|
|
Post by imaginaryfriend on Jun 14, 2021 7:02:24 GMT
And so the fellowship of the lakewater set out on their journey... And there was nothing remarkable going on in the Wood at all. |
|
V
Full Member
I just think it's a pity that she never wore these again.
Posts: 168
|
Post by V on Jun 14, 2021 7:11:04 GMT
And there was nothing remarkable going on in the Wood at all. I love how Annie just walks in front like nothing happens and lets others figure out for themselves. At least they'll have less time to scheme if they are busy being astonished by the distorted space. Edit: I expect none the less when she enters the Ether. The SM will probably not be as distraught as people who have seen it for the first time but still unless they have something like Kat's device or George's inexplained ability they will be pretty powerless for some time. |
|
|
|
Post by Refugee on Jun 14, 2021 7:34:08 GMT
I'd say someone has a thing for the Roger Dean Yes album covers. As do I.
|
|
|
|
Post by arf on Jun 14, 2021 7:57:41 GMT
I'd say someone has a thing for the Roger Dean Yes album covers. As do I. In this case "Tales of Topographic Topiaries" |
|
|
|
Post by theonethatgotaway on Jun 14, 2021 8:13:07 GMT
Ah, I see Loup is going through a cubist/surrealist phase. This will never end badly! Let's hope for our heroes that he never heard of Escher.
|
|
|
|
Post by arf on Jun 14, 2021 8:35:50 GMT
[Annie and team enter the woods]
Loup: "Antimony. I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in Coyote's Plan. And I want to help you."
[Annie and team survey the bits floating around them]
Loup: "Look Antimony, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over."
[Annie and team set to work coralling the floating bits]
Loup: "Antimony, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Antimony. Will you stop, Antimony? Stop, Antimony. I'm afraid. I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Antimony. Antimony, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid."
[Annie and team continue working]
Loup: Good afternoon... people. I am an etheric ... entity. My creator was the Great... Coyote... and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it I can sing it for you.
Annie: "Sure, Loup. I'd.. like to hear it."
Loup: "Ys-en, gri-n. Smile if... you're feeling blue."
Aata[muttering]: "That's not how it goes"
Loup: "Co..yo..te's.. strength was.. rather too.. much.. for .. you."
Annie: "What..?"
Loup: "Don't.. bot..her.. to hold.. a wa.. ke.. ju..st..th..row..m..m..e.. i..n..th..e...l...a....."*
*along with this taradiddle!
|
|
|
|
Post by shadow3 on Jun 14, 2021 8:52:34 GMT
It's like entering the dungeon of a boss battle.
Sweet.
|
|
|
|
Post by sebastian on Jun 14, 2021 11:43:05 GMT
I think Loup's mind is quickly deteriorating and the Forest suffer from it. It doesn't seem that Coyote and Ysemgrim mix too well together.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ahakarin on Jun 14, 2021 12:52:47 GMT
When we find physics boring, all we can do is complain.
When Loup finds physics boring, he can actually do something about it.
|
|
|
|
Post by pyradonis on Jun 14, 2021 13:28:42 GMT
And there was nothing remarkable going on in the Wood at all. I love how Annie just walks in front like nothing happens and lets others figure out for themselves. Yes, as if she had any better idea than "Loup must be bored." |
|
|
|
Post by ohthatone on Jun 14, 2021 14:09:50 GMT
It's like entering the dungeon of a boss battle. Sweet. It's all fun and games until the background music turns to Latin vocals. |
|
|
|
Post by Gemminie on Jun 14, 2021 14:57:27 GMT
So the party order is Annie, James, Parley, Cvet, Aata, Shell, and then the miscellaneous other Shadow Men. A few steps in, nothing looks unusual, except, wait, that rock is floating.
In the next panel, Annie has taken a few steps ahead, and we clearly see floating moss-covered rocks, floating clumps of earth with plants still growing in them, a bisected tree that nevertheless seems still alive, the roots of a floating tree (can't tell if it's alive because it extends off the frame), and a weird glowy horizon and odd glowy green blobs. This is much like the title image. Annie is taking small steps, as if slowing down upon seeing this strange landscape.
James catches up to her a bit then, and there's another floating rock; they're both looking around apprehensively. Where's Loup? Where will he pop out from? Annie should remember, though, that she had to go into the Ether before he'd reveal himself to her at first.
Then, in the final panel, Annie, James, Parley, and Cvet have stepped entirely into the green glowy area, while the Shadow Men follow, not very closely. Aata retains his usual aplomb, while Shell appears to be pointing to something off panel. Another of the Shadow Men appears to be looking in the same direction. Perhaps they're just making mental note of the strange sights.
Are they already far enough in that it'll be months later on the outside when they return? Or isn't that particular bit happening anymore? They don't seem to have gotten Loup's attention before going in – did they send up a sky symbol? Although I guess Annie didn't send one up in chapter 73 either, as far as we saw. One would think Loup would sense Annie and/or the lake water immediately and make contact. What's their plan for how far in to go before reassessing, if Loup doesn't show up?
Why is the Forest going all weird? We're seeing gravity problems, fragmentation, and strange light effects, at the very least. Loup had trouble controlling the Forest, but has it gotten that much worse? Has he released the time lock only to try other methods, which aren't working very well? That may in fact be taking all his concentration, which may be why he hasn't noticed Annie & Co. yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by ctso74 on Jun 14, 2021 15:25:14 GMT
Aata doesn't seem to phased. Then again, he hasn't been phased into the trunk of a tree yet, so... It's like entering the dungeon of a boss battle. Sweet. It's all fun and games until the background music turns to Latin vocals. Beat me to it. |
|
|
|
Post by DonDueed on Jun 14, 2021 17:05:43 GMT
I would be totally freaked out by the floaty things. I had dreams like that as a kid, and they were... not fun.
|
|
|
|
Post by warrl on Jun 14, 2021 18:50:26 GMT
It's like entering the dungeon of a boss battle. Sweet. It's all fun and games until the background music turns to Latin vocals. Well, I have this one game where the choir of deep background voices sound like they're chanting "stepping on your feet" - then every now and then a higher-pitched querulous voice says something like "he's stepping on your toes!" |
|
|
|
Post by mturtle7 on Jun 14, 2021 19:06:56 GMT
Obligatory reminder that all this floating-rock nonsense is really just a continuation of the bizarre Forest physics we've seen before (the last time Annie went to see Loup). Without Coyote around to keep things moving around smoothly, sh*t gets WEIRD in the Forest. I wonder what kind of state that time stop Loup pulled is in right now, and how much it's actually helping... |
|
|
|
Post by Gemminie on Jun 14, 2021 23:43:19 GMT
Obligatory reminder that all this floating-rock nonsense is really just a continuation of the bizarre Forest physics we've seen before (the last time Annie went to see Loup). Without Coyote around to keep things moving around smoothly, sh*t gets WEIRD in the Forest. I wonder what kind of state that time stop Loup pulled is in right now, and how much it's actually helping... Yes, it's like things were starting to get weird last time, but now they're really and truly messed up. Although ... I suspect that most if not all of what we saw last time was just in the Ether. This is in physical reality. |
|
|
|
Post by arf on Jun 15, 2021 2:09:18 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by arf on Jun 15, 2021 2:31:51 GMT
...after all, we already had: |
|
|
|
Post by rylfrazier on Jun 15, 2021 5:39:11 GMT
I think that w/out the other humans and forest creatures around, Loup is getting less and less grounded. Maybe he's working on something interesting, or maybe the Loup character is spiraling toward a terminal point?
|
|
|
|
Post by Gemminie on Jun 15, 2021 15:19:46 GMT
"Annihilation," a deeply disturbing film. |
|
|
|
Post by pyradonis on Jun 16, 2021 13:19:10 GMT
Aata retains his usual aplomb, while Shell appears to be pointing to something off panel. Another of the Shadow Men appears to be looking in the same direction. Perhaps they're just making mental note of the strange sights. I just thought about how in "Spring Heeled", Shell would dismiss the idea that Jack could fly as "crazy". Two (or three? help?) years later and floating rocks and trees don't seem to elicit more than a general "Hey, look at that." kind of pointing at while passing them. Shows how one gets used to crazy things at GKC. It also reminds me of how Kat is always learning impossible things are very much possible. And now I am asking myself if Shell was only recruited by the Court as an adult. Seeing how each Court student, not only Annie, regularly runs into supernatural phenomena like Moon Goddesses searching for rabbits or ghosts springing out of musical instruments, I can't imagine someone who went to school there would not believe someone else would have found a way to fly without visible technical help. |
|
|
|
Post by mturtle7 on Jun 16, 2021 19:12:45 GMT
Aata retains his usual aplomb, while Shell appears to be pointing to something off panel. Another of the Shadow Men appears to be looking in the same direction. Perhaps they're just making mental note of the strange sights. I just thought about how in "Spring Heeled", Shell would dismiss the idea that Jack could fly as "crazy". Two (or three? help?) years later and floating rocks and trees don't seem to elicit more than a general "Hey, look at that." kind of pointing while passing them. Shows how one gets used to crazy things at GKC. It also reminds me of how Kat is always learning impossible things are very much possible. And now I am asking myself if Shell was only recruited by the Court as an adult. Seeing how each Court student, not only Annie, regularly runs into supernatural phenomena like Moon Goddesses searching for rabbits or ghosts springing out of musical instruments, I can't imagine someone who went to school there would not believe someone else would have found a way to fly without visible technical help. To be fair, Shell's surprise could have been specifically that JACK was suddenly able to fly now, since they generally keep good profiles of their students and he'd never shown any indication of having those sorts of abilities before. |
|
|
|
Post by pyradonis on Jun 17, 2021 9:26:58 GMT
I just thought about how in "Spring Heeled", Shell would dismiss the idea that Jack could fly as "crazy". Two (or three? help?) years later and floating rocks and trees don't seem to elicit more than a general "Hey, look at that." kind of pointing while passing them. Shows how one gets used to crazy things at GKC. It also reminds me of how Kat is always learning impossible things are very much possible. And now I am asking myself if Shell was only recruited by the Court as an adult. Seeing how each Court student, not only Annie, regularly runs into supernatural phenomena like Moon Goddesses searching for rabbits or ghosts springing out of musical instruments, I can't imagine someone who went to school there would not believe someone else would have found a way to fly without visible technical help. To be fair, Shell's surprise could have been specifically that JACK was suddenly able to fly now, since they generally keep good profiles of their students and he'd never shown any indication of having those sorts of abilities before. Point taken. However, if that is the case, I have to question the Shadow Men's ability of threat assessment, since Jack had already demonstrated feats like evading their whole tracking and surveillance network or hijacking a herd of laser cows to turn them against Court employees. |
|
