Application [havenrpg]

Name: Tee
Contact Info: terribletrivium
Other Characters Played: None
Preferred Apartment: None

Character Name: The Spine
Canon: Steam Powered Giraffe
Canon Point: After the Walter Robotics Expo
Background/History: Canon Background / The Spine's Background
Personality:

"I don't have any faults, everyone says I'm great."
--The Spine, Steam Powered Giraffe: The Quest for The Eternal Harp of Golden Dreams

It's a weird life, or unlife, depending on how you look at it, being a member of the Walter household. In the midst of all that weirdness someone has to be normal, and that someone is The Spine. He'd be the first to tell you that he has his feet firmly planted on the ground and his head only rarely visiting the clouds, yes that is in spite of his height, thank you. If there's tech that needs installing or a rampant mustard-wielding AI needs wrangling, Spine is your man. Bot. Man-bot. Out of all of the Walter automatons (particularly the musical ones), it could be said that he's the most responsible, taking the role of the "big brother" on his shoulders without complaint. Indeed, there may just be a hint of simulated pride on the occasions he says as much--even if he is quick to add that, being robots, they aren't really related. He isn't even the eldest, for all of his levelheaded dependability; that would be Rabbit, whose slightly cracked antics and mercurial nature tap-dance the line between amusing and exasperating. The Spine weathers the antique robot's teasing and cajoling with good grace, on stage and off. Or, if not good grace, then certainly affectionate resignation. He really does love his "brothers", even when they're driving him up a wall with their crazy antics, and that's why he takes it upon himself to keep them safe, content, and running smoothly... the latter spawning frequent arguments between himself and Rabbit due to his stubborn refusal of any and all upgrades.

As often as they bicker, The Spine and Rabbit actually have a strong bond and make a good team both on stage and off. They're foils for each other in their act; The Spine plays the straight man--constantly exasperated and harried and only sometimes making an attempt to be just as funny as the other automatons--to Rabbit's energetic, often maniacal humor. And puns. Oh, the puns. This dynamic persists offstage, with the addition of the pair of them presenting a united front on occasions when one of the younger robots or Walter Workers needs defending.

When he isn't performing his duties around the Manor or on stage, The Spine can be found in the Hall of Wires--the nerve center of the Manor's electronics. Most of his time is spent connected to the Walter WiFi, where he takes a much needed break from the zaniness around him to learn about the world, write songs, and daydream. The internet may not be the best place to learn, with it's many loud opinions and specious arguments, but The Spine approaches everything with an open processor and a carefully applied logical toolkit. The only pitfalls he has thus far failed to avoid are Rickrolls and Gangnam Style.

As serious as he can be, The Spine isn't all frowns and corrections of erroneous statements. On stage and off, he's just as capable of being ridiculous as the other robots. He simply keeps it all under his hat (his hat is full of secrets), where it remains safely bundled away until he lets his guard down and a pun or a jig slips out. He just needs a little push, sometimes, a service Rabbit, The Jon, and Hatchworth are only too happy to provide. It can take some coaxing, but once he's out of his stoic shell The Spine will happily chase Ice Cream Monsters through the Manor, make up lyrics to cover songs, and participate in Horse Adventures. He's even been known to rap. More recently, The Spine has developed a bit of a social media addiction, even going so far as to livestream and take instagram pictures during performances. He genuinely enjoys connecting with the fans and takes every opportunity to do so, even if it means making a fool of himself to entertain them.

More Humane than Most Humans, but Not Human

In 1955 the government upgraded The Spine's appearance and installed adaptive programming (as well as a variety of classified and currently defunct weapons) to make him act and appear more human. This software often conflicts with the knowledge of his own creation, sometimes inducing dysphoria. It's one thing to be built in the image of man and quite another to want to be human with no hope of ever being more than the sum of one's parts. Still, he tries, attempting to fit in through observing social cues and displaying very organic gestures. An automaton does not need to sigh, nor does it need to scratch its head when confused, but he performs the actions just the same. He's often outwardly philosophical about the nature of artificial intelligence and it's many unfathomable variables--as well as the automatons' places in the world--all the while inwardly struggling with his own issues accepting his inhumanity.

Being a sentient and infinitely complex Artificial Intelligence has it's downsides, but it isn't all bad. The Spine can experience the full gamut of emotions that humans can; even he couldn't say where pre-programmed responses end and organically developed code begins. Quick as he is to point out that his emotions are simulated, he's just as quick to add that it's a wonderful thing to be able to experience them at all. He genuinely enjoys entertaining, taking pride in being able to bring smiles to people's faces and joy from fulfilling his purpose. The music he writes is just as much for himself as it is for the audience--it's quite impossible to evoke emotion without pouring a little of one's own soul into it. Or SOUL, in The Spine's case. While his programming dictates that he be a musician and entertainer, there truly isn't anything in the world he would rather be.

Except, perhaps, a Genuine Cowboy like in the spaghetti Westerns he likes so much.

Abilities/Powers: The Spine is a robot, and that gives him several advantages all by itself: his metal skin is difficult (thought not impossible) to pierce; he has no need to breathe or eat, which in turn makes him immune to poisons and everything but the most corrosive of chemicals; bacteria and viruses have no effect on him; his photo-receptors allow him to see further into the dark than standard humans and his hearing is exceptional. Due to being made of titanium alloy, his spinal column possesses tremendous tensile strength and is resistant to high temperatures. It also allows him to lift extremely heavy objects--he's been known to lift and throw a full-sized tank. His head and spine can disengage from his chassis if it becomes too damaged to function; his mobility in this form is limited, restricted to slithering along the ground like a rather slow snake. In addition, he has twenty-four hours of backup power. If unable to re-engage with his blue matter core in this time, he will power down.

There are also a variety of weapons built into his chassis, the primary two being a blue matter projector array (a.k.a. death laser) located in his mouth and a Tesla coil high voltage discharger located in his right arm. The appendage is, naturally, thoroughly insulated against electrical shock. None of his weapons are currently accessible, disabled by the Vow of Peace he and the other Walter Robotics automatons took after the Vietnam War.

While The Spine is certainly difficult to injure, he isn't indestructible. He's susceptible to electrical shock, water damage, crushing, and sharp objects that might work their way into the chinks in his plating and sever wires. Dust and sand can eventually clog his joints and render his gears immobile. And, of course, being steam powered, he can't venture too far without water to refill his boiler.

Items/Weapons: One copy of The Old Man and the Sea (sadly unreadable), one acoustic steel stringed guitar, and one blue bow barrette.

Sample Entry:
Silly Rabbit, magic is for magicians! from Tower of Animus

Sample Entry Two:
The worst part of the whole being trapped in a creepy city full of monsters thing was the silence. Sure, there were people around, roommates he could talk to, a sibling to remind him that he wasn't entirely on his own here. But outside the apartment complex, even during the day, it was... quiet. Too quiet. There was a creeping intimation that speaking too loudly would draw trouble pervading the air. The shadows lurked, whether there was something in them or not. The Spine had less to fear than some, but he was hardly immune to the sensation of constantly being watched, the occasional glimpse of a shadowy figure speeding away out of the corner of his photo-receptor. Yet, disturbing as it was, the absolute worst part was the silence.

He took up his guitar and went outside. Crumbling concrete steps made a convenient seat. The automaton's weight made the spiderweb cracks in the decaying steps lengthen, but they held. Guitar balanced on his knee, he pulled his battered phone out of his pocket. A faint, tired half-smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he began his message:

"It's awful quiet around here, isn't it? I say we oughta do somethin' about that. If there are any musicians out there, or just folks that like to sing, I'll be the guy playin' the guitar..."