Septimus

> Look, I- I sort of have to save the world.
>
> Septimus, The Seventh Machine Ch. VI

Septimus is one of the two main protagonists of the *Project 54* series. He is the seventh automaton created by Eduard Eagleden as part of Project 54. As the only true success out of all seven androids, a bomb was placed inside of him by Dr. Eagleden. After being damaged by Eulalie’s family’s carriage and taken to their house, he befriends Eulalie and the two work together to “save the world” and complete him.

## Appearance

Septimus is an automaton made of machine. However, he is covered with a “shell” that makes him appear human. When he first meets Eulalie, he is missing the left part of his face, his left arm, his neck, a piece of the left side of his torso, and his right leg from the knee down. His arm and leg are thin and gold-bronze colored. His neck and face are composed of gears and wires. As the story continues, he collects the pieces until he is completed and looks completely human.

Although Septimus appears strange to people who have just met him, he is actually quite attractive. He is of a slim build with slender features. His hair is slightly longer than shoulder-length, wispy, and ash-brown. He often ties it in a ponytail, leaving two shorter locks hanging around the sides of his face (as they are not long enough to be tied up). He has a fair skin tone. His eyes are walnut brown, and glow different colors depending on what state he’s in (yellow normally, blinking green when charging, orange when damaged, blinking orange when out of energy, red when in his bomb state, and dark when he is off). Several people have thought that Septimus is very androgynous, with a face and body on the feminine side and a voice that is very versatile in pitch. Before Sixtine disappeared, his hair was much longer, going nearly down to his hips. He cut it as an act of rebellion against his father.

Septimus is very fashionable and dresses in mature and up-to-date outfits. He often wears a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, usually accompanying another top. He also commonly wears tall, dark brown boots with a pattern on them.

His appearance is based on Dr. Eagleden’s late fiancée, Arliss Rylerne.

## Personality

At first, Septimus can come off as intimidating or cold, whether because of his looks or his defensive personality. However, in reality, he is very kind and passionate, and he loves to learn about the world and see new people (although he also has a bit of a fear of people, since he thinks they would find him scary or would try to sell him and treat him like any other robot). He is not a very good liar, as he says in Ch. III of *The Seventh Machine*, also adding that that’s how Eduard Eagleden made him. The reason for this is unknown. He is very protective and loyal to those he cares for, especially towards Eulalie and Sixtine, whom he thinks of as his family. He has also been shown to have a sense of self-importance and purpose, though this is somewhat justified, since he is an automaton unlike any other who had the fate of the world in his hands. He has a tendency to be dramatic, and Eulalie describes him as “high-strung.”

After the events of the bomb, Septimus is guilt-ridden about the damage he caused and becomes upset whenever it is brought up.

Septimus is very intelligent and can speak many languages. A lot of the information he knows was coded into his brain by Dr. Eagleden, but he is also capable of learning, a trait that made him truly successful in Dr. Eagleden’s eyes.

Septimus doesn't feel romantic love but still can love people in other ways (platonically). He is obsessed with fashion and appearances, always dressing his best and making sure his friends do as well.

## Relationships

### Eulalie Roder

> You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Eulalie. One of my only friends.
>
> Septimus Eagleden, The Seventh Machine Ch. XLIII

Eulalie is Septimus's best friend (and one of the only friends he has). After her family's carriage crashed into him, Eulalie followed Septimus back to the Warehouse, and joined his mission of completing himself to change the world. Though they didn't trust each other much at first, they grew very close through everything that they went through, with Septimus gradually opening up about his past to Eulalie. By the end of all of their ordeals, they have a strong and trusting bond. They are very loyal and protective of each other, with Septimus often helping Eulalie with her injuries, and Eulalie vowing to help him after the two were caught. Eulalie's family eventually adopts Septimus, and their relationship resembles one between siblings (meaning that they banter often, but care about each other a lot).

Though some characters sometimes question if the two are a couple, their relationship is purely platonic, as neither has any interest in romance, especially not with each other (as their dynamic is closer to that of siblings than lovers). Eulalie expresses some frustration with this, saying how annoying it is that whenever someone sees a boy and a girl together, they assume they're dating.

### Sixtine

> Sixtine! Sixtine, it’s really you! I thought you were dead!
>
> Septimus Eagleden, Project 54 Ch. IV

Sixtine is Septimus's older sister, and they have a very caring and positive relationship. In the first years of their lives, they barely interacted with any others except each other, leading them to be quite close. After Dr. Eagleden threw Sixtine away, Septimus was filled with fury and confusion, and he cut his hair (which Dr. Eagleden always seemed to treasure) in an act of rebellion.

Sixtine has also said that she was jealous of how much Dr. Eagleden loved Septimus, but that never affected how much she loved her younger brother.

WIP

### Eduard Eagleden

> Look, Dr. Eagleden - Dad - was not who we thought he was. He was a terrible person. He was… a terrorist.
>
> Septimus Eagleden to Sixtine Eagleden, Project 54 Ch. VI

Eduard Eagleden was Septimus's father and creator, but the two's relationship is very complicated. Septimus originally was quite fond and caring of his father, but always noticed how his older sister, Sixtine, would get mistreated by Dr. Eagleden. After Sixtine disappeared, Septimus was furious with Dr. Eagleden, cutting his hair in an act of rebellion. Septimus never trusted or loved his father nearly as much after that, but still felt sadness after he woke up and Dr. Eagleden was dead. After the Dr. Eagleden's weapon goes off, Septimus's feelings about his father grow into utter hatred about how he was manipulated and tricked into killing people, and he stops calling him "father."

Dr. Eagleden always loved Septimus the most out of all of the Project 54 automatons, and thought that Septimus was the only true success out of all of them. Even though Septimus was originally meant to only be one of his creations, Dr. Eagleden grew very affectionate of his "son" as he got to know Septimus, so much so that he even considered forgetting his plan of terrorism (though he still went through with it in the end). However, the fact that Septimus resembled Arliss Rylerne, Dr. Eagleden's late fiancée, most likely affected this love and made it so that Dr. Eagleden was biased. This also caused Dr. Eagleden to have a fondness for Septimus's long hair (which was like Arliss's), and he was angry when Septimus cut it.

Septimus currently has a negative relationship with Dr. Eagleden.

### Cyrus Hernandez

> I don’t like him very much. It’s not that I hate him with a passion or anything, but I guess I still have a small grudge against him from when he caught and interrogated me. Or maybe I just don’t like feeling guilty every time I see him.
>
> Septimus Eagleden about Cyrus Hernandez, Project 54 Ch. X

Septimus doesn't like Dr. Hernandez a lot, since the latter was rude and strict with him. However, there is still a feeling of mutual respect between the two of them, as Dr. Hernandez treated Septimus like a human being after learning more about him, and Septimus was compliant with Construo after the bomb, feeling grief and regret about what happened. Septimus also feels a great deal of guilt about Dr. Hernandez being crushed in the chaos of the weapon, and avoids him because of this.

Dr. Hernandez also doesn't like Septimus, holding a bit of a grudge against Septimus for the ordeal with the weapon, but he tolerates him and feels a bit of pity for him.

Had they met under different circumstances, it's likely that the two would've had a better relationship, as they have a lot in common (sharing a hatred for Dr. Eagleden, a love for engineering, and introverted/reserved personalities).

### Beatriss Rylerne

Beatriss Rylerne is somewhat of an aunt to Septimus, being the (almost) sister-in-law of Septimus's father. However, the two have a hatred of each other.

### Arliss Rylerne

Though Septimus never met Arliss (as he was born after she died), he has very complicated feelings about her. He had initially thought that he had an original appearance, but after learning that he was based on Arliss, he had somewhat of an identity crisis and had to rethink the reasons behind the way his father treated him.

Arliss could be considered Septimus's mother, since he looks like her and she was the fiancée of his father, though the she and Septimus never actually interacted.

### Arthur Chandler

> You’re a beautiful, amazing machine. I wish that we could let you live. But at least you can take consolation that, in a way, your termination will save the world.
>
> Arthur Chandler to Septimus Eagleden, The Seventh Machine Ch. XXXV

Septimus doesn't know Dr. Chandler very well, but was pleased that Dr. Chandler treated him nicely (compared to Dr. Hernandez, at least), even after Septimus decimated the city.

### Ulysses Roder

At first, Septimus didn't like Ulysses much, since Ulysses seemed to objectify Septimus a bit and had eventually called the authorities on him. However, Ulysses was one of the ones who convinced Construo to let Septimus live, and he was also the one to later "adopt" Septimus, and they now have a positive relationship.

Ulysses currently thinks of Septimus as a very intriguing machine and a nice person, and admires Septimus's talent for engineering.

### Ivonne Roder

Septimus and Ivonne have a tense relationship, as Ivonne was always distrusting and suspicious of Septimus, and was angry with him for "kidnapping" her daughter, Eulalie. She thinks he is quite strange and unnatural, and doesn't think of him as quite human. Currently, she is somewhat of an adoptive mother to him, which she wasn't entirely happy about. However, their relationship improved slightly between their shared enjoyment of fashion.

## Quotes

* (To Eulalie and Ulysses, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. III) *“Who are you?! Where am I?! Why am I naked?!”*
* (To Eulalie and Ulysses, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. IV) *“Well, as nice as it’s been being kidnapped and questioned, I must bid you adieu.”*
* (To Eulalie, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. X) *“After I save the world, everything will work out.”*
* (To Eulalie, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XV) *“Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a girl.”*
* (To Eulalie, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XIX) *“It’s not like anyone would stop you on the street and ask if your hair is fake.”*
* (Narrating, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XXV) *“Now, see, if I was human and could feel pain, this could cause some problems!”*
* (To Dr. Chandler, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XXXIII) *“Who could know why you’re preventing me from saving the world?! Don’t you understand?! I need to be complete to do that! So why the hell are you standing in my way?!”*
* (To Dr. Hernandez, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XXXV) *“I was supposed to save the world! Damn it! You’re lying. That’s impossible. You’re lying…”*
* (To himself, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XXXV) "*No - It’s not that I never realized anything. It’s because I ignored all these things. I believed those damn blueprints because I wanted to think I was special, didn’t I? And I have only brought this upon myself.*"
* (To himself, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XXXVIII) *“WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?! YOU’RE DESTROYING THE CITY! STOP!”*
* (To himself, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XL) *“**This is my body! I control it! And I will not kill my best friend!**”*
* (To Eulalie, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XLI) *“Eulalie, I was there the entire time! I could see, hear, feel everything! But I couldn’t… I couldn’t do anything!”*
* (To himself, *The Seventh Machine* Ch. XLII) *“She… she doesn’t know what I did. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want her to know. I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t want to know.”*
* (To Eulalie, The Seventh Machine Ch. XLIII) *“Nothing about this is* fair*! Do you think the deaths I caused were* fair*?! Do you think the bomb I got placed inside of me was* fair*?! Don’t you* dare *call me selfish! I am a* bomb*! I was created to* destroy*!* I don’t want to do that!*”*

## Trivia

* Septimus’s name means “the seventh,” and is of Latin origin. His name comes from the fact that he is the seventh automaton (as part of Project 54) created by Eduard Eagleden.
* Septimus (and the rest of the characters) were originally supposed to live in France or a French-inspired imaginary country, but it was changed so that they live in an English/American-inspired imaginary country.
* Septimus is ambidextrous. However, he tends to use his right hand more often, for whatever reason.
* In Septimus’s original design, he wore a hat, gloves, and held a cane, (similar to Eulalie), and also had a monocle, but this was scrapped because it would be too inconvenient.
* His lucky number is 7.
	+ This is presumably because he is the seventh automaton of Project 54.
* Septimus resembles Arliss Rylerne and Beatriss Rylerne.
	+ His appearance was based on Arliss Rylerne, whose twin is Beatriss Rylerne.
* Septimus is “made like a doll,” meaning that he has no genitalia.
	+ He shares this trait with the other automatons that came before him.
* He likes his long hair a lot, yet is annoyed when it isn’t tied up.
* Septimus needs energy to function. He plugs himself into a solar-powered charger at night. While charging, he goes unconscious (making it comparable to sleeping) and his eyes blink dim green.
	+ He can go up to a week without charging, but he still plugs himself in every night in case he isn’t able to get to the charger in the future.
* He likes cats.
* Septimus cannot see color, since his eyes, which he says “are like cameras,” mostly pick up shape, and while they can tell how much light is around him, they cannot differ between the different wavelengths of light (and therefore the different colors).
* Septimus can use echolocation.
* Septimus can play several instruments, including piano, cello, and violin. However, the violin brings up difficult memories of his father, and he dislikes the instrument.
* He is a Taurus (with both of his birthdays, April 21 and May 14).
* Septimus's hair in his design was originally much longer, going down to below his shoulder blades, but this was changed so it would make more sense with his side locks of hair.
* His MBTI personality type is INTP-T.
	+ This is the same as his father', Eduard Eagleden's.
* He has perfect pitch and can identify notes. However, he can’t adjust the exact pitch of his voice, and therefore can’t sing or recreate notes.
* He weighs around 120 lbs (54 kg).
* Septimus has a habit of rolling his eyes.

## Gallery

Ch. XXXIX of The Seventh MachineCh. XVIII of The Seventh MachineA remake drawingA remake drawingCh. XLIII of The Seventh MachineA remake drawing - Ch. XX of The Seventh MachineCh. XL of The Seventh MachineA family portrait of the EagledensCh. XL of The Seventh MachineCh. XX of The Seventh MachineCh. XVI of The Seventh MachineThe first drawing of Septimus