Story Idea - Housewives

[FaceoffFembot]

Okay, so here's something I've been hanging to for a little while. I would really like to take it further than the skeleton it currently is, but while shots come to my mind easily, words and sentences don't. So here it is, if anybody wants to do anything with it, be it visual or written. It might require some padding, and much of the original vision might need to be cut off, but I'm really happy with just the bare core of it all. So, enjoy.

Plot:

In a rich American suburb, a trophy housewife (*1) is attending to her household chores, when two of her friends, of a similar status (*2 & *3), come in unannounced. Unfazed, she immediately greets them with hot tea and freshly baked cookies.

As they exchange empty trivialities,*2 overtly brags about her recent breast surgery when asked if she has changed anything recently, and mentions how it was actually a much cheaper deal than what could be expected. *1 shows some distaste, and tries to shift the topic to another lady of the neighborhood, *4 that she hasn't seen in a while. *2 brings up gossip on how she might have messily been revealed as a robot. This claim is immediately shot down and ridiculed by the two others, despite her perseverance.

*2 is a robot herself, and her behavior progressively grows more erratic and inappropriate as the discussion lengthens, possibly due to her recent modification making her malfunction. Nobody seems to notice, but just as she is about to reveal her nature, *3 politely cuts the conversation short, and the guests parts in good term, if not awkwardly, as *2 has trouble navigating the house.

As *1 cleans and thinks ill of *2 for being so open and vulgar about her surgery, and *3 for being so cold, we realize that they were so busy with their gossiping that they didn’t touch the tea and the cookies. *1 keeps slandering *2 for how ridiculous her new breasts are (while hers definitely aren't), but also explains that she doesn't expect much more from someone believing in robots convincingly posing as humans.

While she cleans, she keeps ranting, until she catches her reflection in the mirror. She realizes something is off with her face, and we are led to believe she's talking about her makeup. She goes into the bathroom, and takes a closer look at herself. Confirming that something is indeed wrong with her face, she pulls it off, revealing she is a robot too. The story ends as she performs repairs inside her head, with her repeating, unfazed, how fembots are impossible.

Dramatis personæ:

*1

The main character. In her thirties. Think Bianca Beauchamp, without the latex, and Bella French. A buxom trophy wife, whose life seems restricted to housecleaning, cooking and gossip. Her breast seem augmented, and she is incredibly fit without ever having been seen doing anything else than house chores, though she denies having used cosmetic surgery when compared to *2.

As the end reveals, she is a fembot, like all the other characters. Although she is shown performing complex mechanical tasks on her robotic body, she genuinely believe that robots able to pass as humans don’t exist, and therefore she can’t be one. The fact that she is herself a fembot doesn’t register, or exists on a totally different plane of thought. If confronted to her mechanical nature, she would genuinely deny.

She carries herself like a model, assuming affected poses and remaining static for a bit too long, like she was taking part in a photoshoot. Her movements are stilted and ample, but not stuttery, as if if she had ball joints with a limited range of motion.



*2

Recently underwent cosmetic surgery to enlarge her breasts. A robot too, her surgery is actually an off-market chassis modification that might be the cause of her malfunction. She starts stuttering, her voice gets slurred, she talks of unrelated things, and finally starts talking very dirty and robotically, which prompts *2 to leave. Would cast Dahlia Dark, minus the goth.

She acts like she's in the preliminary part of a porn flick, stroking her body and leaving her mouth sensually open.



*3

Petite, redhead, Zoe Voss, Vanessa Lake. She looks relatively smart compared to the other Stepfords, despite being a robot herself. She seems to be aware of the robotic nature of her friends and herself, and therefore manages their issues.

Her body language is the one of a no-nonsense businesswoman. She sternly chastise *2 for her absurd gossiping, and promptly interrupts the conversation when she starts malfunctioning.



*4

Another woman in the neighborhood, she is only mentioned. She was a fembot too and was violently exposed.


Manip by Body

[dale coba]

Spaghetti strands, tossed against the wall. If something sticks, salute it.

Plot:
In a rich American suburb,

Helicopter-vantage, stock footage = inexpensive. Still shots of the house/grounds/cars - so the $$$ doesn't have to be demonstrated on set.

a trophy housewife (*1) is attending to her household chores,

I would like to see her at least one chore appropriate to her status - but what chores are programmed into an "unreal housewife"?

She could be opening letters at her desk, that can look like status but be completely empty work. There's always the popular [criticizing a maid] (she doesn't have to be seen). I'm looking for a mini-montage, interrupted before even a third chore can be shown. It would be great if the second chore or the barely begun third chore have some unexplained minor element, something which certainly does not belong in the chores of a human trophy wife.

when two of her friends, of a similar status (*2 & *3), come in unannounced.

When her friends interrupt, they preempt our chance to consciously question what was going on. They interrupted her, more than they interrupted any trivial questions the viewer may have about the choice of props or the meaning of a throwaway moment.

Did they mean to surprise her, by being unannounced? Were they taking advantage of their "friendship" by dropping in without warning, because they wanted to catch her unprepared? Mreeow! Mean Girls.

Unfazed, she immediately greets them with hot tea and freshly baked cookies.

She is an unnaturally well-prepared hostess, very Stepford, eager to demonstrate service (even if it is a way of proving her superiority). Depending on how quickly the tea and cookies arrive, and how long the hostess is gone, the viewer will imagine what preparation looked like before she knew she would have guests. [Perhaps the conclusion is that she prepares a fresh batch every few hours, leaving them in the oven on low heat, so that in a moments notice, they may be heated up and finish cooking. - not that this is being seen, but the mind will try to fill the picture - maybe the unseen cook is the one to do all that work?]

Again, the action of the story will preempt further speculations about on unimportant details like cookies.

As they exchange empty trivialities,*2 overtly brags about her recent breast surgery when asked if she has changed anything recently, and mentions how it was actually a much cheaper deal than what could be expected.

I've never watched these sorts of characters closely, but I would try to have her bragging about how expensive the procedure was. Overtly saving money is not a virtue to their class, but an indication of desperation.

*1 shows some distaste, and tries to shift the topic to another lady of the neighborhood,

One who also had some work done by that same famous clinic or celebrity surgeon? It will seem as if that fact serves only to transition away from number two's story, to what number one wants to talk about - trophy wife number four. Speculating about number four's problems is a way to imply that wife number two made a bad choice, and could have a problem herself. That doesn't need to be explicit,

Number two will start to glitch from thinly veiled personal attacks. #1 says #2 paid too much; that she left the clinic too soon, same-day, yesterday (so she's post-op wobbly); says #2's breasts are too large for her hips.

Later, the pieces will fit together, when # three malfunctions.

*4 that she hasn't seen in a while. *2 brings up gossip on how she might have messily been revealed as a robot.

There was an incident at a place or a party... She was rushed away, looking dazed... There is room for doubt as to what happened, incomplete information, and perhaps an unreliable witness.

This claim is immediately shot down and ridiculed by the two others, despite her perseverance.

#2 wife can focus on how that particular wife could not be a robot, while #3 argues that such devices only exist in movies.

*2 is a robot herself, and her behavior progressively grows more erratic and inappropriate as the discussion lengthens, possibly due to her recent modification making her malfunction.

- glitches
- apparent, non-robot explanation
- response to her behavior.

They are apparently going to drink tea, so alcohol isn't a great implication - pills could be implied in the most general way, as Number one tries to learn from wife three what is going wrong with number two.

Or - spray the cookies with hairspray, something to give them a slightly plastic sheen. These cookies are always ready and inviting, like the big bowl of fresh plastic fruit placed on the counter when a realtor holds an open house. There are fake but nearly realistic looking candles which could work.

I imagine Number two, seated, turning her head to look out a large window - which we don't see isn't there because of the camera angle. It looks like she is saying in a perfectly normal fashion, "the grounds of your estate are lovely". Later, the viewer will realize that was a glitch.

Nobody seems to notice, but just as she is about to reveal her nature, *3 politely cuts the conversation short, and the guests parts in good term, if not awkwardly, as *2 has trouble navigating the house.

Tricky... what pretends to explain the sudden response, if neither has noticed #2's problems? An alert tone only we hear, not heard aloud in the room? Then number three can give any excuse that she grabs for, It will have been triggered

As *1 cleans and thinks ill of *2 for being so open and vulgar about her surgery, and *3 for being so cold, we realize that they were so busy with their gossiping that they didn’t touch the tea and the cookies. *1 keeps slandering *2 for how ridiculous her new breasts are (while hers definitely aren't), but also explains that she doesn't expect much more from someone believing in robots convincingly posing as humans.

While she cleans, she keeps ranting, until she catches her reflection in the mirror. She realizes something is off with her face, and we are led to believe she's talking about her makeup.

She acts like #2 or #3 transferred some lipstick on to her cheek.

She goes into the bathroom, and takes a closer look at herself. Confirming that something is indeed wrong with her face, she pulls it off, revealing she is a robot too. The story ends as she performs repairs inside her head, with her repeating, unfazed, how fembots are impossible.

She talks as if she's simply cleaning her face and repairing her makeup, but she's washing her removed face in the sink.

- Dale Coba

[FaceoffFembot]

a trophy housewife (*1) is attending to her household chores,

I would like to see her at least one chore appropriate to her status - but what chores are programmed into an "unreal housewife"?

She could be opening letters at her desk, that can look like status but be completely empty work. There's always the popular [criticizing a maid] (she doesn't have to be seen). I'm looking for a mini-montage, interrupted before even a third chore can be shown. It would be great if the second chore or the barely begun third chore have some unexplained minor element, something which certainly does not belong in the chores of a human trophy wife.

Way I see it, she is little more than an elaborate household appliance. No managing, no outside work, just mopping and dusting an already pristine house.

when two of her friends, of a similar status (*2 & *3), come in unannounced.

When her friends interrupt, they preempt our chance to consciously question what was going on. They interrupted her, more than they interrupted any trivial questions the viewer may have about the choice of props or the meaning of a throwaway moment.

Yes, I like that. Maybe hint at something that further emphasizes the otherness of this much too sterile environment, like a remote with *1's name on it, half-hidden under a cushion, then drop it as the door rings.

Did they mean to surprise her, by being unannounced? Were they taking advantage of their "friendship" by dropping in without warning, because they wanted to catch her unprepared? Mreeow! Mean Girls.

Unfazed, she immediately greets them with hot tea and freshly baked cookies.

She is an unnaturally well-prepared hostess, very Stepford, eager to demonstrate service (even if it is a way of proving her superiority). Depending on how quickly the tea and cookies arrive, and how long the hostess is gone, the viewer will imagine what preparation looked like before she knew she would have guests. [Perhaps the conclusion is that she prepares a fresh batch every few hours, leaving them in the oven on low heat, so that in a moments notice, they may be heated up and finish cooking. - not that this is being seen, but the mind will try to fill the picture - maybe the unseen cook is the one to do all that work?]

Again, the action of the story will preempt further speculations about on unimportant details like cookies.

Nothing should be explained - the cookies are just done cooking and the tea is done infusing a split-second before the door rings, as if this whole visit was long-planned and carried out with the precision of the metronome. Except it's not. The whole scene has a surreal feel, like some contrived play - actually, how could it be made so it doesn't feel like contrived writing, but like a genuinely bizarre situation?

As they exchange empty trivialities,*2 overtly brags about her recent breast surgery when asked if she has changed anything recently, and mentions how it was actually a much cheaper deal than what could be expected.

I've never watched these sorts of characters closely, but I would try to have her bragging about how expensive the procedure was. Overtly saving money is not a virtue to their class, but an indication of desperation.

Interesting cultural differences. Here in France, boasting about how large a sum you spent on something is considered distasteful, as is talking about your wage. On the flip side, talking about a sweet deal shows you're a cunning, resourceful person that shares valuable insight.

Nobody seems to notice, but just as she is about to reveal her nature, *3 politely cuts the conversation short, and the guests parts in good term, if not awkwardly, as *2 has trouble navigating the house.

Tricky... what pretends to explain the sudden response, if neither has noticed *2's problems? An alert tone only we hear, not heard aloud in the room? Then number three can give any excuse that she grabs for, It will have been triggered

*1 and *2 are programmed to act completely oblivious to any sign of robotness in order to keep the simulation flowing, but this can only go so far, especially if real people are around. Therefore, *3 will take the matter in her own hands past a certain point, in order to minimize the damages.

[dale coba]

a trophy housewife (*1) is attending to her household chores,...

Way I see it, she is little more than an elaborate household appliance. No managing, no outside work, just mopping and dusting an already pristine house.

Okay, I took trophy wife to mean she was chosen for her beauty, and spared having to do labor - but a trophy "House" wife - I get what you mean. And she is apparently alone in the house, she is sufficient to maintain it. No other staff are implied.

Yes, I like that. Maybe hint at something that further emphasizes the otherness of this much too sterile environment, like a remote with *1's name on it, half-hidden under a cushion, then drop it as the door rings.

It's going to be tricky to establish something subtle enough, perhaps even something that doesn't make sense at the time, but could a few minutes later. She is the one responsible for maintaining the house and the equipment, she could have tools which a normal housewife wouldn't.

I am imagining her carrying a mannequin arm, gloved, but she is holding it by the wrist, mostly out of frame, and it is only briefly visible before the doorbell rings. It would be brief enough where the viewer to contemplate perhaps that she had been carrying a glove.

I'm seeing her carrying a glass cylindrical beaker or vase filled with gray liquid that could be nanites in solution. If she was doing two other tasks before that, the viewers will have already determined there is not anything rewarding to be gained by thinking too hard about the third task.

Nothing should be explained - the cookies are just done cooking and the tea is done infusing a split-second before the door rings, as if this whole visit was long-planned and carried out with the precision of the metronome. Except it's not. The whole scene has a surreal feel, like some contrived play - actually, how could it be made so it doesn't feel like contrived writing, but like a genuinely bizarre situation?

How about a tea trolley for her to roll out the tea set and cookies? That's over-the-top. The cookies could be shaped like something, or in some other way excessive. Something no one does, bakes their own graham crackers, makes their own Oreos, I don't know.

I've never watched these sorts of characters closely, but I would try to have her bragging about how expensive the procedure was. Overtly saving money is not a virtue to their class, but an indication of desperation.

Interesting cultural differences. Here in France, boasting about how large a sum you spent on something is considered distasteful, as is talking about your wage. On the flip side, talking about a sweet deal shows you're a cunning, resourceful person that shares valuable insight.

The French way is of course how it should be. Although wife #2 is trying to brag, we want the audience to be unsympathetic or at least not sympathetic with her. The viewer won't mind what happens to her when she demonstrates herself to be an object. So I would advocate giving her the much more crass bragging position - my husband is so wealthy, we are so wonderful that we can throw money away, and we pay the highest prices because we feel like that demonstrates our success and worth.

Nobody seems to notice, but just as she is about to reveal her nature,

As RoboSmut, her nature is the revelation that comes as no surprise to the viewer/reader. We have two characters in this scene who can experience that revelation for us, or we could pass a new, drastic threshold of proof, and call that our revelation.

I'm trying to see what threshold you want to cross. Since the ultimate twist is wife number one looking in the mirror, we're not building to the ultimate revelation as wife number two becomes more erratic.

One thought that occurs, is that wife number two could go far past the point of revealing herself to the viewer, and to any human women in the scene - but there aren't any. The robot women in attendance can deflect so much evidence without having their own revelations. Wife number two could have her head explode, and the others wouldn't have to respond.

I think wife number two should seem transparently malfunctioning to the viewer. The point at which wife number three terminates their visit could be triggered by an announcement from wife number two's operating system that she is liable to suffer permanent damage, hard drive failure, something that could incapacitate her - and it wouldn't be good if she had to be carried out.

Or perhaps you had something specifically different in mind?

*3 politely cuts the conversation short, and the guests parts in good term, if not awkwardly, as *2 has trouble navigating the house.

How ridiculous an explanation do you want Number three to provide for number two's behavior? Number one will accept any explanation. Jet lag? Her horoscope? A previously scheduled event, shopping, getting ready for the party they are scheduled to attend tonight?

Wife number two, though damaged, should attempt to join in with wife number threes explanation - her social protocols naturally trying to play along.

- Dale Coba