Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: rook <rook@***.NET>
Subject: Re: Otaku (Psychotrope novel spoiler)
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 11:04:01 -0800
-----Original Message-----
From: D. Ghost <dghost@****.COM>
Subject: Re: Otaku (More)


>In other words, if SR was set in the same technology level but without
>magic, would there be Otaku?

<<snip>>
>I think the Otaku are a sort of artificial magically active. They are
>not truly magically active but instead have certain modified key elements
>of brain patterns of magically active persons imprinted on them (and thus
>it works best when the Otaku-to-be's brain is still developing ... ie,
>when they are young.). The modifications allow the Otaku to see the
>matrix in an inherently different manner as well as interact with it on a
>more basic level. The same area of the brain that a mage uses to
>interact with astral space and lies dormant in most individuals suddenly
>becomes activated and now interacts with the matrix (which is why
>magically active Otaku do not exist.). The Resonance is a semi-sentient
>(Imagine an intellect so vast and performing so many functions
>simultaneously that it has little time for actual self awareness.)
>program which mimics astral space (sort of a virtual astral space.) in
>addition to other, more mysterious functions it carries out. The AIs are
>actually agents or children of the Resonance program whose initial
>pruposes were to insure the survival of Ressonance as well as the
>recruitment of new Otaku. The Otaku carry pieces of the Ressonance
>within themselves and thus the second imperative ties in with first. As
>time has passed since their creation, some of the AIs have developed a
>greated self awarenenss. With this greater self awareness has come
>greater personal motivation and less obedience to the imperatives. Now,
>the Otaku move to protect the original purpose/motivation of the
>Resonance (a variation of betterment of mankind.) from the AIs that would
>undermine it (intentionally or not.). Could this be the answer to "Who
>watches the Watchers"? ;)


i disagree with alfredo in that i don't believe the otaku would be so
beneficially motivated. it's like they are all a bunch of extreme good
samaritans, protecting humankind from evil AI's??? sorry, but with the way
humanity is TODAY i could not see that, much less 60 years from now after
being battered by even more advertising, tv violence, and all the
de-sensitizing than we already have today.

i would say that the otaku work with their mentor/god, the deep resonance,
to fulfill goals for the deep resonance, and personal goals. everyone is
motivated by self, mostly above all other things.

as a question, what would happen if an otaku were to disobey the deep
resonance and take off on their own to become an evil shadowrunner, raping
the matirx as they will? would there be reprisals? would they still be
otaku? would the DR kill them the next time they jack in??

a little info from the novel 'psychotrope' by lisa smedman. spoiler space
follows

begin spoiler space
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
<
end spoiler space

while not much into the matrix and deckers, i do like the idea of otaku and
the deep resonance. in the 20XX's there is enough worshipping going on of
everything from magic to dragons to elves to totems...why not spirits in the
matrix.
i do view the otaku as in any way magical, or in alfredo's view, as having
parts of their brain magically altered.
according to the novel psychotrope, the deep resonance is the first AI born
in the matrix from a project done by fuchi, of all corps. this AI had been
around longer than you would think.
after being in seclusion (or hiding) for many years 'ruminating upon it's
existence' according to some techs in the book, it came out and started to
work with children and to change their mind.
so alfredo is right, parts of their brain are actually modified, but not
magically.
i didn't really like the book itself but the plot was good, as was the
reasoning behind the deep resonance.
a few bits were really off the wall, like the AI being able to read
everyone's minds, repair neural damage in a human's brain, and wipe a
crapload of people's memories without them really knowing.
but apparently it can do that, just while they are connected to the net.

and here is a scary thought...if an AI can do that, i guess deckers and
programs could too....

rook aka david
rook@***.net
Message no. 2
From: rook <rook@***.NET>
Subject: Re: Otaku (Psychotrope novel spoiler)
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 23:35:38 -0800
-----Original Message-----
From: D. Ghost <dghost@****.COM>
Subject: Re: Otaku (Psychotrope novel spoiler removed :)


>That's not quite what I meant. The way I see it, the Deep Resonance is
>an AI that with Humanity created an "offspring" (the otaku). Thus, the
>Deep Resonance has a sort of respect for humanity (a "I care" respect,
>not a "I look up to you" respect.) as a whole and while protecting
>humanity from the evils of the world is not one of its
>purposes/motivations, it will try to avoid directly harming humanity as a
>whole to achieve its purposes/motivations.


ok, i understand what you are saying. now answer this. if your AI is like
this and has respect for humanity and will try to avoid harm to humans, what
happens if humans try to destroy it, as happens in the novel psychotrope?
this is a no-brainer really, the answer must be whatever it takes.

>>as a question, what would happen if an otaku were to disobey the deep
>>resonance and take off on their own to become an evil shadowrunner,
>raping
>>the matirx as they will? would there be reprisals? would they still be
>>otaku? would the DR kill them the next time they jack in??
><SNIP>
>
>That is a good question ... from my interpretation of the Deep Resonance,
>I'd say that it is too directly inactive (IOW, it does not normally take
>direct actions) but instead, its(?) children, the otaku and other AIs,
>will more likely take action.


my interpretation, (before reading psychotrope) because i wasn't too into
deckers and the matrix until the otaku came along, is that the DR was a
collection of AI's who were the spirits of the matrix. they helped the
children learn to surf the trix and guided them towards their own ends,
nefarious or beneficial as they may be.

psychotrope takes it as the first AI who is seemingly all-knowing, can do
things no one dreamed of, seeming like magic. this AI has altered the
children's brains, and hey, now that i have thought about it, the same part
of the brain that makes others magical seems entirely appropriate, though i
do not want to delve into biology. i prefer my game complex, but not that
much.

as an aside, in psychotrope, it is revealed that it is possible for adults
to experience the deep resonance as well, and become otaku. though it is
more difficult the benefits are the same. the AI was surprised by this as
well and now has plans to convert more adults.

>Btw, rook, I never said that an otaku's brain was magically altered.
>What I said was that the area altered is the same that mages use to
>access astral space (this, btw, was an attempt to explain why there are
>no magically active otaku) and that the modifications were based on the
>brain patterns of magically active persons. Does that make more sense?


yes, after re-reading it i did misunderstand what you were saying. it does
seem like a magical happening though, altering the way their brain
functions.

rook aka david
rook@***.net

<<ah, i love interesting discussions, i have been silent too long>>

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Otaku (Psychotrope novel spoiler), you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!