Post by lamiaqueensera on Nov 21, 2012 2:02:52 GMT -5
A first draft of the one of the route’s events.
A loud knock came from behind my bedroom door, waking me from my slumber with its annoying and methodical repetition. Still half asleep I rise from my bed and roll to the side where my alarm clock lay.
Reaching for the my alarm clock, I spy that it was nearly an hour before I had planned on getting up I grumble. Whoever was on the other side of that door better have a good reason for waking me up this early. This was a pain, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Once I was up there was no chance of falling back to sleep. With a yawn I finally get out of bed and stretch.
Not really thinking that it was a bad idea to answer the door in nothing but my boxer shorts, I drag myself to the bedroom door and open it. Behind it stands Tsukiko, there is a wide smile plastered across her face. Staring at her smile for a moment, I feel that something is a bit…off about it. Though I can’t quite put my finger on just what it is.
Tsukiko: “Good morning Tomohiro. We should begin training as soon as possible. It is important that we cover all possible situations and scenarios to ensure I am operating at my maximum potential. ”
Then it hit me. There was no emotion behind her smile nor her words. It was like watching a speech-to-text program speak aloud. It may have sounded like a human being, but there was no motivation or soul guiding its words, only the input from an outside source. I cringed at the thought. That in mind, I carefully choose my response.
[- choice]
Tomohiro: “Right… Right… just let me get ready and we’ll get right to it.”
Tsukiko: “Good. Then I will go ahead and prepare myself for your arrival.”
With that Tsukiko turned and began to walk away. Though she seemed to be happy with my words her expression was plastic and rigid. Between that and the unchanging tone in her voice, a sharp pain pierced my heart. I wanted to help her, I really did, but I didn’t know how. As she walked off, I sigh. All I could hope for now was that I could think of something later. If I couldn’t, well, I didn’t want to think about that possibility.
[+ choice]
Tomohiro: “Hey, Tsukiko, you know that you don’t have to be so stiff when you talk to me.”
Tsukiko: “I don’t understand, what do you mean when you say that I am “Stiff”? Have I done something wrong?”
Tomohiro: “Well, I guess what I’m trying to say is that, maybe, you could try and be a bit less…robotic when you speak.”
Though it takes a moment, I soon realize the error of what I had just said and scramble to correct my mistake.
Tomohiro: “Sorry Tsukiko, I shouldn’t have said that. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Tsukiko: “I don’t understand. Why are you apologizing?”
She didn’t understand that I had said something awful to her… I that moment I finally realized something. Tsukiko was a robot, I had always known that all along, but I had assumed she was simply refusing to show emotion. But the truth of the matter was that she didn’t have any emotions to begin with. She could fake it, as she did with that smile this morning, but it would never amount to more than a machine parroting a living being. In the end, she would never be more than a machine fashioned in the image of a human. The thought hit me like a ton of bricks. This poor girl would never be able to truly feel anything. My mind reeled. I wanted with all my being to help her but, in the end, all I could do in that moment was cry. Tears began trailing down my face as Tsukiko stood just inches from me and stares. After a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever, she spoke.
Tsukiko: “Tomohiro, your emotional response suggests that is something is wrong. Please, let me help you.”
She motions for me to kneel to her level. In my current state there was nothing else I could do but to nod and comply. Slowly lowering myself to my knees the pain only grows more intense in my heart. I wanted to think that her concern for me was genuine, but everything I knew suggested otherwise. Carefully, Tsukiko gently wiped the tears from my eyes. It hurt to have her this close to me. Soon enough she had finished her work and motioned for me to stand once more.
Tsukiko: “That should do for now. When you have fully recovered we should being training.”
Tomohiro: ”Yeah… Let’s do that”
Training was the last thing on my mind. All I could think of was Tsukiko. She deserved feel just like the rest of us. To be more than a machine. The fact that she may never feel anything brought nothing but a mixture of sorrow and anger to my mind. Those feelings persisted for the rest of the day in the form of a heavy depression that refused to simply go away.
A loud knock came from behind my bedroom door, waking me from my slumber with its annoying and methodical repetition. Still half asleep I rise from my bed and roll to the side where my alarm clock lay.
Reaching for the my alarm clock, I spy that it was nearly an hour before I had planned on getting up I grumble. Whoever was on the other side of that door better have a good reason for waking me up this early. This was a pain, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Once I was up there was no chance of falling back to sleep. With a yawn I finally get out of bed and stretch.
Not really thinking that it was a bad idea to answer the door in nothing but my boxer shorts, I drag myself to the bedroom door and open it. Behind it stands Tsukiko, there is a wide smile plastered across her face. Staring at her smile for a moment, I feel that something is a bit…off about it. Though I can’t quite put my finger on just what it is.
Tsukiko: “Good morning Tomohiro. We should begin training as soon as possible. It is important that we cover all possible situations and scenarios to ensure I am operating at my maximum potential. ”
Then it hit me. There was no emotion behind her smile nor her words. It was like watching a speech-to-text program speak aloud. It may have sounded like a human being, but there was no motivation or soul guiding its words, only the input from an outside source. I cringed at the thought. That in mind, I carefully choose my response.
[- choice]
Tomohiro: “Right… Right… just let me get ready and we’ll get right to it.”
Tsukiko: “Good. Then I will go ahead and prepare myself for your arrival.”
With that Tsukiko turned and began to walk away. Though she seemed to be happy with my words her expression was plastic and rigid. Between that and the unchanging tone in her voice, a sharp pain pierced my heart. I wanted to help her, I really did, but I didn’t know how. As she walked off, I sigh. All I could hope for now was that I could think of something later. If I couldn’t, well, I didn’t want to think about that possibility.
[+ choice]
Tomohiro: “Hey, Tsukiko, you know that you don’t have to be so stiff when you talk to me.”
Tsukiko: “I don’t understand, what do you mean when you say that I am “Stiff”? Have I done something wrong?”
Tomohiro: “Well, I guess what I’m trying to say is that, maybe, you could try and be a bit less…robotic when you speak.”
Though it takes a moment, I soon realize the error of what I had just said and scramble to correct my mistake.
Tomohiro: “Sorry Tsukiko, I shouldn’t have said that. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Tsukiko: “I don’t understand. Why are you apologizing?”
She didn’t understand that I had said something awful to her… I that moment I finally realized something. Tsukiko was a robot, I had always known that all along, but I had assumed she was simply refusing to show emotion. But the truth of the matter was that she didn’t have any emotions to begin with. She could fake it, as she did with that smile this morning, but it would never amount to more than a machine parroting a living being. In the end, she would never be more than a machine fashioned in the image of a human. The thought hit me like a ton of bricks. This poor girl would never be able to truly feel anything. My mind reeled. I wanted with all my being to help her but, in the end, all I could do in that moment was cry. Tears began trailing down my face as Tsukiko stood just inches from me and stares. After a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever, she spoke.
Tsukiko: “Tomohiro, your emotional response suggests that is something is wrong. Please, let me help you.”
She motions for me to kneel to her level. In my current state there was nothing else I could do but to nod and comply. Slowly lowering myself to my knees the pain only grows more intense in my heart. I wanted to think that her concern for me was genuine, but everything I knew suggested otherwise. Carefully, Tsukiko gently wiped the tears from my eyes. It hurt to have her this close to me. Soon enough she had finished her work and motioned for me to stand once more.
Tsukiko: “That should do for now. When you have fully recovered we should being training.”
Tomohiro: ”Yeah… Let’s do that”
Training was the last thing on my mind. All I could think of was Tsukiko. She deserved feel just like the rest of us. To be more than a machine. The fact that she may never feel anything brought nothing but a mixture of sorrow and anger to my mind. Those feelings persisted for the rest of the day in the form of a heavy depression that refused to simply go away.