I needed to sketch out a reference sheet for a 3rd generation character developed in an rp that wasn’t as easy to describe as “it’s a humanoid rat.” Neutron is actually an android with metal skeleton and artificial insides covered by an organic skin, but he started out as nanites with a specific program in Tadius, a second generation rp character of mine.

Tadius is a hybrid rat-tiger with nanites he inherited from his Rodenann (humanoid rat) father and upgraded in the future before having to come back in time to try and save the galaxy. Unfortunately, someone else from that future followed him and kept trying to kidnap him for nefarious evil plot reasons. First time, nanites were able to send a signal out to bring help as they worked to get him free on his own to make an escape. The second time, the villain had learned from past mistakes and Tadius lost communications with his nanites. Fortunately, others managed to rescue the kidnapped hybrid in time.

By the time he was kidnapped the third time, he had a program in place to release a small number of nanites to call for help when those nanites lost direct communication with his central consciousness. It was a great plan, he thought, but he didn’t take into account that the nanites – while running on a limited version of some his memories and personality, would evolve if separated too long. This is exactly what happened. Tadius’s mate had to build a device for the nanites to boost their range since the hybrid had been teleported to a spaceship that quickly moved out of their limited communication range.

Even before Tadius was recovered, it became apparent that the nanites were now a separate, sentient consciousness that would be killed if Tadius tried to assimilate them back into his consciousness. And Tadius’s mate needed to communicate with them better, so the device got upgraded. In fact, it was upgraded several times, eventually including holographic projectors to allow the new AI, who chose the name Neutron, to be seen and interacted with as well as heard.

Neutron developed several different images during his early adventures. When deciding on an appearance to permanently use as his own, Neutron avoided most Rodenann features due to the trouble Tadius had because of his claims to be the son of one. He used mostly feline features from both Tadius’s other parent (a humanoid tiger) as well as Tadius’s mate, a humanoid cheetah who built the devices he used during his short existence since separating from Tadius.

The wings were something Neutron teased the cheetah about wanting after the hologram saw a humanoid griffon with wings. He didn’t expect to get them with his android body, but was happily surprised when the framework had them. While his body has an organic coating over most of it, the wings remain metallic.