Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT Strips 3546 to 3550 (14th to 18th August 2017)
Storel:
--- Quote from: Nepiophage on 14 Aug 2017, 22:25 ---
--- Quote from: UmberGryphon on 14 Aug 2017, 17:11 ---Does anyone have an opinion as to why the miscellaneous test in the upper left corner is "De Vermis Mysteriis", or "Mysteries of the Worm" in Latin? Wikipedia has a page on the subject, where it's the title of a fictional book in the Cthulhuverse, but I don't see what that has to do with this comic.
--- End quote ---
I think it's an erotic manual called De Figuris Veneris (or De Veneris Figuris, as here), part of Smif library's massive collection of Victorian porn.
--- End quote ---
Huh? No, the actual title of the comic is "Number 3546: De Vermis Mysteriis". UmberGryphon was wondering if anyone knew what the title has to do with the comic.
iwdy:
Wasn't May's face a different color? Or did I miss something?
BenRG:
@iwdy,
May had a repair that gave her a khaki face but she didn't like it so she prostituted herself(1) to Pintsize to get enough money to buy Derma (the technical name for androids' pseudo-skin) of a colour that matched the rest of her body and asked Faye and Bubbles to fit it.
--- Quote from: Storel on 15 Aug 2017, 00:16 ---Huh? No, the actual title of the comic is "Number 3546: De Vermis Mysteriis". UmberGryphon was wondering if anyone knew what the title has to do with the comic.
--- End quote ---
Nothing and that sometimes happens. IMO, Jeph was just telling us what book Momo is holding and perhaps reminding us that she has shown a definite interest in humans on a sexual level.
Now I think about it, maybe that's why she was in such a hurry to leave; either she was embarrassed to be seen by a friend holding that book, she wanted to avoid a possible conversation about it or she was... er... doing something with it before Winslow arrived.
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(1) I mention this specifically because it emphasises May's bad economic situation; she has to commit crimes just to afford basic necessary repairs, let alone get a full chassis upgrade. As I've already said, I understand her bitterness.
TheEvilDog:
--- Quote from: Method of Madness on 14 Aug 2017, 20:44 ---
--- Quote from: ChipNoir on 14 Aug 2017, 20:20 ---all companion AI's we've seen have been small chassis
--- End quote ---
They've been in small chassis. The body is not the AI...or is it? There's an interesting question. Is Winslow the same AI in a different body, or does the new body change who he fundamentally is?
--- End quote ---
It changes everything about him; who he is, his purpose in life, how he can achieve that purpose.
It changes the fundamental relationship between him and Hanners and others around him.
Before, Winslow was a companion for a deeply troubled woman who couldn't handle many types of interaction. However over time, Hanners has worked on many of her issues. She's not "cured", but she is in a far better place than she was post her first appearance.
A companion AI feels like a stopgap fix to a deeper personal problem, to be someone to provide companionship to a human while also subtly working to help develop someone's interpersonal skills. Likewise, the AI is in a caring environment which allows themselves to develop. Pintsize works as something of a troll, to provoke Marten into developing past the milquetoast personality he had at the beginning of the comic. Momo worked to remind Marigold to get away from the computer and not to surrender to the hikikomori lifestyle. She still provides companionship through being a roommate, ensuring that Marigold wasn't lonely when Angus left. Both AI have grown in response to their relationships to their respective human friends.
But what about Winslow? In the case of Pintsize and Momo, outside influences helped their humans develop but in such a way that the respective AI were still an integral part of their lives. Pintsize is a troll and a disgusting one at that, but at the same time, he serves as an outlet for some of the issues Marten and Faye possess and as something of the gadfly. Momo still provides companionship for Marigold, as a best friend and as a roommate while at the same time, allows Momo to stand on her own two feet with a great deal of independence. But Winslow? Can we really say that Winslow has grown since his first appearance? Hanners has, in how she interacts with people and lives her life. When she became a main character first, there was no way that Hanners would go into the basement of Coffee of Doom to roast coffee. Now look at her. But Winslow feels like he's been left behind in the dust when it comes to social interaction and knowing what he wants.
Its too much too soon for a little AI who isn't ready for the change in dynamic.
SmilingCat:
May's response was out of line. None of her problems were winslow's fault.
That said, I too have worked in a convenience store, so I can relate to May. :-P
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