TBF, Shaenon has said that the authors don’t want too much Narbonic stuff in SH as it will confuse people who haven’t read it. Clearly, people who haven’t read Narbonic are fools and confusion is the least they deserve, but who are we to argue with the Word of God?
It seems likely Mr. Green would have made a point of learning Unity’s linage and would be arrogant enough to believe that he could recruit Helen to his cause…
I’m sorry, A-Sig has unimpressed me to the point where I’d be happy to see *both* Helens Narbon *and* Dave *and* Mell Kelly unleashed on them. Especially Mr. Green. Artie, find a better justification.
I agree, it would be satisfying seeing the expression on Mr. Green/Ira’s face when such radical forces as the Narbonic cast would prove that his quest for normalcy was the greater reality blindness. But that bringing that much firepower would result in the instant eradication, if not utter disintegration, of A-Sig and, therefore, the justification for the existence of Skin Horse.
I prefer to remain reality blind to that….
It’s somewhat disillusioning to realize that one’s government and civilization is run by a bunch of idiots. Then to find that they’re just fronts for another government and civilization, run by even bigger idiots…
What’s really terrifying is the thought the people tend to get the government they deserve, and if the civilization is run by a bunch of idiots, then who put them there in the first place?
People don’t get “the government they deserve”, though. In democracies, it’s heavily influenced by the system used to appoint governments.
The USA tends to have more extreme governments than Ireland (as an example). The people are fairly similar, but a few dead white men made different choices in each country.
Not so much what is “deserved,” but no government can survive without some form of social support or acceptance… Including the very worst that have existed. Even if said support is no more substantial than “better the tyrant you know than the tyrant you don’t.” We tend to focus on outsiders, “bad apples,” minorities, or “psychopaths/sociopaths” as causes of issues, without considering the larger underlying issues within a society, because then what we think we have as a society might be a shared delusion at best; a sort of real-life “reality blindness,” if you will, but without the excuse of a conspiracy, just indifference.
I would also say that the ineptitude of Anasigma is clear even in-comic, as transgenic, supernatural, and synthetic lifeforms clearly struggled with getting rights within the larger in-setting human society, making reality blindness unnecessary to control either party. Which is pretty much on point….
So… That went places. As for your comment on unleashing the Narbon-Davenports on Asig… well Helen, Dave, and Mel are Evil. Sure there all likely to go to Arties aid, but they would probably kill everyone in the world other than Artie in the process. It’s funny to think the narbonaverse exist only because certain people remain unmotivated. Finally Asig has the Cure so Green and Co. have to have interacted with Helen by some means.
He wouldn’t be putting Helen and Dave on a remote island with an army of questionably well-trained mercenaries. He’d be putting an army of questionably well-trained mercenaries on a remote island with Helen and Dave.
But “questionably well-trained” implies that they are well-trained, but the type of training is questionable. I mean, yes, the type of training is questionable, but so is the assertion that they are well-trained at all. It would be more clear to simply say that they’re “supposedly well-trained”, as you did in this comment. But if you call them “questionably-trained”, that is even more accurate, because it calls into question everything about their training – both the type of training and how well they were trained.
Madblood seems to be the sort who has standards so it probably depends on who asks him. Dave could probably talk him into it during a game of Donkey Kong or maybe D&D. ^_^
IIRC we have reason to believe that the daughter Helen and Dave created leaves Artie standing, in terms of being capable of doing unexpected and dangerous things. Depending on her current age I guess, which is unclear. And that the absence of teleport machinery on this end is not necessarily a secure barrier, against her OR, with the use of his machinery, against Dave or Helen.
Honestly they’re only “Look Artie’s Portal Went Down Lets Go See Why” away.
The comic appears to be happening more or less in real time, in that each storyline that doesn’t continue directly from the last starts roughly on the first day it starts, so she would be in her teens about now.
Artie has also read Ransom of Red Chief.
Either that or he understands what Dave would be inclined to do while rescuing her.
*thinks it over*
Probably both. ^_^
Agreed. When those two plotlines meet, no-one in the middle would survive.
OK, Narbonic fans trolled. Any more red herrings to be thrown in our faces?
TBF, Shaenon has said that the authors don’t want too much Narbonic stuff in SH as it will confuse people who haven’t read it. Clearly, people who haven’t read Narbonic are fools and confusion is the least they deserve, but who are we to argue with the Word of God?
I agree, M. But the fashion of my folly is that once Skin Horse concludes I have Narbonic to look forward to!
It’s always possible they might shift to trolling fans of Monster of the Week instead.
(Arguably they already are, since Konstantin looks more or less EXACTLY like Shaenon’s rendition of Mulder…)
And Echo Bravo and Alfa Alfa clearly think they’re Mulder and Scully style UST-ridden monster-hunters, rather than inept minions of the Conspiracy.
I mean, arguably Mulder and Scully were minions of the Conspiracy themselves, working for the FBI and all.
And they were occasionally somewhat inept.
It seems likely Mr. Green would have made a point of learning Unity’s linage and would be arrogant enough to believe that he could recruit Helen to his cause…
Darn. I was hoping to see what Helen and Dave have been doing on that island. Besides creating their daughter, I mean.
I’m sorry, A-Sig has unimpressed me to the point where I’d be happy to see *both* Helens Narbon *and* Dave *and* Mell Kelly unleashed on them. Especially Mr. Green. Artie, find a better justification.
I agree, it would be satisfying seeing the expression on Mr. Green/Ira’s face when such radical forces as the Narbonic cast would prove that his quest for normalcy was the greater reality blindness. But that bringing that much firepower would result in the instant eradication, if not utter disintegration, of A-Sig and, therefore, the justification for the existence of Skin Horse.
I prefer to remain reality blind to that….
He’s a pacifist. He’s always going to look for the solution that results in the least bloodshed, even for his enemies.
It’s somewhat disillusioning to realize that one’s government and civilization is run by a bunch of idiots. Then to find that they’re just fronts for another government and civilization, run by even bigger idiots…
What’s really terrifying is the thought the people tend to get the government they deserve, and if the civilization is run by a bunch of idiots, then who put them there in the first place?
People don’t get “the government they deserve”, though. In democracies, it’s heavily influenced by the system used to appoint governments.
The USA tends to have more extreme governments than Ireland (as an example). The people are fairly similar, but a few dead white men made different choices in each country.
Not so much what is “deserved,” but no government can survive without some form of social support or acceptance… Including the very worst that have existed. Even if said support is no more substantial than “better the tyrant you know than the tyrant you don’t.” We tend to focus on outsiders, “bad apples,” minorities, or “psychopaths/sociopaths” as causes of issues, without considering the larger underlying issues within a society, because then what we think we have as a society might be a shared delusion at best; a sort of real-life “reality blindness,” if you will, but without the excuse of a conspiracy, just indifference.
I would also say that the ineptitude of Anasigma is clear even in-comic, as transgenic, supernatural, and synthetic lifeforms clearly struggled with getting rights within the larger in-setting human society, making reality blindness unnecessary to control either party. Which is pretty much on point….
That’s disillusioning?! You’ve basically described government in general for the past several hundred – if not thousand – years.
So… That went places. As for your comment on unleashing the Narbon-Davenports on Asig… well Helen, Dave, and Mel are Evil. Sure there all likely to go to Arties aid, but they would probably kill everyone in the world other than Artie in the process. It’s funny to think the narbonaverse exist only because certain people remain unmotivated. Finally Asig has the Cure so Green and Co. have to have interacted with Helen by some means.
Not necessarily. The Cure got out into the Mad community, and they had fun with it for a while. Anasigma could have got it from any of them.
He wouldn’t be putting Helen and Dave on a remote island with an army of questionably well-trained mercenaries. He’d be putting an army of questionably well-trained mercenaries on a remote island with Helen and Dave.
… with Mel Kelly only a teleport away…
You seem to have mistakenly added the word “well” in front of “trained”. I think it’s more accurate to call them “questionably-trained”.
No, no, no! They are definitely well-trained! See the way their mouths salivate each time a bell rings? ^_~
I’d call that conditioning rather than training, but either way, it’s still questionable.
They’re supposedly well-trained, but that presumption is questionable. Thus, questionably well-trained.
But “questionably well-trained” implies that they are well-trained, but the type of training is questionable. I mean, yes, the type of training is questionable, but so is the assertion that they are well-trained at all. It would be more clear to simply say that they’re “supposedly well-trained”, as you did in this comment. But if you call them “questionably-trained”, that is even more accurate, because it calls into question everything about their training – both the type of training and how well they were trained.
Is Madblood a potential subcontractor?
Only if his Mommy lets him…
Madblood seems to be the sort who has standards so it probably depends on who asks him. Dave could probably talk him into it during a game of Donkey Kong or maybe D&D. ^_^
IIRC we have reason to believe that the daughter Helen and Dave created leaves Artie standing, in terms of being capable of doing unexpected and dangerous things. Depending on her current age I guess, which is unclear. And that the absence of teleport machinery on this end is not necessarily a secure barrier, against her OR, with the use of his machinery, against Dave or Helen.
Honestly they’re only “Look Artie’s Portal Went Down Lets Go See Why” away.
I agree about the portal. They might even know why it’s down. (Artie slagged it, not it’s a component failure.)
Eh, I’d say there is a 50% chance they don’t even notice. Mad Scientists aren’t exactly known for their observational skill.
The comic appears to be happening more or less in real time, in that each storyline that doesn’t continue directly from the last starts roughly on the first day it starts, so she would be in her teens about now.
Noooooooo, bad Artie!
So, apparently Artie didn’t think of setting it to blow up just after he went through.
I don’t think Artie is planning to escape. Or at least, he’s not planning to escape to hide at his mom’s house.
Two words, Artie: Time bomb