Gunnerkrigg Court Club

[Amneiger]

For future reference, the post Zylaa mentioned is here.

[Zylaa]

Reviving this club because it needs to be said:

HOLY LASER COW THAT THING IS TERRIFYING.

Seriously I opened GKC idly this morning while sitting in Compsci class and almost yelped. Maybe I did yelp. Anyway, it woke me up. XD

[Amneiger]

I bet it'll burn really well. *is thwacked with a tree branch*

[insanepurpleone]

*semi-revival join?*

I only fairly recently discovered the awesome that is Gunnerkrigg court and have read through the entire archives. Needless to say, I'm now a fan.

[Rikku]

*waves* Ooh, ooh, sign me up. =D I love the atmosphere of Gunnerkrigg Court, and the way it can calmly dish up mystery after mystery while still remaining more than readable. <3

[Stal]

So I just read through all these chapters over the past few days. Caught a lot of things I missed before... some of these mysteries can be removed now, methinks.

Also

SPOILER: Click to show

I think Jeanne was in love with Ysengrin and she was waiting for him that night. But I could be wrong. o.o

[Stal]

Some answers given; a couple theories tossed around.

SPOILER: Click to show

Chapter 1
-- What point in time is Annie narrating from? Who to, if anyone?
-- What's the point of the tictocs? Somewhat answered: to watch over everyone--created long before the Court

Chapter 2
-- Why was Surma bedridden after Antimony was born?

Chapter 3
-- How did Reynardine know that Surma was dead just by figuring out that Antimony was her daughter?
-- Why is the court so deserted/huge?
-- How'd Eglamore get to be friends with Sivo? Sivo was his Rogat Orjak, the steed of the dragon slayer.

Chapter 5
-- What is Zimmy?
-- How did Zimmy know that Reynardine was more than a toy?
Zimmy sees a lot of things differently than anyone else.

Chapter 6
-- What's the point of the room with the cherries? Decon chamber for the point of removing ties with the forest
-- Who is the gardener? Bob
-- Where's Anthony gone?

Chapter 8
-- Why did the Tictocs save Antimony?
-- Mort is "new and inexperienced." Who was Mort? And why is he the only ghost we see around?
-- Why is Jeanne beyond the psychopomps' reach? Magic spell; much like the boy that Annie had to help
-- How could Jeanne cross the river?
-- And why did she slash Antimony? Would you trust the Court?
-- What is Gunnerkrigg Court, anyway? Man's attempt to become God. :3

Chapter 9
-- Why could Annie see psychopomps?
-- Why is Robot's arm planted in the cherry tree room? Decon chamber; breaking ties with the forest. Later seen in another chapter

Chapter 11
-- Why does Annie's scar show up near Zimmy? Zimmy can show things from the etherium
-- Why doesn't Zimmy like the Tictocs?
-- So... what is up with Zimmy, anyway? It bears repeating.
-- How does Gamma help?
-- Why does rain help her?

Chapter 12
-- What is the purpose of the seraph robots?
-- Why are they studying so many CPUs? Is Rey right about "trouble in the ranks"?
-- What's the extra part on Robot's CPU?

Chapter 13
-- Why does Annie wear that makeup all the time?

Chapter 14
-- How can Eggers jump so high? Fantasy comic.
-- How does Coyote know about the Eglamore/Surma/Anthony love triangle? Reynardine fell in love with Surma himself... he probably would've known, too.
-- Why can't Annie trust the Court people?
-- Why did Ysengrin drop the seeds? I bet they're tree dogs.
-- Why is Ysengrin drawing "closer to the brink of insanity?"
-- Why does Anthony stay away for two years?

Chapter 15
-- Why is court education for the forest people lacking in basic vocabulary and heavy on science?
-- Why did Ysengrin bury the bird and blame the court?

Chapter 16
-- Why does Surma say she would be of no use to the guides anymore?
-- Mallt-y-Nos tells Surma that Annie mediating is "inevitable" - Why is that?
-- "The world continues to spin, pup. The boy and his family will ensure it." ??

Chapter 17
-- Why didn't Surma tell Annie about being the medium at Gunnerkrigg Court?
-- Why does Jones speak as though she aligns herself with neither the court nor the forest? Theory: Jones was also vying for a spot as a medium which would also explain why Surma didn't like her much
-- When was the Court divided from the forest?
-- Why does Jones provoke Eglamore into a fight?
-- Eglamore/Jones? Yes

Chapter 18
-- Jones: Android, just an emotionless person, or what?
-- "She died and we did nothing." So what happened to Jeanne? An entire chapter goes over this
-- What is the play depicting?
-- So what happened to Surma and Eggers?

Chapter 19
-- What is the power station for?
-- Why does the station mess with Zimmy's head?
-- Why does a fake Kat show up?
-- Why was Jack in Zimmy's crazy mental world (or whatever it is)?

Chapter 20
-- What did the court do so nothing could cross? Theory: Kill Jeanne, sealing some sort of aetherium technology program into place?
-- Why does Ysengrin hate humans?
-- Why did Reynardine try to kill Annie?
-- Who was the guy Reynardine killed?
-- "Man's endeavor to become God?" (Coyote channels the author's skill at answers that raise a heck of a lot more questions)
-- What is Coyote's great secret?
-- How many of Ysengrin's actions are known to Coyote or part of Coyote's own plans?

Chapter 21
-- Why did Diego make all the robots obsessed with the Jeanne painting? Diego loved Jeanne
-- Why doesn't Anja just answer that she is a magician before explaining the etheric sciences?
-- Why did none of the psychopomps come for Surma?
-- How could Annie guide her mother?


Chapter 22
-- Why couldn't Surma stand Jones?
-- Where is Brinnie now?
-- Why were Anja and Surma put in, then switched from Chester?
-- Why why why didn't James and Surma get together?
-- What's the tree dog? A means of transport for people in the forest
-- What is the connection between the Rogat Orjak and the dragonslayers?

I didn't update with any new questions from chapters after the ones in there.

[Deleted]

I'd love to join this. ^_^ Sign me up, please.

My copy of Research should be arriving in a day or so. Which is nice, since it features some of my favorite parts of the series. It was delayed quite a bit (it was originally supposed to come out around early February), oddly enough. 0_o

[Zylaa]

Mar 29, 2010 17:06:33 GMT -5 Stal said:

So I just read through all these chapters over the past few days. Caught a lot of things I missed before... some of these mysteries can be removed now, methinks.

Also

SPOILER: Click to show

I think Jeanne was in love with Ysengrin and she was waiting for him that night. But I could be wrong. o.o

... How on earth did you get that? XD It would be fascinating, but I can't see it.

Also, this is what I get for updating the list on the GKC forum and not this one. >____> Forgive me, all! The slightly-more-up-to-date, Tom-edited-and-approved list is now up.

And I need to order a copy of the first two books. <3

[Stal]

Mar 29, 2010 23:02:55 GMT -5 Zylaa said:

Mar 29, 2010 17:06:33 GMT -5 Stal said:

So I just read through all these chapters over the past few days. Caught a lot of things I missed before... some of these mysteries can be removed now, methinks.

Also

SPOILER: Click to show

I think Jeanne was in love with Ysengrin and she was waiting for him that night. But I could be wrong. o.o

... How on earth did you get that? XD It would be fascinating, but I can't see it.

Also, this is what I get for updating the list on the GKC forum and not this one. >____> Forgive me, all! The slightly-more-up-to-date, Tom-edited-and-approved list is now up.

And I need to order a copy of the first two books. <3

SPOILER: Click to show

His severe hatred for all things human. Jeanne obviously is in love with someone over there (Diego talking about not having to love that 'traitor' anymore). He was called General in our first showing of who he is, and he wears clothes over his tree body. He's been given an imperfect gift by Coyote as well... and both Renard and Ysengrin didn't show up until after the court was founded anyway...

Jeanne is at the water waiting for someone. Perhaps her love whom went over to the Gilittie Forest? And would her love even still be there at this point? She's beyond the psychopomp's help, and maybe it's because they need Annie/a medium to bring Ysengrin to her or something. Even Coyote seems unaware of her ghost down there when asking about how she got that scratch.

Either way, it's obvious Jeanne was in love with someone that chose the Gilittie Wood over the court and she was stuck there but unable to cross over to them (since the bridge went up later and on the Court's terms)

[Bacon]

I wanna join! =D

[Nut]

Mar 29, 2010 23:27:15 GMT -5 Stal said:

Mar 29, 2010 23:02:55 GMT -5 Zylaa said:

... How on earth did you get that? XD It would be fascinating, but I can't see it.

Also, this is what I get for updating the list on the GKC forum and not this one. >____> Forgive me, all! The slightly-more-up-to-date, Tom-edited-and-approved list is now up.

And I need to order a copy of the first two books. <3

SPOILER: Click to show

His severe hatred for all things human. Jeanne obviously is in love with someone over there (Diego talking about not having to love that 'traitor' anymore). He was called General in our first showing of who he is, and he wears clothes over his tree body. He's been given an imperfect gift by Coyote as well... and both Renard and Ysengrin didn't show up until after the court was founded anyway...

Jeanne is at the water waiting for someone. Perhaps her love whom went over to the Gilittie Forest? And would her love even still be there at this point? She's beyond the psychopomp's help, and maybe it's because they need Annie/a medium to bring Ysengrin to her or something. Even Coyote seems unaware of her ghost down there when asking about how she got that scratch.

Either way, it's obvious Jeanne was in love with someone that chose the Gilittie Wood over the court and she was stuck there but unable to cross over to them (since the bridge went up later and on the Court's terms)

That is a surprisingly plausible theory that never once occurred to me. She could still have been in love with a character we haven't seen before, but given what we have to work with, this is an interesting idea.

Also, I like where this storyline is going because I want to find out more about Jack. I liked him back in the beginning of the Power Station arc and I've been dying to know the reasons for his creepy behavior ever since.

[Zylaa]

Mar 29, 2010 23:27:15 GMT -5 Stal said:

Mar 29, 2010 23:02:55 GMT -5 Zylaa said:

... How on earth did you get that? XD It would be fascinating, but I can't see it.

Also, this is what I get for updating the list on the GKC forum and not this one. >____> Forgive me, all! The slightly-more-up-to-date, Tom-edited-and-approved list is now up.

And I need to order a copy of the first two books. <3

SPOILER: Click to show

His severe hatred for all things human. Jeanne obviously is in love with someone over there (Diego talking about not having to love that 'traitor' anymore). He was called General in our first showing of who he is, and he wears clothes over his tree body. He's been given an imperfect gift by Coyote as well... and both Renard and Ysengrin didn't show up until after the court was founded anyway...

Jeanne is at the water waiting for someone. Perhaps her love whom went over to the Gilittie Forest? And would her love even still be there at this point? She's beyond the psychopomp's help, and maybe it's because they need Annie/a medium to bring Ysengrin to her or something. Even Coyote seems unaware of her ghost down there when asking about how she got that scratch.

Either way, it's obvious Jeanne was in love with someone that chose the Gilittie Wood over the court and she was stuck there but unable to cross over to them (since the bridge went up later and on the Court's terms)

SPOILER: Click to show

Huh. That does make a lot of sense. My main problem is that Ysengrin is in fact an established mythological wolf-- it seems odd that Tom would have him originate as a human member of the court. The "General" thing has always bugged me, though.

Also, it seemed to me that Jeanne didn't really have much choice to be waiting down there, as they lowered her down.

[Stal]

Mar 30, 2010 11:55:22 GMT -5 Zylaa said:

Mar 29, 2010 23:27:15 GMT -5 Stal said:

SPOILER: Click to show

His severe hatred for all things human. Jeanne obviously is in love with someone over there (Diego talking about not having to love that 'traitor' anymore). He was called General in our first showing of who he is, and he wears clothes over his tree body. He's been given an imperfect gift by Coyote as well... and both Renard and Ysengrin didn't show up until after the court was founded anyway...

Jeanne is at the water waiting for someone. Perhaps her love whom went over to the Gilittie Forest? And would her love even still be there at this point? She's beyond the psychopomp's help, and maybe it's because they need Annie/a medium to bring Ysengrin to her or something. Even Coyote seems unaware of her ghost down there when asking about how she got that scratch.

Either way, it's obvious Jeanne was in love with someone that chose the Gilittie Wood over the court and she was stuck there but unable to cross over to them (since the bridge went up later and on the Court's terms)

SPOILER: Click to show

Huh. That does make a lot of sense. My main problem is that Ysengrin is in fact an established mythological wolf-- it seems odd that Tom would have him originate as a human member of the court. The "General" thing has always bugged me, though.

Also, it seemed to me that Jeanne didn't really have much choice to be waiting down there, as they lowered her down.

SPOILER: Click to show

I wouldn't call them established myths, as most of the stories involving the two are folklore tales, much more like Briar Rabbit, and Jack and the Beanstalk than actual myths/religious beliefs. So I can easily see Ysengrin being shown as a human to begin with.

But even if he were not a human, per se, who's to say that he wasn't working -with- the humans at first (hence general), and then betrayed them for the animals. Either way, I think there's very strong hints that Ysengrin's story is not very straightforward and I'd bet heavily on Jeanne being tied in as an interspecies love interest.

Also, Jeanne was lowered down, but I think under false pretenses (saying she wasn't sure what would happen down there, etc--there's no way she knew what was coming. And it says a few times that Jeanne was waiting down there)

[M is for Morphine]

SPOILER: Click to show

Well, both of you have a good point to some extent. (Discounting the interspecies love interest, which I can't comment on either way because it's been a while since I've read the back issues and I really can't remember if it makes sense.)

Supposedly the tradition of Ysengrim goes back quite a bit further than anyone can easily trace it. Apparently they may be based off of a series of Finnish myths. However, in these myths he is a man that can turn into a wolf. Also there is something of a precedent for the british associating the animals of the beast epic with people. Remember Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet? He shares the name of the cat from the stories and is compared to him. I think Ysengrim could safely go either way.

I am also vaguely curious if the metal/alchemical allusions extend to Ysengrim's name. Isen (ysen) is old english/old german for iron.