So, let me say first thing, what you are seeing right now is NOT another of my style-change experiments. I assume that’s the first thing people will think upon seeing this. XD
Basically, I lost a lot of my comicing time this week to school and some light socializing. Sorry for the half-finished comic, but I figure it’s a better option than the dreaded “Indefinite Delay”.
Oh, and Andi is missing her left arm because there will be a wall there once I get to finishing the comic and adding backgrounds.
-EDIT- Finished the comic! Thanks for the patience, gang. I’ve also added a Director Commentary now that the strip is finished.
Writing the dialogue for this fight/break-up/argument has been a little difficult for me. Partly because it is derived from real-world experiences, partly because I keep wanting to pepper the dialogue with hard swears and having to go back and re-evaluate it. If I was writing Todd and Andi's dialogue the way I tend to talk in real life when upset, there'd be a LOT of little black bars on the speech bubbles.
Ouch.
That’s a bad screw-up there, Andi.
Thing is, the way she said it it sounds like that isn’t even the MAIN reason they broke up.
Agreed there. :/
Jesus, Andi, what the heck? If you didn’t want a kid, fine, but to say THAT? Alright, alright, I’ll wait to hear your explanation, see if you have a good reason for saying that. But for me, you’re treading on thin ice for me liking you as a character.
Heh, I haven’t liked her yet, and she’s making it easy so far to keep that opinion. 😛
Same here!
dude I didn’t even notice the arm was gone until it was pointed out…
Ha ha, I should learn to keep quiet. XD
So how much Saiyan is in her bloodline anyways?
Over 9,000!
….Sorry, couldn’t help myself XD
Great priorities! I can enjoy the frills, ie. colour, background later but I need my update! Thank you.
I second that notion. The webcomic artists that do this option (updating unfinished comic) instead of not updating at all, get much higher respect from me. I would’ve settled for a doodle too, but this is better as it gives story continuance. 😀
There are some things that are not very forgivable.
Now we wait for Todd getting a call from the school that his daughter has bitten a fellow student who stole her shirt.
We WISH she’d bite the evildoer, but more likely is that he’ll get a call that someone stole her shirt while she was flushing her gills and she needs a new shirt. I’m just hoping Andy doesn’t try to make nice and go with Todd to deliver the shirt.
Aha. I love being right. She said something shitty about adoption.
Yup! You called it! And I’m glad that’s the way the story went:) I always disliked the notion of her and now I hate her even more! Tee hee!
Dave> I’m curious where you plan on taking this. Introducing a character just to cause problems? Trying to have a psycho get back together with someone not wanting to deal with her anymore? Andi seeing Selkie for the first time and realizing she isn’t human and trying to take the news to the authorities… or the news? I dunno. Curiouser and curiouser!
But doesn’t she already know the Selkie isn’t human? She pointed it out when she saw her picture on the fridge(?).
All I’ll say for the time being is that Andi does have a purpose. :3
That’s a nasty thing to say about Andi. I’m sure she’s very nice under most circumstances, and she already feels totally horrible about what’s happened with Todd.
She still loves him, you know.
Love needs work at it, and it needs to be mutual.
Was the wrong thing to say on just about every level. It dissed his dreams, and belittled the people who raised him (don’t forget, he was an adoptee). HIghly unlikely there’s any fixing this one. She’d have a better chance if she had simply shot his dog.
Maybe she did shoot his dog and that’s why he got Crooks. Lol.
How could she say that knowing he was adopted. His mom and Dad obviously met her. She obviously knew. He had every right to throw her out with the trash for what she said.
And now we shall finally see the flames.
Heh. Flame on!
Oh Andi, I think you’ve screwed up way too badly to save yourself this time.
Also, I don’t think anyone minds that she’s missing an arm at the moment. :XD
Yep, I think most are waiting for her to be drawn and quartered. Without the arm she would just be drawn and thirded. or they could tie around her neck too.
For some reason, I am not seeing the Transcript box. Directly below the Click “Transcript” for Director Commentary heading, I see three ads taking up the space where box should be. (Safari on Mac OS X Lion)
That’s not a bug; I didn’t put in a transcript/commentary for this strip since it’s unfinished. With no transcript added, the box just never shows.
I see. Makes sense. 🙂
Wow…Andi REALLY? I am pretty sure you knew he was adopted. How could you not? And who even SAYS something like that?
Someone who is a four-letter C-word my mother forbids me from using, that’s who. 😛
You mean a “witch” with a capital “B”? 🙂 I agree.
“Careless” does not mean “uncaring”.
Although Todd is justified in having been hurt and angry at Andi having said that, I trust Dave enough to believe that he would have had them break up just over that. Not after nine years.
Considering how they’re yelling at each other after what, 5 mins of conversation, I’d say it goes way beyond that. The adoption comment was most likely just the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
er, obviously that should have been, “he would NOT have them break up just over that” !
I -knew- it was going to be an adoption issue. D:
I’ve had strained relationships with guys who wanted to have their own kids because I’d rather adopt. (We are crazy over-populated, and there are a lot of pre-made babies to choose from. Plus my body wouldn’t have to go through hell. :P) Wanting your own instead is a valid choice, I guess, but don’t criticize someone else for picking up the breeders’ slack.
And… Andi -does- know that like practically Todd’s whole family is adopted, right?
She said something a few panels ago, words to the effect that they’d known each other for nine years before he broke up with her. I’m sure she’s met his parents by now, if not the whole family.
Everyone’s had an experience where they’ve said exactly the worst words at exactly the worst time at least once. They usually slip out when one is not thinking of them. For example my girlfriend (Who’s Chinese) often calls her father’s former job “Head of the Beijing department of agricultural propaganda” instead of “Publisher of Beijing’s official agricultural magazine”. Her word choice is not one that induces trust in her father :-p.
As for myself, I’ve said the wrong thing at the wrong time more often then I can say (My personal ‘favorite’ is saying ‘it was a mistake’ instead of ‘it was an accident’ when I was little and accidentally injured someone during a race. Also I had said ‘I just wanted to beat them’ instead of ‘I just wanted to win’. Stupid. STUPID. 8 year old me)
Generally I forgive poor word choice easily, as I am quite prone to it myself. (“No I can’t make it today, I’m too busy” “So what are you doing right now?” “Staring at walls” (Frustrated and trying to study with little success))
Last night I saw the 1972 film of Under Milk Wood (Andrew Sinclair). At the end all the inhabitants of the town (except the Reverend Eli) dance down to the sea and become seals!
I’m from a steel town well inland, but the legend of the Selkie is more important than I realised in Wales.
That’s neat, I should check that movie out
Why does everyone hate her? And why did someone call her psychotic? That was a ridiculous thing to say as she’s clearly not. Todd shouldn’t avoid all his problems, it’s childish. She forced him to face her, good for her.
And what she said wasn’t that bad. I doubt she even said it in a bad way. He probably brought up the subject and she was like, “Heh. Adoption is sorta like babysitting.” or something to that effect without fully realizing what she said until AFTER THE FACT. She probably quickly realized what she had done and regretted it. Let’s not forgot they’re fairly young here. And besides, maybe she wanted her own children. Like, ones she gave birth to. Not like adopted kids are any less valuable, but maybe she wants children that are physically part of her and her significant other. Don’t fault her before you know her.
And Todd was pretty immature if her broke up with her over that.
We’re not of like mind here. Yes, she spoke out of turn, though I see it as they were discussing having kids and he suggested adoption. She, not thinking, dismisses it out of hand with a pssh, that’s like babysitting then goes on to different things.
People say stupid stuff dismissively yes, but his reaction is not overblown. She’s known him for 9 years, this we know. Even if they weren’t dating that whole time, that’s a long time to know someone. She would logically know his family, and a white child with two black parents would be something you don’t miss. She would know that he and his brothers and sisters are adopted. To him, knowing his situation, that would be like digging a knife through his chest. She dismisses his situation, she dismisses him.
Nice way of putting it, but first off, there are a few things to acknowledge.
Numero 1: Todd has bias in his favor. We’ve seen him before, and we’ve seen him acting like a sane, well-rounded person.
Numero 2: Insofar as I can tell Andi has shown no evidence of either/or. While yes, she has performed a good action in coming to Todd directly to discuss the problem, she basically showed up in full party wear, as War notes just below, instead of something more sober or indicating an intent to actually discuss the matter, which leads to a negative bias of her.
Numero 3: While it is entirely plausible she wants kids/cares about kids of her own, from the look of Todd and the way this story has been going, it’s pretty clear he would’ve tried to clarify he’s a fan of adoption pretty much from the moment it started getting serious, and that if she wouldn’t accept it, then it’s not something he could deal with easily. From the statement she made (which didn’t appear to be the only reason, by the by, for the break up), she took his ideal negatively, or outright attempted to avoid the commitment altogether, which made it easier for Todd to abandon.
Numero 4: As much as it is plausible, both sides have major faults that nobody here has yet observed. However, thanks to the bias, it’s viewed as primarily Andi’s fault. “You screw up once and” dah dah dah dah, is a very case-weakening statement from most ages, because nobody only makes one mistake, and this draws attention to the dozens of other ones, such as the aforementioned negative adoption views.
Numero 5: This is a story about a good adoption in negative circumstances. Her first incharacter statement on screen that is noteworthy is “Adoption is like babysitting” in a negative manner. Do you believe that those who show up and are fans of Selkie / the Story are going to have positive viewpoints of a character so obviously putting their foot in the wrong direction right off the bat?
Right now in a bit of a hurry, so not adressing all your points, but given that they’ve known each other for 9 years, I don’t think the adoption comment was why they broke up. The way they’re yelling at each other now suggests there’s been a lot of fighting before they broke up. Just loving someone – even being in love with them – doesn’t always translate into being a good couple.
I once broke up with a lovely person, after they dismissed my long-time friends (who live on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and whom I’d only seen once in real life) as “those online people” and commenting that now I was together with them, I wouldn’t need those people. That, for me, was a “deal breaker”, the last drop. I’m imagining the adoption comment was Todd’s deal breaker.
I understand that you were in a hurry, but that’s basically what I said through my points. I was just alot less succinct. Thank you for shortening my post for me, though.
I was also in too much of a hurry to actually read through all your points. Sorry about that – but I still don’t think Andi’s deserving of any sympathy right now. We may be shown her reasons later on, but right now she’s in the evil *itch category and shall remain unless she gives me reason to reconsider. 😛
“Todd shouldn’t avoid all his problems, it’s childish. She forced him to face her, good for her.”
Flip the genders for a moment. Make Tod a Tina and Andi an Andrew. Now, would would you say that Andrew repeatedly calling his ex-girlfriend Tina and demanding that she see him again, trying to push his way back into her life because he’d invested nine years with her before she broke up with him… would you still say “good for Andrew”?
I acknowledge that Andi may actually be a delightful person under other circumstances.
However, all comments about her style of dress and her known verbal faux pas aside, here are a few other salient points:
Todd broke up with Andi several weeks if not months before the adoption. In a recent phone conversation, Todd told Andi about the adoption, and she knew that he’s now a single parent before arriving at the door.
Andi wants to get back into Todd’s life. However, so far she has shown no interest in Todd’s newly adopted daughter other than staring at a photo on the wall. That is NOT how you get on a new parent’s good side.
All indications so far are that Andi wants Todd back but has no interest in raising an adopted child with him. Otherwise she would be asking questions about the new daughter; at least her NAME, for crying in silence! So far she’s only called Selkie “the sick orphan girl.” Like I said, not a way to get on a new parent’s good side.
So far, all of Andi’s behavior has been extremely self-centered. I’m going to go out on a limb here, and guess that the reason she wants Todd back is that he knew her so well after nine years together, knew and catered to her likes and dsilikes, and getting back together with him would be so much easier than breaking in and training a new boyfriend.
And/or she’s run out of money.
Though that’s really just my personal perspective talking.
Girl, you still dress and talk like a party first, work second, kids never person.
Kids and party life do not mix and, from my understanding, can put an adoption at risk if you are judged an unfit parent. Andie is a red screaming flag of “no-go” as far as that goes.
She needs to say her part, leave, grow up and then realize she loves him enoghf to let him go or to at least realize she no longer fits in his life the way she thinks she wants to right now.
True. She looks (sometimes looks can be deceiving, but she’s not yet given me any reason to doubt this) like a college kid who doesn’t want to grow up. Todd on the other hand looks like he’s decided to grow into an adult and gotten to the point of wanting to have kids. If you have biological kids, you’ll be stuck with the other parent for the rest of your life, even if they didn’t partake your child-rearing. With adoption he can avoid dealing with the immature kid that Andi appears to be.
Ohh, Andi…’like babysitting’. The implication is, no matter what they’re not your real kid and will never be part of your family because you’re just ‘babysitting them’. And the way that phrase is thrown out there, that wasn’t even Andi’s biggest screw-up, I think. You didn’t just screw up once, Andi, and ‘poof, out goes the trash’. I get the feeling he broke up with you because a bunch of screw ups all add up to a really nasty bitter feeling.
Aww, poor guy.
Wow, “like being a babysitter,” that is seriously a douchebag thing to say. I have an adopted brother and an adopted sister, and they are my brother and sister, no question about it. If it was like babysitting then I wouldn’t have to worry about how my parents had to start splitting they’re attention. Heck, I had like five foster siblings and two cousins who lived with us when I was growing and I still count them as my brothers, not sisters since the only girl was the one my parents actually adopted and didn’t just foster. I… I just can’t get over that, the idea that there’s a point when we would stop “babysitting” it’s like imagining my brothers and sister died. Even if she said it carelessly and didn’t mean to say it, it still doesn’t change that she said and even worse thought it.
There has to be more to the story then these panels are leading on to. I mean, would any sane, rational person throw a deeply involved relationship away for something as simple as calling adoption, “being a baby sitter”?
If so, he has a lot more growing up to do. Relationships take time and effort and if you are going to throw it all away over something stupid said, then there’s no way you are ready for one.
I’m guessing they’ve argued a whole lot, and that comment was just the last drop, Todd’s “deal breaker”.
don’t know if this will get read but…
When I get really mad I go Victorian. Shakespearean insults. Odoriferous flea kind of thing.
Hope that helps.
What if the reason she’s really back is because she’s pregnant with Todd’s baby? That would be the only reason I’d return to a guy who so openly rejected me over one mistake (even if I deserved it). He’s clearly no longer interested at all, so she either really is putting a lot of emotion where she shouldn’t or it’s that. It would explain the obsessive phone calls better.
I highly doubt that, and even if she was, she’s being an awful bitch right now, not a person I would suggest of being allowed to become a parent, either biologically or by adoption.
Pregnancy doesn’t always show and especially so when the mom is having complications. She could be not telling him openly because she doesn’t want him to take her back just for that reason. Also there are many unfit parents out there. What we’ve seen of her is very biased because we want to side with Todd, so we don’t know what type of parent she would be. Andi might act a lot differently actually being around kids. For all we know she could just be an open mouth insert foot type of person who is being misunderstood right now because of a really bad slip up.
Like I said in another reply, the largest point against Andi right now isn’t the massive faux pas that Todd just reminded her of, or the implications of her style of dress that some folks commented on, or even the obsessive phone calling before this meeting. It’s the fact that Todd just adopted a child, which is obviously the most important recent event in his life… and so far, Andi has shown zero interest in “that sick orphan girl” other than staring at a picture on the wall. She hasn’t even asked his new daughter’s name! That’s not showing concern for the girl, or for Todd himself for that matter. So far, all the behavior she’s exhibited has been self-centered.
I’d still suggest, for the good of the mankind, that every male child’s spern tubing (lacking the scientific word here, sorry) was cut right after birth (since it’s a far larger operation on a female), so that accidental pregnancies could be largely avoided.
Many people are not suitable to become parents. An old childhood friend of my best friend is one of those people – my friend has said that if her friend was ever to give birth, she’d call the child services herself.
Nah, in the time she’d been knocked up and the time they hadn’t seen each other and up to now, she’d definitely be showing.
Did Todd’s rash heal?
Woops, no. That would be a continuity error. >_< Thanks!
I liked this one. It was a very well done panel. The dialog was very attractive to read and allowed you to derive a lot of meanings in your own little way. Swear words are weird. They slip out in our vocabulary from time to time, yet when I read a book I almost feel like it’s laziness. Like the author wanted to truly convey anguish, or hurt, or frustration and went “bleh” then summed it up in a four letter word.
This did not do that. You have been doing a great job. Keep it up.