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Post by ctso74 on Feb 15, 2013 21:32:57 GMT
Coyote: "Sorry. Sorry. I was just remembering a joke, that I heard the other day... Please, continue."
Rey seems to be at the center of things, yet again. Hopefully, some answers will come Monday. It's hard to figure out, if Jones is acting out of character, or she's behaving that way because Llanwellyn is being strange.
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Post by FlyingMug on Feb 15, 2013 21:43:03 GMT
I've got to admit, I really do not why the whole cast is acting like it should obviously be Antimony to get the position. Given recent goings-on in the story... Really, she'd be a pretty awful choice for the job. What are you talking about? The forest people have only tried to kill her 3 or 4 times*. And only right in front of the headmaster once! *Reynardine once, glass eyed man pushing her off the bridge, and Ysengrin tree blades twice.
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Post by zbeeblebrox on Feb 15, 2013 23:15:51 GMT
For those confused as to why Annie would be a good pick, I feel I should remind you all that the previous Medium was Surma, and Annie is Surma. Remember the whole 'reason why she died' thing? It stands to reason that if she was qualified in a previous life, she's probably qualified in this one.
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Post by Georgie L on Feb 16, 2013 0:07:48 GMT
For those confused as to why Annie would be a good pick, I feel I should remind you all that the previous Medium was Surma, and Annie is Surma. Remember the whole 'reason why she died' thing? It stands to reason that if she was qualified in a previous life, she's probably qualified in this one. But Annie isn't Surma. The only part of Surma she has is the fire elemental spirit which is a part of her and the mannerisms and lessons picked up from Surma. It's not the same spirit reborn, it's the life essence of that spirit transferred to another.
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elco
New Member
Posts: 16
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Post by elco on Feb 16, 2013 1:26:07 GMT
Simmer down, fire-head. Mr. Pasty Blowhard said: "If you wish to have Reynardine returned ...", so you just say "no thank you Sir" and that's that unless he insists.
But I don't blame you for being edgy after having had the rug pulled from under you. At this point he could say "the Court wants to thank you" and you'd probably hear "the Court wants to spank you".
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Post by 0o0f on Feb 16, 2013 1:45:52 GMT
But I don't blame you for being edgy after having had the rug pulled from under you. At this point he could say "the Court wants to thank you" and you'd probably hear "the Court wants to spank you". Yeah, I can't help but think that at this point, she'd rather feel angry than sad/embarrassed.
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Post by dante on Feb 16, 2013 1:50:45 GMT
That's not Coyote laughing. It's Mr. Eglamore. Nah. Definitely Ysengrin.
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Post by tiercel on Feb 16, 2013 4:21:35 GMT
Jones is acting very oddly, isn't she? You'd expect her to air her criticisms in private, not announce it openly at the appointment. Of course, it has been hinted that she doesn't really work for the court, so if she's an ally rather than a subordinate that's different. Jones seems to have a lot invested in Annie, doesn't she? She's really upset by this. And of course, elsewhere she's gone out of her way to... it's really very odd, isn't it? I mean, it's not just me, right? Well... the Court did seemingly put Jones in charge of training the medium candidates but then disregarded her strong unequivocal recommendation. From her point of view, if the Court does trust her judgment, then this appears to be some sort of ham-handed farce; and if the Court doesn't trust her/her judgment, then why was she in charge of the training in the first place? I've got to admit, I really do not why the whole cast is acting like it should obviously be Antimony to get the position. Given recent goings-on in the story... Really, she'd be a pretty awful choice for the job. What are you talking about? The forest people have only tried to kill her 3 or 4 times*. And only right in front of the headmaster once! *Reynardine once, glass eyed man pushing her off the bridge, and Ysengrin tree blades twice. Besides the argument that she presumably wouldn't necessarily make a good medium *for the Court* when she has such trouble obeying the rules of the Court (repeatedly cheats on her schoolwork, gets and ignores detention, leaves school grounds without authorization, sends a tech device onto the Forest side, walks/breaks into secure off-limits areas, digs into the deliberately-buried past of Gunnerkrigg, keeps a dangerous "demon" around and furthermore entrusts him to tote around an insanely dangerous melee weapon). OK, we don't know exactly how much of this the Court knows, but if Court monitoring is as pervasive as we have been led to believe...If we are thinking general diplomatic skills, Annie could use some work on her tact, subtlety, wit, resistance to magical mental influence, general social skills, and ability to not be too harsh to her allies and friends. Sure, she's good at being a medium in the sense of "sensitive to the spirit world," if they just need someone to make contact. But if they are actually interested in a diplomat or agent *of the Court*....
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Post by redfeather on Feb 16, 2013 7:41:02 GMT
Well... the Court did seemingly put Jones in charge of training the medium candidates but then disregarded her strong unequivocal recommendation. From her point of view, if the Court does trust her judgment, then this appears to be some sort of ham-handed farce; and if the Court doesn't trust her/her judgment, then why was she in charge of the training in the first place? Sure, but you'd expect her to object in private, not publicly undercut Smitty by basically announcing she doesn't think he'd be good at the job. And to say that "this course of action makes no sense"... makes no sense. It's entirely reasonable to think Annie would be the best choice -- though I disagree with that assessment, I can understand how someone could reach it. But to suggest that Annie's the only possible choice is just bizarre. It's not just this, either. Jones has long acted weird about Annie, as in her "finish investigating before telling anyone." At the time I chalked that up to Jones being worried about intrigue and factions in the Court, but now I'm not so sure. Sure, she's good at being a medium in the sense of "sensitive to the spirit world," if they just need someone to make contact. But if they are actually interested in a diplomat or agent *of the Court*.... I still say the best approach would be for Annie to act as a sort of "translator" for Smitty -- an "etheric attachée", if you will. It seems pretty clear to me that the medium is supposed to work for the Court -- else why would the Court be the one who appoints the position? And then there's Surma's tricking of Reynardine.
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Post by TBeholder on Feb 16, 2013 15:05:28 GMT
Let's continue breaking that dartboard, shall we? The laugh is because Antimony inadvertently quoted Surma. It occurs to me that the headmaster may be familiar with the story of Jeanne, and may suspect that Antimony is on to it, having been down to the Annan Waters, but is unaware that Parley and Smitty are involved, and thus he is trying to nip that revelation in the bud. By provoking her to possibly throw this thing in such a target-rich environment? Great plan this would be. Jones is acting very oddly, isn't she? You'd expect her to air her criticisms in private, not announce it openly at the appointment. Of course, it has been hinted that she doesn't really work for the court, so if she's an ally rather than a subordinate that's different. The Headmaster doesn't seem to follow established procedures himself. Jones is just asking him what a lot of other people would like to ask, and more bluntly that any of them would, because he clearly tries to pull a fast one. Jones seems to have a lot invested in Annie, doesn't she? That, too. What games she is playing is even harder to tell. But I don't blame you for being edgy after having had the rug pulled from under you. Not really. Jonathan said it after Jones claimed he's not being open and tried to peel camouflage off him. Now, it's probably an attempt at evasion, but Annie may miss this possibility, or focus on more important ones. To put it another way, he may have evaded the hard pan by jumping into fire. Sure, but you'd expect her to object in private, not publicly undercut Smitty by basically announcing she doesn't think he'd be good at the job. And to say that "this course of action makes no sense"... makes no sense. Ah, but she also would expect to hear the objections immediately, and now this. As far as she can tell, Jonathan tries to sidetrack somewhere on his own, and she's not the only one whom he dodged here.
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Post by slybrarian on Feb 16, 2013 16:50:44 GMT
Really, the headmaster's behavior is pretty strange. He's essentially going out of his way to publicly antagonize and even humiliate Annie and to an extent Jones. Letting everyone believe that Annie is going to be appointed and then suddenly choosing someone else is massively unprofessional and rude. It doesn't matter that Smitty may really be a better choice from his point of view, it's still not reasonable to basically spring it on everyone in a way that forces Smitty and Parley into accepting while slapping everyone else in the face. The candidates should have known about this choice before the public ceremony.
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Post by http404error on Feb 16, 2013 21:47:19 GMT
Well Jones is a little butthurt.
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Post by Nnelg on Feb 17, 2013 5:09:15 GMT
Well Jones is a little butthurt. Disregarding her professed inability to feel that way, (or any way) Jones has a much more important reason to speak up now: Jones is acting very oddly, isn't she? You'd expect her to air her criticisms in private, not announce it openly at the appointment. The Headmaster doesn't seem to follow established procedures himself. Jones is just asking him what a lot of other people would like to ask, and more bluntly that any of them would, because he clearly tries to pull a fast one. While her lack of natural social skills may seem a hindrance for her, at times like this it gives her a decisive advantage. She does not care at all for the social faux pas she's committing. Jones does not get embarrassed. She never feels abashed, or intimidated, or startled, or taken aback. She's completely immune to cons relying large quantities of Chutzpah, which appears to be what the Headmaster's trying to pull here. By voicing these concerns now, she is attempting to break the con and empower the more socially restrained to speak up as well, before it's too late. It seems Coyote's more effective at interrupting, though.
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Post by Max on Feb 17, 2013 6:18:08 GMT
I wouldn't say Jones lacks social skills, quite the opposite.
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Post by cu on Feb 17, 2013 9:52:33 GMT
Well Jones is a little butthurt. Jones has the firmest butt. It is doubtful it can be hurt, except perhaps by Coyote's laugh. Or his tooth. Now there's a couple of images.
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Post by TBeholder on Feb 17, 2013 17:21:05 GMT
Jones has the firmest butt. It is doubtful it can be hurt, except perhaps by Coyote's laugh. Or his tooth. Now there's a couple of images. One image. <CHOMP!> <SPANKIES!> And then "Ahhahahahahaha!" quickly fading out somewhere into clouds on the horizon, of course. ;D
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Post by neurokeen on Feb 17, 2013 20:48:58 GMT
I wouldn't say Jones lacks social skills, quite the opposite. Emotional responses are the enemy of good social skills the vast majority of the time - being the stoic thing she is, she's got a huge advantage from the start. Oddly enough, I've had to read a few books on consulting lately, and I keep thinking about how perfect Jones would be at almost all of the guidelines - it's impossible for Jones to feel like a conversation isn't safe if she can't feel personally threatened (and so close dialogue), and she (presumably) isn't capable being dragged into an emotional fight either.
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Post by GK Sierra on Feb 17, 2013 22:01:25 GMT
I never thought it would turn out this way, but Annie seems to have a friend in Jones now that she/it has confided in her.
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Post by Nnelg on Feb 18, 2013 5:14:22 GMT
I wouldn't say Jones lacks social skills, quite the opposite. I said natural social skills, didn't I? Almost all humans have an instinctive sense of the social aspect in everything they do, especially regarding how others may see (and disapprove of) something. It's there for a reason, but it also keeps people from acting when they really should sometimes. This is one of those times, I think. For Jones it is, at least. Jones has the advantage of complete immunity to this or any other form of social influence, because she just won't care what others think of her beyond a completely objective cost/benefit analysis perspective. Because if Jones won't speak up... Who will? (Before things get out of hand, that is.) (And before you say it, Coyote = things getting out of hand. )
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Post by warrl on Feb 20, 2013 21:29:45 GMT
All I can say is that I agree with this. I do believe that Johnes has always spoken about the position as though the medium was meant to consider both sides' views. If not, then we'd be talking about an ambassador, envoy, or external affairs position, not a medium. Actually, a competent ambassador or envoy really needs to consider the other side's views in order to best persuade the other side to do what his side wants. That can consist of "here's why it would be in your best interest even if we didn't want it", "here's what we'll give you if you agree to it", or even pretending to want something else so that the other side will do what he wants and think they are spiting his side.
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Post by corona688 on May 6, 2014 3:00:00 GMT
For those confused as to why Annie would be a good pick, I feel I should remind you all that the previous Medium was Surma, and Annie is Surma. Remember the whole 'reason why she died' thing? It stands to reason that if she was qualified in a previous life, she's probably qualified in this one. But Annie isn't Surma. If you'll forgive the thread necro, this brings me to an idea I've had fermenting for some time. How often has she been told she's like her mother? How often have people said, even out of earshot, it's like she returned -- often in denial of available evidence? She certainly isn't Surma... Still, the court has coddled and tolerated her adventures and mischief to an almost patronizing degree -- especially where she followed her mother's footsteps. Her erstwhile friends seemed to almost expect that, even welcome it, though fear it too... Fear what was to happen to Annie perhaps? I think they -- some of the court at least -- intended her to become Surma, in a very literal way. That's why they didn't want her to know too much about how her existence worked, and were willing to tolerate her adventures without overly impinging on them. It was hoped she'd remember everything, and resume where she picked off... When it didn't happen, the Headmaster immediately lost interest and put her on a shorter leash. I could be reading far too much into it of course. The Headmaster may simply see her as far too unruly to be useful now. I still wonder why she was tolerated so far until now.
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