#mechfurry

RUKA - In-universe, "Ruka the Space-Cat" is a multimillion dollar Japanese-American media franchise, centered around the titular Ruka, the strongest warrior of his alien robot species, crash-landing to Earth and navigating life among its people, being pursued all the while - both by threats from home, and by young alien enthusiast Tumble, who longs to fight alongside him. 

"Ruka the Space-Cat" actually got its start as a line of action figures in the late 80s, then adapted into an animated short, and then a proper cartoon, in the 90s. From there its popularity boomed, and Ruka is the face of countless cartoons, video games, comics, movies, and merchandise. Nigh-universally, Ruka himself is a defender of the helpless, slashing evil with a glowing cyan sword whose effect has never been replicated satisfactorily in toys, curious about Earth life and frequently finding himself humbled by its simple delights: chief among them sausage and pepperoni pizza. He's awkward with much to learn, though adaptations vary just how much. Sometimes Tumble is more of a mentor than he is. Their bandanas match.

Of note is the fact Ruka is technically not actually a cat, and for as long as he's been in the zeitgeist people have argued about what his species most resembles. Some say raccoon, owed to the markings around his eyes and the rings on his tail. Mostly, the answer varies depending on which iteration of him you're looking at.

"Ruka the Space-Cat" is a kids' property, if that weren't clear. Tumble was actually introduced to curb concerns about a protagonist engaging in such frightening acts of fantasy violence, with energy bullets and that glowing sword of his, though maturity and self-awareness has taken a step up with the times. Certain comics and games have leaned into the gritter side, but not by much - Space-Cats dent, not bleed, and on the rare occasions they do, it's a black-blue oil. More PG-13 than G, at worst.

On the inside, though, it's a different story. Fictional characters have a level of self-awareness, gradually moreso as their lives are fleshed-out. They live when we're not looking, but the real adventures only come when pen is put to paper, whether those adventures be feature-length movies, TV commercials, or the blurbs on the backs of toy boxes. Usually this self-awareness only manifests as the unquestioning acceptance of contradictory memories and a feeling of bodily peace, significance in the lives of not only those in their world but the viewers at home: in Ruka's case, however, the realization was greater, and one that drove him mad. 

How do you cope with learning your world is fictional, and you're the protagonist?

It's hard to say. But installments of "Ruka the Space-Cat" are sparser lately. Odd new design updates where characters are a little sicker-looking, a little scarred, a little nicked - sometimes even missing entire limbs in what fans hesitantly call gritty, comic-inspired visuals. The galaxy's bravest warrior is not one you want to meet on the wrong end of the sword. 

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TUMBLE - Tumble is the kid appeal sidekick character of beloved multimillion dollar in-universe franchise "Ruka the Space-Cat". Centered around the titular Ruka, his planet's strongest warrior, crash-landing on Earth and finding a new home there, Tumble meanwhile is a young klutzy prodigy inventor and alien fanatic. Having read about the Space-Cats for a school project, he became obsessed with them, and upon spotting Ruka in his backyard, starts building himself a suit to accompany him on his adventures. Hijinks and an unlikely friendship ensue.

"Ruka the Space-Cat" actually got its start as a line of action figures in the late 80s, then adapted into an animated short, and then a proper cartoon, in the 90s. The latter cartoon is Tumble's origin, as he was made to appeal to children who wanted a cuddly, relatable protagonist, and parents who feared the fantasy violence that came with Ruka as a sole protagonist. His characterization as a goofy oddball frequently getting himself into trouble to impress Ruka, combined with his nature as the face of an adaptation that defangs what little bite "Ruka the Space-Cat" had, and an effort to turn a mecha fighting series into a totally radical Saturday morning cartoon, Tumble was ill-recieved among audiences at first.

However he was written with more heart than anyone really expected, and depth at that, for what he was. His admiration for Ruka stemming from an implicit lack of adult figures in his life, combined with growing into surprisingly tasteful disability representation with regards to his struggling motor skills (hence the name) and vision troubles due to misaligned eyes (what his goggles help with), made him more widely likable. Presently he's a secondary mascot of the franchise and the face of many a marketable plushie.

In reality, fictional characters have a level of self-awareness, gradually moreso as their lives are fleshed-out. They live when we're not looking, but the real adventures only come when pen is put to paper, whether those adventures be feature-length movies, TV commercials, or the blurbs on the backs of toy boxes. Usually this self-awareness only manifests as the unquestioning acceptance of contradictory memories and a feeling of bodily peace, significance in the lives of not only those in their world but the viewers at home - Tumble is pleased with his lot in life, even if it means being a kid forever.

The same cannot be said for Ruka. When Tumble's best friend and protagonist starts snapping beneath the pressure, to the point of twisting their genre into one of horrific violence, he finds himself perhaps the only one who can stop him. Not the day in the limelight he was exactly asking for…

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POSEY - In-universe, "Ruka the Space-Cat" is a multimillion dollar Japanese-American media franchise, centered around the titular Ruka, the strongest warrior of his alien robot species, crash-landing to Earth and navigating life among its people. A chipper Space-Cat scientist who came to Earth to help repair Ruka's ship, Posey is a cartoon-original character who grew to become one of the franchise's main deuteragonists, and the protagonist of her own spin-off series of video games. 

Personality-wise, Posey is bright, cheerful, and brash, designed to encapsulate the youth's newfound love for the computer with more of a futuristic slant to her design than Ruka's mecha fighter appearance. In RtSC’s attempts to cover all the bases kids find cool in their cast of fighters, Posey materializes weapons out of nanomachinery, which in practice just means cool pink energy swords, and getting to swap out her “armor” in the equivalent of magical girl transformations. She also fights with massive claws to appeal to people who want more “Cat” in their “Space-Cats”.

Though she's a mechanic and scientist, she longs for more, and wishes to be a warrior like Ruka - something implicitly disallowed due to her gender. Her and Ruka are commonly ship teased to varying audience reactions (Boy And Girl Protagonist Syndrome), but romantic or not, they're best friends, and he loves and accepts her far more than anyone on their planet does.

The first RtSC cartoon was incredibly popular, but left much lacking in terms of worldbuilding and origins - fans filled in a lot of gaps. Initial runs of Posey’s first action figures were labeled with the wrong name, a placeholder in development, P-345 (“P” not for “Posey” but “Pink”), which entered the lexicon as a fan nickname and sprawled into a popular interpretation that she was constructed in a lab and had some tragic backstory no one else was privy to.

Because of this, Posey has a reputation of popularity among not only the obvious demographic of young girls, but adult nerds and theorizers. She has a brony-type popularity. 

In reality, fictional characters have a level of self-awareness, gradually moreso as their lives are fleshed-out. They live when we're not looking, but the real adventures only come when pen is put to paper, whether those adventures be feature-length movies, TV commercials, or the blurbs on the backs of toy boxes. Usually this self-awareness only manifests as the unquestioning acceptance of contradictory memories and a feeling of bodily peace, significance in the lives of not only those in their world but the viewers at home - Posey likes that her adventures with her friends will continue forevermore, and her fondest memory is her epic one-woman battle with an evil army in the climax of her spin-off video game, though a close second is being opened on Christmas in a toy commercial by a girl with her face on her shirt.