1) We too are so sorry you are missing this.
2) Now we are at a singing animal musical number yup whimsycorp is somehow related to Disney.
and 3) Wait they think sweethearts a male dog how do you mistake a dog’s gender? Its usually you know blatently obvious there’s either something there or not, if the thing not there its a she.
Well, said dog did round them up and possibly mauled them earlier, so getting near her probably isn’t the first thing on their minds, much less near enough to tell her gender.
Sweetheart is pretty shaggy. (Does that make this a shaggy dog story?) There was confusion amongst the readers as to her sex back in the beginning, even after she’d been referred to as “she” a couple of times.
You’re making this too easy!
(TUNE: “A Policeman’s Lot Is Not A Happy One”, Gilbert and Sullivan)
When a canine sings the lyrics of Sir William (of Sir William),
Paired with one of old Sir Arthur’s lovely tunes (lovely tunes),
Then Zerhakker tells intruders, “Dudes, I really am (forging really am)
Disappointed in you corporate buffoons! (Dumb buffoons!)”
As she sing in a melodious soprano (sweet soprano),
While enunciating each and ev’ry word (ev’ry word) …
Unaccompanied by zither or piano (no piano!),
Captain’s Fancy Sweetheart Valentine’s unheard!
Though it may seem unbelievably absurd (quite absurd),
Captain’s Fancy Sweetheart Valentine’s unheard!
Oh my gosh guys, stop that, I can hear every dang note of his silly voice and that silly mustache (I was raised on the version with Angela Lansbury) and if I don’t
GRAAAH
WITH DOG LIKE TREAD! ON WHIMSY SPIRIT SNEAK!
THESE STUPID HEADS! CAN’T EVEN HEAR ME SPEAK!
NO WORDS AT ALL! BARKS ARE ALL THEY’VE HEARD!
LIKE A BRICK WALL! CONVERSING IS ABSURD!
Arfarf arooo Arfarf arooo
So I caught these Corporate Creeps
While all of whimsy soundly sleeps
Where’s my mascaraaa
and my petticoat?
Once I get them on
I may need to gloat
I’ll need the corset
and my pantyhose
I’ll need foundation
to smooth out my nose
Arfarfarooo
With Doglike Tread
Arfarfarooo
These stupid heads
WITH DOG LIKE TREAD! ON WHIMSY SPIRIT SNEAK!
THESE STUPID HEADS! CAN’T EVEN HEAR ME SPEAK!
NO WORDS AT ALL! BARKS ARE ALL THEY’VE HEARD!
LIKE A BRICK WALL! CONVERSING IS ABSURD!
Transvestites! Bots! Zombies!
It’s so much aggravation!
I’m feeling trepidation!
Why add to this whimsy
With so much insanity!
WITH DOG LIKE TREAD!
ON WHIMSY SPIRIT SNEAK!
THESE STUPID HEADS!
CAN’T EVEN!
HEAR!
ME!
SSSPEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAK!
(sigh) What amazing things might I be missing all around me, because I lack the eyes to see, the ears to hear, because my brain lacks the ability to resolve these lines, those spots, those rumbles and squeaks, into their true wonderful form?
Sweetheart singing Gilbert and Sullivan is indeed beautiful. But frankly reality blindness never made sense to me: how does it distinguish between the mad science product and the natural but weird you haven’t seen before? If a reality blind person who has never seen or heard of elephants before sees an elephant, do they see a grey truck with prominent fenders? If they don’t see Rarity’s bizarre skin and scars, do they see this guy http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr231/jacebby_2/piercings.jpg as just having acne?
I would assume that it works like Discworld: it’s not enough not to know something exists, you have to “know” it doesn’t exist. (The example frequently used in Discworld is a talking dog as well.)
A reality blind person who’s never heard of elephants sees an elephant; a reality blind person who has heard of elephants but doesn’t believe they’re real sees a grey truck.
That works for what is known to be “blatantly impossible”, but I wonder about edge cases. Are they unable to see people that are wearing really first-rate vampire costumes? Do they see Unity as normal, or as someone wearing a silly costume? And if someone runs into a monster that does not exist in any known mythology – and therefore is not known to be mythical – can they see it? The elephant is pretty monstrous at first sight..
For edge cases, they probably see something other than what is really there. In the case of UNITY or say Vampires, they probably either see a normal person or someone wearing a costume.
Of course, one has to wonder about a baby or a really young child that “doesn’t know any better” yet. Do they perceive them? Probably where the “monster” under the bed or in the closet comes from…. Food for thought. 🙂
It seems to vary in the Narboniverse (Narboni-Horsiverse?). Bill couldn’t even see the Madblood robots, and Reconstituted!Dave couldn’t see the talking gerbil on Mell’s shoulder. These two are a little better as they can see and hear Sweetheart, just not correctly. I’d say the only rule being applied is Law of Funny.
how beautifully blue the sky the glass is rising very high continue fine i hope it may and yet it rained but yesterday tomorrow it may pour again i hear the country wants some rain and people say i know not why that we shall have a warm july DID EVER LA LALA LA LALA
the single patter song with the least justification out of all gilbert and sullivan
“Baritone” and “tenor” are masculine registers. Sweetheart is a female, therefore she would be either an “alto” or a “soprano”. (And, no; not the mobster kind…)
Actually, you can have female baritones, tenors, and even basses. They are very rare, but they do exist. I did a show with a female bass once, and she had serious difficulty trying to sing high enough to do the alto part.
Also, I think Sweetheart would either be a mezzo or an alto; they tend to get the snarkier roles.
Nice. But somehow, *I* was imagining Sweetheart as singing “Three Little Maids from School” from “The Mikado”.
Four little Skin Horse types are we
Pert as a bureaucrat can be
Filled to the top with irony
Four little Skin Horse types!
Four Skin Horse types who, all too flimsy
Come to a house to look for Whimsy
Trying to be prop-er and prim-sy
Four little Skin Horse types
Four little Skin Horse types
I love how so many new filkers are being lured out of the woodwork. I’m saving off these two pages of comments before the next server crash wipes them out.
Discussion (62) ¬
I am in tears. So beautiful!
Thank you, Sweetheart!
3 things
1) We too are so sorry you are missing this.
2) Now we are at a singing animal musical number yup whimsycorp is somehow related to Disney.
and 3) Wait they think sweethearts a male dog how do you mistake a dog’s gender? Its usually you know blatently obvious there’s either something there or not, if the thing not there its a she.
Well, said dog did round them up and possibly mauled them earlier, so getting near her probably isn’t the first thing on their minds, much less near enough to tell her gender.
Sweetheart is pretty shaggy. (Does that make this a shaggy dog story?) There was confusion amongst the readers as to her sex back in the beginning, even after she’d been referred to as “she” a couple of times.
Who’s gender was clear in the beginning besides unity and she was a corpse craft military project.
You’re making this too easy!
(TUNE: “A Policeman’s Lot Is Not A Happy One”, Gilbert and Sullivan)
When a canine sings the lyrics of Sir William (of Sir William),
Paired with one of old Sir Arthur’s lovely tunes (lovely tunes),
Then Zerhakker tells intruders, “Dudes, I really am (forging really am)
Disappointed in you corporate buffoons! (Dumb buffoons!)”
As she sing in a melodious soprano (sweet soprano),
While enunciating each and ev’ry word (ev’ry word) …
Unaccompanied by zither or piano (no piano!),
Captain’s Fancy Sweetheart Valentine’s unheard!
Though it may seem unbelievably absurd (quite absurd),
Captain’s Fancy Sweetheart Valentine’s unheard!
OooooooooooooaaaaaaAAAAAAAAH…
Oh my gosh guys, stop that, I can hear every dang note of his silly voice and that silly mustache (I was raised on the version with Angela Lansbury) and if I don’t
GRAAAH
WITH DOG LIKE TREAD! ON WHIMSY SPIRIT SNEAK!
THESE STUPID HEADS! CAN’T EVEN HEAR ME SPEAK!
NO WORDS AT ALL! BARKS ARE ALL THEY’VE HEARD!
LIKE A BRICK WALL! CONVERSING IS ABSURD!
Arfarf arooo Arfarf arooo
So I caught these Corporate Creeps
While all of whimsy soundly sleeps
Where’s my mascaraaa
and my petticoat?
Once I get them on
I may need to gloat
I’ll need the corset
and my pantyhose
I’ll need foundation
to smooth out my nose
Arfarfarooo
With Doglike Tread
Arfarfarooo
These stupid heads
WITH DOG LIKE TREAD! ON WHIMSY SPIRIT SNEAK!
THESE STUPID HEADS! CAN’T EVEN HEAR ME SPEAK!
NO WORDS AT ALL! BARKS ARE ALL THEY’VE HEARD!
LIKE A BRICK WALL! CONVERSING IS ABSURD!
Transvestites! Bots! Zombies!
It’s so much aggravation!
I’m feeling trepidation!
Why add to this whimsy
With so much insanity!
WITH DOG LIKE TREAD!
ON WHIMSY SPIRIT SNEAK!
THESE STUPID HEADS!
CAN’T EVEN!
HEAR!
ME!
SSSPEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAK!
Okay, seriously. I had no choice. You guys suck.
Ouch. I knew I could count on you guys. Think I pulled something.
That was utterly awesome!
Now that’s art.
I don’t get it. Why’d you type “woof” a bunch of times?
Please tell me Nick is recording this.
If he can.
(sigh) What amazing things might I be missing all around me, because I lack the eyes to see, the ears to hear, because my brain lacks the ability to resolve these lines, those spots, those rumbles and squeaks, into their true wonderful form?
For certain values of “wonderful.”
This strip is made of overwhelming win.
Oh joy, pure joy!
*spock* Tricorder reading indicate it is made of… “win” captain. (eyebrow) */spock*
Sweetheart gets Princess Points +1.
So….Anyone else in favor of lobbying Shaenon and Jeff to just have the rest of SH’s run consist of Sweetheart singing G&S?
Or at least a weekly “Sweetheart Sings G&S” feature.
Either way, I second this motion. And third it.
I’ll have to pass on that one. I’m not much for reading songs. Listening to, on the other hand….
Sweetheart singing Gilbert and Sullivan is indeed beautiful. But frankly reality blindness never made sense to me: how does it distinguish between the mad science product and the natural but weird you haven’t seen before? If a reality blind person who has never seen or heard of elephants before sees an elephant, do they see a grey truck with prominent fenders? If they don’t see Rarity’s bizarre skin and scars, do they see this guy http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr231/jacebby_2/piercings.jpg as just having acne?
Reportedly some members of cultures that didn’t have large boats could not perceive ocean-going ships when they first encountered them.
“The strangers came to us walking around on the back of a really funny-looking whale. Because of this, they seemed too goofy to worry about at first.”
Yeah, that’s a myth.
I would assume that it works like Discworld: it’s not enough not to know something exists, you have to “know” it doesn’t exist. (The example frequently used in Discworld is a talking dog as well.)
A reality blind person who’s never heard of elephants sees an elephant; a reality blind person who has heard of elephants but doesn’t believe they’re real sees a grey truck.
That works for what is known to be “blatantly impossible”, but I wonder about edge cases. Are they unable to see people that are wearing really first-rate vampire costumes? Do they see Unity as normal, or as someone wearing a silly costume? And if someone runs into a monster that does not exist in any known mythology – and therefore is not known to be mythical – can they see it? The elephant is pretty monstrous at first sight..
For edge cases, they probably see something other than what is really there. In the case of UNITY or say Vampires, they probably either see a normal person or someone wearing a costume.
Of course, one has to wonder about a baby or a really young child that “doesn’t know any better” yet. Do they perceive them? Probably where the “monster” under the bed or in the closet comes from…. Food for thought. 🙂
Unity? Either severe burns/skin grafts or one of those “new-fangled-kids-makeups”, I’d guess.
Drawings made by Aztecs of Spanish Conquistadors on horseback showed them riding deer.
It seems to vary in the Narboniverse (Narboni-Horsiverse?). Bill couldn’t even see the Madblood robots, and Reconstituted!Dave couldn’t see the talking gerbil on Mell’s shoulder. These two are a little better as they can see and hear Sweetheart, just not correctly. I’d say the only rule being applied is Law of Funny.
Bill and Dave’ apparently had really severe cases.
Yaaaaaaaaaay!
I not just not convinced, Sweetheart, sing – “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” (:
Please, no. I’ll have a cuteness overdose ;w;
I would buy a print of this. I am giving serious consideration to buying the original artwork.
You may have to get in line…
…No. In point of fact, I will not. 🙂
Now the second verse, with spirit!
Well, now I know* three songs from that opera. This, the Major General’s Song, and WITH CAT-LIKE TREAD.
*or am at least aware of
I Am The Pirate King! and How Beautifully Blue The Sky and The Paradox and … now I know what I’ll be humming all day.
how beautifully blue the sky the glass is rising very high continue fine i hope it may and yet it rained but yesterday tomorrow it may pour again i hear the country wants some rain and people say i know not why that we shall have a warm july DID EVER LA LALA LA LALA
the single patter song with the least justification out of all gilbert and sullivan
G&S attempted to justify patter?
Sweetheart is getting into singing — hope is not lost that she’ll be the princess!
This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter
Isn’t generally heard, and if it is it doesn’t matter.
I grew up around a Gilbert and Sullivan troupe. You have no idea how hard I’m grinning right now.
Sweetheart doesn’t strike me as a baritone though. Perhaps a tenor.
“Baritone” and “tenor” are masculine registers. Sweetheart is a female, therefore she would be either an “alto” or a “soprano”. (And, no; not the mobster kind…)
Unless you’re talking Barbershop Quartet, in which case the female performers use all the male terms anyway. (Don’t ask, I have no idea why.)
Actually, you can have female baritones, tenors, and even basses. They are very rare, but they do exist. I did a show with a female bass once, and she had serious difficulty trying to sing high enough to do the alto part.
Also, I think Sweetheart would either be a mezzo or an alto; they tend to get the snarkier roles.
She is the very model of a modern fed’ral bureaucrat.
She always knows which pen to use and where her stack of forms is at . . .
Nice. But somehow, *I* was imagining Sweetheart as singing “Three Little Maids from School” from “The Mikado”.
Four little Skin Horse types are we
Pert as a bureaucrat can be
Filled to the top with irony
Four little Skin Horse types!
Four Skin Horse types who, all too flimsy
Come to a house to look for Whimsy
Trying to be prop-er and prim-sy
Four little Skin Horse types
Four little Skin Horse types
This is my new favorite page.
I love how so many new filkers are being lured out of the woodwork. I’m saving off these two pages of comments before the next server crash wipes them out.
(*slow clap*)
Bravissimo!! Author! Author!
(*holds up lighter*)
I have to wonder how long this scene has been rattling around loose in the author’s brain, just waiting for an opportunity to get loose.
Huh. I wouldn’t have pegged Sweetheart as a bass.
Shouldn’t they hear howling rather than barking? I would think that’s more like the doggy equivalent of singing.
Skin Horse and Gilbert & Sullivan? It’s too much happiness!
eh. kinda hoping it would’ve been from the Mikado.