Cute monsters! Of course they have to be cute slimy tentaclly Cthulhoid sea monsters! Muppety eldritch horrors! Plush demonspawn!(click to show/hide)
I like cats (as evident from my avatar) but an assortment of animals would be cute too.For some reason, I am picturing Hanners as a meerkat - if only for the “cute” factor. Although there is also the fact that meerkats seldom leave their home except to get food.
I reckon Claire would be a fox due to being red-haired and fluffy with a pointy nose; Marten would be a pine marten for obvious reasons; Elliott would be something like an elephant or a panda to go with his "gentle giant" persona; Cosette would be a penguin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcx6YyXvvRI); Tai would be a marmot as she's small and good at rock-climbing; and as Marigold is already known as Mar-Bear she'd be a bear.
Cute monsters! Of course they have to be cute slimy tentaclly Cthulhoid sea monsters! Muppety eldritch horrors! Plush demonspawn!(click to show/hide)
Mar'Taghn, The Well of Sleeping Dreams.
Hahn E'Lore, The Thrice Cleansed.
Fayelhotehp, She Who Smites the Morning.
Bubbleorath, Matron of Lost Secrets.
Yog-Dorah, The Keeper of Forbidden Brews.
Pintsize.
Cute monsters! Of course they have to be cute slimy tentaclly Cthulhoid sea monsters! Muppety eldritch horrors! Plush demonspawn!(click to show/hide)
Mar'Taghn, The Well of Sleeping Dreams.
Hahn E'Lore, The Thrice Cleansed.
Fayelhotehp, She Who Smites the Morning.
Bubbleorath, Matron of Lost Secrets.
Yog-Dorah, The Keeper of Forbidden Brews.
Pintsize.
I'd quite like to know who would win if Pintsize and Spookybot were to engage in a contest of who could be the most disturbing.Pintsize has the advantage of being more perverse, but Spookybot has the advantage of being an all-knowing, all-seeing, gestalt AI entity. So I guess it would depend on the judge’s definition of “most disturbing”.
Just, y'know, tell me the outcome. I don't want to *see* it, I like my brain non-melted.
Cute monsters! Of course they have to be cute slimy tentaclly Cthulhoid sea monsters! Muppety eldritch horrors! Plush demonspawn!I have the firt issue of that, a mini version and the Vacation model which I used to great effect as I cosplayed FNANP on vacation since I, for some weird opposition of the infinite circles of reality, had a matching outfit ready to go - really orange shorts, blue Hawaiian shirt, straw hat, sandals - More concerning were the number of cuties that recognized the character.(click to show/hide)
On a barely related tangent, I think Tai's current style looks a little like a cross between Faye and Tilly. I'm really digging it.
I'd go with raccoon since they're known as 'was bears' in multiple languages, but they also have a propensity for digging around in trash cans.I like cats (as evident from my avatar) but an assortment of animals would be cute too.For some reason, I am picturing Hanners as a meerkat - if only for the “cute” factor. Although there is also the fact that meerkats seldom leave their home except to get food.
I reckon Claire would be a fox due to being red-haired and fluffy with a pointy nose; Marten would be a pine marten for obvious reasons; Elliott would be something like an elephant or a panda to go with his "gentle giant" persona; Cosette would be a penguin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcx6YyXvvRI); Tai would be a marmot as she's small and good at rock-climbing; and as Marigold is already known as Mar-Bear she'd be a bear.
Well, you might have ended the friendship, Bubbles.Friendships don't cease to be friendships just because a romantic element develops. My wife was my best friend long before we started dating and continued to be my best friend for the rest of her life.
"I hate Fayelhotehp, She Who Smites the Morning, she's a bully and a monster,"
Friendships don't cease to be friendships just because a romantic element develops. My wife was my best friend long before we started dating and continued to be my best friend for the rest of her life.
What comes next is that every relationship ends in a breakup except those that end with a death.It's Shakespeare as anime... Everyone dies, but instead of being stabbed or poisoned, they're all swallowed up by a Black Sun.
I really, really hope that if there's a breakup that they are able to keep their friendship. It is a rare and wonderful thing.
Also: Can any archive ninja out there remember the strips where she told Claire that she was going to dye her hair red?Her hair has always been red (well, since we met her anyway). It's only just recently that she seems to have buzzed everything but the top, and apparently has natural brown hair growing in underneath.
Mar'Taghn, The Well of Sleeping Dreams.
Hahn E'Lore, The Thrice Cleansed.
Fayelhotehp, She Who Smites the Morning.
Bubbleorath, Matron of Lost Secrets.
Yog-Dorah, The Keeper of Forbidden Brews.
"... and they never even got their sodaaa...!"
(Bubbles line about "having no intention" of crossing a line is interesting...)
Friendships don't cease to be friendships just because a romantic element develops. My wife was my best friend long before we started dating and continued to be my best friend for the rest of her life.
I mean look, yes, but "You've ended the purely platonic nature of the friendship" was a bit overly verbose, so I simplified for the sake of making the joke, because I was trying to make a witticism.
I like cats (as evident from my avatar) but an assortment of animals would be cute too.For some reason, I am picturing Hanners as a meerkat - if only for the “cute” factor. Although there is also the fact that meerkats seldom leave their home except to get food.
I reckon Claire would be a fox due to being red-haired and fluffy with a pointy nose; Marten would be a pine marten for obvious reasons; Elliott would be something like an elephant or a panda to go with his "gentle giant" persona; Cosette would be a penguin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcx6YyXvvRI); Tai would be a marmot as she's small and good at rock-climbing; and as Marigold is already known as Mar-Bear she'd be a bear.
Something I'm curious about that I'm not sure has been answered in the comic. Is Bubbles' skin texturally similar to a human? I always assumed it was metallic. Or are sentient robots built like Data or Westworld hosts, 'fully anatomically functional'?
Bubbles did mention (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3238) that the darker armor beneath the outer armor was less protective than the outer plating, but I do not recall any conversation about Bubbles' skin itself being bulletproof.Something I'm curious about that I'm not sure has been answered in the comic. Is Bubbles' skin texturally similar to a human? I always assumed it was metallic. Or are sentient robots built like Data or Westworld hosts, 'fully anatomically functional'?
Anthropomimetic chassis like Bubbles, Momo and Winslow have a synthetic skin called 'Derma' that's flexible, water=proof and soft to the touch. I don't know whether it feels like human skin but no-one who's been in contact with such a chassis has made any 'uncanny valley' references.
Bubbles' chassis covering also has a bulletproof layer to the point where Faye thinks she's invulnerable to anything short of a 308 Magnum rifle.
According to strip http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3004 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3004) her armourcan resist a 3 cm APFSDS round.
Faye told Bubbles that she didn't need to wear the outer plating because, even without it, she couldn't be damaged by anything other than a high-power rifle. That was when Bubbles indicated that her armour wasn't about protecting herself from physical injury.When Faye asked about her armour, she said "Why wear it then? Anti-tank rifles are illegal in this state." That did not imply anything about what she thought concerning the protective nature of Bubbles' skin. It only implied that wearing armour is unnecessary, since people aren't carrying military-grade armour-piercing weapons around on the street.
I thought this might be a good moment to reflect on just how far Bubbles has come (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3003).
JEPH YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER BAST...You were about to say "bastion of suspense", right?
(Ahem.)
Comic's up.
JEPH YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER BAST...
(Ahem.)
Comic's up.
JEPH YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER BAST...
(Ahem.)
Comic's up.
Cut to Steve eating cereal. For the rest of the week.
I am contemplating that it may not be Faye.
Turns out, Bubbles' unit didn't all die. There was a survivor, and they have finally tracked her down.
`I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.''
Well... Faye ran away after one of Bubbles backrubs and freaked out about her feelings. I think "terrifying" still fits - even if it wasn't terrifying in the way we might have expected. :-PAccording to strip http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3004 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3004) her armourcan resist a 3 cm APFSDS round.
However, that same comic also claims she gives terrifying backrubs.
Unless they mean "terrifyingly pleasurable...." :-)
Calling it now. That's not Faye at the door. It's someone from Bubbles' past that we've never seen before who is going to complicate the Faye/Bubbles storyline.Oh, that would just be the ultimate cruelty. Not even Jeph is that sadistic.
I thought this might be a good moment to reflect on just how far Bubbles has come (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3003).
She showed hardly any emotion at first! She's come so far. If you look at her facial expressions there and in the most recent comic, wow, can't even believe that's the same Bubbles. She has really come a long way!
The reason Steve hasn't been seen in a while is he died of a cereal overdose. :cry:
Spookybot wouldn't say "there you are!" either. Spookybot always knows where everyone is.
"If QC were adapted into a "kid friendly" animated series..."
:?
I'm sorry, I can't do the poll this week - every time I read the line above, my mind starts flashing warning lights, smoking, and intoning "Does Not Compute" while spraying punch cards all over the floor (Yeah, my hardware is that old).
I realize it's not the spirit of the story, but we've seen several AI characters switch bodies. Gender is just another choice for the wearer. If Bubbles uploads into a hunky male firefighter-bot, would things go more smoothly?
I realize it's not the spirit of the story, but we've seen several AI characters switch bodies. Gender is just another choice for the wearer. If Bubbles uploads into a hunky male firefighter-bot, would things go more smoothly?But is gender a choice for the wearer? It's a software construct, but that doesn't mean that they can change it at will. It could very well be Read-Only.
I realize it's not the spirit of the story, but we've seen several AI characters switch bodies. Gender is just another choice for the wearer. If Bubbles uploads into a hunky male firefighter-bot, would things go more smoothly?
I realize it's not the spirit of the story, but we've seen several AI characters switch bodies. Gender is just another choice for the wearer. If Bubbles uploads into a hunky male firefighter-bot, would things go more smoothly?
(Awgiedawgie and Fayelovesbubbles beat me to it, so a massive "Hell, yeah!" to the both of them)Great minds think alike.
I realize it's not the spirit of the story, but we've seen several AI characters switch bodies. Gender is just another choice for the wearer. If Bubbles uploads into a hunky male firefighter-bot, would things go more smoothly?
I disagree. Winslow identified himself as a boy before getting a humanoid chassis. Pintsize seems to be in a genderless chassis but identifies himself as male. It is explained in 347 that gender is software dependent, not hardware; though Winslow stating "I think I'm a boy" suggests that Jeph may be changing that dynamic somewhat as he humanizes the AI characters (and maybe due to taking a more nuanced approach to gender identity in general, e.g. Claire). And Bubbles seems pretty well integrated with her body. Perhaps not as much so as Roko, but certainly more so than Punchbot (who seems completely unfazed by massive physical trauma).
Regardless of how gender functions with AI, should Bubbles fundamentally alter who she is for the sake of Faye's comfort? Even if it was as easy as altering a line in a config file, is it appropriate to treat it as casually as changing shirts?
(Awgiedawgie and Fayelovesbubbles beat me to it, so a massive "Hell, yeah!" to the both of them)
One wrinkle is that 347 came from a time when Jeph was handling AnthroPCs completely differently from today and it may no longer be canon.
The reason Steve hasn't been seen in a while is he died of a cereal overdose. :cry:
It's super nice that the Coffee of Doom staff set up a "Bubbles' Hair" sign for us to really draw attention to the significance of her letting it down.Take a closer look, it says "Bubbles' Chair." The partial obstruction of the C could be Jeph drawing attention to it, but even if that isn't the case, the sign does still show how CoD sees Bubbles not just as a regular, but an important part of the community.
It's super nice that the Coffee of Doom staff set up a "Bubbles' Hair" sign for us to really draw attention to the significance of her letting it down.Take a closer look, it says "Bubbles' Chair." The partial obstruction of the C could be Jeph drawing attention to it, but even if that isn't the case, the sign does still show how CoD sees Bubbles not just as a regular, but an important part of the community.
Wait, that was supposed to be sarcastic? Sorry, it's really hard to tell with just plain text.It's super nice that the Coffee of Doom staff set up a "Bubbles' Hair" sign for us to really draw attention to the significance of her letting it down.Take a closer look, it says "Bubbles' Chair." The partial obstruction of the C could be Jeph drawing attention to it, but even if that isn't the case, the sign does still show how CoD sees Bubbles not just as a regular, but an important part of the community.
r/woooosh (https://www.reddit.com/r/woooosh/)
Why are there so many doubts regarding the voice coming from Faye or not? Bubbles should be able to recognize a voice easily and she wouldn't react that way if it wasn't Faye.
And no, a "I wasn't dead" companion from her unit does not compute at all. Sounds like awful soap opera. In that case it might as well be a soldier from her dead unit saying "And I have your son right here as well!". :roll:
(I'm with Tai. I'm not just counting sailors, I'm giving them all names and a backstory.)Meanwhile, I've been saying all along what Dora is saying now. The ship may be stocked with fuel and provisions, manned and ready, but it still hasn't sailed. At any point along the way, any number of things could have happened, and still can even now.
(I'm with Tai. I'm not just counting sailors, I'm giving them all names and a backstory.)Meanwhile, I've been saying all along what Dora is saying now. The ship may be stocked with fuel and provisions, manned and ready, but it still hasn't sailed. At any point along the way, any number of things could have happened, and still can even now.
They both realize there's something there, but then when they're together, they avoid talking about it. And as long as they continue to avoid it, that ship is going to remain moored to the docks.
They may think it's safer to avoid it, rather than risk sinking the ship, but sooner or later, they're going to have to have that talk, or the ship will simply fall apart where it sits.
All the nautical metaphors are making me feel queasy.
(I stole this line from somewhere and now I can't remember where)
All the nautical metaphors are making me feel queasy.That'd be Jimbo. (http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=514)
(I stole this line from somewhere and now I can't remember where)
There she is!! https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/161181 also, step 2, 3, 4, and final: https://sambakza.newgrounds.com/movies/
=)
Meant to put this in this topic.
I knew it wouldn't be long before someone came through with the answer. :)I sensed that someone needed help and swooped to the rescue!
All the nautical metaphors are making me feel queasy.
One wrinkle is that 347 came from a time when Jeph was handling AnthroPCs completely differently from today and it may no longer be canon.
That's very true, and I did admit that other events suggest that Jeph was moving away from his initial stance on AI gender. But I think that the way he is developing AI characters and his approach to gender in general suggests to me that he would be moving towards a position more closely resembling gender essentialism rather than further from it. If Jeph treated gender as being something independent of the chassis even then, I cannot imagine he would do otherwise now, especially considering his marvelous handling of Claire and her relationship with her body.*
*I am thinking specifically of Claire and Marten's first night of sexual intimacy and Claire disrobing and saying "this is me". Jeph's decision to not reveal the status of her transition and subsequent refusal to do so is really powerful for me. It is a meaningful declaration that the particular shape of her body has nothing to do with her being a woman. I simply cannot believe he would do any different for Bubbles.
...strip 2085 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2085) brings Momo's reading the book 'AI Civil Rights: An Organic (can't make it out)'...FWIW, I read that title as AI Civil Rights: An Ongoing Debate. I could be wrong, of course, since it is rather impossible to actually make out most of the letters, but it does make sense when you consider the opening paragraph of the full text on Jeph's tumblr post is
The subject of this debate is whether AIs are “people-” whether they possess the same degree of personhood as humans, and whether that entitles them to the same rights.
How fitting for a physicist to cite that strip. Just don't expect anyone to start calling you "Science Fairy" ;DI knew it wouldn't be long before someone came through with the answer. :)I sensed that someone needed help and swooped to the rescue!(click to show/hide)
How fitting for a physicist to cite that strip. Just don't expect anyone to start calling you "Science Fairy" ;DI knew it wouldn't be long before someone came through with the answer. :)I sensed that someone needed help and swooped to the rescue!(click to show/hide)
If Bubbles uploads into a hunky male firefighter-bot, would things go more smoothly?Gawds no! Poor Hanners would blow enough fuses to take down the power grid.
These last several days have been a difficult time to see the strip a day ahead and not talk about it.
These last several days have been a difficult time to see the strip a day ahead and not talk about it.
Which is a lousy kvetch because it just means the strip has been suspenseful.
Excellent use of background color, or the lack of it, to indicate how everything else in the world receded for a minute when Bubbles and Faye reunited. I'm glad it returned because I was starting to wonder if they were in the afterlife. :-)
Welcome, sort of new person!
Hello everyone! I'm Jordan. Sorry to rush past introductions but I've been waiting around for the last two weeks for the right moment to hop in here and gush about my feelings to all of you strangers.
As much as I like seeing the two of them together, long term it's going to suck for Bubs. Much like the lore about vampires the relationships between AI's and humans will have sad endings. While the AIs are basically immortal just having to change hardware when it wears out they will have to watch all the humans they care about die of old age.
Welcome, new person!
You're insightful.
There's a Greek myth where a couple was hospitable to some travelers, so much so that the travelers revealed that they were gods, and thankful to the couple, and would grant them a couple of wishes of the it-will-turn-out-well type. They asked to build a temple to those gods, and for neither to outlive the other. They led a long and loving life, and at the end of it two trees emerged from their graves and intertwined their branches over the temple.
This just got super existential. I would just point out that, mortal or immortal, we don't generally let the possible endings for a relationship influence its beginnings. We mortals go into relationships knowing full well that they will end, and somebody almost always outlives another in the optimistic case that the relationship lasts that long. So, it's really not important. Carpe diem. If they can be happy today, let no unrealized possibilities stop them.
With that I would like to share this charming Faye/Bubbles moment from their early relationship:
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3119
Discussing the strip is still fun, because we don't talk about Patreon strips ahead of time. I know - I got rightfully berated for doing it once, and it wasn't even a high-suspense story like this one. But I went and looked at lots of cat gifs (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2286), and I felt better. If I had talked about this story a day ahead, I'd probably be hunted down and lynched. So I just discuss it as if I had not seen the next day's strip yet (and in many cases, I haven't).These last several days have been a difficult time to see the strip a day ahead and not talk about it.
Which is a lousy kvetch because it just means the strip has been suspenseful.
It explains the snippy attitudes about people speculating for fun and trying to consider the possibles instead of instantly agreeing with what others knew was coming...It also takes the fun out of discussing the strip especially for those of us who refuse to give Jeph money.
TBH, I use the WCDTs a lot less since I started contributing to Jeph's Patreon, because the threads are always talking about a strip that's now old news, until Friday.I still use the WCDTs more, because here it's more of an ongoing discussion (yeah, I know that's redundant, since that's what the 'D' is for), whereas the Patreon comments are more just reactions to that single strip. Here, there are a lot of people who don't see the Patreon strips, so for them, it's not old news.
We've been trolled off and on this whole week in the strips .....I mean on Monday or Tuesday he made it look like bubbles had no clue othan she thought she hurt Faye how with the last strip meant for us letting us know it still may or may not happen........and since jephs on vacation we'll get yelling bird for a while......My vote is for Melon. But then, my vote is always for Melon.
As much as I like seeing the two of them together, long term it's going to suck for Bubs. Much like the lore about vampires the relationships between AI's and humans will have sad endings. While the AIs are basically immortal just having to change hardware when it wears out they will have to watch all the humans they care about die of old age.
Okay so much like Dale and Marigold's first kiss, we all knew this was coming eventually, but the real thing just felt abrupt. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it happened, but it almost feels unrealistic. I don't doubt that both of them wanted it to happen asap, but I'm not convinced that Bubbles is convinced Faye likes her back. To be fair, we don't know how much of Bubbles' monologue (#3742) Faye heard, but under the assumption she heard nothing and made herself known immediately (which is what I got on my first readthrough), this is a bit too spontaneous to be in character. That being said, if Faye heard Bubs' confession and Bubs knows that Faye heard her confession (which may very well be the case), this would make a lot more sense.
Still glad it happened, for the record.
Yeah, after closer look at panel 5 and reading that Tumblr post I'm inclined to agree!...strip 2085 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2085) brings Momo's reading the book 'AI Civil Rights: An Organic (can't make it out)'...FWIW, I read that title as AI Civil Rights: An Ongoing Debate. I could be wrong, of course, since it is rather impossible to actually make out most of the letters, but it does make sense when you consider the opening paragraph of the full text on Jeph's tumblr post isQuoteThe subject of this debate is whether AIs are “people-” whether they possess the same degree of personhood as humans, and whether that entitles them to the same rights.
Okay so much like Dale and Marigold's first kiss, we all knew this was coming eventually, but the real thing just felt abrupt. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it happened, but it almost feels unrealistic. I don't doubt that both of them wanted it to happen asap, but I'm not convinced that Bubbles is convinced Faye likes her back. To be fair, we don't know how much of Bubbles' monologue (#3742) Faye heard, but under the assumption she heard nothing and made herself known immediately (which is what I got on my first readthrough), this is a bit too spontaneous to be in character. That being said, if Faye heard Bubs' confession and Bubs knows that Faye heard her confession (which may very well be the case), this would make a lot more sense.
Still glad it happened, for the record.
Shhh Shhh Shhh Shhhhhhh...
There's a glow.
Glowing is occuring.
Bask in it.
(P.S. I respect your opinion and think it's valid, even if I do not share it.)
Nope, I don't believe it. Someone is daydreaming ever since the "THERE you are!" scene. It's too easy!
Uh-oh. Both Marten and Faye are now in relationships at the same time. The QC Exclusion Principle has been violated. We are in uncharted territory.
I kind of feel like it could become a Pinocchio-type story where Bubbles works on becoming more human—not just emotionally—but her body as well with another appearance of Creepy Bot enabling her into a new body that is indistinguishable from organic people. Of course, if she stays as is, that could be amazing, too. Whatever direction this moves, I could see it leading to (further) interesting symbolism and commentary on society and human nature as sometimes touched upon in SciFi romance stories (O'Human Star comes to mind—another fine webcomic).
COMIC!!!!!!!!!
It's all I ever wanted. :-)
Here is a video representation of the forum over the next few hours:
I maintain that there will be enough interesting about an AI/human relationship (between two well-developed characters, no less) that Jeph could tell a good story without them having to break up.
It would be impossible to parse the AI story separate from the humans. Their stories are so deeply intertwined that you could not separate them without dramatically changing the story. The most you could do would be a POV kind of monologue, such as Momo (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2952) and May (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2960) did earlier. But even that must necessarily include the humans, because the humans and AIs are so much a part of each other's lives.Yeah, after closer look at panel 5 and reading that Tumblr post I'm inclined to agree!...strip 2085 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2085) brings Momo's reading the book 'AI Civil Rights: An Organic (can't make it out)'...FWIW, I read that title as AI Civil Rights: An Ongoing Debate. I could be wrong, of course, since it is rather impossible to actually make out most of the letters, but it does make sense when you consider the opening paragraph of the full text on Jeph's tumblr post isQuoteThe subject of this debate is whether AIs are “people-” whether they possess the same degree of personhood as humans, and whether that entitles them to the same rights.
After doing that post I suddenly desire to create a way to read QC but with only AI's featured as to parse out the AI storyline apart from the the rest of the cast.
I kind of feel like it could become a Pinocchio-type story where Bubbles works on becoming more human—not just emotionally—but her body as well with another appearance of Creepy Bot enabling her into a new body that is indistinguishable from organic people.Frankly, I don't see that happening. Bubbles and Faye have discovered their feelings for each other with Bubbles in her current body. I feel that it would be counterproductive - possibly even disastrous - for her to try to change that now.
We've been informed that robot skin feels remarkably life-like...Tastes like chicken. ;D
So - what do robot lips taste like? ;D
I kind of feel like it could become a Pinocchio-type story where Bubbles works on becoming more human—not just emotionally—but her body as well with another appearance of Creepy Bot enabling her into a new body that is indistinguishable from organic people.Frankly, I don't see that happening. Bubbles and Faye have discovered their feelings for each other with Bubbles in her current body. I feel that it would be counterproductive - possibly even disastrous - for her to try to change that now.
As much as I like seeing the two of them together, long term it's going to suck for Bubs. Much like the lore about vampires the relationships between AI's and humans will have sad endings. While the AIs are basically immortal just having to change hardware when it wears out they will have to watch all the humans they care about die of old age.
We absolutely do not know this. Self aware AIs in this universe are a relatively new phenomenon. Momo I think is what, 3 or 4 years old? 'Old' AIs are less than 20, for sure. So it's impossible to know yet what the normal lifespan of an AI would be. It's certainly possible for an AI to switch bodies when their old ones become damaged, but we don't know about their mind and core programming. The part of them that makes them what they are. Their AI cores are removable and can be placed in a new body, but what happens if that core itself is damaged? Will continual use cause the personality core to wear out? Computer hard drives eventually fail. Would that happening to the core be like Alzheimer's for AIs? As it becomes difficult to make the same connections when memory sectors become to damaged to be read? Could an AI be transferred to another core, or is part of their personality determined by the specific physical architecture of the core they inhabit? Can an AI be copied? It's the transporter question, is the copy the actual person, or is it a clone? Did you just murder someone to make a new copy? What if you made a copy but didn't destroy the original?
There are so many questions about AIs that we simply don't know and in the contexts of the story don't actually matter. An AI in this universe is a person. Not a human, but a person all the same. They could have a very long lifetime, or it could be very short compared to humans. Or comparable. We don't know. They don't know in universe yet because it's not been long enough yet.
Sudden? Sure. Unrealistic? Maybe. Am I a sucker for these types of kisses in stories because I am a sappy twelve year old girl at heart? Absolutely. This is cute as hell.Sudden? No. Why do people think it's sudden? It has been nearly three years (34 months, our time) since Faye first met Bubbles, and 10 months since Bubbles gave her augury "I would rather you not make light of the affection I feel for you-". They have been slowly building to this moment ever since.
Well....
That escalated quickly! :) I expected hugs!
Now.. the only concern is that weird lighting effect which started with Bubbles in CoD...
But surely Jeph wouldn't be trolling us with a "dream sequence"...?
(I do kinda agree with some above though, that it seems a little rushed re: the way the dialogue plays out.
Well, then.
... It has been nearly three years (34 months, our time) since Faye first met Bubbles, and 10 months since Bubbles gave her augury "I would rather you not make light of the affection I feel for you-". They have been slowly building to this moment ever since.
...
This. Technology becomes obsolete quicker than a person reaches old age. I would argue that the AI becomes outdated and eventually "dies"
until they improve the technology
This. Technology becomes obsolete quicker than a person reaches old age. I would argue that the AI becomes outdated and eventually "dies"
until they improve the technology
Which raises another interesting question. Are updates a civil right?
What would you like to see them discuss?
Found the augury in #3523. (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3523)
"Your place or mine?"Quite possibly the silliest question either of them could utter right now. Great for easing tension!
Dammit, where are my hundreds more strips of muleheadedness?Don't worry, I'm sure there will still be plenty of muleheadedness to go around. After all, there's still the Elliot/Brun/Clinton trio who have no idea what they're doing.
I maintain that there will be enough interesting about an AI/human relationship (between two well-developed characters, no less) that Jeph could tell a good story without them having to break up.
I don't understand the persistence of the idea that a healthy couple cannot be the center of good stories without some gimmick involved or the threat of breakup stress/drama.
We've been informed that robot skin feels remarkably life-like...My first thoughts were:
So - what do robot lips taste like? :-D
...
3. Oh Faye... wiping away a tear as you're talking about how you were scared that Bubbles had left. Looks like the time spent running around town looking for Bubbles really brought home your feelings, even more so than Marten asking "What do you want to do?" I am glad because I didn't like Faye's original plan to just play it cool and give herself some time to think - I don't think that would have been very fair to Bubbles.
...
And in conclusion: Woohoo!!! :-D :-D :-D
What would you like to see them discuss?
I'd like to hear Faye say something unambiguous about "I have feelings for you" so that Bubbles can't convince herself/be convinced by a (well-meant) comment that Faye is acting oddly that Faye's just along for the ride instead of being invested in the relationship. "I would never ask you to [leave]" is a great sentiment, and as a declaration leading up to the kiss, I absolutely love it, but it would be nice to have something more affirmative on Faye's part than that before this gets too much further.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ISjGqdbPFkA/VNScLyGoedI/AAAAAAAABNQ/bkddzUHqp0c/w330-h400/dance.gif)
what a great way to start the weekend...
Where? Only Thursday here.
We've been informed that robot skin feels remarkably life-like...It's polymer-based, so probably quite neutral. In any case, Faye works with the stuff all day, so she's unlikely to be surprised by any properties of Bubble's lips.
So - what do robot lips taste like? :-D
I maintain that there will be enough interesting about an AI/human relationship (between two well-developed characters, no less) that Jeph could tell a good story without them having to break up.
This. Technology becomes obsolete quicker than a person reaches old age. I would argue that the AI becomes outdated and eventually "dies"
until they improve the technology
Which raises another interesting question. Are updates a civil right?
What would you like to see them discuss?
I'd like to hear Faye say something unambiguous about "I have feelings for you" so that Bubbles can't convince herself/be convinced by a (well-meant) comment that Faye is acting oddly that Faye's just along for the ride instead of being invested in the relationship. "I would never ask you to [leave]" is a great sentiment, and as a declaration leading up to the kiss, I absolutely love it, but it would be nice to have something more affirmative on Faye's part than that before this gets too much further.
It doesn't have to happen on-screen, but I would very much hope they'd have a discussion about how this is going to affect their working relationship.
When I saw the last panel of this comic, I made an involuntary screeching, yelping sound. My partner assumed I had just experienced a back spasm, and came running to help. I had to explain that I wasn't in horrible pain, it was just that the Big Robot Lady and the Shouty Butch Southern Girl in my favorite Web Soap Opera finally smooched after years of waiting. She rolled her eyes. She doesn't understand my soaps.
I kind of feel like it could become a Pinocchio-type story where Bubbles works on becoming more human—not just emotionally—but her body as well with another appearance of Creepy Bot enabling her into a new body that is indistinguishable from organic people.Frankly, I don't see that happening. Bubbles and Faye have discovered their feelings for each other with Bubbles in her current body. I feel that it would be counterproductive - possibly even disastrous - for her to try to change that now.
I kind of feel like it could become a Pinocchio-type story where Bubbles works on becoming more human—not just emotionally—but her body as well with another appearance of Creepy Bot enabling her into a new body that is indistinguishable from organic people.Frankly, I don't see that happening. Bubbles and Faye have discovered their feelings for each other with Bubbles in her current body. I feel that it would be counterproductive - possibly even disastrous - for her to try to change that now.
Maybe it could be the other way around. Maybe Faye would experiment with a human to robot mind transfer.
Loving this arc, has it ever been addressed why Bubbles has leg seams but not arm seams? is it realated to her comment of "do you want to see what i can do with my hips?" from 3725?
I wonder if it will last? There's been so much build up and investment that it seems like they are meant for each other forever, but then again? Lots of relationships can be like that and turn out not to work when they actually happen. Definitely grabbing the extra large popcorn for this!
What would you like to see them discuss?
But why can’t they be JUST FRIENDS?
lol.
Why say it in words when we have youtube clips :grumpypuss:
What would you like to see them discuss?
Where do we go from here?
How do robots DO that, anyway? ;)
Faye addressing if she's bi, or now a robosexual....
How do HUMANS and Robots 'do it?'
And so on....
>shrug< Bubbles and Faye are probably my favorite characters.
Sorry....but I'm disappointed. This build up and climax just feels like jumping the shark. Shipped fan service rather than a storyline. sigh.
So I was reading through old comics and I had to make a forum account just so I could post this specific strip...http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2262 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2262)
Welcome!
I'm afraid at least four other posters have beaten you to that observation, though.
I wonder if it was this comic was scheduled for 'International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia', which was today. I'm also not sure if in the QC universe robophobia would be an issue.
Yes! Go home and figure it out. I'm sure Pintsize has a vast assortment of diagrams to help you along.
MAMA MIA THATS-A SPICY COMIC!!!!!
I hope Faye's glasses didn't break
Marten is going to have to restrain Claire from jumping up and down squealing in utter delight.
Marten is going to have to restrain Claire from jumping up and down squealing in utter delight.
Off-topic, but why do you still have a question mark at the end of your signature?
(https://i.imgur.com/KFxzF3g.png)Good point; whatever did happen to Faye’s spiked belt? I hope it wasn’t lost in the toaster fire…
Wow, Jeph.
What’s crazy is how Faye went from skinny to curvy.
"Your place or mine?"
More seriously: I hope they don't now slide into the background, as Marten and Claire seem to have done.
Working on their sex techniques. That IS work!
Thank you. That helps resolve some reticence I had over the resolution. I was feeling that it was too quick (drama- and pacing-wise) to go directly to a sexual relationship, but I was ignoring the fact that they already share a great deal of intimacy. That makes the perceived lack courtship time feel much less of a missed beat. (I think there's a triple negative in that last sentence, but hopefully it made sense.)"Your place or mine?"
This actually brings up a very good point. Bubs and Faye are already living together. That makes any sort of relationship immediately serious.
When roommates get romantic a few courtship steps are automatically skipped... steps that can help build the foundation of the early relationship. Sure, being roommates they already know a lot of each other's idiosyncrasies, but that's no replacement for the initial courtship phase.
Basically, once the initial dopamine surge wears off they will find themselves already thrust into a very deep situation. They are living together, managing a business together, laboring side-by-side at said business, are good friends AND are now romantically involved. That's a hell of a lot of pressure on every aspect of their lives while they're trying to sort through their feelings.
Not that they can't cope with it all... but it's a lot to think about. :psyduck:
Monday's strip is Faye eating cereal. While wearing Bubbles' armor.
I just want to say the number of new members here in the past couple of days is very impressive.Apparently, there was a lot of emotional investment in this storyline. :)
I, personally, look forward to seeing Bubbles doing the robot for her booty dance (https://i.pinimg.com/564x/16/a0/c1/16a0c1df25961ee51d61bf09d90b9bfd.jpg)
Jeph is trolling us. Bubbles is going to wake up in her chair tomorrow.
I really really really hope this isn't some dreamscape or tea-induced hallucination and that Jeph is not totally trolling us with this. It's just...too much. Please let it be real.
If this is a fantasy or dream, it’s Faye’s. Bubbles is way too polite and reserved to fantasize or dream like this!
If Faye is having a coma dream, I'm going to laugh.
No offense to the shippers that would cause aneurysms for. :-D
The 'how does Bubbles know how to kiss' question is kind of ridiculous. How do humans know how to kiss? How do animals know how to fuck?
I'm sorry, I was on board with the Bubbles & Faye thing up until today, but I just can't suspend my disbelief any more:
Glasses can't fly, people.
Comic ruined forever, gg no re.
While I'm DAWWWWWing all over the place...
...I do worry that we're slowly losing all sources of dramatic conflict in the story. Everybody is getting happily coupled. There are no problems or crises facing the gang.
The 'how does Bubbles know how to kiss' question is kind of ridiculous. How do humans know how to kiss? How do animals know how to fuck?
like i dunno have you considered that maybe you're misunderstanding your feelings, mistakenly attributing it to 'suddenness' when it's something else? Seriously. No (well, little) judgment here. We all misunderstand our feelings sometimes.
just since it happens every time, and i'm fairly certain it's not a technical fault in Jeph's craftsmanship (he's been doing it for almost two decades he's decent at it), I'm of the suspicion that it would feel 'sudden' no matter how long it took.
I don't accuse any of you of lying about your feelings. Just of failing to understand them.
Yay, happy characters. Worried they get put in the happy couple box, like nearly all successful couple in QC, and be ignored. It seems too many characters win condition is "Be in a couple". At least Angus did something different.
More seriously: I hope they don't now slide into the background, as Marten and Claire seem to have done.
Similarly here, I would have expected a few seconds of (Just one frame) of.."Umm..." and then Lip Lock.Whereas I automatically inferred that pause - if for nothing else but for them to process what they just said in that penultimate panel, in relation to what they're feeling - so it didn't matter that I didn't see it. Nothing seemed rushed or sudden to me. The entire scene is already animated in my head. I don't need everything animated on the page.
A tiny tiny subtlety... nothing else...
Similarly here, I would have expected a few seconds of (Just one frame) of.."Umm..." and then Lip Lock.Whereas I automatically inferred that pause - if for nothing else but for them to process what they just said in that penultimate panel, in relation to what they're feeling - so it didn't matter that I didn't see it. Nothing seemed rushed or sudden to me. The entire scene is already animated in my head. I don't need everything animated on the page.
A tiny tiny subtlety... nothing else...
Similarly here, I would have expected a few seconds of (Just one frame) of.."Umm..." and then Lip Lock.Whereas I automatically inferred that pause - if for nothing else but for them to process what they just said in that penultimate panel, in relation to what they're feeling - so it didn't matter that I didn't see it. Nothing seemed rushed or sudden to me. The entire scene is already animated in my head. I don't need everything animated on the page.
A tiny tiny subtlety... nothing else...
There has been a deliberate and obvious slow burn for well over a year.
How much longer did people want it to go on? An entire weeks' worth of comic to them just awkwardly standing in the shop "um-ing" at each other?
Another person here registering purely to be able to yell YAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
And damn some people here seem to take a fun webcomic super seriously :/
Similarly here, I would have expected a few seconds of (Just one frame) of.."Umm..." and then Lip Lock.Whereas I automatically inferred that pause - if for nothing else but for them to process what they just said in that penultimate panel, in relation to what they're feeling - so it didn't matter that I didn't see it. Nothing seemed rushed or sudden to me. The entire scene is already animated in my head. I don't need everything animated on the page.
A tiny tiny subtlety... nothing else...
:) But that's my exact point.
You say yourself that you felt it *needed* that pause.
The only difference being that you just didn't need to *see* it.
But isn't it groovy that we're all differrent and may see things a little differently?
I felt that moment's pause, a tension if you would, was... needed is a bit strong a word... let's just say, required.
So - why do I disagree with your last sentence?
Mainly because animation is one thing. A Comic Strip is another.
(Unless it's a motion comic, some of which look great and some are awful!) :)
You see, to my mind, two of the absolutely greatest Comic Strip writers the world has ever seen (Schulz and Watterson) deliberately included such pauses as I mention above for precisely those reasons.
Maybe that's the rub, maybe my expectation of great comic writing includes using those kinds of pauses - and, as I have said MANY times before, Jeph is at his absolute best when writing for Bubbles...There has been a deliberate and obvious slow burn for well over a year.
How much longer did people want it to go on? An entire weeks' worth of comic to them just awkwardly standing in the shop "um-ing" at each other?
I think the point was made fairly clearly above... "(Just one frame)... A tiny tiny subtlety... nothing else..."
(and I just had a quick look above... another poster said exactly that as well.. one frame...)
I don't mind you disagreeing with me... just don't put words into my mouth. :-)
I, personally, look forward to seeing Bubbles doing the robot for her booty dance (https://i.pinimg.com/564x/16/a0/c1/16a0c1df25961ee51d61bf09d90b9bfd.jpg)
Gentle reminder that Raven got her happy ending without being put in a couple.Do we really know that it was a happy ending? She went back to school, yes, but somehow it still feels like there is a lot of story to tell about Raven once she returns to real life outside the educational system.
Gentle reminder that Jeph patiently made several new characters and plotlines over the last year to play with.Which is great way to keep the comic fresh, but it also makes me sad to not see more of established characters.
Gentle reminder that the comic's been going like 15 years so y'know it's FINE if it ends.F.i. previously named Bill Wattersons masterpiece ended after just a 10 year run. 15 years is plenty, and while I do hope for (at least) another 15 years, when Jeph decides that the time has come to end QC, I will stand up, give a big applause and say "Thank you Mr. Jacques for entertaining us. It's been a pleasure reading your comic."
Gentle reminder that Raven got her happy ending without being put in a couple.
Gentle reminder that Jeph patiently made several new characters and plotlines over the last year to play with.
Gentle reminder that the comic's been going like 15 years so y'know it's FINE if it ends.
Gentle reminder that the comic's been going like 15 years so y'know it's FINE if it ends.
Narratively, this has been building up for a long time, so its conclusion can hardly be called "sudden". In terms of actual event series, I have no idea how such things work, so I can't comment on whether it's realistic. Though a lot of people seem to happy and I won't intrude on that =)
I wonder how the "let's take it into private" part works though. For a human like Faye it's obvious enough, and Bubbles chassis can probably do more or less the same things, depending on how anatomically accurate she is. What I'm far more curious about is how the physical sensations of sex would work - for humans, it's a release of chemicals from stimulation of erogenous zones; but for an AI, whose emotions emerge from not-fully-understood processes rather than chemical balances? What is sex to an AI?
Whatever tactile sensations Bubbles chassis is equipped to detect, I doubt "erotic stimulation" is one of them; that would be a pretty big weakness on the battlefield, esp if hacking or a materials fault caused it to always be "on". Perhaps an app can patch that (since she's a civilian now) - no reason to think that can't be "eros ex machina'd" in the rather squishy science of this comic - though I'm sure that there would still be massive qualitative differences between a process-driven simulation and a stew of meat and chemicals.
...............Though now that I think of it, it would probably be rude for me to get Clintony in their love life, wouldn't it. So maybe I'll just leave this alone.
Okay, y'all are gonna think this is crazy coming from "fayelovesbubbles," but I do think things got a little too sexy too fast. Even though I'm not complaining, I enjoyed it a lot, but still...
Woo! Happy to see a couple of favorite characters happy! But I have a concern.
So, two characters, one of them "super buff" and the other a large combat robot that can heft Humvees, who by their own admission have no idea what they're doing, are headed home to figure it out.....
Let's hope they're making enough to pay for replacement furniture.
Seriously. Not a joke. It's way too easy to kick the headboard off a bed or break what looked like a perfectly solid coffee table or....
You know what, I think I'll just stop.
Woo! Happy to see a couple of favorite characters happy! But I have a concern.It’ll look like Brock Sampson and Molotov Cocktease have been there.
So, two characters, one of them "super buff" and the other a large combat robot that can heft Humvees, who by their own admission have no idea what they're doing, are headed home to figure it out.....
Let's hope they're making enough to pay for replacement furniture.
Seriously. Not a joke. It's way too easy to kick the headboard off a bed or break what looked like a perfectly solid coffee table or....
You know what, I think I'll just stop.
While I'm DAWWWWWing all over the place...
...I do worry that we're slowly losing all sources of dramatic conflict in the story. Everybody is getting happily coupled. There are no problems or crises facing the gang.
Something needs to be introduced, some sort of complication or problem that needs solving.
The way all the loose threads are being tied up makes me worried that the comic is winding down. Everybody is getting their happy ending.
Maybe something will happen with Hannelore?
Another person here registering purely to be able to yell YAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
And damn some people here seem to take a fun webcomic super seriously :/
Yay, happy characters. Worried they get put in the happy couple box, like nearly all successful couple in QC, and be ignored. It seems too many characters win condition is "Be in a couple". At least Angus did something different.
One of my long standing complaints was Jeph continuously putting characters in toxic/negative relationships. Actual healthy relationships seem to be a more recent development
More seriously: I hope they don't now slide into the background, as Marten and Claire seem to have done.
Next big one needs to be Marten proposing. It's time his character grew into it. :claireface:
Re: how long webcomics should keep running
I follow lots of webcomics. They're like my soaps. I check them every day to see how my stories are going.
I am really, really worried that some of the artists will die before finishing their story. So few of them wrap up and finish. I'm actually really happy Girls with Slingshots finally ended (it's being re-run in color, which is cool, because I realize I've forgotten most of it).
But with the sheer number of comics I follow, some sort of tragedy befalling an artist seems inevitable.
Now I know it's not exactly fair to ask them to wrap up their stories as soon as their health starts to decline. I mean, this IS their livelihood after all.
I just... don't want to be hurt, you know? :P
...............Though now that I think of it, it would probably be rude for me to get Clintony in their love life, wouldn't it. So maybe I'll just leave this alone.
Out of curiosity, has activity in the forums spiked appreciably during this storyline?
Faye needs Bubbles.
Why does Bubbles need Faye?
Faye needs Bubbles.
Why does Bubbles need Faye?
Both, actually, support each other emotionally. In fact if Faye hadn't come along Bubbles would probably still be living in one room being pissed at the world. And Faye might be a lush, or possibly dead.... :-o
More seriously: I hope they don't now slide into the background, as Marten and Claire seem to have done.
Next big one needs to be Marten proposing. It's time his character grew into it. :claireface:
Welcome, new person!
Indeed, the longer the characters go on, the more a wedding becomes likely.
Faye might be a lush, or possibly dead.... :-oI would say "would probably be dead or at least homeless". She was in a serious downwards spiral, and taking care of Bubbles was one of the things which pulled her out of it.
Wow... I just had a thought.
What if Bubbles' memory of her squadmates was already erased before CORPSEWITCH got to it - because she'd gotten "a bit too close" to one of them?
Woo! Happy to see a couple of favorite characters happy!Hear hear! Bubbles has been growing her hair out. I wonder how that works, but it's a visual metaphor, intentional or not, of her growing engagement with the world, and of course her relationship with Faye.
So, two characters, one of them "super buff" and the other a large combat robot that can heft Humvees, who by their own admission have no idea what they're doing, are headed home to figure it out.....I think it's best to avoid discussion of the more... physical aspects of Bubbles's and Faye's relationship, but since they're both morphologically women, they would avoid most of the difficulties discussed by Larry Niven with regard to Superman and Lois Lane. Bubbles must already be running a "world made of cardboard" mode by default.
Yay, happy characters. Worried they get put in the happy couple box, like nearly all successful couple in QC, and be ignored. It seems too many characters win condition is "Be in a couple". At least Angus did something different.
One of my long standing complaints was Jeph continuously putting characters in toxic/negative relationships. Actual healthy relationships seem to be a more recent development
The characters have been steadily growing up.
>shrug< Bubbles and Faye are probably my favorite characters.
Sorry....but I'm disappointed. This build up and climax just feels like jumping the shark. Shipped fan service rather than a storyline. sigh.
Ladies, what if a CUSTOMER walks in??!!
Can you just imagine Punchbot walking in? "Hey guys, I need a ..." *jaw drop*
>shrug< Bubbles and Faye are probably my favorite characters.
Sorry....but I'm disappointed. This build up and climax just feels like jumping the shark. Shipped fan service rather than a storyline. sigh.
I just reread everything since Bubbles was introduced and Jeph seemed to be headed in this direction from the beginning, he may not have had the specifics planned but with hindsight being 20/20 it is blatantly obvious.
Yay, happy characters. Worried they get put in the happy couple box, like nearly all successful couple in QC, and be ignored. It seems too many characters win condition is "Be in a couple". At least Angus did something different.
One of my long standing complaints was Jeph continuously putting characters in toxic/negative relationships. Actual healthy relationships seem to be a more recent development
The characters have been steadily growing up.
This is true. And not just romantic ones.
Example: Sven and Dora seem to have at least worked out a cordial relationship
Faye needs Bubbles.
Why does Bubbles need Faye?
Yay, happy characters. Worried they get put in the happy couple box, like nearly all successful couple in QC, and be ignored. It seems too many characters win condition is "Be in a couple". At least Angus did something different.
One of my long standing complaints was Jeph continuously putting characters in toxic/negative relationships. Actual healthy relationships seem to be a more recent development
The characters have been steadily growing up.
This is true. And not just romantic ones.
Example: Sven and Dora seem to have at least worked out a cordial relationship
The older and more mature Jeph gets the more the characters will evolve. He as with all artists draws from his own life.
Melon would drop her ass. ;DLadies, what if a CUSTOMER walks in??!!
Can you just imagine Punchbot walking in? "Hey guys, I need a ..." *jaw drop*
Knowing Punchbot it would be more like *drops jaw*
What's noteworthy is the number of new user registrations we're getting now.I've read the comic for at least 5 years, but didn't know about the forums until a little over 2 years ago.
What's noteworthy is the number of new user registrations we're getting now.I've read the comic for at least 5 years, but didn't know about the forums until a little over 2 years ago.
Meanwhile, other folks may prefer to lurk, may be very shy, or may feel they had little to contribute [waves hand]. So there's several reasons why one might not register.
Faye needs Bubbles.
Why does Bubbles need Faye?
Yeah, this account is like 5 years old but I don't post much either. I suspect I have several quite unpopular opinions, despite overall being a fan and following the comic for nearly 10 years nowI suspect that if anyone - myself included - ever shared their full opinion on many topics here, they would be driven out of town on the next available donkey cart.
So what is Bubbles getting out of her relationship with Faye turning physical?
The narrative needs to address the science in some way because right now it feels like lazy fan-fiction.
Bubbles is a machine.
When you eliminate all the romanticized nonsense behind human coupling,
QuoteBubbles is a machine.
That’s not very nice...
"Bubbles is a machine" and "Bubbles' body is mechanical" are two very different statements, to quibble with you a moment.
"Bubbles is a machine" and "Bubbles' body is mechanical" are two very different statements, to quibble with you a moment.
*chuckle* In a very real sense, WE are 'machines' - organic chemistry and bio-created electricity, nothing more or less. And yet, we are still PEOPLE. Bubbles is a person. Her BODY is as much a machine as yours or mine, simply using metal and polymer instead of meat and bone. That's why I made the Big Lebowski reference :-P
Perhaps feeling emotions is an indispensable part of being able to function as a conscious entity.
Then the emotions the synthetics feel must be as real as ours for them to be able to function.
If you're saying she should be able to lift Faye without the butt-grab, being grabbed around the stomach and hoisted into the air is super unpleasant. I think that's a comfort butt-grab rather than an effort butt-grab.
if that's not what you're saying then I completely misunderstood you. Sorry!
I'm being completely genuine when I say that when I was writing that comment, it hadn't occured to me that Bubbles just wanted to touch Faye's butt.
I'm being completely genuine when I say that when I was writing that comment, it hadn't occured to me that Bubbles just wanted to touch Faye's butt.
Hell, I want to touch Faye's butt.
<snip>
So outside of a bunch of algorithms designed to mimic or present a simulacrum of human emotion, even with a humanlike consciousness, a machine can not feel the same way a human does.
StuffBubbles doesn't have to feel things "the same way" (whatever that means) for her emotions to be valid and meaningful. We all get different things out of relationships and no two people experience the world in the same way. What matters in a relationship is that both people are getting what they want/need from it, not that their respective needs are the same. AI in this fictional world is spontaneously emergent, same as human consciousness. We don't know what all went into influencing how the code coalesced, humans don't even understand how our own consciousness works. The exact mechanics do not need to be fully understood for the experience to be appreciated, respected, and validated.
StuffBubbles doesn't have to feel things "the same way" (whatever that means) for her emotions to be valid and meaningful. We all get different things out of relationships and no two people experience the world in the same way. What matters in a relationship is that both people are getting what they want/need from it, not that their respective needs are the same. AI in this fictional world is spontaneously emergent, same as human consciousness. We don't know what all went into influencing how the code coalesced, humans don't even understand how our own consciousness works. The exact mechanics do not need to be fully understood for the experience to be appreciated, respected, and validated.
Woo! Happy to see a couple of favorite characters happy!Hear hear! Bubbles has been growing her hair out. I wonder how that works, but it's a visual metaphor, intentional or not, of her growing engagement with the world, and of course her relationship with Faye.
I'm being completely genuine when I say that when I was writing that comment, it hadn't occured to me that Bubbles just wanted to touch Faye's butt.
And that's all we need to hear about that.
and you can't have emotion without internal biological organs.This is an assumption, not a statement of fact. The QC-verse AIs are sentient, self-aware beings, which have consistently been represented as having feelings and emotions, in a manner that has no parallel in our present-day computers and robots.
There are humans with stroke damage that leaves all their cognition intact but destroys their ability to feel emotions.I'd really like to see your citations to that. In general, if you've lost that much of your sub-thalamic circuitry, you aren't mentally paralyzed; instead, your corpse is in a irreversible vegetative state which exhibits no cortical activity. You're dead -- all that's left is a zombie that looks like you used to.
They don't turn into Spock. They're mentally paralyzed instead. They can't make the simplest daily decisions.
if that's not what you're saying then I completely misunderstood you. Sorry!I meant that I was sure the butt grab was both the easiest and surest way to accomplishing the requisite lifting and securing of the apportaining load.
if that's not what you're saying then I completely misunderstood you. Sorry!I meant that I was sure the butt grab was both the easiest and surest way to accomplishing the requisite lifting and securing of the apportaining load.
There are humans with stroke damage that leaves all their cognition intact but destroys their ability to feel emotions.I'd really like to see your citations to that. In general, if you've lost that much of your sub-thalamic circuitry, you aren't mentally paralyzed; instead, your corpse is in a irreversible vegetative state which exhibits no cortical activity. You're dead -- all that's left is a zombie that looks like you used to.
They don't turn into Spock. They're mentally paralyzed instead. They can't make the simplest daily decisions.
A few years ago, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio made a groundbreaking discovery. He studied people with damage in the part of the brain where emotions are generated. He found that they seemed normal, except that they were not able to feel emotions. But they all had something peculiar in common: they couldn’t make decisions.
and you can't have emotion without internal biological organs.This is an assumption, not a statement of fact. The QC-verse AIs are sentient, self-aware beings, which have consistently been represented as having feelings and emotions, in a manner that has no parallel in our present-day computers and robots.
The notion that you need biological organs to have emotions is essentially an appeal to some sort of mystical vitalism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitalism). Leaving aside such supernatural considerations, human beings are biological machines, operating under the same physical laws as robots. Our bodies happen to work with blood, hormones etc. as a result of our evolution, but I don't think there's any reason to believe that is the only way a sentient being can work. The very fact that we, and other animals, have emotions at all suggests that they have survival value.
To badly quote a philosopher whose name I am deeply irritated that I cannot remember, "If they behave as and are perceived to be sentient, the wrong we would do by thinking of them as objects when they are persons far outweighs the mistake of thinking of them as persons if they are objects."Sounds like it is related to - or based on - the Turing Test.
CONCLUSION
Computers today are increasingly behaving in ways traditionally identified as exhibiting consciousness, understanding, and learning, it may prove impossible in the future to draw a valid legal distinction between humans and computers, either because of the increased behavioral capacity of the latter group, or because the two groups will be literally, physically, inseparable. At that time, constitutional law will recognize at least some computer systems as "persons."
I always say Jeph is at his absolute best when writing for Bubbles.
Today's strip cements that belief into place so firmly I can't move!
Love.
It.
(Yeah... is it or is it not Faye? Whoever it is, I see hugs in the near future! :) )
Bubbles has done a TOTAL 180 in this comic. She's not even the same person she was when Faye first met her.
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3589
This is when people should have realized that Faye didn't just like Bubbles in a friend way.
On the forum's front page, at the bottom, click "[more stats]" and then expand the entries for May.Where does the forum get its "Male to Female Ratio: 2.7:1" statistic from?
How many glasses wil Faye break during the first month? :-DOn the forum's front page, at the bottom, click "[more stats]" and then expand the entries for May.Where does the forum get its "Male to Female Ratio: 2.7:1" statistic from?
>3589I interpreted Faye's smile, upon recalling Bubbles saying she was beautiful, as simply being happy that someone thinks she is beautiful, when she has long thought of herself as less than so. Lots of girls tell each other they're beautiful without any romantic intentions, so Faye may not have inferred any romance in Bubbles' comment either.
That particular one was recalling, not imagining. It could be Faye's mind beginning to recognize that Bubbles loves her.
I interpreted Faye's smile, upon recalling Bubbles saying she was beautiful, as simply being happy that someone thinks she is beautiful, when she has long thought of herself as less than so. Lots of girls tell each other they're beautiful without any romantic intentions, so Faye may not have inferred any romance in Bubbles' comment either.
I interpreted Faye's smile, upon recalling Bubbles saying she was beautiful, as simply being happy that someone thinks she is beautiful, when she has long thought of herself as less than so. Lots of girls tell each other they're beautiful without any romantic intentions, so Faye may not have inferred any romance in Bubbles' comment either.
But...she blushed...what does that tell you?
Her blushing doesn't really tell me much of anything. If someone unexpectedly said I was attractive, I'd blush too. It wouldn't matter if it was my best friend, or a woman I'm attracted to, or my own mother (yes, she has said it, and yes, I did blush). In my own experience, it's the unexpectedness of the remark - and not knowing how to respond - that inspires the blushing.
I interpreted Faye's smile, upon recalling Bubbles saying she was beautiful, as simply being happy that someone thinks she is beautiful, when she has long thought of herself as less than so. Lots of girls tell each other they're beautiful without any romantic intentions, so Faye may not have inferred any romance in Bubbles' comment either.
But...she blushed...what does that tell you?
We never really saw Bubbles imagining Faye. She said "I had accepted that I would never be able to act on my feelings," so maybe it was easier for her to just not do it, it would only feel worse because she couldn't be with Faye.True, we didn't see her imagining Faye, but she did make a couple comments that gave a pretty good indication that she was indeed thinking about her, even if she tried not to. I can relate... thinking about someone you'd love to have a relationship with, but being pretty sure it's just not feasible. You try not to think about them, but sometimes those thoughts just pop in there.
I don't know. The expression on her face, the blushing, the fact that she took the time to imagine Bubbles yet again, makes me think...yeah, there was more there.
We never really saw Bubbles imagining Faye. She said "I had accepted that I would never be able to act on my feelings," so maybe it was easier for her to just not do it, it would only feel worse because she couldn't be with Faye.
Upon looking back with 20/20 vision it is easy to say it was a precursor to their current entanglement but at the time it could have meant anything.
Upon looking back with 20/20 vision it is easy to say it was a precursor to their current entanglement but at the time it could have meant anything.
At the time it happened, without knowing what would happen next, I honestly did think it was a sign that Faye had caught feelings.
http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3589
This is when people should have realized that Faye didn't just like Bubbles in a friend way.
"But friendship is sacred and romance is lower form of love!" :roll:
Closing your eyes, smiling and blushing like that usually means you have feelings for the person you're imagining. Faye wasn't able to accept it yet. After her sister visited and said things, she had another moment, then said "it can't be." At that time she realized she had feelings.Again, I had read that differently. I thought that Faye suddenly realized what Amanda had been trying to say back at the diner. But her "it can't be" was because she still didn't see it that way. I honestly don't think Faye consciously knew there was anything there until the backrub moment, when she suddenly looked back with 20/20 hindsight, and realized that all those subtle little hints had been pointing to something real all along, and not just her imagination running amok.
I normally don't post on the forums. But I felt compelled to register at this Bubbles/Faye turn of events because we talking about a robot/human pairing. Jeph is normally pretty smart about this sort of thing so I hope he's worked out the science behind this arc or I'm going to be really disappointed.
When you eliminate all the romanticized nonsense behind human coupling, the bottom line is that humans are driven to pair up because of hormonal and chemical influence. It is literally a biological physical need for oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and other mood stabilizing chemicals that produces the pain and longing we feel when we are lacking physical affection. Faye I can understand because she hasn't gotten laid in months and really isn't all that affectionate with her circle of friends. She is touch starved and her body is responding to any physical stimulus.
Bubbles on the other hand is a machine. A sentient and sapient machine with an artificial, humanlike consciousness to be certain, but a machine nonetheless. She has no biological needs, because she is not a biological being. What logic processes are being satisfied by this interaction and why do those processes exist in the first place? This is not a matter of "just feeling it" because feelings are tied directly to the physical body through the chemicals that are produced during moments of intense emotion, and you can't have emotion without internal biological organs. So outside of a bunch of algorithms designed to mimic or present a simulacrum of human emotion, even with a humanlike consciousness, a machine can not feel the same way a human does. So what is Bubbles getting out of her relationship with Faye turning physical?
The narrative needs to address the science in some way because right now it feels like lazy fan-fiction.
Now, it's true that libido could be a liability for a combat bot, s it can be for a soldier. That's part of military training, though. I doubt it's actually non-existant, but in Bubbles' case I'm sure - along with many other emotions - it's been pushed way, way down.Having spent what was at the time 1/5th of my life in the military, I feel qualified to say that trying to push down a GI's libido is a fool's errand (not that there aren't fools willing to make the attempt).
I'd just like to say that all of these sarcastic asides casting shade on those who were happy with Bubbles and Faye enjoying a close friendship are getting a touch tiresome. I personally am genuinely pleased for Bubbles and Faye as well as those who got the outcome they wished for, but is this continued gloating really necessary?
I think blocking me is a little much. Especially when I haven’t been intentionally gloating or anything.