[257] Story Discussion - First Kiss

[Aspen d'Grey]

Reminder: Early Update at drunkduck.com/Gunnerkrigg_Court

Well, OK, that last line wasn't totally unexpected. I'm glad that Kat isn't as torn up over she is after losing Aly like this. I -am- surprised that Tom outright stated that she never sees him again, and a bit disappointed. He could have been a really interesting character in the looming conflict between the Court and the woods that people have been hypothesizing about. I'm also glad that we'll be getting back to Annie as our main character, and somewhat glad that we don't have to worry anymore about name confusion =P. And while I didn't like this segment at ALL for how tortuous it was for Kat, it did humanize her a lot and made her a much better character, from the infatuation, to the bad makeup, to this last kiss.

We don't see Annie's symbol, so this either isn't the end of the chapter (Kat meets with Annie?) or Tom didn't use it because it wasn't about Annie, instead ending it with the "And She Never Saw Him Again" comment. That's a break from his normal mode of operations, but in this case I could understand it, as this -feels- like where he should end it, and then use the in-between comic to do any Annie-Kat resolution.


::End Spoilers::
I've used the spoiler warning because I've talked a lot more specifically about the comic that what I usually do in this first post, normally I try and keep it to an introduction and then do more specific comments later on in the thread as a response to others.

[starkruzr]

Yeah. I really don't like this at all.

"10-year-old boy lobotomized by parents. Isn't it romantic?"

The question "do you want this?" was never asked.

F-. Tom is a great storyteller, but I just can't help it; I really, really disliked this arc.

[yeochild]

So she never SAW him again, eh? How about a telephone call? Maybe Kat goes blind but they reunite? It's still possible.

[yeochild]

Oh, and one more thing . . .

Kat: Mmm! Tastes just like chicken!

Sorry, but someone had to say it . . .

[yeochild]

And one more thing on top of that one more thing . . .

More Annie-narration, hopefully continued on next page! W00t! The more she narrates, the better I can speculate on who or what she's talking too, though I'm pretty sure it's a group of Shadows.

[Yin]

That cracking sound you just heard was my little shipping heart breaking.

[dork457]

4-27
Dork457 (7:20:47 AM): are they gonna kiss or what
Teasan4 (7:20:58 AM): wait and see
Dork457 (7:23:06 AM): well hurry up already
Teasan4 (7:23:52 AM): I'm posting three times a week as fast as I can

5-13
Dork457 (7:30:39 AM): he hasn't kissed her yet wtf
Dork457 (7:30:57 AM): why do I have to wait to the second to last page
Teasan4 (7:31:04 AM): Hold your horses
Dork457 (7:40:11 AM): I have not a horse to hold
Teasan4 (7:40:39 AM): Events will occur before the end of the chapter.

5-26
Dork457 (3:03:00 AM): KISS ALREADY
Teasan4 (3:08:15 AM): Patience
Dork457 (3:10:42 AM): it better happen in the next one
Dork457 (3:10:49 AM): full page 1 panel
Teasan4 (3:12:38 AM): That would be the natural development wouldnt it?
Dork457 (3:13:03 AM): you better not be giving me the switcharound
Dork457 (3:13:21 AM): he better not turn out to be a ghost or a spectre
Teasan4 (3:18:33 AM): Rest assured that by the end of the chapter there will be more talking and panels with pictures in them

6-9
Dork457 (7:33:34 AM): great now there never gonna kiss now that his parents are there it'd be way too awkward
Dork457 (7:33:47 AM): plus his face is getting all soupy
Dork457 (7:33:52 AM): >:[

6-12
Dork457 (8:46:47 AM): Not a kiss, tom, what the dillyo
Teasan4 (9:07:37 AM): The chapter aint over yet
Dork457 (9:08:05 AM): you're gonna get clobbered if it doesn't happen bucko

6-14
Dork457: I knew it wouldn't happen >:[
Teasan4: Chapter aint over yet
Dork457: HE'S A BIRD
Teasan4: I hear no fat ladies
Dork457: argagdgdgadghdh

6-15

Dork457: that doesn't count >:[
Teasan4: It is a kiss which is what you wanted man
Dork457: doesn't count :[

[Yin]

*snort* An MSN conversation with Tom is more amusing than I thought.

[La Goon]

She looks happy in that last panel. Is she satisfied with a hug and a kiss (which isn't returned)?

- or just at the moment high on being hugged by a pair of giant wings?

[La Poire]

starkruzr said:

F-. Tom is a great storyteller, but I just can't help it; I really, really disliked this arc.

I can help it, I really really liked this page (and arc). Very fairy tale-esque. I feel more bad for Aly than Kat, anyhow.

[todd]

Annie's remark that Kat never saw Aly again was a little startling, but gives a sense of closure about it all.

And her parting with Aly was a very touching moment. (As I said yesterday, I think that Annie's "meddling" in getting Kat to say good-bye one last time to Alistair has shown itself to have good results.) At least we know that she's at peace about it all. And Aly even gave her a little good-bye song!

I think that the final page of this chapter will have the antimony symbol on it, even if the focus was off of Annie in it. Chapter Eleven was more about Zimmy and Gamma, but it also had the antimony symbol on its last page.

[mrw]

todd said:

Annie's remark that Kat never saw Aly again was a little startling, but gives a sense of closure about it all.

And her parting with Aly was a very touching moment. (As I said yesterday, I think that Annie's "meddling" in getting Kat to say good-bye one last time to Alistair has shown itself to have good results.) At least we know that she's at peace about it all. And Aly even gave her a little good-bye song!

I think that the final page of this chapter will have the antimony symbol on it, even if the focus was off of Annie in it. Chapter Eleven was more about Zimmy and Gamma, but it also had the antimony symbol on its last page.

Agreed on all points.

This chapter was very sad (and romantic!). I must say, Kat's handling it better than I probably would. *sniff*

Tom, I appreciate the closure in your final panel. It was appropriate and well said. Beautiful artwork too, head nibbling and all.

You know, it would be pretty darn cool if some number of chapters later (when we've pretty much forgotten everything), some hints turned up as to why Aly's family chose this. (There's already been a hint that they simply love birds, but that itself is kind of weak.)
It's really thrilling when clues throughout a story can be pieced together to bring clarity to an earlier event, don't you think?

edit: dork457, that's hilarious. Thanks for posting it!

[todd]

As a side-note, one thing that I liked was that, even though Aly underwent (according to Tom) a mental change as well as a physical, it's clear from the events on this page that he still retained (in some manner) his feelings for Kat. Look, especially, at how much he's enjoying the good-bye kiss from her!

[Bobbey]

Well, as much as the end of this chapter broke my heart in so many ways, I must say that I am happy with the way it ended. Aly seems happy about his good-bye kiss and Kat seems to be taking this situation quite well: her smile says it all in the last panel.
I'm just a bit sad that she wont get to see him again. I mean, Robot and Shadow2 eventually came back, so why shouldn't Aly? I'm shure that there will be a point in Tom's story where Annie and Kat will have to go back to the woods sometime, what with that lady ghost with the sword and the suicide fairies, so we're bound to *maybe* see him, or at least hear about him from whatever other creatures lurking in that forest...
I'm pretty shure we'll get to know more about Aly's parents and his past in the next few chapters, or else in another appropriate time.

[amaretto]

Letting go is one of those things that is easier to do when you're young. It's just that you get a little older with each kiss goodbye.

[todd]

Actually, I'm not certain now what surprised me more about the narration in the final panel - that we learn, just like that, that Aly won't show up in the webecomic again (or at least, that Kat won't meet him again), or that Annie's narration had returned (I don't think that we'd seen it since the beginning of Chapter Eight - there'd been "narrative captions" after that, but they were all conventional ones of the "a little later on" variety).

Incidentally, I think that we owe Alistair an apology for all the times that we'd suspected that he was up to no good or was Reynardine in disguise or something of that sort. He definitely turned out to be a decent boy who really did care about Kat. (Of course, he also misjudged her, in light of his fears as to how she'd respond upon seeing him turning into a bird. She was shaken up for a bit, but she quickly got over it and accepted it.)

[Mezzaphor]

What a beautiful and haunting end to a very strange chapter.

Well, the chapter's not completely over. While I currently feel this page feels like a good chapter close, I'm sure whatever Tom has for Monday will change my mind.

[koino]

Dude that totally made me cry. Honest I'm like crying right now.

[Count Casimir]

Hey...it's Annie NARRATING that Kat never sees him again. Maybe they DO see each other, and Annie just doesn't know about it!

[Mezzaphor]

The fact that Kat is smiling actually makes it so much more sad.

[yeochild]

countcasimir said:

Hey...it's Annie NARRATING that Kat never sees him again. Maybe they DO see each other, and Annie just doesn't know about it!

Or maybe they hook up again after Annie is done with her story. There is always hope!

[La Poire]

Or maybe Tom knew we'd all be thinking "But will they ever meet again?" and he's like "Naw."

[todd]

I suspect that it *is* a case of Tom simply not having any plans for Alistair to return, and deciding to make that clear so that we wouldn't be wasting our time expecting that.

[Count Casimir]

but Toooooooooom, expecting Aly back would take our minds off whatever your REAL plans are!

Just for revenge, I'm going to wildly speculate until my ears rend.

War with the Wood! War with the Wood!

[Mezzaphor]

I just remembered: All birds have salmonella. Kat better wash her mouth off, FAST.

[Boksha]

I don't think that applies to birds that were humans two minutes ago.
Unless having salmonella is such a defining part of being a bird that changing into one automatically gives you salmonella, but I'm not entirely sure that's the case.

[Count Casimir]

Haha, next chapter; Annie must ride Reywolf to the medical center to save Kat from Salmonella-death!

Also, Mezzaphor, your avatar rocks.

[Mezzaphor]

countcasimir said:

Also, Mezzaphor, your avatar rocks.

Which one? I'm using an avatar randomizer to rotate between 5 avis.

[necoho]

Thank you, Tom. Thank you for making the scene epic. Cameral, yet epic.

[Count Casimir]

mezzaphor said:

countcasimir said:

Also, Mezzaphor, your avatar rocks.

Which one? I'm using an avatar randomizer to rotate between 5 avis.

Stupendous Man.


Also, I think people are reading too much into the fact that Aly was "tricked" into being a bird. He didn't really seem to be too broken up about it, and I don't think his folks would have done it if they hadn't thought it best.

Also, ANNIE might see him again when she's not with Kat.