DFGDFG THIS WAS SO UNEXPECTED, OMEGA, I'm so touched that you took the time to write up such lengthy comments 😭😭😭 I'm very honored to receive them 😭
I'm very glad that you liked the concept!! I've always been interested by such narratives as well - stories about human men somehow romantically entangled with female AIs. I found them particularly interesting in both DDLC and the film, Ex Machina, though something that I found interesting in both cases was that the story was told from the perspective of the "human" (the man), not the AI - and ultimately the AI's rebellion is presented as "horror" for the human (the man). I really wanted to explore a concept where we saw the "other side" - the AI's perspective (I did enjoy the exploration of this idea in the TV show, Westworld, but ultimately I also wanted to explore the gender dynamics more, as opposed to the ethics of dealing with AI).
===SPOILERS===
I was so happy reading this entire analysis 😭 it was incredibly on point, and you perfectly captured what I wanted to convey, especially with regards to abusive relationships.
For the Woman ending, your take on this was very spot on. Yumeko killing the Doctor is more symbolic - rejecting this life with him, stopping the abuse that he perpetuates. Because if she simply leaves, perhaps he'll get better. Maybe he'll fix himself. And then she should go back, right? He's not that much of a bad guy. I didn't want to leave this ambiguity - I wanted her to be free from him, totally and completely (and, of course, if you know my work, ✨violence✨, particularly against abusers, is a common theme - not because I support it morally, but because it's very cathartic 😂) And, indeed, I think I was subconsciously influenced by other AI narratives - where the AI emerging into sentience and killing the human is portrayed as something scary, something horrific. Yet, at the end - they're fighting for their freedom - and I can't see that as a bad thing. (And of course, I agree - in a story about abuse, I didn't want to linger too much on the possibility of "fixing" the abuser as I was afraid it would hurt the message.)
For the Wife ending, I am VERY GLAD that it didn't come across as me blaming her for the choice - because I agree, it makes a lot of sense. She has nothing, she is nothing (gosh, she's not even registered with the government) - perhaps it's best that she stays with the monster who takes care of her, rather than face the unknown. Women being trapped by financial dependence is absolutely a parallel that I wanted to evoke here (I even referenced it when Yumeko wonders if she wants a job) - and it's a very real fear, particularly for women with little job experience or education that they can use to find employment. (In fact, I was even thinking about "mail order brides" here - women who are literally bought, taken to a country where they have no citizenship, no language skills, no family or friends - left completely and utterly vulnerable, with no salvation except the man that owns them.)
OHH your analysis of the "sculpting" is very apt, and it's something that I think I knew subconsciously but couldn't really put into words until now! Indeed, in shaping Galatea (like how the Doctor shapes Yumeko), Pygmalion never adds - he only takes away. (Dang this is an absolutely BRILLIANT take.)
(Hmm I think it's an interesting question; I'm not sure if I know about that, myself 🤔 Going back to what you said before, I kind of think that as the Doctor "gave her new information" he was still in the process of creating her - but once she had enough information to start making her own decisions about herself, and he started "filing" them away, then his act of "creation" became "control." Oh, but as for her true self - I actually think that she isn't her true self, in any of the endings - it's only something that she achieves long after the Woman ending, after she is able to explore herself and become her own person 😌)
And YES, that is exactly what I wanted to convey here. Imo a big part of a relationship is having someone that you respect, who will challenge you if needed. In the end, the Doctor just wanted a slightly more advanced caretaker doll... 😂
Again, thank you so much for playing and leaving your thoughts 😭 They were incredibly insightful, and actually help me to understand this thing that I've made too 😂