Gunnerkrigg Court 5: Bismuth as Usual

[Marnath]

This is the discussion thread for Gunnerkrigg Court.

Previous threads:

Gunnerkrigg Court

Gunnerkrigg Court 2: Small Medium At Large.

Gunnerkrigg Court 3: Mystery Solved!

Gunnerkrigg Court 4: Friends in Need

[Landis963]

Today's comic:

This is actually an ingenious way to make sure the news gets everywhere. Rey tells Robot/Shadow, all of whom tell the Robot King, who is surrounded by a huge amount of robots, all of whom will do anything in their power to help their angel, who just so happens to be the one directly menaced. I'm guessing Rey's next stop is their adult friends, unless Annie's "This is something I must do myself" complex rears its ugly head.

[BRC]

Today's comic:

This is actually an ingenious way to make sure the news gets everywhere. Rey tells Robot/Shadow, all of whom tell the Robot King, who is surrounded by a huge amount of robots, all of whom will do anything in their power to help their angel, who just so happens to be the one directly menaced. I'm guessing Rey's next stop is their adult friends, unless Annie's "This is something I must do myself" complex rears its ugly head.

The Robot King was probably their first step because the Robots have the ability to contact everybody quickly, rather than having Rey and Shadow run around trying to find Jones/Eglamore/The Donlans.

[eee]

Oh, that's why Rey. I had overlooked Annie's prejudice against going to adults for help, and her distrust of the Court. I imagine she's going to try to handle this as much off the radar as she can. Although I'm not sure what the robots are going to be able to do... I'm not sure what anyone on the outside can do until Zimmy can blip the ship back into normalspace.

Edit: I like the new thread title.

[Zea mays]

Good call getting the robots to help.

Their new mantra: She didn't die because we did something.

Am I being too optimistic?

[memnarch]

Good call getting the robots to help.

Their new mantra: She didn't die because we did something.

Am I being too optimistic?

Probably. Though it'd be a start along that path.

[Ellen]

Rey using the phrase "Good God": If he meant that, I wonder which god he referred to? I'm kind of betting it wasn't Coyote. Knowing gods is one thing, invoking them (calling on? praying to? being horrified by a turn of events on calling on deity to bear witness?) is quite another.

[Emperordaniel]

Is this the first time anyone other than the robots have referred to Kat as "The Angel"?

[Marnath]

Rey using the phrase "Good God": If he meant that, I wonder which god he referred to? I'm kind of betting it wasn't Coyote. Knowing gods is one thing, invoking them (calling on? praying to? being horrified by a turn of events on calling on deity to bear witness?) is quite another.

I think it's just an expression he picked up from living around humans. I don't think it actually means anything coming from him, other than to show surprise and dismay.

[Emperordaniel]

Those last two panels of Annie and Gamma are beautiful.

[eee]

Ah, they've found Gamma, and the Seraphs weren't smart enough to lock her up. Things are improving. I hope Annie has had a chance to polish her Polish, though.

It's a dumb joke, but somebody had to make it.

[Adrastos42]

I think it's just an expression he picked up from living around humans. I don't think it actually means anything coming from him, other than to show surprise and dismay.

Agreed. People tend to pick up what people around them are saying. I mean, I've certainly said similar things on occasion, and I'm about as atheist as they come.

[eee]

That's kind of sweet, actually.

I hadn't noticed before, but in Zimmingham, Gamma doesn't have bags under her eyes from exhaustion. I wonder if that means anything.

[Emperordaniel]

I just hope it isn't Kat talking in the final panel.

[NEO|Phyte]

I just hope it isn't Kat talking in the final panel.

Eh, it looks to be the right color, and it doesn't have zim!ship's creepy-edge speech bubble.

[Kislath]

Looks like Kat and Paz are soon going to have their first quarrel.
Kat is really digging this, but Paz is trying to stop it.

On the plus side, Kat now knows what she can do under zimmyverse-like conditions. I predict that someday she'll figure out how to create those conditions without Zimmy, and then, hooboy..watch out!

[Marnath]

Looks like Kat and Paz are soon going to have their first quarrel.
Kat is really digging this, but Paz is trying to stop it.

On the plus side, Kat now knows what she can do under zimmyverse-like conditions. I predict that someday she'll figure out how to create those conditions without Zimmy, and then, hooboy..watch out!

I don't think Kat is angry, I just think she got so excited about her new toy she forgot what was going on around her. "Oh right, we're all in mortal danger here. Forgot about that for a second there."

[eee]

And Paz cuts to the heart of the matter by just asking. Hopefully she also asks why the Seraphs are helping the ship do this...

[Vinyadan]

And Paz cuts to the heart of the matter by just asking. Hopefully she also asks why the Seraphs are helping the ship do this...

And the ship will answer with a song.

I'm sitting here in a boring room
it's just another rainy Sunday afternoon
I'm wasting my time I got nothing to do

[Adaon Nightwind]

so i came up with this plan that i am going to go through with

and everything just happens

as i wanted to

i do know how, i do know why, please creator, make me flesh I'll tell you why, cause all the things you see are just for sweet lindsey

came up with this plan, and made it work, the seraphs are my willing tools no-one will get hurt, cause all the things you see are just for sweet lindsey..

[Giggling Ghast]

That's kind of sweet, actually.

Alternatively, it's creepy and stalker-ish. Lindsey is married.

Remember, inappropriate infatuations are a common problem with Court robots.

[eee]

OK, the Ship DOES gain some sympathy points here, but he seems a bit shallow (no pun intended). He's not talking about Lindsey's brains, or her trans-dimensional awesomeness, or her personality. He seems to be merely focusing on her physical abilities. I'd say he was thinking with the small head, but I don't think he has one of those.

Or maybe I'm reading too much into his comments.

And we still don't know why the Seraphs are going along with this. The Ship I can see being desperate enough to take this one chance to maybe become flesh - Kat, her experiment, Zimmy, the once in an eternity opportunity to kidnap them both and force Kat to help him - to risk being cut up for slag for his actions. But why are the Seraphs being the bad guys?

[Vinyadan]

OK, the Ship DOES gain some sympathy points here, but he seems a bit shallow (no pun intended). He's not talking about Lindsey's brains, or her trans-dimensional awesomeness, or her personality. He seems to be merely focusing on her physical abilities. I'd say he was thinking with the small head, but I don't think he has one of those.

Or maybe I'm reading too much into his comments.

And we still don't know why the Seraphs are going along with this. The Ship I can see being desperate enough to take this one chance to maybe become flesh - Kat, her experiment, Zimmy, the once in an eternity opportunity to kidnap them both and force Kat to help him - to risk being cut up for slag for his actions. But why are the Seraphs being the bad guys?

Oh, he's a ship. He may seem superficial, but I'm sure he actually has a very deep draft.

Anyway, it could be that a ship is just attracted by the way Lindsey moves water around her. Such beautiful waves, such fascinating streams.

[Kislath]

Kinda brings a whole new dimension to "Love Boat."

Hmmmm.... make that Love Triangle Boat.

[Kornaki]

And we still don't know why the Seraphs are going along with this. The Ship I can see being desperate enough to take this one chance to maybe become flesh - Kat, her experiment, Zimmy, the once in an eternity opportunity to kidnap them both and force Kat to help him - to risk being cut up for slag for his actions. But why are the Seraphs being the bad guys?

I don't think the ship is totally wrong. This is a specific example of the fact that the robots are not viewed as sentient living beings by the flesh inhabitants of the court. The solution of becoming flesh for equal treatment is a reasonable one. Presumably if this works they will try to apply it more generally to the robots of the court.

[Math_Mage]

Renard, captain of the S.S. Obvious.

[eee]

OK, getting into the Zimmyverse MAY be either easier than expected if they can go down that watery rabbit hole, or impossible if they can't.

That's a nice flotilla, either way.

I don't think the ship is totally wrong. This is a specific example of the fact that the robots are not viewed as sentient living beings by the flesh inhabitants of the court. The solution of becoming flesh for equal treatment is a reasonable one. Presumably if this works they will try to apply it more generally to the robots of the court.

But in doing so, the Seraphs are endangering the students. Only the Court can endanger the students. If the Court retaliates for this, the Seraphs may not get the chance to spread this to the other robots before they get booted out or destroyed. Also, if the ONLY way to make robots flesh is a trip to Zimmingham, I don't see this being a commonly available option.

[Coidzor]

If they're destroying the Seraphs, I don't really think they're going to have much interaction or chance to interact with the other court robots.

But stranger things have happened, I suppose.



What I'm wondering though, is whether Zimmyham has always had such a... visible expression in meatspace from the outside when it has manifested.

I suppose that might just explain how she was tracked down in the first place.

[Emperordaniel]

What I'm wondering though, is whether Zimmyham has always had such a... visible expression in meatspace from the outside when it has manifested.

I suppose that might just explain how she was tracked down in the first place.

Not always - things were apparently perfectly normal "outside" when the first visit to the power station took place.

[eee]

"Arm Photon Torpedo!"
"Photon Torpedo, armed!"
"FIRE Photon Torpedo!"
"Torpedo, AWAY!!"

Alas, poor buoy, we hardly knew ye...