[1230] I wear it with pride

[Anthony]

Renard is totally going to wolf down Hetty

[avurai]

Jul 31, 2013 14:33:00 GMT darlos9d said:

So I'm here to complain a little.

You know how you kinda need to have a good guy actually be around for a while before you care that something is happening to them? Well, the same is true for villains, to me. So, this Hetty character shows up in one chapter, and within this same chapter we're already seeing some kind of major blow-up with her. It's like... I dunno, she was just conjured up out of thin air simply for Reynardine to be able to angst against something for one chapter. Which feels a bit awkward from a writing standpoint

I kinda feel like she should have been introduced earlier. Especially considering the fact it seems like they've actually known each other for a little while.

However: as some people as speculated, Reynardine may not be trying to end her permanently. Maybe she'll just chill out once they've had it out. If he does eliminate her though... I'll just go back to seeing her as an awkwardly introduced catalyst for his own character development.

Jul 31, 2013 7:26:18 GMT avurai said:

Also, it's interestingly far easier to watch him flat out chomp into Hetty when she's not humanoid, so all around this method of dispatch is incredibly helpful in making Rey not look remotely awful. It looks like he's slaying a beast rather than murdering a girl... Which, in a sense, is correct.

Mm, yes... it's far easier to watch the demise of something that isn't human-looking, isn't it? Far easier for us to detach ourselves from it. No need to worry ourselves that it might be a sapient being with feelings and issues.

Not saying she doesn't need to be stopped. She does. Just don't suddenly forget that she is, in an intellectual sense, still a person. I'd rather watch her develop than die. Dead characters can't be interesting anymore.

I think two murdered children is Renard's limit. You can't murder two innocent children otherwise he kills you. One child, well, he got to that place. Planning on lighting another child on fire after possibly giving him lung cancer, then offering to rid Renard of his 'master' as a favor, Hetty didn't stand a chance, morally.

With Renard removing Hetty from the body, that body which belongs to a human being and is thus property, he's essentially removing her ability to roam free. The only reason Rey isn't in a jail cell right now is because he's technically Annie's property, so the same rules must apply to Hetty... And allowing her to stay inside that porcelain doll is nothing but trouble, if not stupidity with all the property damage and physical harm she has caused and will be willing to do in the future. This isn't some guilt ridden individual who has much of a chance of changing her ways. You have to realize you have a problem and feel remorse, and she seems full-on sociopathic. If not psychopathic.

We're talking about a psychotic, unrepentant child murderer here. One who's off to murder her next victim, and possibly even a third if she keeps her word. I wouldn't exactly call ending her life 'murder', if you catch my drift.

[avurai]

Also, as has already become a problem, people have a far greater chance of becoming attached to Hetty and ending up being upset with Renard for ending her status as 'recurring character' if she's in the comic for an extended period of time. Then the number of people willing to accept her death will be outweighed by those who grow to like her villainy and want to keep her around.

[Per]

Jul 31, 2013 11:36:13 GMT arf said:

Trivia: Shrimpy has three red eyes.

Hetty had two red eyes, and a large red button on her handbag

Well, she also had two red roses on her cheeks, making the "red round object" count somewhat arbitrary.

[rosencrantz]

Someone should do comment text for this entire storyline in the form of "Hetty has _____".

This one could be "Hetty has died."

[GK Sierra]

Let me tell you a story Annie,
Real nice girl, porcelain fanny.
From a distance, looks like a tranny,
So small she fits into every nook and cranny.

Said her name was Hetty,
We were going steady,
Then she wants to torture children,
Damn girl, I'm not ready.
Couldn't tell at first glance,
That you had a big catch,
Oh silly, clumsy, little me,
Did I drop that lit match?

[The Anarch]

break it down now

[darlos9d]

Jul 31, 2013 16:03:18 GMT avurai said:

Also, as has already become a problem, people have a far greater chance of becoming attached to Hetty and ending up being upset with Renard for ending her status as 'recurring character' if she's in the comic for an extended period of time. Then the number of people willing to accept her death will be outweighed by those who grow to like her villainy and want to keep her around.

I don't really call that a problem. I call that good writing.

As it stands, the whole scenario of this chapter just feels completely out of left field. It's like "Oh here's this kinda weird doll lady who apparently Rey has known for a while? She seems prankster-ish but possibly not completely terri-NO NOPE SHE'S A CHILD MURDERER HURRY UP AND HATE HER SO WE CAN FEEL GOOD ABOUT REY DESTROYING HER."

Talk about your whiplash.

[Eversist]

Jul 31, 2013 9:19:09 GMT Marnath said:

I actually beat you to that a few strips ago.

To be honest, that's probably where my brain pulled it from (although I know the reference as well).

[philman]

So many people seem to be assuming that Hetty's possession of the doll has the same set of rules and circumstances as Renard. We know she is trapped in there by humans, but not much more than that. A lot of people morning her demise being too quick without knowing if this will even kill her, or just rob her of physical form.

[darlos9d]

Jul 31, 2013 18:21:06 GMT philman said:

So many people seem to be assuming that Hetty's possession of the doll has the same set of rules and circumstances as Renard. We know she is trapped in there by humans, but not much more than that. A lot of people morning her demise being too quick without knowing if this will even kill her, or just rob her of physical form.

I'm definitely hoping there's more to her appearance than simply being a narrative excuse to have Rey vocalize his feelings for one chapter. I feel like if that's all Tom wanted, there are established characters and potential situations involving them that could have accomplished this just as well.

[Eversist]

Jul 31, 2013 18:21:06 GMT philman said:

A lot of people morning her demise being too quick without knowing if this will even kill her, or just rob her of physical form.

I don't see many (at least in the forum) mourning quite yet. We're not even sure if Reynard's intending to kill in the first place (although at this point it seems pretty likely to end in fatality, but we all know how Tom is. She may very well get away, regardless of Reynard's intentions).

If she operates under Reynard's rules (which it's fairly unlikely she does, considering Reynard's unique circumstances), without another body to inhabit, we can assume s/he's gonna die, though.

Jul 31, 2013 18:35:16 GMT darlos9d said:

I'm definitely hoping there's more to her appearance than simply being a narrative excuse to have Rey vocalize his feelings for one chapter. I feel like if that's all Tom wanted, there are established characters and potential situations involving them that could have accomplished this just as well.

While I agree, I think Hetty also operates as a chance for Tom to reveal that there are other spirits and beings in similar situations to Rey; this could be set-up after all, even if she does die. And a part of me wants to say this isn't over yet, and this will have unintended consequences (maybe she'll just inhabit another body nearby, who knows).

[kukapetal]

I agree with Darlos9d. I mean, I'm glad we finally got to learn more about how Renard got into his situation and get his POV on and learn his motives about the time he tried to posses Annie. I was dying to know and I'm sure everyone else was too. I just wish it had been done in a way that was more organic to the story instead of introducing some random (but admittedly cool and interesting) villain for Renard to spill his guts to and then kill. It just feels....forced.

It seems like, lately, there've been quite a few story points that have been dropped like bombshells rather than being worked in naturally...this, Coyote's Great Secret, Annie suddenly collapsing and needing Zimmy's help, etc. They seem to get introduced with very little buildup, just "BOOM! Bet you weren't expecting THIS today!" And while that's fine for minor or humorous plot points, it feels weird and rushed with major plot points. I know it's fun to psyche out your readers from time to time, but this comic used to be really well paced, with the surprises feeling organic to the story. Now they seem to be there more for the sake of being confusing or startling. And it just doesn't feel like as effective of a way to introduce important plot points or character development.

That said, this comic is still better written than 99.9% of the stuff out there. And the artwork is still amazing. That is one really cool etheric shrimp monster. Do you think it could be related to Lindsey and Bud's species?

[Eversist]

I think people tend to forget that GC is pretty episodic (with rare occasions of direct timeline between chapters), so when Tom does drop a "bomb shell," he has a chapter to do it in. As a result, I don't see all of these recent revelations (which yes, there have been a lot lately, but so what?) as out of place or forced. Something bigish happens more often than not in a chapter (otherwise we'd just have some girls at a school), and the girls are growing up so there is bound to be more turmoil than in the past. And I'm glad we're finally getting some answers. Just my take on things.

To aid discussion, here are the "bomb shells" (and less important plot points) from the past 10 chapters. It's been pretty crazy for awhile now.

43-It is finally revealed that Reynard intended to kill Annie
42-Kat accepts Paz' offer to date/Smits goes into the forest for the first time
41-Annie is named Forest Medium/Robots capture Robot/Smits is Court Medium
40-Jones doesn't know what she is, but we learn she's forever-old
39-Coyote's secret revealed/Source of Ys' madness revealed
38-Annie is sick/We know her father is involved/Potential love interest revealed (Annie isn't asexual, lulz)
37-We learn more about Annie's father
36-Annie's father calls/Red gets a name
35-Shadow is now 3D/Parley intends to fight Jeanne (with tooth?)
34-Jack likes Zimmy/Paz and Kat flip out

Personally, I had noticed a definite uptick in "shit is happening" events since the Springheeled chapters, while the chapters before it may have served more to set the scene and establish characters (I know this is a gross over-simplification of the overall plot arc of the comic, but just something I observed).

[Nnelg]

Jul 31, 2013 12:25:22 GMT SerenaJo said:

Is there any chance those orange things were eggs?

Edit: I know it's a weird suggestion but I only ask because of this (avoid clicking if roe squicks you out)

That... Brings up a very disturbing line of thought.

Let's hope not, lest the Court need to call in their favors with the SCP Foundation.

Jul 31, 2013 15:25:32 GMT @azujax said:

I wonder what The Court thinks about this. If they weren't monitoring this situation before (which would be a pretty big failure on their part), the blaze should definitely get their attention.

I don't see how not keeping tabs on Hetty would be a failure on the Courts part. Not only would it be impossible to keep track of her without some sort of homing device, there's a fair chance her mere existence is unknown to the Court, or that her file is gathering dust in some forgotten and neglected cabinet somewhere. With no one to raise the alarm, Hetty could easily be a non-entity on Court security's radar.

[kukapetal]

Right, not all of them are. Many are still very well written. just seems like lately, there's been more that are either confusing (Kat dating Paz-for me anyway, I know not everyone thought this was confusing, Hetty), weirdly paced in that we feel like we've been plunked down in the middle of an ongoing story we missed the first half of (Hetty again, Annie's passing out and needing Zimmy's help), or answered via an awkwardly placed/introduced exposition dump (Coyote's secret, Jones's origins) that makes me say "Oh. Oh, we're doing this today. Uh, okay then."

I'm just hoping this isn't going to become a more common thing as the comic goes on, as I don't feel these work as well as the more organically written ones (pretty much all the other ones on your list that I didn't mention were done very well). Tom is an excellent storyteller, and I much prefer to see that storytelling instead of wondering how he's going to shock/startle confuse me next.

[melkior]

Well, I'm not sure what other choices Rey had. Grab Hetty's doll-body and then take her to someone else and tell them what's going on? Would Hetty just pretend to be an ordinary, lifeless doll? Would there be any way to prove anything, one way or another, even if Rey was believed? Can Hetty be controlled? Perhaps this is for the best.

And I'm reminded of possibly the best line I ever read in a comic book. Two actors playing knights in armor, first says to the second "I didn't become an actor just to become the main sound effect in a movie named 'Crunch'!"

Finally, study those last two panels more closely and it looks like in the second-last, Rey is cutting Hetty off from the doll body and in the final panel, it looks like he's now biting her head off (literally). It seems that Rey is going for the double-kill. Not just removing Hetty's connection to the doll but also ensuring she dies so that she doesn't get a chance to inhabit another body.

[avurai]

I don't think that's quite right. I don't see her face but a diluted image of the symbol that signified her being bound to the body. His jaw is still the same spot. It looks more like he's cutting off her etheric form from the symbol, thus severing her from the body permanently.

[Ophel]

Jul 31, 2013 12:25:22 GMT SerenaJo said:

Is there any chance those orange things were eggs?

Edit: I know it's a weird suggestion but I only ask because of this (avoid clicking if roe squicks you out)

Oh. Well, now I get that train of thought. ...Could it have served as a clue to what Hetty's spirit might look like? Anyway, my opinion is that it isn't, or it would really be a problem.

[Søren]

Jul 31, 2013 17:02:33 GMT GK Sierra said:

Let me tell you a story Annie,
Real nice girl, porcelain fanny.
From a distance, looks like a tranny,
So small she fits into every nook and cranny.

Said her name was Hetty,
We were going steady,
Then she wants to torture children,
Damn girl, I'm not ready.
Couldn't tell at first glance,
That you had a big catch,
Oh silly, clumsy, little me,
Did I drop that lit match?

Damn GK, that's a sick flow. You're in the wrong career bruh.

[SerenaJo]

Jul 31, 2013 21:22:26 GMT Ophel said:

Oh. Well, now I get that train of thought. ...Could it have served as a clue to what Hetty's spirit might look like? Anyway, my opinion is that it isn't, or it would really be a problem.

I liked the phosphorous theory too (which is probably right), it was just a thought.

[Ophel]

Jul 31, 2013 21:44:16 GMT SerenaJo said:

Jul 31, 2013 21:22:26 GMT Ophel said:

Oh. Well, now I get that train of thought. ...Could it have served as a clue to what Hetty's spirit might look like? Anyway, my opinion is that it isn't, or it would really be a problem.

I liked the phosphorous theory too (which is probably right), it was just a thought.

And thoughts are strongly encouraged here. :3

[Marnath]

Jul 31, 2013 19:06:29 GMT Eversist said:

38-Annie is sick/We know her father is involved/Potential love interest revealed (Annie isn't asexual, lulz)

Keep in mind we have only Zimmy's word on that, and it's only one interpretation of what symbolically is meant by Kamlen's presence there. Zimmy also thinks Jack is Annie's boyfriend too, so take her interpretation with a grain of salt.

Also, there's a big difference between being asexual and aromantic.

[stsasser]

Jul 31, 2013 19:06:29 GMT Eversist said:

I think people tend to forget that GC is pretty episodic (with rare occasions of direct timeline between chapters), so when Tom does drop a "bomb shell," he has a chapter to do it in. As a result, I don't see all of these recent revelations (which yes, there have been a lot lately, but so what?) as out of place or forced. Something bigish happens more often than not in a chapter (otherwise we'd just have some girls at a school), and the girls are growing up so there is bound to be more turmoil than in the past. And I'm glad we're finally getting some answers. Just my take on things.

To aid discussion, here are the "bomb shells" (and less important plot points) from the past 10 chapters. It's been pretty crazy for awhile now.

43-It is finally revealed that Reynard intended to kill Annie
42-Kat accepts Paz' offer to date/Smits goes into the forest for the first time
41-Annie is named Forest Medium/Robots capture Robot/Smits is Court Medium
40-Jones doesn't know what she is, but we learn she's forever-old
39-Coyote's secret revealed/Source of Ys' madness revealed
38-Annie is sick/We know her father is involved/Potential love interest revealed (Annie isn't asexual, lulz)
37-We learn more about Annie's father
36-Annie's father calls/Red gets a name
35-Shadow is now 3D/Parley intends to fight Jeanne (with tooth?)
34-Jack likes Zimmy/Paz and Kat flip out

Personally, I had noticed a definite uptick in "shit is happening" events since the Springheeled chapters, while the chapters before it may have served more to set the scene and establish characters (I know this is a gross over-simplification of the overall plot arc of the comic, but just something I observed).

And look at those chapter numbers. After 33 chapters, bomb shells should be flying, even as groundwork for future developments is laid.

Everybody was okay with 'floating octopus in the Forest', but somehow Hetty is just a contrivance? Please!

[Lightice]

Jul 31, 2013 23:08:24 GMT Marnath said:

Keep in mind we have only Zimmy's word on that, and it's only one interpretation of what symbolically is meant by Kamlen's presence there. Zimmy also thinks Jack is Annie's boyfriend too, so take her interpretation with a grain of salt.

Well, in Annie in the Forest Annie most definately shows pretty obvious attraction towards Kamlen, misinterpreting a lot of his gestures for romantic ones, probably due to cultural differences.

[Eversist]

Aug 1, 2013 0:29:57 GMT Lightice said:

Jul 31, 2013 23:08:24 GMT Marnath said:

Keep in mind we have only Zimmy's word on that, and it's only one interpretation of what symbolically is meant by Kamlen's presence there. Zimmy also thinks Jack is Annie's boyfriend too, so take her interpretation with a grain of salt.

Well, in Annie in the Forest Annie most definately shows pretty obvious attraction towards Kamlen, misinterpreting a lot of his gestures for romantic ones, probably due to cultural differences.

Sorry, yeah. I didn't want to post any spoilers, but AitF makes it pretty obvious she's interested romantically on some level (and reveal that a lot of things Zimmy sees are quite literal [although I still don't understand why Jones was naked (some sort of reference to her being of the earth? Who knows)]).

ALSO! It was sorta a joke, but I should have known better.

[melkior]

Jul 31, 2013 21:16:44 GMT avurai said:

I don't think that's quite right. I don't see her face but a diluted image of the symbol that signified her being bound to the body. His jaw is still the same spot. It looks more like he's cutting off her etheric form from the symbol, thus severing her from the body permanently.

After taking a second look at the panel artwork, it looks like you're right. My bad. Rey seems to be cutting Hetty off from her doll body. The question is whether that will kill Hetty or ... something else.

[TBeholder]

Nom-nom-nom.
(sorry)

[Georgie L]

Jul 31, 2013 16:00:32 GMT avurai said:

We're talking about a psychotic, unrepentant child murderer here. One who's off to murder her next victim, and possibly even a third if she keeps her word. I wouldn't exactly call ending her life 'murder', if you catch my drift.

She's an intelligent sentient being with human level intelligence, still murder whether she deserved it or not. Murder is killing with intent and forethought.

[GK Sierra]

Aug 1, 2013 12:17:50 GMT TBeholder said:

Nom-nom-nom.
(sorry)

Don't forget your napkin, dear.