Wayfarer, Minty and Chamomile: Eternity Kingdoms's OTHER Robots

If you've followed me for a considerable length of time, you may know about Carouselle, the circusy robot lady from my original series concept Eternity Kingdoms. I've already said much about her (see here for a detailed diatribe about her origins), and today I feel like discussing her three siblings. And despite the year-and-a-half-long gap between their creation, they share quite a bit of creative DNA.

This is not only the story of Carouselle's cowboy wannabe older brother Wayfarer, but also the tale of her little sisters Minty and Chamomile as well as me laying out my plans for how robots work in the series. Strap in, everyone; this is going to be quite the ride. Let's go!

THEIR ORIGINS

Wayfarer began life as part of my plans for Carouselle's origins. From the start, I knew he was going to be the one who helped her to remember her ambiguous past and make peace with it. I'd argue that he's been one of my most consistent characters regarding narrative roles; not that many characters I've created have been this clear-cut from the start.

His cowboy aesthetic is one that I'm still not entirely sure came from, but it's one that helped him stand out against his brightly-colored sister. Where Carouselle is bright, bubbly and somewhat gawky with her blend of blue, pink and orange, Wayfarer is confident, self-serious and more mature with his earthy browns. Like his narrative role, I kept Wayfarer relatively consistent, with the biggest changes made to him including redesigning his legs (based on a very nice gift of Carouselle fan art from one of my connections), beefing up his joints to make him look more masculine, and adding a strap to his hat so it'd stay mounted to his head.

As for Minty and Chamomile, I thought of them one summer day in 2021. The two of them came out of the idea that Carouselle's prototypes would show up as allies to her, Takoyaki, Lucian and Prodigus late in the series (around Season 6, if God wills it to go that far). Rather than go with Carouselle's prototypes, I decided to make them later entries in the same series of robots she was made from, ergo making them her little sisters. I kept them relatively humanoid compared to their elder siblings, reflecting the growth of their creator's design capability.

(Regarding their names, I just thought tea-related names would be cute)

However, I was careful to maintain Carouselle's design aspects, repurposing some of them in clever ways (such as using her silver facial markings as eyelashes on Minty and Chamomile). The end result was two very cute robot girls whose designs communicated their personalities surprisingly well. Minty is more outgoing and childish; Chamomile is more mature and withdrawn. Also, I gave them both headgear like their older "brother" and "sister".

Like their brother, Minty and Chamomile have been subject to very few changes. The most I've done to them is make the former a bit more squat and the latter's hair a bit more flowy. So overall, Wayfarer, Minty and Chamomile had simple origins and have stayed fairly consistent design-wise.

With that out of the way, let's get talking about their personalities!

WAYFARER- He Wants to Be a Cowboy, Baby

I mentioned earlier that Wayfarer was created with the purpose of finding Carouselle and helping her learn where she came from, but that's not entirely true. Truth be told, he was an early attempt by their creator to create artificial intelligence on par with a human (with Asimovian limitations, of course). Think of him as the Proto Man to Carouselle's Mega Man, both personality and role-wise. However, after the ambitious roboticist and Carouselle were separated thanks to unfortunate circumstances, Wayfarer's development continued until he was on par with his "little sister".

20 years later, his creator chose to give him a physical form similar yet different from Carouselle's design. He was stronger, more durable, and more humanoid. The roboticist and Wayfarer spent some time together, helping the young robot get used to his body and bonding with him (usually by watching cowboy movies). Eventually, Wayfarer learned of his little sister's fate and was given the mission to find her and to restore the memories that had been lost all those years ago.

And so began Wayfarer's quest to find "CR-001" as she was once called!

This quest will take him from the roboticist's lab through the kingdoms of Barnumia and Stokeron, encountering folk who've run into the "Chosen Ones" (Takoyaki, Lucian, Prodigus, and Carouselle) and by extension "CR-001". He eventually catches up with them, and an altercation ensues. Takoyaki, Lucian and Prodigus fear that Wayfarer's desire to restore "CR-001" would erase Carouselle's current memories; Wayfarer thinks Carouselle is a false persona "CR-001" crafted for herself.

Fortunately, things are sorted out and Carouselle's memories of her time as "CR-001" are restored peacefully. From there, he becomes an on-off ally to the main quartet the same way that Lucian's sister Demeter is. While not entirely trusting of them at first, he comes to develop a bond with each of them. I can picture him, Lucian and Prodigus going out on some "guy's night out" thing late in the series' run.

Personality-wise, Wayfarer is simultaneously very different and very similar to his "little sister". He's incredibly moral and passionate, having a clear-cut sense of right and wrong shaped by his creator's teachings and the cowboy movies they watched together. However, his morality is extremely binary, resulting in him coming off as a stickler for rules at best and legalistic and accusatory at worst.

Of course, he doesn't mean any ill, but this is a notable flaw of Wayfarer's. He can be rather stubborn when he's convinced that what he's doing is right, and this only accentuated by his impetuous streak. In Wayfarer's eyes, justice has to be served and wrongs have to be righted in his eyes, even if it means upsetting a few people. Thankfully, he learns the values of mercy and empathy from his time spent with the Chosen Ones, and he mellows out some.

Aside from that, Wayfarer is a humble "aw, shucks" country boy: reserved, polite, protective of his loved ones (especially Carouselle) and rather gentlemanly. I feel like we need more characters who embody those kinds of values nowadays. Sure, some people might write him off as corny or dopey, but I think there's something admirable about someone that sincere. In a world full of of revisionist stories and characters that only seem to exist to defy perfectly functional tropes and archetypes, why not have some fun with an archetype and show why it works?

In short, Wayfarer is a throwback to Western heroes both in terms of design and personality. There are times he can be stubborn in his pursuit of justice, yes, but his proverbial heart is in the right place and he would do anything to protect his friends and family. And I reckon I'm pretty content with where his character is right now.

MINTY and CHAMOMILE- Antipodal Twins

Minty and Chamomile are best defined as polar opposites. One is spunky and impetuous; the other is careful and precise. Naturally, this creates a lot of conflict between the two of them. However, when push comes to shove, the twins can count on one another to get out of a jam. Sounds rather simple, doesn't it?

Of course, there's more to their story.

After Wayfarer set off, the roboticist who made him and Carouselle took some time to develop younger siblings for the the two. However, before he could upload their AI to their bodies, he was taken captive by General Termagant (the Dark Lord's metal brute) for reasons I can't share here for fear of spoilers. Without the roboticist, Minty and Chamomile were left to their own devices... and then Minty got an idea.

What if she and "Chammy" were to go on an adventure of their own?

Ignoring Chamomile's protests, she downloaded herself into her intended body and ran off to explore the world beyond their maker's lab. Chamomile reluctantly followed in Minty's footsteps and did the same, hoping to keep her twin out of trouble. Hijinks ensue, and eventually, the twins meet the main quartet. Admittedly, there isn't much more I can say about Minty and Chamomile because 1) what follows their debut in the series would be EXTREMELY SPOILERY and 2) I don't have much figured out about them other than their origin and their personalities.

Speaking of which, let's go a bit more in depth with these two, starting with Minty. If Carouselle was "the eternal child" (to paraphrase Wilbert Awdry when discussing a certain blue tank engine), then Minty is the "eternal preschooler". She's impetuous, loud, energetic, stubborn, occasionally selfish, and rather cheeky. Unfortunately, this gets her into trouble more often than not. She doesn't really know her limits yet, and she often gets herself in a mess that she needs someone else to help her out of (usually Chamomile, much to her chagrin.)

Conversely, Chamomile leans more towards a teenager focused on growing up. She's precise, logical, cautious, mature, and meek. Think of her as a buffer to Minty's impetuousness, someone to keep the little droid from getting badly damaged. Her sister's shenanigans are quite draining on her, especially when Minty is acting particularly obstinate.

However, her meticulous nature has caused her to be indecisive at best and anxious at worst. This is balanced out by Minty's go-getter personality, as she helps her to take steps that she wouldn't take otherwise. Again, the twins may squabble, but they need each other. Minty is kept from danger by Chamomile's precise calculations; Chamomile is encouraged to loosen up and take leaps of faith by Minty so she's not stuck in a perpetual loop of planning out everything moment-by-moment.

Admittedly, this is a rather simple dynamic, but it's one that has lots of potential for the series proper. There's built-in character conflict and room for development, and I can't wait to flesh them out some more. So, yeah. Minty and Chamomile couldn't be more different and will squabble over their differences, but when the going gets tough, they'll remain at one another's side no matter what.

ROBOTS IN ETERNITY KINGDOMS: Not Less than Human, But More than Droids

I've talked about this a few times in some of my past Eternity Kingdoms posts, but I have very specific ideas for how robots work in the series's world. For some, it might sound odd to include sci-fi elements like robots and extremely advanced technology in such a fantastical world, but fantasy is called fantasy for a reason. Who's to say that it can't include things like that? After all, real-world robots are kinda pathetic compared to what's usually in fiction, so we might as well lump extremely advanced AI under the fantasy category alongside its place in sci-fi.

My primary inspiration for how EK's robots were to be written came from Mega Man; surprisingly, not just the games. The 2011-2017 comic series from Archie Comics explored what it meant for the Blue Bomber and his brethren to be robots in a human world, what robot rights looked like, the consequences of treating a robot like a child, and the evolution of human-robot relationships over time. It was an ASTONISHINGLY well-written comic, but it was sadly brought down by a botched Sonic the Hedgehog crossover* that left Archie unable to maintain the Mega Man license.

*The second one, not the first one. The first Sonic/Mega Man crossover was good; the second one less so.

In addition, my other influences on how I write robots include WALL-E (aka Pixar's finest film), Transformers (because of course), and Star Wars. However, the Mega Man inspiration is perhaps the most visible. As mentioned earlier, Wayfarer being Carouselle's prototype was inspired by Proto Man's relationship with Mega Man. Minty and Chamomile were based on Mega Man's younger sister Roll, and General Termagant was partially inspired by the girthy Guts Man.

Now that I've got the inspirations out of the way, let's talk about how robots work in EK. Robots vary in size and shape, with a majority of them having inhuman, stylized designs to avoid evoking the uncanny valley. These are "servant units" whose AI is limited to that of what we would expect from a Roomba at the very least or R2-D2 at the most.

Those that are humanoid, however, are required to have attributes that make it clear they aren't human (like pale-ish skin or visible joints). Their AI is significantly more advanced than the servant units, but they're subject to a series of failsafes akin to Isaac Asimov's laws (i.e. "a robot must not harm a human," "a robot must obey humans unless the order contradicts the first law," "a robot must protect its own existence as long as it doesn't break laws 1 or 2"). Some would accuse these laws as being cruel towards the robots, but many roboticists argue that the laws exist to protect themselves, their creations, and society as a whole from disaster.

Carouselle, Wayfarer, Minty and Chamomile fall into the latter category. They have extremely advanced AI, they're subject to the Asimov-lite laws, and they have visible attributes of their robotic natures. However, I decided to make it so their designs reflected the increasing skill of their creator. Starting with Carouselle, her design was very obtuse and experimental, what with her waist-mounted arms, shoulder nubs, and floating legs. Wayfarer shows slightly more traditional elements, and by the time Minty and Chamomile were made, it's clear their creator mastered the humanoid form.

In addition, I wanted to subvert familiar robot tropes. Instead of robots with muted or no emotions, I decided early on that Eternity Kingdoms's robots would have heightened feelings. They don't just feel happy, they feel ecstatic. They're not just sad, they feel hopelessly forlorn. I've never really seen that idea explored in fiction, and I felt that subverting the whole "robots = emotionless humans" schtick would create more interesting characters.

The general rule I have when it comes to writing robot characters for EK is to write them not as "human but less", but rather "robots but more". Show us what they think about and who or what they care about! What makes them happy? What upsets them? How do they feel about the Asimovian restrictions placed on them? All of those ideas sound so interesting, and I'm excited to explore them through Eternity Kingdoms's narrative.

From a Christian perspective, the idea of advanced robots is bound to inspire several questions. Is making a sufficiently advanced AI on the same level of humans "playing God?" Could robots comprehend the absolute moral standard put on their creators by God? Would God allow us to make something as advanced as He has made us? Well, I know the answer to those questions are "yes," "no" and "no" in reality, but I've come up with a rationale for how it works in the world of Eternity Kingdoms.

I view the creation of robots in EK to be a form of what Tolkien called "subcreation". This is benevolent imitation of the Creator, honoring Him through creating as He does. Ergo, many of the roboticists (including Carouselle, Wayfarer, Minty and Chamomile's creator) within the world of Eternity Kingdoms see their work as honoring the "Great Artist" who painted the universe into existence. As he created man, so they will honor him through their mechanical creations. This isn't an act of idolatry or "playing God" on their ends; these roboticists are just imitating the Artist's grand design.

Of course, not everyone sees robots as something to be good and Artist-honoring. The Dark Lord employs an army of mechanical drones, and at their head is General Termagant. Notably, Termagant is not a robot despite his cobalt and copper appearance. Truth be told, he's actually a cyborg who's sacrificed all of himself save for his brain in order to gain a form of bogus "eternal life". Both of these spit in the face of the Artist's grand design: the drones are expendable and soulless (contrary to Psalm 139:14); Termagant is only delaying his inevitable death by reducing himself to a brain in a humanoid can.

Technology is neither good nor evil; it is merely a tool in the hands of flawed people, and what is done with it is determined by the condition of those peoples' hearts. The same can be said for the robots of the world of Eternity Kingdoms. Some are good, some are bad, some are utilitarian in appearance, some look humanoid, some have simplistic AI, and others are more complex.

CONCLUSION

Wayfarer, Minty, and Chamomile are admittedly rather difficult for me to talk about for the reasons I mentioned regarding the twins' narrative roles. 1) I don't want to spoil anything about the latter half of the series, and 2) I don't have much figured out about the show's back half outside of a few narrative beats and a few character arcs. And yet I've chosen to talk about them here. Why is that?

It's because they represent my own growth when it comes to iterating on character designs.

As I've said many times throughout this article, Wayfarer, Minty and Chamomile's designs are representative of their creator's improving design abilities. This can be read two ways. On one hand, the roboticist who made them and Carouselle used the latter as a jumping off point to improve upon with his latter creations. On the other hand, though, it can be interpreted as a representation of my artistic development.

Carouselle was my first original character not tied to any preexisting properties (example: Steven Universe). Ergo, my first drawings of her were incredibly abstract and experimental. However, as time went on, my character design knowledge increased and therefore allowed me to create better, more fleshed out designs. This resulted in Wayfarer, Minty and Chamomile all having designs that were sleeker, cleaner, and easier to work with.

Am I done with them? Don't be ridiculous. I've said many times in past Eternity Kingdoms development articles that I believe the characters' development cycles aren't done until God decrees that they're done. I know not where these three are going to end up by the time EK enters production, but Wayfarer, Minty and Chamomile are a long way where they were when I first created them.

Thanks for reading, everyone. God bless!