mechanicalmortality

mechanicalmortality

model_v1

COURT

DAY

DORM

204

Message @model_v1

"Hello! You have reached [ADOPTED NAME]'s inbox. Please leave a message!" [ V1 has not bothered to configure it at all. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

long_lost

[ The video opens on Daniel in the Unseelie common room, his Leaf propped up on a table so he has both hands free. In one hand, he holds an object that at first glance looks like a shield with the way Daniel is holding it from the back, though of a surprisingly light construction. In his other hand, he holds a clubbed stick, wrapped in leather at both ends. ]

Hello, V1! I hope you’re doing well.

I wanted to let you know about something I found in the market today. A Fae was selling this drum and I thought it looked like a very good fit for a beginner—lightweight, easy to carry, and able to be played with or without a mallet. [ He gives a little wave with the clubbed stick. ] Well, I remembered our conversation on the beach and—of course you aren’t obligated to take it off my hands if you have no interest—but if you are interested, I’d be happy to make a gift of it to you. If you’d like, I could even teach you a few useful rhythms.

[ He demonstrates, using the mallet to drum out a quick, catchy phrase. He smiles. ]

If you have a few minutes now, you’re welcome to come see me in the common area. Otherwise, you can just send me a reply here. Do let me know your thoughts!

From:

mechanicalmortality

[ V1 takes a moment to consider this offer. Huh. It hadn't really thought about learning any new skills, but...what has it got to lose?

Sure. Why not. ]

OK

[ A few minutes after sending that text, it shows up in the common room as requested and makes an immediate beeline for Daniel, its wings raising as it spots him.

It stops in front of him, tilting its head and then reaching out to tap the drum lightly, curiously, like the very concept of a drum is unknown to it. ]

From:

long_lost

Ah, there you are, [ Daniel says amiably as V1 walks over. He holds out the drum as the machine reaches forward to allow for closer inspection. ]

Yes, that's right, [ he says as V1 taps at the drum skin. ] It's called a frame drum. Far from the only type of percussion out there, but one of the more common. Cultures around the globe have something like it.

[ He indicates towards the rim of the drum, where the sound will be snappier. ]

Try tapping it here next. You can get quite a few different sounds out of it depending on where you strike.

From:

mechanicalmortality

[ Instead of standing around and leaning over, V1 collapses itself into a sitting position in the chair across from Daniel. It's an awkward movement, as if V1 has never had any reason to sit before.

Once arranged, it leans forward to tap the drum at its center, and then at the rim. The contrast between the two sounds seems to fascinate it enough that it continues to move its hand between the two points, tapping all the while.

Its motions are almost exaggeratedly gentle, as if it's not sure how much force to apply. ]

From:

long_lost

[ Daniel stifles a smile as V1 practically collapses into the chair across from him before it continues to tap away at the drum. V1 had seemed ambivalent about the idea of actually learning to play an instrument when last they talked, but now it seems totally engaged. ]

Try flicking your wrist, like this. [ Daniel demonstrates by holding his hand just above the drum skin and giving a sharp twist of his wrist so that his thumb strikes it just a couple of inches from the rim. It makes a nice round sound, a resounding thum. ]

Like you're twisting open a doorknob, almost. [ He indicates the side of his hand and thumb. ] Contact here and here.

From:

mechanicalmortality

[ It's a new thing that doesn't cost it anything; this place seems to have an abundance of those. Or maybe, really, it's the stable fuel source that allows all this.

Whatever the reason, it's certainly invested now.

It tilts its head, watching him intently, and then it mirrors his action clumsily. Its thumb slides off at first - too gentle - and its next few tries are similarly lacking in force.

It runs its fingers across the taut surface of the drum for a moment, seemingly testing the strength, and then flicks its wrist in a near-perfect imitation of Daniel's movement, producing the intended sound. Its wings flash and flicker with distorted colors for a moment, flicking once, and then it does it again.

Is this fun? It might be fun. It's never done anything like this before. ]

From:

long_lost

Yes! You've got it.

[ Daniel beams at V1's success, noticing as well the flurry of colors that dances over its wings for a moment. An expression or surprise, perhaps? Satisfaction? ]

You needn't be too gentle. The skin of the drum is quite literally skin—likely from a goat or cow, or whatever such equivalent they have in this world. It's not indestructible, but it's pretty tough. [ He gives it a solid rap with a knuckle to demonstrate. ]

Now, here's another sound you can make. I'm going to hold my fingers together for this, see? The same twisting motion as before, but the other way, right on the edge—

[ He performs the movement, and this time when his fingers strike the drum, the sound is brighter, sharper. ]

Now you have two sounds—and the multiple variations of each depending on where you strike—and from there you have music.

[ This, he demonstrates with a a short, simple phrase: one of the low round sounds, followed by two of the brighter ones in quick succession. He repeats it a few times: thum, toktok, thum, toktok. He moves to hand the drum to V1. ]

Here. How about you play around with it a bit?

From:

mechanicalmortality

[ Whatever the emotion or expression is that causes its wings to flicker, it hardly seems to notice; its intent body language indicates only that it's focused on the instrument and on the words Daniel speaks, on learning something new and interesting.

It follows along with the rhythm, its finger tapping along in time as it memorizes the pattern. It seems almost startled to be handed the drum, for a brief moment - its wings flicking up once more - and then it settles, taking the instrument from him.

Once it's holding the drum, it runs its fingers over the varied surfaces, turning it over and over in its hands as if it's a wholly new thing. There's a method to its exploration even so, exploring larger surfaces before smaller details. It discovers the hide strips that can be used to hold the drum in a different way and spends a little time amusing itself by plucking gently at them.

In time, its curiosity is satisfied - the whole process takes no more than a few minutes - and then it seems to remember what the instrument is actually for.

It mimics the rhythmical pattern he'd demonstrated for it at first, that simple phrase of thum, toktok, thum, toktok. Then it begins to experiment with little coherence, seemingly finding the novelty of making different sounds more engaging than settling on a pattern, but eventually it comes back to a more elaborate, longer version of the simple phrase he had taught it first, before it stops.

It tilts its head, wings flickering again, and looks at him. Not exactly for approval; more curiosity, to see his reaction to its first attempts at making music. ]

From:

long_lost

[ It's fascinating, watching V1 explore the instrument. A drum is one of the simplest instruments there can be; the fact that V1 never seems to have seen one before drives home just how literally it may have meant it when it claims to have only heard one song previously. A consequence, perhaps, of humanity apparently being extinct in its own History? Perhaps the machines that have taken their place have no inkling of creating musical instruments of their own.

Yet, V1 takes to it with encouraging quickness. At the machine's first attempt at its own composition, Daniel's face breaks into a grin. ] Wonderful! [ he cries. ] You're a natural!

[ After all, it had gone from not knowing what a drum was to devising its own rhythms in a matter of minutes. Daniel feels inexplicably proud of it. ]

One more technique you might like to play with, [ he says, reaching forward to gently rearrange V1's hold on the instrument. ] If you want to get both hands involved, you can stand the drum up on your knee, like so, and keep your right hand atop it—yes, like that, just let your fingers hang over the edge there—and give a hard tap on the edge with your middle or ring finger.

[ Doing so will create a sound similar to the tok sound of before. ] And if you want to add a little more force, you can use your thumb to generate some momentum, as if you were snapping your fingers. [ Does V1 know how to snap its fingers? Daniel demonstrates with his own. ] Do that right above the edge so that your ring finger strikes the drum skin—

[ Doing so will create a sharp, punchy sound—a crisp kah! ]

From:

mechanicalmortality

[ If there are machines capable of making music, V1 has never encountered them itself. But that doesn't mean anything; logically there were surely all sorts of machines on the Earth, in those days before mankind was made extinct. It had never really had time to explore - a burned out machine had no fuel within it and V1's mix of organic and mechanical parts had limited the need for replacements - so this really is a place full of wholly new experiences.

The praise is new, too. V1 doesn't experience a flood of dopamine as it usually does when a direct reward condition is triggered - it's a smaller burst of positive chemicals, generated by lingering instincts in the limbic system - but it feels...nice? It feels nice.

Normally it prefers more direct rewards, but to be told it's doing a good job...that's a new feeling. It wonders if it's some residual programming causing it to feel positive towards human praise, or it's simply developed it on its own despite the absence of connection provided.

More things to ponder. It pushes it away for now, it's learning something new, which is much more fun than Thinking Really Hard.

Daniel reaches out to shift its hands on the drum and it carefully lets him, in the manner of something that's extremely not used to having its hands touched at all, following his instructions precisely.

Oh, a new sound? It tok-tok-toks away for a moment, just to be certain it's understood, and then continues to listen.

It's only used finger-snapping as an incidental platform to coin tricks, a way of demonstrating its dexterity and as a weapon. This is a new use, even more so when applied to the drum.

It fumbles a little bit, clearly struggling to differentiate the flipping motion from what it's supposed to be doing, but it quickly improves.

Oh, it likes this one. It's sharp. Its wings flick, and it continues its repetition of kah! kah! kah! kah! for longer than it has any of the others, before it runs through all the sounds it's learned in this short interval with Daniel from first to last, and then back again like a numerical sequence, and then scrambling them all about.

(Sorry to anyone else in the common room, V1 is focused on Making Noise and is not focused on Toning It Down At All.)

Eventually, its hands still, and it cradles the drum carefully, as if it's not entirely sure what to do with it, but there's a sense that it also wants to treat it carefully because it's important. ]

From:

long_lost

[ Oh, V1 must really like this sound. It snaps away happily at the drum, filling the common room with a cacophony of kah! kah! kah! kah!, before this spirals into a random amalgam of the sounds it had learned before. Daniel laughs, half-delighted and half-mortified as he glances around at the scant others in the room. He shoots them all abashed smiles as if silently apologizing for his friend.

Finally, the noise quiets, and V1 shifts his hold on the drum to cradle it carefully in its arms. Daniel chuckles. ]

Well, I'm quite certain now that a drum was the right choice of instrument for you, V1. You'll keep practicing, yes? You already have everything you need to start creating your own compositions. [ He leans forward slightly, lowering his voice. ] Though, I'd avoid playing in the common area or dormitories after sundown—humans are often sensitive sleepers.

[ He leans back, voice returning to its normal volume. ] If you'd like, you're welcome to join me on the docks; I play fife there in the mornings fairly often. Perhaps we might even collaborate at some point.