Master List of Unanswered Questions

[Eversist]

Thank you all for your help; I started the new thread. We can keep discussing the newer chapters here if you guys like, until they've all been added to the new thread.

[Deleted]

And here would be my list of questions raised by chapters 26+.

Chapter 26: the Old Dog's Tricks
-- What happened to Ysengrin's ear?

Chapter 27: Spring Heeled
-- What is the court doing with Ether?

Chapter 28: Spring Heeled, Part 2
-- Why does Zimmy mistake herself for Annie? (General Zimmy time/space weirdness)

Chapter 29: A Bad Start
-- What's up with Kat's symbol (as seen in the lightbulb and the treatises)?

Chapter 30: The Coward Heart
-- What did the freaky green device actually do?
-- As Annie said, what's up with Steadman? What was his relationship with Jeanne like? Clearly he was okay with sacrificing her.

Chapter 31: Fire Spike
-- What research project is Hyland the Elder working on and why does Jack need to stay for it? Is his mother no longer around?
-- What was "this" previous disagreement that Jones and Coyote got into?
-- Why does Coyote put a binding on Antimony making to not speak of the tooth, on penalty of losing a hand?

Chapter 33: Give and Take
-- What's the deal with Kamlen and Annie's relationship?
-- Once again, how was the court created/grown? It was logical enough for the robot to state it without any clarification...

Chapter 34: Faraway Morning
-- Why is Zimmy arguing with a dinosaur (is Jack's mom a dinosaur)
-- Is Llanwellyn's horse a spy for Team Rocket

Chapter 35: Parley and Smitty Are In This One
-- What are the limits of Smitty's power?

Chapter 36: Red Gets a Name
-- Why do all of the previous forest-folk have such prominent grey eyes?

Chapter 37: Microsat 5
-- Why does Tony need medical supplies and stuff? (What's he up to, why's he keeping himself hidden, etc, etc.)

Chapter 38: Divine
-- Chapter 38: Divine

Chapter 39: The Great Secret
-- Does Coyote have knowledge of the 4th wall, or was that just a little joke/messing around? (Unlikely to be clarified)
-- When/where/how did Eglamore learn/get access to Brinnie's valknut teleportation?
-- Why does Coyote mess with Ysengrin's memories?
-- Is poor Mort getting lonely, having to have fun time all on his own?

Chapter 40: The Stone
-- What's up with Eglamore and the two Orjaks? Who are they, and are his injuries related? Where are they, anyways?
-- What is Jones trying to accomplish with her close embrace/smooch? Trying to imitate motherly comfort/relationships?
-- Why did Donald come to the court?
-- Why was Eglamore investigated and selected by the court? Why was his mom crying when Jones took him?
-- When/how was Jones actually created? (Unlikely to be answered)
-- If Jones remembers a time before the gods, when did they start showing up? Especially those gods who should, by myth, have existed since the beginning of time? (Can Jones' paradox be solved? Unlikely to be answered)

Chapter 41: Changes
-- Why do all the robots see Kat as so beautiful and angelic?
-- Seriously guys, what's up with that symbol?
-- Who is "they" / "the Court" in this decision-making process? It doesn't seem to involve anyone in attendance apart from the Headmaster.
-- What is the Headmaster's gambit with this swift play?
-- Why does Coyote want Antimony as a medium?

[Eversist]

Thanks a lot azujax! Yeah, we can finish up here so we don't clutter up the first page of the new thread with planning and huge posts.

I'm going to make a run through the chapters before I look at your questions so I can maybe pick up on some stuff you may have missed; I got started last night. I'm also including questions I knew were asked at the time that now have an answer, like "Who's the person that can talk to animals" (we now know it's probably Paz) and "What if Jack had gotten all the Jacks together" (Tom answered this on FS).

[Deleted]

Go fer it. Happy to be able to help. For Paz, I always thought it was pretty clear that it was her from A Bad Start where she does the same ether-linky thing with City Face that Gamma and Zimmers do when they talk.

[Per]

Maybe we can keep this thread going until we straighten out what we have already, so the new one can start relatively clean.

Feb 21, 2013 2:54:41 GMT Eversist said:

-- How did Shadow 2 get stuck at the Court? || Partially answered on p. 976; he's lived there all his life. He is possibly a decedent of these shadowmen.

"descendant"

-- Why couldn't Surma stand Jones? || Probably because she had feelings for Eglamore, and she knows that the two have history.

Could also be that Surma, being a creature of emotion, thought Jones was a big fraud.

-- Why were Anja and Surma put in, then switched from Chester? || The Court supposedly didn't realize they had powers.

I doubt Chester = no powers, more like Chester = freaky shit is the norm.

-- What was the purpose of the tree dogs specifically bringing shadows to the court? || Partially answered on p. 607.

There is a mismatch here now; the answer only covers the old question, not the broader one you changed it to.

Here's another question: What were the circumstances surrounding Surma's admission to the Court? Was her mom already involved with the Court? What was she like? Will we ever see her? (Imagine a fire elemental retrospect chapter going back to the first union.)

[GK Sierra]

Not a definitive answer, but is it possible that Shadow 2 was one of these guys?

[Per]

He's just a kid. Even the "descendant" spec hinges on the assumption that shadow people could have subsisted in the Court for decades.

[goldenknots]

Feb 21, 2013 19:30:44 GMT GK Sierra said:

Not a definitive answer, but is it possible that Shadow 2 was one of these guys?

Not if he is young, which is something implied by Jones when he enrolled in classes after being peeled off the floor by the Giggleblade.

[Eversist]

Feb 21, 2013 16:18:02 GMT @azujax said:

Go fer it. Happy to be able to help. For Paz, I always thought it was pretty clear that it was her from A Bad Start where she does the same ether-linky thing with City Face that Gamma and Zimmers do when they talk.

Right, I'm just saying we know that NOW, but Jack mentioned it chapters before that in Spring Heeled, so I included that in my questions since we're writing up that chapter so far after the fact (and I still see people asking about it).

Feb 21, 2013 16:36:15 GMT Per said:

Maybe we can keep this thread going until we straighten out what we have already, so the new one can start relatively clean.

Yeah, good idea. When I made my new thread I was sure to link to it here at the very top.

Feb 21, 2013 16:36:15 GMT Per said:

Feb 21, 2013 2:54:41 GMT Eversist said:

-- How did Shadow 2 get stuck at the Court? || Partially answered on p. 976; he's lived there all his life. He is possibly a decedent of these shadowmen.

"descendant"

Thanks, haha. *derp*

Feb 21, 2013 16:36:15 GMT Per said:

Could also be that Surma, being a creature of emotion, thought Jones was a big fraud.



I doubt Chester = no powers, more like Chester = freaky shit is the norm.

I'll add that/change my wording on those to make it more impartial.

-- What was the purpose of the tree dogs specifically bringing shadows to the court? || Partially answered on p. 607.

There is a mismatch here now; the answer only covers the old question, not the broader one you changed it to.

'Kay, I'll work on that too.

Here's another question: What were the circumstances surrounding Surma's admission to the Court? Was her mom already involved with the Court? What was she like? Will we ever see her? (Imagine a fire elemental retrospect chapter going back to the first union.)

What chapter would you recommend that going in? When do we first know for sure that Surma went to school there? Hmm...

At that point we could start questioning how her dad and Anja got to the court, too. Where do we stop?

Feb 21, 2013 19:30:44 GMT GK Sierra said:

Not a definitive answer, but is it possible that Shadow 2 was one of these guys?

Feb 21, 2013 20:23:07 GMT Per said:

He's just a kid. Even the "descendant" spec hinges on the assumption that shadow people could have subsisted in the Court for decades.

That speculation (which I think is spot on, at least a decedent of those people or people brought to the court similarly) is certainly in the new thread. Let me know what you think of the wording if you like.

[Deleted]

Ah. I just wrote up questions that were still lingering at the present moment. I figured trying to account for what mysteries were where would get annoying, and would clutter up the thread quickly. Up to you, tho

[kel]

Questions to add
Chapter 38: Divine
-What's up with the bone lasers?
-MechanoKat??

Chapter 39
-How does Eglamore fly?

Notes to be added
Chapter 29
'What's up with Kat's symbol (as seen in the lightbulb and the treatises)?' has been more or less answered now.

Chapter 8 and Chapter 20
'What is Gunnerkrigg Court?' (Chapter 8) and 'What is the Court doing re: "Man's endeavor to become God?"' (Chapter 20), it might be worthwhile to include a link to page 1123.

Chapter 13
'mothering' should be 'mother'

Chapter 22
Perhaps add who Brinnie actually is?

Chapter 23
"...not beholden to anyone,": Perhaps add a link to what Jones is, as per chapter 40.

[Eversist]

Feb 21, 2013 21:37:31 GMT @azujax said:

Ah. I just wrote up questions that were still lingering at the present moment. I figured trying to account for what mysteries were where would get annoying, and would clutter up the thread quickly. Up to you, tho

True, but I only included answered questions that I still see new forumites bringing up. The two I mentioned are examples of this.

The list is supposed to also serve as a resource for frequently asked questions.

[Per]

Feb 21, 2013 20:33:31 GMT Eversist said:

Yeah, good idea. When I made my new thread I was sure to link to it here at the very top.

When I wrote my post I hadn't seen your last post before that (just in case I looked vaguely ridiculous there saying the same thing).

At that point we could start questioning how her dad and Anja got to the court, too. Where do we stop?

There's some truth to this, but in the case of Surma, we at least have something implied: a teen Surma necessitates a wasting or wasted-away Surma-mom, somewhere and at some time. Just because we know even less of the others, there's nothing to hang our questions on.

Reflection: The fact that Surma was miscategorized could be taken as an indication that this was in fact the Court's first encounter with a fire head girl.

Suggestion: Maybe a more general question along the lines of how does the Court locate students/people of general interest.

Feb 21, 2013 22:21:52 GMT kel said:

-How does Eglamore fly?

Also in Fangs of Summertime (or implied as early as chapter 3), how does he single bound, assuming they're not expressions of the same thing?

Also how does the glow scimitar (used by Thorn to frag a bush and thrown by Eglamore) work?

Feb 21, 2013 22:21:52 GMT kel said:

'What's up with Kat's symbol (as seen in the lightbulb and the treatises)?' has been more or less answered now.

Mostly in the "raises further questions" way!

[Deleted]

Feb 21, 2013 22:21:52 GMT kel said:

Questions to add
Chapter 38: Divine
-What's up with the bone lasers?
-MechanoKat??

I just put the entire chapter in the question section. Seriously, every single page of that chapter raises 1-4 questions on its own. wtf, divine?

Chapter 39
-How does Eglamore fly?

Seeing as how the coloration/symbolism of his flight is very close to the Donlans' magicomputer and Anja's bubbleshield, I'd say it's quite likely that Eglamore is a "sub-user" in some way or another.

Chapter 29
'What's up with Kat's symbol (as seen in the lightbulb and the treatises)?' has been more or less answered now.

...it has? The seraphbots told us that it's the "mark of the creator," but, as far as I'm aware, nothing has been explained about what that actually means/is.

Rest of it all sounds good to me.

Feb 22, 2013 1:38:45 GMT Per said:

Also in Fangs of Summertime (or implied as early as chapter 3), how does he single bound, assuming they're not expressions of the same thing?
Also how does the glow scimitar (used by Thorn to frag a bush and thrown by Eglamore) work?

Seeing as how Thorn jumped too (without the sparklies seen in Eglamore's superglide), I'd wager that big jumps have something to do with the dragon slayer gig.

I agree, perhaps an additional question for either chapter 7 or 22 would be "what's the deal with the laser scimitar?"

[Eversist]

Feb 22, 2013 2:46:12 GMT @azujax said:

Seeing as how the coloration/symbolism of his flight is very close to the Donlans' magicomputer and Anja's bubbleshield, I'd say it's quite likely that Eglamore is a "sub-user" in some way or another.

I think I remember Tom saying something similar to this on his FormSpring.

[kel]

Haha, I was just putting a couple of specific examples down for Divine. It's true though, the entire chapter needs to be there really.

Oh, and with regards to Kat's symbol, we do now know what it is and why she has it, which counts for a lot at least. Why 'the creator' has a symbol, and what's special about the creator's symbol, yeah, that's still open.

Ooh, just spotted something. On this page:
www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=117
the Tic-Toc goes 'BEEEEE!' Don't think that's been brought up before... perhaps just add as a bit more evidence to the 'what are TicTocs' question.

[smjjames]

Feb 22, 2013 10:24:13 GMT kel said:

Haha, I was just putting a couple of specific examples down for Divine. It's true though, the entire chapter needs to be there really.

Oh, and with regards to Kat's symbol, we do now know what it is and why she has it, which counts for a lot at least. Why 'the creator' has a symbol, and what's special about the creator's symbol, yeah, that's still open.

Ooh, just spotted something. On this page:
www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=117
the Tic-Toc goes 'BEEEEE!' Don't think that's been brought up before... perhaps just add as a bit more evidence to the 'what are TicTocs' question.

I thought it was some kind of alarm signal. Shortly after that, a flock of them come to Annies rescue and keep her from falling to her death.

[smjjames]

Chapter 33: Give and Take
-- What's the deal with Kamlen and Annie's relationship?

It's been hinted as a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

Chapter 41: Changes
-- Who is "they" / "the Court" in this decision-making process? It doesn't seem to involve anyone in attendance apart from the Headmaster.

The crowds reaction and those of Anja, Donald, Eglamore, and Jones hint at a possible schism within the court, it's happened before. So maybe a question could be added:

Chapter 41: Changes
--Is there a schism within the court and if so, who are the factions or who does it involve?

[Deleted]

Hinted...in a partially-Zimmy-induced psuedo dreamstate where time and space are mutable, yes.

Does she desire Kamlen as a romantic partner? Or would that be a nightmare for her? Or any one of many other crazy possibilities?

[Deleted]

Got two.
Chapter 16: A Ghost Story
-- Why is Surma so important to the guides? Or rather, why are Surma and her line the ones who help the psychopomps out with disputed matters?

Chapter 21: Blinking
-- Why is "Silenti" written on the door of the classroom Mort inhabits? Is it related to his job? To the other inscription?

[Per]

Are the spectres who are there to destroy Mort Muut's poker crew?

[Eversist]

Guys, on which page do we first see Annie's "Fire Crown" symbol?

[Deleted]

It's a bit of a stretch, but you can see something similar in Annie's hair in the first panel of this page.

As for where we actually see it for the first time, I think its in Chapter 21, when Muut is asking Annie for help.

[Eversist]

Awesome, thanks.

Could someone who's better versed in who Brinnie is type something up?

[azai]

I got one.

If the Annan Waters completely surround the court, which is insinuated by Shadow 2 not being able to get to the Gillitie Wood on his own, by what means of transportation did Annie get to the court?

[GK Sierra]

Feb 24, 2013 14:01:37 GMT azai said:

I got one.

If the Annan Waters completely surround the court, which is insinuated by Shadow 2 not being able to get to the Gillitie Wood on his own, by what means of transportation did Annie get to the court?

I'd imagine she walked over the bridge.

If you mean to the geographic location, it isn't said. It's implied that the Gillite Wood which surrounds the Court is one of those places that can't be found on a map, but which you can travel to if you know where it is.

[Deleted]

Isn't Brinnie Brynhildr? I'm not super well versed in Germanic mythology, but in a pinch, you could do a "Click here to learn more about..." type-kinda thing, right?

[GK Sierra]

Feb 24, 2013 19:19:00 GMT @azujax said:

Isn't Brinnie Brynhildr? I'm not super well versed in Germanic mythology, but in a pinch, you could do a "Click here to learn more about..." type-kinda thing, right?

Yep, confirmed a long time ago. One of the few mysteries that Word of Tom admitted we solved beforehand.

[bedinsis]

Which is the most important word?

[Deleted]

Feb 25, 2013 9:02:44 GMT bedinsis said:

Which is the most important word?

I believe, at the time (pre Sky Watcher & Coward Heart), it was "waiting." We still don't know the full extent of it. We pretty much understand all of the rest of the words, except for "powerless," kinda. But seeing the direction and angle the story's taken this far, I'm pretty dang sure it's "waiting."