History Characters / GunnerkriggCourt

* [[Characters/GunnerkriggCourtParentsAndCourtStaff Parents and Court Staff]]: [[labelnote:Click to Expand]] Surma Carver (née Stibnite), Anthony Carver, Donald and Anja Donlan, Sir James Eglamore , Dr. Randy Disaster, Jones, Headmaster Jonathan Llanwellyn, Juliette, Bob and Marcia, Lindsey & Bud, Bugsy [[/labelnote]]

* [[Characters/GunnerkriggCourtOtherStudents Other Students]]: [[labelnote:Click to Expand]] William Winsbury, Janet Llanwellyn, Paz Cadena-Blanco, Zimmy and Gamma, Red and Blue, Alistair Kershaw, Andrew Smith, Parley, Jack Hyland, Lily Cooke and January, Jenny[[/labelnote]]

* [[Characters/GunnerkriggCourtAnniesInnerCircle Annie’s Inner Circle]]: [[labelnote:Click to Expand]] Shadow2, S13/"Robot", Mort, Reynardine/Renard[[/labelnote]]

* [[Characters/GunnerkriggCourtParentsAndCourtStaff Parents and Court Staff]]: [[labelnote:Click to Expand]] Surma Carver (née Stibnite), Anthony Carver, Donald and Anja Donlan, Sir James Eglamore , Dr. Randy Disaster, Jones, Headmaster Jonathan Llanwellyn, Juliette, Bob and Marcia, Lindsey & Bud [[/labelnote]]

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''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' is an ongoing story with a JigsawPuzzlePlot, so expect this page to be revised continuously as more information is revealed.

[[foldercontrol]]

!Primary Characters

[[folder:Antimony "Annie" Carver]]
[[quoteright:171:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Miss_Carver_If_You_Will_1869.png]]

The protagonist and {{narrator}} of the story.

Annie's childhood was quite unusual. Most of it was spent in Good Hope hospital, where her mother was bedridden and her father worked as a surgeon. When she wasn't being taught by her mum, Annie would spend hours [[SnoopingLittleKid exploring the hospital]] or [[CheerfulChild cheerfully conversing]] with the Guides who walked the halls, [[InvisibleToNormals unseen by the hospital staff]]. [[WiseBeyondTheirYears At a young age]], she [[ChronicHeroSyndrome proved herself]] very good at mediating the Guides' disputes and helping [[OurGhostsAreDifferent lost souls]] come to term with their death.

She enrolls at Gunnerkrigg [[NewTransferStudent halfway through the school year]], and begins as an unflappable EmotionlessGirl, reacting to Shadow-people, Minotaurs, and ghosts with a preternatural calmness bordering on indifference. In fact, when Annie first mentions her mother's death to her friend Kat, she's less visibly shaken-up than Kat is. It takes a bout of [[IntoxicationEnsues cherry-induced tipsiness]] under TheWorldTree to crack Annie's facade: [[NotSoStoic she breaks down crying]] and admits to Kat how much she misses her mum. This, and Kat's consolation, cements the two girls' friendship. Since then, Annie has [[CharacterDevelopment grown]] [[DefrostingIceQueen more cheerful and open about her feelings and her past]].

The aforementioned upbringings had several important effects on her. First, this is the reason why she [[NoSocialSkills initially has such difficulty interacting with others]] (in fact, she only meets Kat when Kat takes the initiative of introducing herself.)

Second, the combination of Annie's childhood solitude, her everyday experience of things [[{{Muggles}} the hospital staff]] couldn't see, and The Guides' failure to help her at one crucial moment, all seem to have led her to the belief that AdultsAreUseless and a life of self-reliance. This is most likely the reason why she's so reluctant to seek or accept help from her teachers. The consequences of this are [[DeconstructedTrope nearly disastrous]].

Third, Annie's childhood familiarity with ghosts and Etheric beings insures that [[SeenItAll very little]] of [[ExtranormalInstitute the Court's]] supernatural weirdness fazes her.

Good thing, too. As it turns out, Annie possesses "a special Empathy with etheric beings". In other words, she's a MagneticMedium, which is a [[ISeeDeadPeople Spirit Medium]] who is also a literal WeirdnessMagnet. This extra-normal ability makes her a promising candidate for the position of the Court's Medium -- the mediator between The Court and [[MagicalLand Gillitie Wood]].

Her interactions with those members of the Court outside her circle of friends are complicated. She's respectful towards the teachers, even when she disagrees with them, but she doesn't hesitate to disobey them if she thinks it necessary. She also seems to dislike and distrust Mr. Eglamore, far in excess of anything he's done. For their part, her parents' old friends like Annie, partly because she reminds them of her mother, both in actions and [[StrongFamilyResemblance appearance]]. Aside from Kat, Annie's interactions with her classmates are limited, so these classmates tend to [[LonersAreFreaks view her]] as an [[IceQueen aloof]] [[CreepyChild weirdo]].

Over the first two years she seems to fall into neutrality, not by choice, but by virtue of being young and confused. She'll steal from her best friend's parents, and then she'll put herself in danger to help another friend, within the course of a single day. She'll copy answers from Kat, but also trust her with her most intimate secrets. She'll bear misfortune or mockery with a stiff upper lip, but lash out with surprising cruelty at someone who successfully pushes her BerserkButton. Her moral compass has yet to stabilize.

By the time of the third year, after six weeks spent in Gillitie Forest, and her growing contempt, most of her previous characterization changed.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AdultsAreUseless: Prior to the comic's start, and until Chapter 31, she merely didn't seek out adult assistance. From Chapter 32 onwards, she also completely ignored punishments. At least until she messed up badly [[spoiler:with Jack's possession]] because of this and Jones demonstratively let Antimony try and finish the case on her own to solidify this lesson. It doesn't help that about the only available adult Annie does [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=719 trust]] in regards of ''both'' competence and [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=977 intentions]] is Jones herself.
* {{Ambadassador}}: She was in training to become the Court's Medium. After [[spoiler:her rejection]], [[spoiler: Coyote]] announces he'd like Annie to be [[spoiler:the Forest medium, replacing Ysengrin]].
* AudienceWhatAudience: Has this reaction when [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1067 Coyote apparently narrates the strip]].
-->'''Coyote:''' And so Fire Head Girl told Coyote lovely stories about how amazing he is. But what was this dark secret he promised to tell her? Now we shall find out...\\
'''Antimony:''' Who are you even talking to?\\
'''Coyote:''' HAHAHA!
* BeneathTheMask: In "Divine" Annie's dream has Jones bringing her a blank, [[StepfordSmiler calm-looking mask]]; in "Annie in the Forest" Jones actually brings her her makeup -- despite the fact that the elves she's staying with don't use makeup and actually mock her for wearing "funny face paints". In the dream Annie puts the mask on when she realizes Kamlen just wants to be friends and only takes off the mask around Kat and when Zimmy starts needling her about her father; even Annie's fire-elemental "part" clutches weakly at the mask. When she wakes up she promptly puts her makeup on and states her father can't possibly be doing anything suspicious despite the fact that he was the cause (either actually or "just" emotionally) of her falling unconscious in the first place. At the end of Chapter 47, as Kat praises her toughness and self-control, her (lack of) expression resembles this mask, complete with closed eyes... and then she stumbles forward into Kat's arms and lets it all out.
* BerserkButton:
** Don't speak ill of her parents.
** Don't try to "lay a claim" on people either, especially if you can't or won't, like the spirit guides did (or didn't) with [[spoiler:Annie's mom]].
** Don't hurt Kat in her presence. Winsbury learnt this the hard way.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: As [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=106 Eglamore]], [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=523 Mort]], and [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=801 Renard]] found out, in rare cases when she's really angry, it's not nice in the "[[DissonantSerenity coldly furious]], [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown no rules]], [[AchillesHeel hit-'em-where-it-hurts]], [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech twisting the knife]]" levels. Earlier friendliness doesn't hold her back ''at all'', or even gives her more pain to return. This habit began to [[LooseLips endanger third parties]], even without her using her powers.
%% * RedOniBlueOni: Blue originally, red after her CharacterDevelopment. Though given how she interacted with Jack, one may suspect that she is only open around Kat and still a bit icy to most.
* BodyMotifs: She rarely appears in public without wearing eye-shadow.
* BondOneLiner: When forced by her classmates to give one after defeating the Enigmarons, it turns out she's not very good at them.
* BullyHunter: She performs a rather elegant throw on Winsbury when he's bullying Kat.
* CannotKeepASecret: In Chapter 31, Annie is told to keep the fact that [[spoiler:Surma tricked Renard into coming to the court by pretending she loved him]] a secret. She tells this to him within seconds after she next sees him. Not even by accident, but because they're fighting and she figures out that this will be a bad enough revelation to shut him up.\\
\\
Coyote seems to be fully aware of this tendency. When Annie chose to stay in the forest over the summer, he [[spoiler:placed a binding on her wrist that would slice off her hand if she told anyone in the Wood about the Tooth he gave her]]. Once she returned to the Court, it disappeared.
* ChasteHero: She has no romantic experience and her extremely reserved personality makes it very difficult for her to respond to anyone's interest. Given the revelations of Chapter 31, this may be extremely fortunate for her.
* CheerfulChild: When young.
-->'''Tom:''' This is back when Annie still knew how to act like a kid.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Since roughly ''age six''. She'll go far out of her way and ignore any boundary or consequence to help anyone in serious trouble, no matter who, whether or not they want her to.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: There are times where Annie seems to operate on a completely different frequency from her classmates. This may be due to her lack of social skills from being raised in hospital most of her early life. [[spoiler:It may also have to do with her status as a fire elemental descendant, and her interactions with Coyote]]. Either way Annie is not exactly normal.
* CreepyChild: She's perceived as such by her classmates.
* DeadpanSnarker: Emphasis on the [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=577 deadpan]]. She isn't yet very good with one-liners.
* {{Delinquent}}: Her AdultsAreUseless attitude has evolved into outright contempt for authority. She was already reluctant to entrust adults with her problems, and despite this getting her into innumerable problems, from third year onwards, she started to ignore school punishments. Both Eglamore and Jones have called her out on this attitude.
* DisappearedDad: After her mother's death, her dad went off to do... something.
* DissonantSerenity: She tend to be smooth, calm and dismissive while in [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=106 quiet rage]] or [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1003 struggling]] to hold back a thermal lance. At least, until the explosion.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: She just prefers to get her feet dirty from time to time.
* DoNotTauntCthulhu: She has no qualms about striking Coyote when she thinks he's out of line, to which he reacts with amusement (the first time) and rage (the second) [[spoiler:which turns out to be him putting on a show and not mad at all]]. Jones sees this as quite remarkable.
* EarthyBarefootCharacter: In Chapter 39, right after she's finished crossing the bridge to Gillitie Wood, she decides to kick off her shoes, abandons them, and runs into the woods barefoot.
* EmotionalRegression: What [[spoiler: her father's]] JerkAss, stern behavior accomplishes - throughout their conversation, Antimony begins to [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1489 rapidly revert]] from a strong young woman to an obedient child. [[spoiler: By the time [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1499 Kat catches up to her, Annie even looks]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=122 like she did when Surma was still alive.]]]]
* EmotionlessGirl[=/=]DefrostingIceQueen[=/=]SugarAndIcePersonality: [[NotSoStoic She turns the stoicness down]] when there aren't any people around. With Kat's help, she has also become more open about her feelings, but she's still remarkably calm in the face of the Court's supernatural weirdness. When her father calls, though, she becomes a TinMan, convinced that she is calm until Mr. Donlan points out [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1004 she should give her hands a rest]].
* ExhaustedEyeBags: Sports some in Chapter 51 [[spoiler:after the numerous bombshells her father dropped on her throughout the chapter, including that she would have to stop being Forest Medium, move out of the dorms, repeat Year 9 due to her cheating habit, and give up control of Reynard to him.]]
* FacialMarkings / MarkedChange: Has two that only show up under certain circumstances: [[spoiler:Jeanne's sword cut]], which appears when she's in the ether, and a line down her face when she shows [[spoiler:her fire-elemental form]]. She also has a little "[[ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} Mignola]]-esque" "fire-spike" crown that appears near her head whenever she [[spoiler:unleashes her fire powers]].
* FireOfComfort: Just about any Etheric creature needs only a little excuse to seek her company. Coyote said [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=487 Surma was just as popular]]. She later [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=871 implied]] that [[spoiler:Fire Elementals]] have the same reputation. More directly, when she demonstrated her [[WreathedInFlames phoenix-like form]] to Foley House kids, they enjoyed pretty fires very much.
* FlamingHair: In a few {{Art Shift}}ed pieces. She does this for real (using her blinker stone) when [[spoiler:she accepts the job as the Forest's Medium]].
--->'''Kat:''' Whoa, you set your hair on fire?!\\
'''Annie:''' I thought it might look impressive...
* GoingNative: When Annie is [[spoiler:rejected as Court Medium]] (presumably because of this trope) she is chosen by [[spoiler:Coyote]] as [[spoiler:representative of the Forest]].
* HeroicBSOD: In Chapter 31, upon discovering [[spoiler:the true cause of her mother's death]] and the fact that [[LockedOutOfTheLoop darn near everyone]] has been hiding it from her.
* HotWings: She only needed to learn how to [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=986 spread them]], [[PowerGivesYouWings raising]] on the new height of fiery awesomeness.
* IceQueen: Jack accuses her of being one.
* InteractingWithShadow: The first page of the comic ends with Annie explaining that she obtained a second shadow. Subsequent pages have her manage to establish communication with it. Over the time, Shadow became a character of his own.
* ISeeDeadPeople: Annie, as a child, helped the Guides usher souls into the afterworld.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Her point blank refusal to trust the adults she regularly interacts with is not completely unreasonable when it comes to the Court, which is bogged down in so much secrecy and [[AwfulTruth awful truthes]] that even the senior members of it don't always know what is going on. Granted she had the attitude before finding out about these things in depth but continually witnessing how various members of the Court have proven at best incompetent and at worst exploitative towards the troubles that occur hasn't done much to dissuade her beliefs, a prime example of this being the headmaster choosing by himself to appoint someone else to the position of the Court's medium despite other members having actively pushed for her to take the role.
** Her dislike for Eglamore falls into this a bit as well. The man is honestly one of the few adults that is willing to help her unconditional help with things but it is also obvious that he does so mostly because she is Surma's daughter.
* JerkassWithAHeartOfGold: While Annie is nice to Kat, she can be an absolute ''bitch'' to people if they get on her bad side. She could either [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=801 go straight for the throat]] or be [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=458 creepy as hell]]. (last panel) This is often exacerbated by her lack of social skills.
* KidWithTheLeash: Towards Reynardine, to the extent of [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=general&thread=361&post=11336 leaving instructions to not mess up when she's absent]]. If Annie dies, [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=general&thread=361&post=11892 the ownership passes on to someone else she decides]]. Kat and Jones (the latter during [[spoiler:Annie's time in Gillitie Forest]]) also took care of him for her at times.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Her constant cheating and copying of Kat's homework comes back to bite her when [[spoiler: her father becomes a teacher at the Court; while the rest of the Court seems to have been willing to overlook her behavior, he is ''not,'' and plans to have her repeat Year 9, probably separating her from her friends.]]
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Concerning just about '''[[ParanoiaFuel EVERYTHING]]'''. Including her very nature and the issues of [[MatterOfLifeAndDeath life-and-death importance]] to her. After all, it would be ''awkward''.
* LooseLips: She never thinks about consequences when angry. Since the relations between the Court and the Wood is one big old minefield, this endangers not just herself. Trickster gods generally don't hold back much, so Annie was given a lesson of silence [[ExplosiveLeash the hard way]].
* MagicAIsMagicA: Her ownership of Reynardine gets nullified [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=general&thread=361&post=11349 if Annie orders him to take a new body which isn't controlled by her]] or [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=general&thread=361&post=11361 if Annie steals a body for him to take, which isn't of her own property]].
* MagicPants: Her clothes don't get burned at all when she's using that spirit fire thingamabobber. The flame isn't just imagery either, it's hot enough to burn.
** Might be justified, as on [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=410page this]] page Reynardine claims her Blinker Stone's fire only burns what she wants it to burn. Since the power of both appears to originate from the ether, her elemental fire may work similarly.
* MagneticMedium: She is actually described by Mort (a ghost) as "attractive... like a magnet", and not just with ghosts: psychopomps and various other "etheric" creatures think she's pretty neat too.
* MeaningfulName:
** Antimony was known as [[spoiler:"a killer of doctors' wives" - it's a convenient poison]] and was also used as a reusable laxative which [[spoiler:was passed from parent to child]].
** Also, Antimony was historically used for cosmetics (Antimony has almost always been shown wearing makeup) and a flame retardant. It's also in the same period as [[spoiler:Bismuth]], being directly above it, and thus has similar properties to it.
** In alchemy, Antimony is known as the Gray Wolf (Reynardine's current form is a white wolf... close enough) and is the penultimate step in making a Philosopher's Stone.
* MemeticBadass: In-universe. She's become this to the denizens of the forest, with her exploits being incredibly exaggerated. Helped Red and the blue fairy become friends again? She settled a dispute between two warring moons that had been fighting since the beginning of time. Stayed with a family of elves for the summer and had a very minor ShipTease with their son? She trained with their greatest warriors for a hundred years, learning their secrets and breaking their prince's heart by rejecting his love [[StarCrossedLovers out of duty to the forest]]. Lampshaded in TheStinger [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1381 for Chapter 48]]. She mentions she slapped Coyote's rump once.
--> '''Tom''': She beat up Coyote single-handed?!
* MindOverMatter: Coyote taught Annie to pluck flowers and suchlike. We saw her pushing a boat and opening a door from the other side. And then Zimmy [[spoiler:insulted Anthony to stir Annie awake]] and got [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom hurled across the room]] for her trouble.
* MomentKiller: While Smitty and Parley are finally being sweet with each other, her focus on needing to gather more information about Jeanne ends up butting into that, to the annoyance of everyone. Possibly intentional, since she referred to their antics as "[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=641 unbearable]]" before that.
* NewTransferStudent: At the very start of the story, showing up halfway into the school year.
* NiceHat: She gets an awesome baseball cap with the bismuth symbol on it when she pulls off her BatmanGambit to let the kids take over Bob and Marcia's house.
* NoSocialSkills:
** Initially, her interactions with the other kids are lacking a certain something due to her isolated upbringing. When she had to interact with people, keen instincts usually compensated for this.
** This is a weird one. Kat and Annie are genuine friends, but due to Annie's, er, let's say ''unique'' upbringing, she could copy off of Kat's homework without her permission without a shred of guilt, but a passing comment about her father triggers her BerserkButton. Her EmotionlessGirl status does not help at all.
* NostalgicNarrator: Annie's narration is being delivered from at least two years after the fact.
* NotSoStoic: Annie's defense mechanism for emotionally stressful situations is to freeze up emotionally and put on a stoic mask. Some examples:
** Chapter 6, under the influence of special cherries.
** Chapter 19, page 27. [[LampshadeHanging "Is that some kind of face, Carver?"]]
** Chapter 31, where she explodes on one page and breaks down sobbing the next. In this case there were too many stresses in too short a time that the mask broke and she suffered a breakdown.
** The beginning of Chapter 37 shows her trying to hold on to the pieces of the mask even as it's coming apart in her hands. The rest of the chapter suggests that she takes after her father in this, very much so.
** Chapter 38 makes this mask literal (in a figurative way).
** In Chapter 47, Kat comments on Annie's calm and composure after [[spoiler: she takes Mort into the ether]], only for Annie to promptly break down into her friend's arms.
** Comes up again in Chapter 51, after [[spoiler:Kat chews her out for abandoning Renard to her father]]; Annie begins to FreakOut, but barely manages to get a hold of herself at the last minute, explicitly saying that it's taking "all of [her] energy not to break down like a complete fool".
* {{Omniglot}}: She gained knowledge of many languages from her conversations with the psychopomps of numerous cultures.
* OrphansOrdeal: Annie's mum is dead and [[spoiler:her dad is nowhere to be seen until chapter 51]].
* PlayingHardToGet: The REAL reason for her behavior towards [[spoiler:Jack]] in "Faraway Morning". She was told about that technique in "Annie in the Forest Part Two" -- and also that it wouldn't work if the target already liked someone else. There's also the fact that playing-hard-to-get probably doesn't include [[spoiler:straight-up telling the "prey" you don't like them]].
* PlayingWithFire: When Rey and Coyote described Annie as having a fire inside her, it wasn't a bad attempt at being poetic -- ''[[LiteralMetaphor they really meant that]].'' It's a [[ElementalEmbodiment part of her nature]]. Once a [[AmplifierArtifact Blinker stone]] let this off the leash in a reasonably safe way, she became quite imaginative in finding applications for magical pyrotechnics.
* PowerNullifier: Has a similar effect on Zimmy that Gamma does, though Annie is much less effective at it.
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: She'd been given a free pass for [[spoiler: cheating off of Kat for her entire educational career]], and only Renard, who is soundly ignored, and [[spoiler: her father]], who is a colossal ass, say two words about it.
* PsychoactivePowers: Her ability to manipulate fire seems to be tied to her inner passion.
* {{Psychopomp}}: [[spoiler: For her mother and Mort.]]
* RageBreakingPoint: Happens to her twice.
* RedHeadedHero / FieryRedHead: ''Literally.'' Tom even says that [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=general&thread=361&post=11772 it isn't a common hair color]].
* SeenItAll: In regards to the afterlife.
* TheShadowKnows: In a twist on the usual effect: it reveals to her that she is in a strange location, not her strangeness to others.
* ShipTease: With [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship Kat]] and {{zig zagged| trope}} with [[spoiler:Jack]].
* SnoopingLittleKid: A little girl with some lockpicks in her teddy bear.
* SociallyAwkwardHero: Dealing with the supernatural? Easy. [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=610 Her classmates, on the other hand...]]
* SpockSpeak: A mild case. [[spoiler: [[IncrediblyLamePun Appears to have been left behind in the Woods]]]].
* TheStoic: [[CharacterDevelopment At first, and to a lesser extent, still]].
* StrongFamilyResemblance: She has straight hair. Her mum had curly hair. That is the ''only'' difference in their appearances. [[spoiler:Absorbing her mother's life-force]] might have something to do with that (Annie so strongly resembles her mother that both Reynard and Coyote initially think that she ''is'' Surma). Personality-wise she's a double for [[TheSpock her father]], right down to [[spoiler:clenching her fists tightly when upset or nervous]], although it's implied she was more open and carefree before her mother's death.
* SurvivorGuilt:
** The revelation that [[spoiler:her existence is the direct cause of her mom's death]] is clearly the emotional equivalent of a nuclear bomb.
** It also happened in ''Chapter 47: See ya!'' after [[spoiler:releasing Mort into the ether]].
* TomatoInTheMirror: Happens in [[WhamEpisode Chapter 31]] when Coyote informs her of [[spoiler:her fire elemental heritage]].
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The girly girl to Kat's tomboy. In fact, one of the alchemical symbols for the element antimony (though not used in-comic) is just like the female symbol (aka the astrological symbol for Venus), inverted.
* TranquilFury: Though sometimes she gets explosively angry and emotional, when push comes to shove, and she gets ''pissed'', there's no screaming, no berserk aggression, just [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1257 rage]] and [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1258 fire.]]
* TraumaticHaircut: After [[spoiler: her father comes back into her life and orders her to give up being the Forest Medium, move out of the dorms, repeat Year 9 due to her cheating habit, and give up control of Reynardine to him.]]
* UnevenHybrid: She's distantly descended from [[spoiler:a fire elemental]].
* UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: At first Annie seemed indifferent to Jack's attempt to flirt with her in Chapter 31. Then, by the end of Chapter 34, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=942 things change]].
* WeirdnessMagnet: Annie's curiosity and desire to help constantly puts her in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's implied to be a typical property of a natural medium.
-->'''The Headmaster:''' Tell me, do you find strange things seem to happen around you?
* WoundThatWillNotHeal: Got it from Jeanne after falling into the ravine. Present for the ethereal vision and serves as the main indicator of this -- at least, normally.
* WreathedInFlames: She learned the [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=410 trick]] with [[FauxFlame torch-hand]] when she experimented with Blinker stone. Much more so in her winged etheric form -- she produces great flames merged with herself. The pinnacle example being, perhaps, [[spoiler:her fire elemental form]], seen in pages [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/index.php?p=1258 1258]] and [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1259 1259]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Katerina Maria "Kat" Donlan]]
[[quoteright:150:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kat.jpg]]

Annie's best friend. She's energetic, outgoing, and usually cheerful. She's a natural at maths and science, and a GadgeteerGenius capable of building anti-gravity generators and robots in her spare time.

Kat's friendship with Annie is a major source of CharacterDevelopment for both of them. Like Annie, she has a natural inclination to help those in need.

Compared with Annie, she's lived a sheltered life. However, when tragedy does befall her, she is able to keep her head: When Annie falls off the bridge (to her apparent death), Kat pulls herself together to build a hovercraft and [[BigDamnHeroes go rescue her]]. When her boyfriend [[StarCrossedLovers leaves forever]], instead of being angry or self-pitying, she chooses to be thankful for the time she had with him.

Kat was shaken by the revelation that the Court's founders have blood on their hands, but she managed to pull through this.

Also, unlike Annie, Kat is well-versed in pop-culture and geek-culture, and is a [[OtakuSurrogate big fan]] of video games, comic books, and dance music.

Kat seems to have few friends in the Court, which is odd in light of her personality. Apparently, prior to meeting Annie, she'd been [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer ostracized by the other students]] because both her parents are teachers, and because of the ease with which she gets high grades. Because of this, Annie worries that her own unpopularity is one of the reasons Kat does not have many friends.

She's somewhere between an {{Arbitrary Skeptic|ism}} and a [[FlatEarthAtheist Flat Earth Metaphysical Naturalist]] -- she has no difficulty accepting the existence of supernatural beings like fairies, psychopomps, ghosts, or the Minotaur, yet she's dumbstruck by the thought of [[{{Magitek}} a robot running without a visible power source]], and when asked if she believes in magic, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=515 she replies]], “Of course not!” In her mind, magic is just a term for something science hasn't explained... ''yet''.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* ADayInTheLimelight: ''Chapter 29: A Bad Start'' and ''Chapter 45: Threads''. To some extent, this is also true for ''Chapter 13: A Week For Kat'' and ''Chapter 25: Sky Watcher And The Angel''.
* ArbitrarySkepticism: In spite of magic being so well-documented that it's alternately referred to as the "etheric sciences", and her own parents specializing in its research, Kat is unwilling to take it seriously, and often hates even acknowledging it entirely.
* BerserkButton: Insult Annie and she will chew you out, and maybe kick you out of wherever you are--even if you're a GrimReaper. Even if you're a GrimReaper affiliate and she's kicking you out of your ''own office''.
* BiTheWay: Was pretty into Alistair, and after a long arc full of {{Gayngst}}, also finally seems pretty cool with going out with [[spoiler:Paz]]. As of ''Chapter 45: Thread'', they're [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1274 officially "not just friends"]].
* BigSisterInstinct: Punched more or less a [[{{Psychopomp}} Grim Reaper]] for making Annie sad. Clearly wants to do the same for Anthony, if she ever catches him.
* BrainyBrunette: She has black or nearly black hair like her mom, and has amazing skills with robotics.
* CatSmile: A slight one in older panels; it eventually disappears in later panels.
* ClosetKey: [[spoiler:For Paz]].
* CoordinatedClothes: [[spoiler: Wears a naval dress outfit (minus jacket) to compliment Paz's nautical-themed dress to the "Ocean-style Dance" in Chapter 49.]]
%% * CrushBlush: More than once.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Been shaping up to be one for some time: her robot angel storyline has received nearly as much attention as Annie's travails.
* EldritchAbomination: Her [[spoiler:etheric form]], first seen in [[MindScrew Zimmy's vision]].
* FanGirl / OtakuSurrogate: Obsessed with robots, dance music (especially Orbital and The Prodigy), video games, comic books, and ''Series/TheXFiles''... it's nearly impossible to predict who or what may elicit the next "{{Squee}}!". The last time, it was a clawed robot praying mantis' turn to be [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=636 cuddled on sight]].
* FlatEarthAtheist: Despite magic being somewhat common, so much as to even having a branch of science dedicated to it, Kat insists that all "magic" is really just [[MagicfromTechnology ill-understood technology]].
* GadgeteerGenius: To the point that the Court's robots hold her in near-religious awe (and for at least one, it's not "near-" at all).
* {{Gayngst}}:
** In ''Chapter 34: Faraway Morning'', she gets MistakenForGay by Paz, and thinks it's because she's such a tomboy, leading to a long story arc when she tries to dress more feminine. She feels absolutely terrible about the whole thing, but never properly addresses it until Zimmy and Gamma confront her in ''Chapter 38: Divine'' (and even then it's largely unspoken). Eventually, in ''Chapter 42: Catalyst'', [[spoiler:Paz reveals that she's got feelings for Kat]], Kat realises that she's fine with it, and they start going out together just to see where things lead.
** In ''Chapter 45: Thread'', Kat worries that she's confused friendship for love [[spoiler:with Paz]], and whether Annie would still accept her [[spoiler:after runs away after she caught them kissing. Annie does, because Kat joked she'd be willing to date a hot girl; Annie's problem is that she's worried Kat would abandon her, which Kat assures her she will never ever do]].
* GlamourFailure: She sees everything in the Realm of the Dead as a cheap haunted house with paper bats hanging from strings and [=VCRs=]. Annie and Mort are flabbergasted by her insistence that they keep going around into one room and that it's the same weird guy standing in the corner. (We later see what it looks like to the others--the VCR is some kind of [[EldritchAbomination eyeball thing with too many claw feet]].)
* GodNeedsPrayersBadly: It's implied that the [[RobotReligion robots' belief]] in her as [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=898 an angel]] may be [[spoiler: turning her into [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1146 a]] [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1305 god]], something we may have already caught a glimpse of through [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1049 Zimmy's perspective.]]]]
* HeadPet: Played with. [[spoiler:When one of Zimmy's illusions is in play, a pigeon is visible on her head, echoing her thoughts]].
* HotForTeacher: Had a mild crush on Eglamore for awhile.
--> '''Kat''': "[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=86 It's not everyday you find out your games teacher is some kinda big, handsome, dragon slayer guy!]]"
%% * LivingEmotionalCrutch: For Annie.
* LoveRevelationEpiphany: Struggles with her sexuality for a while until [[spoiler:Paz sends her a love letter, which is when Kat realizes she's fine with it and agrees to go out with Paz]].
%% * LuminescentBlush
* MagneticHero: For robots. From S13 to Sky Watcher, they tend to view her as an "angel" from the first meeting on, or at least be very friendly and helpful. The contrast between her own enthusiasm and [[JustAMachine the Court's general policy]] doesn't hurt, of course.
* MisappliedPhlebotinum: Kat invented anti-gravity for the sole purpose of containing a simple science project concerning the growth rate of protein crystals and is annoyed when the judges pay more attention to it instead of her project.
* MistakenForGay: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=923 By Paz]]. Unlike most other examples of this trope being used for comedy, this serves the purpose of setting up a sub-plot of Kat becoming unconfident with her sexuality, later attempting to present herself as more girly by wearing a [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics generic flower hairpin]] and Annie's clothes. According to Zimmy, rumors about her are circulating among the "rats," and other characters have commented as if she really ''was'' gay and it was just something that has always been. She's clearly more comfortable [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=968 with being herself]] when nobody is around in her own environment, without trying to present herself as girly. Eventually, [[spoiler: Paz directly confronts her, [[SubvertedTrope the two of them realize that they might really like each other as more than friends, and they agree to go out together]]]].
* MuggleBestFriend: Well, as mugglish as a gadgeteer genius can be. Inverted when it comes to robotics, where Antimony has ''no'' clue what's going on.
* NerdsLoveToughSchoolwork: "One does not 'get bored' in double physics!"
* OhCrap: In reaction to Annie's OhCrap when she realizes the giant crab is, indeed, real.
%% * RedOniBlueOni: Blue after her CharacterDevelopment, though still a GenkiGirl.
* ShipperOnDeck: For Parley/Andrew.
* StarCrossedLovers: With Alistair. This seems to have made her something of a bird enthusiast... or possible [[{{Fetish}} fetishist]].
* TechnoBabble: Can lapse into this on occasion. Lampshaded at one point, which is actually the image for the trope page.
--> '''Kat''': But what do you use to jargon jargon babble babble strange words?\\
'''Anja''': Haha, it took a while to perfect, but chatter chatter jargon computers technical wizardry babble jargon.
* {{Technopath}}: [[spoiler:When the rogue boat intelligence forces Zimmy to use her powers to create itself flesh, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1410 this]] happens. Sure would explain a lot.]]
* TeenGenius:
** In ''Chapter 5: Two Strange Girls'', she invented ''an antigravity device in her first year of high school.''[[note]]More correctly secondary school as this is a school in the UK which has a 2 stage system. For non UK readers Year 7 pupils are 12 or 13.[[/note]] Out of a thermos and coat hangers, no less. She got frustrated when people were too distracted by it to focus on the real point of her science project. Later, she used [[ChekhovsGun said device]] to create a hovercraft [[BigDamnHeroes in order to]] [[spoiler:rescue Annie]] at the end of ''Chapter 8: Broken Glass And Other Things''.
** In ''Chapter 33: Give And Take'', she resurrected an ancient robot by [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=886 reading the robots' programming language]] -- a language so complex it '''cannot''' be read by humans.
** In ''Chapter 41: Changes'' it's revealed she's "growing a robot" -- not quite artificial life (it's going to be Robot's next body) but close enough that the other Seraphs accept Robot calling her an Angel and give her "the mark of the Creator", which just so happens to be the light bulb-looking glyph she's associated with.
%% * TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Tomboy to Annie's [[spoiler:and Paz's]] GirlyGirl.
* WhatTheHellHero: She calls Annie out for [[spoiler: not only agreeing to transfer her ownership of Reynardine to her father, but also forbidding him to speak so he can't protest at this treatment.]]
--> "How ''could'' you? ''He's our friend!''"
* WrenchWench: The outfit she's most comfortable in seems to be a mechanic's boilersuit. Sometimes holds a literal wrench.
[[/folder]]

!Annie's Inner Circle

[[folder:Shadow2]]
[[quoteright:214:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Shadow_2_7179.jpg]]

A very young Glass-Eyed Man -- a LivingShadow -- from Gillitie Wood, and the first person at the Court to make Annie's acquaintance. He kicks off the plot of the comic by asking for Annie's help returning to his home, as the only way between the Court and the Woods is brightly lit to prevent Shadow-Men like himself from crossing. After a few months in the Woods, he meets Annie again, and jumps at the chance to go back to the Court with her.

It's explained in ''Chapter 35: Parley And Smitty Are In This One'' that he refused to hate the humans in the Court, which estranged him from his fellows in the forest and led to his family forcing him out.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AmbiguousGender: Mentioned early on. Because he learned how to speak by copying Annie, he sounded like her for some time, but eventually developed his own male identity [[spoiler: that he continues when he becomes three dimensional]]
* BizarreAlienBiology: The Glass-Eyed Men were originally human shaped, but since they've become living shadows, they don't seem to need food or other necessities. [[spoiler: Since becoming three-dimensional, Shadow has developed human needs, including eating without a mouth.]]
* CuddleBug: As part of being a living shadow, he hangs on people a lot. [[spoiler: Even after becoming three dimensional, he's shown clinging to Robot a lot.]]
* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite being made of living shadow, he's one of the nicest members of the cast.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Shadow apparently did not share the envy and hatred that the rest of his species had for humans, which is why he was forced out of his home after returning.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: "Shadow 2"; there are many Glass Eyed Men who resemble him, but it's not known if he even has a name.
* LivingShadow: Although Kat figures out that he's actually made of a very thin layer of matter. [[spoiler:Thanks to Coyote's Tooth, he has become....detached from his two-dimensional form and turned three dimensional]].
* OfficialCouple: After Chapter 35 when [[spoiler:Shadow becomes three dimensional]], Robot realizes he loves Shadow and they begin acting more like a couple in background shots. Chapter 41 even begins with [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1129 them cuddling]]. They're still ThoseTwoGuys however.
* TheQuietOne: The only moment he talks after he learns how to is in company of Robot, and even then, he doesn't speak much. Even when he does talk to other characters, it's mostly about Robot.
* SatelliteCharacter: He's mostly around to be one of Annie's friends and Robot's best friend / boyfriend, unlike how Robot is tied into the central plot about Jeanne as well as being a major player in Kat's story. Even since [[spoiler: becoming three dimensional and attending classes]], he hasn't been super involved in the story.
* TagalongKid: Despite presumably being older than Annie or Kat, he still ends up acting like this to them.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Robot.
* TokenHeroicOrc: Most Glass-Eyed Men hate humans because Coyote loves them more. However, Shadow 2 was trapped in the Court for several decades and grew up not hating them. When he finally returned home in an early chapter, he was ostracized because he didn't hate humans.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: He displayed the ability to change shape while stuck to a flat surface like a regular shadowman; he evidently retained that power [[spoiler:after being cut off the floor by [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Coyote's Tooth]]]], only with far more utility.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:S13 / "Robot"]]
[[quoteright:150:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Robot_3406.jpg]]

A Robot that Annie built from spare parts to escort Shadow2 into Gillitie. [[TheChewToy Life has not been kind to him since]]: His attempt to find [[ArtificialLimbs a replacement for his missing arm]] leads to him being [[DemonicPossession possessed by a Shadow]] and eventually losing ''everything'' except his CPU. He maintains [[{{Pollyanna}} a very bright outlook on life]] in spite of this, while waiting for Kat to build him a new body.

He [[ThankTheMaker regards Annie as his "mommy"]], and the thought of her coming to harm is the only thing that distresses him. He also greatly appreciates that Annie was the first person to offer him a free choice, even though the consequences of his choice were so disastrous.

At one point, his HeartDrive was placed in the body of the prototype robot S1, and [[NotHimself he acted very strangely]]; what came over him is not precisely explained, but it seems to have been out of his control.

Kat built a new body for him, so he can do some mad LeParkour.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: His true name is S13 (the "S" standing for "Seraph"). But everyone usually just calls him "Robot". Antimony manages to attract a stare when she mentions him by this name while talking to another robot.
* GossipyHens: [[spoiler:This is what his fellow seraph models dismantled him for. He has a bad tendency to spread disinformation and rumours. This is also how the seraphs manage to find him again when he is installed in a new body; he has been spreading rumours that Kat is an angel and been forming a RobotReligion]].
* LeParkour: In his temporary body. [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=634 Pretty impressive]].
* MeaningfulName: The "S" in his name stands for Seraph. Both the body Annie built for him and his original body (which Kat found in Chapter 18) had the shape of an angel.
* MessianicArchetype: The story actually chronicles his path from rejection by the other robots to eventual widespread acceptance. By the end of Chapter 41, even the extremely dogmatic Seraphs have been persuaded by him.
* TheMissionary:
** He saw an angel, guys...and is going to make this fact known to everything more advanced than a toaster in the whole Court, and remind them about Jeanne, of course.
** It's getting [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=898 kinda creepy]] (see Shadow 2's expression).
** Apparently he's been doing this before he met Annie, which is what got him dismantled in the first place.
** It's getting ''really'' creepy now. ''"[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1294 And the Angel looked down upon the corpse, a life taken by her own hand, and she said...it was worth it.]]"''
** It's gotten [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1450 even]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1451 creepier]].
* OfficialCouple: After Chapter 35 when [[spoiler:Shadow becomes three dimensional]], Robot realizes he loves Shadow and they begin acting more like a couple in background shots. Chapter 41 even begins with [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1129 them cuddling]]. They're still ThoseTwoGuys however.
* ParentalSubstitute: He calls Annie "Mommy" for a long time, since she put him back together in Chapter 1. She eventually gets him to stop, but he clearly still sees her that way.
* PoisonousFriend: In recent chapters has become willing to [[spoiler: endanger the lives of others in order to speed along Kat's work.]]
* ThePollyanna: His old body is a bag of paperclips now? "Well, it's good to be useful!"
* RedEyesTakeWarning: In his more advanced humanoid body, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=889 the normally-green lights turn red]] when he is attacking a threat with apparent intent to damage (as opposed to when he is [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=890 attacking with intent to restrain]], where his lights remain green).
* RobotReligion: Seems to have formed one around Kat.
--> "[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=898 Let it be known: in this tomb of ancients, the angel called forth the spirit of the dead. You see how easily she gave life, and how easily she took it away]]."
* ThirteenIsUnlucky: Other robots say that he tends to cause a lot of trouble and they have condemned him to serve as scrap at least twice. His name is fittingly S13.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Shadow 2.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: It seems that even a robot can pull out [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=890 a single leg Boston crab]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mort]]
[[quoteright:199:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MORT_832.png]]

A young ghost haunting Gunnerkrigg. In spite of being a ShapeShifting MasterOfIllusion, Mort is rather poor at his job of scaring people. His choosing to appear as a BedsheetGhost doesn't help. After Annie gives him a few pointers (#1: Be subtle, #2: No one likes [[MonsterClown clowns]]), he gets better.

He's infatuated with Annie, and he doesn't do a very good job of hiding it.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* ADeathInTheLimelight: He gets a lot of screentime in chapter 47 which finally reveals the circumstances surrounding his death. [[spoiler:It's the same chapter where his spirit willingly "dies" by departing into the ether.]]
* BedsheetGhost: His default form. Makes sense when you realize [[spoiler:he was a child when he died and that's how he thought ghosts looked]].
* BlitzEvacuees: Part of his backstory, when he was alive.
* CrushBlush: When Antimony thanks him for his gift, and later [[spoiler: when he reverts to his human form before going into the ether.]]
* GhostAmnesia / VictoryGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Mort starts to lose his memories as he goes into the ether; this apparently happens to everyone.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Annie:''' We will never forget you.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Mort:''' Thank you... [[{{Irony}} miss]].]]
* GoIntoTheLight: "The Realm of the Dead" chapter ends with him [[spoiler:being willing to go into the ether to make up for Annie not giving her mother a "final record" (basically one's last words after death).]]
* HeroicSacrifice / SenselessSacrifice: [[spoiler: He died trying to save Jones from a bombing raid.]]
* MasterOfIllusion: Though he isn't very good at it until Annie gives him some tips.
* MeaningfulName: "Mortis" meaning "death", and "Mort" itself also meaning "death", in French. His full name is Mortimer.
* MetaphoricMetamorphosis: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=156 Uh... Oh geez... <tombstone>]]
* MonsterClown: How he was able to scare Paz in Chapter 4.
* MysteriousPast: All that is known about his death is that he apparently died for his country. The hint about that is also a BilingualBonus. The tombstone often in the background of his scenes reads "Dolce et decorum [est pro patria mori]" [[note]]Sweet and fitting [it is to die for one's country][[/note]].
** As of March 2014, we get to have a look at [[spoiler:how he died. He was a kid around the 2nd world war and during an air raid on his town he ran off to rescue a certain stoic blonde woman walking AWAY from the shelter. It's actually Jones of course, in the middle of wishing to experience "the might of their bombs". She tries to shoo him away but then notices a bomb careening to the ground beside them and just before it lands tells him "it's already too late for you". He "wakes up" and is about to be "reaped" by Ankou when Jones intervenes. The ROTD shows up and agrees with Jones ("seniority" and you can't get much more senior than Jones), allowing Mort to stay on earth.]]
* ThinkNothingOfIt: When he gives Annie the blinker stone.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Of the illusionary variety.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Reynardine / Renard]]
[[quoteright:150:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reynardinerage.jpg]]

A [[CunningLikeAFox fox]]-[[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]] under Antimony's thrall. He's capable of [[DemonicPossession possessing]] [[MagicAIsMagicA anything with]] [[BodyMotifs eyes]], and can BodySurf from host to host. He's also a killer: [[BlessedWithSuck every time he takes a new body, his old host dies]].

Formerly, he was the {{trickster}}-[[AnimalStereotypes fox]] Renard. Though hailing from Gillitie wood, he was a friend of humans. He changed his name to Reynardine because of his love towards a human, and Coyote gave him his body-snatching powers. Though unhappy with the cost of his body-snatching, he proceeded with his plan anyway -- killing a young man from the Court, and subsequently getting imprisoned there.

When Annie first meets Rey, he's in the body of a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Rogat Orjak]] named Sivo, attempting to escape his imprisonment in the Court. He mistakes Annie for her mother, and is naturally grieved to learn of Surma's death. Despite this, he shows no remorse when, on the next day, he attempts to possess Annie in a bid to escape. This fails, due to [[BigDamnHeroes Eglamore's timely intervention]], and Rey instead possesses Annie's wolf doll.

Once in the doll, Rey discovers he has new powers and new limitations. He has limited ShapeShifting (particularly the ability to assume the form of a full-sized wolf), and a built-in set of lockpicks (which Annie had hidden in the toy at the time he took possession). But, as the body is Annie's toy, Reynardine himself is now Annie's possession, as indicated by the alchemical antimony symbol that is sometimes visible on his forehead. He's [[RestrainingBolt unable to take a new body without her permission]] and [[KidWithTheLeash unable to disobey her commands]]. Thus prevented from doing any real harm, Rey settles for being [[JerkAss surly and antisocial]] toward the girl who could make his life miserable if she wanted.

Though initially presented as a sympathetic figure, and then as a deceitful antagonist, it's become increasingly unclear whose side (if any) Reynardine is on. He's become more helpful to Annie over time (going so far as to [[TakingTheBullet put himself between Annie and Ysengrin's blades]]), and seems to have taken a fatherly interest in her. In fact, according to Coyote, Rey's love for Annie is the only reason he remains in the Court.

Reynardine's names derive two sources. Renard is a reference to Reynard the Fox, trickster hero of a cycle of medieval French folktales opposite one Isengrim (see Ysengrin, below). Reynardine is from the folk-song of the same name, about a highwayman (and in some versions of the song, a were-fox) who seduces a maiden -- much as Rey attempted when he first met Annie.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: [[RomanticRunnerUp He and Surma]].
* BodySurf: Courtesy of Coyote, he has the ability to possess people. He even provides the picture for the trope page.
%%* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes
* CharacterDevelopment:
** The impish anthro-wolf doll slowly fades into a good-natured but troubled fox spirit.
** He and Annie eventually become dear friends. [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=848 Look]].
** Although he does retain a bit of [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=585 impishness]]. He ''is'' a {{trickster}} after all.
* ChivalrousPervert: He's obviously become quite fond of Annie's friends, and helps Kat through a really difficult moment in her life [[spoiler: when she discovers she's not quite straight]], but he can't resist teasing her a bit over [[spoiler: choosing Paz as her first girlfriend]]
* CuttingTheKnot: Antimony's lock picks were stowed away into the toy body Reynardine came to occupy. When she first tells him to use them to open something, Reynardine uses them to smash through it instead of picking it properly since he doesn't know how to pick locks.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Chapter 43: Quicksilver focuses on on him, his reflections and regrets on his past decisions and actions, and his interactions with Hetty.
* DeadpanSnarker: Emphasis on the snark.
%% * DemonicPossession
%% * DirtyOldMan
* FantasticFoxes: Prior to [[spoiler:possessing Daniel's body]].
%%* GlowingEyesOfDoom
* HappinessInSlavery: He stays with Annie of his own accord, as she has offered to allow him to return to the Forest before.
* HiddenDepths: Turns out, [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1170 he's the best at drawing of the main characters!]]
* InSeriesNickname: Reynardine is not actually his name, it's a nickname given to him by Surma.
* JerkAss / JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's [[ZigZaggingTrope a little hard to pin down]]. He was moody and quite obnoxious when he found out his escape from the prison only brought him slavery. Later, he adapted and mostly became Annie's self-appointed guardian and ParentalSubstitute, though just as eager to embarrass (or frighten) people. Also, it looks like [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=474 everything linked with Surma]] is still almost sacred for him.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: His crimes were a combination of a misunderstanding of his new powers and a desire to woo Surma.
* MagicAIsMagicA: Rey's DemonicPossession follows specific rules, and he's able to occupy a toy simply because it has eyes; it's implied that the same is true of all magic. For example, in order to take a new body, [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=general&thread=361&post=11980 his/her/its eyes have to be open]].
%%* MindControlEyes: His attempted possession.
* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: Invoked and inverted. Reynardine actually describes his situation as "Well, the mind is nothing but a plaything of the body, correct?" He's actually being sarcastic. It's actually Reynardine's mood and mental state that affects which form he takes. Thus, when he's in a crude or ashamed mindset, he's likely to be a plushy, but when he's feeling protective or otherwise more noble he's more likely to be a wolf.
%%* MonochromaticEyes
* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler: Sees his attempted possession / murder of Annie as this.]]
* MySensorsIndicateYouWantToTapThat: Lightens the mood a bit with Kat by sniffing her and commenting:
--> '''Reynard''': Ohh, [[spoiler: Paz]]? Good choice!
* NotSoDifferent: Jones [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=741 calls him out]] on constantly referring to Zimmy as a "demon", stating that it is merely a label for something that is feared and misunderstood, and one which has been applied to himself as well.
* OutOfFocus: Has gone from being as important as Annie and Kat to being relatively minor in Year 3.
* ParentalSubstitute: Sometimes he's like this, though not always. And sometimes it looked like he had the same [[UnbalancedByRivalsKid problem]] as James Eglamore, but solved it much quicker.
--> '''Kat:''' [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=413 Are you like her dad in disguise now?]]
* PerverseSexualLust: In-universe, there has been a hint he feels this way towards Moro no Kimi from ''PrincessMononoke'' when he whispers her name while wistfully watching the sunset.
* ProgressivelyPrettier: Somewhat. As he becomes a more serious character, he seems to stay more time in his wolf form.
* RestrainingBolt: It seems that he is not pleased by this, though he springs to Annie's defense on his own initiative.
* SealedEvilInATeddyBear: Due to possessing an object that someone (Annie) owned, he has to obey the owner's orders and can't take a new body without her express permission.
* ServileSnarker: Unable to go against Annie, but that doesn't stop him from complaining and being sarcastic and getting in some truly nasty digs on one occasion.
* SubordinateExcuse: An unusual form. He always was fascinated with humans and became Annie's ParentalSubstitute, so he prefers to remain as a shapeshifting doll on a leash, but in the Court and refuses a straightforward proposal to return him into the original body.
* {{Trickster}}: His status as a trickster was what drew Coyote's attention to him and Ysengrin in the first place.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Renard can control the form his body takes, but only in non-living bodies such as Annie's toy, according to [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=general&thread=361&post=11243 Tom]].
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: In Chapter 43, after a discussion of his attempted possession of Annie with [[AxCrazy Hetty]], he makes [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1228 making his feelings on the matter absolutely clear.]]
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: He explains to Hetty how he's come to feel about Antimony, how he deeply regrets trying to kill her, and how every time she smiles at him, he feels deep shame for trying to take her body. Then he adds that when he wears his alchemical symbol in full-sized wolf form, he wears it with ''pride'', right as he [[spoiler: sets Hetty on fire and tears her krill form from her host body]].
[[/folder]]
----
!Parents and Court Staff
[[folder:Surma Carver (née Stibnite)]]
[[quoteright:226:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Surma_and_Antimony_854.jpg]]

Annie's late mother; [[PosthumousCharacter she passed on two weeks prior to the start of the story]].

Like her daughter, she was educated at Gunnerkrigg Court. In her first year, she was placed in Chester House -- unofficially the house for Etheric beings and other “weirdos” -- where she befriended classmates Anja and Brinnie. The Court then revised its opinion and moved Surma to Queslett House for her second year and the remainder of her career at the Court.

Surma's friendship with Anja [[GenerationXerox paralleled the one that their daughters would eventually have]]; through Anja, Surma met and befriended Donald Donlan, James Eglamore, and Anthony Carver.

Young Surma was a free spirit, with [[FieryRedhead the personality to match her hair]] and the savvy to break rules without getting caught. She also had etheric talents: Annie's ability to see psychopomps was inherited from her mum, and presumably Annie's other psychic abilities were as well. Surma maneuvered these talents into a position as the Court's Medium, and built up particularly good rapport with the people of Gillitie Wood.

Surma and James Eglamore dated for a time, but she eventually married Anthony Carver instead. Some time not long after, the Carvers left the Court. In her absence, the Court didn't train any new Medium to replace her for over twelve years, and no more humans were invited to visit Gillitie during this time.

She remained bedridden at Good Hope Hospital after Annie's birth, and as her daughter grew older, Surma grew weaker. Mother and daughter were very close -- in fact, [[SurvivalMantra a promise from Surma]] to “never send you into danger” was enough to convince young Annie to face down a spectral inferno.

During the time they had together, Surma gave Annie as much of an education -- in topics both mundane and etheric -- as she could. Before passing, she made arrangements for her daughter to continue her education at the Court.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Implied to be the reason why she [[LoveTriangle married Anthony instead of Eglamore]] after BreakingTheFellowship.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Details about the past imply that Surma wasn't the beacon of light that her friends constantly describe her as. She is mentioned to have been something of a rule breaker who was able to avoid being caught, actively manipulated Renard into falling in love with her so the Court could capture him, and was said to dislike Jones, someone even her AdultsAreUseless minded daughter actually trusts.
* BritishAccents: From Barnsley, Yorkshire, [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=general&thread=361&post=12495 according to Tom]].
* DeaderThanDead: [[spoiler:Annie drained Surma's power and lifeforce as she grew up]]. Annie had to take her to the other side herself because [[spoiler:the psychopomps couldn't work with what was left]].
* DeathByChildbirth: An unusually protracted example.
* DudeMagnet: Three different guys fell for her, one of them not even human.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Coyote mentions that, just like Annie, Surma too wasn't fond of shoes in the forest.
* HeroesWantRedheads: And yet, the most traditionally heroic of her three suitors doesn't marry her.
* HoneyTrap: [[spoiler:She lured Renard into the court by making him think she loved him]].
* ImportantHaircut ([[WildMassGuessing well, it might be important]]): She had long, curly hair her whole life except on [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=436 these]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=437 pages]], when James was gone for dragon slayer training.
* LovableAlphaBitch: She was beautiful and was quite popular at some point -- "[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=487 All people in the Forest]]" loved her and people in the Court remember her with admiration and/or awe. She actively used her charisma, at least [[spoiler:in the HoneyTrap gambit with Renard]], but was generally nice to people, excluding one jerk.
* TheMatchmaker: Pushed together Anja and Donald who liked each other, but were shy about it. "Those two ended up married, you know."
* MeaningfulName: The name Surma Stibnite is probably the single most symbolically-dense name in the whole comic. Stibnite is an ore containing the element antimony. Surma's meaning depends on the language: in Russian and several other slavic tongues, it's another name for antimony; in Punjabi, it's another name for kohl, an eye-shadow containing antimony (used in some cultures to protect infants from The Evil Eye); in Finnish, it's a word for ''death''.
* MysteriousParent: Surma's powers are more mysterious to the readers than to Annie, but Annie had no idea of her mum's career at the Court, or of her true nature.
* PosthumousCharacter: She died just before Annie was sent off to the Court (so right before the story begins).
* StrongFamilyResemblance: Again, she looks almost identical to Annie -- the two even wear identical shades of eye-shadow -- [[spoiler:no doubt due to the spark she passed down]].
* TheTease: GoneHorriblyWrong. When [[spoiler:she led the lovestruck Renard on]], people died.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anthony Carver]]
[[quoteright:168:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Anthony_Carver_young_691.jpg]]

Annie's father; like Surma, notable for [[ParentalAbandonment his absence]]. In a story full of mysteries, he's one of the biggest ones.

What is known about Tony: He attended the Court, and was in Queslett House, the same year as Surma. He and Surma married and left the Court, and did not maintain contact with their friends/acquaintances who remained. He worked as a surgeon at Good Hope hospital, the same hospital where his daughter was born and his wife was bedridden. For twelve years, he searched in vain for a way to save Surma from impending death. Shortly after his daughter's enrollment at the Court, he quit his job at Good Hope and completely dropped off the map.

What others have said about him has not been positive: Donald Donlan says that his disappearance has precedent -- that he had a habit of taking off on his own for months at a time without telling anyone. James Eglamore (who admittedly [[LoveTriangle may not be completely impartial]]) claims that he had always been selfish. Jones (another possibly unreliable source, as she admitted to [[IShallTauntYou deliberately trying to provoke Annie with this information]]) claimed that he was completely devoid of emotion and that he rejected anything -- such as his wife's skills as a Medium -- that wouldn't permit [[MagicVersusScience a scientific explanation]]. Reynardine (incapable of lying, but not necessarily a good judge of character) stated that Tony was incapable of love, or of experiencing anything besides disdain. It's painfully (mostly, for Annie) evident that he's very bad at communicating with people.

Prior to Chapter 37, he only appeared in-comic twice, both in {{flashback}}s. In the first, he was present for a group photo alongside Surma, Anja, Brinnie, Donald, and James. He declined to join James and Donald for lunch immediately afterwards, claiming he had “[[SpockSpeak matters to attend to]].” In the second, he was crying at his wife's bedside; he composed himself and silently left the room upon realizing that his daughter was watching. The chapter proper has Donald, apparently his closest friend, reveal the personality hidden beneath his usual stoic mask.

Annie's relationship with her dad is similarly a big question mark, [[ShrugOfGod one that Tom has yet to answer any questions about]]. For what it's worth, Annie said that he must have a good reason for having disappeared, and fully expected him to return for her at the end of the first school year, which he failed to do. Annie's narration stated that it would be over two years from that point in time before Tony contacted her.

----
!!Associated tropes:
* AbusiveParents: Certainly gives this impression. [[spoiler: After three years absence, their first interaction is him chastising her for breaking a rule he didn't inform her of, and insulting her appearance ]]. He did have a reason to chastise Annie for [[spoiler: cheating]], and perhaps even to make her [[spoiler: repeat the year]] (although the fact that this was the first thing he did upon his return to the Court is worrying). However, his next step -- [[spoiler: attempting to isolate her completely from her peers and assume total control over her life]] (after ''years'' of absence) is a massive red flag for an abuser.
* AmbiguousDisorder: He legitimately has extreme difficulty understanding people. When he was younger a potential romantic situation threw him into extreme emotional turmoil for weeks, and even as an adult he still is by and large stoic. One might compare him to a robot if not for the fact that the Court's resident robots display a fair amount of emotional variety.
* TheAtoner: For agreeing to [[spoiler:have a child with Surma, which he knew inevitably caused her death]]. Even moreso if he knew this prior to doing so.
* DisappearedDad: His absence is noted near the beginning, with Annie narrating that he wouldn't contact her for two years. [[spoiler:[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1000 Him contacting her]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1009 is simply to pass a message to Donnie]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1014 ...and to hear his daughter's voice again.]] And then over another year passes before he shows up in person, having joined the Court staff as a biology teacher.]]
* EmotionlessBoy: To all but a few. This doesn't include [[spoiler: his friend the ''Valkyrie'' who had a crush on him and his own daughter]].
%%* HateSink
* {{Jerkass}}:
** He comes off as cold and arrogant to most people, though his closest friend swears he has [[JerkassWithAHeartOfGold a Heart of Gold]] and just isn't good with people.
** Shortly before the start of the series, he abandoned his daughter soon after his wife's death [[spoiler:and only briefly spoke to her after two years]]. We don't yet know why, but he's not going to win any awards for great parenting from Kat for how much this has hurt Annie.
** When he finally shows up in person, his first words to Annie are [[spoiler: to dismissively tell her to wipe her makeup off her face...the same kind of makeup that her mother wore. When Annie notices [[spoiler: his prosthetic hand, his only reply to her concern is to ask, "Is it your business?"]]
** He [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking didn't even tell Donald, his best friend, he had returned to the Court]].
* JerkassHasAPoint: With all of his dickery, he rightfully and fairly politely [[spoiler: calls out Annie for stealing Kat's homework. Especially since Kat's reaction confirms that she never gave her permission. He also says that he's subtracted all the plagiarism from her overall marks, and decided to have her repeat year 9. Given that Annie's been cheating for a ''long'' time, she quite probably hasn't learned enough to justify her being in year 10, nor does she deserve to be there. Considering many institutions in real life have a zero tolerance approach to cheating and how it's indicated Annie has been doing so extensively, it wouldn't raise many eyebrows if she had been expelled, though as he's a teacher rather than an administrator his ability to fail her in classes not his own seems excessive.]]
* MaternalDeathBlameTheChild: He is implied to have felt anger towards [[spoiler:his daughter, since her birth resulted in her mother's life force gradually transferring to her.]]
* MeaningfulName: Carver. He's a surgeon.
* MysteriousParent: For over 36 chapters, the available info about him could be written in about a line or two.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: A very subtle one, his face his drawn in a more detailed and realistic style than the other characters [[spoiler:upon his return in the Court as a teacher]]. It fittingly gives him an imposing and intimidating figure.
* NoSocialSkills: He had no idea how to react when Brinnie came on to him, and when Surma and the rest of the gang ask him to join them on a night out with Brinnie, he stared at them blankly before saying that he had work to do. It turns out he was so conflicted about answering them that he had clenched his fists tightly enough to leave nail marks in his palms.
* NotSoStoic: Apparently, he did have a sensitive side, but Surma and Donny may very well have been the only people who ever saw it.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Good enough with etheric sciences to teleport himself, competent enough in electronics and physics to have created a satellite in high school, and a medical doctor on top of that.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Whatever his motives from Chapter 51 onwards are the situation is made worse by his failure to explain exactly what the hell he's actually doing in the first place.
* PresentAbsence: It takes a ''long'' time before he speaks a single word in the present timeline, but he is often mentioned, and his absence is the reason Annie was sent to the Court in the first place.
* SadistTeacher: The first thing he does upon his return to the court is [[spoiler: go out of his way to humiliate Annie in front of the class, ordering her to remove her makeup, describing it as "ridiculous". When Annie returned to the classroom after washing her make-up off, Anthony says "You have delayed your classmates long enough." Also, he deliberately did not giving her a copy of the textbook (Not that she would need it, since she's got to retake the previous school year, but he could have explained why). He also waits until the first day of the new school year to inform Annie that she's going to repeat the previous year and have to move out of the dorms (While these aren't necessarily examples on their own, it seems unnecessary to wait so long to tell a student such vital information about their school life.)]]
* SpockSpeak: If [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=538 his first line in-comic]] is an accurate representation... "who talks like that?"
* StrawVulcan / TinMan: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1011 Passionately talking about passions not making sense to him]].
* StrongFamilyResemblance: His young self looks almost absurdly like his daughter.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: To most people Tony is so quiet and reserved that he comes off as rather cold. Around his best friend Donald, however, he has no problem dropping the stoic mask (see above).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Donald and Anja Donlan]]
[[quoteright:183:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Anja_and_Donald_Donlan_8621.jpg]]

Kat's parents. Both of them are [[MagicVersusScience science teachers and magicians]].

When they were younger, both attended school at the Court. Like Surma, Anja spent her first year in Chester and was subsequently transferred to Queslett. She was close friends with Surma, [[GenerationXerox a friendship that mirrored the one her daughter would eventually have with Surma's daughter]]. Donald was a Queslett student from the start, and a friend of James and Anthony. Upon becoming classmates, Anja and Donald hit off almost immediately, dated steadily through school, eventually wed, and have remained HappilyMarried since.

Anja possesses etheric powers -- she's demonstrated subtle clairvoyance and the ability to project barriers -- but does not like to use them in public, due to having been on the receiving end of anti-etheric prejudice in the past. She and Donald did, however, collaborate on building a {{Magitek}} computer, capable of projecting shields and binding Reynardine. Kat was completely unaware that they had these talents.

So far, Anja and Donald have been supportive of all of their daughter's adventuring that they know about. They've also tried to help Annie upon learning of her ParentalAbandonment; Annie has so far [[AdultsAreUseless turned them down]].

----
!!Associated tropes:

* BarrierWarrior:
** Anja. [[AC:[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=553 SPANG]]]].
** She later [[spoiler:made some sort of magical computer with a similar effect]], so adult Donald also can make a barrier strong enough to [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=283 repel Ysengrin's attack]].
* BlackBeadEyes: She opens her eyes in Chapter 52 page 7 [[spoiler: apparently out of shock over Anthony's appearance (she hasn't seen him since before Annie was born and he's drawn more realistically, with considerably more age lines than any of his friends)]].
* CannotSpitItOut: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=537 Both of them]], when they were students. Surma and Eglamore push them into confessing at various points.
%%* CommonEyeColors: Inverted.
* ExpressiveMask: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1009 Donald's glasses]].
* EyesAlwaysShut: Anja. This has caused...debate on the Gunnerkrigg Court wiki.
-->Anja's eyes are drawn entirely black. While some fans of the comic have suggested that Anja's eyes are "[[EpilepticTrees Crescented-Ovals-Of-Inky-Blackness-That-What-Swallows-The-Tears-Of-Weeping-Children-And-Shows-Beyond-The-Veil-Into-The-Endless-Well-Of-Silenced-Suffering]]", other fans have suggested that this is merely [[ArtisticLicense artistic license]], and that certain other fans need to get out more and stop obsessing about Anja's eyes.
* EyeGlasses: Donald's rarely seen without his glasses on, and as mentioned, they're [[ExpressiveMask expressive]].
* FreakinessShame: In flashback, it's shown that Anja was afraid to show her powers to Donald, afraid that he'd reject her due to the prejudice most at the Court have for "etheric sciences." When she had to finally demonstrate her powers (to save their lives), [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=554 Donald immediately praises her]], [[FreakyIsCool obviously having no issue with her powers]].
* {{Hammerspace}}: Donald is able to spontaneously store and summon items, as seen [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1017 here]].
* HappilyMarried: As Anja put it, "We still have some fire left."
* InelegantBlubbering: When Anja got news of Surma's death -- her eyes were quite red when she tried to hide it from Kat.
* MysteriousParent: They have odd tricks up their sleeves. Kat never believed in “magic” nor saw her mother ''using'' a computer, so Anja offhandedly mentioning ''developing'' a {{Magitek}}-server before her birth was sort of disconcerting. The PowerTattoo issue just finished her off.
* PowerTattoo: Donald, of the eye symbol on the pens where Reynardine was being held at the start of the comic. Anja herself got an amulet of the same symbol.
* UsefulNotes/{{Romani}}: Anja is Romani, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=521 hinted]] and later [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=361&page=40#20411 confirmed by Tom]].
%%* ScaryShinyGlasses
* UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}}: Donald, according to [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=361&page=40#20411 Tom]].
* TearfulSmile: To Kat, after she got news of Surma's death.
* ThereWasADoor: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1015 He can generate]] a magical "portable door" on top of an existing door.
* TranquilFury: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1525 Towards Anthony]]. He's angry because (among other things) Tony disappeared without telling anyone for several years, but from his posture you'd think he was just making small talk. Ironically, he interrupted Anthony's attempt to make small talk.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sir James Eglamore]]
[[quoteright:155:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/This_is_Eglamore_7622.png]]

Games teacher, Dragon Slayer, and valiant KnightInShiningArmor. Eglamore was a childhood friend of Anthony, Donald, and Anja; he and Surma were [[RomanticRunnerUp more than friends]]. Kat has a huge crush on him.

It's possible that his desire to befriend Annie is interfering with his duty as a teacher; it's certain that his past with Surma is coloring how he treats Annie now. He'll lecture her or give her detention for breaking the rules, then in the next breath, encourage her to [[NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught try harder to not get caught in the future]]. He dislikes Anthony Carver, mostly because he ended up [[LoveTriangle marrying Surma]].

In spite of this, he's yet to do anything to earn the ire that Annie feels towards him... at least as far as he's concerned. Annie seems to think he went over-the-top in his treatment of Reynardine, as the then-"dragon" showed up in front of her half dead and in pain, and she later saw Eglamore putting him back in captivity with his wounds still bleeding and untreated. For Eglamore's part, he hated Reynardine for killing his old friend, Sivo (said “dragon.”) The fact that Rey once competed for Surma's heart probably doesn't help, either. Antimony thought he has something going on with Jones, he also stated in the flashback that he wanted Jones in their group picture but she couldn't participate since Surma couldn't stand her.

He has at least two {{BFS}}es. One of them [[PowerGlows glows]]. His armour is blazoned with an alchemical symbol for lead.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: [[RomanticRunnerUp He and Surma]].
* AscendedFanboy: He respected the school dragon slayer, and eventually grew up to ''be'' the school dragon slayer.
-->'''Jimmy:''' [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=557 You guys aren't going to believe this]]... but that guy is our games teacher.
* BadassTeacher: Teaching is his side job. His main job is ''dragon slayer''.
* BigDamnHeroes:
** He saves Annie from [[spoiler:being possessed by Renard's spirit]] in Chapter 3.
** Subverted in the end of Chapter 7: [[spoiler:he couldn't save Annie from falling to the Annan Waters]].
** [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1083 Shows up again to save Annie after Ysengrin goes nuts]].
* TheCameo: Makes an appearance in ''WebComic/SandraAndWoo''.
* CatchPhrase: Every time he just sort of appears he gives a curt "Ladies."
* ChickMagnet: At the beginning, Kat has a crush on him. Later on, Parley shows "admiration" towards him as well. He also dated Surma for over a long time.
* DoubleJump: Combined with NotQuiteFlight and he may well drop the Not Quite part.
* DragonRider: Before he got possessed by Reynardine, he rode Sivo.
* EmbarrassingNickname: "Jimmy Jims" according to Donald.
* FailureKnight: Hints of it, naturally related to Surma and Sivo.
* HeavenlyBlue: He appears in a burst of blue to rescue Antimony in the Forest.
* InASingleBound: He can jump really high.
* {{Irony}}: Couldn't fathom why Surma chose the seemingly emotionless Anthony, yet has been friends with the ''actually'' emotionless Jones since he was a kid.
* KnightInShiningArmor: If Eglamore's not a straight example, he at least gets credit for trying.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: With Jones; he was still a child when she first took him to the Court, and she is [[TimeAbyss older than]] '''[[CompleteImmortality life on Earth]]'''.
* NotQuiteFlight: Like Sir Thorn before him Jimmy Jims [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1083 can jump like a boss]].
* OddFriendship: Now that he's got to actually know Reynardine as a person, they apparently [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1232 have a movie night]].
* ParentalSubstitute: Due to the fact that he used to date Annie's mother, and that her father is nowhere to be found, he has shades of this. And then there are the times when he [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=476 apparently forgets that Annie is not his daughter]].
* PowerTattoo: His is the same as Donald's; both were done by Anja.
* RunningGag: Every time he shows up in the comic, Tom reintroduces him by name (As opposed to "hey its these guys") in the AltText/[[TheRant Rant]].
* ShipTease: With Jones.
* SuperStrength: He's strong enough to leap across buildings, and can [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=283 crack concrete with his feet while swinging his sword]].
* TragicKeepsake: A folding knife that's engraved [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=109 "James, with love, Surma"]]. The author's note says that "A knife is a good gift. Handy and practical" but at least in the West [[http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=26545.0 knives aren't supposed to be given as gifts]] unless you want to risk [[{{foreshadowing}} cutting ties with the receiver]].
* UnbalancedByRivalsKid: Antimony made him fall out of his armor time and again just by being around. Up to the WrongNameOutburst. It seems that by now less than gentle efforts of Annie and Jones more or less managed to stuff him back in, though.
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: Actually dated Surma for a time but didn't end up marrying her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Dr. Randy Disaster]]
[[quoteright:171:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Dr__Disaster_resize_512.jpg]]

A LargeHam who has a Top Secret Doctorate, [[CoolOldGuy teaches the coolest class]] at Gunnerkrigg: a [[VirtualWorlds full-sensory]] [[RaygunGothic pulp sci-fi]] [[SpaceOpera space battle]] [[HardLight simulator]]. The {{Troperrific}} plot of the simulation seems to runs on RuleOfCool rather than logic, which nearly proves [[MetaGuy too much for Annie's]] WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief.

On [[AbandonedInfoPage a prior version of the Cast Page]], Annie described him as "The saviour of the universe, apparently"; presumably she was being sarcastic.

Outside of the classroom, he has a love for B-movies (particularly sci-fi or anything with Vincent Price) and he's infatuated with Jones.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* CoolOldGuy: Teaches the most popular class in school.
* FunPersonified: Blasts into the storyline with no warning, shouts about how the world is in danger, and drags the kids off to his VR sims.
* LargeHam: ''SPACEMONAUTS!'' The world is in '''PERIL!'''
* SkunkStripe: His simulator gives everyone these.
%%* StephenUlyssesPerhero

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jones]]
[[quoteright:191:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jones_the_Stoic_One_7564.png]]

A highly enigmatic and [[EmotionlessGirl emotionless]] lady who teaches mediation to future Mediums, “currently, amongst other things.” She's knowledgeable about the Court, the Wood, their history, and other unusual subjects. She has a [[SherlockScan keen eye for observing crucial details]], and she isn't above [[IShallTauntYou provoking people to reveal their character]]. And calmly confirms it when caught. She's not interested in speculation, and tells Annie to only inform her of events regarding the court's history when enough information has been gathered.

While she is employed by the Court, she is [[TheWatcher deliberately neutral]] when speaking of the conflict between the Court and the Wood. Her role is, in the words of Coyote, that of a "Wandering Eye".

She has a long, ambiguous history with both the Court and the Wood. She knew Annie and Kat's parents when they were students at the Court (Eglamore wished that Jones could have been in their group photo, but Surma apparently couldn't stand her). She's one of the few people able to walk into Gillitie uninvited without getting killed.

Though more of a diplomat than a warrior, Jones can beat men twice her size in single combat, [[LadyOfWar and with style]]. Because of this, and because of her personality and physical density (she can punch through a stone wall and sinks in water like a rock), Annie suspected Jones of being a [[RobotGirl robot]], until Reynardine, Kat and Jones herself shot this particular notion down. She remains AmbiguouslyHuman.

There's a very strong bond between [[HugeGuyTinyGirl her and Eglamore]], whom she's known for a few very long time. She's also been on at least one date with Randy Disaster.

Almost constantly wears a seemingly bored SeenItAll face (when she once confessed she'd "seen... nothing quite like that", this was treated as disturbing in and of itself). She's also quite beautiful: note that her face is penciled more elaborately than the protagonist's, so it's a deliberate point.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* TheAce: She's both medium (Annie's vocation) ''instructor'' "among other things" and embodiment of some sort of perfection with "SeenItAll" undercurrent. The only two limitations mentioned are her inability to use a blinker stone and her abnormal density preventing her from swimming.
* AlienNonInterferenceClause: Not exactly an alien, but she does try to make as few changes as possible to human society, preferring to observe.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: This along with the fact that she's a DarkSkinnedBlond make determining her ethnicity difficult. Justified since she [[spoiler:predates life on the planet, and by extension humanity, by billions of years]].
* AmbiguouslyHuman: While she may not be a robot, [[EpilepticTrees speculation abounds]] as to what her actual nature is. [[spoiler: Being really, really, really, ''really'' old, predating anything else on Earth apart from lava, means she has no idea what she is]].
* BadassBoast: Jones proves that one doesn't need to be long-winded, eloquent, or loud to deliver one of these when she tells Coyote (a ''god'') that [[spoiler:she could take Annie back to the Court against his wishes, inside his own domain]].
-->'''Jones:''' [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=816 You know I can take her if I wish.]]
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: UnkemptBeauty is pretty much the extent of it since she's [[spoiler: submerged herself in lava, tackled rampaging mega-fauna unarmed and almost uncovered, walked barefoot across a desert, caught fire, been stabbed with a spear, parried a sword with her face, sunk into a lake, ''sunk in lava'' with no problem. The worst she's ever been shown to be hurt? Her eyes froze while she stood naked in a blizzard]].
* BritishAccents: [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=361&page=40#20411 Pointedly averted by Tom]] -- to the point of her being devoid of an accent -- to emphasize her enigmatic nature. This was subtle {{Foreshadowing}} that she [[spoiler: predates Britain]].
* ChekhovsGunman: The first reference to Jones (her office door, with her name on it, is [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=159 shown in Chapter 9]]) was so subtle that none of the readers noticed it until after Jones herself appeared in-comic.
* TheComicallySerious:
** [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=788 "Suddenly I am wearing a party hat"]] comes to mind.
** Her [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=839 cameo]] in ''City Face 2''.
** In ''Microsat 5'', Donald stole her phone to trace Anthony's call. Her [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1025 deadpan reaction]] when she needs to make a call is hilarious.
%%* CommonEyeColors
* CompleteImmortality: [[spoiler:Her first memory is being buried in the churning magma of the Earth's creation for a few billion years. No one has come up with anything that can scratch her since]].
* DeadpanSnarker: Not frequently, but ''[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=476 how]]''. Sometimes it's hard to tell for sure -- "[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=998 Full of subtlety]]"? "''[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=999 Very bright]]'' young man"?
* EmotionlessGirl: She claims she has no emotions whatsoever, and therefore has more in common with a stone than a human being. Readers have noted a few discrepancies in that statement, but until we get more detail it's hard to say for sure. Annie has similarly noted that Jones isn't quite as emotionless as she seems, and even in that moment, Jones seemed appreciative of the thought if nothing else.
* ExpositionOfImmortality: [[spoiler:To Annie, when Annie finally just up and asks her "What are you?"]]
* ExtraordinarilyEmpoweredGirl: [[spoiler: Stronger than anything else ''on earth''. Including Gods]].
* FigureItOutYourself: [[spoiler: In her very long life, she has witnessed all sorts of events that occurred long before humanity, like the dinosaurs]]. But she won't share any information humanity in general hasn't already figured out for itself [[AlienNonInterferenceClause and interferes as little as possible]], preferring an observer role.
* FrozenFace: Her expression never changes. When it does, something ''seriously'' wrong has happened.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Worn by Jones throughout "The Stone" until [[spoiler: thousands of years ago when the only thing anyone wore was loincloths]].
* HiddenDepths: More of ''impenetrable'' depths. Even not counting the main mystery. We see only the perfect "poker face" with occasional glimpses of [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=976 double meanings]] or [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=979 sense of kinship]].
* IHaveManyNames: [[spoiler:Coyote]] knows her as "[[spoiler:Wandering Eye]]", and asks if Jones is the latest name she's “stolen.” Chapter 40 highlights several points in her past [[spoiler: spanning a very long time]], during which time she used different names, typically at the insistence of the previous owner. On the other hand, most everyone else just refers to her as [[OnlyOneName "Jones"]].
* ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty: [[spoiler: Is probably the oldest being in the Gunnerkrigg Universe, especially if Coyote's theory is true. Throughout all this time her appearance has never changed]].
* InexplicablyAwesome: So inexplicable that [[spoiler: Jones herself doesn't know what she is]].
* InsistentTerminology: She is not "immortal" by her definition, because to Jones, [[spoiler: to be immortal, you have to be ''alive'']].
* ImplacableMan: The chase partly shown in "Spring Heeled" arc made [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=933 a lasting impression]] on Jack.
* LadyOfWar: She's seen a lot of combat.
* TheMatchmaker: Well, technically, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=584 it's a form of mediation too]]...
* MayflyDecemberRomance: [[spoiler:Everyone she's ever been involved with]].
* NotSoStoic: Played with. While externally she remains as emotionless as ever, her growing catalogue of altruistic and kind-hearted actions and her interactions with the other characters make her claims of being emotionless somewhat suspect.
* OlderThanTheyLook: As revealed in ch. 40, Jones is old, [[spoiler: '''immensely''' so (see TimeAbyss below)]], but her appearance hasn't changed, only her clothes and hair to keep up with the times...and her name. [[spoiler: She took the name "Jones" during one of the World Wars. Which one isn't clear]].
* PhotographicMemory: Jones has stated that she can recall every moment of her existence ''with perfect clarity''.
* RobotGirl: Speculated by Annie (and by fans), but ultimately denied and disproven, repeatedly, by everybody up to and including Jones herself, to the point of becoming a RunningGag in the writer commentary.
-->'''Tom:''' If Jones keeps beeping like that, people are going to get the wrong idea.
* SherlockScan: Seeing through [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=286 Ysengrin's tricks]] and [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=380 catching Sir James's]] expressions with the uncomfortable efficiency of x-rays applied right to the brain.
* TheStoic: Her face never registers emotion.
* SuperStrength: She breaks through a stone wall with no difficulty in ''Spring Heeled'' and has stated that the measuring equipment available to the Court, which is a place of superscience, can't determine her strength, and that the only material on this planet she can't quote "manipulate like wet clay" is... her own flesh.
* SuperToughness:
** Chapter 17: ''The Medium Beginning'' features her deflecting a sword ''with her face''.
** Chapter 28: ''Spring Heeled, Part 2'' shows that she can break concrete ''[[TheJuggernaut with her bare hands]]''.
** Chapter 40: ''The Stone'' has Jones being stabbed by a [[KnightsTemplar Knight Templar]] with a spear without any visible harm, other than a ripped dress. A few pages later/[[FlashBack earlier]] she [[spoiler:ignored her toga catching fire while Rome burned, walked barefoot across the Gobi desert, helped Cro-Magnon hunters by ''tackling a giant stampeding bison bare-handed'', crossed a glacier in the nude, and let herself be engulfed by magma. The last is notable because she wasn't visibly harmed in the least. Not even her hair was damaged]].
** Chapter 47: Her reaction to an impending Nazi air raid on London is to [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1327 stand outside because she's curious as to how powerful the bombs are.]]
** She qualifies as NighInvulnerable at this point. She [[spoiler: predates all organic life and the Earth's oxygen atmosphere, so it seems unlikely that she even needs to eat or breathe]].
** She compares herself to a stone, but the metaphor isn't perfect since [[spoiler: stones can break]].
** She's also either opaque to x-rays, or entirely homogenous inside. On x-ray film, her body is a solid white shape, right down to her hair.
--->'''Tom:''' Her x-rays are actually pretty boring, once you get past the initial surprise.
* TeamMom: A quiet version, but she does go out of her way to protect Annie.
* TimeAbyss: She's been around at least [[spoiler:since the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadean Hadean eon]], making her almost as old as the Earth itself, and she spent at least 3 billion years of that embedded in the Earth's crust]].
* TinMan: Possibly; she claims to have no desires or dreams (she certainly doesn't have any needs like [[spoiler: food, water, air, or sleep]]) but if that were true she wouldn't be working with the Court, gravitate towards men (that could be due to her preferring to blend in with humans and a single, independent woman stood out until very recently), or sound (to us) to be a little sad that [[spoiler: humans aren't the same creatures she is]].
** {{Lampshaded}} in Tom's comment on [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1118 this strip]], which quoted Jones two strips earlier saying that she has "no capacity for emotional connection", while in the strip itself she's declaring she will be a friend to Eglamore for the rest of his life.
** Just a small thing: she claims to have perfect photographic memory yet keeps a photo album.
* ToplessnessFromTheBack: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1108 In a flashback in Chapter 40]], Jones takes down [[spoiler:a bison]] without weaponry or a top.
* TheUnreveal: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]]. Ysengrin explained to Annie what Jones was over the summer break she stayed in the Woods, but the details aren't revealed to the reader. Reynardine comments that she's "interesting company." Chapter 40 is a long reveal of what Jones is...until [[spoiler:Jones says that she doesn't know what she is]].
* TheUnsmile: Though [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1127 we don't see it]].
* WalkDontSwim: She prefers to walk across the lake bottom rather than trust her weight to a rickety pier. She can't swim because her body is too dense.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Headmaster Jonathan Llanwellyn]]
The rarely-seen-in-story head of the school. He presided over a meeting with ambassadors from Gillitie--the first such meeting in over a decade--[[AssInAmbassador acting visibly bored and irritated]] all the while. Physically, he appeared weak and unwell, with an unnaturally pallid, sunken complexion.

He has a daughter in Annie's class, named Janet.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AssInAmbassador: His usual attitude when dealing with official functions is to slouch, yawn, and do his best to act like it's all a massively boring waste of his time.
* DeadpanSnarker: If he's smiling while talking, it's probably because he's being this.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: His hair is black, and his skin is less "pale" and more light grey. Much more noticeable in his second appearance. Coyote even calls him a "leathery bag of bones."
* MinorMajorCharacter: Despite being the head of the school, he's only had two brief appearances so far.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: It is theorized that he merely acts bored because it's the only way to get Coyote to get down to business. If you're not interested in Coyote, he can't manipulate you.
* OneJudgeToRuleThemAll: [[spoiler:While Jones said Annie was the best candidate for the position of medium between the Court and the Woods, the Headmaster says that the Court decided to go with Smith. The shocked reaction of the Court members in attendance suggests that the Headmaster himself was the only one to come to that decision]].
* OverprotectiveDad: Bud hints he's one, which is why Bud's glad when he thinks Janet and Winsbury are only joking about being involved with each other.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Juliette]]
[[{{Meganekko}} A fine lady in glasses]] working in the Court (security, operating "ether stations"). Accompanied by a humanoid robot friend. When idle, they amuse themselves by playing amateur theater without viewers.

----
!!Associated tropes:

%%* DarkSkinnedRedhead
%%* {{Meganekko}}
* OddFriendship: She likes playing amateur theatre with her robot friend.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Bob and Marcia]]
The keepers of Young's Park. Bob is also the one in charge of the Decontamination Habitats.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* ChekhovsGunman: Bob isn't introduced until ''[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=599 Chapter 24: Residential]]'' despite showing up as TheFaceless in ''[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=92 Chapter 6: A Handful Of Dirt]]'' and ''[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=280 Chapter 14: The Fangs of Summertime]]''.
* CoolOldGuy: Bob.
* PlantPerson: Marcia is a Dryad.
* HairColors: Green for Marcia. Because, you know, dryad.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Lindsey & Bud]]
Two married creatures that watch over the Year 9 dormitories (Lindsey watches the girls, Bud the boys).

----
!!Associated tropes:

* BizarreSexualDimorphism: Lindsey is a giant house-sized crab. Her husband Bud can fit in an normal-sized bucket. Apparently they're also a bit different personality-wise: [[RedOniBlueOni He seems more fun-loving while she's a somewhat serious [=PhD=]]].
* EldritchAbomination: They may be friendly, but they still look like something out of [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft's]] sketchbook. Notably a portion of Linday's brain functions in a different dimension That's not getting into what their etheric forms look like.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Lindsay has 47 eyes and 15 "not-eyes".
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Bud acts like a real chum and pal hanging out with students, but he's really a powerful psychic who keeps an eye on them and is apparently capable of preventing any possible trouble.
* OutOfFocus: Aside from a few cameos, they haven't played a large role since their introduction.
** Lindsey's recently received a story arc centering around her, or rather [[spoiler:the robotic cruise ship with the creepy crush on her]].
* ShoutOut: They share names with two of the main characters (also married) of ''Film/TheAbyss''.
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: A rather extreme example.
[[/folder]]
----
!Other Students
[[folder:William Winsbury]]
[[quoteright:159:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Winsbury_edit_2643.jpg]]

A classmate of Annie and Kat's.

In Year 7, he was loud-mouthed, and enjoyed drawing attention to himself by [[KidsAreCruel bullying or belittling others]], targeting new students and those without anyone to defend them. Annie judo-flipped him once to defend Kat; he left them alone afterwards.

In Year 8, he has cooled down, and gets along with his classmates without incident. Except for Janet (see below), who he makes a big show of disagreeing with -- [[SecretRelationship to hide the fact that they're dating]].

In Year 9, he ''really'' has mellowed out.

He does recognize (and praise) awesome moments when he sees them. He's evidently quite skilled at archery; in a competition, he and Janet were the two finalists, though she seems to have a slight edge on him.

His name is a reference to the [[Literature/ChildBallads Scottish folk song]] "Willie O'Winsbury".

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AnimeHair: He was also acknowledged (albeit jokingly) as "[[Manga/DragonBall Vegeta]]" by Tom.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: At first. Though he's still blond.
* CharacterDevelopment: His introduction in the comic shows him as an [[JerkAss obnoxious little jerk]]. Posterior chapters shows him as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. By the time Chapter 34 rolls in, he becomes a NiceGuy.
** A good comparison is his bullying of Kat and Annie in year 7 to [[spoiler: looking ''decidedly pissed'' at Anthony Carver and his treatment of Annie in his first day of class.]]
* OfficialCouple: With Janet Llanwellyn.
* OutOfFocus: He had some importance early on as a minor bully to Kat and Annie, but after that, his appearances are basically limited to appearing with Janet and having jokes about them being a couple.
* SarcasticConfession: [[spoiler:He and Janet admit to their relationship at one point, but then they portray it so nonsensically that everyone ** just assumes the pair were screwing with them]].
* SecretRelationship: [[spoiler:Revealed in Chapter 34: ''Faraway Morning (And Three Short Tales)'']]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Janet Llanwellyn]]
[[quoteright:157:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Never_a_doubt_8092.png]]

A girl who lapses into a strong Celtic accent when she gets angry, which seems to be her default reaction to distractions. She's the Headmaster's daughter, so it's possible she's had prior exposure to supernatural weirdness (which would explain her non-reaction to Mort). She is ''[[ImprobableAimingSkills very]]'' good with bow and arrow, to the point of intercepting one of Winsbury's arrows in flight.\\
For extra HiddenDepths points, she [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=68 quotes]] Creator/WilliamShakespeare, and not one of the best-known works, but ''Theatre/TimonOfAthens''.

As mentioned above, she's dating Winsbury; [[SecretRelationship they kept it a secret from the other students]], but eventually came clean, just to find out that nobody believed them.

Her first name, and relationship with Winsbury, are also a reference to the song "Willie O'Winsbury".
Her last name is a reference to the Welsh folk song "The Maid of Llanwellyn".

----
!!Associated tropes:

* FieryRedhead: While often serious and mature, Janet has a temper (as demonstrated when Mort tried to scare her) and is something of a [[http://gunnerkrigg.wikia.com/wiki/Word_of_Tom:_Other_students "romantic dork"]]; this is part of the reason for keeping her relationship with Winsbury under wraps.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: She once shot her boyfriend's arrow out of the air.
* OfficialCouple: With William Winsbury.
* SecretRelationship: [[spoiler:Revealed in Chapter 34: ''Faraway Morning (And Three Short Tales)''. One of the Court faculty heard but apparently disbelieved the revelation, and remarked that her father would go crazy if he thought it was true]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Paz Cadena-Blanco]]
[[quoteright:148:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gunnerkriggpaz_6045.jpg]]

A girl from Galicia, Spain. She loves animals, and can even [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talk to them]]. She works at a veterinary lab in the Court which, in addition to treating animals, performs animal research. Her explanation for this seeming disparity is that she works to make lives of the lab animals as comfortable as possible, and to ensure that all the ethical guidelines for animal testing are followed.

Paz was the first student that Mort was able to scare (following Annie's advice). She doesn't like clowns (though, as Annie noted, [[AcceptableTargets nobody does]].)

Astute Spanish-speaking readers may notice that Paz's Spanish grammar is occasionally off; Tom Siddell has said [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=699&page=3#26207 this is intentional]], as Paz is supposed to be “[[http://twitter.com/gunnerkrigg/status/3303665424 a Galician hick]].”

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AscendedExtra: She started out as a minor character who is scared by Mort, then became a RecurringExtra. Recently, she [[AscendedExtra ascended]] into [[spoiler: Kat's primary love interest.]]
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=621 She and Matt]], or [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=916 so it seems]].
* BiTheWay: She had a crush on Matt at one point, [[spoiler: but she's also got a crush on Kat]].
* TheChewToy: First, she was chosen as Mort's scare test subject, later [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=601 she was so happy to see]] those [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=602 cows]], then she's been abducted by [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=621 dark hands]], and her love towards Matt ends up being one-sided.
* ClosetKey: [[spoiler: Mutually with Kat]].
* CoordinatedClothes: [[spoiler: Wears a nautical-themed dress to match with Kat's naval dress outfit (minus jacket) to the "Ocean-style Dance" in Chapter 49.]]
* FriendToAllLivingThings: She can outright speak to animals as well.
* GoThroughMe: Just before the speech cited in Hidden Depths and Internal Reformist, she had this:
-->'''Kat:''' ''Self''-regulated?! That just means they can do what they want!\\
'''Paz:''' ''No!'' You see, to do that, they would have to get through ''me'' first.
* GreenEyedEpiphany: [[spoiler: How she discovered she had a crush on Kat]].
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Her only etheric power is to [[SpeaksFluentAnimal communicate with animals]], so the [[spoiler: sapient cruise liner]] considers her to be [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1402 no threat]]. However, said power includes the ability to explain the situation to ''Lindsey'', a building-sized crustacean EldritchAbomination...
-->'''Paz:''' [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1441 ¿Que no soy una amenaza?]] [[note]]"So I'm not a threat?"[[/note]]
* HiddenDepths: Paz's level-headed little speech about working within the system to make the Court better took a lot of readers -- who had previously thought of Paz simply as a Chew Toy -- by surprise.
* InternalReformist: She is very strongly against the animal experiments that are going on, but realizes working within the system and making sure the Court follows ethical standards is more effective.
-->'''Paz:''' The Court isn't a big monster that does as it pleases. Es a collection of people. Working to do what they think is right. And, over time, other people see what is wrong, what mistakes were made, and work hard to fix them. I cry too, when I find this place. But I ask to help. To change things and make them better.
* PlayingCyrano: She has Bobby the robot write a love letter to Kat, who at first thinks he wrote it on his own accord. No trouble ensues as Paz sets her straight soon.
* SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers: Chapter 29 has Paz, of all people, setting straight Kat (who is at that moment quite disenchanted with the Court after stumbling upon some of its old secrets).
* SmittenTeenageGirl: She gets a rather ferocious (unreciprocated) crush on Matt at the start of year 3. [[spoiler: And then another one on Kat]].
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Hinted around a bit, and eventually confirmed [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1402 in Chapter 49]]. It appears that being able to talk to animals doesn't necessarily mean that [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1295 they have too much to say]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zimmy and Gamma]]
[[quoteright:266:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/znguniform_4400.png]]

Two strange girls.

Zimmy is human "for all intents and purposes", but her mind is in tune with the Ether. This is ''not'' a good fit. The resulting stress causes a number of physical and psychological effects: She [[TheInsomniac never sleeps]], and has some kind of [[TearsOfBlood black gunk]] [[HiddenEyes perpetually covering her]] [[BodyMotifs red eyes]]. At the best of times, she feels like there's static in her head; at worse times she sees [[ImaginaryEnemy terrifying hallucinations]] that, if left untreated, [[RealityWarper become real]]; and ''really'' bad flareups will mentally transport her and those around her to some ''other'' place resembling [[DarkWorld a nightmare city]]. [[PowerIncontinence If there is any way to control these powers, she is unaware of it]]. She has difficulty distinguishing memories from ongoing events, or real people from the faceless "Nobodies" of her nightmares; on occasion she'll forget who ''she'' is, and spontaneously assume the personality of someone else. In short, she is a walking, talking embodiment of PsychologicalHorror and MindScrew.

Understandably, these [[TheWoobie hardships]] have left Zimmy paranoid and [[MoodSwinger perpetually on-edge]]. Underneath her outward hostility, she loves Gamma very much (and she [[LoveMakesYouEvil lies to Gamma to make sure she doesn't leave]]). It's doubtful that Zimmy cares about anyone in the world besides Gamma, but she is capable of kindness and empathy, at least towards those who help her or Gamma.

Her real first name is [[ThemeNaming Zeta]]. Reynardine calls her a [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon]], and is afraid to go near her.

Gamma Czarnecki is a [[OneHeadTaller slightly older]] Polish girl who is Zimmy's best (and only, apparently) friend. She's shy and weary due to sleep deprivation, but kind and friendly. Good thing, too, because she's the only thing keeping Zimmy alive and (relatively) sane: Her presence relieves the etheric stress on Zimmy's mind, [[PowerNullifier nullifying Zimmy's powers]] and giving Zimmy a slightly better grasp of reality. But Gamma's stabilizing power doesn't work as well when she's asleep, so she wears herself thin trying to stay up with Zimmy. Lack of sleep is also the most likely explanation for those dark circles around her [[BodyMotifs eyes]].

Zimmy and Gamma are [[PsychicLink telepathically linked]]; in fact, this is the only way they can communicate, as Gamma doesn't know English and Zimmy doesn't know Polish, meaning that Gamma also relies on Zimmy to translate for her at Gunnerkrigg.

The girls are in Chester House, which is apparently stigmatized by many other Court students.

----
!!Tropes associated with both of them:

* {{Foil}}: The two of them to Annie and Kat.
* MeaningfulName: According to Jones, they're not students but case studies.
* OutOfFocus: Haven't recieved as much focus in Year 3 after their greater involvement in Year 1 and 2.
* PsychicLink: They don't share a language, but their telepathy lets them communicate fine regardless.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship[=/=]ShipTease: Mentioned [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=928 in-universe]]:
--->'''Antimony:''' I- I'm fairly certain [=[Zimmy]=] and Gamma are...an item.\\
'''Jack:''' Haha! Oh wow! That doesn't even '''begin''' to describe those two!
* ShadowArchetype: A shadow pair to Annie and Kat.
* ThemeNaming: Zeta ("Zimmy") and Gamma.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Hardass Zimmy and demure Gamma.
* TranslationWithAnAgenda: Zimmy tends to translate what other people say as insults, in order to keep Gamma from making new friends (and thus spending less time with her).

----
!!Tropes associated with Zimmy:

* BlackEyesOfEvil: She's significantly happier when all the gunk is washed away by the rain, though it's the rain, not the lack of gunk, that makes her happy.
* BlessedWithSuck:
** Zimmy's reality altering powers would be really cool if she could control them. And if she didn't suffer terrifying hallucinations that eventually become solid.
** Jones says her powers are similar to those of gods. Too bad she's only mortal, and doesn't have the natural filters they do.
%%* CheshireCatGrin
* ContagiousPowers: For some, as of yet unexplained reason, Zimmy and Annie's etheric selves get mixed up when they're close enough to one another, with Annie thinking she's Zimmy and Zimmy's hair turning red and gaining Annie's etheric wound.
%%* CreepyChild
* DarkIsNotEvil: It's just that [[IJustWantToBeNormal she dislikes the etheric powers she's got]].
* DoNotCallMePaul[=/=]OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Zimmy doesn't like her real name.
* FaceFramedInShadow: Weird lighting in the last panel of strip [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1029 #1029]] makes her look very angry at something.
* HadesShaded: Zimmy's skin is an ashy greyish-brown colour. It's hard to tell if it's meant to be within the range of what's normal for the Gunnerverse.
* HappyRain / RedemptionInTheRain: Played a bit more literally than usual with Zimmy.
* HatesEveryoneEqually: Except Gamma, and she tolerates Annie.
* HiddenEyes: Her eyes aren't actually black, just hidden by gunk.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Zimmy ''is'' an obnoxious jerk--though partly out of [[LoveMakesYouCrazy jealous devotion]] to Gamma, and knowing that her condition is a danger for anyone whom she won't [[JerkassFacade scare off]] in time. She truly cares about Gamma. And she also warms up to Annie, going so far as to [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1044 deliver a pointed message for her]] to [[spoiler: her father]].
* LiminalBeing: There are human characters, and inhuman characters, but only Zimmy seems only partly human and partly -- something else.
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: She would kill everyone in the world and then herself if Gamma wished for it.
* MessyHair: Zimmy's hair is tangled and scraggly.
* NoSocialSkills: The fact that she often can't tell real people apart from illusions, and sees...''things'' instead of their real faces and expressions, is probably a large part of the problem.
* ThePigpen: Zimmy "looks like a pretty cruddy girl", in the words of Tom. She has tangled hair, grubby and rumpled clothing, and attracts bugs.
* PoisonousFriend: Really, Zimmy making Gamma think that most people in the school hate her so Gamma won't ever leave is borderline abusive, even if Zimmy is overall very protective and devoted to Gamma. One hopes that this has stopped since Annie told Gamma the truth.
* PowerIncontinence: She can turn her powers on, more or less. She can simply never turn them off or have any control over what they do either.
* PowerNullifier: Natural rain cancels out a lot of her craziness because of the trace amounts of [[spoiler: Ether]] in it; artificial rain, like showers and the rain from the [[spoiler: Ether station]] do not. Within a few hours however, she's back to normal.
** Gamma acts as a lower grade one, that helps prevent Zimmy's powers from going completely haywire. Annie can do the same, though she's apparently even less effective than Gamma and is thus never used for this purpose unless Gamma is otherwise incapacitated or missing.
* RealityWarper: The strongest one shown in the Court yet, albeit with massive PowerIncontinence.
* RealityWarpingIsNotAToy: And ''how''. Without Gamma, it would quickly kill Zimmy and those around her in gruesome ways.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Subverted, the only time you see her red eyes are when she's happy and emotionally stable, when the rain washes away the black gunk.
* TheSleepless: Zimmy is [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=189 incapable of sleep]].
* TalkingInYourDreams: She goes into Antimony's after Antimony passed out.
* {{Telepathy}}: Though like everything else it works in a rather strange manner.

----
!!Tropes associated with Gamma:

* HehHehYouSaidX:
--> '''Zimmy:''' Nunna yer business, nose! I gotta talk to Carver.\\
'''Kat:''' "Nose!?" Great, this again. You're such a butt!\\
'''Gamma:''' Ahahehe! Butt!
* TheInsomniac: She spends as much time awake as she can in order to combat Zimmy's reality-warping.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: One of the ways Gamma supports Zimmy.
* LoveMartyr: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=729 Zimmy's love for her is reciprocate]]. She isn't bothered by staying awake to help Zimmy to control her RealityWarper powers.
* PowerNullifier: Her presence helps keep Zimmy's powers in check, but only while she's awake.
* SatelliteCharacter: And will continue to be so as long as Zimmy's around.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Red and Blue]]
[[quoteright:313:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Red_and_Blue_the_Fairies_2383.png]]

Two Regional Fairies who [[HumanityEnsues become humans]]. Prior to entering the Court, they didn't even have names. Only Red has an actual name, and she didn't even have ''that'' for a long time until Annie accidentally gave it to her. The other is called "Blue" by the fans just for convenience and [[RedOniBlueOni thematic sake]].

Annie first meets them on the Forest side of the Annan Waters; almost immediately they ask her to squish them with a rock. Dying is the last test they have to pass to gain human bodies and enroll at the Court, and they're [[ICannotSelfTerminate not allowed to kill themselves]]. Annie dubs them Suicide Fairies (on the Cast Page) as a result.

Annie meets them again, after their {{Metamorphosis}}, several months later. Red is distraught because her hair doesn't [[AnimeHair stand up anymore]], and consequently, [[MinorFlawMajorBreakup Blue will no longer be her friend]]. A [[ImportantHaircut visit to the barber]] sets things straight.

As TheFairFolk, both girls are largely [[OrangeAndBlueMorality lacking in tact and empathy]]. Red has a [[MoodSwinger mercurial]] personality, bordering on psychotic, while Blue's personality is more subdued, but no less capricious.

Red and Blue are in Foley House, which is apparently reserved for Suicide Fairies and other Gillitie emigrants; according to Jones, this is to keep the emigrants from being "named" by accident by ordinary people, as emigrants are only supposed to receive a name once they graduate.

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!!Associated tropes:

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Blue. She's not human, of course, but her human form looks like someone of Indian ethnicity.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Jones [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=998 somewhat implies]] that names are of special importance and granted later in life in their culture, prompting them to use insults when referring to others, especially close friends. When looked at through this lens, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=144 many past experiences with]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=327 these two nutjobs]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=329 take on a]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=983 new depth]]. Compare and contrast to the first few pages of Red's [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=312 initial appearance as a human]].
* BuffySpeak: Red describes rooms and chairs as "big boxes" and "sitty-downy things", respectively.
%% * CommonEyeColors: Inverted.
* EmergentHuman: Red shows signs of this; namely, when she learns that you can cut your hair, and then assumes that you can cut ''anything'' of "these bodies" and [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=323 attempts to cut off her finger]]
* TheFairFolk: Even after being turned into humans Red and Blue can be alien enough to leave Kat and even Annie round-eyed and slack-jawed. [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=330 Love for mischief]] is one of more [[ComedicSociopathy endearing and understandable]] traits of ex-fairies.
* HiddenDepths: During the 2013 spring break, Blue proves she actually has a talent that doesn't serve her self-centered caprices: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/junk/CF3_8scan.jpg painting]] in a rather lovely, abstract style.
%% * HumanityEnsues
* ICannotSelfTerminate: Why they needed Annie's help to die. [[spoiler: Ysengrin killed them shortly after, with the implication that they'd seen too much]].
* ImportantHaircut: Red's trip to the barber-bot.
* {{Metamorphosis}}: From fairy to human, catalyzed by their own deaths.
* MindControl - CharmPerson (possibly), DreamWeaver, FakeMemories, MassHypnosis: Only in the ether, as far as we know: Blue can create illusions and even "insert" information into people's minds (Annie knows all about the monster Blue created despite it not existing seconds before). It seems to go away once people realize what's going on, and apparently Blue does this so often the other Foley kids are used to it.
* MoodSwinger: '''Red.'''
-->'''Red:''' No you go away! Come back! Rraarrghh! I hate her '''so much'''! I wish she was my friend!
%%* NewTransferStudent
* NoSocialSkills: Especially Red.
* OurSoulsAreDifferent: [[spoiler: They're "hollow fairies", born with their souls outside their bodies (which are basically empty shells). Apparently they were always meant to become human and go to the Court (because "it wants what it wants" -- Coyote); this may be true of all ex-fairies.]]
%%* ProphetEyes
* RedOniBlueOni: Red is definitely the more fiery of the two while Blue is more pouty and vindictive.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Hard to tell. They're considered best friends and are also CuddleBug[=s=]. While they were fairies, they literally were hanging all over each other. Now that they're human, it's different -- but they get moments of [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=993 devoted adoration]], though [[{{Tsundere}} interlaced]] with [[VitriolicBestBuds taunting and fighting]].
* {{Tsundere}}: In different ways, both are rude, yet caring about each other and occasionally enthusiastic or helpful to others.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Other fairies see their taunts and fighting as signs of attachment.
--> '''Cyan'''-haired, '''[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=996 This Girl]]''': ([[TearfulSmile wiping a tear]]) Such... such good friends...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Alistair Kershaw]]
[[quoteright:145:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/200px-Aly1_2009.png]]

Kat's first boyfriend. When he [[NewTransferStudent arrives at the Court]] it's announced that he'll only be there a week. In spite of knowing in the backs of their minds that the relationship can't last, he and Kat [[StarCrossedLovers spend the week talking and holding hands]]. Kat even [[CosmeticCatastrophe tries makeup for the first time]] so she can look nice for him.

When the end of the week rolls around, he [[{{Metamorphosis}} mutes]] to go away to Gillitie Wood with his parents. "And she never saw him again."

----
!!Associated tropes:

* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=252 The reason for his]] [[spoiler:{{Metamorphosis}}]].
-->'''Alistair's Mum:''' Hey, Aly. You want to be [[spoiler:a bird]]?\\
'''Alistair:''' (paying more attention to the gamepad) 'Kay.
* {{Metamorphosis}}: [[spoiler:Him and his parents]].
%% * TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody:
* NewTransferStudent: For a week.
* StarCrossedLovers: With Kat.
* TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler: Kat keeps some of his stuff, and wears the shirt he's shown wearing above in the arc after his debut and departure]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Andrew Smith]]
[[quoteright:160:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Smitty_8150.png]]

A student from two years above Annie. He's quite mellow and laid-back, and easily takes ribbing in stride. It's [[PersonalityPowers fitting]] that his extra-normal talent is the ability to create order from chaos (He can throw a pack of cards into the air, and they fall into a perfectly squared ''unshuffled'' deck). Due to this power, Jones considers him a promising candidate to be the Court's next Medium -- he's training under her to prepare for the job.

Speaking of being laid-back, Smith is the object of much teasing from fellow Medium-in-training Parley. He bears it (mostly) silently because he thinks she's "hotter than hell" -- but [[ObliviousToLove he's the last person in his class to figure out]] that that she's flirting, not mocking him.

And those [[BigOlEyebrows eyebrows]]: ''damn''.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AndHereHeComesNow: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=949 Here]], Andrew demonstrates that he's the only person who [[ImprobablyPredictable can predict]] when Parley is going to arrive via teleportation. (Smitty is actually just guessing, but because of his order-causing powers, his guesses just happen to be right.)
* AscendedExtra: Has gone from being one of many characters in the school to [[spoiler: the Court's Medium]], and is very central to the main plot arc.
* BigOlEyebrows:
** So big that it takes a second to realize [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=783 those big floating blocks above his head in panel 3]] ''are'' his eyebrows.
--->'''Tom:''' This chapter is going to take twice as long to draw because I have to fill in Smith's eyebrows.
** In Chapter 41 even Coyote comments on them, calling Smitty "Mighty Eyebrows Boy".
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: A light case but still very much there. Andrew loves to help people, [[spoiler:and it's his talent at doing so that made his first trip to Gillitie Wood a resounding success with the natives.]]
* DarkhorseVictory: [[spoiler:He's become the new medium between the Court and the Woods as of Chapter 41. This falls under the judge with veto power category, as the Headmaster seems to have come to this decision by himself since both Jones and the rest of the Court members in attendance are shocked that Annie wasn't the one chosen. Even Andrew himself thought Annie would get the position and doesn't think his being chosen is a good idea]].
* DungeonBypass and/or CuttingTheKnot: He can do this unconsciously. The mechanics of his powers are still loosely defined, but this is the most straightforward manifestation of them.
* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway --> HeartIsAnAwesomePower: His power is to subconsciously create order, meaning he can do things like throw a deck of cards in the air and have it come out in a perfectly sorted pile. However, in Chapter 30 he starts discovering ways to apply his power to make near-impossible throws, help Parley in combat, and a pseudo-prediction ability.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Andrew's much more calm and laid back than Parley. He's not "girly" as in being effeminate, but as in being the more shy and laid-back personality of the two.
* NiceGuy: VERY polite and friendly with everyone he meets.
* OfficialCouple: With Parley, after a RelationshipUpgrade.
* OneHeadTaller: The usual gender roles are inverted as it's Parley who's much taller than he is.
* OppositesAttract: He and Parley could not be more dissimilar, but they have great chemistry and share a mutual attraction.
* PowerIncontinence: A more harmless variety than most; see CuttingTheKnot. He seems to be able to predict ''what'' using his power will do, but not how it will ''happen''.
* RealityWarper: It's started to be applied for more things than just making order out of chaos, and working with Parley it becomes ''very'' potent.
* WindsOfDestinyChange: He basically has the power to subconsciously create order by manipulating chance.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Parley]]
[[quoteright:166:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/George_Parley_2624.png]]

A student from three years above Annie. She's also a Medium candidate, and undergoing training. This is less because of any extra-normal talents she possesses (for her first few years, all she showed was "promise") than because her father -- an acclaimed psychic -- predicted that she would inherit his power. However, Parley Sr. also predicted that she'd be a ''boy'' -- that's why her first name is [[GenderBlenderName George]].

Personality-wise, Miss Parley is loud and always trying to take charge of conversations. She harbors strong feelings for Smith, which she [[{{tsundere}} expresses]] by constantly in getting in Smith's hair, while simultaneously [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace attaching herself to him]] at every possible opportunity. When Jones prods Smith into giving Parley a flower, Parley is so overcome with emotion that she spontaneously manifests her latent Etheric power of space manipulation... by teleporting the lot of them straight onto her bed. (It should be stated that her power mixed with Smith's organization ability and teleported them there. For those trying to keep up with the math, here's a tip: [[AppliedMathematics High Emotion + Order + Teleportation = Her Bed]].)

----
!!Associated tropes:

* ActionGirl: Apparently an excellent fencer, and possibly good with a gun. Even Jeanne, despite being a spirit composed only of hate and rage, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=779 compliments her on her skills]].
* ActionGirlfriend: Since Andrew's a NonActionGuy, she's the physical side of their duo.
* AllWomenAreLustful: As mentioned above, her emotionally controlled powers first manifested by teleporting to her ''bed'' while being given a flower by her crush. It's later implied that their relationship has become physical.
* AscendedExtra: Has gone from being one of many characters in the school to [[spoiler: the next in line for the Court's Dragonslayer]], and is very central to the main plot arc.
* BigNo: When Smith accidentally uses his ability to [[DungeonBypass automatically beat a sim before it even starts]].
* EmbarrassingFirstName / GenderBlenderName: George. Not hard to figure out why ''she'' goes by her last name.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt:
** Annie figures it out about a day after meeting them.
--->'''Antimony:''' Andrew, she's all over you '''all the time'''.\\
'''Reynardine:''' Ah, has a creature ever perfected the art of denial as finely as a human?
** Later also her classmates, just by looking at her and then Smitty trying to pretend he's not there:
--->'''Cookie Monster:''' Ooh, saaay, Parley!\\
'''Jan:''' Not bad, not bad.
* FirstNameBasis: Calls Smith by his first name when she admits she's in love with him, which he lampshades by mentioning that it feels weird having her call him "Andrew."
* GratuitousGerman: Her apparent training in the German school of fencing has led to her peppering her speech with one or two German terms.
* HimeCut: Though like Annie and Kat, she changes her hairstyle regularly.
* LargeHam: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=388 When she talks to Mort]]. Parley tend to go over the top in ''everything''--her idea of "officially" admitting her relationship is to [[spoiler:grab her boyfriend, teleport on her friends' path and proceed with kissing him... ''long enough to get concerned looks from observers'']].
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Parley only finally started acting girly when the RelationshipUpgrade occurred, and she's still MUCH more action-driven and loud than Andrew.
* MeaningfulName:
** "Parley" meaning a conference between opposing sides and Parley being a medium, whose job it is to... mediate.
** [[spoiler:Also, her name is George. She's to be the next Dragonslayer... that's right, she's ''(Saint) George the Dragonslayer.'' ]]
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Mostly while embracing/tormenting Smithy. It finally led to "interesting" consequences when she [[spoiler:[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=768 grabbed by a shoulder]] Annie who used a magical artifact at this time]].
* OfficialCouple: With Andrew after a RelationshipUpgrade; Her experience with the ghost of Jeanne leads her to [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=783 admitting her feelings for Andrew]].
* OneHeadTaller: As mentioned in Smitty's folder, the gender roles here are reversed, as it's Parley who is taller.
* OppositesAttract: She and Smitty could not be more dissimilar, but they have great chemistry and share a mutual attraction.
* PowerIncontinence: On [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=767 this page]] she teleports against her will -- the third time that week. The next page implies that it may be activated whenever she thinks about Smith.
* TeleportersAndTransporters: Her first ability. There seems to be more to her.
* TeleportSpam: has been teaching herself to incorporate this with her already formidable fencing skills
* {{Tsundere}}: When she crushes on Smitty, but then again, she has a pretty abrasive attitude in general. Smitty "[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=952 doesn't mind too much]]". Sometimes it [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=973 works out pretty well for him]] in fact.
** This attitude is {{Deconstructed}} as well. At one point Annie gets completely fed up with Parley's antagonism towards Smitty, basically saying it's stupid to act like you hate the person you love. [[spoiler:Shortly after that, Jeanne gets ''really'' frustrated]]. The latter incident spurred Parley to finally stop hiding her feelings.
* WorthyOpponent: To [[spoiler:Jeanne]], whose defeat is one of Parley's biggest drives to improve her swordsmanship.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jack Hyland]]
[[quoteright:280:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jack_progression_3967.png]]

A student from Queslett South who is easily Annie and Kat's equal in [[CuriosityKilledTheCast curiosity]]. He's made a hobby of [[PlayfulHacker hacking]] the security system's motion detectors and exploring the Court after curfew. He also has an impish streak, and a CheshireCatGrin and very expressive [[BodyMotifs eyebrows]] to match.

[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=617 He's the son of]] a student who was on '''very''' [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=540 bad terms with Surma, Anja, and their friends]], which he [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=796 is either unaware of or dishonest about to Annie]].

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AnimalMotifs: Jack's [[spoiler:astral body has a spider image on his face after the events in Chapter 19]]. And during Chapter 27 and Chapter 34, the bangs near his forehead [[spoiler:look like spider fangs]].
* AnimalThemeNaming: Possibly accidental and hopefully not going into AnimalStereotypes: male asses are called jacks and females are called jennies (or jennets).
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Zimmy, at first. Annie, after the incidents of ''Chapters 27 & 28: Spring Heeled''.
* BadassLongcoat: Quite a bit of his appearances show him wearing a trenchoat, to the point of being iconic for the fandom.
* BreakingSpeech: He pulls one of these on Kat and Annie in this state.
* CreepyChild: Even before we know the reason, it is clear [[spoiler:there is something wrong with him]].
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: About the Court tracking people through their food.
* DemonicPossession: By [[spoiler:an ethereal spider]] in ''Chapters 27 & 28: Spring Heeled''.
* FightingFromTheInside: Until [[spoiler:a calmed Zimmy destroys the spider]].
---> '''Zimmy:''' [[spoiler:But he put up a fight]].
* {{Foil}}: To both Kat and Annie.
* GadgeteerGenius[=/=]TeenGenius: Not quite as good as Kat, though. Interest in and ability to make [[{{Magitek}} more arcane gadgets]] were a side effect of the possession.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation / SanitySlippage: His brief odyssey through Zimmy's mental hellscape seemed to have had serious effects on [[spoiler:his mind]]. His appearance became progressively more ragged, and his behavior increasingly unnerving. [[spoiler:The bulk of this was due to the spider's presence]].
* GottaCatchEmAll: To secure its control over Jack, [[spoiler:the spider]] had to control all the pieces of his mind/soul/whatever. [[spoiler:It failed]].
* IGotBigger / OneHeadTaller / YoungerThanTheyLook: Jack had a growth spurt and grew some facial hair in the months between "Faraway Morning" and "The Torn Sea", making him look more like a college freshman than a high schooler.
* TheInsomniac: He went days without sleep while possessed by the Whitelegs. He regained his ability to sleep after he was freed, though he now needs much less of it than most people do.
* KickTheDog: Mitigated by this fact. In Chapter 27, he [[spoiler:destroys]] a Guard Robot, who only seemed to want to do his job and [[TheWoobie learn to whistle]], and used his home-made machines to [[spoiler:immobilize Reynardine just so he could make a getaway]]. Granted, he expected [[spoiler:Annie]] to thank him for the deed, so he at least ''thought'' he was doing [[spoiler:her]] a favor.
* LooksLikeCesare: To increasing degrees since [[spoiler:his possession]].
* LuminescentBlush: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=797 He has one after talking with Annie in this strip]]. Whether or not she noticed it [[ObliviousToLove isn't clear]].
* MadScientist: After hacking into the Court's network, he discovered the existence of Donlans' {{magitek}} server and reproduced its functions ''adapted to his own hardware'' quickly enough. But still fails to see why in the given circumstances it wasn't a bright idea to use this toy at all.
* MeaningfulName: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=689 Chapter 27]] was the first chapter where Jack was the main focus of attention. It's titled "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Heeled_Jack Spring Heeled]]."
* MessyHair: His hair's been getting steadily messier since [[spoiler:Zimmingham]], although it doesn't look ''unusually'' messy except by comparison to his old self.
* NightmareFetishist: Possibly, considering he has a crush on ''[[spoiler:Zimmy]]''.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: In the last few pages of Chapter 23, [[spoiler:agitated by his experience with Zimmy]], Jack invades Antimony's personal space until he's bearing down on her and she's pinned against the wall. Reynardine reacts ''poorly.''
* ObliviousToLove: Not to her overt romantic advances, but he apparently fails to recognize Annie's PlayingHardToGet moment for what it is and mostly accepts her at her word that she doesn't like him. It probably doesn't help that this gives him an excuse to pursue Zimmy instead.
* PetTheDog: Jack initially displayed good empathy and rapport with robots; he helped fix the joint of one of the Laser Cows and taught them a trick. [[spoiler:That made his later KickTheDog moment while possessed several chapters later far more shocking in contrast]].
* PowersViaPossession: [[spoiler:With whitelegs riding him]], Jack grew powers faster than Annie, who trained and has an AmplifierArtifact. Began to see into the etherium all the time. And understand [[{{magitek}} etheric sciences]]. And fly. And be able to work and run without sleep and food (this part ''was'' harmful).
* ProperlyParanoid: Jack goes for long periods without eating or drinking, because he thinks there are tracking devices in the food and water. According to Jones, they're actually in their clothes
** Starts freaking out when Zimmy stows away on the cruise at the end of Year 9 and has to be dragged away from her. [[spoiler: Turns out he was exactly right to worry]]. Interestingly [[spoiler: he seems perfectly fine once he's actually in Zimmy's world]].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives [[spoiler:Annie]] one in chapter 34, although it ended amicably enough.
* ReplacementLoveInterest: {{Goth}}/[[PunkRock punk]] Jenny, who seems saner and less dangerous than Zimmy, [[SickeningSweethearts more emotionally open]] than Annie, and is has magic/etheric powers as an "apprentice witch".
* [[ShesAllGrownUp He's All Grown Up]]: A male version; he fills out a lot more in his later teenage years
* ShadowArchetype: [[spoiler:In Zimmingham]], in Chapter 28.
* SlasherSmile: He starts grinning creepily a lot after his appearance in Power Station.
* TearsOfBlood: Just like Zimmy, [[spoiler:only it hadn't become HiddenEyes]].
* ThemeNaming: Jack and Jenny; Annie, Zimmy.
* TouchedByVorlons: Gamma thinks Jack may retain at least some degree of his abilities. [[spoiler:A few chapters later, Jack thinks that the incident has made him smarter than he was before]]. And even then, he remembered being in [[spoiler:Zimmingham]], which probably means he had some sort of etheric ability back then -- Zimmy, Gamma and Annie were the only other ones aware. Jack recovered by Faraway Morning enough to express interest, get an answer from Annie and try her Blinker stone (after Annie judged him to be unaware of the [[ShipTease implications]]).
* WhatDoesHeSeeInHer: What Annie (and presumably other people if they find out) thinks of his crush on Zimmy.
* WhatTheHellHero: Jack was willing to play along with Annie's [[PlayingHardToGet allegedly fake romantic advances]] (though the extent to which he perceived them as fake is not entirely clear) to a point, but he lambasts her for purposely trying to get him interested in her only to bluntly shut him down. He even similarly brushes off her excuse of anger issues as another lie as well.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lily Cooke and January]]
[[quoteright:205:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LilyNJan_8896.jpg]]

Parley's companions at Thornhill. They make an appearance in ''Chapter 35: Parley And Smitty Are In This One''.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* CatSmile: Lily wears this as one more accessory.
* DarkSkinnedBlonde: January, with a boyish haircut.
* DeadpanSnarker: January has no problem dropping snarks if the situation calls for it.
* GenkiGirl: Lily, it's no wonder she is so inspired by the Fairy kids.
* InSeriesNickname: Lily goes by "Cookie Monster" as a riff on her surname.
* MulticoloredHair: Lily rocks cyan streaks in her purple hair.
* PerkyGoth: Lily. Her style is also evidently "[[http://www.formspring.me/gunnerkrigg/q/253845298210683534 a little inspired by]]" the ex-[[TheFairFolk fairies]].
%% * RedOniBlueOni: PlayedWith: red sports-clothes-wearing DarkSkinnedBlonde Jan is the deadpan blue while artsy/goth blue-haired and -clothed Lily is the perky red.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: They seem to fit this mold, based on how they act and dress.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jenny]]
[[quoteright:185:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/00001404_369.jpg]]

A girl who appears in chapter 49 as Jack's girlfriend. Initially mistaken (both in-universe and out) for Zimmy, it's later revealed that she is an apprentice witch. She uses Westcountry slang, such as referring to Annie as "my love."
----
!! Associated tropes:

* CuteWitch: Though when asked she insists she is just an apprentice.
* HermeticMagic: She uses a spelling circle to help guide Jack's robot, carrying Annie's blinker stone, to Renard.
* NiceGirl: The second she showed up, the fandom went wild, theorizing all sorts of dark motivations for her, from the crazier ones like her being an insane and evil Chessmaster to relatively mundane ones like simply being used by Jack as an alternative to Zimmy. It quickly becomes apparent that none of this is true; she's friendly and helpful, and even knows about and is accepting of her boyfriend's obsession with Zimmy.
* NightmareFetishist: She finds the dark twisted world of Zimmy's alternate reality to be "Wonderful" and "Beautiful"
* PerkyGoth: She dresses in black and finds being trapped in a horrific DarkWorld exciting, but she's a bright and cheerful girl..
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: She looks ''a lot'' like Zimmy, but their personalities could not be more different.
** To the point where she's able to lure the robots into a trap, fooling them into thinking she's Zimmy.
* VerbalTic: She uses "My Love" a lot when addressing Annie. While it is normal mannerism in Westcountry, it's normally used by people much older then Jenny.

[[/folder]]

----
!Gillitie Forest
[[folder:Ysengrin]]
[[quoteright:183:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The_Very_Nice_Man_481.png]]

The "Very Nice Man" who is [[IronicNickname neither]]. Ysengrin is a wolf who was given a [[MixAndMatchCritter humanoid tree body]] by Coyote that he can [[ShapeshifterWeapon shape into weapons]]. Along with these arms, he has [[GreenThumb complete control over the trees of Gillitie]]. He acts as Coyote's right-hand-man and until chapter 41 serves as the Medium for Gillitie Forest.

He's [[KillAllHumans a little antagonistic]] towards humans and The Court. How much of this is the result of his encroaching madness, and how much is due to his own wonderful personality, remains to be seen. Either way, he demonstrates "We against Them" approach and styles himself as a "general."

Apparently, he's much smarter and more reasonable than he appears. His behavior at the parley between the Court and the Wood is that of a simple-minded brute; however, according to Jones, this is just the animal kingdom's version of diplomacy: posturing and baring teeth. Ysengrin also possesses enough cunning to plant evidence of Court interference in the Forest, then wait some months before "discovering" it and pressing charges against the Court. Then he flips out... but this turns out to be a ruse: his roaring attack covers a subtle sabotage attempt.

Ysengrin's name derives from that of the wolf Isengrim (the more common spelling), the authoritarian villain of a cycle of medieval French folktales starring Reynard the Fox (see Reynardine, above).

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AmbiguousSituation: Coyote tells Annie that she has now seen three sides of Ysengrin: A violent and barely controlled animal man, a beautiful spirit and [[spoiler:a crippled old wolf]]. This is how others see him, how he sees himself and how he truly is. While the first represents how others see him, Coyote is intentionally vague about which of the other two sides Ysengrin fits.
* AmuletOfDependency: He has spent so much time in his PoweredArmor that he's [[spoiler:practically crippled without it]].
* AxCrazy: At least partly due to Coyote's influence
* BerserkButton: [[spoiler:Anything that could even vaguely be interpreted as human disdain for ethereal beings]].
* TheBerserker: In the traditional sense; when Ysengrin gets pissed off, [[UnstoppableRage he gets really friggin' pissed off]]. To the point that [[spoiler: he can't even really remember what he precisely did, even before Coyote eats the memory of it]].
* BloodKnight: He seems to enjoy scrapping, a huge grin on his face all the while.
* DestructiveRomance: Well, not really a romance per se, but it is confirmed by the author that Ysengrin [[HoYay loves]] Coyote and he has ''not'' fared better for it.
* DontYouDarePityMe: [[spoiler:[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=669 In case you wondered why]]]].
* DrivenToMadness: [[spoiler:Something Coyote has been doing to him as a hobby]].
* EasilyForgiven: After he [[spoiler:snaps and tries to kill Annie]], the next time he meets Annie, he explains that not only does he have no memory of this, [[spoiler:similar things have happened to him before]]. He then states he would never ''intentionally'' try to hurt her, and she instantly trusts him again, enough to ride on his shoulder like old times. Annie and the others do seem to determine that something is up with Ysengrin prior to this when he attends the Medium announcement ceremony, so it isn't ''completely'' out of the blue.
* HiddenDepths: It's unclear whether due to Ysengrin's role, [[BerserkButton some personal issues]], or deliberate ObfuscatingStupidity, but all the Court's people see is either a roaring bloodthirsty maniac or Coyote's quietly growling right hand lapdog. Once they are out of hearing range, he's [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=683 keen, sensible]], [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=828 and]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=829 very]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=830 good]] at concise [[RousingSpeech motivational speeches]] -- he pulls all the right levers at the right time so accurately that even the bewildered Antimony (far from a perfect social animal) can only look at him and heed.
* IncendiaryExponent: Ysengrin by himself is scary. Ysengrin [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1255 while on fire?]] '''[[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1256 Badass.]]'''
* IOweYouMyLife: Towards Coyote.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He and Annie become much closer through her visits [[spoiler:and eventually summer]] in the forest. He's not such a bad guy when he isn't angry.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Coyote has apparently been erasing things from Ysengrin's mind for some time now. Which might be part of the reason for his weakening sanity]].
* MinorInjuryOverreaction: Ysengrin and the “Spankies!” (though it [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=286 turns out]] to be a ruse).
%%* MonochromaticEyes
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Has this sort of reaction [[spoiler: when he calms down and [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1088 realizes he tried to kill Annie]]]].
* OddFriendship: He eventually warms up to [[spoiler: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1060 Annie]]]], after [[spoiler: she spent a summer in Gillitie]].
* OhCrap: When ''Ysengrin'' [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1063 looks]] like he's about to crap his PoweredArmor, you know the fecal matter is flying toward the rotational cooling device at terminal velocities.
* PetTheDog: Shown in chapters 26 and 31.
* {{Pride}}: Ysengrin is a very prideful being, according to Coyote. [[spoiler:Which is why it galls him to know that human belief is the only reason beings such as Coyote and himself even exist]].
* ShapeShifterWeapon: [[AC:[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=283 "SHING!"]]]]
* UndyingLoyalty: To Coyote, despite the way his boss treats him.
* TheUnfavorite: Coyote constantly treats Ysengrin like dirt, clearly favoring fellow trickster, Renard. [[spoiler:It didn't stop Coyote from purposefully allowing Renard to be trapped by the Court, though]].
* UnstoppableRage: While he has his flares of temper, Chapter 39 shows Ysengrin when he absolutely ''loses it'', and his rage is a truly unstoppable and terrifying sight to behold.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Ysengrin doesn't have much use for Renard, and the feeling is decidedly mutual, but he was clearly angered when he found out the Court had tricked Renard into being captured, and even more so when he learned that Coyote already knew and did nothing about it. It says a lot about how much Ysengrin cares about Renard that he actually ''calls out Coyote'' over leaving Renard trapped in the Court.
* YesMan: He's perpetually kissing up to Coyote. Coyote himself notes that Ysengrin [[HoYay loves]] him very much, though Ysengrin isn't blind to Coyote's shortcomings.
* ZenSurvivor: [[spoiler:Barely]] survives without the armor and gives advice to only those he deems worthy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Coyote]]
[[quoteright:201:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Coyote_2525.png]]

''The'' Coyote -- the mythological {{trickster}} [[PhysicalGod god]]. Though hailing from America, he considers the entire world his home; he came to Britain to join Renard in spreading mischief. He's since become the ruler of Gillitie Wood, and Ysengrin's superior.

Ysengrin's body and powers were [[BlessedWithSuck gifts]] from Coyote, as are Renard's. The Glass-Eyed Men are also his creations. The common thread in all of these is that, though Coyote is very powerful, he's not omnipotent, and he's too scatter-brained to use that power well.

Over twelve years ago, he took an interest in Surma; later, he took an interest in Antimony (who he initially [[TimeDissonance mistakes for her mother]]), and offered her a standing invitation to Gillitie. He also wants to bring his cousin Reynardine back to Gillitie -- by force if necessary. His ultimate goal -- aside from [[ItAmusedMe the lulz]] -- is a mystery.

So far, he acts quite amicably towards the Court. Though not outright evil, he's vain, largely unconcerned with the consequences of his actions, and capable of unexpected acts of lewdness or violence when he wants to prove a point. He seems to enjoy nothing more than to talk about himself, or hear others talk about him.

According to Jones, "Coyote is no liar. Therein lies the danger." His promise of safe passage can be trusted, but his advice must be handled carefully.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AintTooProudToBeg: First he tries a threatening attitude to get Annie to tell him stories, but she doesn't believe he would really attack her. Next step is to cry and whine while rolling on his back. Annie isn't too impressed, but Ysengrin is mortified.
* AnimalisticAbomination: Even when not in the Ether, he looks very off.
* ArtShift: A walking one. Coyote rarely is drawn the same way twice, and his body often contorts and twists. He has been drawn in a realistic style, abstract, and cubist all within panels of each other.
* BadBoss: He manipulated Renard into being captured and imprisoned by the Court for somewhere in the area of twenty years and he instigated Ysengrin's attempt on Antimony's life and then erased Ysengrin's memory of the event, something he's done more than once.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: His threat to Antimony [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=824 here]] and, much earlier in the story, his treatment of Ysengrin [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=284 here]].
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Coyote only ever does things to amuse himself. To this end he is willing to hurt and betray his "friends" and colleagues, even with moon-poking power and dictatorship over the entire woods. Examples include [[spoiler:manipulating Ysengrin into trying to murder Annie, and then eating Ysengrin's memory of the event]]. On the other hand, he's very generous with sharing information, constantly laughs and jokes at what should be {{Berserk Button}}s to any other dictator, and his reaction to a farce of an official meeting between ambassadors?
-->Coyote: ...Party. Party. Party! Par-tay! Par-Tay! PARTY-AY!
-->Minions: YAY!
* CheshireCatGrin: ''Constantly''. The grin only gets even bigger in Coyote's Etheric form, where it extends past his mouth and down his entire body (if a writhing mass of tentacles, eyes, and yes, teeth, can be called a body).
* DoNotTauntCthulhu: Coyote enjoys defiance, but keep in mind that he '''is''' a god.
* EldritchAbomination: Coyote's etheric form looks like a [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=677 mass of technicolor tentacles with teeth]]. His true form is essentially a living fractal.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere / ExtraEyes: Coyote has an eye on his chest and on each of his shoulders and thighs, which are occasionally seen to turn to look at people. His etheric form is also seen to be partly made up of an infinite number of glowing eyes; the rest of it is [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily rows upon rows of endless, glittering teeth.]]
* FeelNoPain: Coyote only feels pain if he chooses to. On the other hand, he often chooses to, [[TooKinkyToTorture simply because he thinks it's funny]].
* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler: He was apparently an ordinary coyote before human imagination made him a god]].
* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: Coyote's abilities are powered by the ether, which in turn is fueled by the imagination of mankind. [[spoiler:This is why he can barely be said to exist, and would be a normal coyote at best without it]]. Mind you, this is explicitly stated to be only Coyote's theory, with as of yet no definitive proof of it being the actual truth of the world; Annie expresses disbelief towards it, and while Jones doesn't confirm nor deny it, she still speaks of it only as "Coyote's theory".
* HumanityIsInsane: As part of his explanation on [[spoiler: why he doesn't exist]].
-->'''Coyote:''' He does not see an animal looking for a meal, he sees the power of a god behind it, a power that has bested him! '''This is the curse of man!''' He is forever deceived by his mind! It causes him to not see a stone when it is just a stone. Instead his diseased mind sees [[HumansAreWarriors a weapon]] or [[RuleOfSymbolism a symbol]]. [[FreudWasRight The shape of a woman]]. [[MadArtist A spark of inspiration!]]\\
'''Annie:''' You see human intellect as a disease?\\
'''Coyote:''' How could it be anything else?!
* HumansAreFlawed: He loves humans, but he's not above cracking jokes at their expense.
--> '''Annie:''' Let's hope we teach you responsibility, too.\\
'''Coyote:''' HAHAHA! Responsibility! A fine word and one of the last you'll learn as a human!
* HumansAreSpecial: Coyote loves humans so much because [[spoiler:[[GodsNeedPrayerBadly they are responsible for his existence]] and could be considered the strongest race of all since their imagination powers the ether. Or so he thinks, at least; it remains to be seen if he is indeed correct about this]].
* TheHyena: One of the more literal examples. He laughs loudly at everything--at himself, at others, he doesn't really discriminate.
* ImmortalImmaturity: Coyote does whatever he wants to whoever he wants, regardless of how they're going to feel about it, and most of the time without their permission. He also has NoSenseOfPersonalSpace, often wrapping himself around someone or pressing his head right onto theirs (to say nothing of the nose). [[TheHyena The permanent grin he has plastered on his face]] doesn't help his case much.
* ItAmusedMe: He seems to have little to no concerns in life, like when [[spoiler:Renard was tricked by Surma]]; he knew it was happening, he just thought it'd be more FUN to see what happened. He's also incredibly blunt when he's telling you something -- unless he thinks impenetrably enigmatic talk will be funnier.
-->'''Reader:''' Does Coyote only do things for his own amusement?\\
'''Tom:''' Only.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Coyote [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=485 enjoys hearing stories about himself]], also loves ''telling'' [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=489 stories about himself]], and on one occasion [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1062 calls Antimony]] to the forest for this very reason:
-->'''Coyote''': You see, this is an important matter! I am bored! You will tell me stories!\\
(Beat)\\
'''Antimony''': Stories.\\
'''Coyote''': Yes! Stories about me! I'm ready now. You may begin!
* {{Jerkass}}: Don't be fooled by Coyote's jolly attitude. He's still not above putting someone's life in danger for a prank and then laughing about it afterwards. Not surprising, given that he's one of the original {{Trickster}}s.
** Chapter 39 showcases him in this role as one long KickTheDog moment for him. His unrelenting emotional and mental abuse of Ysengrin, up to and including [[spoiler:eating Ysengrin's memories]], isn't funny ''at all.''
** Chapter 43 reveals that Coyote goaded Renard into stealing a human body and offered reassurances to Renard's concerns that the process could kill the man.
* JerkassGods: He's a god and he's an asshole. Coyote only cares about himself and it shows.
* LargeHam:
** When he's in the mood. Which he very often is.
** [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=484 The hammiest ham that ever hammed, scene one]].
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1067 Right here]]. His etheric form also [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1468 extends beyond the comic's normal borders]].
* MagicAIsMagicA: Among other things, when he gives away powers to others, he '''literally''' gives them away; unable to use them until he decides to take them back. See also PowerAtAPrice below.
* MadGod: Though he's probably CrazySane then truly insane. Just remember, ''"Coyote never lies. Therein lies the danger."''
* TheMadHatter: Being a god and all, he has an excuse.
* ManipulativeBastard: Loves toying with humans and forest creatures alike. He's also been routinely [[spoiler:wiping Ysengrin's memory]], slowly driving him mad in the process, either to keep his loyalty or just for giggles.
* MoralityPet: Antimony seems to be his but it is [[PlayingWithTropes played with]]. He isn't above getting her wrapped up in his demented actions, which ''have'' put her in genuine danger. He also shows some fondness for her and treats her better than he treats even Ysengrin and Reynardine. He has also revealed truths that members of the Court that were friends with her mother have gone out of their way to hide from her which was ''not'' done out of malice on his end. It should be noted that the one time he put her at direct risk of genuine harm (putting a binding around her wrist that would have cut off her hand if she revealed a secret he wanted her to keep) was completely dependent on Annie's own actions.
* NoIndoorVoice: He seems to shout ''everything,'' and only lowered his voice when he accidentally depressed Annie by bringing up her mother. Though it makes sense for him to have no indoor voice, since he's hardly ever indoors.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Coyote will always be uncomfortably close while you speak with him. ''Always''. Even in your ''dreams.''
* PerpetualSmiler
** Complete with MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily. The effect is... unsettling at times.
** You know Coyote is displeased when he ''[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=284 stops]]'' smiling.
* PhysicalGod: While it's hard to tell his limits, he's the one who cut the gorge between the Court and the Forest, and once he pulled the moon from the sky to show it to Annie.
* PowerAtAPrice: Not to himself, but the powers he gives away are often imperfect; Reynardine's body possession leaves the subject dead afterward while [[spoiler:Ysengrin's power over the trees gradually weakened his actual body]], both effects not present when Coyote used them himself.
* RealityWarper: Coyote can reshape trees (and give this power to others, as he did with Ysengrin), [[TimeStandsStill stop time]], shrink the moon and pluck it out of the sky, turn his teeth into swords [[AbsurdlySharpBlade enough to cut shadows off the floor]] (then replace those teeth with random rocks he finds on the ground) and alter his own body in any way he sees fit, and it's suggested this is only a tiny fraction of what he can do.
* {{Trickster}}: One of ''The'' Tricksters from ancient mythology.
* TricksterMentor: He has become this to Antimony.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: In every form and shape you can imagine.
* WasOnceAMan: Coyote claims that [[spoiler:he only exists because a delirious human saw a hungry coyote as a deity instead of just an animal looking for a meal.]]
* WhamLine / MindScrew: "My secret... is this... [[spoiler:[[PunctuatedForEmphasis I. DO NOT. EXIST!]]]]"
-->'''Annie''': ... [[NoSell Can I go home now?]]\\
'''Coyote''': [[HaHaHaNo Hahahahaha]] [[BigNo NO!]]
* WildCard: It's not clear what his plans are beyond giving Renard his abilities, assuming he even has any. Most of the time he'll just dispense a few bits of wisdom even though he should know everything about the Court and presumably Jeanne. [[spoiler:Or goad Ysengrin into attacking Annie.]]
* WillNotTellALie: According to Jones, he doesn't lie. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll tell the truth though, as he's prone to leaving out information, or phrasing his answer in such a way as to be completely meaningless. (Reference, [[CrypticallyUnhelpfulAnswer his answer to the question of "What is Gunnerkrigg Court?"]]).
--> '''Jones:''' Coyote is no liar, therein lies the danger.
[[/folder]]

----
!The Founders of the Court
The roots of the Court date back to an ancient union--older even than Coyote's presence in Gillitie--between a group of humans and the creatures of the Wood. Over the ages, much information about this first generation has been lost... and some has been deliberately hidden.

[[folder:Jeanne]]
[[quoteright:209:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/She_Died_And_We_Did_Nothing_4770.png]]

Formerly a swordswoman torn between the Court and the Wood; later, a [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost]] trapped between the Court and the Wood.

In life, she was quite beautiful, with blonde hair and [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience green]] [[BodyMotifs eyes]]. Her exact role in the Court is not yet clear.

Jeanne died under unusual circumstances, leaving her outside the jurisdiction of any of the Guides. Her spirit remained trapped by the Annan -- attacking anyone, from the Court or the Forest, who entered the Court's side of the gorge.

And that's the situation when Annie fell into the gorge. Annie landed on the Forest side, and Jeanne crossed the Annan (an act that was believed impossible for her) to attack, giving Annie's face a nasty cut before being driven away by Kat's sudden arrival. (Incidentally, this event was Annie's and the readers' introduction to Jeanne -- details about her past, including her name, were not forthcoming for many more chapters.)

Subsequently, Annie and Kat have taken it upon themselves to uncover Jeanne's past and help the ghost find eternal rest. Even the Guides believe that Annie is the best hope of helping Jeanne.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Most people towards her.
* BerserkerRage / ThePowerOfHate: All that death and suffering that to ensure that nothing and no one crosses the Annan river. There's an odd metaphysical effect of her sword: Way, way back in chapter 8, she cuts Annie on the cheek with her sword. Much, much later in ch 27, when Annie uses her blinker stone, ''the cut is still there''. The significance of this has yet to be seen. Chapter 46 reveals she's even [[spoiler: killed a number of psychopomps.]]
* DeathByDespair: [[spoiler: Well, she died due to a combination of this, starvation, and being exposed to the elements, probably)]].
* DissonantSerenity: On the one hand she has no problems hacking innocent school children to bits; on the other hand she takes time to complement one on her combat skills.
* EmotionlessGirl: [[NotSoStoic Only her face is emotionless]].
* FlingALightIntoTheFuture: A (very) mild example. Though [[spoiler:the Court founders]] tried to {{Unperson}} her, [[spoiler:Diego]] kept the memories of her existence in several ways, such as a hidden room, and recordings in a Court's robot.
* GratuitousIambicPentameter: A subtle but very powerful use at the painfully emotional climax of chapter 30:
--> '''Jeanne:''' You come here to mock me with this gleaming heart of yours. Coddled child of that damned place. This luxury afforded by my death... it should be mine to take.
* LadyOfWar: Renard notes in her portrait that she is more comfortable with her sword than her fine clothes.
* NightmareFace: She drops her expressionless look when she's had enough of [[spoiler: Parley's secret love for Smitty, made possible by her unwilling sacrifice to protect the Court, mocking her doomed love for "that elf"]].
* PosthumousCharacter: Still around as a ghost, though.
* ResistTheBeast: Possibly. With her [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1298 speed]] and [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1315 power]], she almost certainly could have killed [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=140 Annie]] and [[spoiler:[[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=778 Parley]]]] without any trouble, as [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=781 Parley points out]].
* SinsOfOurFathers: The Court founders are the direct responsibles for Jeanne's etheric presence on the Annan Waters. After such acts, no creatures were able to pass the waters without facing her.
* StarCrossedLovers: [[InterspeciesRomance With]] [[spoiler:a Gillitie Woods elf]].
* {{Unperson}}: After her death, [[spoiler:the Court Founders]] tried to erase all evidence of her existence. They even went so far as to [[spoiler: damage the records of The Realm of the Dead so that they can't access any files on her directly.]]
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Her face is mask-like and she spells doom to anyone or anything that enters the Annan waters.
* WomanInWhite: Her dress on the night of her death, and thus her appearance as the ghost by the Annan Waters. [[spoiler: If she turns red ''watch out'']].

[[/folder]]

[[folder:That Elf (real name unknown)]]
One of the founders' lover from Gillitie Wood. Another founder referred to him as a "traitor".

Following the separation of the Court and the Wood, he and his LoveInterest kept in touch secretly (or so they thought) by letters. Upon learning that the Court wished her to go down to the Annan Waters for an unknown reason, they made plans to use this event to rendezvous and escape elsewhere together.

That night, while he swam across the Annan, an arrow was fired from the Court, killing him. He was the lucky one.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* HumanSacrifice: Well, elf, but the trope still applies.
* StarCrossedLovers: With Jeanne, thanks to the meddling of the other founders and Diego's jealousy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Diego]]
[[quoteright:143:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Diego_of_Gunnerkrigg_5558.png]]

An [[{{Gonk}} odd-looking]] inventor and technological genius, who clearly understood machines better than people. All the Court's robots (except possibly the Tic Tocs) are derived from his designs.

He loved Jeanne unrequitedly ([[StalkerWithACrush or was at least obsessed with the idea of her]]) and showered her with gifts of robots, which had little effect on her (in retrospect, giving robots to a girl who was pining for the forest was probably a bad idea).

----
!!Associated tropes:

* ArcWords: [[spoiler: "She died and I did nothing", part of his last words, which the robots repeat as 'She died and we did nothing']].
* BlackEyesOfEvil: Beneath his glasses, his eyes are solid black. It isn't clear if he suffered the same condition that Zimmy does.
* GadgeteerGenius: This guy created ''self-aware robots''.
* HeelRealization: Of a sort. While he never acknowledged that he was in any way responsible for [[spoiler: Jeanne's death]], some of his last words were [[spoiler: "She was all alone, waiting, when she died and I did nothing", which show that he regretted [[BystanderSyndrome not doing something to save her]]]].
* IfICantHaveYou: Strongly hinted to be his motivation for having Jeanne sacrificed.
* {{Jerkass}}: This was the guy who [[spoiler:condemned the one he 'loved' to a slow and miserable death by exposure essentially, because she liked someone else. And [[SarcasmMode which coincidentally]] killed the other man as well]].
* NeverMyFault: Even on his deathbed, he was unwilling to accept that [[spoiler:his choices led directly to Jeanne's death]], choosing instead to insist that he had been forced into it by Young.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He only appears in an old video clip [[spoiler:and a telepathy-induced flashback, courtesy of Jeanne]]. Despite this, the vast majority of the main plot is either directly or indirectly a result of his choices and creations.
* StalkerWithACrush: To Jeanne.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sir Young]]
[[quoteright:142:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sir_young_6724.png]]

The Court's first Dragon Slayer. He is interred in a park at the Court which bears his name -- Annie's class took a camping trip there.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AnimalsHateHim: The Court's animal robots, being descendants of Diego's works, will not go near his tombstone.
* DragonRider: Honestly, he fits this better than dragon slayer. Most dragons in the Gunnerkrigg verse are quite nice.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: His "final record":
-->'''Sir Young''': The place we built, the sacrifices we made, it was for the greater good of our people.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Steadman]]
[[quoteright:175:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/steadman_archer_9747.png]]

The Archer of the Founders, and apparently a close friend of the Artilleryman (who has not appeared on screen). He had an important part in the plan to fortify the Annan Waters.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* DeathByFallingOver: His "final record" was "I really wish I hadn't tripped over that damn dog."
-->'''Annie/Kat:''' Huh.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: The shot he fired into [[spoiler:the ravine]] is so improbable that the archery nerds in the fandom have assumed that his skills must be etheric.
* KillTheOnesYouLove: [[spoiler:Jeanne]].
* PunnyName: Possible. While it may not be a MeaningfulName since "Steadman" means a farmhouse occupant, which doesn't fit the character, it may be a pun on the fact that he's a man who's a very steady shot.
* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: [[http://www.formspring.me/gunnerkrigg/q/293654759934533599 Went out]] with Jeanne "when they were younger."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Seed Bismuth]]
The one who created Gunnerkrigg Court. Created by the forest people's magic, the human's technology, and nature itself, it was planted into the ground in the hopes of giving everyone a peaceful place to live together. However, the greed of the humans pushed Bismuth beyond its limits and subsequently began overtaking the forest.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* BigCreepyCrawlies: Turns out it's [[spoiler: not The Seed Bismuth, but [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1251 a wisp]] that was trying to lure Annie away.]]
* CallBack: The [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1247 Seed]] looks a lot like how [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1049 Kat appears to Zimmy.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: Mentioned early on and frequently thereafter.
* LivingMacGuffin: Turns out it's alive. Who knew?
* WalkingSpoiler: Appears in Chapter 44, and everything related to it is a spoiler.
* UnreliableNarrator: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1251 Turns out to be]] some kind of [[spoiler:wasp monster called a wisp]], however not everything it says is a lie.
[[/folder]]

----
!Other / Minor characters

[[folder:Basil]]
The Dreaded Minotaur of Crete, who has a time sharing in a room inside of the Court. He makes his first appearance in Chapter 2, where Annie and Kat finds him while searching for information for their mythology class.

----
!!Associated tropes:

%%* ALoadOfBull
* AllMythsAreTrue: Well, true-''ish''. The way he tells the famous story, a jerk crashed his birthday party, and he somehow ended up as the bad guy.
* GentleGiant: Despite what the myths claim.
* OutOfFocus: It took 30 chapters to see him again.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Tic-Tocs / The Thousand Eyes]]
[[quoteright:216:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Tic-Toc_resize_4913.jpg]]

MechanicalLifeforms in the shape of strange ticking birds, only revealed to be robots upon autopsy. Mostly they just [[MysteriousWatcher observe events]], though they once [[TheCavalry intervened to save Antimony's life]]. Though they are constructed with Court technology, the Court staff profess ignorance of their origins and true nature. Robots identify them as "[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=646 mythical ornithonic, said to be older than the Court itself]]". It is possible they aren't allied with the Court or the Wood.

Gamma and Zimmy seem to know more than they're saying about them: "The Thousand Eyes" is the name Gamma gives for them, while everyone else just refers to them as "those birds". Zimmy can't stand them looking at her.

The other Robots in the Court consider the Tic-Tocs mythical, created by a divine being (rather than Diego), and possibly older than the Court itself.

----
!!Associated tropes:

* BigDamnHeroes: At the beginning of Chapter 8, they intervene to save Annie's life.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Despite being one of the biggest mysteries of the Court, they haven't made any appearances for quite a long time.
* MeaningfulName: The only sound they make is "Tic-Toc."
* MechanicalLifeforms: At first glance, they appear alive, but the feathers are fake.
* MysteriousWatcher: For the entire Court. While they appear to be Court technology, none of the current generation know where they come from, including the robots.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Guides]]
[[quoteright:332:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Muut_Moddy-Dhoo_and_Mallt-y-Nos_resize_9965.jpg]]

A wide variety of mythological persons and creatures who escort the souls of the dead]] into the Aether. Some manner of rules forbid them from interfering in the lives of the living, and for this reason they are usually invisible to living humans. However, some people, such as Annie and Surma, can naturally see and communicate with the Guides. In spite of their fearsome appearances, they are friendly.

Plot-wise, the important Guides so far are:
* '''Muut:''' An [[MixAndMatchCritters owl-headed man]] from Cahuilla Native American myth. He seems to care about Annie, but he's not above manipulating her or bending the rules for the right ends. [[WalkingShirtlessScene Does not wear a shirt]].
* '''Moddey-Dhoo:''' A [[{{Hellhound}} Black Dog]] from Manx folklore.
* '''Mallt-y-Nos:''' "Matilda of the Night", a Welsh crone who joined TheWildHunt. Annie's very first task as a supernatural mediator involved clearing up a dispute between Mallt-y-Nos and Moddey-Dhoo.
* '''Ketrak:''' The Guide of insects. Much nicer to talk to than to [[EldritchAbomination look at]]. At least, for humans.
* '''Ankou:''' The Breton psychopomp who was probably the inspiration for [[TheGrimReaper the Grim Reaper]]. Carries a scythe and wears an awesome hat.

Annie befriended many of them during her stay at Good Hope. However, by the start of the story, she's become angry with them for not guiding Surma to her final resting place, leaving Annie, still a child, to do so herself.

* CrossoverCosmology: None of them hail from any one belief system.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite their often sinister appearances, they are largely benign entities, only looking to bring the dead to what awaits.
* DontFearTheReaper: They're actually quite personable when you get to know them.
* InvisibleToNormals: Most people can't see them under normal circumstances.
* {{Psychopomp}}: They guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife (afterlives?).

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Brinnie]]
[[quoteright:189:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_Brinnie_1148.jpg]]

The valkyrie Brynhildr, sent to Earth as punishment for disobeying Odin. There, she attended Gunnerkrigg, and befriended two of her classmates, Surma and Anja. When they were transferred to Queslett house, Brinnie remained in Chester, so they rarely were able to spend time together. However, she was able to join them on picture day, and she appeared in a group photo -- a copy of which would eventually end up in Annie's hands.

Said photo was the first scrap of information revealed to the readers about Brinnie -- and for 14 chapters, it was the ''only'' scrap of information, and the seed of many EpilepticTrees in the fandom.

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!!Associated tropes:

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1011 Nothing subtle here]]. But Tony just couldn't decide how to react on this. And ended up with Surma, as we already know.
* AllThereInTheManual: Brinnie's backstory has only been lightly hinted at in the comic itself--when she uses her powers, a blue ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valknut valknut]]'' appears, and she makes an offhand reference to "the old man" (Odin.) The revelation that she was an exiled Valkyrie was [[http://gunnerkrigg.proboards.com/thread/361/tom-2?page=38#scrollTo=19981 made on the forums.]]
* {{Valkyries}}: She was ''still'' not on active duty, obviously. On the other hand, she can't shirk any studies since Odin personally checks her diligence.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Hetty]]
[[quoteright:143:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hetty_1622.png]]

An animated doll who's introduced as a close friend of Reynardine's, and who seems to share his status as a spirit possessing a human toy. Her apparently charming and capricious behavior is a (very thin) mask for a sinister personality bent on tormenting her unwitting owner, Adam (a student at the Court whose sister had previously owned the doll Hetty inhabits, before meeting with a "little accident").

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!! Associated tropes:

* AnimalisticAbomination: [[spoiler:When the spirit of Hetty is released from the doll, it most closely resembles a human-sized krill.]]
* AxCrazy
* BlushSticker: She ''is'' a doll, so they're probably painted on.
* CreepyDoll: Good lord. At least she's a lot more eloquent than most talking dolls, and doesn't just communicate in giggles and ''"Play with me"'' chants. But then, her favorite subject is how much she despises and wishes harm upon Adam.
* DemonicPossession: In much the same manner as Reynardine. She even has an alchemical symbol on her forehead, as he does (Hetty's represents "oil essence").
* DisproportionateRetribution: Hetty loathes Adam for "the pain he has caused [her]" and for trapping her "in this cursed body". Adam... has no idea he was given ownership of Hetty and, to all evidence, had nothing to do with the events that trapped her inside that doll in the first place.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Completely fails to grasp the possibility that [[spoiler: Reynardine might not want to kill Annie.]]
* EvilCounterpart: Towards the end of ''Quicksilver,'' it becomes clear that she's like Reynardine [[spoiler:used to be...except that, unlike him, she feels no regret for her sadistic actions. Recognizing that she will kill an innocent boy if not stopped, Reynardine burns her to death.]]
* {{Foil}} / ShadowArchetype: To Rey, especially towards dealing with their child "masters".
* ForTheEvulz: Her primary purpose seems to be to commit random acts of malicious vandalism.
-->'''Renard:''' Up to more acts of unspeakable evil today, Hetty?\\
'''Hetty:''' Oh Reynardine, you are such a tease! ...[[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne You know very well I love to speak of it]]!
* GameFace: The more evil she's feeling, the more her appearance changes, as [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1217 here]] and [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1219 here]]. [[NightmareFuel Don't even get me started on]] [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1224 this]] [[NightmareFace one]]. Her porcelain "skin" goes corpse-gray and begins to crack, her pupils change from ovals to slits, the alchemical symbol shows up on her forehead, and her facial expression takes a turn for the nasty.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Part of the items Hetty has Reynard help her gather include matches and lighter fluid. [[spoiler:Reynard uses them to burn her doll body.]]
* IrrationalHatred:
** Toward Adam. Reynardine's reaction is baffled and a little incredulous once he actually glimpses the boy. Hetty's campaign of inflicting suffering on Adam is made even more disturbing because Adam isn't remotely at fault and has no idea why he's going through this.
--->'''Hetty:''' Just because he doesn't know about me [[InsaneTrollLogic does not excuse his neglect]]!
** This is also another way in which she contrasts Reynard: he wanted to escape imprisonment for his past crimes by [[spoiler:killing Annie and taking her body]], a motivation which was sympathetic, if still evil (and which he eventually [[spoiler:grew out of.]]) Hetty torments Adam solely for her own pleasure, and smiles gleefully when Reynard points out that one of her plans [[spoiler:would result in Adam's death.]]
** It gets rather depressing with this little note from Tom:
--->'''Tom:''' Adam noticed these problems started soon after his sister died.
* ItsAllAboutMe:
** Has absolutely no consideration for anything beyond her own murderous rage.
** You could say she's [[spoiler: [[IncrediblyLamePun a little shellfish]] ]].
* KilledOffForReal: Tom has confirmed that after Chapter 44 she won't be appearing anymore.
* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler:Reynard douses her doll body in flames, though she abandons it and assumes her true form, which he also promptly kills.]]
* KillerRabbit: She's adorable, if you can catch her in a non-murderous mood.
* MeaningfulRename: Apparently "Hetty" is the doll's name, not the spirit's name, judging from the "Helpful Hetty" page ad at the end of her featured chapter. Consequently, the spirit's real name is unknown.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: A firm believer in this.
* NotSoHarmless: A coquettish doll whose "act of unspeakable evil" is to sneak itchy material into her owner's sheets? [[PokeThePoodle Cute...]] until she [[spoiler:starts planning to poison Adam with arsenic, tells Reynardine that he should kill Antimony as well, and is implied to have killed Adam's sister]]. Yikes.
** And then FridgeHorror on the itchiness, when we see Adam and he's covered in a deeply painful looking rash.
* PoisonousFriend: If it hadn't already become obvious in the preceding few pages, Hetty's [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1218 little suggestion]] to Reynardine laid the matter to rest.
-->'''Hetty:''' Oh! You should kill her!
* RedEyesTakeWarning: She has red eyes and is as evil as they imply, as seen from her suggestion that Reynardine kill Antimony and her IrrationalHatred toward Adam.
* SanitySlippage: At first, she seems to have her mind in order, but the more that's learned about her, the more that it becomes clear that her sanity ''definitely'' slipped a long time ago.
* TheUnfettered: Completely obsessed with her own absolute freedom [[spoiler: and willing to kill for it]]
* VisualPun: As commentator "Omnithea" puts it: [[spoiler: "It's a shrimp... in a Barbie."]]
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:Introduced and subsequently killed off within a single chapter.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Boxbot]]

[[ButtMonkey Nobody likes Boxbot]]. [[CreatorBacklash Not even Tom himself]]. He's terrible to the point that he doesn't deserve a proper description. Not that you can say much about a box-shaped thing with arms...
-->--''He's rubbish.''

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!!Associated tropes:

* ButtMonkey: PlayedForLaughs. No one--not even Kat, MessianicArchetype of the robots--likes him.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Robox]]

[[TheAce Everyone loves Robox]]. A complete description cannot even sum up the awesomeness that is Robox. "Box on legs" doesn't even begin to cover it.

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!!Associated tropes:

* TheAce: PlayedForLaughs, but not really a ParodyAce. He's...a box on legs. That's it. Yet he's treated like he's made of gold.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:City Face]]

A baby pigeon that fell out of the nest and was presumably abandoned by its parents. Kat found him outside her workshop and, with Paz's help, nursed him back to health.

Some time later, the adult City Face starred as himself in ''City Face'', a summer blockbuster in which he woos an attractive female pigeon, thereby saving the world from [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destruction]]. He reprised the role in ''City Face 2'' the following year, much to Hollywood's delight.

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!!Associated tropes:

* ADayInTheLimelight: ''City Face'' and ''City Face 2''.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Before appearing in the comic proper (''Chapter 29: A Bad Start'') he debuted in ''City Face'', published right after ''Chapter 22: Ties''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tea]]

A white-haired secondary {{narrator}} who appears on some bonus pages to describe background details of the Gunnerverse and to announce things like comic hiatuses. [[LooseCanon It's unclear if she has any connection to the continuity of the story]].

----
!!Associated tropes:

* AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle: Her job is to provide a bit of information on something relative to the current chapter. Different types of fairies, Black Dogs, swords, etc.
* TheStinger: She always appears in the bonus pages and the end of chapters.
%%* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl

[[/folder]]

* TranquilFury: [[www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1525 Towards Anthony]]. He's angry because (among other things) Tony disappeared without telling anyone for several years, but from his posture you'd think he was just making small talk. Ironically, he interrupted Anthony's attempt to make small talk.

** BlackBeadEyes: She opens her eyes in Chapter 52 page 7 [[spoiler: apparently out of shock over Anthony's appearance (she hasn't seen him since before Annie was born and he's drawn more realistically, with considerably more age lines than any of his friends)]].

* AmbiguousDisorder: He legitimately has extreme difficulty understanding people. When he was younger a potential romantic situation threw him into extreme emotional turmoil for weeks, and even as an adult he still is by and large stoic.

* TheAtoner: For agreeing to [[spoiler:have a child with Surma, which he knew inevitably caused her death]]. Even moreso if he knew this prior to doing so. [[spoiler:On the other hand, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=813 he may blame Annie as well]]]].

** In the recent present, he abandoned his daughter soon after his wife's death [[spoiler:and only briefly spoke to her after two years]]. We don't yet know why, but he's not going to win any awards for great parenting from Kat for how much this has hurt Annie.
** When he finally shows up in person, his first words to Annie are [[spoiler: to dismissively tell her to wipe her makeup off her face...the same kind of makeup that her mother wore.]]
** When Annie notices [[spoiler: his prosthetic hand, he replies to her concern "Is it your business?"]] He even looks pissed off that she would even have the nerve to ask.

* JerkassHasAPoint: With all of his dickery, he rightfully and fairly politely [[spoiler: calls out Annie for stealing Kat's homework. Especially since Kat's reaction confirms that she never gave her permission.]]
** [[spoiler: He also says that he's subtracted all the plagiarism from her overall marks, and decided to have her repeat year 9. Given that Annie's been cheating for a ''long'' time, she quite probably hasn't learned enough to justify her being in year 10, nor does she deserve to be there. Considering many institutions in real life have a zero tolerance approach to cheating and how it's indicated Annie has been doing so extensively, it wouldn't raise many eyebrows if she had been expelled, though as he's a teacher rather than an administrator his ability to fail her in classes not his own seems excessive.]]

* {{Demonization}}: In-universe she's doing this to [[spoiler: Anthony Carver]], assuming based on nothing at all that he was "performing cruel experiments" on Renard and all but directly ordering Renard to kill him if he tries to hurt him, when nothing he's said or done to date would remotely suggest he's likely to do so. She's overreacting to Antimony's plight, as [[spoiler: Anthony forced Antimony to move out of the dorms and give up control of Renard.]]

* {{Demonization}}: In-universe she's doing this to [[spoiler: Anthony Carver]], assuming based on nothing at all that he was "performing cruel experiments" on Renard and all but directly ordering Renard to kill him if he tries to hurt him, when nothing he's said or done to date would remotely suggest he's likely to do so.She's overreacting to Antimony's plight, as [[spoiler: Anthony forced Antimony to move out of the dorms and give up control of Renard.]]

* {{Demonization}}: In-universe she's doing this to [[spoiler: Anthony Carver]]. She's overreacting to Antimony's plight, as [[spoiler: Anthony forced Antimony to move out of the dorms and give up control of Renard.]]

* {{Demonization}}: In-universe she's doing this to [[spoiler: Anthony Carver]], assuming based on nothing at all that he was "performing cruel experiments" on Renard and all but directly ordering Renard to kill him if he tries to hurt him, when nothing he's said or done to date would remotely suggest he's likely to do so. She's overreacting to Antimony's plight, as [[spoiler: Anthony forced Antimony to move out of the dorms and give up control of Renard.]]

* TheAtoner: For agreeing to [[spoiler:have a child with Surma, which he knew inevitably caused her death]]. Even moreso if he knew this prior to doing so. [[spoiler:On the other hand, [[ he may blame Annie as well]]]].

* TheAtoner: For agreeing to [[spoiler:have a child with Surma, which he knew inevitably caused her death]]. Even moreso if he knew this prior to doing so. [[spoiler:On the other hand, [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=813 he may blame Annie as well]]]].

* TheMatchmaker: Pushed together Anja and Donald who liked each others, but were shy about it. "Those two ended up married, you know."

* AmbiguouslyBrown: This along with the fact that she's a DarkSkinnedBlond make determining her ethnicity difficult. justified since she [[spoiler:predates life on the planet, and by extension humanity, by billions of years]].

Personality-wise, Miss Parley is loud and always trying to take charge of conversations. She harbors strong feelings for Smith, which she [[{{tsundere}} expresses]] by constantly in getting in Smith's hair, while simultaneously [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace attaching herself to him]] at every possible opportunity. When Jones prods Smith into giving Parley a flower, Parley is so overcome with emotion that she spontaneously manifests her latent Etheric power of space manipulation... by teleporting the lot of them straight onto her bed. (It should be stated that her power mixed with Smith's organization ability and teleported them to her bed. For those trying to keep up with the math, here's a tip: [[AppliedMathematics High Emotion + Order + Teleportation = Her Bed]].)

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1067 Right here]].

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: She'd been given a free pass for [[spoiler: cheating off of Kat for her entire educational career]], and only Renard, who is soundly ignored, and her father, who is a colossal ass, say two words about it.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: She'd been given a free pass for [[spoiler: cheating off of Kat for her entire educational career]], reprimanded only by her father who is a douchebag anyway.

* RealityWarper: Never explicitly mentioned, but observe how the trees in the background of [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=817 this page]] bend to match the contortions of his body, but remain straight when he's not in-frame.
* TimeStandsStill: One of his many powers, complete with [[DeliberatelyMonochrome deliberate monochrome]].

Coyote only ever does things to amuse himself. If that means allowing one of his subordinates to attempt to murder the other, then MindRape him into forgetting, so be it.

* BadBoss: Coyote

* HiddenDepths: turns out, [[http://gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1170 he's the best at drawing of the main characters!]]

* BigCreepyCrawlies: Turns out it's [[spoiler: not The Seed Bismuth, but [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1251 an wisp]] that was trying to lure Annie away.]]