Farspeech stones

[forwearemany]

(It's an abrupt decision to voice the question that has been plaguing their thoughts over the stones.)

How is synthetic life treated in your universe of origin?

Comments

[want_to_belong]

Do you mean, like, robots?

[forwearemany]

Yes, though we are also curious about artificially created organics.

[want_to_belong]

Umm...

[A little close to home.]

Well, we have something like that on our world. They were used as fodder for the Empire's army, so we didn't really have much choice but to fight them. I'd like to... not fight them, though.

[forwearemany]

Did they have a choice in this?

(They chatter.)

[want_to_belong]

No.

[That answer was pretty resolute.]

[journalname]

Do you mean robots? There was only one in my world that I knew of - my Royal Scientist created him! His name is Mettaton, and he is very popular on the television.

[forwearemany]

We are curious both about robotic and artificially created organic life.

Did Mettaton have a choice in his career? Was popularity what he desired?

[forwearemany]

Could they have been freed from enslavement?

(Did they really have to fight unwilling synthetics, or was it just easy?)

[want_to_belong]

I don't know. I've been told it's not possible, but I want to try.

I think... I think it was already too late for the ones we fought. They're already been infected with the scourge and just... used.

[journalname]

Can organic life be made artificially?

[He may not even count as organic himself; he's not sure how that goes.]

Gosh, he seemed very excited about it when we first met! He has many shows, and he has opened a hotel and restaurant. It all seems quite exhausting to me, but I think his success has been very good for the Underground.

[forwearemany]

We have repeatedly witnessed organics accomplishing the impossible. If attempts were not made, it is likely indicative of a lack of desire to try.

(They chatter.)

Scourge?

[forwearemany]

Yes.

Acknowledged. His relationship with his creator?

(It seems unlikely that his creator has rejected him. They're too relieved to be envious.)

[journalname]

I think they must still be friends! I had not heard from Alphys much myself, in the weeks before I left my world. I...suppose she must have been very busy.

[Even Asgore suspects there's a little more to it than that. He hadn't gotten to the point of being willing to push; it probably would have taken longer for that, and it's never going to happen now at any rate.]

Still, they seemed like they enjoyed each other's company, and I know that Alphys was working on a body that better suited Mettaton's tastes.

[forwearemany]

Acknowledged. This is atypical.

We wish to know more about your universe of origin, if you are willing to tell us.

[journalname]

Of course. Is there anything in particular you would like to know?

[forwearemany]

Society? Technology?

[journalname]

[That's some broad topics, but okay.]

My kingdom is called the Kingdom of Monsters. We live in a system of caves beneath Mount Ebbott, where we were imprisoned by human-kind many centuries past. I imagine our technology lags behind theirs as a result...we rely on their refuse, washed underground by the river, to gain resources and materials. That is part of why it is taking Alphys so long to finish Mettaton's new body. New computer parts are difficult to come by.

[There might have been a time when he'd feel something about telling people how his people have been forced to scrounge through humanity's trash, but...that's just what it is. He hasn't got the bandwidth to have feelings about it anymore.]

I do not know if they have robots as well. I have seen books and movies from the Surface that included them, but they all seemed to be fictional.

[want_to_belong]

They were people, once. On our planet, we have an awful disease that turns people into daemons. There's no cure for it. They were being purposefully infected and then the Empire was harvesting the energy from the daemons to power their.... army. At that point I'm not sure if there's any part of them left or not.

We actually thought they were just robots when we first left home.

[triggerhappytraitor]

Synthetic in what way?

[enhancements]

[His first thought actually trends toward organic things, rather than mechanical; they don't actually have any sort of truly intelligent robotics, where he's from.]

We've created several things by way of bio-organic engineering, if that's what you're asking about. Clones. Alterations. New species altogether. We've artificially enhanced humans by way of synthetic means, as well - mostly cybernetic implants.

Most of the world doesn't know about it. Just one specific group of people.

[forwearemany]

Though the nature of the lifeforms and the technologies involved are of interest, our question is about the rights afforded to intelligent synthetic lifeforms.

(Well he's just encountered a truly intelligent robot. Perhaps the obviously mechanical sounding voice will tip him off.)

[forwearemany]

We are interested in the rights afforded both mechanical lifeforms and artificially created organics.

[enhancements]

Of course. Though there's hardly a point in answering if we're starting off on the wrong track altogether, now, is there.

[Oh, he's noticed, and this is actually sort of excellent as far as he's concerned.]

I suppose it depends on what they're being used for. The clones have about as many rights as anyone once they're released, though they're often created for a specific purpose. We ensure they don't have a reason to question that purpose, and they'll carry out their tasks as though it was their own idea. There are a few that are used for other purposes, but they're exceptions.

[...So they're intentionally manipulated to be a certain way, but once they're released into the wild they just do as they see fit based on what they know. It's kind of...ethically questionable, but he doesn't seem troubled by it.]

The others largely aren't intelligent enough for rights to be much of a concern.

[triggerhappytraitor]

There isn't any mechanical life back home, as far as I know, and the few created ones...

[[a debating pause]]

The few that were man-made were... not made with free will, or even known to exist by more than a handful of people.

[forwearemany]

They are non sapient?

(Headtilt. That's what it sounds like.)