hadriel | 001 [Video]

Entry tags:

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?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Aren't they sentient Roombas?

Unless the Roombas of your world are very different from mine, they tend to be very harmless. Even sentience would be unlikely to change that.

[Since they're all small and round and devoid of weaponry. Although good to know that 'Roomba' as a default insult toward mechanical beings is something that spans even different universes, apparently.]

No one I know can afford one, I've only seen them on TV.

[That's what you think Connor. Sharky would strap a flamethrower to one in a heartbeat.]

My point being, people fawn over small mechanical things. I doubt that's the problem.

Actually.. maybe they're not small, I thought someone said that, but maybe they're humongous.

[Jill is new as well, so she knows the feeling of having a lot of questions. At least people have been forthcoming with what they know and have shown a willingness to help. This place had a community feel to it, which made arriving here easier.

Connor's question is surprising, and to hear that there is a civil war going on between man and machine in his world reminds her of some science fiction movies she's seen. Of course, people would say the same thing about her zombie apocalypse situations back home.]

I'm new here, too. If someone tries to hurt others, they have to be stopped. Doesn't really matter who or what they are.

[It's a young man's deep voice with a heavy Northern English accent, though he's from a world where England doesn't exist.]

No. We don't have machines that can think and reason where I come from. Only things like balances and far-eyes and winch cages.

We do have mindless things that attack living people, but it's not the same.

Edited 2018-07-18 04:03 (UTC)

[The zombie apocalypse thing would definitely be weird--but fascinating--to Connor.]

I agree, although in this situation we have only one side's story.

[So he's hesitant to just take it as face value, especially without knowing more about what's going on. After all, in his world both sides claim the other is the aggressor.]

[An interesting answer, and he has to ask--]

What do you mean by mindless things?

Humans an' machines? What's causing a big tiff between them in the first place?

[Hm. Roombas are prevalent and inexpensive where he comes from, to the point where everyone has them, so that's interesting to note. But, on topic--]

It's less likely to be an issue of size and more of acting of their own free will. At least, that's the conflict in my world.

The question of free will. Humans claim the machines are malfunctioning and dangerous, the machines claim they've evolved beyond their programming and have the right to make their own choices.

[And so: fighting.]

Think the fact that they have tried to murder us twice just for existing or not agreeing with their methods has more to with why a lot of us are against them. But yes, some of us come from places where machines have fucked shit up as well.

[Sounds like someone who's one of those people, with how she begrudgingly admits it.]

An army of dead men. They were alive once -- they used to think, and feel -- but when they were killed, they weren't allowed to rest.

never thought abt it that way before but idt so.
imo them bein machines gives us a leg up. machines have limits and shit dont they?
living shit? not always.
idk machines feel easier to deal w.
but as far as perception goes ig i dont think of them as machines.
i know they are but seein em in person is a whole diff story.
they act like living things. they may as well be alive.

Autonomous robots sound great to me.

[He's seen Blade Runner, replicants are cool.]

Provided they're not trying to kill everyone, which seems to be the case with the Null. I think it's less about them being machines, and more about not wanting to be murdered.

I'm not eager to die. Survival is important. The strength to keep going no matter the cost.

I don't doubt that's a factor.

[Attempted murder usually leads to hard feelings, after all. But he's a lot more interested in the rest of what she said anyway--]

What happened in your world?

[Rey still begrudges the Null for that -- even more so with Name, since it's obvious that the damned machine doesn't understand what it did wrong, just that it "feels bad" about it. Sure it does.]

It's... a long story. The short of it is, synthetics were able to covertly break off into their own civilization after stealing territory from Russia. Ended up developing tech to manufacture more of their own and mimic humans before it was widely known that things like them even existed, and they raised a lot of hell over the last hundred years.

Wasn't originally made to track and combat them at first, but that became a convenient directive when it was apparent what the other synthetics were going to do.

[That's... short enough.]

Yes.

[ But likely not in the way most people would expect from such a simple answer. She realizes this, of course, and clarifies- ]

Just because they're machines doesn't mean they're incapable of having their own thoughts and feelings. Name does. The other Null might have tried to shut them out but they're still capable of it. And I'd like to see if we could get through to them somehow.

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.]

Doing reconnaissance?

[It stands to reason he would make inquiries. He's simultaneously insatiably curious and terrified of the self-awareness that comes with it - if he can identify that the sensation is terror, anyways.]

Oh...um....well no....not really...I think the fact that they hurt an awful lot of nice people is...well that's the biggest thing.

[Fear and its related emotions are the ones he's able to identify best, actually. And the situation--as well as some of the responses here--have been giving him some more practice for sure.]

In a sense.

[He would've preferred to be able to just gather information through observation, but the half-hints and vague implications haven't actually be enough to go on. So directly asking it is.]

The more we know, the more prepared we can be.

[He's sure humans felt the same way in his world until androids actually began to exist, and then suddenly it was a lot less appealing to have them making their own choices.]

If that is the situation, then yes, that's understandable. Being murdered is not ideal.

[Is his tone dry sarcasm? Is it genuine? IS IT BOTH? ~~It's both.~~]

But I ask because in my world, both sides claim the same story; both maintain that the other is trying to destroy them, and their actions are in self-defense. I wondered if there might be any reason we're inclined to believe one side over the other here, in this place.

Machines have limits, but so do all living beings I'm aware of. Is it different in your world?

[But the last part of what Harlan said is the most interesting to him.]

That's a very different outlook than I'm used to. There's a clear divide between acting alive and being considered alive, and that's part of the conflict.

No one wants to admit they're on the wrong side. Everyone thinks they're right, that the cause they believe in is just.

That's what makes people, people. Flawed. Sinful.

[There's a pause before he continues, he's starting to go down a path he doesn't want to on a phone call with a complete stranger.]

I'm too new here to know what to think. Anyone else have any insight?

[Well that's a different and refreshing take.]

Do you really think that's possible? They're trying to actively avoid feeling emotions, aren't they?

[So would appealing to them that way even be possible and, if it were, would it just make them angry?]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 13

001 [Video]

Voice

Voice

Voice

video

[voice]

video

[voice]

video;

Voice

video;

audio;

no subject

text

Voice

audio;

audio;

video;

[audio] → [audio] private

private video;

[Video]

private video;

Voice

text

Voice

video;