Skin Horse

By Shaenon K. Garrity & Jeffrey C. Wells
By Shaenon K. Garrity & Jeffrey C. Wells
Color by Pancha Diaz
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2020-11-03
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2020-11-03

by shaenon on November 3, 2020 at 12:01 am
Chapter: The Lee of the Stone
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Discussion (24) ¬

  1. palenoue
    November 3, 2020, 12:16 am | # | Reply

    Now for Artie to reverse engineer the robot rat so he can control the woman.

    • Shadowmehr
      November 3, 2020, 1:12 pm | # | Reply

      I realize that you are saying this with tongue firmly in cheek, but the inherent possibilities are too hilarious for this not to occur.

  2. Frank
    November 3, 2020, 1:10 am | # | Reply

    I would be perfectly okay if the rest of the Skin Horse run is just Artie in this rat colony with ocasional cutaways to everyone else

  3. D. Walker
    November 3, 2020, 1:27 am | # | Reply

    To be fair to Echo Bravo, Artie is not, strictly speaking, an “uplifted rodent” – he was originally, but he later became a rodent-human hybrid.

    …not that that has anything to do with his intelligence, but hey…

    • D. Walker
      November 3, 2020, 2:58 am | # | Reply

      …also, as for the rats themselves, we don’t know if they were “uplifted”.

      Not all non-human sapients are created by humans, and even when they are, it’s not always intentional. It’s entirely possible these particular rats just occurred naturally, or were created accidentally and indirectly by things like chemical waste.

      • mickeyjf
        November 3, 2020, 10:26 am | # | Reply

        Or like Gaspode was.

        • D. Walker
          November 3, 2020, 11:20 pm | # | Reply

          Had to look it up, yet another reminder that I need to finally make the time to get to the Discworld books.

          They’ve been on my list forever, but there are a bunch of them, and there’s not quite as much time in the day as we sometimes might like.

          • Forrest Davis
            November 5, 2020, 1:34 am | #

            D Walker: A somewhat heretical viewpoint here, but I recommend NOT starting with the first two books (“Color of Magic”, “The Light Fantastic”). They’re quite good and definitely worth reading to get an early look at development of some recurring characters, but they don’t really give you the best introduction to the spirit of the series.

            I’ve read and reread them all so many times that it’s hard to remember, but I think the first one I read (on loan from a coworker decades ago – thanks Trevor!) was either “Pyramids” or “Guards! Guards!” Both let you get into the rhythm of the world-set without needing to know too much about it. “Small Gods” is also a great entry point, as with “Pyramids” it only marginally involves the major ongoing characters with their convoluted histories.

            But once you’re in, you’re in. Welcome to the tribe! Aaaaand now I need to go read them all again, just for the sheer joy of it…

            By the way, any Pratchett fans who haven’t yet read the standalone south seas story “Nation” should do so immediately. You won’t regret it.

          • wizard4169
            September 11, 2021, 1:39 pm | #

            The good news is that they’re not quite as big on continuity lock-in as some long running series. Even if you don’t read every book and in exact order of publication, it’s still possible to enjoy them. Of course, many things in the later books will make a lot more sense if you read the earlier books first, and the last several books in the series are probably best read in order, as they increasingly tie together into a single over-arching story.

      • BMunro
        November 3, 2020, 11:23 pm | # | Reply

        Just wandered into the wrong lab while irradiating was going on.

  4. Zero
    November 3, 2020, 1:27 am | # | Reply

    Sure, you can outwit rats.
    Step one: Actually try to outwit the rats instead of intentionally not doing it while declaring that you could be doing it.

    • awgiedawgie
      November 3, 2020, 10:30 am | # | Reply

      Sure you could do that. But it’s so much less work to just underestimate them instead.

  5. Altarboy
    November 3, 2020, 1:38 am | # | Reply

    Outwitting the rat, uplifted or otherwise isn’t the whole problem. Outperforming the rat on it’s home turf is the true challenge. In this case the super intelligent gerbil is more of an issue.

  6. Robert Nowall
    November 3, 2020, 7:10 am | # | Reply

    It’s not one of those exploding drones, is it? ‘Cause it could still cause trouble…

    • Sheik
      November 3, 2020, 9:05 am | # | Reply

      Maybe it is and that’s why Artie is dragging it out of the colony.
      Explosive Ordnance Disposal may be just another feather in his cap.

      • awgiedawgie
        November 3, 2020, 10:35 am | # | Reply

        Exploding or not, Artie had no option left but to drag it away, since he wasn’t having any luck convincing Valiant that it was a robot and a threat.

        But yes, after living with Mell for over 4 years, I’m sure Artie became familiar with a little EOD work.

        • Robert Nowall
          November 3, 2020, 12:32 pm | # | Reply

          I figured Artie’s stochastic skills would have deduced that the deactivation code would be “buttermilk pancakes,” or something like that. (He’d know better than I.)

          • awgiedawgie
            November 3, 2020, 1:41 pm | #

            You’re assuming he could predict how Virginia’s mind works? You give him more credit than I would.

          • Robert Nowall
            November 3, 2020, 4:57 pm | #

            Naw, Anasigma. How many times now has their code words been some kind of breakfast meal?

          • awgiedawgie
            November 4, 2020, 12:17 am | #

            But Artie hasn’t been involved in any missions that employed such code words, and the breakfasty code words are only in Virginia’s technology.

            Artie’s stochastic skills only work if they have a basis to work from. He’s got nothing for this situation.

  7. Steverino
    November 3, 2020, 7:58 am | # | Reply

    The rats are smarter than those two. ANYTHING is smarter than those two.

    • Shadowmehr
      November 3, 2020, 8:52 pm | # | Reply

      Now, now. I’m certain that there are certain types of rocks that are slower than the two of them put together.

  8. Ogden Wernstrom
    November 3, 2020, 9:35 am | # | Reply

    This universe’s Artie must share mirror Artie’s tendency to unhealthy sexual obsession. Now Alfa Alfa will experience the downside of being completely irresistible to rodents. Sometimes the lure catches the wrong fish.

  9. Ogden Wernstrom
    November 3, 2020, 10:10 am | # | Reply

    It’s time for Valiant to prove his name. But we win no matter whether it’s Artie or Valiant who scurries into the sunset paw in paw with Alfa Alfa. Alfiant is even canon! It’s Valentine’s Day in the Skin Horse universe.

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