Topic: WCDT strips 3711 to 3715 (2nd-6th April 2018) (Read 11715 times)

BenRG · « **on:** 01 Apr 2018, 15:07 »

Okay, I got teh feeling from Friday's strip that we've reached teh end of teh current part of teh Clinton-Brun-Elliott triangle arc. Jeph may choose to resume it this coming week but it is equally possible, in my view, that he might choose to revisit otehr arcs or even do something new. What do you think?

Personally, I would like for him to go back to where we left off with Faye. tehre's no hurry about having her come to any realisations but it would be interesting to see last night's 'Nah, can't be' coming up against her and Bubbles continual flirting!

Alternately, maybe do something with Marten and Claire. For example, why not do a date with no dialogue at all? Just four to six panels a strip for a week in which all teh communication is by setting and body language? Don't ask me why but I think it would be an interesting exercise in emotional art.

awgiedawgie · « **Reply #1 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 19:57 »

I would love to see Melon try to help Roko with her problems... emphasis on the word try. There's about 42 different ways that could turn out, and it would be a fun way to explore both of their personalities, as well as maybe getting a little of the backstory of how they know each other.

Tova · « **Reply #2 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 21:43 »

I vote for shenanigans.

awgiedawgie · « **Reply #3 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 21:46 »

I see the new comic is up, and I am quite happy to see that I called it. Melon is awesome!

ImVeryAngryItsNotButter · « **Reply #4 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 21:49 »

Every comic she's in, I become further convinced that Melon is not a post-singularity AI, but just a very advanced iteration of Cleverbot.

shanejayell · « **Reply #5 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 21:52 »

Pfffft

Rub bread on your butt...

Neko_Ali · « **Reply #6 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 21:59 »

Well I suppose it's one way to get a rise out of someone. I still think that Melon's idea is half-baked. And I don't really understand rye Roko thinks it's sexy.

badbum61 · « **Reply #7 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 22:08 »

Is Monday going to be official Melon And Roko day from now on?
'Cos, y'know, I wouldn't think that was the worst idea ever...

awgiedawgie · « **Reply #8 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 22:08 »

Quote from: Neko_Ali on 01 Apr 2018, 21:59

Well I suppose it's one way to get a rise out of someone. I still think that Melon's idea is half-baked. And I don't really understand rye Roko thinks it's sexy.

Groan-worthy

I don't understand people who think toe-sucking is sexy, either, but hey... whatever kick-starts your Harley.

brasca · « **Reply #9 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 22:11 »

Quote from: shanejayell on 01 Apr 2018, 21:52

Pfffft

Rub bread on your butt...

That's not unheard of. There was a cook at a summer camp who liked to rub mud on his ass among other proclivities. Perhaps Melon can impart the same wisdom that a mixed can of vegetables did.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #10 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 22:53 »

Quote from: awgiedawgie on 01 Apr 2018, 22:08

Quote from: Neko_Ali on 01 Apr 2018, 21:59
Well I suppose it's one way to get a rise out of someone. I still think that Melon's idea is half-baked. And I don't really understand rye Roko thinks it's sexy.
Groan-worthy

I don't understand people who think toe-sucking is sexy, either, but hey... whatever kick-starts your Harley.

Be kind and understanding. Lots of men have trouble finding the clitoris.

(Not original with me).

YakkoRex · « **Reply #11 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 23:30 »

This is all the more funny when you consider the origin of the word "pumpernickel". https://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/the-devilish-origins-of-pumpernickel/

oeoek · « **Reply #12 on:** 01 Apr 2018, 23:53 »

Dead Squirrel? Momo on the war path again? Marbear rebuilding a computer again?

BenRG · « **Reply #13 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 00:42 »

The more I see of Melon and Roko's interactions, the more I'm convinced that they're siblings in some AI-specific way. Melon is so much the sweet baby sister in this strip that it practically jumps out of the page and shouts at me!

It's nice that Roko has been able to confide in Melon; it's obvious that doing so was hard and embarrassing; note Roko's body language in panel 1. I find myself wondering if whether Jeph is writing a story about confronting an embarrassing (if extremely non-bizarre, compared to others) personal kink and trying to find someone who can at least understand her needs.

Meanwhile, I'm getting the impression that Melon literally is so synthetic in her mindset that she doesn't really see organic life as kindred at all. There are the occasional minds to interact with but, mostly, they're just bags of carbohydrates to act as props in her life-story.

Mordhaus · « **Reply #14 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 00:43 »

Ok, Roko with her hair down, halter top, and yoga pants is hawt. I volunteer to rub bread on her posterior.

MrNumbers · « **Reply #15 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 00:58 »

Honestly, Melon just reminds me of Tim Buckley's old Chef Brian comics.

awgiedawgie · « **Reply #16 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 01:41 »

Quote from: Is it cold in here? on 01 Apr 2018, 22:53

Quote from: awgiedawgie on 01 Apr 2018, 22:08
Quote from: Neko_Ali on 01 Apr 2018, 21:59
Well I suppose it's one way to get a rise out of someone. I still think that Melon's idea is half-baked. And I don't really understand rye Roko thinks it's sexy.
Groan-worthy

I don't understand people who think toe-sucking is sexy, either, but hey... whatever kick-starts your Harley.

Be kind and understanding. Lots of men have trouble finding the clitoris.

(Not original with me).

I guess if you can't find it, you start at the outside and work your way in? Maybe they all had Marten's health teacher.

Milayna · « **Reply #17 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 02:35 »

What happened to Melon's ears?

BenRG · « **Reply #18 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 03:21 »

I'm guessing Melon either had a head transplant or just had her ear modules replaced for some reason.

Timemaster · « **Reply #19 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 04:27 »

Todays comic is weird in so many ways, I'm not sure if I think it's disturbing or genius.
Also: is Rokko wearing a workout outfit? Do robots have to do workout to keep their artificial muscles in shape just like we do?

TM

BenRG · « **Reply #20 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 04:42 »

Quote from: Timemaster on 02 Apr 2018, 04:27

Also: is Rokko wearing a workout outfit? Do robots have to do workout to keep their artificial muscles in shape just like we do?

Nah, she just wears it because it's comfortable and she likes the style.

SpanielBear · « **Reply #21 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 04:43 »

Roko seems to be the most humanophilic AI in the comic, as far as I can tell. At least insofar as she mimics human behaviours, including fainting and touch sensitivity. At this point, it's hard not to see her lifestyle as a genuine desire to be as human as possible. It's be interesting to know how much that desire is conscious or unconscious.

I think she's great. As a way of exploring the differences between humans and AI, having a character in one camp trying to fit into the other is a really good way of highlighting similarities and conflicts. I don't know where Jeph intends to take it, but there are a lot of possibilities.

JimC · « **Reply #22 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 05:02 »

Melon seems to have a problem with identifying stuff lying on the pavement. I just hope the next misidentification isn't dog-s*** or used nappies...

DaiJB · « **Reply #23 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 05:38 »

Quote from: SpanielBear on 02 Apr 2018, 04:43

Roko seems to be the most humanophilic AI in the comic, as far as I can tell. At least insofar as she mimics human behaviours, including fainting and touch sensitivity. At this point, it's hard not to see her lifestyle as a genuine desire to be as human as possible. It's be interesting to know how much that desire is conscious or unconscious.

I think she's great. As a way of exploring the differences between humans and AI, having a character in one camp trying to fit into the other is a really good way of highlighting similarities and conflicts. I don't know where Jeph intends to take it, but there are a lot of possibilities.

Just maybe - somewhere in the middle ground - Roko will meet a certain human who has stated that he is trying to understand AI's as much as possible? I don't know what would come of that meeting either - but again, there would be a number of possibilities!

Castlerook · « **Reply #24 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 08:03 »

This might be just me, but I find that the more Melon appears, the less I like her.

It might be the off-the-wall nature or that she's so eccentric, but every time she's in a comic her likeability drops five points.

Again, that's probably just me.

Milayna · « **Reply #25 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 08:14 »

Quote from: Castlerook on 02 Apr 2018, 08:03

This might be just me, but I find that the more Melon appears, the less I like her.

It might be the off-the-wall nature or that she's so eccentric, but every time she's in a comic her likeability drops five points.

Again, that's probably just me.

Maybe so, it's the opposite for me.

ImVeryAngryItsNotButter · « **Reply #26 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 08:59 »

Quote from: Castlerook on 02 Apr 2018, 08:03

This might be just me, but I find that the more Melon appears, the less I like her.

It might be the off-the-wall nature or that she's so eccentric, but every time she's in a comic her likeability drops five points.

Again, that's probably just me.

I'm not even sure if Melon is a sentient. You'd sooner be able to convince me that Corpse Witch has consciousness.

Zebediah · « **Reply #27 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 10:01 »

Corpse Witch does have consciousness. What she lacks is a conscience.

Morituri · « **Reply #28 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 11:17 »

To describe it in the vocabulary of that site, Melon is applying for the job of Manic Pixie Dream Girl, but she's just got a little too much CloudCuckoolander in the way to pull off the required meet cute and establish a relationship.

dexeron · « **Reply #29 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 11:29 »

Quote from: YakkoRex on 01 Apr 2018, 23:30

This is all the more funny when you consider the origin of the word "pumpernickel".

Pumpernickel? I hardly know her nickel!

Scyne · « **Reply #30 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 12:30 »

Well.

ok.

At least we know why/how they got matched now. Pintsize has met his match(?)

Gyrre · « **Reply #31 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 12:49 »

Quote from: BenRG on 02 Apr 2018, 03:21

I'm guessing Melon either had a head transplant or just had her ear modules replaced for some reason.

Maybe Melon is secretly an AI sociologist/psychologist and she uses a number of similar but slightly different remotely controlled chassis to prod at people's perceptions and social boundaries?

Either that or Jeph forgot. Maybe it's part of the plot?

Roborat · « **Reply #32 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 12:54 »

The more I see of Melon, the more I like her.

Thrudd · « **Reply #33 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 13:37 »

WRT the pol I picked first and last where we add Roko to the trilogy and maybe have our Emily join in the shenanigans for a real Harem humdinger story line with more twists and threads than a bowl of spaghetti.

Y · « **Reply #34 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 14:19 »

I guess that's the reason I (almost) never tell my friends my kinks. Because then they could become 'beneficial friends' who are able to gratify you sexually while it means nothing to them. As in 'Oh, it's only that, I can do that to you if you like'.

awgiedawgie · « **Reply #35 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 14:56 »

Quote from: Timemaster on 02 Apr 2018, 04:27

Also: is Rokko wearing a workout outfit? Do robots have to do workout to keep their artificial muscles in shape just like we do?

She read an article (see Jeph's footnote here, and the previous day's strip, where Bubbles says "I may have read an article...").

Perfectly Reasonable · « **Reply #36 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 17:44 »

Extra bonus points if the mustache turns out to be a live squirrel that was comatose up till now.

Morituri · « **Reply #37 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 19:23 »

If that's a squirrel, it's a little bitty squirrel.

Squirrel pups aren't usually found on the ground and unmoving unless some sort of trauma has already befallen them.

Maybe it got its ass kuck by crows.

citizenfive · « **Reply #38 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 19:43 »

Comic!

Clinton's being pretty confident here, and appears to be doing well. What hi-jinks will ensue on the walk home?

Also, I feel bad for Elliot.

SpanielBear · « **Reply #39 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 19:50 »

Oh God, I've been where Clinton is now.

I still am not sure if it was a good idea that went badly, or a bad idea that went amazingly.

sitnspin · « **Reply #40 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 19:56 »

I think he is confident because he's legit not trying anything. He really is just offering to walk with her.

Wombt · « **Reply #41 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 20:03 »

I know that feeling, Elliot...feeling like you're watching one person you like get together with another person you like. For me they actually got together for a while. And I'm not particularly jealous, but it was just such a unique sense of pain/loss. (Also, this was high school, and emotions were a lot for me.)

DaiJB · « **Reply #42 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 20:12 »

"I am mean to Elliot" - Really? I never would have guessed

Well, as a bouncer, I guess that's the job - deal with the situation...absorb the punishment...

"Farewelliot" (Is there a "groan" emoji??)

Neko_Ali · « **Reply #43 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 20:15 »

Okay folks, the line to give Elliot a hug starts here. Lets queue up nice and orderly and no pushing.

shanejayell · « **Reply #44 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 20:26 »

Quote from: sitnspin on 02 Apr 2018, 19:56

I think he is confident because he's legit not trying anything. He really is just offering to walk with her.

This. Clinton is too nice to be devious.

Poor Elliot, too...

awgiedawgie · « **Reply #45 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 20:39 »

Quote from: Morituri on 02 Apr 2018, 19:23

If that's a squirrel, it's a little bitty squirrel.

Squirrel pups aren't usually found on the ground and unmoving unless some sort of trauma has already befallen them.

Maybe it got its ass kuck by crows.

To be fair, squirrels of any age aren't usually found unmoving on the ground. But the young'uns aren't strong enough to handle a fall from a power line to the pavement. Then, of course, there was also someone's theory that Momo might have been involved.

Milayna · « **Reply #46 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 21:24 »

Hey, I can't recall, is there anythining canonical in how AI's get their names? It occurrs to me that without a family history something like "O'Malley" would not likely be inherited, so where did it come from?

Penquin47 · « **Reply #47 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 21:32 »

Quote from: Milayna on 02 Apr 2018, 21:24

Hey, I can't recall, is there anythining canonical in how AI's get their names? It occurrs to me that without a family history something like "O'Malley" would not likely be inherited, so where did it come from?

I'm pretty sure I remember Bubbles saying that Bubbles was a nickname her squad gave her, and she kept it to honor them. Other than that, I don't think we know. It's possible O'Malley took the name in tribute to a mentor or friend, or maybe he wanted to be a cop and decided that O'Malley sounded like a good Cop Name.

brasca · « **Reply #48 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 21:58 »

I feel bad for Elliot, but I still think we're seeing all the materials we need to ship him and Roko so there's hope.

awgiedawgie · « **Reply #49 on:** 02 Apr 2018, 22:08 »

Quote from: brasca on 02 Apr 2018, 21:58

I feel bad for Elliot, but I still think we're seeing all the materials we need to ship him and Roko so there's hope.

Seriously? You're shipping Elliot & Roko — two people we have never even seen speak to each other?

Jeph Jacques's comics discussion forums

Poll

What's the next arc? - Choose two

Author Topic: WCDT strips 3711 to 3715 (2nd-6th April 2018) (Read 11715 times)