Skin Horse

By Shaenon K. Garrity & Jeffrey C. Wells
By Shaenon K. Garrity & Jeffrey C. Wells
Color by Pancha Diaz
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2020-03-24
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2020-03-24

by shaenon on March 24, 2020 at 12:01 am
Chapter: The Dreadful Future
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Discussion (44) ¬

  1. David B Huber
    March 24, 2020, 12:13 am | # | Reply

    Probably the first time two sapients have climbed in bed with Tip and nothing happened.

    • Leandro Toniut
      March 24, 2020, 12:21 am | # | Reply

      Now what would make you think nothing happened, though?

      • Ysabet
        March 24, 2020, 12:39 am | # | Reply

        Because Tip’s not smiling? Either that, or there were some non-compatibility issues with his hard drive. Although I have to say, he’s certainly available in multiple formats these days, so probably not.

      • Knuckles
        February 14, 2022, 6:06 am | # | Reply

        Now I’m not sure which direction a killbot and a funky lovemaking caddy would swing, but knowing Tip, he wouldn’t be one to walk through that door.

    • Barbara K
      March 24, 2020, 12:51 am | # | Reply

      The bots appear to be hugging Tip, and he looks tired. One bot says it/they/she/he is “beat to my socks”. That seems to indicate a busy night to me, even if half of it was spent resolving port compatibility issues.

      • jdreyfuss
        March 24, 2020, 7:51 am | # | Reply

        It means he didn’t sleep, not necessarily that he was exerting himself. The way Tip is talking it sounds more like frightened children sleeping in their parents’ bed, rather than any hanky panky.

        • casimir
          March 24, 2020, 10:52 am | # | Reply

          +1

      • Robert Nowall
        March 24, 2020, 10:44 am | # | Reply

        Strictly speaking, “beat to my socks” means “I’m poor.” But it could easily have shifted to “I’m tired.”

      • Barbara K
        March 24, 2020, 5:45 pm | # | Reply

        …But…maybe they just needed some cyber-psychology. I believe Tip has at least one robot therapy puppet .

  2. Sora Hjort (@SoraHjort)
    March 24, 2020, 12:29 am | # | Reply

    … Maybe it’s because it’s been a long time since I’ve re-read the archives, but doesn’t spider bot NOT have an OS? Aren’t they more in the category of a clank than droid?

    • Valerie Kaplan
      March 24, 2020, 12:37 am | # | Reply

      This is true, but he didn’t say they’re running different OSes, he said they’re NOT running the SAME OS; I’d say one of them not having an OS at all qualifies!

    • Gyrre
      March 24, 2020, 4:38 am | # | Reply

      Sweet Daddy [something rather]. He’s a spring powered sapient built by Dr. Bernice ‘Tigerlily’ Jones.

      • ThatOneGuy
        March 24, 2020, 7:00 am | # | Reply

        The fact that a bot made by Tigerlily shows that there is something wrong as that woman probably is not planning to destroy any of her inventions… Which means this is the next attack on the reality blindness war where the machines are being targeted next.

        • kiralamouse
          March 24, 2020, 7:17 am | # | Reply

          Not just the machines; remember Leo’s nightmare.

        • awgiedawgie
          March 24, 2020, 5:01 pm | # | Reply

          Tigerlily has destroyed plenty of her own creations. Particularly those that turned out to be especially square. But she destroyed them immediately.

  3. Jon
    March 24, 2020, 12:46 am | # | Reply

    Technically, it’s possible for a virus these days to work across operating systems. It does take quite a bit of effort to set up, though… some kind of nanotech infection, maybe? How’s Unity feeling?

    • Ray Radlein
      March 24, 2020, 1:58 am | # | Reply

      Heck, the very first internet Worm ever was multi-OS

    • jdreyfuss
      March 24, 2020, 7:54 am | # | Reply

      Yeah, but jumping the machine/biological barrier? So far we’ve got three machines and two biological NHSs confirmed to have had nightmares. What’s interesting is that it doesn’t appear to be affecting Sweetheart so far.

      • Daibhid C
        March 24, 2020, 1:44 pm | # | Reply

        It’s been established that Sweetheart already has some serious issues regarding Captain Bram; maybe she’s having the nightmares, but hasn’t realised they’re anything unusual.

        • awgiedawgie
          March 24, 2020, 6:02 pm | # | Reply

          Captain Bram killed her several times, and she views it as caring and loving. So the Captain coming for her certainly wouldn’t be a nightmare.

  4. sweetuncleLESLIE
    March 24, 2020, 1:43 am | # | Reply

    Unity’s been feeling and acting Very punkish and worthless for about three years now.

  5. BMunro
    March 24, 2020, 2:58 am | # | Reply

    Wait, isn’t that spider-bot one of Dr. Jones’s creations? What did he dream? I mean he’d hardly be afraid of his creator coming for him…

    • s854
      March 24, 2020, 5:20 am | # | Reply

      Dreams aren’t always rational. I half-expect Sweetheart to have one of those dreams next.

      • kiralamouse
        March 24, 2020, 7:20 am | # | Reply

        Oh no, it just occurred to me that UNITY’s creator is RIGHT THERE. Ginny may have reason to be glad that UNITY’s lost her limbs before this is through…

      • BMunro
        March 24, 2020, 1:07 pm | # | Reply

        Well, if she does, that’s further confirmation that their actual creators aren’t involved: mad scientists often seem to return from the dead, but none have ever returned from being eaten and digested by a pack of dogs.

  6. Robert Nowall
    March 24, 2020, 7:24 am | # | Reply

    Which of the Killbots is that? #3? ‘Cause #1 usually adds a few other words and #2 usually has a chef’s hat on…

    • s854
      March 24, 2020, 12:25 pm | # | Reply

      It’s 1, as shown in http://skin-horse.com/comic/through-the/. 3 has a circular saw, so probably doesn’t get many hugs.

  7. Frank
    March 24, 2020, 7:28 am | # | Reply

    I just noticed this chapter’s name. What’s it a reference to?

    • 5-tons-of-flax
      March 24, 2020, 8:42 am | # | Reply

      This chapter is going to parody Judge Dredd.

    • Feech
      March 24, 2020, 10:01 am | # | Reply

      Maybe this: https://www.amazon.com/Dreadful-Future-Blossom-Culp/dp/0141310944

  8. Schismatism
    March 24, 2020, 10:30 am | # | Reply

    Tip is rather stronger than he looks, if he’s clomping around the deck with Sweet Daddy on his back.

    That, and/or he’s just peeved enough to ignore it for comedy’s sake.

    • David B Huber
      March 24, 2020, 1:03 pm | # | Reply

      Tip is actually extremely strong. He was able to restrain Unity at full zip without effort!

    • awgiedawgie
      March 24, 2020, 5:14 pm | # | Reply

      And Sweetdaddy probably doesn’t weigh all that much. He’s not made from an entire Cadillac, just parts of one. He probably doesn’t weigh more than 200 pounds.

      Tip was in the Army. If he could carry another soldier with full pack – and I have no doubt he could – then carrying a 200 lb robot would be easy. Heck, I once picked up my niece and nephew (both full-grown) together and walked around the room with them, and I wasn’t in the Army.

      • Robert Nowall
        March 24, 2020, 11:30 pm | # | Reply

        Really? Didn’t you say something once about having two broken legs?

        • awgiedawgie
          March 25, 2020, 4:00 am | # | Reply

          Good memory. Two broken arms, actually, but good memory nonetheless. I am, however, missing the meniscus and the ACL from my right knee. My doctor said I shouldn’t be able to walk. My other niece – also an MD – said that medically speaking, I shouldn’t be able to lift anything with my left arm, because part of one bone is actually missing, but that doesn’t stop me from doing it anyway. I come from a family who doesn’t take disability lying down.

          • Robert Nowall
            March 25, 2020, 7:18 am | #

            It’s the kind of thing that stays with you, even if garbled. But you gotta take what the MDs say with a grain of salt. I know of a piano player who had nerve damage of some sort and was told he would never play again—but he did.

  9. Robert Nowall
    March 24, 2020, 10:47 am | # | Reply

    If all their creators are coming to get them, ought to make a big crowd. Dr. Bram…Tigerlily Jones…Dr. Lee…whoever created the killbots…whoever created the cobras…Dr. Lee’s parents…Nick’s parents…Tip’s parents…man, would I like to have a quiet word with most of them about their creations…

    • Rick
      March 24, 2020, 2:13 pm | # | Reply

      I believe the cobras, along with the rest of the Annex 1 basement dwellers, were the offspring of some of Chris and Marcy’s irradiation experiments.

      • Robert Nowall
        March 24, 2020, 5:17 pm | # | Reply

        One of the print volume supplemental stories implied they were some sort of mad science experiment Skin Horse took away from their creator.

  10. Shadowmehr
    March 24, 2020, 11:48 am | # | Reply

    Dr. “Tip” Wilkin, psychologist, fashion maven, and now security teddy bear to non-human sapients.

    • Rick
      March 24, 2020, 2:15 pm | # | Reply

      He’s their therapy human

    • awgiedawgie
      March 24, 2020, 5:19 pm | # | Reply

      Well, he comforted Sweetdaddy in the past, so there’s a history there. Not sure about the killbot.

      And of course, his also may have been the nearest bed for them to crawl into.

  11. casimir
    March 24, 2020, 9:17 pm | # | Reply

    Am I the only one thinking that Panoptica is messing with their minds?

    • Robert Nowall
      March 24, 2020, 11:29 pm | # | Reply

      There’s Queen Elena and the zombie retiree refugees still around. Also a bunch of six-toed cats.

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