Termination Orders 2013-06-19

[Sidhekin]

All this talk about that crystal suddenly inspired a wild speculation concerning it ...

See, we know the Etheitian tech was "powered by" their genes. All the activation of this tech so far, has been by Kath or Lily.

Except the activation Atsali did. How did Atsali manage to trigger the release of the Etheitians, if the tech was powered by their genes?

Wild spec: Atsali was set up. The buffer in the stargate they passed through, registered her genome (or the genome of everyone passing through), and was used to give her (or, whoever passed through) access to the Etheitian systems.

Who set this up though, and to what end?

SDO, because she was not satisfied with giving Kath the choice? I doubt it; her words suggest that Kath would control "any secrets", and that volunteered information doesn't seem to have any effect, so comes across as revealing, rather than intentionally misleading.

Or the same someone else I assume diverted Bud? To thwart SDO, then? After all, SDO seems to be relying on Kath's choice. Like she programmed her. Of course, Atsali wound up triggering nothing but the release and self-destruct anyway ... or was that also part of the plan?

It's like watching a match between two subtle chess masters, but only seeing part of the board, and not even knowing which part or how far into the game they are.

Almost-serious question for everyone here: When I type something, it makes sense to ME; is that not the case with others? Because people seem to be misunderstanding me a lot lately.

Almost-serious answer: It makes perfect sense for others as well. Not necessarily the same sense it makes to you, though.

Okay, more seriously, I see a lot of people on very different pages. Unless we state our assumptions continually, we'll keep running into misunderstandings. But if we do state our assumptions continuously, the way we'll avoid misunderstandings is by never managing to get past the stating of those assumptions. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[eee]

Bud's really going over the top here. This will probably put Suzy out of action for a while, I wonder how Lily's going to react. It's not as if there's much she could do against either Bud or Brandi. That we know of...

I suspect Bud is trying to disable BOTH Brandi and the Nu Gui. Brandi by suddenly rubbing her nose in violence and death, the Nu Gui / SDO by blowing her finely crafted plan to pieces and making her think some OTHER master planner has outmaneuvered her and seized control. and things she can't anticipate are headed her way. Bud has to keep Brandi / SDO off balance, so she doesn't think of turning Bud off again.

[Grantwhy]

I know the "you had a safety code in place as I entered the stargate" line suggests the safety code was *in* the stargate ... but how would that actually work?


I wonder if Katherine was staring at a screen with with the "safety code" message from Brandi/SDO?

http://wapsisquare.com/comic/no-poit-for-you/

It would explain how they knew 'Brandi' was trying to kill them.


Although, that could just be me trying to justify my "Katherine is looking at something important and not having a 'fire bad-tree pretty' moment" theory :-p

[Julie]

Wow...Go Bud go!! I'm really enjoying this whole "let's see how confused we can get Brandi/SDO" thing...though I definitely feel bad for Suzie right about now. While I doubt this would kill her (as in prevent her from healing and "living" on as a vampire), I'd imagine that it will take quite some time for her to recover from it. I wonder what Lily will do when Bud turns her glowy eyes that direction.

*grabs a tub of popcorn and gets comfy on the couch in Confusion Corner*

[Julie]

Despite calling her Bud in my previous post, I much prefer to call her Acacia.
Acacia is a pretty name, Bud is something I drink when there aren't any better options becuse that beer isn't worth the bottle or can it comes in.

There...fixed that statement for you.

[kingklash]

Hoo-ah! Bud is about to show us that she too, can plan out some high-caliber strategery! But first, she's following some great advice: "If you can't bedazzle them with Brilliance, baffle them with Bullshit!" A little mental Rope-a-dope to set up her real precise blow, with part of the confuzzlement being "Bud is acting on who's orders?" before she rescues Brandi from the Nu-Gui, maybe not as clean as Phix seperating Nudge from Tina, but not as spectacular as GaoGaiGar's "Hell and Heaven/Goldion Hammer" Z-core extractions.

[dex drako]

All this talk about that crystal suddenly inspired a wild speculation concerning it ...

See, we know the Etheitian tech was "powered by" their genes. All the activation of this tech so far, has been by Kath or Lily.

Except the activation Atsali did. How did Atsali manage to trigger the release of the Etheitians, if the tech was powered by their genes?

this is why you should always read the instructions first and follow all safety protocols when dealing with ancient super computers, probing open sockets is just asking to get shocked.

but really the computer was already so Atsrali did the equivalent of sticking a coin in a usb port. the computer then saw it had new hardware attached and automatically reformatted it for data storage as that slot was ment for.

*throws steampunk USB drive in pun jar*

[zachariah]

Just had a thought about what Bud is doing. It is a toss up who is in control of Brandi, SDO or Good Brandi, but I suspect that Bud wants good Brandi in control. The attack on McBride should result in good Brandi, the protector, to surge to the surface and take control. Once she's in control the violent attack on McBride will probably cause Brandi to go into mental paralysis. It happened before when the baby died. Once she freezes Bud can shut her down and lock SDO out. At that point her demon friends can make their move on the Nu Gui.

[Dave]

Almost-serious question for everyone here: When I type something, it makes sense to ME; is that not the case with others? Because people seem to be misunderstanding me a lot lately.

Common problem... since we can't see your "internal mental state" (that is, the set of assumptions you're basing your comments on) and may not be fully familiar with your "mental shorthand" (e.g. the specific meanings you assign to certain words and phrases) misunderstanding is possible. Other people, having somewhat different starting assumptions, and maybe a slightly different interpretations of some words, will start from their own "beginning point" and make perfectly logical deductions about what you're saying... and end up in a place very different from what you meant.

The best method I've found to avoid this, in my own writing and speaking, is to be a bit more explicit about where my reasoning is starting, or what I mean by certain things. It takes a bit longer to write (and read) and it can come across as being somewhat pedantic, but it avoids the confusion.

"Shorthand" statements work well when you're communicating with a relatively small group of people with whom you are quite familiar (and vice versa) so that everyone understands everyone else's metaphors, thought processes, etc. They're much trickier when dealing with a large, widely-dispersed audience.

An extreme example of the problem can be found in a lot of political and religious arguments, between (e.g.) right-wing conservative and left-wing liberal groups (say, over abortion or gun control), or between opposing religious or tribal groups (e.g. Protestant and Catholic in Ireland some years ago, Sunni and Shiite today). In these cases, the two groups can be using what appears to be the same language, but their actual "starting points" are so very far apart that they might as well be arguing with one another in ancient Greek and modern kiSwahili. Lots of noise and fire, very little actual communication.

In your example, if you'd added a phrase like "by Bud's punch" there would have been no ambiguity... people would have seen your complete train of thought, rather than have to try to follow it (and sometimes fall off the tracks).

[PartTimeRaccoon]

Trying to connect some more dots...
Bud said she used the star gates. That tells me that golems can use them just like Etheitians. The context of their dialog seems to indicate that Bud used one to go to Yaxchilan. Or she used one to go from there to Mesa Verde. Or both. In any case, it now seems more likely that Bud was redirected to Mapimi via star gate reprogramming than by intercepting a poit.
I'd also suggest that Brandi and SDO are both more capable of reprogramming an Etheitian star gate than the library is.

[MerchManDan]

In your example, if you'd added a phrase like "by Bud's punch" there would have been no ambiguity... people would have seen your complete train of thought, rather than have to try to follow it (and sometimes fall off the tracks).

OK then. It just didn't seem like I needed to add such a phrase, since - as far as I know - there was nothing else I could have been talking about.

[Dragon Hostler]

Despite calling her Bud in my previous post, I much prefer to call her Acacia.
Acacia is a pretty name, Bud is something I drink when there aren't any better options becuse that beer isn't worth the bottle or can it comes in.

There...fixed that statement for you.

Your condescension is duly noted.
I believe there's another place on this forum for discussing the merits of various inebriants.

[jwhouk]

In response to some individuals who were growing a bit frustrated at the current storyline, I came up with a little summary of the story so far over here.

[Timotheus]

I'd just like to remind people not to forget the other possible manipulators in our little play here. Besides Brandi and the Library we shouldn't overlook Tsillah (who is a being of shadows and misdirection and can appear as anyone or anyplace), Bia (who we know can change her appearance and is highly competent at establishing the course and order of events, although her goals for doing so are unknown), and Nudge (who is another shape shifter with a known record of messing with people's lives).

There are a couple other possible long shots but I think these are the most likely. ones still waiting off stage to step in at any time and completely throw all this speculation for a loop.

[Sphinx-Napped]

you do realize that she can snap the spine if she only going deep enough to catch her heart if she goes a little deeper she can just pull the spine out there no walking from this attack / doctorMcCoy"she dead jim"

Suzy's an Undead - I'm fairly sure that garden-variety physical damage isn't going to finish her off; that said, I'd wager this little stunt is going to Hurt Like Hell for a while...

yes but undead or not she cant regrow a spine its not like she a Klingon that have back up spines. so the point stands if bud wanted to make sure she could in fact kill suzie right there ripping her spine with no support for the top of the body, she going to be come a sack of blood and dead organs and ribs,all will cave in without the spine, she may live without the spine but she wont have any body support

[Mark N]

you do realize that she can snap the spine if she only going deep enough to catch her heart if she goes a little deeper she can just pull the spine out there no walking from this attack / doctorMcCoy"she dead jim"

Suzy's an Undead - I'm fairly sure that garden-variety physical damage isn't going to finish her off; that said, I'd wager this little stunt is going to Hurt Like Hell for a while...

yes but undead or not she cant regrow a spine its not like she a Klingon that have back up spines. so the point stands if bud wanted to make sure she could in fact kill suzie right there ripping her spine with no support for the top of the body, she going to be come a sack of blood and dead organs and ribs,all will cave in without the spine, she may live without the spine but she wont have any body support

This is why I am expecting that this is using a little "shadow play" courtesy of our little shadow nymph Tsillah.

[Grantwhy]

All this talk about that crystal suddenly inspired a wild speculation concerning it ...

See, we know the Etheitian tech was "powered by" their genes. All the activation of this tech so far, has been by Kath or Lily.

Except the activation Atsali did. How did Atsali manage to trigger the release of the Etheitians, if the tech was powered by their genes?

this is why you should always read the instructions first and follow all safety protocols when dealing with ancient super computers, probing open sockets is just asking to get shocked.

but really the computer was already so Atsrali did the equivalent of sticking a coin in a usb port. the computer then saw it had new hardware attached and automatically reformatted it for data storage as that slot was ment for.

hmmm .... could SDO/Brandi have rigged the computer to download everything into the first person who stuck their arm into the opening? (an interesting variation on the 'what does this button do' gambit )

That would then activate the auto-destruct - and I'm guessing a human (Anasazi/Etheitian) would of been killed instantly.

Unluckily (for that plan), the person that stuck their arm in was harder to kill than a human and thus ended up accessing enough information to help.

[jwhouk]

That's possible - it might have been why the Library "set up" Atsali's meeting with Kath.

Atsali might not like finding out that she was just the "lucky one" that ended up with Kath, though.

Orrrrrr.... maybe she will, all things considered.

[Cyberpawz]

Ok, late to the conversation, and story it seems, family issues grandfather is in Hospice... in any case, sorry if this has been asked before, but WTF is going on?

I know Bud and the others has a "secret life", but ever since this thread has started, it is as if Brandi has gone from being who she is to being kidnapped and replaced with a doppelgänger? I understand some of it, but isn't Monica (wherever she is) meant to keep the three under control? So far it seems to me that they are running a little loose to say the least, of course I understand Monica is having a few issues of her own to say the least.

I've been reading this comic for since the beginning, and have said very little on this forum, but I can officially say I'm lost. With bud explaining that Brandi made a deal with a demon of sorts, and not go into real detail, then Brandi dealing with a general, the explosion, etc... I'm trying to wrap my head around what has been going on since I haven't been reading and playing catch up.

Can someone who seems to have a better grasp of Wapsi reality right now give me a cliff notes version.

I understand some bit about the "star gate", and the data crystals, but the personality shift in Brandy would be nice. How Kathryn got involved with the six souls seems to be a question that will be answer in the future, but I don't know if it's been answered or not yet...and I just missed it.

[Dave]

. Can someone who seems to have a better grasp of Wapsi reality right now give me a cliff notes version.

jwhouk did up a great Cliff Notes summary for the current storyline just last night... go here to read it.

As to Brandi's doppelganger / personality shift: we've known for a couple of years that Brandi has had somewhat of a dual personality. She's referred to herself as a sort of cold, unfeeling "chessmaster" making complex plots and schemes, which she doesn't let herself know about because "that's not me."

Brandi had also told Monica about the day she was captured by the Lanthian priests for sacrifice. In attempting to defend herself she accidentally killed an infant who had been left in her care, and in horror she surrendered. She told Monica she'd made a "deal" as a result; the priests didn't know about it but "the demon world noticed".

Euryale had told Monca that Brandi and Bud had been among those who set up the secret "Men In Black" organization within our government (originally consisting in part of some Lanthian survivors or those with some access to their technology) and we learned more recently that it's this manipulative chessmaster Brandi who is the "Senior Director Oduya" of the MIB. She has a distinctly different body language than the Brandi we are used to... superficially charming and seductive.

Things started to really become clearer a few weeks ago when we saw "Brandi" actually change into "Senior Director Oduya" in the middle of a conversation... it was clear that one personality was displacing another. The two don't have identical memories... each has knowledge and experiences that the other lacks. We saw this happen a second time in a flashback, when it became apparent that the manipulative "Oduya" was somehow capable of giving Brandi the ability to act outside of her Golem programming and was setting up a complex scheme to "kidnap" and perhaps destroy the entire population of Etheitians (the survivors of Lanthis who had escaped the Chimera's destruction of that civilization).

Bud has now identified the true nature of Brandi's second personality. It's a vengeful Nu Gui spirit, a ghost derived from the innocent child Brandi accidentally killed. Brandi apparently made a deal with the ghost-child, allowing it to reside within her (as compensation for its killing?) in return for the ghost enabling "Brandi" to act with more free will than she would have had as a programmed golem. Bud has had nightmares about a ghost for years, and there was mention of a little dead girl "caught up in the Chimera"... this seems to be her!

The Nu Gui spirit seems to be devoted to revenge against the Lanthians and their descendents, holding them responsible for its death, and it seems quite willing to commit murder (individual, mass, and genocidal) without any remorse. The Nu Gui are known for doing their dirty work by manipulating others into harming themselves... hence, "The Chessmaster".