an etherically tuned student at the Court, I'd be feeling pretty betrayed right now. To think that the Court trains and studies them not to spread the benefits of their gifts, but to be free of them. All because it's "not fair".

Why the heck is the Court so afraid of the gods that they would go to all this effort to create what is ultimately a smaller world than the one they were born in? The gods of this world don't seem to interfere with humanity anywhere near enough to justify that.

Isn't the soul supposed to be fundamental to the ether? How are they going to make this world completely devoid of it?

[Kornaki]

Maybe this actually adds up, huh.

I'm surprised Kat passes this test to be honest.

[sihnfahl]

Maybe this actually adds up, huh.

Not really. I believe they're gaslighting. Remember the reason they got shifted was because the Ship wanted Kat to give the Ship flesh so it could woo Lindsey.

And it's debatable it was even on the Court's sea. Kat thought it was the Atlantic.

And Zimmy? She gets seasick. Regardless of 'ocean'.

And don't forget that -none- of the etheric users had any adverse reactions. The robots had to seal those with any real abilities. The witch wasn't sealed, of course, and was fully ether capable.

[eee]

If I were an etherically tuned student at the Court, I'd be feeling pretty betrayed right now. To think that the Court trains and studies them not to spread the benefits of their gifts, but to be free of them. All because it's "not fair".

Why the heck is the Court so afraid of the gods that they would go to all this effort to create what is ultimately a smaller world than the one they were born in? The gods of this world don't seem to interfere with humanity anywhere near enough to justify that.

Isn't the soul supposed to be fundamental to the ether? How are they going to make this world completely devoid of it?

RE why the Court is doing this: My suspicion is, the current rulers are control freaks. They want everything neat and tidy. But they've got things like Jones, who can't be explained, and gods like Coyote, who can change natural laws at whim. The rulers can't handle a world they can't understand. So they're going to run somewhere else, where everything DOES conform to the rules they love, and they'll takes lots of people with them so they can continue to be rulers, all in the name of fairness. Then, they think, they'll be happy. The thing is, as you've noted, this is probably a pipe dream and serious mistake. Where humans (even Ether devoid ones) are, there too is the Ether, and things will just wind up the same. Even if the new world is a computer program carefully designed and constructed to be Ether free.

Maybe this actually adds up, huh.

I'm surprised Kat passes this test to be honest.

I think Kat is a powerful Ether force, but of a sort no one, even the gods, has seen before. So they don't recognize her.

[sihnfahl]

I think Kat is a powerful Ether force, but of a sort no one, even the gods, has seen before. So they don't recognize her.

Indeed, even the Realm of the Dead didn't have a clue.

[Kornaki]

Not really. I believe they're gaslighting. Remember the reason they got shifted was because the Ship wanted Kat to give the Ship flesh so it could woo Lindsey.

And it's debatable it was even on the Court's sea. Kat thought it was the Atlantic.

And Zimmy? She gets seasick. Regardless of 'ocean'.

And don't forget that -none- of the etheric users had any adverse reactions. The robots had to seal those with any real abilities. The witch wasn't sealed, of course, and was fully ether capable.

The trip is metaphorical, so I thought maybe the ship coming to life and warding the students etc was part of it.

But then I found this page on a re-read
https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1451

So you're definitely right, this had nothing to do with the current plot.

[sihnfahl]

So you're definitely right, this had nothing to do with the current plot.

It does if the 'aliens' are trying to gaslight the Court folks.

The sort of 'aliens' like those who convinced Anthony to cut off his hand to make an antenna that was going to end up killing Annie if not for Zimmie, all for the hope of bringing back Surma... who was long dead and whose spirit was taken into the Ether.

[Kornaki]

It does if the 'aliens' are trying to gaslight the Court folks.

The sort of 'aliens' like those who convinced Anthony to cut off his hand to make an antenna that was going to end up killing Annie if not for Zimmie, all for the hope of bringing back Surma... who was long dead and whose spirit was taken into the Ether.

In fairness surma's spirit (at least the fire elemental) is in antimony, so it feels a little different.

[JavaScribe]

So yes, it's a one way trip.

Good riddance to the cultists I guess. Maybe with them gone, the remnants of the Court can become an actual institute dedicated to etheric sciences, and maybe reuse the Star Ocean for actual space colonization.

But where does Antimony come in? Ysengrin implied that they are planning to do something terrible to her. Are they going to use her as a human sacrifice to give the Star Ocean enough power to transport everyone?

[guttering flame]

Gunnerkrigg Court Founders flee the evils of mundane humanity to magic forest. Now they will flee the evils of magic to, mundane humanity?

They were chickensh1te to the end I guess.

[eee]

Did Aata just say they're going to flee the evils of this world to make their own evils? That would be more self-aware of him than I expected.

I wonder why Janet wasn't part of the crowd. Was she invited and just didn't go? Or does she have a secret Etheric side?

[halfeye]

Did Aata just say they're going to flee the evils of this world to make their own evils? That would be more self-aware of him than I expected.

I parsed it as being to make their own world. He keeps saying "they" rather than "we", I suspect he's not invited.

[sihnfahl]

Or does she have a secret Etheric side?

It's suspected she has a secret etheric side that gives her special skills. That and if Winsbury wasn't invited, then she'd decline.

I suspect he's not invited.

He was kicked out of the program after saving Shell with his powers.

[JavaScribe]

So who the heck is in charge of the Court anyways? Is it a secret? The highest ranking we know about are Llanwellyn and Aata and even they are clearly not at the top.

[eee]

So who the heck is in charge of the Court anyways? Is it a secret? The highest ranking we know about are Llanwellyn and Aata and even they are clearly not at the top.

I suspect Gunner Krigg.

[tyckspoon]

So who the heck is in charge of the Court anyways? Is it a secret? The highest ranking we know about are Llanwellyn and Aata and even they are clearly not at the top.

Probably Coyote, somehow.

[hungrycrow]

So who the heck is in charge of the Court anyways? Is it a secret? The highest ranking we know about are Llanwellyn and Aata and even they are clearly not at the top.

Tom Siddell.

[wingnutx]

So who the heck is in charge of the Court anyways? Is it a secret? The highest ranking we know about are Llanwellyn and Aata and even they are clearly not at the top.

It was Boxbot the entire time.

[PhantomFox]

Part of me is imagining the Court is eventually successful in this migration, they take a sigh of relief finally being free of the ether, turn around and find themselves face to face with coyote grinning like the cat who came back.
"Hi!"

[JavaScribe]

So, if this planet is truly free of ether, what happens to their souls? Will they accidentally bring the ether with their souls, are they planning to destroy their souls, or will their souls simply have no impact on the environment and end up getting stranded when they die due to the lack of psychopomps?

[eee]

For a supposedly benevolent guy, Aata is coming across as a bit of a jerk, here. And the more I hear of the Court's plans, the more I can't see why any intelligent person would want anything to do with them.

I also foresee a problem. Annie is one of the ones who would never be allowed in this Brave New World unless the Fire Elemental could somehow be torn out of her. Tony is apparently one of the important cogs in the Court's plans. So. Annie is left behind and Tony goes, Annie is Etherically lobotomized and taken along, or Tony stays behind with his daughter. None of these is going to work well...

[Gez]

I'm pretty sure the Mysterious Hidden Being is lying; as covered by sihnfahl earlier in the thread.

If MHB is lying about the cruise, they can be lying about everything else. And if the higher-ups of the Court are believing MHB, it also means that what they think they know is built upon a foundation of lies. So what Aata is saying is what Aata thinks he knows from his stint in the secret organization, but not necessarily what is actually true. Most probably he's been deceived, like the rest.

For a supposedly benevolent guy, Aata is coming across as a bit of a jerk, here.

Given his nature, he wasn't going to be invited, either. And I'm sure he fully knew that.

[sihnfahl]

Most probably he's been deceived, like the rest.

None are so easily deceived as those who wish to believe.

Given his nature, he wasn't going to be invited, either. And I'm sure he fully knew that.

Of course; however, given his nature, he was going to help anyway.

[JavaScribe]

I also foresee a problem. Annie is one of the ones who would never be allowed in this Brave New World unless the Fire Elemental could somehow be torn out of her. Tony is apparently one of the important cogs in the Court's plans. So. Annie is left behind and Tony goes, Annie is Etherically lobotomized and taken along, or Tony stays behind with his daughter. None of these is going to work well...

If this etheric lobotomy made her able to have offspring, maybe even multiple offspring, without dying like her ancestors, he could be convinced that it's for her own good. Even Antimony would probably consider it if that were possible.

[Ionathus]

Does the Court still need Tony? I got the impression he was working on the Omega device and they've basically got what they needed out of it...but maybe not. If they do want him to come with, I have an extremely hard time imagining that he'd be willing to abandon Antimony. My money's on him staying behind.

If this etheric lobotomy made her able to have offspring, maybe even multiple offspring, without dying like her ancestors, he could be convinced that it's for her own good. Even Antimony would probably consider it if that were possible.

I still don't know what Antimony herself thinks about that hypothetical consequence of her fire elemental heritage. We know how she feels about losing her mother...but we haven't been given much insight into how she feels about someday being a mother.

Not that I really would want it, especially since she's still a teenager and the narrative has no business fixating on her becoming a parent since she's still a child and that's creepy.

[sihnfahl]

Does the Court still need Tony?

Probably not. He wasn't in the group. And the Donlans didn't get invited, either, except Kat.

[WanderingMist]

None are so easily deceived as those who wish to believe.

The Court doesn't believe. Casting aside belief is literally their entire point that they just spelled out.

I don't see why anyone would think this is a trick by some etheric being. There's no need for it to be one. It is not as if the entire Court is leaving. Only the shadow men, essentially, and not even all of them.