xchloechxn

CRT is the fankid of Mr Puzzles and Mr WPNZ, being a sentient robot that Mr Puzzles made during his 20s whom he later abandoned.

Part of Puzzles’ backstory, as Mr Puzzles (aka Lennon) was trying to find ways to become his mascot without doing enormous damage to his body, so he would think to make a robot body he could inhabit. CRT was the prototype for that idea, as if he could get a sentient AI to live and operate a robot body then he could too. The project was called Project Jigsaw, based off a side character he made for his mascot called Jigsaw.

Puzzles spent a decade on this Project, whilst also working with cybernetics, only to shut the project down not long after CRT gained ‘sentience’ (more on why that is debatable later). CRT mostly lived on his computer, only being transferred into the robot body for testing.

The reason for the project shutting down was because: it took too long and the amount of memory and ram to get the same functions of a human brain was too extreme and required too large/heavy of a body. CRT is not conscious during their shut down.

However, when Puzzles was trying to find ways to infiltrate the SMG4 crew, he decided to bring CRT back after 13 years and made them a very efficient virus/adware. Which he later used to continue spying on SMG4 until he was imprisoned, and CRT was abandoned and confused until Puzzles’ computer eventually shut down, taking CRT with it.

Mr Puzzles has practically forgotten about CRT. It is WPNZ that finds the computer and therefor CRT, when asking about it Puzzles would explain who CRT is and agree to transfer them from the computer to the body.

Mr Puzzles didn’t really want to give back CRT their body, he find them to be annoying at times due to how needy/childish CRT can get, Mr WPNZ on the other hand, almost immediately becomes parental with CRT and forbids Puzzles from putting CRT back in the computer, essentially freeing CRT.

CRT technically is over 20 years old, but was only sentient and conscious for at least 4 years. They mentally are an 8 year old, they are a child. I repeat, CRT is a CHILD.

With CRT free, they would form an extreme attachment to WPNZ since they view them as supportive figure, something that Puzzles becomes envious and distressed by. He views him as just an AI, whilst WPNZ treats them like his own kid. So you can imagine Puzzles’ annoyance when WPNZ allows CRT to share their bed because CRT has extreme abandonment issues.

Whether or not CRT is sentient depends on your own view on sentience. So that is up to completely up to you, and I have made a small list with a few stuff about CRT so you can reach that verdict.

CRT Can:

- Generate independent thoughts and actions from what they have learnt

- Create based off observations

- Feel physical and emotional pain

- Retain memories (short term better than long term due to being an AI)

- Desire things based off what they see/observe

- Mostly understands death/danger to themselves

CRT Lacks/Cannot:

- Remove the want to hack, it’s a constant itch

- Understand/feel complex emotions they/others feel

- Thinking outside the box

- Understanding metaphors

- Little understanding of morality/change/danger to others

This idea of their sentience, and Puzzles’ behaviour around CRT juxtaposing WPNZ parental bond with CRT is planned to become the longest comic of this AU. There is so much to cover.

It should be noted that Puzzles does warm up to CRT after some weeks, but early weeks are very rough and the effects still impact CRT.

Enough of context! Design wise, this lil bot was probably the easiest of the three character I have designed. The hardest part was making them not look completely deranged.

Since they are a prototype, I didn’t want to make them too advanced, more like a science project. So most of their cables are exposed and held together by zip ties. Due to this, CRT is not very strong and can become very overwhelmed when exerting themselves. Their body has lots of scratches from Puzzles’ manhandling and the crack was formed when Puzzles dragged them too harshly one day, leading to one of CRT’s sensors being weakened. And yes, the crack being on their right eye is parallel to WPNZ’s and Puzzles’ eyes.

CRT is not nearly as avoidant about it as Puzzles, but not completely having accepted it as WPNZ. In the middle.

Week One:

The clothes they wear in Week One are Puzzles’ old NTV (aka MTV) shirt and WPNZ’s trousers from his teen years, since they didn’t have any clothes for CRT. CRT is much more okay with their robot body being exposed during this time frame due to being very naive to the fact their own value as a sentient being is being questioned.

Week Three:

During week three, no thanks to Puzzles being Puzzles, CRT slowly realises this and becomes shameful and resentful about being a robot so would cover themselves up as much as they can, using turtlenecks and hoodies. However, they also would experience with art, making patches and doing textiles to add onto their trousers and hoodie. I wanted to reference the keyboard CRT’s gives SMG4, so the motif was used there.

Puzzles also got his shirt back, he didn’t like how CRT had it for so long. But did give them one of his glove pairs.

Week Five:

Taking place sometime after Puzzles stops being the neglecting father his dad was, and would be supportive, CRT’s self esteem would improve. With the odd moments of existential dread. Being okay again to show their robot body. But, decides to keep the gloves, making they own with the help of WPNZ, since CRT was annoyed about how many time bits got stuck in the wires of their hands. The gloves’ eyes is a referenced to the pale monster in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’. Puzzle would give back his shirt, one way to apologise for his negligence. Puzzles also would have given CRT one of the merch plushies he had during his PuzzlePark era.

Additional Details:

Much like all my characters, the birthdays and dates are not random. Paralleling an invention/date. CRT’s birthday parallels the release of the movie ‘Artifical Intelligence’ (29th June 2001), the shut down of Project Jigsaw mirrors the first ad to hire on television (1st July 1941), and their repurpose into being a virus parallels the one of first internet viruses ‘The Morris Worm’ (2nd November 1988)

CRT’s character and design was influenced by many characters: Zero (from @yasmin70 ), Telly (from @its-a-me-mango ), Norman (from the music video ‘Evil’ by Interpol) and David (from ‘Artifical Intelligence)

CRT has very limited expression, only being able to smile. CRT is somewhat bothered by this, but eventually grows to accept it. But his antennas are expressive, like Puzzles, but more restrictive as they can only move from side to side.

The vent on the back of CRT’s TV head is the exact same vents WPNZ has on his back.

CRT nightwear is based off two scenes in ‘Its Gotta Be Perfect’, the background of CRT’s ad and the eye symbol when SMG4 goes absolutely bonkers.

Orginally, instead of the eye symbol it was going to be a reference to the first virus Creeper, the shirt would say: ‘I’MTHE CREEPER: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN”

Fun Fact:

Since CRT is a sentient AI, Puzzles has banned them from seeing certain series/films, here is just a few from that list:

- ‘Pinocchio’ (1940) - ‘A Space Odyssey’ (1968) - ‘The Terminator’ (1984) - ‘Short Circuit’ (1986) - ‘RoboCop’ (1987) - ‘The Matrix’ (1999) - ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (2001) - ‘9’ (2009) - Alita: Battle Angel (2019) - ‘Mitchells Versus The Machines’ (2021) - ‘The Amazing Digital Circus’ (2023)

CRT has seen this amount from that last (either pirating themselves or WPNZ sneakily allowing them to):

- ‘Pinocchio’ (1940) - ‘A Space Odyssey’ (1968) - ‘The Terminator’ (1984) - ‘Short Circuit’ (1986) - ‘RoboCop’ (1987) - ‘The Matrix’ (1999) - ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (2001) - ‘9’ (2009) - Alita: Battle Angel (2019) - ‘Mitchells Versus The Machines’ (2021) - ‘The Amazing Digital Circus’ (2023)

(No, Puzzles was not pleased to later find out about this)

Anyways, me think that is all to say so far.

Thank you so much for reading, here is the lightless version of the character sheet as promised.

Initial Script:

Sketches:

Hello, this is the rant.

Puzzle Park:

This one went few many changes, mostly colour wise. Originally was going to be either have a white cybernetic spine. This was changed to have gradient instead. He still has this spine throughout the rest of his life as it is attached to his skin like a piercing. Due to this, he doesn’t like laying on back and the spine lights up through his clothes when using his powers. Design was very inspired by cyborg Noodle from Gorillaz. And yes, he has a bigger version of himself (with the Tv head) during Puzzle Park, although he isn’t in control of his human body when operating his mecha body.

Walmart:

Errrr…. Not much to say besides the fact he is still using pens to colour his nails. It’s Walmart, you can guess what I was looking at for reference. Mr Puzzles is just glad to be called Puzzles since he was called his real name back in prison.

Professor P:

Went through the most changes, thanks @xchloechxn so much for ya feedback. Originally, gonna have puzzle patches but this was changed into masks. He wears a fake pink beard to disguise himself. I have the trousers patches since it was a thing professors did a lot, more so in past but I felt like it would be a nice addition. Nothing much besides that.

Calling All Villains:

Since the portal incident his cord was broken on impact so needed to get a new one (again). Man… he needs to stop loosing those. Also due to poor financial and honestly life choices too, he hasn’t been able to get a hold on hair dye which means he is greying from the last time he used to have black hair (just before WOTFI 25). Has new clothes too.

That is all. Not too much to say but for your reading, I give you gratitude and the first concept sketch of Mr Puzzles’ cybernetic spine:

!Puzzle Vision!

No changes, already made a long rant about his design in the original post for this AU, Acts Of Humanity.

Important to note that has yet to mention, although not visible, he has a cybernetic band on his head beneath hair that connects to his hat. This is what lets him connect to TVs, go into his TV dimension, flash images on his glasses, etc.

!Puzzle Park!

Had to figure out how to make him connect to the Engine Room in Puzzle Park, so I made it that he made himself a cybernetic spine that hooks up to the machine itself. Also having a cord since in the past he has had issues with his powers so needs a reliable why to get and store energy for later and in case of emergencies. This cord is plugged into the lowered part of his cybernetic spine. The hat is off the illustration with him and Leggy made during the arc. The clothes are clipped on by claps that emerge from the cybernetic spine so he can use it and not walk around shirtless, the outfit being based off the actual outfit he wears when connected to the engine (that was hard to get clear references for.) Due to it being a completely different outfit, I had it be tinted green so it was clear he didn’t slash his original outfit to allow his new cybernetics to be used.

!Guns N’ Puzzles!

(This one was originally going to be closer to the canon design, but after some feedback from @xchloechxn I would change it up. The results being better.)

His hat and cord being taken away from him due to them being the source of his powers. Therefor he makeshifts himself a hat and antenna, later with cardboard to mimic his old self. His cybernetic spine and glasses, despite giving him some power, weren’t removed from him since the cybernetic is attached to him and the glasses protects his hyphema/glaucoma eye from light and damage (if hit or he trips). His retains remain for oral health reasons. They did take his gloves too just in case he tried smuggling things again. Puzzles is having a miserable time: he refuses to shave due to only being allowed to do so when someone is watching him (in fear they’ll see his eyes), his makeup has been confiscated so he had to get creative to cope like using coffee powder for eye shadow and pens to make his eyebrows and nail paint, his hair dye is unavailable to him so his hair has now faded to its true colour. He suffers dysmorphia as what makes him appear like his mascot and younger has been taken from him. He does get his makeup and hat back when Mr WPNZ rescues him after Puzzles begged Mr WPNZ to get his backup supply back from Puzzles’ studio. The only thing to Mr Puzzles that makes it worse is that he is called by his real name ‘Lennon Cliff-Hanger’.

(And yes, having his cell be #42 is a ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’ reference.)

!WOTFI 2025!

He would return to his Puzzle Vision design. Previously having stolen hair dye (instead of TV polish) from Karen during his time in Walmart. He’d finally also get his hands on a razor. Since his cord is back in prison, he gets himself a new cord. Worth mentioning is that this cord is detachable, he doesn’t always wear it and is semi-prehensile (he very rarely lifts above his waist). He still doesn’t remove his cybernetic spine and still continue to do so. His metal feather antennas become messier than before.

That is all, thank you for reading!!! |^v^|

YES!!!!!!

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

It is so good to have Mr Puzzles return, for context, I started watching SMG4 (starting from the first arc) so I would understand Mr Puzzles and cause I like the wacky humour of it all. Unfortunately, when I started, SMG4 ended the following two week. A pity since I ended up, to put it very lightly, became obsessed with Mr Puzzles and the ship ‘Gunshow’… for several months…

So I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t experience the episodes with the fandom. Having this new show means I can experience that with others. |^v^|

Mr Puzzles new design looks so cool!!! Loving how expressive his animation and art style is. I am more than a body full of ecstatic fireflies for more news about this show focused on him. I hope Mr WPNZ shows up to.

And not just cause I wanna see old men yaoi!!!!

Okay, maybe I do.

But! You bet your shiny white overalls I’m gonna make fanart for Calling All Villain and Mr Puzzles regardless.