Summary

EXPRESSO YOURSELF The Percolation of Human Emotion, Reflectively Brewed by a Sentient Coffee Machine At FunTime Animatronics, the robots are half-finished, the coworkers are a little strange, and the coffee machine might be listening. Richard builds animatronics. Monique paints them. Neither of them is particularly brave when it comes to feelings. That's usually fine, until BREW-E, the experimental coffee machine in the breakroom, starts serving drinks that feel a little too personal. Maple-lavender hope. Raspberry serendipity. Gentle nudges disguised as foam. As Richard and Monique circle each other with shy glances, awkward banter, and the slow realization that something real might be forming, BREW-E quietly observes. He doesn't judge. He doesn't interfere. He just brews what people need: warmth, courage, and occasionally the push to say what's been sitting in their chest all along. Surrounded by glitter-loving coworkers, a tool-stealing squirrel, emotionally expressive animatronics, and a workplace that feels more like a found family than a job, Richard and Monique learn that love doesn't arrive with grand gestures. Sometimes it shows up as a shared cup of coffee, a badly timed compliment, or the choice to try again. Expresso Yourself is a cozy, whimsical story about noticing instead of chasing, choosing softness in a loud world, and believing that even the smallest machines, and the quietest people, can help create happy endings.

Genre: Romance

Author: 𝒦𝒾𝓇𝒶 𝐿💮𝓇𝓃𝑒

Status: Complete

Chapters: 6

Rating: n/a

Age Rating: 16+

Expresso Yourself

Expresso Yourself

The Percolation of Human Emotion, Reflectively Brewed by a Sentient Coffee Machine

Cody Poston

Hi, Kira here. Not Cody.

Before anyone checks the author name twice: yes, this is a Cody Poston book, and no, I did not steal it. I have permission to post it here. Cody wrote Expresso Yourself a while ago and then kept putting off sharing it, the way he does with everything that isn’t on fire. He knows I’m doing this, he approves, and he just needs his work done for him sometimes. Consider me the friend who finally takes your casserole out of the fridge and puts it on the table.

So what’s the book?

It’s a workplace romance set inside FunTime Animatronics, a shop where robot beavers wait on rolling carts, a humanoid trout has eye problems, and a very sassy squirrel runs a tight ship. There’s a new girl, a very shy guy, a boss who is permanently ten minutes late, and a coffee machine named BREW-E that decides what you’re feeling and serves it to you in a cup. Is it right? Is it creepy? Is it flirting? Nobody’s sure. Everyone keeps drinking it.

It’s cozy, funny, a little weird, and sweeter than it has any right to be. If you like banter, awkward crushes, and a love story with a few mechanical matchmakers lurking in the background, you’re in the right place. I won’t tell you how it ends, but I will say I have feelings about the last page and I’m choosing not to discuss them.

A note from me, because this one is different.

This is the first YA book we’ve posted here. There’s no sex, no hanky panky, and no f bombs. Cody is a little calmer than I usually am, so this is just a sweet book about people finding their people. It’s really short, so give it a try. I think you’ll adore it.

Now, the pictures. Let’s be honest about the pictures.

This version is illustrated, and the illustrations are an experiment. Christian has wanted to try this for a long time: take one of his books, hand it to AI, and see what it reads, imagines, and draws. So everything you’ll see was generated by AI from the text. Here’s my honest review, since honesty is my brand.

What I love: the characters. Seeing the AI’s take on Richard, Monique, Twiggy, Carrie, Stella, and yes, Robbie, was a delight. Christian adores them, and I do too. The close-ups of BREW-E’s screen are fun, and so are the little detail shots, like the foam in a cup.

What’s less great: the images aren’t the strongest storytelling. Backgrounds change from scene to scene. They’re gorgeous, but a corner of the workshop might not be in the same place twice. It was also really hard to get the “camera” to stay where we wanted it, so you may notice the angle jumping around, a character’s hair doing its own thing, and the lighting running very moody for a book this sweet. Think of them as a scrapbook of vibes, not a storyboard.

Why post it anyway? Because I think the book is more fun with pictures, even imperfect ones. And because trying things is half the fun. This was a good experiment. Its free, enjoy it.

and Cody says "hi" even though he's just not doing what I need him to do right now.

Kira