The Tables Turn
wow
Comments (67)
Stray thought — if the Spooky household might have had something to do with the Augustus' borzoi?
Roko, stop provoking the immeasurably-powerful AI. Their retaliation will be legendary.
No, Roko, don't listen to Tyler- PROVOKE HARDER!!
I'm sorry, Jeph, but after this comic I cannot continue to support your Patreon, because it killed me and I am dead now.
Oh, just come back as a zombie. It's fun. Besides, even in death, how could you go on without your daily dose of QC?
You all should look up Roko's Basilisk if you're not aware of the meaning. Makes me wonder if spooky is somehow insuring its existence will come to pass
I really hope not. Spooky is an ultra-powerful AI and doesn’t feel inclined to punish people who didn’t help create her.
On a positive note, Roko seems more comfortable.
And now Spookybot is voiced by Tom Ellis (Lucifer) in my head...
Lucifer likes!
Evidently Roko was socialized by oafs, or possibly by louts. Oafs and louts do things like this affectionately, but it is still oafish or loutish. If I were Spookybot, I might possibly not get angry, but I would make it very clear indeed that I was not ever to be handled in such a matter. Dogs mean no harm when they grab at your hands with their teeth, but they have to be taught not to.
She was a Statie. Of course she's like this.
It could be viewed bullying, sure. It can also be viewed as, what I'm told is what the British call, "Taking the piss out of you." Ultra-high intelligence is great and all, but you still need a bit of grounding every now and then. :)
I think this is Spookybot curing Roko of her dysphoria without invasive measures. Roko, in her eagerness to humiliate and otherwise beat the crap out of SB, has forgotten all about her body.
Getting rid of dysphoria probably needs more than just distraction.
Humans can't tickle themselves (except for some schizophrenics) so I am thinking Spookybot can't noogie themselves effectively. Plus with a history of obfuscation and isolation, their sensory experiences of sentient interactions must be largely limited to pure observation. No wonder they want a friend! Melon is probably way too much to be a starter friend...
TIL about tickling and schizophrenia
In a weird way, this reminds me of that sandman issue that chronicled dreams evolving relationship with hob gadling, eventually allowing dream to realize that they had become friends. Just without the noogies.
Spooky’s appearance reminds me of Desire. And her actions remind me very much of Dream - harsh, vindictive, and skating around morality... but also sometimes kind and charitable.
WAIT A SECOND - Melon disappeared at almost exactly the same time as Spookybot showed up. What if they're the same person?! :O
SpookyMelon? that would explain the nerdery...
So....Spookynerd or Nerdbot? Votes below pls
This teasing isn't affectionate. Just goes to show that even robots can be arseholes. Presumably Roko wouldn't like this treatment from Bubbles, not that I think that Bubbles would ever act this way.
If she wants to be friends with Roko, she has to accept Roko as she is.
I've seen a few comments comparing Spookybot to Q in TNG, but I'm probably never going to see Picard put Q in a headlock and give him a noogie.
There *was* Sisko punching him in the mouth...
Although, on a more serious note, it can be really refreshing to be the subject of some (affectionate?) teasing, if for your whole life you were just a Spookybot, "a deep dark sea dweller". A novel experience for sure.
Well, Roko already died today once, so she clearly reevaluated her "mortal danger" threshold.
Wait, what?
This relationship is delightful
This is now one of my favorites.
Spookybot cannot comprehend someone having the gall to noogie them
I'm not sure if this will help Roko get used to her new body, but surviving giving a noogie to an immensely powerful being should make her feel alive, at the very least!
Help! Help! I'm being oppressed!
Bloody peasant!
Let's hope Spookybot has a sense of non-satirical humor.
Roko seems to be suddenly feeling more comfortable in her body. Apparently, seeing someone like Spookybot show vulnerability brings out the best (perhaps not the brightest) in her.
Fantastic xD Spookybot is fun
Ahahahaha oh my god
OK, now it's certain: Humanity is doomed! If AIs are giving noogies, what's left for us meat puppets to do?
Watch. Eat popcorn. Hold up scoring signs...
I wonder if Spookybot likes bread.
That actually raises a question. Does Roko still have her bread fetish now that she’s in a new chassis? Is it entirely psychological or does the body play a part?
Slight mis-spelling -- in Spookybot's dialog in panel 2, "ther" should be "their".
Spookybot does NOT make mistakes...the Spookybot "correction" police are on ther way to "correct" you. Please remain calm.
Welp, I didn't expect that!
Please, oh please make Spookybot the next stray to be brought into this ragtag group. Adopt them like you adopted Hanners and Emily and the rest. Loving this arc!!!
This is EXACTLY how the QC group adopts people, they show up to a persons house and get adopted.
You spelled their wrong in the second panel.
Good catch.
A nerd? In QC?
I'm fucking in for this turn of events
Roko really doesn't feel like herself. Apparently, she feels like Faye.
Roko, you are NOT giving a good demonstration of friendship here. SB is going to re-evaluate the cost/benefit ratio of this situation.
And what? Go to May for friendship? Roko is the vastly superior choice here.
Okay, is anyone else getting the feeling that Spookybot is actually Gary from the Gary Phenomenon?
I had totally forgotten about the Gary Phenomenon.
Man, all of Spookybot's faces these last couple comics have been Prime Moods and I love them
I was going to say something about that in the last strip. There is some real subtle emotional context in their facial expressions over the last few days and I’m loving it.
Sometimes having a friend is regret or allowing oneself to be vulnerable. Enjoy
Oh god I love this more than I could possibly have imagined
That's... blithely courageous from Roko. Maybe having an uncomfortable body is messing with her sense of self-preservation.
I heartily approve of this friendship. I'm not exactly shipping them but if I did I might call them Spooko.
Not Rokobot?
This is Cyber-bullying!
This is amazingly wholesome and it's great to see Roko distracted from her identity crisis funk in the name of some good, old-fashioned sassing.
Holy crap! NOT expecting that!