You might as well ask why Tip would have a hand puppet of someone as… obstreperous and unlikely to ever want therapy as Baron Mistycorn. At least obtaining puppets of a major children’s nightmare-inducer er I mean a major children’s brand representative like that wouldn’t have been too terribly difficult! (And, equally, they’re probably being made for about thruppence. Not that valuable, except that it’s hard to obtain anything in the middle of a blacked-out city surrounded by armed Anasigma agents.)
Made for thruppence? They’re probably made by slave labor right in the nether regions of Whimsy World. They could sell them for thruppence and make a tidy little profit.
Robert, I’ve never smoked but in college I carried a lighter for friends who did and even these days a Bic makes a good addition to my EDC loadout along with my magnesium fire starter, swiss army knife and space pen.
He may not have had it on his person, but it was in the car. It may also have been on him for non-smoking purposes. With this gang and the trouble they get themselves into, having a lighter and other handy things on you might be useful for survival.
But the most likely explanation is Rule of Comedy.
Car lighters don’t look like that…they’re a coil that gets hot enough to light a cigarette with when you pull it out. Don’t think they come in cars nowadays unless you ask for one.
Robert, he didn’t say it was a “car lighter”. He only said it was in the car.
But true that they don’t come in cars nowadays. I don’t know if you can even get one as an option in most new cars. You’d have to get an aftermarket one and install it yourself. But it’d be easier and cheaper to just carry a Bic.
The only one I recall smoking over the years is Mary from the Whimsey storyline, and she said she was just venting core buildup. But I could’a missed something…seems at one time or another a lotta the characters might’ve enjoyed a good cigar…
He’s catatonic!
He’s catatonic!
People give his scorn
Cause he’s the unicorn
Who’s been plugged in.
Therapist, puppetry,
Disconnected from reality.
Lord have mercy on this guy,
‘Cause he’s catatonic!
All the time he hooks his line
To the server in the van.
He loves an AI girl who lives in there
And pretends as if he can.
But all beware what’s said before,
‘Cause her brother can broadcast kill.
So he just has to be intent
On sneaking in when he will.
(chorus)
Some fine day he’ll find a way
To consummate his attack,
He’ll integrate his other side,
And he’ll ever, ever drop this act.
Until that happens he’ll be depraved,
Animatronic slime,
But for now with Skin-Horse therapy,
Hand puppets will burn each time.
(chorus)
—from “Down in the Boondocks,” Joe South, sung by Billy Joe Royal.
Now there’s a song I haven’t heard since I was a teenager. It was in the ’90s and I habitually listened to “oldies” radio, but still. Thanks for reminding me of its existence, Robert! (Also, nice filk!)
It occurs to me that while that puppet might have been a therapeutic tool, it can’t have been that valuable. It caught fire way too easily to be anything other than cheaply made.
Hahaha, perfect!
Bravo, Nick!
I think many of us have felt that desire from time to time! 😉
See, Tip… Your puppets do work. Just not the way you intended.
You’re right, awgiedawgie! Tip *did* draw Nick out of his panic funk, almost as if that was his actual intent…
It wasn’t, but he can claim credit for it anyway.
…well, Nick did say he had more burns for the Baron.
You win, casimir!
-deep bow-
Tich. I don’t think OSHA would approve of Tip using such highly flammable props while working as a psychologist.
He works, or at least did work, for the government.
They live by the motto “Rules for Thee but not for Me.”
Burning an efigie of someone you can’t stand is quite therapeutic, actually
Can’t think of a more appropriate response, though where did Nick get the lighter?
Same place Tip got a puppet that looked exactly like Baron Mistycorn.
But why would Nick have a lighter? He doesn’t smoke, unless he’s picked up some bad habits off-camera.
You might as well ask why Tip would have a hand puppet of someone as… obstreperous and unlikely to ever want therapy as Baron Mistycorn. At least obtaining puppets of a major children’s nightmare-inducer er I mean a major children’s brand representative like that wouldn’t have been too terribly difficult! (And, equally, they’re probably being made for about thruppence. Not that valuable, except that it’s hard to obtain anything in the middle of a blacked-out city surrounded by armed Anasigma agents.)
Made for thruppence? They’re probably made by slave labor right in the nether regions of Whimsy World. They could sell them for thruppence and make a tidy little profit.
Robert, I’ve never smoked but in college I carried a lighter for friends who did and even these days a Bic makes a good addition to my EDC loadout along with my magnesium fire starter, swiss army knife and space pen.
He may not have had it on his person, but it was in the car. It may also have been on him for non-smoking purposes. With this gang and the trouble they get themselves into, having a lighter and other handy things on you might be useful for survival.
But the most likely explanation is Rule of Comedy.
Car lighters don’t look like that…they’re a coil that gets hot enough to light a cigarette with when you pull it out. Don’t think they come in cars nowadays unless you ask for one.
Robert, he didn’t say it was a “car lighter”. He only said it was in the car.
But true that they don’t come in cars nowadays. I don’t know if you can even get one as an option in most new cars. You’d have to get an aftermarket one and install it yourself. But it’d be easier and cheaper to just carry a Bic.
Fire, like a sharp pocket knife, is so useful and easy to have on hand when you need it there’s little reason not to.
Agreed, and when you get into the kind of trouble this crew does, well, being prepared takes on a whole new urgency.
That’s a VW Bus. There’s gotta be at least half a dozen lighters stashed here and there.
This is a good point.
From the peace sign symbol on the front, I’d say it was a Mercedes, not a Volkswagen.
Back when I was young, I saw plenty of VW buses with a peace sign where the “VW” should be. And the paint job is classic VW.
https://www.wardsauto.com/sites/wardsauto.com/files/1967%20VW%20Microbus%20main%20art%20-%20Copy%202.jpg
They got it from Tigerlily, didn’t they? She probably installed them as permanent equipment.
He probably got the lighter from Baron, who of all the cast smoking would be the most likely, albeit off-frame (so far, anyway).
The only one I recall smoking over the years is Mary from the Whimsey storyline, and she said she was just venting core buildup. But I could’a missed something…seems at one time or another a lotta the characters might’ve enjoyed a good cigar…
I’m pretty sure we’ve seen the Baron smoking a cigar from time to time.
He’s catatonic!
He’s catatonic!
People give his scorn
Cause he’s the unicorn
Who’s been plugged in.
Therapist, puppetry,
Disconnected from reality.
Lord have mercy on this guy,
‘Cause he’s catatonic!
All the time he hooks his line
To the server in the van.
He loves an AI girl who lives in there
And pretends as if he can.
But all beware what’s said before,
‘Cause her brother can broadcast kill.
So he just has to be intent
On sneaking in when he will.
(chorus)
Some fine day he’ll find a way
To consummate his attack,
He’ll integrate his other side,
And he’ll ever, ever drop this act.
Until that happens he’ll be depraved,
Animatronic slime,
But for now with Skin-Horse therapy,
Hand puppets will burn each time.
(chorus)
—from “Down in the Boondocks,” Joe South, sung by Billy Joe Royal.
Now there’s a song I haven’t heard since I was a teenager. It was in the ’90s and I habitually listened to “oldies” radio, but still. Thanks for reminding me of its existence, Robert! (Also, nice filk!)
Really? Seems I hear it every few weeks on what passes for an oldies station here. But they play stuff from the nineties, too…
It occurs to me that while that puppet might have been a therapeutic tool, it can’t have been that valuable. It caught fire way too easily to be anything other than cheaply made.
Value is not necessarily measured monetarily.