noncorporealform:

[lays down on my side on a luxurious couch, takes a long sip of a gin and tonic]

oh! hello. i didn’t see you there–

you see, one of the appeals of hankcon (for me anyway) is that hank isn’t traditionally attractive. he has a gut and scars and old tattoos; he’s got wrinkles and there’s character to his face and he’s unkempt. (to have a quick aside: i think people who say hank is gross are weirdos because clancy can fucking get it and that’s been true for me since Earth 2.)

then you introduce a new form of consciousness–a self-aware, self-determining android–and the conceit that this new consciousness’ conception of attraction would be determined by the parameters of desirability within human society is, frankly, absurd. then you put forth the idea that this new form of consciousness could have emotions outside of its programming. one of those emotions, obviously, could be love. that love would therefore not be determined by traditional attraction.

it’s nice. it’s nice to think about someone being loved like this. it’s nice that someone can drink too much beer and get a gut and maybe didn’t put enough sunscreen on their tattoo when they were young and they’re depressed so they didn’t shower that day and they don’t give a shit how they look because they’ve got three variations on one shirt and is at the age where society says you don’t get to be attractive anymore, and then this super-intelligent advanced consciousness goes: yes. this one. this is the one i like.

[sips more gin and tonic]

refreshing