Cracked Mirror

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

 [Whatever you're doing or in the middle of, Alice pops up on a terminal nearby. She's looking a bit less bubbly than usual, kind of quiet-her holographic representation has her holding her arm and avoiding eye contact every now and then. Unless you're Caulder, in which case this whole prompt does not happen, and she's her usual happy bubbly self.]

Hey...Um, I was wondering...

Why do people fall in love?

2. [Locked to Caulder]

Hey, Caulder...I think we need to talk.

Comments

[gurrenbrigbonded]

Matthew spits out a bit the drink he has been chugging.

"Love?" He asks, pausing to wipe his mouth. "I have no idea! I have always thought love was a suspect thing anyway...."

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

...I'll ask someone else, then.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Hold on a moment!" Matthew says, raising a hand.

"Even if love is a foreign notion to me, I may be able to give you some advice on a purely intellectual level, quiaff?"

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

[This face.]

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"Excellent!" Matthew declares. He clasps his hands.

"Now based my generous perusal of epic poetry and various works of fiction, there are several varieties of romantic love!"

He takes a dramatic stance. "First! There is suddenly kindled love, the so-called Love at First Sight! Two beings meet for the first time, and the air sparks between them! They are taken with their mutual appearance, bearing, voice, and attitude–all the indicators of genetic compatibility between them! So great is the passion that the newly kindled lovers are unable to think of anything else, and become each other's world!"

He smacks a fist into his palm. "And then...comes destruction and dissolution! Differences emerge, suspicions mount, and their increasingly rash and anger filled actions drive them towards an early grave!"

He pauses dramatically

"Now the second type of love, and the more desirable one, in my opinion, is the Love of Communication. Two people are brought together, sometimes through chance, and sometimes through shared purpose, and must rely on each other to undertake a great, challenging mission! This task pushes theirs minds, bodies, and spirits to their limit, and in adversity, they both catch a glimpse of each other's inner nobility! And so they grow to respect each other, trust each other, and most importantly, communicate with each other! Even if they disagree, they can understand why they disagree, thus can never be torn apart by their differences! And from this, a love emerges, gentle yet capable of moving mountains!"

He hesitates. "The common point between these two types of loves is that neither can really be forced into being."

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

...You just watched a bunch of Guiding Light, didn't you.

[gurrenbrigbonded]

"...I am not sure what you are talking about." Matthew says hastily.

[saikyocivrobo]

It's just how our brains are wired. It's not rational.

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Hey, I'm not some cheesy scifi villain! It doesn't need to be rational!

I just mean, like...

...What makes two people fall in love?

[saikyocivrobo]

I meant what I said. Because it's not rational, there's no easy answer.

Attraction plays an important role, I suppose. And trust.

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Well, like...How do people end up attracted to one another, then?

You've just replaced one question with another...

1/2

[saikyocivrobo]

You're asking hard questions lately. It's something even the greatest philosophers don't comprehend entirely. Are you sure you don't want to go back to asking people about cats?

2/2

[saikyocivrobo]

Okay, let's try to create some kind of definition... Most people have some kind of criteria they find attractive in their preferred gender. Take those, add shared interests, and good time spent together, and you have attraction. Usually. There's no hard and fast rules.

Re: 2/2

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

...It's been bugging me, is all. I mean, I know people get uneasy when the AI starts being all existential, but...I just have a lot to think about.

...You've been a great help, though.

[saikyocivrobo]

To me it just shows for sure that you're a person and not just a very advanced program. Because people think about stuff like that.

[gudbye_despair]

It's fate...

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

So it's all predetermined? And nothing we do can make it turn out any different?

[gudbye_despair]

I'm not finished! Of course we can! Love is like a battlefield. You never know how love could struck, like how you could never know who will be randomly struck by a bullet and dies in the middle of a battle. But you could always nudge the battle into your favour!

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

So, it's like people are predestined to like some other people, but that doesn't always mean they'll end up together?

[gudbye_despair]

And you definitely can nudge fate to your side. As I said, love is like a battlefield! And like a battlefield, scouting is important! Find out where your loved one live! What does he like! What's his favourite food! Learn as much as possible about your loved one, and use it! You'll definitely be able to make him love you as well.

There's a saying , "Love come from being together." So stick together as much as possible. Get close to him physically. Make him got used to you. Surely sooner or later he'll understand how much you love him, and will reciprocate...

[rushing_wings]

Uh um why do you ask that!?

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

I'm just wondering, is all...

[rushing_wings]

Well, I'm sort of in a long distance thing right now, so I'm not sure if I'm the best person to ask.

But, if I had to answer for myself I'd say it was because I really cared about and respected the person I fell in love with. We went through a lot together, so I guess it was only natural. I mean when you save each others lives it kind of has an effect on you.

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Saving each other's lives, huh...

...So, you did a lot for each other?

[rushing_wings]

[A nod]

Yeah, I don't think either of us would still be alive if we didn't. It takes a lot of teamwork to survive an atmospheric drop in broken machines.

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Woah, really?! How'd you even...do that?

[rushing_wings]

I jumped off the White Chalice, caught her machine, then made a heat absorbing barrier over us as we fell. Before we crashed she turned us around and made a gravity cushion. We were honestly quite lucky that our machines worked so well together.

1/2

[zaku_for_xmas]

"Why?"

Bernie cupped his chin, and then he chuckled. He smiked; maybe this was something up his alley.

2/2

[zaku_for_xmas]

"Because it is natural! And helps us go forward."

2

[tookthepill]

[ Caulder jumped as ALICE's hologram popped out right in front of him; he had nose buried in his tablet, trying desperately to replicate something Gainer had done in Shin One Year War: Zeon's Menace during the Solomon timed challenge. Needless to say, he's failing. Nearly dropping the tablet, he regains his composure. You'd think he'd be used to this by now. ]

Oh, um... [ That's not her usual tone. ] Is... sure, what's up, Allie?

Re: 2

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

I'm just wondering...what have you done with your life? What have you achieved?

...Sorry if it's harsh...

[tookthepill]

[ Well, that's an odd and possibly backhanded question... ]

I'm one of the heads of the League of Ruling Corporations, even if it's really just in title only... umm... I survived the attack on the IDS top secret R&D lab... and I'm one of the richest people in earth sphere?

[ That's something, right? Even if most of that was handed to him, instead of him actually earning it. ]

1/2

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Those were all things that you got by being lucky; you were born to the right parents, and you escaped notice just long enough.

...It's just...um...I'm trying to think of why I love you, and I just don't know...why.

2/2

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

It's not that I don't love you! I love you a whole lot! I just, I keep thinking about why, and I can't think of a good reason...

[tookthepill]

[ Oh... he sees the point of this, now. He sighs, and his eyes lower. ]

I'm not exactly an expert on the subject, but... I don't think there's ever really a logical reason for love. Love itself is inherently illogical, right? Or at least, that's I read...

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Some part of it has to be logical, based on the need for people to find desirable mates...and when I think about it, you're...well...

...You're not brave, or strong, or cool, or smart, and there's someone here who's better than you at any given thing-and a lot of people better than you at lots of things. And that worries me, because I'm an artificial being, so...

[tookthepill]

[ Oh, wow, that... that hurt. His eyes close. Coming from Allie, that... well, that was painful. ]

... you're not artificial to me, Allie... [ He tries to ignore everything else of what she just said, even if he knows she didn't mean it as an any kind of insult. But... well, it still hurt. ]

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

...Artificial isn't a bad thing. It's just...

I'm not sure if I love you because I choose to, or that I love you because I have to.

[tookthepill]

Well... what does your programming say?

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

...It's complicated. Making a judgement on how all the different parts interact with each other is...hard.

It doesn't help that it's hard to define love, too...

[tookthepill]

I know you, Allie... and I know my dad wanted you to care about me. But are you sure the feelings of love didn't just show up on their own? Caring about someone isn't exactly the same as loving someone.