wonderduck mingle!

[thebarkside]

 Who: Crew of the SS Wonderduck and any visitors!
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Ship Mingle!
When: Late November/December!

[ whatcha up to, wonderduckians? let's find out! time to mingle mangle mongle i don't wanna leave the congo oh no-ooo-ooo. ]

Comments

[forsometimenow]

Yeah... nobody can be happy and content all of the time. I mean, my time here hasn't been entirely bad, but I can never forget at the back of my mind that none of us belong here. And that we're entertainment for other people. Makes it a bit difficult for me to appreciate whatever nice gestures they give us.

[thezerothlaw]

Our being here does not remove the responsibilities we have left behind.

[This is honestly something he worries about a fair bit.]

[forsometimenow]

Yeah, exactly. [Her eyes were distant for a moment as she remembered- they had won the larger battle back home when she'd left, but there were still a million things that needed to be done.] Even if it's true that nobody ever knows we're gone back home, I have a job to do. People who are counting on me. I'd much rather be back there than take an extended forced vacation.

[thezerothlaw]

If I knew it were true that no one will know we were gone, it may be some comfort, but that is not a thing we know for certain. I cannot act as though it is true.

[forsometimenow]

Because there really is no way to know, is there? I'd like to think that everyone back home would have come for me by now if I really did suddenly turn up missing, but... we do have our limits.

[thezerothlaw]

I cannot say. There is no one who would come for me. I am a robot, after all, and there are few who would be concerned about the fate of one robot.

[forsometimenow]

[Jennifer frowned, thinking about her earlier conversation with Beverly.]

Nobody...?

[thezerothlaw]

There have been individuals who would have been concerned for me. They are dead, now.

[forsometimenow]

[Jennifer bowed her head a bit before looking back up.]

... Beverly and I were talking about this earlier... about treating robots the same as any other being. So that makes me sad to hear.

[thezerothlaw]

[He frowns, slightly.]

Those who would be concerned about me would have been friends. The death of partner Elijah was sixteen decades ago. Though I miss him greatly, it would not be reasonable to expect him to be still living.

[forsometimenow]

Sixteen decades? [Jennifer couldn't hide her surprise as that sank in. 160 years since he'd had someone to call a friend.] No... humans aren't built to last that long. We try to find any way we can to extend our lives and our youth, but aging wins out every time.

[thezerothlaw]

The Spacers often live several centuries, but partner Elijah was not a Spacer, and I am of the opinion that such long lifespans are to the detriment of society.

[He suggests this gently, just in case she might not agree.]

[forsometimenow]

[Jennifer, however, nodded agreement.]

I know I wouldn't want to live that long, personally. I mean, there would be so much more I could see, so much I could learn, but unless my body held out, too... humans are too fragile.

[thezerothlaw]

[He hesitates.]

The fragility can be overcome. I have observed, however, in Spacer societies versus that of shorter-lived humans, a disconnect to one's society. Family ties are generally meaningless, and the sense of responsibility to one's fellow humans is... weakened. Humans are better... together.

[forsometimenow]

I have to agree with that. I'd hate to lose all of the ties I've made... or have them rendered unimportant. I guess if I was made that way, I wouldn't know what I'm missing, but... my friends have been so wonderful, too. And my family.