Skin Horse

By Shaenon K. Garrity & Jeffrey C. Wells
By Shaenon K. Garrity & Jeffrey C. Wells
Color by Pancha Diaz
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2012-10-03
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2012-10-03

by shaenon on October 3, 2012 at 12:00 am
Chapter: Railway Children
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Discussion (40) ¬

  1. Andrew
    October 3, 2012, 12:43 am | # | Reply

    Gynoid? Or not a Gynoid? That is the question.

  2. codebracker
    October 3, 2012, 12:54 am | # | Reply

    She’s a cyborg robot?

  3. Baf
    October 3, 2012, 1:43 am | # | Reply

    She’s a mechanical replica of a robot.

  4. wykstrad
    October 3, 2012, 2:01 am | # | Reply

    I always thought the “andro-” prefix, while technically translating to “man,” was usually used in a gender-neutral fashion. So why gynoid? Is it because she’s a specifically female replica? Because if so, that doesn’t clear up the nipple issue one bit.

    • davidbreslin101
      October 3, 2012, 8:09 am | # | Reply

      I guess the real gender-neutral term would be “anthroid,” but I can’t see it catching on….

      • DSimon
        October 3, 2012, 12:23 pm | # | Reply

        Yeah, I can only see that leading to giant, extremely realistic spider robots.

        • reynard61
          October 3, 2012, 9:36 pm | # | Reply

          I believe that you’re thinking of “Arthropoid”. (Arthropoda is the Phylum that spiders — and, in fact, most exoskeletal insects with segmented bodies and jointed legs — belong to.)

  5. Scthree
    October 3, 2012, 2:02 am | # | Reply

    Given both “she” and “not” are emphasized, I’m not sure if GODOT means “she’s not a robot” or “she’s not a *female* robot”. The former makes more sense to me, since Violet seems the type to tell a series of lies. The latter…would probably make more sense in the universe this story is in. 😛

    • Challeron
      October 3, 2012, 9:10 am | # | Reply

      If it means that Ms. B is not a “she” – in the literal sense of “having no genitalia” – might that explain why Tip wasn’t attracted to her?

      • DSimon
        October 3, 2012, 12:24 pm | # | Reply

        Given Tip’s own behaviour, I’d tend to think he would be more interested in gender than sex (or, since Artie, maybe neither).

    • Classic Steve
      October 3, 2012, 12:43 pm | # | Reply

      If Nick sensed her to be a robot, then she must be at least close to one. Maybe a cyborg, with a human brain, like himself.

    • Andy4Hire
      October 3, 2012, 3:21 pm | # | Reply

      Possibly, yes. Or else the “SHE” and “NOT” are part of some other message we haven’t cracked yet. In other recent strips, GODOT has emphasized “HOOK” and “HELL” in a similar fashion, and it’s a bit harder to conjure up plausible alternate meanings for those in their contexts the way you’ve done here with “SHE” and “NOT.”

    • Scott's Folly
      October 8, 2012, 2:59 pm | # | Reply

      Possibly, given GODOT’s primary purpose, the emphasised words are acronyms for some secondary layer of meaning. Let’s see… “Her other secret is SHE’s NOT”. Superintelligent Hamsters’ Excavator is Now Over Target?

  6. Anderson
    October 3, 2012, 3:16 am | # | Reply

    For all GODOT is homicidal and seemingly psychopathic at times, he/she/insert-gender-neutral-pronoun-of-your-choice has a certain charm.

    In terms of “What is Violet”….who knows? Human with a mechanical brain? Gerbil? Secret Operative for the Dave Conspiracy? GODOT certainly knows at least *something* about it, and it’ll be interesting to see HOW…..

  7. Eddurd
    October 3, 2012, 4:04 am | # | Reply

    (TUNE: “She’s A Lady”, Tom Jones)

    Well, the writing she can’t read!
    She’s in Black Ops, has a need
    For dissembling!
    ‘Cause as far as can be seen,
    It would seem a human bein’
    She’s resembling!

    She’s a robot!
    Yeah, yeah, yeah,
    She looks so hot!
    Tellin’ you now, that
    She’s a robot …
    But she really is not!

  8. Eddurd
    October 3, 2012, 4:05 am | # | Reply

    Just an additional note … my wife and I are going to be on vacation for the next week or so. Internet access may or may not be available, so if you don’t see me here for a few days, don’t worry. I will be dunking my toes in the Gulf of Mexico and thinking of y’all.

    • The Office Pedant
      October 3, 2012, 6:06 am | # | Reply

      The Office Pedant is also a scuba diver…and now he’s green with envy.

    • eddddd the mad genius
      October 3, 2012, 6:15 am | # | Reply

      Oh, no, who can make my daily song quota? withdrawlwithdrawlwithdrawl
      hehe ^^ i cant do songs, someone else will have to step up
      come on guys!

      • Dewy
        October 3, 2012, 6:25 am | # | Reply

        Don’t look at me. Before Eddurd, I assumed filk was what you kids were calling other things these days. Or, you know, some sort of dog disease.

      • Classic Steve
        October 3, 2012, 12:44 pm | # | Reply

        I might, but not as early in the day as your comment.

    • Manifesta
      October 3, 2012, 1:26 pm | # | Reply

      Enjoy your well-earned vacation, Ed. I’ll post some filks if I have time.

  9. Garth
    October 3, 2012, 7:32 am | # | Reply

    Hmmm. Could ‘SHENOT’ be related somehow to ‘GODOT’?

  10. BarGamer
    October 3, 2012, 9:13 am | # | Reply

    GODOT is saying that Violet is a dude’s brain in a female android’s body.

    • Salty
      October 3, 2012, 9:21 am | # | Reply

      Pretty much exactly what I was going to say.

  11. jennibrock
    October 3, 2012, 10:20 am | # | Reply

    She’s not a robot; she’s a piloted mech.

    • Huttj509
      October 3, 2012, 12:17 pm | # | Reply

      I support this message. I think you called it.

  12. Dewy
    October 3, 2012, 11:41 am | # | Reply

    Heh. Like what? The paper-plate hamsters got themselves a better disguise?

    • Rex Vivat
      October 3, 2012, 12:44 pm | # | Reply

      More or less. I’m pretty sure it was said before that the Goldbug is another gestalt entity…

      • Nentuaby
        October 3, 2012, 12:51 pm | # | Reply

        I suspect that the truth about Ms. *Bee* is hiding waaaaay out in plain sight.

        • Manifesta
          October 3, 2012, 1:27 pm | # | Reply

          Do you mean she’s Gavotte’s daughter, Pavanne?

  13. Shadowmehr
    October 3, 2012, 3:54 pm | # | Reply

    Violet Bee cannot be any sort of cyborg or cloned brain in a robot body. If she had some form of organic brain, G.O.D.O.T. would be able to use his/her/its apparent telepathy to affect her(?) perceptions so she could see the (literal) writing on the wall. The fact that she (*can’t*) see G.O.D.O.T.’s communications indicates she’s pure mechanical. The question is, is she sentient, or being remotely controlled from a distance.

    • commodorejohn
      October 3, 2012, 5:53 pm | # | Reply

      Unless a metal head acts as a sort of Faraday cage for “neural waves…”

  14. Robert The Addled
    October 3, 2012, 3:57 pm | # | Reply

    Since Tip didn’t react to Violet – i start to wonder if Violet is not “fully functional”. One of the Urban Dictionary definitions of Gynoid specifies anatomy and/or reproductive organs. The whole (Nick detected) lack of nipples (anatomy) may indicate that, like (most) dolls – Violet is not anatomically correct. (I specified MOST because of rule 34). Therefore, probably a neuter, w/ boob-shapes.

  15. Saberbeam
    October 3, 2012, 4:01 pm | # | Reply

    Maybe Dr. Lee should kill two birds with one stone and have her brain put in a nice jar of booze.

  16. Robert The Addled
    October 3, 2012, 4:43 pm | # | Reply

    Ya know – I think it’s time to start taking notes and listing unresolved plot lines for possible future reveal. We’ve got the Tiger, the missing forest(s?), Goldbug (and that Gavotte knows said entitiy), Violet Bee’s relationship to Goldbug. The Anasigma (who REALLY runs it and why) and how porus their security is if Goldbug/Violet Bee can infiltrate to free (loose?) Nick, Gavotte’s daughter swarm, References to the ‘Old War’ in Prevarication, etcetera.

    I’m thinking I should get some suitable booze and spend a weekend re-reading the Three books, The remaining archives, and the two short stories several times each.

    (I once did that for a long weekend for The Wheel Of Time, but there were only 6 books at that point.)

    • Rex Vivat
      October 3, 2012, 9:59 pm | # | Reply

      “how por[o]us their security is if Goldbug/Violet Bee can infiltrate” well, Violet does work in Anasigma, so there was no infiltration needed; she was already there.

    • Scott's Folly
      October 8, 2012, 2:55 pm | # | Reply

      The Lion, potentially. I don’t know whether you count ‘happily self-employed’ as resolved for the purposes of plot re-appearances.

      And of course, Mr. Green. An entity who thus far has barely stirred from the shadows from which he pulls the strings. (Personally, I’m betting his name’s Joe, and he’s about the same age as Sergio.)

  17. kajisora
    October 3, 2012, 4:45 pm | # | Reply

    aaaaand the crosdresser count goes up by one!
    How did I not see this? It makes so much sense!

    Nice, simple brain transplants:
    The solution to many, many problems.
    Most of them solvable in more sane, but less amusing manners

  18. Jennifer Bell
    August 27, 2015, 3:31 am | # | Reply

    GYnocology-Gynoid, as opposed to android?

  19. jdreyfuss
    January 22, 2020, 8:59 am | # | Reply

    Technically she’s a drone.

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