THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: jwhouk on 16 Mar 2019, 21:44

Title: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: jwhouk on 16 Mar 2019, 21:44
Here's the poll and thread.

DISCLAIMER: Despite what the wiki may say, I do NOT always do these things.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Thrudd on 16 Mar 2019, 22:28
Lets see, we missed an opportunity for pie.
(click to show/hide)

Then there was another that quickly followed that involves romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper, oh and knives. Lots and lots of knives. I think 23 would be the perfect number.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 17 Mar 2019, 01:34
Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't there already been a poll listing various types of bread? It was the only thing I could think of, thus this week's WCDT getting sniped.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 17 Mar 2019, 01:41
I'm hoping for some breadmaking and bonding between Elliott and Roko as they try to extend their understanding of each other beyond the broad stokes that are all they know of each other to date.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 17 Mar 2019, 02:47
Pintsize's Baffling Behavior is implied by default.

Brun and Renee probably will settle in quite quickly, but we'll probably see more of Roko.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: War Sparrow on 17 Mar 2019, 19:27
I'm hoping for some breadmaking and bonding between Elliott and Roko as they try to extend their understanding of each other beyond the broad stokes that are all they know of each other to date.

Comic is up, and your dream has come true.

Elliot might be my favourite.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Near Lurker on 17 Mar 2019, 19:27
I guess the hope is that if she bakes it herself she'll be Westermarked.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 17 Mar 2019, 19:37
Comics up and now there is nothing left to prove.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: ChaosWolf on 17 Mar 2019, 19:39
I'm still boggled by Roko's strange... obsessions... with gluten-bearing foodstuffs.  How the heck would such a thing as a "bread fetish" even come about?  Many human fetishes, such as for shoes, develop from misassociations between sexual excitement and nonsexual content that occur during childhood... but robots don't have childhoods.

I'm rather surprised nobody in the cast has thought to ask about it yet, not even someone as tactlessly-impulsive as Melon.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 17 Mar 2019, 20:19
I'm still boggled by Roko's strange... obsessions... with gluten-bearing foodstuffs.  How the heck would such a thing as a "bread fetish" even come about?  Many human fetishes, such as for shoes, develop from misassociations between sexual excitement and nonsexual content that occur during childhood... but robots don't have childhoods.

I'm rather surprised nobody in the cast has thought to ask about it yet, not even someone as tactlessly-impulsive as Melon.

Hey, bread is just that awesome!

In Roko's case, its probably the tactile and sensory sensation she enjoys about the bread. Have you ever baked bread at home? Like mixing the dry ingredients together before adding the wet and then kneading it into a dough? Its relaxing for some and I imagine that for Roko in her previous job, bread became a relaxing element to her life. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, I seriously doubt a bread fetish is the weirdest one out there.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BlueAmaranth on 17 Mar 2019, 20:22
Still think Roko asking Elliot to participate in her fetish was super weird and inappropriate, tbh. It makes it a little better that he is aware that it's a fetish thing and is explicitly okay with that, but still...I don't think it's kinkshaming to expect people to reserve their sex stuff for sex contexts.

Edit: On reflection, I guess I have no reason to object to the apprenticeship itself if they both know what's going on and are fine with it. I think what's actually bugging me is that Elliot seems to imply that he'd be kinkshaming if he were uncomfortable with Roko involving him/his workplace in her sex life. I think he's being exceptionally accommodating, and what he's doing shouldn't be the baseline expectation.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 17 Mar 2019, 20:40
I'm still boggled by Roko's strange... obsessions... with gluten-bearing foodstuffs.  How the heck would such a thing as a "bread fetish" even come about?  Many human fetishes, such as for shoes, develop from misassociations between sexual excitement and nonsexual content that occur during childhood... but robots don't have childhoods.

I'm rather surprised nobody in the cast has thought to ask about it yet, not even someone as tactlessly-impulsive as Melon.

Have you ever had fresh bread, straight from the oven, still warm? It's glorious. On a purely physiological, sensual level, a fresh piece of bread, maybe with some butter and honey or maple syrup (depending on your preferences) can be quite... satisfying. on so many levels.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: A small perverse otter on 17 Mar 2019, 20:42
Many human fetishes, such as for shoes, develop from misassociations between sexual excitement and nonsexual content that occur during childhood... but robots don't have childhoods.
That's a common statement, but it's not supported by any real data. The fact is that nobody has any evidence to support any explanation.

And not saying things like this matters: blaming 'kinks' on people's parents is a standard shaming mechanism both for the parents and the child.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 17 Mar 2019, 20:47
I'm still boggled by Roko's strange... obsessions... with gluten-bearing foodstuffs.  How the heck would such a thing as a "bread fetish" even come about?  Many human fetishes, such as for shoes, develop from misassociations between sexual excitement and nonsexual content that occur during childhood... but robots don't have childhoods.

I'm rather surprised nobody in the cast has thought to ask about it yet, not even someone as tactlessly-impulsive as Melon.

Hey, bread is just that awesome!

In Roko's case, its probably the tactile and sensory sensation she enjoys about the bread. Have you ever baked bread at home? Like mixing the dry ingredients together before adding the wet and then kneading it into a dough? Its relaxing for some and I imagine that for Roko in her previous job, bread became a relaxing element to her life. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, I seriously doubt a bread fetish is the weirdest one out there.

We know olfactory inputs may create sexy unicorn men. Fresh bread may just do something else, even more sensual. Like some people are attracted to both genders, AIs may have a deeply sensual, personal reaction to bread. or Chai. Or maybe even steamed broccoli. Silicon Chips work way more different than the bald ape brains we use.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 17 Mar 2019, 20:56
Still think Roko asking Elliot to participate in her fetish was super weird and inappropriate, tbh. It makes it a little better that he is aware that it's a fetish thing and is explicitly okay with that, but still...I don't think it's kinkshaming to expect people to reserve their sex stuff for sex contexts.

I think it's time to, you know, let this go.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: brasca on 17 Mar 2019, 21:18
Still think Roko asking Elliot to participate in her fetish was super weird and inappropriate, tbh. It makes it a little better that he is aware that it's a fetish thing and is explicitly okay with that, but still...I don't think it's kinkshaming to expect people to reserve their sex stuff for sex contexts.

Why should anyone care if Roko or any AI gets off on baking bread?  It’s not like she’s leaking genetic material into the dough...  or humping the fridge.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BlueAmaranth on 17 Mar 2019, 21:52
Why should anyone care if Roko or any AI gets off on baking bread?  It’s not like she’s leaking genetic material into the dough...  or humping the fridge.

If someone came up to me at my place of work and said "hey, can you teach me electrophysiology because i find poking cells with glass electrodes sexually gratifying," the possibility of their getting genetic material on my rig would not be my main concern.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 18 Mar 2019, 00:11
This is literally just wishful thinking out of left field, but y'know I'm still waiting over here for more on Elliot & Clinton. Maybe a polycule with Brun or something, I'm not picky.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 18 Mar 2019, 00:24
I'm thinking that today's strip is more about Elliot than it is about Roko in some ways. I've said this before but I think that bread-making and other similar forms of baking are Elliot's first true love and the way he introduces Roko into the mysteries of his art seems to back that up. It does leave me wondering if real artisan bakers name their yeast farms though...! :-P

Still think Roko asking Elliot to participate in her fetish was super weird and inappropriate, tbh.

I'm not sure that it is associated with her fetish. She may have thought that it is but her only strong reaction we see is the understandable embarrassment of discussing something so entirely and extremely personal. Her lack of extreme reaction suggests to me that Roko responds only to the freshly finished product, not the early phase of making.

However, I do think that she may have made a friend, possibly without realising it or intending it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 18 Mar 2019, 01:29
It does leave me wondering if real artisan bakers name their yeast farms though...! :-P

I've known some who do.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 18 Mar 2019, 03:08
I'm still boggled by Roko's strange... obsessions... with gluten-bearing foodstuffs.  How the heck would such a thing as a "bread fetish" even come about?  Many human fetishes, such as for shoes, develop from misassociations between sexual excitement and nonsexual content that occur during childhood... but robots don't have childhoods.

I'm rather surprised nobody in the cast has thought to ask about it yet, not even someone as tactlessly-impulsive as Melon.

In my opinion, it's Jeph's reaction to some... misplaced questions about sexual orientations and tastes. Invent something so inherently impossible that one cannot even really formulate an inappropriate question about it. They wouldn't know where to start.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 18 Mar 2019, 04:13
I'm still boggled by Roko's strange... obsessions... with gluten-bearing foodstuffs.  How the heck would such a thing as a "bread fetish" even come about?  Many human fetishes, such as for shoes, develop from misassociations between sexual excitement and nonsexual content that occur during childhood... but robots don't have childhoods.

The mechanism has been established in a Patreon-only strip.

The exact details aside, all that really matters is that certain sensory stimulation creates a effect in Roko's neural processes analogous to sexual stimulation in humans. TBH, the 'why' doesn't matter and likely will never be addressed. Much of what QC-verse AIs do seems to be a mystery even to them (let alone to their creators) so there may not be an easily-diagnosable cause at all. I suspect that even Roko doesn't know 'why', any more than she really knows why she has a 'tickle' response in her feet.

I'm rather surprised nobody in the cast has thought to ask about it yet, not even someone as tactlessly-impulsive as Melon.

Oddly enough, it was Melon who asked in the Patreon-only strip. Even she doesn't entirely get it, even after Roko explains! :lol:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Zebediah on 18 Mar 2019, 04:15
It does leave me wondering if real artisan bakers name their yeast farms though...! :-P

I've known some who do.
Yes, this definitely happens. I know someone who named her sourdough.

Sourdough is the weirdest pet you can ever have. It’s like a tamagotchi, but with yeast and flour.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Hoodiecrow on 18 Mar 2019, 07:16
Oh Elliot ya big lug of actually soft-spoken percipience.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Carl-E on 18 Mar 2019, 08:03
I've been away from the forums for a while, so I don't know if this has come up...

I'm a bit concerned with Roko engaging in this apprenticeship, but not for the reasons most others profess.  Basically, it's the old saw "familiariity breeds contempt".  Bear with me a moment, before you decry. 

It's often the case that becoming intimate with a process (pun intended, I guess) can take all the "mystery" out of it.  That, and the repeated intense contact with her objet de désir may have a psychological effect similar to acclimation, where the effect gets less intense over time. 

Maybe that's her intention - to get control over this uncontrollable effect.  But maybe she's just trying to get closer, and this will be an unintended consequence, leading to a loss of something precious. 



Discuss!  (like you need my permission... ;) )
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 18 Mar 2019, 08:55
First of all, welcome back Carl-E.

Secondly, just to show the other side of the coin, engaging in an activity like this can have the possibility of increasing the love Roko has for bread. Sure, she could read up on what happens during the process of baking, but that's cold, sterile and doesn't offer much else. But in actually getting her hands into the dough, that can open up new thoughts of appreciation. Its less taking away the mystery and more gaining understanding what is going on.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: sitnspin on 18 Mar 2019, 08:56
I dunno about you, Carl, but I've had a lot of sex in my life (as an example) and I've never gotten tired of it. Sometimes familiarity allows us to appreciate what we love even more.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 18 Mar 2019, 09:05
Yeah, but that said, if the sex gets stale, you can't make a dessert out of it.
Well, you could, but then its going to get all sorts of messy.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: sitnspin on 18 Mar 2019, 10:02
If your sex is getting stale, you're doing it wrong.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 18 Mar 2019, 10:34
If your sex is getting stale, you're doing it wrong.
So, you're saying they should try including baked goods?  ;)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: sitnspin on 18 Mar 2019, 10:54
As long as your partners are cool with it, go for it. If nothing else, it will be tasty.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 18 Mar 2019, 12:18
I mean, who am I to object if someone wants to bring a little roll playing in to spice up their sex lives?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: dutchrvl on 18 Mar 2019, 13:14
I mean, who am I to object if someone wants to bring a little roll playing in to spice up their sex lives?

a case of yeast affection has never hurt anyone  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 18 Mar 2019, 13:28
I mean, who am I to object if someone wants to bring a little roll playing in to spice up their sex lives?
And the more I think about it, the more likely it is that some of Jim's customer base would require rolls repeatedly rubbed on a reasonable, reinstalled robot's regal, resplendent, and recently restored rump.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 18 Mar 2019, 13:46
As long as your partners are cool with it, go for it. If nothing else, it will be tasty.
Considering some local baked goods, that could potentially be a very sticky situation.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: poofdepoof on 18 Mar 2019, 14:20
I'm usually just a happy lurker in this thorough discussions, but I went to the trouble of logging in to add -- is anyone else? completely enamored? by Elliot naming his starter BRAD because it's ALMOST BREAD????

like omg I love him. <3

as for ships, since it was mentioned, I feel like I want
Elliot + Clinton
and also
Brun + Clinton

but I don't actually care much for Elliot + Brun, or anyone + Roko yet.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cesium133 on 18 Mar 2019, 14:37
What about Roko+Brad?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Carl-E on 18 Mar 2019, 20:24
They'd need a bigger pan. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: DaiJB on 18 Mar 2019, 20:25
HI BRAD! Welcome to a new character - the first named viscous, bubbling mass in this comic!  :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 18 Mar 2019, 21:14
*snip*
I mean, in the grand scheme of things, I seriously doubt a bread fetish is the weirdest one out there.

Not by a long shot.

For sanity's sake, I won't list the ones that are the worst.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 18 Mar 2019, 21:16
NEW COMIC

Hurray for mathematical answers.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Magniras on 18 Mar 2019, 21:41
That logic actually makes perfect sense. And is totally the kind of workaround I could see some of the programmers I know kludge together.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 18 Mar 2019, 23:23
*snip*
I mean, in the grand scheme of things, I seriously doubt a bread fetish is the weirdest one out there.

Not by a long shot.

For sanity's sake, I won't list the ones that are the worst.
For Gawd's sake, don't!!  If you do someone's bound to say, "Hold my electrodes, furniture polish, and this can of creamed corn."
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 18 Mar 2019, 23:34
I've worked tech support, and am more curious than Pandora.  Much like Roy Batty, I've seen things you people wouldn't believe[1]...  And there's still worse out there, things that I *haven't* seen.  I don't want to, and there are limits to even what my demented mind can handle.


[1] The kind that got the FBI involved after the people who had those machines
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 19 Mar 2019, 00:29
It says a lot about Roko's personality that, even though Melon's behaviour irritates and worries her on occasion, she still feels obliged to look out for her and defend her. What she says in panel 4 also gives us a little insight into how Melon's mind works. Even though she's easily disoriented, it seems that she has strong associative memories of what people tell her. I wonder if that difficulty with navigation is why she had to check the names of every shop she encountered until she reached Coffee of Doom?

Panel 5 leaves me with a strong mental image of Roko shaking Melon hard and fast whilst a cross-eyed Melon is yelling out: "WHEEEEEE!!!" :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Hoodiecrow on 19 Mar 2019, 02:08
That logic actually makes perfect sense. And is totally the kind of workaround I could see some of the programmers I know kludge together.

As a programmer, I can confirm that.

This scheme works, but I'm not entirely sure it's about logic. It's the same mechanism that makes it possible to teach animals simple rules, even though they probably don't understand what the rules mean.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: brasca on 19 Mar 2019, 03:34
I have a feeling if you shook Melon you’d hear a bunch of silly sound effects. 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Tai Fanboi on 19 Mar 2019, 04:16
Hmm..  Wonder if Elliot smells like bread all the time after he's done a shift at the bakery...  Wonder if Roko turned her sensor suite back up.... 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Carl-E on 19 Mar 2019, 06:31
I have a feeling if you shook Melon you’d hear a bunch of silly sound effects.

Dunno, but you'd probably hear a fair bit of rattling. 


I mean, someting's loose...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 19 Mar 2019, 06:49
One of the AI versions of neuroatypical, I suppose. Though that's a little harder to call, since while AIs are people but not human people so.... some of our measurements aren't gonna track. And some of them don't track for humans as is.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 19 Mar 2019, 06:51
Actually that bugs me a bit when people argue it "doesn't make sense" for AI people to be a certain way or experience a certain quirk of existence, cuz like... how do you *think* 'sense' works?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 19 Mar 2019, 07:47
I have a feeling if you shook Melon you’d hear a bunch of silly sound effects.

Dunno, but you'd probably hear a fair bit of rattling. 


I mean, someting's loose...

Now my colleagues are asking themselves why I'm chuckling all by myself... :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 19 Mar 2019, 08:18
I have a feeling if you shook Melon you’d hear a bunch of silly sound effects.

Dunno, but you'd probably hear a fair bit of rattling. 


I mean, someting's loose...
i]

Now my colleagues are asking themselves why I'm chuckling all by myself... :-D
"Giving someone a story to tell is easy. All it takes is a smile." (http://www.threepanelsoul.com/comic/on-gift-giving)

I did the link right this time. Going to sleep now. Any second.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: ChaosWolf on 19 Mar 2019, 17:20
I'm still boggled by Roko's strange... obsessions... with gluten-bearing foodstuffs.  How the heck would such a thing as a "bread fetish" even come about?  Many human fetishes, such as for shoes, develop from misassociations between sexual excitement and nonsexual content that occur during childhood... but robots don't have childhoods.

The mechanism has been established in a Patreon-only strip.

The exact details aside, all that really matters is that certain sensory stimulation creates a effect in Roko's neural processes analogous to sexual stimulation in humans. TBH, the 'why' doesn't matter and likely will never be addressed. Much of what QC-verse AIs do seems to be a mystery even to them (let alone to their creators) so there may not be an easily-diagnosable cause at all. I suspect that even Roko doesn't know 'why', any more than she really knows why she has a 'tickle' response in her feet.

I'm rather surprised nobody in the cast has thought to ask about it yet, not even someone as tactlessly-impulsive as Melon.

Oddly enough, it was Melon who asked in the Patreon-only strip. Even she doesn't entirely get it, even after Roko explains! :lol:

Which strip was it? I didn't even know he had exclusives on his Patreon, I thought he just had early previews of upcoming strips.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 19 Mar 2019, 18:07
Occasionally Jeph will produce Patreon-unique comics, some of them have been used on days when either Jeph has used his buffer and/or unable to produce a comic.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 19 Mar 2019, 20:14
Ah Melon!  Soon we'll see how Roko's new sensorium reacts to the scent of Oolong.  Will we see Mrs Giraffe, or will it be somehow skewed?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: A small perverse otter on 19 Mar 2019, 21:28
Ah Melon!  Soon we'll see how Roko's new sensorium reacts to the scent of Oolong.  Will we see Mrs Giraffe, or will it be somehow skewed?
I think that will depend on who prepares the tea.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cesium133 on 19 Mar 2019, 21:33
Ah Melon!  Soon we'll see how Roko's new sensorium reacts to the scent of Oolong.  Will we see Mrs Giraffe, or will it be somehow skewed?
I think that will depend on who prepares the tea.
If the wrong person prepares the tea:
(https://imgur.com/CKV3jql.jpg)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TV4Fun on 19 Mar 2019, 22:38
Wow, Dora's model has really changed. At first, I thought she was Emily.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 19 Mar 2019, 23:06
Ah Melon!  Soon we'll see how Roko's new sensorium reacts to the scent of Oolong.  Will we see Mrs Giraffe, or will it be somehow skewed?
I think that will depend on who prepares the tea.
If the wrong person prepares the tea:
<img>

I read this and thought to myself, "My, wouldn't it be funny to post another image under the text, 'If the right person prepares the tea:'

Googling the phrase "sexy giraffe" is as far as I got with that exercise.

If you're feeling up to it, feel free to google it yourself. Either way, I shan't bother providing an image, as I'm sure you get the gist.

If the right person prepares the tea:
<the image you are imagining here>
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 19 Mar 2019, 23:52

<snip>

Googling the phrase "sexy giraffe" is as far as I got with that exercise.

If you're feeling up to it, feel free to google it yourself. Either way, I shan't bother providing an image, as I'm sure you get the gist.

If the right person prepares the tea:
<the image you are imagining here>


Ah, yes. Rule 34. Or a precursor.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 20 Mar 2019, 00:19
Ah, Melon! So wonderfully full of good intentions and love and so woefully unable to communicate her needs to people around her! :lol:

Seriously though, I'm pretty sure that this Oolong Tea is going to be a Chekhov's Gun of some sort. Roko is going to try sniffing it and whatever hallucination it generates is going to trigger something. What in particular I'm not sure but it's going to happen.

Meanwhile, Dora is looking beautiful today. She's also looking confused and Emily is not making it any easier. Just when she'd more-or-less decided that customers are just weird and she shouldn't try to get them, Emily comes along and plants the seed in her head that everyone else is normal and that Dora's the one who is somehow out-of-step with reality. When Jeph mentions Fairy Girl in the footer text it does remind us that there's something intrinsically crazy about QC Northampton that means the sane may be out-of-place there!

As a final PS, Jeph has clearly heard the complaints that Dora and Emily are occasionally hard to tell apart and that's why he made today's strip. Emily is taller, has different-shaped eyes and a more angular face.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 20 Mar 2019, 00:28
Also, Dora and Emily have different hairstyles. also, Emily doesn't seem to change hers as often as dora does.


Aaaaaaand: Emily would never look as confused as dora does in panel 3. And Melon probably would know her by now, at least I believe she wouldn't go for "Hello human lady" with Emily.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: mof920 on 20 Mar 2019, 00:55
Am I the only one who saw Melon and thought, "dat ass" in tonights comic? (3963)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 20 Mar 2019, 01:18
Am I the only one who saw Melon and thought, "dat ass" in tonights comic? (3963)

I thought about thinking it, but was 'meh' instead.
I was closer to daaaaaaang!ing Roko in the one before.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: hakko504 on 20 Mar 2019, 01:28
Am I the only one who saw Melon and thought, "dat ass" in tonights comic? (3963)

I thought about thinking it, but was 'meh' instead.
I was closer to daaaaaaang!ing Roko in the one before.
There is something about robutts in this comic...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 20 Mar 2019, 01:52
Am I the only one who saw Melon and thought, "dat ass" in tonights comic? (3963)

I thought about thinking it, but was 'meh' instead.
I was closer to daaaaaaang!ing Roko in the one before.
There is something about robutts in this comic...


There might be an  explanation (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1910) for that.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Meander on 20 Mar 2019, 03:15
Am I the only one who saw Melon and thought, "dat ass" in tonights comic? (3963)

*raises hand*
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 20 Mar 2019, 05:18
Melon has no clue, but she has a good heart.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: DSL on 20 Mar 2019, 09:13
Dora just hasn't been looking like Dora; the projection of self-confidence that's been a hallmark (even when it's not justified) of the Dora model is missing today.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cesium133 on 20 Mar 2019, 09:19
Am I the only one who saw Melon and thought, "dat ass" in tonights comic? (3963)
Faye and Bubbles do good work.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 20 Mar 2019, 09:52
Dora just hasn't been looking like Dora; the projection of self-confidence that's been a hallmark (even when it's not justified) of the Dora model is missing today.

JJ's drawing style has shifted lately, towards a bit larger eyes. and that might make current dora look like earlier Emily in certain instances At least that's what I think.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 20 Mar 2019, 10:39
If all the characters reflect a little bit of the artist, and Jeph himself has described Pintsize as "dangerously obsessed with butts;" ....hmmmm.....

Whatever the reason, the man does draw a fine arse.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 20 Mar 2019, 11:38
Melon has no clue, but she has a good heart.

Well, coolant pump, at least.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 20 Mar 2019, 20:32
Comic's up.

And I want to like Melon, I really do, but I don't know, maybe less is more.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TV4Fun on 20 Mar 2019, 22:33
Okay, totally shipping Elliot and Roko now.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 21 Mar 2019, 00:15
I think that this is a dream come true for Roko: Being able to excuse herself whilst someone else explains objective reality to Melon!

What makes me laugh here is Melon's childlike innocence. Naturally, she has a hard time imagining why Roko might have invited someone into her apartment. After all, what might you do there that you wouldn't do outdoors? Surely it isn't as much fun indoors?

I just wonder how long Roko and Elliot have been talking about inconsequential things, just unwilling to end the interaction? :-D
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: brasca on 21 Mar 2019, 00:43
Wash her face?  Is that something Roko's new chassis requires or just an excuse to leave the room? 
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 21 Mar 2019, 00:51
Wash her face?  Is that something Roko's new chassis requires or just an excuse to leave the room?

Nope, Probably she's just taking a look at her butt emblem again. It IS fancy after all.

I just wonder how long Roko and Elliot have been talking about inconsequential things, just unwilling to end the interaction? :-D

I'd say something like ten minutes. Or whatever time it was for them to justify get comfortable.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 21 Mar 2019, 02:23
Wash her face?  Is that something Roko's new chassis requires or just an excuse to leave the room?

Definitely. Roko may love Melon but I don't think that she's in the mood to listen to Elliot try to convince her that he has a legitimate reason to be in the apartment other than "I don't know how to find where I live".
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 21 Mar 2019, 03:18
"Roko are you home? I hope so, because your door was unlocked!"

That's the most logical thing I remember Melon saying...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Zebediah on 21 Mar 2019, 03:28
Wash her face?  Is that something Roko's new chassis requires or just an excuse to leave the room?
She did just finish a shift at a bakery. She probably has flour on it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: jwhouk on 21 Mar 2019, 05:09
Wash her face?  Is that something Roko's new chassis requires or just an excuse to leave the room?

...

(waited to edit)

I think we might be dealing with dysphoria here with Roko. And OCD-like actions might be part of that.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TV4Fun on 21 Mar 2019, 08:07
Comic's up.

And I want to like Melon, I really do, but I don't know, maybe less is more.
Have to agree with this. Melon was originally more of a comedy character for filler strips, more along the lines of Yelling Bird. Having her actually interact on a regular basis with our main characters and contribute to the plot feels weird.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 21 Mar 2019, 10:00
Well, she's not a toy. Same as Steve, Pintsize, Emily, etc.

well they're all toys, sort of, but y'know what i'm saying?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 21 Mar 2019, 10:11
Melon, to me, kinda feels like the same type of joke told repeatedly.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Tormuse on 21 Mar 2019, 11:05
I just think it's cute that Melon is like, "aha!  I can finally get the better of someone for once."  :)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 21 Mar 2019, 11:08
Melon, to me, kinda feels like the same type of joke told repeatedly.

I made no secret of feeling the same way.

Recently, though, I was *almost* ready to cut her some slack. For some reason, today's comic reset me to not liking her appearances. I can't quite put my finger on why.

EDIT: it might be that it's my pet peeve when people (fictional or otherwise) impose the way they act or think upon others. When someone acts or reacts unusually, I'm fine with this (or consciously try to be, at least). Even when it's very unusual and even somewhat disruptive for others. But when those same people act like others share in their experience, I immediately go to "no, it's all you".

Maybe it's because I've had to spend a lot of my life figuring out how others seem to think and feel extremely unlike the way I tend to, but people who are either unable or unwilling to step outside their heads at ALL and just kind of assume everyone is like them rub me the wrong way. I don't exactly *blame* Melon, because she seems to be cognitively impaired in some way, but character development like this still... I don't know what word to use. Unsettles me? Annoys me?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 21 Mar 2019, 11:42
Melon, to me, kinda feels like the same type of joke told repeatedly.

I made no secret of feeling the same way.

Recently, though, I was *almost* ready to cut her some slack. For some reason, today's comic reset me to not liking her appearances. I can't quite put my finger on why.

EDIT: it might be that it's my pet peeve when people (fictional or otherwise) impose the way they act or think upon others. When someone acts or reacts unusually, I'm fine with this (or consciously try to be, at least). Even when it's very unusual and even somewhat disruptive for others. But when those same people act like others share in their experience, I immediately go to "no, it's all you".

Maybe it's because I've had to spend a lot of my life figuring out how others seem to think and feel extremely unlike the way I tend to, but people who are either unable or unwilling to step outside their heads at ALL and just kind of assume everyone is like them rub me the wrong way. I don't exactly *blame* Melon, because she seems to be cognitively impaired in some way, but character development like this still... I don't know what word to use. Unsettles me? Annoys me?

That is a good reason to not like someone.

Yes, Melon probably only was intented more as comic relief, but she's fully canon now. Up to now every character of some regularity got some kind of redemption possibility. If there's no place for Melon to grow, she'll be restricted to what she is: a slight nuisance, used as comic relief. Or she'll be eaten by an allobot.
Also, I've got the feeling the more people start complaining about Melon in a certain way, the more Melon we'll see.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: War Sparrow on 21 Mar 2019, 12:44
<snip>

Maybe it's because I've had to spend a lot of my life figuring out how others seem to think and feel extremely unlike the way I tend to, but people who are either unable or unwilling to step outside their heads at ALL and just kind of assume everyone is like them rub me the wrong way. I don't exactly *blame* Melon, because she seems to be cognitively impaired in some way, but character development like this still... I don't know what word to use. Unsettles me? Annoys me?

Some people, or characters, just make your brain itch. It's understandable. And then you feel bad, especially when they can't help it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: brasca on 21 Mar 2019, 19:40
Comic is up!

Hope Roko isn’t having a Poltergeist moment.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 21 Mar 2019, 20:37
Just compulsively washing her face.

Can an AI have a breakdown?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 21 Mar 2019, 21:05
Oh look, a Friday cliffhanger!
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Annemoon on 21 Mar 2019, 21:05
Just compulsively washing her face.

Can an AI have a breakdown?

I would say we're looking right at it. Oef.
I hope Eliot doesn't divert from his own instinct because of melon's response.
(Oh man I seriously dislike it when people undermine 'helping' senses of others like that, I feel like that's almost never a good idea. You need to have a very solid reason to why you *know* your idea about the "to be helped" person would be better at that moment. And people are already so unsure of themselves, don't want to impose, that you do damage the situation so easily.)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 21 Mar 2019, 22:56
Well. There's more to it than just her wanting to escape Melon, I guess.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 21 Mar 2019, 23:15
Seems like Roko isn't responding to washing her face the way she used to. Let's just hope she didn't destroy her dermal covering... but that'd be a good reason to return to UR.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 22 Mar 2019, 00:14
No, Roko, I'm afraid that you can't wash away your new body, no matter how hard you try.

Yeah, it looks like Jeph has decided to not just magically wave away Roko's problems. I'm glad that Elliot is there right now because I doubt that poor Melon has even slightly the right mental or emotional equipment for this situation. I doubt that I would either, beyond insisting that the person stay with me so that I can ensure that they don't self-harm.


I hope Eliot doesn't divert from his own instinct because of melon's response.

I can's see anything wrong with Melon's response. All that she's doing is saying 'I don't know and I don't have the common sense to identify a red flag', which shouldn't surprise anyone.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Dandi Andi on 22 Mar 2019, 00:49
Oh god. She doesn't see herself in the mirror. It looks like her, but it isn't her. Not really her. And every time she looks away from the mirror, she desperately hopes that the next time she looks up she'll see herself looking back, but she doesn't. And every time it crushes her a little more.

I fucking HATE mirrors. More than anything. Except maybe fitting rooms.

While I generally really appreciate the fact that Jeph doesn't make Claire's story about being trans* (that she isn't just "the trans* character"), I think she's probably the best equipped to understand how Roko is feeling right now. I kinda hope they get a chance to talk.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: JoeCovenant on 22 Mar 2019, 01:57

Dammit...
Just when we were starting to think "Hey! Looks like Roko's got a handle on this thang!"

 :cry:
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 22 Mar 2019, 03:19
Oh god. She doesn't see herself in the mirror. It looks like her, but it isn't her. Not really her. And every time she looks away from the mirror, she desperately hopes that the next time she looks up she'll see herself looking back, but she doesn't. And every time it crushes her a little more.

I fucking HATE mirrors. More than anything. Except maybe fitting rooms.

While I generally really appreciate the fact that Jeph doesn't make Claire's story about being trans* (that she isn't just "the trans* character"), I think she's probably the best equipped to understand how Roko is feeling right now. I kinda hope they get a chance to talk.
Thank you for the clue-by-four.
I was just thinking she was having issues processing the way the water felt. Like it was just off. Whether it be due to the chasis or someone screwing up the chlorine levels or something for the current batch at the water treatment center.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Tai Fanboi on 22 Mar 2019, 04:35
I got a serious Dr. Casey vibe from that mirror scene.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Theta9 on 22 Mar 2019, 06:48
Whoa, Roko, sick delts.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Neko_Ali on 22 Mar 2019, 07:25

Dammit...
Just when we were starting to think "Hey! Looks like Roko's got a handle on this thang!"

 :cry:

Honestly, that's what a lot of dysphoria feels like. For me anyway. You start to feel okay in your skin. Maybe even comfortable. Then a look in the mirror, or you catch a look at your body and suddenly your mind is screaming 'This is wrong!' Big empathy, Roko.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: themacnut on 22 Mar 2019, 09:09
I wonder how sophisticated virtual reality is in QC; this may end up being the only solution to Roko's issues. She doesn't feel "at home" in her own body, and no amount of adjustments or fine-tuning may fix that. Her original body is gone, damaged beyond repair and almost certainly scrapped or recycled by now. So, her only solution may be to leave her body entirely and be placed in an AI VR world that she can adjust to her liking.

Either that, or her dysphoria is going to be on ongoing part of her character, like Faye's alcoholism or Hannelore's OCD, something she's going to have to deal with for the foreseeable future.

Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: artag on 22 Mar 2019, 09:35
Yelling Bird. Having her actually interact on a regular basis with our main characters and contribute to the plot feels weird.

I like Melon more & more. She's gone from 'kooky' to 'qwirky', and I think her deep concern for Roko has turned her into a full character instead of being just for laughs.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: chetoos8 on 22 Mar 2019, 10:30
I'm actually really glad that I came here to read about this, because I completely missed the dysphoria stuff in Roko's storyline, but it makes it a lot richer. I agree, I'm glad that this is getting explored someway, and I hope that Roko does talk to Claire about it.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Y on 22 Mar 2019, 11:19
Do AIs sweat? Because that the main reason humans have to wash frequently I think. If that sweat smells differently it might feel like not owning your body.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 22 Mar 2019, 11:34
Do AIs sweat? Because that the main reason humans have to wash frequently I think. If that sweat smells differently it might feel like not owning your body.

Sweating is a biological cooling process (except cold sweats IIRC). Firstly, it's pressing "hot" sweat from the inside to the outside, increasing cooling capabilities from the core, and evaporation cools by using up energy for the liquid to gaseous state transition.
There are a few examples of AIs venting, because their cooling system is incapable of coping with higher processing loads, but there's no classical sweating in qc, at least not that I'm aware of.

Roko washing her face probably is more of a human imitation thing, or because she likes the sensation. (but look back after the marten/padma/Elliot/Sam/Momo hiking trip, Momo took a shower simply for cleaning purposes)
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: traroth on 22 Mar 2019, 15:08
I just hope Roko will not destroy her dermal cover...
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: poofdepoof on 22 Mar 2019, 15:12
Oh god. She doesn't see herself in the mirror. It looks like her, but it isn't her. Not really her. And every time she looks away from the mirror, she desperately hopes that the next time she looks up she'll see herself looking back, but she doesn't. And every time it crushes her a little more.

I fucking HATE mirrors. More than anything. Except maybe fitting rooms.

While I generally really appreciate the fact that Jeph doesn't make Claire's story about being trans* (that she isn't just "the trans* character"), I think she's probably the best equipped to understand how Roko is feeling right now. I kinda hope they get a chance to talk.
Thank you for the clue-by-four.
I was just thinking she was having issues processing the way the water felt. Like it was just off. Whether it be due to the chasis or someone screwing up the chlorine levels or something for the current batch at the water treatment center.

I also needed this explanation. My initial reaction to the comic was "Is the water stuck on her chassis / did she damage the dermal covering?" I like y'all's readings better, because it "shows" what Roko's been "telling" all week about having trouble acclimating.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 22 Mar 2019, 16:43
I agree. Her troubles feel a lot more tangible to me after this comic.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 22 Mar 2019, 17:55
I wonder if Faye and Dora's therapist is trained to treat AIs?  Maybe a referral is in order?
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: alc40 on 22 Mar 2019, 18:26
In regard to sweat, comic 1440 showed that Momo's first chassis could sweat.  The note under the comic said:
Quote
Chibi style AnthroPCs have an internal reservoir full of a viscous, opaque liquid they can exude through their hair follicles in order to simulate the Nervous Anime Sweatdrop. It's kind of gross, actually.
Some other comics showed her crying too.  But I don't recall any other AIs that could do either.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Sorflakne on 22 Mar 2019, 21:04
Am I the only one who read Roko going to wash her face as her trying to clear her head?  Melon comes in and is herself, and Roko uses the moment to excuse herself to process thoughts?  It's a rather human behavior (for example some people pace while speaking out loud to themselves while processing difficult or confusing thoughts), but the AIs IIRC are programmed for it for better/easier integration in society.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 22 Mar 2019, 21:13
Am I the only one who read Roko going to wash her face as her trying to clear her head?  Melon comes in and is herself, and Roko uses the moment to excuse herself to process thoughts?  It's a rather human behavior (for example some people pace while speaking out loud to themselves while processing difficult or confusing thoughts), but the AIs IIRC are programmed for it for better/easier integration in society.

Clearing your head does not take 20 minutes of increasingly hard scrubbing.

Let's just break the panels down.

The first panel, Roko splashes her face. She looks up, with perhaps a surprised look in her eyes.

The third panel, she splashes her face again, this time throwing in some scrubbing. She looks up again, surprise now replaced with something else, maybe fear, maybe anger, maybe disbelief.

The fifth panel is what cinches it. She's scrubbing hard and fast. Roko can't recognise the person in the mirror and as if she scrubs hard enough, she might get rid of this imposter.

This is the point where Roko needs to talk to someone about what she's going through, because its only going to get worse from her.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: ihaveavoice on 22 Mar 2019, 23:09
I think Sorflakne was saying that's why Roko INITIALLY decided to go wash her face, not why she ended up having a meltdown when she saw herself-but-not-herself in the mirror. It's not like she could plan how she was about to feel. I'd been wondering last comic if there was meant to be flour on it that she wanted to get off, but there didn't appear to be any smudges, and "I'll do this thing to collect myself" is as good a reason as any for her to go in there.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Mr_Rose on 23 Mar 2019, 04:49
I wonder if Faye and Dora's therapist is trained to treat AIs?  Maybe a referral is in order?
Didn’t she say she wouldn’t take on any more of the crew due to potential conflicts of interest?
Or possibly Faye reported that she said so, at least.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 23 Mar 2019, 06:11
I wonder if Faye and Dora's therapist is trained to treat AIs?  Maybe a referral is in order?

IMO, if Roko can be persuaded to seek therapy, it will probably be with Lemon who has prior knowledge of the case and apparently has some kind of official capacity with ECI, given that she was working at the facility where Roko's core was recovered and restarted before she was installed in her new chassis. I'm sort of hoping that we see her again and that we learn that she has a PhD in AI psychology.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 23 Mar 2019, 07:15
I wonder if Faye and Dora's therapist is trained to treat AIs?  Maybe a referral is in order?

IMO, if Roko can be persuaded to seek therapy, it will probably be with Lemon who has prior knowledge of the case and apparently has some kind of official capacity with ECI, given that she was working at the facility where Roko's core was recovered and restarted before she was installed in her new chassis. I'm sort of hoping that we see her again and that we learn that she has a PhD in AI psychology.
Though, Lemon stated that her usual patients were nuclear reactor AI.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 23 Mar 2019, 09:20
I wonder if Faye and Dora's therapist is trained to treat AIs?  Maybe a referral is in order?

IMO, if Roko can be persuaded to seek therapy, it will probably be with Lemon who has prior knowledge of the case and apparently has some kind of official capacity with ECI, given that she was working at the facility where Roko's core was recovered and restarted before she was installed in her new chassis. I'm sort of hoping that we see her again and that we learn that she has a PhD in AI psychology.

After forty years it finally hit me.

Susan Calvin should have been written as a robot.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 23 Mar 2019, 09:24
I wonder if Faye and Dora's therapist is trained to treat AIs?  Maybe a referral is in order?
Didn’t she say she wouldn’t take on any more of the crew due to potential conflicts of interest?
Or possibly Faye reported that she said so, at least.

Your memory is correct. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1782

Faye and Hannelore though, not Faye and Dora.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 23 Mar 2019, 20:29
20 minutes of face washing we would call "OCD" if a squishy were doing it.

Does Roko have another challenge in addition to her body dysphoria?

In another line of thought I was wondering why a robot has a bathroom. Building codes probably require it, and she has organic visitors sometimes.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 23 Mar 2019, 21:49
20 minutes of face washing we would call "OCD" if a squishy were doing it.

Does Roko have another challenge in addition to her body dysphoria?

In another line of thought I was wondering why a robot has a bathroom. Building codes probably require it, and she has organic visitors sometimes.
   And as we saw with Momo and the swamp, sometimes they just need to clean their dermal layer.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 23 Mar 2019, 22:08
Probably also that that apartment is just, you know, an apartment, possibly built before AI's emerged, and has the amenities that apartments have.

And also oh dang Sven. I'd forgotten that comic completely. Weird to be agreeing with him but he ain't wrong.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 23 Mar 2019, 23:11
We have seen AIs go out of their way to do things like squishies even when it made no sense, such as Momo applying insect repellent to herself. Maybe renting an apartment instead of a charging cubicle with a locker for yarn is just such an attempt to blend in.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: Tova on 23 Mar 2019, 23:40
We have seen AIs go out of their way to do things like squishies even when it made no sense, such as Momo applying insect repellent to herself.

They probably just want to avoid bugs.
Title: Re: WCDT strips 3961-3965 (18-22 March 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 24 Mar 2019, 03:09
We have seen AIs go out of their way to do things like squishies even when it made no sense, such as Momo applying insect repellent to herself.

They probably just want to avoid bugs.

Well, Padma cracked the "software bugs" joke when she saw momo apply insect repellent.