Chapter Text
Inkwell Inventions a.k.a. Old I Corp. was one of the 26 Wings of the City, known for their Singularity, the Living Ink, which allowed one to bring drawings to life, whether it be doodles on a page or murals on brick walls. Citizens inside the Nest were treated to daily sights of colorful and textured artworks animated to move along every surface. Chalky white clouds would drift from window to window while abstract depictions of animals would form and trot along streets
More than that, the Singularity allowed two-dimensional drawings and paintings to function like their three-dimensional counterparts. If set up correctly, a line drawn with Ink connecting two points together could act as a real electrical wire. With this, Inkwell Inventions sought to maximize usage of available space. Gears, levers, and pulleys drawn on sidewalks and buildings made for a visually hectic view, while waste pipes and exposed wiring claimed the Backstreets
The Wing aimed to constantly develop new, better technology, which was used to improve the efficiency of their Singularity. Every few months, a group of I Corp. Innovators would be sent down to an area to remove Ink and replace it with newer, better machinery. The old Ink would then flow down streets, temporarily giving them more color before disappearing. Desperate people in the Backstreets would collect washed-up Ink to try and separate it from water for reselling
It also wasn't an uncommon sight for Rats and small-time Syndicates to mark their territories with what Ink they managed to buy or gather. Heavy rain would wash away low-quality Ink, leading to disputes and wars as groups vied for control while Innovators tried to repaint anything that might've been affected
Arthur Walton and Delilah Keen were senior Inventors of the Wing, granting them a great deal of freedom over their projects. Arthur had great dreams and wanted to bring I Corp. back to its roots of drawings that could spread joy to people, while Delilah was more interested in pushing the boundaries of how "alive" the Ink could become. Through the use of various other Singularities, the duo managed to discover and create Ichor, Living Ink containing fragments of humanity extracted from humans
Though there were concerns about whether Ichor violated the Head’s taboo of sentient and sapient non-human life, no Claws or Arbiters descended. Arthur and Delilah took it as confirmation and eventually deemed things safe to continue. As time passed, their project would be noticed and given funding to become Gardenview, an “animation” studio, education center, and museum for Inkwell Inventions’ various creations pertaining to entertainment. The show Dandy’s World would be made with its cast of Toon characters, broadcasted to teach and encourage children of Old I Corp.’s Nest to become future Inventors
His dream would come to an end as a war occurred between Old I Corp. and an up-and-comer backed by a different Wing. As Inkwell Inventions didn’t want their Singularity to be leaked, everything was locked down, including Gardenview. Every Toon was turned back into Ichor and put into capsules, which were then safely stored deep underground. The war would last years before the new finally won against the old. The staff of Gardenview would come out of it alive, but as they knew about Ichor and didn’t want to betray the Toons they were so close to, the group believed it would be safer to hide in the Outskirts instead of remaining in the City
What no one expected was the Ruins underneath I Corp. The storage rooms built to keep the Ichor capsules safe were broken into, leading to capsules falling out and ending up being carried by its Rivers. Some would end up in faraway Districts, while others would land right outside the border of the City. Many made it to their destination still sealed and unharmed. Many more didn’t survive
The Mains were some of the first to wake up and figure out a way to escape their glass cages. And when they stepped out to reform their bodies, puddles of Ichor from shattered capsules were beneath their feet. Their bodies instinctively assimilated what they could get, leading to bigger, more human-sized forms for the Toons. Fortunately for all of them, most City dwellers didn’t look twice at a person with weird clothes and features
Dyle was also one of the first to return to consciousness, and as soon as he figured out what had happened, he did his best to cash in favors from those who owed the old Wing, posing as one of its executives looking to get revenge after such a long time. Funds and information were collected as the Lethal took on the role of a leader
From there, Ichor Company was established with the goal of gathering all Toons still alive. Some would hear rumors of it and join, while others already found their own ways and wished to become something more. Whether they accepted the Company’s offer or not, every Toon found would be monitored to ensure both their safety and security over the knowledge of Ichor
Dandy would, oddly, be amongst some of the last to reawaken. Using what he remembers from his time with Arthur and Delilah, the Lethal would refine the process of Ichor extraction and application so that if a Toon were to be injured or die, there would still be a way to heal them. To take it further, Dandy devised a procedure for himself to go through. The result would be to turn his body into an Ichor-producing plant that allowed him to heal any Toon that needed it. As a side effect, anyone Dandy heals will be connected to him, nourishing him with their own Ichor or soul so that he would grow, like a plant being watered. While this may weaken them, the effect is ultimately temporary until Dandy’s Ichor grows powerful enough to strengthen them in turn
At the same time, Dandy had been pushing for a search to find what remains of their creators and handlers. The result would be the Ichor Company Bus, a team of Toons with peculiar fates that would ultimately lead Dandy to where he had to be. The way these fates were foreseen relied on Dyle. By splitting off a part of himself into the engine of the ICB’s vehicle, his clock hands would start to turn clockwise when the time comes for one of the twelve to face their past
Their vehicle was a train that could go on roads, referred to as both Arvakr and Alsvidr. Carriages where the Manager and Sinners reside for most of the day are pulled along by the locomotive. A part of Dyle’s soul resided within the engine, which shined like a miniature sun, and was where Identities and E.G.Os were extracted from. Personal spaces were accessible via a gate of Ichor that allowed Toons to enter a space made entirely of Ink, where they’re allowed to customize as they desire
The last thing to do was for Dandy to erase all of his memories as per Dyle’s instructions. In doing this, there would be nothing to cloud his judgement and interfere with his choices in the future. To find Arthur and Delilah, if they’re even still alive, Dandy and the ICB set off