Comic Discussion => QUESTIONABLE CONTENT => Topic started by: Gyrre on 19 May 2019, 10:53
Title: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 19 May 2019, 10:53
Instead of combing through a literal thousand of comics, I parsed through the wikiquotes page. So, sorry if your favorite didn't make it BTW, there's definitely some that are missing from the wikiquots page. It also probably doesn't help that I'm doing this instead of sleeping.
EDIT: * indicates possible misquote.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 19 May 2019, 11:04
Somehow the part where Faye helps Bubbles remove her armor (#3473 Disrobing) isn't in the wikiquote page. Her usurping Sam as Skullmaster I can understand, but not such a major turning point in her character arc.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 19 May 2019, 14:58
Oh dear. That belongs in Memorable Quotes.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 19 May 2019, 19:38
TBH, abstract thinking probably wasn't a big thing during the Ice Age.
May is becoming a catalyst for change in character's lives. First Roko, now Sven.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: brasca on 19 May 2019, 19:42
May makes a good point, but I don’t think being straightforward works like that unless you’re on Tinder.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 19 May 2019, 20:22
TBH, abstract thinking probably wasn't a big thing during the Ice Age.
May is becoming a catalyst for change in character's lives. First Roko, now Sven.
Maslow's hierarchy?
There was still some art.
There's a theory that the sequential nature of the animals depicted in cave paintings (such as in Chauvet Cave) was a way to tell people who stayed in the cave what animals would normally be available to hunt, rather than art for the sake of art.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 19 May 2019, 21:07
May has a point, but she also kinda doesn't.
Human interactions are complex and nuanced, and dismissing them like that is very May, but it's also wrong. Not everything about conversations, including mutually-agreed-to-boinking, is surface level. Yes, overcomplicating things that are simple is a thing that happens, but claiming that it's all clear-cut and simple shows that May struggles to understand social dynamics.
I mean, it's not surprising. Most of May's appearances in the comic indicate that.
Just off the top of my head: going "I wanna fuck" at a person can be perceived as pushy, threatening, entitled, scary, or presumptuous. There. Five different shades for why This Might Not Be So Simple, right off the bat. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. That's interaction *before* sex has occurred. It gets exponentially more complicated during and after.
Also, xkcd, because there's a relevant xkcd for most things:
https://xkcd.com/592/
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: sitnspin on 19 May 2019, 22:05
That specific phrasing out of context would be inappropriate, yes, but there are social contexts for establishing such a dialog and way to do so that are just as directly to the point without being crude.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 19 May 2019, 22:19
That specific phrasing out of context would be inappropriate, yes, but there are social contexts for establishing such a dialog and way to do so that are just as directly to the point without being crude.
I'm not saying May is completely wrong. I'm saying she's extremely reductive, which makes me sceptical as to whether she really understands what she's talking about, given how she typically interacts with others.
Plus, she seems to have a pretty "outsider" view of sex. As a rule, I think anyone who looks at an emotionally-charged issue from the outside and makes snide remarks about how others don't do it right, while also not having an (emotional) horse in the race themselves, is at the very least suspect.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 19 May 2019, 22:36
Hahhhh...Yeah, sex doesn't QUITE work like May thinks it does. Would be nice if it did though. And for a good-looking guy like Sven it probably could. But for the most part, nah.
Wonder if May is going to get laid. Like, for real, not Pintsize-being-a-weirdo-for-$20 laid.
Wait, remind me of what Sven's whole thing was again? He wrote angsty country songs for money he didn't believe in, was good looking so women threw themselves at him, had a "fuckbuddies" relationship thing with Faye that they both blew off till he had some other chick over and fucked her and they blew up over repressed feelings, and then he moped around being randomly obtrusive to the other cast for awhile?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 19 May 2019, 23:28
May is actually giving us an interesting lesson here: Imagine a mind that had no intrinsic sexuality and whose only real understanding of it came from sneaking a read of fringe hard-core pornography. Because that's basically what we're seeing here. May really doesn't have much conception of the emotional end of human sexuality; to her it all about hormones and endorphin releases (often in some pretty non-standard ways). So, she's talking to Sven in that way.
It's interesting that Sven said he could have a one-night stand without being an asshole 'in theory'. I strongly suspect that he really doesn't trust his ingrained behaviours to let him do it, no matter how much he wants to.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Penquin47 on 19 May 2019, 23:57
Wait, remind me of what Sven's whole thing was again? He wrote angsty country songs for money he didn't believe in, was good looking so women threw themselves at him, had a "fuckbuddies" relationship thing with Faye that they both blew off till he had some other chick over and fucked her and they blew up over repressed feelings, and then he moped around being randomly obtrusive to the other cast for awhile?
The thing that made Sven an asshole instead of just a guy having lots of casual sex was how he would involve other people in his drama without their consent, just so he could avoid having to deal with consequences. The first time we see this, he's pretending Faye is his girlfriend so he can get out of an awkward conversation with a girl (Faye does not play along), and then the next time he threw Marten to the wolf of an angry ex he was avoiding while he slipped out during the distraction.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Tova on 20 May 2019, 00:39
He was all, "This is just a casual thing, though" with Faye, and look how that turned out.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 20 May 2019, 01:25
IMO, a reminder that some people are simply not psychologically equipped for sex being 'just a casual thing'. They probably shouldn't try it because it only hurts both parties.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: sitnspin on 20 May 2019, 01:32
As someone who pretty much only has sex as a "casual" thing, I can tell you it still requires communication. Lots of communications. In some ways, even more than if it's not casual. Sven's problem was that he never wanted to have that communication and did everything he could to avoid it. Ethical non-monogamy entails keeping tabs on your partners' (and your own) feelings and adjusting behavior accordingly. Feelings sometimes happen, whether we want them to or not. It is important to be aware of them and talk about what you want to do about them, whether that means moving to something less than casual, ending it to avoid further hurt, or whatever you choose, but you have to talk about it.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Mark7 on 20 May 2019, 03:13
Svay!
Well, if Jeph can have a human/robot Lesbian couple, wny not have Sven and May becoming FWBs? Assuming May's current chassis is even equipped for that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Y on 20 May 2019, 03:37
I wonder if Sven will interpret this also as May asking him (between the lines). I'm not sure how May would react if Sven repeats her line.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: hakko504 on 20 May 2019, 04:21
Well, if Jeph can have a human/robot Lesbian couple, wny not have Sven and May becoming FWBs? Assuming May's current chassis is even equipped for that.
3304 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3304) hints that she's not. Quite sure there was something about her being built like a barbie doll even in real form, but I can't find that right now.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Emperor Norton on 20 May 2019, 05:52
Honestly, May's advice is one of those things of "Yes it's that simple but no it's not that simple." Like its one of those things that on the surface level sounds like it makes sense but ignores so many underlying issues, from inequality of male/female power dynamics in relationships, to potential sociological and psychological difficulties.
Like yeah, if two people both want it and both are the type to be compatible with casual sex, it totally works like that. But finding out if you both are in that situation requires a lot more.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 20 May 2019, 07:37
3304 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3304) hints that she's not. Quite sure there was something about her being built like a barbie doll even in real form, but I can't find that right now.
That'd be 2497 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2497). I foresee May coming into a moderate sum of money and agonizing about whether to spend it on a new chassis or having Union Robotics install a hooha on her current one. And nipples. May coveting Roko's nipples could make an entire arc in and of itself.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 20 May 2019, 11:04
3304 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3304) hints that she's not. Quite sure there was something about her being built like a barbie doll even in real form, but I can't find that right now.
That'd be 2497 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2497). I foresee May coming into a moderate sum of money and agonizing about whether to spend it on a new chassis or having Union Robotics install a hooha on her current one. And nipples. May coveting Roko's nipples could make an entire arc in and of itself.
Well, 2497 is the holo-form which doesn't really apply to the meatspace. or ... whatever it's called for AnthroPCs. 3304 DOES however indicate the lack of ... plug and play compatibility with humans.
3304 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3304) hints that she's not. Quite sure there was something about her being built like a barbie doll even in real form, but I can't find that right now.
That'd be 2497 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2497). I foresee May coming into a moderate sum of money and agonizing about whether to spend it on a new chassis or having Union Robotics install a hooha on her current one. And nipples. May coveting Roko's nipples could make an entire arc in and of itself.
Well, 2497 is the holo-form which doesn't really apply to the meatspace. or ... whatever it's called for AnthroPCs. 3304 DOES however indicate the lack of ... plug and play compatibility with humans.
Yeah, 2497 was the first reference to her holographic form looking like a barbie doll, but I seem to recall that at some point the expression was used to describe her even after she got a real body. Might have dreamt that though. Faye did use the expression when she borrowed Dale's glasses and caught the sight of a holo-May mooning her, but that was just a few pages after 2497.
Skickat från min SGP611 via Tapatalk
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 20 May 2019, 12:57
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 20 May 2019, 14:49
So how about that sportsball team, huh?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 20 May 2019, 16:30
May's directness does save time and cut through underbrush.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 20 May 2019, 16:44
But also misses the fact that human interaction is rarely simple or direct.
May's idea of how things work (or should work) is all fine in theory. It just falls apart in practice.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Tova on 20 May 2019, 17:11
Just like Sven said, in other words.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: War Sparrow on 20 May 2019, 19:24
Comic.
What, er, a heartwarming resolution?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: shanejayell on 20 May 2019, 20:05
That WAS pretty funny actually.
Are the passers by supposed to be cameos or anything?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 20 May 2019, 21:07
Are the passers by supposed to be cameos or anything?
I believe so.
As for May's current chassis, she has a discussion about it with Momo at some point. I think it was over the course of 3 strips.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 20 May 2019, 21:24
I think that one of those was linked upthread.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 20 May 2019, 22:20
"I told you this town was weird" is a good line.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 20 May 2019, 23:09
So... have Sven and May just arranged a hook-up? It's probably indicative of both my lack of experience and the essentially sarcastic way that they talk to each other that it's actually impossible to tell if they're actually serious about meeting for sex later or whether they're teasing each other!
FWIW, Panel 2 makes me wonder what Sven is basing that statement on. It could be Momo, I suppose but I'm wondering if the tabloids in the QC universe occasionally fixate on synthetics who show their sexual sides with the same 'hey look at this freak' exploitative attitude that they seem to apply to anything even remotely outside the average.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: MamiyaOtaru on 21 May 2019, 01:59
"I'd offer to gargle some lube and letcha go to town" 3304 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3304) huh she's been pondering that for a while
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: JoeCovenant on 21 May 2019, 02:36
Enough of this subtle foreplay! (Yeah, I can see it happening.)
And as for the cameos in the last panel... I really want the girl/woman to become a main character! She's like the Clair I never knew I wanted to like.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Zebediah on 21 May 2019, 03:25
FWIW, Panel 2 makes me wonder what Sven is basing that statement on. It could be Momo, I suppose but I'm wondering if the tabloids in the QC universe occasionally fixate on synthetics who show their sexual sides with the same 'hey look at this freak' exploitative attitude that they seem to apply to anything even remotely outside the average.
Or, it could be that he’s talking about Bubbles and Faye. He does know about that, and he knows Faye well enough to be certain that it’s not a purely emotional relationship.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: traroth on 21 May 2019, 04:24
3304 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3304) hints that she's not. Quite sure there was something about her being built like a barbie doll even in real form, but I can't find that right now.
That'd be 2497 (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2497). I foresee May coming into a moderate sum of money and agonizing about whether to spend it on a new chassis or having Union Robotics install a hooha on her current one. And nipples. May coveting Roko's nipples could make an entire arc in and of itself.
Well, 2497 is the holo-form which doesn't really apply to the meatspace. or ... whatever it's called for AnthroPCs. 3304 DOES however indicate the lack of ... plug and play compatibility with humans.
True, but May's current chassis seems to be the AI equivalent of the generic suit of clothes issued to human convicts upon release from prison. It would make sense to use it as the model for a holoform for any AI destined to inhabit one.
Regarding the upcoming date - Lots of situational humor potential around who shows up and when, and whether or not they actually meant to. (I wonder if May usually uses the alley door?) Is Jeph going to have Sven fall in love with May as penance for his past sins? What if he offers to buy her an upgraded chassis? That would offer plenty of opportunity to explore ethical issues, especially for May herself.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Thrillho on 21 May 2019, 09:47
As someone who pretty much only has sex as a "casual" thing, I can tell you it still requires communication. Lots of communications. In some ways, even more than if it's not casual. Sven's problem was that he never wanted to have that communication and did everything he could to avoid it. Ethical non-monogamy entails keeping tabs on your partners' (and your own) feelings and adjusting behavior accordingly. Feelings sometimes happen, whether we want them to or not. It is important to be aware of them and talk about what you want to do about them, whether that means moving to something less than casual, ending it to avoid further hurt, or whatever you choose, but you have to talk about it.
Dear God, spin, please never stop posting here.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: sitnspin on 21 May 2019, 10:16
As someone who pretty much only has sex as a "casual" thing, I can tell you it still requires communication. Lots of communications. In some ways, even more than if it's not casual. Sven's problem was that he never wanted to have that communication and did everything he could to avoid it. Ethical non-monogamy entails keeping tabs on your partners' (and your own) feelings and adjusting behavior accordingly. Feelings sometimes happen, whether we want them to or not. It is important to be aware of them and talk about what you want to do about them, whether that means moving to something less than casual, ending it to avoid further hurt, or whatever you choose, but you have to talk about it.
Dear God, spin, please never stop posting here.
I shall endeavor to comply.
This is a lesson I had to learn the hard way. I used to be a Sven, more or less. I was reckless with other people's feelings (and my own, to be honest) and drama followed in my wake like a bloody hurricane. I had different motivations than Sven, but the results were the same. It took me years to realise my mistakes. Hard learned lessons are some of the most profound. I still struggle with it at times, it's hard work, but important work.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Perfectly Reasonable on 21 May 2019, 17:28
I am sure there are condoms with clown faces. Google is not my friend.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: zmeiat_joro on 21 May 2019, 18:06
Are the passers by supposed to be cameos or anything?
Most definitely. The artistic style for cameos is very specific and does now follow the same artistic style as with the depiction of fictional characters. It is more consistent, if anything. It fits with Marten's father wedding, when Charlie Stross was a cameo (one of the few people me and Jeph both know in person), and also webcomic artists that have been featured. It's very easy to recognize when a passerby is a cameo.
EDIT: That being said, I don't know who the specific cameo is in the last panel of the Tuesday comic.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 21 May 2019, 19:01
Oh, new comic is u-- ... ... ... ... ... If anyone wants me, I'll be gouging out my eyes with a rusty spoon, then pouring bleach into the bloody wounds.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Shjade on 21 May 2019, 19:04
I gotta say
I did not anticipate the watermelon
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 21 May 2019, 19:14
Momo is quite likely to zap the living fuck out of both of them. She's had a crush on Sven for a VERY long time in-comic,
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Case on 21 May 2019, 19:19
That's when things will get messy at best. I wonder if May is going to see that complication.
OT, but I messaged the admin here, warning him that shit was going to get weird, and the reply was something along the lines of "I don't know how to prepare for that".
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 21 May 2019, 19:55
Oh, new comic is u-- ... ... ... ... ... If anyone wants me, I'll be gouging out my eyes with a rusty spoon, then pouring bleach into the bloody wounds.
First you hate Speedo Mr. X, now this, I swear I can't take you anywhere <3
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 21 May 2019, 20:02
May's advice to Sven is mostly good at this point in his life because sometimes you have to fuckin' *test*. get in the water, do the damned thing.
I don't feel bad for Momo, who still cares about an ancient lust-crush from a self-repressed person? Though full disclosure: I like Momo well enough, but I don't have much respect for how she treats others sometimes. So you know what maybe it would be nice to see her freak out a moment over something different.
Also to speak to people speculating about May's chassis, it bears pointing out that she has major body/self issues, and has since the beginning. It's different than some of the other characters, but you really can't do proper assessment on her without remembering that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 21 May 2019, 20:03
First you hate Speedo Mr. X, now this, I swear I can't take you anywhere <3
Who said that? I can't see you! I enucleated myself!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 21 May 2019, 20:05
I'll be drinking myself into a stupor, thank you very much.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Mr. Doctor on 21 May 2019, 20:07
Hahahahaha. I’m soooo ok with this outcome! I knew this was gonna happen but I thought in a month’s worth of comics perhaps.
Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if time does make this pair more involved with each other and Sven buys a better chassis? Dude is hella rich as far as Im concerned. :-D Would be lovely to see May lose her Tsundere shit over that.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 21 May 2019, 20:20
Also to speak to people speculating about May's chassis, it bears pointing out that she has major body/self issues, and has since the beginning. It's different than some of the other characters, but you really can't do proper assessment on her without remembering that.
Those of us who saw the uncensored version on Patreon aren't speculating any more.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 21 May 2019, 20:24
oh ha i didn't even notice the corner message
truth told i imagine that it *isn't* 'great', which is part of why one might be tempted to get.... uh, looking at the detritus in the comic, let's say creative. but also felt the need to remind that she risked everything to have a body she wanted, and failed, and now is stuck in this cheap thing that she hates. I imagine it colors any description of her physical self that she cares to give.
though i mean i might be projecting
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 21 May 2019, 20:35
I don't recall which strip, but she did say that she was happy enough being a blue robot chick, even if she couldn't be a fighter jet.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 21 May 2019, 20:46
I don't remember that, but maybe. However she's definitely not okay with being in as cheap a one as she's in, quality-wise.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: theMarc on 21 May 2019, 20:57
Uncensored version on Patreon, huh?
I am exactly the wrong combination of broke and morbidly curious right now.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: SmilingCat on 21 May 2019, 21:05
Goddamnit, I have to know if he wore the clown nose!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 21 May 2019, 21:15
I'm not sure which I find more disturbing; the nunchucks or the slice of seemingly violated watermelon....
If you know where to look you'll find that there are two pieces of watermelon in the picture...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Drunken Old Man on 21 May 2019, 23:09
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 21 May 2019, 23:18
Okay, so they were hooking up; that answers that question.
Okay, I confess: I'm a Patreon member. I can assure you that no parts were visible and that May indeed doesn't have parts. It's sort of sweet what Sven apparently did in response to May writing 'Clown Boy' on his chest, maybe in an attempt to reassure her that she may have a body like a self-actuating Barbie doll but it is still a body and can be treated appropriately!
I admit that I'm puzzling over Sven's (I'm guessing) phone. Evie (Amanda's fiancee) told Faye that AIs can download pleasure emulators if they want them. Maybe he got them so that May could enjoy the experience as much as him. He may have overdone it somewhat, given the phone's clear disinclination to play any longer.
Most important it this: May is happy that it was weird and that is very in-character for her. She isn't in sex for sex's sake; she just wants to have bizarre personal experiences and see just how far she can push the boundaries of 'possible' for her. In this case, an oven mitt, hand-lotion, watermelons and nunchucks!. I don't want to try to guess what that might have led to!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 22 May 2019, 00:02
That was quick. And May's grinning like a skunk eating you-know-what.
It's not like every second counts, Sven. Get the two of you cleaned up, dressed, and then head over to Union Robotics with May over your shoulder. They no doubt have a larger library of cables and adapters than anyone has ever imagined, and if they don't have that particular one they can whip one up. May's chassis may have a proprietary connector, but it's still a government contract item and common as Torx screwdrivers. Of course, you'll have to explain to Faye how you just happened to be there when May's batteries gave out . . .
A new dance, the Bianchi Squirm.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 22 May 2019, 00:40
Honestly, there's a lot of BDSM/kink overlap with AI characters, in terms of how one finds and experiences intimate pleasures with a 'nonstandard' or 'atypical' body.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: traroth on 22 May 2019, 01:27
I'm not sure which I find more disturbing; the nunchucks or the slice of seemingly violated watermelon...
I would say: the pot-holder glove Sven is wearing. Without any hesitation.
At a guess, May's heat sinks are as defective as the rest of her chassis and her hull became dangerously hot, giving a completely different meaning to the old phrase "Smokin' hot woman".
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 22 May 2019, 01:41
I'm slightly squicked out by the comic. Which is surprising, because technically, I've seen much, much, MUCH weirder on the Internet and am pretty jaded by now (plus, weird = fun). There's just *something* about that last panel. I can't quite figure out what it is.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Milayna on 22 May 2019, 01:57
My morbid curioisty got the better of me and now I'm somewhat disappointed that I don't know how Jeph draws dongier dongs than holodongs.
Eh, a buck a month for my favorite webcomic is fine anway. I've been leeching free content all these years anyway.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: traroth on 22 May 2019, 02:10
They obviously had fun. Hopefully May's chassis was not too pinchy...
As for Momo, it's not like she made any kind of move on her feelings. She didn't even tried to see Sven more often or anything, for what we know. Blushing and stuttering the few times she saw Sven isn't enough to create any kind of obligation for Sven. So I still feel sad for her (if she cares, which remains to be seen), but she somehow had it coming.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: traroth on 22 May 2019, 02:11
I'm not sure which I find more disturbing; the nunchucks or the slice of seemingly violated watermelon...
I would say: the pot-holder glove Sven is wearing. Without any hesitation.
At a guess, May's heat sinks are as defective as the rest of her chassis and her hull became dangerously hot, giving a completely different meaning to the old phrase "Smokin' hot woman".
I decided to believe it's something way more kinky. It's more funny that way. :-D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: traroth on 22 May 2019, 02:14
I'm slightly squicked out by the comic. Which is surprising, because technically, I've seen much, much, MUCH weirder on the Internet and am pretty jaded by now (plus, weird = fun). There's just *something* about that last panel. I can't quite figure out what it is.
It sure is an ununsual form of humor, by QC standards.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 22 May 2019, 02:30
I'm slightly squicked out by the comic. Which is surprising, because technically, I've seen much, much, MUCH weirder on the Internet and am pretty jaded by now (plus, weird = fun). There's just *something* about that last panel. I can't quite figure out what it is.
It sure is an ununsual form of humor, by QC standards.
If it ain't questionable, it ain't on brand.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: ZoeB on 22 May 2019, 03:51
An it harm none, do what thou wilt. Anything that increases the total happiness in the world is good. They seem happy.
I had a very sheltered upbringing. This is way outside my personal comfort zone. But so what? It's their comfort zones that are relevant.
Bear in mind that as an intersex person with one of the more spectacular syndromes where you are born looking like one sex, but naturally change to look mostly like the other, I think more people would be squicked at the idea of physical intimacy with me than anything depicted here.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 22 May 2019, 03:59
I'm slightly squicked out by the comic. Which is surprising, because technically, I've seen much, much, MUCH weirder on the Internet and am pretty jaded by now (plus, weird = fun). There's just *something* about that last panel. I can't quite figure out what it is.
Its the sight of Sven Bianchi covered in lube.
That's enough to make anyone reach for the rusty spoon and bleach.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: traroth on 22 May 2019, 04:01
Dale when he comes home (If they went to his place I mean)
That said, not exactly thrilled with the outcome because... Well... Sven... But pleased with how happy May seems.
OK, maybe I read her expression wrong, but... she doesn't seem THAT happy to me? If this is a smile, and not a general, somewhat ambiguous "so... that happened" expression, then it's a pretty "slasher killer" smile in my book.
EDIT: I think it's the eyes. With a genuine smile, eyes narrow (I don't know how true it is for May's chassis, but with no other data, I assume her facial expressions work like they would for a human). Her eyes are wide and the pupils/irises are small, which in comic book visual shorthand does indicate a strong reaction, but doesn't exactly register as "blissful" to me.
EDIT 2: I'm not saying May is not satisfied, I'm just reading her expression as, well... expressing more than just happiness. Charitably, I read her face as a mix of happy, overwhelmed, and a little weirded out? Which in itself would be interesting for character development, because May expressing strong emotions other than contempt and anger is comparatively rare. For one, I'd love to see what happens when May is overwhelmed by anything (especially after her recent statement that sex is simple, but I digress).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: dutchrvl on 22 May 2019, 04:57
May's advice to Sven is mostly good at this point in his life because sometimes you have to fuckin' *test*. get in the water, do the damned thing.
I don't feel bad for Momo, who still cares about an ancient lust-crush from a self-repressed person? Though full disclosure: I like Momo well enough, but I don't have much respect for how she treats others sometimes. So you know what maybe it would be nice to see her freak out a moment over something different.
Also to speak to people speculating about May's chassis, it bears pointing out that she has major body/self issues, and has since the beginning. It's different than some of the other characters, but you really can't do proper assessment on her without remembering that.
I don't feel bad for Momo per se, but I do wonder if May took into consideration Momo's feelings at all before jumping in the sack/watermelon/bathtub of lube with Sven. Most people I know would say that casually hooking up with someone your best friend (or second-best friend maybe, if Dale is #1) has a crush on is not exactly cool. Especially if it's just a random meaningless hookup (yes, it's highly debatable whether this one was meaningless, I know). Considering your friend's feelings before doing so is something I would definitely expect.
Yes, you can't call dibs on a person, but unless you are actually interested in pursuing a meaningfulTM relationship, there is not real reason to hook up with the one person your friend has a crush on and needlessly hurting your friend that way.
That said, I have no problem with other people's differing opinions on this matter. Frankly, in real life I also struggle with these kind of situations where multiple friends were interested in the same person.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 22 May 2019, 05:16
Has Momo's thing come up in years now, our time? Does May even know?
this is one of those subjects where I argue it shouldn't actually matter anyway, even if she does know. but i'm not gonna do a whole post about it more than i already have :p
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 22 May 2019, 05:21
Has Momo's thing come up in years now, our time? Does May even know?
May knows; she actually noticed Momo's reaction to Sven and challenged her to act on it (before trash-talking Sven and suggesting that no-one could admire him the way he does).
I agree with what people on the Subreddits have been saying: If May was interested in Sven, she was under no obligation to honour some alleged 'prior claim' on her friend's part. Momo has had a couple of years and has never taken action, even after getting a highly anthropomimetic chassis, so she really has no moral basis to complain, especially as she specifically denied it to May. In any case, this seems to have been more of a mutual curiosity thing for both of them; something along the lines of: "Can I really do this (and enjoy it) and will the other party enjoy it?"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: MrNumbers on 22 May 2019, 05:32
Okay, I confess: I'm a Patreon member. I can assure you that no parts were visible and that May indeed doesn't have parts.
The censor banners really makes things much more dirty than the uncensored version posted on patreon. Not that the patreon version doesn't raise a lot of other questions.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 22 May 2019, 05:51
On the top left corner of the last panel, between Sven's head and the lube dispenser, is that a can of WD40?
...aaaand I can't see any clown nose. Maybe it's still... under Sven's censor banner?
Yes, I suspect that to be a can of WD40.
Also, the clown nose might be under the censor bar, and under the slice of watermelon that's subtly peeking beyond the bar. or in the piece of watermelon in the top right corner. We may never know.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: bhtooefr on 22 May 2019, 05:52
The censor banners really makes things much more dirty than the uncensored version posted on patreon. Not that the patreon version doesn't raise a lot of other questions.
Perhaps Jeph is making an ironic point about censorship?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Inconsequential on 22 May 2019, 06:12
I'm really glad a few of you figured out that was a slice of watermelon.
Imagine the... disturbance if your brain couldn't work out what the hell that pink thing with black bits and a squicky hole in the middle was. Still disturbing, but now it makes a twisted sort of sense.
Also, I'm sort of trying to figure out where the hell they are. Did they make it to Sven's place? Did they subject Dale, Marigold, and Momo to, um, y'know? Or did they just get squicky on the floor in the back room of the convenience store, the absolute trashiest option of all?
In any case, this is one frickin' hilarious train wreck. Can't wait to see where this goes.
Also, my absolute favorite Bubbles quote is here: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3753 "Millisecond pauses between words. And your courage is one of the things I admire most about you."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Zebediah on 22 May 2019, 06:23
Has Momo's thing come up in years now, our time? Does May even know?
May knows; she actually noticed Momo's reaction to Sven and challenged her to act on it (before trash-talking Sven and suggesting that no-one could admire him the way he does).
I agree with what people on the Subreddits have been saying: If May was interested in Sven, she was under no obligation to honour some alleged 'prior claim' on her friend's part. Momo has had a couple of years and has never taken action, even after getting a highly anthropomimetic chassis, so she really has no moral basis to complain, especially as she specifically denied it to May. In any case, this seems to have been more of a mutual curiosity thing for both of them; something along the lines of: "Can I really do this (and enjoy it) and will the other party enjoy it?"
More to the point: Sven displayed zero sexual interest in Momo. He seemed to read her as “underage girl” and treated her with polite indifference. So anything Momo feels for Sven is entirely one-sided and is destined to remain unrequited.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: shanejayell on 22 May 2019, 06:59
Of the MANY possible places this story line could have gone, I REALLY wasn't expecting it to go THERE. *LOL*
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Theta9 on 22 May 2019, 07:06
Has Momo's thing come up in years now, our time? Does May even know?
May knows; she actually noticed Momo's reaction to Sven and challenged her to act on it (before trash-talking Sven and suggesting that no-one could admire him the way he does).
I agree with what people on the Subreddits have been saying: If May was interested in Sven, she was under no obligation to honour some alleged 'prior claim' on her friend's part. Momo has had a couple of years and has never taken action, even after getting a highly anthropomimetic chassis, so she really has no moral basis to complain, especially as she specifically denied it to May. In any case, this seems to have been more of a mutual curiosity thing for both of them; something along the lines of: "Can I really do this (and enjoy it) and will the other party enjoy it?"
More to the point: Sven displayed zero sexual interest in Momo. He seemed to read her as “underage girl” and treated her with polite indifference. So anything Momo feels for Sven is entirely one-sided and is destined to remain unrequited.
...or maybe it will end in a joyful threesome. But probably not, I agree.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: dutchrvl on 22 May 2019, 08:47
Has Momo's thing come up in years now, our time? Does May even know?
May knows; she actually noticed Momo's reaction to Sven and challenged her to act on it (before trash-talking Sven and suggesting that no-one could admire him the way he does).
I agree with what people on the Subreddits have been saying: If May was interested in Sven, she was under no obligation to honour some alleged 'prior claim' on her friend's part. Momo has had a couple of years and has never taken action, even after getting a highly anthropomimetic chassis, so she really has no moral basis to complain, especially as she specifically denied it to May. In any case, this seems to have been more of a mutual curiosity thing for both of them; something along the lines of: "Can I really do this (and enjoy it) and will the other party enjoy it?"
More to the point: Sven displayed zero sexual interest in Momo. He seemed to read her as “underage girl” and treated her with polite indifference. So anything Momo feels for Sven is entirely one-sided and is destined to remain unrequited.
Does Momo have a moral basis to complain? No, she doesn't Does May have a moral obligation to honor some kind of 'claim' to Sven? No, of course not Does May have the right to do whatever she pleases with Sven? Of course she does
All these aspects aside though, there is still the question of whether she should consider Momo's feelings in all this. The point is that, even if Momo has no moral basis to feel hurt, she may very well feel that way nonetheless. And if you know your friend may be hurt by it, wouldn't that justify considering whether you want to go through with it?
In other words: if your best friend has a crush (or even strong feelings?) on somebody you have no real interest in besides possibly an NSA night (which you could arguably have with others), would you still have that NSA night if there is a real chance your friend will feel hurt? Is 1 night without feelings (debatable, I know) worth hurting your friend's feelings? It may be unjustified for your friend to feel hurt, but that wouldn't change the fact itself.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Democratus on 22 May 2019, 10:01
A friendship isn't a hostage negotiation. You can't call someone off-limits for your friends just because you are also interested. That is a slippery slope that results in more damage.
Pursue who you like. If someone else who likes them is also your friend - they will be happy for you if you succeed.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 22 May 2019, 10:04
Welcome, insightful new person!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 22 May 2019, 10:07
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 22 May 2019, 10:12
Unlike the comic which is having a completely different kind of leak.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 22 May 2019, 10:18
The interesting thing here is we seem to be getting a picture that you don't have to have a robosexual orientation to be intimate with synthetics. It's not exactly taken for granted yet, but going to bed with an AI seems to be more likely for people than going to bed with someone from a different gender than their usual.
QC society is still fighting robophobia of course but these encounters are a signal of how much real integration has happened.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Marco on 22 May 2019, 10:20
I'm slightly squicked out by the comic. Which is surprising, because technically, I've seen much, much, MUCH weirder on the Internet and am pretty jaded by now (plus, weird = fun). There's just *something* about that last panel. I can't quite figure out what it is.
The amount of fluid displayed, surely.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 22 May 2019, 11:08
A friendship isn't a hostage negotiation. You can't call someone off-limits for your friends just because you are also interested. That is a slippery slope that results in more damage.
Pursue who you like. If someone else who likes them is also your friend - they will be happy for you if you succeed.
Thank you for your comment, but I think you might be misreading my point. I am not talking about someone (e.g. Momo) calling someone offlimits for their friends. I'm talking about e.g. Momo feeling hurt, even if she can rationalize that she shouldn't and can pretend to May that she's fine with it.
Of course you could say: "well my friend may feel hurt if I choose to bang this person she has a crush on, but tough luck for her because I simply want to bang that person once anyway", but I'd like to believe that most people would at least consider their friends feelings before doing so.
As I said, if no particular feelings of your own are involved with banging that person (besides lust), is it then worth potentially hurting your friend's feelings?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Democratus on 22 May 2019, 12:27
A friendship isn't a hostage negotiation. You can't call someone off-limits for your friends just because you are also interested. That is a slippery slope that results in more damage.
Pursue who you like. If someone else who likes them is also your friend - they will be happy for you if you succeed.
Thank you for your comment, but I think you might be misreading my point. I am not talking about someone (e.g. Momo) calling someone offlimits for their friends. I'm talking about e.g. Momo feeling hurt, even if she can rationalize that she shouldn't and can pretend to May that she's fine with it.
Of course you could say: "well my friend may feel hurt if I choose to bang this person she has a crush on, but tough luck for her because I simply want to bang that person once anyway", but I'd like to believe that most people would at least consider their friends feelings before doing so.
As I said, if no particular feelings of your own are involved with banging that person (besides lust), is it then worth potentially hurting your friend's feelings?
If that person was my friend, they would be happy I found a moment of intimacy with someone. If they were instead hurt or eaten up by jealousy then we would need to discuss one of two things: 1) How good of a friend are they really? 2) Is this due to some trauma they suffered elsewhere - and how can they get treatment for it.
Work on the root of the issue, not the symptom.
I've been in this situation as "the friend" a few times before - and when I was told about it, I just said "Details, please!" :)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Morituri on 22 May 2019, 12:36
Well, I saw the hookup coming from three strips back.
Gotta admit though, the watermelon and the oven mitt are surprises. Points for creativity!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 22 May 2019, 12:45
If that person was my friend, they would be happy I found a moment of intimacy with someone. If they were instead hurt or eaten up by jealousy then we would need to discuss one of two things: 1) How good of a friend are they really? 2) Is this due to some trauma they suffered elsewhere - and how can they get treatment for it.
Work on the root of the issue, not the symptom.
I've been in this situation as "the friend" a few times before - and when I was told about it, I just said "Details, please!" :)
Friendship doesn't work like that.
Yes, you would think "Hey, my friend should be happy that I hooked up with someone and got to partake in a unique experience". But on the other hand, you can't predict how someone is going to react. Especially someone like Momo. Momo is opinionated, she's particularly concerned about Human-AI relationships and how the actions of one can have a negative impact on the perception from Humanity, for example, Bubbles' service in the armed forces.
But if you scratch the surface, Momo, despite all the contact she has had with the likes of Pintsize, Tai, Marten, Bubbles, Faye and Marigold, is still somewhat sheltered. In essence, Momo is still that AI that we saw in the chassis, but without the emotional development that others have had. Pintsize is a troll, but does so to provoke Marten to get his thumb out of his ass because he knows that if he didn't, Marten would just stay home all the time. Bubbles has undergone severe psychological trauma and loss, but has managed to build herself back up and entered into a healthy relationship. Likewise, Winslow has become more aware of his privilege but is also that he can do something worthwhile now in his role as a companion to Hanners. But looks at Momo. Yes, she's gotten a new chassis, a job, but she hasn't had much development in other areas. May having sex with Sven, regardless of whatever or not Momo still has a crush on him, is still something major in terms of Human-AI relations. You don't know how she can react. And you can't have an arbitrary "she's either happy for me or she's not my friend."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Shremedy on 22 May 2019, 12:47
The censor banners really makes things much more dirty than the uncensored version posted on patreon. Not that the patreon version doesn't raise a lot of other questions.
Perhaps Jeph is making an ironic point about censorship?
I like how youtube videogaming (Skyrim & Fallout) reactor MxR labels such boxes as "SQUARE OF FAMILY FRIENDLINESS"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Case on 22 May 2019, 13:13
A friendship isn't a hostage negotiation. You can't call someone off-limits for your friends just because you are also interested. That is a slippery slope that results in more damage.
Pursue who you like. If someone else who likes them is also your friend - they will be happy for you if you succeed.
Thank you for your comment, but I think you might be misreading my point. I am not talking about someone (e.g. Momo) calling someone offlimits for their friends. I'm talking about e.g. Momo feeling hurt, even if she can rationalize that she shouldn't and can pretend to May that she's fine with it.
Of course you could say: "well my friend may feel hurt if I choose to bang this person she has a crush on, but tough luck for her because I simply want to bang that person once anyway", but I'd like to believe that most people would at least consider their friends feelings before doing so.
As I said, if no particular feelings of your own are involved with banging that person (besides lust), is it then worth potentially hurting your friend's feelings?
If that person was my friend, they would be happy I found a moment of intimacy with someone. If they were instead hurt or eaten up by jealousy then we would need to discuss one of two things: 1) How good of a friend are they really? 2) Is this due to some trauma they suffered elsewhere - and how can they get treatment for it.
Work on the root of the issue, not the symptom.
I've been in this situation as "the friend" a few times before - and when I was told about it, I just said "Details, please!" :)
So ... you cannot possibly hurt a friend's feelings by indulging your desires, since, by definition, everybody who might feel hurt by your indulging your desires is either not your friend, or the problem lies with them/a hurt not caused by you?
As I said, if no particular feelings of your own are involved with banging that person (besides lust), is it then worth potentially hurting your friend's feelings?
Consummating your lust might spark a deep, lasting relationship. The situation would then no longer be appropriately described by your framing of "only lust" vs. "friendship".
Happens rather frequently, or so I've heard ...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 22 May 2019, 13:35
As I said, if no particular feelings of your own are involved with banging that person (besides lust), is it then worth potentially hurting your friend's feelings?
1. Bears pointing out that lust is not May's only feeling involved here.
2. At a point, yeah, living life is worth puncturing an immature teenage crush your friend has.
as a neurotic, self-repressed person, i may have some baggage and viewpoints about people like Momo and situations like this that color my views in a weird light. But not all hurt is equal.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Thrillho on 22 May 2019, 14:02
I try to hang out in friendship groups where that kind of jealousy is unlikely to manifest, because sex can be solely sex.
It's not like it's impossible for it to happen and I wouldn't throw someone else's feelings on the fire, but the combined sexual history of me and my best friend is quite hilarious to look at, especially for the monogamous, and it's in very specific scenarios where there have been problems. And I also have to agree with de la, where yes, the hurt caused to a friend may be a fact regardless of what 'should' be okay, but... to a degree other people's feelings are their feelings to deal with.
I'm also not saying people are wrong for feeling that way either. You can choose an action, you can't choose an emotion.
As for Sven and May, to be honest I'm not sure I can imagine a more well-suited pairing either as a one-night tryst or a prolonged thing.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Roborat on 22 May 2019, 14:35
Wow, I saw this coming, but I thought it would take a few more pages first. And this was way funnier than I was anticipating, I really want to know how the nunchucks were involved, and how did they kill the poor phone?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Drunken Old Man on 22 May 2019, 15:02
Wow, I saw this coming, but I thought it would take a few more pages first. And this was way funnier than I was anticipating, I really want to know how the nunchucks were involved, and how did they kill the poor phone?
They didn't.
The phone committed suicide.
IT HAD SEEN THAT WHICH CANNOT BE UNSEEN.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 22 May 2019, 17:36
Wow, I saw this coming, but I thought it would take a few more pages first. And this was way funnier than I was anticipating, I really want to know how the nunchucks were involved, and how did they kill the poor phone?
They didn't.
The phone committed suicide.
IT HAD SEEN THAT WHICH CANNOT BE UNSEEN.
Eye bleach tends to void the warranty.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: DaiJB on 22 May 2019, 18:34
I read this strip.
o.O
WHAT
I can't even...
I don't...
But...
(Gives up and goes with the flow) :-D
P.S. I wouldn't know what half of that "apparatus" is even for.....(Are those nunchucks???)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 22 May 2019, 18:44
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 22 May 2019, 19:47
There's a Natalie Imbruglia song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV1XWJN3nJo) in there somewhere.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Tyr on 22 May 2019, 19:55
Oh. my ******* GOD.
WHY THE HELL IS ROBO-NARCOLEPSY NOT COVERED UNDER MAY'S PAROLE?!
I understand not giving her top-of-the-line hardware. I can sort of see why they won't cover 'repairs'... BUT TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE BECAUSE OF A SHONKY BATTERY?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: shanejayell on 22 May 2019, 20:32
THUMP
*me*
*BURST OUT LAUGHING LOUDLY*
I totally wanna see Sven haul her unconscious butt to Union Robotics. Just for the reactions. :-D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: haikupoet on 22 May 2019, 20:51
I mean... that isn't good, but it's recoverable... eventually...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Skewbrow on 22 May 2019, 20:55
I guess in QC universe there's nothing unusual about a human seeking help for an AI friend whose battery ran out. The fact that the said AI happens to be nude may raise a few eyebrows. Anyway, Sven will need to find a blanket. And hope that May's chassis is not as heavy as Momo's (judging from her lack of buoyancy).
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Aniroc on 22 May 2019, 21:38
Momo's feelings aside, I think Sven where he's at now would make a terrible first boyfriend/fwb/etc for her, whereas May just seems to be there for the experience and kinda gets what issues he has so they seem on much more equal footing. I think it will come up between May and Momo for sure and spark some possibly tense conversations, but probably healthy ones. I don't think May and Sven did anything wrong. I think May has shown the presence of mind to navigate that conversation.
Also, not to make you all hate me from the get go (sensing some Sven-haters but I'm in it for the situational/social commentary so he doesn't bother me) but I was wondering if/when Jeph would get back around to Sven. I've appreciate how much Jeph hasn't rushed his development but I did hope to see it go somewhere eventually.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 22 May 2019, 22:55
Makes me wonder about two things:
How expensive is it to replace the battery in May's chassis? Both in parts, and in work involved (it may as well be that you need special tools or know how to do it). And could you replace the charging plug?
And would certain changes beyond simple repairs violate May's parole? it for sure won't void any warranty, since there's none left IIRC.
Also, dies running out of battery like that mess with an AIs internal clock? Does it cause Amnesia? (I think memories aren't constantly streamed to storage, but what are the sync intervals?)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 22 May 2019, 23:23
"My synthetic girlfriend went into safe mode after we had sex." Yeah, it does sound like something Erika would write an Oh Joy, Sex Toy! strip about, isn't it?
Okay, here's where I'd like this to go: I suspect that this is only the 'visible top' of the iceberg of just how defective May's chassis is. Fortunately, she now has a friend with deep pockets and a certain sense of responsibility to her. Partly because he's trying hard to be less of a douche and partly because there is a nice side to him once you get around the lazy entitlement issues.
So, I'm thinking that, after a comedic meeting with Faye, during which Sven has to convince her that he isn't trying to 'buy' May for a return engagement or something else similarly unethical, she and Bubbles agree to take a look. Pretty soon, the list of parts needing replacement gets very long. As May's chassis is long out of production now, only spare parts of extremely dodgy quality or third-party clones of suspect compatibility are available. Something has to be done, though; Bubbles says that it's only a matter of time before May can't even boot up because the state of the chassis systems will just keep kicking her into safe mode to stop CPU and drive damage.
So, Jeph gets to put in a time skip by having May boot up again a couple of months down the line, wearing a towel and a much more refined body. At some point, Faye mentions to her that they've still got her old chassis lying in the back room of Union Robotics because the guy from the scrap yard demanded that they pay him to take it away.
How expensive is it to replace the battery in May's chassis? Both in parts, and in work involved (it may as well be that you need special tools or know how to do it). And could you replace the charging plug?
The minute I read 'proprietary charger', my mental alarm bells started ringing. It's probably very difficult indeed - Parts made only by the manufacturer that only work with that particular model.
And would certain changes beyond simple repairs violate May's parole? it for sure won't void any warranty, since there's none left IIRC.
I imagine that, so long as any replacement chassis is registered with the Department of Corrections as her 'current abode', the bureaucrats won't care too much. So long as it isn't a combat model or something that would let her flee jurisdiction like a fighter jet, of course.
Also, dies running out of battery like that mess with an AIs internal clock?
Does it cause Amnesia? (I think memories aren't constantly streamed to storage, but what are the sync intervals?)
I think that synthetics write to their local memory in real time. So, there might be a few lost/corrupted seconds if the system jumped onto safe mode during a write job but that's no different from the distorted memory a human may have if they faint.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 22 May 2019, 23:34
A proprietary charging cable to me is perilously close to a civil rights violation.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Y on 22 May 2019, 23:38
I guess in QC universe there's nothing unusual about a human seeking help for an AI friend whose battery ran out. The fact that the said AI happens to be nude may raise a few eyebrows. Anyway, Sven will need to find a blanket. And hope that May's chassis is not as heavy as Momo's (judging from her lack of buoyancy).
Sven has seen her naked so he wouldn't need a blanket if he just gets her cable from where she works (if it's still open). Or just get her back into her clothes. If it's an emergency however no precious time may be lost to prioritizing dignity over survivability.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: ihaveavoice on 23 May 2019, 00:02
A proprietary charging cable to me is perilously close to a civil rights violation.
For real, it lines up with stuff about how our tech companies do business, but with an actual AI, that's at the very least holding someone's ability to remain conscious hostage (already horrifying), and since an AI is only actively "living" their life when they're powered on and never powering back on could basically be considered death, it's even worse than that. Imagine pacemakers or insulin pumps that you can only have serviced/changed at particular hospitals. If the nearest one doesn't work with your brand, you're SOL.
So...the comic works on a "heh, like phones" and a "oh god this sort of checks out with the perceived value/treatment of prisoners and paroled felons in our society" level. :psyduck:
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 23 May 2019, 00:15
Guess why the European Union told phone manufacturers to agree on a common charger, or they would force them to (or lose access to the EU's market)?
And now guess why they had to force them.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Thrillho on 23 May 2019, 00:36
I guess in QC universe there's nothing unusual about a human seeking help for an AI friend whose battery ran out. The fact that the said AI happens to be nude may raise a few eyebrows. Anyway, Sven will need to find a blanket. And hope that May's chassis is not as heavy as Momo's (judging from her lack of buoyancy).
Sven has seen her naked so he wouldn't need a blanket if he just gets her cable from where she works (if it's still open). Or just get her back into her clothes. If it's an emergency however no precious time may be lost to prioritizing dignity over survivability.
Just to go on a tangent - having seen her naked does not mean he gets to continue seeing her naked when she is literally unconscious. And it would take two seconds to just throw a blanket over her so that she wasn't still totally naked when she came round at least.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Raptorofwar on 23 May 2019, 00:42
1. TFW you can't actually read the letters in the registration for this forum. (I swear I'm not a robot.) 2. Well this has been an interesting set of comics! It does kinda remind me of Sven's almost-relationship with Faye, though, in the two's dialogue. Momo's going to be upset.
I wish I had money for the Patreon to see if Svarn has a clown nose.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: traroth on 23 May 2019, 01:26
WHUMP!
That made a lot of noise. Hopefully May didn't hurt herself. Especially with that crappy chassis.
Some thoughts for the forseeable future: their... relationship? will now inevitably be known (or maybe not if Sven is a coward enough to just go get her charging cable), which might stir up again tensions between Sven and Dora. And it will also surely make everybody aware of the crappy chassis May is living in and how it makes her life miserable. I think some kind of solution will emerge.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 23 May 2019, 02:15
@traroth,
Even if Sven just goes get May's charger cable, I've got the feeling that this isn't something that will be swept under the rug, no matter how much May wants it to be. We'll see how this works out but I suspect that either Sven will be sufficiently concerned about the poor state of repair of May's chassis that he asks Faye for advice or someone will turn up at Sven's place unexpectedly, find May and things will progress along a similar arc from there.
Ethical Debate Hook Someone is in a generally poor state of health; not seriously ill but generally poorly enough that, long-term, it could have serious consequences. However, they are unable to access healthcare and are unwilling to accept what they describe as 'charity' or 'pity money' from their friends. That's a pretty good parallel to May's situation right now. Do her friends have a right to impose upon her against her will because of concern for her long-term health and safety?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Tyr on 23 May 2019, 02:40
To your Ethical Debate Hook: I am doing that later today(it's 4am). Without going into too much detail, I'm taking over something my mother would normally do so she stays home to recover from illness.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Eternal_Newbie on 23 May 2019, 03:31
Considering everything May's been through, I get the feeling that she takes bodily autonomy very seriously. And I think she would react very badly to waking up in another chassis without anyone bothering to get her permission to do so. I also can't see anyone reputable doing something like that even in an emergency, as we saw with Roko and her chassis getting destroyed.
How she would react to someone offering the funds to either buy another chassis or repair this one I don't really know. May is an interesting character, but I find it hard to predict her. But again she seems very aware of power dynamics and my gut feeling is that she would be reluctant to take a loan from Sven. But this storyline has already gone in unexpected directions, we will just have to see where it goes.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: JoeCovenant on 23 May 2019, 03:53
Hang on... Sven's 'loaded' yeah?
Maybe May will get to be a fighter jet yet! :) (Or at least get a better battery!)
Whereas the 'they two are SO gonna hook up!" was obvious from the meet-cute in the alley, (I think about 75% of us 'called' this one!) I could see this becoming a thing!
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 23 May 2019, 04:25
Sven is loaded in the sense that he can afford a two storey apartment, not "I can a buy a fighter jet!", he's not that successful a song writer.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 23 May 2019, 04:36
I'd say that he could definitely afford a decent chassis; they seem to be in the 'decent family car' price range.
Considering everything May's been through, I get the feeling that she takes bodily autonomy very seriously.
I'm honestly not sure about this. Whilst I agree that May would not like having things done to her without her being consulted, even in an emergency, I don't think that she has any particular emotional connection to her chassis; her attitude would be: "The damn thing wouldn't even boot anymore? Okay, that explains the derma layer instead of rigid plastic!". So long as she got one that left her still recognisably her, I suspect that her main problem would be her pride being undermined by someone thinking that they needed to help her.
FWIW, I suspect that the 'long pole' in any 'May gets a new body' arc would be convincing the Department of Corrections bureaucracy that the current chassis is unserviceable and then convincing them that they don't need to provide a replacement, which would likely be worse.
Basically, it is this dead hand of the state that would make any body swap have to be done without consultation (in the even where it was impossible to restart May for whatever reason). I can't see the DoC providing a server with a virtual environment to discuss it with her without a pile of paperwork that could take weeks or months to process, so it would become an issue of how do do the least harm in the most reasonable time-frame.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: pwhodges on 23 May 2019, 05:18
Considering everything May's been through, I get the feeling that she takes bodily autonomy very seriously.
Having the UK government at the top of my mind today, I had a serious double-take reading that...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Marco on 23 May 2019, 05:20
This comic has come a long way. The typical old days-QC strip for today would be a comment from Pintsize about last night events. Of from (Heaven help us) Yelling Bird...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Mr. Doctor on 23 May 2019, 05:43
Eh, I liked Yelling Bird. :-D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 23 May 2019, 05:53
This comic has come a long way. The typical old days-QC strip for today would be a comment from Pintsize about last night events. Of from (Heaven help us) Yelling Bird...
Yelling Bird is done. Probably died trying to skull fuck a hyena.
Pintsize hijinks probably return the day his giant metal dong is done, and the balls attached.
I think, to an extent, May has taken over a part of Pintsize's crudeness.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Case on 23 May 2019, 06:41
Considering everything May's been through, I get the feeling that she takes bodily autonomy very seriously.
Having the UK government at the top of my mind today, I had a serious double-take reading that...
With the other May slowly turning into an extra from 28 Days later, I can imagine the cognitive dissonance...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Nigel on 23 May 2019, 07:42
I realize that forgetting the cable is "an important plot point", but seriously? It's like leaving your phone, keys, wallet AND insulin pump behind.
A bit of a challenge for my 'willing suspension of disbelief'.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 23 May 2019, 07:59
Maybe, if it was a date or something planned in advance.
But I doubt Sven thought "Maybe I'll hook up with an AI tonight. Better make sure I have the proper cable for her afterwards." Likewise, I doubt May would have thought she'd have her first sexual experience with a human that night, let alone the forethought that she might run out of power afterwards.
I imagine that an AI forgetting their power cable would be like a human forgetting their keys. It can happen.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: dutchrvl on 23 May 2019, 08:22
Maybe, if it was a date or something planned in advance.
But I doubt Sven thought "Maybe I'll hook up with an AI tonight. Better make sure I have the proper cable for her afterwards." Likewise, I doubt May would have thought she'd have her first sexual experience with a human that night, let alone the forethought that she might run out of power afterwards.
I imagine that an AI forgetting their power cable would be like a human forgetting their keys. It can happen.
On the other hand, forgetting my keys usually does not result in me becoming unconscious with no way to ever regain consciousness unless an external party assists me. Forgetting a power cable is a legitimate threat to their life, in other words, so one would think they would do everything in their power to always have one.
Side note: considering their apparent complete reliance on power/charging for their consciousness, to me it makes little sense for the AIs in QC not to have such hardware built in their body/chassis.....
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Timemaster on 23 May 2019, 08:41
On May forgetting her charger: my daughter is asthmatic since her 13th birthday. Not severely, but nonetheless. She is 19 years old now. That doesn‘t keep her from regularly forgetting her asthma inhaler at home when she goes out. So go figure...
Sven, what‘s the problem? Put May on your couch, put a blanket over her, leave a note just in case. And then go to the convenience store where you‘ve seen her coming from and get her friggin charging cable. Plug her in and wait till she boots up. If she doesn‘t, give Faye a call and ask for advice. Simple as that.
TM
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 23 May 2019, 09:07
It is likely May's first time with a human.
If I were naked and having the vulnerability that comes of doing things for the first time, hearing "That was weird" would hurt.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 23 May 2019, 09:11
Although this is May we're talking about, she had a massive grin on her face, surrounded by a variety of strange and unusual implements.
Weird would probably be an indicator of success in her eyes.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Case on 23 May 2019, 09:22
On May forgetting her charger: my daughter is asthmatic since her 13th birthday. Not severely, but nonetheless. She is 19 years old now. That doesn‘t keep her from regularly forgetting her asthma inhaler at home when she goes out. So go figure...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Morituri on 23 May 2019, 09:28
I dunno. Sven is quite plausibly responsible here. After all, he's the prime partner in the activity wherein May ran her batteries down. If not for him, she'd easily have enough charge to get to the office and get the darn thing. On the one hand he's 'obligated' to do something if he's serious about not being such a douche to his hookups. But on the other hand that obligation might get him a pass on her 'I-don't-take-charity' response if he does *somewhat* more than absolutely necessary. May would be freaked out if he offered to buy her a new chassis. But she'd accept a new charge cable considering it to be just an indication that this Sven guy isn't a complete ass, and if he went further and got her something major like a new battery pack she might be mad, but she might just think he's overreacting or she might even be happy about it.
If he ambles down to Union Robotics and buys an adapter plug (or a replacement cable, or whatever) that's the minimum he can do as a considerate person. There's no need for him to be hauling May down there if she's safe in his apartment; he can just tuck her into bed with a blanket and head out. So there's no need for her to go through the stress and embarrassment of waking up with Faye and Bubbles worrying over her. They'd worry anyway of course; a proprietary charger cable is probably instantly identifiable to them as connecting Sven and May and indicating that May is or has been in trouble. But May wouldn't have to be in front of them while they worry, where the awkwardness, embarrassment, and self-inflicted stress would make her blow a gasket.
If he gets her a new battery pack, that's a little more into the territory of possibly setting off May's I-don't-want-charity response. And he can't install that himself; that'd be something they'd need to discuss sometime when she's awake, and then she'd go in for the procedure. But right now he's in the situation that would *allow* someone to buy her a new battery pack, and be *LESS* likely to set off that response than anybody else. Again, it's the "being partly responsible for the problem" thing that gets him a pass, except in that scenario he'd be doing more than just the 'being considerate' minimum.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Morituri on 23 May 2019, 09:42
If I were naked and having the vulnerability that comes of doing things for the first time, hearing "That was weird" would hurt.
Point, but remember May's barbie-doll anatomy. She's intensely aware of it, and she *knows* that's going to seem weird to a human. And I get the impression, given the array of noodle implements lying around, that they were actively *trying* to achieve weird. Possibly, on her part, as a strategy (successful! YAY!) to distract him from the weirdness of the barbie-doll anatomy.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 23 May 2019, 09:44
If I were naked and having the vulnerability that comes of doing things for the first time, hearing "That was weird" would hurt.
But to May "That was weird" would be a complement.
About where Jeph is taking May: He's not shy about tackling social issues and creating characters who represent marginalized groups. I'm thinking May is about to officially become a sex worker.
She represents a part of the real life population that engages in prostitution out of a lack of other employment options. She's the opposite of Roko in that she actively loathes her current chassis (for the most part she's fine with its appearance, but despises its functional condition). Whether Sven attaches any strings to his offer of a new chassis or not, she'll reckon a period of sexual indenture to him for such consideration a pretty sweet deal. Indeed, she's already shown that she's willing to perform sex acts for money (I'm sure most of us remember her sitting on Pintsize's face so I'm not going to look up the link), and that was to finance a new face covering.
Now, what happens when she gets a body she actually likes? A partner's "that was weird" might not be perceived in the same way.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Thrillho on 23 May 2019, 09:44
If I were naked and having the vulnerability that comes of doing things for the first time, hearing "That was weird" would hurt.
Point, but remember May's barbie-doll anatomy. She's intensely aware of it, and she *knows* that's going to seem weird to a human. And I get the impression, given the array of noodle implements lying around, that they were actively *trying* to achieve weird. Possibly, on her part, as a strategy (successful! YAY!) to distract him from the weirdness of the barbie-doll anatomy.
Please read this post back and imagine May is trans rather than a robot.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Thrillho on 23 May 2019, 09:46
If I were naked and having the vulnerability that comes of doing things for the first time, hearing "That was weird" would hurt.
But to May "That was weird" would be a complement.
About where Jeph is taking May: He's not shy about tackling social issues and creating characters who represent marginalized groups. I'm thinking May is about to officially become a sex worker.
She represents a part of the real life population that engages in prostitution out of a lack of other employment options. She's the opposite of Roko in that she actively loathes her current chassis (for the most part she's fine with its appearance, but despises its functional condition). Whether Sven attaches any strings to his offer of a new chassis or not, she'll reckon a period of sexual indenture to him for such consideration a pretty sweet deal. Indeed, she's already shown that she's willing to perform sex acts for money (I'm sure most of us remember her sitting on Pintsize's face so I'm not going to look up the link), and that was to finance a new face covering.
Now, what happens when she gets a body she actually likes? A partner's "that was weird" might not be perceived in the same way.
So much 'nope' in this post.
'That was weird' as a statement immediately following one of the most intimate acts possible is EXCEEDINGLY unlikely to play well. ESPECIALLY with someone who loathes their body.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 23 May 2019, 09:58
If I were naked and having the vulnerability that comes of doing things for the first time, hearing "That was weird" would hurt.
But to May "That was weird" would be a complement.
About where Jeph is taking May: He's not shy about tackling social issues and creating characters who represent marginalized groups. I'm thinking May is about to officially become a sex worker.
She represents a part of the real life population that engages in prostitution out of a lack of other employment options. She's the opposite of Roko in that she actively loathes her current chassis (for the most part she's fine with its appearance, but despises its functional condition). Whether Sven attaches any strings to his offer of a new chassis or not, she'll reckon a period of sexual indenture to him for such consideration a pretty sweet deal. Indeed, she's already shown that she's willing to perform sex acts for money (I'm sure most of us remember her sitting on Pintsize's face so I'm not going to look up the link), and that was to finance a new face covering.
Now, what happens when she gets a body she actually likes? A partner's "that was weird" might not be perceived in the same way.
So much 'nope' in this post.
'That was weird' as a statement immediately following one of the most intimate acts possible is EXCEEDINGLY unlikely to play well. ESPECIALLY with someone who loathes their body.
Did you read beyond the first sentence? In as much as it can apply to a robot, May is CIS and probably straight.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Skewbrow on 23 May 2019, 10:01
On May forgetting her charger: my daughter is asthmatic since her 13th birthday. Not severely, but nonetheless. She is 19 years old now. That doesn‘t keep her from regularly forgetting her asthma inhaler at home when she goes out. So go figure...
In some circles they really drive this point home (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifleman%27s_Creed). Now where is the paraphrased version about a mathematician and their coffee mug?
Ninja'ed by Case. Sigh.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Mr. Doctor on 23 May 2019, 10:01
The "weird" comment played well here though. May certainly did not disagree. The whole sex worker comment made me cringe. Are we reading the same comic? :-P
Also, I do not share the hopes of Sven meeting Faye/Bubbles for this. Sven doesn't need that interaction and neither does Faye, specially Faye.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 23 May 2019, 10:04
The "weird" comment played well here though. May certainly did not disagree. The whole sex worker comment made me cringe. Are we reading the same comic? :-P
Taking on social issues and representing marginalized groups is supposed to make you cringe.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: DSL on 23 May 2019, 10:45
Liking the shoutout to Erika Moen. (https://thenib.com/erika-moen)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: de_la_Nae on 23 May 2019, 12:04
If I were naked and having the vulnerability that comes of doing things for the first time, hearing "That was weird" would hurt.
Point, but remember May's barbie-doll anatomy. She's intensely aware of it, and she *knows* that's going to seem weird to a human. And I get the impression, given the array of noodle implements lying around, that they were actively *trying* to achieve weird. Possibly, on her part, as a strategy (successful! YAY!) to distract him from the weirdness of the barbie-doll anatomy.
Please read this post back and imagine May is trans rather than a robot.
I'm gonna be messy here, but there's a *lot* of things we sometimes do to overcome or cope with our trauma, dysphoria, and the tensions it all causes in our heads. Not all of it great or consistent on the surface, maybe, but plenty. 'Leaning into the weird' is one of those messy things that sometimes gets done. As is sex work. And I didn't mention BDSM/kink earlier on a lark either, which I know you know what I'm saying with that. Mori and the Goat might be on to something, even if it's only in the same neighborhood.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Roborat on 23 May 2019, 12:31
Good thing she didn't power down in the middle of fun times, poor Sven might have been traumatized.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Raptorofwar on 23 May 2019, 12:32
If I were naked and having the vulnerability that comes of doing things for the first time, hearing "That was weird" would hurt.
But to May "That was weird" would be a complement.
About where Jeph is taking May: He's not shy about tackling social issues and creating characters who represent marginalized groups. I'm thinking May is about to officially become a sex worker.
She represents a part of the real life population that engages in prostitution out of a lack of other employment options. She's the opposite of Roko in that she actively loathes her current chassis (for the most part she's fine with its appearance, but despises its functional condition). Whether Sven attaches any strings to his offer of a new chassis or not, she'll reckon a period of sexual indenture to him for such consideration a pretty sweet deal. Indeed, she's already shown that she's willing to perform sex acts for money (I'm sure most of us remember her sitting on Pintsize's face so I'm not going to look up the link), and that was to finance a new face covering.
Now, what happens when she gets a body she actually likes? A partner's "that was weird" might not be perceived in the same way.
So much 'nope' in this post.
'That was weird' as a statement immediately following one of the most intimate acts possible is EXCEEDINGLY unlikely to play well. ESPECIALLY with someone who loathes their body.
I mean, she seems pretty happy about it, given her smile afterwards.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Thrillho on 23 May 2019, 13:10
I have been misread, likely my fault, if I have come across as saying that May specifically would find these conversations problematic.
It was the way in which May was being spoken about and the likelihood of people with analogous experience reading it, and expanding it outwards.
There are plenty of good and bad reasons why May may behave the way and ways that she does.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Tyr on 23 May 2019, 13:16
I realize that forgetting the cable is "an important plot point", but seriously? It's like leaving your phone, keys, wallet AND insulin pump behind.
A bit of a challenge for my 'willing suspension of disbelief'.
Your phone is the only one I think is germane here, as the other ones would stay on your person.
If I may craft a scenario: If May's battery has been acting up like that, and assuming that AI get the same amount and numbers of breaks, She's prolly recharging on her fifteens and lunch, just in case. It's prolly a hassle to plug in both ends every two hours, so she just forgot to snag it in the hour between her 'smoke break' and getting off shift.
(In my state your 'smoke break' is apparently separate from the standard law-mandated 15 minutes every two hours. as evidenced by my managers standing out at the docks for fifteen minutes smoking, snuffing the cigarette, then standing out there for another 15 minutes for their break.)
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 23 May 2019, 14:34
Smokers often also get other, unofficial breaks. Very few bosses want to see a terminal nicotine addict deprived of their fix.
WRT to May's cable, and the stuff one normally carries in their pockets, it's totally believable. I empty my pockets of phone, keys, wallet, cigarettes, lighter, etc every time I get home. I almost never forget to bring any given thing, but it is known to happen.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 23 May 2019, 14:41
Sex worker character? Been there, done that, and kinky to boot.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: DSL on 23 May 2019, 14:47
In my experience you're gonna forget something important at the worst possible time. Why should AIs be any different?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: themacnut on 23 May 2019, 15:25
I'm sure we've all known people so forgetful they'd walk off without their head if it wasn't attached. Apparently AIs are no different, and May was almost certainly distracted by anticipation of sexytimes.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Morituri on 23 May 2019, 15:33
Please read this post back and imagine May is trans rather than a robot.
Absolutely. And that's the whole point. People shouldn't have to go through that shit, people shouldn't have to come up with dysfunctional coping mechanisms, people shouldn't have to rejoice that they were able to make something besides their own body "the weird thing" about the situation.
But none of that "shouldn't have to" takes it away so they don't have to or don't feel like they have to. And that sucks.
I consider May's un-gendered body a cruel and unusual punishment, if she didn't choose it. And that's *EXACTLY* the kind of shit trans* have to deal with, plus an additional helping of "fuck you" that there exists somebody *ELSE* who made that decision with no consequences to themselves.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 23 May 2019, 16:16
I'm sure we've all known people so forgetful they'd walk off without their head if it wasn't attached. Apparently AIs are no different, and May was almost certainly distracted by anticipation of sexytimes.
You can call Melon by her name. :-D
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: bhtooefr on 23 May 2019, 18:52
So this is something that I touched on in the Patreon comments, I'll bring my comments over here now that the comic that they're related to is public:
Quote
You know, I just realized something - a brownout like that means that May will not have successfully saved everything. (Being forced to sleep by a low battery state protects what's in RAM, but a weak battery with high internal resistance like that, voltage will have dropped below thresholds and she went down hard.) She *will* have memory loss... the question is how much.
Quote
To expand... I'd guess that the *best* case is that she doesn't remember the last couple words she said. However, if "afterglow" for a QC AI is really "reduce other processing loads to commit a sexual experience to permanent memory"... that process was interrupted by her charging woes. She may not even remember having sex with Sven at all (although she'll almost certainly remember arranging their hookup). To be honest, this could be quite horrifying for her, even if she doesn't admit it to Sven.
It was pointed out in reply to those comments that the memory technology used by QC AIs may not be volatile like current state-of-the-art RAM technologies, though.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Penquin47 on 23 May 2019, 19:41
Also, given that they seem to have cleaned up (at the very least, neither is covered in lube or whatever they used to write on each other). it seems that some time has passed. May's memory loss, if there is any, is likely not going to involve the sexual encounter itself.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 23 May 2019, 20:05
Well that certainly would have been a unique take on the walk of shame.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: ZoeB on 23 May 2019, 20:22
If I were naked and having the vulnerability that comes of doing things for the first time, hearing "That was weird" would hurt.
Point, but remember May's barbie-doll anatomy. She's intensely aware of it, and she *knows* that's going to seem weird to a human. And I get the impression, given the array of noodle implements lying around, that they were actively *trying* to achieve weird. Possibly, on her part, as a strategy (successful! YAY!) to distract him from the weirdness of the barbie-doll anatomy.
Please read this post back and imagine May is trans rather than a robot.
+1e6 insightful.
From a trans guy
Quote
Then the real test comes: You've never really had any romantic attachment before. For some reason it has always felt wrong and you've avoided it. Sure sometimes you take special care, go out wearing a shirt and tie, bind the chest and uh. something in the trousers. It feels good but as soon as you start talking to someone, your voice gives you away as a pretender, a wannabe.
But someone comes along, someone that you could talk to forever, hold forever. She's a beautiful woman and God, you Want her. She's keen on you too and before you know wht's happening, you're lying, naked, warm and relaxed in a mutual embrace. But even in ecstasy (and that's hard enough), you can't fully suppress the screaming in your head. Your body is wrong.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: shanejayell on 23 May 2019, 20:27
That's a BIT mean, May, *lol*
Plus, Momo would be REALLY jealous if Sven carried her home...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: SmilingCat on 23 May 2019, 20:55
On the subject of proprietary charging cables, I'd suspect it's like the Macs that the schools and some government offices always used for so long. A company got an in with the government to supply the chassis, and the government went along with it either in a misguided attempt to save money or due to heavy lobbying.
It's only a civil rights issue if you can demonstrate a quality of life problem to enough people in power loudly enough in a way that makes the people that elect them care. Up until that point it's just a lucrative market that's locked into your design standards and out of your competitors.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 23 May 2019, 20:59
Unlike the 'weird' remark, which she was clearly pleased about, I doubt she would be pleased about this characterisation.
When I asked Jeph in some Q&A about whether robots feel pain, he said something very close to "No, they're computers", and definitely used the word "computers".
I forget when this was, and it matters, since Jeph has steadily upgraded the status of the synthetics in the strip. It might no longer be the appropriate term. I vaguely remember it was after Momo's upgrade but can't even be sure of that.
If May were real I would ask her and abide by her answer.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Tova on 23 May 2019, 23:02
Unlike the 'weird' remark, which she was clearly pleased about, I doubt she would be pleased about this characterisation.
When I asked Jeph in some Q&A about whether robots feel pain, he said something very close to "No, they're computers", and definitely used the word "computers".
I doubt he would give that precise answer today. I also doubt that it generalises. I am pretty sure that if I tried to claim that QC robots cannot have hurt feelings because "they're computers," I'd quite rightly be shouted down very quickly.
Why do computers have feelings? Why do computers want relationships? Why do computers forget things?
I honestly have no idea why that last question, of all possible questions, repeatedly gets traction.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Drunken Old Man on 23 May 2019, 23:19
If I saw Sven giving May a piggyback ride home, "oooooo, dey been FUCKIN!" is not the first conclusion I'd jump to.
Although I'm not sure what would be...
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 23 May 2019, 23:21
There is so much sweet in this strip and Jeph's done a good job writing his characters. Sven really is trying to be kind and helpful but I see why he and Faye got on well: Like her, he reacts to emotional load by becoming teasing, something that I think May clearly doesn't appreciate. That said, I do get the underlying point; he's willing to do this in the way that's best for her, whatever that is.
However, the big point is that May is vulnerable and Sven is making it quite clear she is safe with him. He gave her the help she needed and didn't tuck her away in a corner. No, he gave her a blanket to spare her modesty and let her use his couch. He doesn't draw attention to how frightened she looks in panel 3, instead choosing to try humour.
FWIW, May's reaction in panel 4? She put it in her way but, yes, I do think that she'd definitely prefer not to have to deal with Dale, Marigold and especially Momo over this!
If I saw Sven giving May a piggyback ride home, "oooooo, dey been FUCKIN!" is not the first conclusion I'd jump to.
Although I'm not sure what would be...
Probably, like the passers-by earlier this week: "This town is weird!"
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: traroth on 23 May 2019, 23:47
I never would have thought May was so prone to shame. Is that the same person who talked about taping a fleshlight(tm) to her crotch?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: BenRG on 23 May 2019, 23:55
It's easy to make wild and crazy sexual suggestions when you're basically chatting in private with your best friend and there are no consequences. To actually be in the situation where you are in intimate terms with someone, have been left vulnerable and everyone may yet learn about it? That's a very different thing, especially for someone as insecure and damaged by experience as is May.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Cornelius on 24 May 2019, 01:15
Aside from the question whether or not it is appropriate to call AI a computer - which feels somewhat like calling someone a brain - if you ask the question, I'll have to assume you never lost a file, or had a reminder pop up late.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: oddtail on 24 May 2019, 01:23
Aside from the question whether or not it is appropriate to call AI a computer - which feels somewhat like calling someone a brain - if you ask the question, I'll have to assume you never lost a file, or had a reminder pop up late.
On top of that, AIs in QC-verse seem to work at least in some ways like humans, mentally. It's entirely possible that whatever algorithm covers their data processing runs some kind of heuristic that removes unnecessary data. I mean, assuming at least a similar mental capacity to humans, retaining EVERYthing would be maddening. Humans don't process everything we perceive, so we effectively "forget" almost everything pretty much instantly. Maybe in QC-verse, consciousness fundamentally requires being selective and auto-deleting data. Otherwise, if AI worked more like traditional computers and kept most or all information in neat files, I'm not sure how they'd be able to process all that stuff without being completely alien beings, orders of magnitude more intelligent than humans. And most AI in the comic's cast seem to be human-comparable there?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 24 May 2019, 01:50
What we sense is stitched together into what we perceive. A lot of things probably get dropped as "I felt that, but ot seems to be within normal parameters, so I can drop it". What we perceive is again filtered by "relevance", and some things get stored, most will be dropped. Due to the amount of data collected, AnthroPCs/Androids only "log" relevant data, too. Maybe there are some self-improving algorithms that weigh specific data differently, leading to "personality quirks" (yes, looking at you Melon).
Humans remember negative experiences better than positive ones (IIRC that's a survival thing - "don't go there, or you'll die"). Hoe much that applies to AI I cannot fathom.
As far as the Sven incident is concerned: the human roomies may be more understanding than Momo. Maybe grossed out a bit, or weirded out, but generally more on the accepting side. Momo is a tad too naive I think. I think of her like a young teen - idealizing and romanticizing love and attraction. She probably never would've acted on her attraction to Sven because he never showed interest in her, or in AIs in general.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: andrybak on 24 May 2019, 02:04
She probably never would've acted on her attraction to Sven because he never showed interest in her, or in AIs in general.
Quite the opposite. I can see her having a minor fit to the tune of "YOU MEAN I HAD A CHANCE?!" Not one jot of jealousy or envy; just 100% regret at having not taking the shot.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Marco on 24 May 2019, 04:22
On top of that, AIs in QC-verse seem to work at least in some ways like humans, mentally. It's entirely possible that whatever algorithm covers their data processing runs some kind of heuristic that removes unnecessary data. I mean, assuming at least a similar mental capacity to humans, retaining EVERYthing would be maddening. Humans don't process everything we perceive, so we effectively "forget" almost everything pretty much instantly. Maybe in QC-verse, consciousness fundamentally requires being selective and auto-deleting data. Otherwise, if AI worked more like traditional computers and kept most or all information in neat files, I'm not sure how they'd be able to process all that stuff without being completely alien beings, orders of magnitude more intelligent than humans. And most AI in the comic's cast seem to be human-comparable there?
When I asked Jeph in some Q&A about whether robots feel pain, he said something very close to "No, they're computers", and definitely used the word "computers".
I forget when this was, and it matters, since Jeph has steadily upgraded the status of the synthetics in the strip. It might no longer be the appropriate term. I vaguely remember it was after Momo's upgrade but can't even be sure of that.
For that matter, even without Jeph upgrading AIs' capabilities and rights over time (which, I do feel like the differences between Pintsize in QC #1 and the AIs in QC today can't just be explained by in-universe evolution, there's definitely some retconning going on to flesh out the AI backstory)... pain response is something that could very easily evolve over time.
Pain response is something that evolves as a protective strategy, and AIs have some advantages over humans in this regard (there's evidence in-universe that they can evolve their neural nets significantly faster than humans can).
I could actually believe that pain response wasn't known to exist in AIs even in a version of QC #1 that carries all of the retconning of the current universe, although I doubt it (considering this strip (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2334), drawn after the AI civil rights retcon and including its effects, but set before QC #1).
Now, though? I actually can't believe that pain response doesn't exist in the QC universe today, and we've actually seen proof that it can exist, right here (https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3567). Sure, that arc isn't depicting a pain response, but it's depicting all of the senses and responses necessary for quite vivid pain responses. Roko may well be an outlier, but all it takes is one outlier to disprove a negative.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Theta9 on 24 May 2019, 06:47
At least a hundred times, then? Jeez, how many partners has he had?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: andrybak on 24 May 2019, 08:20
My favorite quote of Bubbles is her dialog with Steve in https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3059
Quote
—How much do you bench? —Is the bench reinforced?
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 24 May 2019, 08:27
Huhn.
Panel three makes me wonder if she'll show up to Tai and Dora's wedding. She would look good in a sleeveless black dress.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: torrrential on 24 May 2019, 08:48
This one was from a long time ago, but I remembered it! https://xkcd.com/595/
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Mr Intrepid on 24 May 2019, 09:12
1. TFW you can't actually read the letters in the registration for this forum. (I swear I'm not a robot.) 2. Well this has been an interesting set of comics! It does kinda remind me of Sven's almost-relationship with Faye, though, in the two's dialogue. Momo's going to be upset.
I wish I had money for the Patreon to see if Svarn has a clown nose.
It's as little as $1 a month, you know. I did $5. $60 a year to support a guy who produces something I enjoy.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: dutchrvl on 24 May 2019, 09:32
As I said, if no particular feelings of your own are involved with banging that person (besides lust), is it then worth potentially hurting your friend's feelings?
Consummating your lust might spark a deep, lasting relationship. The situation would then no longer be appropriately described by your framing of "only lust" vs. "friendship".
Happens rather frequently, or so I've heard ...
Point well-taken, as my own current highly involved and monogamous relationship of > 7 years started that way... :-D You may now ask, well what if I had had a friend with a crush at that time on my current partner? Well, in all honesty I would probably either not have indulged myself (and yes, possibly haev missed out on my current relationship), or I would have simply asked my friend how he/she would feel about it. The latter may sound odd, but somebody asked me prior to sleeping with somebody I had feelings for, and even though I would not have been hurt by it anyway, it still helped by knowing my friend was considerate.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 24 May 2019, 10:07
Quote from: oddtail
I mean, assuming at least a similar mental capacity to humans, retaining EVERYthing would be maddening. Humans don't process everything we perceive, so we effectively "forget" almost everything pretty much instantly. Maybe in QC-verse, consciousness fundamentally requires being selective and auto-deleting data.
That idea meshes with Tova's putting forgetting onto a list of attributes of personhood such as desiring relationships.
"Maddening" is something I wondered about. If your memory is a hard disk and you have instant total recall of every shameful and humiliating experience of your life, insanity would be a relief.
We know from Bubbles that her storage is neither like a hard disk nor like a homo sapiens brain.
It still seems weird, though. I've often wished my short term memory and memory of my calendar were better. If I were implemented in silicon I would expect things like that to Just Work and I'd find forgetting my charging cable as inexplicable as if I started bleeding.
Hmm. It's not a recall thing, though, is it? It's an attention thing. A human-comparable being will certainly be susceptible to distraction, and that's what apparently happened to May.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: MweneChanga on 24 May 2019, 10:35
Since AI arose spontaneously from a certain hardware-software configuration, I imagine it’s not perfect, and ended up more human than it’s creators intended. I also imagine that a good body has things like calendar reminders, password reminders, WiFi (we know May has that one), and various other API hooks that the mind can take advantage of. I imagine May’s body has the bare minimal set of such tools - a built in $40 android phone suite, not well tested for reliability or usefulness. So she could count to a million by threes, but only if she’s paying attention - her subconscious doesn’t do much better than human when she’s distracted.
I’ll bet a body upgrade would make life easier in lots of ways, but for that she’d need a better job, or a rich boyfriend.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 24 May 2019, 11:04
Welcome, thoughtful new person!
I hadn't thought about her cheap body being a possible source of the problem.
And indeed, Homo Sapiens Syntheticus shows signs of lacking important design features. Charging cables are as fundamental to their operation as breathing is to mine, but they don't have tracking charging cables burned into ROM in the brainstem like I do taking breaths. I could not forget to breathe even in a coma.
At least they can be revived after five minutes without a charge, so it's not quite as risky as it would be for me.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Raptorofwar on 24 May 2019, 11:14
1. TFW you can't actually read the letters in the registration for this forum. (I swear I'm not a robot.) 2. Well this has been an interesting set of comics! It does kinda remind me of Sven's almost-relationship with Faye, though, in the two's dialogue. Momo's going to be upset.
I wish I had money for the Patreon to see if Svarn has a clown nose.
It's as little as $1 a month, you know. I did $5. $60 a year to support a guy who produces something I enjoy.
I don't have a credit card. Or any way to get money online.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Raptorofwar on 24 May 2019, 11:27
Cursed idea, since several of you (?) mentioned May maybe becoming a sex worker. Roko hiring May to rub bread.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Zebediah on 24 May 2019, 11:30
Panel three makes me wonder if she'll show up to Tai and Dora's wedding. She would look good in a sleeveless black dress.
She doesn’t really know either one of them that well - they’ve met, but to Dora, May is just the roommate of one of her employees. So she’d be unlikely to get a wedding invitation.
Unless May goes as Sven’s date. Which assumes a great many things that haven’t happened yet.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: OldGoat on 24 May 2019, 11:55
I'm calling a mixed bag of reactions when the word gets out.
Someone, maybe Claire, will say all excitedly, "Sven and May have been having 'relations'!"
Someone else, perhaps Tai, will respond dryly, "I was wondering how long it would take those two to find each other."
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: hedgie on 24 May 2019, 12:00
Cursed idea, since several of you (?) mentioned May maybe becoming a sex worker. Roko hiring May to rub bread.
Highly doubtful. Roko has a strong craving for human abs, and at this point in time is having issues with her new body. She likely might not feel comfortable with intimacy right now.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 24 May 2019, 12:27
Unlike the 'weird' remark, which she was clearly pleased about, I doubt she would be pleased about this characterisation.
When I asked Jeph in some Q&A about whether robots feel pain, he said something very close to "No, they're computers", and definitely used the word "computers".
I forget when this was, and it matters, since Jeph has steadily upgraded the status of the synthetics in the strip. It might no longer be the appropriate term. I vaguely remember it was after Momo's upgrade but can't even be sure of that.
If May were real I would ask her and abide by her answer.
The singularity happened (https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1777) during the strip's timeline, so anything we learned about AIs prior that isn't necessarily true anymore. Momo's upgrade happened shortly afterwards. It's certainly the case that different chassis have different sensory capabilities, as we recently saw with Roko's integration issues with her replacement body. They also appear subject to stress and other forms of compromised mental health. If they can be distracted by stress, they can probably forget things.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: TheEvilDog on 24 May 2019, 17:40
Very much so.
A computer can't have body issues or imposter syndrome.
A computer can't form lasting and meaningful relationships with each other or humans.
A computer can't seek to improve their lot in life or change aspects of their lives.
The AI in the QC universe are not computers and reducing them to such is somewhat insulting.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: cybersmurf on 24 May 2019, 17:56
The human body is a carbon based biomechanical machine, steered by an organically grown neural network. AnthroPCs are silicon based electromechanical machines, steered by a binary processor.
meatsuit vs robot doesn't make much of a difference, brain vs processor does, unless there's actual artificial neural networks capable of competing with human brains.
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Is it cold in here? on 24 May 2019, 18:00
My favorite quote of Bubbles is her dialog with Steve in https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3059
Quote
—How much do you bench? —Is the bench reinforced?
This has reminded me of one of my favourite Bubbles moments - the time when she and Elliot first meet each other. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3521
Title: Re: WCDT Strips 4006-4010 (20th-25th May, 2019)
Post by: Gyrre on 25 May 2019, 20:31
Panel three makes me wonder if she'll show up to Tai and Dora's wedding. She would look good in a sleeveless black dress.
She doesn’t really know either one of them that well - they’ve met, but to Dora, May is just the roommate of one of her employees. So she’d be unlikely to get a wedding invitation.
Unless May goes as Sven’s date. Which assumes a great many things that haven’t happened yet.