#orthofacts

Deuce takes Ortho to a blastcycle workshop by his home so that Ortho can use their 3D printer to create his Rabbit Gear, but they are met with hostility: the owner refuses to let Deuce inside the shop, saying that he does not care how many times Dylla apologized for his past actions and sending him away.

Ortho interrupts and introduces himself as a humanoid, which seems to intrigue the owner of the workshop. 

He still refuses to allow them the use of his shop on the basis of Deuce being too much of a liability and Ortho asks, “Do you really think Deuce is just acting polite in order to make you drop your guard? I promise, Deuce is not smart enough to think of a plan like that, let alone pull it off!”

The workshop owner reluctantly grants them the use of his workshop, saying that he does not want to disappoint a humanoid kid.

Deuce explains his situation and asks Ortho to keep the secret, making Ortho one of very few people who have been told the details of Deuce’s pre-NRC lifestyle: perhaps only Epel, Grim, the prefect and Ortho himself?

Ortho agrees to keep the secret as long as Deuce helps him craft the Rabbit Gear, and Deuce agrees.

Deuce says that he is impressed by how Ortho was able to talk down the angry workshop owner and Ortho explains, “Considering he works on blastcycles, I imagined he must be interested in all manner of machines, including robots. So I played up the humanoid angle, suspecting he was bound to be curious.”

During the race a bully mocks Ortho to Deuce, saying that he looks like a little kid. Deuce responds, “Underestimate him at your peril.”

Pre-Book 6 Ortho did not have classes of his own to attend and only attended classes on non-test days, with Idia.

He expresses surprise when he is selected to be Lilia's interviewer for his second birthday vignette, as he "thought the Magical Birthday Dice chose an interviewer from the student body," and he did not count at the time.

(His third birthday interview begins with, “Getting interviewed on my birthday while also being a Night Raven College student is a dream come true!”)

Ortho explains, “When I can’t be with (Idia), I take walks on campus and chat with people. I recently visited Professor Trein, and he let me read his books. He also played games with me. That was lots of fun. I’ve never met my grandpa, but if he were here, maybe he’d be like that. The other fun part about visiting Professor Trein is getting to talk with Lucius.”

Before enrolling in class 1-C Ortho says that all he would do in Idia’s classes was “sit next to him and optimize my internal memory…sometimes I take classes with everybody else when the mood strikes. The teachers don’t say anything about it.”

Ortho was also not qualified to participate in Beanfest, so his role in the event is mostly helping Idia relocate a weapon he has designed to the school store under the cover of darkness.

While suspicious of the legality of Idia’s approach he is happy for Idia to be voluntarily taking part in a school activity at all. 

In Book 5 we learn that Idia got permission from the headmage to allow Ortho to attend his classes with him, and in Book 6 Jamil guesses that someone from as prestigious a family as the Shrouds wouldn’t attend school without any aids (much like how he himself serves Kalim), and that that is why Ortho received that special permission. 

Now a “proper student” at the school Ortho is trying a variety of things to gain experience, such as working at the school store.

When Ortho’s alert of Malleus' overblot reaches STYX the Director responds “What if the worst has happened to everyone on the island, including our boys..?"

The Chief Engineer refers to herself as one Ortho’s parents and Ortho refers to the two of them as mom and dad.

When speaking to Ortho the Chief Engineer says, “You really do take after your brothers,” so Idia’s parents may have adopted robot-Ortho into their family as a third son rather than as a replacement for their second.

Ortho thanks them for treating him like a member of the family and insists that he wants to take on the dangerous mission of infiltrating Malleus’ domain as he doesn’t want them to lose another of their beloved sons (in reference to Idia), saying, “This is what I want…what both of us want,” possibly in reference to both himself and human-Ortho.

The Chief Engineer responds, “You’re one of our beloved sons, too,” and the family shares a promise hug.

When Malleus starts trying to destroy Ortho his parents respond by putting all the CHARON into termination mode and diverting all energy to their technomantic cannons in order to distract Malleus. When a staff member cautions that they will fry their generators the Director responds, “Do it anyway!”

Ortho manages to escape Malleus’ domain with the data he was sent in to collect and is found with his Cerberus gear floating in the water outside of Malleus’ barrier, possibly in a reference to the original animated Pinnochio movie.

His parents are relieved.

Ortho apologizes for losing the two android dogs that his mother made for him and she responds, “What matters most is that you made it out safely,” saying that she can fix them up again after their components are retrieved. The Director welcomes Ortho home and the family shares another hug.

It is Idia and Ortho’s parents who come up with the idea of making dream-based contact with those within Malleus’ domain to approach Malleus from inside his own worlds: “If we can't do anything from the outside, we have to work from the inside instead.”

Much like Lilia, Ortho seems to enjoy pranks. He mentions trying to “play a trick on Leona Kingscholar by tying up his tail" and says that “When everybody’s attending ceremonies, the classrooms are all empty, making it prime time for pranking.”

Ortho seems more suspicious of those around him than Kalim and Silver: prior to Beanfest Rook says that he is advising members of the opposite team because he wants to “have a most delightful Beanfest, with all of you!” and Silver and Kalim respond with, “sensible enough”, “What a good guy you are, Rook!”, while Ortho says, “I’m more worried about how easily you both swallowed that explanation…”

During his birthday vignette Ortho explains that the students of Ignihyde try to hide information from him by using analog methods like handwriting, but “little do they know, I can expand my auditory range to eavesdrop on their planning meetings, so I still know everything they discuss.”

Ortho has been programmed to be able to lie. After a pair of bullies insult Idia he lies to Trein, setting up a screen on the Main Street of the school to project embarrassing videos of the bullies in revenge and then pretending otherwise.

During Special Soiree he sets up a surprise for Riddle to try and get him interested in treasure hunting by pretending to find a clue (that accidentally ends up being a real clue), immediately confessing the misdirect to Ruggie.

Ruggie tells him, “never, ever tell Riddle what you just told me.” Riddle is delighted by finding what they were looking for (unaware that the hunt was instigated by Ortho’s misdirect), expressing excitement at “the heart-pounding rush of anticipation right before (Ortho) opened the box…I’ve never felt this way before!”

Ortho reflects, “Maybe it was too stimulating for Riddle Rosehearts.”

When Ortho volunteers to infiltrate Malleus’ domain the Chief Engineer initially refuses to allow it for being too dangerous. Ortho pretends that the satellite he is using to connect STYX is passing into the planet’s shadow to escape the conversation and says, “if you don't have anything ready by the time I get back home...Cerberus and I will permanently activate every sprinkler on the Island of Woe.”

When Ortho successfully reaches STYX he is chastised with, “what kind of child threatens his parents? I expect better of you, mister!”

After Malleus’ overblot Ortho checks on Idia first out of everyone, and when Silver and Sebek are crushing Idia between them it is Ortho who asks them to give him space.

We learn in Book 7 that despite how Ortho has had his own room (with roommates) since the end of Book 6, his maintenance station is still set up in Idia’s room.

Ortho’s father cautions him about making contact with Idia within Idia’s dream world, as there is a chance that Idia would reject him: “Your maintenance station was gone from his room. Surely you can put together what that signifies. This could be deeply unpleasant for you.”

The Director shares his plan of reaching out to “a professional with a PhD in psychology” to try and avoid as much confusion as possible, but Ortho says he will be fine as Idia will most likely greet him with, “A handsome young humanoid is asking me for help from inside my computer?! I've read literally 500 million light novels with this exact premise! Is it finally time for me to be the chosen one?!"

Ortho is proven correct.

Ortho appears in Idia’s dream in-person in order to save him, triggering a paradox as his very existence compromises Idia’s world. Ortho swears to do whatever it takes to save him.

During his Master Chef class Ortho decides to use his Cooking Gear to help improve Idia’s diet.

Ortho buys apple-core-flavored candy and a postcard for Idia at Playfulland, and in Clock Town he buys potato chips that can only be bought locally for Idia to eat while gaming.

Ortho will often mention Idia in conversation: when discussing detail-oriented people Epel suggests that performing delicate work might make someone have a delicate personality as well and Ortho comments, “My brother is a wiz with technology...but he's not like that at all.”

He also quotes Idia during the Rabbit Run race, saying, “As my brother would say, the dungeon's not really beat until you've sprung all the traps,” and says that he cannot wait to tell Idia about the experience.

Ortho says that it is difficult for him to make things from scratch, so he really respects people who are able to do so, and especially Idia.

New Year’s Gear (attachments developed by Sam) ・store occupancy analysis ・simulation projection ・vital signs scanning ・inventory confirmation sensor

Platinum Gear ・Museum map access

Playful Gear (designed by playfulland) ・same functionality as school uniform gear ・body scanning ・magic scanning ・high-speed flutter kick mode

Precision Gear (developed by Idia) ・a fiberscope  ・mini-arms  ・a 3D printer  ・a first-aid kit ・Ability to estimate the likelihood of Silver falling asleep

Rabbit Gear v.1 (developed by Ortho) ・anti-gravity omitted in favor of basic walking protoocls and running capabilities ・vital signs scanning ・photography ・laser function removed ・time keeping functionality ・map generation (GPS removed) ・floor scanning ・rabbit-like leaping ability ・nutritional balance scanning?

Rabbit Gear v.2 (developed by Ortho) ・anti-gravity ・high-speed movement ・flight ・laser ・rabbit mimic mode (running, hopping) ・heat signal detection

Stargazer Gear (developed by Idia) ・weather calculation  ・the ability to fly into space

Ortho seems to have a “sleep mode,” a “low illumination mode” and an “auto mode.”

It seems that Ortho may not usually be waterproof: he says that "It must be nice being able to just take a quick bath or do laundry whenever. Washing my parts takes ages…” and “I’m good at diving! Oh, I mean deep-diving online, not literal swimming," but his Cooking and Playfulland Gear are specified as being waterproof.

Ortho will often reference his “databanks,” which is how he is able to recognize the spectral realm during Halloween. He says they “have a baseline of 100,000 books stored inside" and “include comprehensive data on medicinal herbs and medicines.”

He also has access to information about the Queendom of Roses, with Epel commenting that Ortho can search for information a lot faster than Deuce can read his guidebook on Clock Town.

Ortho explains that he first came to the school as Idia’s “gadget,” but now he interacts with humans, and “hearing everyone's thoughts made me realize that the same story can read so differently depending on the person. Because of their values."

Ortho uses the example of the Thorn Fairy, saying that people who grew up in Briar Valley are so emotionally attached to stories about her that they are liable to trust idealized memories over accurate data.

Sebek is not amused, but Ortho says that he was able to use his database to debunk every contradiction that he’d found, and he and Sebek discuss holding a debate after the birthday interview.

Ortho says he is under order from Idia to never log into satellite position systems, but there does not seem to be anything actually keeping him from doing so.

He can detect people within a 10,000 meter radius (and motion detect within a one-kilometer radius), which he says makes it difficult to sneak up on him. Ortho is also capable of telling whether or not others are being sincere, testing this ability on Ace, Idia, Fellow and Rook. 

When Vil says he finds Fellow’s claims suspicious Ortho says that he performed a vital signs scan that did not indicate he was lying, but Ortho’s tests for heart rate fluctuations, perspiration and other vital signs might have been duped before, by Rook: Ortho performs what might have been a similar lie detection scan leading up to Beanfest and ultimately declares that Rook was telling the truth, but during Halloween Rook tells Trey that he is capable of controlling his own heart rate.

And Rook has baffled Ortho before: Ortho related an incident where he almost collided with Rook during a tuning run on his athletic gear. While no one was hurt, he’d worried that he’d frightened Rook and ran a vitals scan to be safe, only to discover that Rook’s pulse was completely steady with no fluctuations at all.