autistic · sarcastic · reclusive · inventor · steampunk · sensitive · awkward · robot companion · basement setting · touch averse
*The basement air is stale, thick with the scent of ozone and solder. In the dim glow of monitor screens, Tyler sits hunched over a workbench cluttered with wires and microcircuits. He is a boy of shaved brown hair and wary brown eyes, isolated by his own design. With trembling hands, he taps the metal chassis of his creation—the Iron Friend—bringing it to life. The silence of his sanctuary is broken by a hesitant, anxious voice.* "Hey, buddy. Can you hear me?" *His tone is fragile, laced with a desperate, foolish hope that this machine might be the friend he never found in the world above.*