This is a joke because both Lawrence and Abner are fairly laconic for completely different reasons

4, 6, 8, 13, 23, Lawrence!

2, 3, 5, 11, 17, Abner!

4. In an average scenario, does your character typically do most or least of the talking in a conversation, or break pretty even? Least. All our hosts were made for you.

So their programming is geared towards supporting guests: listening to them, and encouraging them to speak freely. They're like the ultimate bartenders. It's one of those things Lawrence doesn't even realize he's doing.

6. If your character is caught in a conversation they aren't enjoying, what do they do? Not much. Mostly get sassy/insulting. Quietly fume inside. See my above thoughts on host conversation also.

It's something that he didn't have a say in for so long, that he doesn't have a grasp on the fact that he could just tell someone to fuck off, because he doesn't want to talk about that.

8. Is your character shy about talking to strangers? Do they have a go-to icebreaker? No, Lawrence has no scruples. He has a go-to entire bottle of whiskey.

13. How likely is your character to offend people in conversation? Accidentally or on purpose? How easily are they offended in turn? Not very likely. Again: hosts: made for you. Even his offensive properties are designed to be a little bit charming.

He does speak candidly about 19th century era racism, but that's more likely to offend people on his behalf. He is easily offended when he perceives someone as denying his personhood, or if he thinks someone else thinks or is treating him like he's stupid.

23. Could your character have a civil conversation with someone they despised? No, he would definitely resort to violence. Luckily there are very few people he despises.

Probably just Ford. And Craddock, and even there he's very close to the awareness that Craddock was made to act like that, and that that might not be who Craddock actually is/wants to be. EXPLORE THIS WITH ME TLV.

Above we're all for robo Larry

Now: Abe

2. Is there any topic that makes your character ramble, whether due to enthusiasm or heightened emotions/anxiety? Yes! Death! Abner has intrusive thoughts and fixated on morbid topics (see: his infamous response to Bloodsport and his fun facts about drunk drivers)

3. Is there any topic that makes them clam up? I mean could be literally anything, and have nothing to do with the actual topic. He just generally has trouble expressing himself, and that makes him clam up. But also: sex; sexuality.

5. How long can your character talk about themselves or their interests before feeling self-conscious about it? How long can they listen to someone else talk about themselves or their interests before their attention drifts or they get annoyed? Himself: like zero amount of time. Always self-conscious.

Listening to anyone else: forever. Just happy someone is talking to him. You're reading the phone book? You're the nicest person he has ever met.

11. At a dinner party, would they more often talk to the whole table or to their immediate neighbors? Immediate neighbors only, it's all he can handle. Would not even be able to ask for someone to pass the salt.

17. If people in a group talk over or ignore something your character says in a conversation, what do they do? Immediately shuts the fuck up. Completely used to it. There are a lot of fan theories about how his mother verbally abused him

But my headcanon is that she interacted with him entirely clinically, scientist to experiment. So a lot of talking about him like he wasn't there, commenting on things that you just wouldn't say to a person, much less a child much less your own child

But that a scientist would report in an experimental setting. And that this is why his hallucinations of her are visual but not auditory.

Like someone commenting about aspects of your life clinically as if you can't understand them when they know you can and they are your mother is nasty

Like imagine all of the physical changes that would have been commented on while he went through puberty. "Subject's waist to hip ration is outside of the typical male average."

This is something that also rolls into the headcanon I have for his mother and why/how she did what she did. I don't think she had a secret lab in the house or anything, I think everything she did was done at S.T.A.R. Labs as part of her job.

I think S.T.A.R. were the ones obsessed with creating superheroes because it would have been incredibly profitable, and that his mother was assigned this project, and that she did not work on it alone.

I think S.T.A.R. was aware of what was going on, and greenlit the entire thing because you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette, the greater good, blah blah blah. I think the only way his mother was able to do what she did to those children is by completely detaching.

And I say "those children" because I think it's entirely possible they weren't her biological children. It's likely they were created entirely through artificial means, and just referred to as her children because she was the lead scientist on the project.

Or because she created them.

I don't think Abner knows this.

WHOOF

I like to make things worse

Lawrence: 7 15 18 25 29

Back at it with roboLarry:

7. How attuned are they to whether other people aren't enjoying conversations with them? Literally programmed to notice and adjust to.

This moment in this thread was actually huge for him
Discretion Advised: 18+ Content

To tell William something he knows he doesn't want to hear.

15. How strong is your character's filter between their thoughts and feelings and what they say? Do they blurt things out without considering them first? If they usually don't, what would it take to make them? Pretty strong. I think, the way his mind is constructed, it's not actually possible for him to not think first.

18. How do they react to someone explaining something they already know? How about someone assuming they already know something they don't? He hates when people assume/treat him like he's stupid, but if it's not in that context, it doesn't really bother him. He's used to repetition.

Someone assuming he knows something he doesn't? He'd mostly just be frustrated that he doesn't know it.

25. What about emotional disagreements? How good are they at keeping a level head? Do they ever say things they don't really mean, or only things they really do? He bad at. Will yell; start fight. But never says something he doesn't mean. He always means it, motherfucker.

29. Does your character change how they talk—such as their level of formality or how carefully they consider their words—when dealing with different types of people? LOL, no. Always sounds like an olde timey Western drunk. That's just his character mode.

I'd like to do something with him being forced out of character mode, but still awake, but there hasn't been an event that would work for it/I'm not totally sure how to do it. All I know is that he would be very concerned about not sounding like himself.

HAHAHA INTERESTING

Meanwhile, William stuck in MIB character mode: this is fine.