Gunnerkrigg Court

I've been reading the comic real-time since chapter 7.

Did you know the comic updated only two days a week, back then?

Frankly, Anthony is doing it all with the best intent. He wants Annie to have a proper education. Keeping her from the forest is to protect her. And he only knows Reynardine as a murderer, so that's to protect her too.

Too bad he's completely undermining her self-esteem and independancy. But she'll get over it. She's going to sneak out to the forest for sure. She's got Kat to support her. Anthony might even tutor her so she learns fast enough to rejoin year 10 halfway through.

"No copyright law in the universe is going to stop me!" ~ Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic Colours

If by "get over it" you mean she'll have to deal with repressed feelings of self-loathing, depression, and a parent who really doesn't give a shit about what she actually wants or feels, which will lead to an adult life where all those feelings are amplified tenfold, sure. She'll get over it.

"It's so hard to be humble, knowing how great I am."

Yeah, that.

Honestly, I can't see how anyone can recognize what Anthony is doing undermines Annie's self steem and independence and, yet, thinks it is something you can "get over". What the fuck?

Also, no one gets to say what is best for anyone after being absent for years.

No, she will get over it. It's inevitable that she's going to call Anthony out sooner or later. Anthony, like all parent eventually do, will learn that his daughter is growing up and becoming her own person. This is obviously a set up for both Annie and Tony to get more character development.

"No copyright law in the universe is going to stop me!" ~ Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic Colours

Ah, we have a communications misstep here. When people say "get over it," they usually mean something along the lines of "just take their punishment." Calling the Old Man Out is generally not part of that definition.

Sadly, all parents do NOT learn that.

Have you looked at the mental health statistics in young adults recently? Trust me on this: for the vast, vast majority of them, when their problems started and began to become entrenched, they will have got the "you'll adapt", "growing up comes with pains" and "just suck it up, it won't last" lectures aimed at them without any help to deal with it forthcoming.

Turns out that if you're developing self-esteem issues thanks to emotional isolation, you're also probably well on the way towards the outright chronic depression you'll be recognised as having ten years too late to put good habits in place to really fight it off with. Which people will write off as "Emo Teen" at the time. Even self harming gets ignored, often enough. Even when noticed. After all "it's a phase". -_-

edited 27th Apr '15 6:33:09 PM by Euodiachloris

Yeah, my comparison is way off.

It's not like Jean Grey was a red haired telepath with fire aspect powers that grew exponentially, had an encounter with a trickster that left her so unhinged that she started messing up astronomical bodies, a father figure who attempted to restrain her powers to no avail, as forces in outer space had already been alerted to the danger and would set in motion events leading to her inevitable demise, right?

"Show us the Galaxy Warp."

Ah, I see. I apologize. As Discar said, I thought you were saying the exact opposite.

That said, I don't think Anthony's problem is that he needs to "learn that his daughter is growing up and becoming her own person". He abandoned her for multiple years without explanation and every interaction we have ever seem them to share was emotionally abusive. Anthony needs to practically born again for him to stop being terrible.

edited 27th Apr '15 6:47:10 PM by Heatth

Right!

Glad we could come to an agreement. I accept your retraction.

I have a message from another time...

I don't want Annie to hate her dad forever, but I want her to realize that the relationship they have is kind of toxic.

Visit my Tumblr! I may say things. The Bureau Project

My definition of "get over it" would be "stop feeling sorry for yourself and go fix your shit". Which is what Annie is going to do. But I suppose the phrase I was actually looking for was "overcome it."

She's dealt with a lot of hardships in the past, and came out stronger every time. This may be the worst setback she's had yet, but there's no doubt she'll come out on top. Honestly it's good that this happened, because it's giving her the chance to finally overcome her daddy issues.

With support from Kat, the other classmates, Coyote and/or Eglamore, it'll probably only take a few chapters before she confronts her father.

I think Anthony being absent for so long is why he thinks Annie can't take care of herself. He only knows her as the little girl who needed protecting. He hasn't seen any of Annie's growth over the past few years. And he might've taken her failing grades as evidence that she needs him to accomplish anything. I'm sure he's going to learn how much Annie's grown soon enough.

"No copyright law in the universe is going to stop me!" ~ Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic Colours

I hope that's the case, but honestly, I think you're being too optimistic. If Anthony has shown us anything, it's that he's incapable of dealing with strong emotion and has the empathetic capability of a stone, with Surma possibly being the only person to draw something out of him. I think it would take something on the order of a seriously harmful or dangerous event happening to or involving Annie to draw out anything close to genuine warmth from him.

edited 28th Apr '15 11:54:48 AM by Willbyr

Is there any evidence that Anthony understands how half-fire elementals work, that he may blame Annie for Surma's wasting away and death?

"But don't give up hope. Everyone is cured sooner or later. In the end we shall shoot you." - O'Brien, 1984

I think it's an intrinsically unloving thing to leave your child without any contact for years, when all she can say is "he must have had a good reason". it's like, as far as we know, he didn't even try.

if he did try that's another issue, but we don't know that.

ophelia, you're breaking my heart

Last three panels on him trying. "The point is, with Tony, the smallest thing can carry the greatest weight."

edited 28th Apr '15 11:47:22 AM by stingerbrg

Oh yeah, Tom released his commentary video on "Ties" recently, right? You know, the flashback chapter with all the adults as kids? He said that Surma is where Annie got her make-up habit from. I wonder if that's why he insisted that she remove it.

That's what I assumed.

Trust you? The only person I can trust is myself.

Same here...although his calling it "ridiculous" makes me wonder what he really thinks and what he thought about Surma being made up like that.

I'd say that for someone who puts on a facade of stone when dealing with anyone not on a very short list, "ridiculous" is about as strong a word as can be used without betraying too much emotion.

Expergiscēre cras, medior quam hodie. (Awaken tomorrow, better than today.)

1507

Perfect visual.

Visit my Tumblr! I may say things. The Bureau Project

God damn.

"It's so hard to be humble, knowing how great I am."

A young woman, cut off from everything she has become.

Visit my Tumblr! I may say things. The Bureau Project

There does not exist a smiley or a word for my facial expression right now.

No comic relief to be found here. This is the real deal.