[Voice]

[gaveherwings]

In the light of current events, as well as an increasing awareness of our dependency on electronic assistance, it begs the question...

Humankind really is over-reliant on our own technological advancements, aren't we?

My own city of Romdeau fell in part because of the Cogito Virus, which gave rise to the revolt of artificial intelligence. We could not function in our day-to-day lives without entourage and other service autoreivs handling menial operative tasks within the dome. People went mad, lost sheep- it was really quite humbling, how easy crippled we were. How childlike and helpless. Myself included. This world has changed me even in the simplest ways.

Three years ago, prior to my arrival, I'd never really done any cooking for myself, or cleaning for instance, or... so many things. Blackouts would render even the modern day hospital effectively paralyzed, if not for our backup generators.

(This is an awfully ironic conversation to be opening over NV, isn't it?)

All the same, my curiosity is piqued-

Some of you are from ages before the development of computers, androids, networks, lights, motorized vehicles, electronic devices and appliances, digital media, etc, etc...

I'd really like to know- what was it like? How did you live? What was the adaptations necessary, living "hands on", and without tools? Reliant on only face to face communications.

How is it for you now? Improved? Or do you feel as we're all inadept and talentless by comparison, as drone-like as the binary accessories which support us?

Comments

[gaveherwings]

How do you get away with claiming a profession like that freely? Or does that go under your resume as Human Resources, Disposal?

I just don't think that's socially very responsible- of mother, father or the state, to bring a child into the world without some plan of provisions for their future and standard of care for their enriched development.

[bloodyantivan]

Human resources? [An amused chuckle.] I was part of a guild of assassins. It was more or less considered legitimate business, and those who argued against it had a tendency to disappear.

Responsibility, now that's an idea. If a woman is raped, or she is a prostitute, and she becomes with child, the father is probably going to be out of the picture. Even if the man is simply a cad, he cannot be forced to acknowledge a child. As for the state? Usually too busy with the latest war to even notice if the poor's numbers have increased. They'd just as soon a babe be drowned than spare a coin to feed it.

[gaveherwings]

How...charming.

That's... just presuming the poor are the only ones who could be inadequate at parenting. Men and women of high position have certainly failed Romdeau's evaluations for child-rearing before! It's an awful embarrassment, but I've seen it happen many times.

I suppose the issues of planning are a whole different set, however, when women conceive normally.

[bloodyantivan]

I am not implying that poorer mothers are entirely inadequate, simply that they do not have the same means to control the circumstances under which the children are born. Certainly I have known of nobles who did horrible things by their children [a chuckle as he remembers a particularly satisfying kill], but I always thought those abuses must be somewhat easier to endure in a feather bed, when one is not worrying where the next meal will come from.

To be perfectly honest, I cannot mourn overmuch for the idea of humans who struggle to upkeep their population in such a way. In fact, considering the thousands of years humanity has spent very nearly crushing elves, destroying their culture and lands until they're forced to live as servants or wanderers, I find the thought of a similarly bleak future rather amusing.

[gaveherwings]

But that's why we monitor our resources, and food supply, so that something like that would never happen to anyone.

I'm sorry to hear that. About...elves? [Polite confusion- but then the only other elf he's really ever known properly was Yaha, and, well.

First impressions.] I'm afraid nothing of that culture was ultimately preserved, by our time.

voice --> video;

[bloodyantivan]

[Tapping at the cool white runestone in his hand, Zevran encourages his NV to capture his image. A dusky-skinned, tattooed elf with fine gold hair, and rather noticeably pointed ears. He frowns a little bit, but a slight, thoughtful smile soon passes back into his features.]

From what I understand, this world is not Thedas. Perhaps yours was not either. I would prefer to believe that to the eradication of my people, and the suffering of yours.

Re: voice --> video;

[gaveherwings]

[Less fair-skinned than Yaha, but with the same ears at least. Daedalus takes very careful appraisal before he begins, tenatively.]

Well, I am sorry your people have suffered, regardless of whether or not it was the world of our creators.

There are times when I think humanity in any form is doomed to eradicate itself, when we let our own passions rule us, and fail to hold temperance toward our fellow citiz- or...whoever is in our midst.

...but in any case. My apologies. I fear we've gotten a little off track, here.

[bloodyantivan]

[Zevran keeps the video on because he's vain like that, also he still doesn't really have the hang of these sorts o fthings.]

Passion is what makes life worth living! I've met men who are nothing but function, who only saw the path in front of them without fear or happiness. People who are no longer able to dream or feel pleasure at all. It is a truly disturbing thing to witness.

Where were we? Birth control?

[gaveherwings]

[Yes. Yes, this is a distinctively uncomfortable conversation. Birth control feels lighter subject by leaps and bounds over a real discussion of human passions and raison d'etres.]

Ye-yes. Ah- Contraceptives. You were saying they were not reliable, in Thedas?

[bloodyantivan]

No. Unreliable, and not always cheap or readily available. Thus, unplanned children are always a bit of a worry. I'm glad to see that we have taken the place of tiny unwashed urchins as the most unwanted population in this fair city.

[gaveherwings]

I'd say most of us are better off than urchins, however unwanted we might be.

[bloodyantivan]

[lightly] And that is how life is better with all of your fancy things, no! We've come to an appropriate answer.

[gaveherwings]

Ah, yes. I suppose that answers it fair enough.