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The Mechanisms:
General
The not quite immortal crew of space pirates of the starship Aurora.
- Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: Implied, but it's also possibly a result of their immortality.
- Dying AloneWe've lived so long together, perhaps it is only fitting we die alone.
- Dying Moment of Awesome
- Space Pirates: Pillaging, plundering, shanties... in space.
Jonny D'Ville
Carmilla's first Mechanism (that he knows of) and also the crew's first mate (self-proclaimed captain.) He and his mechanical heart don't offer much in the way of say, friendliness or leadership skills, but he is the chief storyteller. Played by Jonathan Sims.
- Blood Knight
- Crosscast Role: Jonny portrays Ulysses, whose gender remains unknown.
- Dude, She's Like in a Coma: Defied by Jonny in Once Upon a Time (In space), during the song Sleeping Beauty:Jonny: I'm not going to kiss a sleeping stranger, Nastya - that's really fucking creepy.
- Die LaughingWitnesses will say that they have never before seen someone so viciously excited to die.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: From "Billy Vangelis's boy" to an immortal killer of thousands.
- Self-Made Orphan: Jonny killed his father.
- Thrown Out the Airlock: Jonny's tossed Carmilla out the airlock multiple times.
- Unreliable Narrator: His description of his backstory may not be entirely accurateJonny: I was born a few hundred years ago on New Texas. Don’t bother looking for it, I made it up. I think. It’s the story, though, and that’s what matters.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Until he was mechanised.Jonny: I’m told I had a good heart, but the Doc dealt with that after the whole patricide thing.
Ashes O'Reilly
Former mobster, enthusiastic arsonist and the crew's Quartermaster. Ashes and their mechanical lungs provide the band with bass guitar and occasional vocals.
- Crosscast Role: Ashes portrays Sigyn in The Bifrost Incident.
- Natural End of Time: Ashes dies at the very end of time
- Pyromaniac
Ivy Alexandria
Ship's Archivist and Navigator whose positronic brain provides her with an impressive memory of facts and statistics at the expense of most of her memory of her life before joining the Aurora. She could be described as a one person woodwind section, having been spotted playing the recorder, oboe, flute, euphonium and the penny whistle at various shows.
- Brain Transplant: She had her brain replaced with a mechanical one.
- Book Burning: Dies after the library she tried to retire to burns in a pointless war.
- Encyclopaedic Knowledge: Quite literally, Ivy's brain functions more like a record of everything she's experienced and learned than a normal brain.
Drumbot Brian
Despite his designation as Drumbot, Brian is more frequently seen playing the banjo and the accordion. A scientist who was launched into space and left to die, his entire body save his heart was replaced by Carmilla. One could describe him as the moral centre of the crew, but that would be foolish.
- Full-Conversion Cyborg: All except his heart.
- Hurl It into the Sun: How he ends up at the end of High Noon Over Camelot.Brian: Quit your whining, remember that time you left me inside a sun for almost a century?
Jonny: I was busy. - Leader Wannabe
- Morality Dial: He has a morality core that switches his morality between, roughly, "Means Justify Ends," wherein Brian will not commit deeds he believes morally wrong, and "Ends Justify Means", where he will happily commit all kinds of atrocities as long as he believes it’s for the greater good. The rest of the crew prefer the second one.
Anastasia "Nastya" Nikolaevna Romanova
Princess from the Empire of Cyberia. Ship's engineer who largely favours machines over people, Nastya is most often seen playing the viola and violin.
- Robosexual: She's in a relationship with the Aurora, the ship.
The Toy Soldier
The Toy Soldier was never really mortal like the others, instead being a collectors item from a set of Toy Xs, but that didn't stop the Doc from fixing it up and installing it in the crew. Nobody really understands it or what it does, but it still happily provides mandolin, glockenspiel and vocals where required.
- Beautiful Singing Voice: The Toy Soldier has the voice of an angel, literally.
- Crosscast Role: The Toy Soldier portrays Orpheus in Ulysses Dies at Dawn.
- Just a MachineIt was never real to begin with. And, when all its friends are finally gone, it will decide to stop pretending.
- Organ Theft: It stole the vocal cords of a singer it fell in love with.
Gunpowder Tim
The first Mechanism created by the crew in the absence of their Captain. He is a veteran of the war against the Moon Kaiser and is largely responsible for the destruction of the moon 3,000 years in the future ago. Assuming the role of gunner after the crew kindly replaced his eyes, he is well known for playing the guitar and singing some things. Though he is rumoured to be handy with a violin too.
- Crosscast Role: Tim portrays Loki in The Bifrost Incident, Isis in Iphis, and Arachne in Twisted Threads.
- Detonation Moon: Tim blows up the moon in Gunpowder Tim vs. The Moon Kaiser
- The Last Dance: When he feels his death coming, he commandeers the largest gunship existence will ever see.
Marius von Raum
Ship's medic (not that they need one) and psychiatrist (not that they want one). He was found by the crew having already been mechanised by a mysterious stranger...
- Devoured by the Horde: By the Octokittens, in 11.7 seconds.
Raphaella la Cognizi
Science officer who may or may not have cheated her way onto the ship after becoming a little too interested. Also she has wings. Brings gorgeous piano and vocals to the table.
- Winged Humanoid: Mechanical wings, although implied to have once been organic, by the nature of the Mechanisms.
The Aurora
The sentient ship that is crewed by The Mechanisms. Possibly a moon, and organic, and Dr. Carmilla's daughter.
- Living Ship
- Theseus' Ship Paradox: In Out, after countless modifications and repairs, Nastya considers the Aurora dead.
Characters from Once Upon a Time (In Space):
King Cole
- Cybernetics Eat Your SoulBut the technology that had extended his life throughout the millennia had warped his mind, as it had withered his body.
- Face–Heel TurnLong ago he was a good king, a wise king, it was even said of him that he was merry.
- "The Villain Sucks" Song: Sung by Jonny, as the narrator.
Characters from The Bifrost Incident:
Lyfrassir Edda
Inspector 2nd class Lyfrassir Edda, New Midgard Transport Police. Assigned to sift through the black box of the Ratatosk Express.
- Captain's Log
- Meaningful Name: Twofold;
- Lyfrassir is an anglicised spelling of Lífþrasir, one of the two humans (along with their partner, Líf) who survives Ragnarok in Norse mythology, which they are hinted to also do as they resolve to leave before Yog-Sothoth arrives.
- Edda is taken from two major works of literature that are the most detailed and reliable account of Norse mythology to survive to the modern day, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda.
- Musical Number AnnoyanceLyfrassir: SHUT UP! SHUT! UP! No. Singing. I am sick of your singing.
- Uncertain Doom: It's left unclear whether they survived the events of Terminus.
