When a webcomic updates but you don't want to make a huge deal out of it, what you do

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Mauve Mage

Yeah, but it's not just that he's being a terrible father right now: He's been a terrible father since page 1 of the comic when he dropped her off at school and never contacted her again. Ever. And he works in the Court. It's not like he lives far away and can't be bothered to check up on the welfare of his only child carrying the immortal soul of his wife. He's a short walk away and can't be bothered.

My guess is that the scars and prosthetic hand come from some super sciencey attempts to bring his wife back to life; maybe he avoids Annie because he'll have to kill her in order to revive Senya or whatever the mom's name was and so he doesn't want to get attached to her.

But unless the next comic has him saying "Lol just kidding, good to see you Annie," I shall continue to hate him.

No, I think I'd hate him more for that kind of weird turn-about.

The point is, something has gone wrong with him and whatever he's trying to do.

He's never been a good father, but there might be an understandable (maybe compelling, maybe not) reason he's not a good father.

Being absent doesn't make him malicious - I'd presumed it was because he was forced to work on something top secret, or something similar though, of course, I could easily be wrong (and now that he's teaching class like nothing happened... hm...).

What I meant earlier, is that now that he's back he's being actively unpleasant, which is different from either not being a good father or being an absent father (if related to those two things).

Also, I'm not convinced on the short walk thing? Have we seen this for sure? The court seems unimaginably vast, complete with city block-like structures (if not entire cities) inside of it, and vast orchards as well. Is there any proof he was very close? It seems obvious that he is "close" now, but what about previously?

Originally Posted by Menarker

Annie's mum's name is Surma.

Ah, yes, that's it. Sorry. Couldn't quite remember.

Originally Posted by Menarker

I hate Anthony too, although the court is partly to blame for letting Annie get away with all of this cheating. Someone commented that the Court might even be intentionally letting it rack up to extreme heights so they'll have something to leverage against Annie in case she acts against the Court in favor of Coyote and his forest friends/minions. Basically holding her membership in the court (and thus the school) hostage by her records of academic dishonesty. Anthony's harsh methods might be intended to remedy a bad situation before it gets even worse; although I'm sure we'd all appreciate it if he could at least be a bit open and kindly about why he's doing it instead of being all clinical and cold about it.

That's... an interesting theory. A very interesting theory.

I'm also curious what he's been doing for so long being absent.

It makes me wonder how much this whole thing is going to relate to the court's rather dubious-seeming methods of incarnating forest spirits as "humans".

Originally Posted by Amake

I liked him better as an absent dad than an asshole dad who apparently either assumes his kid should somehow still respect him or doesn't care and expects her not to care when he suddenly shows up after seven years to teach her class.

Not that I know why we should have expected anything different. What little has been revealed about Tony has shown him to be completely emotionally incompetent and subscribing to the "maximal loyalty for minimal effort" John Constantine school of building personal relationships. I just think everyone would have been happier if he had stayed gone.

See, I never saw this. I saw him as being a shy, hard-to-relate (i.e. strongly introverted) nerd, but not a jerk - those are very different things. This behavior seems different from my recollection of his actions. (If you've links to back it up, though I wouldn't mind seeing 'em - no way I'm trawling through archives myself right now, as, unobviously enough, I have neither the time nor the focus for such a project).

[Amake]

I don't want to trawl the archives either, but, we can look at what Don says about Tony's one phone call. "He used your name even though he didn't have to, that's how he shows he cares! You've to pay special attention to everything your dad says and does and doesn't do because you can't expect him to behave like common men", to paraphrase. He seems to communicate in RISC, and that means you take the risk of people getting a different message depending on their compiler. His friends elect to read a shy misunderstood genius into those sparse signals, and for all we know they may be right, but I'm imagining what Annie might make of him when she has cause to dislike him, and it would not be easy to say she's wrong.

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Amake

I don't want to trawl the archives either, but, we can look at what Don says about Tony's one phone call. "He used your name even though he didn't have to, that's how he shows he cares! You've to pay special attention to everything your dad says and does and doesn't do because you can't expect him to behave like common men", to paraphrase. He seems to communicate in RISC, and that means you take the risk of people getting a different message depending on their compiler. His friends elect to read a shy misunderstood genius into those sparse signals, and for all we know they may be right, but I'm imagining what Annie might make of him when she has cause to dislike him, and it would not be easy to say she's wrong.

Ah, see, but again, that's now. I'm remembering their flashbacks to when Surma was young and dating him - it seems like they interpreted him "correctly" then, but now... now there's something different going on.

That's what I mean - something changed him, and it was something about Surma's death.

I'm wondering if his fear is that if he gets too close to Annie, when she has a child, he'll lose her, too. I'm not sure that's it (and it's a selfish reason*), but it's one thing that just crossed my mind just now.

* It really is, but what must that be like? Either hope your family line ends with your daughter (when she dies), or hope that your family continues... knowing that it will cost your daughter her life? Eeeeeeyugh. "Warbot" might have been a better icon for this post...

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Originally Posted by Loyal

Guilded Age has been unimaginably heavy lately.

callin it now: Byron has zerk'd his last ber.

edit: yep, called it.

[mauve]

To reiterate: Annie's dad = asshole.

[RickZarber]

Yeah this storyline is slow, cruel torture.

I feel kind of bad for Tom though, because apparently some of that (right and proper) anger being elicited by the story is being redirected at him? Enough that he's been kind of defensive on Twitter anyway.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

It's sad when an author, artist, writer, whatever has to defend themselves like that. Still, it's a light handed way for Tom to say "fuck your comfort zone, this train wreck stops for nobody."

[Arhra]

Originally Posted by Grandmaster_Skweeb

Still, it's a light handed way for Tom to say "fuck your comfort zone, this train wreck stops for nobody."

okay.

[tacticslion]

Originally Posted by Arhra

okay.

Beat me to it!

[Intern Nin]

Re: Gunnerkrigg

No. No. No. No. NO.