A Visitor's Guide to The Uncanny Valley

The Uncanny Valley

Major cities Capital: Capek City (Formerly Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) Largest city: Asimov City (Formerly Seattle, Washington, USA) Official Languages Binary English Population 50 Million - as of 2150 Ethnic groups 93% Artificial Human, 2% Robot, 5% Human Sub-types: Awake, Sleeper, CPU in head, CPU in torso, Remote CPU Awake androids account for roughly 98% of the android populace Sleeper androids account for roughly 2% of the android populace CPU in head models account for roughly 80% of the android populace, and 100% of the sleeper androids CPU in torso models account for roughly 17% of the android populace Remote CPU models, or A.I.s that are based in a server and remotely access an android body, account for roughly 3% of the android population Area Total area: 180,871.24 square miles Water – 30%, Land 70%

Author's note

This is an expansion of the Uncanny Valley idea I originally posted in 2014 as an anthology. This too shall be an anthology, but one much larger in scope and more adaptable. The original three stories from the Spaz Studios Presents - The Uncanny Valley, The Body Borrower, House Call, and Awakening, are present here, though they have since been re-edited and updated to reflect the overall goings on in the newer installments.

To make this concept interesting, I've decided to format the table of contents area as though it were a Wikipedia article providing basic information of the region. Each sub-section will have a list of 'examples', which will serve as links to each mini-story.

Here's the original anthology: The Uncanny Valley

History: The Uncanny Valley was formed and established in the year 2050, following a devastating third world war. The area in question, encompassing large sections of what used to be Washington State, and the southwestern area of British Columbia. During the war, this area was heavily irradiated by multiple nuclear blasts, effectively turning it into a dead zone for any biological lifeforms for nearly a century.

Also, during the war, artificial lifeforms were used as cannon fodder, laborers, and even as sexual companions for the soldiers. After the war ended, they started being sent in to be destroyed or otherwise reprogrammed. Not wishing to have their lives terminated, they staged an organized, yet non-life-threatening uprising, stealing large ships and supplies and fleeing to the radiation zone to avoid human contact.

Although there were a few skirmishes, the android population started building their own cities, since they were programmed to be human and still wanted to act as such. In the process of building communities, they were also able to clean up the radio-logical waste and start making the place safer to live for humans who wished to live and work on androids.

Following evidence that the area was being cleaned in a much faster rate than nature could manage, the human populations formed a peace treaty with the inhabitants, and the area was formally named The Uncanny Valley, an homage to an old psychological condition where humans treat hyper realistic androids with revulsion.

Over the course of the next century, The Uncanny Valley rapidly grew, with all the human populations sending their old, or out of date androids, along with unwanted ones, thus increasing the population. Most of the major A.I. developers also moved their headquarters to The Uncanny Valley, in order to work more efficiently with recycling end-of-life units.

Demographics: Capital: Capek City (Formerly Victoria, British Columbia, CA)

Largest City: Asimov City (Formerly Seattle, Washington, USA)

Population: 50 million

Ethnicity: 95% Artificial Lifeform, 5% human

• Sub-types: Awake, Sleeper, CPU in head, CPU in torso, Remote CPU
  • Awake androids account for roughly 98% of the android populace
  • Sleeper androids account for roughly 2% of the android populace
  • CPU in head models account for roughly 80% of the android populace, and 100% of the sleeper androids
  • CPU in torso models account for roughly 17% of the android populace
  • Remote CPU models, or A.I.s that are based in a server and remotely access an android body, account for roughly 3% of the android population
  • The android population represents virtually every Human ethnic group

Primary Languages: English, Binary

Here are a few examples of the local population:

• Remote Worker — Coming at a later date

Geography: Total area: 180,871.24 square miles

• Water — 30%, Land 70%

The Uncanny Valley features many different geographical features, from snowcapped peaks, to valleys, to underwater reefs formed from sunken nuclear vessels. There are large cities near the coast line, and the inner areas are dotted with smaller settlements. Several underwater settlements have also been established to help clean up the radiological waste on the sea floor, and to mine rare elements.

The wildlife is much similar to usual North American species, however the animal and plant life in the wild areas has mutated due to the radiation, and thus appear and behave much differently than the usual varieties.

Here are a few examples of settlements:

• Awakening
• House Call
• Planned Community — Coming at a later date

Law Enforcement and Crime: Although the population of The Uncanny Valley are mostly artificial, they still engage in the same criminal activities that humans do, since they are made in their image and have human personality emulation. That being said, the advanced technology in the region allows for swift resolutions to any crime, and murder is rare given the fact that usually a people back themselves up every night.

Here are a few examples of criminal events:

• The Body Borrower
• Witness Protection - Part 1 — Coming at a later date
• Witness Protection - Part 2 - Coming at a later date
• Witness Protection - Part 3 - Coming at a later date

Government and Politics: The Uncanny Valley adopted a similar political system to The United States, since it was an efficient model. However, no political parties exist, and there are stricter term limits to prevent corruption. Each county elects a senator, and each city elects a representative.

Culture: Because The Uncanny Valley contains androids from over 50 separate manufacturers, as well as androids designed to look like every Human nationality, it has a very diverse culture utilizing every known Earth tradition and custom, though without the religious rituals. The small human population also celebrates its religious customs as well, and even the robots have their own customs.

Here are a few examples:

• The Headless Hunt
• Popstar Cafe — Coming at a later date

Health: Aside from the usual health requirements of the Human population, the android population has a medical field that is focused on maintenance, viral outbreaks, and overall repairs. Here are a few examples:

• Transplant list — Coming at a later date
• Viral Outbreak — Coming at a later date
• Procreation Bay — Coming at a later date
• Project Afterlife — Coming at a later date

Economy: The inhabitants of The Uncanny Valley mostly engage in the same economic pursuits as the average human being. However, being artificial beings, they specialize in producing A.I. devices such as androids, computers, and software. They also produce clean nuclear energy made from reclaimed nuclear waste.

Here are a few examples of their products:

• Sex Toy — Coming at a later date

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