Oriana: Transhumanism Vs. Artificial Intellegence
I would like to discus two science-fiction tropes and Oriana's new and old lore. I aslo want to know which one the community thinks she should be an example of.
Transhumanism generally means the ideal of improving upon humans using technology; to turn men into supermen, cybernetics, the eliminations of dieses through genetic engineering, To make humanity into something more. Films and games such as Ghost in a Shell, Deus Ex, Bioshock, and Blade Runner have explored the concept. Any people are in favor of it, hoping that it could lead into a utopian state, were even death itself is no more. Others have suggested many ethical problems with it; giving a man a new heart is one thing, but giving a man a better brain is quite another. Is it morally Ethical too replace a functional arm with a 'improved" robotic one? If we were to upload our minds into robotic ones, it is truly an ascension, or mass suicide?
The other topic is A.I. Ever since I was a child, Artificial Intelligence was an intriguing. The Idea of something made by man having an itelleigence that matches, or even exceeds our own; it is both fascinating and horrifying. We have heard many stories of the eventual Robot Rebellion, but I myself was more partial to _I, Robot _, by Isaac Asimov. The largest questions they pose revolve around the idea of their equiality to their creators. "Do these units have a soul?" ask the Geth of Mass Effect, and many people have had very different answers to such a question. Many would argue we could never create anything with a soul. Others of course would say they have as much of a soul as humans do.
Oriana once was an exploration of A.I. Once upon a time, A young woman wished to be a Champion. She tired to train herself to become on of the League of Legends, but, sadly, died during a training accident. A grief stricken father, being a man of Piltover and an expert in his field, quietly declared to himself "I'll fix you up." And made a sort of replacement; A machine made of clockwork, moving under it's own power, and with a machine to help protect it. It was in the shape Oriana, and had all of her memories. Convinced... or perhaps self-deluded that he had brought Oriana back, and that she could now fulfil her dreams.
However, it would seem that he was wrong in some way. Ori may have had the memories of the original, but not her soul. She came across as a doll that moved and spoke. She had problems understanding humanity, and seemed to, on some level, understand that she was not, and would never be the true Oriana.
> "Yes, I died", offered Orianna. Carin, ever the one for formality, replied. "We have entered your mind, Orianna. How did this make you feel?" The clockwork girl giggled in an inhuman way. "It was fun. I like memories. Don't you?" Senior Summoner Montrose cleared his throat. "Why do you want to be a part of the League of Legends?" "Because it is what I have always wanted. Because my father designed me to do so. Because The Ball is impatient to play on the Fields of Justice." As if in answer, she turned to pet The Ball, which began to crackle with energy. Montrose continued. "And you understand the conditions of such admission?" "Yes", replied Orianna. "I will play by the rules of your Institute. I will be a good girl." The Ball whirred and clicked. Orianna added, "And The Ball will, too. Be a good ball, that is." Clearly uneasy by the experience, Summoner Carin remained silent. Senior Summoner Montrose, however unsettled himself, maintained his air of authority. "Then you shall be a Champion, clockwork girl. The arrangements will be made." Orianna made a sound that was supposed to be a girl's squeal of glee and hugged The Ball. While it might have been touching, it was unfortunately only horrifying
In the new lore, Oriana was a kind hearted woman who grew up in Piltover. Sadly, during an attempt to save those affected by a deadly plague, she hersef fell victim to it. It was a horrific fate; slowly but surely her body would have decayed. However, her father, unwilling to let her suffer for this, came up with an interesting form of treatment; to replace those parts of her body that had begun to fail. Eventually, Oriana was the first (interesting wording Riot) fully-mechanized human. Even her brain was completely replaced.
Of course, becoming a completely robotic person is both a completely amazing experiences, it does raise a number of existential questions. Oriana has a number of questions about her new life and how human she actually is. Of course, she also seems to be suffering a...loss of humanity. It is common among stories to have those who augment themselves to being to lose something about being human. Perhaps it's the fact that you can't relate to the squishies when you can break them in half and will outlive them, but, as tv tropes puts it, Cybernetics Eat Your Soul.
New Oriana seems to also be developing some sort of Machine Empathy of sorts, having a connection to a machine that she saw. It's a fascinating concept.
> "You winked at me." said Orianna. "Why?" "We are kindred spirits, you and I. But you already knew that", said Fieram. "It's why you're here, isn't it?" He shuffled his feet. Orianna marveled at the subtlety of his movement. "It is just that I have never seen another like you", she said. "I'm one of a kind, aren't I? Same as you", said Fieram. He gestured toward her mechanical frame, and winked again. Orianna smiled. Fieram leaned in against the glass. "Your smile is--- " "Fabricated?" she said. "Yes. I am still mastering certain expressions." " ...beautiful", said Fieram. "Well now you are going to make me blush." Orianna's ball, hovering at her left shoulder, nudged her gently. "Not now", she told the ball. She lifted the mechanical monkey from its stall nearby and turned its key. It scuttled about the floor, eyes lit with a red glow, clashing its cymbals together at every third step before slowing to a halt. "You are not like him, are you, Fieram? All wound up at the turn of a key?" she said. "You have a mind. You have thoughts." "I may be comprised of cogs and wheels, but I have dreams, like anyone." "I know you dream of leaving this place. Surely you are lonely behind this glass. Come with me. We could leave now, together", Orianna said. "Leave?" Fieram's expression fell. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."
Old Oriana had some elements of transhumanism, but I personally believe that it was the Story of an A.I. Her father tried desperately to have his daughter back. With the right writer, if could have been heartbreaking to see it. We all have or will lose someone close to us, but all loving parents fear outliving their children. I can imagine him, staring at a picture on an old workbench, memories of Oriana growing up, knowing that that was all he had. Oriana wants to be the actually Oriana, but I feel that she knew that she could never be. Her father never realized his daughter and this machine were not the same, he is just happy to have his beloved daughter back. This brings up an interesting talking point; was this Oriana truly a person? Could she learn to become human?
I have always loved Robots in fiction, because they see the world so differently than we do. It's just fascinating to watch something like that try to understand humanity and the world around it in it's own terms. It's similar to our own human condition, but the best Science Fiction authors can make an A.I. truly alien. Oriana had an interesting dynamic with Blitzkrank; he is a steam-powered golem who developed into his own person unintentionally. Oriana, being machine meant to replace a human, but never quite getting it right. I liked them as a couple; Blitzkrank seemed like the kind of fellow who could have helped Ori understand her 'humanity'. This could have also driven a wedge between her and her father as she started to become her own person.
New Oriana is an interesting look at transhumanism. Yes, she is still alive to an extent, but since her brain and body are gone... is that really her? It is similar to the whole "My grandfather's Axe' thought experiment. In any case, the idea of slowly losing touch with your own humanity is always interesting. Oriana seems to be trying to be human, but at the same time she wants to have a connection to others that are like her. Humans are naturally social creatures, but i assume that the process of becoming completely mechanical like she did are both expensive and of questionable ethics, so i assume that there are not many like her in Piltover or in Zaun. Meeting the Metal Man was an interesting experience for her, and while he is currently Possible champion fodder right now, I hope she sees him again.
As for character connections, as much as i prefer the older lore, she does have a lot of interesting ones herself. Camille has similar transhuman roots, but she seems to care little for her humanity, which makes an excellent contrast to a woman who is trying to hold on to hers. Viktor has a bit of a stronger connection; He wants to cast aside his humanity and become something that he sees as perfect. To him, Oriana is almost there. ( I also find it Ironic that a man who hates emotions created a robot with emotions).
What do you guys prefer? Did you think I did a good job on this post? Please, tell me in the comments.
