[1879] Testing begins.

[Nepycros]

Getting a little hot under the collar, eh, Surma?

[drdave]

How long until they burn down the jungle?

[Zox Tomana]

To everyone who was calling that Surma, at this stage, has less control over her fire and wasn't just being humble...

Go get your cookies. That strain to burn the leaf says it all.

[philman]

Huh, Annie seems a lot more powerful than Surma is, is that just because of Coyote's etheric training? Or some other reason?

[Zox Tomana]

Sept 4, 2017 7:28:01 GMT philman said:

Huh, Annie seems a lot more powerful than Surma is, is that just because of Coyote's etheric training? Or some other reason?

Someone linked Word of Tom in the last thread that Annie and Surma are on par with each other in terms of potential power. I think Annie has just had more practice, both in Coyote helping train her, and having used the Blinker Stone early, some pushing along with the fairies and the shove along by Wolf Dad... I think that Annie has simply used her ability more and had more training so she has tapped into more of her innate power.

[watermist]

I don't think I've ever posted in the forums, outside of maybe one post? (Guess we'll find out when I actually post this one! )

That being said, I've been following Gunnerkrigg Court since the beginning of chapter 14 (like, I discovered it right when chapter 13 was ending), and I've been reading the comments and forums ever since then, though I've been too shy to speak up.

But now, I just have to respond to this:

Sept 4, 2017 7:28:01 GMT philman said:

Huh, Annie seems a lot more powerful than Surma is, is that just because of Coyote's etheric training? Or some other reason?

I don't think I've seen anybody mention that, maybe... maybe it's just simply the case of Surma not accepting her heritage? I mean, c'mon. She totally failed to explain to Annie the truth; she completely neglected (from what we know) to inform Annie at all about their fire elemental "thing."

Starting with chapter 31's ending (in which Ysengrin tells Annie to not show others that she's afraid), it's been a significant arc of Annie's that she grew to completely embrace her fire elemental side. Like, she actually thrives in it!

But Surma? Based on all the flashbacks we've seen, she's not as flashy as Annie (pun intended).

I'm willing to, for the first time, go out on a limb here and say that it's just that Surma's not all that accepting of her fire elemental heritage.

_{And yes, I'm still mad at myself for not sharing my prediction that Juliette and Arthur was in a relationship. I SHOULD'VE DONE THAT GAHHHH}

[Timberwere]

"Testing begins" -- does that mean that Tony has been given instructions by the court to test Surma's abilities? Somehow this does not feel entirely like his own curiosity. Or, mmhmhm, perhaps it might be his own curiosity. He is scientifically minded, after all.

[stigand]

"Now can you do it, while your spirit is being held by massive bone spikes? *furtive glance* ... just, you know, for future reference."

[speedwell]

I wonder if she's blushing because she saw how Tony looks in the ether, or just because he was staring.

[Nnelg]

Sept 4, 2017 7:40:17 GMT watermist said:

I don't think I've seen anybody mention that, maybe... maybe it's just simply the case of Surma not accepting her heritage? I mean, c'mon. She totally failed to explain to Annie the truth; she completely neglected (from what we know) to inform Annie at all about their fire elemental "thing."

Yeah, I wonder if maybe she has some lingering trauma from being constantly told from an early age exactly how and why her mother was going to die because of her. (Although the specifics of the root cause being "fire elemental heritage" may have been forgotten by an earlier generation.)

Surma probably decided that Antimony shouldn't have to deal with that particular emotional baggage until she was older, for better or worse...


Also, I'd like to mention that this scene is just so cute... xD

[fia]

Sept 4, 2017 7:28:01 GMT philman said:

Huh, Annie seems a lot more powerful than Surma is, is that just because of Coyote's etheric training? Or some other reason?

Well, I think Coyote's training is not insignificant, but I also think Annie has mostly lit things on fire she's been in direct contact with, including herself, the moss ogre and Ysengrin's arm; or things the blinker stone was on.
I don't know that we've seen her light things on fire at a distance? And remember how tricky it was at first for Annie to move that flower and how tiring it was. What it indicates to me about Surma is just that she hasn't had as much practice as Annie, or maybe that she's self-taught.

[saardvark]

Sept 4, 2017 14:38:29 GMT fia said:

Sept 4, 2017 7:28:01 GMT philman said:

Huh, Annie seems a lot more powerful than Surma is, is that just because of Coyote's etheric training? Or some other reason?

Well, I think Coyote's training is not insignificant, but I also think Annie has mostly lit things on fire she's been in direct contact with, including herself, the moss ogre and Ysengrin's arm; or things the blinker stone was on.
I don't know that we've seen her light things on fire at a distance? And remember how tricky it was at first for Annie to move that flower and how tiring it was. What it indicates to me about Surma is just that she hasn't had as much practice as Annie, or maybe that she's self-taught.

here she is blasting seraphs with a "fire beam"
www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1422
or here she uses the blinker stone to project her etherself high enough to be able to blast the siphons (from a considerable distance) - though Jack warns her off the idea
www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1423

but yeah, Annie's had more practice and has gone to Coyote-school (its not clear if Coyote ever taught Surma much)...
so Annie would appear to have more training and experience.

 

[Corvo]

Sept 4, 2017 7:28:01 GMT philman said:

Huh, Annie seems a lot more powerful than Surma is...

I wonder about that. Have we actually seem Annie using her fire powers without her blinker stone, besides those times when she got angry?

[fish]

Sept 4, 2017 16:24:58 GMT Corvo said:

Sept 4, 2017 7:28:01 GMT philman said:

Huh, Annie seems a lot more powerful than Surma is...

I wonder about that. Have we actually seem Annie using her fire powers without her blinker stone, besides those times when she got angry?

We've only seen her human torch out of the elf wraith's way, but that was entirely in the ether, maybe that's easier in general? Though she did pull up the arrow without the blinker stone, but that's not fire related.

[faiiry]

Like others have said, I think Surma's strain may have something to do with the fact that she doesn't have a blinker stone. But she may also be simply out of practice. Annie is younger than Surma was in this chapter, and we've seen her destroy a volleyball (without even thinking about it) without the use of a stone.

The guides want Annie for some reason, a reason which (Kat thinks, at least) didn't apply to Surma. Maybe this has something to do with the ease with which Annie uses her powers compared to her mother.

Also, TONY. Holding an ON FIRE leaf in his hand like it's nothing. Can he even feel it?? This may be the ultimate archetypical love story: girl who creates fire, boy who is immune to fire.

[fish]

Another indicator that Surma is having a harder time than Annie: She needs to actually open her eye to spy on Tony. Ether-spying obviously is not in her skill set, yet.

Edit: Oh, another thought: We've seen that Surma is obviously a bit more... chaotic compared to Annie. Maybe Annie's calmer nature helped her focus more in her etheric exercises? Surma's strained face doesn't seem like the face of someone who's enjoying doing this. (Enjoying the attention, sure, but not the hard work, haha.)

[fia]

Sept 4, 2017 17:32:17 GMT fish said:

Edit: Oh, another thought: We've seen that Surma is obviously a bit more... chaotic compared to Annie. Maybe Annie's calmer nature helped her focus more in her etheric exercises? Surma's strained face doesn't seem like the face of someone who's enjoying doing this. (Enjoying the attention, sure, but not the hard work, haha.)

Actually, I just had the opposite thought – we've seen Annie use her blazing powers more easily when she's really angry. At some point didn't Coyote or someone say Annie's powers were tied to her anger (can someone find the quote)? Maybe the problem is Surma's not very angry in today's page?

[fia]

Sept 4, 2017 17:50:38 GMT fia said:

Sept 4, 2017 17:32:17 GMT fish said:

Edit: Oh, another thought: We've seen that Surma is obviously a bit more... chaotic compared to Annie. Maybe Annie's calmer nature helped her focus more in her etheric exercises? Surma's strained face doesn't seem like the face of someone who's enjoying doing this. (Enjoying the attention, sure, but not the hard work, haha.)

Actually, I just had the opposite thought – we've seen Annie use her blazing powers more easily when she's really angry. At some point didn't Coyote or someone say Annie's powers were tied to her anger (can someone find the quote)? Maybe the problem is Surma's not very angry in today's page?

Ah, here, Ysengrin says, "Your fire and your anger are one and the same"

[saardvark]

Sept 4, 2017 16:56:26 GMT faiiry said:

Like others have said, I think Surma's strain may have something to do with the fact that she doesn't have a blinker stone. But she may also be simply out of practice. Annie is younger than Surma was in this chapter, and we've seen her destroy a volleyball (without even thinking about it) without the use of a stone.

The guides want Annie for some reason, a reason which (Kat thinks, at least) didn't apply to Surma. Maybe this has something to do with the ease with which Annie uses her powers compared to her mother.

Also, TONY. Holding an ON FIRE leaf in his hand like it's nothing. Can he even feel it?? This may be the ultimate archetypical love story: girl who creates fire, boy who is immune to fire.

Annie can control her fire so as to burn selectively... but that is more "burn-or-not-at-all" (eg, her hand using fore as a torch; the forest in Residential).  Here, it is selective between things: "burn-this-not-that".  Don't think we've seen her do that before.  Maybe it is an ability, and Surma has learned it?

I think this was mentioned before, but it might just be that, aside from different experience and training, Surma has focussed on a different skill set.  She seems more adept with the ether in some ways (flying), and maybe has concentrated on that rather than fire skills.

[fish]

Are we perhaps overthinking this? We are definitely overthinking this.

[pyradonis]

Sept 4, 2017 7:40:17 GMT watermist said:

I don't think I've ever posted in the forums, outside of maybe one post? (Guess we'll find out when I actually post this one! )

That being said, I've been following Gunnerkrigg Court since the beginning of chapter 14 (like, I discovered it right when chapter 13 was ending), and I've been reading the comments and forums ever since then, though I've been too shy to speak up.

But now, I just have to respond to this:

Sept 4, 2017 7:28:01 GMT philman said:

Huh, Annie seems a lot more powerful than Surma is, is that just because of Coyote's etheric training? Or some other reason?

I don't think I've seen anybody mention that, maybe... maybe it's just simply the case of Surma not accepting her heritage? I mean, c'mon. She totally failed to explain to Annie the truth; she completely neglected (from what we know) to inform Annie at all about their fire elemental "thing."

Starting with chapter 31's ending (in which Ysengrin tells Annie to not show others that she's afraid), it's been a significant arc of Annie's that she grew to completely embrace her fire elemental side. Like, she actually thrives in it!

But Surma? Based on all the flashbacks we've seen, she's not as flashy as Annie (pun intended).

I'm willing to, for the first time, go out on a limb here and say that it's just that Surma's not all that accepting of her fire elemental heritage.

_{And yes, I'm still mad at myself for not sharing my prediction that Juliette and Arthur was in a relationship. I SHOULD'VE DONE THAT GAHHHH}

That's food for thought. But still...it seems Annie was the only one who didn't know. Everyone else - Tony, Coyote, Reynardine, Anja, Donald, James - did know what affected Surma, and that she would die if she had a child

[The Anarch]

Sept 4, 2017 19:22:08 GMT fish said:

Are we perhaps overthinking this? We are definitely overthinking this.

It happens!

[Runningflame]

Sept 4, 2017 18:15:25 GMT saardvark said:

Annie can control her fire so as to burn selectively... but that is more "burn-or-not-at-all" (eg, her hand using fore as a torch; the forest in Residential).  Here, it is selective between things: "burn-this-not-that".  Don't think we've seen her do that before.  Maybe it is an ability, and Surma has learned it?

She tried to burn the moss ogre without burning her clothes. It only partially worked.

[saardvark]

Sept 5, 2017 2:49:09 GMT Runningflame said:

Sept 4, 2017 18:15:25 GMT saardvark said:

Annie can control her fire so as to burn selectively... but that is more "burn-or-not-at-all" (eg, her hand using fore as a torch; the forest in Residential).  Here, it is selective between things: "burn-this-not-that".  Don't think we've seen her do that before.  Maybe it is an ability, and Surma has learned it?

She tried to burn the moss ogre without burning her clothes. It only partially worked.

excellent point!  evidence that "burn-this-not-that" selectivity is possible, even if she doesnt quite have it mastered yet.

[jda]

Calling it: Surma looks Tony in the ether, and sees smething that impress her, maybe even A GLEAMING HEART!

[crater]

Sept 5, 2017 0:15:10 GMT The Anarch said:

Sept 4, 2017 19:22:08 GMT fish said:

Are we perhaps overthinking this? We are definitely overthinking this.

It happens!

Tony is making Surma do circus clown tricks like the Bajorans made Odo do the neck trick

[ohthatone]

Sept 4, 2017 7:40:17 GMT watermist said:

Sept 4, 2017 7:28:01 GMT philman said:

I don't think I've seen anybody mention that, maybe... maybe it's just simply the case of Surma not accepting her heritage? I mean, c'mon. She totally failed to explain to Annie the truth; she completely neglected (from what we know) to inform Annie at all about their fire elemental "thing."

Starting with chapter 31's ending (in which Ysengrin tells Annie to not show others that she's afraid), it's been a significant arc of Annie's that she grew to completely embrace her fire elemental side. Like, she actually thrives in it!

But Surma? Based on all the flashbacks we've seen, she's not as flashy as Annie (pun intended).

I'm willing to, for the first time, go out on a limb here and say that it's just that Surma's not all that accepting of her fire elemental heritage.

_{And yes, I'm still mad at myself for not sharing my prediction that Juliette and Arthur was in a relationship. I SHOULD'VE DONE THAT GAHHHH}

I wonder if it's not a matter of fully accepting her heritage or lack of knowledge.  Has it been mentioned by Tom if she knew she would die if she had a child before she got pregnant?  

I also wonder if she didn't have so much faith in Tony that he could separate her human from elemental self that she thought it wasn't important to tell Annie anything.  Even knowing she was dying, maybe she thought he'll get it right for their daughter.  Which would actually tie into your idea that she wasn't fully accepting of her heritage.

[fish]

Sept 5, 2017 16:31:09 GMT ohthatone said:

Has it been mentioned by Tom if she knew she would die if she had a child before she got pregnant?

Yeah, Surma knew about it from an early age.

[l33tninja]

Sept 4, 2017 7:59:32 GMT Timberwere said:

"Testing begins" -- does that mean that Tony has been given instructions by the court to test Surma's abilities? Somehow this does not feel entirely like his own curiosity. Or, mmhmhm, perhaps it might be his own curiosity. He is scientifically minded, after all.

I really hope this wasn't all a ruse by the Court to get Surma under Tony's scientific eye...

[fish]

Sept 5, 2017 20:45:04 GMT l33tninja said:

Sept 4, 2017 7:59:32 GMT Timberwere said:

"Testing begins" -- does that mean that Tony has been given instructions by the court to test Surma's abilities? Somehow this does not feel entirely like his own curiosity. Or, mmhmhm, perhaps it might be his own curiosity. He is scientifically minded, after all.

I really hope this wasn't all a ruse by the Court to get Surma under Tony's scientific eye...

By... poisoning Anja's father mother? That's some high level scheming!