I know this man is just the worst. He’s extraordinarily abusive, controlling, he’s… well, he’s extremely in violation of workplace harassment laws. But times like these he still puts a smile on my face.
If this were a different sort of story, the wine is poisoned and Mr. Green is taking himself and the only one who can foil him out of the picture.
But, that is not a Skin Horse sort of story.
Or Mr. Green has been accustoming himself to the poison little by little over many years, so that he is immune or resistant to it by the time he needs to use it to poison someone else. (Or he has an antidote for himself handy. But, as you say, Duane B., this is not that kind of story.)
Well, Tip has just spent a few—days?—pretending to be Chris Sanders while being promoted beyond his level of competence and violating fraternization rules. What is evil, really?
Can’t say that Ira’s committing that. His group has been fighting, oh…assorted mad and near-mad scientists, human beings, and not any specific ethnic group, while other humans are left alone…the dead, who won’t lie down and be quiet like they’re supposed to…intelligent animals and plants, of which their unintelligent brethren survive…
I suppose it would be genocide if you define it down to a specific group within a species.
Pretty much. I think the term is ill-conceived, that something more accurate should be substituted that covers a group within a group.
It’s the science fiction writer within me. Dealing, say, with intelligent gaseous clouds leads one to think that differences between one group of humans and another group of humans isn’t that much of a difference at all.
His intent is to eradicate multiple entire classes of sapient beings. The word you use to define his actions isn’t all that material. Genocide works for me, and is close enough that you know what I’m saying even if we don’t really have a word for it.
So smallpox. Should we genocide the smallpox virus. It is an action that is apparently within our power at this point in time. Smallpox has been killing us for thousands of years and killing a lot of us. The last two “known” samples are in two biolabs, one US one Russkie and you know how biolabs are, sooner or later one or both will screw-up and smallpox will escape or even worse be deliberately weaponised and released. So I ask you, do we take the samples to the oven or not?
It’s not some integral part of some ecological chain AFAIK
Well, what is there to tell Sweetheart? Yes, Tip just switched the device off, but Ira doesn’t appear to care, so it appears Tip needs more information.
Telling Sweetheart, “Hey, I just shut off the reality-blindness device, but Mr. Green is here, and he let me do it and and says it’s too late,” is just enough information to lead to more questions that Tip doesn’t have answers to yet. Best to pump Ira for more information first. I’ll just show myself out now.
It also gives Mr. Green an opportunity to trace Sweetheart’s exact location, and any intelligence you can keep from your enemy, no matter how minor, could end up being important.
Not likely. His rescue from Pennsylvania (where he was wearing the ear thingy) was 23 months ago. Even the best batteries don’t last anywhere near that long without being charged. It was a miracle his ear thingy was still working even then, considering how long he had been wearing it without being able to charge it.
The times he has reported in to Sweetheart on his current excursion, he has used a handheld cell phone.
Well, to be fair, Tip did ask why, just a little belatedly. Tip is, oddly enough, a man of action, and a man of his word, and he did what he went up there to do. Should he have considered why Ira wasn’t trying to stop him *before* he switched off the device? Of course, but, let’s face it, Tip isn’t really a “big picture” kind of person.
There’s no reason to ask why, because it’s self-evident. Ira pretty clearly thinks that stopping the flow of reality blindness gas will further his plans, either because the human population is too far gone to come back or because the sudden realization is likely to push them into his favor.
Either way, Tip’s best move is to turn off the machine and let the chips fall where they may. At the very least, people are likely to realize that the Biomass is the greatest threat and they can help eliminate one of the players from the board before having to confront the other NHS factions involved.
All leaving it running does is guarantee that people in general will continue to be reality blind, and Tip knows for certain that he doesn’t want that.
Well, maybe Mr. Green hasn’t noticed, but Tip doesn’t really look very happy right now. I suspect it’s going to take more than half a bottle of wine for Tip to feel happy.
No, I think Ben has a good point here. Although I don’t think he is retiring, I DO think he is looking for someone to justify his actions to and, perhaps, be convinced to join him.
Remember, Ira does not see himself as the villain. He is a Well-Intentioned Extremist who thinks he is doing the right thing for humanity. He will try and convince the other side that he is right, especially if he likes them.
Of course, if he fails, something along the lines of “Join me or die” will probably end this conversation. Can’t wait to find out.
The device to pump reality blindness chemicals in to the air really isn’t necessary if the effects of the chemical are permanent. Not for a few decades at least when the next generation grows up.
Wait a minute. All of the created sapients are ascending to… Lovetron, the Funk Paradise. Meanwhile Tip and the… um, evil manipulative ruler are, um, Left Behind?
With a population that will suddenly remember their “nessie”s and be demanding to know where they’ve gone… and Tip’s the sole representative of the organization that knows
He likes to see Wilkin so happy. That’s why they’re not getting to scrappy. Tip’s too late, no harm. Tip has cause for alarm. Let’s face it, situation is crappy.
I’ve said it before, we’re missing something basic- does Shaenon even “do” double-dyed villains? We’ve seen the Gate Guard, and the Great and Powerful Oz- are we soon to meet Oscar Zoroaster?
What I think you’re missing is that while there may be significant parallels between the Narboniverse and the Oz-verse, Shaenon’s villains – all of her characters – are her own. There are no one-to-one matchups between Skin Horse and Oz characters. The parallels are always one-to-many – either one SH character to many Oz characters, or traits of one Oz character that can be seen in several SH characters.
And we’ve already seen parallels to Oscar with Ira as the kindly but senile guard.
What I’m wondering is, what kind of Ozymandias did Mr. Green think he pulled? I say “think” because I’m about 150% sure it’ll backfire on him, given what we know of the future of this universe.
He has been defeated before, notably the time Dr. Lee took his gun away from him, worked him over, and escaped. As he said, it all went different in his head.
Dennis, I’m not a Republic Serial villain. Do you seriously think I’d explain my master-stroke if there remained the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome? I did it thirty-five minutes ago. — The Wizard of Oz(ymandias)
I know this man is just the worst. He’s extraordinarily abusive, controlling, he’s… well, he’s extremely in violation of workplace harassment laws. But times like these he still puts a smile on my face.
The best kind of villain. Evil yet fun to watch (when you’re not personally threatened because he’s on the other side of the fourth wall).
The villain is the hero of his story.
If this were a different sort of story, the wine is poisoned and Mr. Green is taking himself and the only one who can foil him out of the picture.
But, that is not a Skin Horse sort of story.
Or Mr. Green has been accustoming himself to the poison little by little over many years, so that he is immune or resistant to it by the time he needs to use it to poison someone else. (Or he has an antidote for himself handy. But, as you say, Duane B., this is not that kind of story.)
Well, Tip has just spent a few—days?—pretending to be Chris Sanders while being promoted beyond his level of competence and violating fraternization rules. What is evil, really?
Genocide. I’d say genocide is evil.
Can’t say that Ira’s committing that. His group has been fighting, oh…assorted mad and near-mad scientists, human beings, and not any specific ethnic group, while other humans are left alone…the dead, who won’t lie down and be quiet like they’re supposed to…intelligent animals and plants, of which their unintelligent brethren survive…
I suppose it would be genocide if you define it down to a specific group within a species.
you mean, like the way Jews are a specific group within the human species?
Pretty much. I think the term is ill-conceived, that something more accurate should be substituted that covers a group within a group.
It’s the science fiction writer within me. Dealing, say, with intelligent gaseous clouds leads one to think that differences between one group of humans and another group of humans isn’t that much of a difference at all.
His intent is to eradicate multiple entire classes of sapient beings. The word you use to define his actions isn’t all that material. Genocide works for me, and is close enough that you know what I’m saying even if we don’t really have a word for it.
So smallpox. Should we genocide the smallpox virus. It is an action that is apparently within our power at this point in time. Smallpox has been killing us for thousands of years and killing a lot of us. The last two “known” samples are in two biolabs, one US one Russkie and you know how biolabs are, sooner or later one or both will screw-up and smallpox will escape or even worse be deliberately weaponised and released. So I ask you, do we take the samples to the oven or not?
It’s not some integral part of some ecological chain AFAIK
Smallpox isn’t sapient.
As long as it can be cultured from the wild- and it can- we need samples quickly available in order to respond.
He’s based on the Wizard, after all.
(Seriously, in the original novel the Wizard is the absolute worst. I love him and want to put him in a little jar to study like a bug.)
Late?
Also why isn’t he telling Sweetheart?
Well, what is there to tell Sweetheart? Yes, Tip just switched the device off, but Ira doesn’t appear to care, so it appears Tip needs more information.
Telling Sweetheart, “Hey, I just shut off the reality-blindness device, but Mr. Green is here, and he let me do it and and says it’s too late,” is just enough information to lead to more questions that Tip doesn’t have answers to yet. Best to pump Ira for more information first. I’ll just show myself out now.
It also gives Mr. Green an opportunity to trace Sweetheart’s exact location, and any intelligence you can keep from your enemy, no matter how minor, could end up being important.
Is Tip’s ear-thingy still broadcasting?
great point
Not likely. His rescue from Pennsylvania (where he was wearing the ear thingy) was 23 months ago. Even the best batteries don’t last anywhere near that long without being charged. It was a miracle his ear thingy was still working even then, considering how long he had been wearing it without being able to charge it.
The times he has reported in to Sweetheart on his current excursion, he has used a handheld cell phone.
Y’know, Tip, the fact that Ira didn’t make even the slightest attempt to stop you should have made you stop and think about why.
Well, to be fair, Tip did ask why, just a little belatedly. Tip is, oddly enough, a man of action, and a man of his word, and he did what he went up there to do. Should he have considered why Ira wasn’t trying to stop him *before* he switched off the device? Of course, but, let’s face it, Tip isn’t really a “big picture” kind of person.
Unless it’s a big picture of himself.
There’s no reason to ask why, because it’s self-evident. Ira pretty clearly thinks that stopping the flow of reality blindness gas will further his plans, either because the human population is too far gone to come back or because the sudden realization is likely to push them into his favor.
Either way, Tip’s best move is to turn off the machine and let the chips fall where they may. At the very least, people are likely to realize that the Biomass is the greatest threat and they can help eliminate one of the players from the board before having to confront the other NHS factions involved.
All leaving it running does is guarantee that people in general will continue to be reality blind, and Tip knows for certain that he doesn’t want that.
Too late for what, though?
That is the $64,000 question.
Well, maybe Mr. Green hasn’t noticed, but Tip doesn’t really look very happy right now. I suspect it’s going to take more than half a bottle of wine for Tip to feel happy.
Mr Green was letting a white wine breath? He really is evil.
well I don’t do it personally, but I know someone making wine do it (shortly) with gewürz(traminer) or riesling from his place.
Oh my god he’s retiring and has trained his replacement
Wouldn’t Sweetheart be a better choice? She enforces rules without realizing consequences.
No, I think Ben has a good point here. Although I don’t think he is retiring, I DO think he is looking for someone to justify his actions to and, perhaps, be convinced to join him.
Remember, Ira does not see himself as the villain. He is a Well-Intentioned Extremist who thinks he is doing the right thing for humanity. He will try and convince the other side that he is right, especially if he likes them.
Of course, if he fails, something along the lines of “Join me or die” will probably end this conversation. Can’t wait to find out.
The device to pump reality blindness chemicals in to the air really isn’t necessary if the effects of the chemical are permanent. Not for a few decades at least when the next generation grows up.
Ira has too much free time on his hands.
Wait a minute. All of the created sapients are ascending to… Lovetron, the Funk Paradise. Meanwhile Tip and the… um, evil manipulative ruler are, um, Left Behind?
With a population that will suddenly remember their “nessie”s and be demanding to know where they’ve gone… and Tip’s the sole representative of the organization that knows
This story just keeps getting better and better.
Too late to stop a Unity hive mind from forming is my thought.
TIL reality blindness fog generators sound just like my baseboard heat.
kaa-CLANK! fssssssst SHUNK!
I’m keeping my copy of the filename story up to date.
What is an “i-9 form”?
Something specific to US government bureaucracy?
Used to confirm eligibility for employment in the US.
He likes to see Wilkin so happy. That’s why they’re not getting to scrappy. Tip’s too late, no harm. Tip has cause for alarm. Let’s face it, situation is crappy.
No matter what, this is shaping up to be a situation where alcohol is going to be needed.
He’s gonna need something stronger than that wine before it’s all over.
I’ve said it before, we’re missing something basic- does Shaenon even “do” double-dyed villains? We’ve seen the Gate Guard, and the Great and Powerful Oz- are we soon to meet Oscar Zoroaster?
What I think you’re missing is that while there may be significant parallels between the Narboniverse and the Oz-verse, Shaenon’s villains – all of her characters – are her own. There are no one-to-one matchups between Skin Horse and Oz characters. The parallels are always one-to-many – either one SH character to many Oz characters, or traits of one Oz character that can be seen in several SH characters.
And we’ve already seen parallels to Oscar with Ira as the kindly but senile guard.
“When you look for the bad, expecting it, you will get it. When you know you will find the good—you will get that….”
Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna
What I’m wondering is, what kind of Ozymandias did Mr. Green think he pulled? I say “think” because I’m about 150% sure it’ll backfire on him, given what we know of the future of this universe.
He has been defeated before, notably the time Dr. Lee took his gun away from him, worked him over, and escaped. As he said, it all went different in his head.
Dennis, I’m not a Republic Serial villain. Do you seriously think I’d explain my master-stroke if there remained the slightest chance of you affecting its outcome? I did it thirty-five minutes ago. — The Wizard of Oz(ymandias)
Obviously. He’s not a Republic serial villain. He did it thirty-five minutes ago.