Robot Laboratory

[jstarz]

Here is an idea for a story that had been kicking around in my head for some time, but now I think it might make for better RP, which was part of the reason I registered here.  Anyway here is the idea: 

Plot
A robotics company is seeking some help with a new research topic and needs some human volunteers to complete it.  What the volunteers don't know is that this company acts as sort of escort service and this is how the recruit gynoids for the other half of their business.  Of course the bots would become totally submissive, but there could be "programming conflicts" if the original personality isn't fully removed.  Furthermore, they could be rented, sold, or modified by the company, for a reasonable price of course.

Characters needed
All of these can be either male or female, although the story would involve gender bending so players should be willing to do that.  They include:
"Victims"-Forced into robotic servitude
"Scientists"-Willing to build and "reprogram" the bots.
"Patrons"-Just make sure you pay your tabs on time...

Some important tags would be [BON-E] [NON-H] and [NON-E].

Obviously though, I would appreciate some feedback, if you guys think this fits in here, if you think it would be fun, etc. etc.

[Atlus]

I'm having comp. trouble right now, but I'd like to express my interest in this one. Save me a spot.

[Haibane]

Have you seen the anime "Ghost in the Shell?" This story/theme is almost exactly that kind of idea except in "GITS" the entire world in the future is gynoid/wireless net interfaced. Its an interesting premise and looks at all kinds of things about where is the soul and the mind and such. Obviously your story isn't quite akin to that, but has many similarities.

If you do know that movie or would wish to watch it, then setting it in a universe something like that, would give you a lot of techy background to build up a convincing world.

And yes, I'm interested.

[ApesAmongUs]

Where are you thinking of going with the premise?   The victim roll looks like it could be interesting or could be completely dull if it goes in the direction of complete mindless subservience.  Also, would it likely be disconnected vignettes of singular owners and slaves or some larger, overarching story?

(in case it's not obvious, the questions mean I'm interested...)

[jstarz]

@Halbane No, I can't say I have, I'll have to look it up, possibly rent it.

@ApesAongUs Good question and good point.  I was thinking something akin to a gynoid rebellion, e.g. programming conflicts are present, and the original personalities are not entirely deleted, victims seek revenge, etc.  I am, however, open to suggestions.

[Atlus]

Might I recommend Neuromancer by William Gibson? While the focus of the book is not what this game is about it is mentioned.

I've got a couple questions.
In what ways does the plot involve gender bending?
What is the overall setting? Present day? Future?

I seem to think that it will make the story more dynamic if all the programmers can do is give imperatives. The "robots" are free to do as they will within the range of their orders. Meaning that they are fully aware of what they're being forced to do while it happens. It'll make the revenge that much more important when it comes.

[jstarz]

Thanks for the questions.  The GB element would be because the 'bots could ahve been male or female in their past lives.  As for the setting probably presentish, or not to distant future.  The imperatives idea seems like a really good one.

[Haibane]

Thanks for the questions.  The GB element would be because the 'bots could ahve been male or female in their past lives.  As for the setting probably presentish, or not to distant future.  The imperatives idea seems like a really good one.

So this is... um, now I'm confused. You take just the mind of the original person and place it in another body - a cyborg body? In some cases of the opposite gender? Is that gender alteration significant to the plot or merely a device to allow cross-gender play? IRL wouldn't that lead to all manner of rejection possibilities? Why would a corporation even do that? I might be missing something but it seems an unlikely not to say unnecessary and potentially hazardous business decision.

[Atlus]

So this is... um, now I'm confused. You take just the mind of the original person and place it in another body - a cyborg body? In some cases of the opposite gender? Is that gender alteration significant to the plot or merely a device to allow cross-gender play? IRL wouldn't that lead to all manner of rejection possibilities? Why would a corporation even do that? I might be missing something but it seems an unlikely not to say unnecessary and potentially hazardous business decision.

Agreed. We need to work out some of the details. But I like the overall idea.

Perhaps the bodies are grown. In some cases they're tailor made to suit the individual needs of a client. The problem with techno organic bodies is that there is no way to install a robotic brain. Especially not one sophisticated enough to carry out the commands and complex fantasies of the paying customers.

Alternatively, the bodies could be completely artificial including the brain. But since coding a program that could respond to every variable presented in the real world be nay impossible, the corporation takes a short cut. Willing participants in a medical experiment come in for an experimental form of EKG. A scan is taken, the participants are paid, and then they go home happy. What they don't realize is that a copy of their mind has been taken for use in the gynoids. What the copies don't realize is that they aren't the originals.

Or given the expense of time with a gynoid, the company has given the customers a lot of leeway in how specific they can be. Perhaps some clients fantasize about raping a man trapped in a woman's body. Or better yet, maybe the clients select specific people for specific bodies and situations. Revenge would be the central theme of the tale.

[Haibane]

Alternatively, the bodies could be completely artificial including the brain. But since coding a program that could respond to every variable presented in the real world be nay impossible, the corporation takes a short cut. Willing participants in a medical experiment come in for an experimental form of EKG. A scan is taken, the participants are paid, and then they go home happy. What they don't realize is that a copy of their mind has been taken for use in the gynoids. What the copies don't realize is that they aren't the originals.

That opens up many classic sci-fi cloning themes. I like it. I like the revenge concept too. Raping (or keeping as a sex slave) a gynoid copy of your boss or teacher or school bully would certainly appeal. Though I think we'd need to consider that snuff is a likely end result here.

Depending what jstarz says (it's his game after all, and the shots are his to call) this whole idea is making me more interested, and it still has many links in concept to "Ghost in the Shell" which deals with questions like 'what defines the self?' If you 100% replace the physical container, who is you? what is you? where is you?

[gideonblake]

I'd like to note my interest too. I think that the concept of identity is fascinating and the questions about the morality of making new people and giving them to others is great, as well as figuring out what is left when you're removing the essence of these people and putting them in new bodies.

So I'm definitely down with cloning thing (The Island is the movie I think of off the top of my head), and if you want to work in something like the synthetics from Aliens (basically cyborgs that are very convincing at being human) or the robots from Blade Runner, again a human substitute, but a robot; even the Terminator style robots are very interesting to me and I think that all of it could be worked into the idea.

Just some stuff to mull over.

[ApesAmongUs]

I don't think you would need brain switching so much as a little heavy transhumanism and cosmetic surgery.  If a client wants something special, grab the closest thing from the rack and slap on a tail and ears or tentacles and gills or a build in obsession with some bizarre sex act or just simply mess with the plumbing a bit if that's a better fit.   You could even have a wacky computer in charge of picking what base body to use based on some complex algorithm to make the best physical and emotional match - and sometimes you wind up with a gender switch being a better overall match for the order than starting with a genetically gender-correct match.   That way, you don't need the tech to build a body from scratch and there's an excuse to use the stolen bodies and minds.

[Rune]

This sounds like fun if there is still room for more!

[theLeslie]

*waves a little*  Hello.  I too think this sounds rather interesting.  If there's room left for one of the serving bots, I would like to express my interest.

[Anish]

I´ve always been a fan of Seven of Nine (Startrek) :P Although I am not sure if I would make a good writer, I´d like to give it a try. And yes, I´d play one of the "victims" I guess ;) More details should be talked about in forum-pms once you start...

[Rune]

It sounds like most people are interested in playing victims. (including myself) If some is interested in starting a thread, I would be happy to join in.

[magnamos]

Here is my Idea for the Gynoid:

The company invented a suber advanced dermal layer. It contains many photosensitive and transluminesence particles. It also feels like real skin though it's completely artificial! They also created a highly advanced AI that usually is only used to direct Tanks so far. Yes, it's that highly advanced that it will take any command and exectue it without asking questions. Softwaremodules regarding the useage of weapons have been removed... I think...
Anyway. It's totally advanced and cheap, have I said that's it comes cheap?

Now that was the public Version.

Actually the company came up with this great new product knowingly that an AI could never act like a real human. Experiments with animal brains showed that the behavior could be improved by 30%. Experiments with brains of dead humans made an improvement of 50%. Experiments with freshly transplanted human brains made the Robot perfectly human. They had to turn down certain human features to make there product still appear as a robot. The Brain is kept in a state of constant stasis and only used by the AI as Database to reproduce Human behaviors. When the demand became higher they invented a new dermal layer so the color of skin, hair and eyes could be recolored and already used products could be resold again without taking much effort in customizing the product to a new customer. There is also a new self cleaning routine that temporarly switches of the restrictions of human movement to self clean after use.

When there became more profit involved and the demand was rising even more the company steped into more and more twilighted methods to acquire "ressources" for there product. While formerly using homeless, insane or criminals to create the transplants they now even abduct people from there homes. They invite them to a neuroscan to check there mental status before. In some rare cases the brains of insane or criminals tended to corrupt the moral values of the AI. The Robots powered by the brain of a homeless are known for constantly trying to drink liquor again which leads to internal damage and already costs millions in compensations for the customers.

The idea is that they kidnapp people like they would try to blackmail money or something. Maybe rape them and remove there brain, damaging the head that it looks like the primary reason for death and the brain is just missing because of that. It's a very soft organ so no forensic doctor would search for it if the head as a whole is only a puddle anymore. Signs of rape or other crimes lay false tracks. Actually the brain is safely transfered into a new Gynoid body. There it's put in stasis and the AI is activated to control the Gynoid. Due to the constant access to the brain and the minor differences in cerebral regions it sometimes happen that the Gynoid downloads false informations and gives them rights on his system that were never intended for that "thought". Slowly there is the old personalitie overriding the AI. While in the first phase the victim captured inside the new body is confused and still suffers amnesia, the AI has short work with controlling even the concious Gynoid. More and more the Conciousness overrides the AI until it took full control of the Gynoid and that's where the fun starts.

Imagine some sick old dude who likes to do really fucked up things with girls and suddendly he comes home finding his "little girl" is actually a 40yr old Hardcore Biker who's about to teach him a lesson in Backalley brawling. (Please note, security restrictions in motor assisted limb strength is controlled by the main AI aswell. The Company build in a security protocol so the Gynoid can safe it's Master from any danger by setting the power output to 100% and easily lift high weight items in case of a fire. These settings are controlled by the human brain once it takes over. Though it's not aware of these setting so only really really rare Gynoids know of it and just a few more activate it accidently in Situations of great danger.)

Tell me what you think. I'm sorry if I drifted away or it seems like I hijacked this thread but I thought this would be a nice background for the company.

[Akhanu]

Heya. I was following the discussions in this thread. The idea seems intriguing to me. I saw many are into playing victims while I'd be glad to play a scientist. I already have an overload of ideas of personality programming, tests, prototype models, prototypes to be decommissioned, renegades, core IntelliOS updates, and many others. If you need one scientist character as weird as this, I'll be glad to participate.
:)

[kylie]

Ten thousand bots, laughs.  I might be into this, depending on how it's finally structured. 

The body transformation side appeals to me a little more than simple brain/data swap at the outset, but I'm not sure it makes too much difference.  They both have certain advantages.  I like the simple imperative, was it, more than blanket mind control play. 

If a few of these threads can actually stay coordinated (so many seem to become settings for scattered one-on-ones), then there's some potential for things like viruses or production glitches, new versions and new markets to sweep through the world etc.

One thing I kind of felt hasn't been discussed much: what sort of revenge is anticipated?  Robotization of the scientists or patrons, or something less complicated?  Or, is this going to be separate plots for separate scientists at heart (assuming there are a few)? 

I might be willing to play a scientist/techie helper or "servant of patron" sort who is (whichever of those) also gynoid/victimized and caught in the middle, I like that kind of role too.
 

[Akhanu]

I also was wondering about the exact ways of the Robot Company getting involved with the volunteers. An idea I had was that the brains of the volunteers would be scanned and the 'data dump' would then be uploaded to a robot in the attempts of studying exactly the upload process which is still faulty of course in many ways so the robots not always come out exactly as they should. In the meanwhile the human 'original' of each robot (or robot series of that particular human original) would be kept in a cryogenic state, similar to the humans in the Matrix movie.

This just came to me and I thought of writing it here right away. Why, it's normal for a mad scientist to have these ideas after all. :D

[Transgirlenstein]

Need more victims?