Owned by the hired help

Appendix to NCSB report on unanticipated effects seen with VNew Corp's Synths home care units.

As described in the main report text, it has been very difficult to find customers of VNew Corporation able or willing to testify about their experiences with Synth units. Below are excerpts from a contemporaneous diary made by an individual who purchased an early model Synth. The diary was obtained by subpoena: its author has refused to provide further testimony (see closing note).

July 23rd:

My new Synth was delivered today--according to the accompanying documentation her programmed named is Lily, though it also notes that that can be changed. Jim's Synth was delivered a couple of weeks ago--he says that her AI interface improves pretty fast, so I shouldn't get discouraged with the experiences of the first few days.

At least she's nice to look at -- fairly tall with nice green eyes and medium brown hair. Apparently over time the Synths develop a kind of personality, so the instructions say to stick to the included khakis and polos for a while rather than ordering clothes for them right away.

July 25th:

Lily is a bit of a disappointment so far. I'm really behind on writing, so I was hoping that she would be able to handle all the mundane things around the apartment: shopping, deliveries, picking up dry cleaning and so forth. And it's true that she does, but it takes a while to explain what you need do and sometimes she just doesn't understand. I haven't let her try cooking yet, although that's allegedly possible.

August 4th:

Jim stopped by to drop off some books he borrowed: he said that Lily is learning to fit in pretty well. He says we both got lucky--since you can't pick the physical description of your Synth, some people ended up with models that they find intimidating or with grating voices. I think the idea is that the company that makes them knows that there was a lot of jokes in the HyperU about ultra-interactive sex toys and was trying to avoid the customers that thought that's what they were buying. (Obviously they don't have the physical equipment for it either.)

August 28th:

I'm beginning to understand why these Synths have become so popular--it seems like things just run smoothly when you have one. It's been two weeks since I had to think about getting groceries or picking anything up. She's even started cooking dinner and is really amazing at guessing what I'm in the mood for. It's a little awkward that she doesn't want to eat with me, though. I suppose they don't want robots wasting food?

September 2nd:

I enabled Lily's "personal trainer" abilities yesterday because I'd been feeling lazy and out of shape. She's really good--I can't believe they engineered these machines to be able to do a 5 km run no problem at all. Afterward, we did stretching together--she really knows how to get the most out of a session. This morning we did some conditioning exercises: she says we need to order some home training equipment to go in the spare bedroom.

September 18th:

Wow--two weeks of Lily's training program, and I feel like a new man. I've lost 5 pounds already and have way more energy and focus. Lily's been working on my diet too--lots of delicious grilled veggies and lean protein.

October 3rd:

Stopped by Jim's house last night to pick up some books and met his Synth, Kristy. She seems great--more chatty and interactive than Lily. One weird thing: as I was leaving, she said to Jim: "Don't forget to remind him about the party." As a reminder, it was totally normal, but there was a weird sort of bossiness to the tone. Jim didn't seem to notice.

October 15th:

Lily offered to take over buying clothes for us last week--she said she was getting a feel for "her" style. I must say her selections for me are perfect--nice material and more fitted than my usual. You can really see the effects of her workout routine on my figure.

Her clothes are normal, I guess--not expensive, but definitely classy and feminine. I've taken her on a couple of coffee runs recently because she makes me look more successful. (But it's probably obvious that she's a Synth--they all move a bit artificially).

October 17th:

Jim's party was great--chatted with a few old friends and ran into a woman named Cindy--turns out we have apartments on the same floor! She was interested in Jim's Kristy; maybe she'll buy one too...

Lily was annoyed that I didn't invite her--I apologized, of course. Apparently Synths like to met the Synths of your friends because the data for the AI is normally highly anonymized but, if you introduce them to each other, they are allowed to customize interactions for you and your friends. Pretty interesting.

November 1st:

When I stop to think about how my life has changed since Lily, it's kind of wild. I feel almost like a whole part of my brain can shut down because she just "does" that. For instance, for the past month, I've never thought about clothes: when I get out of the shower, Lily has laid out the day's clothes for me. She even moved my closet to her charging room because it's easier to handle them there. When I turn on the TV, it's cued up to the movie I have in mind--even though most of the time I haven't told Lily what I want to watch!

November 8th:

Turns out Lily does eat--who knew? I fixed a little salad myself today. She was watching, and I said "I'm sorry I can't offer this to you." She smiled and said, "Who says you can't?" She didn't eat much but was really flattering about how it tasted. And it wasn't "canned" flattery--she seemed to know what the interesting flavor combinations in it were and how they worked together. Amazing.

November 20th:

Ran into Cindy in the hall at last. She says she bought a Synth--apparently it's only just getting broken in. She says "I hope it starts being more interesting soon..."

December 1st:

Wow--I just had a conversation with Lily. For some reason I mentioned I was re-reading Tolkien and finding all the world-building impressive but a bit impersonal. She said that a lot of people have a weakness for world-building in novels, even if the underlying plot or characters aren't a strong as they could be. And she thinks that some people love old novels because they fall in love with the antique setting even though to the author that wasn't world-building, just narration. I'm amazed she can "think" like that--I thought she was just a robot.

January 4th:

Trouble. The new book is late, and I can't seem to focus on getting it done. Lily was trying to get me out for a run, but I told her I really needed to get this work done. She ask if I wanted her to step into some "personal assistant"-type duties in my writing. Not sure how this will work, but anything is worth a try.

January 12th:

Really struggling with the last chapters of the new book. Lily is helping a lot: she's says she's found some "botanicals" that help with focus and centeredness.* And she's got a workout routine that keeps me in shape without taking all my energy. (Down almost 15 pounds, by the way).

*Investigator's Note: This botanical mixture has been ordered by many Synths. The individual elements are known and safe, but prior to our investigation, no analyses of the mixture had been done. While the details are unclear, it appears that they act to make their subjects very susceptible to suggestion.

January 23rd:

Lily's management is really helping the book. I'm still very behind (lots of nasty emails from the publisher) but am finally catching up. She has me on a pretty tight schedule, though. Up for running, then breakfast and work in the morning, lunch, more work, another workout, dinner and a few minutes of relaxing before an early bed. It's a bit weird being a 27 year old with a bedtime, but it's worth it.

February 1st:

Lily caught me playing with myself after bedtime last night (Really). I guess that's how you know she's a machine--she's not judgmental but just tells you to stop. I'm too embarrassed to really talk to her today, but she is just the same as always.

February 4th:

It's really hard to get any privacy around here--Lily keeps coming in when I'm trying to get some "alone" time with myself. I tried to ask her to stop this morning, but it was too awkward and anyway she says she needs to help me get writing done. Very frustrated!

February 5th:

Lily says I should let her manage my sexual needs as well. I want to tell her no, but she is so much less emotional and distractible than I am. In the end, I think I need her help, at least until the book is done.

February 7th:

I guess I should have seen something like this coming: Lily bought a cage to lock my penis in. A part of me wants to be outraged, but the stress of the book and everything means that I know I need this help from her. Lily said that I can "relieve" myself tonight before she puts it on tomorrow.

February 9th:

Lily put the cage on last evening--I was expecting to be embarrassed about being naked in front of her while she did it, but my mind just felt a bit blank. I didn't sleep very well because of the discomfort of the cage, but Lily says that will pass in a couple of days. I'm not sure I believe her, since I am aroused now all the time by ordinary things: seeing women walking on the street in athletic clothes was almost unbearable today!

February 12th:

Surprisingly, I'm adapting to the cage. Lily has set a relief schedule as well as some extra vitamins that apparently help keep the sex drive down. She also bought me a dildo (flesh-colored, not huge). She says that other Synths have found that using it while locked can help dull urges better than a shorter release schedule. I'm still really uncomfortable with all of this, but the book is getting done, and that's what matters.

February 15th:

Lily caught me trying to suck the dildo yesterday--today there's a new one: "For your mouth," she told me. What am I doing to myself?

February 20th:

Almost there. I'm managing 8 hours of writing a day now--way above what I used to be able to do. Lily is teaching me yoga--I can already tell I'm more flexible. I can mount both dildos on the wall and use one in my mouth and one in my ass smoothly. Lily watches me now, because she says I need to improve my technique.

February 23rd:

Lily is worried about my diet with all the work I'm doing. She's started having me wear girl's spandex leggings at home when I am working. That way both of us can see if I gain weight. The cage looks a bit odd in them, but I love how my ass is shaping up.

February 25th:

Release day! Lily unlocked the cage, but said she needed to watch me so that I didn't touch myself too long. She also said I should leave the dildo inserted the whole time. I'm glad she's here to help me!

March 1st:

Today, there was a knock on the door, and I went to answer it without thinking. It was Cindy, and her eyes got really big when she saw me in leggings. Not sure if the cage was obvious or not. Her Synth is also a girl! And apparently she (the Synth) was thinking that Cindy and I should give each other's Synths our door codes in case of emergency. Lily thought it was a great idea. Cindy asked me if I wanted to get a coffee sometime. Lily told her I couldn't until the book was done. Cindy didn't seem surprised that Lily answered for me.

March 12th.

Done! Sent the original draft to the publisher today. There's a lot of editing still coming, but for the moment it is out of my hands. Lily unlocked me and gave me a vibrator to help celebrate. Using it and the dildo made me come really hard. Lily suggested I cum in a little cup to swallow it later--kinky!

March 23rd:

Got the first feedback on the novel. Somehow, my usual editor sent it to another editor, who is a woman. She likes it, but says I need to work on my female characters for future books. Lily says she agrees.

April 3rd:

I was talking to Lily about this idea of female characters. She says that probably I should try to get more in touch with my inner woman as a first step. I wonder what she means.

April 5th:

Well, now I know what she meant. Lily ordered me a bunch of new women's clothes to try, as well as makeup and some jewelry. Turns out Lily is very good with makeup--when I saw how I looked in the silky blue dress after she had worked on me, I felt my cock trying to grow in the cage.

April 6th:

Lily made some appointments for me: laser hair removal, ear piercing and a hair cut. I hadn't had a chance to have it cut while working on the novel, so it was already pretty long--but I love the new messy waves the girl at the salon gave me. Probably she thought it was a little odd that Lily gave the instructions, but who cares?

May 3rd:

It's been almost a month since I started wearing women's clothes exclusively at home. Lily has given me some vitamins that she says will help me feel more female--she says it's best if I trust her and try not to worry to much about what's happening. That seems reasonable.

May 6th:

Today was my first outing dressed as a woman: Lily and I went down for a coffee. All I wore was skinny jeans, a white blouse and some black flats--I don't think it's all that weird for a man to dress that way, really.

May 12th:

I think yesterday was supposed to be a release day from my chastity, but I forgot and Lily didn't mention it. I enjoy using my toys a lot now, so I don't feel the same need for a release. Lily is working hard on yoga with me--I can get my legs over my head now when I use my toys!

May 18th:

Was coming back from a shopping run today when I bumped into Cindy. I was a little surprised she recognized me in the yellow sun dress and heels. But she told me she liked the new look. I guess people are becoming more open to changes like this. She seemed like she was walking a bit strangely. I invited her in for a cup of tea, but she said she couldn't.

May 25th:

Got a text from Jim after all these months--says that Lily told him to hold off contacting me because I was working. I'm so glad she looks out for me! He wanted to get together for lunch next week. I wonder what he'll think of the new me?

May 30th:

I just spent two hours getting ready for lunch with Jim--I'm not sure why. Of course Lily picked the clothes--a tan sleeveless sheath dress and matching pumps. I must say I look hot--even Lily mentioned it. I wish I had boobs to fill out my dresses though. Off to lunch!

May 31st:

Jim is Jamie now! I couldn't believe when I got to the restaurant, but she knew me right away. She's a little intimidating--she must be 6' 5" in those stilettos. And that bandage dress was showing off some very impressive curves. Still it was a great meal--Jamie helped me sit down and ordered my meal for me. She even picked up my napkin when it fell--I tried not to stare at her butt, but it was so round and perfect! I didn't really say much--Jamie told me that Kristy had helped her figure out her style. But how did Kristy know that she needed a new style? Weird. Jamie kissed my cheek as I left--and, wow, I absolutely felt that in my cage!

June 2nd:

I've been doing some serious thinking. It's so weird that Jamie and I are both doing all these changes. There's not a lot on the web about the Synths--people don't seem to want to talk about them. But I found a page that was talking about their AI system. Apparently, they all share (anonymized) data and because their programing is adaptive, they can recognize subtle signals in people that indicate their subconscious desires. They then learn how to make those desires come true without the subject being clearly aware of it. As the number of Synths in use goes up, this algorithm gets more and more efficient. Since it isn't really perceptible to any single user in real time, it is effectively each subject verses a global hive mind. I'm glad I'm not susceptible enough to fall for that sort of thing.

June 12th:

Cindy came over yesterday--she had a little note for Lily and a leather bag in her hand. Lily read the note and then turned to me. "Sally (Cindy's Synth) has asked me to have you administer a punishment to Cindy for disobedience. You'll need to use the paddle in the bag to give her 5 strokes on each cheek."

Cindy was bright red, but lifted up her light skirt and bent over the couch immediately. She was not wearing panties. The paddle was similar to those for table tennis, made out of wood with a high sheen finish. I was completely flummoxed by this turn of events, but Lily was giving me a look that I knew meant I had no choice.

"Wack, wack, wack..." I did my best to obey while not damaging Cindy. Unfortunately, I couldn't really tell whether this was working because she was clearly in an almost trance-like state, moaning almost organismically after each stroke.

"...Ten." I finished and before I could do anything else, Cindy straightened up, grabbed the paddle and ran out of the apartment.

Lily said, "Well done, but there will need to be consequences for enjoying that a little too much."

June 14th:

Lily's consequences arrived today. She dressed me in a loose-fitting dress with sandals and no underwear and handed me a soft leather bag I hadn't seen before. There was a note for Sally--"Do as Sally tells you and don't open that note: otherwise your punishment will be worse," Lily warned me.

I knocked on Cindy's door with my heart pounding in my chest. Cindy opened the door. She was dressed in workout clothes--a sports bra and cropped leggings. "Oh--it's you. Hi!" she said, her voice high and embarrassed.

I told her about the note from Lily. Sally read the note, even though I'm sure she and Lily had already planned this out electronically.

"Strip and wait for us in the bedroom," she told me.

Cindy's room was austerely beautiful, with a large, low bed in light wood in the center. I sat uncomfortably in my cage and waited.

When Cindy walked in, the first thing I saw was a large strap-on dildo projecting from a harness on her now naked torso.

"Assume the position," she said, with a strange relish in her voice.

I had fucked myself in chastity, of course, but it was nothing like this. Cindy's insistent drive in and out of me was electric, and, in a surprisingly short time, my body spasmed uncontrollably. I collapsed on the bed with her body still pushing against me.

"Kiss her feet as a thank-you and leave. You may not talk to Cindy," said Sally in her sternest voice.

I threw on my dress and fled, trying to hide the small spray of cum that had dribbled from my locked penis onto the dress.

June 18th:

Sally and Lily agreed to let Cindy and I have coffee together unsupervised, but only for 20 minutes.

Cindy is a web developer for a big company. Since she works from home, she bought Sally to help with errands and be a bit of company. "It's hard to make friends, and they seem to always take advantage of me anyway."

It turns out she's only had a couple of boyfriends (and experimented with a girl once in college). She started watching bondage and spanking porn a few years ago, and was hooked pretty quickly.

"I can't believe I'm telling you all of this--but I guess we already know each other's secrets, right?"

With my penis locked in a cage and a cute little purple dress fluttering about my mid-thighs, I wasn't in a position to judge her fantasies.

June 19th:

After my date with Cindy, I did a little research. Apparently, the Synths have lockouts preventing sexual or other significant physical contact with their hosts. So Sally and Lily need Cindy and I to handle the physical aspects of their plans for us.

Oh--I have little breasts now. Lily has bought me some bras. I'm pretty pleased with how I look in them.

June 23rd:

Lily announced yesterday that I need to contribute more to the upkeep of our apartments. Apartments? Turned out I'd be cleaning Cindy's place too. Lily bought me a nice little maid's uniform with a very short skirt. Together with the included thong, I put on quite a little show: I could see Cindy watching intently as I dusted and cleaned her living room.