[Text]

[4_toteachus]

[Four isn't sure why, but the longer he spends away from home, the harder it is to sleep. Memories of his family, both dead and alive, haunt him until sleeping becomes a near impossibility. He misses them all, though in some weird way he misses the Scientists the most. What would he think of Four's adventures here in a strange world?]

Have you ever missed someone so much that it hurts inside when you think of them? What if this person was someone you have only met once, yet is more a part of you than anyone can hope to be? My home is a sad place, and my family is sad too, but I miss them a lot. I am not used to being alone.

Love and loss are a part of humanity I suppose.

My purpose is to catalogue and eventually understand humanity, and I feel as if the more loss I feel, the closer I come to it, as strange as that is. I am a long way from understanding it however.... so I ask:

What is humanity to you?

What does it mean to love and lose someone?

What is it like to hate?

[Four makes sure not to specify anything in his questions, he wants to see what his answers are.]

Comments

[vandalization]

Tough questions... but. I guess I'm obligated, being human and all.

Humanity is. Ah. I guess in one sense, it's the collective of our species? In the literal sense. If you're looking for the figurative sense it's compassion, love, mercy, learning from our mistakes, adapting and changing... but I'm learning here that those traits are not only human straits. That's stupid to think that we're the only ones who can-

Yeah.

To love and lose someone? I... wouldn't know. I've loved people before, I guess. Romantically, I suppose. My family definitely. Even if we were a little broken and not very good to each other. I haven't lost someone like that.

I almost did, though. That was enough for me. I never want to feel like that again. Ever. Made me sick. It's probably the worst thing I've ever felt.

Worse than hate. And hate is pretty bad. You don't want to know what hate is like.

[4_toteachus]

You and I are learning the same things! It was strange at first to see humanity in non-humans, but after a while it began to make sense. You said that humanity is about compassion, love, mercy, and our mistakes, and deep down I know you're right. I've seen these traits in many robots here, which is fascinating.

Romantically. I wonder what that would feel like.

My family was broken from the start. Our creator, The Scientist gave his life for us, and we're all that's left of him.

[And humanity, in his world anyway.]

We Creations aren't innocent, I have seen one of my family send another to his death.

It would have been easy to hate him I suppose. How do you know when you hate someone?

[vandalization]

Sometimes these bots seem more human than most humans I know.

Romantically isn't all it's cracked up to be. There was never really a whole lot of passion like people say there is. It's just stupid, and then they drift away and neither of you really care.

And that's... really depressing.

And yeah I don't know. You just know. It's an ugly feeling and it kind of ruins you.

[4_toteachus]

Many show a remarkable amount of humanity indeed. I can't really judge on humans though, I've only read their stories.

I like reading about romance. It'd be nice to have someone who loves you in that way and to have you love them back like that. I suppose it doesn't matter to me on a personal level, as it's not something I'll ever have.

1 meant well when he sent 2 to die. It's why we don't hate him.

Do you still hate? Is it a feeling that goes away eventually?

[vandalization]

You're not missing much.

Yeah. It's not really great. I'm not really sure if I was ever in love. I guess. Never is like the stories.

... Jesus.

Ah. It depends on if you let it go or not.