[ Unbeknownst to both of them, there's something missed here that neither of them could possibly be aware of.
Ultimately, the person before Elizabeth isn't who he's presenting himself as. Not really. He's a program made to copy the real thing, and so there's natural nuance lost. It's impossible to recreate an entire person's psyche, even though this AI was certainly a technological marvel that was very close to such a feat. He's made up of memories written in data, of impressions of feeling and sensation that he'd never truly felt, and so in that, the AI truly believes himself to be Handsome Jack, even in the face of the objective truth that he's not. Like a hero from an epic, he was simply the next stage, the grand return from death, because a true hero wasn't meant to be cowed or stopped.
And yet, he's always partial. Incomplete.
There's a nuance here that's missed, because for all of Jack's bravado, these words would be posturing from the real man. Daring someone he cares about to challenge him is a convenient fix, since it's a way for him to close off and compartmentalize how he feels about them. If they want to kill him for what he's done, then so be it. He'll be their enemy. But it's also that man's way to ask without ever having to admit his perceived weakness that he doesn't want that path. For Jack, this sort of posturing was meant to be the last outstretched hand.
But for the AI, Elizabeth is right. It's his own ego, because that was the way Jack always wanted this kind posturing to come off. "Defy me, and I'll kill you," not "think about what you're doing, since I don't want you to be my enemy." The words that the AI speaks are all correct, but his reasonings for saying them are a shadow of the man that would say them. People are never so simple that a lifetime of experience that shapes every decision could be converted into code. It's a small nuance because of the brilliance of who made him. In fact, it doesn't change the course of the conversation. But— ]
Mean something?
[ The posturing drops quickly in surprise so sharp that it would almost be like she'd struck him. Insulting and teasing him is expected, as is that fiery, almost hateful (so far as he sees) it gaze. Even her tears don't move him, because he's the sort of monster that will stare into the eyes of someone begging for their life and torture them to death. That's the frame of mind he's moving into here. That is why being Handsome Jack's enemy is so dangerous.
But, she doesn't take the path he expects, and so that track that he was starting to head down in his mind shifts. He says nothing more, only listens as she explains her freedom and the cost that it took to grasp it. It's not what he expected at all, in the end. He's seen her as so innocent that it sparks a sort of fatherly instinct in him, but-- He was mistaken, at least partially. He recognizes that, and again, that idealistic image of Elizabeth starts to be stripped away.
It's not a bad thing, though. He's seeing her as a person, not an ideal. So for Jack, that's both a far better and far worse place to be. For Jack to truly see you as a person, it means you matter to him, for better and for worse. It's never simply an "or" with him. Her story gets the bravado to shift away, like you can see how her words sink in to him as a physical thing. ]
Elizabeth...
[ He says her name softly, still showing his surprise openly. There's a certain tone to his voice that makes it clear. He accepts her words, because how could Jack not? Even as impressions, the surprise of this acceptance is meaningful.
—But.
The meaning in them is what makes that difference in the nuance much more distinct than any failing in the program otherwise. It may not matter at all. Or it may eventually lead to this Jack doing something that the other would not.
The undercurrent goes unnoticed, because Jack steps forward, pauses, hesitates, then so long as she lets him, he'll take a seat on the couch next to her. There's space left between them, but the point is that he's not standing over her, and there's not a desk as a barrier between them. ]
You've gotta be shitting me. You're—
[ He pauses again, uncertain, then runs a hand through his hair, like her statement unsettles him or makes him nervous. He's trying to pick out what to say here, but it ends up being brief, though not simple. ]
No, you're-- You're not actually trying to screw me over here. You're actually, what, concerned? About something like that?
no subject
Ultimately, the person before Elizabeth isn't who he's presenting himself as. Not really. He's a program made to copy the real thing, and so there's natural nuance lost. It's impossible to recreate an entire person's psyche, even though this AI was certainly a technological marvel that was very close to such a feat. He's made up of memories written in data, of impressions of feeling and sensation that he'd never truly felt, and so in that, the AI truly believes himself to be Handsome Jack, even in the face of the objective truth that he's not. Like a hero from an epic, he was simply the next stage, the grand return from death, because a true hero wasn't meant to be cowed or stopped.
And yet, he's always partial. Incomplete.
There's a nuance here that's missed, because for all of Jack's bravado, these words would be posturing from the real man. Daring someone he cares about to challenge him is a convenient fix, since it's a way for him to close off and compartmentalize how he feels about them. If they want to kill him for what he's done, then so be it. He'll be their enemy. But it's also that man's way to ask without ever having to admit his perceived weakness that he doesn't want that path. For Jack, this sort of posturing was meant to be the last outstretched hand.
But for the AI, Elizabeth is right. It's his own ego, because that was the way Jack always wanted this kind posturing to come off. "Defy me, and I'll kill you," not "think about what you're doing, since I don't want you to be my enemy." The words that the AI speaks are all correct, but his reasonings for saying them are a shadow of the man that would say them. People are never so simple that a lifetime of experience that shapes every decision could be converted into code. It's a small nuance because of the brilliance of who made him. In fact, it doesn't change the course of the conversation. But— ]
Mean something?
[ The posturing drops quickly in surprise so sharp that it would almost be like she'd struck him. Insulting and teasing him is expected, as is that fiery, almost hateful (so far as he sees) it gaze. Even her tears don't move him, because he's the sort of monster that will stare into the eyes of someone begging for their life and torture them to death. That's the frame of mind he's moving into here. That is why being Handsome Jack's enemy is so dangerous.
But, she doesn't take the path he expects, and so that track that he was starting to head down in his mind shifts. He says nothing more, only listens as she explains her freedom and the cost that it took to grasp it. It's not what he expected at all, in the end. He's seen her as so innocent that it sparks a sort of fatherly instinct in him, but-- He was mistaken, at least partially. He recognizes that, and again, that idealistic image of Elizabeth starts to be stripped away.
It's not a bad thing, though. He's seeing her as a person, not an ideal. So for Jack, that's both a far better and far worse place to be. For Jack to truly see you as a person, it means you matter to him, for better and for worse. It's never simply an "or" with him. Her story gets the bravado to shift away, like you can see how her words sink in to him as a physical thing. ]
Elizabeth...
[ He says her name softly, still showing his surprise openly. There's a certain tone to his voice that makes it clear. He accepts her words, because how could Jack not? Even as impressions, the surprise of this acceptance is meaningful.
—But.
The meaning in them is what makes that difference in the nuance much more distinct than any failing in the program otherwise. It may not matter at all. Or it may eventually lead to this Jack doing something that the other would not.
So, which will it end up being?
It'll probably be quite a while before Elizabeth finds out the answer.
The undercurrent goes unnoticed, because Jack steps forward, pauses, hesitates, then so long as she lets him, he'll take a seat on the couch next to her. There's space left between them, but the point is that he's not standing over her, and there's not a desk as a barrier between them. ]
You've gotta be shitting me. You're—
[ He pauses again, uncertain, then runs a hand through his hair, like her statement unsettles him or makes him nervous. He's trying to pick out what to say here, but it ends up being brief, though not simple. ]
No, you're-- You're not actually trying to screw me over here. You're actually, what, concerned? About something like that?