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#Post#: 58--------------------------------------------------
A.I. (Artificial Intelligence: the novel) IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION
By: Mascii Date: February 20, 2013, 8:18 pm
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Hey, guys! I am making this its own separate thread, because it
isn't just for discussion of roleplaying plots or interactions,
posts owed, etc. This is for the more serious discussion side of
things. As you all know, MissM and I are planning to use the
information gained from this forum in order to canonize it in
novel format. We decided to share the forum with you all because
(1) roleplaying is FUN (2) it helps us develop not only our own
characters, but to understand each other's (3) It opens up the
world of our novel into a world of complexity,
misunderstandings, and different perspectives, which I believe
makes it much more realistic. So, although it may sound a bit
confusing, understand that some of the things written on this
forum may be altered or changed in the book formats that MissM
and I are working on. :) However, I do love to incorporate your
own voices when I write other people's characters in any kind of
story, short or long.
Anyways, now that this idea is expressed, I would like to
elaborate on some of the things I discussed with MtM over lunch
this afternoon, especially in regards to the relationship
between Dr. Ramsey and each of the Enhanced children. I feel
like this is something that we should share with you all, so
that this correlation is clear, and so it will be easier for you
to write the development of your own characters' perspective,
from that understanding. :) I had hoped I could keep as much of
the plotline I have planned under wraps, so that I can share it
with you all in the novel form at the proper time and earn a
more genuine reaction - however, I think it more important to
get everyone's honest and reasonable input while it is in the
works, so that doesn't appear to be working out.
First of all, in regards to Dr. Ramsey's motivations with the
Enhancements, I think MtM can elaborate more efficiently.
However, I believe we have agreed that Hal's main focus is to
create a level playing field for people from all walks of life.
He is determined to create TRUE 'equality' in everyone, whatever
their background or, indeed, their level of intelligence,
physical ability, etc. For this goal, he is willing to even
manipulate the minds of the people themselves, or give those
with lesser capabilities the physical Enhancements needed so
that they may fight for their place in the grand scheme of
things. In essence, he is toying with the theory of 'survival of
the fittest', even if that means making the world at war with
each other.
Dr. Ramsey was obviously having difficulty getting funding for
such projects, and therefore had to perform some of his early
work illegally...even to the extent of taking opportunity of an
unfortunate car accident, where Yukito was walking and a car hit
him on the street. Hal covered up identity of the boy in the
accident, labeling him as a John Smith and then pretending that
the boy had died during the extensive emergency surgery needed
for the brain aneurysm that almost truly killed him. Hal had had
a makeshift operating room installed into his home, which is
where he kept Yukito during the next several months. Yukito was
his first surgical success - 'success' meaning that his patient
hadn't died during the process. In order to cover up his future
work on the boy, Hal faked papers and created official documents
that gave him legal custody over Yukito, and took him in as his
son. Their relationship is an odd one, with many personality
similarities, but also many harsh points between them that are
left undealt with. When others talk about his 'father', Yukito
acts aloof and non-committal - although this isn't very strange
behavior for Yukito in dealing with anybody.
The Boys
Yukito's Enhancement was inspired by Yukito himself - Hal noted
the exaggerated Fight Or Flight Syndrome in Yukito, and he
decided to give him wings so that he could calm and control his
subconscious during these bouts of seemingly irrational fear,
combating a perceived 'weakness' in the boy's psyche. The fact
that it was used in joint with a 'fight or FLIGHT' syndrome also
gave the unexplained quirk in the boy a strand of literal irony.
Yukito's wings would create the new frontier in airborne
warfare, as it is more difficult to detect a single lifeform,
rather than a plane or fighter jet. In addition, escape from the
battlefield could prove much easier, especially if the majority
of the battle is on land.
Clarence was chosen by Hal as a possible 'perfect one-man army'.
Clarence was very physically fit, strong, of sturdy built and a
good height and weight. He also wasn't afraid of using any of
these abilities to his advantage, so Hal channeled in him one of
his more complex Enhancements, which took a bit longer than the
others - the ability to manipulate electricity. This essentially
gives Clarence a resource for both short and long ranged
attacks, as well as allowing him such skill sets as hacking
(eventually) even advanced computers, repairing other
mechanically created Enhancements, etc. His work on Clarence is
to create a nearly invulnerable human being. This will be in
contrast to Clarence's emotional vulnerability - both in his
short temper and his more empathetic side, which can be seen as
a 'weakness'. [MtM needs to elaborate on "the debt" portion of
this relationship!]
The Girls
The Enhancements on the girls, we have decided, is of a bit
different of an issue. First of all, girl's bodies are built
quite differently from their male counterparts - a lot of the
time they tend to be weaker, and more difficult to moderate. Hal
is a lot more cautious with Enhancements on females, and shies
away from anything too extensive, mostly focusing on replacing
or extending already existing limbs. Natalie has claws, Amane
has mechanical legs, Lilith's fangs(although Hal did not work on
her case initially), with the more intense Enhancements so far
on females being Erin(mechanical lungs) and Eva(eye implants).
Notice that most of these girls have monetary problems in their
families - many of them are at the Academy and receiving
Enhancements due to scholarships or personal/professional
connections. Hal Ramsey has put several of the students'
families seriously into debt, in order to raise their abilities
on the world's playing field, as well as to incur a loyalty to
himself, as their doctor and loans keeper. Since they are not
only medically tied to him, they are monetarily, as well.
Natalie comes from the worst background, as far as money goes -
basically all of the money for her Enhancement has been placed
out across a series of payments, and her parents have had to get
a couple loans in order to pay off the payments, as well. It is
not a pretty situation, but Hal's lawyers have worked out a very
flexible deal for her family, that allows her to continue the
Enhancements and going to school, provided they understand the
precarious nature of her Enhancements, and allow him free reign
for experimental procedures, even without them having prior
knowledge about the surgery or its details. Hal plans to add to
the claws that extend out of the back of her hand (a difficult
procedure on its own, as Hal wished the Enhancement to be as
accurate as physically possible, and tie it into her hand's
natural nerves as smoothly as he could) and eventually wants her
to take on several physical characteristics borrowed from that
of a cat - including a super-flexible spine that would allow her
body to absorb the shock of landing from very high places.
It is also suggested that Hal knows about the physical abuse
that Natalie's parents have laid on her repeatedly. This may
explain why he gave her an Enhancement that is otherwise
useless, save in situations where her life may be endangered.
Erin's parents were comfortably well off, but Hal managed to get
several things out of his deal with her family. He wanted her
father to come under contract to the Academy as lead
psychiatrist to the children, for one, and in exchange he
allowed for a 'discount' on Erin's procedures. In addition, Erin
was one of the healthiest and durable female cases that came
into his office for a consultation. She rarely got sick, wasn't
as scraggly thin and waif-like as most of the richer girls, but
wasn't overweight by any means. She came from a good lineage of
hearty ancestry, but she wasn't of important enough status for
anyone to worry too much and she was too optimistic a nature to
question him too much or give him trouble. He chose her for one
of his more dangerous and experimental procedures - mechanical
lungs that would allow her to convert water into oxygen at a
rate adequate enough for her to 'breathe' underwater. In
addition, he noted, this allowed her much stronger lungs, which
enabled her singing ability to escalate. Hal has not called in
the debts for either Natalie or Erin's family - he intends to do
that at just the right time.
It has been suggested that Aquatic Lungs, similar to the Wings
mentioned above, may prove most effective in investigations or
more secretive missions. For instance, a submarine or battleship
may be expected, but a single swimmer is not so suspicious.
Particularly if one is expecting more of a Clarence, male
soldier type, which makes the fact that Erin is a very
non-threatening type and a girl particularly appealing.
~~
I still have not had time to focus on or figure out his
reasoning behind the Enhancements in Reese, Eva,or Phoenix yet.
If MtM wants, she can elaborate on that, or you guys can
speculate and feel free to share why you think Hal's plan would
benefit from work on these three. :) Lilith and Zinnia don't
count in this, as Hal did not work on either of them - those
were other doctors, mimicking his work. However, it may prove
relevant (particularly to MissM) to explain the motivation for
the OTHER doctors' work.^_^
As you can see, many of the Enhancements have multiple pros, as
well as risks and reasonings. Is there anything you noticed
between characters that may explain their motives or plans in
the future, or any way you can elaborate on what has been said?
Any questions you may have?
#Post#: 59--------------------------------------------------
Re: A.I. (Artificial Intelligence: the novel) IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIO
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By: GGJ5 Date: February 20, 2013, 9:15 pm
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Two words: Child Army.
[creepy music]
Anyway, regarding Reese, I think it's pretty clear:
interrogation setting. Or in cases to uncover moles, spies,
ulterior motive-types.... While not mind reading (more like
feel-reading, or being a giant mood ring), he can still tell
when things aren't quite the norm with someone. And if you
didn't know Reese was a walking mood ring, you couldn't possibly
hope to control the subtle little pitter patter of your heart
rate when you picked up a piece of information to rely to the
Boss Man.
I personally feel the word Mechanical for Erin's lungs could be
better replaced by Bionic. Bio- implies organic, which would be
needed for something as sensitive to weight and pressure as
lungs. Mechanic makes me think of this
HTML http://himetop.wdfiles.com/local--files/alvis-motor-company-iron-lung/Alvis%20Motor%20Company%20iron%20lung%20-%2001.JPG.<br
/><-- I mean, Mechanic implies mechanisms, yes? And that would a
dd
too much pressure and mess up the whole respiratory system. Your
poor diaphragm would be squished! So an organic-based
enhancement seems more feasible.
My question about Eva's enhancement is that it is linked to
memory. The eye in and of itself can retain nothing, unless the
implants contained some organic memory-based brain bit. However,
there might have had to have been some extensive brain surgery
to connect the implants in the eye via the nerves to the area of
the brain for visual memory. (Remember, there are separate areas
of the brain for various types of memory.) This could be
advantageous in working as a human camera-- capturing "evidence"
so to speak. She could also contain important records mentally
were those records in need of being destroyed. Eva could also be
useful in learning a substantial amount of information in a
short period of time, for whatever reasons... emergency
substitute teacher? hahaha... kidding! ...maybe. ;)
#Post#: 63--------------------------------------------------
Re: A.I. (Artificial Intelligence: the novel) IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIO
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By: morethanmusic Date: February 22, 2013, 11:40 am
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Eva, to answer your question, sensei, has a bit more of a
complicated Enhancement than I really was able to explain
initially. I do think that her eyes and nerves were both
rerouted. Her eyes were fitted with enhanced perception, I'm
thinking extra rods and cones, as well as her optical nerves
increased, and her visual memory is mechanically advanced. So
she can remember things she sees with startling accuracy, but
her ability to convey these ideas is still in progress. That's
about all I really know at this point. As far as debt, Eva's
family is probably in about the same boat as Erin and Natalie --
though without Erin's family connections and not quite as
extreme as Natalie's family as far as lack of money.
I need to investigate Phoenix's Enhancement a bit more before I
can give the whole context for that. He is pretty new. ^^;
Clarence's debt portion is still in the works as well,
unfortunately...
As far as Hal's perspective on the Enhancements, I will try to
be as informative as possible. X)
His original goal was concerned with the brain, of course, since
he was originally a neurosurgeon.
He became a doctor in the first place under the influence of a
middle-aged neighbor when he was a teenager, who was mentally
handicapped and unable to follow his dream of becoming a doctor
in order to help other people. This man became Hal's first
patient, and -- of course -- his first failure. Taking on this
dream himself, Hal began to push his average intelligence to its
bounds as much as possible, graduating high school at 16 and was
accepted into Washington State University in Seattle that same
year. A few months after he left for school, his family was
dissolved under questionable circumstances, his sister running
away and his parents being found dead. Hal's return and ensuing
murderous rage breathed life into his current calloused,
distance manner. He returned to Seattle and completed his
schooling with no particular press for time. Upon graduation, he
continued on to his internship and became a certified
neurosurgeon at age 32. During his practice, Hal began taking
new "volunteers" in secret for continuing his goal to abolish
mental disabilities entirely.
Several years later, he came across Yukito Maki in a coffee
shop, but the boy left in a hurry upon noticing Hal's gaze. No
sooner had Yukito left the building than he was hit by a car
that swerved onto the sidewalk. Suffering major damage to his
back, spine, and brain -- though this was mainly due to a
ruptured aneurysm -- , Yukito was in critical condition. Hal,
excited by what he considered a stroke of luck, rush Yukito back
to the hospital, sewed him up, then proceeded to sneak him out
of the hospital to his own private operating room under his
house. He was caught, to his surprise, by Dr Penelope Granger,
who demanded to be let in on whatever scheme he was working on.
Upon waking, Yukito could understand but not speak English,
which caused some rupture in Hal's proceedings.
During the time of attempting to treat Yukito, Penelope grew
very close to the boy, bonding with him and insisting Hal keep
his best interests in mind. Yukito began to trust her, as did
Hal, but Hal began to realize she was starting to love Yukito
like a son. Worrying about endangering the mission, Hal cut her
out of the situation -- though not with as much ease as with
Yukito's mother some time before that. In his frenzied attempts
to bring Yukito back to health, Hal placed a firm back brace in.
As time went on, the brace wasn't enough. Yukito's psychological
problems related to direct contact -- and an imbalanced
hypothalamus as a result -- began to impede on their progress.
Afraid of losing another promising patient, Hal was determined
he would help this boy recover. So he began a plan to create
something to ease the overactive 'fight-or-flight' instinct in
Yukito's brain, as well as counteracting his apparent fear of
pressure on his stomach by extending the back brace around his
torso. As brain functions began to normal out again, Hal became
completely obsessed with Yukito and the idea of giving him
wings. The more time he spent with Yukito, the more the line
began to blur between self-preservation and attachment.
A few years later, extreme progress was made, and the first
skeleton of Yukito's wings was complete. However, another doctor
became interested in what was keeping Hal away from the hospital
so much, and the secret was threatened. Deciding it was better
to reveal a lie himself himself than to let the truth be found
out otherwise, Hal made up a story about how he acquired Yukito,
using his own missing sister as an alibi. Using his fortune to
cover up his trails as discretely as possible, Hal legally
adopted Yukito when the boy was 13, who was listed as orphaned
before that point.
The idea of "enhancing" children to battle their natural
impediments in society began to spread like wildfire. With the
stage for Yukito's progress set, Hal began to branch out to
other children, now having access to scientific grants, with one
major success under his belt.
With more at his disposal, Hal is not only trying to improve
these children, but he is also building up allies. The world has
fought against him before, and he knows that anyone with power
is likely to meet with opposition. Having these children and
their families under his thumb -- due to the debt caused by the
multiple surgeries, as well as his now-shocking political power
-- Hal can manipulate anyone with an Enhancement whenever he
likes without repercussions.
It could be viewed as him trying to build an army. In his mind,
though, Hal is forming a new society.
He might word it as, to quote Dr Horrible, "The world is a mess
and I just need to rule it."
All the stuff in beige is what I added this afternoon. The rest
was what my tablet ate... twice...
That's about what I can give you. Hopefully I didn't mess any of
the story up according to your plots. X)
#Post#: 78--------------------------------------------------
Re: A.I. (Artificial Intelligence: the novel) IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIO
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By: MissM Date: March 1, 2013, 4:47 pm
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There is no clear motivation for the doctors' work on Zinnia,
save that someone was obviously trying to see if they could put
together a cyborg/Enhanced army. However, since that kind of
thinking has been around for years, ever since people developed
mechanical weapons, it was too difficult for Zinnia to figure
out who was the head honcho who was paying for the thing and who
was keeping everything covered up. It would have helped Zinnia
to know who it was, to explain why they were doing it. The
doctors were clearly not concerned with keeping their subjects
scar-free, as Zinnia could attest to, so it was not yet
subterfuge, at least not in the traditional sense. The only use
that Zinnia would have would be as a soldier, and she was not
physically or mentally fit for even that capacity. (She still
really isn't...)
When she heard of Hal's work, she systematically searched
through his records to see if anyone who had worked for him, or
in a similar time-frame and location to him, was on the list of
the names she could remember. She found several matches, but
only one or two had actually worked for him, and the range of
dates that they had with Hal was such that she could rule out
Hal as being the mastermind behind her operation, especially in
light of his current work and how much more elegant his it was
compared to hers.
That was as much as she could find on them, either through
databases and recorded fact, or stipulation and guesswork.
Anything else?
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