This is all based off of theshippingturtle's Robot AU
I simply wrote the Operator, Inc. fic, but there are several key terms and pieces that need to be understood and explained in relation to the setting of the story. I really should have posted this sooner, it's on my tumblr but it occurs to me not all of you have tumblr and/or follow me so here:
THE CITY OF CASCADE: This takes place in a dingy steampunk-esque city. You know, I should say Industrial Revolution-esque, actually. Greys, different shades of rust, copper/bronze, etc. - That's the color scheme of this setting. Stores would exist for all sorts of things that both humans and robots would need: Hardware, food, repair parts, etc. Just imagine a city in a world where we advanced ONLY steam technology - pretty much nothing else.
OPERATOR, INC.: A company that produces oddly specific items that can only be obtained via a complicated order form. Nobody has ever seen the boss. Anybody who works for the company will find themselves living in a workshop fully decked out with all the necessities of a human household. They will find orders showing up on their night stands and work tables and counters, sometimes accompanied by envelopes full of money (their wages) or boxes containing necessary parts for the order. The orders disappear when they're done, though god only knows how they know or who takes them…
ROBOTS: Robots are very common in this world, mainly as servants and assitants. Most of them only have the ability to follow orders up to a certain level of complexity, although some robot makers are more talented than others. The most talented robot creator currently known in the city is Jay, a young man from Operator, Inc. who is seldom seen outside of his shop. It's a robot capable of feeling human emotions, developing sentient thoughts, and detecting physical sensations. His name is Tim.
NONCONDUCTIVE MARBELITE: New materials have been discovered to work with, new technologies have come to light, new ways of transportation and such…an important thing to know about is a peculiar form of metal found in this world: Nonconductive Marbelite. This is a special form of metal with a consistency a bit like very dense rubber. In appearance and surface texture it's just like metal, but if you were to squeeze it hard it would give a bit like flesh. Nonconductive Marbelite does not conduct electricity at all, making it a popular coating-material for human-like worker robots to prevent nasty electrical shocks and/or malfunctions in the workplace. It does conduct heat, but poorly. Boiling temperatures bring it up to a temperature similar to feverish flesh. Under intense heat it will tense up, giving it the consistency of wet wood - only gives under a VERY rough squeeze. This metal coats Timbot's entire metal structure, because Jay is a professional goddamnit and his robot will be professional too. Keep that in mind while reading this chapter and all future chapters or you'll be really fucking confused.
MENTHONOL: A coal substitute that is actually just a highly combustable powder that can be added to water in order to produce bring it to a sudden boil and produce steam. It would have to be consumed very slowly into the system in order to be functional. It is often put into electronic "cigarettes" for steam powered robots to "smoke" as a way of absorbing it into the system. It is incredibly poisonous to humans and should not be consumed by anything other than a robot ever at all don't do it. If burned too quickly it leaves behind a clear, slick, almost oily substances that serves no purpose whatsoever.
INTERFERENCE: In the presence of certain eldritch beings (which aren't as uncommon as you'd think around here), robots are known to malfunction - sometimes with fatal results. Regular bots are less effected, simply losing the ability to obey orders properly and various system malfunctions. Sentient bots are affected greatly and are prone to violent outbursts as well as failures in certain emotional circuits.
DISTRICTS: Cascade is laid out in a sort rough circle. Now draw an X through that circle and you have a map of the 4 Districts. They are as follows: The Marble District, The Rosswood District, The Darkened District, and The Granite District.
The Marble District: Home to most of the Operator, Inc. workshops. Other than that, a few small convenience stores dot the streets.
The Rosswood District: The only District in which plant life is capable of growing, for some reason. It is fiercely guarded as Cascade's soul human food source.
The Darkened District: A shadowy district with a corporate feel to it. Tall buildings, all with darkened windows. It is suspected that the majority of the city's eldritch terrors reside here.
The Granite District: Perhaps the only "normal" part of the city. Bustling marketplace, residential buildings all over the place, tidy streets - Most of the population resides here. Overcrowding is a serious problem.