Do cyborgs "play"?

It might seem perfectly natural that they do, but there's nothing natural about cyborgs. We only see one example of it in canon...at the end of the the second OVA episode, Rico & Henrietta splashing & chasing each-other at the beach in Taormina.


Do the younger ones play with dolls or stuffed animals in the dorm?

Do the tomboyish ones climb trees and build makeshift rafts to sail on the compound lake?

Do the older ones organize football matches or play video games?

...or is all of that conditioned out of them?

It seems reasonable to surmise that the cyborgs still have a penchant for recreation. After all, Triela dresses her bears, maintains them... Claes makes a garden because she feels that she might like to... It doesn't really seem out of the bounds of credibility that the cyborgs have various activities that they do to help them unwind, so to speak.

It would be feasible, I should think, that _physical_ recreation is not necessarily encouraged, being that it might run the risk of damaging the cyborgs (damages incurred "off the clock" being damaging to the test results of the cyborg systems, for example)...

Actually... on second thought, I can imagine Drs. Bianchi et al ENCOURAGING this sort of activity... the sooner they can iron out the kinks in the cyborg's systems, the sooner they can start marketing the prosthetics and recouping some dosh.

After all, who would their best customers be, at first? Those with money who have incurred some sort of catastrophic injury - sports stars, for example.


I could see it going either way, honestly... but to answer your question - I don't see why they wouldn't: the girls have mechanical bodies. However, they are still adolescent children.

Kara, Petra, Claes and Triela have played soccer together within my OC universe.

I got the impression here that the cyborgs didn't do much for fun. I figure between work, training, and heavy studies they only can get together for the odd tea party. Any one of them would prefer to spend time with their handlers too, of course.

Claes appears to be the only one with enough time on her hands to do anything and since she is often alone she just uses it in pursuit of the finer things.

Strictly speaking of within canon, the girls absolutely still retain the capacity for normal, every-day playing around. There are the examples Officer Charon mentioned above, as well as other direct evidence within canon. Vol 6, Ch 28, Pg 32 has Jean telling Rico that she can go play on the beach, where she is then seen running around, playing with some woman's dog.

I think that the reason why we see so little of the girls relaxing and playing is that, for one thing, their training takes up the vast majority of their time. And aside from that, with the younger 1st Gen girls at least, they are so fixated on wanting to please their handlers, that they are more prone to naturally wanting to engage in activities they believe their handler would enjoy, rather than spending their off-duty hours like normal little girls. So it's not so much that they can't have fun like normal kids, but that they simply don't have the normal desire to.

With the older girls like Petra, we know from the scene where she's hanging out with her fellow 2nd Gens that they do indeed engage in more casual activities that would be considered normal for girls their age. But with the primary focus of GSG being on the 1st Gens, we simply don't get the opportunities within canon to observe that.

Annie and Paolo play all the time – and no, I’m not talking about sex play. I mean normal little kid play. They even go so far and to make up imaginary games, such as pretending they are monster hunters and spies. Annie has a very active imagination, so try thinking along the lines of Bridge to Terabithia.

ChaosKin640 wrote:Vol 6, Ch 28, Pg 32 has Jean telling Rico that she can go play on the beach, where she is then seen running around, playing with some woman's dog.

Perhaps we're mis-interpreting that scene...Rico spent her entire pre-cyborg life hooked up to IV's in a hospital bed...how would she even know what a dog was?

Danjo3 wrote:Annie and Paolo play all the time – and no, I’m not talking about sex play. I mean normal little kid play. They even go so far and to make up imaginary games, such as pretending they are monster hunters and spies.

I'd be lying if I said your story didn't at least partially inspire this question.

While the handlers have responsibility for the particulars, I get the impression that the Agency's general upbringing is for refined and proper young ladies - most of their non-combat training and education seems to be capital-C Cultured, whether it be Triela's philosophy, Claes's wide-reading, Henrietta's study of the violin, and their general style of dress - even Rico doesn't schlep around in jeans and a T-shirt except for that one chapter you've just lampooned (very funny!), Voodoo. Their environment is fairly starchy.

You can turn your neck inside a collar, though. The younger girls do have time to just hang - take episode 2 when the cyborgs chat on the roof after putting up the laundry onto the washing lines, for instance, or multiple scenes when they're all having tea. I don't feel that there's any necessary reason why they wouldn't play - they're not robots who are boxed away in a warehouse when not in use, they do need to fill their free time some way. "She is still an adolescent child" after all. They do feel comfortable around each other as well (Henrietta and Rico making up in the refectory after the fight over Henrietta's kaleidoscope), no-one's particularly stiff. Their play might be of the gentler sort, though - hide-and-seek around the buildings and dressing up Triela's bears over making mud pies at the building site.

As for why we don't see too much of it in the manga - it's one of the problems of making a serial. You can have occasional chapters like Claes's "life in a day", but the readers will always be niggling at you for something to happen to further the plot along in each instalment, which limits opportunities for things like that to bridging chapters at the ends of story arcs. Yu is conscious of it, though - I've heard on TVTropes that some of the drama CDs produced in advance of Il Teatrino had some play and down-time around the compound:

All There in the Manual: The radio drama falls in the cracks during manga volume 6 and the first half of 7. It's mostly the girls elaborating on events that were shown (Triela's 2nd fight with Pino, Rico's whole day in Venice and her reaction to falling in the Lagoon, and Claes's reaction to her Berserk Button moment with Petra). We also learn where Angelica got the stuffed dog we see in volume 9 (and its name), and just how widely read Claes really is (enough to shock Hilshire). Plus, Triela scolds one of her bears.

The second generation girls move in different circles to the younger ones. Their upbringing is certainly more casual - at the very least, we can see posters of pop-stars up in their rooms - but that's because they need more to be 'socialised' and comfortable in the vernacular world as part of their espionage work.

I don't see any reason why they should not play... as a few have alluded to here: remember what GSG's tagline is. A lot of their lives are taken up with training and "working" of course... I think in the end it probably boils down to the handler.

That said, and as I think I've mentioned somewhere else before, the canon Gen1s "play" seems to be the sort of play that pleases adults rather than the sort of play that children partake in of themselves. It's clean, cultured, acceptable play... I've yet to see a cyborg playing mugby in canon. Again though, the Gen2s seem to behave somewhat more "normally" adolescent.

As to Monty (seeing as this is the OC General Discussion area afterall)... she's something of a product of trying to keep too many balls in the air at once. Hence for her what could be come "playtime" would likely become "getting ahead so I don't have to do it later" time. The little downtime she does get I imagine is spent curled up with a book or watching a movie... neither of which she'd be capable of spending more than half an hour on without feeling that she should be doing something more productive.

Had she been "brought up", as it were, in a less full-on environment, things may have been different.

It'd make a bloody dull story if they didn't.

Professor Voodoo, all I can say with your re-interpretation of Rico's encounter with *Fluffy The Wonder Dog* is HILARIOUS! (2 thumbs up on that one)
I agree with the general consensus that cyborgs especial the younger ones play. How much and what kinds of recreation I guess depends on each girl.
edit: Thinking it over, what Alfisti pointed out is a factor as well.
example: Lauro's fate could be interpreted as his view towards the cyborgs coming back to haunt him. The chink in the conditioning's armor might be anything that reawakens the human inside the machine..... for better or for worse. A more positive example: Jose's kind treatment of Henrietta trickles down to Rico as his charge in turn treats her mechanical colleague in like wise manner.
As for me own cyborgs, Peculiar Ayden likes to play tricks on Helen who despite being a bit older, is more innocent.
(Helen however doesn't really have any toys, just a lollipop stick that Salvatore once gave her as a reward after a mission)

Do cyborg-girls play?

I would say: Of course, they are still normal girls in their mind.

As for Emilie:
She plays Piano and sings to the melody if she's in the mood.
After she spent a day outside with Priscilla Emi reads her comics in her room.
On one lazy and day she just sat most of the time on a bench under a tree somewhere on the SWA Compound.
She later starts to read every book about Belgium and belgian things in Claes library.

Cause Emilie is a 13 years old girl, she is not as childish as the younger Rico and Henrietta but she talks with her stuffed penguin Tux and cuddles him often... i dare say if Emi is in the mood, she joins the "stuffed animal parties" the other girls are making.

In his spare time, Scott likes to fly around model aircraft in the airspace above the compound and practice doing aerobatic maneuvers. It also serves as a bit of training with certain operations where a UAV would be quickly met with alarm and gunfire but a kid playing with a hobby-type airplane raises more nostalgia than suspiscion.

Allison should already be pretty obvious-- if she has free time, She's got her Delta, MX-5, or AE86 on the lift or at least with the bonnet up, and she's turning bolts and adjusting all kinds of settings. Then, a lap or two on the test track before bringing the car back in and checking telemetry in order to see if there's any improvement. However, if conditions aren't really ideal or she'd rather do something else, she can generally be found playing Xbox 360-- usually Forza Motorsport 3, of course.

Saladin has a lot of free time on his hands, but it's basically spent doing a lot of weapon maintenance and testing. It's really his daily routine, and he's fine with it-- that, and I can't conceivably think of anything else he'd be doing with his free time.

Let's see, in terms of OC cyborgs, at the current point in my story, Melanie doesn't really have much free time to spend relaxing or playing. Almost all of it is taken up by her training and regular studies. The little spare time she does have, she enjoys just hanging out with Kara and Allison and the other older girls. Further on, once things settle down for her, I plan for Melanie to spend a lot of her free hours in the gym, practicing both basic CQB as well as more advanced martial arts techniques.

Lucy I think is fairly obvious in regards to how she prefers to spend her down-time. If she isn't stomping nerds in an online game, then she's playing around with her computer, keeping her hacking skills sharp.

Nina...well, I think the things that Nina likes to do to relax and unwind are better left unsaid. Needless-to-say, they can tend to get...messy. And no, not (necessarily), Little Britney-style messy.

I think as a general trait the cyborgs might be a little pretentious about outright play...at least while the adults are watching.

In Chapter 4 we see Elenora & Fermi walk in on Triela while she's tying a bow on one of her bears;

...at the realization that strangers (adult strangers) have arrived with Rico she whips around and tosses the bear away, blushing...apparently embarrassed to have been caught at the childish pursuit.

---

That's what I've centered Marisa's attitude around. She's more than happy to throw in on a football match (hockey in MP5's stories), play a video game with the older girls, or even join Henrietta & Rico in decorating a doll house (if she was bored enough).

Spoiler:

But if Elio showed up she'd try to make up some excuse...how football prepares one for joint operations...how video games sharpen hand-eye coordination, or how playing with a doll house helps her memorize floor plans for attacks.

Elio: That looks like a good raft you've built there.

Marisa: Oh...yeah, that thing. Well, we might need to throw together a makeshift boat on a mission someday so I figured I should get some practice.

Elio: Practice, eh? (wry smile, seeing straight through her pretentious facade) So what are the pirate flag and the wooden swords for?

Marisa: (has no good answer)

Professor Voodoo wrote:
Elio: That looks like a good raft you've built there.

Marisa: Oh...yeah, that thing. Well, we might need to throw together a makeshift boat on a mission someday so I figured I should get some practice.

Elio: Practice, eh? (wry smile, seeing straight through her pretentious facade) So what are the pirate flag and the wooden swords for?

Marisa: I figure we should fly a neutral flag and the swords are contingency weapons in case we have to repel dolphins—, er, boarders.

Elio: Uh huh... (Walks off.)

Marisa: (Taps her earbud radio.) Thanks, Kara. That was quick thinking.

I say that the cyborgs are allowed to play. What depends on their interests and what their handlers allow. It also depends on who their cyborg or normal friends are. And of course what are the extents of knowledge of game they know.

As much as a loner Rachel might be, she does love games but has outgrown her Barbie stage.

Rachel: Barbie? Heh.... that bitch has everything!

Kiskaloo wrote:Marisa: (Taps her earbud radio.) Thanks, Kara. That was quick thinking.

Once Elio is gone the game resumes...

Kara: (from the "fort" ashore) All clear, open fire! ("cannonballs" fly from Laine's tennis ball launcher)

Marisa: (dodging tennis balls) Hey, you're only supposed to load those one at a time!

Allison: I'm sorry, we can't accept your answer unless it's given in "pirate talk."

Marisa: Oh right...Avast ye scurvy dogs!

Rachel: Strike yer colours ye sea rat!

John: *walking by, gets clobbered by tennis ball*

John: *lying on ground* Y'know, I'm starting to think that Ms. Blacker has the right idea by staying in the office, working... Now I'm going to have to find a stash of M-80s....

Well, I don't know about actual playing, but Dusty does indeed take lots of leisure time... things like concerts, shoplifting, teasing poor Kit, etc. Though she tends to make time for leisure by neglecting her studies...

While Kit is a lot more studious, he still finds time for some video games and anime.

Jay: [from a tree with a small telescope in his hands and a paintball gun slung across his back] Well, I think some boarding action is in order right guys?

[Looks around him and notices that his 'gang' has disappeared.]

Jay: Damnit.

Avast behind !










cheeky bugger !

My little cyborg Ayden passes by and over hears Awinnell's comment....
'vast behind?' 'Watch it mister!'
'Cheesy Burgers?!' 'Yesss!'
(dashes over to the cafeteria)
'I've been had........'
such are her priorities:
1) Food
2) (distant second) Fratello and no amount of conditioning has been able to change that.

Claes: I still have no idea why I'm wearing a helmet too.

Allison: Duh! Because you're the co-driver!

In addition to R/C aircraft, I vaguely remember pointing out in Scott's profile that he also plays Airsoft (similar to paintball, but uses plastic BBs, realistic-looking weapons, and an honor system) with the other boys on the compound. Now, it has occurred to me that while it can be defended as a training tool, many times, it can also develop into tactical re-enactments, perhaps even revisionist scenarios (got Avise's attention, there), given that a lot of modern airsoft is military simulation-based. Given Allison's experience with creating scenery and stage sets from 'Shakespeare in the dorm', it would not be far-fetched for an ambitious cadre of cyborgs to take over the kill-house for a day and re-create Operation Nimrod, complete with obsolete S.A.S. CRW uniforms.

Pray that the cyborgs never play Battle Golf:

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/battlegolf.html

MP5 wrote:Pray that the cyborgs never play Battle Golf:

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/battlegolf.html

Required Equipment:
In order to play a game of Battle Golf the way it was meant to be done, you will need to procure the following items:

• Four people
  
• One golf course
  
• One full shitload of booze
  
• Two golf clubs (any kind, preferably Drivers)
  
• Four golf balls
  
• Four pairs of protective eyewear (optional)
  
• At least two loaded BB Pistols
  
• Something to protect your nuts (just in case)
  
• Other assorted weaponry, i.e. butter knives, ninja stars, water balloons, etc. Non BB Pistol weapons must be deemed mutually acceptable by both sides.

Rico: Okay, I've got everything we need except Something to protect our nuts. What do you suppose that means?

Professor Voodoo wrote:

MP5 wrote:Pray that the cyborgs never play Battle Golf:

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/battlegolf.html

Required Equipment:
In order to play a game of Battle Golf the way it was meant to be done, you will need to procure the following items:

• Four people
  
• One golf course
  
• One full shitload of booze
  
• Two golf clubs (any kind, preferably Drivers)
  
• Four golf balls
  
• Four pairs of protective eyewear (optional)
  
• At least two loaded BB Pistols
  
• Something to protect your nuts (just in case)
  
• Other assorted weaponry, i.e. butter knives, ninja stars, water balloons, etc. Non BB Pistol weapons must be deemed mutually acceptable by both sides.

Rico: Okay, I've got everything we need except Something to protect our nuts. What do you suppose that means?

Jay: (patting Rico on the head) Eh, don't worry about it, Rico... That only applies to the boys.

Rico:...?

Scott:Och... this 'jock-strap' has a tendency to ride up...