Comic for Monday, March 27th, 2023
Mar28
Comic.
Nathan is a mysterious figure. As he moves through the story along a different axis (not literally, just as the main character of a different story occasionally crossing paths with this one) it can tricky to determine if his conclusions are insane or insightful. It’s generally intentional that from the point of view of this story, only half of what he says makes much sense. Though you, the reader, know that some of his conclusions here are wrong, but also that some of those wrong conclusions were what Peter intended to be drawn from the situation.
He’s probably not making fun Kally like she thinks, but somewhat different points of view there.
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Someone pointed out Peter is framing Pact for something they actually did – stealing the Bridgepoint data that is. I don’t think Peter started out today with that intent, but a good magician (which Peter absolutely is) can instantly adapt to unexpected events.
Nicely done, Peter!
So every time Kali gets emotional her hair puffs up. At first I thought it was just from movement or the artist taking privilage to make a more dynamic shot, but what if it isn’t?
This weeks update got me thinking about that. The last panel has her flustered and yelling at her brother, but where they are standing means that she wouldn’t have to turn and so her hair wouldn’t be affected by movement. Also, if it were just done to make her look better for the visual media, then there would be no real reason to make her hair less dynamic.
I guess you could say it is magic. Though, considering the character, maybe it is?
I still think Peter (or Mium) was the one that stole the data in the first place.
So does Kally. And I doubt Peter would disagree with you.
That’s no reason to waste time correcting Nathan!
Peter directly said that *some* of it is true. Nathan could try asking Peter about details and he can definitely make a mental note for himself and tell Arron (who probably suspects Team Peter anyway).
We know that the data was originally stolen by the teleporting girl from the exiled families, as Miko talks about how upset she is that Peter was right about how the data was originally stolen (at first she thought he just said “teleporter” because he couldn’t figure out how else someone could get in, but then she sees someone teleport in front of her). We also know that Mium originally recovered the data during the lab break in with Naomi that got interrupted by Illa’s need for help and then further interrupted by the Kor’s World soldier, who was also there to recover the data.
Someone else mentioned it, but Peter is currently framing Pact for a crime that they probably did actually commit. The only reason why anyone in universe blamed Peter for the theft was that they couldn’t figure out how it happened either, Peter showed up not long after it was taken, and “impossible” stunts was Peter’s calling card.
Also, page 1 was them suspecting Peter for the “Whirlpool Virus”. Which makes things go missing, and Mium mentions doesn’t affect living things.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how Peter gets his money. Smuggling is supposed to be illegal after all.
Given Kally mentioned them busting dirty politicians before, there’s a non-zero chance Peter went “Rouge” when he decided to deal with Corporate Affairs breaking the law.
https://pastutopia.com/comic/comic-for-monday-february-14th-2022/
Edit:
Given the discussion about “non reality” and the Rouge Families ability to access that space, it may be the Whirlpool Virus is a way for them to steal things.
When Peter looked into the origins, that lead him to Avon.
I will have to set aside some time this week to research Nathan’s monologue to see if any real information can be gleaned from it.
Nathan appears to have missed that Peter probably had the data all along, but he does seem correct that PACT stole it with the Rogue Families’ help (It is not confirmed whether Acalia stole the data, but it seems likely at the very least).
It is unlikely that the demon was involved, given that the data was not actually there, but it is unclear what the demon was actually doing there. Kor’s World was involved at least somewhat.
It appears that PACT did actually have the data. Naomi and Mium were in the process of stealing it back, but Kor’s World beat them to it (Naomi fought against the soldier there when Mium was incapacitated by deciding to save Ila).
Peter seems to have just decided that was good enough. Framing someone for a crime they were guilty of seems to be very much Peter’s style.
Another interesting note is that Kally does know that Peter had the data all along and is choosing not to correct Nathan here.
Nathan has got a lot correct but a lot wrong.
Like, the demon showing up was an accident, and dragon girl showing up to erase said demon was a coincidence.
But, there is probably another demon tracking them down… and so, Nathan is right, and wrong.
He has gotten the intricacies of “Who” stole the data and why incorrect… but correct enough to start beating up the right people
But, there are people back at central who need to be strung up
And what Nathan really missed is this is all about what is on the far side of Utopia.
I have to wonder, was it Pact that stole it? We know the Rogue Families had it, considering that one of their main operatives was the one who originally stole it. And, while the Rogue Families are connected with Pact, we don’t know that Pact as an entity was ever in on it. If it was than that would implicate part of the IDS. Just because one member was part of the plot doesn’t make them all implicit.
Also, as far as we know, Nathan never found out about Kor’s World’s raid to recover the Bridgepoint data (Where Naomi played dead from the gas), so all Nathan would know about would be their couple of attacks; neither of which had anything to do with the Bridgepoint data. The first was an attempt to take down an “anomalous entity” (MIUM) at the school. The second was an attempt to exterminate what they saw as a “Demon” (Fluffy). Correct me if I’m wrong, but they never actually acted openly except for those two times.
Part of PACT stole it. I feel like there were multiple companies involved. All of PACT? Almost certainly not. Major corporate alliances and joint ventures don’t work like that.
Most likely, it was the major players in PACT, or a subset thereof. Organizations that could make PACT do things, rather than organizations that simply operate at the behest of the rest of PACT.
>Another interesting note is that Kally does know that Peter had the data all along and is choosing not to correct Nathan here.<
Indeed! When she told Arron that she would stay on Palindra because of Kor's world presence, it did not sound to me like resigning. And I can't imagine that Peter expects her to keep secrets from Arron for whom she is technically still working. So what is the nature of the professional relationship between Nathan and Arron? Could there be a reason to not tell Nathan? Or is it just that these people so much prefer figuring things out themselves instead of just being told?
Does Kally know that Peter had it “all along”? Or just that he had it for a while?
I think she would want to know more specifics before she made any kind of report on it. She’d almost certainly want to make such a report somewhere away from Peter. Not that it necessarily matters, given how enmeshed Query was and Mium is in Central’s systems.
Why would she want to make the report away from him? Besides all she has are suspicions.
You’re also forgetting that Peter is planning to publicly reveal state secrets regarding interdimentional travel. That scene with the “bad Peter” was hilarious and shows that she is perfectly aware that Peter will tell her certain things with the expectation that it will be reported.
Because I don’t think she’s that comfortable in that role yet. I mean, *eventually*, she’ll be laying in bed with him after… exercising together, get a call from Arron, take it, and report on all of the dirt she got on him during the high point of their exercise… and find that it helps him rise to the next occasion. At least, according to this slash fic I haven’t quite finished up yet. But that’s years from now comic time, after all of this is long behind them.
I worry about Tom, mostly.
Nathan isn’t in significant danger (and if Kor’s World come after the data again, well, Fluffy has PLANS for the next one he meets.)
Tom however is a comparatively breakable minion.
I wonder if Tom could hide the Bridgepoint data the same way Peter did, given that he can also use Ellipses, but this brings up the fact that all three users of Ellipses (Tom and Arron known, Peter suspected) use it somewhat differently.
Arron appears as someone who is supposed to be there.
Tom seems to take it to the extreme of being entirely unnoticeable/invisible. When he was following Naomi in the park, he seemed more or less invisible (though possibly just unnoticeable) but did not seem to be replaced by another person.
Peter seems to be able to do the unnoticeable trick to some extent, but it is never explicit, just that people seem to lose track of him. However, it is also implied that he is using it to make his illusions unnoticeably different from reality, which is a very different application of it.
It is not clear if they could all use it the same way the other people are using it, or if they all have somewhat different specializations.
Either way, Tom is probably fine as long as he does not stand within the explosion distance of Nathan. The only real counter to Ellipses that we have seen is brute force combined with the knowledge that the person is there (Naomi using her mana to just find irregularities and Mium due to his decentralized nature and perception of reality being able to discard erroneous visual input).
It is possible that THAT is inherent to Ellipses – after all, if the essence of Ellipses is to misdirect attention such that the observer dismisses the subject of Ellipses as being expected and normal, how do you successfully teach it?
To be fair, he really does do a good job of being bait and has a better chance at surviving it than almost anyone else. . . .
In fact, I feel moderately confident that Fifth of Ervon more or less translates to “Evron’s lighting rod.”
Plaything of Providence/fate/Dregarnuhr/Evron…
It appears that Nathan has some precognitive ability that allows him to know when to jump out of planes in mid-Air, as well as where he should be and where he should not be.
Love the casual/late greetings between the siblings.
9th panel “safe AS soon as possible”.
Panel 5: Nathan appears to have 5 fingers and a thumb while he is holding the Bridgepoint data.. His thumb should/would be on the back side of the Bridgepoint device but 5 digits are visible.
Peter always has plans within plans. He has excellent tech capabilities. I wonder if he made a copy or copies of the Bridgepoint data.
BTW, the lines on the device visible in panel one might be Kor’s world glyphs for “Bridgepoint data. Top Secret. Do not copy.” (grin)
Is being polydactyl a crime? Maybe Nathan finds it useful.
He’s carrying another copy on his person, and Mium has one also. But we’ll probably never find out about either of those copies.
My comment wasn’t mean to imply the extra digit is a crime. In panel two, Nathan has only four fingers. Perhaps the Bridgepoint data device has mutated him. (grin)
Polydactyly is not a crime here in USA but who knows elsewhere. In some countries persons with extra digits/limbs are worshipped.
Jim, I think the “fifth” finger is Nathan’s palm. If you hold your fist up to a mirror you will see some palm vertically beneath your pinky. Between the pinky and wrist.
Either that, or that was a very uncomfortable glove that Nathan took off between panels 2 and 5.
Wow, someone who can make a pass at keeping up with Peter.
Except that’s not how Nathan does it.
What Peter finds about Nathan is that Nathan just shows up places when he’s looking for Peter and Peter doesn’t want to be found. Peter’s fairly certain that Nathan didn’t know where he was in at least half of these cases.
What Nathan finds annoying about Peter is when providence leads him to Peter, Peter is not only not where he had expected Peter to be, but he’s somewhere Nathan was pretty certain he wouldn’t be, or possibly even couldn’t be.
i love this comic
I don’t know what I was expecting in the next comic, but this is way better than whatever I would’ve been expecting 😀 “He’ll even figure out that he should start running soon.” hahaha epic 🙂