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Post by imaginaryfriend on Aug 28, 2024 7:05:13 GMT
She's just gone, and nobody else here apparently noticed when she went. |
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Post by arf on Aug 28, 2024 7:44:11 GMT
Was she there in the first place?
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tibert
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Post by tibert on Aug 28, 2024 7:47:58 GMT
Was she there in the first place? If she is the same purple-haired girl than in this page, she was, as she had tendrils wrapping her, tendrils that disappeared while the gang was there.
EDIT: Meanwhile, Renard is playing the nanny (on Annie's etheric instructions?) and distracting Shadow from the silent massacre going on.
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Cori
New Member
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Post by Cori on Aug 28, 2024 8:02:13 GMT
I did notice she was looking a little...gray. I suppose there's no way to tell if her spirit has already been taken by a psychopomp?
Admittedly, the comic is taking this pretty seriously for a fakeout like that--then again, this could be an in for someone like Muut to reappear and give the girls a cryptic clue.
It does seem like the tendrils are draining the Foley students like some kind of battery, hence them being "more tired" than usual. Lavender was just the unlucky first of the bunch to be emptied entirely. It's weird that none of the Foley kids brought thar up to Annie when she spoke to them, though. You would think that the death/"she's just...gone" of a classmate would concern them.
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Post by blahzor on Aug 28, 2024 8:13:27 GMT
Where we're going Annie. There is not ether
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Aug 28, 2024 8:13:54 GMT
Was she there in the first place? If she is the same purple-haired girl than in this page, she was, as she had tendrils wrapping her, tendrils that disappeared while the gang was there. I think you are correct on both counts. The position of the purple-haired girl in #2983 is roughly across from the middle of the centered table and to the left of a brown-haired kid. That would match up with Lavender. Also if the tendrils had slithered away into the wall or elsewhere someone likely would've noticed so they probably did disappear. [edit] Unless they're hiding under the desk, of course. [/edit] Meanwhile, Renard is playing the nanny (on Annie's etheric instructions?) and distracting Shadow from the silent massacre going on. I guess they're thinking to protect Shadow from the knowledge that something grave might've happened to one of his classmates? Maybe they're still in denial? Or maybe they're still not sure what's going on and/or if this is normal for Foley. Raising the alarm instead of shielding Shadow from what's going on might be a better move. He or the other Foley kids might know something and even if they don't I'd think being back in their bodies might enhance their chances at surviving whatever happened to Lavender (assuming she's dead). |
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Post by blahzor on Aug 28, 2024 8:14:35 GMT
Was she there in the first place? If she is the same purple-haired girl than in this page, she was, as she had tendrils wrapping her, tendrils that disappeared while the gang was there. EDIT: Meanwhile, Renard is playing the nanny (on Annie's etheric instructions?) and distracting Shadow from the silent massacre going on.
Seem that is here because a few pages later you see the brown hair of the guy |
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Cori
New Member
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Post by Cori on Aug 28, 2024 9:09:09 GMT
Because I'm still on my bullshit from the previous page's discussion (re: the Court taking advantage of and not caring about the Foley students), I also remembered Red's words to Annie from Ch 61: Red's Friend Gets a Name Too I Suppose. Specifically, when she chides Annie for offering the yet-unnamed Ayilu a name in exchange for helping with the Jeanne situation: "Getting a name clearly ain't a big deal to you, but you know it is for us".
Even though Red was clearly biased against Annie and most of her words were later refuted by Kat, it was true that Annie used Ayilu's desire for a name as leverage, and her originally intended name--Blue--did not have much more effort put into it than Red's fumbled "Aaaaaa....yiiiiiii.....loooooo". It was a very lost-cost trade on Annie's end.
Anyway, all this to say, I'm beginning to get the feeling that Red's words were less from Red to Annie, and more from Tom to us, the readers, just to further drive home how the Court is taking advantage of Foley. Names, jobs, and clothes are their only established rewards for going through the Court's educational system after all. And we don't even know what kind of jobs those are, aside from two former-forest-creature teachers (Bugsy and Shadow's teacher who used to be a bear). Where are the rest of the graduated forest folk? As much as I dislike Red...what happened to her and Ayilu after they both excused themselves from Annie's life?
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Post by guntherkrieg on Aug 28, 2024 9:12:57 GMT
My guess? The Star Ocean siphoned off her soul as fuel.
Perhaps the tendrils are Jungian representation of the Star Ocean's fuel ducts?
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hoob
Junior Member
Tony appreciator
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Post by hoob on Aug 28, 2024 9:38:24 GMT
Talk about a soul-sucking job. Tom's story here about the exploitation of the Foley students reminds me of Pink Floyd's "The Wall." A lot of the city face interludes poke fun - ala tall tales - at the rituals required to fit in in a corporate setting. I took these as Tom's frustration/mantra about his day job. Maybe this page/chapter are some more refined thoughts on how corporate settings take people's stories and grind them into fuel for someone elses profits. |
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Aug 28, 2024 9:44:32 GMT
My guess? The Star Ocean siphoned off her soul as fuel. Perhaps the tendrils are Jungian representation of the Star Ocean's fuel ducts? I'm still thinking the tendrils are the laptop devices the kids are/were using. Lavender's probably vanished because the link timed out when the end user vanished. Agree about the Star Ocean siphoning her for fuel along with energy from the distortion, though. It likely happened slowly so nobody noticed she was working to death, not even her. If true, the same is happening to the other kids. |
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Post by TBeholder on Aug 28, 2024 9:49:40 GMT
If she is the same purple-haired girl than in this page, she was, as she had tendrils wrapping her, tendrils that disappeared while the gang was there. Looks like her, considering her neighbour. I did notice she was looking a little...gray. I suppose there's no way to tell if her spirit has already been taken by a psychopomp? Annie should have noticed one of them appearing, if the fairy died while she was in the room. That’s how the first encounter with Ketrak in the Court happened. It does seem like the tendrils are draining the Foley students like some kind of battery, hence them being "more tired" than usual. Lavender was just the unlucky first of the bunch to be emptied entirely. Well… The current speculation is that without stealing Coyote’s power this “Exodus project” ( if it’s even supposed to work as advertised) will have to use some other power source… that is chomp an enormous amount of Ether somewhere else. Which already leaves very little space for charitable interpretations.  This is my surprised expression, would you believe? It's weird that none of the Foley kids brought thar up to Annie when she spoke to them, though. You would think that the death/"she's just...gone" of a classmate would concern them. maybe they did not notice while running in circles like that time. Maybe not paying attention is one of the symptoms. Or maybe the gang barging in (or even Annie popping in and out) destabilized things for some reason. |
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Cori
New Member
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Post by Cori on Aug 28, 2024 9:57:29 GMT
If she is the same purple-haired girl than in this page, she was, as she had tendrils wrapping her, tendrils that disappeared while the gang was there. Looks like her, considering her neighbour. I did notice she was looking a little...gray. I suppose there's no way to tell if her spirit has already been taken by a psychopomp? Annie should have noticed one of them appearing, if the fairy died while she was in the room. That’s how the first encounter with Ketrak in the Court happened. Sure, but how long has Lavender been dead? If it's been a while, a psychopomp could have already arrived and left. Though I know some people, including you, are speculating that she has only just died, since she looks like she has tendrils wrapped around the first time we see her in the wide group shot (and her skintone is less ashen too). I'm just throwing ideas into the open. I also just thought of Renard's words to Annie when they got in a fight in Ch.31: Fire Spike. "That's why no guide would claim her! There was nothing to take!". This might be the same type of situation. |
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Post by Sky Schemer on Aug 28, 2024 10:28:17 GMT
Talk about a soul-sucking job. No one told them that if they die in the Court, they die in real life! |
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Post by blahzor on Aug 28, 2024 10:44:13 GMT
My guess? The Star Ocean siphoned off her soul as fuel. Perhaps the tendrils are Jungian representation of the Star Ocean's fuel ducts? Hit the gas switch and walk into the store for snacks come back and the gas is still going in the tank... Spooky! |
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Post by Corvo on Aug 28, 2024 10:53:35 GMT
Yeah Annie, now you know how us common folk usually feel about this.
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Aug 28, 2024 10:56:32 GMT
The current speculation is that without stealing Coyote’s power this “Exodus project” ( if it’s even supposed to work as advertised) will have to use some other power source… that is chomp an enormous amount of Ether somewhere else. Which already leaves very little space for charitable interpretations. This is my surprised expression, would you believe? My charitable interpretation is that this is an unintended consequence. If I turn out to be wrong on that point I will be surprised but only somewhat, as the Foley kids seem to be lesser-thens in the Court and have been for at least one generation. It's not too far down from that for a society to decide that the lesser-thens shouldn't really have the same rights as people and work them to death, particularly when there's a really big crisis (like a war, mass evacuation, etc) and it's expedient to do so. It's weird that none of the Foley kids brought thar up to Annie when she spoke to them, though. You would think that the death/"she's just...gone" of a classmate would concern them. maybe they did not notice while running in circles like that time. Maybe not paying attention is one of the symptoms. Or maybe the gang barging in (or even Annie popping in and out) destabilized things for some reason. I think the Foley kids have trained themselves (with tacit approval) to not pay attention to what's going on with their bodies. If Antimony did something that caused Lavender's death it was probably engaging with her in the ether, maybe just indirectly, thus unknowingly causing her to spend the last of her energy a tiny bit faster. |
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Post by exquisitecorpus on Aug 28, 2024 11:50:39 GMT
Dead dead.  My charitable interpretation is that this is an unintended consequence. If I turn out to be wrong on that point I will be surprised but only somewhat, as the Foley kids seem to be lesser-thens in the Court and have been for at least one generation. It's not too far down from that for a society to decide that the lesser-thens shouldn't really have the same rights as people and work them to death, particularly when there's a really big crisis (like a war, mass evacuation, etc) and it's expedient to do so. I'm leaning towards intended. Rather than Zimmy being their next etheric siphon target... I wouldn't be surprised if this was instead always their contingency for if the plan to harness Coyote didn't work out. They're more reliable. Always thought it was weird why the Court stipulated Hollow Fairies' souls be kept separate from their bodies before they passed the test. Notice the strings between body and soul on this page. I think it's the same strings we're seeing here—can't wait to discover where they physically lead. "But what about ex-animals? How would they figure into this equation?"  Goodbye! |
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Post by Hatredman on Aug 28, 2024 12:18:58 GMT
The court wants what it wants.
I was looking for those pages, but you beat me to that. I think the Foley kids being a secondary fuel reserve for contingencies are the most likely explanation.
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Post by Hatredman on Aug 28, 2024 12:22:50 GMT
Though I know some people, including you, are speculating that she has only just died, since she looks like she has tendrils wrapped around the first time we see her in the wide group shot (and her skintone is less ashen too). Tom is human too. This might be an honest continuity mistake. That's very likely. She was drained, so there's nothing to take back to the ether. |
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Post by arf on Aug 28, 2024 12:45:42 GMT
I hadn't noticed that the student was connected only a couple of pages ago. It *could* have been an oversight on Tom's part, or it could be relevant to the story.
If so, it will be clarified in the next page or two.
If it is an ongoing process, I think Annie will soon catch on, and observe what happens from the ether.
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Post by TBeholder on Aug 28, 2024 13:31:11 GMT
Sure, but how long has Lavender been dead? If it's been a while, a psychopomp could have already arrived and left. Though I know some people, including you, are speculating that she has only just died, since she looks like she has tendrils wrapped around the first time we see her in the wide group shot (and her skintone is less ashen too). Assuming we have seen her still with the vines, and considering the rest of vines began to drop just now — after Annie have seen them apparently alive and well? A significant lag seems unlikely. I also just thought of Renard's words to Annie when they got in a fight in Ch.31: Fire Spike. "That's why no guide would claim her! There was nothing to take!". This might be the same type of situation. An unclaimed spirit would probably be still around, because why not? She could wander off, but again — timing seems too narrow. My charitable interpretation is that this is an unintended consequence. If I turn out to be wrong on that point I will be surprised but only somewhat, Assuming it was indeed supposed to work as advertised. And still is even after the situation changed. It occurs to me that after the old plan did not survive contact with Loup, the inner circle’s new bid for godhood could be simplified to… creating their blank world right here, via global Ether drain. Especially if Aata is indeed not around to supervise. If Antimony did something that caused Lavender's death it was probably engaging with her in the ether, maybe just indirectly, thus unknowingly causing her to spend the last of her energy a tiny bit faster. My guess is simpler: all this teleporting and toggling out-of-body state disturbed Ether enough that draining locally accelerated, either via additional minor usage or via pushing turbulent flows around. Seeing how things seem to go worse right after she popped up and back again. Timing is too close for a random coincidence. |
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Post by pyradonis on Aug 28, 2024 13:37:14 GMT
Sure, but how long has Lavender been dead? If it's been a while, a psychopomp could have already arrived and left. Though I know some people, including you, are speculating that she has only just died, since she looks like she has tendrils wrapped around the first time we see her in the wide group shot (and her skintone is less ashen too). I'm just throwing ideas into the open. I also just thought of Renard's words to Annie when they got in a fight in Ch.31: Fire Spike. "That's why no guide would claim her! There was nothing to take!". This might be the same type of situation. I was also going to refer to Renard's words back then. No psychopomp showing up might mean that there is nothing for them to take. Alternatively, the distortion might prevent psychopomps coming in from outside, which Annie and Kat sidestepped because they were already inside.
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Post by eyemyself on Aug 28, 2024 14:07:14 GMT
I think we already have the answer to what is happening here, from Ssasmel and Interpreter ghost, starting here: www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=2876“The world is a dead thing. Filled with nothing. The ether is the life of the world. It begins as a small spark. A fire grew. It enveloped the world. The ether is this fire. The ether transforms. Changes. It makes the dead alive. The ether is shared. A vast ocean of life. Taken from. Added to. The ether is also changed. Strained through life. Returned more powerful. The guides ensure the ether is returned to where it belongs. So it is not left to languish. Or at risk from those who would misuse it.” I think we just found out where the court has been getting the ether for the star ocean. And probably the fate of all the etherically connected beings who will be left behind when they finish their migration. Which then leads to the question: What happens to humans who are completely removed from the source of life? |
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Post by Angry Individual on Aug 28, 2024 15:34:10 GMT
You can tell we're nearing the end because everyone seems to be dying like its going out of style.
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Post by Gemminie on Aug 28, 2024 16:03:15 GMT
On the previous page, Kat noticed one Foley student with no tendrils on her, and Annie checked the Ether and, to her shock, wasn't able to find her there. On this page, Kat asks what that means, but Annie doesn't answer, so Kat checks the student's pulse, and ... presumably there isn't one. Kat isn't able to say she's dead, but she's dead. Then Shadow, who was across the room and didn't see this, calls over and says that the tendrils go into the walls (I had been assuming from the artwork that they came down from the tree branches across the ceiling). Renard knows that Kat and Annie have just had a shock with their discovery of the dead student, so he goes over to Shadow to look at the tendrils. But Annie whispers to Kat about why she's so shocked. The student isn't merely dead, she says. She's really most sincerely dead. Sorry, I had to say that. But the point is that there's nothing – no spirit to take into the Ether. She's completely gone. So she died without taking her beliefs into the Ether; the Ether that gave her life was taken, presumably via the tendrils, presumably by the Court. So, Omega, still think the Court is doing good things for people? |
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Blitz
New Member
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Post by Blitz on Aug 28, 2024 17:19:03 GMT
The name's Gone. Just Gone.
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Post by Gemminie on Aug 28, 2024 17:39:56 GMT
The name's Gone. Just Gone. "And me? Old Mr. Gone? Only I can see that the truth that unites them can destroy them." |
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Post by mturtle7 on Aug 28, 2024 18:49:09 GMT
It does seem like the tendrils are draining the Foley students like some kind of battery, hence them being "more tired" than usual. Lavender was just the unlucky first of the bunch to be emptied entirely. It's weird that none of the Foley kids brought that up to Annie when she spoke to them, though. You would think that the death/"she's just...gone" of a classmate would concern them. I...think you are VASTLY overestimating both the attention span and depth of empathy that Foley students typically have. Even if Lavender had died hours ago, I can quite easily believe that the entire class of kids here either completely failed to notice (being far too busy frolicking in the Ether), or else noticed, but breezily assumed that she was probably just off hiding somewhere.
To be clear, I'm not saying they wouldn't care if they DID know she was dead, but their...let's say, unique perspective, makes it pretty easy for them to miss things like that.
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Post by hp on Aug 28, 2024 19:12:38 GMT
Sure, but how long has Lavender been dead? If it's been a while, a psychopomp could have already arrived and left. Though I know some people, including you, are speculating that she has only just died, since she looks like she has tendrils wrapped around the first time we see her in the wide group shot (and her skintone is less ashen too). I'm just throwing ideas into the open. I also just thought of Renard's words to Annie when they got in a fight in Ch.31: Fire Spike. "That's why no guide would claim her! There was nothing to take!". This might be the same type of situation. I was also going to refer to Renard's words back then. No psychopomp showing up might mean that there is nothing for them to take. Alternatively, the distortion might prevent psychopomps coming in from outside, which Annie and Kat sidestepped because they were already inside.
But the distortion doesn't prevent spirits showing up, as we've seem in the death of new people's Saitama. IMO "nothing to take" is more likely |
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This is my surprised expression, would you believe?
Goodbye!
