History Webcomic / Lovebot

In the far-off year of 2049, highly advanced and affectionate robots, called Lovebots, are becoming humanity's primary companions in place of real relationships. The robotics prodigy Xada Tsethlikai modifies these bots to fit their owners' specific wants and needs, mainly as a mere side hustle. However, when Xada is called in to operate on one of the latest models, his curiosity and sympathy for the Lovebot leads him to take out the gold chip in his brain--which makes it displaying more human behavior. Sparks will fly as Xada relearns human connection and helps uncover the truths behind the [=LoveBots=]' existence.

In the far-off year of 2049, highly advanced and affectionate robots, called Lovebots, are becoming humanity's primary companions in place of real relationships. The robotics prodigy Xada Tsethlikai modifies these bots to fit their owners' specific wants and needs, mainly as a mere side hustle. However, when Xada is called in to operate on one of the latest models, his curiosity and sympathy for the android leads him to take out the gold chip in his brain--and causes the robot to start displaying more human behavior. Sparks will fly as Xada relearns human connection and helps uncover the truths behind the [=LoveBots=]' existence.

In the far-off year of 2049, highly advanced and affectionate robots, called Lovebots, are becoming humanity's primary companions in place of real relationships. The young robotics prodigy Xada Tsethlikai modifies these bots to fit their owners' specific wants and needs, mainly as a mere side hustle. However, when Xada is called in to operate on one of the latest models, his curiosity and sympathy for the android leads him to take out the gold chip in his brain--and causes the robot to start displaying more human behavior. Sparks will fly as Xada relearns human connection and helps uncover the truths behind the [=LoveBots=]' existence.

* FauxAffablyEvil: Charles Dallas can put up a cheerful and easy-going facade when it suits him, but the veiled threats and horrific implications are never far from the surface.

* PaperThinDisguise: When Xada is invited to a convention to accept an award, Lacey and Brizzium decide to come with. Lacey is still in major hot water after [[spoiler:AE frames him as the killer of Michael Masters]], so the gang disguises him with little more than some skin chips covering his markings and recoloring his hair pink along with some AI trickery. Most people not in the know are fooled, but Eva, Velix, and Charles pick up on it very quickly. Lacey puts up slightly more of an effort when he dresses up for Xada's award speech, including putting on the sassier "William [=DeLacey=]" false persona.

Part Sci-fi, part romance, and part thriller, ''[=LoveBot=]'' is a webcomic by Charles Keels and Miranda Mundt.

[[https://www.webtoons.com/en/sf/lovebot/list?title_no=2324 The comic]] is currently hosted on Website/{{Webtoons}}, and has been on the site since 2020 as one of its Webtoons Originals.

* IntimidatingWhitePresence: Virtually all of the darker-skinned main characters are emphatic and willing to communicate, while their whiter counterparts are usually seen in a negative light. Michael and Charles are straightforward abusers, Velix becomes increasingly more unstable as time runs on, and his father is an even more suffocating and snide perfectionist. The more racial implications of the trope are alluded to when Xada gets into a conversation with Velix's father and some light-skinned investors; one of them innocently touches Xada's hair without permission because she finds it exotic, while the father tells her that she can give a Lovebot that same hair without all the hassle of offending a person.

** Lacey chooses a name after reading Mary Shelley's ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'', naming himself after the De Laceys. Doubles as FridgeBrilliance if you've read the book and know that the Creature learns about humanity and, by extension, emotions such as love, from observing them, similar to Lacey's observations of Xada.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Michael Masters introduced himself as a callous, chain-smoking jerk who had zero regard for Lacey's wellbeing, and later showed himself to be obsessed with getting his dues in AE. Even in universe, there was no love lost when he was killed by Charles.]]

* ArcWords: The Lovebot 1919's marketing slogan, "Better Than Real", frequently crops up throughout the story. It boasts that the line can be more compassionate, caring, and loving than the average human and therefore make the ideal companion, but the words also serve as a chilling reminder to Lacey that he's still JustAMachine despite him still processing his emotional freedom. In a more negative context, the phrase describes the feelings of Charles Dallas and Dr. Eva, who both want to see how Lovebots develop beyond the constraints of humanity.

* AnimalMotifs: Xada's alias is Jackalope and he has a jacket and tattoo depicting said animal. Brizzium also calls him 'little rabbit'.
** Charles Dallas is compared to a snake as befitting his FauxAffablyEvil personality.

* AndroidsArePeopleToo: Played with. Older models and Virtual Intelligence robots aren't seen as "real", but the 1919 Lovebots are given more sympathy in-story because they all have the capacity for human-like psychological growth but are inhibited by the golden chip inside their brains. Lacey in particular is upset over being treated as little more than a prop for the people who love him. In an odd case, the maid robots that were popular in Charles Dallas' childhood are treated as sympathetic as well, given the audience is supposed to find [[spoiler:him blaming his murder of his little brother on his family's nanny bot and the nanny's anguish over this]] repulsive.

The comic is currently hosted on Website/{{Webtoons}}, and has been on the site since 2020 as one of its Webtoons Originals.

* AllAbusersAreMale: While there are plenty of ''good'' men in the story, any and all abusers in the story are presented as male. Michael is the most straightforward example as a physically abusive jerk towards his Lovebot, but Charles also plays this role as a domineering and possessive emotional abuser. While Velix isn't dating anyone, his friendship with Xada is eventually revealed to be toxic and his overprotectiveness and DoggedNiceGuy attitude are portrayed as him being a belittling and suffocating presence--and his father is even worse, since the man constantly belittles him and talks badly of him behind his back. There is a female abuser mentioned briefly (the dumpster 1818's former master, who immediately replaced it with a 1919), but it was considered an unfortunate byproduct of the culture surrounding Lovebots.

In the far-off year of 2049, highly advanced and affectionate robots are becoming humanity's primary companions in place of real relationships. The young robotics prodigy Xada Tsethlikai makes his living by modifying these bots to fit their owners' specific wants and needs. However, his newest job leaves the [=LoveBot=] strangely sentient, and asking for his help... Sparks will fly as Xada relearns human connection and helps uncover the truths behind the [=LoveBots=]' existence.

* RobotDog: Charles keeps one near his desk. The dog is actually one of several (called [=TNTs=], and their true purpose is to act as trackers and attack dogs for whoever AE wants delivered to them.

-->-- '''Astrobleme Enterprises'''