Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT strips 3606-3910 (31st December 2018 to 4th January 2019)
BenRG:
"What? You're still using that old thing? The new Philomena has been out for four whole weeks now!"
Roborat:
I love how her accent comes out when she is startled. As another has said, perhaps she could explore what is available on the secondhand market, maybe she will get lucky and find her old chassis available?
Inconsequential:
If we think back to the time May accidentally ripped her face skin off, we'll see that humanoid AIs in the QC-verse, even ones in janky, low-rent government issue chassis, have very elaborate facial myomers that closely mimic human facial muscles.
The rest of May's body is basically abstract blue plastic (she was shirtless during the repairs, and was, uh, even more featureless than a Barbie doll), but her face and the ability to make expressions is the one thing that works well.
From this, I'd deduce that facial expressions in AIs are very, VERY well developed, and the colorful dermals might help erase the last of the uncanny valley effect. Plus, if people could choose skin colors, why wouldn't many of them choose something bright or bold?
Momo is the one character we've seen who has life-like translucent caucasian skin, and she's been mistaken for a human more than once. Even so, she still has pink hair and "big ol' anime eyes".
Humans (and AIs) are VERY good at reading expressions and body language, so facial myomers aren't really necessary to be understood. Several characters have more abstract faces (Pintsize, O'Malley, Punchbot, Arthur, Swordsmary, "Punkbot" - does he have a name?, etc.) with varying degrees of mobility and features.
Interesting stuff to think about.
So anyway, where's this week's Overthinkers Anonymous meeting? Down the hall and to the left?
Morituri:
I dunno. Big ol' anime eyes are a pretty strange look IRL. Have a look at Rosa Salazar in one of her recent roles. It's a film adaptation of the anime 'Battle Angel Alita.' The main character is drawn with eyes the size of grapefruit, and in the role Rosa's eyes are digitally altered to about the size of mandarin oranges. Juuuust on the edge of 'uncanny valley girl' territory.
Nobody ever remarked on her eye size in the anime itself; it was just art style. But, since the character's not entirely human, there's at least a justification for the arresting look to be translated into a live-action film.
I think she gets my vote for 'uncanny valley girl,' or at least as close as we're likely to see in film for this year.
ZoeB:
--- Quote from: Case on 04 Jan 2019, 10:39 ---
--- Quote from: ZoeB on 02 Jan 2019, 23:30 ---
--- Quote from: syclick on 02 Jan 2019, 10:51 ---Cue storyline regarding identity & body/gender fluidity.
--- End quote ---
Yes. Trans people should be able to identify with the psychological trauma Renko feels.
--- End quote ---
Yes, I was wondering about that - Jeph's handling of this arc so far seems to support 'our' (=wcdt) speculations that AI appear to have kind of a "body-map" that tells them what should be where and how everything should 'feel' at a very deep-down, 'firmware' level.
--- End quote ---
Some do. Some would be ok with trading what they have for a jet fighter chassis. It varies. See Momo's reaction to her upgrade.
--- Quote ---If I recall your posts & citations correctly, we humans have something like such a map, too, the configuration process starts already in the womb, and mismatches between that internal map and the physical body is what we call gender-dysphoria?
--- End quote ---
You do recall correctly. There is a variability of degree though. Some women who have radical mastectomies have severe psychological trauma from it. Some people who lose legs below the knee likewise. To others it's just a bloody inconvenience
.
--- Quote ---It would be nice if Jeph used this arc to try to highlight this particular aspect of the *trans experience - just like many other SF-authors have used their stories about the future to give us tools/analogies to better understand our present.
--- End quote ---
Concur. On the other hand, sometimes it's better to not look at the big picture, but to just care about individuals as individuals.
Those who fight monsters must beware they too don't become monsters thereby. Look at the big picture and forget the personal one, and the abyss stares into you. So in order to do the big picture stuff, to be an effective activist, one must first remember to be a decent human being. Then you can state into the Abyss, and have it blink.
Yes, I know it's a comic, with fictional characters, but I'd rather see them as individuals not stereotypes. If their experiences mirror a big picture, well and good, but only if it's incidental, I'd prefer them not to be conscripted into serving a cause. Even one I passionately believe in. Enough of the stereotype is true for such conscription not to be necessary anyway, alas.
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