Omg very interested in the android AU! But question, how self aware is maxie to other robots like he has his own personality, reactions to emotions and all that? Im just very intreged in this idea and would love to know more❤❤❤❤
With androids straight off the belt; they are clean slates. Babies in a manner of speaking. No personality, no emotions other than the basic thing they’ve been programmed to want (a master/lover, and a purpose), and easily impressionable because of their craving for knowledge.
The first ‘emotion’ Maxie experienced, or rather, observed was ‘selfishness.’ One of the scientists at the plant would work day in and day out, effectively ignoring their friends and potential spouses so they could perfect the models and the starting AI at an attempt to make them near flawlessly human.
Which plays a large part in his goals being swapped from ‘Find a master’ to ‘find a purpose’ instead of the former being the most important and the latter just being mingled in with the first.
The pleasure bots are a ‘learn as they go’ type that process how to do things quickly and effectively to maximize their other’s happiness. Cooking, cleaning and sex are pre-built into every AI to save consumer time and help the bots achieve their goal in minimal time.
All the robots are self aware, but the intensity of that varies AI to AI despite being exact virtual clones. Maxie is rather sensitive to other’s emotions (the pleasure bot AI tripling that) that led to a self reflection on how others see him. Thus making him appear near human with reactions and empathy even though his older model wasn’t meant to deal with such complexities so soon.
So…like things regarding knowing he’s not human but not entirely just a machine was a big step in his ‘life.’ He accepted it but doesn't ignore it; when he walks into Tabitha or Shelly’s workplace and there’s robot parts or blue prints with broken pieces everywhere he tends to feel a tad uneasy. (like walking into a friend’s house full of human organs and parts just everywhere with a manual on how to build a version of your kind in hand…? Not a fun time.)
Put him in a room full of his kind though? He’d lose his mind with how many are just spouses to humans who wade hand and foot on their ‘masters’ and have little interest in anything else. A few would be interesting to talk to but over all Maxie is stuck in being too human for the bots but not enough to destroy reality’s barrier.
He’s special but not unique, another thing that irks him. Something he hasn’t quite accepted yet. [Let’s be fair though, not a lot of people would be fine saying ‘I’m just another human clone with a slightly different set of skills and personality but otherwise nothing amazing.’]
Don’t worry Maxie Archie will help you through your existence crisis
