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Post by Lightice on May 23, 2012 9:59:38 GMT
So, this is my guess on what those bony things are: Jeanne's fingers. There's five of them, and they have the bony finger look on them. One is even clearly thicker than the rest. It's the scar doing something, now I'm willing to bet it.
And yeah, the fire elemental almost certainly represents Annie's inner self. It's even holding the mask.
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Post by karakai on May 23, 2012 10:44:28 GMT
It almost looks like her inner spirit is malnourished...the fire-arms are extremely thin and frail looking, and whatever those white things are (the diameter difference might be perspective) it kinda looks like fire-spirit Anni is using them as a crutch or so.
Side note: Those things kinda remind me of Birch trees o.o
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Post by aranael on May 23, 2012 10:47:48 GMT
A confluence of masks? Where have we seen that before?
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Post by arabesque on May 23, 2012 11:06:28 GMT
Interesting page...
The fire-elemental is definitely malnourished. Maybe those bone/spear things aren't just binding it but killing it. Could this be a problem with Annie trying to suppress her emotions (and therefore her fire-elemtnal side) too much? It would make sense seeing as she's had a huge emotional experience lately with her father calling.
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Post by Raph on May 23, 2012 11:12:36 GMT
So, this is my guess on what those bony things are: Jeanne's fingers. There's five of them, and they have the bony finger look on them. One is even clearly thicker than the rest. It's the scar doing something, now I'm willing to bet it. I initially read your post as "Jones's fingers", which I thought whas coherent given the fact she handed her the mask, but what you're actually saying makes a lot more sense, since that's the way this chapter started. And, while think it makes sense that it's a hand, I think there is perspective going on with the bottom-left one being thicker.
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Post by squidpuppies on May 23, 2012 11:41:12 GMT
to me the white things look like tendons.. perhaps they are a representation of the physical connection between Annie's human body and the fire inside her that it contains - to me it looks like Annie is having trouble putting back her 'human mask' and repressing her 'elemental' side after (supposedly) being able to express her elemental nature whilst in the forest - to fit in at the court Annie has had to chain her internal nature again after letting it romp free and giving it a taste of freedom - afterall something that has spent all it's life in a cage won't really see the cage as a prison - until it has tasted freedom.
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Post by Lightice on May 23, 2012 11:41:18 GMT
And, while think it makes sense that it's a hand, I think there is perspective going on with the bottom-left one being thicker. Even if it's just perspective, the angle is exactly correct for it to be the thumb. It comes from the opposite side of the other four appendages, and if the thickness is indeed caused by the perspective, it means that it's shorter than the rest. Yeah, I'm almost totally convinced that it's a thumb. It looks like some people called it before me, but I'm still proud of myself for figuring something from this comic out on my own, for once.
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Kriselia
Junior Member
But she smells wonderful!
Posts: 87
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Post by Kriselia on May 23, 2012 11:43:48 GMT
The next page will definitely be interesting!
The spears are strange, the material seems most likely to be bone, but the structure doesn't match any actual bones - they're far too wrinkly and bumpy. And I agree with everyone saying the elemental looks malnourished, compared to Zimmy it's really tiny (even the head) and it's arms are thin as twigs. Even the crown looks small, and all the flames are very subdued rather than the huge blaze we've usually seen fire elementals in.
Also, the mask in her hand is glowing like the spot the spears converge at. Is the mask as much a part of her inner self as the fire elemental? Would losing the mask affect her negatively?
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Post by FlyingMug on May 23, 2012 11:48:57 GMT
Oh great.
We'll never get the burning hair smell out of the comic.
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Post by Raph on May 23, 2012 12:06:18 GMT
Oh great. We'll never get the burning hair smell out of the comic. Of course we can, a good tomato juice soaking will do wonders.
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Post by Lightice on May 23, 2012 12:39:29 GMT
Fingers maybe? Kinda disturbing since they're going to her heart. Whoops, didn't see that right, looks more like her lower stomach... Solar Plexus maybe? That's actually pretty close to heart's actual location in the human body. It's a fair bit lower and more in the center than most people imagine, since the heartbeat can be felt better higher up in the chest. Tom always does major research for the comic, so he may well be aware of this. I think that you were right in your first guess.
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Post by TBeholder on May 23, 2012 12:53:17 GMT
I also love Zimmy's expression when she asks. Carver?.. Is that you?.. The fire elemental is so not what she expected to see. maybe they have been anticipating something. It seems far fetched but perhaps Antony was ready to trigger something that he felt would rid Annie of her fire elemental half without killing her. I realize that trying to paint Anthony as some sort of a stupid cartoon villain threatening the Earth from his moon base on the moon is the bandwagon with maximum hay coverage now, but... What's with shoehorning this anywhere even directly against the main known motivation of the character in question? Oh My... So, Fire Elemental is imprisoned there? Or THAT is true Annie's form? Well, the whole point and the whole problem is that life force or whatever is always transfered 1:1 through generations, isn't it? So why wouldn't she look "inside" exactly like her ancestor? So, this is my guess on what those bony things are: Jeanne's fingers. There's five of them, and they have the bony finger look on them. See also: "opposable thumb". It almost looks like her inner spirit is malnourished... I was leaning toward "bleeding", but knowing Annie, your point is better. Of course we can, a good tomato juice soaking will do wonders. Tomato? Those Two Foley Girls to the rescue!
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Post by darlos9d on May 23, 2012 12:53:46 GMT
Also, well done on the hair-tunnel (?) scene, Tom. It looks awesome. While reading the page I had music from Star Trek: The Motion Picture in my head. May have helped that I literally just watched that movie again... "Fiiiiiiiirrrre phooootooooonnn tooorpeeeedoooooos" "Belaaaaay thaaaaat ooooordeeeeeeerrrrr" But yeah anyway... yes aside from the obvious fire elemental imagery, I think Zimmy's legit concerned face is what really hits me here.
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Post by jessie on May 23, 2012 13:06:39 GMT
I just thought of something. What if those connections are between her fire elemental and human self (like I know some people have said) But the problem is actually that they're degrading for some reason, leaving both her body and mind weak and confused because the connection to her fire elemental spirit is being cut off/disrupted by something.
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Post by GK Sierra on May 23, 2012 13:07:20 GMT
It looks like some people called it before me, but I'm still proud of myself for figuring something from this comic out on my own, for once. Oh, don't say that before it's actually confirmed in the comic! With Gunnerkrigg Court you can never be too sure. Although I do quite like the finger-theory. On anther note, Annie's fire-spirit-self does look rather thin, but maybe that's how young fire-elementals look? This one looks a lot younger than the one we got to see in Fire Spike. Congrats everyone who guessed we were going deeper. Enjoy this little victory, because next update will probably set us adrift in "WTF?" territory once more. For some reason those bony things remind me of the dryad.
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Post by Raph on May 23, 2012 13:13:51 GMT
Because it's Friday and we will know nothing.
[Edit]This chapter is sure on the run of becoming the longest one, if it ever get's 15 more pages, and I think it's plausible given the fact were nowhere near any kind of revelation as what will the conclusion of this chapter be[/Edit]
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lit
Full Member
Posts: 201
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Post by lit on May 23, 2012 13:42:57 GMT
It almost looks like her inner spirit is malnourished...the fire-arms are extremely thin and frail looking, and whatever those white things are (the diameter difference might be perspective) it kinda looks like fire-spirit Anni is using them as a crutch or so. Side note: Those things kinda remind me of Birch trees o.o Me too. That's what I thought they were when I first saw them - trees. And I wondered if they were growing out of Annie, or if it they were somehow containing her, of if she was devouring them with her flame. They represented the forest to me. I do like the finger hypothesis, though.
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Cleo
Junior Member
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Post by Cleo on May 23, 2012 13:45:25 GMT
maybe they have been anticipating something. It seems far fetched but perhaps Antony was ready to trigger something that he felt would rid Annie of her fire elemental half without killing her. I realize that trying to paint Anthony as some sort of a stupid cartoon villain threatening the Earth from his moon base on the moon is the bandwagon with maximum hay coverage now, but... What's with shoehorning this anywhere even directly against the main known motivation of the character in question? It wasn't my intention to paint Antony as a villain at all, if anything he's the most confusing, conflicting shade-of-grey character in the whole ensemble. It was a wilder theory, it's mostly likely to do with the scar but it the whole 'don't say it' thing always stuck out to me so occasionally I think back to it. Not a big thing. Also, I hate bandwagons. I set fire to bandwagons.
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Post by OrzBrain on May 23, 2012 15:00:24 GMT
To me those look like the dendrites of neurons, the long nerve cells in the brain. Of course I might be influenced by the way we've sort of gone literally inside her head (or hair).
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Post by Dvandaemon on May 23, 2012 16:08:00 GMT
You know, the flow of action in this strip reminds me of the shape of ? which is exactly how I am feeling right now.
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Post by GK Sierra on May 23, 2012 16:29:37 GMT
It wasn't my intention to paint Antony as a villain at all, if anything he's the most confusing, conflicting shade-of-grey character in the whole ensemble. It was a wilder theory, it's mostly likely to do with the scar but it the whole 'don't say it' thing always stuck out to me so occasionally I think back to it. Not a big thing. Also, I hate bandwagons. I set fire to bandwagons. Tom doesn't do monocles, or cartoon villains, or any combination of the two. There are people, and they have motivations, just like all good writing. It's up to you to draw a conclusion. The reason Tony "T-Man" Carver is being vilified is because he's (IMHO) a cold, granite-eyed bastard who left his daughter to go off god knows where and do god knows what. Short of a surprise return and a very lengthy explanation, I suspect it will stay that way, and I certainly don't suspect his presence in anything less than the grand finale. Every once in a while the bandwagon train is headed in the right direction.
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Post by negativeproximity on May 23, 2012 17:18:01 GMT
Anthony Carver is the best character.
I sort of get the impression that the mask is certainly something she inherited from him, just as the fire itself she got from her mother. So she needs both parts. (That's the impression I get both of her urgency to get the mask back from zimmy, and the way her inner fire is still holding a mask. Both her fire face and her mask face have the same characteristics.
Which sort of makes me wonder... just what IS so special about Anthony Carver? Obviously he's not your average joe, or even your above average joe. He's kinda a nifty guy. (He IS Antimony's father after all. Children are normally a blending of their parents.)
I don't think what's happening to her now is Anthony's fault, nor do I think its something to do with her conflicting natures of mask vs fire.
Jeanne... I'm also not too sure about. It seems like zimmy's been struggling with not becoming annie for a long time, the cut is just a symptom of that. Possibly.
I have another crackpot theory forming... but I think I'll wait till I actually have proof for it. It has to do with Jones, and Coyote, and Anthony.
So... we'll see.
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sechs
New Member
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Post by sechs on May 23, 2012 17:57:10 GMT
I dont think this is Jean. So far, Jeanne has been very direct with her attacks and has shown no sign that she can do anything away from her resting place. Also, Jeanne has had no reason to delay such an attack for several years.
That said, I do not know what else it could be.
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Post by Lightice on May 23, 2012 18:35:20 GMT
I dont think this is Jean. So far, Jeanne has been very direct with her attacks and has shown no sign that she can do anything away from her resting place. Also, Jeanne has had no reason to delay such an attack for several years. Jeanne doesn't have to be physically present, herself. My guess has been that there is some sort of etheric poison in the wound that has taken all this time to fester, and has finally taken effect. It just takes Jeanne's form in Annie's subconscious. That's what I'm thinking, anyhow. There are only three things that the appendages striking the fire elemental's heart seem in my eye, and only one thing makes sense. At first I thought that they were dented, broken metal poles. Then I they seemed like poles covered in fabric. Then I realized that most of all they looked like unnaturally long, skeletal fingers covered in shrivelled skin. And there's only one person in the Court to my knowledge who such fingers could belong to.
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solus
New Member
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Post by solus on May 23, 2012 19:00:48 GMT
Maybe it's just my Psych student training, but to ME, those long white things actually resemble what I imagine axons (a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that typically conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body.) might look like. It's like she's in Annie's brain and the fire elemental is a neuron
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Kriselia
Junior Member
But she smells wonderful!
Posts: 87
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Post by Kriselia on May 23, 2012 19:02:12 GMT
Which sort of makes me wonder... just what IS so special about Anthony Carver? Obviously he's not your average joe, or even your above average joe. He's kinda a nifty guy. (He IS Antimony's father after all. Children are normally a blending of their parents.) I was actually thinking about this too a couple of days ago. For some reason I had the idea that maybe Annie's etheric attractiveness wasn't something she got from her mum, but her dad. He did catch the eye of Brinnie and Surma after all. It would be interesting if we found out he wasn't completely regular ol' human himself. Jeanne doesn't have to be physically present, herself. My guess has been that there is some sort of etheric poison in the wound that has taken all this time to fester, and has finally taken effect. It just takes Jeanne's form in Annie's subconscious. That's what I'm thinking, anyhow. As far as symbolism goes for proof, the 4th treatise also has Jeanne's sword planted firmly in a heart. A heart surrounded by a colour wheel very similar to the one around Annie's wrist a couple of pages back.
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Necropaxx
Full Member
The natural choice for a shoulder to cry on.
Posts: 135
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Post by Necropaxx on May 23, 2012 19:16:05 GMT
I really have no idea what those five things going to Annie's heart are. At first I thought they looked like tree branches, but that didn't look quite right (not to mention it makes NO sense). Then I read someone saying they were Coyote's teeth, but they don't look like teeth to me. Now people are saying they're Jeanne's finger bones, which is the closest guess yet, I think.
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Post by strobelight on May 23, 2012 19:37:29 GMT
The five pieces of white spider silk are a cobweb.
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Post by negativeproximity on May 23, 2012 19:47:44 GMT
The five pieces of white spider silk are a cobweb. I like this. I mean, we do keep seeing little spiders pop up in the panels every couple pages. Hrm...
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Post by Lightice on May 23, 2012 20:30:02 GMT
I like this. I mean, we do keep seeing little spiders pop up in the panels every couple pages. Hrm... But how would the Whitelegs have gotten into Annie's mind? Zimmy could see them just fine in Jack's head, and deal with them easily enough. This looks like something Zimmy Zims hasn't ever seen before.
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