Questionable Content 10: La Li Lu Le Lo

[Tvtyrant]

Well, a) you assume they'd do that, but there's no proof of that. and b) you assume that DEM isn't lying, has no ulterior motive or isn't evil for giggles, and c) you assume DEM is actually as competent as they say they are.

But here's another idea I had. DEM knew the memory was gone already, or at least suspected. But they needed to set this up, so Bubbles learns "You have your self, and people that care about you" and stops clinging to those old memories and in a way lives in the past because of that. Embrace your future. Sounds cheesy, but hey...

DEM's pretty clearly an agent for the singularity (super powers, better processing then an orbiting super computing) or is part of it (throws around "we" a lot).

[Cikomyr]

Does this qualify as a Reckoning with a capital R?

[Shadow of the Sun]

Turnabout is fair play, Corpse B... well, you get the picture.

[eee]

I assume C.W. was trying to activate some sort of destruct mechanism, perhaps the monster inside the locked room, only to discover it didn't work.

I am saddened Gothbot / dem / D.E.M. didn't take care of C.W. themselves, but perhaps they wanted to see what Bubbles would do.

What WILL she do?

[Morquard]

So I guess CW just tried to activate the "dinosaur failsafe" she implanted into Bubbles... and it didn't work.

[memnarch]

Count me in as another who thinks it was to let the dinosaur monster code out of the room.

[Lost Demiurge]

Yeah. C.W's eyes glowed when she said "It was nice knowing you." That was the dino failsafe release button.

Time for some comeuppance.

[Ilorin Lorati]

Get her, Bubbles!

[geoduck]

Eh. At this point, CW's been made so capital E Evil (Hey, look, she's stashing away a wad of her ill-gotten gains even as she cheerfully prepares to tighten the mental screws on Bubbles some more!), seeing her get pummeled is somehow anticlimactic. This all would have been more interesting if she'd done what she did in a misguided but genuine attempt to help.

[Discus-Spinner]

I am saddened Gothbot / dem / D.E.M. didn't take care of C.W. themselves, but perhaps they wanted to see what Bubbles would do.

They (and I suspect that body is a teleoperated shell for a communal intelligence) seem to enjoy playing at being the Abrahamic God; all-powerful, but dedicated to the idea that mortals have free will and should be permitted to determine their own destinies.

I imagine that they could shut Corpse Witch down with a touch, optionally while committing her consciousness to a few billion processor cycles of torment, but that'd be denying Bubbles agency.

[Rodin]

Eh. At this point, CW's been made so capital E Evil (Hey, look, she's stashing away a wad of her ill-gotten gains even as she cheerfully prepares to tighten the mental screws on Bubbles some more!), seeing her get pummeled is somehow anticlimactic. This all would have been more interesting if she'd done what she did in a misguided but genuine attempt to help.

This so much. Jeph does good character relationships, and a big part of why I read is to see how the characters learn and grow. Having a character that's pure evil is just out of tone for the comic, and all of this super-spy AI stuff has just kinda dragged for me. I'd much rather have seen a plotline where Bubbles insists on getting her memories back (having willingly given them up with no blackmail/encryption nonsense) and then have her work through that with Faye to prove C.W. wrong. Us not getting to see those memories (or instead see Bubbles reaction to them) feels like a cheat.

It just feels like this plotline went into a weird place, and I'll be very happy when it's over.

[Kato]

This so much. Jeph does good character relationships, and a big part of why I read is to see how the characters learn and grow. Having a character that's pure evil is just out of tone for the comic, and all of this super-spy AI stuff has just kinda dragged for me. I'd much rather have seen a plotline where Bubbles insists on getting her memories back (having willingly given them up with no blackmail/encryption nonsense) and then have her work through that with Faye to prove C.W. wrong. Us not getting to see those memories (or instead see Bubbles reaction to them) feels like a cheat.

It just feels like this plotline went into a weird place, and I'll be very happy when it's over.

I... kind of agree. I mean, it's not entirely terrible but many parts of this felt like they could have been done better. The idea of Bubble's quest for her memories is intriguing but there were quite a few things Jeph could have done differently...

Also, in my naivete I assumed CW was just expecting Bubbles to walk away because she was not into violence... but I guess shutdown virus makes a bit more sense.

[Mith]

The name of this comic is "The Crows Come Home". Does this mean the next comic will be a Murder?

Anyways, this hasn't been my favourite arc. I was hoping for a series of comics where what seems tame from Emily's perspective was a flashback from Bubbles perspective. But I like D.E.M, so I think we have had a net gain.

Perhaps they bring in Roko, and then there a bit more to this arc.

[The Vagabond]

I... kind of agree. I mean, it's not entirely terrible but many parts of this felt like they could have been done better. The idea of Bubble's quest for her memories is intriguing but there were quite a few things Jeph could have done differently...

Also, in my naivete I assumed CW was just expecting Bubbles to walk away because she was not into violence... but I guess shutdown virus makes a bit more sense.

I honestly wholeheartedly agree. The plot feels rush, and the "Agent of the Singularity" guy seemed to come out of nowhere (Though I could have missed some forshadowing).
Though, I admit, I do feel kinda happy seeing corpse witch about to get the crap pummeled out of her. I don't know why, but seeing that happen made me happy.

Though yeah, I'm looking forward to when this entire plot is over with: It's not what I come to the comic for.

[Morquard]

Also, in my naivete I assumed CW was just expecting Bubbles to walk away because she was not into violence... but I guess shutdown virus makes a bit more sense.

Yes, the first moment that was my thought too. But then I thought, ok, why would CW assume that Bubbles comes in, fuming in rage, presses her against the wall, just to tell her that the memories are gone, and then quietly walk out? She'd either just never come back, or come back for revenge.

I know a lot of people are "I hope bubbles rips CW to pieces" and such. But remember, AIs are people in the QC universe with their own rights. Yes even ******* AIs like CW have rights. If Bubbles kills her now, it's murder. Plain and simple.

[Fawkes]

I honestly wholeheartedly agree. The plot feels rush, and the "Agent of the Singularity" guy seemed to come out of nowhere (Though I could have missed some forshadowing).

No foreshadowing, not even a dramatic entrance. Just appeared over Faye's shoulder like a little cartoon devil, said 'let's just resolve this plot real quick' and vanished.

[Windscion]

Whats more interesting is that Bubbles knows/can sense what CW tried to do. (Altho really, why bother making it undetectable?) Bubbles isn't stupid, so I suspect this was a test. Not a test of CW, but to verify that Bubbles is indeed 'safe'. And now she knows the GothBot didn't miss a trap hidden somewhere unexpected.

And to those complaining CW is capital-E Evil, the story isnt about her. The drama here is how Bubbles deals when confronted by evil done directly to her. Given Bubbles's character as seen thus far, I believe the she will do the smart/responsibile thing of exposing CWs crimes ... and hopefully those who colluded with her. After all, evil isn't one person usually. And CW has already boasted of her contacts when she threatened May.

[Morquard]

The problem is, CW is not just capital E Evil, but also capital S Smart. In the criminal sense at least, she planned this whole thing and pulled it off. She's not very good with humans, but that has nothing to do with it.

It wouldn't surprise me, if nothing here runs in CW name, and can barely even be connected to her. Bubbles kill-switch might have also served the purpose of setting up a patsy if everything crumbles. Just imagine, Bubbles name is on everything. The rent, the accounts, etc. And when the Feds actually come, CW activates the killswitch, and claims Bubbles must have commited suicide rather than face trial, while she herself was only a poor pawn. "That brutal combat robot threatened me" Depending on the leverage she has over the others there, she either takes them out too, or she knows they won't testify against her.

I doubt this is over yet.

[Mith]

I like the idea of Bubbles having to face trial, but then her defendant turns out to be DEM (looks lawyer-y to me).

Yes that seems to be a cop out, but considering the only way Bubbles started to get out of this mess was by such a higher level of power in the AI nation as DEM intervening, it would fit.

So you see DEM, enter, and then CW's reaction.

The next comic jumps to after the comic. And CW is never mentioned again.

This idea could probably be executed poorly, but I feel if I have guessed at what role DEM seems to serve as a clean up crew to messy problems. To me, this would fit the sort of MO that the AI community at large would probably need to have to co-exist among humans.

[dps]

It wouldn't surprise me, if nothing here runs in CW name, and can barely even be connected to her. Bubbles kill-switch might have also served the purpose of setting up a patsy if everything crumbles. Just imagine, Bubbles name is on everything. The rent, the accounts, etc. And when the Feds actually come, CW activates the killswitch, and claims Bubbles must have commited suicide rather than face trial, while she herself was only a poor pawn. "That brutal combat robot threatened me" Depending on the leverage she has over the others there, she either takes them out too, or she knows they won't testify against her.

I suspect that what's about to happen isn't that Bubbles rips CW apart physically, but that Bubbles uses the threat of doing so to get a better deal for the rest of the AI that work there.

[Mith]

Spoiler: New Comic

Show

Apparently Bubbles just does a resignation and leaves. Now whether she gives information to the cops to cause more problems for CW we will have to wait and see.

[stsasser]

Spoiler

Show

Meanwhile, we finally see a displaced character that did NOT burn down their apartment.
Is Bubbles moving in with Faye, Marten and Pintsize?

[Keltest]

Spoiler: New Comic

Show

Apparently Bubbles just does a resignation and leaves. Now whether she gives information to the cops to cause more problems for CW we will have to wait and see.

I doubt Bubbles wants anything more to do with Corpse Witch. However, CW now lacks her primary enforcer and both of her engineers, so she's probably done, regardless.

[eee]

That was good.

She could have grabbed the safe full of money, crushed it down to a beach ball, and handed it to Corpse Witch as a final "I quit" notice, but in terms of nobility and 'doing the right thing for no other reason than because it is right', that was VERY good.

Applause, Bubbles!

[eee]

A completely platonic menage a trois. Sounds good! And no, Pintsize doesn't count. I wonder where Bubbles is going to 'sleep', and if familiarity will enable Marten to overcome his unease about her. I also assume she either can use regular wall sockets or has her adapter with her.

[John Campbell]

I'm kind of baffled as to why Bubbles was irritated at Faye for asking about power adapters. She's a robot. Power outlets aren't some irrelevant frippery for her. They're how she lives. Faye's question was on par with asking a human, "Hey, do you have any dietary requirements we need to know about so you can eat?"

[Lethologica]

And for someone who's facing a deeply emotional problem, the practical concerns can feel like an irrelevant detail, even though they're actually important. I wouldn't be surprised to hear a similarly traumatized person give a similar response to the question about dietary requirements.

[Discus-Spinner]

I'm kind of baffled as to why Bubbles was irritated at Faye for asking about power adapters. She's a robot. Power outlets aren't some irrelevant frippery for her. They're how she lives. Faye's question was on par with asking a human, "Hey, do you have any dietary requirements we need to know about so you can eat?"

But the way Faye asked didn't sound like that. At that moment, it probably sounded more like "Do you prefer bread or rice?" - a conversational side-step into trivia. Faye hadn't mentioned Bubbles moving in or anything lately, and Bubbles knew her initially as a mechanic, so for a moment, Bubbles took it as a purely mechanical question.

It wasn't meant that way, of course, and once the minor miscommunication was cleared up, Bubbles clearly got the idea. But it was a perfectly plausible one-frame communication glitch which served narratively to show that Faye is determinedly focusing on the practical.

[Morquard]

Yes, Bubbles just hadn't made the connection from that question to "because we only have the standard wall slots in our apartment". See her answer. Why should she worry about how she can recharge, if she doesn't even have a place where she can do it.

[eee]

It is good to have faith. It is even better to have justified faith. This time, Bubbles was right to trust. Yay!