[1871] ...going to be okay, Surma?

[imaginaryfriend]

Look, he managed to put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly this time.

[noone3]

Aug 16, 2017 7:04:56 GMT imaginaryfriend said:

Look, he managed to put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly this time.

Judging from the anime flares it was at that time, when he started to exercise his male viles on her. This or impending sun stroke.

[imaginaryfriend]

Aug 16, 2017 7:09:18 GMT noone3 said:

Aug 16, 2017 7:04:56 GMT imaginaryfriend said:

Look, he managed to put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly this time.

Judging from the anime flares it was at that time, when he started to exercise his male viles on her. This or impending sun stroke.

Maybe he was just overexcited by the trip and all of the imminent science. And the fact that she didn't have a boyfriend nearby probably didn't hurt.

[calpal]

I think ketrak would find that very offensive, Surma!

[Nepycros]

Man... I miss seeing Annie on an adventure. Surma's expressiveness, her genuine reactions and low-stakes overreactions to the circumstances are really charming. Annie's personal growth ought to come in at some point, and that's what we've gotten a lot of, but this is refreshing compared to the Annie-gets-hit-with-consecutive-drama/feels-bombs spectacle. And to think, just a short while ago she was helping free Jeanne. Though, back then, she still was just kinda... an action hero? Not much of the quirkiness I recall seeing in the past.

I hope Annie learns to cut loose from this story; there's no harm in getting caught up in the moment, letting your emotions take you in (safe) directions toward new possibilities. It'll be a good way to counter the hesitation/self-doubt she's been muting herself with. And for all the discussions she's had with Ysengrin and Kat, I still feel like she's lost quite a bit of herself.

[zaferion]

From the beginning of the last page to the beginning of this one Tony's voice has dropped a full octave in my head and is now the DJ of a romantic R&B radio station

I didn't expect Tom to be so heavy handed with the "they fell in love" part, but it also makes complete sense considering his love of contrariness and ironic humor. But since this is Anja telling Annie and Kat a story, some parts are probably sensationalized. After all, Anja wasn't there and would only know the story from what Surma told her and maybe bits and pieces of what Tony told Don that Don told Anja.

[arf]

Tom does take the idea of "story first" to extremes sometimes.

I'm thinking this is where Surma gets over her bugophobia and meets both Ketrak, guide to insects, and Ankou. guide to gnawed hats.

[pyradonis]

Didn't Surma pay attention at all? Not only did she mishear what the expedition was about, Anja even told her she would be spending the time alone with Tony.

The page reminds me of mangas, I don't know why... I really like the panel with the detailed colourful insects!

[westwindreborn]

The further in this goes the more I realize Surma is not exactly a bright cookie. Tony clearly said it was a two person expedition, Anja said they would be alone, and not once did she wonder why the court only send two people to study launguges and not have some anthropologists to study the people that the lauguages belong to. Tony must like them dumb. Im begining to question my "Surma manipulated tony into having a child with her and let him believe he could help in any way with a ethric soul transfer" theory, simply because she doesn't seem to have the intelligence to do so. More like she bumbled her way into that situation the same way she bumbled into this.

[faiiry]

Tony now mysteriously knows how to comfort somebody with a well-placed shoulder touch. I guess Surma just brings that out in people.

Surma... (insert "You are so dumb. You are really dumb. For real" gif). Girl, I don't want to say Anja specifically and explicitly told you so, but Anja specifically and explicitly told you so. A month. Alone. In the woods. With Tony. You knew what the deal was, and also you should have known there would probably be bugs. Basically Surma, knowing the absolute bare minimum and having a phobia of bugs, decided to go on a trip to Brazil's jungle with a guy she barely knows and is only just NOW getting cold feet. I'm not extremely impressed.

[faiiry]

Aug 16, 2017 11:10:23 GMT westwindreborn said:

Im begining to question my "Surma manipulated tony into having a child with her and let him believe he could help in any way with a ethric soul transfer" theory, simply because she doesn't seem to have the intelligence to do so. More like she bumbled her way into that situation the same way she bumbled into this.

Agreed. This is the same woman who seduced a god into entrapment? She couldn't seduce her way out of a paper bag.

I'm beginning to think Surma didn't trick anyone into anything. She was just too darn stubborn and kept needling her boyfriends about when they were going to help her have a child, and eventually one of them threw up his hands.

[Trillium]

Anyone else concerned that some insects could get burned if Surma freaks out?

Oh, and there is the possibility of meeting local natives who have never had contact with the outside world. Things could get very adventurous. An interest in language could come in handy.

[Grabix]

Aug 16, 2017 7:04:56 GMT imaginaryfriend said:

Look, he managed to put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly this time.

Maybe he is more confident as he is in charge of expedition? (Or as he is among bugs and not people )

Aug 16, 2017 7:09:18 GMT noone3 said:

Judging from the anime flares it was at that time, when he started to exercise his male viles on her. This or impending sun stroke.

Well, taking in account, that this is Anja's story (based on what Surma has told her later). It maybe be something, that Surma wasn't perceive that way in that time. Rather later (while being already i love) she was recalling and describing this event in such way.

[pyradonis]

Aug 16, 2017 11:29:49 GMT faiiry said:

Tony now mysteriously knows how to comfort somebody with a well-placed shoulder touch. I guess Surma just brings that out in people.

Surma... (insert "You are so dumb. You are really dumb. For real" gif). Girl, I don't want to say Anja specifically and explicitly told you so, but Anja specifically and explicitly told you so. A month. Alone. In the woods. With Tony. You knew what the deal was, and also you should have known there would probably be bugs. Basically Surma, knowing the absolute bare minimum and having a phobia of bugs, decided to go on a trip to Brazil's jungle with a guy she barely knows and is only just NOW getting cold feet. I'm not extremely impressed.

She must have been very absorbed in other thoughts. And here Tony wondered why she kept asking which dictionaries to bring!

[ctso74]

Instead of seeing this as Anja's retelling, I think Tom is showing us what happened from his POV. Just my two mites.
I'm far more "civil" when dealing with people individually. Tony might even be relieved that their alone, from only having one other person around.

[ohthatone]

I'm hearing a nature documentary narrator's voice explaining the metamorphosis of Tony from awkward creep to hot friend you've never noticed before.

It's too early for me to say I'm not impressed with Surma--on the one hand, her literal thoughtlessness to the situation leaves much to be desired. Even misunderstanding what the purpose of the visit was, She did NOTHING to prepare for being in Brazil? She didn't ask Tony or even Donny ANY questions about what they'd be doing for the whole month?

Tony's not completely guilt-free, he should have made sure his helper was prepared if it's so important that he has one.
 
On the other hand though, if she says nertz to her bug phobia and is an actual valuable helper to Tony, I'd be very impressed.

[Zox Tomana]

Aug 16, 2017 13:20:15 GMT ctso74 said:

Instead of seeing this as Anja's retelling, I think Tom is showing us what happened from his POV. Just my two mites.
I'm far more "civil" when dealing with people individually. Tony might even be relieved that their alone, from only having one other person around.

I'm not sure I buy too heavily into the "this is merely Anja's sensationalist retelling" idea, either. We know already that Tony is very different one on one vs. in a group. The etymological mix-up has broken the ice, he's relaxed a little.

Also, on Surma apparently not being a bright cookie, Tony told her it was to be a two-man expedition to the jungle... not that there would only ever be two people. You can send a two-man expedition to interview groups of people. Anja saying "alone with Tony," then, would have been internally handwaved by Surma as "not 100% of the time, since we'll be talking to people."

[fia]

Well, even though Surma once told Anja, "I'm two short planks compared to you," I don't think that means she's dumb. Annie is two short planks compared to Kat, but she's plenty capable.

Listen guys, I have a PhD and speak many languages (viz., I am not dumb) and I have had Surma moments like these. In my case it's the ADD...

[jda]

Also, Anja's familiar issues could have happened just on the nick of time, maybe even the day before they were to take the plane.
That would explain the rush and lack of communication, so Surma got not even the apropriate wardrobe ready.

[csj]

That conveniently-placed lens flare...

[stclair]

I'm chuckling at the difference between "mental over a girl he doesn't know how to talk to or feel about" Tony, and "still acting as if this was Don on the trip with him" Tony.
I expect we'll still get some sort of freakout later, when he has the stunning realization that Surma is, in fact, a Girl. (And a very attractive one, at that.)

[fish]

Aug 16, 2017 11:33:00 GMT faiiry said:

Aug 16, 2017 11:10:23 GMT westwindreborn said:

Im begining to question my "Surma manipulated tony into having a child with her and let him believe he could help in any way with a ethric soul transfer" theory, simply because she doesn't seem to have the intelligence to do so. More like she bumbled her way into that situation the same way she bumbled into this.

Agreed. This is the same woman who seduced a god into entrapment? She couldn't seduce her way out of a paper bag.

I'm beginning to think Surma didn't trick anyone into anything. She was just too darn stubborn and kept needling her boyfriends about when they were going to help her have a child, and eventually one of them threw up his hands.

You guy's make it sound like there are only the options "Surma, the manipulative b*tch" or "Surma, the stupid idiot". Well, she is definitely not "Surma, the intellectual saint" but how about just "Surma, the flawed character"?

[fish]

Aug 16, 2017 13:33:53 GMT ohthatone said:

I'm hearing a nature documentary narrator's voice explaining the metamorphosis of Tony from awkward creep to hot friend you've never noticed before.

(Somebody with more experience with nature documentaries should seize this opportunity.)

[csj]

Pre-empting puns

[faiiry]

I usually take flashbacks in media with a grain of salt. We see the whole story from the perspectives of those who are involved, but I think it's fair to say that Anja isn't relating all this dialogue verbatim to Antimony. Antimony is getting a paraphrased version, and we're lucky enough to see things from the perspective of the author. It's artistic licence.

[faiiry]

Aug 16, 2017 15:49:49 GMT fish said:

Aug 16, 2017 11:33:00 GMT faiiry said:

Agreed. This is the same woman who seduced a god into entrapment? She couldn't seduce her way out of a paper bag.

I'm beginning to think Surma didn't trick anyone into anything. She was just too darn stubborn and kept needling her boyfriends about when they were going to help her have a child, and eventually one of them threw up his hands.

You guy's make it sound like there are only the options "Surma, the manipulative b*tch" or "Surma, the stupid idiot". Well, she is definitely not "Surma, the intellectual saint" but how about just "Surma, the flawed character"?

But we're talking about the possibility that Surma tricked or manipulated Tony. There really are only two options: she finessed her way into marriage and pregnancy with persuasive words, or she didn't. One would suggest intelligence, while the other wouldn't necessarily.

[Zox Tomana]

Aug 16, 2017 15:52:42 GMT fish said:

Aug 16, 2017 13:33:53 GMT ohthatone said:

I'm hearing a nature documentary narrator's voice explaining the metamorphosis of Tony from awkward creep to hot friend you've never noticed before.

(Somebody with more experience with nature documentaries should seize this opportunity.)

Here we see the reluctant Tony emerging from his shell... Notice the hand on the shoulder of the female, possibly a gesture of reassurance of her agitation. Should she show favor to the Tony, he may begin the slow mating rituals of his people

[fish]

Aug 16, 2017 17:24:34 GMT faiiry said:

Aug 16, 2017 15:49:49 GMT fish said:

You guy's make it sound like there are only the options "Surma, the manipulative b*tch" or "Surma, the stupid idiot". Well, she is definitely not "Surma, the intellectual saint" but how about just "Surma, the flawed character"?

But we're talking about the possibility that Surma tricked or manipulated Tony. There really are only two options: she finessed her way into marriage and pregnancy with persuasive words, or she didn't. One would suggest intelligence, while the other wouldn't necessarily.

Ah, I got the feeling you were completely dismissing the possibility that Tony fell in love with Surma with no trickery involved. If you're just discussing the hypothetical scenarion then I'll move along! *cough*cough* I was never here...

[mturtle7]

Oh man. I'm only just NOW connecting this scene with Annie's own gift with languages. Just add it to the long list of "things Annie inherited from her mother", I guess.

[l33tninja]

Aug 16, 2017 7:23:07 GMT Nepycros said:

Man... I miss seeing Annie on an adventure. Surma's expressiveness, her genuine reactions and low-stakes overreactions to the circumstances are really charming. Annie's personal growth ought to come in at some point, and that's what we've gotten a lot of, but this is refreshing compared to the Annie-gets-hit-with-consecutive-drama/feels-bombs spectacle. And to think, just a short while ago she was helping free Jeanne. Though, back then, she still was just kinda... an action hero? Not much of the quirkiness I recall seeing in the past.

I hope Annie learns to cut loose from this story; there's no harm in getting caught up in the moment, letting your emotions take you in (safe) directions toward new possibilities. It'll be a good way to counter the hesitation/self-doubt she's been muting herself with. And for all the discussions she's had with Ysengrin and Kat, I still feel like she's lost quite a bit of herself.

I agree. Maybe on a re-read it won't feel the same because things will move along faster than they do at 3 pages a week. Personally, I miss the arcs like the cruise ship.