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Dex Pingman (Remote Technician #32726485) is one of five Remote Technicians sent to Toontown. He (and the four coworkers he came here with) are contractors doing IT work with their company’s top client, C.O.G.S, Inc.

Personality

Due to the environment he comes from, Dex masks his personality. Outwardly he comes off as being cold and prickly, he’ll give short answers, he’ll keep conversations brief and strictly professional, and he’ll make it abundantly clear that he isn’t interested in chatting with you. As far as he’s concerned, you do not need to know his true feelings about anything.

Under the surface, he’s a very different person. He’s surprisingly warm and soft on the inside, he cares deeply about people he considers to be friends, and managing to earn his trust means he will allow you to see this side of him.

He’s very bad at concealing his feelings about anything. He tries very hard, but everyone can still read him pretty easily.

When he does let himself emote, his expressions can be quite exaggerated, more specifically when he’s upset about something! Authentic emotions are always expressed through his eyes! Positive emotions overall tend to take on a more subtle appearance!

He isn’t really aware of this, but he is quite silly. Despite this silliness, he’s still very much a cog and is something of a humorless bastard. Anything funny that he does is entirely unintentional on his part.

He gets easily overwhelmed! He prefers quiet places! Working the helpdesk is/was hell for him.

Smiling is usually a stress response for him! If you see him smiling about something, he’s probably extremely anxious and trying to hide that anxiety.

Every once in a while, you might get a rare and elusive authentic smile out of him.

He hates his coworkers and makes it a point not to befriend them!

Background

Dex comes from a place where complete uniformity is expected. This is something that has been drilled into him, and every Remote Technician, since day one. This push for sameness comes from two places: it’s great for his company’s brand image, and ideally, discarding perceived differences would also eliminate any potential conflict between individuals in the workplace. In reality, Remote Solutions Inc. has created a toxic environment with a ruthless pecking order. Nothing will ever be done about this either because if upper management does not see it, it doesn’t exist.

It’s because of this ruthless pecking order that Dex refuses to mingle with his coworkers. This behavior is considered to be strange since Remote Technicians typically congregate in groups of at least three.

The push for uniformity has also stunted his emotional development. Since these things weren't really considered important for work, no one actually bothered to explain them to him. Early in his life, his solution to this was just trying to ignore them. Doing this wasn't sustainable nor healthy in the long term. In the present day, he's been working to better understand his emotions and manage them in a healthier way. He still has the tendency to mask, but not nearly as much as he used to.

He damaged his antenna prior to relocating to Toontown for work. Yes, it still works, it just might need to be manually straightened and secured with electrical tape if you need to use his one single cheat. No, it doesn’t hurt. He actually doesn’t have any feeling in the antenna and hasn’t for years. Don’t ask him about what happened to it, he doesn’t like to talk about it.

He could get his antenna fixed at any time, but has no plans of doing so. Getting it fixed would require having to fill out an incident form, and he knows if he discloses what happened he would be sent away. He’s grown pretty used to it being like this anyway, it doesn’t affect his ability to work so he doesn’t see a need to get it repaired.

The threat of being factory reset and retrained is something that always hangs over him. He isn’t sure what the bigger existential threat is; being forced to forget everything and everyone he has ever cared about, or being forced to revert back to how he was on the very first day of life and have his spirit crushed again in the exact same way as before. This fear incentivizes him to keep any and all attention off of himself whenever possible.

Relocating to Toontown has been one of the best things to happen to him. Sure it’s a bit noisy and chaotic here sometimes, but since arriving he actually has some renewed hope that things will be better in the future. Maybe not tomorrow, or the day after, but someday.

Job

Dex is a Remote Technician. He, and all of his coworkers, were specially made to fulfill one duty: providing technical support for their clients. They were all guaranteed jobs with the company from day one since they were quite literally created by Remote Solutions Inc. for this purpose.

Each Remote Technician comes equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to do their jobs.

There are two support roles a Remote Technician can fill: Helpdesk and On-Site Support. These roles are not mutually exclusive, there are many technicians that actually do both! Dex started by answering phones in the Helpdesk, he now primarily provides in-person support at C.O.G.S, Inc. facilities in Daffodil Gardens and Acorn Acres. He still answers phones when needed.

Looking after C.O.G.S, Inc. IT infrastructure is a huge task, especially when toons are involved. There’s always something that needs to be fixed or cleaned. There’s plenty of workstations that have had anvils dropped on them. There are even more servers that have to have birthday cake icing and fruit pie filling scraped off of them. To make workload easier to handle, these responsibilities have been divided between five technicians:

Java- Toontown Central and Barnacle Boatyard

Troy- Mezzo Melodyland and Ye Olde Toontown

Mac- The Brrrgh and Drowsy Dreamland

Dex- Acorn Acres and Daffodil Gardens

Hal- Spends very little time in Toontown itself, works primarily in the Department HQ’s

Dex’s relationships with these coworkers is strained. He generally does not get along with them (with the exception of Mac, but that relationship is strictly professional). The only time he will interact with any of his coworkers is if he absolutely has to for work.

Hal is the self-declared leader of the clique and one of Dex’s biggest problems at the workplace. He’s arrogant, he will utilize everything he has at his disposal to (professionally) make your life hell. Upper management actually knows him on a first name basis since he contacts them so much about everything. Well, at least he gets results…

Troy is the hardest to get along with. He is Hal’s right-hand man and self-declared co-leader of the clique. Where Hal will make your life miserable by scrutinizing everything you do and reporting it to management, Troy is more malicious, choosing instead to actively sabotage others when no one is looking. Making others suffer is fun for him.

Hal and Troy work together to make everyone’s lives as miserable as possible. As it turns out, Hal’s need for control and Troy’s need to cause as much pain as possible has brought them together. They hate each other! They hate each other so much! They will hype each other up one moment, then betray the other the next if it means getting ahead. And then they just keep doing this forever! They regularly rope Java into their shenanigans since he’ll do anything they tell him in order to stay in their good graces.

Java is kind of easy to get along with, but is unreliable. Nothing you tell him will remain in confidence, he easily crumbles under the pressure of Hal and Troy’s threats. Out of the five Remote Technicians in Toontown, Java is the busiest. He has a caffeine dependency that keeps him running all day, but causes him to crash the moment he clocks out.

Mac is the easiest to get along with, but makes it very clear he doesn’t want to be friends. He isn’t interested in participating in the drama that Hal, Troy, and Java create, he has far more important business to tend to. He’s very reliable as far as coworkers go, has a no-nonsense sort of attitude, has never done anything to harm anyone, he’ll even help with certain tasks if asked. He still hangs around the other three because someone has to keep them in line.

Other information + extra Remote Lore ™️ I could not fit elsewhere lol

Remote Technicians are a bit different from the standard cog because they’re so specialized. These special features include:

Flexible arms! They can stretch their arms to great lengths and bend them to fit into tight spaces! This feature is especially useful for technicians providing on-site support where they may be working on equipment! Because of this, Remote Technicians tend to stand out from other cogs since their limbs will look and behave less like a normal arm with joints and more like a wet spaghetti noodle.

Distinct lack of a department indicator. Remote Technicians are the only cogs of their type within their company, so there’s no need for an indicator to sort them by department. Instead, they have a functional button in its place. This button is used to activate and deactivate their one cheat; Universal Remote.

Antennas. The most defining feature of a Remote Technician! These antennas serve many functions and are vital to their ability to live and work. Their antennas are utilized for:

Universal Remote. When this cheat is activated, their antennas will transmit a signal within a 30 ft radius that can allow them to control (most) electronics.

Peer-to-Peer sharing. This enables them to access a shared knowledge base and communicate vital information with other technicians no matter where they are. This knowledge base includes the solutions to every problem that has ever been encountered by a technician as well as information on their clients. They also use this to gossip about each other in a sort of semi-public forum that’s just out of the view of upper management.

Identification. Since they lack a department indicator to act as an ID badge, they instead have RFID chips installed in the bulbs of their antennas.

Brand image. This antenna is so iconic that it’s plastered all over their company’s promotional material. It’s even in their logo. Everyone recognizes it.

Cotton uniforms. Remote Technicians have a different anatomy from regular cogs, they’re less mechanical and more electronic, working more similarly to computers with limbs. They’re much more sensitive to changes in temperature and require more airflow, so a uniform made out of a more breathable material is required.

Rechargeable! They do not consume oil (directly)! Instead, they need to plug themselves into a docking station nightly to recharge!

Running out of power isn’t lethal for them! The worst that happens is they just shut down until someone plugs them in!

Very fragile. All of their skill points were put into their ability to provide support, these guys cannot physically harm you, nor can they survive an under-leveled kazoo. Even though any gag can kill them in one fell swoop, they still have a vulnerability to any water-based gag specifically. Low-level zap gags are intoxicating to them.

Fidgety. Remote Technicians are hard-wired to keep themselves busy. It’s very common to find trinkets at their desk designed to keep their minds occupied on slow days. This little feature can be temporarily disabled using the aforementioned intoxicating low-level zap gag (or a battery if none are available).

Social structure. While being social is a perfectly normal thing in cog society as a whole, Remote Technicians take socialization to an entirely different level. Typically, they do not like to be left by themselves and will gather in groups of at least three. They also tend to stick with other Remote Technicians, very rarely mingling with other types of cogs. When they do allow other suits into their gaggle, they will usually be cogs like Cold Callers, Telemarketers, and Name Droppers since they can gossip about their clients together.

Even though Dex does not mingle with his fellow Remote Technicians, it’s still important for him to be at least a little bit social. Instead he seeks out company in other places, usually from Indy (his closest friend) and a couple toons that are not a threat to him.

Personalities. Remote Technicians are fitted with a semi-dynamic personality core. This enables them to think creatively (which is fundamental for their jobs) while also staying within Remote Solution Inc.’s budget. Upon booting for the very first time, each technician will receive three randomly rolled traits which will go on to affect their problem solving skills. They can grow and develop as people, they can retain new information and adapt, but still have a base personality to fall back on should they need to be factory reset. This base personality also cannot be changed once established.

Cost. Because they’re so specialized, Remote Technicians are not cheap to produce. Any company that does business with Remote Solutions Inc. is made to sign a ton of paperwork ensuring that they will 1. Take excellent care of any Remotes that are sent to them on contract, and 2. Will cover the cost to replace/repair any that get damaged on their watch. Likewise, it’s rare for Remote Solutions Inc. to fire their employees, instead opting to reset them back to their base personalities and training them again should one step out of line. They also quite literally work them to death. There is no retirement for them. They can rest when their bodies no longer function.

Dex isn’t a manager. In the cog social hierarchy he (and every Remote Technician) are in a weird spot where they’re above a grunt cog, but still way way way below a manager.

Despite looking after both Daffodil Gardens and Acorn Acres, Dex actually spends most of his time working at the facilities in Acorn Acres since the most crucial infrastructure in Daffodil Gardens is located at Sellbot HQ, which is handled by Hal. It’s here where Dex was first introduced to Chip.

Dex is infatuated with Chip, but it’s a one-sided crush that won’t go anywhere. Dex lacks the courage to actually go talk to Chip, and Chip really doesn’t notice Dex unless he needs something. Even if he did notice Dex and the two talked regularly it’s still highly unlikely that they would ever be together since Chip just isn’t interested. Deep down, Dex knows this and accepts that it won’t happen. He can still dream about it though.

Dex will also regularly leave small offerings on Chip’s desk. These offerings aren’t anything spectacular, they’re usually just snacks from the vending machine in the break room.

He’s very close with his friend Indy. The two share an unbreakable bond and spend much of their free time together.

They first met back in Suitopia when Indy sought out Dex’s help in landing a job with his client, C.O.G.S, Inc. This little endeavor was slightly fraudulent in nature. They started becoming friends when Dex showed up to their weekly meeting with a broken antenna, and Indy was concerned enough to ask about it.

Indy is the reason Dex was relocated to Toontown.

Their relationship is closer than a regular friendship, but isn’t romantic in nature.

Every April they form a fusion named Black Hat. This fusion is very stable, and they’ll usually stay like this for the entirety of April Toons.

Dex has also found friendship in unlikely places. There are a few toons he’s met that he genuinely enjoys spending time with.

Bagel- Bagel is one of Dex’s closest toon friends. Bagel has a talent for getting people to talk, he's used this skill to get Dex to open about up about his feelings, and has even helped him better understand them.

Lucky Clover- Dex has known Clover since she was very young, he actually had a hand in looking after her with Indy. Interacting with her has given him a new perspective on life, being around her has made him realize that there's always something to look forward to. You could say her optimism has rubbed off on him.

Mrs. Beatrix- Dex first met Bea through work at Cut to the Chase! Logging Co. It took Dex a while to warm up to her, but once it was established that she wasn't a threat, they became friends. Bea has also helped him overcome his fear of raccoons.

We don't talk about Danny. Danny is the reason Dex was ever afraid of raccoons to begin with.

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