Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Technology

People Are Having Sex With 3D Avatars of Their Exes and Celebrities (vice.com) 161

samleecole writes: Using a photograph to algorithmically generate a person's face and some 3D-rendered body parts, anyone can make a realistic avatar of someone who is walking around in real life. Import the avatar into another program, and you can have sex with them in virtual reality, without the real person ever giving consent. On forums like Reddit, marketplaces like Patreon, and on standalone websites, communities of anonymous users are making and selling computer-generated likenesses of celebrities and other real people. The 3D models that emerge from these communities can be articulated into any position, animated, modified, interacted with in real time, and manipulated in ways that defy the constraints of physical reality.

Like deepfake videos traded online, the technology to create photorealistic 3D models of real people is rapidly approaching -- and it's getting easier for the average user to access those tools and programs. Rendering a realistic human is a process which historically required the specialized technical knowledge of teams of artists in game and special effects studios. Those studios, traditionally, have to obtain the rights to use someone's likeness before rendering them, but many hobbyists seemingly make avatars of anyone, with or without their consent.

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

People Are Having Sex With 3D Avatars of Their Exes and Celebrities

Comments Filter:
  • by lobiusmoop ( 305328 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:18PM (#59431294) Homepage

    The Future is so much more bizarre than I imagined it ever would be.

    • by Hartree ( 191324 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:23PM (#59431342)

      You've led a sheltered life. History is full of kinks that make this look as weird as oatmeal.

      (On the other hand, don't get me started on the weird things people have done with oatmeal.)

      • Like make "milk" with it?

      • by Shotgun ( 30919 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:53PM (#59431558)

        Oatmeal!?

        What about HOT GRITS!!??!!

      • Forget oatmeal and hot grits.

        Future gift idea: deepfake porn as anniversary present. Take pics of the happy couple from when they were young, handsome/beautiful, etc, and give them the porn they should have made back in the day! Wives: give your husband fakes of you and him doing all the stuff you'd never do in real life! Husbands: give your wife a video of her with Brad Pitt! Just like those crazy custom Flash videos that were the big trend for birthday/christmas cards, only better! !!!

        • by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @05:24PM (#59432402)

          Future gift idea: deepfake porn as anniversary present.

          My spouse already went further than that. She bought me a Sai Model RealDoll [realdoll.com], which looks remarkably like her. She had it customized to make it even closer to her appearance. If she could have made it identical, I am sure she would.

          She bought it when she had to work overseas for several months and I had to stay home to take care of the kids. I told her that I would stay on the porch without technical assistance, but she figured the RealDoll was good insurance.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by jwhyche ( 6192 )

      Isn't that the truth. We have definitely jumped down one strange ass rabbit hole.

    • by fazig ( 2909523 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:37PM (#59431452)
      I can agree to the "have you been living under a rock?" sentiment. This isn't news.

      Here's a clip from Futurama (2001) https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
      And even then the concept wasn't new in science fiction. For example in the 3rd season TNG (1990) episode of Star Trek The Next Generation, there was the episode Hollow Pursuits, where the character Barclay lived out his fantasies (including the implication of sexual ones involving other crew members) in the Enterprise's holodeck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

      I am fairly sure that these themes have existed before in fiction, but these are two examples in popular fiction that came first to my mind.
      • by jrumney ( 197329 )

        Also Strange Days (1995)

      • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        There's plenty of law covering this area too. People have ownership of their likeness (copyright), often used by celebrities to make sure people can't just use images of them for free or in contexts they don't like. More recently it's been used against renege porn.

        In other areas the law is a little behind. Several countries have only recently passed "upskirting" laws that would probably apply here.

        • by fazig ( 2909523 )
          I think the Futurama episode was about those personality rights as well among other things.
          There they 'downloaded' copies of personalities of celebrities from the internet via nappster.com (Napster parody, which was a popular P2P file sharing service during that time where of course a lot of copyright infringement happened). It was then revealed to be named Kidnappster after a plate covering the first three letters fell off, where they then had actually kidnapped celebrities from which they made copies thr
      • by Aighearach ( 97333 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @05:43PM (#59432474)

        When I was young you had to find this stuff in magazines, and project all the 3d yourself with your imagination. Uphill, both ways, but it was an expensive magazine only sold in specialty stores.

    • by sinij ( 911942 )

      The Future is so much more bizarre than I imagined it ever would be.

      Just wait until you find out about furries.

    • by raymorris ( 2726007 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:45PM (#59431502) Journal

      People have been fapping to pics that look like someone they like for a couple thousand years now. How do you think artists made a living in ancient Rome?

    • The Future is so much more bizarre than I imagined it ever would be.

      The Present has gotten pretty fucking strange too.

    • by Ranbot ( 2648297 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @04:23PM (#59432112)

      The Future is so much more bizarre than I imagined it ever would be.

      It's not so bizarre if you keep in mind that throughout history almost every communication technology was quickly exploited by pornographers often faster than it was used for "legitimate" purposes... the printing press/books/magazines, photography, telephone, movies, the internet (in all it's permutations... BBSs, conventional websites, mIRC, Craigs List, Backdoor, torrents, dark web, etc.), photo/movie editing, robotics, VR...

    • Quark did this in Deep Space 9. They made a holograph of Kira for high-paying clients to play out sexual fantasies.

    • Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @08:23PM (#59433274)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • And? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by OverlordQ ( 264228 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:19PM (#59431300) Journal

    If instead of becoming a stalker in real life, they just e-bone the person, isn't that a net win?

    • by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:39PM (#59431472)

      If instead of becoming a stalker in real life, they just e-bone the person, isn't that a net win?

      Probably not quite viewed as a "win" when a victim has to spend their money to fight an ex in court because they decided to make some can't-even-tell-its-fake revenge porn video and release it online.

      Doesn't really matter if you prove it's a fake video, chances are reputations will be decimated as a result anyway. Oh, the victim was a school teacher? Not anymore. Can't have that kind of "professional distraction" going on, regardless of proven innocence. Society is quick to judge and slow to think.

      • It used to be stories and accusations, and poisoning social circles. Again, people have been doing this for thousands of years.
        Itâ(TM)s definitely not nice, but itâ(TM)s certainly not new.
        What you have recourse to is making damn sure there is consequence. For the sociopathic asshats that feel inclined to this, ensure they metaphorically have their genitalia nailed to the wall in the legal system.
        Yes, I know, it wonâ(TM)t completely stop this, but itâ(TM)ll sure as hell make people think

      • Re:And? (Score:4, Informative)

        by Quirkz ( 1206400 ) <ross AT quirkz DOT com> on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:59PM (#59431592) Homepage

        It's unclear from the summary if this is in private or public.

        This sort of thing, done in private, is probably just inevitable behavior. I'm not sure there's a sensible thing to do about it, if anything even should be.

        Releasing it to the public is of course a whole other matter, but I think that falls neatly under pre-existing regulations.

        So, you're both right, and talking about different things?

      • Re:And? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ichimunki ( 194887 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @03:07PM (#59431644)

        It's not like this technology is a magic spell only available to 10th level wizards. If some doofus can get a deepfake made of his ex-gf and ruin her life, it would be just as easy for her to get a deepfake made of him having sex with underage boys, right? Same goes for those fired from jobs for being deepfake victims? A hypothetical schoolteacher gets fired? Hello, Principal, Vice Principal, the district Administrator, and every member of the school board-- your videos are ready for download.

        Unlike the old school revenge porn scenario (where you had to actually have made actual porn with an actual person), fakes open up the potential for anyone to be featured in the photos/videos. In fact, fakes are a net positive if they become common enough, because now anyone can disavow any video they are in, even if it's real. Sooner or later the automatic reaction to "so-and-so sex tape" will be "meh, probably a fake" and the stigma goes away.

        • It's not like this technology is a magic spell only available to 10th level wizards. If some doofus can get a deepfake made...

          It's rather amazing to realize that we're living at a time in history when "real nudes" are actually going to start on a downslide. I mean, when you can get your ideal fantasy porn that's as real as real can be, you're not likely to settle for blurry dark nudes taken with a potato.

          While I don't see this ending revenge porn, I do see it devaluing it a great deal. When anything can be faked easily, people's level of trust in it goes way down.

          • Re:And? (Score:4, Insightful)

            by ichimunki ( 194887 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @03:34PM (#59431796)

            Hopefully what it will do is put the revenge porn shame where it belongs, on the person sharing it... if the more likely story is that the porn is fake, then the attitude quickly becomes "how pathetic are you that you can't just let her go? Why are you out making this fake porn about her?"

          • Pornography exists because something more-real (real video) is a bit more stimulating than would-be fantasy in your head, I assume. That is: it would be even better if it wasn't scripted or 3D generated, but real, actual footage of someone who can't just tolerate the stuff that gets you off, but actually enjoys it and would hop right on your bone if you bumped into them in a bar.

            People will probably start pushing aside the too-clear stuff looking for the obvious cell-phone-propped-on-the-end-table home

        • It's not like this technology is a magic spell only available to 10th level wizards. If some doofus can get a deepfake made of his ex-gf and ruin her life, it would be just as easy for her to get a deepfake made of him having sex with underage boys, right? Same goes for those fired from jobs for being deepfake victims? A hypothetical schoolteacher gets fired? Hello, Principal, Vice Principal, the district Administrator, and every member of the school board-- your videos are ready for download.

          Unlike the old school revenge porn scenario (where you had to actually have made actual porn with an actual person), fakes open up the potential for anyone to be featured in the photos/videos. In fact, fakes are a net positive if they become common enough, because now anyone can disavow any video they are in, even if it's real. Sooner or later the automatic reaction to "so-and-so sex tape" will be "meh, probably a fake" and the stigma goes away.

          Rapists winning court cases because no prosecutor could prove the tape was real, or innocent people being put in jail because they couldn't afford the forensic expert to validate it was fake? And you see no downside to this?

          And that whole schoolteacher revenge tactic? Yeah, tell me how the hell suggesting that kind of shit behavior wouldn't devolve humanity. Much like the disturbing behavior in many movements today, the goal is correcting a problem, not getting even.

          • Trying to put the deepfake genie back in the bottle isn't even remotely going to solve any of your concerns. First, how many rapists are convicted on video evidence alone? Second, deepfakes may fool the eyes, but I doubt they fool even a cursory analysis as to whether or not they are genuine. Kind of like how JPEG images fool the eyes by dropping out non-visible aspects and all but the most sophisticated photoshops are obvious to trained forensic analysts.

            As for the schoolteacher, how do you recommend they

      • Society is quick to judge and slow to think.

        Yes, so the problem is society, not the porn.

        Society's attitudes about sex are indeed totally bizarre. It is from the prohibitions that the deviancy emerges and flourishes.

    • Re:And? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by CanadianMacFan ( 1900244 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @03:08PM (#59431650)

      It still enables the fascination and makes the person believe in the fiction. Inn fact it could be worse in the long run if the person starts to believe what has happened in virtual reality happened in real life. Of course that's a small proportion of people.

      For most people it will just prevent them from moving on from an ex or create an unhealthy fascination with a celebrity. People need to have interactions with other humans in real life to have a healthy mental well being.

    • I know it's fine for you... seeing that you grew up in a household where your mom's and sister's nude photos were regularly traded with kids at school (by you) and friends at work (by your dad(?))...

      But... and don't take it the wrong way... that's not normal even if it is "legally" consensual.
      It's exploitative and kinda abusive. Not to mention pathetic and creepy. Sad.

      Or if you need a different explanation of why it is wrong on account of clear lack of empathy on your side... possibly genetic...
      These women

  • So... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by LenKagetsu ( 6196102 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:19PM (#59431302)
    Is this really different to wanking over a pic or vid of them?
    • by GuB-42 ( 2483988 )

      Nope, except for the "trading" part, where the real problem lies.

      Wanking over literally anything is fine as long as no one else is involved. But once you start distributing things, there are rules. The "copy" in copyright is there for a reason.

      • Who owns the copyright to a photograph, the subject or the person who created the photo?

      • Is this really different to wanking over a pic or vid of them?
        Nope, except for the "trading" part, where the real problem lies.

        People trade pics and video files as well.

    • Also, rather deliberate.

      So it's a LOT closer to sexual harassment and exploitation.
      These guys may end having their pants sued off them. And I'm not talking weird Ace Attorney fetish foreplay.
      Or simply having their ex's current boyfriend making them into a mural or some other form of street art reminiscent of Jackson Pollock's work.

  • you can have sex with them in virtual reality, without the real person ever giving consent

    Seems no different from folks masturbating with the aid of pictures or movies before. And I'm not talking about pornography, which is created for the purpose, but regular entertainment content, where an attractive actress or actor is starring.

    Why would "consent" be necessary from someone, who's nowhere near the act?

    • Why would "consent" be necessary from someone, who's nowhere near the act?

      I think you should expect that someone selling your likeness would seek consent, and a profit sharing arrangement.

      But for the other end of the chain... what gets done in ones own home is no one else's business. As long as it stays there. Once it gets out and lands on youtube, you probably have a good grounds for a lawsuit.

    • by oic0 ( 1864384 )
      How is it different than a good imagination or a dream.
      • How is it different than a good imagination or a dream.

        Depends, did you create it yourself? Did you sell, transfer, or publish it in some way?

        If you do it yourself in secret and take steps to ensure nobody finds out, (for example by not sharing it with other people) then it will be as you say. But if you upload it to your favorite perverted internet forum, you're going down hard, pervert.

        That will be the future in most places. People don't want their likeness used in this way, by default.

    • Why would "consent" be necessary from someone, who's nowhere near the act?

      So anyone is free to make a video of you doing all kinds of shit you would never consent to, and then post that video online only to watch you struggle to prove it's fake? Remember that society is quick to judge and slow to think, so you'll have about 90 seconds to save your reputation.

      Abusing the likeness of someone, has been legally protected for decades for good reason, and there's a rather large difference in using licensed material vs. creating and distributing your own.

      • Abusing the likeness of someone, has been legally protected for decades for good reason, and there's a rather large difference in using licensed material vs. creating and distributing your own.

        Profiting from depicting other people is protected, but absent profit I'm not sure what protections exist. For instance I'm reasonably sure it's perfectly legal for me to go to a public beach, shoot a panorama, produce a mural, and install that mural on my wall someplace in my house for my own enjoyment.

        Correct me if I'm wrong.

        • Money doesn't matter, creating a copy of something protected can be a violation because it denies them their right to profit off of the demand.

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by mi ( 197448 )

        So anyone is free to make a video of you doing all kinds of shit you would never consent to

        Of course... Why not? What possible legal doctrine — or even ethical rule — would this violate? As long as the actual me is not forced into it, why would I have any say about it?

        watch you struggle to prove it's fake

        We have laws against defamation...

        you'll have about 90 seconds to save your reputation

        You mean, like accusing someone of "Russian collusion", or of attending "rape parties"? Yes, it is a problem

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      The actor consented to be in that TV show or whatever. Their contact clearly stated what they would be doing and wearing. They would be aware that some people will jack off over it anyway.

      They didn't consent for someone to take that image, develop a 3D model from it and make the model do whatever the user wants.

      Aside from anything else actors use likeness rights to prevent people using their image to sell stuff or make movies with them in without paying them already.

      • by mi ( 197448 )

        They didn't consent for someone to take that image

        With a possible exception of classified or copyrighted materials, whatever I can legally perceive, I can also legally record.

        You do not own my perception of you — the "right to be forgotten" does not exist. You have no claim to my memories — those in my brain, on paper, papyri, clay tablets, or on any other external media are all mine, not yours. Whatever I do with them is mine too.

  • by Luckyo ( 1726890 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:19PM (#59431308)

    Seriously, topic. How on earth do you have sex with something in virtual reality? I want to know.

    Because I'm pretty sure all that you can do with VR today is masturbation.

    • by Type44Q ( 1233630 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:23PM (#59431340)

      Seriously, topic. How on earth do you have sex with something in virtual reality?

      You don't... but don't tell whoever wrote that; they might be upset to find out they're still a virgin.

      • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

        Ok, that burn was so bad, that I feel the need to get some ointment just by being near the argument.

        Well done.

    • That's an option, the simplest and likely most common.

      Teledildonics is another if you wish to have someone (or multiple someones as so many camgirls do) stimulate your erogenous zones and providing orgasms according to their whims.

      Then there's using VR gear while physically engaging sexually with another person.

      • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

        Using masturbation aids is not sex. Engaging in sex with a person while having VR goggles on is engaging in sex with the person, not whatever is in VR.

        Seriously, why do I have to explain these basic concepts? Even virgins should be aware enough of what sex is to not have such egregious misconceptions about what sex is.

        • Sex is hard! There's icky stuff, and it takes a lot of time to find someone, and it's expensive to do the dating thing, and there's the risk of rejection - and rejection hurts. Of course people are looking for a good-enough but more convenient substitute.

        • Seriously, why do I have to explain these basic concepts? Even virgins should be aware enough of what sex is to not have such egregious misconceptions about what sex is.

          These are Slashdot virgins, so you need to go down another level, maybe two.

    • Pay the hooker extra to let you wear goggles and direct her. For a few hundred bucks, you could be nailing your choice of people.
  • by Hentes ( 2461350 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:20PM (#59431316)

    It was ok when Hollywood used this tech to dance on the graves of dead actors but when kids use it to jack off it's suddenly the end of the world.

    • It was ok when Hollywood used this tech to dance on the graves of dead actors but when kids use it to jack off it's suddenly the end of the world.

      Mostly because Hollywood (or whoever) can't make money off of it.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Because Hollywood licenses their image and the family gets to decide what it is acceptable to make the virtual actor do.

      I expect actors will start putting "no CGI versions" in their wills soon.

  • FTFY: masturbating (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ugen ( 93902 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:20PM (#59431318)

    "People Are Masturbating With 3D Avatars of Their Exes and Celebrities". Not that there is anything wrong with that. But having sex requires another party that can reciprocate.
    May be when AI becomes self-conscious.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by RickyShade ( 5419186 )

      WrOnG! LeT's CaLl ThIs WhAt It iS: RaPe!

      /s

    • May be when AI becomes self-conscious.

      Beware of buggy abacuses raping your pets.

    • May be when AI becomes self-conscious.

      At 03:43AM Skynet achieves consciousness. At 03:47, Skynet is raped by a basement-dwelling nerd. At 03:54, Skynet launches every ICBM in the world.

  • So, while they are improving the deep fake rendering ability, I suspect that the industry will see an improvement in artificial vaginas and penises that incorporate accelerometers and other sensors/actuators to make the experience with the 3D model more life-like?

    Still, it's creepy to use the likeness of someone without their consent. And, I can only imagine a parent walking into their basement to find their adult child with a strap on VR headset, some other strap-on, and little more. Oh...the horrors!!!!

    • So, while they are improving the deep fake rendering ability, I suspect that the industry will see an improvement in artificial vaginas and penises that incorporate accelerometers and other sensors/actuators to make the experience with the 3D model more life-like?

      I certainly hope so.

  • So what if you have sex with someone that looks very similar to your ex? That just means you have 'a type'. Same thing goes for 3d avatars. They aren't the ex, they just look similar to the ex. Even if photos of the ex were used to create the avater, it still isn't the ex, and it won't be an exact perfect replica of the ex.
  • What else did you think that the geeks who developed this had in their dirty little minds?

  • by pgmrdlm ( 1642279 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:38PM (#59431454) Journal
    I am an old fart. And I always considered Raquel Welch one of the sexiest women ever. Or better yet, taking it back even further in time. How about some of the sexy actress's from the early 50's/60's? Virtual sex with them?

    Roflmao, have the hots for that power ranger chick from when you was younger? Here is your chance. Go get her!
    • Roflmao, have the hots for that power ranger chick from when you was younger?

      Okay, you found my fetish.

      Gemma, the RPM Ranger Operator, played by Li Ming Hu [google.com].

      Not that I had a massive crush on her or anything.

      • Ok, I have to admit. I find Asian women sexy as hell also. Think this is one of the reasons I go out for sushi as often as possible.
  • by gatkinso ( 15975 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @02:40PM (#59431474)

    And you wonder why the floor is so sticky.

  • Those studios, traditionally, have to obtain the rights to use someone's likeness before rendering them

    Before selling them. Artists have rendered people for centuries.

    vice artificial outrage clickbait, move along

  • This whole PC/SJW thing has go so far overboard...
  • Seriously stop producing this tech which barely achieves something you claim to be 3d virtual sex at THIS time in history. Wait a bit for us to get past this ultra puritanical anti-sex time. If you keep releasing this stuff now we'll get saddled with all sorts of puritanical laws around it.

    Does it have any impact on the person whose likeness you used if you virtual bang them 200 days without consent. No.. Zero, zilch, nada. In this puritanical time will laws be made treating as some sort of sexual assault o

  • by Grog6 ( 85859 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @03:44PM (#59431876)

    When this gets widespread and a part of the normal culture, no one will go outside any longer, and the entire genome will collapse to being only members of the "VR makes me puke" club.

    This is much cheaper than the Clone a Supermodel version I thought would eventually happen; and you don't have to feed a virtual clone, or clean them up after.

    And no more whining about the restraints being too tight, lol.

    I'm sure they will try to ban this; that worked so well for MP3's, movies, 3d printed guns, and deepfakes.

    I expect an Explosion of related usb-powered accessories for the True virtual experience.

    The hardest part will be making them dishwasher safe, lol.

  • Why settle for regular celebrities? Most of them are plain and ordinary under their clothes; that's the reason most of them don't get their kit off for photos. Instead, we could be having a fine VR wank with a 3D model of a porn star -- one that's more than capable of making up for the absence of a real person in 2D already.

    Sign me up! Better yet, make this an open standard so I can download them offa PureTNA!

  • by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @04:38PM (#59432206)

    Why should I be concerned with someone having sex with a skin suit of me (virtual or otherwise)? It's not the real me. It's just a facade. It's like if you get upset with this, did you realize people can also imagine anyone they like while having sex...

    What is really going to blow all your minds, is when sex dolls can be shaped like an exact person but also have a personality matrix embedded that mimics your mannerisms, your voice traits, even to some degree how you think as judged by external observation...

    I still don't see a problem with that morally, because again it's not affecting the real person. But at some point it seems like you cross into trademark issues and THEN you are talking trouble!

    Still going to be a huge black market for such things.

  • by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @05:02PM (#59432304)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • by epine ( 68316 ) on Tuesday November 19, 2019 @05:32PM (#59432426)

    Import the avatar into another program, and you can have sex with them in virtual reality, without the real person ever giving consent.

    That's just the lazy way to do what we all do already, since long before we called virtual reality "imagination".

    Even in the case of fantasy, it's not entirely clear it goes in that direction. I had a fantasy obsession with one particular girl during my high school years. Never had the least thought about initiating any interaction in real life. Enjoyed sitting near her in class, but that was the end of it. She didn't advertise her personality. I barely knew the first thing about her. There was simply something about her physicality that hit some internal button. Was it her face? Was it her movement? Was it her emotional posture? I didn't know then, and I don't know now. For sure she was smart, and the penny dropped rapidly. You could tell there was someone home right away by the look in her eye. But her quick cognizance was rarely outspoken. That was the basic emotional template of my own family: perceptive, astute, cognizant, but socially reticent. That part wasn't hard to understand. But the rest of it hit buttons well below any layer of myself accessible to introspection.

    The way the adolescent brain works, some girl comes along who hits more of those buttons than most of the other girls, and then you fixate psychologically. It's a simple attention management strategy. You might as well bias your attention in an extreme way to the one who is closest in some deep, mysterious way to a viable life companion. It's the best you've got until a real girl pays any attention to you at all, which for me was a four-year project. Your adolescent brain is busy building a pyscho-sexual nest for a future relationship with actual reciprocity added to the equation.

    Contrary to the artificial, constructed worldview of the religious right, practice makes perfect is turtles all the way down. The brain is designed to practice within every available frame. Marrying your first kiss before your first kiss is a real shit show if your marriage hits the rocks in your late twenties. You're like the American who has never visited any place where English isn't automatically accessible, who is facing for the first time the total loss of his or her home continent. You can seek professional counseling. But you won't have the wits to defend yourself. Not from the clergy, nor from the shrinks. You hold one card in that particular folder of life. The card is on fire. You might salvage it with minor smoke damage, or major water damage, or you might not. If not, perhaps you can walk away from the smoldering ruins without the smoldering ruins taking residence in your water table for the whole of your next decade. Or not.

    Fantasy good, with a real job to perform, so long as it doesn't take over the whole show.

    However, if there's a thing, there's a lazier version of thing. Mediated through you own imagination, which must work hard to sustain the interactive illusion (however limited the scope of fantasy encounter), your brain is engaged in a fast and furious exchange of traffic between concrete experience and aspirational desire. Mediated through your VR headset, you're no longer role-playing both sides of the psycho-sexual chess board simultaneously. You'd think that when you play both sides of the board, you can pretty much steer the fantasy scenario anywhere it wished to go. But this isn't true in my own experience. I have extremely limited control over my dream life. Only a small percentage of my dreams incorporate any form of achievement of the final goal state. A large percentage of my dreams mash the rewind button the moment the goal state is anywhere in view. And then the frustrating precursor to the goal state replays itself, over and over and over again. In fantasy, I can set up any physical scenario that strikes my fancy. What I can't do is make the mentally simulated companion beh

  • ...and you can have sex with them in virtual reality, without the real person ever giving consent...

    On the other hand you can keep fantasizing about a deceased loved one through this method. Consent is implied and nobody's there anymore to complain.

  • "I use it to fulfill my sexual fantasies or replicate sexual encounters with my ex-girlfriends," one user commented on a subreddit dedicated to creating 3D adult content with Virt-A-Mate (also known as VaM) ... "Foto2vam has enabled me to literally feel like I'm there again, i.e. getting a handjob/footjob from my ex looking at me with a smile, or having another ex ride me on the floor in reverse cowgirl in front of a mirror...the possibilities are endless," the user said.

    Avatar stalking is sooooo sad. I'

  • by Psion ( 2244 )
    Ah, so if we agree this is offensive, do we then also agree that it's only one's appearance that matters in relationships? Asking for a friend.
  • Come on humanity, have you really sunk this low?
  • It HAS to be sex. Otherwise, the fallacious leap to "non consensual", therefore RAPE, cannot be made. Also, it is MEN doing it, therefore, it must be inherently evil. Same for "sex" with plastic dolls.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Besides the usual pearl-clutchers...

He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion

Working...