Copper Clemons (Of Machines and Men)

Copper is a robot repair mechanic living in Glade Park, Colorado. She's the only one there with her occupation, and her services are available to anyone who owns a robot, such as policemen, the disabled, or the rich for examples. However, her life is being drastically changed upon adopting Pin, a mysterious robot with a questionable origin, as her "son".

She has struggled in the past with having children, and has long since given up the idea of being a mother. However, with a child-like robot with no one to turn to, she felt as though she was the only one who could help. However, this has forced her into various situations she has not been prepared for, especially when it comes to interacting with other townsfolk and participating in the community.

## Concept and Creation

Copper was one of the main characters in the very first idea for Of Machines and Men, as the original story was intended to focus more on a robotchild and an adoptive human mother, and mostly on just the two of them rather than any side characters or other humans. After all, it was figured that any character with a child-like mind would need to have a parental figure, and was never really scrapped. However, her design and name were not finalized until later in development of the story.

## Personality

Copper is well known for being a recluse in the town. No one really knows her as anything other than "the lady at the repair shop". It is a fault of her own that she doesn't get out much, she has always been a bit of an introvert. Awkward during most conversations, and has difficulty keeping another's interest. More recently though she has been making an effort to involve herself in the community, for the sake of her son, Pin.

But when around those she is familiar with, she has the ability to take on a more professional, authoritive role. She knows how to call the shots and keep everyone in check, but she is also attentive to another's emotions if they don't seem to be acting right. She's always willing to support those who aren't in the best place, and offers both comfort and/or advice when it is needed.

## History

### Early Life

Copper was born to an immigrant Japanese mother and a white American father in the San Francisco area. She had the standard childhood of most middle class American children. Two loving parents, no siblings, and attending public school.

As a girl, Copper always had a fascination with robots despite how the ones in her time were more clunky and slow than the modern models. She began studying mechanics and programming at a high school age, and settled on a decision to attend the San Francisco Institute of Technology, and majored in robotics.

### College Life

During her time at the university, Copper had met a young man by the name of Ethan Waters. Their relationship started off rather well as a friendship, which evolved into them becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Shortly after Copper had graduated and received her degree, Ethan proposed to her, and thus they became each other's fiances, soon husband and wife.

### Adulthood

At this point, life seemed pretty clear cut. Copper now had a job working as an assistant in a robot repair shop, and she was happy with a husband. But, at the same time, things still didn't seem perfect. While she had felt madly in love with him years before, and he with her, some days it seemed like both of them were starting to think the other way. After all, they did get together surprisingly quickly, only knowing each other for a handful of years before marriage. There was a chance that they may have rushed in too soon.

Eventually, the two of them began to see more and more flaws in each other, and fights between the two of them happened much more frequently. This seemed terrible to Copper, she couldn't stand the idea of having a bad marriage already, and who else would she have found? She was barely sociable, her husband was really the only one close to her. So, in order to not lose him, she proposed that they move on the next step on the "checklist" of life: having children. After all, having a kid would perfectly seal a marriage, right?

They tried, and… it didn’t work. Oh well, second time goes and… nothing again. Third time’s a charm! And still nothing. This went on for a very long while, until they were both fed up with this and their relationship, and contacted a doctor. As luck would have it, Copper was 100% infertile. Not even treatments could help.

Copper fell into depression, absolutely sure that she was a failure for her body’s limits. Her relationship with Ethan had not mended, in fact it only got worse. Even if they could have a child, it wouldn't have saved them. So in her most vulnerable moment, Ethan slipped her the divorce papers, and they were separated for good.

Copper had a rough year after that. Shutting herself inside, drinking to cope, crying herself to sleep most nights. She went to therapy and while it helped, it wasn’t always enough.

Copper couldn't stand living in California anymore, everything felt like torture. Therapy alone couldn't help, so instead, she chose to run away from it all. She received support from her parents and other relatives, and then later moved to the small town of Glade Park, Colorado, and opened up her own repair shop there. While she still wasn’t very sociable, her emotional state began to recover over those two years living there. She stopped drinking, cut off most toxicity from her life, and finally came to feel that her self worth wasn’t tied to marrying and having children.

Currently, she runs the shop watching over a handful of younger employees and workers. Rather recently, she has come upon a strange little robot whom she has named Pin, and has adopted him into her life. She was hesitant at first, since she had given up trying to be a parent a long time ago, but she knew there was no one else who would help him. She was the only capable person, and after taking him in she eventually developed a familial love for the robot.

## Relationships

### Pin

Pin is essentially Copper's son. While she had no part in building or programming him, she has adopted him ever since they met, as she couldn't stand the thought of abandoning a robot with the mind of a child. They've grown rather close, and while they are still adjusting to each other, their occasional arguments don't last for more than a day or two. However, Copper has felt fear of being too close to Pin. He wasn’t made by her, and she is well aware that he wants to know who made him and his reason for being created. She feels that someday, he will go on his own to find his maker. She knows it will hurt for the both of them if they grow so close. Yet, she knows he’s still a kid, albeit a robot kid, but still has a sensitive heart that needs love and guidance.

### Dani

Copper only knows Dani through Pin meeting the various townspeople. That being said, their first meeting was awkward as Copper is a reclusive business owner and Dani is a sociable single mother working at her parents' business. But over time they began to relate over the friendship that their children shared, and became more comfortable over with each other. They often have "adult talks", and Copper feels as though some of Dani's input really helps her navigate this new living situation.

### Agil

Copper is pretty friendly to Agil. They didn’t even really know each other until Pin brought them together, but they get along pretty alright. Copper really supports Agil’s friendship with Pin and is more lenient with Agil than the girl’s mother and brother would be. If Agil has something she doesn’t feel comfortable sharing with her family, most likely she’ll tell Copper. And although Agil isn’t a very mechanical person, she has learned some pretty basic handiness skills from her.

## Trivia

* Copper, strangely enough, has her appearance somewhat based off of the main villain of the first video game tie-in to Avatar the Last Airbender, who was an engineer woman that used machines that relied on elemental power.
* Copper's gender and somewhat young age is meant to counter the typical trope of a mentoring parental figure being an old man.
* Copper's name while she was married was Copper Waters. However this was rather ironic as it ended in a depressing divorce, and water causes the corrosion of copper metal.
* Copper doesn't have a car, and instead drives a motorcycle.
* She speaks some Japanese, however it is very rough after some time of no practicing, but she can understand native speakers very well. She cannot read Kanji very well, and has a stronger grasp on Katakana and Hiragana.
* Copper doesn’t drink alcohol. She used to, but after it developed into a problem trying to cope with her divorce, she began to cut all alcohol out of her diet. She mostly drinks tea now.

## Gallery

They'd probably visit the Suzuki family (Copper's mom's side) around Christmas and New Years.and colored now!better copper reference"I'm too old for this shit and I haven't even hit my 40's" - Copperhere's a young Copper!with style updates!