Arthur Taron - or Robot, as he's referred to throughout the visual novel Deadheading - is a young man living in UV-00282 Portland.
He has light brown hair in a short haircut ending just past his chin, faded blue eyes with eyebags under them, pale skin, and freckles. His nose is long and rectangular, as is his jawline, and he wears square-shaped black glasses in order to see. In Deadheading, he's wearing a brown sweater with a breast pocket, emblazoned with the letters 'A.T.'. Under the sweater, he's wearing a white button-up shirt, black pants, and expensive hiking boots. Of the group, Arthur is the tallest.
During the visual novel, his appearance is a robot, with a square-shaped head bearing a large white screen. Occasionally the face on the screen changes shape depending on Arthur's emotions, though generally it displays an empty frame of square-shaped glasses.
When his friend, Otto Gardener, visits town for a surprise camping trip one day in 2019, Arthur heads into the wilderness for a night of fun.
PERSONALITY
Arthur is a softspoken character, though he will speak up when his patience runs out - he's bickering with Pat Syve's bits and banter throughout their friendship, though neither actually hate the other. He's a very intelligent man, being raised by two very strict parents who expected nothing less than the best from him. While this has led to fantastic grades and exemplary efforts in his career, it's also left Arthur with a deep anxiety about being on his own, and needing to make decisions for himself. When faced with a roadblock, big or small, Arthur always takes a minute to panic about the issue, frozen into inaction by his own nerves.
He wants to be an author, as discussed between him and Otto in the woods during his third scene. However, he's heavily discouraged by his parents, who want him to pursue the same career path they have - psychology. Arthur is clearly torn on what step to take next, as he's scared of failing and showing his parents they were right to keep him from making his own decisions, as he reveals to Otto.
Arthur's personality is changed depending on the player's actions throughout the game.
TIMELINE
Pre-Deadheading
Born as the only son to two unnamed but wealthy psychologists, Arthur is raised in an authoritarian style of parenting - with strict rules, high expectations, and severe punishments for failure. While he never wants for anything due to his parent's financial status, he's expected to do great things, and he begins feeling this pressure from an early age.
When Arthur is in 7th grade, he competes in a school spelling bee, finding himself in the competition for first against Otto. The two go back and forth through harder and harder words, until Arthur slips up during the spelling of 'Sesquipedalianism', granting Otto the win. They become good friends after that, due to Otto inviting Arthur to a pizza after-party and saving him from a rough night with his parents thanks to losing.
Arthur graduates high school as the top of his class, immediately being shuffled into college by his parents. While he's been working on his general education credits, he still hasn't locked in his major.
Deadheading
Arthur's contacted by Otto through email before they show up in Portland, home from school. He takes them up on their offer to go hang out by camping, though he'd never been camping before.
In the woods, Arthur has trouble putting up the tent for the team, which causes him to have a minor meltdown. Otto encourages him to try again, and helps him by pointing out errors he makes before he keeps messing up. After that's done, they set up a campfire, where Otto tells a story about a robot that's told to help its creators make a doomsday device but rejects them, destroying the machine and sending them to jail. He isn't stupid, and he knows Otto's telling a story like that on purpose. However, he doesn't comment.
When the sun sets, the friends go to sleep, though they're woken in the middle of the night by what sounds like footsteps outside the tent. Arthur doesn't think they sound like a bear, especially since he knows the area well, and Otto invites him to go along with them to check it out. He agrees and, while out among the trees, he asks Otto their opinion on if people naturally want to follow orders or if they can all think for themselves. Otto answers that not even fate could take away autonomy, and Arthur feels better, though he doesn't know what over or why. They reassure him that he won't prove his parents right, and he doesn't even realize he'd said anything about that.
At the end of the trip, Arthur suggests doing this more often, and that he'll bring bug spray next time.
Post-Deadheading
After getting back from the trip, Arthur decides - with Otto's encouragement - to change his major into Creative Writing, against his parent's wishes. They immediately withdraw their monetary support for his degree, though Arthur's saved enough money to be able to maintain his degree and graduate with honors. The loans he did have to take out are quickly wrapped up by the money he makes from his first release, a murder mystery novel about characters in a snowy lodge.
RELATIONSHIPS
Otto Gardener
Otto and Arthur are friendly rivals academically, though this rivalry has died down since the former moved away to go to college. He's always admired how decisive they are, and the drive they have. He holds Otto's opinions highly - not at the same level as his parents, of course, but they're still very high on the list. At their encouragement, Arthur became an author, and started choosing how he wanted to live without his parent's influence.
He's grateful to Otto for their advice, and feels he owes them a big debt, though he knows they'll never collect on it.
Anne Yvolve
He only knows Anne Yvolve through Pat and Otto, so when they aren't hanging out in the context of one of those two - which is often, in the years since Otto left home for school - they aren't hanging out at all. Arthur doesn't mind spending time with Anne, but he finds it difficult to talk to her, since she tends to be so honest and emotional and... real. It puts him off of talking to her, though he tries to be polite to her.
Arthur tries his best to look out for her, though. He knows how easily she cries, and gets afraid, so he tries to mitigate things between her and Pat.
Pat Syve
These two butt heads often, often with Pat not taking things seriously and Arthur taking things too seriously. He finds them kind of annoying, though not enough to actually cause a fuss about it. In fact, sometimes he even enjoys the break from monotony of homework and work-work he's juggling. Their lack of ambition scares him, though. He's concerned they'll always be stuck in one spot.
He wishes he didn't care as much about everything when he looks at Pat. They always seem so carefree, despite how complicated life can be.
TRIVIA
The 'A.T.' on the front of Arthur's sweater are his initials, which aren't ever brought up in the game itself.
Arthur's the first cisgender character of mine to have their cisness mentioned directly in the game.
The old Deadheading Tumblr blog listed Arthur's parents as lawyers at first. This background was instead given to Aldrich Montgomery.
