The classic joke is ‘you can’t win at chess against a pigeon, because no matter how much smarter you are it’s going to knock all the pieces over, shit on the board and strut around like it won.’
YES! Wonderful! Mr. Green’s carefully laid plans covered every contingency, manipulating every side into playing *his* game – and in dances Dr. Jones just as he’s showing off to Tip!
That’s the problem with trying to cover every contingency – it can’t be done, the possibilities are endless. Here comes the random element to screw up his plans – and there’s never been an element more random than Tigerlily, or more dangerous.
Sorta like in Asimov’s Foundation books. The arrogant control freaks of the Foundation couldn’t predict the Mule, so he messed up their best-laid plans.
Hubris check, Ira? He’s going to be quite surprised at how little of a grasp he has of the situation, now that Tigerlily has arrived. 5 dimensional nonsense indeed.
Reminds me of a DM I once played with. He’d work up this complex, intricate and detailed adventures for us players to struggle through, only to have us figure out a win in the first half hour then spend the rest of the night running around like idiots getting into all sorts of random trouble.
This actually happens much more often to DMs than you might imagine. Some just cover for it better than others. Experienced DMs get very good at poker-face. (And improvisation when the players go off the rails.)
As Alfa Alfa noted a couple months ago, the A-Sig troops that were sent to fight the biomass and skin horse were the untrusted cannon fodder. Ira wasn’t too torn up when informed: http://skin-horse.com/comic/the-best/
It probably depends on which books you read, but from what I’ve read, yes, the Force powers a special crystal that is embedded in the handle. I don’t remember enough about it to go into any more detail.
Haven’t read that many of the books, and avoided the movies after the three prequels.
I did get the first printing of the original novelization—started with a paragraph about a planet around two suns that could be mistaken for a third sun. They nearly lost me, right there, with that.
I’m assuming vibro-knife. A long-ago staple of SF, now largely forgotten. I don’t recall any stories in which the blade was illuminated, but it would make sense because so dangerous.
…does Tigerlily know she’s talking into Mister Green’s camera, or is she talking into her own camera? Maybe a random camera? Or does she think she’s monologuing to thin air?
Ooooh, it’s so The Man. How better to keep the mads down than convincing them they have to monologue to camera for 18 hours a day to keep their fanbase?
Given Mr. Green’s apparent intent to torture Tip by making him watch his friends incur casualties during the battle, I can only conclude his concern with the Biomass’s superiority was that Team Skin Horse wouldn’t be able to inflict much damage before being wiped out. It’s likely he expects Tip to be broken by the carnage and will terminate him when he’s done gloating.
I am reminded of a DC comic where Ra’s Ah Ghul, who literally had centuries of experience, lost a game of chess to the Joker, because neither of them knew what he was going to do next. You can’t plan for chaos, you just weather it out.
I mentioned a few days ago I thought Tigerlily was the loose end Ira said he had to take care of, so I’m actually a bit surprised it seems he didn’t account for her. What did he think she was doing after he left Annex One?
Also I love Tip’s expression in the last panel.
I imagine there will be several loose ends when things end. But, if I recall right, Ira put on a military uniform, which made me think he was dealing with the Area 51 / Groome Lake crowd, the ones we saw in the story that introduced Nick.
And you’re losing. You’re playing five dimensional chess against pigeons *and you’re losing*.
“I can’t believe I’m losing to a bird!”
Pigeons won’t play the MAN’s game.
The classic joke is ‘you can’t win at chess against a pigeon, because no matter how much smarter you are it’s going to knock all the pieces over, shit on the board and strut around like it won.’
A five-dimensional shit, in this case.
That’s me in the corner
That’s me in a cock fight
Losing to a pigeon
Hah!
Here, have a bunch of internets. You earned them.
*applauds*
This is awesome.
Most excellent!
That is a thing of beauty.
H.T. is all “Wait, we’re live?”
I think H. T. and Annex One both turned to look.
YES! Wonderful! Mr. Green’s carefully laid plans covered every contingency, manipulating every side into playing *his* game – and in dances Dr. Jones just as he’s showing off to Tip!
I adore every panel, especially panel 4! 😉
That’s the problem with trying to cover every contingency – it can’t be done, the possibilities are endless. Here comes the random element to screw up his plans – and there’s never been an element more random than Tigerlily, or more dangerous.
He covered every possibility, but mads aren’t limited by silly little ideas like “possible”.
What did Helen say? Mad scientists never discuss things in terms of possibility, only plausibility?
Sorta like in Asimov’s Foundation books. The arrogant control freaks of the Foundation couldn’t predict the Mule, so he messed up their best-laid plans.
That’s an ominous comparison, because the 2nd Foundation – the one for social scientists – managed to get their plans back on track eventually.
Hubris check, Ira? He’s going to be quite surprised at how little of a grasp he has of the situation, now that Tigerlily has arrived. 5 dimensional nonsense indeed.
Reminds me of a DM I once played with. He’d work up this complex, intricate and detailed adventures for us players to struggle through, only to have us figure out a win in the first half hour then spend the rest of the night running around like idiots getting into all sorts of random trouble.
This actually happens much more often to DMs than you might imagine. Some just cover for it better than others. Experienced DMs get very good at poker-face. (And improvisation when the players go off the rails.)
“i hate wasting human troops on non-human problem”
So i guess those A-sig troops are not considered human by Ira.
Nah, he just hated having to waste them.
Right. Which of course doesn’t mean he isn’t still willing to waste them, if the situation warrants, just that it’s not what he’d prefer to do.
As Alfa Alfa noted a couple months ago, the A-Sig troops that were sent to fight the biomass and skin horse were the untrusted cannon fodder. Ira wasn’t too torn up when informed: http://skin-horse.com/comic/the-best/
Yeah, that. That fourth panel was the moment that I wanted to test if Ira could fly.
Is that a lightsaber?
Clockwork powered!!!
And it’s blue (special meaning for Star Wars fans)
A wind up mechanical lightsaber?
It IS Tigerlily Joner we’re talking about…
Just how is a lightsaber powered? The Force?
It probably depends on which books you read, but from what I’ve read, yes, the Force powers a special crystal that is embedded in the handle. I don’t remember enough about it to go into any more detail.
Haven’t read that many of the books, and avoided the movies after the three prequels.
I did get the first printing of the original novelization—started with a paragraph about a planet around two suns that could be mistaken for a third sun. They nearly lost me, right there, with that.
I’m assuming vibro-knife. A long-ago staple of SF, now largely forgotten. I don’t recall any stories in which the blade was illuminated, but it would make sense because so dangerous.
…does Tigerlily know she’s talking into Mister Green’s camera, or is she talking into her own camera? Maybe a random camera? Or does she think she’s monologuing to thin air?
Yes….Yes she is.
Since it says “livestream” I’m guessing she just discovered the power of Twitch and considers it a “not The Man” tool
Ooooh, it’s so The Man. How better to keep the mads down than convincing them they have to monologue to camera for 18 hours a day to keep their fanbase?
I wonder if her blog is sing-a-long.
you sly dog, you got me monologuing!
I do feel sorry for the Biomass, but I also see Ira’s point here
Given Mr. Green’s apparent intent to torture Tip by making him watch his friends incur casualties during the battle, I can only conclude his concern with the Biomass’s superiority was that Team Skin Horse wouldn’t be able to inflict much damage before being wiped out. It’s likely he expects Tip to be broken by the carnage and will terminate him when he’s done gloating.
Is it too late to withdraw my support?
OTOH, Mr. Green is modest, leaving the “my” out of his “careful planning” speech…
I am reminded of a DC comic where Ra’s Ah Ghul, who literally had centuries of experience, lost a game of chess to the Joker, because neither of them knew what he was going to do next. You can’t plan for chaos, you just weather it out.
I’d love to read that one! Do you recall the issue, Shadowmehr?
Sadly, the precise issue and Batman comic has been lost to the mists of history and memory.
LMGTFY
https://joker11940.tumblr.com/post/62976205701/jolioisearchive-the-joker-beats-ras-al-ghul-at
Legends of the Dark Knight #143
Next time, poker.
The live feed is showing the fight. Non-humans to battle, the plight. But to make it more silly, we have Tigerlily jumping in with a saber of light.
I said it the other day, and I’ll say it again… I would pit Tigerlily against Ira any day.
I’m still waiting for Gavotte’s return…
I mentioned a few days ago I thought Tigerlily was the loose end Ira said he had to take care of, so I’m actually a bit surprised it seems he didn’t account for her. What did he think she was doing after he left Annex One?
Also I love Tip’s expression in the last panel.
I imagine there will be several loose ends when things end. But, if I recall right, Ira put on a military uniform, which made me think he was dealing with the Area 51 / Groome Lake crowd, the ones we saw in the story that introduced Nick.