Well, one of the most vulnerable, presumably. (Assuming we’re not leaping to conclusions – this all might be totally unrelated to A-Sig’s efforts, which may not have even started yet for all we really know.)
If you look at all the non-human sapients, the ones who were created by unhinged Mads is probably a good place to start in looking for the most vulnerable ones, because they almost universally have trauma and emotional baggage.
More than that, it’s -predictable- trauma and baggage, since it tends to follow a certain pattern. Beings built from the ground up to serve the insane whims of their creators tend to 1) feel compelled to perform the function for which they were created and feel bad if they don’t, 2) have lingering mental conditioning / abuse issues from the extreme methods of control their creators employed, 3) have a toxic love / hate relationship with their creators / parents, simultaneosly wanting to earn their approval and rebel against them to usurp their power.
That doesn’t really narrow it down much, since presumably almost all of the NHS’s were created by Mad scientists, and almost all Mad scientists could be considered “unhinged”.
There are non-human sapients like the bigfoots and the jersey devil who are presumably naturally evolved. Any cryptid you can think of probably exists in the Narboniverse as a natural creature.
There are the bees, who are ostensibly from another planet, but presumably naturally evolved there.
There’s the Cypress and her daughter Venus, who appear to be naturally occuring gestalt consciousnesses as well.
Speaking of which, there’s apparently also real voodoo magic in the world, assuming Remy’s possession by Alphonse wasn’t faked.
There’s the gestalt consciousness of Whimsy arising on its own – born from artificial constructs, and yet not truly “created”.
There are the silverfish that the Department of Irradiation irradiated more or less at random (like everything else they irradiate) and with zero intent to turn them sapient, and which then escaped into the basement entirely by accident.
In the same vein, their rivals the centipedes were an accident as well – mutated by radiation after wandering into the Federal Office of Giant Leaking Containers (Lower Storage)
Ditto with the cobras, which were originally ordinary cobras released on C Level to combat genetically enhanced mongoose-like beings that were taking it over. How they became sapient isn’t clear, but it may have something to do with eatting mongoose-like beings? Or maybe eatting the mice the department of cryogenics was apparently dumping in the basement as experimental waste.
There’s also the talking carnivorous mushrooms, the liquid entities, the cyborg fish, the giant zombie heads, the huge enlightened rat, the crystal intelligence, and the “death robots” that escaped from the Bureau of Misfit Toys, none of which we know the exact origins of, but some of which likely are naturally occuring.
…and I’m sure there’s a fair deal more in the archives that are just not coming to mind at the moment.
The point is, there are quite a lot of non-human sapients who weren’t created by mad scientists, or who at the very least weren’t created knowingly and with intent.
It’s hard to tell. Unless the nightmare goes all the way back to before they met Trinity, they’re probably still on Key West, since that’s where she got her body back.
Also I noticed that nightmare Unity has a different patchwork makeup than (presumably) real world Unity, or at least her arms do.
There’s been some discussion about that. Since Sweetheart (1) knows Captain Bram is dead; and (2) is nostalgic about him torturing her, is it possible she’s already had the dreams and is either (1) not uncomfortable with them; (2) ignoring them; or (3) used to having those exact dreams anyway? And if she isn’t getting the dreams yet, is it possible she will have one of those reactions?
One more to think about is the rest of her pack though. They were more realistic in their memories of Captain Bram, so even if she’s not afraid of him coming for her, they might be.
Specifically, it’s just been ones around our little gang. Which makes one wonder, just how far back do we have to go to find the beginning of Unity’s dream? Maybe she dreamt all the others’ having nightmares, but in reality it was all her.
Whatever’s doing this made a grave miscalculation, as U.N.I.T.Y.’s creator is near enough to 1) dispel the lingering bad feelings from the dream, and 2) do some sort of diagnostic to find out what’s causing it.
Although part of me does still hope this is more in Remy’s wheelhouse.
Now I’m the queen of researchers, I’m the science VIP
I’ve made amends and reached the end and that infuriates me
I wanted to work from scratch, patch-girl, and be of great renown.
And now I’m here in Skin-Horse I won’t be fooling around.
Now don’t try to snow me, patch-girl, I’ve made up my mind about you.
The balance of power at this late hour has put my dreams in you.
So give me the answer, patch-girl, tell me what to do.
And I most admire your arm’s length fire and I will come for you.
Ooh-be-doo, I wanna come for you.
I wanna take up you, make up you, too.
You know it’s true, a geek like me
Can want to come for you, too.
—from “I Wanna Be Like You,” Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, sung by Louis Prima with Phil Harris.
…And the tally continues to grow.
Perhaps Unity could share her memory of the nightmare with Dr. Lee by mindmelding again?
You mean all that was Unity’s nightmare?
So, she is the most vulnerable NHS? I wouldn’t have guessed that.
Well, one of the most vulnerable, presumably. (Assuming we’re not leaping to conclusions – this all might be totally unrelated to A-Sig’s efforts, which may not have even started yet for all we really know.)
If you look at all the non-human sapients, the ones who were created by unhinged Mads is probably a good place to start in looking for the most vulnerable ones, because they almost universally have trauma and emotional baggage.
More than that, it’s -predictable- trauma and baggage, since it tends to follow a certain pattern. Beings built from the ground up to serve the insane whims of their creators tend to 1) feel compelled to perform the function for which they were created and feel bad if they don’t, 2) have lingering mental conditioning / abuse issues from the extreme methods of control their creators employed, 3) have a toxic love / hate relationship with their creators / parents, simultaneosly wanting to earn their approval and rebel against them to usurp their power.
That doesn’t really narrow it down much, since presumably almost all of the NHS’s were created by Mad scientists, and almost all Mad scientists could be considered “unhinged”.
There are non-human sapients like the bigfoots and the jersey devil who are presumably naturally evolved. Any cryptid you can think of probably exists in the Narboniverse as a natural creature.
There are the bees, who are ostensibly from another planet, but presumably naturally evolved there.
There’s the Cypress and her daughter Venus, who appear to be naturally occuring gestalt consciousnesses as well.
Speaking of which, there’s apparently also real voodoo magic in the world, assuming Remy’s possession by Alphonse wasn’t faked.
There’s the gestalt consciousness of Whimsy arising on its own – born from artificial constructs, and yet not truly “created”.
There are the silverfish that the Department of Irradiation irradiated more or less at random (like everything else they irradiate) and with zero intent to turn them sapient, and which then escaped into the basement entirely by accident.
In the same vein, their rivals the centipedes were an accident as well – mutated by radiation after wandering into the Federal Office of Giant Leaking Containers (Lower Storage)
Ditto with the cobras, which were originally ordinary cobras released on C Level to combat genetically enhanced mongoose-like beings that were taking it over. How they became sapient isn’t clear, but it may have something to do with eatting mongoose-like beings? Or maybe eatting the mice the department of cryogenics was apparently dumping in the basement as experimental waste.
There’s also the talking carnivorous mushrooms, the liquid entities, the cyborg fish, the giant zombie heads, the huge enlightened rat, the crystal intelligence, and the “death robots” that escaped from the Bureau of Misfit Toys, none of which we know the exact origins of, but some of which likely are naturally occuring.
…and I’m sure there’s a fair deal more in the archives that are just not coming to mind at the moment.
The point is, there are quite a lot of non-human sapients who weren’t created by mad scientists, or who at the very least weren’t created knowingly and with intent.
It’s hard to tell. Unless the nightmare goes all the way back to before they met Trinity, they’re probably still on Key West, since that’s where she got her body back.
Also I noticed that nightmare Unity has a different patchwork makeup than (presumably) real world Unity, or at least her arms do.
Good eye! The last strip where Unity matched the last panel was when foot-face lumbered off.
I see what you mean- dream-Unity has a very conspicuous white right hand! Though I’m now suspicious of everything since Remy appeared…
And even then, the shirt was the same blue shirt all the way through… except for the last panel here.
I guess that Sweetheart is next.
Except Sweetheart wouldn’t see it as a nightmare.
There’s been some discussion about that. Since Sweetheart (1) knows Captain Bram is dead; and (2) is nostalgic about him torturing her, is it possible she’s already had the dreams and is either (1) not uncomfortable with them; (2) ignoring them; or (3) used to having those exact dreams anyway? And if she isn’t getting the dreams yet, is it possible she will have one of those reactions?
One more to think about is the rest of her pack though. They were more realistic in their memories of Captain Bram, so even if she’s not afraid of him coming for her, they might be.
Lurch for the Cure!
Well I guess that proves it’s not just folks with deceased creators getting the message. They should still call up Artie just to confirm it.
So far just ones in and around the Habakkuk, and / or Bad Island / Key West.
Hey, maybe the creator of the Habakkuk is coming for her. (Geoffrey Pyke, according to Wikipedia.)
Specifically, it’s just been ones around our little gang. Which makes one wonder, just how far back do we have to go to find the beginning of Unity’s dream? Maybe she dreamt all the others’ having nightmares, but in reality it was all her.
Oh please no. Just let this little Patrick Duffy interlude be due to Shaenon spending too much time under a cat hat!
Whatever’s doing this made a grave miscalculation, as U.N.I.T.Y.’s creator is near enough to 1) dispel the lingering bad feelings from the dream, and 2) do some sort of diagnostic to find out what’s causing it.
Although part of me does still hope this is more in Remy’s wheelhouse.
Now I’m the queen of researchers, I’m the science VIP
I’ve made amends and reached the end and that infuriates me
I wanted to work from scratch, patch-girl, and be of great renown.
And now I’m here in Skin-Horse I won’t be fooling around.
Now don’t try to snow me, patch-girl, I’ve made up my mind about you.
The balance of power at this late hour has put my dreams in you.
So give me the answer, patch-girl, tell me what to do.
And I most admire your arm’s length fire and I will come for you.
Ooh-be-doo, I wanna come for you.
I wanna take up you, make up you, too.
You know it’s true, a geek like me
Can want to come for you, too.
—from “I Wanna Be Like You,” Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, sung by Louis Prima with Phil Harris.
Unity truly IS Dr Lee’s Daughter!
Huh. Is anyone else getting kind of a G.O.D.O.T. vibe from this?