C:\rano.bergerac

c:\rano.bergerac is a story written by shukyou and illustrated by sparks. It ran in Issue 30 and can be found at s2b2.livejournal.com/173326.html and shousetsubangbang.com/mirror/crano-bergerac/.

As it originally ran, the story had no illustration. However, sparks volunteered one several months later, and it was added to the text.

Summary

A VR sex operator falls in love with his client, who has no idea he's real.

"Oh, yes," I said into the headset, "fuck my pussy. That's right, fuck me right in my tight cunt. God, I love your big fat cock. Stick your big cock in me, you big man. Yes, yes, harder, yes. I want you to come all over my tits and face, baby. Yeah, baby, all over my tits. That's so good. I want to taste that fat dick, you big stud."

From pinboard.in: "In which a vr sex company's big secret is that there are humans behind the simulations (which is what allows them to be so realistic), and one of these workers falls in love with a client."

From delicious.com: "A VR sex simulator operator falls in love with a repeat client and puts everything on the line to be with the man of his dreams."

From delicious.com: "In a futuristic world where artificial intelligence sex programs are run by human operators, an employee falls in love with a lonely customer."

From fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/: "sexbot-AIs are actually secretly voiced/directed by people, sex-AI-voicing guy falls for a returning customer"

Connections

c:\rano.bergerac takes place in the same future universe as [Natural and Artificial Flavorings], though there are no direct connections between the two stories. The title, of course, is a reference to Cyrano de Bergerac, whose oft-fictionalized life story was the inspiration for the romance here.

Related Links

c:\rano.bergerac has been featured on GoodReads.

This story is available for download/purchase on Smashwords.

Author's Notes

Well, I finished this dang thing more than two months before it was due, because ... of a problem? Something like that.

First things first: just in case the terrible joke in the title isn't obvious....

No, real first things first: have got to thank beeblebabe, who this time was again my worldbuilding and brainstorming partner, and who has burned entire days with me talking out this wonderful world.

This story was actually the original idea for the story that eventually became The Mechanical Turk -- though when I first thought of it, I was planning it to be from the perspective of the man who falls in love with the fake-not-fake lover. I went the more Victorian route with the Mechanical Turk, and wound up looking over the hapless Halston's shoulder the entire time. However, I decided this one wouldn't work nearly as well if the reader weren't in on the deception. Thus, Rex stepped aside, and Patrick became the lens through which the world could be seen.

Rex honestly isn't based on anyone, and the main reason he ended up being Iranian was on account of my doing research on the name 'Roxane', which (so far as I found) started out as the Persian name Roshanak. Even if someday I find out that's not actually true, I'm not going to care, because making his family Iranian and (very hundred-years-from-now conservative-but-also-secular) Muslim really affected who he wound up being.

Patrck has a physical model (and firstnamesake, though his unspoken surname is Ferguson), but he's completely his own thing as well. One of the other reasons this story went so quickly for me is that Patrick's narrative voice was so delightful and easy (and much thanks again to beeblebabe). I love first person narration when I can find a good voice, and this definitely felt good to me.

This actually takes place in the same 100-years-from-now universe as Natural and Artificial Flavorings, and you know Rex has eaten at Jack's restaurant a few times.

There are more stories to be told about this pair -- and their friends -- and I know I promise every time that maybe I'll write more someday, but this time I mean it! Just, you know, after everything else....

(from ladysisyphus.livejournal.com/737613.html)

Reviews

• http://creative-whimsy.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-stories-by-shukyou.html:

This story dances between being fun and serious as the setting is rather amusing: A poor theatre graduate works at the futuristic version of a phone-sex line, virtual reality, as the “voice” and “actions” of the selected person. When Rex hires a personality for an hour, Patrick (whose name you don't learn until the end) feels like the luckiest man alive. Rex is exactly his type. Of course, Rex sees a buff Scandinavian hottie, not chubby, pale Patrick. What I love about this story is that while plenty of sex happens (virtually, but described as if real), the connection between the two men is completely emotional and cognitive. The build up between the two characters and the eventual climax where Patrick—and Rex—need to make a decision is both heart breaking and beautiful. This is definitely a great read when you need a feel good story, although it touches upon heavy subjects as well.

• delicious.com: "Cyrano de Bergerac with virtual reality! =D Man I love this author."