LOCAL TRAUMATIZED AI SUPPORT GROUP

[zerovirus]

[ Zero has done his ample best to make this look...somewhat comfortable. Since he doesn't have a lot of experience with interior decorating, this basically involved making things different colours and also providing actual facsimiles of furniture to sit in (more for pretty much everyone else's benefit than his own), as well as other decor.

After that, there's nothing left to do but wait for everyone else to arrive. ]

Comments

[zerovirus]

Ah... [ His eyes flicker uncertainly for a moment, as if he's unsure of what to say. This is already more social interaction than he's used to. ]

Thank you. I tried to use...things you would be familiar with. [ As a virus, then a netnavi, he's not used to thinking much about the world on the other side of the screen. But, as he understands it, many of these other AI spent much of their time inside the simulation of the human, physical world...so he's trying his best. ]

[tricksandstones]

[Kanin isn't just an AI robot. She's also the embodiment of an archetype of hero- The trickster archetype. Which means, well, sometimes.... Sometimes she can't resist the urge to do something ill-advised. Like mess with the very nice AI helping everyone.

When Loki is part of the narrative that makes up your identity, sometimes you make poor decisions!]

Oh, really? You should have said something! I'll help you set this place up, and make it completely indistinguishable from the physical world!

[zerovirus]

[ Thankfully Zero has just enough sense to go 'wait, maybe that's a bad idea'. ]

I think...for some of the others. Making it look too physical...would be bad. [ It's not like he has a file but he did get a basic summary of the general sort of problems he'd likely have to navigate through.

Not that he really understands some of them. Questioning the world around you being real? He has no idea how that would happen. The idea of seeing a world as 'artificial' is a strange concept. But he's learned enough that seeing an environment that's far too familiar might well be an uncomfortable experience. ]

But if you want to decorate...that's fine.

[tricksandstones]

... Oh, that is a good point.

[Restraint has never been one of Kanin's strong points. She's, well. To put it charitably, she acts first and justifies it afterwards, or more like she's an impulsive jackass who is motivated by chaos and mischief. But she is also kind-hearted- She doesn't ever mean to cause real harm, just harmless pranks, so when Zero points out the idea that some of the AIs might have real problems... It actually does pull her back.]

Well, I guess we can at least decorate a bit, that would be harmless. Do you know what bean bag chairs are?

[zerovirus]

...No. [ He understands bean and bag and chair but all those words together? Entirely new. ] Is that...a physical furniture?

[ He's taking his best guess. 'Guessing', he's been told, is important, to develop his sense of curiosity. To not always know what something is, and to find out for himself if what he thinks of is the same as what exists. So he doesn't look it up, at least not yet. ]

[tricksandstones]

Sure is! It's... well, exactly what it sounds like! Really comfy.

[maybe that doesn't help, kanin.]

... But really, I am most curious about you, Big Z.

[zerovirus]

[ He's about to question 'comfy', but the next statement catches him off guard. ]

Me? [ He sounds genuinely surprised. ] What for?

[tricksandstones]

What for? I mean... It's pretty obvious, isn't it?

[maybe not, kanin!]

This isn't exactly what you were programmed to do, right? So is this just the goodness of your heart? Why care so much for a buncha weird people you've never met?

[zerovirus]

People cared about me...when I was just a virus...with a soul. [ Technically, he still is. He's a netnavi now, but it's a modification of his code, sealing off the parts that make him infectious. But the soul he has now was born when he was a virus, and that hasn't changed. ] Even though I was a threat, they still reached out to save me.

Being lonely, having nobody understand you...That's painful. I want to be someone who can understand others.

[ Someone reached out to save him, not so long ago, despite having all the reason in the world not to. He'd like to keep paying that favour forward, into the future. ]

[tricksandstones]

[... Oh.

She looks distant for a moment, trying to keep a smile.]

... You're pretty lucky, you know. Most people wouldn't ever bother to reach out... If no one wants to understand you, no one will care enough to save you.

[zerovirus]

[ Oh, he's hit a Sad Topic. ]

Since you're still here...it's not too late. I think.

[ He sits, awkwardly, looking at her sidelong. ]

[tricksandstones]

Haha, nope.

[She's laughing, see? isn't this funny? it's hilarious!]

I mean, we robots are basically disposable tools, right? So it's just how things are. Why reach out to save a knife once it's broken?

[zerovirus]

[ He doesn't know a lot about social cues but laughing while talking about something upsetting...well, it seems a little odd. ]

...People aren't disposable. [ It's the only part of this little speech he really understands. Something being 'broken' has a different meaning when it's data, when so much of the world is malleable, when 'broken' can be easily changed to 'fixed'. Systems can be corrupted and destroyed, certainly, but 'breaking' seems to be so much more permanent, in the physical world. ]

[tricksandstones]

Isn't it fine? I mean, that's what humans make us for. Beep boop we just do what we're made to do!

[The bitterness is seeping into her tone.]

... Come on, do you really believe that humans don't see us that way?

[zerovirus]

[ Is it??? He doesn't know a lot about humans. ]

My creator made me, as a tool to be used to help him achieve his goals. But other humans showed me compassion, and helped me to become free.

I don't think...I can say 'humans' are one thing or another. [ Things have balanced out so far. ]

[tricksandstones]

Take it from me, Z, humans aren't all that. The one who helped you is an outlier. Super outlier.

[She's very bitter.]