Gunnerkrigg Court 8: Thrown for a Loup

[WanderingMist]

Omega is Zimmy herself, or is somehow powered by her already?

I'm starting to think Kat may be Omega, and that Omega was the one giving the star ocean speech.

[Willie the Duck]

Omega is Zimmy herself, or is somehow powered by her already?

I'm starting to think Kat may be Omega, and that Omega was the one giving the star ocean speech.

Honestly, why can't they all just be Omega? Maybe the real Omega is the Omega they find inside themselves

More seriously, could it be that Omega is something that they unintentionally build to stop the Court, which was the Court's plan all along?

[wingnutx]

Everyone knows that the real Omega is Charleton Heston.

[Blackdrop]

This sort of predictive activity reminds me of a couple of things: one is how Kat had a glance at another time where she lost Annie, and had the foresight to send back a bird to save her. The bird was not destroyed, and instead built itself inside the Annan riverbank into what looked to me like a station meant to collect information.

But also of how Coyote interrogated Ysengrim to know what he would do when the time came.

Here's an idea: what if the Court has been using a Zimmy as wireless human computer and Zimmy World is Omega? Maybe the Omega Device isn't a computer running a prediction program, but it's a machine that lets them view an etheric simulation of reality.

[Devlerbat]

What if, on Kate's end, all she sees is a normal computer and, after finding her, thinks she is helping Zimmy out by deleting the info the Court has on her. Which is how she kills Zimmy with Omega.

[WanderingMist]

What if, on Kate's end, all she sees is a normal computer and, after finding her, thinks she is helping Zimmy out by deleting the info the Court has on her. Which is how she kills Zimmy with Omega.

That makes a terrifying amount of sense.

[JavaScribe]

Wasn't it their idea to cast the spell close to the star ocean? Why are they suddenly complaining now?

People sure are quick to assume the worst of Antimony. How many times has she been accused of being a sociopathic manipulator? Why does it keep coming up? I can see people accusing her mother, but not so much Annie.

[Devlerbat]

Wasn't it their idea to cast the spell close to the star ocean? Why are they suddenly complaining now?

People sure are quick to assume the worst of Antimony. How many times has she been accused of being a sociopathic manipulator? Why does it keep coming up? I can see people accusing her mother, but not so much Annie.

Yea I thought that was weird too. Like, why did they even summon her so close to the star ocean and why shouldn't their "what did you think was going to happen" not apply to themselves?

[eee]

Yea I thought that was weird too. Like, why did they even summon her so close to the star ocean and why shouldn't their "what did you think was going to happen" not apply to themselves?

I thought it might be one of those "Zimmy is reliving a past traumatic event and making those around her act the way others acted back then", like having the forest elves chase her. But Zimmy's gone, and they're still on Annie's case.

It's puzzling.

[WanderingMist]

Wasn't it their idea to cast the spell close to the star ocean? Why are they suddenly complaining now?

People sure are quick to assume the worst of Antimony. How many times has she been accused of being a sociopathic manipulator? Why does it keep coming up? I can see people accusing her mother, but not so much Annie.

Something is really off with the way they're acting. What really happened at the star ocean? If the Court had some sort of device that could influence minds to fall more in line with their side, Kat was probably immune.

[137beth]

Something is really off with the way they're acting. What really happened at the star ocean? If the Court had some sort of device that could influence minds to fall more in line with their side, Kat was probably immune.

So you think the court is mind-controlling Jack and Jenny?

[Vinyadan]

I thought it might be one of those "Zimmy is reliving a past traumatic event and making those around her act the way others acted back then", like having the forest elves chase her. But Zimmy's gone, and they're still on Annie's case.

It's puzzling.

Annie might actually be Zimmy. Maybe. It's hard to tell with her. Do they even know they are back to reality?

[sihnfahl]

Annie might actually be Zimmy. Maybe. It's hard to tell with her. Do they even know they are back to reality?

Possibly. Zimmy could have gotten so bad into it that she lost control again, and now Jack and Jenny are reflecting Zimmy's fears.

[Willie the Duck]

Wasn't it their idea to cast the spell close to the star ocean? Why are they suddenly complaining now?

People sure are quick to assume the worst of Antimony. How many times has she been accused of being a sociopathic manipulator? Why does it keep coming up? I can see people accusing her mother, but not so much Annie.

Doylist answer: Tom really likes the trope.

Watsonian answers: They are embarrassed as to their role in this screw-up and are lashing out and Annie; they are actually the ones trying to find Zimmy for the court (willingly or otherwise) and hope people focusing on Annie as the potential spy (and her focused on clearing her name) will throw people off their trail; the star ocean produces a corrupting influence and all the characters will slowly become more and more paranoid; These aren't Jack and Jenny at all (and maybe not Zimmy on the other end as well), but some manifestation of the Court/Zimmy/Future Annie/Evil Kat/Coyote/the-secret-puppetmaster-behind-this-all-who-we'll-find-out-about-next.

[WanderingMist]

So you think the court is mind-controlling Jack and Jenny?

Not directly mind-controlling. Just making them more paranoid about the ether and things associated with it. The Court has always been about subtlety.

[Murk]

People sure are quick to assume the worst of Antimony. How many times has she been accused of being a sociopathic manipulator?

I wouldn't trust Annie either! Would you?

She goes out (with Andrew) to have a private chat with Coyote, and when she comes back Coyote is dead and the Court gets attacked.
Or she goes out to have a private chat with Loup, and when she comes back all the forest elves get exiled.
Remember that time the Court captured a dangerous demon that can possess people, and she snuck out to free it?
And that creepy friend of hers! The mad scientist who creates new life, starts a cult, meddles with time. Remember how a horny cruiseship kidnapped all her classmates to blackmail her? She's bad news.

Or more in general: things between the Court and the Forest were quiet and peaceful ever since her mom left, and as soon as Annie comes to the Court, things go wrong.

We as readers know that most of this isn't (directly) Annie's fault, and that she has (mostly) good intentions. But whenever she gets involved, things go wrong.
If I were living in the Court I would stay far away from Annie, and if I was forced to interact with her I would be very wary.

[JavaScribe]

There's plenty of circumstantial evidence for Antimony being a troublemaker. A Machiavellian manipulator that uses people and doesn't care for their well-being though? I don't get where that's coming from, but we've seen her consistently accused of this by the psychopomps, the fairies, Paz, and now these two. Is her mother's legacy somehow etherically influencing how she is perceived? Does Tom Siddell himself consider her a well intentioned manipulator?

[halfeye]

There's plenty of circumstantial evidence for Antimony being a troublemaker. A Machiavellian manipulator that uses people and doesn't care for their well-being though? I don't get where that's coming from, but we've seen her consistently accused of this by the psychopomps, the fairies, Paz, and now these two. Is her mother's legacy somehow etherically influencing how she is perceived? Does Tom Siddell himself consider her a well intentioned manipulator?

It's not that she goes where the trouble is, it's that trouble comes to her, because she is the story, and the story requires trouble. This is true of all heros in stories and legends.

[WanderingMist]

Ominous chapter title.

[eee]

I hope Paz's expression means "This is crazy stupid beyond belief, you are going off the deep end, and I will lovingly beat you senseless if you try this."

[WanderingMist]

Really starting to think Kat is Omega again and that it was Omega who was talking at the Star Ocean. After all, Kat never gets to see anything cool when she does ether stuff with Annie, which we know includes the form of her that Zimmy sees.

[Willie the Duck]

Really starting to think Kat is Omega again and that it was Omega who was talking at the Star Ocean.

Tom is definitely foreshadowing Kat (and her rather obvious poor decisions) being the avenue where the court (probably almost) succeeds at their nefarious plans, likely with lots of death and sacrifice amongst team protagonist. Whether that means Kat is Omega, creates Omega, is being played by Omega, or something else, I'm not sure (and who that was talking could be Omega, or just a mouthpiece). The only hesitancy I have on any of this is that it is a little too pat and obvious. Having it be that Kat is really the person to discover how to take out Omega, but Omega knows this and sews distrust of her amongst her allies would be an interesting changeup (which also has been done a million times, but at least means Tom is being overly obvious for a reason).

Overall, I like the general idea where this strip has gone and is going. These are ... 14 year olds?*... thrust into leadership positions in fights against supernatural forces and effectively-governmental** organizations who have authority and have been planning things for decades. They are going to make mistakes, immature actions, poor decisions, see things through the lenses of inexperience, etc. It's kind of like Harry Potter*** if it was aimed at the parents of teenagers instead of at kids and adults remembering being kids/being kids at heart. It is an interesting concept, and something I don't see a lot.
*I forget, and they all look like 'generically teens' except for the ones Tom has aged-up to 'obvious almost-adult' like Parley.
**Not clear how the court interacts with nations, but it clearly governs not just a school but a city, and can make rules/laws.
***Where IMO the kids are just a little too competent, well informed, reasonable, and make the decisions that turn out to be the right ones.

[Spacewolf]

I mean it doesn't seem like Kat is Kat at the moment, after all her text bubble changed colour and she refers to Annie weirdly, same with Paz. Possibly some sort of mind control from Omega or the Robots probably through her Super computer link.

[Vinyadan]

This is probably meme deformation, but I can't help but wonder if Jenny doubles as a Jojo/Dio reference when she addresses Antimony in panel 3.

[Typewriter]

I'm very amused at the way this chapter is going. It's obvious that nobody is on board with what Kat is doing but it's just sort of progressing because nobody is willing to argue with her about it. It's simultaneously bizarre because it feels like it's going quickly but on the flipside it makes sense because of the fact that nobody has had a reason to speak up yet.

[eee]

Paz's behavior has me concerned. Something's wrong.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Yeah this definitely seems like the kind of procedure where you ask for a second, perhaps less biased opinion on whether to proceed.

[Vinyadan]

I think Annie's father could have been a good person to ask. He's used to work with Kat, and not opposed to taking risks, but he also has more experience and knows more about pitfalls.

Then again, I assume he would have immediately told her parents, because it would have been a major breach of trust if he hadn't.

[WanderingMist]

Wow, things are starting to go quick. Paz is usually a voice of reason for Kat but she's not objecting to this? Maybe Kat's future machine-angel self is manipulating the past to ensure her own existence.

I think Annie's father could have been a good person to ask. He's used to work with Kat, and not opposed to taking risks, but he also has more experience and knows more about pitfalls.

Then again, I assume he would have immediately told her parents, because it would have been a major breach of trust if he hadn't.

Bold to presume Tony could talk to two of his friends at one time.

[Willie the Duck]

Paz's behavior has me concerned. Something's wrong.

Paz is usually a voice of reason for Kat but she's not objecting to this?

It all seems off -- both of Kat's favorite people (neither of whom are previously characterized as pushovers) are just going along with this thing regarding which they both clearly have huge reservations. And the tear clearly indicates this is a deliberate thing being highlighted. Outside of mind-control or something horrific like 'Paz has seen the future, knows this will be horrible, but also knows it is necessary,' I don't know what the explanation might be.