Hey everyone! Figured it was about time I made a pinned post. I'm Ori, resident yapper and Corporate Clash headcanon extraordinaire. I love to talk about cogs excessively, often repeating myself a dozen times over in the group chat, and I'm known for my extensive text walls that come seemingly out of nowhere.
I mostly made this blog to consolidate all of my headcanons and stuff in a place where it's easily accessible, rather than having to dig through my Discord messages for a bajillion years. My bestie Effira knows what's up. Probably the only one who knows what's up, actually.
Oh yeah, and I also draw! I'm pretty slow though, yet nonetheless chugging along on designs for my TTCC OCs that are very overdue. (If you happen to ask me anything about them for any reason, no matter how vague, I will never shut up. Question me at your own risk.)
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Headcanons & Notable Stuff
~ Cog Headcanons ~
⚙️ Serial Numbers
⚙️ The Personality Matrix
⚙️ Memories
⚙️ Outmoding, Decommissioning, & Death
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~ Toon Headcanons ~
🎉 Silliness & Safety
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Things to Know
Make sure to keep my boundaries in mind when interacting with me! They're mostly just things like 'don't do stuff with my work without asking' and 'don't steal from me', though.
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You're welcome to ask questions about my headcanons, whether it's something I've posted or just something you're wondering about! In fact, I'd love it if you did. I have a ton of backlog I haven't posted, and it's a lot to go through, so there's plenty in my head that I haven't shared with the public yet.
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If you'd like me to come up with some headcanons for something TTCC-related, I'm open to requests and suggestions! Sending me an ask isn't a guarantee that I'll write about it, but I'll at least give it some thought. I also don't mind others sharing their headcanons with me as long as they're SFW!
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I tend to take long breaks from the game and not say anything for months on end due to some other hyperfixation consuming my thoughts like an insatiable fungus. That's pretty normal for me, actually. This blog isn't abandoned if I disappear, though! I'll come back to it eventually.
Turning off anon temporarily because there's someone who keeps being weird in my inbox and it's making me uncomfortable. One person always has to ruin it for everyone... Not sure when I'll turn it back on, unfortunately.
Can strong wind hinder the flight of individual Cogs / Suits?
Maybe! I guess it would probably depend on the size and weight of the cog... If a suit is small and light, I can easily envision them being blown away, but if they're larger and heavier, the wind might not have as much of an effect on them unless it's severe winds. It could also depend on how streamlined a suit's design is, too. Do they have lots of areas that stick out and are easier for wind to catch? Or are they on the smoother side and direct air around them when they fly?
I am not an aerodynamics expert btw, so sorry if my assessment is inaccurate LOL
Have you considered reposting your literature at the DeviantArt website?
I don't use Deviantart anymore. Its UI is terrible, it supports AI artwork, and literally nobody I know is there anymore anyway. I used to be extremely active on Deviantart many years ago, but these days, I wouldn't go back if they paid me.
In the event of strong winds, trains and suchlike, and perhaps even the undercarriage of Cogs like the VP, CFO and CEO, would have to be taken in the world of Cogs.
What about fashion among the Suits/Cogs? Could they have dress codes (which are explained at the Gentleman's Gazette and similar websites and online resources)?
I think it's pretty clear they have dress codes, especially considering that every single C.O.G.S. department has a distinct outfit that they wear! You rarely see a suit wearing anything other than, well. A suit. Honestly, given they're robots, it's likely that there's just a set of standard outfits and builds that most suits have, with only those who happen to be wealthier or higher on the totem pole having access to additional outfits or non-standard body parts. I do think that the managers at least have access to other outfits, though switching outfits may be cumbersome (the rivets on many of their outfits implies those are part of their shell), so I could easily imagine them saving their fanciest stuff for special occasions. Wouldn't want to spend all that time switching out your exterior plates only to get them all scratched up, and no one wants to receive unnecessary (potentially envious) attention from their colleagues and bosses at work. If you dress too nice all of the time, people are going to start to think you're pretty full of yourself and trying to show them up... Which makes following the dress code probably in everybody's best interest.
That being said, I don't think that personality and expression are of much importance to the vast majority of companies that suits are involved with, so dress codes are pretty bland and corporate across the board. For those that do want to express themselves, it seems like the place they typically do that is their faces and heads, as they're often the most distinct thing about each suit.
Cogs have gotten a lot of love from me recently, so here’s a few of my headcanons for the toons! They’re primarily for Corporate Clash, though I did take a little inspiration from Rewritten as well.
Summary: Under normal circumstances, toons cannot be hurt. You can squeeze them, squash them, zap them, explode them, and they’ll easily live to tell the tale, making them a pain in the rear for any cog who’s attempting to be rid of the little critters. This gleeful defiance of all things natural doesn’t always protect them, though, as silliness is the key to a toon’s health, happiness, and invulnerability. In essence, toons both live and die by vibes alone, and it’s as silly as it sounds.
Whether or not a toon can be physically harmed, or even killed, depends on their silliness level. Happy toons that remain adequately goofy effectively cannot be killed or harmed in any meaningful way. All efforts to do so will just result in some brand of gag, such as being squashed flat or other equivalent Wile E Coyote-esque antics. Toons that lack adequate silliness, however, can be hurt or even killed in the very same situations.
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>> The above is why toons must retreat and return to the playground upon going sad. A sad toon is a toon who has lost a great deal of their silliness, and a toon who has low silliness is vulnerable! Silliness is typically restored upon being in an area full of toony energy for a while.
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Areas that cogs have overtaken have a distinct lack of silly energy, turning them grey and ridding them of all things toony. Toons can remain safe in these areas if they stay silly enough and make sure to bring plenty of gags, though they’re still advised not to hang around for too long, lest their silliness gradually drain away.
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Most of the time, the use of gags in battle and the general demeanor of toons keeps their overall silliness high enough to overcome the cogs and their humorless, business-oriented energy.
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There are some situations where the combined silliness of a group of toons is simply not enough to overpower the seriousness of what’s going on. In these cases, toons tend to become uneasy or find the situation impossible to laugh at, resulting in low levels of silliness in those moments. Unfortunately, by the time toons stop finding a situation funny, they're usually either in trouble, or about to be.
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>> A good example of the above would be the Chainsaw Consultant fight, particularly near the end where the suit lunges in an attempt to do physical harm. By the fight’s conclusion, it’s obvious that the toons are concerned and no longer feel happy, indicating a drop in silliness level that could be dangerous to them.
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Though subtle, an indicator that a toon has low levels of silliness is often their color. If a toon’s natural color becomes dulled or desaturated, there is a good chance that the toon in question is critically low on silliness and could use a bit of cheering up.
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Though silliness is often easily restored, toons that remain too serious (or ‘unsilly’, as the locals would say) for extended periods of time may begin to turn grey. This is known as silliness deficiency, and considered to be a very dangerous diagnosis. After all, a complete lack of silliness is life-threatening to a toon!
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>> Though it was once incredibly rare, the prominence of this condition has risen significantly ever since the invasion of C.O.G.S. Inc. It appears to be most common in resistance rangers who dare to go deep into enemy territory, only to return entirely grey with barely detectable silliness levels.
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Toon doctors would typically prescribe copious amounts of knock-knock jokes, physical gags, and laughter as a treatment for silliness deficiency. However, recent cases of silliness deficiency have proven resistant to such treatments. Toon medical experts are still studying the issue in an attempt to find a reliable cure.
Random Cog Headcanons: Outmoding, Decommissioning, & Death
Went for something a bit different today and decided to compile my headcanons on how cogs actually, y’know, die. Because I definitely think they can, especially in a world like TTCC where things tend to get a little more serious at times. Be aware that a couple of these can get a little messed up and morbid… But honestly, it’s no more morbid than Blue Sky's movie Robots if you think about it a little too hard. So, if you’ve seen that, you can probably handle it just fine.
TW for general discussion of death and dying, obviously.
Other posts of mine that may help you understand this one even better in context:
⚙️ The Personality Matrix
⚙️ Suit Memories
Summary: Despite their ability to be fixed when damaged, suits unfortunately do not live forever. After being outmoded, it’s only a matter of time before natural degradation—or even the company that built them—leads to the end of their lifespan. Though not every form of being shut down is necessarily permanent, there are many cases in which it’s blatantly unfair, and a point of no return can come about in a multitude of ways. The manner in which family members may cope with the loss of a loved one varies from person to person, though not every suit gets the courtesy of a ceremonious sendoff.
Becoming an Outmode
All suits have a given period of time that their model is still being actively supported, similar to how most operating systems and physical technology have a period of time that they are continuously updated and easy to repair.
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>> Though not all suits are built by the same companies or independent entities, suits from each ‘generation’ of sorts tend to have similar components and run on the same few operating systems. Think of it like generations of phones or computers.
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Suits can extend the period that their model is supported by keeping up with important upgrades and ensuring their systems are always up-to-date with the latest software and/or hardware. However, there inevitably comes a time where a suit’s systems are no longer compatible with the latest technology, at which point they will inevitably face being outmoded once service for their model and/or operating system is discontinued.
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Models that have been outmoded no longer have first-party components produced for them, which makes getting ahold of quality parts and maintaining themselves exponentially more difficult.
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>> Though discontinued parts tend to be somewhat plentiful immediately after discontinuation, over time they become more and more difficult to find, and by extension more and more expensive.
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>> Repairs also tend to become far pricier, as fewer mechanics are willing to work on older models that could be considered a hassle or liability to deal with. Suits that have been outmoded for an extended period of time are often forced to turn to specialists.
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So long as a suit has the resources to continue upkeep on their systems, they can survive long after being outmoded. Unfortunately, not every suit has the resources to do so, especially if they happen to be very low on the totem pole overall with subpar pay.
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As per usual, “grunt” or “stock” cogs get the short end of the stick here, since they technically count as company property and can have the rug pulled out from underneath them with very little warning.
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Suits that cannot keep up with repairs, but would be otherwise functional if they could, often end up decommissioned.
Decommissioning
Decommissioning typically occurs when a suit’s body ceases to function due to a lack of upkeep (as in, they can no longer afford to live), or when a company decides to outmode and terminate the employment of a series of stock cogs en masse regardless of their current functioning—often to save money on upkeep or recycle their resources.
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>> The latter cannot occur to non-stock suits or stock suits that have been legally emancipated from the company that built them.
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>> A great deal of policy surrounding suit rights have come under fire recently, as there is a distinct lack of fairness when it comes to the rights of stock suits in particular, leading to more hoop-jumping than is reasonable or necessary to get the same considerations and opportunities as others.
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Suits that have been decommissioned are not truly ‘dead’, per se, but rather have just been shut down and taken out of service. Should one have the time and resources, it is sometimes possible to recommission a decommissioned suit and effectively bring them back to life.
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Despite not being a ‘true’ death, decommissioning is often treated as such. Decommissioned suits continue to degrade even when they are no longer active—especially if they are stored in subpar conditions, as is the case with many decommissioned grunts—and the cost of fully restoring them is often not considered to be worth the time investment as obscure components become ever more scarce.
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Due to Suitopia’s current political climate, stock suits decommissioned while in perfect working order are often stored away somewhere to avoid public backlash and quietly disposed of at a later date. Yes, it is as cruel as it sounds, but megacorporations easily get away with it, as they can claim inability to function after a period of time stored where they’ll obviously degrade.
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Suits with the time, money, and connections to maintain both their independence and health often never end up decommissioned, and instead are subject to a natural process of degradation that results in a ‘true’, or irreversible, death.
Degradation & True Death
Though physical age and degradation is correlated with the ultimate lifespan of a suit, cogs don’t necessarily ‘die’ when their physical bodies break down; rather, it occurs when some core part of them becomes unrecoverable. In such instances, restoring the physical body would not be sufficient to bring a person back, resulting in what could be considered a ‘true’ death.
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While suits can have the vast majority of their bodies repaired or replaced in the event of damage, there are certain components that define their personhood, and thus stay with them for their entire lifetime. Because these components, such as the personality matrix and memory chip, cannot be effectively replaced or refurbished throughout time (lest you risk irreversible damage, a ship of Theseus situation, or violation of privacy laws), they are subject to inevitable deterioration that effectively gives every suit a finite lifespan.
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>> The irreplaceable nature of such components also makes them very vulnerable to physical damage. As such, it’s possible to suffer a ‘true’ death from physical trauma as well. See: Atticus Wing from Break The Law. (Yes, yes, I know that isn’t technically canon anymore, but I still think it’s neat.)
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Common ways that suits may experience a ‘true’ death include, but are not limited to: Failure of the personality matrix, causing loss of identity; failure of the memory chip, resulting in either immediate or continual loss of personal memories; and gradual corruption of the operating system, which can be considered equivalent to a terminal disease or progressive condition.
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It is usually considered more respectful (at least in terms of suits with actual rights and perceived value) to not go through with repairs if a suit's "self" is truly not recoverable. After all, it would be a bit grotesque to rebuild a suit that looks and sounds like a deceased loved one, and maybe even acts like them in some ways if they have a default personality loaded, but who is simply not the person you knew.
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>> In the same vein, it isn’t uncommon for immediate family members to choose to shut down a declining relative that is no longer lucid or acting themselves, rather than wait for some sort of inevitable deterioration that results in a complete loss of functionality. This is especially true in cases where personality data or memory data are lost, as while such conditions may come near the end of one’s physical life span, they do not in and of themselves cause the body to stop functioning (unlike corruption of the operating system, which eventually bricks all of a suit’s functions).
Cultural Practices
For suits with families or those who are considered to be important, there are cultural practices that tend to take place when a suit is permanently decommissioned or deemed unrecoverable.
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The most common practice is taking a small piece of the deceased as a memento, occasionally having it crafted into something wearable such as jewelry. This is viewed as roughly equivalent to the practice of keeping ashes.
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If the memory chip is still intact, some may choose to preserve it, as any unconsolidated memories can be pulled and played back as mementos in themselves; however, this can be considered a violation of the deceased’s privacy in some contexts, so it’s a matter of personal preference. Consolidated memories can only be unencrypted and recovered by specialists, and necessitate having legally obtained permission prior to a loved one’s death in order to access them due to privacy laws.
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Funerals are not uncommon, though rather than burying or cremating the body, it may be melted down or otherwise recycled into something else, such as a headstone, memorial, or whatever else feels appropriate to the next of kin.
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If no next of kin cares enough to claim the body in the first place, chances are that it will just be sold, scrapped, and reused for industrial purposes. It’s morbid, but efficient—and good news for anyone who might be in the market for an outmode’s spare parts.
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Unfortunately, stock suits often don’t get any sort of heartfelt sendoff, as they are generally considered unimportant and entirely replaceable. Disposing of them is, for the most part, unceremonious and flippant, as they’re frequently destroyed in workplace accidents on a massive scale.
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>> There are exceptions to every rule, however, as is the case with stock suits that somehow manage to rise significantly above their station. Models that would otherwise be considered grunts, such as Jennifer, for example, appear to be treated well in a position of relative power and are unlikely to be handled as carelessly.
sometimes i think about him being called the "temperamental" terminator. and that he's rude when disturbed. and how he started yelling in the hires & heroes newsletter. and
and. i think. it's not too much of a stretch to go the full length and say there's some evidence/weight to saying he's canonically got anger issues. he can act very "ugly" because of it.
and even then, so much of that gets bottled up because of what could happen if he gets too upset. even still,
To love him is to accept he'll act like this, too.
I'm back again with a slightly shorter yap than the last one, this time focusing on how suits process and store memories! Tried to go for the bullet point format again since my last post was pretty dense.
Summary: Suits have different kinds of memories, with the two main kinds being consolidated and unconsolidated. Both serve different purposes and function in different ways, allowing suits to balance the preservation of disk space with the preservation of detailed memories deemed to be the most important.
The memories of suits are all contained in memory chips connected to a memory processor that interprets, sorts, and consolidates memories.
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>> Damage to the former can result in loss of current memories, while damage to the latter can cause impairments forming new memories.
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Memories are immediately processed in a 1:1 visual form, but are quickly stripped down to the essentials and encrypted for the sake of both data security and saving valuable disk/memory space. This process is known as memory consolidation.
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Due to this process, cogs often cannot 'replay' moments in their minds, especially if they're mundane. They may intuitively know what happened, when it happened, how it happened, how it made them feel, etc., but it's not like they're mentally seeing it.
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That being said, if a moment is really important to a suit, they can consciously choose to record memories and keep them in their original form. It's a sacrifice of space, but if it's something they really want to remember and be able to play back with every present detail, it might be worth it. Real wholesome potential for that, honestly. Though there's painful potential there, too.
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>> For example, some may choose to save precious moments from their wedding day, while others can’t stop mulling over a nasty breakup, unable to decide if they should just consolidate those old memories for their own good. Video evidence of workplace misconduct always makes reports stronger, too, so there’s that.
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>> Given that any process can be subject to malfunction, it may be possible under some circumstances for a memory to be unable to be consolidated by no fault of the suit themselves. This could, in theory, result in PTSD-like flashbacks when the memory is triggered (though that doesn’t mean consolidated memories cannot also be traumatic).
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Memories that have not been encrypted and consolidated can be accessed and shared between suits if desired. Typically, they are just transferred to an external device and projected in a video format, as one would a normal file.
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Emotional data in unconsolidated memories is ignored when processed by normal machines, such as an office computer or projector, but can be experienced by another directly if two suits link up.
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The process of linking up is quite literal, being a wired or wireless connection established between two or more suits. Wired is most common, though some fancier suits may have some equivalent to Bluetooth.
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Because all memories start out as unconsolidated and unencrypted, it’s possible to feel another’s emotions or experiences in real time through linking up as well if that happens to be the goal.
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Linking up is considered to be very intimate, but typically non-sexual. It can occur among trusted friends or family in addition to partners.
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Linking up will not work if one or more parties does not want to participate. It is by definition two or more machines communicating with one another, with information requests going back and forth that can be easily denied at any time.
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Memory chips are physical, and are therefore subject to degradation and/or reorganization over time. Consolidated memories may lose some factual details or end up purged for space if deemed unimportant, while unconsolidated memories that are exceptionally old may begin to have a decrease in clarity or become a bit fuzzy, as if recorded on an old camera.
Today, I bring you some headcanons inspired by the different kinds of suits described by the TTCC team! More specifically, it’s inspired by what was said in a post on the TTCC website here:
I find the concept of different kinds of suits having different programming and processors to be incredibly interesting, so I just had to explore it! While they’re called personality processors by the team, I prefer the term ‘personality matrix’. You can assume they’re basically the same thing when I discuss them here. I won’t be getting into the different levels of self-preservation here, because that might deserve its own post, but there’s still plenty of stuff for me to yap about. We’re on that longposting grind for sure.
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As a head's up, I typically call cogs from TTCC suits! So you'll see me using that language a lot on this blog. The two terms are 100% interchangeable!
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Summary: All suits have within them a personality chip that contains what is known as a personality matrix—that is, the part of a suit that ensures actions are in line with emotions, thoughts, and internal dispositions. There are three kinds of personality matrix featured in suits: Static, Semi-Adaptive, and Adaptive.
Static Personality Matrices
Static is the most basic, rudimentary form of personality matrix, and by extension the cheapest. Suits with a static personality matrix are, in essence, entirely unable to experience any form of personality development or change, regardless of their experiences. Because of their many limitations, this form of personality matrix has only limited use cases in the modern day. Static personalities are usually found in various kinds of basic “grunt” or “stock” suits, who are often created to serve simple functions, such as filing paperwork or roaming the streets. Typically, there are a set number of static personality presets, which means that a great many stock suits often come to have the same personality programming, though there are exceptions to every rule.
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If a suit with a static personality matrix is factory reset due to catastrophic damage—that is, if their memories and personal experiences are entirely wiped—virtually nothing will change about the way that they behave or identify in a general sense. They will, however, cease to recognize people, places, learned skills, or experiences that they were previously familiar with. In essence, they would still be the same exact person—just without any personal memories.
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That being said, limited adaptability does not mean a lack of sentience, nor an inability to learn. It is only the personality itself that is unable to change over time. For example, if a static suit is primarily positive and bubbly in personality, negative experiences will not change that fact. Due to this, they are very emotionally resilient. Some view such resilience as quite a preferable trait in a lackey, for better or for worse.
Semi-Adaptive Personality Matrices
Semi-adaptive is the most common form of personality matrix. Suits with a semi-adaptive personality matrix are pre-programmed with a particular temperament, personality, or disposition that is algorithmically adjusted over the course of their lifespan according to experience and changing circumstances. Suits with a semi-adaptive personality are favored due to their effective balance of predictable outcome and flexibility; one can all but guarantee that a particular suit will display the desired temperament, such as being driven and diligent, while maintaining an ability to pivot or change their approach if necessary. Over time, semi-adaptive suits are capable not only of changing their behavior according to external demands, but altering their self-concept through personal exploration as well. Regardless, a significant portion of the original “base” personality is maintained irrespective of circumstance; semi-adaptive suits are not known to deviate so significantly that they no longer resemble their “base” personality type, which could be considered a potential constraint. It’s a good thing, then, that there are many more variants of semi-adaptive “base” personalities than is the case with static personalities. You can even get one custom made!
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If a suit with a semi-adaptive personality matrix is factory reset, the suit will revert back to their original “base” personality and self-concept. They will lose not only knowledge of people, places, learned skills, and experiences, but the culmination of all adaptive personality data gained over the years. Upon being wiped, semi-adaptive suits cease to be the same person—and, due to the complexity of the personality matrix itself, adapting their way back to their original selves is all but impossible. Their previous self would effectively cease to be, even if the facets it was built upon remain, though it would not prevent them from functioning entirely.
Adaptive Personality Matrices
Adaptive personality matrices are one of the most complex and expensive forms of personality matrix. For this reason, they are incredibly uncommon, and primarily seen in the children of wealthy suits who, in turn, have the time, resources, and confidence to raise them. Suits with an adaptive personality matrix start out with no “base” personality, constructing their self-concept and natural dispositions from scratch through use of a powerful algorithm that processes and translates experiential data. They are not beholden to the limitations of a prefabricated personality, and thus may possess eccentricities, quirks, or interests that would not otherwise be present in a standard personality type. Whether such quirks are beneficial or detrimental is highly variable, of course, as is the case with most aspects of this kind of personality matrix.
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Despite requiring quite a bit of additional time investment, an adaptive personality matrix can result in significant advantages if the suit in question is reared and educated properly. The personality matrices of adaptive suits take longer to calibrate, but end up exceedingly responsive and fine-tuned as a result, creating strong yet flexible self-concepts that do not accept or reject information according to a predefined set of internal characteristics.
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Rather than consulting a “base” mental framework when making decisions and tweaking as needed, adaptive personality matrices feature a complicated system that continuously weighs and organizes experiential data to determine the desired course of action. In other words, personal experiences and potential responses are weighed against themselves, rather than being compared to modified presets, with the most heavily weighted data forming the “core” identity over time. This results in thorough thought processes and complex value systems that allow adaptive suits to more easily thrive in unstable environments where others seem to struggle—though, in exchange, it also requires a lot of processing power, which is partly responsible for the hefty cost. Even so, a number of pioneers in various industries possess adaptive personality matrices, responding more readily to change and seeing possibilities where others do not.
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The potential rewards of an adaptive personality matrix may be high, but so are the risks. Unfortunately, adaptive personality matrices are viewed as unreliable with regard to mass-production on the whole. High cost and time investment aside, the personalities and dispositions of adaptive suits can go awry if they’re handled incorrectly; as is the case with human children, those with adaptive personalities who are mishandled may offer undesirable results or display defects of character. On top of this, adaptive suits are incredibly vulnerable in that core personality data can be easily lost due to damage. Suits with static or semi-adaptive personalities can have their ‘base’ personality re-loaded after repairs in the event of damage to their personality matrices, allowing them to continue working even if they’ve suffered significant losses. Not so for adaptive suits; in their case, what’s lost is lost.
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Given this fact, factory resetting a suit with an adaptive personality matrix is incredibly unwise and never recommended under any circumstances. If a suit with an adaptive personality matrix is reset, they are effectively rendered inert and unable to properly function. With the entirety of their personality and self-concept having been erased, unlucky adaptive suits who experience a factory reset effectively become a completely blank slate; they awaken with no idea as to who, where, or why they are, and often lose the vast majority of their necessary life skills in the process. For this reason, it is generally considered far more considerate (and far more cost-effective) to decommission an adaptive suit in need of a factory reset rather than to go about initiating the process.
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Man, that was a long one. There's some other things I want to go over in the future, such as factory resets and why they might happen, my headcanons for how cog/suit children work, etc. but this is probably it for today considering how long I spent writing it. Thanks for reading!
Character Analysis on Chip Revvington, the Chainsaw Consultant.
Genuine Long Post Warning, as well as a LOT of images. This is going to cover literally everything we know about Chip (as of April 25th, 2024) and my take on what's provided In Canon (being his Cogs Ink profile, his Interview, the 1.3 News Article, and In-Game). This is my first try at an In-depth Character Analysis. Screenshots used are from the official Wiki.gg, In-Game, and from the Corporate Clash News Archive.
Prior to being brought on to lead the Deforester Force, it's shown he's clearly a confident Suit, and has a genuine passion for his line of work as a consultant. With his personal statement alone this can be seen on full display with how he writes about himself, including noting how he's not swayed by bribery in any manner. (also the fact he outright pokes fun at one of the bribes will never not be funny to me)
Not to mention his lack of discipline records throughout his 19 months having already worked for C.O.G.S. with his usual job as an external consultant, this plus the fact he has "positive remarks" from his previous places of work shows he's probably in very high demand and really does excel at his job.
This is also shown in his interview, where he also equally shows a lot of passion for his job and genuine interest with answering questions relating to it. Before we get into that though, I feel like it's important to also point out a couple other things that I think about a lot with his profile.
This, being referred to as the "Temperamental Terminator" in the 1.3 trailer, and considering the average age of a Consultant is ~40+ years (and I personally hc him as 48), I think it's safe to say Chip just always was a quick-tempered individual throughout his life. It's one of his less favorable traits that I personally find charming.
And these read to me like Chip's always been considered "scary" among other suits. His behavior isn't the issue (yet) though, he's just a massive guy who happens to have a chainsaw for a snout.
Which. Makes this very interesting. Jennifer, stated something similar above, but I feel as if her intentions are more... unaware than the actual company's. Jennifer sees a guy with a big Chainsaw and thinks "Oh! He can cut down trees with that!" Jennifer ily. The company on the other hand probably has had this idea of what Chip could be a candidate for. They hired him to lead the Deforester Force. His job consists of him sitting in an office. Nothing relating to physical labor in cutting down trees, he just oversees the process. "Chainsaw apparatus will be helpful [...]" suddenly takes on a much darker meaning, in my mind.
Which is how we get here. Chip being modified with a clearly experimental hardware which we all know as the Personality Override. The fact that it was only "partially successful" is a very fun thing to consider.
Note the fact that from a canon standpoint the Override was implemented "2 weeks ago". This will be important later.
(The toon who got the above screenshots is not mine!)
Another fun side-note is the fact that the Override is experimental. It's experimental hardware. Chip is the only one with it. They are using him like a guinea pig. And not to mention "Dealing with Toons far more efficiently" paired with the above company-sourced "Chainsaw Apparatus will be useful [...]", you can't make this stuff up. They turned this guy into a living weapon likely without him knowing the full scope of what would happen if he did get this position in the first place.
Okay. Now we can talk about his Interview. Which even through glancing at it you can see just how passionate he is regarding his work. He is driven and confident that his plans for the Deforester Force will work. He wants to believe that he'll set an example for the rest of the departments to execute a similar plan.
And then this question comes up.
And then I have to remind you it's probably been only a couple days since he's modified.
And he already has rumors circulating about him.
And the moment the subject is changed, he perks right back up into being passionate about his work.
I also feel like it's worth mentioning the fact he's been actively requesting and wanting Spruce (who recommended him to begin with!!!) to join him in the Deforester Force and keeps being turned down on it. The way this and something else I'm about to touch on are written feels like he's barely been able to see him. These two have a brotherly bond and they're being separated. He misses his brother, man.
That's not even getting into this. Even as I'm writing this I just realized the implications of something at the end of this and I'm going to have to pace around my house thinking about it. But also you can see that even though just the slightest amount of time has canonically passed since the interview, you can already see the toll the Override's been taking on Chip's behavior. While he was once passionate, he's now actively complaining about his job. It's not even about the job itself, it's about what's happened to him.
Not to mention, I feel it also displays his temper in full swing once again- even if he's justified in this sense.
I also need to pay special mind to this ending bit right here because the implication of this with everything else surrounding it fucking broke me. uugghhhhh.
Now this is something I feel is so, so, so important to his character. He actively does not like toons. He clearly shows a certain disgust for them and views them like Animals. Pests. He doesn't hesitate to proudly state his opinion on them. And then you see him in-game.
He hasn't changed his mind about toons at all. Ignoring the fact that "you critters again" insinuates this isn't even his first contact with toons (will get to this later), he's... Restrained. I don't know, this reads to me like he's actively restraining himself from blowing up. "You don't want to see what happens when I get angry." is a warning to just comply and leave.
And then because he doesn't remember he fired the rest of the Deforester Force (another thing I want to touch on), he actively gets upset and angry at the remaining flunky because of course someone as high-rank as himself wouldn't want a Flunky on such an important team. Once again, additionally showing his active temper. His active temper he just tried to restrain and bottle up.
And that's what breaks the camel's back. The Override most likely activates from excessive anger/distress, something that Chip Actively Struggles With. He has to bottle himself up because if he tries to be his usual hot-tempered self, which is who he naturally is, he's just going to lose himself. Lose himself to cog knows how long as being a lifeless machine that perfectly and efficiently complies with the commands its given.
He begs for help when he's able to partially regain control (emphasis on partially, considering the most he can do is speak and prevent Deadwood from happening), but like. Again, to me this reads as the fact he is currently Incredibly Fucking Terrified because he's completely aware the whole time the Override is active. He can see himself acting against his will. It's mortifying. He's willing to beg anyone for help because the Override is genuinely traumatizing for him.
Which makes this all the more harrowing. He can't keep the Override at bay forever (likely the only reason why he partially regained control is from the sheer amount of pain he put himself in by ripping out one of his bulbs. You can see him brace himself and wince when that happens). Once again, "save yourselves" in this context feels more like he's scared. He's terrified. Because the Override sucks. And the implication of "ALL RAM CLEARED" doesn't leave much room to assume anything other than the Override likely clears out Chip's memories in order to make more processing room for this janky hardware to run at a constant overclocked state. I wonder how much of Chip's memories have been removed because of that thing, honestly.
By the way did you know that a normal chainsaw runs an average of 12,000 RPM. Do you think about how the little RPM icon is his saw smoking as if it's overheating. What the hell is the Override doing to him internally.
Another added touch I think about a lot is how his battle as a whole is, for the most part, very predictable. You control what cheats he does. Even in technical battle terms, everything is out of Chip's control. As long as every gag hits, you're really just manipulating an enemy's AI to to make the most optimal choices to your benefit. The Override perceives "X", and responds with "Y". You're not fighting an actual individual, just a program.
Clearly, whatever it's doing to him, it's painful (not mentioning the agonizing scream he lets out during this). And thank Cog he was able to regain control at the last second because it's way too obvious that the Override's "final fallback procedure" likely involved some kind of lethal force when it lunges at the toons. (The Chainsaw Apparatus will be helpful.)
There's no sorrow in Chip's words, that's what I think. Everything here is bitter. It's numb, to me.
He's clearly been through this song and dance multiple times by now.
He's pissed at the toons, at the company, and at himself. But he can't properly let it out. You know what will happen if he does. The most he can do is throw a chair and scream into the air. (which that line gets its own custom voice clip, fun fact!)
It's clear he's been isolated ever since he's been upgraded, and it seems like he's bitterly accepted it. The only thing he has left to lose is Spruce, which is why he tells the toons not to tell him. If he loses Spruce...
I don't think he'd have much left. It'd make sense why he's grown so restrained and numb and stilted in his speech. He's quickly grown to learn that he can't let himself express anymore, all because of the override.
The fact that everyone else around him views him poorly doesn't help. His employees fear him. Most of them probably don't realize something is wrong, spread rumors about him, or outright attack him through hatemail. Written in Cipher.
"Chip has some anger issues. I would be careful around him. Don't worry about the Cogs though, I'm sure they'll be fine. Might get demoted back to their initial tier, but that's what happens when you work with Chip. Good thing that Toons can't get fired-- or wait, they can, can't they? Do Toons LIKE getting fired? I will never understand those animals. And you seen Spruce around lately? I haven't. I wonder how his deforesting expedition is going. There is a secret message up ahead in Chip's room. Can you find it? If you are stuck, have you considered looking around your surroundings?"
"I can't stand Chip anymore. I know I'm a Yesman, but I have to say NO. He used to be cool up until his sensors flared off. After what he did to my fellow coworker, I don't know if I can continue working under him. Sure, he's one of the most organized managers I've ever worked with, not to mention the flowing passion he has for the Deforester Force. His personality issues can single-handedly cause all of our projects to collapse. One of my former coworkers had raised concerns about Toons taking over our buildings and ultimately undoing all work that was done on our end. That poor Pencil Pusher overstepped his boundaries with Chip when he admitted his failure to secure "our" project from the Toons. Up until this point, I have never seen a Cog fire another Cog. With a cannon."
"It grinded my gears when I saw that happen. Him and I worked nonstop for days straight, while this pile of bolts just sat there doing his paperwork. I wouldn't be surprised if he was just doing crossword puzzles or writing letters to his little buddy. If you are reading this Mr. Revvington, you are the reason for our decline. We are running out of Deforester Force members because of you. As someone who has gone through close-call battles with the Toons, I hope you experience what it's like to have boulders and anvils fall from above you. You can try to fire me with that shoddy cannon of yours, but you would have to track me down first. I've already left the area and was recruited to a new organization far more stable than you will ever be."
------
...I genuinely love Mr. Revvington. He's a Suit who's been dealt the worst hand he could possibly ever get in life. He was just like anyone else, and then everything happened ever since joining C.O.G.S.. He's isolated, he's temperamental, he's pissy, he'd genuinely be someone hard to get along with because of the fact he's struggling with all sorts of issues and would be incredibly difficult and annoying to even start talking to and forming a bond with unless you're both stubborn and have patience. He's awful, and I love him for it.
I genuinely believe he's one of the most complex, beautifully written, and depressing characters in Corporate Clash. Maybe I dive way too deep into things about him, maybe he's not that deep at all. But I like to think about him. He makes me emotional, but he also makes me happy. Thank you for making him exist.
