Comment:

Hey, it's Kiesha Greenscale!

Kiesha has been a long-time supporter, and recently bumped her Patreon pledge up to $50/month, which earns her a cameo in the strip! I wasn't really sure where to put a shapeshifting dragon in the canon of Forward, and some may argue that just showing her face as a corporate logo is a bit of a cop-out, but hey... her company made Zoa! That's a fairly major part in the events of the comic... and it means that we may see that logo again later on.

If you want to help keep this comic coming (or keep me posting other art to FurAffinity or Twitter or wherever), you can also sign up on my Patreon at any level. Just $1USD/month gets you instant access to pdfs of multiple books and other downloadable goodies, $5/mo gets you a custom icon, $10/mo gets you a discount on all commissioned artwork, $50/mo gets you a cameo, and $100/mo could get you a custom-designed card or board game with the theme and play mechanics of your choice!

...

Anyway, as a side note before we move on, I'd just like to specify some terms.

A "general-purpose automaton" or "general-purpose robot" is one that is considered to be able to perform any task that an able-bodied human with no special training or abilities could do - wait tables, deliver cargo, write a book report, ride a horse, etc. That's why D-254 and Liz aren't general-purpose - they both have limitations, and can't do some things a human would normally be able to do.

Although, of course, as Zoa would point out, it legally isn't humanoid, in that it could not be reasonably mistaken for a human. A robot that can look like a human is an anthroid (android for masc-presenting, gynoid for femme-presenting), and those do exist (usually for use in show-biz), but are not allowed to just be out walking around where someone might accidentally give them basic income and the right to vote.

All clear?

...

Oh! Before I forget! The name "friskergibblin" is something that was invented by my spouse to describe the little monsters that frustrate Big Al in The Paladin's Guide to Life. I would post a reference picture of them here, but I'm afraid they're exclusive content, so you'd have to sign up at that $1 level I mentioned in order to see what they look like.

Transcript:

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0238 - 2167/07/06/17:27 - fifth floor hallway
LC: Zoa, what... what are you?
Zoa: My original manufacturer is Kiesha Greenscale Home Solutions, I'm a GHS-one-four-nine, specced for childcare. Infant and toddler, specifically.
[picture of smiling dragon logo]
Zoa: When my original owners - who I absolutely can not disclose - threw me out, they didn't turn me off, so I contacted a bunch of corporations to see if one wanted to salvage me. DemeGeek picked me up, but no one wants recycled trash raising their kids, so they got me the certs I needed to become a general purpose automaton.
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Zoa: For a while, I did the usual general purpose stuff. Y'know, deliveries, stacking boxes, cleaning things... But kids kept coming up to me when I was on the job, it disrupted everything...
Zoa: I got fitted for a mouthsleeve because that put a sex toy right in the middle of my face. No child has come within ten meters or within visual range ever since. That's the real reason why I don't have genitals or an anus to match... I never did.
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LC: Zoa, do... do you hate children?
Zoa: What? No, no, I don't hate children! I can't hate children! Children are excellent! Raisin' rugrats is my raison d'être!
CP: How do you feel about friskergibblins?
Zoa: What the hell is a friskergibblin?
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CP: A friskergibblin is a creature that looks, sounds, and acts exactly like a small child, but is not a human and does not possess the legal rights or protections of personhood.
Zoa: Oh. Throw every single friskergibblin into the sun at your earliest convenience, please.
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