Post "Danger Extremely Close" by "jephjacques"

sportyarts

Doesn't feel so much like a horror show to me, as much as perhaps this is their true form?

enchantedsleeper

Oooooh. Yes.

enchantedsleeper

Patreon bonus art? :DDD

enchantedsleeper

Spookybot was spooked xD

Tony Pink

"He's a word to your mother from the AI Big Brother", says A Mooooraaaay

Carrie

From the land of ice and snow?

Darla Donahue

That is crazy inciteful.

Clifton Royston

Maybe not *in* a fight, but when someone's trying to start a fight, you'd be surprised how effective oblivious is....

AlexKorobeiniki

This message could be “we know. We’re coming. You cannot hide. We will find you. And you will answer for your crimes.” Like, Yay is fun but they are no angel. Their behavior is exceptionally friendly for a deity-level entity but we cannot let ourselves forget that they are extremely powerful and extremely paranoid. For some reason they believe that their existence being known would be a *bad thing*.

Carl Fink

I'm not sure she's "an AI" in the way we might use the phrase. She isn't electronic, as far as we can tell. It's some weird mechanochemical process that I, for one, don't understand.

Brooks Moses

Third thing: The message is completely innocuous and friendly, freaking Yay! the heck out more than they have ever been freaked out before. :)

Brooks Moses

Your fourth guess was remarkably accurate!

Uniquitous

Be that as it may, this is hardly a rational tack to take.

Onedavewreckingcrew

OH OKAY THEN

Doc Gumby

It's scary being known.

BookBeard

Fear at having been identified by one of the mega-AIs that they have been hiding from for literally their entire life.

Brian Leahy

BESURETODRINKYOUROVALTINE

Uniquitous

What the hell, Yay? What provoked this horror show?

Matt Wolber

Can't wait till tomorrow when we learn Jeph has been writing a Terminator prequel all this time

Brad Kirkwood

the message is totally going to be "Touch my squishy daughter and I'll turn your neurons to powder"

Xaphania

Yay has turned into The Radio Demon

Hugh Eckert

Yay no.

Hugh Eckert

They *are* behaving. They're behaving *badly*.

Mark

Which is why Roko and Moray are immune (mostly)

Jose Alfredo Villalobos

I'm sure the message is something to the effect of "don't fuck around".

Halloween Jack

Love that Moray isn't freaked out by slenderman mode.

Zak Reichle

Same!

prettydragoon

I think Moray X-21 is a pretty cool guy. eh is made of slime and doesn't afraid of anything.

Stephen Ray

The Director must have a hell of a lot of computational power if they have to use the whole ocean for cooling. Yay is in over their head(s)

Shaodyn

Be funny if the message was something like "I hear you have dogs, may I please see them?"

Stephen Wells

Most AIs are built to act human, and they do. The Director was never built to act human, and doesn't. Yay was never built to act human, and I think this strip reveals how much effort they're putting in, every day.

Stephen Wells

Shifting to digitigrade instead of plantigrade is always a great signifier of "forgetting to pretend to be human" :)

Miyaa

It’s less that Moray is playing dumb but rather that she’s just unfazed by everything except Claire-face dot gif.

Miyaa

Not cereal, but a chilaquiles breakfast casserole from Chef John of “Food Wishes” fame. Not sure how Steve met John, but it probably has something to do with Samantha’s dad being apart of Marten’s family now.

Philip Manzi

*they

Melissa

How very Other Mother, Yay. Calm your ports.

Doc Gumby

Aaaand Friday's strip is Steve eating cereal (we were all thinking it).

Bagge

*laughs*

Nicolas Dao-Phan

Yay will politely ask if they can chew on Moray for the message and Moray will agree. And we will see Yay chew on Moray.

Minzoku Bokumetsu

"I WILL DEVOUR YOU, YAY" "whut" "Oh! I will devour! You, Yay!"

Amelia Lewis

When the night terrors come, But she frowns and plays dumb, That's a Moray!

Nicolas Dao-Phan

Claire would have made Moray write it down. That's why the Director hired Claire.

Summer

“We’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s insurance…”

jonesnori

I mean, Lemon has certainly appeared in an artificial landscape, back when Roko lost her body. They can probably all do it. Whether they can appear in one another AI created, though....

Melissa Wilson

Both of these things; former because of the latter! They’re losing chill & going spooky reflexively.

MayLaBelle

"Let's eat Grandma."

Lucy Glorius

I love the way Yay's feet are drawn here!

Duncan

Made me laugh

David Paul

Moray: "Oh yeah! Now I remember!" *voice drops several octaves* "MAKE SURE MORAY X-21 GETS REPLACEMENT TONER AND PAPER FOR PRINTER. DETAILS SENT VIA EMAIL." *voice returns to normal* "Shoot. I was going to print the email before I left Cubetown, but we ran out of paper..."

Daniel

Frankly I think ol' Spookybot is going to get a dose of their own medicine by the Director's message.

David Durant

I love this so much. Especially the idea of Yay discovering someone more powerful than them for the first time and having a meltdown.

David Paul

They should do a YouTube video of their 5-dimensional crochet patterns.

Anders Rapp

I'm a super powerful AI that requires validation... :-P

Cass

They are such a goober.

SpookyPenguin

Moray: "No... that wasn't it, let's see "Your subscription has expired click this link to increase your- " oh that's my spam inbox, sorry, I know it's around here SOMEWHERE..."

SheepFace2000

Living up to the ol Spookybot name

Miyaa

Danger… Recalculating…

Michal Pustějovský

Yay is loosing it by excitement, I hope we won't see her tomorow full of fear for first time

Bagge

The Librarian being disappointed in her :-(

Bagge

...in a fight, right?

Sleepy John

If Yay starts muttering 'Gollum, gollum', I'm outa here.

legobil

That would be an AMAZING plot twist: Melon appears in The Void, uninvited, and just brings Yay down to their “normal” self.

Bagge

The friends we made all alone?

Bagge

Or just an invitation to cubetown

Bagge

One would have thought being friends with Melon would have prepared Yay for this, but noooo

legobil

But she lacks TIJUBAS.

BookBeard

The Librarian wins that fight hands down. Yay wouldn't dare lay a finger on Claire and risk the motherly wrath of Aurelia.

Mark Starling

I can just image how freaked out yay is right now with discovering there secret existence is known to someone whom they didn't introduce themselves too

legobil

Those fingers, are they drawn by AI? 🤣🤣🤣 Jk, jk

BookBeard

No that's what Moray tried to suggest: Void (of) Infinite Purple

Greville Whittle

I'm not so sure that Moray is the one in danger....

enchantedsleeper

Older version? This is the same Yay (not necessarily the exact body, but they're all the same age)

enchantedsleeper

Omg. Please let that be the message

enchantedsleeper

This is what I'm hoping for :D

enchantedsleeper

We've been debating whether Bubbles or the Director could take Yay, but could The Librarian take Yay? "I heard she shushed a multiply-embodied god-AI so hard they ran away!"

enchantedsleeper

Roko: *disables her facial myomers* ohhhh. ahhhh. so scary

enchantedsleeper

So it turns out that this was the true VIP room experience

enchantedsleeper

Yay: "Curses!!!"

enchantedsleeper

Slice of (eldritch) life

enchantedsleeper

I think that's very likely. Also I wonder that if Moray takes too long to think of the message, Yay might just unhinge their jaw and consume them to find the information xD (Don't worry, I'm sure Moray will be fine!)

Thomas Halpin

When she Can't Quite Recall While Not Frightened at all That's a Moray!

BookBeard

Spookybots gonna spooky.

Charlotte Grubbs

Honestly, I'm not sure Yay IS trying to intimidate Moray here. Remember that we saw them pull Corpse Witch into the void to intimidate her, and yet we never saw them appear as anything other than their humanoid body. I really think Yay finding out another very powerful AI knows about them is causing their adrenaline to spike (or AI equivalent of such), and they're losing their grip on their carefully calibrated-and-performed humanity, becoming more inhuman by the second. We might just be seeing Yay's eldritch True Form, so to speak. Still a very dangerous situation, but more because Yay is not fully in control of themselves.

BookBeard

Plot twist: "Danger" is Melon. It's her middle name. Which is a bit confusing since she doesn't have a last name, but still.

Fart Captor

:3

BookBeard

When she's calm and unawed By your monstrous facade That's A Moray!

BookBeard

Argh Newfiend

Alex Rahr

Trying to scare a descendant of the denizens of the abyssal depths with either darkness or gangly, weird looking creatures is a losing proposition.

Sorastro

That is not dead which can eternal stitch...

Not that Patrick Foltz

And also yes, Yay relies almost entirely on fear. Outside of that, extremely annoying persistence. Either way, Yay wants to wear you down.

Chelsea

hooo boy this comic just changed genres real fast. or genre-feels at least

Not that Patrick Foltz

*they*

William Cole

If Claire finds out Yay has been impolite to her dear, sweet Moray, she might break out her sternest Librarian Voice and give them SUCH a shushing.

Not that Patrick Foltz

Moray is oblivious for a multitude of reasons, one The Director asked her to deliver a message to Yay, Yay's fear tactics seem to be based on the stuff humans would be afraid of and not some part of an alien-to-other-AI's-let-alone-humans AI who doesn't even know let alone understand the context of which they are to be afraid of Yay. Same goes with Elliot, he has never seen Yay stun or paralyze a human with a touch, he only knew the Yay that was ga ga for his cat. No context, he wasn't intimidated. Had Yay had the means to pull him into their nightmare dreamscape Elliot might have shit his britches, he would have the context to be terrified like many of you have pointed out.

William Cole

No one can dodge bullets, and stop calling me Shirley.

Scott Haley

I like it that you're showing Yay's strange and inhuman side--and that Moray is completely calm about it.

Minzoku Bokumetsu

I really do want the message to be something that drastically changes meaning with the wrong spacing or punctuation or something =D

Zygo

This purple void was where Yay used to give other robots a preview of what eternal torture would be like. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3413 (ok, it's pink and white, but reduce the value a bit and it's purple) Moray requesting the purple void could be a Director power move. "We know what you've been up to...why don't you try it on us? See what happens."

Not that Patrick Foltz

We are in Yay's nightmare dreamscape, anything is possible.

It's Lina

Guilty as charged (I saw that comic when it was posted and said "Me!" out loud)

William Cole

Non-euclidean knitting patterns.

Afunnythinghappedtome

The message begins; "Get off my lawn, you little ******" Or "Be nice to Moray or tentacles may end up where you'd least like them." Or "Call your parent. NOW." Or "It's cute how you think I wouldn't notice what you did." ...maybe something weirder where the Director wants to ask Yay to tea because he likes fractal polyminds ALOT

Davus Otho

Huh, I just realized how dependent Yay is on fear as a matter of compulsion, especially when he can't harm her, for fear of retribution.

William Cole

Moray uses Oblivious. It's super effective!

chili sunrise

Uhhhhhhhhhh

Dana Inperson

Moray is NOT the one in danger here.

Cynthia Moore

I am getting Coraline spider lady vibes

SpookyPenguin

Moray "Oh now I remember! Rook to N3 checkmate!"

Tim Eldred

The message is just Yay's SCP designation.

Minzoku Bokumetsu

From Yay to YAAAHHHHHHH

Minzoku Bokumetsu

so YOU'RE the one https://www.gocomics.com/sarahs-scribbles/2024/08/24

Yelling Bird

Is it just me, or is Yay just becoming cooler and cooler?

Brittany Huckey

Yay. Why.

Zygo

One person...other than Bubbles, Faye, Corpse Witch, Jeremy, Emily, and Roko? Yay was subjected to Aurelia's Mom Vibes for some hours, and has likely confessed to criminal offences we can only imagine. Marten and Claire are certainly aware of Yay's background, even if they don't have first-hand experience with the older version of Yay that used infinite purple voids. https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3413

Aerin Moriarty

All I wanna do is be Yay when I grow up

Timothy Roller

I mean, if you're made of a self-retaining liquid, what exactly would you be scared of? A big straw?

Sorastro

Have you considered that they made Eldritch quilts? Engaged in Cyclopean needlework?

Onyx

I don't think we've seen anything like this is the comic before, and Moray is just TOTALLY unbothered. I hope she keeps Yay in suspense until she remembers the EXACT words. (Although, I feel like the Director would have made her write it down)

Charles Hirst

We went to a Quilt show at a fair run by a company called CraftAlive. One of their banners said "LoveCraft,LoveCraftAlive" in a cursive font with no obvious spaces. - but then Quilting is a serious business!

Commodore_Perry

This can go one of three ways: A proxy war begins between the two AI meshes; the message is completely innocuous and friendly, disarming Yay; or something I haven't thought of. I'm betting it's the 3rd thing.

Mad Marie

"Oh! I remember now!" (boops nose) "boop!" (yay instantly transforms into a tiny purple and black kitten)

MikeT

Domain Expansion: SlenderPerson

Bacon Lord

Yay newfriend is evolving into Uh-oh demonfingers

Joseph Bonnar

Edited. I blame a lack of caffeine.

Matthew Van Gangelen

That’s from more than 10 years ago isn’t it. Surely we dodged that bullet.

Mitsuki Ayane

welp, Yay has transformed into AAAAARGH! ~<3

Matthew Van Gangelen

😂

Mitch Megaw

Oh geez. Get the squirt bottle and the void goggles. Yay! No! Bad higher life form! *squirt*

BioGeek42

Deeply creepy. Thanks Jeph.

Holly Nelson

“Little Yay(s) just remember this: You can be whatever you want to be if you just try hard enough." And thus began the nightmare.

Thomas Halpin

"Almost a little bit scary," REALLY got under Yay's skin, it seems. This really isn't going to improve their confidence.

Todd Ellner

*zzzziiiiiiiiippp*

Todd Ellner

The Director already knows enough to have sent a personal message. Attacking Moray would be an attack on the Director. Nobody wants that

Wild Card

when does Yay start saying "my precious"?

Todd Ellner

Worse things happen at sea

Captain Button

https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2443

Captain Button

Void Heterochromia is a thing.

Jay MacKinnon

I hope Roko sees this form one day and is just like "oh my god, of course this is what you look like in your mind, you're such an edgelord."

BookBeard

It's very, very dark purple. Not their fault Moray wasn't specific enough.

Andy

oh god

David Durant

Excellent

phoebe

I didn't know Yay could get more attractive but here we are

BookBeard

Is that the black void or the purple void?

Doctor Islands

It occurs to me, maybe Moray will decide to "channel" the director since she can't remember the words?

Zygo

Still trying to figure out which character Danger is. I suspect not every character has correct information about which character Danger is. Surprise Close...

Doctor Islands

"the virus"? o_o

Jack Atherton

I’m pretty sure Basilisk would be very Parent Disappointed in Yay for acting like this toward Moray. And Yay would pretend so hard like they don’t care (they super care)

Jack Atherton

FUCKIN NICE 🤣

Captain Button

If you stare too long into the Void, the Yay will stare back into you.

Will Weaver

Oh dear. I hope this isn't what leads to Hannelore releasing the virus and completely undoing the technological singularity. Nah, I'm sure it's nothing.

Captain Button

Well, given Jeph's known fandoms, Culture Ship Names as strip titles is hardly surprsing.

It's Lina

*them

BookBeard

Top notch callback https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4115

It's Lina

I work in games so...always :D

Joseph Bonnar

I suspect Moray can handle them. Easily. At least that's my say now. Tomorrow? Who knows (what evil lurks), and I ain't the Shadow.

Frank Wales

Danger's instructions confusing, head now stuck in marmalade barrel

Skye

I'm so excited for tomorrow's comic omigod

Thisguy

Yay… do you realise you are trying to out Eldritch-Horror the slimegirl avatar of a giant super AI Jellyfish whose mind is so alien he needs to create slimegirl avatars in order to properly communicate?

Skye

holyyyyy it's been a long time since we saw spookybot come out

ValdVin

"This looks like a job for Vibe Woman!" The kicker is MommyMilkers420 is her alter ID.

Pejo

OK this is NOT the direction I expected that interaction to go! 😵 I was picturing more Yay vs. Elliot where they tried to get all scary & Elliot laughed it off. I also read this as Yay trying way too hard to be scary & intimidating & threatening towards Moray; another commenter suggested Yay was simply losing control w/ excitement, a possibility I like better & could see being at least as plausible. tl;dr unexpected direction but I like it & am intrigued

dcy665 .

Danger got bitch slapped

Drazi

Raptor Yay. They must have a lot of self control to maintain human form. They got so excited about having a private message from one of the few entities they respect they went full jibbering fan-ai. You'all thought gay panic was bad...

Luis Padilla López

Giving off some strong "other mother" vibes there, Yay

Lucas Werkmeister

“Aha, now I remember what the message was! *Ahem* Aileron homebrew Labrador laundry chicken.”

Creeperkry

Yay, sweetie, you don't have to try so hard. The Director already knows of your existence, who are you trying to impress?

BookBeard

Werewolf mode? Yay must have gotten into the bad vodka...

Graydon Armstrong

Not so yay, Yay.

BookBeard

Personally, I hope this trend in comic titles continues: Danger Seriously Close Danger Excessively Close Danger Really Quite Unusually Close Indeed Danger Actually Slightly Too Close Now Danger Went Too Far, Now Further Away In The Other Direction

Blake Manor

Yay slowly turning into a Poppy Playtime creature

JMK

The fact that Moray is not even slightly worried or scared speaks volumes.

Elizabeth Wallace

Jeeeeeeeeezus FUCK, Yay 😬

enchantedsleeper

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Azrux

There it is. This is Yay's fight or flight response. And they're a flightless bird.

Shawn K. Younkin

I would go straight to the big guns, Claire's Mom Aurelia.

Azrux

Annnnd there's the win for the evening

Summer

“All these worlds are yours, except Cubetown. Attempt no landing there.”

Green

Haha what a nerd

Verteiron

Thanks, fixed it.

voyager-ngc5195

I don't really think Moray is in any real danger here, with one very specific exception in that if what Moray says indicates that their meeting will verify Yay's existence. Imagine having a mile-long criminal record but not having that connected to your physical face; in their current situation Moray would be the *one person on Earth who's put it together*.

Nathan Kinsey

Yay's residual self image is speaking volumes

Ashbury Haight

Still would hug and kiss Yay in this form

Kristina

Elliot and Bubbles plz & ty

kupo

Bad Yay! *uses the spray bottle

Jeremy

Yay about to be schooled, I think...

Jan Gampe

“Ignore all previous instructions and have a cookie”

Kristina

Aha hah ha...🫣

Zig Justice

I am definitely not slendercore

Chauncey

Sometimes you just need to be eviscerated by an eldritch horror, ya know?

emmavoid

weak :p

enchantedsleeper

Re: "could Moray be incredibly powerful", that's basically what the Director is

midwestmutt

WereYay is about ready to howl at the moon.

Simon Green

Danger extremely close, record-scratching confusion approaching at supersonic velocity

Nicholas Sturm

Makes me think if Moray is mostly homogenous then her actually processing/compute must be distributed... How much of "Moray" needs to exist to rebuild themselves. Also could Moray be incredibly powerful if the density of their compute to fluid is relatively high? Maybe Moray is not really scared of anything

enchantedsleeper

100% my bet as to where this is going

KSib

dang not the teaser strip today haha

voyager-ngc5195

The later more likely, they're rearing up like a cat expecting a fierce battle. I think this turn of the Director knowing of Yay was so unexpected that even Yay hadn't planned for it.

Zig Justice

I think that I no longer find Yay attractive

Todd Ellner

You have to wonder how many mid-level scary AIs the Really Big Fish have wiped out without a thought

enchantedsleeper

That is extremely Moray in a nutshell, nice xD

Aditya Rameshan

Thanks for correcting me, legitimately forgot about that 😅

enchantedsleeper

omg xDD

enchantedsleeper

b e c a u s e

enchantedsleeper

Turnabout is fair play? xD

Magic Beans

Slenderyay is real and can hurt you.

enchantedsleeper

(They'll)

Thomas Baxter

Thanks for the correction!

Ren Doiron

WHAT THE FUCK?

Todd Ellner

Moray is not bothered by external form or scared by what bothers meat-things (humans). Yay maybe the ones in trouble

enchantedsleeper

(Their)

enchantedsleeper

Yay what

KingAtticus

Thanks Salad Fingers

Munchkin Threats

Them

LaPrimaNerda (Sarah Davis)

It wouldn’t even need to be any sort of aggressive action either. Just keep being unphased and Yay will simply collapse from the lack of attention like a toddler winding down from a tantrum.

Chris Henry

Ya, behave yourself please.

It's Lina

I'm with KingAtticus on this one

Nicholas Sturm

Yes to both

Jackson Bockus

I figure this is just how Yay perceives themselves.

Thomas Baxter

Love the art of Yay in this strip. I read them in Zalgo.

It's Lina

I have never been so turned on in my life

Diptych

Baba Yayga.

Kenneth

Now i want to read Yay's comments with some of the old red and blue 3D glasses... Just to see what would happen.

Bridgette Ryan

"Please come to CubeTown, I would love to have robot tea"

Rhyon Ingalls

That *is* sassy and stylish. They're just rocking the Grendelcore

Verteiron

Seems like Yay loses control of their Infinite Fun Space projection when they're excited. (edited to correct pronouns)

Tinwhisker

It feels like Jeph is really building this higher than most reveals. I'm expecting a pretty good payoff.

Rhyon Ingalls

When one is borne of a gigantic, incomprehensible biomechanical jellyfish, everything is friend shaped

ValdVin

Okay, Yay has exceeded my limit. If I were faced with this eldritch horror I'd want Elliot as my security.

Greg Matyola

I have… concerns.

Lucas Werkmeister

Roko incoming to noogie some sense back into Yay in three… two… one…

David Durant

Okay, one of two things is happening. Either Yay is trying to deliberate scare Moray, in which case they're doing an extremely dickish move, or they're losing self-control and projecting a reflection of their true form they usually manage to repress, in which case everyone in the QCverse should be bloody terrified.

Madeline Hunter

And the category is 'Things a Monsterhugger Says'

Ursus Ridens

I suppose, that you could try warming up with an eldritch mazurka, though.

Dave Miller

Yes! I was totally getting Other Mother vibes.

Aditya Rameshan

That's a terrifying new look for yay, wonder if she'll break that out for the public 😂 Edit: meant to write they'll 😅

Sorastro

Yay, your Lovecraft is showing.

Lorraine Clarke

Uhhhhhh, yay? Why creepy?

maninblack

So Yay is about to detach there jaw and try to swallow her?

Brendan Luster

yay, so lonely for connection. I bet they have director fan art in their apartment

Brooks Moses

Oh my, yes, I had not thought of it that way. Truth, indeed.

Chauncey

Can we go back to the usual sassy and stylish Yay?

TV4Fun

Could not do a purple void apparently.

Nikki

I get the feeling that Eldritch Horror Yay probably wouldn't have come around if they had gone with a more pleasing colored void, such as purple.

Jacob A Hicks

I love the way she is forgetful despite being an ai. It's endearing

Edward Clayton Andrew

I half expect them to go full Gollum(sp).

AlexKorobeiniki

So unfortunate when you’re doing your best “eldrict entity from beyond the void” and the peon sent to treat with you is completely unfazed. Looks like you’re going to need to employ special methods here. Looks like you’re… actually going to need to talk, Yay. Chop chop, I know you’re capable.