[495] Why, he killed that young man, of course

[erk]

Dec 12, 2008 20:42:06 GMT Miri said:

Dec 12, 2008 20:37:04 GMT lingus said:

Anyone think the "young man" that Coyote is talking about might be Annie's dad? As someone else mentioned, even a middle aged mortal would seem "young" to a god.

Of course, that implies that Annie would end up not ever meeting up with her dad, and I've always had the impression that she would. Maybe she will meet with his ghost? Eh... it's unlikely, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

That was my knee-jerk response. "Killed young man - ANTHONY OMGBBQ." Logically speaking, probably not, but still - what if?

Seems to make this bit uncharacteristically deceptive: why would Narrator Annie say she would "hear from" her dad in 2 years if he's dead?

Dec 12, 2008 20:42:06 GMT Miri said:

To the Mort contingent - that would be amazing. I hadn't thought of it, but now that you mention...that strikes me as possible. Very, very possible.

I hope not I don't want to find out how Mort died, I like him being a Casper character who we can pretend has always been dead. Otherwise it makes him needlessly tragic.

Dec 12, 2008 20:42:06 GMT Miri said:

Also, why? From what we've seen of Reynardine, the only reason he would kill someone (other than to body-jump) would be if Surma was in trouble.

I dunno about the Surma thing, he clearly respected her but he was also pretty keen on possessing her daughter when the opportunity arose.

[Chrome]

Well, the Court has known that Rey could swap bodies by looking at them. Eggers knew Sivo before Rey possessed him, and Sivo had apparently been a very good friend of his. With that in mind, I suspect the Court knew about Rey for a while. It's just now that they have him under a fairly reasonable thumb--although his affection for Annie through his liking for Surma is probably a wild card that worked in their favor. (Also, note that Rey didn't know Annie was Surma's daughter until later? Heh.)

And now the conclusion: Rey's victim was probably from a good deal further back than we think. If that boy were a ghost the whole time, I'd think he'd be more mature (and knowledgeable about scaring people) than Mort.

I don't think it's our ghostly friend. Not everyone has to be that connected to everyone else in the story.

For one thing....and I'm surprised nobody thought of it....what about the boy Annie saw in Good Hope? The one who was playing with fire, and got himself and his parents killed. Here's something to chew on: what kid imagines the screaming of a fire alarm as a gigantic nightmare beast that looks more like something out of Zimmy's version of Birmingham?

[todd]

I think it would be natural for kids to unwittingly mythify disasters in their lives. Also, we know how Martin died, and there doesn't seem to be any room for Reynardine in it. (Not to mention that there's no indication that Martin and his family were connected to the Court.)

It's possible that the young man whom Reynardine killed is an entirely new character whom we haven't met yet.

[erk]

Dec 13, 2008 4:46:59 GMT Chrome said:

...although his affection for Annie through his liking for Surma is probably a wild card that worked in their favor. (Also, note that Rey didn't know Annie was Surma's daughter until later? Heh.)

How much "later" do you mean? He figured it out only a couple pages after meeting Annie. He still tried to possess and kill her knowing she was Surma's daughter.

Dec 13, 2008 4:46:59 GMT Chrome said:

And now the conclusion: Rey's victim was probably from a good deal further back than we think. If that boy were a ghost the whole time, I'd think he'd be more mature (and knowledgeable about scaring people) than Mort.

I don't think it's our ghostly friend. Not everyone has to be that connected to everyone else in the story.

Strong agree

[Per]

Dec 12, 2008 23:11:20 GMT King Mir said:

What other features distinguish a fox from a wolf?

Besides being smaller, foxes are long and lean and have sleek rather than shaggy fur. The proportions of the head are different, notably the ears are much bigger. The tail is also different from a wolf's, but we can't see that in the comic.

[Rasselas]

It's possible that Rey's attack on Annie was staged for Eglamore, so he could slip into the toy unnoticed. I mean, expect the trickster to be tricksy, neh?

[Freederick]

Dec 12, 2008 9:29:15 GMT fjodor said:

I am betting the 'real' truth is in what Coyote is not telling. Like how he reacted to Rey's refusal. I can see Coyote becoming very angry when he doesn't get thing his way.

Also, it is very thought-provoking that Reynardine refused in the first place. Would you refuse an offer to become a demigod? Perhaps, if there were strings attached--or a price to pay. Coyote's explanation is slick, but totally unconvincing; while he may be telling the letter of the truth, his choice of words is gimmicky. I'd guess that maybe Reynardine refused to betray his friends, rather than "widen the gap"--what a perfectly innocuous phrase! There's a lot that Coyote isn't telling, you're right on the money.

And BTW, the interaction between "kindly" Coyote and "nasty" Ysengrim reminds me too much of the good cop/bad cop routine. I wonder if Annie is clever enough to figure out she's being "worked". But, why does Coyote go to all this trouble to "work" a young student? Does it have to do with Rey? with Surma? with something Annie did at the bank of the Annan that got her noticed?

And what is Jones's angle, in prodding Annie along? Is she baiting Coyote? Colluding with him? Setting him up?

Dec 12, 2008 13:04:14 GMT cenit said:

and can't be Diego... I expect Renard to remember a guy he killed (and got so much trouble for)

Cenit is right. While Reynardine shows unwarranted disdain towards Diego here, he does not appear to have been his killer. Possibly he is just a good liar; but I don't think so. The emotional chemistry just isn't right. OTOH, Rey clearly knew Diego, and Jeanne as well--the bit about her being a soldier, uneasy in her dress, is just a bit too Holmesy to be an inference from her expression on the portrait.

Dec 12, 2008 9:14:57 GMT Count Casimir said:

Oh crap: Rey killed Mort.

I doff my cap to you, sir; that's a brilliant inference. It could be totally off the mark, of course--but if it's right, it's just so fitting! All* the seemingly rambling threads of the plot would come together with a faint "click".
_______________
*well, nearly

[todd]

I've also wondered about Jones' role in this. It seemed obvious enough to me that Coyote had an agenda in inviting Annie to the forest (I've explained before why I suspect it's got something to do with Reynardine; Coyote clearly sees Annie as one of the chief reasons why Reynardine won't return to the forest) - but it must seem obvious to Jones as well, who is clearly observant and intelligent.

Does Jones have her own agenda? Maybe she thinks it wouldn't be entirely bad if Reynardine returned to Gillitie. I wonder, for that matter, if Jones might approve of Annie's actions causing the diplomatic troubles between the Court and the Wood; it's clear that these two places are not at true peace with each other, but only in an uneasy truce - it's peace only in the sense of the absence of open warfare. Maybe Jones sees the trouble that Annie has unwittingly caused as the means to bring about true peace between Gunnerkrigg and Gillitie - the kind of treatment that makes the patients worse off for a while, but ultimately cures them.

[Chrome]

...you make Jones sound like Dr. House, Todd. And I like it.

[Count Casimir]

I'm with Chrome on this; yay for Jones!

[Shunpike]

This entire new plot is confusing. :/