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Post by Daedalus on May 8, 2017 7:00:54 GMT
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Post by bgb16999 on May 8, 2017 7:02:02 GMT
Dangit, I missed making the thread by a few seconds:P
Ah well, still a good page. Red articulates what I'd been saying on various venues for awhile now, but that Annie wasn't able to say clearly when she was talking to Red.
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Post by arf on May 8, 2017 7:07:08 GMT
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Post by Nepycros on May 8, 2017 7:55:09 GMT
A fantastic way to loop back around to the utter inhumanity of the psychopomps.
They willfully tricked Mort into giving Annie a blinker stone, which is effectively a training tool for her to expand her abilities. They were cultivating her talent, and then used her to solve their problems.
And when all was said and done, they recruited her with a strong-arm emotional ploy. They used her friend to get her into that mess (Mort), and used another friend to seal her fate (Smitty).
Are we expected to believe they won't also effectively hold more of her friends hostage to get what they want from her?
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Post by pyradonis on May 8, 2017 9:53:48 GMT
A fantastic way to loop back around to the utter inhumanity of the psychopomps. They willfully tricked Mort into giving Annie a blinker stone, which is effectively a training tool for her to expand her abilities. They were cultivating her talent, and then used her to solve their problems. And when all was said and done, they recruited her with a strong-arm emotional ploy. They used her friend to get her into that mess (Mort), and used another friend to seal her fate (Smitty). Are we expected to believe they won't also effectively hold more of her friends hostage to get what they want from her? Good point. It makes we wonder, though, what made the Psychopomps so sure about Annie's ability to succeed where other, experienced Psychopomps had failed, sometimes fatally. After all, their plot was laid out over years. They had known Annie previously, from her time in Good Hope, and she was able to help a frightened ghost boy there, but said ghost was not dangerous, so the fact that she was able to calm him down to be guided into the Ether, while showing her talents, does not seem to be sufficient reason to make Muut et al. suddenly think that "this girl must be our Chosen One". (And Annie alone would have failed spectacularly with Jeanne, only with the help of several friends of similarly fantastic abilities could she succeed.) So, I am still waiting for an explanation what made the Psychopomps trust in Annie's abilities to guide a rage ghost into the Ether, that they had not been able to calm down for hundreds of years. Edit: Some people like to bring up the fact that Jeanne did not kill Annie immediately as proof that something was always between the two. However, Muut talked Mort into gifting Annie with a blinker stone even before Annie met Jeanne for the first time. |
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Post by Jelly Jellybean on May 8, 2017 11:12:20 GMT
Kat continues to be oblivious to how cute she can be. Other characters might get everyone used to seeing the bandana and then take it off for dramatic effect. But Kat is more like "haha, wut?" Robot's eye is going to pop out of his head if it gets any bigger.
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Post by snipertom on May 8, 2017 11:12:45 GMT
Unrelated: I love Kat's hair!
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Post by faiiry on May 8, 2017 11:14:47 GMT
I'm glad to see Annie acknowledge her obsession. However, I have an issue with something Kat said.
"Parley and Smitty could have lost their jobs, been kicked out completely!" And then Annie: "That's what I was thinking, too!"
Just more proof for me that both Annie and Kat believe something that is probably completely wrong: that they themselves wouldn't face significant consequences if caught by the Court. That most of the blame would be laid upon the older students and they'd just recieve slaps on the wrists. Which is particularly ridiculous considering that Annie KNOWS she is one step away from being expelled. (http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1558)
They also seem to believe that all of this is entirely over, that things are done and the book's been closed, so to speak. I haven't seen an inkling from anyone involved in the whole process that they fear any future consequences. And, I mean, I sort of get it. 15-year-olds think they're immortal, right? However, I have no doubt they'll get a rude awakening in the near future.
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Post by philman on May 8, 2017 11:50:02 GMT
I'm glad to see Annie acknowledge her obsession. However, I have an issue with something Kat said. "Parley and Smitty could have lost their jobs, been kicked out completely!" And then Annie: "That's what I was thinking, too!" Just more proof for me that both Annie and Kat believe something that is probably completely wrong: that they themselves wouldn't face significant consequences if caught by the Court. That most of the blame would be laid upon the older students and they'd just recieve slaps on the wrists. Which is particularly ridiculous considering that Annie KNOWS she is one step away from being expelled. (http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1558) They also seem to believe that all of this is entirely over, that things are done and the book's been closed, so to speak. I haven't seen an inkling from anyone involved in the whole process that they fear any future consequences. And, I mean, I sort of get it. 15-year-olds think they're immortal, right? However, I have no doubt they'll get a rude awakening in the near future. I took that as Kat making a (reasonable) point about why to go to the psychopomps over a doctor, and Annie realising that this is a much better reason than hers (Just that she didn't want the court to know), hence then pause before agreeing. |
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Post by todd on May 8, 2017 12:56:15 GMT
I would take issue with one thing Kat said, about the Court being responsible for Jeanne's imprisonment. While it's true, the ones who did it were the Founders, who've long since been dead. The present Court administration is a different set of people, none of whom were presumably even born at the time. Two different sets of people; it's like blaming a current administration for something its predecessors did, centuries ago.
On the other hand, many of the things the current Court administration has done indicate that the "Lords of the Court" in the present-time of the comic are kindred spirits, and would have done the same thing as the Founders, so Kat makes a good point about the danger they were in. I fear that, while the individuals filling the positions at the top have changed since Jeanne's murder and imprisonment, the state of mind up there hasn't. (Though we know that one Founder did have the courage and integrity to refuse to take part in the scheme, and to walk out of the meeting. I wonder if there's anyone like him in the Court higher-ups today - or if they're more careful about picking new members, to make certain that everyone in the upper echelons shares their outlook.)
And I can't help thinking that if the Court had found out, any punishment it meted out might have been driven in part by anger and frustration. If Smith and Parley get the sack, that means that the Court will have to look all over again for a new Medium and his/her bodyguard - years of searching for the right candidates, training, etc. Not to mention what sort of public announcement it would make; I assume that the Court leaders would have to recognize that not everyone in the Court would agree with "Murder two innocents and trap their souls for the sake of the 'greater good'" plan; I can't imagine the Donlans or Eglamore going along with that, certainly, or Jones. Would the Court administration have had to invent a story as an official cover-up to justify its proceedings and keep the truth about the Founders' crime buried, to ensure they didn't lose the loyalty of those Court staff whose support was vital, but hadn't embraced the "end justifies the means" policies of the ones at the top?
(As I wrote all this, I thought again of how much the Court leadership's been reminding me of C. S. Lewis's "scientist"-villains; Andrew Ketterley in "The Magician's Nephew", Weston in "Out of the Silent Planet", N.I.C.E. in "That Hideous Strength". Maybe not quite as bad, since Lewis's "scientist"/villains weren't really interested in science or knowledge, but in power; I get the impression, on the other hand, that the Court really is interested in science and scientific investigation, and that its schemes are fueled more by fear of the forest and its inhabitants than a desire for world domination. But the "Ours is a high and lonely destiny" philosophy definitely matches the people at the top of the Court's hierarchy.)
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Post by gpvos on May 8, 2017 12:59:28 GMT
To me, this indicates that they actually didn't discuss this with the entire group before starting, which they should have done, to know everyone in the gang is on the same page.
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Post by spritznar on May 8, 2017 13:17:20 GMT
To me, this indicates that they actually didn't discuss this with the entire group before starting, which they should have done, to know everyone in the gang is on the same page. didn't discuss what, telling the court? their reasons for not telling the court? it did come up briefly, but they all pretty much agreed (or at least agreed enough that no one argued the point) that it was a bad idea so the reasons why they thought it was a bad idea didn't really get discussed... |
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Post by kelantar on May 8, 2017 13:28:24 GMT
I mean, they ALREADY didn't want to tell the court back in chapter 30, and since then, we saw the headmaster screw with Annie by naming Smitty medium instead of her, and then the court brought her father back to emotionally abuse her... They're not exactly giving Annie a good reason to confide in them...
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Post by Trillium on May 8, 2017 14:39:33 GMT
I'm glad to see Annie acknowledge her obsession. However, I have an issue with something Kat said. "Parley and Smitty could have lost their jobs, been kicked out completely!" And then Annie: "That's what I was thinking, too!" Just more proof for me that both Annie and Kat believe something that is probably completely wrong: that they themselves wouldn't face significant consequences if caught by the Court. That most of the blame would be laid upon the older students and they'd just recieve slaps on the wrists. Which is particularly ridiculous considering that Annie KNOWS she is one step away from being expelled. (http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1558) They also seem to believe that all of this is entirely over, that things are done and the book's been closed, so to speak. I haven't seen an inkling from anyone involved in the whole process that they fear any future consequences. And, I mean, I sort of get it. 15-year-olds think they're immortal, right? However, I have no doubt they'll get a rude awakening in the near future. I don't think Annie or Kat believe they are above getting kicked out. They may have a little more cover than Parley and Andrew but this may be more of the "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" mentality of teen self righteousness. They knew there was danger. They were ok with risking their own lives at least in theory. It was only when Andrew got actually stabbed that things got real. Andrew, by the way was perfectly willing to take a knife for Parley. |
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Post by imaginaryfriend on May 8, 2017 16:01:27 GMT
There are probably different levels of "out" for people who get kicked out, similar to those who quit.
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Post by faiiry on May 8, 2017 16:07:51 GMT
I'm almost starting to wonder about the name of this chapter. "And then Coyote Said..." But a large portion of the chapter has nothing to do with Coyote...so far, anyway. Which makes me wonder if Coyote will have a role to play in the future, which brings me back to Parley's slightly-gross gift. I wonder if perhaps Coyote will be shown in the midst of some more sly maneuvering. I'm glad to see Annie acknowledge her obsession. However, I have an issue with something Kat said. "Parley and Smitty could have lost their jobs, been kicked out completely!" And then Annie: "That's what I was thinking, too!" Just more proof for me that both Annie and Kat believe something that is probably completely wrong: that they themselves wouldn't face significant consequences if caught by the Court. That most of the blame would be laid upon the older students and they'd just recieve slaps on the wrists. Which is particularly ridiculous considering that Annie KNOWS she is one step away from being expelled. (http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1558) They also seem to believe that all of this is entirely over, that things are done and the book's been closed, so to speak. I haven't seen an inkling from anyone involved in the whole process that they fear any future consequences. And, I mean, I sort of get it. 15-year-olds think they're immortal, right? However, I have no doubt they'll get a rude awakening in the near future. I don't think Annie or Kat believe they are above getting kicked out. They may have a little more cover than Parley and Andrew but this may be more of the "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" mentality of teen self righteousness. They knew there was danger. They were ok with risking their own lives at least in theory. It was only when Andrew got actually stabbed that things got real. Andrew, by the way was perfectly willing to take a knife for Parley. I agree that they definitely know there was a risk to their lives, but I haven't seen anyone (Parley or Smitty included) acknowledge they might still be in non-mortal danger from the Court. Kat's words ("Parley and Smitty could have lost their jobs") suggests that she doesn't see the danger as current and present, which I think is a mistake on her part. Also, I sort of think the Jeanne incident might be what leads up to Antimony's ultimate expulsion. Some part of me thinks we haven't seen the end of that storyline, where Anthony suggests the Court was ready to kick Annie out at a moment's notice because they were displeased with her "activities." I think we might see Annie get expelled or at least threatened with expulsion, if only briefly (you couldn't call it Gunnerkrigg Court if she was permanently expelled. You'd have to call it The Many Adventures of Fire Head Girl). There have been several instances ( 1, 2, 3, not in order) where Annie has been warned that the Court will not always tolerate her behavior, or where she acknowledges her own defiance. I think this is all leading up to a single point where the Court will explicitly end its tolerance. What I'm getting at here is: I don't think the kids are extremely conscious or worried about the possibility of the Court discovering their actions and punishing them. Especially since we know they're closely watching both Annie and Kat (and Robot), and less directly, that they're tracking everyone involved. I think the Court is going to get involved and there's going to be some serious spankies dispensed upon everyone, whether or not Annie and Kat are expecting it. |
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Post by ohthatone on May 8, 2017 16:40:47 GMT
I'm glad to see Annie acknowledge her obsession. However, I have an issue with something Kat said. "Parley and Smitty could have lost their jobs, been kicked out completely!" And then Annie: "That's what I was thinking, too!" Just more proof for me that both Annie and Kat believe something that is probably completely wrong: that they themselves wouldn't face significant consequences if caught by the Court. That most of the blame would be laid upon the older students and they'd just recieve slaps on the wrists. Which is particularly ridiculous considering that Annie KNOWS she is one step away from being expelled. (http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1558) They also seem to believe that all of this is entirely over, that things are done and the book's been closed, so to speak. I haven't seen an inkling from anyone involved in the whole process that they fear any future consequences. And, I mean, I sort of get it. 15-year-olds think they're immortal, right? However, I have no doubt they'll get a rude awakening in the near future. I don't think Annie or Kat believe they are above getting kicked out. They may have a little more cover than Parley and Andrew but this may be more of the "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" mentality of teen self righteousness. They knew there was danger. They were ok with risking their own lives at least in theory. It was only when Andrew got actually stabbed that things got real. Andrew, by the way was perfectly willing to take a knife for Parley. Annie and Kat probably have the least to lose by getting kicked out. Annie needs the Court for education, but beyond that, she could easily live in the Forest. And Kat needs them for their facilities, but other than that, I think she would have no problem flipping them a big ol' bird and setting up shop elsewhere. The robots may even follow her. Smitty and Parely, however...while they could certainly figure something out it would probably behoove them to stay with the Court.
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Post by faiiry on May 8, 2017 16:59:41 GMT
I don't think Annie or Kat believe they are above getting kicked out. They may have a little more cover than Parley and Andrew but this may be more of the "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" mentality of teen self righteousness. They knew there was danger. They were ok with risking their own lives at least in theory. It was only when Andrew got actually stabbed that things got real. Andrew, by the way was perfectly willing to take a knife for Parley. Annie and Kat probably have the least to lose by getting kicked out. Annie needs the Court for education, but beyond that, she could easily live in the Forest. And Kat needs them for their facilities, but other than that, I think she would have no problem flipping them a big ol' bird and setting up shop elsewhere. The robots may even follow her. Smitty and Parely, however...while they could certainly figure something out it would probably behoove them to stay with the Court.
Sure, Annie could make her way in the forest. But Kat was raised in the Court, and her parents live there. Sure, she's self-sufficient and mature, but she's still a kid. Who's going to fund her out on the street? Where would she go? She's not used to the outside world. She'd have to get a job and support herself and live on her own, or else her parents would have to uproot their lives to follow her and support her. |
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ST13R
Full Member
Quiet little mouse
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Post by ST13R on May 8, 2017 17:37:10 GMT
Annie and Kat probably have the least to lose by getting kicked out. Annie needs the Court for education, but beyond that, she could easily live in the Forest. And Kat needs them for their facilities, but other than that, I think she would have no problem flipping them a big ol' bird and setting up shop elsewhere. The robots may even follow her. Smitty and Parely, however...while they could certainly figure something out it would probably behoove them to stay with the Court.
Sure, Annie could make her way in the forest. But Kat was raised in the Court, and her parents live there. Sure, she's self-sufficient and mature, but she's still a kid. Who's going to fund her out on the street? Where would she go? She's not used to the outside world. She'd have to get a job and support herself and live on her own, or else her parents would have to uproot their lives to follow her and support her. Wouldn't the fact that both Kat's parents work for the court make her less prone to get kicked out? You could argue that next to a child-prodigy, the Court would probably loose two valuable teachers if they would expell Kat (plus some more teachers might not like them leaving either). Plus there is some distinction between the Court and the school, so it might be that Kat would still be able to live in the Court regardless, just not able to get further education there. |
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Post by GriffTheJack on May 9, 2017 0:00:29 GMT
A fantastic way to loop back around to the utter inhumanity of the psychopomps. They willfully tricked Mort into giving Annie a blinker stone, which is effectively a training tool for her to expand her abilities. They were cultivating her talent, and then used her to solve their problems. And when all was said and done, they recruited her with a strong-arm emotional ploy. They used her friend to get her into that mess (Mort), and used another friend to seal her fate (Smitty). Are we expected to believe they won't also effectively hold more of her friends hostage to get what they want from her? Ah, but the world continues to spin. What's more important in the end? Anyway, I agree! The psychopomps are subtly but undeniably alien intelligences, just like Coyote. Tom seems to be quite skilled at crafting inhuman-motivation characters. |
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Post by todd on May 9, 2017 0:21:42 GMT
Also, I sort of think the Jeanne incident might be what leads up to Antimony's ultimate expulsion. Some part of me thinks we haven't seen the end of that storyline, where Anthony suggests the Court was ready to kick Annie out at a moment's notice because they were displeased with her "activities." I think we might see Annie get expelled or at least threatened with expulsion, if only briefly (you couldn't call it Gunnerkrigg Court if she was permanently expelled. You'd have to call it The Many Adventures of Fire Head Girl). There have been several instances ( 1, 2, 3, not in order) where Annie has been warned that the Court will not always tolerate her behavior, or where she acknowledges her own defiance. I think this is all leading up to a single point where the Court will explicitly end its tolerance. What I'm getting at here is: I don't think the kids are extremely conscious or worried about the possibility of the Court discovering their actions and punishing them. Especially since we know they're closely watching both Annie and Kat (and Robot), and less directly, that they're tracking everyone involved. I think the Court is going to get involved and there's going to be some serious spankies dispensed upon everyone, whether or not Annie and Kat are expecting it. I think that the necessities of the story would certainly prevent Annie from being expelled for long, unless it was a way of writing her out of the comic and replacing her with another lead (which might have some difficulties). As I've mentioned, though, I think that the Court, for all its outrage, would have to tread carefully here. The offense of Annie and Co. was freeing two victims of murder and unjust imprisonment from the Founders. A crime on the magnitude of what the Founders did to Jeanne and her boyfriend can't be taken lightly; small wonder that the Founders hushed the whole thing up (to the point of rewriting the records to omit Jeanne's name). They couldn't afford to let this be public knowledge. Even amid all their ruthlessness, they still recognized that whas they were doing was wrong - and even if they'd convinced themselves that it was justified, they'd know that a lot of other people would be appalled by it. The Court might be able to survive the scandal of its Founders having committed a foul act with a tone of "The ones who did this have been dead for centuries." But moving against the students who set Jeanne and her boyfriend free, for undong the Founders' crime, could make the present-day Court administration appear complicit in the offense, approving it - and that they can't afford. It would most likely alienate the Donlans, Eglamore, and the rest. The Court leaders would either have to invent a serious crime to accuse Annie and Co. of, one that would keep the public, and even the lower-echelon members like Anya, Donald, and James, in the dark about this ugly secret - and the present-day Court higher-ups' approval of it (and handle it in such a way that nobody gets suspicious and tries to pry into the real reaosn), or dispose of them through an "accident" that can't be traced back to them, but presumably living always in the fear of being found out, and what that would do to the Court's image. |
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Post by todd on May 9, 2017 0:59:43 GMT
Wouldn't the fact that both Kat's parents work for the court make her less prone to get kicked out? You could argue that next to a child-prodigy, the Court would probably loose two valuable teachers if they would expell Kat (plus some more teachers might not like them leaving either). Plus there is some distinction between the Court and the school, so it might be that Kat would still be able to live in the Court regardless, just not able to get further education there. Of course (though I don't think either the Court leaders or Annie and Kat would be aware of this), Kat geting expelled or otherwise seriously punished could result in a robot uprising with "holy war" overtones, to avenge this injustice to their goddess. All we'd need after that would be the Headmaster, upon receiving the news, asking if this is a robot revolt, and the person who alerted him to it replying, "No, sir, it's a robot revolution." |
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Post by warrl on May 9, 2017 1:18:52 GMT
Though we know that one Founder did have the courage and integrity to refuse to take part in the scheme, and to walk out of the meeting. But not the courage and integrity to make any effort to prevent it. He didn't even warn Jeanne. "Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." - John Stuart Mill |
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Post by todd on May 9, 2017 1:43:05 GMT
Though we know that one Founder did have the courage and integrity to refuse to take part in the scheme, and to walk out of the meeting. But not the courage and integrity to make any effort to prevent it. He didn't even warn Jeanne. "Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." - John Stuart Mill True; I'd also noticed that he didn't stop the Founders. I've wondered what became of him. Did he leave the Court in protest? Did the Founders silence him (though in a different way, since we saw no sign of his ghost down in the ravine)? Did he swallow his misgivings later? Maybe a future chapter will answer that question. (It's a bit surprising that Annie and Kat have, so far, not asked about him at all. Maybe they were too focused on the main story in Diego's recording to give any thought to the side character.) |
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Post by puntosmx on May 9, 2017 3:29:54 GMT
I'm glad to see Annie acknowledge her obsession. However, I have an issue with something Kat said. "Parley and Smitty could have lost their jobs, been kicked out completely!" And then Annie: "That's what I was thinking, too!" Just more proof for me that both Annie and Kat believe something that is probably completely wrong: that they themselves wouldn't face significant consequences if caught by the Court. That most of the blame would be laid upon the older students and they'd just recieve slaps on the wrists. Which is particularly ridiculous considering that Annie KNOWS she is one step away from being expelled. (http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1558) They also seem to believe that all of this is entirely over, that things are done and the book's been closed, so to speak. I haven't seen an inkling from anyone involved in the whole process that they fear any future consequences. And, I mean, I sort of get it. 15-year-olds think they're immortal, right? However, I have no doubt they'll get a rude awakening in the near future. I doubt they are unaware they'd get in trouble. But probably they: 1) Don't want to acknowledge they may get expelled too (out of sight, out of mind). 2) Have some of that cavalierly brittish attitude of worrying about others before worrying about themselves. Something akin to "if they catch us, they'll expell all os us, but it's impolite to talk about our case, so let's just discuss Parley and Smitty's". I would take issue with one thing Kat said, about the Court being responsible for Jeanne's imprisonment. While it's true, the ones who did it were the Founders, who've long since been dead. The present Court administration is a different set of people, none of whom were presumably even born at the time. Two different sets of people; it's like blaming a current administration for something its predecessors did, centuries ago. On the other hand, many of the things the current Court administration has done indicate that the "Lords of the Court" in the present-time of the comic are kindred spirits, and would have done the same thing as the Founders, so Kat makes a good point about the danger they were in. I fear that, while the individuals filling the positions at the top have changed since Jeanne's murder and imprisonment, the state of mind up there hasn't. (Though we know that one Founder did have the courage and integrity to refuse to take part in the scheme, and to walk out of the meeting. I wonder if there's anyone like him in the Court higher-ups today - or if they're more careful about picking new members, to make certain that everyone in the upper echelons shares their outlook.) I disagree and I agree. In order. Yes, the current administration is composed of different people, but their goals and means seem to be quite in line to what the Founders did. Jonathan seems to be even more cynical and detatched. Jones already pointed out that it is merely posturing, but can't be just an act. |
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Post by Trillium on May 9, 2017 4:30:46 GMT
But not the courage and integrity to make any effort to prevent it. He didn't even warn Jeanne. "Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing." - John Stuart Mill True; I'd also noticed that he didn't stop the Founders. I've wondered what became of him. Did he leave the Court in protest? Did the Founders silence him (though in a different way, since we saw no sign of his ghost down in the ravine)? Did he swallow his misgivings later? Maybe a future chapter will answer that question. (It's a bit surprising that Annie and Kat have, so far, not asked about him at all. Maybe they were too focused on the main story in Diego's recording to give any thought to the side character.) There is a lot we don't know. Like why the Founders needed a forest dweller to be shot with the green arrow and caught forever in that etheric maze/prison. It is possible that while Jeanne was used as a decoy she wasn't supposed to die. Her heart might have been too connected with her lover or she was caught in the backwash of the mechanical spell or she willed her spirit to stay until her lover was released. I don't know if there is word from Tom on that particular issue. Both Jeanne and her love became part of something the Court thought was necessary. Was it protection? A warding? We discuss if anyone is going to lose a job or be expelled. That could be small potatoes compared to what might really at stake. Could this lead to the downfall of the Court and the elimination of the school? |
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Post by todd on May 9, 2017 12:49:03 GMT
Both Jeanne and her love became part of something the Court thought was necessary. Was it protection? A warding? We discuss if anyone is going to lose a job or be expelled. That could be small potatoes compared to what might really at stake. Could this lead to the downfall of the Court and the elimination of the school? I hope that we're not going in that direction; it would have the drawback of saying "It's all right to commit a horrible act like double murder if it's for a Cause" (not to mention that the Founders' act was all the more tainted by being woven into the vengeful jealousy of a rejected suitor). If the freeing of Jeanne and her lover does result in the destruction of Gunnerkrigg Court, I hope it'll be depicted as the consequence of the Court's corrupt actions (if falling upon a later geneation than that of the Founders) rather than from the setting right what it had done wrong. |
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Post by phantaskippy on May 9, 2017 14:57:49 GMT
That is making an assumption that the court is, in its existence, a good thing.
There are a few things I really look forward to unraveling:
1. The reason for the court. They separated from Humanity, then from the wood, then reconnected to the wood but really don't care about it, and look down on its citizens. They have gone to pretty serious lengths to take each of these steps.
2. How tied up in that is Annie's dad. What is he doing, why is it secret, and away from the court.
3. What that work had to do with Surma and now Annie. Seriously, the man married a fire elemental, had a child with it, then tried to make it so both would survive. He then ran off, neglecting Annie, to do top secret science for the court. Science that he wasn't doing for years while he tried to "save" his wife.
Was he trying to find a way to make more fire elementals, and tried, convinced he could fix the problem? If anyone of the main characters is "in the know", It's her dad.
To me that part might tie in with the legends of Coyote stealing fire from the female spirits that protected it and giving it to humans. I think that fire elemental is something special, and it ties into Coyote, and quite possibly the court's work through her father.
4. They used Surma to try and manipulate Reynardine. Because he might get Coyote's powers. Were they just protecting themselves? Or were they trying to get another extremely powerful being under their control?
5. When Annie wasn't chosen to be Medium, it was because they wanted her to cease going into the forest. Surma was willing to manipulate Reynardine for the court, Annie is starting to appear to be more sympathetic to the forest than the court. They tried to get her back under lock and key, and it failed.
I don't think Annie faces expulsion, I think that is assumed because the people involved don't realize how important the fire inside her is to the court. She is one of several beings of great power the court has collected, along with Zimmy, Reynardine, Jeanne's spirit, the potential from the other students and faeries that join the school.
Craazy half-theory time: what if Jeanne was put there because the court got the fire elemental and didn't want the forest dwellers to take it back until they had humanized it. Surma and her willingness to do their bidding being the result?
I wonder what their end game is, and how Annie plays into it.
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Post by spritznar on May 9, 2017 16:13:15 GMT
i think annie as a fire elemental is important to the court as a chess piece that's more useful than an average pawn, but she's still not a queen. they'd rather not lose her but she's not indispensable. i do agree with your view that the court is pretty shady and maybe needs some dismanteling, or at least a remodel. i mean, even people who work at the court like eglamore and tony seem to distrust it. doesn't fill me with faith that their methods and objectives are on the up and up... personally, i think we're leading up to annie and the gang having to mediate between the court and forest as they work out their differences. figure out what each side actually wants and find a balance somehow that everyone can live with |
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Post by Zox Tomana on May 9, 2017 16:27:10 GMT
There are a few things I really look forward to unraveling: 1. The reason for the court. They separated from Humanity, then from the wood, then reconnected to the wood but really don't care about it, and look down on its citizens. They have gone to pretty serious lengths to take each of these steps. 2. How tied up in that is Annie's dad. What is he doing, why is it secret, and away from the court. 3. What that work had to do with Surma and now Annie. Seriously, the man married a fire elemental, had a child with it, then tried to make it so both would survive. He then ran off, neglecting Annie, to do top secret science for the court. Science that he wasn't doing for years while he tried to "save" his wife. Was he trying to find a way to make more fire elementals, and tried, convinced he could fix the problem? If anyone of the main characters is "in the know", It's her dad. I think we can take Anthony's explanation of his actions to Mr. Donlan at face value. He married Surma, had a kid with her, and then devoted his life to trying to save her life because he was convinced he could do so. After that, he travelled the world trying to reconnect with his wife, first by trying to find the psychopomps and then by building the bone antenna. This investigation was allowed by the court so long as he did research for them on the Omega Device... and then after he did the bone antenna thing, they reigned him back in. I don't think the science Anthony was involved in for the court had to do with Surma and Annie. Work to do with Surma was for Surma. Of course, any breakthroughs in keeping Surma alive would have been of great interest to the court, but their greater interest was, I feel, elsewhere in the Omega mystery. |
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