Rhiannon McCullough (kaiserin) says: “It’s an early trauma thing. Like with Unity and Smurfs.”
I love these almost throwaway lines. The put a button on the strips in such a wonderful way.
John Campbell (jcampbel) says:
Bah! Shame on you, trying to deprive people of their fair right to a living wage just because they’re not human. Or necessarily living. Or perhaps even technically people. How do you expect an honest thinkonium to keep his springs in condition without a decent salary? Do you know what the price of copper is like these days? Ought to get the Madblood robots’ union on your case…
Also, “flickin'”? Heh. Luckily, Skin Horse is also mixed-case…
Ed Gedeon (eddurd) says: “Unity and The Smurfs” would be a band name from the early 1960’s. “Stanhopea” would be like Metallica, but more environmentally friendly.
Dan Knapp (dankna) says:
Interestingly enough, google says that a Gavotte *is* a type of dance. Why did I think it meant “to strangle”? What word am I thinking of?
I think the beehive theory is an excellent and cool one. Certainly more original than a sentient plant, although, of course, originality is not necessarily that big a deal. Mind you, flowers need bees a lot more than the reverse, but perhaps this hive simply *likes* flowers?
I vaguely remember an earlier instance of the word “flick” that I’m pretty sure was in Skin Horse, and I thought to myself, haha, that was deliberate, they’re having fun with the fact that it’s lowercase. 🙂
Andrew W (mrandrew) says: Dan: garrote
Aaron Shades (prof_tinker) says:
Dan, you’re thinking of Garrote: kill (someone) by strangulation, typically with an iron collar or a length of wire or cord : he had been garroted with piano wire.
While appropriate for this world, certainly, not what we’re dealing with. And on that note, I would like to state that I’m the only person here with no flickin’ Idea what it *is* we’re dealing with.
bzzzzd (bzzzzd) says:
In this post-bermudian society, everything is flickin’ squicky.
I had a stanhopea oculata once, named Phillip Henry. Very pretty. Thought he was gargahoolin’ royalty, very obnoxious.
For some reason, the whole beehive-mind thing seems too obvious. ‘Bee all you can bee.’ It looks like a hot house. Bees don’t like hot houses, really.
Hey! Snakes like hot houses! Maybe Gavotte is a Medusan! I, too, am fatally allergic to snake venom. Not to mention flickin’ terrified…
Valerie Kaplan (shinyhappygoth) says: Tip wore white to the final test: a vintage 1930s day dress, low neckline, open sleeves, possibly a Vionnet. As he’d hoped, the bias cut flattered his slim figure. With it, he wore a lace cap, short mesh gloves, and a simple string of pearls, just enough to set off the clean, classic silhouette. He felt strength spread through him as he walked, seeping into his skin through the delicate linen. If he’d picked the right pair of shoes, it just might be enough.
He didn’t know where they’d taken him this time, but it was a long way from the sound of the highway.
Martha Mintz (muffinthamighty) says: Bees do dance though. The name has to be a clue…
Terry Smith (tjlsmith) says:
I think Gavotte is a Queen Bee, speaking by making the wings of her workers vibrate just right. Explains the flowers AND the fatal allergy AND the dance metaphor.
Note – Gavotte MIGHT be a sentient peanut, but that only explains the fatal allergy…
Terry Smith (tjlsmith) says: Wait, she’s not a SHE for one thing…. Maybe she’s the whole hive.
Terry Smith (tjlsmith) says: Ok – let’s start casting the movie!
Tip – Johnny Depp? He’s kind of over exposed. Tom Cruise would never take the part. Tom HANKS? Jude Law? Bruce Willis and Tommy Lee Jones – wrong for the part….. How about Keanu Reeves?
Verily, it is a quandary…
Justin Grubbs (the_purple_knight) says: There is no way that Gavotte is a bee. I think that it is a plant hive network. That’s why the word bubbles suggest the words are coming from everywhere at once.
Corgi (corgi) says:
This is Annechen’s fault. Even introducing me to Channing, that’s Annechen’s fault. She never got me to sign on for Narbonic though, so let me enjoy my brief and fleeting moment of willpower. Even the talking dog that’s an utterly irresistable lure… that’s Annechen’s fault, because I wouldn’t be shopping for a quad avatar right now if she didn’t show me this strip.
Dogs + Theobromides: Theobromides are, to be pedantic, the family of chemicals which help bridge synapses and act as stimulants for mammals. The best-known is caffeine. Chocolate contains theobromine, and is supposed to be responsible for the ‘feeling in love’ effect attributed to that confection. Therefore – if your dog is acting like she or he is on the worst speed trip you have ever seen in your life, get her to a vet ASAP. She ate the chocolate-chip brownies you made to bring to your friend at work. (It’s not as much a body chemistry thing as a size-to-dosage thing. Dogs just can’t deal with anywhere near as much speed sometimes, although I’ve seen it be extremely idiosyncratic.)
@Alycia Shedd (leeshajoy) says: …so, wait, Sweetheart was created as a weapon?
Dogs are frequently used as weapons – just look at your local police K-9 unit. I’m also hearkening back to Starship Troopers Caleb corps (yes, the REAL one, not the cinematic abortion).
Moustachio – TIK-TOK! YEAH!
NB: We lurve Trina.
@Casting Game: Yeah, maybe Depp’s overexposed, and looks kinda lousy as a blond too, but I’ve seen him in drag and there’s nobody who can hold a candle to him (hey, 21 Jump Street, OK? Major Cannell fan.) Hm. I know this sounds a little silly, but he’s got the bone structure and I’ve seen him be very funny: Jason Priestly?
[woof]
clark brooks (czark) says: Hmm is it just me? Tip looks a lot like Dominc Deegan in this outfit, which is strange – since Dominic often wears a dress.
Michael Brewer (wusemajor) says: You know, in light of later events, there is a whole different subtext to the first of these comics.
Tip doesn’t fear the Smurfs. That’s Unity’s early trauma thing – she’s terrified of them because of an early traumatic experience.
No, Tip has an excessive fear of his immediate supervisor. That’s his early trauma thing. So when he says “like Unity and the Smurfs”, he’s comparing his fear of Gavotte with Unity’s fear of Smurfs.
Monday’s strip will reveal exactly what his immediate supervisor is, which makes his fear a little less irrational.
…Huh. Random thought from a rereader: I distinctly remember that in a later storyline, there’s ANOTHER throwaway gag – or rather, what I thought was a throwaway gag – where someone specifically refers to Unity being traumatized early in unlife by the Purple Smurf episode of the Smurfs. The level of pointless consistency these people maintain in this comic scares me a little.
Rhiannon McCullough (kaiserin) says: “It’s an early trauma thing. Like with Unity and Smurfs.”
I love these almost throwaway lines. The put a button on the strips in such a wonderful way.
John Campbell (jcampbel) says:
Bah! Shame on you, trying to deprive people of their fair right to a living wage just because they’re not human. Or necessarily living. Or perhaps even technically people. How do you expect an honest thinkonium to keep his springs in condition without a decent salary? Do you know what the price of copper is like these days? Ought to get the Madblood robots’ union on your case…
Also, “flickin'”? Heh. Luckily, Skin Horse is also mixed-case…
Ed Gedeon (eddurd) says: “Unity and The Smurfs” would be a band name from the early 1960’s. “Stanhopea” would be like Metallica, but more environmentally friendly.
Dan Knapp (dankna) says:
Interestingly enough, google says that a Gavotte *is* a type of dance. Why did I think it meant “to strangle”? What word am I thinking of?
I think the beehive theory is an excellent and cool one. Certainly more original than a sentient plant, although, of course, originality is not necessarily that big a deal. Mind you, flowers need bees a lot more than the reverse, but perhaps this hive simply *likes* flowers?
I vaguely remember an earlier instance of the word “flick” that I’m pretty sure was in Skin Horse, and I thought to myself, haha, that was deliberate, they’re having fun with the fact that it’s lowercase. 🙂
Andrew W (mrandrew) says: Dan: garrote
Aaron Shades (prof_tinker) says:
Dan, you’re thinking of Garrote: kill (someone) by strangulation, typically with an iron collar or a length of wire or cord : he had been garroted with piano wire.
While appropriate for this world, certainly, not what we’re dealing with. And on that note, I would like to state that I’m the only person here with no flickin’ Idea what it *is* we’re dealing with.
bzzzzd (bzzzzd) says:
In this post-bermudian society, everything is flickin’ squicky.
I had a stanhopea oculata once, named Phillip Henry. Very pretty. Thought he was gargahoolin’ royalty, very obnoxious.
For some reason, the whole beehive-mind thing seems too obvious. ‘Bee all you can bee.’ It looks like a hot house. Bees don’t like hot houses, really.
Hey! Snakes like hot houses! Maybe Gavotte is a Medusan! I, too, am fatally allergic to snake venom. Not to mention flickin’ terrified…
Valerie Kaplan (shinyhappygoth) says: Tip wore white to the final test: a vintage 1930s day dress, low neckline, open sleeves, possibly a Vionnet. As he’d hoped, the bias cut flattered his slim figure. With it, he wore a lace cap, short mesh gloves, and a simple string of pearls, just enough to set off the clean, classic silhouette. He felt strength spread through him as he walked, seeping into his skin through the delicate linen. If he’d picked the right pair of shoes, it just might be enough.
He didn’t know where they’d taken him this time, but it was a long way from the sound of the highway.
Martha Mintz (muffinthamighty) says: Bees do dance though. The name has to be a clue…
Terry Smith (tjlsmith) says:
I think Gavotte is a Queen Bee, speaking by making the wings of her workers vibrate just right. Explains the flowers AND the fatal allergy AND the dance metaphor.
Note – Gavotte MIGHT be a sentient peanut, but that only explains the fatal allergy…
Terry Smith (tjlsmith) says: Wait, she’s not a SHE for one thing…. Maybe she’s the whole hive.
Terry Smith (tjlsmith) says: Ok – let’s start casting the movie!
Tip – Johnny Depp? He’s kind of over exposed. Tom Cruise would never take the part. Tom HANKS? Jude Law? Bruce Willis and Tommy Lee Jones – wrong for the part….. How about Keanu Reeves?
Verily, it is a quandary…
Justin Grubbs (the_purple_knight) says: There is no way that Gavotte is a bee. I think that it is a plant hive network. That’s why the word bubbles suggest the words are coming from everywhere at once.
Corgi (corgi) says:
This is Annechen’s fault. Even introducing me to Channing, that’s Annechen’s fault. She never got me to sign on for Narbonic though, so let me enjoy my brief and fleeting moment of willpower. Even the talking dog that’s an utterly irresistable lure… that’s Annechen’s fault, because I wouldn’t be shopping for a quad avatar right now if she didn’t show me this strip.
Dogs + Theobromides: Theobromides are, to be pedantic, the family of chemicals which help bridge synapses and act as stimulants for mammals. The best-known is caffeine. Chocolate contains theobromine, and is supposed to be responsible for the ‘feeling in love’ effect attributed to that confection. Therefore – if your dog is acting like she or he is on the worst speed trip you have ever seen in your life, get her to a vet ASAP. She ate the chocolate-chip brownies you made to bring to your friend at work. (It’s not as much a body chemistry thing as a size-to-dosage thing. Dogs just can’t deal with anywhere near as much speed sometimes, although I’ve seen it be extremely idiosyncratic.)
@Alycia Shedd (leeshajoy) says: …so, wait, Sweetheart was created as a weapon?
Dogs are frequently used as weapons – just look at your local police K-9 unit. I’m also hearkening back to Starship Troopers Caleb corps (yes, the REAL one, not the cinematic abortion).
Moustachio – TIK-TOK! YEAH!
NB: We lurve Trina.
@Casting Game: Yeah, maybe Depp’s overexposed, and looks kinda lousy as a blond too, but I’ve seen him in drag and there’s nobody who can hold a candle to him (hey, 21 Jump Street, OK? Major Cannell fan.) Hm. I know this sounds a little silly, but he’s got the bone structure and I’ve seen him be very funny: Jason Priestly?
[woof]
clark brooks (czark) says: Hmm is it just me? Tip looks a lot like Dominc Deegan in this outfit, which is strange – since Dominic often wears a dress.
Michael Brewer (wusemajor) says: You know, in light of later events, there is a whole different subtext to the first of these comics.
Unity and the smurfs? What the heck happened to this dude to make him fear the smurfs, I understand Unity though. XD
Tip doesn’t fear the Smurfs. That’s Unity’s early trauma thing – she’s terrified of them because of an early traumatic experience.
No, Tip has an excessive fear of his immediate supervisor. That’s his early trauma thing. So when he says “like Unity and the Smurfs”, he’s comparing his fear of Gavotte with Unity’s fear of Smurfs.
Monday’s strip will reveal exactly what his immediate supervisor is, which makes his fear a little less irrational.
…Huh. Random thought from a rereader: I distinctly remember that in a later storyline, there’s ANOTHER throwaway gag – or rather, what I thought was a throwaway gag – where someone specifically refers to Unity being traumatized early in unlife by the Purple Smurf episode of the Smurfs. The level of pointless consistency these people maintain in this comic scares me a little.