OOC: Notes on Doc's Anatomy
Nov. 29th, 2008 11:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
clockwork_docI've been meaning to write these up for a while now, and I finally got around to it today. Enjoy!
Skeleton: Andrew replaced most of these with metal during the operations. As a result, the only pieces of his skeleton that are still straight bone are his pelvis, his spine, and most of his skull, excepting the lower jaw and teeth. His arms, legs, ribcage, and jaw are all made of a tough metal alloy involving lots of brass and bronze (since Fae can’t use iron or steel) and strengthened by Fae magic. His joints use large gears, some of which poke through the skin.
Muscles: These are a weird mix of actual muscles and steam-powered hydraulics attached to the metal parts of his skeleton. Enough regular musculature remains that Doc’s body looks fairly normal from the outside, but internally a lot of his body is run by the hydraulics. The meat muscles are mostly for show.
Organs: Doc actually retains most of his regular organs still – brain, lungs, intestines. However, two important ones were replaced. Doc’s stomach was replaced with a powerful, ever-burning furnace, and his esophagus lined with a flexible plastic of some kind. As a result, Doc can pretty much consume just about anything. He also has to go to the bathroom much less often, as the furnace produces very little waste. If he were to stop eating, it’s likely he would get very weak, but wouldn’t starve to death thanks to the permanent fire.
Doc’s heart was replaced by a clockwork steam engine equivalent. It still looks like a heart, but it pumps steam and water throughout his body, working the hydraulics. It’s made of the same tough metal as his bones and would be very hard to break or stop. A lot of his veins and arteries are made of plastic tubing now, and small vents in his elbows and his tailbone allow for excess steam to be released. On a related note, Doc’s blood is much more watery than a normal person’s, looking more like rusty tap water than anything else.
Skin: Although Doc’s skin wasn’t replaced, repeated operations and forced healing by Fae magic took its toll. Doc’s skin has a slightly rubbery look, especially on his arms and legs. There’s also slits in the skin where the gears from his knees, elbows, and knuckles poke through, and the steam vents.
Mind: Doc’s psyche is something of a mess, though that’s not immediately apparent. When Doc first came to Arcadia, his Keeper Andrew kept forcing him to forget any incident where he got scared or confused, prior to the first operation. After the operation, Doc attempted to escape, only to get lost in the Hedge. The thorns there ended up ripping his mind completely apart, leaving his brain something of a blank shell. His basic personality traits remained (intelligent, caring, prone to hyperactivity, a love of invention), but his personality was stripped away. Andrew retrieved him and basically recreated him as Professor, a near-perpetually frightened man who clung to what little scraps of humanity he retained and lived in fear of his Keeper. That personality lasted until Andrew almost killed Doc by replacing his heart. The shock triggered some vague pieces of Doc’s old personality to come back, along with reminding him of his REAL title. He then became the Doctor, still easily frightened of his Keeper, but a lot more cynical and determined to not only hold onto his own humanity, but help others retain theirs as well. Marty’s appearance led to him getting a few of his memories back and slowly turning back into his old self. The Rift’s restoration of all of his memories pretty much brought him back to the Doc we know and love.
Anyone with experience in the matter might say Doc’s current psyche is like porcelain. Under normal circumstances, his mind is fairly strong, and he acts like his normal self. He is more vulnerable to psychic intrusion than most people, though, thanks to the damage the Hedge did. And if someone finds a weak point in his mind, like Suzie did when she told him about the Andrew shadow, Doc’s psyche just shatters. In that state, he pretty much reverts back to his old Professor persona, clinging desperately to whoever or whatever he can find. Given he has weather powers now, making him upset is probably not the best idea.
Skeleton: Andrew replaced most of these with metal during the operations. As a result, the only pieces of his skeleton that are still straight bone are his pelvis, his spine, and most of his skull, excepting the lower jaw and teeth. His arms, legs, ribcage, and jaw are all made of a tough metal alloy involving lots of brass and bronze (since Fae can’t use iron or steel) and strengthened by Fae magic. His joints use large gears, some of which poke through the skin.
Muscles: These are a weird mix of actual muscles and steam-powered hydraulics attached to the metal parts of his skeleton. Enough regular musculature remains that Doc’s body looks fairly normal from the outside, but internally a lot of his body is run by the hydraulics. The meat muscles are mostly for show.
Organs: Doc actually retains most of his regular organs still – brain, lungs, intestines. However, two important ones were replaced. Doc’s stomach was replaced with a powerful, ever-burning furnace, and his esophagus lined with a flexible plastic of some kind. As a result, Doc can pretty much consume just about anything. He also has to go to the bathroom much less often, as the furnace produces very little waste. If he were to stop eating, it’s likely he would get very weak, but wouldn’t starve to death thanks to the permanent fire.
Doc’s heart was replaced by a clockwork steam engine equivalent. It still looks like a heart, but it pumps steam and water throughout his body, working the hydraulics. It’s made of the same tough metal as his bones and would be very hard to break or stop. A lot of his veins and arteries are made of plastic tubing now, and small vents in his elbows and his tailbone allow for excess steam to be released. On a related note, Doc’s blood is much more watery than a normal person’s, looking more like rusty tap water than anything else.
Skin: Although Doc’s skin wasn’t replaced, repeated operations and forced healing by Fae magic took its toll. Doc’s skin has a slightly rubbery look, especially on his arms and legs. There’s also slits in the skin where the gears from his knees, elbows, and knuckles poke through, and the steam vents.
Mind: Doc’s psyche is something of a mess, though that’s not immediately apparent. When Doc first came to Arcadia, his Keeper Andrew kept forcing him to forget any incident where he got scared or confused, prior to the first operation. After the operation, Doc attempted to escape, only to get lost in the Hedge. The thorns there ended up ripping his mind completely apart, leaving his brain something of a blank shell. His basic personality traits remained (intelligent, caring, prone to hyperactivity, a love of invention), but his personality was stripped away. Andrew retrieved him and basically recreated him as Professor, a near-perpetually frightened man who clung to what little scraps of humanity he retained and lived in fear of his Keeper. That personality lasted until Andrew almost killed Doc by replacing his heart. The shock triggered some vague pieces of Doc’s old personality to come back, along with reminding him of his REAL title. He then became the Doctor, still easily frightened of his Keeper, but a lot more cynical and determined to not only hold onto his own humanity, but help others retain theirs as well. Marty’s appearance led to him getting a few of his memories back and slowly turning back into his old self. The Rift’s restoration of all of his memories pretty much brought him back to the Doc we know and love.
Anyone with experience in the matter might say Doc’s current psyche is like porcelain. Under normal circumstances, his mind is fairly strong, and he acts like his normal self. He is more vulnerable to psychic intrusion than most people, though, thanks to the damage the Hedge did. And if someone finds a weak point in his mind, like Suzie did when she told him about the Andrew shadow, Doc’s psyche just shatters. In that state, he pretty much reverts back to his old Professor persona, clinging desperately to whoever or whatever he can find. Given he has weather powers now, making him upset is probably not the best idea.
