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Post by phyzome on Nov 5, 2012 21:19:39 GMT
And compare today's scene with the burning of Rome. Is her robe on fire there? Oh crudknuckles, I missed a page! I'm glad you mentioned it.
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Triple Sharp
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Post by Triple Sharp on Nov 5, 2012 21:21:50 GMT
*Reads the latest page* She's older than the hill, I get it. What's the point? Everybody is asking that by now, but we are all in the same boat and will just have to enjoy the ride. I don't know how much Tom has tested the patience of his readers, but even the more patient ones are probably saying the same thing and for Tom to get to the point. The funny thing is I just started reading GKC recently, and I only caught up at the very end of the previous chapter. So I was used to reading a chapter a day, then I was abruptly forced to wait for updates starting with this of all chapters. However, I always find each update fascinating and satisfying (plus the artwork is beautiful), so I'm really not feeling impatient at all. Although I do miss Annie and Kat (this has got to be a record length of absence for her).
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thatkid
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Boxbot
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Post by thatkid on Nov 5, 2012 21:42:00 GMT
To be honest, I don't even care what Jones is anymore.
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Post by birdwhisperer on Nov 5, 2012 22:10:36 GMT
Mmm, lava bath. That looks surprisingly relaxing. Anyway, I don't know what you guys are talking about, I'm enjoying this chapter.
As for theories, I'm thinking that whatever is revealed at the end will necessitate us to go through the pages backwards (or forwards through time), until Annie asks her question, then the title page is the answer. And it will all make sense.
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itg
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Post by itg on Nov 5, 2012 22:20:15 GMT
At this point, if Jones fits into traditional mythology at all, then I think she practically has to be a Gaia figure (after all, planet does originally stem from the greek word for Wanderer). But I'd personally be a bit disappointed in that. I never really payed attention to the forums before this, but I've seen other people say that Tom has said Jones is his own creation, and there's been so many iterations of an earth goddess I don't really see him treading new ground if that's what she ends up being. It does fit, but I don't think that's the case.
Perhaps she's a form of unconscious demiurge in the Platonic tradition, although the unconscious aspect isn't part of the Platonism, just the demiurge part. My initial exposure to the idea comes from Bester/Zelazney's Psychoshop, not philosophical schooling, so I'm rather lateral in what it could entail. She would be vilifying Coyote's theory as the root observer giving meaning and form to the world/universe she's observed, instead of a being (retroactively) created by the beliefs of humanity. Some people have floated that sort of idea around, and I think that would be more edifying than having her being Gaia. I would rather have another few weeks of these comics leading to a conclusion along those lines than one or two more comics that end up fitting her into traditional mythology.
(Besides, on reflection, I can't see her as an etheric being like Coyote, given that she's so etherically inert as to have not been able to teach Annie how use the blinker stone)
EDIT: In a kind-of response to the post below mine, I actually hadn't been thinking about the stone in terms of the above. I retroactively expand my ideas to include the Taoist idea of the uncarved block, of the limitless potential that exists before observation and action, which I think does mesh fairly well with Coyote's theory and what we know of Jones. This actually does offer an in for traditional mythology that I had mostly forgotten, and would be much more satisfying for me personally than Gaia.
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Post by seaofalchemy on Nov 5, 2012 22:26:12 GMT
Mmm, lava bath. That looks surprisingly relaxing. Anyway, I don't know what you guys are talking about, I'm enjoying this chapter. As for theories, I'm thinking that whatever is revealed at the end will necessitate us to go through the pages backwards (or forwards through time), until Annie asks her question, then the title page is the answer. And it will all make sense. I'm enjoying this chapter too. The fact that the origin of one character can make a whole lot of people here debate, theorize, and frustrated is pretty powerful. Almost testing my patience, haha. But I always have to keep in mind that the title of this chapter is "The Stone." Either Jones is the stone or Jones is a metaphor of a stone, like some of you have said when referring to this page. And the chapter page has a picture of a plain field, a little hill, and some bigger hills in the back (sorry, not an expert in topography or geomorphology). So, is this "place" supposed to be significant? Will the story be taken to that location? Like, will Jones's flashbacks eventually lead us there?
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Triple Sharp
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Post by Triple Sharp on Nov 5, 2012 22:39:53 GMT
I don't know about you guys, but I lava this storyline. I'm sorry, I'll go now. This post deserves a sad trombone sound and an award. Oh crudknuckles, I missed a page! I'm glad you mentioned it. ...Cr - crud...knuckles? That's got to be the most beautiful fauxpletive I've ever heard... (it even caused me to invent a new word! [it's pronounced FOE-kspluh-tiv])
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Post by Angry Robot on Nov 5, 2012 23:09:42 GMT
Last Wednesday in the comments for 1111, I predicted the next two pages would be "Several epochs ago" and "Many epochs ago".
But 1112 was actually "Several eras ago". So on the forum I predicted that the next page would be "Many eras ago"...
...and 113 is "Many eons ago".
This, people, this is why I never bet on ANYTHING!
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Post by FlyingMug on Nov 5, 2012 23:41:26 GMT
To be honest, I don't even care what Jones is anymore. I like to imagine that the comic is progressing in real time so Jones has been standing there zoned out for 5 weeks. There was a girl with pink hair in this comic right? Her name was Eglamore or something?
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Post by blahzor on Nov 5, 2012 23:46:43 GMT
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Post by Refugee on Nov 6, 2012 0:29:47 GMT
"...And that's all I remember."
"But...who are you? Why...?"
"I have absolutely no idea."
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Post by madmogs on Nov 6, 2012 0:37:30 GMT
New poster. I've been reading Gunnerkrigg for ages in passing, but this is the first chapter that I've honestly loved and been captivated by.
I honestly can't wait to see where she comes from next.
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Post by FlyingMug on Nov 6, 2012 0:53:11 GMT
"...And that's all I remember." "But...who are you? Why...?" "I have absolutely no idea." Mystery solved!
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Post by Georgie L on Nov 6, 2012 1:47:33 GMT
that actually could be it. but why I can't decide, maybe she's like the sword of Captain Carrot from Discworld . ...Cr - crud...knuckles? That's got to be the most beautiful fauxpletive I've ever heard... (it even caused me to invent a new word! [it's pronounced FOE-kspluh-tiv]) Many european dialects of english don't pronounce the X sound in Faux, so I'm gonna pronounce it Foh-Pleative
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Post by tullus on Nov 6, 2012 2:44:38 GMT
I don't know about you guys, but I lava this storyline. I'm sorry, I'll go now. This post deserves a sad trombone sound and an award. I agree. Also: what if, at the end of this segment, Jones is expressing an emotion.
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Post by Mezzaphor on Nov 6, 2012 2:50:30 GMT
I don't know how much Tom has tested the patience of his readers, but even the more patient ones are probably saying the same thing and for Tom to get to the point. Nope. I've been reading Gunnerkrigg Court for six years, and I love this current chapter and its pacing. Let's look at numbers. Right now, the chapter is 20 pages long, and has been running a little over a month in real life time (looking at the archive, the cover page went up on Sept 21). Compare that with ch 8, "Broken Glass and Other Things". It ran for 38 pages, and since it was uploaded back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and GC updated on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we readers took three whole months (May 30 to August 31, 2006) to get through it. The "Get on with it!" of this chapter is nothing compared to what I felt for "Broken Glass and Other Things". Sure, the chapter had no shortage of stuff happening, but (from what we readers could see back in 2006) none of that stuff had any connection to the rest of the story. I wanted answers to the question of what the heck had happened to Robot in Gillitie Wood, and what the heck was up with Annie's parents, but instead I had to grit my teeth and bear with Annie's seemingly-irrelevant adventures with stupid fairies and some jerk with an owl for a head. This chapter? We are getting a truckful of infodumping about a major character who has been a major mystery until now. We just aren't getting the answers as fast as we might like. I'll just take that over another "Broken Glass" any month of the year. Besides, if Tom did decide to "Get on with it!" I guarantee you that an equal number of other readers would complain about the chapter moving too abruptly. I say this with certainty because that's precisely what happened in "Give and Take".Go ahead, start with Annie's question, and page forward. In its totality, even so far as we have seen, this is worthy of Kubrick or Clarke. Oh man, I had been wondering what song to represent this chapter for my personal GC soundtrack, and you've given me the answer: The "Sunrise" movement of Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra. Jar Jar Refugee, you're a genius!
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Post by xenophonhendrix on Nov 6, 2012 2:54:47 GMT
Tom Siddell is messing with us.
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Post by Refugee on Nov 6, 2012 3:04:37 GMT
Tom Siddell is messing with us. Of course, all the good storytellers do. The question is, how does he manage the reveal? I trust Siddell far more than most of the comic artists out there, but I have to admit, he's writing us an awfully big check here.
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Post by sofiaoh on Nov 6, 2012 3:27:34 GMT
Oh man, I had been wondering what song to represent this chapter for my personal GC soundtrack, and you've given me the answer: The "Sunrise" movement of Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra. Jar Jar Refugee, you're a genius! I keep thinking it ought to be "Like A Stone" by Audioslave. On a cold, wet afternoon In a room full of emptiness By a freeway I confess I was lost in the pages Of a book full of death Reading how we'll die alone And if we're good we'll lay to rest And then will we wander
(Chorus) In your house I long to be room by room patiently I'll wait for you there Like a stone I'll wait for you there Alone And on my deathbed I will pray To the gods and the angels Like a pagan to anyone Who will take me to heaven To a place I recall I was there so long ago The sky was bruised The wine was bled And there you led me on
In your house I long to be Room by room patiently I'll wait for you there Like a stone I'll wait for you there Alone Alone
And on I read Until the day was gone And I sat in regret Of all the things I've done For all that I've blessed And all that I've wronged In dreams until my death I will wander on
In your house I long to be Room by room patiently I'll wait for you there Like a stone I'll wait for you there Alone AloneIn short, poor Jones. Maybe she is just the image of a woman seen by people when they look at stone; or maybe she is literally a stone. But she seems to have feelings.
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Post by sofiaoh on Nov 6, 2012 3:31:12 GMT
I should add my current theory is that Jones is an elemental.
Annie's ancestors were fire-people... why can't Jones be a stone-person?
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Post by Refugee on Nov 6, 2012 4:31:33 GMT
I should add my current theory is that Jones is an elemental. Annie's ancestors were fire-people... why can't Jones be a stone-person? Ooh, I like it. I like it alot. And as we've seen, fire and stone get along quite well with each other.
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Cakes
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Post by Cakes on Nov 6, 2012 5:20:20 GMT
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Post by skythorn on Nov 6, 2012 5:25:15 GMT
Theory: The chapter title & picture, explaining the nature of Jones, refers to the nebulae theory of planetary formation where Jones is the central attractor resulting in the formation of Earth. Elements: The Stone is the chapter title. The strongest saying in my mind regarding stones is 'a rolling stone gathers no moss' ... Jones is called the wandering eye, possibly close to being a 'rolling' or wandering stone. Supposition: A stone that is neither stationary, nor rolling, may wander. A wandering stone may slowly gather moss, and that moss may be the planet earth. Assessment : astrophysics and the nebular hypothesis of planetary formation suggests that accretion of material should be gravatic centred - as such, Jones could not be the source of the formation of the proto-planet Earth. Conclusion: theory flawed and discarded. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formation_and_evolution_of_the_Solar_System.... new theory on Jones wanted, willing to pay for competent astrophysical background.
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Post by Cyclothymia on Nov 6, 2012 5:46:27 GMT
I should add my current theory is that Jones is an elemental. Annie's ancestors were fire-people... why can't Jones be a stone-person? Ooh, I like it. I like it alot. Sadly: www.formspring.me/gunnerkrigg/q/994367597
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quoodle
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Posts: 168
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Post by quoodle on Nov 6, 2012 7:09:16 GMT
Ok, more fluid dynamics.
Either she's slippery such that lava does not stick to her, or she's just now sinking in the lava. (otherwise she's have it on her somehow - on her shoulder, on her hair). She's pretty much pristine (but hot) - so before this shot, perhaps she wasn't part of the Earth. She might have been walking on the crust.
One thing I haven't figured out - in last two shots, she's always vertical - like she's standing straight up. If she's been floating around in the magma, wouldn't she more likely be in any other position - perhaps horizontal? Either she was created that way, or made herself vertical, (is magnetic?), or was just standing there when the lava enveloped her. Immune to everything, she saw no reason to move.
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Post by telemont on Nov 6, 2012 10:19:59 GMT
I am really getting tired of this Jones chapter. At first it was really neat but all my empathy for her has drained away over the past month of nothing happening. The biggest problem with Jones now is that she has to be responsible or involved in the creation of mankind or she cannot look the way she does. Not to mention she is caucasion in a time before caucasions even existed.
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Post by whitehawk on Nov 6, 2012 10:29:59 GMT
How much further back can we go?
But if Jones is so very, very old, how come she doesn't know all the dark and dirty secrets of the Court and what REALLY happened way back when? When did she arrive at the Court?
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Post by smjjames on Nov 6, 2012 15:34:16 GMT
But if Jones is so very, very old, how come she doesn't know all the dark and dirty secrets of the Court and what REALLY happened way back when? When did she arrive at the Court? She was elsewhere at the time of the courts early days, most likely America. She arrived in the court sometime between the Great Depression era (or WWII) and the 1960s.
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Post by legion on Nov 6, 2012 17:32:38 GMT
I am really getting tired of this Jones chapter. At first it was really neat but all my empathy for her has drained away over the past month of nothing happening. The biggest problem with Jones now is that she has to be responsible or involved in the creation of mankind or she cannot look the way she does. Not to mention she is caucasion in a time before caucasions even existed. Nobody's keeping you here. Also, "caucasian".
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Triple Sharp
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Post by Triple Sharp on Nov 6, 2012 18:45:54 GMT
...Cr - crud...knuckles? That's got to be the most beautiful fauxpletive I've ever heard... (it even caused me to invent a new word! [it's pronounced FOE-kspluh-tiv]) Many european dialects of english don't pronounce the X sound in Faux, so I'm gonna pronounce it Foh-Pleative Okay...but you'll be pronouncing it wrong. The 'x' may be silent in faux, but it is pronounced in expletive. The two words are joined at the 'x's, and the hard 'x' from expletive overrides the silent 'x' from faux. I'll give you that when reading it, it feels more natural to think of the 'x' as being silent, but when you actually speak it aloud, pronouncing the 'x' makes it sound more satisfying, slightly less awkward, and more obvious how it's derived and therefore what it means.
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