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Post by wanderer on Sept 7, 2009 12:39:28 GMT
Oh great, an etheric spider. That can't be a good thing. Annie, you may want to call in the teachers on this one. I get the unsettling feeling that if you try to do this one alone and mess it up, someone could die.
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Post by Uncle Putte on Sept 7, 2009 13:36:28 GMT
Hmm. Here we go with the "gesticulating helplessly"-skit, but I wonder if Jack's sudden interest in Annie might have more to do with his encounter with Zimmingham. As I see it, he seems to be having some lasting after-effects of it - which the spider and cobwebs could represent - and that he sees Annie as the easiest-to-approach source for further understanding of his condition. Her being more or less apparently entangled in some similar unusual phenomena, the recent blatant use of the blinker being the most recent. Maybe poor ol' Jack's just trying to find a way to deal with the trauma.
Being teenagers, though, both seem to be dealing with the situation in a most awkward fashion imaginable. Annie slipping off the hook with Renard's help instead of having a good talk about it, Jack snagging the blinker instead of asking directly, et cetera. Even if Annie's unlikely to know exactly what's going on. Hooray, drama!
And on a side note, while it's wholly an interpretation made in light of personal experience, I'm enjoying the allegory - or is metaphor the correct word? - of Jack's condition. Accidential or not, it's a beautiful presentation of a rather ugly phenomenon.
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Post by Acnorn Landeth on Sept 7, 2009 13:47:30 GMT
There were some of us who thought the blinker stone could be used to call Rey if Annie needed assistance, yes? I only just realized she has since taken the blinker stone away from Rey, whom she left it with to check up on.
Now if something goes wrong, Annie can't get a hold of Rey... and now I have a bad feeling about this chapter...
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Post by pepoluan on Sept 7, 2009 14:29:03 GMT
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Post by Jiminiminy on Sept 7, 2009 14:35:58 GMT
I just woke up, so I only have two things to say at this time. One, I wonder what Reynardine thinks about the blinker stone and its disappearance? It'd be kind of...I can't really think of the word at the moment...
Second, this is a beautifully drawn page, I really love this.
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Post by idonotlikepeas on Sept 7, 2009 15:04:44 GMT
Guess I was wrong about Jack - I thought he was just disturbed by Zimmy's world, but I seriously doubt that disturbance would manifest itself as evil web-spinning face spiders. Don't read too much into him being non-etheric grey; so was Rey before his spirit popped out. It seems like things don't appear in full color unless they are actively projecting into that world in some way. Annie's hair-border isn't just disrupted around Jack, either. Look closely at it; the highlight lines have twisted themselves into weird little symbols. And look behind him; there's some kind of Jack-shaped presence or inverted shadow there that's glowing the same shade as the spiders. (You don't see it until we're in close-up mode, though, so that part might be normal for human beings; Annie hasn't exactly been staring at a lot of people with the blinker stone that we've seen.) And his usual glowy aura (as seen in the previous... panels?) has suddenly turned into jagged rays. All-in-all: this is really screwed up. And Anja isn't available. (She might conceivably know what's going on and Annie might even be willing to talk to her about it.)
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ding
Full Member
Posts: 129
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Post by ding on Sept 7, 2009 15:09:30 GMT
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Post by idonotlikepeas on Sept 7, 2009 15:15:25 GMT
Hmm, interesting one. Or Grandmother Spider, or Anansi, or Nit. The world abounds with mythological spiders!
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Post by cripplerking on Sept 7, 2009 15:44:09 GMT
Here's my guess:
While Jack was in Zimmingham, an etheric spider wrenched its way into his head. Obviously, this would be quite traumatic, and he was probably reeling about in Zimmy's world, but he was suddenly pulled back to reality and thought it was just a hallucination or dream. Regardless, as expected, he still seems quite shocked and all around screwed up when they all leave. I would guess the etheric spider is still sitting in his head, screwing with him, hence he can't sleep. Maybe it's creating a maniacal desire in him to find Zimmy (this could have something to do with Moneyspider).
Now in the comic, someone would probably argue that the spider is actually on his face, but if you look at the all the white lines as one image (the etheric one), it would be positioned squarely in the middle of his head. He's got a serious possession problem going on.
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Post by pepoluan on Sept 7, 2009 15:55:17 GMT
Annie's hair-border isn't just disrupted around Jack, either. Look closely at it; the highlight lines have twisted themselves into weird little symbols. And look behind him; there's some kind of Jack-shaped presence or inverted shadow there that's glowing the same shade as the spiders. (You don't see it until we're in close-up mode, though, so that part might be normal for human beings; Annie hasn't exactly been staring at a lot of people with the blinker stone that we've seen.) And his usual glowy aura (as seen in the previous... panels?) has suddenly turned into jagged rays. The right-side boundary of Jack's 'aura' seems to partially cover Annie. And the upper-right portion of his 'aura' seems to... I don't know... trying to envelop Annie? This page *is* giving me the creeps.
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Post by rhoffman12 on Sept 7, 2009 16:34:20 GMT
The creepier Jack's behavior gets, the more I hope Annie finds a way to help him. Seriously: who wouldn't go just a *little* psycho if they had invisible etheric spiders creepy-crawling on their faces? … I hate spiders. Also, I've been thinking about if Jack is actively projecting into the etherium or not. Don't read too much into him being non-etheric grey; so was Rey before his spirit popped out. It seems like things don't appear in full color unless they are actively projecting into that world in some way. This is true, but in the last third of the page, you can see some kind of creepy outline around Jack, as if he IS somehow projecting outside of his physical self into the etherium…
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Post by wanderer on Sept 7, 2009 16:36:46 GMT
All-in-all: this is really screwed up. And Anja isn't available. (She might conceivably know what's going on and Annie might even be willing to talk to her about it.) Eglamore's here, and he could conceivably get in touch with Anja on short notice. Unfortunately, he may be the last person Annie would be willing to talk with. I'd also suggest calling in Jones. Anja may be a mage of some sort, but Jones seems more likely to know whatever there is to know about Zimmy, and how her world may have affected Jack.
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Dentrala
Full Member
"I absolutely did not expect thiiiissss!!"
Posts: 156
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Post by Dentrala on Sept 7, 2009 17:14:10 GMT
What if Zack will blink back with her. O:
Boys in girls' tents? The scandal!
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Post by Jiminiminy on Sept 7, 2009 17:16:37 GMT
Alright, we're comparatively awake now. Time for coherency. Colours. We see them alot, and generally they are used as tangible 'dividers' between the characters, so as not to get them mixed up. The border around pretty much every character is black, not out of the ordinary. Here, we can see that Jack is bordered by white, in whatever it is that he's doing/is happening to him. His border breaks Annie's, which is interesting. While the pictures in the etherium are notably very fluid, Jack brings a jagged edge into the mix. Not exactly sure if it's relevant, but it is something different, and different can lead to change. Also rather nice looking. Anything else I have speculations about can probably be answered by the next page, I'd imagine. Edit: What if Zack will blink back with her. O: Boys in girls' tents? The scandal! This is actually one of the things that I was thinking about, but we'll see at the next page. They were both holding it, that might have interesting results.
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Post by Goatmon on Sept 7, 2009 17:28:19 GMT
Huh... this page is definitely something.
I wonder if the Spider and cobwebs are a result of something that is wrong with him, or perhaps his instability is caused by whatever is causing that spider emblem + cobwebs.
Very intruiging!
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Post by blackbluecatbones on Sept 7, 2009 17:36:47 GMT
My Theory would be that Jack is turning into a "nobody" as seen in the Power Station Arc. AFAIK spiders "digest" their food from inside out leaving a hollow shell which would explain the faces and the "Gopping" looking like pulling the web of a spider. Maybe they are attached to that plane by etheric threads of web? If touched by a being of the real world they just get disconnected and dissolved into nothingness.
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Post by Mishmash on Sept 7, 2009 17:42:01 GMT
Guys what if the blinker stone breaks? They are both holding on to it in the last panel oh man I hope it doesn't break.
This page is really creeping me out and making me panic!
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Post by Casey on Sept 7, 2009 17:43:55 GMT
Guys what if the blinker stone breaks? They are both holding on to it in the last panel oh man I hope it doesn't break. This page is really creeping me out and making me panic! I dunno, Anja was holding it completely inside her fist and Annie was able to retrieve it.
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Post by Aris Katsaris on Sept 7, 2009 17:46:40 GMT
Is Jack turning into what zimmy is, or is he turning into her predator? Is Zimmy an insect to be devoured? Spiders aren't insects.
I wonder if Ketrak would be able to provide any answers. Probably not - probably he only deals in mundane insects, not diabolical monster-bugs.
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Post by pepoluan on Sept 7, 2009 17:54:13 GMT
Guess I was wrong about Jack - I thought he was just disturbed by Zimmy's world, but I seriously doubt that disturbance would manifest itself as evil web-spinning face spiders. I knew I shouldn't click on that link... Now two voices keep echoing in my head... MoneySpider's "Zimmy. Zimmy Zimmy. Zimmy Zeta..." overdubbed with Rey's "Spying with the blinker stone is not recommended..." Repeat them both in your head, with some breathing sound and wind noise... louder and louder... *SHRIEK*
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paracelsus
New Member
Dreams must be heeded and accepted. For a great many of them come true.
Posts: 22
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Post by paracelsus on Sept 7, 2009 17:54:33 GMT
I quite like that idea Blackblue, but I don't think thats entirely whats going on here.
I think(considering the Moneyspider posts) that this spider entity is sentient, and not just a leech. That it wants to use Zimmy to find it's "poor patience", whom I think is a person.
It follows that this Spider person is possessing Jack and pulling the strings on his mind, using him like a puppet in our world so that he can get at Zimmy while she's in our world(where I assume she'd normally be safe).
Thats what it seems like to me anyway. We'll just have to wait for Wednesday.
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Post by King Mir on Sept 7, 2009 17:56:12 GMT
Interestingly, that's Annie's Right hand in the last image. That means that the bottom left glance is not fleeting, as in order for her to grab with her right hand, she has to be effectively in front of jack, not grabbing the stone from behind. Jack must be staring right at her, though since he's gray it's possible he doesn't see her. That would be spooky from Jack's point of view. On the subject of what Zimmy looks like etherically, It's gotta be pretty scary, because Rey is scared of her, and his ethereal projection is probably how he could sense her strangeness. Which leads to the question: did Rey perceive anything from Jack besides the visible during his encounter with him? And I do hope Annie and Jack talk.
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Post by pepoluan on Sept 7, 2009 17:58:03 GMT
Oh, by the way, here's how a Money Spider ( Linyphia Triangularis) looks like:
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coyotagoat
Junior Member
Helluva poker face.
Posts: 65
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Post by coyotagoat on Sept 7, 2009 18:19:23 GMT
Probably not, but it almost looks like Jack is holding the stone out to her in the last panel, but that would imply he could see her...
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Post by Gen200 on Sept 7, 2009 19:09:39 GMT
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Post by Seth Thresher on Sept 7, 2009 20:30:54 GMT
This page is super awesome and triple creepy.
Also, it's way too early to give some good ideas without them being just a shot in the dark, so I'm hanging back, respectfully. I have some vague thoughts, but they're just that.
This should be a glorious week, all things considered.
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Post by warrl on Sept 7, 2009 20:47:38 GMT
When Jack confronted Annie in the hall, he was getting aggressive. That particular encounter needed to end when it did or slightly sooner. However, there needs to be another encounter. I think with Annie, Jack, Zimmy, and at least one of Reynardine and Anja. For the most part it would probably be Jack and Zimmy with Annie mediating and the others enforcing restraint. Zimmy or Gamma might also have some idea of some other people who could be helpful. We know that Jones is aware of the use of blinker stones, but she can't use a blinker stone herself and we have no particular indication that she has any powers in the aetherium or any specific knowledge relevant to Birminghell. As for this page, another thought: I've read a number of stories where some psychics can act as catalysts, activating latent psychic powers in others. Perhaps Zimmy (or Gamma or even Annie, or heck it could have been Sullivan's John for all I know because a catalyst doesn't necessarily display any other powers himself, but most likely Zimmy) unintentionally, and probably unaware, did this to Jack under the particular circumstances that existed in the power-station arc. This would explain why he (and only he, among those not previously known to have aetheric properties) popped into Birminghell, and doing so then but not earlier. His popping out again is unexplained but there are so many possibilities there including a screaming-panicked run back to a remembered sanity.
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Post by Jiminiminy on Sept 7, 2009 21:34:09 GMT
As for this page, another thought: I've read a number of stories where some psychics can act as catalysts, activating latent psychic powers in others. Perhaps Zimmy (or Gamma or even Annie, or heck it could have been Sullivan's John for all I know because a catalyst doesn't necessarily display any other powers himself, but most likely Zimmy) unintentionally, and probably unaware, did this to Jack under the particular circumstances that existed in the power-station arc. This would explain why he (and only he, among those not previously known to have aetheric properties) popped into Birminghell, and doing so then but not earlier. His popping out again is unexplained but there are so many possibilities there including a screaming-panicked run back to a remembered sanity. Would you lookit that. First time I read the page, this was one of the many things I considered. Then my mind thouhgt 'Hurr hurr, not Jack'll have to be transferred to qn/qs.' Then I realized I forgot what house he was in. I went to go look, then forgot what I was doing and why I was doing it. (Yes, I now know he's in qs) As far as the explanations go, this seems probable, and I am reminded of the discussion regarding the various houses, in which it was speculated that Queslett was for people with a disposition towards etheric... Outbursts, I suppose would be a valid word. Perhaps this is the manifestation of said powers? Although I didn't actually agree with The Stranger's inference, but assuming it is true.
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Post by Aris Katsaris on Sept 7, 2009 21:36:44 GMT
I don't agree. Other than both of them being circles, I don't see any similarity at all. The spider's circle isn't even centered within another circle. It's slightly off-center inside a more elliptical shape.
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Post by Goatmon on Sept 7, 2009 21:48:26 GMT
Probably not, but it almost looks like Jack is holding the stone out to her in the last panel, but that would imply he could see her... He's definitely aware of her presence, although I don't think he actually sees her. From what little we've seen of him, I don't suspect that he has any Etheric training, and probably doesn't know for sure that it's Annie he's sensing.
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