Oddly, even with the realization that Jasper was definitely not human in any typical sense of the word, his unusual eyes and pallor still hadn't formed any sign for Vladimir that he should be anything else. He was familiar with a wide range of drugs that that had physically altering affects, such as the orange tint of elacca, or the blue-in-blue eyes of spice addiction, or the no-longer-human mutations of the Spacing Guild who hid within spice tanks and were never seen by anyone outside of the Guild. And there the Facedancers of the Tleilaxu, who had obviously started as something human, but were now a race that was definitely not human in any normal terms. These were creatures who could mimic any other person, take on any shape and mentality. And despite this ability, they were used most commonly for entertainment. Which said a great deal about Vladimir's civilization- it had outgrown a great deal of fear. Probably thanks to the Bene Gesserit breeding programs, an influence which had in fact caused some alteration in the exact definition of 'human'.
His civilization still hold a strict prohibition against thinking machines, due an incident ten thousand years prior where the thinking machines had nearly exterminated the human race. This was why it was the thought of robotics caused trepidation, whereas the more typical sources of it weren't having an affect. So, Jasper's laugh at the question was a relief, and not an offense, as, surely a thinking machine wouldn't have laughed at the question. So he had to be something else, and something else was preferable, whatever it was.
He'd actually found Jasper's hands remaining on his shoulders to be comforting, whereas removing them peaked his alertness slightly. He'd known where they were before- but he was still not afraid. More, he was slightly disappointed that Jasper had finished, as, it really was helping, just very forcefully and in a way it took a unique mentality to appreciate. If Jasper had wanted to cause him harm, he'd had plenty of chances to attempt it already. But he sensed that Jasper thought that he was not going to react well to the discover of his not-quite-humanity. This was likely the source of the altered mood. And so, he did not flinch at Jasper's admission that he was once human, and implication that he no longer was. The source of the fascinating strangeness that coloured Jasper so interestingly had to become evident, eventually. It was a good of a time as any.
Vladimir smiled slightly, replying, "I believe that you still may be human, but, not necessarily in the same respect as most of the race. My people would have been likely to classify you as such, as I feel that I've been speaking with a human." This was in fact a meaningful sort of thing to say in the Imperium, a statement of respect. "There is certainly something very unique about you, Jasper, and it's not just your massage technique. Which, by the way, is remarkable, if unusual. I am starting to feel significantly improved. But, I think you may want to tell me what exactly you are?" He made sure to color his words in a way that would hopefully cause Jasper to feel comfortable about whatever the admission would be- he was really quite open-minded.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-05-24 06:07 am (UTC)His civilization still hold a strict prohibition against thinking machines, due an incident ten thousand years prior where the thinking machines had nearly exterminated the human race. This was why it was the thought of robotics caused trepidation, whereas the more typical sources of it weren't having an affect. So, Jasper's laugh at the question was a relief, and not an offense, as, surely a thinking machine wouldn't have laughed at the question. So he had to be something else, and something else was preferable, whatever it was.
He'd actually found Jasper's hands remaining on his shoulders to be comforting, whereas removing them peaked his alertness slightly. He'd known where they were before- but he was still not afraid. More, he was slightly disappointed that Jasper had finished, as, it really was helping, just very forcefully and in a way it took a unique mentality to appreciate. If Jasper had wanted to cause him harm, he'd had plenty of chances to attempt it already. But he sensed that Jasper thought that he was not going to react well to the discover of his not-quite-humanity. This was likely the source of the altered mood. And so, he did not flinch at Jasper's admission that he was once human, and implication that he no longer was. The source of the fascinating strangeness that coloured Jasper so interestingly had to become evident, eventually. It was a good of a time as any.
Vladimir smiled slightly, replying, "I believe that you still may be human, but, not necessarily in the same respect as most of the race. My people would have been likely to classify you as such, as I feel that I've been speaking with a human." This was in fact a meaningful sort of thing to say in the Imperium, a statement of respect. "There is certainly something very unique about you, Jasper, and it's not just your massage technique. Which, by the way, is remarkable, if unusual. I am starting to feel significantly improved. But, I think you may want to tell me what exactly you are?" He made sure to color his words in a way that would hopefully cause Jasper to feel comfortable about whatever the admission would be- he was really quite open-minded.