Kingsley Vogue

Kingsley Vogue is the deuteragonist of the Slapstick Culture series, appearing and starring in all three acts.

Background
Kingsley is one of the lead actors in the Short Pier production Dr. Keeble's Invisibles and, by extension, a major player in the Underground Justice. He considers himself to be an entirely synthetic cartoon, despite having been born organic, as he was kidnapped at a young age by Hydra to be redrawn as a Rubber Hose bioweapon. As he was a baby when this occured, he retains no memories of his former self, and isn't entirely sure what he used to be.

Kingsley first joined the Underground Justice as a teenager, immediately following the death of Hydra. He managed to save himself and a few others from the mansion, losing an ear and nearly bisecting himself in the process. He worked as a hitman in the Queen's Quarter (and, to a lesser extent, the Bijela Jaz) for years before meeting Radley, who pointed him toward the Short Pier/Mixy Morbid auditions. He was hired as a bodyguard for Sydney, as well as for anyone else on the team who needed one, as he was the most physically capable of the lot. According to Sydney's journal, he was the tenth audition on the first day, and the second to be hired for the team (with Skitster having been the first.)

Personality
Kingsley is a quick-witted but kind young man. He is best known for his unusually dark sense of humor, which often manifests as slipping references to cannibalism and murder into otherwise mundane conversations. Many of his jokes are rather self-depricating, a tactic he uses to convince those around him that he isn't terribly dangerous. Despite this, he is usually very sympathetic, even affectionate, and can be called the most agreeable member of the Short Pier cast. Additionally, in sharp contrast to the rest of the cast, he has no notable addictions, nor was he wanted by the Public Justice for any crimes before joining the Underground.

However, he suffers very low self-esteem, mostly due to his nature as a synthetic bioweapon. Despite his friends' constant reassurance that he isn't an inherently bad person, he has trouble understanding his own charisma, and often feels lonely and unwanted. Yet, this isn't apparent to those that don't know him well, and so he comes off to strangers as being much more confident than he actually is. This fake confidence can even be interpreted as cockiness (such as by Reef, who thinks of him as a "puffed-up wannabe jackass.")

Physical Appearance
Kingsley is approximately six feet in height, and is painted entirely in greyscale. Like most Rubber Hoses, he has thin limbs with no joints, solid black eyes, and wears white gloves at all times. His fur is short and black, save the classic white "triple peak" pattern on his face, the three white bars around his ear, his feet, and his serial tattoo. He appears to be a sort of rabbit, having one long ear (as the other was cut off when Hydra's mansion was attacked) and large white feet with sharp claws. However, he also has a long, powerful tail with a curved blade on the end, and a serial number (014, though the "4" is usually hidden) painted on his right side.

Due to his injuries, Kingsley's clothes always include bandages around his waist, which apparently also serve as a sort of belt. He typically wears oversized pants, which occasionally have intricate patterns along the side, and scarves, though he often goes without a shirt. This may be due to additional, unseen injuries, or simply a matter of taste.

Relationships

 * Sydney is one of Kingsley's closest friends and most trusted confidant. She is the only person who knows the full extent of his self-esteem issues, and he, in turn, is one of only two people who truly understands her fear of her own family (with the other being Skitster.) She is generally the person he goes to for help, and he doesn't hesitate to try and fix her problems for her. Yet, they avoid calling their relationship romantic and are much less affectionate towards one another in public, mainly because of Sydney's commitment issues. If Finch is to be believed, however, the sexual tension between them is hard to handle for some of their castmates.


 * Spoony is another close friend of Kingsley. He is his bunkmate, and the two refer to each other as "soul sisters" (though not soul brothers, for some reason.) Kingsley is completely immune to Spoony's obnoxiousness, being the only member of the cast (and in fact the only character other than Sanura) who can put up with him all of the time. In Dr. Keeble's Invisibles, the two actors play rivals who constantly fight over miniscule differences in their daily routines.


 * Sabrina is another friend. Kingsley has stated multiple times that he finds her attractive, though he would rather she be with Finch. Sabrina sometimes acts as Kingsley's personal cheerleader on bad days and, when she can, tries her best to prevent him from lapsing into depression.

Trivia

 * According to Nancy, Kingsley has a strong Brooklyn accent. (This is later confirmed by Sydney, who's slightly jealous of it.)
 * For some reason, Kingsley does not feel the cold, despite having the same fur as Spoony (who is very sensitive to it.) This may be due to his biomechanical upgrades, or simply one of Spoony's oddities. It is unknown whether any other Rubber Hose animals sense temperature.
 * Kingsley is counted among the Short Pier Animal Boys, despite his species not being confirmed. He is called an alien on several occasions, which should disqualify him (as Glee is also an alien and not an animal), but it may be because he has animal-like qualities which Glee does not.
 * Kingsley's role on Dr. Keeble's Invisibles is that of a new neighbour on the street, who is unfamiliar with local customs and frequently breaks them by acting "normal". This mirrors his life well; he stands out from the rest of the group by not being an explicit convict or an addict, and many of his habits differ from those of organic cartoons.
 * Kingsley's original name was "Princeton", after the main character of the Broadway Production Avenue Q. Despite being changed, the royal title naming motif was left in.