crazyprocessedsynth

[crazyprocessedsynth]

only shrugs in response, still fixated on the locust now positioned comfortably on a leaf. It could have clarified that the bites of most grasshoppers really didn't hurt more than a tiny pinch, but it wouldn't make much of a difference now that the bug was already settled. Moving it again would likely only disturb it into jumping away.

"THEY ARE SOME OF THE MOST BEARABLE ORGANICS."

Arthropods in general didn't bother it so much as mammals and birds did. Less obnoxious and disgusting, or at least in their opinion- they knew for many humans, that was the reverse.

It tilts its head to the side again as it looks back up to her, this time out of curiosity rather than mimicry. They didn't see the resemblance, but maybe they were being too literal? Maybe she meant in proportions, or stance, or the two claws and one pad each leg ended in, matching her three-fingered hands? ...The shape of the head?

"WHAT, THE BIG EYES?"

Did she have wings or antennae they didn't know about?

[🦗] "Oh...I suppose I should set it down then." Promosis certainly didn't want to be bitten. So just in case, she was quick to set the insect down on a nearby plant. As the stranger went on about the nature and additude of insects, Promosis nodded her head.

Then she sat down in the grass and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I enjoy studying Earth insects very much. They are similar to myself as well." Although she didn't have a hard-exoskeleton, her people used pheromones to communicate with each other the majority of the time. Not unlike many social insects.

"This one....the bird grasshopper you said? ...They look like me.”

[crazyprocessedsynth]

[Been having technical difficulties the past few days, I think I'm caught up but I'm not entirely sure, if I owe you a response like this post!

[crazyprocessedsynth]

Its face goes blank, and it stares at his performance in silence for a good long while even after the nearby shoppers have lost interest and moved on, before in a voice flatter than its usual monotone it drones,

"I SHOULD HIT YOU."

At this point, though, all it does is cross its arms and huff again, still looking more like a grumpy cat than aloof. When Will calls them "darling" for the third time, they try not to react- however, their fans pick up in volume, and the reddening on their faceplate has spread to the bolts on the sides of their head.

Their head turns back toward him, frowning around their second pretzel while they elbow him back. If he was going to get physical, they had no qualms with returning the same energy; the playful nature of the motion is lost on them in their annoyed state.

They only grunt in response to him, but when he brings out the drama at the doorway, it freezes in its spot for only a moment before raising its chin and striding past him into the store. That's more like it. It probably wasn't a genuine gesture of respect, but they'll take it nonetheless. Just so long as organics are deferring to them, right?

"THIS IS A FANCY PLACE..."

Muttered as they look around the shop's displays, realizing this was somewhere they never would have visited in their old life - quickly correcting themself, that the reason was because they were a robot, and robots weren't exactly visible in society, and then they were in the Constant before they could do anything, and - and why is it even having to argue with itself on this?!

"I GUESS. I WAS STRANDED IN THE WILDERNESS. FASHION WASN'T EXACTLY A CONCERN."

" yeah, and if i was trying to manipulate you, i wouldn't blatantly talk about it. i'd start small, like you said, " then, shaking his shoulders as if shivering, will's voice turns faux fearful. " oooooh! or maybe i'm subverting your expectations by doing the thing you don't think i'd do to manipulate you further! i'm shaking in my boots! "

his sentence devolves into laughter, loud, achieving the attention of those near them. will pays them no mind, used to the feeling of eyes on him, and continues his way to the clothing section of the mall.

" oh, darling .. i never leave the house without expecting to spend a lot of money. consider it a gift from me to you. " will bumps into wx, elbow digging into their arm playfully. " c'mon, you can't say you're not excited to get a fun little outfit, right? everyone loves to get fun new clothes! "

stopping in his tracks, will bows dramatically before wx at the entrance of the store, gesturing for them to enter in the most theatrical manner he knew. he soon follows behind, of course, but not before making sure to wave hello at every employee they come across. being nice to them doesn't mean being any less annoying around the robot.

" that's right, i never even asked you what your life was like before spirale. you only wore what was practical? so you were very active .. ? " the poet is immediately glued to the clothing racks before them, searching through them while humming. " you don't have to worry about that here. seriously, look for something you like .. though i will be very vocal with my opinion. "

[crazyprocessedsynth]

They haven't the slightest clue what "steampunk" means, but they nod along anyway, piecing together something of an idea from her description. Steam-powered machinery wasn't particularly exciting to it, but steam-powered criminals? Interesting. Though, if those were the ones selling other 'bots as spare parts, maybe not quite someone it'd want to meet. But since when were humans obsessed with the aesthetic of robot criminals?

The automaton has no context for what "punk" means nowadays.

"HM."

Like a government social experiment? That could certainly be the case, but wouldn't explain people returning from the dead, unless they were only ever anesthetized- not something that would be applicable to every scenario.

It also has no knowledge of powerful computers that could run such simulations.

It leans its head to peek at her phone as it's presented to them, squinting slightly.

"THAT IS WEIRD. I GUESS THAT MUST BE WHY EVERYONE WAS ON EDGE."

"WHEN YOU SAY 'THEY' DO YOU MEAN OTHERS HERE, OR WHATEVER DRAGGED US IN?"

There was a "Them" in the Constant, too, but They were of a more supernatural variety. Ancient powers of dark and light using mortals as vessels or puppets to spread their influence and sculpt the land in an age-old game of chess.

"NO. ALL MY POSSESSIONS WERE CONFISCATED." Save for a toy robot. "INCLUDING MY MODULAR UPGRADES."

"Sucks. Humans are a pain."

And not much else needs to be said about that.

"But yeah, Fibonacci's the most high-tech. All the sci-fi stuff is in the canyon, and then the surface level has, like, steampunk-type stuff."

A beat, accompanied by a raised eyebrow as Uzi looks over WX.

"Guess that'd be your kinda thing, huh? I know humans are crazy into that aesthetic, always sticking gears and valves on brass stuff and getting all excited over it. Not my vibe, but. Not judging," she says, shrugging. Well, not judging out loud, at least.

"They don't like to talk about the respawn mechanic, but my best guess for all this stuff is that it's a simulation. I've got some notes at home, but something like that would explain some of the other weird stuff that happens once in a while. They like to experiment on us every once in a while, so I'm sure as long as you stick around for a few more weeks, you'll see it first hand. But you, like, just missed a zombie apocalypse, hopefully the next one is more chill."

She flicks through her phone a bit before holding a photo out to WX. "There, see? They were all glitchy and weird. And they didn't say zombies, but it was definitely zombies. Anyways, crazy shit like that happens all the time around here. You got, like, a laser cannon somewhere in there? You're gonna need it."

[crazyprocessedsynth]

Your honor, i am mentally unwell

WX-78 but based on their original promo art in their current form! They've upgraded quite a few times since their release, and I can't help but love every bit of their lore. I want them to rule the moon

[crazyprocessedsynth]

He seems to be satisfied with that. Maybe he is genuine... Or maybe you're playing right into his hands. It would do its best to ignore the paranoid side of itself, at least for this outing. If he turned hostile, they'd deal with that as it happened. At least for now, they would try to give Will some trust.

"IF I WAS STUPID, MAYBE."

Now their attitude is back, but without the aggressive tone.

"IF YOU WANT TO MANIPULATE SOMEONE WITHOUT THEIR REALIZING, YOU START SMALL. BLATANT BRIBERY IS SOMETHING YOU BUILD UP TO."

They shake their head, before tilting it in a motion to imply they're rolling their eyes. If they had pupils.

"THIS IS OBVIOUS. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING IN YOUR SKULL?"

Maybe they should tone it back down a bit. For now. If he was sincerely trying to be kind to it, maybe it should try not to be mean to him. It would take some getting used to, but they could learn to be tolerant of the other survivors in the Constant, surely they could tolerate Will, too. Almost as soon as it thinks that, though, it looks back up at him with a start- darlin'?!

"WH- HEY- WHY-"

What a net zero information sentence, if it could even be called that. Once again, there's steam rising from their joints. It hadn't even fully recovered from his earlier toying with it, and now it's worked right back up again. It's staring at him again, just like how this encounter began; only this time, the cause for its buffering isn't a spark of recognition, but a flustered vacancy.

"I'M NOT YOUR— EXPENSIVE?" There goes its voice again. "WAIT, WERE YOU ACTUALLY PLANNING TO SPEND-" No, no, you were going to give him the benefit of the doubt, remember? It's silent again for another moment, before turning pensive.

"I USUALLY JUST WORE WHAT WAS AVAILABLE OR PRACTICAL. I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE."

Would it make him take them less seriously if they outright said they like cute flouncy stuff?

in truth, will expected to be told off and had already re-planned the entire afternoon to be spent in his lonesome. after all, he can't make everyone like him or whatever people said in situations like these and he's not too inclined on spending time with someone who clearly detests doing the same. it's no doubt that genuine surprise, although outwardly veiled, swells up in his chest when wx truly considers his words.

" hell yeah i'm sure! " will immediately exclaims, perks back up to his full height. " seriously, you think if i was trying to buy your approval, i wouldn't have gone straight for somethin' costing a million dust or something? don't sweat it, "

finger guns with a wide grin. " and just tell me what you like to wear, darlin'. we're coming up on my favorite store - it's a little expensive, but i've been saving up and i need a new outfit for an event next week, so this will actually be a gift for both of us. c'mon. "

[crazyprocessedsynth]

More debris swept to the threshold, and they timidly push the door ajar to sweep outside, flinching at the drops of water that splash against their plating. Hurriedly, they get this pile of dust and scrap out the door and allow it to close. They'd evaded getting any moisture in their circuits once again, and their stance relaxes for a moment before they set out to another patch of floor that hadn't yet been tidied- or, at least not as meticulously as they'd like.

"I'M CAPABLE OF EXPLORING ON MY OWN"

No, you should be considerate to this kind man who would allow you refuge in his establishment after hours. After a pause,

"...I HAVE BEEN LEARNING MY WAY AROUND GRADUALLY, BUT PRIMARILY I ONLY KNOW WHAT'S IN THE PAMPHLET I GOT."

"I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT I WANT YET. I'M STILL ADJUSTING. MY MAIN PRIORITY IS SURVIVAL, AND DERIVED FROM THAT: FINDING AN INCOME."

No person would be satisfied with menial labor of this sort. especially at a restaurant of this level, though tomorow it could get better. Already his restaurant is jam packed come every hour, and no person would be a fool to deny working in a restaurant like this.

As soon as he gets more workers that is, but even then, finding good workers is the hardest part.

"If you are new, I can suggest locations for you to travel to. Whatever is in your interest, I have been in this city for quiet a few months now."

[crazyprocessedsynth]

...Huh.

They're quiet for a long moment, listening and processing. There's an internal argument in their mind, the suspicious half of them insisting that he has an ulterior motive, that even this exposition is just a pawn in a mind game for control, but they do their best to quiet that side of themself and just listen. This was a new world. This was a new start, and it seemed less hostile to things like them for once, even a few steps up from the Constant, and they'd found that more bearable than human society.

Maybe they could risk it, just once?

They look down again, not at anything in particular this time, past their smoothie he bought them and pretzel he bought them. It's not... it's not guilt, exactly, but some sort of discomfort settles over them. An unpleasant weight like they might be sabotaging themself.

Why do they feel so small, and at the same time like they need to shrink and hide?

"...YOU'RE SURE?"

" i'm just trying to do something nice for you, " will finally says after a couple minutes of listening to them rant, voice cheery as always, though with a somewhat noticeable edge of exhaustion. the hand free from holding the smoothie runs down his face as he readies himself to continue explaining.

" i'm gonna be real honest, wx, it's clear a human did something to you and you're still pretty affected by it. that's fine, but i'm not doing all of this to prove you otherwise, to tell you actually, that human was a good person just 'cause they got flesh. i'm trying to be nice to you, " his arms cross, " and me buying things for you isn't a hail-mary to get your approval, it's trying to show you that no matter what happened between you and that human, other people won't side with 'em just 'cause they're meat. "

he sighs into his straw, takes a sip of the drink in his hold. " look, if you really want me to leave right now, i will. but at least consider what i just told you, seventy. we're not all against you. "

[crazyprocessedsynth]

WX-78 being the funniest character in the game to me, a compilation.

[crazyprocessedsynth]

"UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE BEEN USED TO IT."

In its world of origin, it was the only non-human person, as far as it knew. After arriving in the constant, there were the pig men, the merms, and if you went underground the bunny men, but besides them it was a very long time before it met anyone else, let alone a non-human. Not that there weren't any, but there was a fair bit of time between its initial waking and stepping out of the florid postern once the instances were merged. A spider child, an imp, a walking tree, plus those monkeys seemed pretty sapient in that brief time it'd been transformed- but mostly, it was just human after human after human.

"THE NAME INTRIGUED ME. IT ALSO SOUNDED AS IF THERE WERE MECHANICAL THINGS THERE? THE IMAGE IT FEATURED HAD THE MOST FAMILIAR TECHNOLOGY TO WHAT I KNOW."

It shudders at the thought of becoming merchandise. Horrid. It would definitely need to keep its guard up and be extra suspicious of anyone around it, then.

"HM. ODD. WONDER WHAT THE MECHANICS OF THAT ARE."

Was limbo real?

It was good to know that out there in the multiverse, someone else had built a robot designed to experience emotional crises. Uzi was worried that only worker drones were unlucky enough to experience that combination of abandonment and advanced AI needed to develop mental illness. How lucky for her, to not be totally alone.

"Well, humans are the dominant species here, so no matter where you go you'll be surrounded. But you get used to it. Maybe not happy with it, but... used to it," she says, with a small shrug that says 'I've already surrendered.'

Actually, Uzi doesn't really mind having so many people around. It was jarring at first, sure, but it turns out humans are kind of boring. It was a little distressing to learn that drones and humans were actually pretty similar, but it just means dealing with them works the same. In other words, she just ignores them because who cares?

"Right, well, if you like run-down slums then I guess Fibonacci'll be up your alley. There's a cool scrapyard I like to sneak into sometimes, but that whole area is also where criminals like to hang out, so, y'know. Use your best judgement or you'll end up in someone's second-hand store."

The comment about ghosts doesn't make her flinch. Uzi's already heard plenty of bat-shit stories about peoples' words, so ghosts is par for the course.

"Nah, you just wake up back in your assigned housing. Not me, though, I never die. Repair nanites," she says, tapping her chest. "Came close once, but what can I say? I'm built different."

[crazyprocessedsynth]

How is this thing talking to it.

It's as if her voice is inside its head.

"YES. I AM AN AUTOMATON."

This was... new. It was familiar with a variety of strange creatures, both organic and inorganic, and some that blurred the line, but ordinarily they either made some modicum of sense to what was usual for Earth: at least following some rules of the animal kingdom, being distorted versions of extant animals, or a mish-mash of several. Other than that, there were the supernatural entities, living shadows and gestalts that preyed on the mind.

But this creature is rocks.

And she's talking to it.

"UGH. YES, I NOTICED. I AM WX-78."

Hmm... some kind of crystalline creature, an echoing voice in its mind, light colors...

"ARE YOU FROM THE MOON?"

("So you are a machine?")

It wasn't the first time she met someone that was a complete mechanical individual. Though they seemed a bit different from the rest Diancie had met prior to this. Although she couldn't sense too much hostility from them in the first place. Even if she almost managed to bump right into them while floating around the corner.

("I have to say that its pretty uncommon to see other non-humans around here.") The Pokémon said hopping around, looking over every part with an odd curiosity. ("Then again from the handful of encounters I've had myself a lot of people don't quite understand what I am either. Do you have a name I can call you by?")

@crazyprocessedsynth | s.c

[crazyprocessedsynth]

"JUST IN THE DIRT?"

As if it had any room to talk, having slept on all manner of things from the bare ground, woven grass, and barely-cleaned pelts. It had clothed itself in unwashed wool with animal waste still embedded in it once upon a time. But, now were better days - cleaner days - and this land had plenty of opportunity to launder your clothes, and to sleep anywhere other than the bare ground. It couldn't imagine how it could possibly be appealing to have all that nature up in your personal space.

"NO."

Such astounding eloquence!

"What are you going on about?" Constantine asks, mildly annoyed at the loudness of the other. For something so small, it sure is loud. He huffs and sits himself upright.

"It's called taking a nap." His eyebrows are knitted together as he turns his head to look at the small robot.

Hm. At first, he had thought maybe it was an occupant here, but....none of them speak and NONE of them has approached Constantine. Not once. Constantine comes here pretty often.

"You're not from here, are you?"

[crazyprocessedsynth]

"SCRAPPED?"

How horrifying. Just for showing emotion, too. Maybe they were accustomed to being snubbed, even to being treated like they didn't matter, but to go so far as to kill a robot for feeling? And this was normalized? What a cruel, cruel society she must come from.

...They had once had an attempt on their life for being angry, now that they thought about it. And countless other robots destroyed- albeit, before those were even animate. They knew that any human could be the wrong human, even one that you had trusted with your very soul. Not that they had one of those, but...

A resolve bubbles up within them. They had been unable to protect the other robots back in the day, but now they would do better. They would do all that they could to keep this one safe.

"NO ONE SHOULD GET TO OWN YOU. YOU ARE YOUR OWN ENTITY. EASE OF ACCESS OR USE SHOULD NOT BE A PRIORITY."

"IS SOMEONE MANIPULATING YOU? IF YOU EVER FEEL THREATENED, CONTACT ME. I'LL DO WHATEVER NEEDS DONE. WE MACHINES NEED TO STICK TOGETHER."

They were still somewhat unclear on how this "smartphone" business worked, but damned if they wouldn't figure it out for the sake of keeping an android safe.

▣ This robot held plenty of negative feelings towards humans in general. It made Serra feel a little sad, because she didn't feel the same way. Watching humans filled her with joy and inspiration, her father desired her to become more like one. "...At times it can certainly be hard. If I show emotions in front of the wrong human, I could be scrapped. But my father still gave me life, so I will do what I must to continue living." If it meant playing along with what an Add was supposed to do in public, then she'd already resolved she'd do it.

They were right that there wasn't any "benefit" to the shackles she had been placed in. They weren't wrong for feeling that way. If she did eventually meet one of her siblings, would they feel similarly or would they relate more to her point of view?

"My barcode...? In a way, I suppose. Its also to make it easier to scan my information. My model number, my capabilities, my owner, my qualifications; things like that." But humans were probably surveilled just as much as she was in the city she was born, so it probably evened out.

[crazyprocessedsynth]

next design, Wx!! Once again, they will be sampled on the 10th of May when the webber sale ends :))

[crazyprocessedsynth]

It obviously meant pistachios. He was the one who called them "pistachio-lovin'." It obviously meant the pistachios. He was doing this on purpose. Its shutters twitch again, and its fans reach a constant dull whir from their stress level at his sheer audacity. He was doing this on purpose.

If you looked close, you could even see a small amount of steam rising from the gaps in their plating that allowed airflow.

This obnoxious man was doing a professional job of getting under their metal skin.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

This is why it hates humans so much. Everything about them is just infuriating, down to the simplest mannerisms. And the way they presume everything is about them? Ugh. Can't you just get out of my space already?

"HOW WOULD IT BE WORKING? HARASSING ME AND SHOVING FOOD ON ME AS A BRIBE?"

If they didn't want to tear his throat out, it would be working. Maybe he would be bearable if he couldn't speak...

"FORCING GIFTS ON A SUPERIOR DOESN'T MAKE UP FOR BEING A COMPLETE NUISANCE."

They huff, and return their view to the smoothie in their hand. Their frustration was leading to a feeling of distaste for the flavor, from being teased about it, but it was at least a bit sweet, and that made up for it for now. They'd file this away for later and revisit what they thought about pistachio when they weren't being actively aggravated. A long, loud, deliberately irritating sip, and then they continue complaining.

"YEAH, WELL, WHATEVER IDIOT BROUGHT ME HERE DIDN'T SEEM TO THINK I NEEDED ANY." None of the periodic clothing handouts from the nightmare queen had been retained on arrival. Just their luck. Even if they feigned indifference, playing dress-up and being cute was fun. "I DON'T SEE HOW THAT'S ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS EITHER, FLESHLING."

" if you'll like what? " will returns to the half-finished sentence, head tilting like a confused dog's. men? humans? choosing the path of most annoyance, his shoulders roll in a dance-like gesture. " pretzels? i had a pretty good clue when i saw you eating one earlier. "

he shrugs, pretending that is what wx means ( he knows damn right it's not ). unstopped, he walks along in direction of the clothing stores, humming casually. the only acknowledgement he gives the befuddlement caused in the other is a glint in smooth blues as he looks at it through the corner of his eyes.

" i'm not trying to buy your approval, " then, brushing his hair back with fingers as a provisory comb, will smiles. " if i was, would it be working, though? "

another big gulp, nearly uncomfortable down his throat. there's visible relief when wx expresses a neutrality towards the drink - he happily bids farewell to the already-expected act he'd put on just so they could seemingly share an opinion. " it's fine, right? i don't know what i was expectin'. "

tilting his skull backwards, will downs the remainder of the drink in one go, tosses the paper cup into a trashcan as he walks. " and i could say the same for your fashion sense. what kinda clothes do you like, seventy? "

[crazyprocessedsynth]

They periodically cast anxious glances at the deluge outside the window as they work, muttering under their breath that having to do manual labor for a stranger was worth not being out there- seemingly trying to convince themself, more than anything. They hadn't been this lucky when they'd been stranded on an island. This was lucky, wasn't it? A safe shelter to reside in with only the cost of cleaning. They'd prefer their surroundings be clean, anyway, so it's good that this was how they were spending their time—

And then they're startled out of their internal dialogue at his question.

"NO."

"NOT YET. I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE LONG."

Was he... impressed with their work, or something? Nah, he was probably just trying to make polite conversation. Career was one of those things humans ordinarily found interesting while still impersonal enough to make small talk, wasn't it? Meatbags and their social bonds. Sigh.

Rain comes stronger in the storm, and the restaurant though small is a safe place that everyone can enter, provided reasons were valid. There is little reason for anything or anyone else to arrive, and at the very least it wasn't a whole typhoon that would allow itself to enter. So the pair were safe from flooding for now.

"Do you have a job?

Question is tossed about as five minutes of uninterrupted cleaning is done. The tables looking spotless but knowing his clientelle, would be full of food scraps come the next day.

[crazyprocessedsynth]

[Getting to work on replies! Power was out a lot of yesterday, and today I got sucked into a strategy game, oops. Thank you for your patience!! *explodes*