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Angus

Padma

Sarah

Vicky

Delilah

The "Transvestite" AnthroPC (I'm not sure if that character was ever named)

Lt Abbie Potter

Station

[BenRG]

Just a random fandom favourite poll this week. I didn't want to strain anything by sitting around for hours trying to work out a half-dozen or more 'what next' scenarios, I guess!

If I were asked to vote (and I have, by me), I've got to say that it's Station. Even though Hannelore let him down easily, he must easily be able to contact her. I'd like to see her talking to him more in arcs focussed on her. It strikes me that he was a parental figure of sorts so it makes sense that she'd ask him for advice or just confide in him on occasions.

[chaospersonified]

Oof. I am conflicted. I would most enjoy Angus' return, if it is to be as a romantuc foil, but Lt. Potter, while she wouldn't work as a romantuc foil, would be more fun to see return. She was only in a small handful of strips, but damn if I don't occasionally yell at random embracing people to 'Hug the shit out of him!'

There could be fascinating side points, too, given her military nature, general level of aggression and the conflict that would play out between these in reaction to Faye's new job.

[cesium133]

"Aluminum" should totally be an option in this poll.

[hedgie]

Considering that EC-tech may actually *have* invented mind-control rays, all of the aluminium foil might be used to make hatsssss.

[Method of Madness]

Yesssssssssssssss

[TheEvilDog]

Ah, but did Momo really improvise that eulogy or does she have a couple of dozen of them saved, with the cause of May's eventual death blanked out?

[neurocase]

Something about the makeover seems to have softened May somewhat. Not only was that a genuine response, but there wasn't a single curse word in there; unusual for her! Also, she's making snow angels, which is kind of precious. I'm getting a "hella cute robo-girlfriends" vibe from this strip. Dunno why.

[Wildroses]

Did anybody else panic at the first sentence of the first panel, panic, and have to scroll down to see if May was really dead or okay, then go back to read the rest of the comic?

Actually she came out of that better than I expected. I seriously thought last week we were in for several strips of them having to redo May's face.

[DSL]

"Aluminum" should totally be an option in this poll.

That foil is in short supply owing to the U.S. election.

[DrBear]

Caught me with the first-panel "eulogy," an interesting way to get our attention for the week ahead.

As for the poll, I guess it's whoever you want to see "foiled again!" 

[TRVA123]

Wait, wait, wait... everyone is ignoring the real question that this strip raises;

Why is Momo wearing a coat?

[mustang6172]

It probably keeps the snow off her clothes.

[Gladstone]

May really should've gone with the orange dermal covering.  Now every time she shows up in the strip I'm going to think Jeph forgot to color in her face.

[Is it cold in here?]

Keeps the snow off her clothes, or keeps people from staring at her.

That eulogy sounded improvised, especially since I don't think that kind of phrasing came from the social protocol database.

[TheEvilDog]

May really should've gone with the orange dermal covering.  Now every time she shows up in the strip I'm going to think Jeph forgot to color in her face.

It might have been a case that the facial and shoulder repairs were all Faye and Bubbles were willing to do at that time. I imagine that repairs at the Fight Club are possibly multi-hour affairs and that's just for the fighters, so how can they justify a complete overhaul for May. The only reason they really took May in was so Faye could get some practice. Plus its not like the place is overflowing with repair materials, hell, it wouldn't surprise me if the dermal coverings were just end-roll pieces that were just sitting there.

[hedgie]

That eulogy sounded improvised, especially since I don't think that kind of phrasing came from the social protocol database.

What if it actually *did* come from Momo's social protocol database?  She does tend to be unfailingly polite, but she had also previously threatened to have May's HD incinerated.

[Is it cold in here?]

The SPD could have an entry for "eulogy for someone I despise", I suppose, though if I had heard that one while I was a guest at a funeral I would not have found it polite.

It was, however, pretty good as a way of teasing a live May in a friendly way.

Their friendship does puzzle me although it's easy to see how Momo might put kindness ahead of being censorious.

[jheartney]

May really should've gone with the orange dermal covering.  Now every time she shows up in the strip I'm going to think Jeph forgot to color in her face.

I had a quick look at the orange while I was doing the test image. It was not good; the darker color value and the hue clashed with the blue. The khaki is a better fit, and also looks more human. If it weren't for the blue hair, she'd look almost like a live teenager.

I also agree that May's personality seems nicer. I hope we don't entirely lose the hardscrabble persona; it was part of what makes May endearing.

[Sorflakne]

May really should've gone with the orange dermal covering.  Now every time she shows up in the strip I'm going to think Jeph forgot to color in her face.

She does look kind of weird when not blue.

[Kugai]

I was worried for a moment there


But only a Momoment 



And it's nice that AnthroPC's appreciate Snow Angels.

[Is it cold in here?]

Aren't there plenty of carbon-based teenagers with blue hair?

[Tova]

That eulogy sounded improvised, especially since I don't think that kind of phrasing came from the social protocol database.

What if it actually *did* come from Momo's social protocol database?  She does tend to be unfailingly polite, but she had also previously threatened to have May's HD incinerated.

I rather think it did.

I mean, Momo is basically furious that May might have been seriously hurt.

It would be hard not to be touched, as May clearly is.

Momo's social database is on the money.

[BenRG]

Quite frankly, Momo and May act more and more like teenage siblings every time that I see them together! May making a snow angel was particularly cute and makes her seem a lot younger than she normally does.

Why is Momo wearing a coat?

Probably for the same reason that humans do: To keep her parts closer to optimum working temperatures in the cold without wasting power on trying to use waste system heat to do the job. Remember that Momo's chassis isn't particularly heavy-duty, so it's working temperature range probably doesn't go far beyond average room temperature.

[Timemaster]

 A snow angel. Sweet. 
And Momos eulogy is very nice, too. "You´re stupid. And annoying. And a jerk. And stupid. But you´re my friend an I kinda like you. Don´t know why. Did I mention that you´re stupid?"

Why is Momo wearing a coat? Maybe it has technical reasons or she wants to keep her clothes clean. But most important is the cause she´s wearing human clothes anyway: to look as human as possible. She has a skin-like dermal and doesn´t want to run around "naked". And humans tend to wear warm clothing in cold surroundings, so she wears a coat to blend in.
Even May does so by wearing a hoodie instead of a poloshirt in winter. And Bubbles has a coat too. For the same reason: to blend in, to be less conspicous to the humans. They want to be part of their society, so they play along. Not to hide from the people, but to become a part of everyday life. To integrate themselves.

TM

[Wildroses]

Momo may also just like the coat. Technically AnthroPCs don't need bedroom furnishings either but she was still thrilled when given the chance to decorate a room of her very own. She is probably the only cast member who benefited when Angus left.

[mad hands murphy]

BASED MAY
A
S
E
D

M
A
Y

[katsmeat]

Wait, wait, wait... everyone is ignoring the real question that this strip raises;

Why is Momo wearing a coat?

Some of her systems only work optimally in a given temperature range - a bit of insulation helps maintain that temperature using the waste heat she produces.

Just like anybody else, I suppose.

[Radium_Coyote]

This did not play out how I was expecting, but... I'm not disappointed.

[Method of Madness]

If it weren't for the blue hair, she'd look almost like a live teenager.

You think the blue hair makes her look less like a teenager?

[Mad Cat]

I don't know about anyone else, but I get the feeling that that eulogy was not entirely improvised on the spot.

[BenRG]

I suspect that Momo's 'Eulogy for May' was actually an 'Open Mike Rant' that she's been composing about May for some times. There are variations for various situations but the basic theme - That May is her friend and that Momo doesn't know why because everything May says and does just makes her want to do violence - is common to all of them.

[Neko_Ali]

Part of their friendship is probably proximity and a lack of other AI friends. With Dale and Marigold dating, they probably see each other fairly often. And also going to the same support group. But other than that... May doesn't have many friends in the first place, and Momo doesn't have many AI friends that we've seen. Pintsize really irritates her it seems, and Winslow for a lack of a better term seems to be of a more primitive generator of AI, or so he seems. I doubt Momo feels much in common with either of them. May on the other hand seems broadly similar so I don't see it all that uncommon that they would gravitate together when a group of them are around. I'm going to guess contact is more often initiated by May since again, she doesn't exactly have a lot of friends, and Momo is just that sweet spot of someone she can annoy a lot, but is to polite to tell May to buzz off and leave. So yeah.. I'm definitely feeling the 'sisters' vibe from the two of them.

Something that occurs to me after last week... I do rather hope that Corpse Witch is on the up and up, or when the inevitable blow up happens between her and Bubbles and/or Faye it doesn't involve removing the fight club from the story. Or that it becomes the driving force for Faye and Bubbles to go into  repair service together. It was a round about way of getting the job, but I think this is just what Faye needed. She loves working with her hand and metal. But she hates doing dull, repetitive work. And she really seems to be interested in the mechanics of robot and AnthroPC maintenance. And finally, she still gets to engage in the endless snark she enjoys. Clearly this job is much better for her than the coffee shop and she seems genuinely happier with her life because of it.

[Omega Entity]

One thing about May's hair - I think Bubbles may have replaced it with something of higher quality, since her OEM hair was stiff plastic stuff. It fans out rather nicely when she's laying on the ground.

[BenRG]

Yeah; I've got a feeling that Bubbles may have salvaged a synthetic hair wig off of a decommissioned head unit that one of the fighting 'bots no longer needed. So, May's head may look and act a lot more human now in many ways. I wonder if she'll get the desire to look more human all-over the way Momo does?

[DSL]

Wait, wait, wait... everyone is ignoring the real question that this strip raises;

Why is Momo wearing a coat?

Some of her systems only work optimally in a given temperature range - a bit of insulation helps maintain that temperature using the waste heat she produces.

Just like anybody else, I suppose.

I just hope May's waterproofed.

[Morituri]

I was expecting (and still haven't ruled out) friction between Corpse Witch and Bubbles/Faye over May's repair.  People were talking about the police raiding the place and May getting in parole trouble, but I was thinking that narratively it could easily be a part of the "Bubbles is increasingly disenchanted with Corpse Witch and the Fight Club" arc instead. 

I like the interaction between May and Momo.  They really do have a kind of "sisters" vibe going on, especially when they engage in good-natured snark. 

I expect May to continue to be obnoxious and crude, but also to exhibit a fierce loyalty to Momo, Faye, and Bubbles if and when there is trouble of any kind.  I just hope she doesn't get in trouble for it.  I could easily see her punching a cop if someone is trying to arrest any of the three for any reason, and that sort of thing just doesn't go over well with the parole board.

[Neko_Ali]

I don't know if she would go quite that far. She does have a powerful fear of going back to Robot Jail. On the other hand, she does have poor impulse control... If someone tried to hurt one of her friends she'd probably fly off the handle.

[Roborat]

This page is great, and I liked the line: "not entirely a waste of resources, but mostly so".  I am going to have to steal that.  However, I have to admit, when I saw May in the last panel, I fully expected to see a Punchbot's fist shaped dent in her head.

[Is it cold in here?]

Jeph said, in some long-ago Q&A, that AnthroPCs could change their personalities with software patches.

The May story line suggests he's changed his mind about that part of the world-building. If she could have installed an impulse control upgrade ...

Wait, that line of thought didn't go where I expected. This may be saying something alarming about the QC world's legal system. If the authorities could have ordered a software patch but incarcerated her instead, that says bad things about them, bad things that are plausible if you've read about human prisoners being denied education and educational materials.

[sitnspin]

One could argue a unwanted software patch of that variety would be tantamount to mind control slash brainwashing. That's a serious violation of a sapient being's rights, far more do than incarceration.

[Neko_Ali]

Actually it would be far more alarming if the courts could issue punishments that involved reprogramming a sentient being's personality. That's some serious distopian level stuff there. "Well, you embezzled some money, so we are going to install a lock out to prevent you from ever thinking about doing that again. You're free to go." I'd find that far more terrifying than going to jail, having parts of my mind and personality forcibly re-written to comply. It certainly tosses free will for AIs right out the window.

Even more terrifying... What if they also patched them to not be aware they've been re-programmed. Or to force them to be happy about it. At what point once you've started reprogramming someone should you stop? Heck, why not just make it part of the standard code every AI has installed, not unlike the Three Laws? That would remove the need for a robot criminal system at all, if they were designed from the start to obey. Free will is over rated, right?

[chaospersonified]

My question is why the hell would a sentient being not WANT that kind of help, especially when it's as simple as a software patch that could be programmed to a specific level of efficiency. I've got ADHD and bipolar type 2, and if it were as simple as installing a patch to my brain that would do even half the effectivity of medication, you bet your ass I would accept that.

I agree it'd be fucked if the government was forcing it, but why wouldn't they just accept it?

[Tova]

You might want to ask one of the not-insignificant number of people who refuse medication.

[TheEvilDog]

One could argue a unwanted software patch of that variety would be tantamount to mind control slash brainwashing. That's a serious violation of a sapient being's rights, far more do than incarceration.

The whole idea reminds me of the approach they took in the 1940s and 50s with lobotomy - found a moral deviant who doesn't fit into the societal norm? Lobotomy.

Just the idea of enforcing a change of personality on what is a sentient entity through a patch sounds absolutely vile.

[DSL]

Chaospersonified's last sentence is key: Many folks would welcome a "patch" that would relieve them of a mental condition and it's be great if that was available. But some folks would not want that, for reasons that are varied and understandable. Forcing it as an across-the-board remedy, ESPECIALLY  in cases where there is no harm done and maybe even some.benefit (exceptional artistic ability or other savantry, for just a couple of examples) is the unacceptable part. (Plrase note I will refuse to take seriously any responses along the lines of "so what you're really saying is ...")

[comicalArchitect]

Part of their friendship is probably proximity and a lack of other AI friends. With Dale and Marigold dating, they probably see each other fairly often. And also going to the same support group. But other than that... May doesn't have many friends in the first place, and Momo doesn't have many AI friends that we've seen. Pintsize really irritates her it seems, and Winslow for a lack of a better term seems to be of a more primitive generator of AI, or so he seems. I doubt Momo feels much in common with either of them.

Momo hung out with Pintsize and Winslow before Marigold's introduction, and has explicitly referred to Pintsize as her friend.

[Neko_Ali]

That was also before her chassis switch. Since then she hasn't been around them very much, spending more of her time with the library crew when she's not with Marigold. And now with May.

[chaospersonified]

You might want to ask one of the not-insignificant number of people who refuse medication.

Why ask one. I am one.

For years, I refused mood-stabilizing medication. I wasn't bipolar, I just feel things. Type II bipolar, as opposed to the stereotyped version, Type I, works with longer, less-intense levels of depression and mania, and I find it possible to handle the depression while harnessing the manic stretches. I still only take my mood stabilizers occasionally, but that's a matter of recognizing situations where I need the help. This is why I suggested that the patch could be programmed to a specific level of efficiency.

The argument I made about this being a matter of programs, not biological brain systems is that it would be a matter of allowing certain aspects of the system to still function as they did before while changing the malfunctioning bits. There could be as many exceptions applied to the patch as the AI wishes there to be, and the patch would only be applied to specific areas of the AI's personality. A common complaint with people who start taking psych medication is that it changes larger parts of the personality, but a world that has created artificial intelligence could likely find ways to stop that from happening INSIDE the artificial intelligence.

[Neko_Ali]

So basically the AI would be trusting the content of the patch, that it would work properly with their system and not contain any undocumented features or outright malware. Even mismatched drivers can seriously alter an AIs function. In cases like that, the effects are obvious and can be fixed. How would an AI know if some sort of trigger code was planted into their programming via a patch. If it's something they volunteer for that's one thing. Though installing hidden code via a voluntary behavior alteration patch is still a scummy thing to do. It becomes unconscionable when it is a mandatory install because that's your sentence. Accepting punishment for committing crimes is one thing. Having your personality re-written by legal force, even if nothing hidden was added, is outright horrifying.

[Saral]

I think Momo and May are friends because Momo is a kind person who likes looking after people, wheareas while crude, and impulsive May will push Momo beyond her comfort zonebut not her actual boundaries. Each gets something from another. THis is someone simplistic because there are other reasons.

As for software patches, Any suffeciently complex system has problems altering onlty one thing at a time, and even if altering the blocks is easy, then end result in an inteligent being may not be quite what is expected.