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Faye Threw the Punch! So, What Happens Next?

CW: "You're fired!" Faye: "Fired, nothin'! I quit!"
CW: "So... That's what it takes to provoke you to violence? How fortunate. For me."
Bubbles: "Faye, walk away. Walk away now and, if you care about living, never come back."
May: "Are you two CRAZY? Stop this!" Bubbles: "Stop nothing! I'm enjoying this! Popcorn?"
Bubbles: "Ma'am... You need to restrain your need to dominate others... Or I will."
Faye: "What the hell is this? Since when has this been a reshoot of 'Goodfellas'?"
Det. Basilisk: "Miss May, thank you for your help; this recording will put her away for good."
CW: "Pintsize! Pintsize was behind it all! Now STOP HITTING ME!"
May: "How is it, kid?" Faye: "I can't feel my legs, Kaiser."
Other (Please specify)

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Author Topic: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)  (Read 47135 times)

brasca

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #150 on: 08 Dec 2016, 22:09 »

Or sometimes she's the deus ex machina just because she ENDS MESSES.

If there is someone who can magically END MESSES then things become predictable and boring.  It's possible that Hannelore might try to replace the encryption key only to find that its more sophisticated than anything she's ever seen.  Perhaps Corpse Witch was a brilliant programmer turned bitter due to discrimination which is why she operates a robot fighting ring.  Offering her a job with her father's company in exchange for keeping the memory block in place would resolve this in a way where all parties can be happy would be great, but it's still a plot tidily concluded because of friends in high places. 
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Tova

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #151 on: 08 Dec 2016, 22:27 »

It's unclear to me as well.

I have a list of competing theories, none of which is winning yet.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #152 on: 08 Dec 2016, 22:28 »

What if she had CW store the memories simply because they were to painful to remember , but CW has convinced her it was because she did something horrible. Maybe she even suspects that this is true and is even more afraid to lose them because of that.
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dreed

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #153 on: 08 Dec 2016, 22:34 »

Maybe I'm slow, but I'm not entirely following what CW is threatening Bubbles with. Is it that the traumatic memories are only temporarily locked, and so if Bubbles leaves, the memories come back spontaneously? Or does CW have control over the memories, and can make Bubbles "remember" them remotely? Or does Bubbles want the memories, and CW is threatening that Bubbles will never get the memories back if she obsconds?

Also, who are these "people" that Bubbles took refuge with CW against? Did Bubbles run up gambling debts, or something? Or were the "people" from the Pentagon, looking to find Bubbles and bring her back to the military? Or at least steal her badass chassis?

The memories are under CW safekeeping by the form of encryption key.  Bubbles does not want to access them hence why they are encrypted but she also does not want to lose them.

so

CW can either release them which would be bad for Bubbles as she is not ready to deal with all that shit
or
CW deletes the key and Bubbles loses memories possibly forever
or
CW releases them to the public as they might not even be stored in Bubble's body anymore


and if Han wanted to decrypt something there is zero reason why she should not be able to.  Not herself though as brasca mentioned that it can be even too complicated for her.

but not for other AI.  She does have access to some serious AI power out there which should be able to crack anything CW comes up with.

thats why i don't think we had seen much of interaction between bubbles and Han as the issues presented so far in the comic would be solvable by Han and her skills and connections.





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Timemaster

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #154 on: 08 Dec 2016, 22:43 »

Finally some news about our favorite warbot.

So Bubbles is hiding frome someone and CW has given her refuge. From whom? And is Bubbles hiding because she´s on the lam or does she simply not want to meet specific people. I think rather the latter, because she is moving around town without much precaution and is rather relaxed around officer Basilisk. Or maybe she´s just trying to hide from her own past?
This leads me straight to the mysterious encryption key. I suppose Bubs has encrypted parts of her own memory and gave the key to CW so she´s not longer able to access them herself. I see two possible explanations for this: those are traumatic memories from her own past, which she no longer wants to remember. Or she has some classified information stored, wich she wants to protect, even from herself.
Maybe she knows something important and no one must ever know she knows!
NO ONE!
EVER!
Something in the line of who shot JFK, what is really hidden in Area51 or who controls Donald Trump.  :wink:
And thats why she is hiding herself.

TM
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NyxDarkness

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #155 on: 08 Dec 2016, 22:55 »

And deeper down the rabbit hole we go..
I'm happy to see that Faye's friendship is still important to Bubbles, but what is Bubbles hiding from? When it comes to the Encryption Key CW mentioned, I think it's probably more along the lines of traumatic info that Bubbles wishes she could forget. 
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brasca

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #156 on: 08 Dec 2016, 22:59 »

Finally some news about our favorite warbot.

So Bubbles is hiding frome someone and CW has given her refuge. From whom? And is Bubbles hiding because she´s on the lam or does she simply not want to meet specific people. I think rather the latter, because she is moving around town without much precaution and is rather relaxed around officer Basilisk. Or maybe she´s just trying to hide from her own past?
This leads me straight to the mysterious encryption key. I suppose Bubs has encrypted parts of her own memory and gave the key to CW so she´s not longer able to access them herself. I see two possible explanations for this: those are traumatic memories from her own past, which she no longer wants to remember. Or she has some classified information stored, wich she wants to protect, even from herself.
Maybe she knows something important and no one must ever know she knows!
NO ONE!
EVER!
Something in the line of who shot JFK, what is really hidden in Area51 or who controls Donald Trump.  :wink:
And thats why she is hiding herself.

TM

I think Bubbles is seeking refuge from the outside world.  If the government wanted to arrest her I doubt they'd have any trouble finding her and considering Corpse Witch is running an illegal business keeping a high profile fugitive would be asking for trouble.  As we have seen Bubbles has trouble interacting with people.  The first time at Faye and Marten's apartment ended badly.  With the exception of May and Pintsize's obnoxious behavior no one was hostile to her presence, but she couldn't handle it.  Then there was the time those teenagers were calling her a freak behind her back.  Even though she knows it's irrational to be angry over it she is and retreated back to her safe place. 
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BenRG

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #157 on: 08 Dec 2016, 23:29 »

Well done to Jeph for taking this in such an unexpected and uniquely AI direction!  If you could have a bad chunk of your life locked off so that you were physically incapable of recalling them unless you wanted to (and would need outside help to do so) would you do so?

Bubbles' memories are clearly traumatic enough that forcing her to confront them is the worst threat imaginable for Corpse Witch to make to her. Or, at the very least, Bubbles tells herself that they're especially traumatic, which is not unreasonable, based on the fact that she knows nothing about those memories other than the fact she wanted them locked away enough to get herself permanently under the influence of this vile petty criminal. However, we don't know how different time and her changed perspectives might make her reaction to them.

In any case, I don't think that whoever she was hiding from is such a big issue anymore. She was clearly willing to confront that possibility head-on. The memories? Less so.

Just a guess: I'm thinking that Bubbles may have been blamed by one surviving relative of one of her dead squad-mates and he/she was hounding her. When you're already dealing with PTSD and guilt, having a vengeful stalker can't be good for your mental health.

In the end, it's going to come down to what is most important to Bubbles - Hiding or friendship; security or happiness. The two are no longer combined and I think that she's very, very aware of it. However, that isn't a decision anyone could come to quickly.

Corpse Witch has won this round and can afford to be a little smug but I think she should be aware of just how close Bubbles came to killing her here and not caring about the consequences. If there was ever a time to cash out of a deal gone bad, I would suspect it is now.

Actually, an alternate explanation just occurred to me. Ever heard of 'Ransomware'? I wonder if Corpse Witch used something like that on Bubbles?
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gopher

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #158 on: 08 Dec 2016, 23:42 »

Bubbles should have covered herself in tattoos or mailed herself esoteric clues to the memories before she had them locked off.
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oeoek

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #159 on: 09 Dec 2016, 00:10 »

ok, 10 points for the raccoon; someone is taken advantage of at the robofightring...
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #160 on: 09 Dec 2016, 00:18 »


Well that took a dark turn



Oh hey I'm still alive
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #161 on: 09 Dec 2016, 01:04 »

That puts the time she accompanied Faye to liquor store and afterwards in a new light.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #162 on: 09 Dec 2016, 01:49 »

Those last two panels - is that a yes or a no, do you reckon?
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BenRG

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #163 on: 09 Dec 2016, 02:04 »

I suspect it is an unspoken "no, for now" response. However, if I were Corpse Witch, I wouldn't be too smug. Something tells me that Bubbles may be thinking very, very hard about just how important those memories and controlling them are to her compared to the new connections she's made in the wider world. She may yet decide that it is a risk that she's willing to take.

The thing is that Corpse Witch has demonstrated that she is strongly anthrophobic(1). It is quite possible that she literally can't imagine a human becoming Bubbles's true friend and, therefore, is incapable of predicting the influence Faye and, to a much lesser extent, Hannelore and Claire, might have on Bubbles's decision-making processes.

-------------------

(1) In this context, 'anthrophobic' refers to bigotry expressed as suspicion and fear directed at humans by a synthetic. Corpse Witch has used what could be described as hate-speech about humans, particularly Faye but also as a generic stereotype, on at least two occasions before today.
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Sullivan

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #164 on: 09 Dec 2016, 02:36 »

Those last two panels - is that a yes or a no, do you reckon?
Whatever it is, that smug smile is gone from CW's face. She's no longer confident that she's in control, no longer sure how things will go.

This makes me happy.
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USS Martenclaire

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #165 on: 09 Dec 2016, 03:16 »

Hmmmm. We know that a difficult memory is locked away in Bubbles head....but while it might be a traumatic memory, it might also be a memory of something shameful she did. Maybe she abandoned her comrades to die or something like that?
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #166 on: 09 Dec 2016, 03:45 »

Also, quite frankly, Bubbles has leverage over Corpse Witch, now, by having demonstrated the ability and willingness to kill her.

The tactic that CW has been using is, essentially, "stay with me or you won't get the encryption key". The thing with that, there's no way to win that by playing by CW's game - stay, CW will never give it to her because it's leverage. Leave, CW won't give it to her. Bubbles cannot win (clearly Bubbles wants the key).

Threaten to kill CW, on the other hand, and then Bubbles has an in - "give me the key, or you die". It's an ugly, ugly route, but she's already gone down it now - she literally just threatened CW's life. And, the thing is, if CW doesn't give up the key under that kind of threat? Bubbles isn't getting it under any circumstances anyway.
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JimC

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #167 on: 09 Dec 2016, 04:12 »

anthrophobic
[pedant]It would be anthropophobic. Anthrophobic doesn't really work. Anthophobic would be fear/dislike of the colour yellow and anthraphobic fear/dislike of coal.[/pedant]

But yes, I agree with you, CW now clearly very anthropophobic which sheds some light on past attitudes I think.
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brasca

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #168 on: 09 Dec 2016, 04:48 »

Also, quite frankly, Bubbles has leverage over Corpse Witch, now, by having demonstrated the ability and willingness to kill her.

The tactic that CW has been using is, essentially, "stay with me or you won't get the encryption key". The thing with that, there's no way to win that by playing by CW's game - stay, CW will never give it to her because it's leverage. Leave, CW won't give it to her. Bubbles cannot win (clearly Bubbles wants the key).

Threaten to kill CW, on the other hand, and then Bubbles has an in - "give me the key, or you die". It's an ugly, ugly route, but she's already gone down it now - she literally just threatened CW's life. And, the thing is, if CW doesn't give up the key under that kind of threat? Bubbles isn't getting it under any circumstances anyway.

Perhaps, but if Corpse Witch suspects that Bubbles might go so far as to kill her she could warn that she has plenty of associates who could unlock those memories if she met an untimely end.  Moreover, unless Bubbles had a justifiable reason for killing her she'd be sent to robot prison for murder so she'd be both incarcerated and tormented by memories that are so bad she wants them locked away. 
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blt

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #169 on: 09 Dec 2016, 04:57 »

Those last two panels - is that a yes or a no, do you reckon?
Whatever it is, that smug smile is gone from CW's face. She's no longer confident that she's in control, no longer sure how things will go.

This makes me happy.

I don't know... that final panel looks like a tiny smug smile to me.  She definitely thinks she's still winning.

The idea that you can forcibly encrypt away AI memories is strange though.  Maybe it can only be done by the AI themselves and then the key given away, but if not it's only a short hop from that to memory stealing/modifying AI personalities which seems off given how we understand how AI works in this universe.
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BenRG

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #170 on: 09 Dec 2016, 05:01 »

Moreover, unless Bubbles had a justifiable reason for killing her she'd be sent to robot prison for murder...

That is assuming that Bubbles isn't smart enough, or capable enough an engineer, to make it look like an unfortunate hardware failure in an old and primitive chassis. A tragedy; Bubbles will, of course, fully cooperate with any investigation into the circumstances. However, it does seem that, possibly due to her debatably-legal lifestyle, Corpse Witch had neglected her proper chassis inspection and certification schedule.

Cold? Yes, but a soldier is trained to pull a trigger on an enemy, no matter whether or not they were shot at first.
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WareWolf

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #171 on: 09 Dec 2016, 05:33 »

So, what we know is:

1) Bubbles has "people" who likely mean her harm. Would "people" include other AI's? Maybe, but I tend to think not. I thin CW would have used different wording if so.

2) Bubbles has memories she voluntarily "locked away" and gave the key to Corpse Witch. Could be memories she can't/won't face. Or it could be information that she can't delete that makes her to dangerous to leave alive, so she thinks she can bargain her way out of it by telling the powers that be she can't get to it if they ever catch up to her. Or she's already made that bargain, and if CW unlocks them, she'll then tell the PTB and they'll send someone even scarier than Bubbles to clean up the mess.

I dunno, just plot-storming here. Stay tuned.
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brasca

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #172 on: 09 Dec 2016, 05:57 »

Moreover, unless Bubbles had a justifiable reason for killing her she'd be sent to robot prison for murder...

That is assuming that Bubbles isn't smart enough, or capable enough an engineer, to make it look like an unfortunate hardware failure in an old and primitive chassis. A tragedy; Bubbles will, of course, fully cooperate with any investigation into the circumstances. However, it does seem that, possibly due to her debatably-legal lifestyle, Corpse Witch had neglected her proper chassis inspection and certification schedule.

Cold? Yes, but a soldier is trained to pull a trigger on an enemy, no matter whether or not they were shot at first.

She could get away with murder, but like I said if Corpse Witch meets with an untimely end what's to stop one of her associates from unlocking the memories or quite possibly a deadman's switch if she doesn't trust anyone to carry out posthumous deeds?  Bubbles would have her freedom, but be plagued with bad memories which is her primary motivation to continue working for Corpse Witch.   
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BenRG

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #173 on: 09 Dec 2016, 06:02 »

Bubbles needs to confront those memories; ideally in a controlled environment with the close assistance of one or more of the God AIs like Station. However, if that option doesn't open itself to her then that is just the way the dice have fallen. Running away from them has done nothing good for her and continuing to run can do nothing good.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #174 on: 09 Dec 2016, 06:10 »

..and no one has made the connection as to how similar Bubbles situation is to Faye's?

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #175 on: 09 Dec 2016, 08:40 »

Speaking as someone who has memories I wish I could lock away, I understand how that could be a hold over Bubbles. The thing is, memories (even in an AI, apparently) aren't so neatly compartmentalized. Bubbles seems to still be aware that she's done something that she really doesn't want to remember, because she remembers how remembering it made her feel.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #176 on: 09 Dec 2016, 09:21 »

Interesting turn of events


I wonder just WHO the 'People' CW mentions are and just WHAT those locked away memories are.  I have a feeling it's gonna get a fair bit worse for Bubbles (and possibly Faye and the gang) before it gets better and Bubbles can work her way free of her past.

I hope it doesn't include the 'Ending' of Bubbles.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #177 on: 09 Dec 2016, 09:24 »

Now here's a thought for you all. CW appears to have a very simplistic chassis, and is notably anthropophobic or at least highly distrusting of humans. Could she have a back story of being a very early AI, pre AI rights, and been subject to appalling treatment, 'racism', discrimination, and so on, maybe highly involved with a presumed battle for AI rights? Could this character get a little less one dimensional and more sympathetic?

And now lets imagine this character, who started life out as a slave, because presumably that's how early AIs must have been treated, has fought for freedom,  then fought to build up some kind of business, no doubt in the face of all sorts of prejudice and hatred, and now is faced with this human who's marched in, treats her premises as her own bringing in charity jobs without permission and then repeats the offence, albeit with a marginal payment... And now this human assaults CW as if CW was still just another no good slave AI, which is, lets frankly, the third thing she's done which would under UK employment law warrant summary dismissal...

Could a character with that kind of back story deserve a bit more sympathetic treatment at our hands? We may call ex freedom fighters good guys - at least if we agree with their cause - but I'm not sure they are very often nice guys...

I'll put down my devil's advocate hat now!
« Last Edit: 09 Dec 2016, 09:30 by JimC »
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #178 on: 09 Dec 2016, 09:59 »

Two thoughts.
One - Bubbles is running away from the past, or at the very least, locked her memories of that past away. In doing so, the fear of the past is worst than the actual event. She can't even acknowledge the feelings/memories and attempt to work to move on. Instead, it's festering and making the problem worse. She's hiding and she's doing it in the shadow of someone like Corpse Witch.

Two - Does CW not know the basic rule of blackmail? You do not threaten to take away everything from the person you are blackmailing, they will realise that they have nothing left to lose. And that their problems can be solved by a little murder. All CW has done now is paint another target on herself.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #179 on: 09 Dec 2016, 10:18 »

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #180 on: 09 Dec 2016, 13:02 »

..and no one has made the connection as to how similar Bubbles situation is to Faye's?

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I was about to. Both have assaulted Corpse Witch. Only one got fired.

Hmm.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #181 on: 09 Dec 2016, 13:32 »

CW has nothing on Faye, and was probably all too happy to be rid of her with all the trouble she caused. Bubbles, on the other hand, she wants to keep around.

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TheEvilDog

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #182 on: 09 Dec 2016, 13:49 »

Mayhaps Corpse Witch and Bubbles are fragments of the same AI, split to save the original AI from cascade failings over its actions in combat.

CW's manipulations is that of someone wishing to keep their other half close by and fearful of their other half leaving them.

Take that how you will because I am too tired to elaborate.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #183 on: 09 Dec 2016, 14:28 »

Bubbles needs to confront those memories; ideally in a controlled environment with the close assistance of one or more of the God AIs like Station. However, if that option doesn't open itself to her then that is just the way the dice have fallen. Running away from them has done nothing good for her and continuing to run can do nothing good.

That's easier said than done especially for humans.  People can suffer traumatizing memories that will last the rest of their lives, but have one advantage in that such things fade over time.  An AI would likely remember every single detail of what happened without any degradation and because they are effectively immortal such memories will haunt them for eternity.  I cannot blame Bubbles in the least for taking the steps she did to lock away her memories. 
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #184 on: 09 Dec 2016, 15:02 »

The presumption in this discussion seems to be that Corpse Witch can forcibly decrypt Bubbles's memories if she wishes.  What reason have we to suppose that she could?  Or is the presumption that Bubbles is so determined to keep potential access to her locked away memories that she won't risk having Corpse Witch destroy the key (in which case the same puzzle applies to how it comes about that CW has removed the key from Bubbles).  It would be easier to suppose that CW and Bubbles are friends who agreed over this arrangement - but then the blackmail feels out of place.

I'm still completely unclear how Jeph is going to make this play out.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #185 on: 09 Dec 2016, 16:09 »

It seems to me that Bubbles encrypted part of her own memories, which she keeps within her own body, but gave the encryption key to Corpse Witch so she could avoid the temptation of accessing those memories. Why she gave the key to CW of all people I don't know, maybe she felt there was no one better she could trust at the time. Hopefully Jeph will go into greater depth about this arrangement in future installments.

In that case, I don't think the threat is to forcefully decrypt Bubble's memories against her will (CW would need direct access to Bubble's body for that which wouldn't be at all easy), but rather that CW would delete/destroy/lose the key, so Bubbles no longer has any chance of accessing those memories she locked away. Either she is reluctant to completely delete those memories, or she simply can't, probably due to the way her brain is built or the way memories are stored in that brain.

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #186 on: 09 Dec 2016, 16:30 »

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

Given that we're dealing with AIs, the scary devil monastery (a.s.r) version seems more fitting:
"I've seen Sun monitors on fire off the side of the multimedia lab.
 I've seen NTU lights glitter in the dark near the Mail Gate.
 All these things will be lost in time, like the root partition last
 week.  Time to die
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #187 on: 09 Dec 2016, 17:53 »

The other similarity between Faye and Bubbles is continued dysfunction after grief and likely survivor guilt.

Which leads to a wonderfully random bit of speculation. What if Bubbles fell into the AI equivalent of a substance abuse problem after she left the service? If she's beaten an addiction on her own it would explain the ferocity of her reaction to Faye going off the wagon.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #188 on: 09 Dec 2016, 18:33 »

Mayhaps Corpse Witch and Bubbles are fragments of the same AI, split to save the original AI from cascade failings over its actions in combat.

CW's manipulations is that of someone wishing to keep their other half close by and fearful of their other half leaving them.

Take that how you will because I am too tired to elaborate.

Okay, to expand on my thought.

What if Bubbles originally was going through some PDST episode that seriously left her in danger of her core being irreparably damaged. In order to prevent permanent damage, a technique was used to break down the key elements of the Original Bubbles AI, placing the resultant AIs into two separate chassis. CW is the Id of the AI, the emotional and instinctive part. In turn, Bubbles as she is now, is the Superego, the logical and intellectual reasoning aspect. In the wake of the split, CW became the more controlling of the two, no longer fettered by the Superego and in turn, Bubbles has lost some of that drive.

The problem now is that the two AI aspects are starting to diverge more and more, through Bubbles friendship with Faye, she's becoming more emotional again, more balanced. And CW can't have that, because on some level she knows that on her own, she can't survive and thus has sought to manipulate Bubbles into staying.

In that way, CW is the encryption key. She's asking if Bubbles is really willing to kill a part of herself.

(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: 09 Dec 2016, 21:21 by TheEvilDog »
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #189 on: 09 Dec 2016, 18:55 »

Interesting theory.  Reminds me of Fight Club and not just because this all takes place at a robot fighting arena.  I suppose this makes Corpse Witch Tyler Durden except that she's not a figment of Bubble's imagination. 
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #190 on: 09 Dec 2016, 20:41 »

If AI memories can be encrypted, they can be edited. Which brings us to a "Ghost in the Shell" level of not being able to trust what's in your own head.

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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #191 on: 09 Dec 2016, 21:33 »

It seems to me that Bubbles encrypted part of her own memories, which she keeps within her own body, but gave the encryption key to Corpse Witch so she could avoid the temptation of accessing those memories. Why she gave the key to CW of all people I don't know, maybe she felt there was no one better she could trust at the time. Hopefully Jeph will go into greater depth about this arrangement in future installments.

In that case, I don't think the threat is to forcefully decrypt Bubble's memories against her will (CW would need direct access to Bubble's body for that which wouldn't be at all easy), but rather that CW would delete/destroy/lose the key, so Bubbles no longer has any chance of accessing those memories she locked away. Either she is reluctant to completely delete those memories, or she simply can't, probably due to the way her brain is built or the way memories are stored in that brain.

None of those scenarios make any sense. If CW's hold over Bubbles is ownership of an encryption code, it would be simplicity itself for Bubbles to beat the secret out of CW. Nor does it make any sense that Bubbles would have voluntarily handed the encryption code over to CW, given that the result is essentially indentured servitude for Bubbles. WRT the idea that AI memories can't be deleted, that fact wouldn't matter if you could hide them behind some strong encryption and then lose the key. Nor would non-eraseable memory make sense for AI's with indefinite life spans - they'd be running out of storage for their undeletable memories after some stretch of time.

I'm betting Jeph never explains the exact mechanics of whatever this encrypted memory business is; he may just leave it at saying that CW has some sort of hold over Bubbles based on some sort of secret data.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #192 on: 09 Dec 2016, 23:24 »

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?  That's what it is to be a slave.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #193 on: 10 Dec 2016, 00:05 »

Echoing previous comments that note that at least in theory you can't keep someone in place by threatening to not do something if they leave (e.g. if you leave I won't give you the loan, I won't decrypt your memories, etc.) in order to keep someone in place you have to threaten to affirmatively do something if they leave (e.g. if you leave I'll imprison your son, release your memories back into your head, etc.).  If you attempt to do this by threatening to not do something, the threatened party should realize that, as that action is important leverage, the person issuing the threat will never take the action anyway because it would mean losing leverage (unless there are circumstances in which the threatening party will lose interest or a time limit on the weight of the leverage).  In this case, the party threatened will have to take action against the threatening party, often in the form of violence, in order to attempt to force the action to be taken.

Also, for the sake of simplicity in continuity, I think Jeph will not reveal the mechanics behind this threat.  Doing so sets up too many tripwires in the future that he'll have to avoid.

To me, Corpse Witch has seemed suspiciously one-dimensional.  I hope Jeph will open up her character a bit more in the future, perhaps in backstory.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #194 on: 10 Dec 2016, 09:51 »

I know I should stop thinking about this, but I can't help it. Anyway, here's my latest stab at a backstory consistent with the comic's dialogue:

The people Bubbles sought refuge from, and the memory encryption, are two unrelated issues.

For the first, it could be the Pentagon, or at least a skunk works within the military, that wants Bubbles' chassis back. This would explain CW's earlier threat to get Bubbles de-chassised. If Bubbles ends her association with CW, CW could call them up and tell them where Bubbles is.

The memories that are encrypted could be painful ones about her former unit. Both the pleasant memories of good times with them, as well as the PTSD-inducing ones about their gruesome deaths, could be tied together. Perhaps Bubbles hopes to be able to integrate those memories back into herself after some passage of time. For now, though, they are locked away and only CW has the key.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #195 on: 10 Dec 2016, 10:18 »

JimC, I hope your CW theory/backstory ends up coming true.  Sure it's a bit dark but I'd rather that giving her a bit of depth than "oh she's just a nasty pink robot".


Also, in terms of the people from whom CW gave Bubbles refuge, does it really have to be some big government entity hunting her down?  If it was, that would probably provide enough leverage for that to be CW's main threat.

It may just be Bubbles needed refuge from the outside world.  We've seen it before with the teens.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #196 on: 10 Dec 2016, 11:56 »


Well that took a dark turn


I just came here to ask what people generally thought of the darkness that QC is becoming.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #197 on: 10 Dec 2016, 12:05 »

Just  for the sake of having a wild thought: Maybe Bubbles straight up killed civilians by mistake and shit went south (plus most of her crew dying as well)
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #198 on: 10 Dec 2016, 12:06 »


Well that took a dark turn


I just came here to ask what people generally thought of the darkness that QC is becoming.

Don't worry. Monday's comic will be Pintsize sexually experimenting with the toaster AI from the mall.
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Re: WCDT Strips 3366-3370 (5th-9th December 2016)
« Reply #199 on: 10 Dec 2016, 13:18 »

Hopefully, Jeph doesn't forget his early Patreon post this week.  I was going through withdrawal, Saturday last.
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