[02] || [What is Love?] || [Video/Text]

[littlelifeforms]

Greetings.

[ As is usual for Data, his message is simultaneously sent in both video and text formats. ]

There has been a weeding recently and in one week is an event known as "Saint Valentine's Day", a holiday associated with romantic love. It is an occasion in which lovers express their love for each other in a special manner, most often depending on their culture and past.

But what is love? How would you define that feeling? I have been told about love before, but it is a most... complicated emotion and no explanation I have heard truly conveyed an understanding of the feeling.

Comments

[xanthous]

Our romance ii2n't ba2ed on love, II gue22. The quadrant2 are hate or piity ba2ed, 2o...

And iit'2 not a gliitch thii2 ii2 ju2t the way II know how to wriite.

[littlelifeforms]

Hate and pity? That sounds quite... Intriguing. Are not all civilization based on hatred extinct today? It does not sound like a healthy way of life.

[xanthous]

Our 2ociiety wa2n't ju2t ba2ed on hate, hate ii2 ju2t what one half of our quadrant2 are based around, and only one of them actually iinvolve2 hatred a2 well a2 actual romance and de2iire, and iit ii2 a viital part of our reproductiive riitual2. You can't proviide to a drone wiithout a kii2me2ii2e2 help, after all.

Though liife wa2n't plea2ant, but iit wa2n't 2triictly becau2e of quadrant problem2.

[littlelifeforms]

I see. It is most fascinating, I would very much like to study this in depth.

May I ask what a quadrant and what a drone are?

[ Because this starts sounding awfully familiar to the Borg. ]

[xanthous]

IIt'2 not that fa2ciinatiing, really.

A quadrant ii2 pretty much ju2t that. A fourth of 2omethiing, and iin thii2 ca2e it mean2 what a relatiion2hiip ii2 cla22iifiied a2. There are the red quadrant2 and the black one2, and red ii2 piity focu2ed and black ii2 hate focu2ed. Two are concupii2cent and two are not but are 2tiill viital to keepiing 2ociiety iintact. Or 2o II a22ume, becau2e II haven't had a quadrant of my own.

There are a few different type2 of drone2, but when it come2 to quadrant2 they come to collect genetiic materiial to giive to the Mother Grub 2o more troll2 can be hatched. Faiilure to proviide genetiic materiial ii2 a culliing offen2e, 2o iit'2 pretty iimportant to have a mate2prit or kii2me2ii2 unle22 you're 2uiicidal.

[He hopes that makes a tiny bit of sense, even if he did skip over...a lot.]

[littlelifeforms]

I assure you, from my viewpoint is it quite fascinating.

[ A pause before the reply though because, that's a lot. ]

You are describing a very... peculiar society. I believe I understand.

[ No he doesn't but one simply doesn't explain that. ]

[xanthous]

II'm not 2ure iif iit'2 good or creepy that you fiind my culture fa2ciinatiing.

II diidn't even briing up the hemo2pectrum 2o II don't thiink you really get 2ociiety that much. The quadrant2, 2ure but there'2 a diifference between romance and reproductiion and 2ociiety.

[hahaha]

[littlelifeforms]

My apologizes if it sounds creepy. My mission is to explore new worlds and find new civilizations, at least it was in my homeworld.

I have to admit, what you tell me is not... Easy to understand. Captain Picard would probably do better than I here.

[xanthous]

That'2 not 2ynonymou2 wiith take over or anniihiilate, riight?

II don't thiink a lot of the younger troll2 really under2tand, eiither, 2o don't beat your2elf up. And wiith how many diifferent ver2iion2 of Alterniia are repre2ented here, what II tell you miight not even be the 2ame for other troll2 here.