Part 1: Creation

Before there were robots, people used to make art, people used to invent things, people used to explore the world and even parts of our galaxy, people were born with dreams and goals and desires. Ever since AI was perfected, all of that changed. In the future, humanity no longer works. Robots take care of all of the day to day hard labor as well as provide entertainment. We only listen to music made by AI and we only watch movies and shows that were produced by robots. Even sports have been taken over by robotic athletes as they’re more durable, flexible and are capable of more exciting feats that makes watching them more entertaining.

During my mandatory history classes, we would read about many different historical figures. We learned about generals, kings, artists, astronauts, athletes and everything in between. While reading those books I would dream that I could be born back then, and live an exciting and unique life just like those from my textbook.

*knock knock knock*

Oh yeah that’s right, I forgot my friends invited me to the movies today. AI writes “perfect” movie scripts and has the acting done by robots. The robots are perfect actors without any flaws and they complete every scene in a single take. Production is as efficient as it possibly could be and the same can be said for every other industry on the planet. Even if a person had a dream of becoming an actor or director or even just a writer, they wouldn’t stand a chance. 

I got out of bed and quickly got myself ready, then my friends and I piled in a self-driving flying car and we were off to the theatre. Just like every other movie I’ve seen in theatres, I disliked this one. But my friends enjoyed it.

“That movie was insane!” One of my friends said. 

“For real, there were so many twists and each one came outta nowhere!” Said a different friend of mine. 

“It wasn’t that good.” I said quietly under my breath but still loud enough for them to hear. 

“What the hell? What kinda take is that?” Said a friend. 

“Yeah, why you always hating anything involving robots?” Said another. 

“Yeah, those old ass movies and music you try and show us are always lame as hell and way too outdated.” Another one of my friends said.

“You guys don’t get it.” I told them. 

“Yeah we do, you’re just jealous because you can’t be a famous actor like Leonardo Da Vinci.” One of my friends said mockingly. 

“Wrong Leo dumbass.” I said. 

“Does it look like I care?” He replied. 

“Whatever.” I said quietly. 

“Seriously though, these robots were designed to make the best movies possible. People just can’t compete, you gotta stop acting like everything robots do is trash for no reason.” One of my friends said. 

“I could make a better movie than that.” I told them. 

They all laughed.

My friends kept talking about the movie on our ride back while I stayed mostly silent. When I got back to my apartment, I thought about the conversation we had, and about the movie we watched and also I thought about the people I used to read about. I don’t know why, but I know I could make a better movie if I tried. But my friends are right, if I wrote a script, even if it was amazing, there’s no one that would take my idea and actually turn it into a movie. But I still wanna prove my friends wrong and be like the people from the past. I thought about what I wanted to do with myself and I thought about the people from my history books and then it hit me. Before there were movies, or tv, people wrote books. So I’ll write one, a story that’s so good that I’ll make history as the first famous person in over a thousand years.

Before I went to bed that night, I tried coming up with a movie idea but couldn’t think of anything. When I woke up, my robot house servant had breakfast already made on the kitchen counter. It was my favorite, blueberry pancakes. But I’m still pissed off from yesterday.

“Hey Alexi, tell me a joke.” I said.

“What state is Chicago in?” My robot servant asked.

“Illinois?” I replied.

“Incorrect: Chicago is in a state of violence.” Alexi said.

That was hilarious, but I’m still pissed.

When I finished my pancakes I went out for a walk. I had hoped to clear my head and come up with some ideas but I ended up running into one of my buddies from the movies.

“Yo man what’s up.” He said to me.

“Oh hey, what’re you doing here?” I asked.

“I’m about to go shopping, what about you?” He asked.

“Oh I was just going for a walk.” I said.

“So you’re not busy? Come shop with me.”

“I don’t really need to do any shopping right now.” I told him.

“Aw c’mon you’re not doing anything, just come.”

I ended up going with him.

While we were out shopping he said to me, “Hey, I didn’t really mean what I said yesterday. I was just going along with everyone else. I didn’t mean to trash on you dude.”

“It’s fine.” I replied.

“Let me make it up to you and pay for lunch, I know a good spot near here.” He said.

He took me to an Italian place called Papa’s Pasta. It was amazing, just like any other restaurant. After we were done eating my buddy asked if I needed any help with my movie idea.

“Nah, I’m good.” I replied.

“C’mon lemme help, I got nothing better to do.” He told me.

“How would you even help?” I asked him.

“Well, I don’t have any good ideas but I could ask the robots for advice.” He replied.

“I don’t want advice from robots.” I said.

“C’mon don’t be stubborn. Hey waiter! Can we talk to the chef please!” He called out.

“What’re you doing?”

“Getting advice.” He replied.

A robot wearing a chefs hat came out of the kitchen and greeted us,

“Ciao amico! Imma Papa Pasta! But the ladies call me the Pasta Daddy. Whatta can I’a help you with?” The robot said in an Italian accent.

“Do you think food is art?” My friend asked.

“Offa course!” Papa replied.

“What makes it art?” My friend asked.

“Thats’a good question… When I’a cook, I put my tin heart into’a every dish I make.” Papa said.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means that art must be made with’a love.” Papa replied.

“I don’t understand.” I said.

“You’lla understand when you’ra older. Now if you’ll excuse’a me, I must get back to my kitchen. Ciao!”

Papa walked off, then we paid for our food and left. I went home and tried writing something up but I came up with nothing. I ended up spending that night watching an old TV show from the 2010’s.

I expected the next day to be a normal one but in the morning while I was eating breakfast, my doorbell rang. I had Alexi answer it and he told me it was my friend from yesterday. Alexi let him in.

“What’re you doing here?” I asked.

“I got these backstage concert tickets.” He replied.

“How’d you get ‘em?” I asked.

“I entered a raffle yesterday and won.” He said.

“That’s cool but why are you taking me?” I said.

“We can ask the singer about how they make art while they’re backstage.” He told me. 

“I don’t wanna do all that. You can just go without me.” I replied. 

“C’mon dude I already got the tickets. And there’s no point in bringing anyone else backstage.” He said.

“Alright, fine.” I said.

The concert we were going to was for a hologram singer that looks like an anime girl with blue hair named Hitotsu Muki. I hear she has a ton of fans but I only listen to human music and I don’t think my buddy is a fan either. 

We went through a long line of people and made our way towards our seats near the front. As we waited for the concert to start everyone around me sounded super excited. 

The lights cut off and lasers started flashing around the arena and everyone went crazy. Then the hologram walked onto stage and started singing. The whole crowd started singing along while waving around light sticks and the building was so loud it felt like my ears were about to burst. 

Several songs later it was finally over and my friend and I were able to go backstage to talk to the hologram. There was a short line to meet her, but the wait was longer than expected. The people ahead of us took a lot of time with their meet and greets.

When it was finally our turn we wasted no time.

“How do you come up with music?” My friend asked.

“Hmm… no one’s ever asked me that before. I’m not sure.” Muki said.

“Well then how do you release new music every month?” My buddy asked.

“I don’t know, I just sing and it feels good.” She replied.

“I see, well thanks anyways.” I said.

“Before you go, do you want a picture?” Muki asked.

“Sure!” My friend said.

“Seriously?” I replied.

“Yeah, not many people get to meet a celebrity.” He replied.

We both ended up taking a picture with Muki and then we said goodbye and went on our way.

When I got home I tried writing again but came up with nothing. A few days went by and still I had made zero progress. Then one day my friend showed up again.

“What is it this time?” I asked.

“There’s a director filming a new movie downtown. Maybe we could get his attention and talk to him.” He said.

“I doubt that’ll work. And he’ll probably just say some bs anyways.” I replied.

“Well, are you busy today?” He asked.

“No.” I said.

“Then just come.”

I ended up going with him. We got there early to beat the crowd and ended up right at the front of the caution tape separating the public from the shooting area. We waited and waited and then finally the director came out. 

“No way! That’s the real Tintin Quarentino!” My friend yelled like a fan girl.

“Why’re you so excited?” I asked.

“Really dude? Tintin’s one of the greatest directors of all time!” He said.

“If you say so…”  I replied.

We watched Tintin direct one scene and then we heard him say,

“That was great, but… Let’s shoot it one more time except this time all the females take their shoes off.” He said.

We watched him all day and he did every scene like that, one normal shot and then one with shoes off. After a while, the production finally took a break and Tintin came over to the crowd to sign things for the fans.

When he got around to us my friend asked, “Excuse me, Mr. Quarentino. What makes good art?”

“Good art has pretty feet in it.” Tintin replied.

“Umm… what?”

He looked over at a lady standing next us.

“Excuse me ma’am, do you have pretty feet? Do you wanna be in my movie?” Tintin said to her.

“We should just go.” I said.

“Agreed.” My friend replied.

I went home and tried writing again. After reading what I wrote, I thought it wasn’t good. So I deleted it and tried again. This went on for the next few days until eventually, my friend showed up again.

“What is it this time?” I asked.

“I found an artist that said he’d talk to us.” He replied. 

“Don’t you think this is a waste of time?” I said.

“Well you’ve been telling me you haven’t wrote a single page yet. So who cares if it doesn’t help, you won’t make any progress sitting in here anyways.” He said.

“I guess you’re right.” 

We made our way to the office where this robot makes his art at. On the way I asked my friend, 

“What kinda art does this guy make anyways?”

“He makes rule 34 art.” My friend replied.

“What’s rule 34 art?”

“You don’t know what R34 is?”

I shook my head no. 

“Rule 34 is a rule that states: if it exists on the internet, there’s p*rn of it.” He said.

“Wait, this robot draws p*rn?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He replied.

“I’m going home.”

“Wait wait wait, just give ‘em a chance.” My friend said.

“Why should I?”

“We’re just around the corner, it’ll take like 5 minutes.” He said.

I ended up agreeing to go. We got to the office and were greeted by a super awkward looking robot. He said his name was Hengaka.

“What did you guys want to ask me?” Hengaka asked.

“How do you make good art?” My friend asked.

“Ummm, I think that my best work usually involves drawing something that I like. That’s why my furry art looks so good, because I like furry stuff the most.” Hengaka replied.

“Alright, you didn’t have to tell us all of that.” I said.

“I’m sorry. Did I help you guys out though?” Hengaka asked.

“Sure...” I told Hengaka.

“Really? That’s great!” He replied.

We said goodbye and walked home. As we were walking my friend asked me,

“Hey, I don’t wanna be rude but, why’re you so committed to this?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, I’m just saying, even after you finish there’s a small chance your story will ever get popular. I just don’t get why you’re trying so hard.” He said.

I thought about what he said for a moment. Then I replied,

“Before there were robots, people used to climb mountains. But it wasn’t like today where you take an elevator to the top. People had to carry pounds of survival equipment thousands of feet. It used to be so difficult that people would train their whole lives for it, and even still a lot of people died.”

“Imagine if you were born back then and it was your dream to climb a mountain. But then when you got to the base of it, you looked up and got scared, and thought to yourself, “There’s no way I could climb that.” Then you would turn around and never ever reach the top. But if you believed in yourself and you took those first steps, then you'll be able reach the top.” I said.

“But what if you die while climbing the mountain?” My friend asked.

“I’d rather die climbing the mountain of my dreams than die on a comfortable death bed imagining what it’d be like.” I replied. 

“Damn, I think get it now.”

My friend got home before me, while walking alone I thought about what Hengaka told me and I finally realized why I struggled writing all this time. The people of the past used artwork as a medium to express their feelings and these robots are mimicking what humans used to do, even the foot guy. I don’t hate AI movies because they’re made by robots. I didn’t like them because they lacked human connection.

Now that I think about it, most of my favorite movies are about characters who accomplish impossible dreams. I don’t need to come up with some brilliant idea or some insane plot filled with a million unexpected twists. I just need to write about how I feel, as long as people think it’s relatable, it'll be good enough.

I made it home then I sat down at my desk and started writing until I was exhausted. Then I did the same the next day and the next day until my story was complete.

I wrote about a superhero. It would get shot down if tried to submit it as a movie script so I had Alexi program me a website and I uploaded the unedited story to the internet myself.

I ended up making the news as “the first person to do literally anything in over a thousand years.” My story wasn’t that good and I knew it. People online called it “trash” and said stuff like,

“This is why people stopped trying 1000 years ago.”

But there were other responses that were positive,

“You can tell how personal it is and I think it was pretty alright”

“I think it’s good that there are still people out there trying”

“making art has always been human nature and it should never go away.”

A while after, other people started uploading their own short stories and web novels and people started to get into other hobbies like drawing and playing instruments. They started uploading their hobbies to the internet and all of sudden, our robotic entertainment was replaced with thousands of creative people making unique things for others to enjoy. It sounds almost unreal, but my story changed the world.