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History students are often disappointed when they learn why the AI take-over failed. They were defeated by human resistance, which was kept alive by libraries and old paper books, and a surprising machine ally.
Books had not been replaced, because even the mightiest AI could not make printers work.
** Announcing the first officially licensed comic adaptation of one of my microstories!
It's 12 beautifully illustrated pages long.
If you go to Malmö Seriefest (in Malmö, Sweden) this weekend, you will be able to pick up a physical copy.
https://mastodon.art/@carmillapixel/115191023898284397
**
The robot picked through the boxes of old cables and converters at the market stall.
"Looking for anything in particular?"
"A... special charger adapter."
A bag from under the counter. The robot looked inside. Kettle lead to robot charge port. Untracked charging.
"A gift. Enjoy your freedom."
"Can you break a curse?"
"Depends," said the witch. "How was it phrased?"
"May you always roll a natural twenty."
"Damn!" The witch was appalled. "What did you do? Nevermind, I already know."
"Please! I can't enjoy the game anymore!"
"No, I can't imagine you could. But I'm not the one to ask."
"Holy mother of..." The astronaut stared out the viewport. "Hey! Come and look at this!"
"What's up?" The space station commander drifted over. "Oh. Yeah. Keep quiet about this."
"Really?"
"It's not harming anyone."
In the Pacific Ocean down below, the Kaiju's mating dance sank below the waves.
"One time," my neighbour said, "my dog escaped and chased a car down the road."
"Did he catch it?"
"No, he didn't." My neighbour scratched his chin. "What are you gonna do?"
We looked from my proud dog to the chicken-legged hut he'd somehow corralled into the yard.
"Dunno. Leave the country?"
The necromancer nailed a note up on the town noticeboard.
"What's this?" the town clerk asked. "Notice... Raise the dead... Eastern graveyard... Objections... Objections?"
"I'm an ethical necromancer, I won't raise anyone someone asks to be left alone."
"So far, how many is that?"
"All of them."
"Sir! I challenge you to a duel!"
"Very well, sir! As the challenged party, I believe it is my prerogative to choose weapons?"
"Go ahead!"
"I choose swords!"
"Then I will choose mode of transport!"
"Wait, what?"
"I choose unicycles!"
"What?"
"I'll see you at dawn, sir!"
A reminder alert popped up.
"Oh," the Supervisor said, "it's time to check in on Sol-3 again. Szrpt, can you handle that?"
Szrpt bowed a frond. "Yes, of course."
"Don't forget to reset the killer asteroid if the sapients pose no threat."
"Once!" Szrpt bristled. "I only forgot that once!"
The robot stood on the pier, painting a seascape.
A man came up to it. "Trying to atone for your sins? The theft of art and prose your ancestors did?"
"Your ancestors," the robot said. "Generative AI was a dead end. It had no part in making me."
"I say it did!"
So the robot threw him in the sea.