Except it’s not a biological imperative at all. Why would you think that?
It’s not even an imperative! It’s not called “Imperative 14”, ya know. It’s a maxim – a concise statement of a general rule or principle.
More specifically, It’s one of a bunch of general guidelines and tips for people who want to work as mercenaries and do so as effectively as possible. That’s why it’s one of The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries.
We’re talking about helpful suggestion and observations, not even hard and fast rules, much less any sort of actual imperative. It’s not telling you what to do, it’s making a rule of thumb suggestion which might be totally wrong depending.
And it certainly isn’t some sort of -biological- imperative. It’s not like mercenaries grow on trees, and have an instinctual understanding of 70 pithy sayings.
We’re basically talking about an equivalent to Ferengi Rules of Acquisition.
Mad Science means never stopping to ask “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” – Maxim 14. While it’s a diagnostically sound method, it guarantees extinction. (the worst thing that could happen)
….I have to say that tricking the advance team into killing each other instead of just killing them with murder bears wearing hats is certainly a novel approach.
You are lacking a control group, Mr. Ask. Also, there needs to be someone to take records: can’t properly document an experiment if it’s all guinea pigs and no observers.
Not to mention that if your only metric for determining duplicates is “partner died, was maimed or otherwise impaired” in a building defined by death traps, we’re talking a serious problem with survivorship bias
Ordinarily I’d just chalk it up to a coloring glitch, but given that we’ve been given reason to believe sweaters are an important clue in this arc, I have to wonder whether it means anything that Mr. Ask’s sweater was gray in Friday’s comic, but black now. As in… perhaps he’s a duplicate, but he got sweatered, so he… dunked it in ink or burned it or something like that to hide it.
Except… no, presumably he’d just take it *off* first. Can they do that? If they can do that, then we’re in some trouble. I feel like the knitting ninja would’ve thought of that- but then again, the knitting ninja *himself* is wearing a sweater, and when you account for the broadcast Mr. Green showed Tip at the start of the arc, it’s possible people can be duplicates *involuntarily*, at least enough so that you can scream a warning before you die.
So… yeah, I have no idea to what extent we’re really dealing with a hidden traitor situation versus… something way weirder.
This is why Maxim 14 is unsustainable as a biological imperative.
Except it’s not a biological imperative at all. Why would you think that?
It’s not even an imperative! It’s not called “Imperative 14”, ya know. It’s a maxim – a concise statement of a general rule or principle.
More specifically, It’s one of a bunch of general guidelines and tips for people who want to work as mercenaries and do so as effectively as possible. That’s why it’s one of The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries.
We’re talking about helpful suggestion and observations, not even hard and fast rules, much less any sort of actual imperative. It’s not telling you what to do, it’s making a rule of thumb suggestion which might be totally wrong depending.
And it certainly isn’t some sort of -biological- imperative. It’s not like mercenaries grow on trees, and have an instinctual understanding of 70 pithy sayings.
We’re basically talking about an equivalent to Ferengi Rules of Acquisition.
Mad Science means never stopping to ask “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” – Maxim 14. While it’s a diagnostically sound method, it guarantees extinction. (the worst thing that could happen)
Alas, experiments in hard sciences are rarely that interesting to actually do.
Depends on how much grant money you can get ahold of really.
Eris, you’re military. I’m pretty sure you could handle Tainter if he tried anything.
With sufficient frog venom coffee, all things are possible. Or at least seem so.
Unless you’re a murder duplicate who doth protest too loudly.
Given that the only known casualty so far is the erzazt Dr. Phillips, the humans appear to hold the upper hand.
As always, the biggest danger to humans is humans.
If any of them are. The plants may have already won and don’t know it.
Wait… Are we playing Doubt?
….I have to say that tricking the advance team into killing each other instead of just killing them with murder bears wearing hats is certainly a novel approach.
You are lacking a control group, Mr. Ask. Also, there needs to be someone to take records: can’t properly document an experiment if it’s all guinea pigs and no observers.
Not to mention that if your only metric for determining duplicates is “partner died, was maimed or otherwise impaired” in a building defined by death traps, we’re talking a serious problem with survivorship bias
That probably goes under documentation problems: you’re reliant on survivor say-so as to the nature of the death (accident [1] or survivor action)
[1] If you can call being killed by the Murder Hospital _accidental_.
You’re supposed to wander off one at a time. That’s traditional in horror movies.
But when did Sparks ever do the traditional? o_O
Ordinarily I’d just chalk it up to a coloring glitch, but given that we’ve been given reason to believe sweaters are an important clue in this arc, I have to wonder whether it means anything that Mr. Ask’s sweater was gray in Friday’s comic, but black now. As in… perhaps he’s a duplicate, but he got sweatered, so he… dunked it in ink or burned it or something like that to hide it.
Except… no, presumably he’d just take it *off* first. Can they do that? If they can do that, then we’re in some trouble. I feel like the knitting ninja would’ve thought of that- but then again, the knitting ninja *himself* is wearing a sweater, and when you account for the broadcast Mr. Green showed Tip at the start of the arc, it’s possible people can be duplicates *involuntarily*, at least enough so that you can scream a warning before you die.
So… yeah, I have no idea to what extent we’re really dealing with a hidden traitor situation versus… something way weirder.
Well, Tip’s top was purple last Wednesday, but it’s been blue every day since.
Maybe this really is one big VR hell, and Ira is trying to drive Tip mad through a series of fashion incongruities.
in panel 3, is that plant material oozing in ?
I hadn’t noticed. Thank you for adding an extra level of paranoia to the proceedings.
Hey, it works for the people in horror movies!
Is that creepy music I hear?
Okay, so it’s the Clue method of searching for the murderer.
You can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs. Any cook will tell you that.