Chapter 45 – Page 2
Thanks for being patient, here’s allay’all’z NEW AVATAR RE-RANDOTIZATION!!!
I do the sleep now.
Annotations Every Day - Written by T Campbell & Flo Kahn - Illustrated by John & Jason Waltrip
Guilded Age
The Saga of the Working Class Adventurer – New comics every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
Oooh – are we seeing a murder? Or am I just bloodthirsty?
no, it definitely looks like she was just poisoned, which is really confusing to me, as iwatani’s character seemed to be all about power, family, and legacy. probs that i’ve just been reading him not quite correctly.
Taro or Misa did it.
Confusing to me as well, since I can’t think of any reason why anyone would go to the trouble of killing her unless they’re offing the whole family – in which case, it’s weird that she’d show symptoms first when the others have apparently had more to eat and drink. Ah, well, next page should shed some light on the issue.
I retract that. Her cup is the least full, and Taro’s is still completely full. It’s possible that Taro just decided to do away with both of his parents and his sister.
Also possible: Misa did it and was just faking taking a sip last page… which would make things hilariously awkward since Taro would survive, being at least smart enough not to take a drink after watching his mother die.
I think you’re giving that kid more credit that he deserves.
If he’s smart enough to do that, he’s overeasger enough to imemediately use his source of poison by spashing it in someone’s face.
Theory: Now that Iwatani is the legal King, he can command a *VERY* politically advantageous marriage. But first, he needs to “clean house” as it were.
Nah the surprise seems genuine
He looks amused rather than surprised.
Nope. The Heir is taking over.
If he was smart enough to leave his sister alive, he could marry her off to some other noble for political gain… OR he could just marry her himself…
… I’ve been playing too much CK2.
It’s going to be darkly humorous if Misa poisoned everyone and is like “NOPE I’m new villain now”.
I would be SO onboard with that. XD
…And that’s where miso soup comes from.
Someone, or something, just came in the room.
Where do you see that, if I might ask?
That looks like it may be the case
i thought the woman in the first panel was his mom for a sec and was like ‘holy crap telling your mom to shut up is ballsy even for the little brat.’ oopsies
I’m not sur why there is a close up of Iwatani taking a bite. Is that supposed to be important? What am I missing?
And what’s up with his wife in the last panel? Open mouth, blank stare…
looks like she’s about to fall or something – poison???
She’ll fall facefirst into the pudding.
The close-up panel is important.
He is indulging his appetite, while also waiting for the right time to react… to his wife’s reaction, or lack thereof.
Yeah. The last two panels are a bit confusing right now. But I think they’re foreshadowing. I think on Friday we are going to learn that one or more members of the Iwatani family have been poisoned. Probably by the same poison that killed Guildmaster Persson.
There was a pregnant pause from Gravedust about the Savasi knew about the Iwatari’s … appetite. I assumed he meant hunger for power, now I wonder if it was something else…
http://guildedage.net/comic/chapter-3-page-6/
That meat does look awfully… fuzzy…
I was thinking the same thing. (Also, I really want a better avatar than I had last time…)
SCORE!
You seem to have done quite well in my opinion.
It’s for people who wanted Iwatani to “eat it”.
The struedel scene was one of the best parts of Inglorious Basterds.
Foreshadowing CANNIBALISM!
That bite of steak in the close-up panel looks furry. Is it just me being confused, or is that a flank steak with the fur still attached?
Could just be muscle strands in the meat.
Maybe hair? …human hair?
HE’S A CANNIBAL!!
…Soylent Green is people! :P
I think not on the cannibalism but that’s the second time I’ve seen the theory so…
Poison?
Dude. You’re pudgy! THAT’S the cost of indulging your appetite!
THE SALMON MOUSSE!!
Seeing as he seems to regard Taro as his heir and protégé I don’t think he would off his wife in front of their children.
The children would be more reckless but even they should realize that they would need to kill the parents simultaneously or it would not work. Thus they would have taken more caution in accounting for the parents habits. Also Taro doesn’t want the work of ruling he just wants the perks so it would be better in his perspective to leave his father alive. I don’t know as much about Misa but one would assume that give her ability to survive in this family she’s smart so she would realize that by killing her family all she would do is cause a power vacuum where more experienced players would see her as nothing more than a pawn.
Given those points I think that ant poisoning would come from a source outside the family. Everyone at that table knows that any sign of weakness or any suspicious activity could spell disaster. Well maybe not Taro but he is smart enough to realize that his dad is his ticket to any power at this point.
I get the feeling Taro doesn’t care if his mom’s offed in front of him; he doesn’t seem to give a single hoot about anyone but himself. But at the very least, it might even be a gentle reminder by dear old dad that that COULD have been Taro’s poisoned food instead, and maybe get him back on board with behaving and listening to his dad.
I half expect the until-now voiceless and personality-less sister to also drop dead right after mom does.
I do also suspect that one of the kids did it but… I still think dad’s the one who did it, even if for a different reason than I mentioned above. Because I do think my reason is reaching a bit and am curious for Friday’s page already! D;
But going off of your theory of someone not a part of the family: We haven’t seen Bandit for a little while…
Yes but it would give him Ideas. And with mom and possibly sister dead it gives him an excuse.
Bandit and her crew actually could be a contender. While the job hired for was basically “Gnometown’s secret defenders” the thing they’re defending from is Gastonia’s leadership and houses turning on them.
One way to insure that would be to divert as much of their attention as possible elsewhere. An assassin on the most important family made to blame their not-so-immediate but known potential rivals would be a powerful ploy to cast attention elsewhere.
Misa Iwatani has poisoned them all and she’ll pin the blame on Taro since there’s already prior evidence of him being evil and reckless.
She’s the dark horse nobody expected.
If it means no more of that brat Taro, works for me.
“I have a bad feeling about this”
Famous last words
Nice avatar.
Man, it is so hard not to like Iwatani. He’s a perfect example of lawful evil. If only he would use those powers for good…
(…well, this comic would be pretty damn boring, so nevermind.)
If he used them for good, then he wouldn’t be evil any longer.
Tell it to David Xanatos.
Assuming there is a good old-fashioned family coup going on, if one of the kids thinks they’re going to be able to step in already they’ve got a lot more ambition than sense. Who the heck is going to take their marching orders from an unblooded child? The infighting will collapse their nascent empire almost immediately.
But I have to think that’s not necessarily what’s happening here. I guess we’ll find out Friday.
Actually, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if Iwatani’s not just bumping off his wife for reasons that are not yet known to us.
I think the reason has been hinted at:
http://guildedage.net/comic/chapter-39-page-4/
I had forgotten that. Still, a man in power can run around as much as he likes without too much difficulty, so it feels risky.
I used to think families THIS loveless and waspy could only exist in fiction, I’ve since met the ‘kin’ of a new acquaintance from my office and realized – nope, they’re really out there.
They put on a decent act usually but the facade only works for short durations if you pay any attention at all. They aren’t even that surprised when guests come up with any excuse possible to get away from their perpetual drama hell.
No joke, these type of ‘people’ will actually tell you (if you gain their confidence) with a straight face they honestly wish their own sibling / spouse / parent would DIE and how, exactly, they would benefit from said death. It was the first time in my life mere words almost made me vomit…
Welcome to humanity. Enjoy your stay!
Have you read about the Clinton crime family?
Was that a political non sequitur, or was it a parody of a political non sequitur, or… what?
Okay, apparently the original poster didn’t mind going along with the political non sequitur, so, all good, I guess? :/
After decades of intensive investigation/prosecution/persecution by the GOP, the Clintons are still walking around free. Which is more likely:
a) The Clintons are such adept criminal masterminds that they’ve managed to completely conceal all evidence of their evil machinations from a hostile, well-funded enemy for decades.
b) Those decades of intensive investigation/prosecution/persecution are trumped-up bullshit, the standard GOP demonization tactics writ large.
Um, I’m not getting into a ‘discussion’ over it but I’ll just say there is a PLETHORA of different reasons the Clintons have gotten away with many crimes over the years…and they are far from the only ‘legacy family’ in western civilization capable of getting away with serious criminal acts.
I’ll go with option a, Cubist. It’s a much better movie plot. Option b sounds boring — too much like real life.
Yes and that didn’t surprise me at all, anyone who knows the history of the 90s knows Killary is a warmongering lying sociopath. Some of the many reasons I’m not voting for her, also I like our current state of NOT being in a cold war with Russia.
To avoid assumption I’ll also disclose that I’m not voting Trump either.
The 90s? When Hillary was First Lady and had no direct impact on foreign policy? When the US wasn’t involved in any wars (under Clinton, Bush had two), for once? When Bill Clinton came close to brokering peace between Israel and Palestine (too bad extremist elements on both sides – which are the current governments of both sides – had no interest in peace)? When the US economy was actually on the upswing and the budget was balanced (from ’98 to 2001)? Those 90s?
The West has three options when it comes to Putin, which curiously mirrors a case from the last century.
A hot war. This is extremely bad.
A cold war. Also bad, but survivable.
Appeasement in which Putin is allowed to invade his neighbours – including what currently are NATO nations – while the West turns a blind eye. I guess from the perspective of some this is a ‘good’ option.
These are the three options as long as Putin is in charge in Russia. There is no other realistic option, and it has been Putin deciding this, not anyone else.
Trump favours appeasement – he calls it ‘peace’, so did Chamberlain. Clinton favours the Cold War.
Which option do you favour?
Don’t forget the Trump crime family, deadly enemies of the Clinton family. The Don of the Trump family changes wives periodically out of boredom, treats out of favour children as pariahs, and makes inappropriate sexual comments about his female children.
So yeah nasty families certainly happen. And it seems to occur at all levels of society, from the poorest to the richest.
Will to Power.
Simply WANTING the sort of power they want should disqualify them.
Hell- my sister-in-law’s mother is basically a Disney villain. I didn’t think people like that really existed either, but it turns out they do. She’s rich, self-centered, entitled, ruthless, and prone to zany plans to get more rich/powerful at the expense of others… one day she’ll get arrested for trying to make 101 puppies into a fur coat and nobody will be surprised. It sounds exactly like the sort of thing she’d do.
It’s a special kind of arrogance to piss off the kind of people he associated with for years and not hire a poison tester.
Pac-Man just poisoned Mrs. Pac-Man.
If you look at the parents plates, as well as glasses, Mommy dear has finished most of her meal, while dad just took what looks to be his first bite…
Perhaps he just hasn’t eaten/ drank enough of it yet what with his greater body mass
Also to consider is that Taro hasn’t touched his drink, and it’s not clear whether Misa was ACTUALLY drinking on the last page.
His plate looks untouched as well. Could be the poison route, could be he’s so preoccupied with getting his own slice of power, he’s not even hungry. Only time (and Friday’s page, hopefully) will tell.
Oddball thought: If it is poison, what are the odds it turns out to be a type commonly used by wood elves?
Where will you be when diarrhea hits?
Avatar avatar avatar, avatar avatar.
Avatar avatar?
Avatar avatar Malkovich.
“Poisoned your mother again? You’re grounded, young man!”
“Awwwww, dad!”
Where did the poison come from though? They focus in on Iwatani eating his steak, but he doesn’t seem to be the one poisoned. It could be the drinks, but not only do we see everyone but Taro take a sip we see Iwatani take the first sip.
I suppose it could just be her glass, but where’s the fun in speculating that? :P
Perhaps His Grace Iwatani has more body mass then Her Grace? In this case, assuming they were poisoned at roughly the same time, maybe it’s just takes longer for the poison to effect him.
Of course, this would imply that neither Taro or Misa have been poisoned, since they both have significantly less body mass.
Looking at their plates, Iwatani has just started eating. Though that would mean the daughter is the next to drop considering the son is the only one who hasn’t touched his plate.
One harmless component in the meat; another harmless component in the wine. Activate by combining them in your stomach….