paradisa | Making the best of it

[The Master is in his room, tinkering with machinery. Thank to this latest oddity with the books, he now has the means to build robots to keep his rooms clean. He feels like talking, so reaches out and opens up his journal.]

You know, my friends, this strangeness with the books isn't all bad. I personally have found a cookbook and a book on robotics to be quite useful! Even the book on mathematics proved stimulating; the results reminded me of a place called Castrovalva!

[He pauses to tighten a joint, before continuing.]

Anyway, the Doctor, the one wearing celery, recently suggested to me that the Castle was motivated by schadenfreude, which means, for those who don't know that word, enjoying or getting satisfaction from other's misfortune. I think this highly likely. Therefore, we should not accomodate it. We should make a concerted effort to find something useful or entertaining about its peculiarities.

Don't worry, I'm not suggesting we become complacent. However, if we deny it what its goals, we may weaken it. We can try, at least.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Don't trust the ghosts to do it for you?

I was thinking what the worst possible scenario would be, and that's what came to mind. That, or a chapter on the Big Bang.

[The Master gives him a sharp look.]

The ghosts take care of such things? The Doctor said...never mind. Constructing the robots gives me something useful to do.

The Big Bang...well, let us hope the castle has enough sense of self preservation to prevent that large of a disaster!

What did he say?

Mm. If it could survive that... well, suffice to say, then we really are screwed.

Oh, merely his usual tasteless humor. He led me to believe there were no servants to do such things and I would have to do my own housekeeping.

Quite so. Let's hope it couldn't.

What, is he worried someone might abuse them? I don't see how you could.

No. I told you it was an example of his ridiculous humor.

[The Master makes an impatient waving motion with his hand.]

Never mind. I see you brought your journal.

I have.

[He finds the page and stops to read it for a second.]

Yes, here is the section.

[The Master smiles and faces Henshaw fully.]

Excellent. Do continue.

When I first tried to contact Paradisa, it was most definitely a flat "what".

When I asked if someone one was there, it was like it was echoing my words. "Someone" and "Hello", and then... nothing. I got no further replies from the voice.

It answered with what. Did you get any sense of gender?

No, none at all. It was very ambiguous.

Hm. Still, we know a little more from this. It understands the concept of communication and can speak in a language we can understand. It knows we have consciousness. It has at least a rudimentary sense of manners. Hello is a greeting, not a word that offers or requests information.

From the sound of things, it was almost like it didn't fully comprehend language.

...Instead of some petulant child, what if it's more like Paradisa is still in some kind of infancy? It would explain the sheer randomness of this place.

It's possible. If true, as responsible adults, we would need to assert our natural authority.

And punish it when it refuses to listen?

It's a bad parent who refuses to discipline a wayward child, my dear Henshaw.

I wouldn't know anything about parenting. Now, what about you?

I've heard Paradisa's words,. Have you heard it's mind, yet?

No, I've never spent much time around children.

I haven't. I've felt traces of a mind, but it's elusive somehow, more diffuse than what you normally encounter.

If only we had a source, or a place for that mind to congregate at...

Hmmm. Yess. If we knew what it would be attracted to...

[The Master breaks off, his mind working on possibilities.]

It looks like it loves to start drama. Maybe that's what draws it's attention?

[The Master considers this, nodding.]

That is a good possibility. We could stage or provoke a genuine fight easily enough.

It would have to be quite a show. Or one that plays out long enough to nab it's attention.

Maybe both.

Yes, that's true. Both would probably be best. I wonder if there is anything connected to the castle, but not to us, that it cares about...the ghosts for instance. You mentioned abusing them.

Could they be abused? Their behavior almost makes them seem machine-like.

(no subject)

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