Comments on: Professor Madblood and the Doppelganger Gambit: April 7-12, 2003

By: Lars H

Lars H — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 12:57:32 +0000

In reply to Jon Stout (brasswatchman). Especially since the civilians always mistake said mad scientist for being a mere apothecary.

By: Mental Mouse

Mental Mouse — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 11:59:44 +0000

And… hmm, I thought I’d spotted an inconsistency, but maybe not.

It struck me that when Dave became Madblood, he smoked even though Madblood didn’t. But when Madblood became Dave, he also got the jones — or at least Dave thinks so (and told Madblood).

But then, it occurred to me that Dave smoked even as a zombie and a ghost — his habit is entirely separate from the needs of his body. So Madblood is now feeling the lung damage (and maybe addiction) from Dave’s body, with Dave’s help interpreting it, while Dave is smoking from habit and “essence”.

Though actually, that wasn’t the first thing that occurred to me. The first thought was: Suppose that (perhaps thanks to the later temporal hijinks) Dave’s cigarette habit has developed its own morphic field… it’s capable of parasitizing any Dave-body, but when Dave originally transformed, it just stayed with him for lack of any better host. (Even a reified addiction knows better than to mess with Mell!)

Excuse me, I need to go out for a smoke….

By: ylaraniala

ylaraniala — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 03:57:41 +0000

I showed my husband the week where Helen taunts Madblood with Dave’s sexiness. He said, “I never know what’s going on in this strip.”

Yeah, weirder me out too. It makes logical sense to me, too, Shaenon.

Then again, so does Alice in Wonderland.

By: Darkstarr

Darkstarr — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 04:24:27 +0000

In reply to Leon Arnott (l). True, the bars are made of actual matter instead of plasma, but look at it this way: 1, it saves on power (which can then be used for more nefarious purposes), and 2, no chance of escape if the power goes out.

By: Johnn Reynolds (sleepyjohn)

Johnn Reynolds (sleepyjohn) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:34:11 +0000

It's the incremental progress from straightforward (if strange) goal to completely-warped-out-of-reality that makes your work what it is.

Whatever that is.

(wonderful, is what that is, btw).

By: fluffy <3 (fluffy)

fluffy <3 (fluffy) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:34:10 +0000

The original "Ghostbusters" also was built up in this deviation-from-normal-but-logical-construction way. So much so that test audiences complained about how Bill Murray didn't get covered with marshmallow glop like his compatriots did because it was illogical, never mind that the entire situation that led to that was completely ridiculous.

By: Rebecca Smith (epivet)

Rebecca Smith (epivet) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:34:09 +0000

"Imagination does not breed insanity. Exactly what does breed insanity is reason. Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do . . . it is the pure promptitude of the intellect that is in peril of a breakdown . . . the madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason." ~G.K.Chesterton, Orthodoxy

By: Leon Arnott (l)

Leon Arnott (l) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:34:08 +0000

Saturday:

"Depressingly" logical? One ought to derive great joy in the strength, rigidity and necessity of one's story's causation. It is proof positive that you've written it the only way it can be written! ...And most of those people wouldn't know the meaning of "surreal" if pickle jar right on his head! He was killed instantly!

By: So It Begins (soitbegins)

So It Begins (soitbegins) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:34:07 +0000

Heh.

By: John Wells (johnwwells)

John Wells (johnwwells) — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:34:06 +0000

This was also the modus operandi of W. S. Gilbert, of Gilbert and Sullivan. And, yes, my favorite type of humor as well. When a character's silly for the sake of zombie robot monkey silliness, who cares? When a character has ridiculous, consistent, bizarre, recognizable motivations, then you've got a joke coming.

Also, 15 minutes, Ed? Man. Somebody's got an ear for meter/rhyme.