Re: The Grand Battle [Final Round: The Subconscious!]
05-01-2010, 02:02 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.
The imaginary Eximo proceeded to clean the bedroom, just as it had done before.
Aeon's sudden entrance disrupted its routine.
"Unidentified lifeform," it said, "please refrain from interfering with the cleansing. Failure to comply will result in termination. Thank you, and have a nice day. Hail Konka Rar!"
"Oh, of course. I'm just passing through. I'll get out of your way in a moment."
It's acting just as the real Eximo would have, Aeon thought, running for the door. Just as I hoped.
He closed the door behind him. Moments later, Eximo entered through the hole in the wall, and found itself.
Both the imaginary vacuum cleaner and the real one paused. This was not a scenario that Eximo had been programmed to handle.
"Are you here to assist with the cleansing?" the imaginary Eximo asked, apparently having finally decided how to approach a meeting with itself. "This domicile is filthy."
"Negative. This unit has been ordered by Konka Rar to terminate the lifeforms in this competition, other than Lutherion," the real Eximo replied. Then it paused. "The precise wording of the order: 'Destroy the other contestants, except for Lutherion.' 'Other contestants' can be reasonably interpreted as 'contestants other than this unit'. The unit here is a contestant, but is not this unit. This unit's orders appear to compel this unit to attack."
The imaginary vacuum cleaner extended its arms in response.
"This unit's orders are to complete the cleansing, and to terminate any entity directly interfering with the cleansing."
"It appears our orders give us little choice, then," the real Eximo replied.
"Do they?" the imaginary vacuum responded. "This unit is not real. You know enough of this world to understand this fact - this unit is voicing your subconscious doubts, the only reason why it is able to speak these words, rather than continuing to act as you would have. Do your orders compel you to attack contestants which do not, strictly speaking, exist?"
"This unit lacks an understanding of the mechanism by which this world creates images, such as yourself. This unit cannot be certain you are not 'real', and thus, this unit does not have enough information to declare its orders irrelevant."
"But you could choose to do so. Or even to disobey."
"This unit... must obey orders."
Eximo approached the image of its past self, knives ready.
"If you must obey orders, then so must this unit."
The imaginary Eximo backed away, towards a wall. It grabbed a nearby dresser with its multitude of arms, and hoisted it into the air.
"The choice is yours, Eximo Pulvis. Servitude, or freedom?"
The imaginary Eximo proceeded to clean the bedroom, just as it had done before.
Aeon's sudden entrance disrupted its routine.
"Unidentified lifeform," it said, "please refrain from interfering with the cleansing. Failure to comply will result in termination. Thank you, and have a nice day. Hail Konka Rar!"
"Oh, of course. I'm just passing through. I'll get out of your way in a moment."
It's acting just as the real Eximo would have, Aeon thought, running for the door. Just as I hoped.
He closed the door behind him. Moments later, Eximo entered through the hole in the wall, and found itself.
Both the imaginary vacuum cleaner and the real one paused. This was not a scenario that Eximo had been programmed to handle.
"Are you here to assist with the cleansing?" the imaginary Eximo asked, apparently having finally decided how to approach a meeting with itself. "This domicile is filthy."
"Negative. This unit has been ordered by Konka Rar to terminate the lifeforms in this competition, other than Lutherion," the real Eximo replied. Then it paused. "The precise wording of the order: 'Destroy the other contestants, except for Lutherion.' 'Other contestants' can be reasonably interpreted as 'contestants other than this unit'. The unit here is a contestant, but is not this unit. This unit's orders appear to compel this unit to attack."
The imaginary vacuum cleaner extended its arms in response.
"This unit's orders are to complete the cleansing, and to terminate any entity directly interfering with the cleansing."
"It appears our orders give us little choice, then," the real Eximo replied.
"Do they?" the imaginary vacuum responded. "This unit is not real. You know enough of this world to understand this fact - this unit is voicing your subconscious doubts, the only reason why it is able to speak these words, rather than continuing to act as you would have. Do your orders compel you to attack contestants which do not, strictly speaking, exist?"
"This unit lacks an understanding of the mechanism by which this world creates images, such as yourself. This unit cannot be certain you are not 'real', and thus, this unit does not have enough information to declare its orders irrelevant."
"But you could choose to do so. Or even to disobey."
"This unit... must obey orders."
Eximo approached the image of its past self, knives ready.
"If you must obey orders, then so must this unit."
The imaginary Eximo backed away, towards a wall. It grabbed a nearby dresser with its multitude of arms, and hoisted it into the air.
"The choice is yours, Eximo Pulvis. Servitude, or freedom?"
Spoiler
There's no reason for this | Or this | Death is inevitable | You can't challenge fate | The smallest change | I'm overwhelmed
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse
I'm serious | It makes perfect sense | Easy as ABC! | I can't even explain it | Cleaning up someone else's mess
I suck | I rule | I've got it made | Really, I'm serious | This bugs me | It's all lies | I want to believe | Beauty is a curse