I'm My Own Worst Enemy.

[rionaleonhart]

Out of curiosity, I thought I'd investigate a Let's Play of Detroit: Become Human to see what the fandom fuss is about. I was fortunate to find theradbrad's playthrough on YouTube, which was ideal: he doesn't talk over cutscenes, he's engaged with the story without being too loud and excitable, and he plays in exactly the same way I would, i.e. wandering around to look at everything and trying not to hurt anyone.

'Oh,' I thought, 'it seems like Markus and Carl have been together for ages. That's really sweet. It must be strange, being in a couple where one half ages and the other doesn't. I wonder how far this game is going to explore tha--'

Carl's son: THIS ANDROID'S NOT YOUR SON AND YOU CAN'T PRETEND IT IS.

'...oh. I may have seriously misread the intended dynamic here.'

The message I sent to th_esaurus: I went 'hmm, might as well check out a playthrough of Detroit: Become Human to familiarise myself with this android/old dude pairing everyone's into,' and I'm a couple of hours in and have accidentally got invested in a completely different android/old dude pairing that literally nobody has written.

To begin with, I was more interested in Kara and Markus's storylines than in Connor's, but Connor's story won me over (while my interest in the other two slightly declined, as Kara being in constant peril started to wear on me and Markus was separated from Carl). I can pinpoint the exact moment I went 'okay, I get why everyone enjoys the Hank-and-Connor dynamic and I'm looking forward to Connor's scenes now':

Hank: Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?
Connor: CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration.
Hank: Well, they fucked up.

Although I did also hugely enjoy Connor making a coffee for Arsehole Cop and continuing to hold it out after the cop has left, going '???? take the coffee?? here is the coffee I'm supposed to give you? he's not taking the coffee, what do I do?'

When I think about it, both Markus's storyline and Kara's take themselves very, very seriously, whereas Connor's scenes have a lot of humour. That might explain why people seem a lot more drawn to Connor's storyline, from what I've seen of the fandom. (Humour - or intentional humour, at least - was something critically lacking in Heavy Rain, and its presence in Become Human really makes a difference.)

Here's what I want to know: are all androids fuckable, or just specific androids designed to be fucked? This is an important question and I'm confused that the game fails to answer it. There are different models for different purposes; one is a 'gardener' model, for example. If you want to fuck your gardener android, can you? Or do you have to pay extra for a gardener model you can fuck? Or do you have to get a sexbot and just think of your gardener robot?

(I've written out a list of worldbuilding questions I have about this universe, and maybe I'll talk about them in a future entry (I thought I'd just make a non-spoilery entry for now, and I'll probably make a spoilery one later), but 'are all androids fuckable?' is the one that really stands out.)

My overall conclusion on this game: it's a mess, but it's an entertaining mess, and I actually cared about some of the characters, which suggests David Cage has at least learnt something since Heavy Rain. (It also improves on Heavy Rain by having a female playable character whose story isn't just 'holy crap, look at this guy all lying here unconscious and being the protagonist, I'm in love'.)

I don't know whether I'll write fanfiction - I don't have any clear ideas right now, and I'm a little intimidated by the prospect of writing from an android's perspective - but it might be interesting. There are definitely things I wish the game had done; maybe it's my job to make them happen.

Comments

[batman]

As they say in the classics, “Do robots have dicks?”

(I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

[rionaleonhart]

Oh, God, am I Kokichi? I don't want to be Kokichi!

[wolfy_writing]

Here's what I want to know: are all androids fuckable, or just specific androids designed to be fucked? This is an important question and I'm confused that the game fails to answer it.

I am both amused by the question and possessed of an actual opinion. (I mean if you're creative and determined enough, you can have some kind of sex with any android.)

[rionaleonhart]

This was exactly th_esaurus's response: 'I mean, you can fuck the robot even if it's not designed to be fucked. Your robot gardener has hands, presumably.'

[rosa_heartlily]

I haven't checked out theradbrad in sooo long! I'm not sure if I want to play Detroit myself, though, so I'll avoid that particular let's play :)

[rionaleonhart]

I wasn't previously familiar with him, but he has such a good Let's Playing style! Playthroughs where people are talking non-stop over everything can be fun, but sometimes you just want to follow the story, and he's ideal for that.

[spindizzy]

It must be strange, being in a couple where one half ages and the other doesn't

My thing for this (because I have Overthought Robots in the past while writing uh a genderswapped lesbian Sherlock Holmes AU where they're both androids NO ONE LOOK AT ME is that the problem might actually be the planned obsolence in tech? Like, you have the shiniest new android now, but will you still be able to get parts for them in ten years and will they be able to upgrade to the latest version without having to be completely reformatted? So maybe BOTH of them are on a timer?

... Also I made exactly the same mistake you did, that did not look like a familial relationship to me. (And then I noticed that Markus never actually looks or sounds happy after Carl's death and I was REALLY SAD.)

... I'll be honest, the main appeal of Conner's storyline for me, as a person who is also just watching let's plays, is that I am ABSOLUTE TRASH for cross-genre detective fiction. If Kara and Markus had been solving crime as well as rescuing a little girl/overthrowing the bourgeoisie, I would probably have actually bought the game.

[rionaleonhart]

while writing uh a genderswapped lesbian Sherlock Holmes AU where they're both androids NO ONE LOOK AT ME

I'M LOOKING AT YOU. But it's an intrigued look, rather than a judgemental one.

I am extremely relieved that other people can see the Markus/Carl. They really felt like a couple! (Oh nooooo, no I'm sad as well! Poor Markus.)

[wheatear]

Although I did also hugely enjoy Connor making a coffee for Arsehole Cop and continuing to hold it out after the cop has left, going '???? take the coffee?? here is the coffee I'm supposed to give you? he's not taking the coffee, what do I do?'

This was so adorable. I was delighted when I found it was an option.

Here's what I want to know: are all androids fuckable, or just specific androids designed to be fucked? This is an important question and I'm confused that the game fails to answer it.

Important questions, yes. Fandom's answer seems to range from doll anatomy to the complete, possibly customisable, package.