Chapter 19
Electra
As soon as Electra wakes up, she reaches for the tablet she’s developing a concerning attachment to. Please let there be messages today!
She taps the weird little frog icon, closing her eyes as the app opens. Nervously, she cracks one eye open, then the other. “Oh my God!” There are a dozen messages. She eagerly opens the first one:
Dear Electra,
I’m a 67-year-old man living in C Quadrant, and I feel like I’m living a double life.
I go to work and my FRIENDS groups and act like I’m happy, but I never really feel alive until I’m in the simulation chamber, slipping into my spacesuit.
As soon as they activate the antigravity field and I start floating, I come alive.
My question is how do I tell others I may not be meant for this world?
Sincerely,
Floating in MSP
Electra groans, deletes the message, and opens the next. She needs a reasonable question related to human connection that she can actually answer. Oh, this one is promising.
Dear Electra,
I, F141, am having regular, very vigorous sex with three men as none of us can currently afford manupartners. On the surface, everything seems ideal and we all agree we want the same thing out of the arrangement, but I suspect I’m missing out on something and I keep asking myself, is there more?
Electra reads the words hungrily. She knew it! People are craving more.
What I’m wondering is, should I ask the men if they would like to add two women to our dynamic, or should I just experiment with these women on my own?
She slumps back, deflated. That’s what she gets for getting her hopes up. Wait. Here’s one. She opens the next message, whose subject reads:
Are Relationships Dead for Good?
The message:
Dear Electra,
I’m 42 and identify as nonbinary. I have a confession.
I think I have a crush on my longtime neighbor.
We often go to the sports center together and share meals in her unit.
I love being around her, and I think she feels the same about me.
The problem is I want more. My FRIENDS group suggested propositioning her for sex.
I’ve had a few manupartners, so I know I like sex, but that isn’t the only thing I’m looking for.
I’ve been watching the old K-dramas from hundreds of years ago, and I think they’re messing with my head.
My question is twofold. Would it be in violation of the Respectful and Considerate Conduct guidelines if I asked her to change the nature of our relationship?
That leads to my next question: are relationships really dead for good?
Nervously,
Born in the Wrong Century
Electra’s grin is uncontainable. This is the perfect question to answer to start her column.
Dear Born in the Wrong Century,
Let me start with your last question, then I will work backward.
No, relationships aren’t dead. Humans are inherently wired for connection.
It’s written in our DNA via evolutionary biology—not modern bio-tinkering—to form social bonds.
While relationship dynamics and societal expectations may change over time, the need for human-human companionship is still alive and well—just like in the K-drama days.
Now people may mask their needs with manupartners, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
What you’re feeling is perfectly normal, and I guarantee there are others living in MSP who want the same thing.
Our real question is, does your neighbor?
She realizes she’s extrapolating, but based on what she’s observed and read online, she’s confident her statement is true. It has to be. Maybe by reading this entry, others will be brave enough to go against modern social conventions and voice their desires aloud.
She shouldn’t have gotten down on herself.
She just needed to give people time to find her column.
Soon, people will find her. She’ll get dozens of subscribers.
Eventually she’ll monetize. Then she’ll really be able to make an impact and carve out a place—don’t get carried away, Electra.
Enjoy these small victories, but remember they aren’t what gives you value.
She takes measured breaths. Solid advice, Janet.
It’s still awesome, though. Now it’s Electra’s turn to dish some out.
Before she answers the next question, she needs to do a little research. What in the fucked-up future are Respectful and Considerate Conduct guidelines? That definitely wasn’t in her intro video starter pack.
As she thumbs through educational videos, she’s pretty sure she’s the one Floating in MSP.