…Ouch.
-EDIT- Based on some feed back, I’ve re-written some of the dialogue in today’s strip from it’s original. The original version can be found here.
As Sleepyrobin mentioned on the Discord chat and Sophie the Giraffe mentioned in the comments below (and I want to thank you both for catching my error, by the way), the original dialogue directly went against events which unfolded in strip number 553. So I’ve re-written it a bit to fit better.
—
More fanart from Ellie! Just some merchandiseing ideas:
Thank you, Ellie!
I do need to revive the bunny ears thing, though.
Somebody knows how much Brown can’t stay impersonal at work.
The reality is, that while it may be Brown’s job, he hasn’t exactly been very helpful in the past.
Add in the fact that Selike’s history, biology health, ect has been babasically fogged doesn’t help.
If Brown’s department is supposed to help and integrate Selike’s people into society, it seems like there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, in about every aspect.
I mean, what kind of adoption agency doesn’t know the best way to care for a child? How to rely that information to parents? It’s super sketchy at best.
It’s nice things are moving along more smoothly these days, but the reality is Brown hasn’t been the most helpful.
Welcome to how government works.
Yes, it really is as fucked up as this.
I can completely sympathize with Avery, he’s truly had his hands tied until Todd got cleared. Depending on the level of the security around Sarnoth, he could end up IN JAIL for telling Todd classified stuff.
We’ve seen that he really IS a nice guy– he approved Todd’s adoption of Selkie, he’s stuck up for Todd with Agent Then Til’Raeda, he basically TOLD Pohl to leak info to Todd when he couldn’t, and he got Todd the clearance.
I guess I am just bitter about how the goverment works, I was unemployed for six weeks and if it wasn’t for my family and friends I’d be starving and homeless by now. I just got approvved my unemployment from my state and I’ve been working for two weeks, they pay bi-weekly and I just only now got a partial paycheck from my job.I got my unemployment the same time I finally got my paycheck, it’s only partial and the rest of it’s paid after my unemployment ends, because withholding unemployment makes sense.
Avery might have a tough job, but if he doesn’t reconize how it effects other “people” it’s abusrd. In the beginning of the comic, there was literally nothing known about Selkie, but enough was know that vital information was blacked out.
I can’t imagine a person adopting a non-human without knowing their basic needs and facilities. The fact it’s taken this long is absurd. Generally this comic seems to be all rainbows and buttercups when it comes to somethings, but when Selkie is involved it all boils down to bureaucracy.
You can’t protect someone when no one knows what’s “best”.
My apologies. I know what it’s like to be unemployed. Just keep working at it, I’ve been out of work for two years and I’m still sending out resumes.
Avery knows the issues and problems. I’m sure, after learning all the issues from marrying Carrie and parenting Benny, he’s INTIMATELY ACQUAINTED with them. Unfortunately, when you work for the government and they tell you “don’t do this or you go to jail” you have to listen to them.
And yeah, it’s fucked up. Seriously fucked up. But it happens.
I can’t imagine what it was like for Lillian to try one thing after another and have Selkie throwing up and being miserable; it must have torn her heart out.
I get why they wouldn’t just tell him immediately, if he’d turned out to be a crappy person in the first days, they could have taken Selkie away and not have a loose end of a “bad” human who knows the secret.
certainly he should have gotten better instructions, and Selkie at least should have known far more about her own kind.
Ah, I’ve hit a strip where the comments aren’t too deep yet! This being one of the communities I’m closest to right now, I have an announcement to make:
After more than a decade wherein I wrote basically nothing (aside from occasional forays into NaNoWriMo), I have gotten back in the writing game, and am currently writing Person of Interest fanfiction.
I’ve linked my more family-friendly page below, but if you wanted to find my darker work (the series I’m currently invested in), you can hunt around for the same story on Archive of Our Own, where my username is different (so people not interested in dark stuff won’t run across it by accident).
It feels like my writing and editing have both improved immensely since the last time I was writing regularly, and I’m getting positive feedback so it seems people like it. I’ve got a great relationship with my beta reader, and I’ve even been podfic’d already! With any luck my brain will eventually clue in and stop thinking that everything I do sucks.
I would like to thank creators like Dave here, who have consistently been an inspiration to me just by continuing to produce creative content, reminding me that the key to growth is consistent output. That’s what helped get my YouTube channel up and running, and has helped me get started with my writing again as well.
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2872557/Arkylie-Killingstad
P.S. On the subject of thanking creators: Tiny Box Tim Day is just over a month away (June 28th). It’s that holiday I made last year, where you donate time, money, or creativity to charity, and find people who’ve helped or inspired you* and show your appreciation. (There’s a video explaining the concept on my YouTube channel.)
*Specifically, find those people who don’t get buried under fan mail, and thank THEM. The ones in your life who are under-appreciated.
I’m kind of worried about why Benny is laughing…
my guess would be either because his stepdad has just been declared most unhelpful all around……or because he knows that the tough, scary, big bad agent is a fluffy marshmallow deep inside who couldn´t harm a fly 😉
Or both. Teens can be perceptive to see the fluff, but it’s still fun to hear another adult in public say he’s not helpful.
Most likely, Brown has similar complaints about Benny.
Moichandising! Where the *real* money from the comic is made!
Hasn’t Todd already admitted to having met up with Pohl?
https://selkiecomic.com/comic/selkie553/
Um… uh…. well… yeah. That’s, uh… that’s definitely a screwup on my part, yeah.
Thanks for catching it. This is probably going to require a rewrite of the first three panels, hinestly. -_-
Well, meeting up with Pohl, even him being Selkie’s doctor, isn’t the same as him being a family friend.
Dave, you have so continuity glitches you shouldn’t worry about it. Of the 64 comics in my feed yours is one of the top ones. Thanks for all your efforts.
GARGH. “so FEW continuity glitches”
Todd just made a friend – Benny.
OK. Now I want a Selkie chibi doll!
Typical Todd? Not that I’m suggesting he needs to calm down, but c’mon on, Todd, this isn’t about you.
$10 says he does a megaton of work for Todd behind the scenes
Ever seen the pile of paperwork in getting someone a security clearance? My wife’s clearance (back when they were on paper) ran 74 pages, some of them in Chinese.
Yeah, Avery has done a shitload of work for Todd and the Sarnothi, all in the background, all thankless.
I’m ashamed that I originally assumed Benny would be tiresome rather than awesome.
He’s my favorite character of the cast to be honest. I haven’t seen someone make so much headway with people while not changing his personality one iota.
I confess, I’d have been Benny in this situation…
I think most of us have been Benny at one point. XD Hehe.
Oh yea! Any time someone would inadvertently insult one of my folks (whom I do love dearly) I would crack up – esp. during the tween-teen years. (Or if they were backhand complimenting, etc).
Personally I like the original dialogue better, but that’s just my opinion
I kinda liked the line “He acted with my blessing.” This implies that 1) Avery knew that Pohl was doing something of questionable legality but stuck his neck out anyway because it was the “right thing to do.” That fits with “How much trouble am I in for what you said” line of dialog between Avery and Pohl later.