"...See, I don't think that's necessarily true," Kuon said, smiling again - more reflexively, out of a genuine interest and curiosity in the man in front of her, a beating, bleeding heart for everyone around him.
"Practically minded people can see the benefit in trying to fit in. And the base animal instinct is to socialize, and function socially. But is that a heart? If someone else is in physical or emotional pain or both, and I don't feel anything... just idly think, 'ah, that's unpleasant to look at'?"
"Hey... don't you think she's sort of creepy? She never reacts to anything, even if you're being nice. It's like she's not even human..."
"What does it mean that I have to exaggerate my emotional reactions to seem 'normal'? And how even then, people still call me uncanny. I've had to learn how to roleplay having a heart."
"Just ignore her. She basically does the same to us. They call her an AI wunderkind, but I've never seen her bat an eye at a single compliment - or anything else, for that matter."
"...But... I made EMMA. And part of making EMMA and asking her to do what she can for humanity... to grant their desires... was seeing what her verdict on hearts really was," she clarified, subtly and almost imperceptably getting wistful in her tone.
"She determined that people could thrive and be happy when giving up their pained hearts, and trusting EMMA to guide them in life. That many people are better off without hearts, if they truly don't want them - so why am I so fixated about not having one, myself? That wasn't a puzzle that needed solving - I am fine exactly the way I am."
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"Practically minded people can see the benefit in trying to fit in. And the base animal instinct is to socialize, and function socially. But is that a heart? If someone else is in physical or emotional pain or both, and I don't feel anything... just idly think, 'ah, that's unpleasant to look at'?"
"Hey... don't you think she's sort of creepy? She never reacts to anything, even if you're being nice. It's like she's not even human..."
"What does it mean that I have to exaggerate my emotional reactions to seem 'normal'? And how even then, people still call me uncanny. I've had to learn how to roleplay having a heart."
"Just ignore her. She basically does the same to us. They call her an AI wunderkind, but I've never seen her bat an eye at a single compliment - or anything else, for that matter."
"...But... I made EMMA. And part of making EMMA and asking her to do what she can for humanity... to grant their desires... was seeing what her verdict on hearts really was," she clarified, subtly and almost imperceptably getting wistful in her tone.
"She determined that people could thrive and be happy when giving up their pained hearts, and trusting EMMA to guide them in life. That many people are better off without hearts, if they truly don't want them - so why am I so fixated about not having one, myself? That wasn't a puzzle that needed solving - I am fine exactly the way I am."