Topic: WCDT strips 4056-4060 (29th July to 2nd August 2019) (Read 41501 times)

BenRG · « **on:** 28 Jul 2019, 11:59 »

So, the Prodigal Daughter has returned! I'm sure that we're all glad to see Hannelore back and seeming a lot more healthy. However, just what plot devices may be used with her going forwards? After all, several of her major ongoing arcs have been at least partially resolved or, at the very least, are unlikely to come up in the immediate future. We also have to look at how Hannelore's new perspectives may alter her behaviour and, perhaps, her decision (before her trip) that she wants to make a difference may affect her decisions.

Here are my ideas:

Count and sort everything and everyone in Northampton so she's 'up to speed' - In so many ways, it would be cute and in-character if she needs to sort of reassure herself that everyone and everything is still as she remembers it. Even hunting down Fairy Girl to make sure she still frolics in the same way!
Walk into the AI Advocacy Trust's office and basically annouce that she's taking over; Roko DISAPPROVES - I think that this is very likely and very important. Hannelore hears about the advocacy and wants to help, just as she'd already resolved before her trip. She endows a chunk of her allowance to the trust and basically has lots of ideas on how to improve its functioning. However, Roko really doesn't like the idea of another self-appointed 'saviour' dropping in from outside the AI community. Roko challenges Hanners and continues to do so, which is fortunate because she really needs someone to stop her from making it all about herself and her need to not be Beatrice;
Need to be sat down by her friends and warned to pace herself in re-acclimatisation - This is Hannelore we're talking about here; of course she'll risk burning herself out!

What does everyone else think?

Mr Intrepid · « **Reply #1 on:** 28 Jul 2019, 12:13 »

Hannelore walks into AI advocacy trust and announces she's taking over. Roko approves.
Hanners and Roko are discussing things and Yay walks in.
Hanners fixes them with a steady gaze, waits a beat, and announces:

"Station says Hi"
And goes back to their conversation.

shanejayell · « **Reply #2 on:** 28 Jul 2019, 17:15 »

Hanners taking over the AI Advocates really embodies the 'white savior' trope too...

brasca · « **Reply #3 on:** 28 Jul 2019, 17:23 »

Taking over AI Advocates is a more fulfilling field. I don’t see why Roko would object, but I hope Beepatrice doesn’t need Prozac software to repair her self worth.

shanejayell · « **Reply #4 on:** 28 Jul 2019, 19:01 »

New strip up.

Hey, whatever floats your boat, Hanners.

DSL · « **Reply #5 on:** 28 Jul 2019, 19:11 »

She ends messes.

brasca · « **Reply #6 on:** 28 Jul 2019, 20:56 »

Some bearings are bigger than others, but the ones with a few millimeters difference would be really frustrating fortunately Bubbles has extra sensory abilities and Hannelore is Hannelore.

BenRG · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 Jul 2019, 23:06 »

Faye never realised that she missed having her little detail-hyperaware best friend around until this moment. Somehow, it was as if there was a track in her life's audio accompaniment that wasn't being played with the others! That is really how I'm reading this strip: Faye isn't laughing at Hannelore; she's realising that she doesn't know how she'd managed without Hannelore and her quirks in her life!

Meanwhile, Bubbles has realised that she isn't the only one in the room who can accurately measure an object down to the sub-millimetre scale with the unaided optical sensor!

OldGoat · « **Reply #8 on:** 28 Jul 2019, 23:35 »

I'm wondering what the first meeting between Hanners and Spyayookybot will be like? (Yayspooks? Spookyay? I kind of like that one.)

Hanners: "Oh! So it's you they were talking about!" Maybe even giving Spooks a big hug.

Or perhaps, "Oh! So it's YOU they were talking about," through clenched teeth, glaring daggers.

Will Spooks be cordial toward Hannelore, Daughter of the Creator? Fearful? Hostile? ~~Kiss-ass~~ Solicitous? Or will they make a point of staying out of sight, perhaps becoming a little nervous when people, meat and machine, start to take notice?

BenRG · « **Reply #9 on:** 28 Jul 2019, 23:43 »

I think that Yay will avoid Hannelore at all costs because their #1 priority is to avoid notice from those who could be a threat to them. Hannelore has contacts amongst the god-tier AIs that potentially could make her such a threat or at least a surveillance asset that could be used against them.

Jeph could make their meeting quite surreal. After all, most AIs seem to be descended from work done by Hanners' father, making them a weird kind of step-siblings but it is quite possible that Yay developed independently and in parallel. So, for Hanners, it would be sort of like meeting a sentient extraterrestrial for the first time - the first AI who is not connected to her by her father and therefore the first truly alien intelligence she'd ever encountered.

Yay might choose to make it weird by referring to her as 'Daughter of The Creator' some other pseudo-religious title.

JimC · « **Reply #10 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 00:36 »

Quote from: brasca on 28 Jul 2019, 20:56

Some bearings are bigger than others, but the ones with a few millimeters difference would be really frustrating fortunately Bubbles has extra sensory abilities and Hannelore is Hannelore.

You'd be amazed at how accurate the practised eye is. When I was working on bikes regularly I could tell at a glance 11, 12, 13 or 14mm bolt head, 6, 7 or 8mm machine screws and fine or coarse metric thread. Its gone off a bit now after a considerable number of years, but does come back for a while if I spend some time working on stuff.

[Later]
Still gobsmacked that Fay could consider jumbling up the ball bearings could possibly be a good idea, but I suppose she comes from an arts background so hasn't been properly trained...

Tormuse · « **Reply #11 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 03:37 »

When she says "half," does she mean by number or by weight? Knowing her, she's going to want precise measurements either way.

Hazelton · « **Reply #12 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 03:59 »

Quote from: JimC on 29 Jul 2019, 00:36

[Later]
Still gobsmacked that Fay could consider jumbling up the ball bearings could possibly be a good idea, but I suppose she comes from an arts background so hasn't been properly trained...

Yeah, that's Faye all over. She'd know from experience that when you mix everything together, you'll always find what you need as long as you rummage for long enough. ^.^

I'm surprised both Bubbles and Hanners would call them ball bearings, though. Both of them are the type of person to know that those are bearing balls, and to use the correct nomenclature.

Wingy · « **Reply #13 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 05:25 »

I'm guessing the Hanners/Momo/May triangle has a spat about Sven.

Marco · « **Reply #14 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 05:39 »

Quote from: Tormuse on 29 Jul 2019, 03:37

When she says "half," does she mean by number or by weight? Knowing her, she's going to want precise measurements either way.

If the balls are well mixed, it is the same. Unless there are an uneven number of balls of a particular size. Or... Ok, I'll stop.

Thrudd · « **Reply #15 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 07:38 »

Quote from: BenRG on 28 Jul 2019, 23:43

Yay might choose to make it weird by referring to her as 'Daughter of The Creator' some other pseudo-religious title.

Could just go all huggy and call her sis.
To everyone else they will say that Hanners is her half sister with only a little influence from Hanners mom but only the good parts so not very much

Carl-E · « **Reply #16 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 11:11 »

The focusing of the mind on a "petty" (but all-consuming) task is one of those things that can drive all distraction, upsetting and otherwise, straight out of the mind. As such, even a frustrating task can be extraordinarily relaxing. It totally encompasses one part of the mind, allowing the suppression of all those other more disturbing parts.

I imagine that can be a factor in the development of some forms of OCD...

(DISCLAIMER: I have a doctorate, but am not a doctor.

)

OldGoat · « **Reply #17 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 11:47 »

Quote from: Carl-E on 29 Jul 2019, 11:11

(DISCLAIMER: I have a doctorate, but am not a doctor. )

Do you mean you have a doctorate, but you are not a physician?

(It might be amusing to address a Doctor of Nursing Practice or a pharmacist with his Doctor of Pharmacology as "Doctor" when physicians/surgeons are present. But I wouldn't know about that for certain. Nope, not me.)

cybersmurf · « **Reply #18 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 11:52 »

Quote from: Carl-E on 29 Jul 2019, 11:11

(DISCLAIMER: I have a doctorate, but am not a doctor. )

Yeah, good old PhD vs MD.

hedgie · « **Reply #19 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 12:02 »

Since when were surgeons referred to as doctors?

Theta9 · « **Reply #20 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 12:20 »

Quote from: hedgie on 29 Jul 2019, 12:02

Since when were surgeons referred to as doctors?

All the time on Grey's Anatomy.

OldGoat · « **Reply #21 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 13:34 »

Quote from: hedgie on 29 Jul 2019, 12:02

Since when were surgeons referred to as doctors?

Always in the US. Dental surgeons (DDS), too. The "Mister" business is almost exclusively a UK thing.

David F · « **Reply #22 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 19:14 »

New comic is up early.

Looks like someone got over her fear of intracranial communications units...

Perfectly Reasonable · « **Reply #23 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 19:21 »

Um, how long have LOL-punks been a thing?

neurocase · « **Reply #24 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 19:36 »

Holy art shift, Batman.

shanejayell · « **Reply #25 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 20:16 »

Hey, the band might be back. Cool.

Gyrre · « **Reply #26 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 20:59 »

Quote from: JimC on 29 Jul 2019, 00:36

Quote from: brasca on 28 Jul 2019, 20:56
Some bearings are bigger than others, but the ones with a few millimeters difference would be really frustrating fortunately Bubbles has extra sensory abilities and Hannelore is Hannelore.
You'd be amazed at how accurate the practised eye is. When I was working on bikes regularly I could tell at a glance 11, 12, 13 or 14mm bolt head, 6, 7 or 8mm machine screws and fine or coarse metric thread. Its gone off a bit now after a considerable number of years, but does come back for a while if I spend some time working on stuff.

[Later]
Still gobsmacked that Fay could consider jumbling up the ball bearings could possibly be a good idea, but I suppose she comes from an arts background so hasn't been properly trained...

I used to be able to see a goodly way into ultraviolet and infrared (for a human). Now my color vision is on par with the average human 15 yo. I'm 34, BTW.

Fhqwhgads · « **Reply #27 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 21:23 »

I logged back in specifically to say that panel 3 Martin's face is the greatest thing, ever.

SubaruStephen · « **Reply #28 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 21:23 »

ASTRO CAT

MrNumbers · « **Reply #29 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 22:01 »

Anyone else think the art today was particularly detailed and expressive?

Sorflakne · « **Reply #30 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 22:31 »

Yeah, it was a noticeable shift from yesterday.

Timemaster · « **Reply #31 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 22:59 »

Interesting shift in art today. The lines are thinner and Jeph is trying to draw lips again. The last time he tried that, the results were ... let‘s say interesting. He gave up on that after a few strips and that was a very good decision, IMHO.

I‘m not sure about this time yet. Jeph not only drew lips, he also tried new mouth-forms for his characters. This allows him to draw new facial expressions, he‘s never worked with before. Panel one is a very good example. This is very interesting, positively spoken this time. The women are less cute, less anime, but appear more determined. The combination of thinner lines and a new mouth-form makes Claire appear much more adult than before. Like she‘s grown an inch and three years since cuddling Cosmo.
I always say, dogs have a positive effect on people.

As I said, I‘m not sure yet if I‘m into it or not. I got used to the cute anime-style looks of the last year, but I sometimes thought Jeph is taking that look to far. So this is in any case a nice change of pace.
I still think the QC-characters were drawn best about the time Dora and Marten had split up and Dora had the date with Jim. She looked incredibly good that day. And she had thin lines and lips...

Plus Hannelore got an implant. Or just a micro-communicator hidden behind her earlobe and held in place by her piercings.

TM

BenRG · « **Reply #32 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 23:13 »

Yeah, Jeph seems to have reverted to the art style that he used before he confirmed Faye and Bubbles were together; less overtly 'cartoony' with more details of the characters faces. This is cool because this has always been, IMO at least, the peak of the quality of his art. It will be interesting to see how this alters the other characters.

Yeah, I think that the whole thing with Claire and Marten's attitude to life is still ongoing and Claire's body language strongly reflects when she dragged him to the bank to set up a savings account. Might this impact their relationship? Well, in the end she has to do what's right for her but I don't think that the sparkle has gone from their relationship yet. Certainly there is no question that she continues to think that Marten is attractive, especially as she can so effortlessly visualise him in outfits that she considers sexy!

So, Claire's into the whole 1980s Euro Artist look, hmmm? That sort of matches up with her semi-secret love of the cyberpunk aesthetic. I wonder if Marten will dress up like one of Kraftwerk just as a special gift on a special day?

I am certainly in for a return of Deathmøle. If the line-up is to change, I think that Emily is ideal to add on as a Brian Eno-style genre-setting synth maestro!

Finally, I notice that Hannelore has had the communications implant that lets her connect to Station whenever she needs to. IIRC, Station originally wanted her to have this so the two of them could have a physical relationship in a virtual space. It occurs to me that maybe Tilly has one so that they can have just that advantage. Does this mean that Station, Hannelore and Tilly are technically networked together on a certain level? That could lead to some interesting implications and plot devices!

Tova · « **Reply #33 on:** 29 Jul 2019, 23:56 »

And this is what they watch at some of the sillier parties.

hitmiccs · « **Reply #34 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 01:23 »

I like the art in todays comic very much and Hanners looks cute as hell here

I hope, Jeph keeps this style for an extended period of time...

JoeCovenant · « **Reply #35 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 02:10 »

S'funny, I thought there was one panel where Dora looked especially expressive in recent strips, and todays has cemented that.

I've never been a big fan of Claire, but the artwork for her *is* better... I think, for whatever reason, it's the nose bar that's still throwing me...

(edit: Bar from Stud... Different things, Joe, different things)

WhyNot · « **Reply #36 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 03:34 »

Quote from: Timemaster on 29 Jul 2019, 22:59

Interesting shift in art today. The lines are thinner and Jeph is trying to draw lips again. The last time he tried that, the results were ... let‘s say interesting. He gave up on that after a few strips and that was a very good decision, IMHO.

I‘m not sure about this time yet. Jeph not only drew lips, he also tried new mouth-forms for his characters. This allows him to draw new facial expressions, he‘s never worked with before. Panel one is a very good example. This is very interesting, positively spoken this time. The women are less cute, less anime, but appear more determined. The combination of thinner lines and a new mouth-form makes Claire appear much more adult than before. Like she‘s grown an inch and three years since cuddling Cosmo.
I always say, dogs have a positive effect on people.

As I said, I‘m not sure yet if I‘m into it or not. I got used to the cute anime-style looks of the last year, but I sometimes thought Jeph is taking that look to far. So this is in any case a nice change of pace.
I still think the QC-characters were drawn best about the time Dora and Marten had split up and Dora had the date with Jim. She looked incredibly good that day. And she had thin lines and lips...

Plus Hannelore got an implant. Or just a micro-communicator hidden behind her earlobe and held in place by her piercings.

TM

Pretty much sums up what I came here to say and to confirm that I'm not losing my mind.

Wingy · « **Reply #37 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 07:02 »

Are necks thinner now too? Consider 4008 vs the latest: Marten and Faye's necks (and maybe faces) are thinner now than before, though Faye doesn't seem to have lost any mid-rift poundage. I also don't know how to interpret Hanners face in panel 1, other than she's serious introspective at that instant.

BenRG · « **Reply #38 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 07:11 »

Quote from: Wingy on 30 Jul 2019, 07:02

I also don't know how to interpret Hanners face in panel 1, other than she's serious introspective at that instant.

I think that Hannelore is frustrated that the biggest step forwards that she's ever made and still it isn't a cure. It's a rare pain to know that there is a psychological knife in your side that is probably never going to go away, no matter how many steps forwards you take.

brasca · « **Reply #39 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 08:40 »

Quote from: shanejayell on 29 Jul 2019, 20:16

Hey, the band might be back. Cool.

Or answer the question many of us have about the band’s status.

Ghanima Atreides · « **Reply #40 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 08:52 »

I have to say I love the new art, more detailed, more polished and expressive while not being a complete shift from the previous style.

Plus I was never a fan of the anime mouths...

OldGoat · « **Reply #41 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 09:59 »

Implant? Hell, I've got hearing aids that do that as long as they're in Bluetooth range of my mobile phone. (Changing batteries is a pain in the arse.)

David F · « **Reply #42 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 10:26 »

Quote from: OldGoat on 30 Jul 2019, 09:59

Implant? Hell, I've got hearing aids that do that as long as they're in Bluetooth range of my mobile phone. (Changing batteries is a pain in the arse.)

Yeah, it's possible she's wearing something hidden behind her earlobe. It's not visible at all in panel #2, and the previous time Hannelore visited Station the subject of the comms implant came up (#2125). Given how comfortable she looked on her most recent visit to Station (#3929), it seems entirely plausible that the offer would be made again, and this time accepted.

Case · « **Reply #43 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 11:14 »

An anglophone affecting a 'German' accent ...

... yeah, I'm with Station on that one

(Say "Eichhörnchen!"

)

Shjade · « **Reply #44 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 11:18 »

Quote from: MrNumbers on 29 Jul 2019, 22:01

Anyone else think the art today was particularly detailed and expressive?

Maybe just me, but it seemed like the heads were proportionately bigger than usual?

Like particularly Claire and Hanners in panel 1, at first glance something just seemed a little "off" about it, and I think it's their heads seeming a bit large.

This is the kind of observation I'd normally keep to myself, but since talk about the art itself came up... *shrugs* Just sharing, not exactly criticism.

andrybak · « **Reply #45 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 11:50 »

Why is Hanners hurting in the first panel? She's clearly wincing in pain. She grabbed her arm. Could it be RSI from all the ball-bearing sorting?

Gus_Smedstad · « **Reply #46 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 13:45 »

The thing uppermost in my mind wasn't the art, it was whether 20-somethings would have any idea that Kraftwerk existed. Oh, sure, they still exist, but has anyone paid attention since Computer World in 1981?

Which also makes me think: how old is Martin, anyway? In 2003 he was twenty-something. He's definitely not 30+ today.

NemesisDancer · « **Reply #47 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 13:50 »

Quote from: Gus_Smedstad on 30 Jul 2019, 13:45

The thing uppermost in my mind wasn't the art, it was whether 20-somethings would have any idea that Kraftwerk existed. Oh, sure, they still exist, but has anyone paid attention since Computer World in 1981?

20something here who knows of Kraftwerk

Loving the new art style - I think the face shapes have thinned out a little as well, similarly to how they looked around the time I started reading (early 2013-ish, when the characters' hair had more texture to it). That was probably my favourite era of QC art style ^_^

pwhodges · « **Reply #48 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 14:57 »

Quote from: Gus_Smedstad on 30 Jul 2019, 13:45

The thing uppermost in my mind wasn't the art, it was whether 20-somethings would have any idea that Kraftwerk existed. Oh, sure, they still exist, but has anyone paid attention since Computer World in 1981?

This forum is full of twenty-somethings, and Kraftwerk has had regular mentions throughout its life.

Quote

Which also makes me think: how old is Martin, anyway? In 2003 he was twenty-something. He's definitely not 30+ today.

You do realise, I hope, that QC comic time runs much slower than real time, so Marten (note spelling) being in his mid to late 20s still works.

DSL · « **Reply #49 on:** 30 Jul 2019, 15:47 »

Quote from: andrybak on 30 Jul 2019, 11:50

Why is Hanners hurting in the first panel? She's clearly wincing in pain. She grabbed her arm. Could it be RSI from all the ball-bearing sorting?

Wincing in pain ... or maybe rueful self-awareness.

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Author Topic: WCDT strips 4056-4060 (29th July to 2nd August 2019) (Read 41501 times)

Hazelton