video | dating show attempt #1: naked attraction

[lyingheart]

[ The video opens from an angle, filming what looks like a film crew and a man wearing a very large cravat talking with Annie. Both faces can be seen from the side. ]

So get this, [ he says, lifting his hands. ] you start out by seeing everyone's bare feet—

[ Annie stares at him, unblinking. The man's smile fixes in place, and he continues on. ]

Then you see their bare legs—

[ Annie continues staring without blinking. Determined, the man goes on. ]

Then you see bare everything from the legs up, and then their faces—

[ Annie stares, her eyes narrowing. ]

Before at last you step out, naked, and—

[ She holds up a hand, cutting him off. ]

When they said this was going to be a dating show, I didn't realise they really meant pornography. A young woman like me might take offense.

[ The man waves his hands, shaking his head. ]

No, no, no! It's not pornography, it's art! There's no touching invol—

[ His voice is cut off as Annie moves forward, her quick throw of the man landing him on his back on the ground with Annie placing one knee on the middle of his chest. His arms are held overhead. He's breathless, wheezing a little, eyes wide from what whites can be seen by the camera, which floats closer. ]

To hell with art. Contact me when you have a real proposal.

[ She pushes up to her feet, dusting herself off with a look of irritation still on her face. Her eyes flit to the camera, then to the one holding it. ]

Turn it off, Fritz. Now.

Comments

[sassymaru]

Mm... somewhat.

It means my body was mechanical. Made of metal, wires. That sort of thing.

[lyingheart]

Ah, the kind of core materials we find in various machines and computers here? What form was your body given? If that's not too rude to ask.

[sassymaru]

Of a sort, yes.

[He grins.]

I had five, in fact.

[lyingheart]

[ Ah! Here she blinks in obvious surprise. ]

You could reform in five different bodies? Were they of significantly different shapes?

[ How does that even work?! Two forms was already one too many! ]

[sassymaru]

[Ah yes, there's the reaction he loves to get from people.]

Indeed! In one, a talented robotic detective! Another, a supersonic jet. A stealth police car... a top secret tank... and?

Last, but assuredly not least...!

The Dark Wolf.

[... it's a dog.]

[lyingheart]

[ The Dark Wolf. As in there's only one. This fits right in with his dramatic personality, at least... ]

I have no idea what a jet or tank are, or what would make a police car stealthy. Hidden lights?

[ LOOK... ]

Robot detective just defines an occupation, not what that form looks like...

[sassymaru]

...

[Just the biggest sigh.]

Humanoid, I suppose, is the best way to define it. I shall... at least attempt to see if any photos were taken of me during the last weekend I was returned to myself.

[lyingheart]

Thank you for your effort.

[ Which she means sincerely. She knows this is a bother, but she's also stopped giving any flips of a bird about asking point blank after the many things she doesn't know. It's one kind of learning curve, and here being blatantly ignorant wasn't a death sentence. ]

[sassymaru]

But of course.

[It means he gets to look through photos of himself.]

I take it such things are not common in your world?

[lyingheart]

They're not.

[ They did have cars an dirigibles and steamships, but within the Walls, such weren't heard of. ]

We have river boats. Nothing like the ferries or cruise ships here. I learned about vehicles in this dimension, and airplanes when the crash happened.

[sassymaru]

Goodness.

You have... nothing? Only river boats? How do you travel?

[lyingheart]

On foot. On horse. On boat.

[ She shrugs. ]

Carriage are around too, and wagons, but if you own one or can afford to travel in one are different things. Most use them related to business. The nobles use nicer carriages for traveling as they please, same as the better off merchants.

[ Does this sound medieval yet? Paradis is living far behind the times outside their walls, though Annie, as always, doesn't breathe a word about it. ]

[sassymaru]

That... sounds positively primeval.

[Close, Maru.]

You don't have a system of public transit? Not even trains?

[lyingheart]

... It's not that bad.

[ Not... not primeval? ]

We don't.

[ Marley does. Renewable resources are needed for that kind of thing! ]

[sassymaru]

It sounds intolerable.

[At least to his fancy ass.]

Why... why not?

[lyingheart]

You get used to it.

[ Dryly stated: not like they have a choice. And who knows different, until exposed to differences? ]

Limited resources. Something like that sounds like it'd need a decent source of fuel. I can't say we have anything that makes sense for the kind of scale that public transit implies.

[sassymaru]

It still sounds... horrific. In a way, I don't see how anyone could get used to that sort of thing.

[He wouldn't even exist without technology.]

Not even animal power?

[lyingheart]

For public transit? You could hire a carriage if you had the funds, of course, but it's not like people commonly own an animal as expensive as a horse. As for getting used to it... how can you not? When there isn't any other option?

[sassymaru]

Horses are expensive? Do not the people here keep them easily enough?

[Asks the robot who has never seen a real horse.]

It simply seems an impossible task.

[lyingheart]

Horses need to eat. When you can't afford to feed yourself, how are you affording a horse?

[sassymaru]

They... eat grass, do they not?

[lyingheart]

... Yes. A lot of grass. This gets back to not being able to feed people, so where are the resources or land for raising grain for horses going to come from? The short answer is we come from a shithole where survival is already hard enough. Niceties like public transportation? Only happens on the water.

[sassymaru]

Doesn't... Grass simply...

Grow?

[lyingheart]

...

[ She sighs. She just. She sighs. ]

I'm assuming you've never had to think about logistics related to animal care outside of your experiences here?

[sassymaru]

Not in the least.

They wouldn't entrust an AI with animal care, to my knowledge.