Well, maybe she's too old (or insane...). Or she might just be asexual or homosexual.
And even if not, I don't think Tip's superpower always works so passively, sometimes he does have to make his move to make it work. (Sorry if my English sucks)
Just yesterday, Tigerlily Jones came ... Tip got nervous; his superpower went lame! He's got her chained, but now she's disappearing! His face is pained! Let's all join in the jeering ...
Did you hope that maybe She had feelings for you? Wilkin, you're an imbecile! Doctor Englebright will Mock you, and she's quite skilled, Colder than an icicle!
She has to go to class for Mockery? Oh, I'm sure that really drives the lessons home. I spent 15 years absorbing mockery from the best. I did not watch sitcoms constantly in the 60's and 70's just to be called "Mr. Mockery".
Dave Van Domelen (dvandom) says:
Nate: Professional development continuing education.
Welcome people to Mockery 101. Let's get started, we've got a lot to cover in the next eight weeeeeheee hehee hee hee hee heee ... I'm sorry. Let's open the text to the introooo ho ho ho ho ho ha ha ha HA HA HA HEE HEE HEE (gasp) HO HO HO I CAN'T STAND IT! YOU PEOPLE ACTUALLY SIGNED UP FOR THIS??? Wait, everybody stay put! I've got to get the dean in here! HEY SHIRLEY, REMEMBER THAT BET WE MADE??? OH BOY OH BOY!
I don't think Tip's going to want to go for any other woman for a while before he's properly over Dr. Jones. Character development and all that.
-- Wait a minute. We've speculated for a while that Tip's powers are consistent with the pre-Mad, and now he's been subjected to the laughter of a fool.
So, I get the strong impression that how the Institute works is either that those who have been 'rehabilitated' get sent out to find those who haven't been... or else the inmates just drive all the Institute staff to become as insane as they are.
(I calculate that 28 thermobaric charges should be enough to level Tulsa, after all...)
The charges are undoubtedly used to eliminate all evidence from the witnessess. The Institute is going to keep all the new tech, regardless. I mean, spring transporters? Any bed can become a gateway to.... oh dear.
(Tune: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", Rolling Stones)
I wanna use my thermobarics I wanna use my thermobarics Cause I've asked and I've asked and I've asked And they won't let me, they won't let me
Well I'm from the Institute And there's a fugitive mad scientist And she's built a murderbot But a transvestite psychologist Has talked it out of killin' us I wanna use my, oh yeah, yeah yeah Hey hey hey, that's what I say
I wanna use my thermobarics I wanna use my thermobarics Cause I've asked and I've asked and I've asked And they won't let me, they won't let me
When HQ is on the line And they want us to recapture her With damage minimised But that can't be a plan 'cause it doesn't involve Blowing stuff sky-high I wanna use my, oh yeah, yeah yeah Hey hey hey, that's what I say
You know, what with the classes in mockery (which go together with mad scientists like detonators go with dynamite) I have to wonder if the Sane Study of Mad Science doesn't involve hiding *inside* the asylum and letting the rest of us handle the experiments...
We needed help; we called the Institute; Got a girl who's mad and ... mod to boot! She fixed M; then vanished in a blur ... Poor Konstantin was no ... match for her!
Ther-mo-ba-ric! Ther-mo-ba-ric! Ther-mo-ba-ric!
She left a trail ... that Tip could not ignore ... Found her at the vintage ... clothing store! Walking in ... they saw the dress sublime ... Tip was drawn into a ... web of crime!
Ther-mo-ba-ric! Ther-mo-ba-ric! Ther-mo-ba-ric!
She escaped ... Tip got his feelings hurt! She ran off before they'd ... had dessert! The Institute ... is gonna have a fit! Gee, what should be do? Let's ... blow up s***!
reminds me of Mage: The Ascension. namely the technocracy. bunch of crazy people who warp reality through "science" going around tellin people what to do. they kidnap people who dont want to do what they tell them, and brainwash them into using their methods, and being loyal to CONTROL.
epic RPG. the mechanics are a bit... lets just say, that it probley helps to be a philiosophy major to run a Mage game. of course theres all those reality deviants, with their brooms and magic wands and kung-fu. and those Blasted Mad Scientists, clinging to old theories, and styles. i mean, who uses an 8-trac tape to stabalise their Zero-point modual?
Hmmmm.....I suppose letting the Mad Social Scientists run the place isn't the worst possible idea.
Rob (rrreed) says:
I would point out that in a world with such a preponderance of Mads, it's possible that there might exist organizations capable of, how shall I say it, "directing" the capabilities of various Mads under their influence (note I did not say control) to reach a desired effect. Organizations like Anasigma, perhaps.
The Institute (in the person of Dr. Engelbright) may have every reason to believe that there are larger forces at work. Whether there actually are forces arrayed against the Institute, however, is another question.
So It Begins (soitbegins) says:
"Welcome to Wonderland. You'll like it here. Everybody is quite mad!!"
(TUNE: "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia", Vicki Lawrence)
When the Skin Horse office said, "Help us, please," We brought Doc Jones on work-release; When we returned, we learned she'd just walked out! Well, we tracked her down to Wilkin's flat ... But when we found she'd vanished, that Just forced the doctor who'd always stalked her to shout ...
CHORUS: Yes, tonight, Englebright will bend her brain now! Yes, tonight, Englebright will fight for D.C.! She won't trust those Clintons, since she went insane now, 'Cause the Z.R.S. has moved on to Phase Three!
Now, in that flat were a lotta strange things; A mad-science gizmo made of springs, And Tip, poor soul, who wears a stolen dress! But the dress didn't have a scuff or spot, And that young man, he sure looked hot! Poor Dr. Sarah, she can't bear the stress! (repeat CHORUS)
You thought you'd cracked the big conspiracy But everything you know is wrong And you'd better be high as a kite for Phase Three
It's not the Masons or the Skull & Bones It's not the Oceanic Six It's not Steve Jobs' Clinton Clones
And I think it's gonna be a long long time Till the Lone Gunmen find out who's behind this one If Mulder calls put down the phone Oh no no no - it's the Rocket Soc.! Rocket Soc.! Pulling all the strings up here alone!
Mars ain't the empty world you think it is In fact Burroughs got it right It's all radium swords and princesses
We're bending science right around the clock It's just our job nine days a week The Rocket Soc.! The Rocket Soc.!
Sooner or later, it's going to turn out that Frank Chu has been right all along (at least in the Narboniverse), and the only reason they let him demonstrate is because he looks like a harmless eccentric...
Did the easel materialize out of nowhere, or did she wait to finish her sentence until after she managed to set up the presentation? Both explanations are kind of creepy.
Insanity is the only sane reaction to an insane world.
In other words, given what we've seen of this setting, Dr. Englebright's theory might just be a straightforward explanation of what's actually happened.
John Brown (werbluten) says:
Aww... What a heartwarming fourth panel.
Oh yeah I tell you somethin I think you in the know When I say this somethin This grief it lays me low This grief it lays me low This grief it lays me low.
Oh Doc, listen me I got to take it slow I lost my main queen This grief it lays me low This grief it lays me low And grief it lays me low.
But when she built me I felt funky inside It's such a feeling that my jib it would slide Jib would slide Jib would slide Jib would slide
Yeah she Got that somethin I think you in the know When I feel that somethin This grief it lays me low This grief it lays me low This grief it lays me low This grief it lays me low.
Well, <a href="http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS337US337&q=%22sadder+than+a+map%22">Sadder than a map</a> is certainly poetic, albeit incongrous. (I always found cartography upbeat myself.)
Adam (10-0-0-1) says:
Looks like Nick might have a new robotic pal to hang out with while everyone else is inside.
Oh, when Tigerlily broke out, Right away, first thing she did, 'Cause she was highly skilled, Well, she had to build, A robotic spider kid!
Now, she named her child Sweetdaddy, Sweetdaddy Jupiter Vel-vet ... Yeah, he was made from a Caddy, Now he's really sad, he Just as sad as a 'bot can get!
Oh, the sad, sad spider 'bot! Saddest robot we ever got! Yeah, he was sadder than a map, you know, 'Cause his grief, it be layin' him low!
Jeffrey Channing Wells (channing) says:
For Sweetdaddy's slightly incongruous sounding phrase in context, as well as a couple other of his utterances, check out Really the Blues.
Undesirable Popcorn would be a great name for a ska-metal group. Though, of course, they'd have to do a cover of Hot Butter's most famous track, and then things would get recursive.
(TUNE: "Consider Yourself", from "Oliver!", Lionel Bart)
Consider my tone ... hos-tile! Conisder my cheer ... cold and unfriendly now! And if you would stay ... a while, I'll give ... you ... service without a smile!
I currently am ... on strike! I currently do ... nothing to earn my pay! Officially, I ... dislike Those live ... I've ... worked with before today!
Due to the latest scene of Man-Machine Hostilities, Things are ill at ease, it's true! If you can't tell that you're unwelcome, let me spell it out, That I'm not glad to see you!
Consider my tone ... quite chill ... A friendly hello ... I lack! The popcorn on my desk is undesi-ra-ble! I'll simply not say, "Welcome back!"
@theogrin: Arrgh! I clicked on the Youtube for Hot Butter's Popcorn and now it's in my head forever! and worst of all IT'S BEEN IN MY HEAD ALREADY FOR YEARS! it reached back in time and got in my head!!!
I never knew that's what it was called though. I think I first met it on a videogame soundtrack. Yay copyright-dubious Youtube clips for completing my musical literacy.
Current legal hostilities Between fleshy bags and machines Mean my greeting cannot be charactisterically Warm
Please take this the wrong way I am contractually programmed to say Welcome back sir - good to have you aboard Warbot in Accounting says your doom is assured I will now dispense undesirable Popcorn Popcorn
I will now dispense undesirable Popcorn Popcorn
It is lukewarm It is lukewarm
Its temperature is suboptimal Its carbohydrates are non-nutritional It exceeds healthy sodium intake I strongly recommend that you do not partake For love or money money money money money money money money money money money
This strip is ruining my life. I now have to check it around midnight to see the next day's strip, and then I have to read through the comments around noon to find all the song filk. Today I even had to play the music and sing along to both (excellent) filks. Then I still had 'Popcorn' stuck in my head.
The union 'bots were crabbin', Claiming they don't get enough pay! So then we brought a scab in, Who fix up M and then ran away!
Psychologist was chasin' ... Crazy lady all through the town! So then ne-go-ti-a-tions ... Were not the only thing that broke down!
Yeah, my computer ... got ruder! We're fighting with the lighting! And when it ... was over Then Unity was bragging, how she Dropped it like a punk, she like it! Dropped it like a punk; she like! Dropped it like a punk, she like it! Broke 'em, and smoked 'em, if that's what it takes To break the strike!
John Ames (commodorejohn) says:
Unity makes the Pinkertons proud.
Awww... this ain't nuthin. Why I remember the Cyborg Riots of 'ought seven... there weren't anytin' left but a trail of gears and servo motors alla way to the event horizon...
mnem
We're not holding an intergalactic kegger down here...
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