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Post by rafk on Jan 23, 2017 10:45:51 GMT
This is not a plan. Teleporting to an ER 3 minutes ago, that's a plan.
I really hope all the problems with this scene do get answered and wrapped up (lack of urgency, weird priorities, lack of final record for Jeanne). It's unusually off so far for Tom.
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Post by ariestinak on Jan 23, 2017 11:46:38 GMT
What exactly can they do about this situation? Turn Smitty into a ghost like Mort? Not let him pass into the ether (which won't actually save him)?
Still, no excuse for not bipping him immediately into a hospital or something. What's keeping Parley from teleporting Smitty?
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Post by hnau on Jan 23, 2017 11:47:23 GMT
"We owe you nothing. ... Regardless, do you know a one-handed surgeon named Carver? He wanted us to give him a ride."
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Post by hp on Jan 23, 2017 11:51:51 GMT
There's no lack of urgency. We get the feeling that they are taking too long to remove Smitty because we are reading those events in a rhythm of 3 pages a week.
But I just finished re-reading the whole comic... And the last two chapters' pace seems a lot faster when you read them whole. There is a LOT happening there, in real time.
The lack of Jeanne and Gigi's final record, even though Annie considered it important (as declared by herself in the RotD); and the way she snapped at the pomps, actually show a lot of urgency from her part
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Post by calpal on Jan 23, 2017 12:20:03 GMT
Well, this doesn't really come as THAT much of a surprise. Sorry Smitty, it was fun while it lasted.
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Post by Jelly Jellybean on Jan 23, 2017 12:24:00 GMT
It's all me me me with Carver. That's the problem with you guides! You only think of yourselves! Somewhat seriously though, Annie knows that Guides can't interfere with the living. Annie may have advanced despite missing the final records again because that is a ROTD thing. But forgetting that Guides can't interfere with the living is going get her held back a year with the Psychopomps. BTW... 1. Smitty's demise will not be an unjust death because Smitty knew the risk he was taking. ROTD can't/won't help him either. 2. Page 31, feels like the end of this chapter is coming soon.
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Post by jda on Jan 23, 2017 13:01:44 GMT
"... Unless you are joining our ranks as a Psychopomp, as is your destiny".
That would Be freakingly unjust, but seems to me they have been waiting for it a long time.
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Post by fish on Jan 23, 2017 13:34:45 GMT
Well, the question here is, are the guides actually unable to interfere with the living, or is this just some rule or code they are mercilessly sticking to?
When Muut convinced Mort to give Annie the blinker stone, he in fact wasn't interfering with the living (since Mort is dead), at least not directly. But then he went and played delivery service with the stone. That's an interference, isn't it? Make up your mind, Muut.
Well, as bad as the guides are, I sure hope Coyote doesn't show up to give someone one of his famous gifts. Although an interaction between Coyote and Muut would be great to see.
Edit: Annie says she knows they can help. Is this a general assumption in her part or did she witness one of them bend the rules before? More than delivering a gift from a ghost?
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Post by cu on Jan 23, 2017 13:37:03 GMT
"... Unless you are joining our ranks as a Psychopomp, as is your destiny". That would Be freakingly unjust, but seems to me they have been waiting for it a long time. - "Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfil your destiny and take your mother's place at our side!" - "Never. I'll never turn to the Psychopomps. You have failed, Muut. I am a Medium, like my mother before me." - "So be it... Medium!" (pelts her with dead mice) |
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Post by rinabean on Jan 23, 2017 14:20:27 GMT
If they can do it, so can Annie and probably Kat.
Annie has only just seen the ether-Kat, though it feels like about 15 years ago as a reader
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Post by Nepycros on Jan 23, 2017 14:25:51 GMT
So there's a good chance of a bait and switch from the psychopomps. That classic "We can't help you, but loophole jargon secret happy ending!"
But if that's not the case, Annie's gonna have a hell of a time trying to fight off every last psychopomp from claiming her friend.
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Post by saardvark on Jan 23, 2017 14:36:49 GMT
(this is a nit-pick, but Annie's hair clip is missing in panel 4...)
(maybe flash-melted in her anger by the fiery side of her nature...)
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gergle
Junior Member
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Post by gergle on Jan 23, 2017 14:38:26 GMT
Perhaps Annie thinks the Psychopomps could help because she knows they "helped" her father temporarily revive her mother? I don't believe the Psychopomps Mr. Carver found were real though, so this could potentially turn ugly if Annie decides to bring that up. I agree. Her father was desperate to believe anything that would claim to help him. Not sure what the things he encountered were, but you are right about them not being psycopomps. Hanging out in some weird nasty looking cave? Nah, these guys got work to do. |
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Post by Per on Jan 23, 2017 14:50:40 GMT
But if that's not the case, Annie's gonna have a hell of a time trying to fight off every last psychopomp from claiming her friend. |
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Post by jda on Jan 23, 2017 14:55:33 GMT
But if that's not the case, Annie's gonna have a hell of a time trying to fight off every last psychopomp from claiming her friend. Smitty to Narnia, THAT would Be a h*ell of a crossover! |
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Post by Eversist on Jan 23, 2017 15:23:57 GMT
(this is a nit-pick, but Annie's hair clip is missing in panel 4...) (maybe flash-melted in her anger by the fiery side of her nature...) It's behind her head. |
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Post by fwip on Jan 23, 2017 15:31:00 GMT
OK I have to run so here's my thoughts on the ethics of their refusal, I won't check if they've been said before:
Smits was injured doing their job. He was injured in a situation that would not have existed had they done their job correctly. Now they're not willing to break the rules to make that right, despite their responsibility for it.
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Post by jda on Jan 23, 2017 15:42:34 GMT
"... Unless you are joining our ranks as a Psychopomp, as is your destiny". That would Be freakingly unjust, but seems to me they have been waiting for it a long time. - "Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfil your destiny and take your mother's place at our side!" - "Never. I'll never turn to the Psychopomps. You have failed, Muut. I am a Medium, like my mother before me." - "So be it... Medium!" (pelts her with dead mice) +3 SW cookies |
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Post by Zox Tomana on Jan 23, 2017 16:43:29 GMT
A response for Annie: "Bull! You left my mom and made it where *I*, a freaking CHILD, had to take HER OWN MOTHER into the ether! Then you influenced a blinker stone into my hands to assist in my ether learning! For the expressed purpose of me being Jeanne's Psychopomp, too! You've already interfered in the realm of the living! I'm alive! You interfered with me! You owe me my own life! At the very least you owe me a TON of counseling sessions for having had to take, let me reiterate this, MY OWN MOTHER into the ether! And even if you supposedly owe me nothing, you certainly owe him a favor. Just 'cos he volunteered doesn't mean he isn't owed something for going above and beyond the call of duty, you jerks."
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Post by intotheether on Jan 23, 2017 16:51:19 GMT
Do not go quiet into that good night......so first, since when is Muut this much of a dick?
Is it just that he doesn't want to interfere in someone's life and death?
Maybe if Kat BAPs him again he'll change his mind.
I know this doesn't terribly have a lot to do with the current page of the webcomic, but I just had to say +1 for Dylan Thomas reference. As for my actual thoughts, I still feel like there might be an out for Andrew. It because of anything in the story leaning towards that direction, but because his death seems oddly drawn out as they try to exhaust various options (although that might just be a result of reading these in real time as they're released three times a week). Granted, you can't count on too much in regards to Tom. He does have a habit of playing by his own set of narrative rules. |
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Post by Jelly Jellybean on Jan 23, 2017 17:21:41 GMT
After a number of additional pages with ROTD, Coyote, and others, the gathering makes the following pronouncement: "Having exhausted all possibilties of keeping Mr Smith from dying, we conclude that Mr Smith must not be dead. Now run along."
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Post by ih8pkmn on Jan 23, 2017 17:33:54 GMT
So, to sum up: Parley seems to have forgotten entirely that she can teleport, and apparently teleport very long distances. People have forgotten that there's a literal surgeon as one of their parents. Even if Parley can't teleport, she can probably still JUMP to the top of Annann waters, or at least, far enough up that she can jump off of a wall. Was all that dragonslayer training for nothing?
And I think the Psychopomps owe Antimony something because of the itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-factini that is such a minor plot detail that everyone has forgotten about: they nearly killed Annie by way of Anthony trying to contact Surma. Why would they even do that?! Why kill the person who you specifically requested help resolve one of the biggest issues that's been haunting you so much that you actually go against your own non-interference clause to give her a Blinker Stone by proxy of a ghost?
Is it just me, or has the plot of this comic completely fallen apart?
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Post by Jelly Jellybean on Jan 23, 2017 17:40:08 GMT
So, to sum up: Parley seems to have forgotten entirely that she can teleport, and apparently teleport very long distances. People have forgotten that there's a literal surgeon as one of their parents. Even if Parley can't teleport, she can probably still JUMP to the top of Annann waters, or at least, far enough up that she can jump off of a wall. Was all that dragonslayer training for nothing? And I think the Psychopomps owe Antimony something because of the itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-factini that is such a minor plot detail that everyone has forgotten about: they nearly killed Annie by way of Anthony trying to contact Surma. Why would they even do that?! Why kill the person who you specifically requested help resolve one of the biggest issues that's been haunting you so much that you actually go against your own non-interference clause to give her a Blinker Stone by proxy of a ghost? Is it just me, or has the plot of this comic completely fallen apart? Simple explainations, those weren't Psychopomps messing with Tony in that cave and the events we are seeing now are not taking as long as it seems to the reader who has to wait for each page. I now hope to use "itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-factini" one day in a casual conversation. 😄 |
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Post by zaferion on Jan 23, 2017 17:45:32 GMT
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Post by atteSmythe on Jan 23, 2017 17:47:12 GMT
In fact, Annie arguably owes them: She squished a bug to get the psychopomps' attention, and now they've squished Smitty to get hers. A life for a life.
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Post by Eversist on Jan 23, 2017 18:03:01 GMT
Yeah, originally it can be read that he's Medium of the forest, so he's looking towards it... but now... Also the last couple panels on this page.  I'm still hopeful, but it's quickly draining. |
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Post by Daedalus on Jan 23, 2017 18:03:31 GMT
In fact, Annie arguably owes them: She squished a bug to get the psychopomps' attention, and now they've squished Smitty to get hers. A life for a life. Not cool, man. You just stabbed me in my soul. |
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Post by CoyoteReborn on Jan 23, 2017 18:07:04 GMT
Well this all seems reasonable. ... I hope Coyote appears to crack a few horns/feathers/heads. If Mighty Eyebrows Boy dies, I will fillet Muut like the overgrown chicken he is. Mmmmmm, chicken. Now I'm hungry. Dammit. |
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Post by Runningflame on Jan 23, 2017 18:30:31 GMT
Ticket closed
Status: WONTFIX
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arzeik
Junior Member
Posts: 77
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Post by arzeik on Jan 23, 2017 19:46:21 GMT
I have the ominous feeling that Muut's next lines could perfectly be something like:
"Now do your job. He is waiting. Do not forget the final records again."
*The guides vanish and Smitty stands next to Annie, smiling, as she turns around. Parley still holds Smitty on the ground.*
*End of the chapter*
I really hope I'm wrong, even writing it makes me feel like Boxbot combined with George RR Martin.
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