[3016] "Now, we can go over our plan."

[imaginaryfriend]

Now that the tech issues have been resolved the virtual meeting can proceed.

...And that's the end of the chapter.

[blahzor]

Time to see what the olde duke gurls are up to again

[arkadi]

Looks like the talking will happen off-panel. Which bodes well for the plan's success ^^

[philman]

So the chapter of sorting out tech support has been completed, now time for action!

[zaratustra]

Game face. Locked in. Go time.

[blahzor]

Nov 6, 2024 8:56:23 GMT philman said:

So the chapter of sorting out tech support has been completed, now time for action!

entire chapter for Annie to tell KAT "is HTTPS on or something?"

[Gemini Jim]

Well, no matter what happens next, at least that's finally over.







EDIT: Hopefully we'll see Annie and Kat back in action next chapter. As with any good story, the planning will go better if it's in secret (both from Meg and the audience).

[Gemminie]

After Kat's opinion that Omega can't eavesdrop on them – she can tell that signals are traveling between Kat's equipment and her brain, but she can't decipher that information, at least in real time – we have this chapter-ending single panel. Annie looks focused, Renard looks enigmatic, and Kat is listening. Annie says that "we" can go over "our" plan. Annie's hair covers half the page, swirling into a vortex near the antimony symbol that ends every chapter. Tom's comment: "Time to get going."

Annie's words suggest that she and Renard have been planning something; they are most likely the "our" in "our plan." Annie and Renard have certainly had a lot of opportunities to talk in the Ether off camera. The "we" Annie mentions likely includes Kat. They're going to get her input too. Generally when Annie and Kat work together, they're unstoppable.

But two questions remain: First, what is their objective? What is their plan meant to accomplish? My guess here is that it's meant to end the distortion and thus free Zimmy. However, it might instead be to free their parents from Omega's captivity – but there's no reason why that can't be a step toward the greater objective. Or the objective may be to defeat Omega – although, again, that seems like a necessary step toward ending the distortion. What about foiling the Court's plan to go to its new world? I actually don't see why that would be Annie's objective, as it doesn't seem directly relevant: why not just let the Court go? Although if the Court's drawing power from the distortion to power the star ocean, ending the distortion might foil the Court's plan as an unintended consequence.

Second, what's the plan? And that's not something I'm going to speculate (much) about at this time. When you're writing a story, and characters make a plan, there are two main ways to write it: either have the characters lay out their plan, then have it go wrong so we can watch them scramble to come up with another plan on their feet, or to have the characters say they've made a plan but not share it with the readers, so the readers can watch it unfold. A subcategory of that second method is where you have it unfold, but then just as the readers see where it's meant to be going, it goes wrong for extra drama. But having the unknown plan go exactly right is also valid drama if the readers don't know what the plan's supposed to be – for example, it may seem as if it's gone wrong, but that was part of the plan too. It looks here as if Tom's going to have them talk about their plan off-camera, as this is the end of the chapter. Then, next chapter, we're either going to see something else happening to other characters, or we'll see the plan begin to unfold. (Or both.)

[Runningflame]

Nov 6, 2024 9:55:36 GMT zaratustra said:

Game face. Locked in. Go time.

Warrior face
Show 'em you mean business
With your warrior face
Put 'em all in line
When you face challenges and dangers
You fix your face to face the world
Prepare your face to face the world

Now make a face that puts the bad guys in their place
'Til they regret the decisions they made that day
That led to standing in your way

[TBeholder]

Nov 6, 2024 9:55:36 GMT zaratustra said:

Game face. Locked in. Go time.

Nov 8, 2024 18:19:38 GMT Runningflame said:

Warrior face
Show 'em you mean business
With your warrior face
Put 'em all in line
When you face challenges and dangers
You fix your face to face the world
Prepare your face to face the world

Well, yes.
As a counterpoint, one of Lukin’s books has a strategist who was very lively and snapped his head around to look at every new development for himself when there was something going on, but looked lethargic once he had information to think over.