This is something experimental. 2000 Words.
Female replacement
“Honey, I’m home!” Julian called out after he had entered his apartment. The smell of his favorite food being prepared hung in the air. He closed his eyes, inhaling the scent through his nose and waited for a response. After a few seconds of silence he started to wonder and opened his eyes again.
It was eerily dark. “Lights on full.” he said to no one and watched as the illumination panels in the ceiling turned to full brightness, revealing the few possessions of his minimalistic lifestyle.
“Nanko, are you there?” he called out again, now slightly worried. He made to search for her but after a few steps, he felt two small arms wrap around him from behind. After a short moment of fright and confusion he realized the situation: She had hid behind the door and now had sneaked up on him… like the monster from the horror movie they had watched recently.
“Course I´m here Juli…” She spoke in a soft jet mischievous voice as she rubbed her cheek along his neck and shoulders. ”…we both know you would starve without me.”
“Now come in the kitchen.” she said with a smile. ”Dinners is ready and I’m mighty hungry.” She grabbed his hand and began to pull him into the kitchen. She had to stop however, since now it was he who had his arms wrapped around her from behind.
“…I would starve without you.” He said, kissing her on the neck.
She turned and, after a moment, pulled him in into a longer, more passionate, kiss. When they separated their lips he could take his first real look at her for today: Her unimpressive, yet lovely face, which was never far from a smile, her bright green eyes, long brown hair and equally brown… cat ears.
------------Purchase confirmation: Your custom made companion class Biot type “Nanko G12” has arrived------------
Dear customer,
BioForge Ltd. congratulates you for choosing our bestselling “Nanko G12” companion Biot. The physical and psychotechnical customizations you specified in your order have been added.
The monthly installments will be deducted from your specified account as was agreed upon.
If you notice any problems, please report them within the one-year warranty period.
Best regards
------------BioForge – we bring to future to life------------
“This tastes somewhat different, did you change something?” Julian asked.
“Heh, I was wondering if you would ask. But yes I left out some of the sugar. It’s not healthy for ordinary mortals like you.” Nanko replied, with a wink.
“...if that is ok for you.” she attached, somewhat unsure.
“Wise Kitty Goddess, its fine …but you are not the only one with a surprise...” Julian smiled and reached in his pocket.
Nanko raised an eyebrow.
“What do you say about us going to the movies this evening?” in his hand he held two tickets for the sequel of the horror flick they enjoyed earlier, front row.
Nanko made as if she had to think long and hard. “…the Goddess accepts your humble offering.” She said with a grin.
------------TED Talk: social change in the age of artificial lifeforms (excerpt) ------------
…after bio printing became sophisticated enough to create custom made organs on the fly, the next step was obvious: entirely self-sufficient biological system: Artificial life forms
These living robots, or Biots, as they are commonly referred to, are by now common place. They are used in construction, housekeeping, the military, and yes, even in the sex industry. Advanced models can fulfill a multitude of roles and, in addition, are capable of learning and adaption.
The most common application however, is that of the companion. An increasing number of people, the vast majority of them being men, prefer to order a custom made partner instead of looking for a real one. I even have been told that BioForge is hard at work to make their products able to carry real human children to term.
What does that mean for the future of relationships?
------------TED: Ideas worth spreading------------
It was pretty full in the subway station. Julian and Nanko had to press through a thick crowd before they reached the platform that would bring them close to the cinema. They went out rarely and every time the city, or rather its people, looked slightly different.
Companion class Biots, if they could be recognized at all, were omnipresent. Almost every man, no matter what age or social standing, had at least one by his side. Furthermore, there was an astonishing reversal of trends:
Just a few years ago, when Biots like Nanko where new and rare, their owners made sure to dress and modify them in a very noticeable way. If you saw a pretty young women that looked like she came straight out of an anime convention, you could be sure that she was a Biot. (Unless you really where close to an anime convention, of course.)
Now however, Biots were dressed pretty plain most of the time and obvious modifications became a rarity. Instead it were the real women who did the peacocking now. Lots of makeup, little clothing, noticeable hairstyles, tattoos and assesoires where a sure sign that you were dealing with a genuine female human. The similarities with prostitutes became hard to ignore.
Also, those modern women seemed to be way more sexually aggressive than in previous decades. On the way to the station, Julian was approached by several:
“H-Hey…you single?” One of them asked in a nervous tone.
“Wanna play with some real funbags?” another one said brashly, flashing him her tits.
Both times Julian signaled his disinterest. The first one just left him alone. The second one however was less accepting: “Faggot! Zombie fucker!” she yelled after him.
------------Psychology Today: loneliness and suicide, a new epidemic ------------
“…and then, after 20 years, he left us... just to be with one of those…those THINGS!”
“Do you think that caused your daughter to do… what she did?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it. She told me many times how lost and alone she felt. Her father leaving us was the final straw.”
“Why do you believe she felt so alone in the first place? She did have friends, didn’t she?”
“Yes but, you know, she is… was a young woman. There are some needs that friends just cannot fulfill…”
“So she had trouble forming relationships?”
“Yes… I was hoping that, eventually, some boy would approach her, maybe online, like I was, but… that never happened.”
“Did she try to approach other men herself?”
“She did... for a time, but it was incredibly difficult to muster the courage for that. It is like you take all your self-worth and put it in the hand of a complete stranger. If the men replied at all, she was eventually ghosted or flaked on, and I had to build her back up again.”
“I understand. Those needs that you mentioned, did you try any alternatives to fulfill them?”
“Like what? We are human beings, we cannot replace the need for each other.”
“Well, maybe your daughter could have fulfilled those needs if… instead of a human partner… she had a dog.”
“…how do you mean that?”
------------------------
Now at the right platform, Julian and Nanko waited for their train.
“Why was she so mean?” Nanko asked with a worried look.
“I guess she was just lonely, I have heard it can make people go silly.” Julian replied while shrugging his shoulders.
“Well, to bad for her, I got you first.” She took his hand and pressed it against her cheek.
“Uhm…yea…actually it was the other way around.” Julian said matter-of-factly.
Nanko rolled her eyes. “Stop questioning fate and give me a… ohhh shit.”
She suddenly got serious and looked over his shoulder at something behind him.
“Huh? What?” Julian said, turning.
There was a girl, a real one, by the looks of it, on the edge of the platform. Blinking, Julian recognized her: She was the first one who approached him on his way to the station, the nervous one. Her back was turned to the crowd of worried bystanders.
“E-Excuse me, but you should really stay away from the…” Julian called to her hesitantly, but was drowned out by an automatic announcement:
“Attention: The train will arrive in 15 seconds, please mind the gap.”
Even before the announcement was over, the approaching subway train could be heard from the tunnel.
“Lady, you must get away from the track!” Julian said, louder this time as he made a first step towards her.
But as soon a she noticed his movement, the young woman let herself fall forward, disappearing below the platform. Julian could hear an unpleasant sound as she collided with the track lines.
His eyes darted between the place where she just stood and the dark tunnel where the train could appear any moment now. He took another few steps and could take a glimpse of her writhing form lying on the rail.
But before he could even think of what to do next he was suddenly pulled back by two small hands holding him by the arm.
“NO,NO, NO, Juli, don’t…” Nanko said loudly as she held him as hard as she could. He could barely hear her over the screeching of the train brakes. But when the train rolled over the place where the girl was lying, Julian was sure he could heard a short sharp scream…
------------The Daily Talk with Stacy Bernstein, starring Elias Rodriguez, CCO of BioForge Ltd. ------------
Stacy: “…so you do acknowledge that your products contribute to the sharp increase in female suicides?”
Elias: “Yes.”
Stacy: “Do you feel at least somewhat sorry for that?”
Elias: “No.”
Stacy: “Okay… and you have no future plans to improve on the current generation of male appearing companion class Biots?”
Elias: “No.”
Stacy: “Why not? The demand is obviously present. Certainly there is much money in it.”
Elias: “Because it’s not possible.”
Stacy: “Why is that? Your male customers seem to be quite happy with your products. Why is it so difficult to do something similar for women?”
Elias: “<sign> because it’s infinitely more easy to please a man that to please a woman.”
Stacy: “What is the difference?”
Elias: “You see, men have very few and very simple requirements on a relationship. Roughly speaking, they want someone who needs them. They want to be the provider and they want to be respected and desired if the fulfill this role adequately. They also want stability and little drama.”
Stacy: “And your Biots do that?”
Elias: “Yes. It is comparatively easy to create a system to fulfill those desires, because such a system has to be mostly passive. Also, there is a high tolerance for behavioral error or uncertainty since, if something goes wrong between man and woman, most of the time the man assumes he is the problem. Under such circumstances, adapting to the male psyche is a simple matter.”
Stacy: “And women want something…”
Elias: “…way more active. Way more flexible. What makes women happy in a given moment is extremely difficult to predict or recognize. And they are less forgiving if there is an error in the behavior, making automated adaption a difficult process. Furthermore, quite often, women want their partner to lead, to be dominant, which is a dangerous demand if we are talking about artificial intelligence.“
Stacy: “So, you are saying that women are emotionally more complex?”
Elias: “No, I’m saying that women are emotionally underdeveloped.”
Stacy: “Excuse me?”
Elias: “You heard me right. Women never had to learn to understand, much less control their own emotions. They just expected men to figure out what they want and shamed them for every misstep. Men had to comply because women where, until recently, the reproductive bottleneck.”
Stacy: “If I understand your sexist tirade right, if women don’t want to be replaced by Biots they should…”
Elias: “…get their shit together.”
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