Todd’s turn
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Fan Art update! I received two drawings from Zippy Kitsune:
First is a drawing of Amanda:
And this is an original character of hers, a sarnothi warrior:
Thank you for sending these, Zippy Kitsune!
Pretty big script change for this strip. Originally had Amanda making fun of Selkie for (presumedly) being in trouble due to a Parent/Teacher Meeting, but after thinking about it while penciling it made more sense to me that with all the info running around her head she'd take the opportunity to ask Todd some of her questions early.
Maybe coloring will change it, but in panel three, where Todd’s saying, “Yeah, I did”, he looks pissed. Which, if so, would make Amanda think he’s pissed at her, or at the idea that he’s her father.
You see pissed? Huh. I see subdued. Facial expressions are weird.
I’d tip the inner corner of his eyebrow up just a hair. When you’re worried, that part comes into play.
Though now I’m feeling like I need to go back and study Ekman’s material again. You’re right, Chug, facial expressions are weird… but they can be broken down into bits that are more understandable, and many aspects of them turn out to be universal to humankind. (And possibly fishkind as well, who knows?)
I’m also thinking that Mina has been thinking, and come up with the wrong answer. She’s decided that Todd, the WORLD’S BEST FATHER, gave his baby up for adoption, and was quite happy to leave her in an orphanage.
Between that half-a-face in panel 5, and the angry face in 6, she looks a bit upset. Like someone she likes is showing feet of clay.
in panel 6 i think that’s her game face, for those kind of parent teacher meetings where bad news has to be told to the parent about their kid, and they don’t want to give it away to the kids since they’re watching… i see it as more of a “forced” neutral look than an angry look.
The Wacky Hijinx version of this storyline would involve Selkie and Amanda putting aside their differences long enough to try to get Todd together with…Mina. So that they don’t have to act like sisters. It’s the Anti-“Parent Trap”. 😛
Arrrghh!, you made scrambled egg come out of my nose. I should NOT read comments from you while eating. That was Brilliant!
I hope your nose is okay!
It’ll be O.K., the glue is holding nicely until everything sets up. I’ll just keep it dry. Meh! It’s happened before, it will happen again,I’m sure,… But thanks for the sympathy.
I’m grateful it wasn’t hot coffee, or huevos-rancheros with salsa, that really hurts!!
I didn’t know how badly I needed this until I read your comment. XD
That. Would. Be. Awesome.
Monday’s comic – Amanda & Selkie having a chat in the hallway? Or straight to Mina & Todd’s conversation? Either way, it’s going to be interesting.
I love Amanda’s expressive ponytails, by the way. Even if they kind of break my heart a little in panel four.
i think that’s as vulnerable as we’ve seen amanda. she really needs a bit of reassurance before todd goes in. she may very well fear that he can make andi give her up.
I think this is one of the best strips I’ve seen from Dave so far, actually. Though just about anything with Amanda’s vulnerability has been good.
In real life, and in this storyline, Todd probably walks away from Amanda when Mina calls. I’d like to see him be on-the-ball enough to say “Sorry, Mina, I need a few minutes to finish this incredibly important conversation with this person here in front of me.” But authority figure, child, conditioned response…
Of course, Amanda originally *wasn’t* going to be one of the subjects discussed, but I’m pretty sure she is now.
If nothing else, Mina *needs* to know at least the basic situation, as both girls are in her class and she takes her responsibility for her students’ emotional welfare seriously.
… The fact that she’s not a disinterested observer WRT Todd’s life is an aside.
Definitely. She’s seen Amanda on edge all day today, she’s going to want an explanation.
So … much … happening … so … much … could … happen … I … am … petrified … by … possibilities …
Petrified, terrified, terrorized, traumatized, what ever. I just scared stiff Todd will loose any chance he had with Mina, — the first shot good, real shot he’s had at romance since Andi, maybe.
He shouldn’t be dating Mina as it would create a conflict of interest with her teaching his daughter(s).
Might depend on the school. My kid complains that one of the school admins has his kid in the school — and she thinks the kid gets special treatment from everyone but substitute teachers who don’t really know whose kid he is. (I mean, talk about conflict of interest, y’know?)
It’s probably best to postpone it for about 1,5 years. By Then the girls are in middle school / junior high, right? (In Germany elementary ends after 4th or 6th grade, depending on state)
BTW: Will she be their class teacher in fourth grade, too? (In Germany you are supposed to be in a class with the same group of pupils and have the same teacher for all your time in Elementary school. Is this the same in the US, or does it change every year?)
My kid had a different teacher every grade, in elementary. Then in middle school, they start having different classes with different teachers.
Dave, you are leading me to think that Todd has done enough mental math to not NEED a paternity test. You are scaring me.
Seeing your own eyes staring back at you out of a child’s face has a way of removing doubt. Particularly if they are reflecting pain and sorrow and anger that you remember well, and never wanted any other kids to experience.
What’s getting me is that Todd has been firm about -if- this is true, -if- this is his daughter… but looking her in the face, he doesn’t give her a maybe. Looking her in the face, he says “I think so.”
I’m really curious to see if this is because he knows that trying to deny the potential would hurt Amanda too much right now and is treading carefully, or if right now, looking directly into her eyes, he can see that it’s his daughter.
Maybe he just sees she needs it, needs to have him accept her, no “maybes”, no “IF THE DNA SAYS SO”. She’s Andy’s, she’s his.
I think Todd really started putting it together, and it’s becoming more clear than just a paternity test. For her to be named Amanda, so quickly have been given to Andi (adoption usually takes about a year and it’s only been a few months that Andi had seen Todd), and look so much like both parents has to be a lot more than a coincidence to Todd.
I’m hoping she is his daughter instead of Dave throwing in a plot twist about Andi cheating on Todd.
Even IF Andi cheated on Todd, Amanda is still the child he was so happy to raise and treat right. the child mourned eight years ago. Love isn’t necessarily tied to blood, especially in his family. Even if it came out that Amanda wasn’t his… it might not matter. he might never want her to know if they stay involved.
I wouldn’t like it as much because every time they interact I would be thinking ‘he’s not really her father, just a father-figure.’ And Selkie and Amanda wouldn’t be sisters either. I think it would be better if they’re actually family.
Me too, some. I would love that, and in time so would Mandi! And Selki would have a playmate, sister, protector, co-conspirator, … It’s just like that with families.
I am impressed by Amanda. There’s that little glimmer again! Way to grow, girl! 🙂
The amount of pain caused by Andi and her mother is breathtaking.
Indeed. I really think Andi is going to turn out okay with time. A lot of people are kind of terrible in their teens and early twenties. She loves Amanda and she wants to do right by her. Andi’s mother, on the other hand…let’s just say that it’s good that having *Todd* in her life will bring Amanda awesome grandparents.
Andi has a LOT of growing up to do. She needs to accept full blame from others for what she’s done. So far she’s been trying to dodge that from other people however, coming clean will help her grow up and get through that part of her life. She needs to figure out what she wants in life other than raising Amanda. Plus she needs to get out from under the thumb of her overbearing mother. That would cause a lot of growing up.
You touched on her art in the below comment and I don’t have a problem with her being an artiste type, but as she grows it will mature past high heels in walls.
Why am I getting the vibe that Amanda will actually come to accept this situation faster than Selkie, but think they are going to end up loving each other like sisters before the end of the comic?
Not loving, given their history (unless Dave takes the strip through to their adulthood), but I’ll settle for not enemies, and allies against outside forces.
Tha
t can be better.
This would be more appropriate on a day that Andi and Todd both appeared in the comic, but I just thought of it now when I came in to look at the color version of today’s. The clues that Andi and Todd have grown apart (without even getting into the serious subject of Amanda Marie) are really impressive! Andi still has her high school hairstyle, Todd doesn’t. They both have artistic careers, but Todd is the more responsible-sounding “architect”, while Andi took the riskier path to become a visual artist. (This means that Todd kicked serious butt in college; architecture programs are not easy!) I don’t really see Todd and Andi getting back together even after she’s earned forgiveness, but even friends isn’t going to happen until they get to know each other’s adult selves.
I think being an artist is working out well for Andi, just to be clear. She calls the high heel piece an “installation”, which could suggest she gets paid for her art. I can definitely imagine a funky boutique or gallery in Calumet’s eccentric shopping district displaying it.
What she needs is to come to this sort of realization:
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3026
That change (and it’s a huge one) didn’t happen overnight in QC and I don’t think it’s likely to be a quick snap of the fingers here, either. Letting your hopes get in the way of reality is hard to let go of… until reality just loses patience with you and hits you over the head. (Which is about to happen to Andi this very evening. Faye was pretty brutal. Todd might not be quite that drastic, but I doubt he’s going to let her cling to false hopes either.)