Sounds like someone's true life experiences after playing in "The Sims Online" (TSO) or "SecondLife" (SL). There are so many parallels between this story and those online worlds I would find it very hard to believe Lauren has never played either one. Broken hearts, cybersex with webcam's and voice, control freaks and vitural love affairs always bounce'n in an out of control. Even women (not all by any means but a fair amount of them) that want to be controlled by at master (I don't understatn that part) roam the vitural horizon. Desperate housewives looking for attention and starving for love, wanting to be controlled and admitting it. Lauren did a wonderful job of painting one small corner of that world. But its not so much fiction as reality now. I loved the metaphors and crafty dialog but reality is even better than fiction. If she hasn't lived and loved in a true online virtual world yet, then she must be Clairvoyant. Either way she could and should write a lot more about the emotional rich experiences of virtual reality.

The first couple of minutes into the article I thought this was another life meets tech style reporting piece. Almost looked up AI4U but then decided to read on.

Really good stuff. Salon seems to have developed a knack for plucking these gems out-Themepunks

Also I have never been a sci-fi fan but I do like stuff like this.

Keep writing Laura!

AI programs you!

That story was amazing. Thank you!

This story shows exactly what men have been saying all along:

Women LOVE Jerks!!!

They simply love to be jerked around.

That's it!

~

If a man wrote this, he'd be a misogynist troll. Watch the flamers jump on me now.

But a women writes a whole story on it, and it goes down smooth...

Anyway, brilliant job, I'm a big fan now.

Nonetheless, I also loved it. Fascinating.

that was a really fun read. I'll look for more by McLaughlin. It did seem to tread on ground mapped out by gibson.

The psychological aspects of this story line reminds me just a little too much of the TV show "The Profiler" and Sam and Jack. Jack knowing way too much about Sam and killing his way, serially, through the people in her life. The juxtaposition between Jack and Sam and Lucy and Pritchard being that Pritchard doesn't need to kill anyone to get into Lucy's head. She's inviting him in.

It's creepy, and thrilling, and imbibes the reader (this one at least) with dark fascination and morbid curiosity (complete with a soundtrack of sidewalk Koto music heard through a sewer grate).

I hate it. I love it. It worked.

I'm so glad I read that story - I loved reading Pritchard's point of view and seeing how all the power shifted to him. I will look out for this author's writing in the future.

perfect. Can I have Pritchard?

a really fun read!

P.S. This story would be a GREAT movie....

sharon

Bravo! Great story. I want to know what happens next!

Lauren,I will be following your writing now...I am a new fan!

sharon