Audience - Koharu

[holyspirits]

Comments

[cupidsammo]

[ ....... lifts her eyes to the sky??? ]

[holyspirits]

[ they laugh. ]

How familiar are you with computers? I know we have a lot of different levels of technology that people are used to.

[cupidsammo]

[ ma'am your icon ]

Oh, it's a computer thing? I've used them nearly every day, but I wouldn't call myself an expert or anything. I can... browse the net? I did all my homework on one, too.

[holyspirits]

When you're using the computer or your phone, does it ever give you the option to save something to your account instead of to the device? So that you can access the same files from a separate device without having to find somewhere to upload them specifically?

[cupidsammo]

... Oh! The extra storage—right, got it. That makes more sense.

[holyspirits]

Right.

So that's where I live. Well, sort of. Sometimes the data centers are offline, so it's not exactly the cloud anymore, if you're thinking of it as something connected to the internet.

[cupidsammo]

[ Koharu stares at them. ]

Wait, that's just... data. How—?

[holyspirits]

... That's one perspective.

[cupidsammo]

[ ??? ]

I'm... missing something, aren't I.

[holyspirits]

Let's say that you extract all the data from a person. Turn all their neural pathways into algorithmic code. Then let that simulation of a person live a life in a simulated world. Is that entity still just data?

[cupidsammo]

[ .......... uhhhh, ]

Would it... not be?

[holyspirits]

There are differing opinions on the matter.

[cupidsammo]

Well, I've... I haven't thought of it before. I don't know? I would think so, but...

[holyspirits]

[ just shrugs!! ]

[cupidsammo]

... But you're here, so maybe not...?

[holyspirits]

I can't tell you what your own opinion is.

[cupidsammo]

Well, no, but... what would you say?

[holyspirits]

That emulated lives are still lives.

[cupidsammo]

Okay, then... I can go with that. I mean, you would know better than me.

[holyspirits]

I would.

But there are also some who would discard my opinion, since from their perspective, I was never alive to begin with. Just a program, programmed to say they're alive.

[cupidsammo]

Hmm...

But you're... here, aren't you? Isn't that proof that's wrong?

[holyspirits]

I wonder. [ well, they don't really. but they're used to their humanity being a debate, so they just keep it up. ] There are objects in Heaven. Electronics. Computers. And there's magic too, outside of this group.

I'm sure someone could explain me away with some mix of those resources.

[cupidsammo]

Well, maybe, but that feels kind of wrong to do at this point.

[holyspirits]

That's good to hear.

[cupidsammo]

So... Hopefully you don't have to pay attention to people who say otherwise.