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Post by bedinsis on Aug 18, 2021 7:01:19 GMT
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Post by rylfrazier on Aug 18, 2021 7:02:59 GMT
Interesting, I thought Annie would struggle with Loup but it appears in his current state and with this lack of focus she seems to be able to handle his attacks with relative ease.
It is starting to feel like a coup de grâce is coming soon, but I feel like Tom has another few cards to play first.
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Post by madjack on Aug 18, 2021 7:04:28 GMT
Aata doesn't look like he's going to run..
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Post by Fishy on Aug 18, 2021 7:04:30 GMT
Dang Aata, why couldn't you be around back when Smitty was being stabbed by a ghost?
Loup's body is getting much more distorted, branches aside. Those aren't even close to normal proportions.
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Post by saardvark on Aug 18, 2021 7:19:09 GMT
Hmm, Shell is so completely healed that she can break into a full run! Meanwhile, Loup has so little focus, only one of his root/tendrils even strikes at Annie, despite how close she is. Other roots seem to be thrashing about almost randomly, and Loup himself seems twisted up in existential pain....
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Post by theonethatgotaway on Aug 18, 2021 7:25:00 GMT
I'm frightened for the effect this attack is having on the Woods and the Court, since so little of it is happening *here*. Or maybe that's just paranoide, and it's so unfocused nothing is actually happening at all but a toddler rolling on the floor having a tantrum.
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Post by philman on Aug 18, 2021 7:41:17 GMT
Where even is Coyote's tooth? Do they have it with them?
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Aug 18, 2021 8:01:48 GMT
Where even is Coyote's tooth? Do they have it with them? If it's with them, either Antimony or Parley has it. If it's not with them it's probably in Renard back at Antimony's house, unless Kat has it and is experimenting with it. It's going to be needed soon, methinks, so it's probably with them and Antimony probably has it. |
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Post by madjack on Aug 18, 2021 8:08:50 GMT
Where even is Coyote's tooth? Do they have it with them? If it's with them, either Antimony or Parley has it. If it's not with them it's probably in Renard back at Antimony's house, unless Kat has it and is experimenting with it. It's going to be needed soon, methinks, so it's probably with them and Antimony probably has it. I'm going to disagree, it's probably still with Renard. Annie hasn't taken it with her into the Forest since she got it. So the only way she's going to get it ASAP is if Renard's familiar link includes acting as an item bag that she can access anywhere as a perk (which it might). |
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Post by pyradonis on Aug 18, 2021 12:21:14 GMT
Like two pages ago, Loup doesn't look particularly healthy. More like close to unraveling while in tremendous pain. If it's with them, either Antimony or Parley has it. If it's not with them it's probably in Renard back at Antimony's house, unless Kat has it and is experimenting with it. It's going to be needed soon, methinks, so it's probably with them and Antimony probably has it. I'm going to disagree, it's probably still with Renard. Annie hasn't taken it with her into the Forest since she got it. So the only way she's going to get it ASAP is if Renard's familiar link includes acting as an item bag that she can access anywhere as a perk (which it might). Or if it's stored in Kat's or Anja's computer and Annie got a user account in the meantime. |
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Post by saardvark on Aug 18, 2021 13:19:17 GMT
Like two pages ago, Loup doesn't look particularly healthy. More like close to unraveling while in tremendous pain. I'm going to disagree, it's probably still with Renard. Annie hasn't taken it with her into the Forest since she got it. So the only way she's going to get it ASAP is if Renard's familiar link includes acting as an item bag that she can access anywhere as a perk (which it might). Or if it's stored in Kat's or Anja's computer and Annie got a user account in the meantime. yeah, at this point its not even clear Loup is *aiming* his attacks - its more like he's flailing randomly in pain while falling apart. it might be hard for Annie to pull up a holographic terminal screen while fending off the random root stabs though.... |
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Post by arf on Aug 18, 2021 13:32:02 GMT
Where even is Coyote's tooth? Do they have it with them? I doubt Annie's even thought about bringing it into the forest after Coyote's little 'precondition'. I'm pretty sure it's with Renard. However, can she retrieve it through their link? (a risky move: Loup's shown he can get in there too) |
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Post by ohthatone on Aug 18, 2021 13:36:38 GMT
Gotta admire the trust the shadowmen have in their leader. Forest God uncontrollably flailing with rage? Don't move until aata says. I'm sure they were all well prepared for this possibility, but hearing about it vs being within range tend to be a little different.
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Post by ctso74 on Aug 18, 2021 15:09:28 GMT
Shell: "I'm fine." *coughs up potpourri* Aata doesn't look like he's going to run.. Right? I'm disappointed, that we don't get to see Tom draw Aata hoofing it. I believe the Tooth is with Renard. Renard also has the Possesion power. I wonder, if Renard is forced to possess Loup's body in self-defense, whether all the "souls" will be released to Annie through their familiar link? If Coyote was able to plan that far ahead, I'd be impressed. Not surprised, but impressed. |
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Post by Gemminie on Aug 18, 2021 15:31:05 GMT
Impressions as usual ... two pages ago we saw James running off to help the others once Annie got over being stunned by revelations and said she could probably hold Loup off. Here we see where he ran to – over to Aata and Shell, who is brushing off some residual flower petals from Aata's healing. Apparently those flowers are actually physically visible and tangible, not merely ethereal. Making sure Shell's OK, he gets a response from Aata that she will be fine. I believe there's at least one hole in Shell's clothes, though.
James urges Aata to have his agents retreat, and we see them doing that. Shell runs off, so she's not in bad shape at all. Two other distant figures are probably awaiting instructions, and Shell will probably relay the retreat order to them once she reaches them. It doesn't look as if Aata himself is leaving just yet, however.
And then we see Annie approaching Loup, who is still lashing out in rage and terror. She's still made of fire, with a burning aura around herself that is disintegrating roots on contact, and he's still in only a vague semblance of his physical form, distended mouth open wider than normally possible for canines, red spicules of energy emanating from his back, roots extending out from his body, into the ground, emerging elsewhere, etc. I suspect we'll see Annie interacting with Loup in some way next time.
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Post by pyradonis on Aug 18, 2021 16:43:19 GMT
Shell: "I'm fine." *coughs up potpourri* Aata doesn't look like he's going to run.. Right? I'm disappointed, that we don't get to see Tom draw Aata hoofing it. I believe the Tooth is with Renard. Renard also has the Possesion power. I wonder, if Renard is forced to possess Loup's body in self-defense, whether all the "souls" will be released to Annie through their familiar link? If Coyote was able to plan that far ahead, I'd be impressed. Not surprised, but impressed. If this had been Coyote's plan he would have blatantly lied to Annie when he told her she would have to kill Loup, though. Not his style. |
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Post by diantris on Aug 18, 2021 17:10:59 GMT
This page reminds me of the scene where Wolverine killed Jean in Last Stand.. for some reason..
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Post by davidm on Aug 18, 2021 18:23:25 GMT
Parley+Andrew Smit could teleport the tooth, and also include ability to magically pick the right thing to do at right time.
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Post by Gemminie on Aug 18, 2021 19:34:50 GMT
Where even is Coyote's tooth? Do they have it with them? If it's with them, either Antimony or Parley has it. If it's not with them it's probably in Renard back at Antimony's house, unless Kat has it and is experimenting with it. It's going to be needed soon, methinks, so it's probably with them and Antimony probably has it. We haven't seen it this chapter – there hasn't even been a flashback to it, only a mention of it. That suggests to me that it won't show up during this incident. I think Annie left it with Renard as she usually does, not knowing that she'd need it for this meeting. Except when they're continuations of previous chapters, the chapters in this comic seem to act as self-contained stories, and narratively you don't use a major plot element later in a story without showing it to the audience earlier in the story. I think that Loup's going to force Antimony to use it on him, but not this time. And frankly, I'll be glad. This whole idea that Annie will have to kill Loup changes things. Annie's going to be going around knowing that she has to do this. She'll be keeping Renard near her all the time. She'll be steeling herself for the eventuality. We'll get to see that anticipation. (And maybe some explanations about how she recombined into one Annie.) That said, the tooth is part of an ethereal being, and Annie and Renard have an ethereal connection with each other. It's possible that he could somehow send it to her. Failing that, perhaps Parley could teleport and get it. So it could potentially happen – but will it? In my opinion Annie won't face Loup with the dagger until later. |
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Post by foxurus on Aug 19, 2021 0:13:14 GMT
Is this the first time we've gotten a gender for Shell?
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Aug 19, 2021 1:15:54 GMT
If it's with them, either Antimony or Parley has it. If it's not with them it's probably in Renard back at Antimony's house, unless Kat has it and is experimenting with it. It's going to be needed soon, methinks, so it's probably with them and Antimony probably has it. We haven't seen it this chapter – there hasn't even been a flashback to it, only a mention of it. That suggests to me that it won't show up during this incident. I think Annie left it with Renard as she usually does, not knowing that she'd need it for this meeting. Except when they're continuations of previous chapters, the chapters in this comic seem to act as self-contained stories, and narratively you don't use a major plot element later in a story without showing it to the audience earlier in the story. I think that Loup's going to force Antimony to use it on him, but not this time. And frankly, I'll be glad. This whole idea that Annie will have to kill Loup changes things. Annie's going to be going around knowing that she has to do this. She'll be keeping Renard near her all the time. She'll be steeling herself for the eventuality. We'll get to see that anticipation. (And maybe some explanations about how she recombined into one Annie.) That said, the tooth is part of an ethereal being, and Annie and Renard have an ethereal connection with each other. It's possible that he could somehow send it to her. Failing that, perhaps Parley could teleport and get it. So it could potentially happen – but will it? In my opinion Annie won't face Loup with the dagger until later. If the Tooth isn't here then I think you're correct, the party will either have to withdraw and Antimony will have to come back later with the Tooth to resolve the situation or Parley will teleport to the Tooth and bring it back. And yes, the reason for the Tooth not being here from a literary standpoint would be to build tension and/or let things play out for another beat or two. From a practical standpoint I think it would make more sense for the party to completely withdraw if they can do so safely and then contemplate their next move from the relative safety of the shield. As others have observed that would leave space for all sorts of lengthy debates, rationalizations, working through issues, etc. The thing is, this was going to be a dangerous situation from the start with the Court insisting on sending its people because it would be very likely that "Loup" would attack some/all of them for any or no reason and Antimony should have known that. The Tooth is small enough to be concealed. It would make sense to gear up with arguably their best weapon. If not carry it now, then when? I think it would make the most sense to equip Eggers but Antimony would be allergic to that idea, so I think she'd give it to Parley. There's an added benefit of "Loup" maybe not feeling as betrayed by Antimony if Parley has it, too (from the standpoint of not knowing that Coyote would spill the beans). If that's the case Antimony, if she's going to kill "Loup" (and maybe cut Ysengrin free) would have to get the Tooth from Parley (likely prompting a strategy session/mini debate with one or more people) which I think would serve the same narrative purpose of having the Tooth elsewhere. also, the tension would be higher if "Loup" doesn't let the main characters leave. I guess the deciding factor is how much rumination will be needed before resolution. I don't think that much more will be required, since there will be a lot of time for hindsight and second-guesses after the fact (and additionally Antimony could have raised not having the Tooth with her as an objection to what Coyote was telling her she had to do) so I figure the Tooth is here or if not, Parley will return with it relatively swiftly. |
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Aug 19, 2021 1:28:54 GMT
Double post for bonus points. Is this the first time we've gotten a gender for Shell? In comic, yes. Out of comic, it was confirmed she was a she on Formspring back around when she first appeared. |
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Post by drmemory on Aug 19, 2021 2:58:39 GMT
Annie can talk to Renard via their "familiar" link. Renard almost certainly has the tooth inside him. Is Renard still bound to stay within the court? If so, I'm almost expecting Kat and the robots to enter the scene. Renard goes to Kat for help, gives Kat the knife, Kat gives it to a carefully selected robot for delivery to Annie in the Forest, and... Boxbot to the rescue!
Or, I suppose, if Renard swore the oath to Annie, specifically, I guess she could release him from it, but Boxbot would be much funnier. 
Too bad he's so terrible.
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Post by zbeeblebrox on Aug 19, 2021 5:04:21 GMT
Interesting, I thought Annie would struggle with Loup but it appears in his current state and with this lack of focus she seems to be able to handle his attacks with relative ease. Yeah, it surprised me that Loup didn't charge them, and has allowed them to regroup and/or press their advantage. I was almost certain this was gonna mirror when Ys lost his mind back when Annie disrespected Coyote's godhood, but instead his tantrum appears to be rooted in place, er...so to speak. |
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Post by csj on Aug 19, 2021 10:27:12 GMT
Shell: "I'm fine." *coughs up potpourri* Right? I'm disappointed, that we don't get to see Tom draw Aata hoofing it. I believe the Tooth is with Renard. Renard also has the Possesion power. I wonder, if Renard is forced to possess Loup's body in self-defense, whether all the "souls" will be released to Annie through their familiar link? If Coyote was able to plan that far ahead, I'd be impressed. Not surprised, but impressed. If this had been Coyote's plan he would have blatantly lied to Annie when he told she would have to kill Loup, though. Not his style. never mind me, I'm just contemplating annie being forced to kill a reynard-possessed loup |
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Post by TBeholder on Aug 19, 2021 12:01:41 GMT
Meanwhile, Loup has so little focus, only one of his root/tendrils even strikes at Annie, despite how close she is. Other roots seem to be thrashing about almost randomly, and Loup himself seems twisted up in existential pain.... Does he now? On the previous pages Loop looked like he was madly flailing, but the whole picture seem to have some meaningful tactics. Feint at Aata, hit his minion, keep the rest occupied. Then Aata clucked over Shell a bit and slipped to the background, letting Annie hold Loop back. And now tries to retreat as supposedly useless, despite the context of being Loup's primary opponent. Now Loop keeps Annie occupied by minimal amount of roottacles necessary, and the rest of his effort goes… somewhere else. Of course, it's possible Parley successfully evaded him by teleporting around and taunted some, so he throws a whole net at her. But if Jeanne could predict her, Loup probably can too. |
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Post by saardvark on Aug 19, 2021 13:06:27 GMT
Meanwhile, Loup has so little focus, only one of his root/tendrils even strikes at Annie, despite how close she is. Other roots seem to be thrashing about almost randomly, and Loup himself seems twisted up in existential pain.... Does he now? On the previous pages Loop looked like he was madly flailing, but the whole picture seem to have some meaningful tactics. Feint at Aata, hit his minion, keep the rest occupied. Then Aata clucked over Shell a bit and slipped to the background, letting Annie hold Loop back. And now tries to retreat as supposedly useless, despite the context of being Loup's primary opponent. Now Loop keeps Annie occupied by minimal amount of roottacles necessary, and the rest of his effort goes… somewhere else. Of course, it's possible Parley successfully evaded him by teleporting around and taunted some, so he throws a whole net at her. But if Jeanne could predict her, Loup probably can too. Agreed, on previous pages there was more strategy in the roottacle (love that word!) attack, especially at the beginning. Im just saying there seems less of it here, and perhaps recently. If Aata is a major opponent, why not stab him in the back when he is beflowering Shell? [panel one] www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=2507[Maybe he realizes it wouldn't work, due to Aata autohealing, or something....?] Or. do the same to Eggs, when his back is turned while he's running up to check on Shell? [panel one, today] Why stab so many roottacles into the ground, and have some even pop back up again? [Seems pointless... panel 6] Why only one roottacle at Annie, when she is clearly the largest threat at the moment? [panel 6] It seems there's less tactical planning than at the start. I suppose there may be some cunning plan or subtle reasons behind it all, but I'm not seeing it.... roottacle roottacle roottacle... favorite new word.... |
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Post by saardvark on Aug 19, 2021 13:25:05 GMT
Hmm, Aata apparently orders the withdrawal of the Shadowmen, but isn't joining the retreat yet(?). Maybe he will stay behind to help with the battle, observe, and/or collect roottacles in the aftermath?
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Post by DonDueed on Aug 19, 2021 18:12:29 GMT
Hmm, Aata apparently orders the withdrawal of the Shadowmen, but isn't joining the retreat yet(?). Maybe he will stay behind to help with the battle, observe, and/or collect roottacles in the aftermath? You mean, he's gonna become a roottaclector? |
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Post by drmemory on Aug 19, 2021 18:12:41 GMT
Hmm, Aata apparently orders the withdrawal of the Shadowmen, but isn't joining the retreat yet(?). Maybe he will stay behind to help with the battle, observe, and/or collect roottacles in the aftermath? I have to think he's still after Coyote's power. I wonder if he can absorb it himself, without the machines he had his shadow men bring?
Still, I could certainly envision Tom wanting this to end peacefully somehow, but I do not see how one might get from where we are to there. Right now, it seems like the only natural outcomes would be open war and the death of Loup. How could Aata possibly retreat from the current situation and not have Loup escalate his attack on the court? Loup showed that the bubble won't stop him (well, claimed, and we don't know if he will lie or not), and he's certain to be quite pissed off by what has gone on, even if the court forces are able to withdraw. So I think Aata is staying because he sees this and has to do something to head it off, whether it be with his own death or by absorbing Loup AND Coyote's powers.
Before all these people invaded his forest and tried to steal Coyote's power (effectively, to steal the God Coyote himself), Loup was (sorta) content to stay put and work on controlling the forest. Now... oh boy.
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