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Brun and the Mystery of Elliott (Why Does He React That Way Around Her?)

The Bubbles and Pintsize Show (Is Pintsize dumb or just suicidal?)

Who are that dark-haired guy and his redheaded girlfriend who live with Faye?

Marigold has come to consider Sam her Sensei in the ways of "Let's Play" shows

Hannelore has a personal life too!

The Return of the Bianchis, the worst parents in Northampton!

The Gods Meet to Discuss Creepybot (Station and Dr E-C dialogues)

Bubbles thinks that there is something odd about Emily and wishes to investigate

Time for the adults (specifically, Veronica and Jim) to have a week in the sun

Other

[TinPenguin]

It's as if you went to the police to ask permission to rob someone, and the police were all "sure, go ahead, I'm sure he won't lose faith in the justice system or anything".

[Zebediah]

And then when you have the nerve to protest, the police are all "WHO ARE YOU TO QUESTION THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM?" Um, I'm the guy who the criminal justice system deliberately let down, that's who.

Yeah, all kinds of philosophical problems in the Book of Job.

[Method of Madness]

Don't forget that God also stopped Job from being killed and then fixed everything better than it was before. In the process, it proved that the human creation was not intrinsically flawed and can remain faithful no matter the scale of the apparent injustice they suffered. More importantly, it showed that human faithfulness didn't depend on being shielded from harm.

A. If I burned your house down and destroyed everything you own and hold dear, and then a week later told you I bought you a nicer house and replaced everything inside it, would that undo the trauma of my original crims? Even if it did...
B. HIS CHILDREN ARE STILL FUCKING DEAD. And even if you interpret it as them as being resurrected instead of "replaced" (which...eww), that opens up a whole new can of worms.

[BenRG]

Let's try not to stray onto a scriptural discussion here. Discussions of Job, the whys, the wherefores and the nature of the need to publicly demonstrate what is and is not so aren't really relevant. Spookybot is torturing Corpse Witch because they can and because they are using it as negative reinforcement. There is no comparison with the events in Job whatsoever.

A. If I burned your house down and destroyed everything you own and hold dear, and then a week later told you I bought you a nicer house and replaced everything inside it, would that undo the trauma of my original crims? Even if it did...
B. HIS CHILDREN ARE STILL FUCKING DEAD.

A) He didn't do anything; the Devil chose to do these things (of his own free will, forced to do nothing) and, according to the account, yes, Job's trauma was erased. At the end of his life, he was considered to be 'satisfied with his days' (happy, in other words);

B) Not according to Hebrew theology; death is undoable and the sacred writings of that culture make it completely clear that it will be undone.

[Method of Madness]

Check my edited post, and "he didn't do anything" is meaningless when Satan asked for and received permission.

Edit: But we're straying too much. Let's end this here.

[Tova]

Am I alone in not seeing this as a straight-up deus ex machina? It seems to me that we've seen the introduction of, if not a major character exactly, a major undercurrent in the QCverse that will likely come into future storylines with the AIs. We may never see Lady Tentacles again in their current form, but that doesn't mean this is the last time they'll be a factor in the story. I mean, if $DIVINITY came down specifically to do you a favor, the story would likely not end there.

You're definitely not alone. A DEM solves everyone's problems and ends the plot. The Squid and its avatar Spookybot open up entirely new plots and problems.

I think that a plot device that resolves a seemingly unsolvable problem is in fact a deus ex machina whether or not it opens up new plots and/or problems.

[JWoodrell]

Oh great, saw this illustration of bugs bunny as a human and it looks so much like what my picture of creepy bot would look like, now im gonna be reading his lines in the rabbits voice.

And it kinda fits, bugs wasnt shy about causing pain or electrocuting people to get a laugh.

[haikupoet]

Am I alone in not seeing this as a straight-up deus ex machina? It seems to me that we've seen the introduction of, if not a major character exactly, a major undercurrent in the QCverse that will likely come into future storylines with the AIs. We may never see Lady Tentacles again in their current form, but that doesn't mean this is the last time they'll be a factor in the story. I mean, if $DIVINITY came down specifically to do you a favor, the story would likely not end there.

You're definitely not alone. A DEM solves everyone's problems and ends the plot. The Squid and its avatar Spookybot open up entirely new plots and problems.

I think that a plot device that resolves a seemingly unsolvable problem is in fact a deus ex machina whether or not it opens up new plots and/or problems.

Then it's a type of DeM that is actually a legitimate plot device as opposed to a failure in writing, which is what the term usually implies. Jeph has already shown us at considerable length that a significant AI subculture exists in the QCverse. Now we're getting a look at one of its mythic components.

[WareWolf]

Oh great, saw this illustration of bugs bunny as a human and it looks so much like what my picture of creepy bot would look like, now im gonna be reading his lines in the rabbits voice.

And it kinda fits, bugs wasnt shy about causing pain or electrocuting people to get a laugh.

That is....disturbing.

[WareWolf]

If Spookybot is an emanation of the AI Hive Mind, Spookybot did not exist before AIs, and AIs did not exist before John Ellicott-Chatham invented them.  So, Spookybot is a recent entity, probably still developing (hence their being inspired by Bubbles's behavior toward Corpse Witch). 

Large parts of Spook's personality are nothing at all like John's, but OTOH one can see a lot of Beatrice in them.  Yup, Spookybot is the intellectual offspring of John and Beatrice, and therefore Hannelore's AI sibling.  This can't be the first time one AI has violated another, but Corpse Witch mind-fucked their sister Hanner's friend.  That's why they were inclined to make a special project of CW when Hannelore brought Bubbles's plight to their attention.

I hadn't made the Beatrice connection, but it opens up all sorts of fascinating possibilities. Perhaps the Squid is a child. Or the emotional equivalent of a teenager. Either way, an immature being with an highly developed sense of Their own power, but an underdeveloped sense of empathy, since Beatrice is one of Their role models and John's too distracted to be of much use. Now, however, They've met others-Bubbles, Faye, Hanners, Emily--who "inspire" Them. What's going on is an internal contest for the soul of the Squid.

 Perhaps the Squid recalls some trauma to Their OWN psyche brought on by someone (Beatrice perhaps?) messing around with Their mind and that's why They're so fanatical about punishing others who have done the same. 

[A small perverse otter]

I'd like to discourage folks from arguing about Job. There are literally thousands of years of writing on the Book of Job. (Remember, most of the books of the Old Testament are attempts to render a vast oral tradition going back to the Bronze Age into text.) There is nothing we can say which hasn't been chewed on, digested, vomited back, or shat upon by people at least as smart as any of us.

[HiFranc]

In normal times, I would have just viewed this sequence and "meh" and not thought much about it.  It's a tired old trope and shows lack of imagination on the part of anyone who writes fiction.[1]  However, given the current president of the US says that "torture works", I feel obligated to link to a few things:

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/astronaut-twins-a-human-pig-chimera-and-the-science-of-torture-1.3965903/torture-doesn-t-work-and-here-s-the-scientific-evidence-1.3965999
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2008/05/080530_mon_doc_wk23_taxi.shtml (why torture in fiction is relevant)
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/agnotology:-understanding-our-ignorance/8123452
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk2-ZXAWkfg
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/when-good-people-turn-bad---philip-zimbardo-in/3249802


Ps.
I have also emailed Jeph.

[1] I write in my spare time and the only time I've written torture scenes is in expressing the fate of a poor innocent victim in a repressive regime.

[Tova]

Then it's a type of DeM that is actually a legitimate plot device as opposed to a failure in writing, which is what the term usually implies. Jeph has already shown us at considerable length that a significant AI subculture exists in the QCverse. Now we're getting a look at one of its mythic components.

I do agree with your interest in the potential story line that has now opened up. Creepybot as a character is well realised and very well drawn, and I foresee many discussions on the morality or otherwise of their actions.

I don't want to get involved in a lengthy discussion about different types of deus ex machina, nor whether this particular one was a "failure in writing," a "legitimate plot device," or even a brilliant coup de grace, but I will admit my disappointment in the way the previous storyline is winding up.

I stated in a previous thread that I hoped that Station would not simply resolve the issue with a flick of the wrist, because that would be a deus ex machina. Let me see... ah, here we are.

I'm not a fan of the idea that Station could crack the encryption and thus solve the problem. If it's brute forced, then that would break my willing suspension of disbelief. If it's cracked via a backdoor, known weakness, or some other hand wave, then it's simply a deus ex machina.

They need to find a way to change the equation such that Corpse Witch wants to hand the key over more than she wants to destroy it or to retain Bubbles' service. In other words, they need leverage.

Detective Basilisk may be able to assist, but they'd have to consult her without Corpse Witch finding out, which may be a high risk strategy. Alternatively, Jeremy may know something.

They're not exactly racing against the clock, so they have time to gather information.

What we ended with was indeed more interesting because of the emergence of Creepybot, but as I said at the time, I really was hoping for a more interesting resolution, one involving Faye obtaining the necessary leverage. As cool as Creepybot is as a new character, the resolution of problems by omnipotent beings really is (for at least some of us) a bit of a letdown.

Please allow me to outline the kind of resolution that I was hoping for way back when I originally talked about this. I wasn't expecting exactly this, or even roughly this necessarily. But something with this flavour.

Faye, in desparation, approaches Detective Basilisk and indicates that she is now willing to assist, but she needs more information.

Basilisk, too, is desperate, and so she shares some information. Bubbles isn't the only one whose memory was erased - there are two other survivors from her squadron working at the rink under similar circumstances. Corpse Witch convinced them to have their memories erased to help with the trauma, but in reality they had memories that, when put together, indicated incriminating evidence regarding profiteering activities carried out by Corpse Witch. Activities that ultimately led to the destruction of the squad.

Only one other ex-officer held evidence, but he would never talk. Basilisk had tried and failed to convince him.

Faye heads off to find him. He refuses to talk to Faye at all at first, but finally swears Faye to secrecy and describes Corpse Witch's illegal and immoral activities in some detail. But he could never do anything about it. Corpse Witch was untouchable, had too many friends in very high places. He has evidence, but it would be possible to trace the evidence back to him.

Now enter Creepybot. They have been following goings-on and discuss how violations of the mind are despicable to them. Normally they wouldn't help but etc etc, you remember the drill. It will be no trouble for them to change the trail of evidence so that it points instead to one Major O'Keeffe, may her soul rest in peace.

This done, the evidence is handed over. Faye takes it back to Bubbles, and they formulate a plan...

Faye is accompanied by the two other former squad members who confront CW over what she's done. They are furious and intend to kill her for compromising the squad. CW locks herself into a secure room, but that only buys her time. Faye then takes the opportunity to suggest that, perhaps if the memories of all three are returned, Bubbles might convince the others to show mercy. CW agrees.

Faye has recruited a skilled technician. CW is to hand over the key so that the techie can carry out the operation. By no means is CW allowed to interfere.

After the operation, Bubbles and her squadmates are overcome with the memories. CW takes this opportunity to forcefully take the evidence from Faye and attempts to flee.

Unfortunately for CW, Basilisk is waiting outside, and this time with backup. They have the evidence in hand, which Faye had handed over previously. The "evidence" Faye was holding was merely a decoy.

As an epilogue, Creepybot decides to help Bubbles and her friends, via means of the virtual environment that we already saw, where the monster that was shot are a representation of the trauma, but the memories remain intact.

/braindump

More satisfying resolution, and we still get Creepybot out of it as an emerging and disturbingly powerful entity.

Now I'd better get some real work done.

[OldGoat]

I hadn't made the Beatrice connection, but it opens up all sorts of fascinating possibilities. Perhaps the Squid is a child. Or the emotional equivalent of a teenager. Either way, an immature being with an highly developed sense of Their own power, but an underdeveloped sense of empathy, since Beatrice is one of Their role models and John's too distracted to be of much use. Now, however, They've met others-Bubbles, Faye, Hanners, Emily--who "inspire" Them. What's going on is an internal contest for the soul of the Squid.

 Perhaps the Squid recalls some trauma to Their OWN psyche brought on by someone (Beatrice perhaps?) messing around with Their mind and that's why They're so fanatical about punishing others who have done the same.

I'm seeing the AI Hive Mind as an unexpected phenomenon, something John didn't foresee happening (although he no doubt became aware of it at some point).   While Spooky wasn't parented by the Ellicott-Chathams, they do bear the stamp of their personalities and intellects.

John's in his what?  Mid-50s?  Even assuming he was a wunderkind who'd completed his masters at an age when most people are hitting middle school, AIs have only been around for maybe 40 years.  (The remarkably rapid "market penetration" making them ubiquitous in society is no doubt Bea's doing.)

BTW - Jeph has a demonstrated interest in issues of personality, sexuality, and gender - that's why he wrote Claire.  I reckon he's has very deliberately made Spook androgynous.  This will never be explained.

[St.Clair]

Am I alone in not seeing this as a straight-up deus ex machina? It seems to me that we've seen the introduction of, if not a major character exactly, a major undercurrent in the QCverse that will likely come into future storylines with the AIs. We may never see Lady Tentacles again in their current form, but that doesn't mean this is the last time they'll be a factor in the story. I mean, if $DIVINITY came down specifically to do you a favor, the story would likely not end there.

You're definitely not alone. A DEM solves everyone's problems and ends the plot. The Squid and its avatar Spookybot open up entirely new plots and problems.

This, as I previously noted, is the difference between divine intervention and the devil offering to do you a 'favor'.

[Tova]

Really, you don't think this is divine intervention?

You're not the first to propose that this is a Deal with the Devil, but I don't see it. It's more like a Bargain with Heaven. Where the entity that Bubbles made the bargain with is not exactly evil, but morally ambiguous, but apparently had no evil intentions towards her. Or so Bubbles believes. I guess you think she is wrong. Time will tell, but I doubt it myself.

Just for emphasis: this DEM did solve everyone's problems and did end the plot. Okay, it kickstarted a new plot, that's cool. But that doesn't change the basic fact.

[Case]

Somehow I can't shake the idea of Spookybot being the result of Ian M. Banks' trying to write the Emperor into the Culture-verse after binge-watching the Matrix-trilogy ...

[Tova]

What do you mean, Matrix trilogy? There was only one Matrix film. Are there more planned? That would be awesome.

[Case]

In normal times, I would have just viewed this sequence and "meh" and not thought much about it.  It's a tired old trope and shows lack of imagination on the part of anyone who writes fiction.[1]  However, given the current president of the US says that "torture works", I feel obligated to link to a few things:

...
Ps.
I have also emailed Jeph.

Hmmmmh ... You know, this asshatry about "We've a captured Terrorist refusing to tell us where he hid the dirty nuke - Were's Bauer & his goddamn pliers?" (*) is one of the things I always hated about 24 - and yet this time, the connection flew right over my head.

Good Job pointing it out.

(click to show/hide)

There's one (!) real-world example of that stupid 'rescue-torture' trope that I can recall: The "Daschner-Affair", where a German Cop threatened a kidnapper with torture by fictitious 'police experts' in order to get him to reveal the location of the abducted boy. Turned out that Markus Gäfken had already killed his victim. Under German law, even threatening somebody with torture violates human dignity and thereby Art.1 of the basic law - and the Judge presiding over the subsequent trial pointed out that in extremis, even a life lost cannot justify a breach of that principle. Of course, the Gestapo left ample historic precedent for where breaching that principle can lead - which is pretty much why Art.1 is phrased the way it is in the first place.

[jwhouk]

You know, if your work is being compared to a book of the Bible, you must be doing something right.

I suspect Jeph had issues with how to deal with the whole "Bubbles' Brain" storyline without resorting to DEM (gee, sounds like "Spock's Brain," don't it?), and it's showing with the rather clunky ending.

There is one thing Jeph could do to make up for it, methinks - have some sort of storyline featuring Creepybot in a situation where they can't just "God-Mode" everything. Maybe something with Hanners, or Station, or whatnot.

Of course, me suggesting that just threw the possibility under the bus, but still.

[blt]

Oh i love this page so much!

"you have a choice. Accept the proper punishment or life will be like this"

flips switch to demonstration

Justice systems in which the accused have a choice of confession or torture are generally considered not good things.

It is, however, a solid basis for a religion.

[shanejayell]

Can Corpse Witch appeal her conviction on the grounds that her confession was coerced by torture?

She'd need to be able to prove it happened. I doubt  Creepybot will leave any evidence.

So we have somebody running a long-standing and  profitable criminal enterprise,,of whom the authorities had some suspicion but no hard evidence, suddenly rolling into a Police station to give herself up and confess to all the things she's done/ And presumably also volunteer evidence against herself (I'm assuming confession alone is not sufficient grounds for conviction).

The  authorities are gong to wonder why the hell she did that.

Or will have a arrest drop into their lap, go 'yay' and carry on. POSSIBLY keeping a eye out on a new gang lord that might have forced Corpse Witch to turn herself in, but otherwise probably not caring THAT much.

[brasca]

Corpse Witch mentioned things worse than robot jail, but couldn't have known about this.  Perhaps her associates might not take kindly to betrayal. 

While I'd prefer to see what everyone else is up to instead of this indulgence of AI torment it does explain why there aren't any AIs trying to imitate Skynet if Creepybot is some kind of vigilante or works for an MIB agency. 

[Celly]

I really like Legion.  Like a whole lot. 

Such a powerful entity is the natural result of post-singularity, and Legion's existence helps clarify that point of contention, as to why AI didn't just keep getting more and more powerful, and why did it stop at essentially human-level intelligence.  Legion answers that question - it didn't stop.

So it actually clears a whole lot up.  There also must be some degree of benevolence, otherwise the rest of the world is just resources that could be put to better use.  Legion fits perfectly.

This is far more than just the Bubbles story, it resolves some issues with the universe as a whole.

Legion was pretty quick to become one of my favorite characters, and I for one am pleased with this development in the story.  Yes, it opens up a lot of questions, but it also fills in some technical issues that previously had to be suspended to enjoy the story.

[ZoeB]

This is a torture scene and is the darkest QC has ever gotten, even including the attempted murder of Bubbles.

It's also very bad news when an entity as powerful as the Albino Architeuthis claims to be has very few moral principles.

Either the Albino Arciteuthis is telling a few porkies, or she is not just being very disappointing to me, but also inconsistent with the QCverse.

I choose to view CWs zaps as no more significant than Pintsize enduring a few dings. Communication, basically. The first zap to get CW to be quiet and listen, the second as a reminder. Not that they'd go to the trouble of doing that to her if she doesn't turn herself in. Call it speaking to her in the only language she understands, as evidenced by her justification for the Bubbles booby trap.

I also think this technique is ethically unsound.

[Celly]

Legion is an anti-hero, and they are doing what their morality dictates.

What is morality anyway? 

Why is Legion's action not ethical, but if a bunch of people decide to get together and agree to throw someone in a cage for 50 years, that is?

Legion transcends human conceptions of ethics.  We are ants compared to such an entity.  Ants rebelling about ethics.

If Legion is a god, they are certainly more benevolent than any god humanity has invented.  They are showing a great mercy to CW, in fact.

[Case]

This is a torture scene and is the darkest QC has ever gotten, even including the attempted murder of Bubbles.

It's also very bad news when an entity as powerful as the Albino Architeuthis claims to be has very few moral principles.

Either the Albino Arciteuthis is telling a few porkies, or she is not just being very disappointing to me, but also inconsistent with the QCverse.

I choose to view CWs zaps as no more significant than Pintsize enduring a few dings. Communication, basically. The first zap to get CW to be quiet and listen, the second as a reminder. Not that they'd go to the trouble of doing that to her if she doesn't turn herself in. Call it speaking to her in the only language she understands, as evidenced by her justification for the Bubbles booby trap.

I also think this technique is ethically unsound.

Hmmmmmh - I know it's just a comic, but: I just learned that an US Supreme Court Judge (Of course Scalia) cited 24 in the context of a deliberation about 'enhanced interrogation'. Which is actually pretty damn' scary. Maybe we shouldn't be so 'casual' (wrong word, but still) with fictional torture - it has real-life consequences. For the way we think about torture - and we are real.

John Yoo, the former Justice Department lawyer who produced the torture memos cited Bauer in support while Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia went further, "Jack Bauer saved Los Angeles... He saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Are you going to convict Jack Bauer?" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticking_time_bomb_scenario (*)

EDIT: Fuck, even the people at GITMO drew on 24 in discussions:

According to British lawyer and writer Sands, Jack Bauer—played by Kiefer Sutherland—was an inspiration at early "brainstorming meetings" of military officials at Guantánamo in September 2002. Diane Beaver, the staff judge advocate general who gave legal approval to 18 controversial interrogation techniques including waterboarding, sexual humiliation and terrorizing prisoners with dogs, told Sands that Bauer "gave people lots of ideas." http://europe.newsweek.com/lithwick-how-jack-bauer-shaped-ustorture-policy-93159?rm=eu

(*) As laid out above, I could only find one (!) confirmed real-world precedent for the 'Ticking Bomb Scenario' - and in that case, the torture was only threatened

[TheEvilDog]

I think a problem here is that we are imposing human standards and moralities on a group that are only humanoid in appearance. This is something we do a lot when we look at the natural world, and its something we're doing right now with artificial constructs, however their minds might be organically shaped.

Now, straight off I am not condoning what AIbino is doing; acting as judge, jury and executioner of sentence. Because no society can survive when one individual or a small group decides how to act.

But are any of us right in calling it torture?

I mean, torture is the concept of inflicting severe pain on someone as a punishment or to force them to reveal something of significance. But what is pain to an AI or their chassis? Do they feel pain in the same way we do? Would having their fingernails elicit the same response as it would in a person? Would waterboarding do the same to an AI that it does to a human? Would an EMP generator cause the same suffering in a human that it would in a AI?

We don't know, because we cannot experience that the same way that an AI does, likewise they cannot experience pain that we might.

Presumably we're looking at a conversation in CW's mind, what "pain" she might be feeling might right now, won't be necessarily the same we feel. What we're probably seeing is the AIbino shutting off key parts of CW's core. It might even be an illusion inserted by AIbino to make CW realise that the group AIbino represents means business. Because if CW can mess around with another AI's mind, then poetic justice asks that she should learn what its like.

But no matter how we look at it, what AIbino is doing is wrong from a human perspective. But a different form of life, has its own set of rules, customs, taboos, laws and ultimately, punishments.

[ZoeB]

I also think this technique is ethically unsound.

Hmmmmmh - I know it's just a comic, but...Maybe we shouldn't be so 'casual' (wrong word, but still) with fictional torture - it has real-life consequences. For the way we think about torture.

In this context, "ethically unsound" is "you screwed up". Irredeemably? No. But it means you are becoming the monster you are fighting against, even though the threat of torture is empty, like the appearance, just for show.

And if not empty, the process is complete.

I meanwhile am a monster of arrogance and ego, quite willing to tell a Deity just how disappointed I am in them. I expect better of them, they are wasting their immense intellect, far greater than my own puny one. Power? Doesn't impress, irrelevant. Ethics are another matter.

Unless those zaps were momentary attention getters, like a shocking but not actually painful open handed slap on the face, then we're in trouble.

So... Is it this?



Or this?

[Method of Madness]

So when I saw this yesterday I had a feeling the people shouting "DEUS EX MACHINA" weren't going to like tonight's comic. Yay for Jeremy the quadruped (quadrubot?), though!

[cesium133]

New comic. Took me a while to realize the other identity of the robot in the last panel.

[Method of Madness]

Certified Punching Accountant

[TheEvilDog]

New comic. Took me a while to realize the other identity of the robot in the last panel.

Damn it, glasses are an effective disguise!

That must mean that Clark Kent was Superman!

[ZoeB]

Now that is a Deus Ex Machina.

Hi Ho Silver etc.

Officer Basilisk knitting? Darn. I've managed teams of Israelis, Germans and Australians on a seriously clsssified defence project. I've helped get a spacecraft to Mercury and have it transmit images intact. I've been on a team of two on another project that was directly instrumental in saving 250,000 lives.

But neither I nor the other gal on that team can knit. The ability to take two sticks and some string and make fabric by tying knots will forever be as much of a mystery to me as Special Relativity theory is to many.

[Method of Madness]

Officer Basilisk knitting? Darn.

[miados]

geeze for some reason todays comic has made me think that creepy bot is hot and i dont know why.

[TV4Fun]

Wow, seriously? This latest comic wraps everything up so neatly, it seems almost self-aware of how Deux ex Machina/God Mode Sue it is. This better be setting up for something bigger. Otherwise, Jeph just set up this whole bubble plot only to wrap it up in the most trite way possible. I mean really, why bother creating this dilemma if you're not going to go to the effort to resolve it without cheating? I really hope there is something more to this.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

"A cube of compressed scrap metal was removed from the intersection of 5th and Anderson, where it had been obstructing traffic. Authorities suspect another pointless student prank."
Steve puts down the paper and pours more milk on his cereal.

That's more like how I wish this had been handled. I will be pleased if SpookyButt returns to the shadows, never to be seen again.

Now I like seeing more of Jeph's idea of AI society. But there is a story bending power imbalance in having the likes of SpookyButt around. Like the days of Greek myth when gods interfered with the lives of humans on a regular basis. Want more of Spooky? Be careful what you wish for.

---------------------------------------------------------------
And the new comments make no sense, which means "a new comic has been posted -- you may want to review your post."

Ok, one more appearance by Spookybutt. Then into the shadows.

So has Punchbot had a day job as a CPA all this time? Dang, the hobbies some folks have!

[wlewisiii]

Oh i love this page so much!

"you have a choice. Accept the proper punishment or life will be like this"

flips switch to demonstration

Justice systems in which the accused have a choice of confession or torture are generally considered not good things.

It is, however, a solid basis for a religion.

Only by some. And even in those of whom it is usually associated, the belief is not universal.

[pendrake]

For comic #3414...

"Bartholomew Punchbot, CPA"

Certified
Punching
Actuator

 

(Yes, I saw Punchbot's Certified Public Accountant certificate on the wall behind him.)

[Method of Madness]

Actuator?

[TheEvilDog]

A play on actuary.
An Actuary is someone that analyses data and works with statistics, using mathematical skill to assess or predict the probability of an event happening and its financial consequences. The decisions of actuaries can affect thousands of people so it is a well-paid job, with a lot of responsibility.

[Is it cold in here?]

Bubbles's problems are unresolved. She has to get a job, rebuild her life, and find a way to deal with her anger at Corpse Witch. She is off to a good start on the last of those but it will take years if her psychology is like ours.

Eminence Gris reminds me of a quote.

Above all else, a god needs compassion!

(And don't you wish you could have heard that addressed to Q in Patrick Stewart's resonant voice?)

It's noteworthy that Robot Jail is "horrible" and that Corpse Witch eagerly chose it in preference to what Albino Architeuthis was doing to her. A slap on the face to get someone's attention wouldn't have that effect.

[pendrake]

Actuator?

A play on actuary.
An Actuary is someone that analyses data and works with statistics, using mathematical skill to assess or predict the probability of an event happening and its financial consequences. The decisions of actuaries can affect thousands of people so it is a well-paid job, with a lot of responsibility.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actuator

Almost used "Actuary" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actuary) for the legal role, but the technical (literally, technical) seemed more appropriate. 

[shanejayell]

It really DOES feel like Jeph decided 'running long, time to wrap this up' and wrote this strip.

Huh.

Well, hopefully next bit will be better....

[jheartney]

Seems to me that Jeph is not so interested in creating a plot-oriented story, so all the tedious working out of details gets telescoped into one quickie comic. Which is probably for the best - there's a reason most writers struggle with lengthy exposition.

Assuming Punchbot is reopening the Robot Fights as a legal enterprise, he'll need some good metalworkers to do repairs. Where could he look?

[Gyrre]

Punchbot is a CPA.
Punchbot is a frelling certified public account......
Wow....

Well, I guess now he's the proprieter of the first National Robot Fighting League.

[Gyrre]

What do you mean, Matrix trilogy? There was only one Matrix film. Are there more planned? That would be awesome.

Additionally, there are only 2 seasons of Gargoyles and  Transformers: Kiss Players never happened.

[Method of Madness]

And The Cape had six seasons and a movie.

[mikmaxs]

In reference to this being a Deus Ex Machina:
Yeah, it totally frikkin' is. Just because Spookybot could eventually end up causing problems later, and just because things aren't entirely perfect, doesn't make it *not* a Deus Ex Machina. Within the current storyline, we were presented with a problem, told that it was insurmountable, and then an all-powerful being with effectively infinite resources and power showed up and singlehandedly resolved the problem, dispatched the villain, and neatly tied up every subplot that might have come about from this arc.

Yeah, sure, Bubbles wasn't magically cured of her PTSD, but when Zues shows up and kills the sea monster for our plucky hero, that doesn't magically end his quest either - It just ends the interesting conflict in the most boring way possible.


The only difference between this and a traditional Greek myth is that in the myth, people at least knew that the gods existed and were mucking about *before* they showed up and saved the day.