he’s not blinking now
that’s the artwork I was talking about the other day :> If you remember his first pic, you may notice the lack of the bionic hand; he still has it, though - it’s just that he can swap his “normal” right hand (which is still bionic, mind) with the other one. How would you like to roll in bed while asleep if your hand was made of knives? also, washing his dishes. even if his dishes were unbreakable, it would have still been a symphony of horrible screeching noises. D:
When I first introduced him, I stated that he would have been a villain in my story. Since then, he’s turned into the main character. I’ve figured out his whole backstory and the reason why he chose to go cyborg, but I can’t really disclose the details since that will be the focus of the plot. I also previously said that his story would have taken place in an alternate present; it will actually take place in the year 2076. Or, at least, that’s when Hydride becomes a cyborg. He’d be 25 or 26 by then, being born on August 31, 2050.
In the year 2076, the Earth is mostly at peace, the poor are few and everyone has stopped polluting the planet. This turn of events, however, doesn’t happen because everyone suddenly decides to be nice. In the twenties, scientists from all around the world are warning the leaders that, if pollution levels aren’t lowered in the next ten years, the sea level is going to rise causing a global-scale catastrophe. The governments hush them; however, these warnings reach the people, who get more and more alarmed. In 2028 the disaster happens, and the aftermath is colossal. There are riots everywhere and most governments and all kinds of powerful lobbies are taken down. Anyway, the world recovers pretty fast from this blow, and in twenty years most things are back to normal; the new governments are of course a lot wiser than their predecessors, and won’t repeat their mistakes. At the time in which the story takes place, we have a world in which Europe has turned into a federal nation, the Middle East is powerful and no longer a war zone, Africa can finally fend for itself, Asia is very powerful and North and South America are more or less the same as now.
Between the sixties and the seventies, groups of scientists are focusing on the research of cybernetic parts for a better treatment of diseases; as such, many private clinics are opening up just about everywhere in the world. This also means that people cannot just go YOU CHOSE TO BECOME A MACHINE! PFEH! on people with bionic parts because they are most likely people who suffered from terrible injuries and it’s not really their choice. However, this is not true for everyone; some clinics allow healthy people to have implants built in them for cosmetic or other reasons.
As for Hydride, he belongs to this last category. He chose to become a cyborg for his own reasons, and his friend John (you’ll see him later) helped him throughout this process. Hydride’s implants may look flashier than needed, but that’s because he designed them himself and he likes to wear them like a modern-day person would wear a tattoo, and he likes it when people look at him funny.
Of course, Hydride is also not his real name; it’s his Internet handle. His real name is Robert Cross. He adopts his nickname when he becomes a cyborg, although I can’t say a lot more about it right now. Another information that I have to put down but that I can’t really write about is that he’s an hacker. I’ll just leave this here.
A few notes about his appearance:
- The wires look metallic, but they’re actually elastic and very resistent. Not a good idea trying to cut them - they’re so sturdy you’d break your scissors.
- You’d think that with those wires he’d be always tripping, but no. At this point, they’ve become a part of himself. His proprioception includes the wires.
- The arrow-shaped piece below his neck is an exposed part of his inner workings. It’s on the outside because it’s the intersection of several parts and it would be too bulky to be placed beneath his skin.
- The top wire on his left arm goes into the back of that open collar.
- The wire which goes behind him begins in his right shoulder. In a profile, you’d see that the front wire and the back wire pierce him like they were a single piece, though they’re not. I should really draw him like this.
- The wires in his pants. I know. I know. But I just can’t say where do they go. Let’s keep this secret. At least for a while.
- I already wrote that he’s wearing glasses instead of having his eyes fixed because he likes how they look on him. Other than that, they’re actually part of his head. When he has to take them off, they slide into the sides of his head. They are also water-repellent. By the way: Denise! I just discovered that this technology is ALREADY being used on glasses. I saw a few water-repellent glasses in a shop earlier today :D wow, the future is apparently NOW.
As for what concerns his ethnicity, Hydride is half-arab. In his first pic he was white; scratch that, I like him better like this. I have yet to decide where will this story take place, but whatever.
His personality, well. The pose should already say a lot. The only non-spoiler information I can give for now is that he’s insane. Not crazy or weird, insane. As in, his reasonings are not of a sane person. There is going to be a lot more subtlety than just that, though; we’re talking about a grey character here. His development is also going to be a crucial point of the story, so you know.
And that’s all for now. Whew.
