RGB

RGB
Creator	Sarah Jolley (ModMad)
Species	Television object head; Monster.
Age	"33". Born the 21st of May, in an unknown year of the Rooster.
Gender	Male
Sexuality	Pan
Introduced	Page 1
Current Whereabouts	Elastic Valley
Tarot card	The Magician
Relationships
Family	Dial (cousin)
Significant other(s)	Madras (?girlfriend?) Magnus (ex-boyfriend)

"Are you a monster?"

"The very worst one."

"You don't look like a monster."

"That's how you can tell."

RGB is the second main character of The Property of Hate, being the first character created for the comic and appearing along with the Hero on the very first page. A self-proclaimed "Worst Monster" who sets the plot in motion by whisking away our young Hero (the latest of those with that title that he has taken in an attempt to save his world), he has been around for an indescribably long time, and would hope to stay that way.

Story

Pre-comic

RGB's past, like much set before the events of the comic, is mostly a mystery. We do know, however, that he had died at some point in the past, implying he may have once been human. Likely an actor. He has had some unknown bad experience relating to irons.

Later, in his current form, he's taken up the job of recruiting heroes to save the world he occupies. This has failed on multiple occasions, and past attempts include most solid characters encountered so far. He has been arrested for "stealing keys" at least once before.

In-comic

He begins the story with a question, the oft-quoted "I say... Would you like to be a Hero?". When The Hero agrees, he leads her to The World of Make Believe, creating a staircase out of smoke that leads up into the clouds. As Hero begins to feel tired after crossing into the World of Make Believe, RGB leads her to a place to rest by the edge of the Pool of Tears, which is considered “safer”, provided that she dreams. When RGB wakes, he discovers that Hero has used the condensation to draw on his screen, and remarks about his dislike for working with children and animals. He teaches Hero about the Lies and Doubts that are in the area, before realizing that they have been found by a group of Fears. He gets caught by a Fear and dragged towards the water, calling out for Hero to help him. She manages to break a vial in time but gets stabbed through the chest in the process, collapsing to the ground.

RGB determines that it would be more effort to start again with a new hero, and so he takes her to Madras to get healed. In return for the healing and some supplies for future conflict, Madras drains RGB of three pints of color, something that he is annoyed with (as Madras has raised her prices), but ultimately agrees to. The two of them have a discussion about how the world is ending, and it is shown that RGB does not want to accept this fate of the world, and is still trying to fight against it. After Hero wakes up, she and RGB bid farewell to Madras and go on their way to catch the ferry. When explaining Fears, it comes up that RGB has some fear of water, or something similar.

Making their way to the pier, they run into TOby, who tells them that Hate sank the ferry and the Ferryman, which puts a hitch in RGB’s plan. He bickers with TOby, before Hero draws his attention that she had made a bridge with books so that they did not need to find a different route. While they walk, RGB answers some of Hero’s questions about the World of Make Believe, particularly about the trees. But before that conversation can continue, they’re interrupted by RGB’s cousin Dial, who is very enthusiastic and takes an interest in the fact that RGB is still recruiting heroes and attempting to save the world.

After leaving Dial behind, Hero and RGB go find a place to rest at a graveyard. As Hero is nervous about sleeping there, RGB allows her to watch cartoons on his screen. However, she falls asleep on his lap, and her dreams get caught in his vents, causing RGB to experience his own strange version of a nightmare. In it, he lives through a failed version of a stunt from "Steamboat Bill Jr" (Buster Keaton, 1928), with a voice telling him that he’s off of his mark. He remarks that that wasn’t how he died, before waking up due to coming in contact with an Idea, upon the back of which Hero is riding. Hero begins to get carried away with the Idea, but RGB brings her back and they run from it until Hero thinks to use RGB’s screen to bore the Idea with advertisements.

After leaving the Idea, the two of them begin the trek across the Plains of Hesitation, where Hero asks to go home and RGB tries to explain that he is unable to take her back. He gets frustrated and exclaims that she is nothing but the Hero anymore, and challenges her to remember her own name. When she can’t, she’s overwhelmed with anger and yells at RGB to leave, which he does without much protest. RGB rambles to himself as he leaves, but notices in his own rambling that he is getting leeched by a Doubt. Although he knows the tricks of the Doubts, Hero does not, and he goes back to find her almost entirely encased by them. Right after he pulls the Doubts off of her, he is faced with Fears and a Grief and tries to run away. The grief catches him, and the pouring tears causes RGB to shut down and shift to his Negative form, who kills the Fears and scares off the Grief, before reverting back to RGB and collapsing, unconscious.

RGB wakes in a tree, soon discovering that Hero dragged him there while he was unconscious. There he talks to Assok, and asks them to deliver messages back and forth between him and Hero, who is still very angry at him. Getting frustrated with that way of communication, RGB chases Hero around the tree to try to talk to her properly, and they devolve into insulting each other. Assok attempts to repeat multiple of this insults at once, creating words that both RGB and Hero find very funny, letting their fight dissipate in favor of laughing about it together. Hero slips from the part of the tree she was sitting on, and falls on a branch that impales her in the chest, but she survives due to it being through the schism. RGB lifts her off of the branch and decides that they need to get some rest, giving Hero his jacket to use as a blanket.

When they both awaken, the tree has begun to shed its mantle and is floating into the air, stranding RGB and Hero off of the ground. RGB uses his cane and some of the mantle to zipline back down to the bottom, while answering Hero’s questions about the tree. He figures out that Assok had been chewing through the ███████ that made up the tree’s mantle, and gathers an armful of the ███████ to use in the future. These explanations are cut short as Julienne, full of anger at RGB for raising the tree, attacks him and accuses him of creating a trap. Both RGB and Julienne get stuck in the ███████, and stay there until Melody detangles them. The conflict deescalates when Assok repeats all the noise back to get everyone’s attention.

As the group plans to go to the Market, Hero ties the ███████ to RGB’s ankle as a way to try to guarantee that he will take her back home. After some chatter they travel under the Sea to the Market, although Julienne and Melody disappear near the start of the journey. Hero, RGB, and Assok keep going through the Darkness to get to the Market, though RGB has to tell Hero a story so that she doesn’t get scared on the way. They arrive at the Market, where RGB explains how pieces and parts are bartered for, and they all hide from Click passing by. RGB trades his hand to Watcher for them to keep an eye on Click and alert if he gets too close to them.

While they keep moving towards Cell’s store, RGB talks about the function of the Marker and the people inside it, which Hero likens to a train station. At Cell’s emporium, Tailor threatens RGB into removing his jacket to oblige to the dress code, and Tinker gives him a new hand to replace the one that he had sold. While Hero is picking new amour, RGB is getting his sleeves ironed out by Tailor, despite the fact that his arms were still in there. In order to cross the Sands of Regret, both Hero and RGB need wooden shoes, and Cell gives him horseshoes that need to be nailed on by Tinker.

As it gets to nightfall before they could leave the Market, the group stays the night at Cell’s emporium. Due to the amount of creatures that dreamed within range of RGB, he also dreamed, seeing more failed stunts ( "Safety Last" (Harold Lloyd, 1923), "Modern Times" (Charlie Chaplain, 1936), "Sherlock Jr" (1924, Keaton), "One Week" (1920, Keaton), "The General" (1926, Keaton) ) and remarking how they were not how he died. But he gets to one about a clothing iron and an ironing board, and neglects to remark upon it, simply startling awake from the nightmare and exclaiming that he has a headache.

After leaving Assok (who wants to stay with Cell), RGB and Hero head back into the Market, but quickly get separated, and try to find the other one. They meet up again by calling for each other, but at the same time Click finally tracks them down, threatening to shoot RGB. RGB taunts Click with jokes, both biding time and defusing Hero’s fear of the situation. With a cleverly thrown vial and a previously placed cane, RGB is able to escape with Hero, buying time before Click can find them again.

But it doesn’t last long, and Click shoots before he talks this time, firing ███████ from his gun into RGB’s shoulder. RGB is incapacitated while Click explains that RGB murdered both him and Hero, and tells the Market Guardians that his actions here have been justified. When RGB attempts to defend himself, he is put on mute, and Hero is given the task of deciding his fate. Click attempts to sway her into destroying RGB, but she instead saves him and Click gets pushed into the Sea. The Market Guardians rule that, while RGB has assured his own survival, he would be banned from the Market henceforth. After a short but sentimental conversation with Magnus, RGB and Hero leave back through the Darkness.

At the end of the passage, they are nearly blocked by Dreams, which RGB deduces must be the only thing holding up the Sea, and finds himself proven right when the Sands are shown to spread for miles, no trees in sight. As they walk along the sand, RGB explains that it was in fact Nothing that destroyed the trees, and that the Sands of Regret are home to things that have been overall discarded.

Their walk is interrupted by a large black train, one that erupts out of the sand and catches both Hero and RGB in one of the carriages. Hero rests while RGB plans a way to get off of the train without shredding themselves on the sand, but when he begins to enact it, some of Hero’s dreams get into his vents and he gets knocked out, for a moment depicted as a human version of himself before Hero’s wakes him up again. He brushes off her concern and enacts his plan to success, using his cane to negate the movement from the train as they jump.

The train chases them for a moment, but is scared away by the storm of Nothing, which then attempts to consume RGB and Hero. They run for the white picket fence, but the Nothing is closing in too fast and RGB takes his last moment to throw Hero to the top of the fence before getting overtaken by the Nothing, and going unconscious.

While Hero enters the Nothing to save him, she cries on him which activates Negative, who creates a large flower which can resist the Nothing and protects both of them. Immediately afterwards, Negative collapses and reverts back to RGB, still unconscious.

When he comes to again, Time had shuffled both Hero and RGB into the future, with RGB’s circuitry causing his voice to glitch and him to have trouble moving. But by riding on Gladys, he is able to continue along with Hero. Hero deduces that Julienne and Melody are trapped in the Pool of Tears, and RGB only allows her to go and investigate after tying his cane to her as a way to pull her back out. Not only does Hero free Julienne and Melody, but also another one of the trees that had been cast down.

After her trip into the Pool of Tears, Hero is dissolving, and RGB comforts her and helps her put herself back together. With buttons from his jacket and some lines from Julienne, he is able to fix Hero up slightly, with some design alterations. Julienne and Melody part ways to go to the Market for the safety it offers, while Hero and RGB go to Madras to help RGB get his wiring fixed. Right before he is woken back up by Madras, RGB has some sort of dream or nightmare where he is given a journal, or a general place to put down his thoughts. But as he starts to write his name in it, he is officially brought back to consciousness by Madras whacking him on the head. Madras says goodbye and leaves the House of Paint to Hero, and pushes RGB backwards with the final farewell, causing both him and Hero to return to the past where Time had taken them from.

With the falling of the moon, they are catapulted into Elastic Valley, and RGB immediately has to follow Hero as she runs off and breaks a Temper, soon fixing it afterwards. They are confronted by T.G., who demands an explanation from RGB. That explanation is cut off, however, as the Butterfly steals Hero’s eyes, causing RGB to chase it down and attempt to pull it apart to get the eyes back. One of the wings slices into RGB’s finger, triggering some sort of vision or flashback for a moment, before RGB comes back to himself and continues the chase.

RGB is only able to get one of Hero’s eyes back before the Butterfly disappears, but restores it to her. T.G. learns that RGB has stolen more keys, and therefore refuses to help, and RGB loses hope as he realizes how few options he is left with, and that it is very likely he will fail once more and that there is not enough time for him to try again with a new hero.

To rest, Hero and RGB set up the House of Paint as a place to stay that is safe, and RGB reflects privately as they enter the house. He talks on how often he has failed, and how some of the details of his memory had been sold or traded. He also mentions how he died, and how he is sure that failing is all he ever did. It is additionally revealed that he indeed had once been a hero himself, and had begged Hate to give him another chance because of how pathetic his failing had been. She had found his pleas amusing, and granted his request for that reason alone.

As he talks about how he was only allowed one last chance, he and Hero officially enter the House of Paint, and find that it looks differently from when it was owned by Madras, now resembling more of a child’s room with scattered stars on the walls and toys around the room, much to Hero’s delight.

Specific traits

Color bleed

The colors that drip from the front of his screen are not, as it may seem, merely candylike drool. The fluid is more bloodlike, since it is something apparently common to all characters as well as Trees, as it is actually the form that the personality-defining emotion that is the requirement of all characters takes when it is raw. Each color corresponds to a specific emotion; yellow is fear, blue/cyan is sadness, green is happiness, magenta is curiosity, and red is anger. It is assumed that such a "life-force" behind living characters ought to generally stay inside of their bodies, making RGB another peculiarity, who can touch such a material without harm the harm it might do to someone like Hero. The "color bleed" pun was entirely deliberate on ModMad's part.

Television

RGB's head not only looks like an old television set, it also functions as one. However, if he is being used as a television, he loses awareness of himself for that period of time, incapable of being anything other than a television. He is, however, aware of what is being played on his screen.

The upper white dial changes the channel, and serves to switch him into "tv mode". The lower black dial adjusts the set's volume, and can be used to adjust RGB's voice even when conscious. The bottom white panel contains brightness and contrast sliders, which can also be used by RGB without losing awareness. The black square above the panel is a power button. When pressed, RGB "switches off" and loses all form.

Dreams

Whereas dreams within the world of the comic appear to be healing for most of its' inhabitants, RGB has been seen to experience horrific nightmares when exposed to them, typically consisting of his demise by means of black-and-white era film stunts gone wrong (in order: "Steamboat Bill Jr" (Buster Keaton, 1928), "Safety Last" (Harold Lloyd, 1923), "Modern Times" (Charlie Chaplain, 1936), "Sherlock Jr" (1924, Keaton), "One Week" (1920, Keaton), "The General" (1926, Keaton)). He is typically very unfazed by these, remarking that they are "not how he died". The only dream known to actually disturb him during it was one relating to being faced with an ironing board.

Personality

Though he appears to be classy and sophisticated, it is only a facade. A coward, a sham artist, and a stubborn believer that the world can be saved. A bit cheesy, and an entertainer at heart who can too easily be provoked to dance, yet prefers to keep his personal space. He also falls in love altogether too easily,

His actions and motives are largely unknown, but he is described by Hero as "Neutral" when she is asked whether she considers him to be good or evil.

Likes

Puns, but only if he is the one making them. Rooibos tea, if he were able to drink it. Dogs, he's had better experiences with them than cats. Mary Poppins, who he has imitated on several counts. Given the choice between ice skating or rollerblading, he would choose rollerblading. In school, he'd have enjoyed Phys Ed and English the most.

Dislikes

A not unreasonable fear of water, due to having an electrical appliance for a head. Cats are also not something he cares for, since their fur will cling to his screen and he had had a bad experience with one while attempting to recruit another hero. In school, he'd have hated Math and Economics, and done terribly in French and Latin.

Appearance

Default form

RGB takes the appearance of an old 80's style television set suspended in the air above a similarly disembodied suit. The television serves as his head for all intents and purposes, with the screen providing a face and the color test bars an expressive mouth, by either bending to a smile or scowl, or dripping the color best corresponding to his current emotion. His antennas will also move and change with his mood, and are extremely sensitive. His hands are gloves, and his feet are shoes with spats built in. The collar of his shirt is turned up due to the static from the television, which amusingly, gives it the appearance of a satellite dish. He couldn't change this even if he wanted to. The static also gives him the overall smell of pennies and ozone.

RGB stands at 5'5" tall, with a lean and athletic figure based on that of an ice skater, to which his suit is both well fit and entirely comprises (though both his pants and the sleeves of his shirt are rolled up for being too long). He is able to change the color of his outfit both willingly and accidentally, allowing him to camouflage or adjust brightness as needed or when startled or hurt. His outfits are typically very bright, though the whole suit as well as his hat will always match. He has had a total of 11 distinct outfits so far, including Negative's. He has wooden horseshoes nailed to his shoes.

Additionally, he carries a bamboo cane that he can summon with a snap of his fingers, a property which he will often creatively and effectively utilize. It does not appear as though anyone else save for himself (in either state) can use it in this way. His boater hat has a more inconsistent sort of loyalty, staying on his head in all situations save for the plot-relevant or comedic. Handkerchiefs are rarely not found on his person..

It is of interest to note that, like Hero, he does not wear socks. It's been suggested that this may be due in part by the current form of a previous Hero.

He is also indelible, meaning he is incapable of significant changes to this form.

Human

A profile of an early human!RGB

RGB's human self is one of dubious canon, considering he was apparently once someone alive.

The earliest designs featured multicolored wavy hair, matching the bars on his usual screen, and deliberately handsome features such as hazel eyes. He's been described as looking like a cross between David Bowie and Buster Keaton, and use of facemorphing has confirmed this. More recently, the technicolor hair been drawn as simply blond, strengthening the Dorian Gray type similarities. His palette switches accordingly if drawn as humanized Negative.

He is, on rare occasion, drawn with freckles.

A typical speech bubble belonging to RGB

Dialogue

His speech bubbles are rectangular and white, connected by thin, looping white line. He uses the same font as Hero, which is Digital Strip.

Mod's headcanon voice for him is a cross between Patrick Magoohan and Colin Firth. She's also liked the idea of him sounding like John Cleese. Either way, he has a very proper sounding Received Pronunciation English accent.

Skills

As a jack of all trades entertainer, RGB has a handful of bardic skills. He is musically talented, with both a good singing voice and proficiency at ukulele. He can also dance, with confirmed styles including tap dancing. He's also a skilled chess and poker player, but rarely plays the latter after once being caught using magic tricks to cheat. Despite his design influences, he is more adept at rollerblading than ice skating.

Gallery

RGB's suit from Chapter 3: Soft Focus to Chapter 4: Diegesis.

RGB's suit from Chapter 5: Suture to Chapter 6: Negative.

RGB's suit from Chapter 7: POV to Chapter 10: Pitch.

RGB's suit from Chapter 11: Ensemble to Chapter 13: Hoofers.

RGB's suit from Chapter 14: Click to Chapter 18: Dolly Zoom.

RGB's suit from Chapter 19: Inbetweens to Chapter 26: Casting.

RGB's suit during a short flashback on page 473.

RGB's suit during part of his story in Chapter 26: Casting.

RGB's suit during part of his story in Chapter 26: Casting.

Trivia

• The way which RGB carries Hero (which is to say, poorly) is not actually careless, and would actually be correct if Hero were a stuffed animal. Unfortunately, Hero is in fact a human child.
• If he were an animal, he would be a coyote or a red fox.
• If he were a Pokémon, he might be a Girafarig.
• Out of the three new Pokémon Sun and Moon starters, he'd pick Popplio.
• RGB has been drawn with a Pokémon team consisting of a Haunter and a Yamask.
• RGB was originally created as a shadow persona, and an amalgam of all the qualities Sarah Jolley considered to be her worst. He however quickly developed a life and story of his own.
• The original concept sketch. Truly a work of art.
• Since his birthday is May 21st, he is a Gemini, which works well considering Negative exists.
• RGB's design and behavior was heavily inspired by Buster Keaton.
• The Purple and Green suit we haven't seen yet was actually an edited picture by ModMad for one of her followers who wanted a tattoo.
• His character was, in part, influenced by the Donald Duck comic character Gladstone Gander.
• RGB's hat resembles the hat worn by Snow Miser in films like The Year Without a Santa Claus. They both wear a Boater hat.
• The current colors of this wiki correspond to his current suit colors.
• RGB wears boxers (Julienne remarks that it makes sense with a head like his).
• RGB's longest-lasting suit coloration is his pansexual pride flag suit, used from Chapter 19: Inbetweens (while he is unconscious) all the way to the end of Chapter 26: Casting. In our real-world time, this suit lasted a little over 4 years.

Theories

For analysis and speculation, see RGB/Dreaming