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More Emilton;

Back to Marten and Claire;

More Faye recovery;

Hannelore has a new adventure

Sam and Veronica bonding (figuratively, of course);

Momo and May save the day!

[BenRG]

Well, we are now on the way to Strip 4000! What does the future hold?

I am a bit divided. I'd like for things to return to Faye and how her friends both help and hinder her. If I had a wish, it would be for her and Dora to have a surprise meeting and for this to lead to developments for them both. Maybe Dora knows a guy who needs an aesthetic metalworker (as opposed to a structural engineer)?

That said, more of Clinton and Emily would work, as would returning to Marten and Claire's day off and their misadventures. Jeph really in a plot clearing right now and could go in several directions.

[osaka]

I'm thinking we'll see Date 2: Date Harder in regards to Clinton and Emily. I honestly want to see if 1: Clinton gets another tattoo (or improves upon the one he has) and 2: Emily gets interested in Actual Clinton.

[Zebediah]

Faye said she  had some desperate job-hunting to do a while back. Maybe she'll wind up working alongside May at the convenience store.

Maybe May will become her supervisor. 

[Kugai]

That's a horrifying thought

[hedgie]

I don't know what is more frightening, the idea that they won't get on at all, or the idea that they *do* 

[jheartney]

Faye said she  had some desperate job-hunting to do a while back. Maybe she'll wind up working alongside May at the convenience store.

Maybe May will become her supervisor. 

That could make for an interesting dynamic. Both have irascible personalities, and are in some form of rehab. There might be some commonality there. Not to mention the enormous opportunity for snarky dialog; can you imagine the insult wars they would wage?

And suppose they quit and formed a partnership in a murder-bot enterprise. May could manage the business side and Faye would build them.

[osaka]

I'm thinking we'll see Date 2: Date Harder in regards to Clinton and Emily. I honestly want to see if 1: Clinton gets another tattoo (or improves upon the one he has) and 2: Emily gets interested in Actual Clinton.

Not Date 2: Electric Boogaloo?

I think there was another thing that was the electric boogaloo around here. Also I was channeling the "Dad 2: Dad Harder" from Marten back when his dad proposed to his now husband, can't remember his name.

[chaospersonified]

Well, comic suggests we're seeing the 'get a job' segment of Faye's recovery. I don't know if this will be a good job for Faye, but at least it's something that could lead to someone at a different job recognizing her skill.

[osaka]

Ah, rats. Well, it looks as if Faye wants to make some extra money alright.

[Zebediah]

She should have gone with the convenience store. This is going to end badly.

And nobody tell May about this; I am certain that it would violate her parole.

[chaospersonified]

This is going to end badly

Depends on how quickly she gets out of it. I foresee Faye's metal-working fighting-suit-building career being a short one. Either she quits quickly or she gets hired by legitimate folk after they see what she can do

[MrNumbers]

This could only end well.

This could only end well.

This could only end well.

[osaka]

This WILL end well. I already said that if robots tried to revolt, Faye has more than enough fight in her to turn them into compacted boxes.

And she has enough hatred in her to make absolutely terrifying murderbots. I'm expecting something akin to a fully buffed Deathtrap* to be in the works.

(click to show/hide)

Deathtrap is Gaige's murderbot, a "floating torso of pure awesome" in our lovely little sociopath's words. When fully buffed it absorbs elemental gunfire to buff his attacks, throws electrical bombs, has a laser that will melt anything, unleashes attacks at devastating rates, and becomes stronger per kill. Even at base, he has a tantalizing electrical arc to fire.

And obviously, he glows purple. Like the third street saints. Pretty damn badass.

[mustang6172]

This could end badly, but the journey is going to be so awesome!

[MrWoodchip]

I can't help but suspect that the end result will be Faye welding robots with massive gashes in their chasis back together on a daily basis.

Basically a shady backalley doctor, is what I'm saying.

[Deadcoder]

I think Faye will get involved in the underground robot fights, and Momo will find out about it through the grapevine. She'll be horrified by both the fights and Faye's involvement with it. I suspect she'll bitch about it to May, who oddly enough, will be the voice of reason. That last part will horrify both of them.

[cesium133]

Faye does the metalwork, Clinton provides the electronics, Emily provides the programming, and then Faye accidentally leaves some espresso out on the kitchen counter. Meanwhile, Dora and Tai get married.

[jheartney]

Assuming all this murderbot stuff is not just talk, it takes QC into a place it has never been: a Mad Max distopian underground scene featuring violence and intentional killing. Up to now we've seen wacky millennials in an AI alternative universe, but the Sci Fi elements have been strictly secondary to interpersonal comedy and the small doings of the cast. We had a trip to orbit, but it remained grounded in comic narrative (Marigold getting makeouts, Marten again striking out with a gal, a portrait of Hanners' upbringing). This would change if we follow this story thread.

[Stoon]

What's DMT?

[Near Lurker]

Well, someone was listening to Coast to Coast Saturday night...

[Timemaster]

Yay, illegal robot fighting.
Mechanical mayhem and meaningless malevolence.

Sounds like fun. On the other hand I´m with jheartney here: this would take QC to a completely new level of storytelling and away from the personal interactin, which has been and is the trademark of the series. But wait and see. It is much too early so predict what Jeph will make of this. Actually the whole Robot-fighting-thing could still be a hoax or supid joke by Pintsize.

TM

[BenRG]

Hmmm...

Okay, I think that I understand what Pintsize is saying here. The fighting league is illegal as in there are specific laws against it. However, the very people those laws are meant to protect actually enjoy the activity in question and it literally has no social stigma whatsoever!

So, it looks like Faye is at least going to explore this and doubtlessly encounter a whole new cast of robotic grotesques.

I wonder if Jeph is using this as a plot device for Faye to meet May?

[ankhtahr]

Injecting drugs into your eyeballs reminds me of Transmetropolitan.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

I was gonna say, but then didn't.

Now I'm gonna.

The Talk 2: Talk Harder would have been more satisfying if it had come after Date 2: Machiavelli Harder.

[Scarblac]

She should have gone with the convenience store. This is going to end badly.

Would do you prefer as a reader, Faye in another low end service job, or Faye doing welding for an underground robot fighting ring? Questionable Content could use a bit more awesome in it.

Even in-comic, doing something similar to Coffee of Doom would just lead to Faye getting into similar trouble, and it would delay the rest of her life even more. Like many characters in this comic, she needs change.

[hedgie]

What's DMT?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N,N-Dimethyltryptamine  your pineal gland makes it in trace amounts, and it's often thought that it's linked to dreaming. 

[swapna]

She should have gone with the convenience store. This is going to end badly.

Would do you prefer as a reader, Faye in another low end service job, or Faye doing welding for an underground robot fighting ring? Questionable Content could use a bit more awesome in it.

Even in-comic, doing something similar to Coffee of Doom would just lead to Faye getting into similar trouble, and it would delay the rest of her life even more. Like many characters in this comic, she needs change.

So, so so much. And I really don't think they are fight-for-your-life kind of robot fights - with AnthroPCs able and willing to change their chassis and being able to be uploaded to a computer, it seems more like boxing or wrestling to me. Without the threat of permanent injury. Or like the 'robot-fights'  people are doing now, but with consenting AIs at the helm.
I think the reason they are illegal are different kind of rules - those that state that anthroPCs can't carry deadly weaponry or armour except if sanctioned or employed by governments or something. (For example, mercenaries or security companies that do have an official license to carry certain weapons might be able to acquire the same license for their Deathbots).

And it would be a well-paid, creative job for Faye, in which she could use and hone her skills - if somebody discovers her and hires her away, even better. (Another plus - she doesn't have to go through job listings, doesn't have to fake-smile at people and she can start working immediately)

[hedgie]

I have actually speculated about what it would be like to be an AI who could freely exchange chassis.  Obviously, I'm limited here by my human mind, but I think that being *forced* to do so out of physical damage could be rather traumatic, unlike Momo's upgrade.  Hell, I'd love a new body, but I wouldn't like to wake up into one after being run over by a bus.

[improvnerd]

Unless the alternative was not a waking up at all....

[Tova]

No, I think it would be a fairly unlikable experience regardless of what the alternative was.

[katsmeat]

I think the reason they are illegal are different kind of rules - those that state that anthroPCs can't carry deadly weaponry or armour except if sanctioned or employed by governments or something. (For example, mercenaries or security companies that do have an official license to carry certain weapons might be able to acquire the same license for

Makes sense. An AI  having a chassis fitted with weapons and armour  would be like me walking the streets wearing body-armour, carrying a pick-axe handle and a machete.

That would not bar armed AI combat in a private arena.  Although there might be still laws technically barring armed chassis in all spheres, public and private - these would date from the era when AIs were a new thing, some people were still paranoid about the idea of a robot uprisings, and there would be politicians happy to take advantage of that.

[Welu]

I hope these are more like glorified Robot Wars than AI killbots.

[BenRG]

I hope these are more like glorified Robot Wars than AI killbots.

I predict a pastiche/homage to that recent CGI movie 'Big Hero 6'.

[Method of Madness]

I hope there's a Baymax there.

[Radium_Coyote]

While this probably will end badly, in the end it's good for Faye.  She was completely wasted on a service job like CoD.  In this, she can grow a talent that she's both actually good at and likes.  Plus nobody expects a welder of murder-bots to be especially friendly.

Plus, we get to see a cast of the equivalent of robot luchadores.  That can't be anything other than awesome.

[Is it cold in here?]

Civilian models can carry weapons. Momo's taser can go up to 250 milliamps, a lethal level.

[BenRG]

Civilian models can carry weapons. Momo's taser can go up to 250 milliamps, a lethal level.

That's nothing compared to electromagnetic coil-driven nailguns with kilometer ballistic ranges, titanium-teflon bladed bandsaws and kilojoule-range ultraviolet-frequency lasers!

[osaka]

Ever since she was a chibi Momo favored close quarters combat anyways. That squirrel never knew what was coming to it.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

That's nothing compared to electromagnetic coil-driven nailguns with kilometer ballistic ranges, titanium-teflon bladed bandsaws and kilojoule-range ultraviolet-frequency lasers!

That really depends on how they're used. Dead is dead. you can't really get more dead.

Dying, on the other hand, can hurt. A lot.

[Method of Madness]

Dead is dead. you can't really get more dead.

WE ARE WORKING ON THAT TECHNOLOGY!

[cesium133]

Dead is dead. you can't really get more dead.

Class... Is... Dismissed.

[improvnerd]

Maxim 37: There is no "overkill." There is only "open fire" and "time to reload."

https://store.schlockmercenary.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=P-R37

[amykathleen]

Deathbots aside... did Pintsize make coffee for Faye?  If he did, THAT'S SO SWEET.

[Kugai]

Hey, look at it this way, at least we'll find out what Deathbot 3000 has been up to recently.

[Method of Madness]

Deathbots aside... did Pintsize make coffee for Faye?  If he did, THAT'S SO SWEET.

Ha, I hadn't noticed that! Awww!

[DSL]

 I say it was Pintsize's coffee and Faye swiped it. Also, Jeph's background renderings seem to have taken a quantum leap in technique.

[Method of Madness]

Probably for the best, we know what happens when Pintsize has food.

[chaospersonified]

I feel we'll know by Friday whether Faye will actually consider a job as deathbot designer

[Method of Madness]

Looks to me like she's already in.

[osaka]

You know, if I didn't know that all the skateparks back at my hometown are outdoors I would believe they'd be pot smoking-o-dromes or something similarly "illegal but not too much." Do people ever learn to skate when they're not X-Games athletes?