Or you become prematurely old, depending on the child. My darling daughter turns ten next week; she has the affect of both eternal youthfulness and extreme decrepitude on me in turns (and sometimes simultaneously).
Shaenon, I graduated two years before you were born and I refuse to be old, so you surely can’t be “very old” yet. Also: Thank you so much for bringing the world of your imagination back to us! So many of these story lines and individual strips have resonated deeply with me, and continue to every time I reread the entire series (which somehow takes longer each time – go figure!). I’m finally getting back on the financial level, and one of the high priorities on my list of rewards is buying the entire set of your works.
Basically, the same reason a single wheel will always roll out of flaming wreckage of a vehicle crash: narrative necessity. (I’ve never tested it, but it presumably happens with boats and will with hovercars.)
Now I’m wondering where and when the “lightning reveals the skeleton” visually trope started. I mean, it is funny, but entirely made up obviously, so there must have been a first example.
Good question. I’ve seen it in cartoons from the 30s or 40s, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s older than that.
Someone probably drew a comic version of the events way back when Ben Franklin (the real one, not the zombie, Dan) and his kite were allegedly struck by lightning.
If I were forced to guess, is guess post X-rays, too. TV tropes suggests a connection between the high power used to generate X-rays and lightning playing a role, but I find that tenuous for most people.
Heee! Classic visual gag, multiple punchlines and a fourth-wall break. And it’s all in VR, so nobody’s ‘truly’ getting hurt and it’s all just for funny. GOSH I’ve missed this!
Hope you have the happiest of birthdays, and many, many more even better.
(ooohh, they have to be “high rollers”? That could be be a mistake. I wonder which one of them will be buying a pykrete ship with Barons merch rights (and possibly fillings) by next week?)
You may need to remove it from your reader and re-add it – mine was also stuck until I did that (possibly because yesterday’s strip reused the URL from its original upload?)
(Ah no it looks like it didn’t reuse a URL, so I’m not sure what broke then – either way the feed is up to date, so you just need to persuade your feed reader of that fact.)
When we first went on hiatus,
I was staring in disbelief …
There was attitute, and comments rude,
‘Til the artist just said “Good grief!”
She said that she needed some time to unwind,
And to deal with some stress …
The fans were blue, but they love her too,
So they said, “Just decompress!”
CHORUS:
Well, I’ve been through a desert
With no Skin Horse for weeks!
It was bad for us webcomic geeks!
Well the artist, she needed time to recharge,
Now let’s give a cheer for the birthday of Sarge!
(Oh haaap-pyyy birthday to you, happy birth-day, oooh …)
After two weeks, with no comic strips,
My mind began to feel blue …
After three weeks with no brand-new strips
I was feeling just a bit askew …
‘Cause if Shaenon’s cartoon didn’t come back, and soon,
I would totally not pull through!
[repeat CHORUS]
After five weeks, I gave a happy cheer,
‘Cause the new strips were finally here!
Picking up where they left off before,
There were Mistycorns galore!
The comments are forum where the nitpickers rule
And they’re picking on minor stuff …
But loyal readers, please don’t act like a fool;
Shaenon, we don’t give praise enough!
[repeat CHORUS]
I’m not sure if this is still going on or not, but there are a few songs by Frank Turner that may be relevant for a future playlist. “Bigfoot!” is fairly natural for Jonah and Nera; it’s about someone who has seen a bigfoot and tried to tell people about it but wasn’t believed. “Casanova’s Lament” seems a bit reminiscent of Tip, especially his desire for an actual relationship with Tigerlilly. Both of these songs take a more melancholy tone than the comic, but still, perhaps, relevant. There’s another one, “Time Machine”, that is more upbeat, although it has a more Narbonic-like feel to me.
And Nick, because you are in VR, and can’t smell burnt ham, there has to be some way of indicating shock damage. Skeleton on a glowing background is a classic shorthand.
I really love the third panel, the sound effect and the detailed skeleton sell the joke so well. As well as Lovelace’s (if you’ll excuse the expression) shocked face in panel 4.
I really enjoy Aimee and the bouncer baron clone’s faces in the second panel. The juxtaposition with Lovelace’s confidence and powerful posture is great.
No one tell him that Lovelace never had a physical flesh body to begin with, let alone bones. It will make him question the VR more.
Shaenon, allow me to join your legion of fans in wishing you a most Happy Birthday!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lovelace without makeup before!
Wait her birthday is today? Happy Birthday Shaenon! You have the same birthday as my sister.
Yes, her birthday is 04/05/78 (or 05/04/78, depending on nationality), as immortalised in a certain gerbil’s Asimovesque serial number.
Aw, thank you. I’m very old now.
You’re still younger than me. Happy Birthday Shaenon!
You call that old?*
Kids today!
* I have clothing older than that……
Also, good to see you back! (any Gates divorce jokes coming?)
If a few colourful ties and a couple of T-shirts count – yup.
Have a great day, Shaenon!
I turned 50 last month. You are still a young’un.
I turned 50 last year, so I agree.
I turned sixty last month, no the month before, do don’t talk to me about feeling old.
If we’re having a geezer contest, I’ve got you all beat! Many more to you, Shaenon!
Same.
I just turned 65, so hesh up, young’ns.
Is that 65 in people years or dragon years?
65 is just a toddler in dragon years.
Still younger than I am 🙂
Happy Birthday! If you’re very old then I’m merely kind of old.
I’m coasting down the backside of the hill.
Happy Birthday Shaenon. Congratulations on another successful spin around the nearest star. Very good to see you back on these pages.
You are younger than my kids so not old at all.
Whoops, caught on to this one late. Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
May the Fourth be with you, in the traditional greeting.
HAPPY Birthday!! If you have kids, you really are never old!!
Or you become prematurely old, depending on the child. My darling daughter turns ten next week; she has the affect of both eternal youthfulness and extreme decrepitude on me in turns (and sometimes simultaneously).
Shaenon, I graduated two years before you were born and I refuse to be old, so you surely can’t be “very old” yet. Also: Thank you so much for bringing the world of your imagination back to us! So many of these story lines and individual strips have resonated deeply with me, and continue to every time I reread the entire series (which somehow takes longer each time – go figure!). I’m finally getting back on the financial level, and one of the high priorities on my list of rewards is buying the entire set of your works.
Joyeux anniversaire, Shaenon!
Welcome back, Shaenon, and Happy Birthday!
Obviously, they’re going to have to put up with wearing the showgirl costumes if they want to get in there.
Happy Birthday, and welcome back we have missed you!
The logic is COMEDY.
Happy birthday, Shaenon!
“Why do we have bones?”
So we can have the comedy gold of a skeleton lightning flash!
The unstoppable power of a sight gag?
Basically, the same reason a single wheel will always roll out of flaming wreckage of a vehicle crash: narrative necessity. (I’ve never tested it, but it presumably happens with boats and will with hovercars.)
Now I’m wondering where and when the “lightning reveals the skeleton” visually trope started. I mean, it is funny, but entirely made up obviously, so there must have been a first example.
Good question. I’ve seen it in cartoons from the 30s or 40s, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s older than that.
Someone probably drew a comic version of the events way back when Ben Franklin (the real one, not the zombie, Dan) and his kite were allegedly struck by lightning.
I think it’s probably post-Roentgen.
If I were forced to guess, is guess post X-rays, too. TV tropes suggests a connection between the high power used to generate X-rays and lightning playing a role, but I find that tenuous for most people.
I mean, most if not all 3D animation uses skeletons. Just not in the bony sense.
True, even mollusks have bones in 3D. How else would they move?
Uh, Baron, *nobody’s* grounded around here.
Also, happy birthday, Shaenon!
Even the VR’s not grounded, since it’s not plugged into anything. (Which once again raises the question of exactly how it’s powered)
How are trolls powered?
By snark of course.
So when these resources run thin they go to the hunting of the snark
They make the bellman cry.
HAPPY BIRB DAY, SHAENON!
Happy Birthday! Eat cake!
Heee! Classic visual gag, multiple punchlines and a fourth-wall break. And it’s all in VR, so nobody’s ‘truly’ getting hurt and it’s all just for funny. GOSH I’ve missed this!
Hope you have the happiest of birthdays, and many, many more even better.
(ooohh, they have to be “high rollers”? That could be be a mistake. I wonder which one of them will be buying a pykrete ship with Barons merch rights (and possibly fillings) by next week?)
Happy mutual birthday, Shaenon!
I love the look on Lovelace’s face in panel four! Giggle!!
“If this is the VR, then why do we have bones?”
Happy Birthday Shaenon! <3
(RSS Feed seems to be broken. Luckily for me I remembered to check the site! Welcome back!)
You may need to remove it from your reader and re-add it – mine was also stuck until I did that (possibly because yesterday’s strip reused the URL from its original upload?)
(Ah no it looks like it didn’t reuse a URL, so I’m not sure what broke then – either way the feed is up to date, so you just need to persuade your feed reader of that fact.)
No, they don’t want no scrubs.
Nick is wearing a white silk suit. If this is supposed to be Vegas in the 1960s then he’s a high roller. He can say they’re with him.
(TUNE: “A Horse With No Name”, America)
When we first went on hiatus,
I was staring in disbelief …
There was attitute, and comments rude,
‘Til the artist just said “Good grief!”
She said that she needed some time to unwind,
And to deal with some stress …
The fans were blue, but they love her too,
So they said, “Just decompress!”
CHORUS:
Well, I’ve been through a desert
With no Skin Horse for weeks!
It was bad for us webcomic geeks!
Well the artist, she needed time to recharge,
Now let’s give a cheer for the birthday of Sarge!
(Oh haaap-pyyy birthday to you, happy birth-day, oooh …)
After two weeks, with no comic strips,
My mind began to feel blue …
After three weeks with no brand-new strips
I was feeling just a bit askew …
‘Cause if Shaenon’s cartoon didn’t come back, and soon,
I would totally not pull through!
[repeat CHORUS]
After five weeks, I gave a happy cheer,
‘Cause the new strips were finally here!
Picking up where they left off before,
There were Mistycorns galore!
The comments are forum where the nitpickers rule
And they’re picking on minor stuff …
But loyal readers, please don’t act like a fool;
Shaenon, we don’t give praise enough!
[repeat CHORUS]
I bow before you, Maestro!
Seconded!
Thirded!
Fourthed!
Also, eddurd, it’s great to see you back in fine form as well!
This is really well done, but I’m still a little disappointed it wasn’t based on “Scrubs,” by TLC.
This song was perfect, I sang along in my head.
Happy birthday, and many happy returns!
Welcome back!
Shaenon, have a most happy birthday and thoroughly enjoy your day.
Happy Birfday, Shaenon!
Happy birthday!
I’m not sure if this is still going on or not, but there are a few songs by Frank Turner that may be relevant for a future playlist. “Bigfoot!” is fairly natural for Jonah and Nera; it’s about someone who has seen a bigfoot and tried to tell people about it but wasn’t believed. “Casanova’s Lament” seems a bit reminiscent of Tip, especially his desire for an actual relationship with Tigerlilly. Both of these songs take a more melancholy tone than the comic, but still, perhaps, relevant. There’s another one, “Time Machine”, that is more upbeat, although it has a more Narbonic-like feel to me.
This is indeed useful. Thank you very much.
I love the fact that Nick found the camera / fourth wall just so he could yell at it
And Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday, Shaennon!
And Nick, because you are in VR, and can’t smell burnt ham, there has to be some way of indicating shock damage. Skeleton on a glowing background is a classic shorthand.
Thank you all for the birthday wishes! I baked a lopsided cake in my own honor.
I sincerely hope there was a gerbil drawn on the cake.
That’s what I did my first birthday away from home too
Took it to college in a cake box and no one could tell it was supposed to be a cake!
I used to be good at cakes
Happy birthday Shaenon!
Obviously, you have bones in VR because it looks cool.
Happy birthday!!!
Hap-hap-happy birthday!
I really love the third panel, the sound effect and the detailed skeleton sell the joke so well. As well as Lovelace’s (if you’ll excuse the expression) shocked face in panel 4.
(also, happy birthday, Shaenon!)
Happy Birthday!
I really enjoy Aimee and the bouncer baron clone’s faces in the second panel. The juxtaposition with Lovelace’s confidence and powerful posture is great.
They’re Inverse Kinematic bones, Nick. Don’t you know anything about 3D modeling?
Welcome back and happy birthday, Shaenon!
Happy birthday! And the expressions in the last panel are wonderful.
im not sure i know what a high roller even is in this VR world lol XD most crypto currency? that’s what they earn here right??
Belated birthday wishes, Shaenon, and welcome back!
Happy Belated Birthday! And I’m SOOOOO glad you are back!! Don’t let the trolls win, we LOVE you!!!