|
|
Post by imaginaryfriend on May 11, 2015 20:51:58 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. Welcome to the forum! That reminds me, someone once said that depression is anger turned inward. |
|
|
|
Post by keef on May 11, 2015 22:07:17 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. Damn, you beat me to it. |
|
|
|
Post by ih8pkmn on May 11, 2015 23:16:51 GMT
A big part of me is wondering if Tom even enjoys doing the comic anymore. This chapter and Chapter 51 both seem so mean-spirited in comparison to the rest of the comic, and it's honestly making me want to stop reading completely. We'll see where the next few updates go, but honestly, the conflict here feels meaningless. We don't know what Anthony's end goal is, and without that, he's seeming like an asshole for the sake of being an asshole.
|
|
|
|
Post by ctso74 on May 11, 2015 23:40:57 GMT
Unless Tom has some secret deal with an anti-depressant company, I think it is unlikely this will last to long. Dear sweet mercy. Everything's so clear now... Has the Gunnerkrigg Gloom got you feeling blue? Then, be thankful for the latest pharmaceutical breakthrough, Illumysin!
Now, with Bobby's Cruelty-Free Thumbs Up!Illumysin will give you back Coyote's grin!May cause Mind Spiders and megalomania. In rare cases, uncontrollable laughter leading to dislocated jaws have been reported. |
|
|
|
Post by imaginaryfriend on May 11, 2015 23:51:26 GMT
Upside: Maybe Antimony will take advantage of her newfound giantess-stature to do some snapping up of them early.
|
|
|
|
Post by ninjaraven on May 12, 2015 0:04:00 GMT
A big part of me is wondering if Tom even enjoys doing the comic anymore. This chapter and Chapter 51 both seem so mean-spirited in comparison to the rest of the comic, and it's honestly making me want to stop reading completely. We'll see where the next few updates go, but honestly, the conflict here feels meaningless. We don't know what Anthony's end goal is, and without that, he's seeming like an asshole for the sake of being an asshole. Well, seeing as he's had this planned and in the works for quite some time, I would imagine he still has some interest in the comic  Sure, Annie is angry (I expect Annie is feeling a whole wealth of different emotions in addition to anger) - and it has sucked to see her so stripped down. But I do think that it will turn into a good thing for Annie, even though the circumstances may not be in and of themselves good: Annie has been forcibly stripped of the mental armor she was using to keep herself going. She got very good at maintaining that armor. But because she felt she needed to maintain the armor (and through it, her image) she hasn't devoted much time as to why she needed the armor in the first place Now that she doesn't have the armor to retreat to, she's got a lot more time to start dealing with the fallout... and why she feels the way she does. However, it's going to take some time for Annie to start unpacking things mentally before she can even start to process the reasons that she is angry with her dad... and herself... the psychopomps... and the Court... maybe Jimmy Jims and the Donlans.... and maybe even with Kat for being a bit of a prejudiced jerk towards her dad. She might even be mad at her mom for not telling her the truth of their fire elemental nature (not all anger needs be rational). It might take her years to deal with it all. For now, we start with the self-loathing. |
|
|
|
Post by youwiththeface on May 12, 2015 0:07:00 GMT
A big part of me is wondering if Tom even enjoys doing the comic anymore. This chapter and Chapter 51 both seem so mean-spirited in comparison to the rest of the comic, and it's honestly making me want to stop reading completely. We'll see where the next few updates go, but honestly, the conflict here feels meaningless. We don't know what Anthony's end goal is, and without that, he's seeming like an asshole for the sake of being an asshole. I think that the point of all this is even if Anthony is revealed to have noble reasons or intentions for all that he's done to Annie so far, there still won't be any question that what he's doing to her is wrong and hurting her regardless. It's sort of similar to how things were revealed in Divine: we were shown the results of what was done to Annie (both within and without) before it was revealed it was due to her father so that the fact that it was his doing wouldn't color how we saw what had happened to Annie. |
|
|
|
Post by todd on May 12, 2015 0:20:43 GMT
What I really wanna see is what will happen if right now the Forest demands an audience... Especially if Coyote refuses to appoint a new or substitute medium for the Forest. (And I can see him doing that, just to be contrary.) At least the coldly rational Court administration will probably have thought about that possibility, assuming that they're part of this (and it's hard to believe that Anthony could do this entirely on his own, without their knowledge or consent, even if the Donlans were left out of the loop). |
|
|
|
Post by todd on May 12, 2015 0:23:49 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. I doubt that the entire faculty was unaware; the Donlans, certainly, but I don't think that Anthony would be able to pull this off without the people at the top of the Court's hierarchy knowing about it and consenting to it. |
|
|
|
Post by calpal on May 12, 2015 0:56:02 GMT
Mhm... I see...
Yep, definitely not Just for Laughs material there, Annie. Not a funny joke, at all.
|
|
|
|
Post by TBeholder on May 12, 2015 3:24:21 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. Er... Why would anyone? Maybe another sign that the Court isn't primarily a school Ether stations weren't a subtle hint? 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. As opposed to? Beating around the bush and slurping taxes because they have nothing better to do?  That reminds me, someone once said that depression is anger turned inward. I doubt a human being can be properly angry (annoyance/irritation is another matter) in the state that leads to depression - lacking other influences (such as e.g. withdrawal), that is. But assuming those are the same?. What a silly idea. Upside: Maybe Antimony will take advantage of her newfound giantess-stature to do some snapping up of them early. She doesn't seem to be in a good mood for this. But that sort of development would stir up half of the whole anthill.  |
|
|
|
Post by atteSmythe on May 12, 2015 3:55:40 GMT
I shall speculate: of course 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. Ugh, now that would be depressing. Not the fact of the medication itself, but that without any evidence of Annie actually needing medication, it would be pharmacological control of her. Also clearly evil, or at least a lot closer than anything else we've seen so far. There would still be the argument that he's a doctor, and could prescribe those medicines. But I feel like the ambiguity is important to this story, and that would come too close to removing it. I hope I'm right, anyway. |
|
|
|
Post by Sauzels on May 12, 2015 5:42:08 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. She is acting a bit... dream-like. That could just be the isolation/self-deprecation messing with her head, though. She definitely isn't quite all there, going off on an uncharacteristic tangent about tiny people. She doesn't strike me as the type to talk about trivial things that she finds kinda funny on a possibly rare visit from her best friend. On a separate note, that coat suits Kat. Have we seen it before? |
|
|
|
Post by rosencrantz on May 12, 2015 5:52:31 GMT
It feels like Annie is trying to come off jokey and self-deprecating, but she's just laying bare her deep insecurities. I think Tom captured it perfectly in her panel 4 expression. |
|
|
|
Post by SilverbackRon on May 12, 2015 7:24:42 GMT
On a separate note, that coat suits Kat. Have we seen it before? I am voting that it was a present from Paz (she picked it up on her summer trip) and we just never saw the gift-giving (or the thank you kiss). |
|
|
|
Post by SilverbackRon on May 12, 2015 7:44:07 GMT
Hm I see. Here I thought she was being isolated, homeschool style, but it seems even when Anthony is in the vicinity he still finds a way to be absent. That explains why she jumped to the conclusion that her peers were making fun of her, since the kids a year below are. I wonder who else didn't know Tony was back? This is all adding more evidence to there being an ulterior motive for his return. The Donlan's had no reason to be informed of Anthony's return, from the court's point of view. Anja teaches Year 7 science, and I don't recall hearing what year Donald teaches. Either way, I don't think they would be impacted by the replacement of the Year 10 Bio teacher. Having said that, in a NORMAL school, especially a boarding school, I would think there would be teacher meetings at the start of the year so the staff would get to know one another. " Who is that strange man roaming the school, leading a young student down the hall? Oh, I am certain he belongs here, so I'll just ignore him." No, All the staff should know each other. Back to Gunnerkrigg though, clearly The Court does what it wants. Normal reality-checks don't apply and the Donlans weren't told. But... What about Eglamore? He isn't just the games teacher, he is also the Court Protector/DragonSlayer. If the answer to that is No, then the Court deliberately withheld information from the one person who should always be in the loop. I have noticed since this all started people have been clamoring for the adults to step in. While I agree, we know from The Torn Sea (and many other instances) that they won't. I think the Donlans will give moral support, I think Jimmy Jims will show barely-restrained anger. Jones? She has no more emotional connection to Annie than she has to her chair. It's possible she might find the current turn of events to be somewhat interesting, but I bet she would find it far more interesting to let the events run their course and just watch. |
|
|
|
Post by youwiththeface on May 12, 2015 8:41:35 GMT
Jones? She has no more emotional connection to Annie than she has to her chair. It's possible she might find the current turn of events to be somewhat interesting, but I bet she would find it far more interesting to let the events run their course and just watch. I have this weird itch to see Jones and Anthony interact in some manner. |
|
|
|
Post by dliessmgg on May 12, 2015 10:12:39 GMT
Annie not naming any students of her new class makes me slightly hopeful that Tom hasn't planned for any of them to be involved in things.
|
|
|
|
Post by todd on May 12, 2015 12:33:31 GMT
Annie not naming any students of her new class makes me slightly hopeful that Tom hasn't planned for any of them to be involved in things. It saves him having to create a new group of characters. |
|
|
|
Post by imaginaryfriend on May 12, 2015 12:53:09 GMT
Having said that, in a NORMAL school, especially a boarding school, I would think there would be teacher meetings at the start of the year so the staff would get to know one another. " Who is that strange man roaming the school, leading a young student down the hall? Oh, I am certain he belongs here, so I'll just ignore him." No, All the staff should know each other. I am aware of such meetings in real life. Another thing that gets done there is spreading the word about problem students, what their particular problem(s) is/are, and discussing various strategeries on how to combat/suppress/help them. Even if all the teacher-dudes and -doodettes don't agree on how to handle something they can coordinate so that they aren't stepping on each other's toes. And that doesn't require a great deal of sophistication or cooperation either, they can just agree to stay out of each other's bailiwicks. It's probably telling that this did not happen in Antimony's case but exactly what it's saying I'm unsure. Either the Court is so sparsely populated and loosely organized that they *can't* coordinate better than this when something/someone's controversial or the return of Mr. Carver was something imposed from On High with a bit of a dis directed at the plebes who teach regularly (in that they weren't even informed). |
|
|
|
Post by kelantar on May 12, 2015 13:52:57 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. Now that seems more like the Anthony we know and love hate. What if he's not even there anymore? I wouldn't put it past him to lock the biology teacher in a closet or something, grab Rey, and run. I have this weird itch to see Jones and Anthony interact in some manner. Me too...  NOTE: I do not endorse Jones punching a hole through Anthony's chest. This is a joke. |
|
|
|
Post by pxc on May 12, 2015 14:16:53 GMT
Maybe my capacity for ponderous, heart-wrenching dialog is just below average. But I'm so bored with this. I'm losing sight of why I even read GK.
|
|
|
|
Post by TheClockworkCoyote on May 12, 2015 14:33:53 GMT
You don't? Whyever not? |
|
|
|
Post by sleepcircle on May 12, 2015 14:40:43 GMT
I doubt a human being can be properly angry (annoyance/irritation is another matter) in the state that leads to depression - lacking other influences (such as e.g. withdrawal), that is. But assuming those are the same?. What a silly idea. That sounds a little condescending—you may not have meant it to be. I used to be angry a lot of the time, but I couldn't bring myself to admit I was angry at specific people because I felt guilty about being angry at them or afraid of what would happen if I was. Eventually I started to reflexively think "I hate myself," because I was the only person available, outside of the occasional rando who managed to tick me off. "I hate myself, I hate myself," every time I felt angry or frustrated. I ended up pretty depressed. So far Annie's reactions seem very identifiable to me. |
|
|
|
Post by Rasselas on May 12, 2015 15:26:15 GMT
I have this weird itch to see Jones and Anthony interact in some manner. Me too... NOTE: I do not endorse Jones punching a hole through Anthony's chest. This is a joke.Mean, but FUNNY. |
|
|
|
Post by geoduck on May 12, 2015 17:17:32 GMT
You don't? Whyever not? Because it's his least vulnerable spot. |
|
quark
Full Member
Posts: 137
|
Post by quark on May 12, 2015 17:35:57 GMT
You don't? Whyever not? Because it's his least vulnerable spot. Spot on, geoduck, spot on. |
|
|
|
Post by TheClockworkCoyote on May 12, 2015 18:06:48 GMT
You don't? Whyever not? Because it's his least vulnerable spot. To steal a running joke from Girl Genius: But then we could put a clock in the hole and he could at least be useful. ( www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080116 among others) |
|
|
|
Post by zbeeblebrox on May 12, 2015 21:22:15 GMT
Hm I see. Here I thought she was being isolated, homeschool style, but it seems even when Anthony is in the vicinity he still finds a way to be absent. That explains why she jumped to the conclusion that her peers were making fun of her, since the kids a year below are. I wonder who else didn't know Tony was back? This is all adding more evidence to there being an ulterior motive for his return. The Donlan's had no reason to be informed of Anthony's return, from the court's point of view. Anja teaches Year 7 science, and I don't recall hearing what year Donald teaches. Either way, I don't think they would be impacted by the replacement of the Year 10 Bio teacher. Having said that, in a NORMAL school, especially a boarding school, I would think there would be teacher meetings at the start of the year so the staff would get to know one another. " Who is that strange man roaming the school, leading a young student down the hall? Oh, I am certain he belongs here, so I'll just ignore him." No, All the staff should know each other. Back to Gunnerkrigg though, clearly The Court does what it wants. Normal reality-checks don't apply and the Donlans weren't told. But... What about Eglamore? He isn't just the games teacher, he is also the Court Protector/DragonSlayer. If the answer to that is No, then the Court deliberately withheld information from the one person who should always be in the loop. I have noticed since this all started people have been clamoring for the adults to step in. While I agree, we know from The Torn Sea (and many other instances) that they won't. I think the Donlans will give moral support, I think Jimmy Jims will show barely-restrained anger. Jones? She has no more emotional connection to Annie than she has to her chair. It's possible she might find the current turn of events to be somewhat interesting, but I bet she would find it far more interesting to let the events run their course and just watch. If they didn't tell the Donlans, there's no way they told Eglamore. Those two seem to have a beef. But more important than procedure, the Donlans are friends with Anthony. Sure the Court DGAF, but Anthony didn't mention his existence either. And remember, this is a class their daughter is attending. They would know who the biology teacher is supposed to be, so the fact that they don't means he was a last minute replacement. Yes, the kids tend to deal with problems by sticking with their peers rather than turning to adults for help. I got no issue with that, I think the "realistic" choice is kind of boring frankly. But at the same time, this is a story that does not ignore adult presence entirely, and we see them intervene when necessary. That probably won't happen here, but it's still weird that everyone's been silent so far. It suggests that Anthony's return was both unexpected and covert. |
|
|
|
Post by Refugee on May 12, 2015 21:45:15 GMT
But it's still weird that everyone's been silent so far. It suggests that Anthony's return was both unexpected and covert. Can't argue with any of that. |
|
