hadriel | 001 [Video]

[For those who frequent the tops of the various climbable buildings in Hadriel, they might recognize that this broadcast is from the roof of one of them due to the angle; otherwise it's just a rapidly darkening cloudy sky for a backdrop, sun setting and rain clearly threatening to roll in at any time.

It's pretty, and that may or may not be the reason why Connor is out on a roof in the first place, but it's definitely not the point of this impromptu broadcast. He's just been wondering some things, and it's in his nature to actively search out answers rather than waiting for them to come to him, so he's decided to just go for it.]

Hello everyone; my name is Connor, and I just arrived a few days ago.

[Always good to start with introductions, and also to avoid saying exactly how many days or hours it's been since a given time when pretending to be human. He's getting a little better at this.]

I've been catching up on the situation at hand, and although the context is somewhat different, there are parallels to current events in my world that are difficult to ignore. Before I arrived, we were dealing with what might be the beginning of a civil war between humans and machines.

[He's trying to tread carefully, projecting enough genuine interest without sounding over-invested. He's just asking, after all, nothing more; there's definitely no personal reason why he wants to know.]

So I'm curious; I'm aware that what the Null have done is enough reason to be against them, but does what they are play any role in your feelings toward them?

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Hello, Mr. Connor. I hope that you have been keeping well.

[He won't ask what the man believes he will achieve by climbing on to the roof of a building, partially because he already knows the answer from their inexplicable first encounter.

The subject matter that follows is so sensitive that Oscar feels it would behoove him to switch their feed to private before offering his response to it.]

There are worlds that hold a troubled history involving machines that were created for destructive purposes. It is likely that the residents who originate from those worlds have experienced prior ordeals that served to inform, in part, their initial opinions of the Null.

[Meanwhile, Oscar is quite aware that he has yet to provide his own answer to Mr. Connor's query.]

[He's still getting used to being addressed so politely, especially with concern, so it takes a moment to reply at first but when he does it's with genuine appreciation.]

I have been, thank you.

[It's... Sort of true? He's broken his record of 'days in a row without being shot' so that probably counts as doing well.

And alright, the rest of that makes sense, although it's also much of the reason he asked to begin with; he's a little concerned, after seeing some of the conversations on Tranquility's post and elsewhere, about general opinions toward mechanical-based beings, whether brought on by the Null or having already existed beforehand.]

That is likely, yes. I wonder if those experiences are a hindrance or a help in dealing with the situation overall.

[Because they could go either way. And he definitely noticed that the answer was more general, not personal, but he's decided not to press for now; perhaps Oscar--especially considering what he is--has experiences that make him hesitate to discuss the topic, and Connor can empathize with that. It's not like he's being totally forthcoming himself, after all.]

In the case of the Null, the question of whether any pre-existing bias played a role in the formation of early perceptions of them is no longer relevant... unless we are referring specifically to the situation of the unit that calls itself 'Name'.

Do you think it matters in that context?

[Considering he mentioned it specifically. Part of the reason Connor wanted to ask about this actually Name as well, and the comments he had seen in regards to it.]

Name's presence in Hadriel has been a matter of heated contention. There are people who are fearful of it due to its former function as a soldier in the Null collaborative. Coming from a world that is under threat of total destruction by machines--particularly ones that are known to lie--would only serve to reinforce any suspicion that Name is treading a path that will bring harm to us.

[Alright, that's pretty much what Connor had been concerned about, and he's not sure if it's a good thing that Oscar is also considering the situation; that might mean it really is something to worry about, rather than just being Connor's somewhat justified paranoia.]

That is something I had been concerned about, but not just regarding Name. Nick told me that any prejudice that might exist toward technologically-based beings seems minimal here, but the entire situation with the Null is still... Concerning.

Do you believe the Null have received unfair treatment?

I don't know.

[The answer is immediate, because it's honest; he really doesn't, and the answers he's heard so far haven't convinced him in either direction.]

But at this point I'm less interested in whether the Null have been treated unfairly, and more about what biases might affect the people here.

[People like Oscar, and Nick, and--hopefully still unbeknownst to most people--Connor and Maeve. Who knows who else, too.]

The only form of bias I have personally encountered is that of people taking fright at my appearance, though it has not been a regular occurrence.

Edited 2018-08-26 13:38 (UTC)

That isn't ideal, although it's better than many possible alternatives.

[So he's... Glad to hear it, he supposes? Not exactly, but still.]

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