#bardace

From the outside looking in, it's not hard to see the flaws present in Pathologica's structure (do let me know if you/anyone want more information in it). You see a world where everyone works doing largely unnecessary things in order to win their place in the world. A world where those on the high end of society get pushed up and up and up and those on the lower end get pushed down and down and down and, as we see with One, anyone who speaks out/acts out for any reason gets punished real bad- but at the same time, as we see with Archer, people in higher positions doing similar things do get away with. Well with much less. punishment, I guess.

It is, to an extent, modelled after our own world but amped up to eleven (or maybe just amped up to four or five. our world is quite bad! but still wonderful. Another thing I want to explore in AWBTL. Joy.) and also it's robot in control of the shit. Well mostly robot.

Edison is. also robot but not that robot. okay. Look Pathos is kind of a representation of the system going on here. It's easy to explain but I don't like doing it. anyways. sorry.

From within Pathologica, you generally either

go along with it- be it out of fear or out of incentive or out of genuine belief in it. or just the fact that this is how it is and why should you change it (beep beep beep) (most people in this camp)

speak out in any way and stick to your principles and. do poorly. sigh

i'm so ass at explaining these things. Jesus. I think you can see what I mean.

Edison falls into the first camp. Most characters in the story do! Think of this however you wish but understand that almost the entire cast perpetuates the terrible system they're in regardless of what they think of- for lack of a better term- Pathos's regime.

This is both because I think it is realistic and also because I find it a very fun sort of characterisation to explore in fiction, I guess. I'm a Fullmetal alchemist fan guys it's only natural. sigh.

Edison in particular is very much in the "this is how it is and why should you change it" camp. She is fully aware of the system's infinite problems! She knows she perpetuates it not just by participating in it at all but also with continuing his role- which he only got because of his ties to Aleks. She has seen this work-obsessed society effectively tear apart her father's life, his sister's life, all that. She sees all this shit going on and oh god he absolutely hates it.

But there is no good option to reject it. The unfortunate part of being a robot in this world is that, like, you screw up? your mom's getting manipulated into doing brain surgery on you and you'll be back to how you were before you did that fast.

She hates the world she's stuck in, he is fully aware of his problems, he's stuck in it.

Maybe, does he try to bring joy to those around her in what ways she can?

Does she change herself in any meaningful way?

No.

He is in a terrible terrible self hatred over own complicity in society->anger at self->anger at society-> self hatred over own complicity in society loop.

It's all anger and it needs an outlet and unfortunately all that anger manifests as just, bitterness towards everyone and everything. which she is also aware of which also only fuels that loop. She has been spiralling for so long no one (save Bel) is both aware of this and able to interact with him on her own level (hard to explain.) and unfortunately Bel is in a kind of hell of her own which means. They are each others' only respite in the world (yay siblings!) but they also both lack the... the personal stability??? to be able to properly handle each others' issues and/or change anything in any meaningful way?? i am perhaps too tired for this!

i realise it doesn't show much of him but compared to this (from the exact same day. What was I even doing. Well i know what I was doing I was using full illustrations as concept art for SOME UNKNOWABLE REASON. )

.... here's my most recent colfer for good measure.

acts ~20s, no set age time is weird in pathologica.

side character

in A World Between the Lines (AWBTL) (unscripted sci-fi comics long runner concept i've been tossing around)

STORY ROLE

Bellerophon "bel" Anderson an android created by Aleksander Anderson, who in turn is an extremely grieving hard working roboticist/inventor who has been convinced by the manipulative now dictator robot she helped fix up, Pathos, that her wife is dead.

However, Aleks's wife, Evlyn, is doing just fine and is also very much alive and working with Bel. This has put bel in the awkward position where she has to deal with its mother mourning his partner's death and also has to work with said "dead" partner who clearly misses her own partner and who is constantly peppering Bel with questions about how Aleks is doing, if he's still alive, etc- and, if she steps out of line, Pathos, the one enforcing this "line", she's likely to be decommisioned, or worse- to be reprogrammed entirely.

She's also Edison's "Sister"- the two look out for each other even if no one else will. they're very close and are more or less each other's only reprieve from their day to day stresses. they both know about Aleks's mental state, but there's one key difference when it comes to their "family situation"- Ed is cut off from Evlyn, she assumes she's dead as well.

so, that's her role in the story, but who is she outside of all that?

BEL AS A PERSON

Bellerophron Anderson is a "ray of sunshine"- she puts on a cheery expression, she tries to enjoy the small things in life- and often she does- it tries to get lost in them, to ignore the roiling mess that is her family & relations. She's lying to most people she knows, itself included. It has a very loose sense of herself outside of her job (helping Evlyn manage the many many people working much much worse jobs in pathologica- the world they live in. it's a whole thing It's the main plot I won't get into it.) and who people want to see her as. it forces itself to be upbeat, to do her job quietly and inoffensively.

But beneath all that she absolutely hates itself- it sees herself as a coward, as a failure as a being. She hates herself for hating herself, and percieves herself as forcing other people to pretend they like her. She sees herself as unlovable. She's not.

BEL AND ALEKS

Bel's relationship with her mother is strained, as are most of her relationships. Aleks is again, almost always working- Bel doesn't know if she wants to or not, but it makes a point to take care of her, and she tries to make sure he takes care of himself. It can tell Aleks isn't taking proper care of zerself and sees this as another failure on her part. She thinks that if she could just tell him evlyn's actually ok and still loves her, if it were a better person Aleks would do alright. It barely registers to her that she might already be doing all she can, that Aleks is doing better than ze would without it, and that Aleks is dealing with things much deeper than anything Bel could fix.

BEL AND EVLYN

Bel's relationship with Evlyn is probably tenser than her relationship with Aleks. It constantly needs to make sure she's being perfectly businesslike, that she doesn't slip up and mention her situation with Aleks. She's committed herself to a work life of forced smiles and formality, and has somehow found itself the rational one. It holds itself to higher standards than Evlyn does. She needs to keep calm and to stay happy. Or it sees itself as needing to. Ev's constant questions about Aleks, and the awkward silence that fills most of their workday certainly aren't helping.

BEL AND EDISON

Bel was invented before Edison- and actually is the only one of the two to have known Evlyn at all, with Edison having been programmed after her death. Edison is closer to Aleks than Bel is, and Bel almost envies that. They're very close- and if they weren't stuck in extra-dimensional tech dictatorship hell they'd be the silliest most sitcom-esque siblings you'd ever met (I do have a human au for them and they do so much hijinks) It's pretty sure he knows Evlyn is still alive. It has no idea she doesn't.

BEL AND PATHOS

Pathos is the root cause of all this and Bel has a very real but never expressed hatred for it. It forced her into the strange tight spot between Aleks and Evlyn's relationship. She doesn't think it did it out of malice but that doesn't make her like it any more. It stresses Bel out like nothing else and she desperately wishes she didn't have to live under it. not that she can change that.

THAT ANGEL MOTIF THAT I MENTIONED THAT PEOPLE SEEMED INTERESTED IN

this is caused by a variety of things. the First Aid Kit song heaven knows is probably the greatest offender. it's so incredibly Bel that it's more or less inseparable from her. to me.

There's also the fact she's a sort of "harbinger"- she sees herself as one, at least. She has the ability to blow her horn (tell her mom her ex isn't dead actually) and the world will come crashing down on her, on her family, on everyone it cares about. She doesn't know for sure if she will but she has that potential and it scares her.

One would be Gonzo. My reasons-

-would start a game of life feud with someone due to dumb luck

-blue

-vaguely nonbinary

-unclear species

Midas & Lisa would be Statler & Waldorf- I think it would be fun to imagine them heckling people together. Midas's like the provincial champion of complaining and Lisa desperately needs an outlet for her lawyer anxieties (anxieties that lawyers have). Also they're the two most humanish muppets I can think of. Also they're both pairs of old people.

Archer would be Animal but I don't feel like elaborating on that. Paul would be Fozzie or some other, more secret muppet, that they only tell you about if you watch every film ten times in a row.

Aleks would be Kermit, Evlyn would be Miss Piggy. They'll be fine. They're a perfect couple. Both pairings are also green and pink! Aleks is also Kermit because they both seem sad and pathetic. Wait Kermit I didn't mean that I'm sorry mr. The frog.

Ed and Bel would be bunsen and beaker. They both have the rectangle and circle. Thing. And they're nigh inseperable- or would be if they weren't in capitalist hell world.