Only just now realizing I can ask this especially after you sent me that ask about my ocs BUT. I've seen some things about Null and would like the infodump about. idk Null's pronouns but free pass to either talk at length or link a post bc I'm so curious 👀🫶
(also wondering if you're cool with seeing other people also talk lovingly about v1 bc wow, What A Creature [affectionate])
OKAY SO... this is a long one brace yourself. (Also null uses he/it! in this AU V1 uses she/it/they)
Null started out as a husk within hell. He was some undocumented species of husk but looked similar to the early filth model.
He has very little memory of his time on Earth, but retained enough to know a few things.
He is very good with machinery, and has always been interested in it
this body doesn't feel right, no flesh ever truly has
he has a deep, deep admiration and devotion for v1, someone to his knowledge he has had very little interaction with
These 3 points are VERY important to his character and he would fundamentally be a different person without them.
He. Despises what he is. This isn't right, it really isn't, but machinery feels. correct. so correct. so right. In his mind, he is one of them, even though part of him forever doubts that he will truly be a machine no matter what he tries.
So. Initially he starts off figuring out how to slowly replace everything he can of his body with something mechanical without accidentally killing himself. clearly, he is successful. at a compromise.
He couldn't get rid of everything. He's about 90% machine 10% husk at the end of it. The hell mass of his old body doesn't really know what to do anymore, so it ends up growing between all of his mechanics, joints, and any other crevice it can find. it is VERY irritated. He needs to be cleaned out consistently to be able to function properly, he has trouble doing it himself and it often ends in him basically-crying, and none of his friends really have the dexterity to do so.
It's either this, or let Hell, who is angry at him for taking his fate into his own hands, painfully reconsume him into its walls. (this is a reason he has trouble in layers such as gluttony or any time hell's flesh is exposed, as he sticks to it, and it can be painful to rip himself off if he stays too long)
I should mention, in the middle of all this null gets taken in by a couple other machines, a swordsmachine named Eighty who left his pack to pursue life as a pacifist (and because he was high-key bullied), and a streetcleaner named Sarah who likes modding her skirt. the 3 of them live together in a cave that exists in an intersection between lust and violence (in my headcanons hell isn't exactly linear and the layers intersect a lot). They all have an affinity for salvaging human objects and programs. Two other entities live there, a repaired terminal simply known as Termi, and a stray named Gerald. Both are in a polycule with Eighty. Termi has a lot of human programs and media archived on him which the others often use for entertainment.
Living together like this is VERY neccesary for all of them because they're all disabled to some extent. Though, hypothetically, the other two could fend for themselves. Null, however, has very poor structural integrity. His parts aren't of the best quality and as mentioned earlier the whole flesh stuff, so he is very prone to breakdowns. He avoids conflict if possible due to it. Luckily, he's able to fuel off of old blood so he can usually snatch up scraps from other people's kills.
another aspect to this is that in null's universe, a colony of machines known as "undergrounders" have formed in defiance to the point system. These are machines who didn't understand the point of fighting and try to live as civil of a life as possible. There's a lot of trading, modification, etc etc. Null isn't the only huskmachine or demonmachine in this colony either. Most of them settled within abandoned buildings of Lust. The downside is they are hostile towards point-system followers, machines who have a higher kill drive instinct, and people who sympathize with point system followers. This means Null and Eighty both have been ostracized--Null for modeling himself adjacent to a V model, admiring V1 to the point of near-obsession, and even for being as disabled as he is unfortunarely, and Eighty for being a swordsmachine who was formerly part of a very hostile pack of swordsmachines.
The thing is, Null understands why V1 of all machines follows that system. How she's built practically REQUIRES her to have to be constantly killing, and because of how GOOD she is at it, there's no way to just back out without someone wanting revenge on her. She's gone too far, and Null in a way thinks he can bring her back down.
However, despite his admiration, his obsession, the letters he writes that he will never give, the gifts he forges out of scrap and refurbished weapons, the actions he imagines doing with her to the point he short circuits himself... he's scared of her, like everyone else.
She's scared of him too.
Most of their time together is Null watching her, throwing gifts at her, scared to approach, and she's under the presumption he's a threat but won't attack unless he does.
But that somewhat changes one day when one of V1's arms falls off mid-combat. Null saw this happen and once the combat died down he went up to her, picked up the arm, and returned it to her. They didn't exchange much, an anxious stare or two, before Null ran off fearfully. But that day cemented Null as not a threat in V1's mind. From this point on, she would occasionally acknowledge him when he watched her from the shadows. As Null kept gifting her random objects and trinkets, she eventually put together that some of the gifts she's received or "randomly" found on the ground next to her, including some AWESOME customized weapons (notably a marksman and a sawed on) were from him. As they got closer, she started leaving things of her own too, mainly coins or flowers since that's what she could find.
Eventually their interactions got to the point of actually interacting properly, maybe holding hands for a second, or a quick hello. But V1 doesn't talk much to conserve blood (she has a voice box she salvaged after regretting ripping out her original one, but maybe she doesn't regret it. This higher voice fits better than the lower one she once had.)
One day, Kitr (of course I mean game kitr, who in this AU follows V1 around a lot so she just chose to adopt her) fell asleep on top of Null, who was resting against a wall in an alleyway of Lust. V1 was looking for Kitr at the moment and found the two together. She decided why not and sat next to Null, eventually leaning against him. This made him nervous, but he was.. happy. And so was V1.. she was purring.. holy shit... eventually, V1 actually briefly went into rest mode next to Null, which she literally only did when she felt safe. Null did the same.
He woke up alone, but he had a flower crown on him. He presumed V1 made this and went on with his day, never being the same again.
from this point on, they would try to see eachother in safe spaces when possible. Null would prepare gifts for V1, etc etc
They notably would meet often in 5-S, which was an agreed upon no-kill zone. They had some of their best times here, talking, dancing, play fighting, and the best? Null feeling safe enough for V1 to clean him out, those were the best cleanings he EVER got... but that never lasted forever, it was never meant to. Neither of them had the certainty of ever seeing eachother again, or worse, one watching the other be killed.
There's a lot more, but I think I've rambled enough, and it just gets grimmer from here.
however some notes on null's build
His tail was gifted to him from a mindflayer friend of his. It works to launch projectiles AND as a tazer
due to his wings being salvaged from what remained of V2, he was unable to recover their storage capabilities and they are purely cosmetic
