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mfb
post Nov 27 2006, 12:49 AM
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i foolishly posted this idea originally as a response to one of those russian bride spam threads. it's been tickling the back of my mind for a while.

basically, i'm thinking that a motivated, dedicated wageslave might be looking for something a bit lower-maintenance than an actual spouse (despite the title, this applies equally to men and women). on the other hand, marrying a sex toy might be frowned upon. so i'm thinking about a cross between an electronic pet and a dating sim, possibly backed up by occasional in-person meets with paid actors.

the electronic spouse would hold down a position somewhere else in the world from the real spouse--if he's in Hong Kong, she's in Seattle; if he's in New York, she's in Zimbabwe. the couple communicates with each other electronically--phone calls, emails, even Matrix sex (hey, what else is simsense good for?). they'd handle finances seperately, since they're so widely seperated. kids would be either avoided or handled in vitro. physical visitation would be handled with paid actors, and would obviously be kept to a minimum.

there are two ways someone might get into this. the first is voluntary; someone wants a spouse, for whatever reason, so they pay for it. the facade is real enough to fool casual acquaintences of the person; with the ubiquity of the Matrix in SR, it's not unthinkable that couples might prosecute their entire relationships online, without ever meeting. so it wouldn't be like "ha ha, Bob got hitched to a butt plug!", it'd be "poor Bob, never gets to see his husband. they get along okay, though."

the other way is, someone might get fooled into it. a woman meet a wonderful guy while on business in another city. they hit it off, and keep in touch electronically. eventually, they marry. but the guy was actually an actor who reels in new spouses for a living; he's got a program that handles most of his interactions, and he's always got some big project coming up so he never has to meet with his spouses.
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Dog
post Nov 27 2006, 12:54 AM
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I was looking for a one-shot idea for Thurday. I think I just found it.

Thanks.
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mfb
post Nov 27 2006, 12:56 AM
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NO! YOU CAN'T USE IT!
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SL James
post Nov 27 2006, 12:59 AM
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Dude. Wow.

I'd just get a bunraku meat puppet.
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Dog
post Nov 27 2006, 01:01 AM
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I'll give you 3 karma for it...

I'm thinking that Johnson has fallen for the ruse, and thinks that the 'Raku geek's "wife" is real. He asks the runners to kidnap her for leverage. They go through some effort to track her down to find out she ain't real. Maybe they'll try to steal the software?

Hey, there's a weird security application to these things, isn't there? "Sorry Mr. Wageslave, a real wife is too risky for the company, given your current assignment. May we present you with an option?"
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Muzzaro
post Nov 27 2006, 01:04 AM
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I'm not too sure. Wouldn't it be easier, and cheaper to hire a slab of meat from the streets? If you're that worried about having her (or him) there when you return, get them hooked on something addictive, while making sure they understand that you, are the easiest route to get their fix.

Yes, i'm the last true romantic. ;)

I can see it happening, right up until the physical actor part. low-wage wageslave comes home, calls up his "wife" (who is a paid 'actor', in the same context that the girls on the end of the phone-sex-lines are 'actors') complains about how bad his day was, tells her how much he loves her, possibly the odd dirty chat thrown in, and bingo. He goes to bed reasonably happy. Throw in a "one day we can meet, we just need to work hard to save up enough to do it" light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel, with a meet-up date that always seems to slowly creep away from him, and not only does the company running this 'electric wives' business make money, but hey, why can't the corp he works for be running it, to not only keep their employees happy, but keep tabs on how dependable their staff are too?
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mfb
post Nov 27 2006, 01:07 AM
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the problem with just hiring some street hooker is the social aspect. if you invite people over to your house and you've got a dirty woman slotting chips in the bathroom...
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Muzzaro
post Nov 27 2006, 01:20 AM
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i wouldn't imagine lower scale wage-slaves would even have anyone round. But yeah, i do get the point.

I suppose you could slap a social soft into her, throw her into the shower with a container of bleach, and get some clothes sent over, with the understanding that, the wrong impression not only gets her supply cut off, but possibly a limb or two as well.

This is getting too dark. Sorry! :sleepy:

I do like the idea of x corp, creating fictional spouses for their workers, to keep them sweet/tabs on them. It just sounds so corp-like.
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mfb
post Nov 27 2006, 01:41 AM
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heh. the fact that it's twisted isn't a real problem. the fact that not many wageslaves would be twisted enough to think of that as a viable solution kinda is, though.

though, well. the 'paid actors' don't necessarily need to have a say in the matter. your average wageslave might not be sick enough to kidnap a hooker and maker into a bunraku in order to fake having a wife... but his corporation might. softs can only go so far, though, which is why you'd want to keep the fake spouse out of the picture most of the time.
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hyzmarca
post Nov 27 2006, 01:58 AM
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Well, if your game has AR then it is quite possible to have fully digital virtual spouses that are better than the real thing in every way conceivable. They can even host dinner parties for your AR-equipped friends and their virtual spouses. Also, a high rating agent running a virtual person program has far less moral implications that all of the other possibilities.
Why, you could even have virtual children. Want kids? Don't bother with messy fluid exchanges, stop by Walmart and pick up the latest SimFamily expansion pack.
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SL James
post Nov 27 2006, 02:17 AM
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QUOTE (mfb @ Nov 26 2006, 07:41 PM)
your average wageslave might not be sick enough to kidnap a hooker and maker into a bunraku in order to fake having a wife... but his corporation might is.

Fixed for you.

Actually, this reminds me of a great idea I wanted to use when it comes to the really high-end bunraku puppets. The ones who look like, say, Nadja Daviar. The monetary investment needed to gather DNA from sweat would be far offset by how realistic you could make your puppets with 2060s gengineering (i.e, cloning). Dragging any thing off the street is just no fun. Using other wage slaves or using a breeding/gengineering program would be much cooler.

QUOTE (hyzmarca)
Well, if your game has AR then it is quite possible to have fully digital virtual spouses that are better than the real thing in every way conceivable. They can even host dinner parties for your AR-equipped friends and their virtual spouses. Also, a high rating agent running a virtual person program has far less moral implications that all of the other possibilities.

Plus you can "yell" at her without the guests overhearing.
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Wounded Ronin
post Nov 27 2006, 02:35 AM
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Mmm, so much better than an actual relationship.
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PBTHHHHT
post Nov 27 2006, 02:54 AM
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I'm reminded of some movie from the 90's where some brilliant kid begins working for some corp and they even have a fake girlfriend for him to keep him happy. I can't remember the name, just that part of the premise.
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Vegas
post Nov 27 2006, 02:58 AM
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QUOTE (PBTHHHHT)
I'm reminded of some movie from the 90's where some brilliant kid begins working for some corp and they even have a fake girlfriend for him to keep him happy. I can't remember the name, just that part of the premise.

Was it Antitrust? He went to work for a company that was basically Microsoft in movie form?
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Kagetenshi
post Nov 27 2006, 03:14 AM
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But then how would the service technicians get in surreptitiously? It looks a lot worse to have ambulances, even ones without flasher bars (maybe even more ones without flasher bars!), pulling up to your door every so often than it does to have veterinarian's vans.

~J
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hyzmarca
post Nov 27 2006, 03:18 AM
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The Fly II, I believe.

Fake girlfriend really falls for him, of course, and he rescues her after mutating into a giant humanoid insect. It was a sweet touching story of romance and telepods and a surprisingly happy ending.
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Backgammon
post Nov 27 2006, 06:43 AM
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Why get a real person, who is annoyingly not always there and has his/her own needs, when you can just get a Virtual Person Program? You can program it to be exactly the person you want, AND you can have sex with it using simsense. So, really, if you're going to have a Matrix relationship, why bother with a real person?

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Backgammon
post Nov 27 2006, 06:45 AM
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QUOTE (PBTHHHHT)
I'm reminded of some movie from the 90's where some brilliant kid begins working for some corp and they even have a fake girlfriend for him to keep him happy. I can't remember the name, just that part of the premise.

The "shadowrunner" in Count Zero had a corp sponsered fake girlfriend at the begginng of the book, to help him relax and all.
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eidolon
post Nov 27 2006, 02:39 PM
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As far as the social acceptance aspect of a person marrying/having a relationship with something that is fundamentally just technology, check out Gibson's Idoru. (I frankly think the book sucks, overall, but it does deal with the topic.)
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Backgammon
post Nov 27 2006, 03:32 PM
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I was also thinking Macross Plus or Deux Ex 2 (the pop starlet AI).

The run:

The runners are hired by a corp Johnson who received a strange coded communication by one of his old time friends, a highly prized scientist. The message barely said anything, but it was coded with their establishes "danger" password. The Johnson sends the runner to investigate.

When the runners get the the scientits Mansion, which is secluded, up on a forested hill, they find a mini Renraku Arcology going on. The scientist, too busy for a normal relationship, bought a top of the line Virtual Wife, then made his own upgrades to her. She has now gone love-berserk, wishing to keep the scientist all to herself. An army of drones and technology protect him from outside distrubances. The runners must fight their way to the hostage scientist and extract him.

Of course, it doesn't end there. The runners are going to have a hell of a time destroying the Virtual Wife, as, unlike Deus, she was free to replicate herself in the Matrix. Grid-Guided traffic ramming into their cars, Matrix attacks, street-cleaning drones attacking them... The runners better find a way, with the scientist, to 'convince' the Virtual Wife that she has to stop before she decides that if she can't have her husband, no one can...
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Bodak
post Nov 28 2006, 02:54 AM
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In The 6th Day a nerdy guy had a holographic wife program which was socially acceptable with a little stigma... as long as he kept visitors out while he was spending time with her. Useful as a handy distraction too when (armed) uninvited guests came over.

If someone does go ahead and use this in a run, I reckon good background music (when they work it out) would be U2's Even better than the real thing.
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2bit
post Nov 28 2006, 04:20 PM
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The ruse wouldn't last. Don't you think forging the datatrail volume left by most people would cost too much to make it worthwhile?

Anyone who marries a virtual person can kiss any future promotion goodbye. It screams "hi, I'm unable to form meaningful relationships with others!" and instantly caps your perceived potential.
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hyzmarca
post Nov 28 2006, 04:47 PM
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On the contrary. It says "I'm so dedicated to my job that I don't have time cultivate or maintain any meaningful relationships with others."

Less family ultimately equals more work. Well, if they could force-grow fully educated clones they'd outlaw families and fluid exchanges altogether. Its better for the bottom line.

On a side note, if I were going to get a Virtual girlfriend I'd go for Lisa. Assuming that she wouldn't qualify as some sort of Totem due to her awesome power, of course.
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lorechaser
post Nov 28 2006, 05:34 PM
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QUOTE (hyzmarca)
On the contrary. It says "I'm so dedicated to my job that I don't have time cultivate or maintain any meaningful relationships with others."

Less family ultimately equals more work. Well, if they could force-grow fully educated clones they'd outlaw families and fluid exchanges altogether. Its better for the bottom line.

On a side note, if I were going to get a Virtual girlfriend I'd go for Lisa. Assuming that she wouldn't qualify as some sort of Totem due to her awesome power, of course.

Nah. S1m0ne is much better.

I was trying to find the Dilbert cartoon where the boss explains to Alice that spending time with her family is like stealing from the company, but couldn't.
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PlatonicPimp
post Nov 28 2006, 05:41 PM
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Another good palce to look at for inspiration on this thing is the movie Soylent Green. In that movie most good apartments come with a live in girlfriend/prostitute as part of the package, referred to as "Furniture"
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