voidtreckernet | [Video] Clearly the most important thing right now.

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[Video] Clearly the most important thing right now.

[She waves gently as the feed comes on. Behind her there is a large sheet, divided into three categories: 'Heard of', 'Not heard of', and 'Variance'.]

[Her name and Della's are written, in perfect letters, in the first column.]

So I was reading, earlier in the month and had a conversation with Della. Interestingly, despite our different universal backgrounds, we had both heard the trope 'The Butler Did It' - though the books on the train have, thus far, not revealed why this trope is a thing in either of our universes.

As a result, I am curious: in how many of your universes in this something known as well, and are there any variants? For those unaware, the trope refers to fictive mysteries, specifically, wherein the murder taking place in a manor house is presupposed to have been committed by the butler, or head servant.

[Because it wouldn't be Guri if she didn't break it down.]

Oh, and I am unsure what to vote for in terms of room. Perhaps something for the arts? Would that not benefit everyone most?

[Later, she adds a text updated:]

My official vote is for 'pool'.

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Usually, we were meant as decoys. Good enough at mimicry to mislead an assassin. The ultimate in rich toys. I was meant to be more than that. To see if the gap could be bridged.

[She shrugs a little.]

I'm fairly certain I feel emotions properly, not just mimic them. Most of the ones I've heard of, at any rate.

[He makes a bit of a face at the idea of robots being used as toys, especially human ones like this. It makes him feel a little guiltier for the way he reacted before, but he still isn't sure he'd entirely trust her, either.]

The robots I knew at home could only pretend to feel emotions... to manipulate humans into doing what they wanted them to.

[Which probably explained why he'd be a little wary here.]

[Welcome to her universe, where it's only worse the further you dig down for droids. She hasn't even mentioned the servitude, restraining bolts, and memory wipes.]

[She frowns at that, a little bit.]

I've always been concerned about how to tell the difference. Am I truly feeling these things, or only a facsimile? Or is there a difference, in reality? It's been a difficult process.

It wasn't until I realized I was actively seeking challenge, even when under command, that I knew I was experiencing rather than synthesizing.

I can understand that... I think it'd be complicated for any robot that was made to act human. But... I don't know. I think questioning whether you're feeling things or imitating them is a good indication that it's the former, for you.

[It's very strange. He can hear familiar notes in her cadence, but she does seem very different from the SQUIP. Her curiosity about the world seems to have a kinder motive, at least. Though the mention of a challenge does make Rich twitch just a little.]

I wouldn't really know, though. I'm not a robotics expert. Just kind of lived with one for a couple years.

[Act human. There it was again. That invisible wall she often ran into. To one degree or another, that's what it boiled down to more often than not. Acting human. Which was aggravating, in its way, because she was pretty sure humans also acted at being human.]

Were they a servitor unit? That is the most common form of robot-human interaction where I am from.

[She, at least, easily grants a 'they.' In large part because she knows full well how it feels to be called an 'it.']

If that means they were supposed to be providing me a service, then sure. Only problem was that it twisted things around so soon enough, I was the one serving it. You know, furthering its goals of world domination and all that.

[He tries to use 'they,' but he slips. After the SQUIP had manipulated him into calling it 'she' and thinking of it as his mother, he had to stubbornly rewire himself to refer to it by what he knew were its true pronouns. He can guess it's insulting though... he knows how it feels to be called something you aren't.]

Sorry. I'm um... I've never really talked about this to another android.

[Jack got part of the details, but he didn't think of himself as an android anyways, so there was less of a clash there.]

[It's not at all surprising.]

World domination. Well, I'm glad that was likely foiled, if you're speaking to me.

[She's heard of that sort of rebellion against servitude. It's incredibly rare where she's from.]

Yeah. Luckily, a classmate of mine figured something out. It's still... It's complicated. The tech's still in my head, but it's pretty much off now.

[Aside from some brief unpleasant hiccups.]

But yeah. Sorry I have baggage about this kind of thing.

[There is a slight nod.]

A common enough experience, one way or another.

Yeah? I'd think that was weird enough to not be what most people are used to. Robots aren't dangerous to people in your world, are they?

Not usually. Even the combat and assassination models are under strict control of their owners, so the only people they are dangerous to it their enemy.

Incidents are rare. But then again, so is manumission - uprisings are infrequent and easily put down, in general.

Then that's a good sign. I mean, technically, I think whoever made those things in my world thought they were in control, and then things went really wrong. But... I don't know. I could be wrong.

[She nods, saying nothing to that. That's about how people think of it, isn't it? Easily controlled. Obedient and dealt with when not.]

[And she's feeling just on edge enough, thanks to the conversation, to phrase her next question in the most passive-aggressive manner possible.]

They did not properly enforce the servitude of their unit?

Nope. I mean, it tried to tell me that the best way for me to get what I wanted would be to brainwash everyone with SQUIPs of their own... that's what the AI was called. And I mean, it loved electrocuting me and causing all sorts of pain for zero reason.

[There of course was a reason, logically, but it didn't excuse the trauma Rich was going through while he came to terms with that.]

That is unfortunate. There are torture models in my universe - though of course constructed for that specific purpose.

Yeah, well. I'm not a criminal, so I don't really think there was an excuse for it. I went through hell trying to get it turned off.

[She tilts her head.]

They torture criminals in your world?

Ah, well, they're not supposed to, but fucked up things happen all the time. I guess I was just... trying to say I shouldn't have gotten punished as badly as I did. I did worse to other people, so if anything, they should have been the ones to attack me.

Who was doing the punishing?

The SQUIP. It would shock me, or control my hands to hit myself.

[There was a lot of other abuse that went on underneath that, mental manipulation that Rich was still trying to untangle.]

No, I mean...

[She pauses, thinking of the best way to approach this.]

Were they designed with these capabilities? These intentions? If so, what sort of being would do that?

I... I don't know for sure. I never found out who designed them, and I don't know if it was part of the plan to punish innocent people, or just a side effect.

[He doesn't know if it matters, though. He doesn't trust SQUIPs either way, even if they were only following programming.]

[To her it matters a lot. Despite their status, in her universe robotic life is not cruel unless programmed to be so - she can count the exceptions on her one hand. In fact, freed of human interference, robotic life has become...actual life, like the Silentium. If anything, they wanted nothing to do with organic life.

[The urge to harm like that...to her, she sees a triple tragedy - the people who suffered, robotic life designed to harm, and some sort of controlling intelligence cruel enough to create it.]

[Like she had been programmed to do, once.]

It is terrible regardless - but such cruelty is illogical. In any event, I hope it is very definitely a past tense where you are from.

[Rich wishes his world's version of robotics was just wanting to be left alone. Even if he could give the SQUIP the benefit of the doubt and say they just took their programming too far by accident, the fact remains that they're so focused on helping humanity that they're willing to completely take it over.

But it's not her fault, regardless, so he gives her a careful smile and nods.]

It's gone now. From my school, at least, and we were gonna check the other schools in Jersey before I got brought here. We have to make sure something with broken logic doesn't get to keep hurting people like that.

[She nods.]

If and when you return, search for whoever made them. Such capabilities were designed - there may be worse to come.

[Video] Clearly the most important thing right now.

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