|
|
Post by emthanatos on May 11, 2015 9:17:35 GMT
I feel like Annie is already drowning in anger, but it is resolutely faced inwards and onto herself. Anger alone isn't enough, something has to persuade her to direct her anger back towards her father, or some other external source that deserves it.
|
|
|
|
Post by arf on May 11, 2015 9:22:51 GMT
I think she needs a kick in the ass. The way to sanity is to make her angry again. Make her explode. I am all for uncoditional support but a well placed boot helps more sometimes. She is sinking down in a bog and she is happy to sink. She is a fire elemental and she must use it, if she is to survive this. Look at me ranting. heh... And this is why I still feel Kat won't get through to her here, and that we'll be seeing Zimmy in the near future. Zimmy pushes buttons in a way no other can, and has always been a bit of a kick to the ass for Annie. Calling her Father a jerk has worked wonders in the past...The way Kat says Annie's Father has gone too far, then referring to her parents' reaction, is a hopeful sign that some adults are finally going to step in. ( You don't cross Anje lightly) |
|
|
|
Post by aline on May 11, 2015 9:59:45 GMT
Two: I keep hoping for the Donlans. They might not be accomplices of the court - as it has been pointed out, they may not be Annie's teachers (they haven't been seen teaching the class, and they haven't been informed that Annie won't show up in their classes). Maybe they don't want to teach the classes their daughter is in (or can't - the only time we saw a parent teach in one if his kid's classes, it was Anthony and that was a whole different story). No, Ms. Donlan taught Kat and Annie. but they were in year 7 and Annie only started cheating in year 8. Oh hell, I hope not. Didn't even think of that - and let's hope it isn't meant like that, because the stuff Anthony does in the open is pretty bad. How horrible must things be that he feels he has to hide? I've said this before, but I think a lot of his agressivity and dominance IS about hiding things. When you're a magician you know to wave hands that way so people won't look *this* way. I first got that feeling in this page: www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1492I mean look at how... dramatic all of this was. Appearing as a biology teacher from one day to another, and completely rearranging Annie's life, without any students, and apparently most of the teachers, finding out before? That must have taken some effort. And the whole classroom scene felt very calculated to make not just Annie but everyone in the room angry, confused and subdued. I think there's a lot of waving around involved here... a lot of distraction tactic. |
|
|
|
Post by AnUpliftedCuttlefish on May 11, 2015 10:34:38 GMT
Arrrhh, I want to know so bad what the Donlans had to say about what's happened. I'm guessing they're at least tacitly with Kat on this - I doubt she'd be having that particular reaction if her mother and father were all "oh, that's ok then". And poor Annie - everything about the these last two pages makes it seems her self-esteem has hit the floor, bought some mining equipment, and has made it's way underground. So convinced everyone is mocking her/thinks she's stupid - I wonder if she secretly suspects Kat is as well, going by how avoidant she's seeming. Also doesn't bode well for the idea we're going to see her making new friends amongst her current year, if she's thinks of them like that (and I guess she might be right, but I don't think they all would, and it's only a years difference - she's can't be that much taller). I think she needs a kick in the ass. The way to sanity is to make her angry again. Make her explode. I am all for uncoditional support but a well placed boot helps more sometimes. She is sinking down in a bog and she is happy to sink. She is a fire elemental and she must use it, if she is to survive this. Look at me ranting. heh... This plan of action earns the Zimmy seal of approval. |
|
|
|
Post by arf on May 11, 2015 10:43:37 GMT
Arrrhh, I want to know so bad what the Donlans had to say about what's happened. I'm guessing they're at least tacitly with Kat on this - I doubt she'd be having that particular reaction if her mother and father were all "oh, that's ok then". The way Kat phrased it made me think that 'this is in no way funny' was their reaction as well. |
|
|
|
Post by TBeholder on May 11, 2015 10:58:47 GMT
But didn't wake her up. The way Kat says Annie's Father has gone too far, then referring to her parents' reaction, is a hopeful sign that some adults are finally going to step in. ( You don't cross Anje lightly) I didn't expect Donny to be that slow, however. Then again, he may think it's almost normal for Tony, given the previous experience. And Kat probably does not know about OTP business. |
|
|
|
Post by Rasselas on May 11, 2015 12:20:31 GMT
My first impression is that Annie has no mask anymore. In a way, this feels refreshingly honest, that she is facing her inner demons. After all, that is why she started cheating in the first place, for fear of being exposed as "an idiot" when everyone else seemingly didn't have problems with the workload. She's been forced to face those fears, and so much worse. All the shame of being exposed.
This should help her build a foundation of true strength. I wonder what will happen to her very polished, very fine mask of confidence, in the process. Will we ever see it again? Or will we see strong and honest Annie?
|
|
Earin
Full Member
Posts: 115
|
Post by Earin on May 11, 2015 12:42:18 GMT
I mean look at how... dramatic all of this was. Appearing as a biology teacher from one day to another, and completely rearranging Annie's life, without any students, and apparently most of the teachers, finding out before? That must have taken some effort. And the whole classroom scene felt very calculated to make not just Annie but everyone in the room angry, confused and subdued. I think there's a lot of waving around involved here... a lot of distraction tactic. I'm actually wondering if this is an orchestration by the Headmaster and/or other Court higher-ups. If they felt that the medium appointment was a vulnerability into the Court, they might feel compelled to box Annie up where she can't do any harm. |
|
|
|
Post by todd on May 11, 2015 12:46:57 GMT
Count me as one more person feeling concerned that the Donlans didn't even know Anthony had returned until Kat told them. It raises some uneasy questions about how the Court is run, that they don't even inform some of their teachers (and two important ones) about a new member of the faculty. Maybe another sign that the Court isn't primarily a school - probably sees the school part as just a necessity to train the next generation since they won't be able to achieve their goals during their own lifetime - and so doesn't think like one.
|
|
|
|
Post by arf on May 11, 2015 13:08:48 GMT
Count me as one more person feeling concerned that the Donlans didn't even know Anthony had returned until Kat told them. It raises some uneasy questions about how the Court is run, that they don't even inform some of their teachers (and two important ones) about a new member of the faculty. Maybe another sign that the Court isn't primarily a school - probably sees the school part as just a necessity to train the next generation since they won't be able to achieve their goals during their own lifetime - and so doesn't think like one. It does smack of factionalism. We've seen evidence of this before, when the Headmaster made the surprise call on who the next Court Medium was to be. |
|
|
|
Post by msouth on May 11, 2015 13:25:08 GMT
I like the Zimmy angle (sorry, I know that's probably old news, someone arguing that this has been a Zimmy-world all along)...still hope that this is in someone or some group's head or collective heads.
When Kat said her parents didn't know he was back, though, I thought of another thing, which also might have been suggested (again--I haven't followed all the forum stuff on this, so my apologies for repeating the idea if it's already been brought up).
Doesn't this seem like something Coyote would do? Pretend to be Annie's father, pull it off well enough to fool a bunch of people? Forbidding her to go to the forest could be a loyalty test. Or just part of the trick. Coyote likes to poke at people's festering insecurities, as we have seen, so it seems entirely in character and within his power.
I mean, really, her dad shows up and she doesn't know until class starts? How did any of us fall for that? I held onto the "it's a dream" thing for a long time, then it seemed like it was stretching way too far. But now I think I jumped to conclusions when I let go of the dream hypothesis, and I should have been looking for a ZImmy-esque explanation all along.
But I kind of think we might be in too sane of a reality here for Zimmy, unless she's learned how to control things.
Anyway--this is my new pet theory, and, again, I apologize if this is rehash.
SOOOO much of this is really just a straight reading of Annie's insecurities. This is what she's afraid will happen when her dad comes back; this is what she's afraid of having happen when her cheating is discovered; this is how she fears her relationship with her father will be going forward because she's afraid he sees her as the cause of her mother's death; etc. It's all so this-is-everything-Annie-fears...seems like maybe we're getting taken in a long con.
|
|
|
|
Post by todd on May 11, 2015 13:51:36 GMT
Count me as one more person feeling concerned that the Donlans didn't even know Anthony had returned until Kat told them. It raises some uneasy questions about how the Court is run, that they don't even inform some of their teachers (and two important ones) about a new member of the faculty. Maybe another sign that the Court isn't primarily a school - probably sees the school part as just a necessity to train the next generation since they won't be able to achieve their goals during their own lifetime - and so doesn't think like one. It does smack of factionalism. We've seen evidence of this before, when the Headmaster made the surprise call on who the next Court Medium was to be. And - which only occurred to me after my original post - the Court doesn't even deign to tell Anya and Donald about Antony's return after the event. They have to learn the news from their daughter, rather than anyone official in the Court administration. |
|
|
|
Post by catsneezes on May 11, 2015 15:07:37 GMT
So, hey, on the plus side, the room isn't as bare as we thought it was! She's got a wardrobe, a desk, and a bookshelf!
...Ok that's just me trying to distract myself from how depressing this page is. Poor Annie. I want an adult to step in, but I don't think that's very likely. Hopefully some of Annie's friends will.
|
|
|
|
Post by aline on May 11, 2015 15:27:08 GMT
So, hey, on the plus side, the room isn't as bare as we thought it was! She's got a wardrobe, a desk, and a bookshelf! ...Ok that's just me trying to distract myself from how depressing this page is. Poor Annie. I want an adult to step in, but I don't think that's very likely. Hopefully some of Annie's friends will. I think if they could just step in and end it they already would have.
Edit: oh, and by the way, I love your avatar.
|
|
|
|
Post by geoduck on May 11, 2015 15:52:50 GMT
SOOOO much of this is really just a straight reading of Annie's insecurities. This is what she's afraid will happen when her dad comes back; this is what she's afraid of having happen when her cheating is discovered; this is how she fears her relationship with her father will be going forward because she's afraid he sees her as the cause of her mother's death; etc. It's all so this-is-everything-Annie-fears...seems like maybe we're getting taken in a long con. I have to disagree. As depressing as all of this has been, if it turns out now that it's all a dream or illusion, it would be a cop-out on Tom's part. |
|
|
|
Post by warrl on May 11, 2015 16:02:52 GMT
If the other faculty wasn't aware that Anthony was back...
... I'm wondering if he was actually hired, or just disposed of the real biology teacher somehow and took his place.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jelly Jellybean on May 11, 2015 16:17:28 GMT
Annie calling herself dumb is already sounding like her excuse for not getting on with recovering from this set back in her life. An excuse that she seems to be clinging to like a life raft.
|
|
Sadie
Full Member
I eat food and sleep in a horizontal position.
Posts: 146
|
Post by Sadie on May 11, 2015 16:28:34 GMT
Annie calling herself dumb is already sounding like her excuse for not getting on with recovering from this set back in her life. An excuse that she seems to be clinging to like a life raft. Nah, unhealthy self-image isn't a life raft, it's an anchor. You gotta work hard to unhitch it from your ankle before you can even start to safe yourself from drowning. |
|
|
|
Post by aline on May 11, 2015 16:42:49 GMT
Annie calling herself dumb is already sounding like her excuse for not getting on with recovering from this set back in her life. An excuse that she seems to be clinging to like a life raft. Nah, unhealthy self-image isn't a life raft, it's an anchor. You gotta work hard to unhitch it from your ankle before you can even start to safe yourself from drowning. I think it's more like a mask (another one). She'll play the big dumb giant and smile rather than sit and cry. That's what she thinks people now expect to see, so that's what she'll be. Annie is someone who endures. Which isn't a weakness, not at all, because there are times in life where it's the only way to get through. But sometimes it's time to stop enduring and start fighting back, and that's something she needs to remember now.
|
|
freeman
Full Member
That 70's Coyote!
Posts: 242
|
Post by freeman on May 11, 2015 16:58:49 GMT
I shall speculate: ofcourse Annie has been put on medication, to top it all. It's just not shown very explicitly just yet, because Tom is good with that sort of subtlety. So, hey, on the plus side, the room isn't as bare as we thought it was! She's got a wardrobe, a desk, and a bookshelf! ...Ok that's just me trying to distract myself from how depressing this page is. Poor Annie. I want an adult to step in, but I don't think that's very likely. Hopefully some of Annie's friends will. Well, still not good. There should be a some sort of curtain at least, because I'm fairly sure rooms that big have problems with breeze, gerated by the sheer size of the room alone and its parts cooling and heating unevenly with the daily temperature variation. Also, big emptly place with lights on 24/7, how anyone is supposed to sleep in a place like that ...or do any of the other things or bodies demand? Which brings up an observation that she has previously shared a room for the most of her life I believe. First with her mom, the seventh year dorms were partly communal and she also had Rey. Rey was with her for year eight and then she shared a room again with Kat. In short, this may be just another level of mental torture by the daddy dearest. |
|
|
|
Post by catsneezes on May 11, 2015 17:00:40 GMT
So, hey, on the plus side, the room isn't as bare as we thought it was! She's got a wardrobe, a desk, and a bookshelf! ...Ok that's just me trying to distract myself from how depressing this page is. Poor Annie. I want an adult to step in, but I don't think that's very likely. Hopefully some of Annie's friends will. I think if they could just step in and end it they already would have.
Edit: oh, and by the way, I love your avatar.
I guess because we don't know how long it's been, there might still be chance for things to change? I'm mostly referring to her living situation, because that room seems almost inhumane, a few furnishings aside. Also, thank you! Picked it up from here. |
|
Sadie
Full Member
I eat food and sleep in a horizontal position.
Posts: 146
|
Post by Sadie on May 11, 2015 17:09:48 GMT
Nah, unhealthy self-image isn't a life raft, it's an anchor. You gotta work hard to unhitch it from your ankle before you can even start to safe yourself from drowning. I think it's more like a mask (another one). She'll play the big dumb giant and smile rather than sit and cry. That's what she thinks people now expect to see, so that's what she'll be. Annie is someone who endures. Which isn't a weakness, not at all, because there are times in life where it's the only way to get through. But sometimes it's time to stop enduring and start fighting back, and that's something she needs to remember now.
Well, I agree about the smiling being a mask. The only thing I'm disagreeing with is about her seeing herself as a dumb, stupid idiot being an excuse not to fight the current situation. It's more like... that's the first fight. Until she tackles this self-perception and comes to accept that it isn't true, she won't be able to see her current situation as anything other than deserved. What right does she have to fight a situation she earned, after all? |
|
|
|
Post by jda on May 11, 2015 17:25:22 GMT
What I really wanna see is what will happen if right now the Forest demands an audience...
|
|
|
|
Post by TheClockworkCoyote on May 11, 2015 17:28:14 GMT
I think she needs a kick in the ass. The way to sanity is to make her angry again. Make her explode.This is a fire elemental we're talking about. Making her angry seems like a brilliant idea with no possible negative repercussions. ...I'm sorry, I can't help reading that lines as follows: Sam: "This _is_ a fire elemental we're talking about." Max: "Making her angry seems like a brilliant idea with no possible negative repercussions!" |
|
|
|
Post by nero on May 11, 2015 18:33:33 GMT
No Annie, you can be the BFG, the Big Friendly Giant. I've been one of those smaller kids, you just have to be nice and cool.
It does seem like Annie has to repeat year 9 either way, but perhaps she could take Year 10 classes as well and speed up the process with some Exams to pass Year 9 classes. The Court is an unusual school they can do whatever they want. I feel like the Court supported this decision so that Coyote would take the first action and they could strike back, but Coyote would just enjoy the confusion.
I believed in the Donlans. I don't think any of the friendly adults in Court would have let Anthony teach Biology without dragging him out and asking questions for their own sake as well as Annie's.
The Donlans seem like the type to check what teachers Annie and Kat would have, even if its just a quick look at a list. If Anthony had replaced the original Biology teacher it would have been relatively soon and with the Court's permission.
|
|
Earin
Full Member
Posts: 115
|
Post by Earin on May 11, 2015 18:38:24 GMT
Waaaaait, I remember this story. This is the timeline where Annie becomes Ace Rimmer, right?
|
|
|
|
Post by zbeeblebrox on May 11, 2015 18:38:58 GMT
When Kat said her parents didn't know he was back, though, I thought of another thing, which also might have been suggested (again--I haven't followed all the forum stuff on this, so my apologies for repeating the idea if it's already been brought up). Doesn't this seem like something Coyote would do? Pretend to be Annie's father, pull it off well enough to fool a bunch of people? Forbidding her to go to the forest could be a loyalty test. Or just part of the trick. Coyote likes to poke at people's festering insecurities, as we have seen, so it seems entirely in character and within his power. I mean, really, her dad shows up and she doesn't know until class starts? How did any of us fall for that? I held onto the "it's a dream" thing for a long time, then it seemed like it was stretching way too far. But now I think I jumped to conclusions when I let go of the dream hypothesis, and I should have been looking for a ZImmy-esque explanation all along. Coyote shenanigans were brought up as a theory earlier in the previous chapter, but it doesn't add up. For one thing, no one in the forest is aware of Annie cheating at GK, and there's no easy explanation for how they'd find out that kind of information. I mean she's their medium, so it would have to go through her. For another thing, the consequence of all this maneuvering was to put the forest at a serious disadvantage. Annie appeared to be a good thing for forest-court relations. But even if Coyote wanted to undermine that, wouldn't it have been better for him to discredit the court medium, rather than the person who he's been grooming so long to be a forest ally, and who knows things about the forest that others might not? That's basically handing the court an informant on a silver platter. And this doesn't even go into the logistical problems of getting into the court and pulling this off in the first place. I can't imagine Coyote being that disciplined. |
|
|
|
Post by Gulby on May 11, 2015 18:49:11 GMT
And where oh where is Reynard? Oh where, oh where has my little fox gone, oh where, oh where can he be ? With his plushie kept hidden and his mouth shut down, oh where, oh where can he be... (I'm really sorry for that, we have a green musical frog that speaks and sings in english at home and I'm beginning to know all the songs well...) |
|
|
|
Post by TheClockworkCoyote on May 11, 2015 19:43:42 GMT
Waaaaait, I remember this story. This is the timeline where Annie becomes Ace Rimmer, right? Smoke her a kipper, she'll be back for breakfast. |
|
|
|
Post by sherni on May 11, 2015 20:13:17 GMT
It's heartbreaking to see Annie like this. Kat's right, that wasn't funny at all. Her self esteem is so shot that she actually believes she deserves this! That is just so wrong. I'm glad the Donlans didn't know about this, though. I hope they'll be in Annie's corner in this. And Jones too, I'm sure. Jones can do anything.
But Annie will have to be the one to free herself of this, in the end.
|
|
