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Post by Runningflame on Jun 13, 2022 23:47:46 GMT
Perhaps they'll set up a no-Ether enclave with an Ether-permitted area around it for defense? They'll set up the first circle for the Ether-insensitives, then they'll bring the Ether-sensitive but loyal people and put them in the second circle, then the gluttonous in the third circle ... Ha, didn't expect the Divine Comedy reference. I was thinking more of the Second Temple in Jerusalem: Holy Place, Court of Israel, Court of Women, Court of Gentiles...
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Post by todd on Jun 14, 2022 0:40:49 GMT
One other danger of sending Kat to the meeting (besides the "They'll whisk her off to the new location alongside everyone else there" that others have mentioned). If the Court spokespeople handle their rhetoric well enough, they could successfully lure Kat over to them - something she'd already been wavering about.
It's all the more possible, given one of the most dangerous features of the Court: for all its many flaws, it really is a scientific organization, filled with a desire to make discoveries and do new things, something that Kat would respond to. The right inspiring words, and Kat will be eagerly following them where they go, with maybe a few thoughts for Annie and Reynardine, but lost amid all the amazing things she could learn and accomplishments she could perform.
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Jun 14, 2022 1:45:23 GMT
re:invites: Sometimes paper invitations can have anti-counterfeiting features beyond mere raised-ink printing; they assure the recipient that the invite is legit and when they bring it to the event as part of the id verification process like a ticket it also helps keep the venue safe. Famous and/or important people have always been in danger of getting trolled, invited to fake events... It can be really embarrassing to an A-list celeb to show up at what they thought was a black-tie gala to find out it's just Rob and Steve in the Morning who rented a big venue to do some ambush-pseudo-journalism, and the only other people there are three camera crews carefully recording every miniscule reaction to the trolling. That's not just a ruined day off, that costs the celeb money because they could've made a paid appearance somewhere else... but I kinda doubt that's the reason in this case.
I think the most important thing here is formality. Paper invites are very formal. The meeting is supposed to be seen as formal (even if formal dress isn't required) and what will be talked about there will be official. At this stage I expect a (formal) announcement of the Court's intentions to the people not already in-the-know which carries the implications, "Here's what's going to happen, this is what you're going to do." I'd also bet that some people who aren't force ether sensitive didn't get invites as a function of their importance in the Court, and the lack of invitation is a formal message too.
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Post by silicondream on Jun 15, 2022 0:39:00 GMT
I've wondered whether the decision to do without the etheric population of the Court might be based, in part, on principle - a tone of "We compromise our stand against the etheric in the name of science as long as we keep such people in our presence; time to drive them out and make ourselves pure." I still doubt that they have such a principle. Aata does, sure, but Aata is the most militantly anti-etheric member of Court leadership we've met so far (and let's not forget that the attempt to capture Reynard was his idea.) Llewellyn's a douche, but he's never had a problem employing sensitives and nonhumans at mid-level positions. With Aata out, I don't see why Llewellyn would change that policy. As for the Court as a whole, etheric design was one of its founding principles, and it's always had superpowered folks like Sir Young (and arguably Steadman and Diego) among its leadership. It may wish to master the ether and displace competing forces like the goddogs, but I don't think it could completely reject the ether and human sensitives without losing a major justification for its own existence. Do you think that's even possible? Jeanne was just one woman, and the Founders had to do a huge coverup to get away with that. I don't see how they could disappear a huge number of sensitives, including high-profile folks like Eglamore and the Donlans, without a lot of people investigating and causing a massive backlash. ...unless they make up an excuse to leave them behind temporarily and then frame Loup for their deaths, I suppose. Well, shit. As a side note, what kind of super-technological school sends their announcements to students using only PAPER LETTERS in this day and age?!? What, were their fax machines all out of order? Did Winsbury have to go to the telegram office to get that message? Consider how much of their infrastructure is normally run by robots and People From Cardiff. If the former are mostly buried or freed, and the latter have lost their security clearance, you might be left with a bunch of baseline humans operating mostly with tin cans and string. Worker revolts are such a pain! Likewise for Anja Donlan; most of her powers depend on external instruments like blinker stones and her magic computer, which gives the Court a means to control her even if it doesn't entirely understand how they work. Re-read "Ties". Anja can create shields and "zap" beings fine without any help. Without any visible help, but Anja and Donald don't carry visible interfaces to her computer anyway. Anja has a ton of magical knicknacks stored up and I think she's typically using one or more of them, obvious or not. One other danger of sending Kat to the meeting (besides the "They'll whisk her off to the new location alongside everyone else there" that others have mentioned). If the Court spokespeople handle their rhetoric well enough, they could successfully lure Kat over to them - something she'd already been wavering about. It's all the more possible, given one of the most dangerous features of the Court: for all its many flaws, it really is a scientific organization, filled with a desire to make discoveries and do new things, something that Kat would respond to. The right inspiring words, and Kat will be eagerly following them where they go, with maybe a few thoughts for Annie and Reynardine, but lost amid all the amazing things she could learn and accomplishments she could perform. I would trust Kat over almost anybody else in the comic to resist that temptation. She's shown an impressive ability to learn and do amazing things and work with a wide range of people with different priorities, all without forgetting any of her friends or what she wants to do for them. The temptation I can see Kat losing to is the temptation to improve the Court. It's a terrible scientific organization in one fundamental way; it doesn't publish. It's spent centuries developing AI and cloning tech and space-warping rocketry and whatnot, and so far as we know it's allowed none of that to leak out into the larger world. There are probably some good reasons for that, including the fact that most real-world governments are significantly more unscrupulous and power-hungry than even the Founders were, but still--that's a lousy record for an institution that intends to "benefit all of man." Kat is unlikely to go along with that policy. Overtly or covertly, she'll push to get the technology into the hands of the people who need it, as she has with the New People. That would compromise the Court's secrecy, and the old guard are probably willing to take drastic action to keep her in line. Conversely, the outside governments would certainly be willing to take drastic action to acquire her.
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Post by madjack on Jun 15, 2022 7:16:00 GMT
Annie's totally not going to be etherically snooping on that meeting, no way, completely out of character. Annie would, of course, but she used her blinker stone for this. It was crushed by 'Grin. Well it's not happening now, but I think she could probably still do it, depends on how close she would need to get.
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Post by saardvark on Jun 15, 2022 13:20:02 GMT
Aata does, sure, but Aata is the most militantly anti-etheric member of Court leadership we've met so far (and let's not forget that the attempt to capture Reynard was his idea.) Im getting old and forgetful... where were we told that Aata planned Rey's capture?
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Post by pyradonis on Jun 15, 2022 14:13:24 GMT
Re-read "Ties". Anja can create shields and "zap" beings fine without any help. Without any visible help, but Anja and Donald don't carry visible interfaces to her computer anyway. Anja has a ton of magical knicknacks stored up and I think she's typically using one or more of them, obvious or not. I'm sorry, but I have to contradict you again. Anja's soft link to her computer is the pendant she wears. Donald's is probably hidden in his pipe, or those freaky glasses mimicking his facial movements. Yes, the computer and other objects etc. help to utilize the powers and make them accessible to others as well, but Anja still has a natural "predetermination towards Etheric sciences" - enough that she was put in Chester, with the other weirdos, in the beginning. Annie would, of course, but she used her blinker stone for this. It was crushed by 'Grin. The blinker stone is a learning tool, but not necessary for any Etheric power. Annie trained to do use them without it soon after she lost it, and as we were shown in the chapters following her being split in two, has improved and refined many of her Etheric abilites. Aata does, sure, but Aata is the most militantly anti-etheric member of Court leadership we've met so far (and let's not forget that the attempt to capture Reynard was his idea.) Im getting old and forgetful... where were we told that Aata planned Rey's capture? Actually, Coyote said the attempt was "partly [Aata's] design", not necessarily his idea.
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Post by todd on Jun 15, 2022 17:17:48 GMT
It's a terrible scientific organization in one fundamental way; it doesn't publish. It's spent centuries developing AI and cloning tech and space-warping rocketry and whatnot, and so far as we know it's allowed none of that to leak out into the larger world. There are probably some good reasons for that, including the fact that most real-world governments are significantly more unscrupulous and power-hungry than even the Founders were, but still--that's a lousy record for an institution that intends to "benefit all of man." Yes, I've noted that as well. Maybe there's some problem with the Court technology (can only work in the proximity of the Seed Bismuth, for example, because it's a blend of science with the ether rather than straightforward technology). Whatever the case, it might be another charge against the Court - not only has it engaged in a lot of immoral activity to help it achieve these "scientific breakthroughs", but the breakthroughs haven't even been used outside the Court's environment.
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Post by TBeholder on Jun 15, 2022 17:59:15 GMT
Annie trained to do use them without it soon after she lost it, and as we were shown in the chapters following her being split in two, has improved and refined many of her Etheric abilites. Annie can do that out-of-body thing without it, sure. But with the stone she was able to do so with pinpoint accuracy at apparently indefinite range, which made it useful for snooping where she wasn’t invited.
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Post by Runningflame on Jun 15, 2022 23:45:45 GMT
It's a terrible scientific organization in one fundamental way; it doesn't publish. It's spent centuries developing AI and cloning tech and space-warping rocketry and whatnot, and so far as we know it's allowed none of that to leak out into the larger world. There are probably some good reasons for that, including the fact that most real-world governments are significantly more unscrupulous and power-hungry than even the Founders were, but still--that's a lousy record for an institution that intends to "benefit all of man." Yes, I've noted that as well. Maybe there's some problem with the Court technology (can only work in the proximity of the Seed Bismuth, for example, because it's a blend of science with the ether rather than straightforward technology). Whatever the case, it might be another charge against the Court - not only has it engaged in a lot of immoral activity to help it achieve these "scientific breakthroughs", but the breakthroughs haven't even been used outside the Court's environment. Ahh--and perhaps that's why there's an attitude among (some of) them that etheric technology is useless.
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Post by rafk on Jun 15, 2022 23:55:46 GMT
Annie: "I think it's where the Court will reveal their plans..." Me: "I think it's where the Court will reveal their plans and immediately act on them since they're not so dumb as to not realize not everyone is going to agree with the plans." Me: I think it's where the Court will act on their plans and then maybe deign to explain what they just did because they're really not dumb.
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Post by todd on Jun 16, 2022 0:23:13 GMT
Ahh--and perhaps that's why there's an attitude among (some of) them that etheric technology is useless. And I can't help thinking that it would be fitting if the Court was indeed having some problem with its technological discoveries and inventions - whether based on the theory I gave above or something else - in light of all the things it's done in the past. The perfect punishment for murdering Jeanne, lying to Reynardine so that it could capture him, and everything else - being unable to fully enjoy the fruits of the scientific breakthroughs they were doing it for.
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