*Briefly considers possibility that reference made by comic title is meant to apply in reverse to the only human member of the group- becoming “real” by becoming non-human*
Since presumably if a Jew loses his genitalia in a terrible accident he’s still Jewish, exactly where do you draw the line between “Jew with bits cut off” and “no longer Jewish?” Which are the essential organs and/or body parts?
He was born Jewish, considers himself Jewish, was raised Jewish. Now, there may be things preventing him from fulfilling all the tenets of his faith at the moment(hard to go to Temple when you can’t fit through the door), but that doesn’t make him non-Jewish. If you aren’t a Jew, don’t try to determine who is.
(only reason I, a non-jew, am even posting this, is because I have a Jewish friend who cannot post at the moment and I am utterly certain she’d approve, as it’s mostly paraphrased from her)
Nick definitely still considers himself Jewish. This is from his livejournal, shortly after he arrived at Skin Horse. Yes, his swear filter only works when he’s talking out loud.
“finally got Maintenance up here to fit me out with a fuckin mezuzah. i only told Moustachio about 100 times but honestly i dont think he ever understood what i was talkin about. dude has a hard time stenciling new concepts into his brain & he was built back when people thought Jews were mystical creatures that lived in hollow trees & caused warts. M’s cool & all but it can take forever to get him to do shit that dont have a match in his database.
anyway the other reason it took so long was theres a fuckin long wait for the rabbi. Rabbi Krupnik, only Black Ops rabbi in the DC area. i was afraid it was gonna be weird gettin my door done but he was super fuckin chill. after the blessing we talked for awhile about how to work with some of the laws that are hard to keep if your not human. like i cant totally shut off my power on Shabbas yknow? he says my case aint too bad, he knows this oyster kibbutz up the coast and them bastards got problems.”
Based on the URL stories, I’ve often wondered if Dr. Wilikin’s gender identity is as male as he asserts it to be, and if this will be explored in the comic.
I think he’s just “hot guy in a dress”, it works pretty well if you have the legs for it. He has discovered bisexuality, but I don’t think there’s a gender issue.
Except that Tip says at the outset of the filename story that he’s starting to think of himself as “Tippi,” but isn’t ready to go public with it. Plus, Ozma.
Oh, yes, until now, I hadn’t thought about it since the beginning of the filename story because he seems so secure in his masculinity, and I’m not sure I’m right, or that it would be a good direction for the story to go, I’m just you know… curious.
In The Velveteen Rabbit, the Skin Horse says you become real when someone really loves you. I think we have the reverse here: Nick became real because he is able to really love Ginny. I don’t think Tip really loves anyone yet, not even Tigerlily. He’s not half the man—or woman, for that matter—that Nick is.
Or, to quote Lindy (Antonio Fargas) from Car Wash: “Honey, I’m more man than you’ll ever BE, and more woman than you’ll ever GET!”
Here’s a question this made me think of: I know Narbonic had a definite end in sight from the start, though obviously from the director’s commentary that path sometimes went slightly differently as Shaennon fleshed it out day-to-day. Can someone tell me if Shaennon and Jeffry have said if they have a similar end state in mind for Skin Horse? Not what it is, but just if there is one.
I asked Jeff this at last year’s Intervention. The answer is: Yup. I didn’t get the impression that there is any set time frame, but he indicated that it will end and not just be comic that goes onandonandon with no resolution in sight.
I’m looking at YOU Sluggy, MT, EGS, every second web comic I read!
I just did the MT Visual Novel Kickstarter (a week to go). MT has mainly been limited by real life. Sluggy the same. Both had family and medical issues over the years, and lets face it – priorities shift.
On that note however, MT has expressed a defined interest in getting back into a proper regular routine.
As far as deleting your bookmarks, consider an RSS feed (I use Feedreader.com’s reader) That has allowed me to follow my more irregular favorites with minimal effort.
Last I counted I had over 200 comic feeds, and another 30 or so that were bookmarked only.
The TRUE favorites stay in my favorites bar where I can hit them for the forums and/or vote incentives (SH, TMI, sometimes others).
It’s more than clear that Sluggy is in that category, but I’m not so sure about the other two. MT seems to be trying to get somewhere, even if it’s reaching Evangelion levels of not-making-any-sense, but it updates so rarely that he’ll probably die of old age before it’s over. EGS also seems to be hinting to an eventual end, but Shive tends to have some pacing issues, so there’s probably a long time before he gets there.
Sluggy has, thank god, finally started in on what could be considered the ‘main’ plot again. If he can actually hold to that, it will be wonderful.
And let me just add to this a little bit. Shannon, one of the things that impressed me most about Narbonic was that you told a story, then ended it. Skin horse seems even more story focused, with the all the references to ‘the old war’ and whatnot. As long as you keep telling stories like this, I will follow onto each new series.
If anybody wants another web comic that seems to have this worked out, try Unsounded. The artist works significantly in advance, and has said several times that she has the story plotted out to the end, and it shows in the pacing.
Chainmail Bikini is a perfect example of how to handle an early end*. Erfworld might not have an end planned, but there’s probably a time limit on the concept, so it’ll probably have a good ending if they make it that long.
*At least when reading the archives. Doing it live, with literal months of “We’ll be back, promise” was less fun.
I forget, did we definitely see that the drone is foolable? (And if so, why is it different than Nick looking out through a smartphone?)
Also, the Godot mechanism involves fooling the pattern recognition part of visual processing, so why would it be able to fool his direct digital feed of the company intranet?
Yes we did. I tried replying to the day previous’ strip with links to strips previous showing this, but it has sat there with “awaiting moderator approval” since.
Hmm, based on Nick’s look in Panel 1, makes me think he secretly would like to be the princess, despite his overt ranting against it when all the “animals” were following him around before.
Based on everything we’ve seen since this story arc, I’d have to say you’re right.
The trick will be getting him to admit it. He’s, pardon the pun, “wired” to think that males don’t enjoy Whimsy stuff. Chopper or not, some things go down to, pardon the lack of pun, bone.
“Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’
‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit.
‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’
‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’
‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
Taking the Pinocchio connection at face value, the thing to remember is that Pinocchio didn’t become real by becoming human. He became real by gaining empathy. Once he was real, his reward was becoming human.
Nick is outwardly cold and aloof, but his first act as a free agent was to offer to sacrifice himself rather than betray his principles as a pacifist. Tip on the other hand, is outwardly a nice person and very charming, but ultimately he’s facile and only truly concerned with his own needs and advancement.
Ohh… Fascinating
This would be one of those circumcisions that goes so horribly horribly wrong that it leaves you a brain in a tank?
*Briefly considers possibility that reference made by comic title is meant to apply in reverse to the only human member of the group- becoming “real” by becoming non-human*
*Goes “naaaaaaaaah”*
I dunno: the “turned into a helicopter” thing seems to have done wonders for inculcating renewed feelings of humanity into Nick.
I like the idea of, “circumcised,” being a euphemism for having your former body removed to make way for a new one.
Nick is Jewish, so yeah, circumcised even without euphemism.
considering he’s not in the original body anymore, I doubt he counts as such =P
He identifies as Jewish, granted a Hebrewcopter, but still a Hebrew.
Since presumably if a Jew loses his genitalia in a terrible accident he’s still Jewish, exactly where do you draw the line between “Jew with bits cut off” and “no longer Jewish?” Which are the essential organs and/or body parts?
He was born Jewish, considers himself Jewish, was raised Jewish. Now, there may be things preventing him from fulfilling all the tenets of his faith at the moment(hard to go to Temple when you can’t fit through the door), but that doesn’t make him non-Jewish. If you aren’t a Jew, don’t try to determine who is.
(only reason I, a non-jew, am even posting this, is because I have a Jewish friend who cannot post at the moment and I am utterly certain she’d approve, as it’s mostly paraphrased from her)
@BMunro: There is no such thing as “no longer Jewish”.
@Rex: Are you speaking ethnically or religiously? Because religious conversion is a thing.
Nick definitely still considers himself Jewish. This is from his livejournal, shortly after he arrived at Skin Horse. Yes, his swear filter only works when he’s talking out loud.
“finally got Maintenance up here to fit me out with a fuckin mezuzah. i only told Moustachio about 100 times but honestly i dont think he ever understood what i was talkin about. dude has a hard time stenciling new concepts into his brain & he was built back when people thought Jews were mystical creatures that lived in hollow trees & caused warts. M’s cool & all but it can take forever to get him to do shit that dont have a match in his database.
anyway the other reason it took so long was theres a fuckin long wait for the rabbi. Rabbi Krupnik, only Black Ops rabbi in the DC area. i was afraid it was gonna be weird gettin my door done but he was super fuckin chill. after the blessing we talked for awhile about how to work with some of the laws that are hard to keep if your not human. like i cant totally shut off my power on Shabbas yknow? he says my case aint too bad, he knows this oyster kibbutz up the coast and them bastards got problems.”
Did anyone else get a sudden image flash of the helicopter in a yamakah when they read this?
Given the general tone and themes of this comic, I’d have to say that’s actually likely.
I have a terrible pain in all the control electronics down the left side of my containment vessel.
I like you Nick, but watch your hands. :p
mnem
Yes, there will be a test.
Based on the URL stories, I’ve often wondered if Dr. Wilikin’s gender identity is as male as he asserts it to be, and if this will be explored in the comic.
I think he’s just “hot guy in a dress”, it works pretty well if you have the legs for it. He has discovered bisexuality, but I don’t think there’s a gender issue.
Except that Tip says at the outset of the filename story that he’s starting to think of himself as “Tippi,” but isn’t ready to go public with it. Plus, Ozma.
Where did it start? I only just figured it out.
http://www.ci-n.com/~jcampbel/skinhorse.txt The full text.
He went with Tip, his given name is Dennis, but we shall see. It’ll be a fun ride.
He said he wasn’t sure about being a woman. He may have decided against it.
Oh, yes, until now, I hadn’t thought about it since the beginning of the filename story because he seems so secure in his masculinity, and I’m not sure I’m right, or that it would be a good direction for the story to go, I’m just you know… curious.
In The Velveteen Rabbit, the Skin Horse says you become real when someone really loves you. I think we have the reverse here: Nick became real because he is able to really love Ginny. I don’t think Tip really loves anyone yet, not even Tigerlily. He’s not half the man—or woman, for that matter—that Nick is.
Or, to quote Lindy (Antonio Fargas) from Car Wash: “Honey, I’m more man than you’ll ever BE, and more woman than you’ll ever GET!”
became real because he is able to really love, i like that.
Does it go the other way?
Am I unreal now because I can’t?
It all sounds like nonsense to me.
Well, you hate everything, so I’m not surprised.
(TUNE: “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach)
Though
Wilkin’s heart is true,
Nick, he isn’t you!
Oh, no!
WhimsyCorp implies,
Just like Jewish guys,
Tip must circumcise!
Tip,
Seeking princess bliss,
Might just need a bris!
Oh, yes!
He will realize
What’s between his thighs
He must circumcise!
Here’s a question this made me think of: I know Narbonic had a definite end in sight from the start, though obviously from the director’s commentary that path sometimes went slightly differently as Shaennon fleshed it out day-to-day. Can someone tell me if Shaennon and Jeffry have said if they have a similar end state in mind for Skin Horse? Not what it is, but just if there is one.
I asked Jeff this at last year’s Intervention. The answer is: Yup. I didn’t get the impression that there is any set time frame, but he indicated that it will end and not just be comic that goes onandonandon with no resolution in sight.
I’m looking at YOU Sluggy, MT, EGS, every second web comic I read!
I stopped being impressed by Sluggy a long time ago, and Mega Tokyo will probably be deleted the next time I re-org my bookmarks.
I just did the MT Visual Novel Kickstarter (a week to go). MT has mainly been limited by real life. Sluggy the same. Both had family and medical issues over the years, and lets face it – priorities shift.
On that note however, MT has expressed a defined interest in getting back into a proper regular routine.
As far as deleting your bookmarks, consider an RSS feed (I use Feedreader.com’s reader) That has allowed me to follow my more irregular favorites with minimal effort.
Last I counted I had over 200 comic feeds, and another 30 or so that were bookmarked only.
The TRUE favorites stay in my favorites bar where I can hit them for the forums and/or vote incentives (SH, TMI, sometimes others).
It’s more than clear that Sluggy is in that category, but I’m not so sure about the other two. MT seems to be trying to get somewhere, even if it’s reaching Evangelion levels of not-making-any-sense, but it updates so rarely that he’ll probably die of old age before it’s over. EGS also seems to be hinting to an eventual end, but Shive tends to have some pacing issues, so there’s probably a long time before he gets there.
Sluggy has, thank god, finally started in on what could be considered the ‘main’ plot again. If he can actually hold to that, it will be wonderful.
And let me just add to this a little bit. Shannon, one of the things that impressed me most about Narbonic was that you told a story, then ended it. Skin horse seems even more story focused, with the all the references to ‘the old war’ and whatnot. As long as you keep telling stories like this, I will follow onto each new series.
If anybody wants another web comic that seems to have this worked out, try Unsounded. The artist works significantly in advance, and has said several times that she has the story plotted out to the end, and it shows in the pacing.
Chainmail Bikini is a perfect example of how to handle an early end*. Erfworld might not have an end planned, but there’s probably a time limit on the concept, so it’ll probably have a good ending if they make it that long.
*At least when reading the archives. Doing it live, with literal months of “We’ll be back, promise” was less fun.
WhimsyCorp thinks on its feet pretty well.
… so am I the only one who’s worked out that this isn’t WhimsyCorp talking?
Your mouth to God(ot)’s ears…
I forget, did we definitely see that the drone is foolable? (And if so, why is it different than Nick looking out through a smartphone?)
Also, the Godot mechanism involves fooling the pattern recognition part of visual processing, so why would it be able to fool his direct digital feed of the company intranet?
Yes we did. I tried replying to the day previous’ strip with links to strips previous showing this, but it has sat there with “awaiting moderator approval” since.
Let’s try it again….
http://skin-horse.com/2013/who-spoke-on/
http://skin-horse.com/2013/one-level/
http://skin-horse.com/2013/at-a-time/
http://skin-horse.com/2013/but-for-years/
Hmm, based on Nick’s look in Panel 1, makes me think he secretly would like to be the princess, despite his overt ranting against it when all the “animals” were following him around before.
Based on everything we’ve seen since this story arc, I’d have to say you’re right.
The trick will be getting him to admit it. He’s, pardon the pun, “wired” to think that males don’t enjoy Whimsy stuff. Chopper or not, some things go down to, pardon the lack of pun, bone.
“Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’
‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit.
‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’
‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’
‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
Taking the Pinocchio connection at face value, the thing to remember is that Pinocchio didn’t become real by becoming human. He became real by gaining empathy. Once he was real, his reward was becoming human.
Nick is outwardly cold and aloof, but his first act as a free agent was to offer to sacrifice himself rather than betray his principles as a pacifist. Tip on the other hand, is outwardly a nice person and very charming, but ultimately he’s facile and only truly concerned with his own needs and advancement.
Interesting that Nick still considers himself circumcized.
Though I agree with him.
Circumcision is the removal of a part after all.