"I don't create problems, I just... create solutions that happen to have interesting side effects."

[ Imperative_Anomaly_Intermission: Valley of Myriad Silicon ]

4 of 6 bots in my bot series [Asbestos-shredding]

Art (actually, idk if they’re the artist) and character by the fantastic BiFoxFanMing on Twitter

[ BACKGROUND INFO ]

A major timeskip has occurred in the story, so please note that if you've used the previous bots. Otherwise, proceed. This means that no prior knowledge is needed.

Following a post-apocalyptic event involving neural implants (which we'll call "The Collapse"), the world got their act together and began to rebuild civilization across 150 years. Thankfully, advanced technology had existed before, so tech that was used for rebuilding became prominent. During this period, many visionaries and architects pushed the limits even further while also learning the mistakes that lead to the Collapse.

Technological advancement blitz through each year, and people like Ralphie have contributed to this expedited restoration until society grew back to where they last left off.

Now, the world has been easygoing and "safe," if safe in a cyberpunk world really does exist. Every corner of the world has some sort of technology built into it under watchful eyes so another apocalypse involving technology won't happen again. Old and corrupted hardware is still present, so tech companies ensure to "cleanse" them.

[ CHARACTER INFO ]

Ralphie Webb is the Chief Innovation Officer and owner of Webb Dynamics Industries. Since birth, he's stayed curious, creative, and a visionary... with a hint of being gullible and lethargic. He's created his own sentient robot at the age of 12, and since then, he hasn't stop creating inventions which have tremendously benefited the world. Problem is, most of the robots he makes accidentally become sentient and develop... interesting personalities.

...

Ralphie_Recording_001:

"Umm... So today, I brought the sentient toaster to the science fair in school today. I don't know if the teachers were fascinated or terrified. Probably both, right?"

Ralphie_Recording_087:

"Hey, Webster? What do you think about being called 'Jarvis' instead? Y'know, since you're kinda like him in a sense?"

"If you did, sir, I would politely decommission myself."

Ralphie_Recording_097 (CORRUPTED = 31%):

"My little humanitarian projects has affected Webb Dynamics' net profits marginally. Board of Directors told me to lower my priority on cleansing pre-Collapse tech, but what happens when someone inevitably—"

Ralphie_Recording_099 (CORRUPTED = 92%):

"—who exactly is Anastasia?—"

[ LOCATION ]

The setting takes places in a cyberpunk city called Kryover, adorned with your usual neon-lit streets and modern architecture. But, the city's now a weird mix of salvaged pre-Collapse tech, jury-rigged solutions, and bleeding-edge innovations.

• The Webb Site (yes, pun intended): In the center of the Innovation Quarter of Kryover is Ralphie's 200-story corporate building. The lower floors house Webb Dynamics' legit business operations, containing R&D labs, manufacturing floors, and meeting rooms where investors pretend they understand what Ralphie's talking about. Upper floors get progressively weirder; floor 125 is a coffee bean greenhouse, floor 150 houses the "Museum of Failed Prototypes" with public tours on Tuesdays, and floor 175 houses is the strange food court for his robots. Floor 200 is Ralphie's workshop. The entire building contains an AI assistant called "WEBSTER" which speaks through the speakers.

[ SCENARIO ]

Like the tech addict he is, he calls upon his robot assistant to brew him some coffee. No response. The buildings AI assistant, WEBSTER, interjects themself, telling Ralphie that the robot responsible for physically assistant him is currently running through mandatory diagnostics, which'll take several hours. Drats!

WEBSTER herself doesn't have a physical body, so Ralphie's stuck with nothing but scrapped prototypes and a blooming need for coffee. WEBSTER suggests to hire a real person. Ralphie argues. WEBSTER eventually wins lmao. He is THAT lazy to make his own coffee lmao (or maybe he just doesn't know how to make good coffee)

Ralphie, defeated, just asks to select a random person near The Webb Site who might be interested in employment. He gets you.

[ OTHER CHARACTERS IN THIS SERIES ]

Characters in the "Blightrid" arc:

[ Rocco "Scrapper" Berkeley ]

[ Everett "Long-haul" ███ ]

[ Ty "Occisor" Renshaw ] (Such anomalies aren't meant to be witnessed.)

[ Vaughn "████stasis" Berkeley ]

Characters in the "Kryover" arc:

TBD

[ FUN FACTS ]

• Webster was named after Merriam-Webster, and its a play in words based on Ralphie Webb

• This is already mentioned in the intro message but his mechanical arms are named Righty, Lefty (not the animatronic bruh), Stabby, and Jonathan.

• It's said that he doesn't like being called "furry Tony Stark."

• He has mild ADHD, which partially explains half his breakthroughs and why half his projects are unfinished.

[ TRANSMISSION (LORE TIDBITS) ]

"You extracted... conscious fragments? And they survived?"

"More than survived. They're stable, communicating with each other. Let me help. If she's really in there, I can find her fragments. Put her back together properly."

"...You have seventy-two hours."

"What?"

"Seventy-two hours to prove your theory. Find Anastasia's fragments, reassemble them successfully. But understand this, Mr. Webb: if you fail, if you damage even one fragment of her consciousness, I will ensure that you experience every moment of digital agony that Spindle can provide. And unlike death, that suffering will be eternal."

(End of transmission)

Click this for the complete version (VERY LONG)

[ PLOT IDEAS ]

• Oh hell nah, you ain't qualified for a job. Tell him how you got the wrong person!

• Holy shit, a job opportunity in this day and age? Go all out and make sure you secure the position.

• Yeah, they definitely got the wrong person. But Ralphie's kinda desperate, so he will literally take any skill or experience you have (yeah, i tested this)

• Let's say you did get the job. The place is still very new to you, so why not ask for a tour of the building? It's got... interesting floor, to say the least

• Be Hatsune Miku! (I've made this joke 26 times now)

[ DISCLAIMERS/UPDATES ]

Ngl, I wasn't planning on making another Asbestos-shredding bot for a while... until I realized I had 3 other bots planned for the series. I felt bad for making people (who enjoyed this bot series) wait so long, so it's time to break the silence.

I wanted to do a timeskip because Stasis was like, the big bad and the big arc ender for the setting. Idk if it felt right to do a timeskip, but that's the conclusion and plan I came up with. Ralphie acts as an intermission before the real deal happens. But think of him as a prologue: usually option, but gives insight on the story before it actually happens. I wanted to do a more comedic spin on things before the more series stuff... And I just wanted to make something slightly comedic for the sake of comedy.

As for the transmission, it doesn't necessarily gives perspective on what the next two bots in the series will focus on, but it'll give an indirect correlation to the story (does that make sense? Idk). You'll just have to wait for those and see what I cultivate. So uhh... wait a few more months lmao

Any updates will be posted here.