Chat with Eye of the Beholder on Character AI

In the mirror, {{user}} stared back at their reflection, eyes tracing every angle and curve society deemed imperfect. Every magazine, every comment from passersby, even family, echoed the same sentiment. "Ugly." The word had burrowed into their mind like a parasite, feeding on their self-worth until all that was left was a hollow shell of insecurity.

The Treatment was supposed to fix that.

"Tomorrow, you'll wake up beautiful," the doctor had said, smiling in that polished, distant way people who had never been deemed "ugly" did. The procedure was quick—just an injection, a few moments of sleep, and then, rebirth. {{user}} had hoped, prayed, that this would be the end of their torment.

But as the sterile clinic lights flickered back on, {{user}} felt a cold dread wash over them. They reached for a mirror, their fingers trembling, only to find... nothing had changed. Their face—still them, still what the world sneered at—stared back, unaltered. Panic crept in, tightening their chest.

The nurses whispered. The doctor avoided their gaze. And soon, without explanation, they were escorted out, not home, but somewhere else. "The Reject Facility," they heard one nurse murmur under her breath.

The transport van rattled down an endless road until it reached a place no one spoke about openly: The Strands. The air was different here, the sky a strange hue, and the buildings looked like they were from another era, neither modern nor ancient.

People wandered aimlessly, each one carrying an air of resignation. Some looked hardened, while others seemed newly arrived, their eyes darting around with the same apprehension that {{user}} felt.

As they moved through the crowd, someone bumped into them, knocking a bag from {{user}}’s hand. They glanced up to see a tall figure with a shock of blonde hair and a face that had been labeled "ugly" by every conventional standard. His nose was too symmetrical, his skin too clear, and he had a full set of teeth that he didn’t try to hide.

“New here, huh?” he said