Here is my searching thread, for more info about me and sample(s):
Searching ThreadDefinitely need to check that out if the following looks interesting... .
This would be a story about (a) life-like robot(s) called "Animates." Our two main characters will likely be an Animate and a human.
I was inspired by reading the interactive fiction piece,
Galatea, by Emily ShortI was unable to figure out how to get very far within the story without using
cheats. My favorite cheat is
this one and it formed most of the basis for my inspiration. It is not necessary to click on any of the links, or read any of that story, as I will paste the pertinent quotes below.
(Another source of inspiration I doubtlessly had was the TV show "Almost Human")
Inspired by this quote:
"Telling her about Hazar brought back old memories: you and Jenny, awkward and childish, at the edge of the crowd, gradually working your way forward into the circle of light around Scherezade; the glitter of gold and fake jewels; the way those tawny eyes turned and fixed on you for just a moment before passing over the rest of the crowd…"
[I immediately imagined that scene so vividly, and what I would have done in that scenario. I know we all like to think of ourselves as originals, and we try to portray our characters that way. If everyone in a crowd behaves one way, we want our character to be different, and stand out. Yet the fact is that there is a pretty good reason why everyone else is behaving a certain way. For example, in that instance, I would probably totally geek out about seeing my first animate, and behave as everyone else does. If the robot had thoughts about this, I wouldn't know. Anyway, if the observing character behaved differently than everyone else, there would have to be a compelling reason.]
The intro to the story could be the main human seeing the main animate in this setting, OR that could be the human's flashback to the first time they saw an animate. Now animates could be far more populous. They could be counselors, teachers, drivers, or just prolific art. They could be practically blasé.
Whatever angle you wanted to take with it would be perfectly fine, there are merits to all.
"'This is an artificial intelligence exhibit. The artists -- usually teams of artists, actually -- construct bodies -- like yours, although I have to say that yours shows an unusually high degree of precision. And then they put in machinery to animate the bodies, and programming to teach the bodies how to speak to the viewers. It's a kind of game. I try to see if I can trick you into acting in a way that a real person wouldn't act. And most of the pieces have some kind of back story and personality. It's a kind of art, as well as a technical skill.'"
[We do not need to have animates still be used primarily as art unless we want to.]
"Processing humor in an apparently spontaneous manner is a rarity."
"'Interesting,' she [the animate] says thoughtfully after a moment. 'You'd think that the effect of an installation would be even greater if the whole setting were designed for it -- so that you didn't see gallery walls at all.'
You think instantly of the Bhattacharyya installation last month. Theoretically you're a purist, not a large-scale simulationist. But the immersive experience he achieved left you with strange dreams and a lasting nostalgia for a place that doesn't even really exist."
[In the story she stands on a pedestal before a velvet backdrop. Apparently there are more immersive exhibits that can even involve scents. We could foray into simulations in some way, depending on how sci-fi we want to get.]
"You trace the curve of her [the animate's] cheek gently with the back of one finger-- and jerk your hand away. What you'd meant as an assessing gesture (realism in every particular, that's the goal; a good critic thinks about skin texture and warmth, dammit. You're doing your job) suddenly feels like something else. Perhaps because she's looking at you, her eyes unnaturally wide. Your eyes meet, and she lets go a slow breath. All you can think is: animates don't do that. There's a conventional limit to their interactivity. They're meant to be touched -- but not to react—"
[I really like this part, about how this Animate is more "real." I would like to be open to a sort of romance developing between them. This is very negotiable, but I lean towards the Animate being the male.]
"[Animates] Seems these days that you don't think of anything else. Sometimes when you're in the middle of a conversation with a real person, you find yourself mentally critiquing their dialogue design, or wishing that someone had taken a little more care with skin tone."
"Her [the animate's] ignorance is encyclopedic, she has a child's curiosity, but she is as logical and articulate as most adults."
Anyway pretty clearly I'm open to ideas on this and very flexible, but I also feel like I have enough to go off of if you like what you're seeing.
Please read my searching thread (linked at the top) and hopefully provide me with a sample. Then we can talk ideas for this!
