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Post by Aspen d'Grey on Jun 28, 2007 5:09:58 GMT
This is a place for your general observations... NOT for wild speculation. (Speculation that you can make good points about is Good!) Especially point out pop culture or internet references that Tom makes... He made a lot of them in the last chapter, and makes an MGS3 one every few chapters. Also, overarching story analysis or long-range SUPPORTED speculations are good. Citing individual comics is not neccesary unless you want to point out a detail.
Hmm, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the 'god' we see here is the VNM... Yeah, that was a stretch. ^.^ The outline very much fits what Tom drew of Robot's description of the Very Nice Man, and also it's clear that his arm is VERY similar to the one the VNM gave Robot.
It seems that Tom is really trying to develop an overarching storyplot here... This can be said to have initiated way back in the first chapter, where Annie sent Robot across the bridge. Robot comes back possed and tries to kill Annie, and Reynardine recognizes this both then and at a later point in time when he talks about his cousin. (Debate about who this cousin is should stay in story discussions, wild spec, or its own thread....)
Now we see a god and shadowy wolf figure showing up coming out of Gillitie woods.... Ummm, yeah, ok lots of observations there.
Hopefully some others have better observations than mine =P. I wasn't really thinking of this being about the individual strips but more of how the plot has developed over time.
You know, this is REALLY quite nice drawing togethor of the story, and is going to be a great end to the 'year' no matter how it goes. Way back in the beggining Annie fixes robot, and uses him to get shadow across. A few chapters later Robot attacks annie with a new arm and a different shadow. Then Annie rescues Robot and learns that it was a different shadow. Robot is ab le to tell her about the VNM, and Reynardine, who Annie has trapped in her wolf doll mostly by luck, points out that he knows someone in the woods, and that the woodspeople hate technology, which seems to be the exact opposite of the Court, with it's advanced tik-tocs and stuff. Now the attack Rey has been expecting has finally come, as Annie is faced with a sumemr without parents. T_T
Just goes to show that -nothing- Tom does is a coincidence.
(V. sorry if I repeat my self in here too much.)
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Post by Count Casimir on Jun 28, 2007 5:31:03 GMT
Now we see a god and shadowy wolf figure showing up coming out of Gillitie woods.... Ummm, yeah, ok lots of observations there. Seems to me that the shadowy wolf figure is more like a dog or something, just a companion that TVNM keeps with him, and maybe sics on unfortunate persons. |
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Post by Aspen d'Grey on Jun 28, 2007 5:47:37 GMT
That was my impression as well, because of its vague outlines and general undefinedness. On the other hand, Tom put a blindfolded wolf above Annie in this chapters titles page.
Hmmmm, I also suspect that, since we're pulling Reynardine back in, that we'll see some more of ZImmy in this chapter. I doubt she has anywhere to go during the summer, and she certainly seems powerful in this kind of stuff. (The science fair)
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Hazel
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Post by Hazel on Jun 28, 2007 7:58:39 GMT
There really isn't much that connects the blindfolded wolf on the title page and the shadowy red-eyed dog except their both being canids, of which there are quite a few in the story. Probably a red herring in that respect.
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Post by owl on Jun 28, 2007 15:20:03 GMT
Could be....it's true that the title-wolf is much more, well, wolf-y and realistically drawn, while the shadow-dog is far more shadowy and stylized...but remember, if it IS REy's cousin, then he can probably change shape.
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Hazel
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Post by Hazel on Jun 28, 2007 17:50:51 GMT
Hm... We never did find out whether Rey was born with the ability to steal bodies and/or change shape, or whether that was something he learned to do later. It doesn't necessarily have to be a family trait. The shadowy dog does look a bit like Reynardine discorporated (although that may be wishful thinking).
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Post by Aspen d'Grey on Jun 28, 2007 18:46:48 GMT
x.x
Ok, well... I geuss we'll just ignore my little request NOT to bring that up and talk about it instead...
Points for wolf-shadow NOT being Reynardine:
*Safe to assume that Reynardine's cousin is going to play a big role in this chapter, while the wolf-shadow (WS for short?) is poorly defined, shadowy (not in a mysterious bigp lot point later on type way, liek the VNM was earlier), and crouched BEHIND the VNM, who is (for the first time) very clear, very well defined, and quite definetly not human. (He may have BEEN human at one point in time)
*Reynardine's 'transfer form' is wolf or Fox-like in appearance. While I'm sure this is not by chance, I don't think that it automatically means his cousin needs to be wolf like in appearance. His transfer form also looked vaguely like the being he was transferring FROM and when he finally transferred INTO.
*Rey changed into a wolf during the Robot chapter
Yeah, well, he was occupying a TOY WOLF. I also think that this wolf form looks very much like the wolf we see on the front chapter here.
*Rey can't 'change' shape, rathar, he can occupy bodies. May or may not be important.
McGuffin, anybody!?
And, finally, back on topic... Er, shoot. I forgot it while writing the above rant. When I remember I'll be sure to post.
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Post by owl on Jun 28, 2007 19:12:40 GMT
*Rey changed into a wolf during the Robot chapter Yeah, well, he was occupying a TOY WOLF. I also think that this wolf form looks very much like the wolf we see on the front chapter here. *Rey can't 'change' shape, rathar, he can occupy bodies. May or may not be important. Uhm...aren't those kind of contradictory? He CAN change shape, to a certain extent, shown in the Robot chapter and also here, though his head remains very wolf-toy like. (And sorry for getting off-topic, but...observations without speculation are kind of...boring, and sometimes obvious. What is the point of noticing things if you don't wonder what they mean? i don't think our speculations got too wild....  ) |
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Post by Aspen d'Grey on Jun 29, 2007 2:29:30 GMT
Meh, what I meant was that I didn't really want to go int othe 'is that Reynardine or not' in this thread... And no, I dont think those are contradictory. He inhabits bodies, he doesn't change his shape to fit them. The fact that he can force the wolf body to become something other than what it is is probably the resust of it being an inanimate object- doing something like that to Sijo, for instance, probably would have had disasterous results....
Ok, now I see where you think thats contradictory. But, no, I think that it's because it's a toy with no fixed 'form' in the first place.
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Post by fjodor on Jun 29, 2007 9:09:18 GMT
I just noticed there are now 300 members of this forum. We're a pretty big team, Go Gunners!
To make an observation about this chapter: there's a sign over the Donlan's house, that looks a bit like a G (possibly for Gunnerkrigg), in a circle with three dots. The same symbol is shown on the wall in the next page. I think I saw it before, but I forgot where. Any thoughts if it may be significant?
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xux
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Post by xux on Jun 29, 2007 11:25:03 GMT
So...that's a house. I was under the impression that it was, like, a super dorm of sorts for teachers since it didn't have a window in Chapter 7 (I'm not sure why that matter in determining what it is but...ya know).
So...is it in the Gunnerkrigg City? I guess it would have to be since they went there during school time in Chapter 7. I wonder where it is in proximity to the entrance...or where anything is in proximity to the entrance. Or...if that is an entrance.
Anyway...Anja doesn't seem that worried. At least...not worried enough to expose her daughter and her daughter's friend to it. Which, of course, make me all the curiouser as to what it is.
As for pop culture: Naruto? I guess a swirl could mean other things. And, well, Gitaroo Man.
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Post by Mezzaphor on Jun 29, 2007 11:41:58 GMT
So in Wednesday's comic, Mrs. Donlan pauses because she senses the appearance of a floaty sky thing. Apparently she sensed it supernaturally, because if she had just seen it out the window, she would not have had to take the children to the roof to look at it.
Also, Anja's discovery of the floaty sky thing is near-simultaneous with her putting her hand on Annie's shoulder. I don't know of any evidence for Annie having second sight. I think what's happening is Mrs. Donlan does have second sight, and touching Annie boosts that ability.
I'm reminded of Annie's effect on Zimmy, except that Annie was reducing whatever magic was at work in Zimmy. Perhaps what's happening is that Annie exudes a supernatural calming spell, or she is a force of Order, and her presence helps to clear and focus the minds of others.
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Hazel
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Post by Hazel on Jun 29, 2007 12:41:58 GMT
Also, Anja's discovery of the floaty sky thing is near-simultaneous with her putting her hand on Annie's shoulder. I don't know of any evidence for Annie having second sight. I think what's happening is Mrs. Donlan does have second sight, and touching Annie boosts that ability. Or maybe the floaty thing just happens to appear at that moment. (Sounds improbable, I know...) |
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Post by La Goon on Jun 30, 2007 18:14:05 GMT
To make an observation about this chapter: there's a sign over the Donlan's house, that looks a bit like a G (possibly for Gunnerkrigg), in a circle with three dots. The same symbol is shown on the wall in the next page. I think I saw it before, but I forgot where. Any thoughts if it may be significant? I just assumed it's the Donlans' family seal or something like that. It's also seen here. They are both placed over a door, so I'd say if they have a meaning it's probably somehow related to doors. |
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Post by UbiquitousDragon on Jun 30, 2007 19:45:10 GMT
To make an observation about this chapter: there's a sign over the Donlan's house, that looks a bit like a G (possibly for Gunnerkrigg), in a circle with three dots. The same symbol is shown on the wall in the next page. I think I saw it before, but I forgot where. Any thoughts if it may be significant? I just assumed it's the Donlans' family seal or something like that. It's also seen here. They are both placed over a door, so I'd say if they have a meaning it's probably somehow related to doors. Could it be the same door? Well a 'Court' complex implies a palace of sorts, to take it in the monarchal (great word!) way. And palaces don't just have to be the *one* building, often old castles/mot and baileys could have an entire village within their walls. After all, GC *does* have it's own secret railway. (Chapter 3 is one of my favourites.) Also: willing suspension of disbelief *nods*  |
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Post by La Goon on Jun 30, 2007 20:54:51 GMT
Could it be the same door? No, one of them leads from the living room to the staircase, and the other one is the front door. - but I wouldn't be surprised if there's one on each side of both doors (and a few other doors for that matter). |
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Post by owl on Jul 1, 2007 16:49:06 GMT
Perhaps it's a protection seal? (Okay, sorry, that's speculation).
It seems like the city is huge (the birds-eye view from Kat's hoverbike, the views from the Secret Railway in Chapter three...) So it could be anywhere. I'm assuming, though, that it's not too far from the School, since Kat didn't seem to have any idea that the city was even there, not to mention that big. In fact, I'm going to go so far as to assume it's the teacher's quarters IN the school. After all, with both paren't being teachers, what need would you have for other living arrangements during the school year?
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Post by fjodor on Jul 2, 2007 8:19:47 GMT
Thing that puzzles me: how did ms Donlan know that the sign from Gillitie Wood had appeared? She didn't look out the window as far as we can tell, and if she did, they would not have to go all the way to the roof.
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Hazel
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Post by Hazel on Jul 2, 2007 8:36:21 GMT
I'm fairly sure the forum agrees that Anja has some sort of second vision.
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Post by Aspen d'Grey on Jul 16, 2007 21:59:59 GMT
Yeah, that would seem to be clear. It seems obvious now that this meeting is, if not common, at least not very rare, since there are other students around that have (possible?) done this before. I'm also wondering how Annie's mom is famous at the Court, since it seems that the older students know her so well... On the other hand, it might just be that Parley and Smith are involved in the kind of thing where they would have need to know about her.... but why?
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Post by Mezzaphor on Sept 9, 2007 3:38:36 GMT
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Ed130
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Courage And Duty
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Post by Ed130 on Sept 9, 2007 7:46:50 GMT
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Post by Mezzaphor on Sept 9, 2007 13:20:10 GMT
It's a symbol for bismuth. It was discussed some in the alchemy thread. |
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Post by Count Casimir on Sept 9, 2007 19:54:04 GMT
Good catch, Mezz! Hmm...significance, anyone? |
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Post by Uglyhead on Sept 9, 2007 20:07:05 GMT
Good catch, Mezz! Hmm...significance, anyone? The significance is that Jones doesn't have enough pull with the higher-ups to get out of having an office next to mopey old James who is apparently still pining after a girl he knew in... whatever comes before high school in Britain. Or maybe they just sometimes have to work together, James as muscle and Jones as supervisor, since it's implied she's some kind of supernatural-mutation-whatever's-up-with-Ysengrin expert. |
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Post by Mezzaphor on Sept 9, 2007 21:20:27 GMT
Or that Eggers and Jones are both very important individuals. Eglamore is important enough to escort a god to and from Gunnnerkrigg, and Jones stands at the Headmaster's right hand when the Court is assembled.
(And I'm sure Jim would do a much better job of getting over Surma if her daughter weren't causing him so much grief.)
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Post by todd on Sept 9, 2007 22:09:58 GMT
The significance is that Jones doesn't have enough pull with the higher-ups to get out of having an office next to mopey old James who is apparently still pining after a girl he knew in... whatever comes before high school in Britain. The British equivalent of elementary school is "primary school", but Gunnerkrigg, from the evidence, is a "secondary school" (high school in U.S. terms). Annie and Kat just happen to be in the lowest year (as, apparently, were Surma, James, Anthony, and the rest when that photograph was taken - or at most, having only recently left it). Because they're still pre-adolescents (the only adolescent students we've seen yet at Gunnerkrigg are Parley and Smith), it's probably been easy for us to forget that Gunnerkrigg is a secondary school. |
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Post by mudmaniac on Sept 10, 2007 6:32:22 GMT
The significance is that Jones doesn't have enough pull with the higher-ups to get out of having an office next to mopey old James who is apparently still pining after a girl he knew in... whatever comes before high school in Britain. The British equivalent of elementary school is "primary school", but Gunnerkrigg, from the evidence, is a "secondary school" (high school in U.S. terms). Annie and Kat just happen to be in the lowest year (as, apparently, were Surma, James, Anthony, and the rest when that photograph was taken - or at most, having only recently left it). Because they're still pre-adolescents (the only adolescent students we've seen yet at Gunnerkrigg are Parley and Smith), it's probably been easy for us to forget that Gunnerkrigg is a secondary school. I do agree that they are in Secondary school. but its my understanding that the British term "Secondary" covers both Middle and High School from a US POV. |
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Post by UbiquitousDragon on Sept 10, 2007 19:31:10 GMT
The British equivalent of elementary school is "primary school", but Gunnerkrigg, from the evidence, is a "secondary school" (high school in U.S. terms). Annie and Kat just happen to be in the lowest year (as, apparently, were Surma, James, Anthony, and the rest when that photograph was taken - or at most, having only recently left it). Because they're still pre-adolescents (the only adolescent students we've seen yet at Gunnerkrigg are Parley and Smith), it's probably been easy for us to forget that Gunnerkrigg is a secondary school. I do agree that they are in Secondary school. but its my understanding that the British term "Secondary" covers both Middle and High School from a US POV. I once gave a long explination of the English and Welsh school system, sadly I didn't think to save it. Basically primary school runs from 3/4-year-olds to 10-year-olds, then secondary school is 10-year-olds to 16-year-olds, with some secondary schools (and GC is one of these, confirmed by Tom in the questions thread), having a sixth form (16 to 18-year-olds). Secondary school starts with Year 7, so after the summer Annie and Kat will be Year 8s, and second years. I hope that helps Though knowing school systems in general it probably made it more complicated ... |
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Post by todd on Sept 11, 2007 23:07:00 GMT
This chapter is noteworthy for two reasons. It marks the end of Annie's first year at Gunnerkrigg (the 11-12 year), and both we and Annie see a formal assembly of the school faculty for the first time (including the introduction of the Headmaster and Jones into the webcomic). In the previous chapters, Annie has either adventured on her own or with a friend or two (such as Kat or Reynardine); now, she's actually present at a piece of official business by the grown-ups - and just as her first year (the one year at Gunnerkrigg to be counted as childhood; she'll turn 13 in her second year there) ends. Could this be a sign of her moving towards adulthood - taking part in the grown-ups' business for the first time?
It is also worth noting that at the end of the meeting, the Headmaster asks her to start taking classes with Parley and Smith (presumably as part of whatever apprenticeship training they're part of). Could this be another sign of our heroine taking a step closer towards adulthood - being initiated into another circle in the mysteries surrounding Gunnerkrigg?
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