Welp, there you go, Ira was Mr. Green all along. A creepy old man didn’t knock off Dr. Lee because he was attracted to her, also he had to stay there after it was shutdown to aviod suspicion.
I’ve always been of two minds (but that’s a story for another time) about re-reading the story after I know crucial details. I still enjoy it, but it completely changes how you see certain things.
Also, he had more time to do his real work on his computer. Went from having few visitors to deal with to almost none, perfect place for an evil mastermind to hatch his plots undisturbed.
That third panel… who was real, the nice Oscar Zoroaster (?) or the frightening Wizard? My early childhood was over before Apollo 11 landed, but… wasn’t all the Green of the Emerald City just a hoax? Can’t recall the reason for it…
There was at least one kids-book version with the spectacles (that came with the book). I don’t *think* that was in the original, but it’s been too long since I read the original book.
G.O.D.O.T., and good grief you’re right. Since they hinted that he/it is still out there, will G.O.D.O.T. be the unexpected curveball that derails the Wizard’s plans?
As one of the commenters there points out, this, like the “A Violet is a Violet is a Rose” bit, is also based on a Gertrude Stein quote:
“Once upon a time the world was round and you could go on it around and around.
Everywhere there was somewhere and everywhere there were men women children dogs cows wild pigs little rabbits cats lizards and animals. That is the way it was. And everybody dogs cats sheep rabbits and lizards and children all wanted to tell everybody all about it and they wanted to tell all about themselves.
And then there was Rose.
Rose was her name and would she have been rose if her name had not been Rose. She used to think and then she used to think again.”
Ira is Ari backwards. [facepalm]
Also, ROSEnkratz XD
Well I knew there wasan anagram in there somewhere.
Welp, there you go, Ira was Mr. Green all along. A creepy old man didn’t knock off Dr. Lee because he was attracted to her, also he had to stay there after it was shutdown to aviod suspicion.
I guess that part eludes me, what would staying in the abandoned building have accomplished regarding his cover story?
It reinforces the idea that he was nothing but a senile old man.
“Remember your three O’s: Obscure, Obfuscate, and Obliterate.”
Also, he had a dedicated computer to work on. It was relaxing.
Is it sad or disturbing that I find myself empathizing with that?
One of the points they make in the Prestige really. Sometimes the secret of a good trick is committing wholeheartedly to a persona.
Lots of advanced Minesweeper and Solitaire.
You know, I think I’m going to go back and read this from the beginning, now that we’re heading into endgame.
I just did that. It was pretty fascinating.
I’m doing it now; a few months after you.
It makes for an interesting reread, now that we know what to look for.
I’ve always been of two minds (but that’s a story for another time) about re-reading the story after I know crucial details. I still enjoy it, but it completely changes how you see certain things.
Rosenkrantz is dead.
Rosenkrantz is undead.
Rosenkrantz was a figment of Guildenstern’s imagination the entire time.
Or was it Guildenstern who was a figment of Rosencrantz’s imagination that was a figment of Guildenstern’s imagination….
Kinda depends of whether the coin comes up heads or tails, doesn’t it? ^_~
You guys have all read or seen too much Tom Stoppard.
‘Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ is a good movie.
I still can’t believe it. What a heck of a reveal…
:Looking at Ira’s jacket:
Good God. He *is* Number 1.
…Shannon? Are you a Mad Plotter?
Darn new phone autocorrupt has to be trained to recognize Shaenon.
She snuck in references to him being Oz over the years (Scarecrow=Unity, Tin man=Nick, Lion=Sweeheart, Dorothy=Tip), so all signs point to yes
See last Sunday’s update… (Spoiler: Yes, she is)
She fooled me. At the beginning of this entire arc, it looked more like Alice through the Looking Glass than Oz.
Poor Ira has gotten so senile, he doesn’t remember how to babble.
When i grow up i want to be Ira G.
You want to be Ira Gershwin? 🙂
…That wouldn’t be a bad gig, though.
I guess that explains why he stayed at Annex One. Tigerlily was another of his projects. So were Chris and Marcie, I suppose.
Also, he had more time to do his real work on his computer. Went from having few visitors to deal with to almost none, perfect place for an evil mastermind to hatch his plots undisturbed.
Come to think of it, isn’t that why Tigerlily was there? I think she even said so herself. We just were looking at the wrong mastermind.
That third panel… who was real, the nice Oscar Zoroaster (?) or the frightening Wizard? My early childhood was over before Apollo 11 landed, but… wasn’t all the Green of the Emerald City just a hoax? Can’t recall the reason for it…
I want to say that the green came from spectacles with green lenses that everyone had to wear in the book.
There was at least one kids-book version with the spectacles (that came with the book). I don’t *think* that was in the original, but it’s been too long since I read the original book.
The spectacles are indeed from the original novel, it’s amazingly dystopian.
And yes, Shaenon is a Mad Plotter all right…
By the way, does this mean that Ira alias Ari wrote the brief descriptions of everybody in the cast list?
“I took the liberty of arranging for him to be transferred to Project Skin Horse…”
So apparently yes. Well spotted.
I was wondering why they haven’t been updated in a while.
Right above the line you quoted, he mentioned “[m]y niece”.
Nera? Tigerlily? Ginny? Marcie? Manifesta?
Niece implies brother or sister which implies family.
Speaking of, check out Tip in Gavotte’s picture. A bit more meaningful after Sunday’s exposé, yes?
Oh holy moly. I’m doing a re-read of the comic and here’s another little hidden gem:
http://skin-horse.com/comic/perpetually-under/
“A Violet is a Violet is a Rose”
Violet Bee is Ira Rosencrantz
GADOT knew…
G.O.D.O.T., and good grief you’re right. Since they hinted that he/it is still out there, will G.O.D.O.T. be the unexpected curveball that derails the Wizard’s plans?
There’s a subtler mention of Rose later on in that chapter:
http://skin-horse.com/comic/reminding-himself/
As one of the commenters there points out, this, like the “A Violet is a Violet is a Rose” bit, is also based on a Gertrude Stein quote:
“Once upon a time the world was round and you could go on it around and around.
Everywhere there was somewhere and everywhere there were men women children dogs cows wild pigs little rabbits cats lizards and animals. That is the way it was. And everybody dogs cats sheep rabbits and lizards and children all wanted to tell everybody all about it and they wanted to tell all about themselves.
And then there was Rose.
Rose was her name and would she have been rose if her name had not been Rose. She used to think and then she used to think again.”
Holy &^&*!#.
Perhaps Ira comes by his long game perspective naturally?