The Gaslight District

In the world of the Gaslight District, the Virtues (also known as the Virtue Corps) are the administrative organization of Paradise Lost. They hold significant authority and are responsible for various administrative services, including security and surveillance (led by Diligence) and scientific efforts like fulfilling Heaven's prophecies (formerly led by Temperance). The Virtues are said to be former Rotlings who underwent a transformation, reportedly involving consuming a guardian angel's brain and then having their own brain and spine placed into robotic bodies. Despite this mechanical transformation, they retain the mark of the Black Hand, which grants them immortality.

The Gaslight District is an island inhabited by undead criminals, known as Rotlings, who have been cursed with immortality after the world ended. These inhabitants were left to rot and fester for eternity. The island sits in the middle of the ocean, bordered by Kraken Country and Dead God Trench, and also provides connections to Paradise Lost and the Inferno. The island is thought to be man-made, anchored to the seabed by eight massive anchors. Its size is unspecified, but it's presumed to be a section of a larger area or city. The island includes several distinct settlements, such as Blackout Burg (a Rotling city), Chainport (a large port where the pilot episode takes place), Lantern Heights, Emberwick, Glow Haven, and Paradise Lost (a citadel guarded by The Virtues and connected to Heaven). Other notable locations include Flicker Falls (a large body of water), Glimmer Grotto (an uninhabited section of land), the Pyramid Scheme Bank, The Apocalypse Stadium, and The Tummyhole (inhabited by Litterbugs). The Rotlings are functionally immortal due to the power of the Black Hand, but a prophecy foretells the end of their immortality with the birth of a human from an angel's egg every ten thousand years. This human has black blood and is feared by the island's residents.

Mud from The Gaslight District is a tall, lanky Rotling with decayed green skin, red eyes with swirling pupils, shriveled ears, wonky teeth, and no nose. He is usually seen wearing a brown suit with a long coat, a short red tie, a fedora, and a cigarette in his mouth. Mud is one of the two tritagonists alongside Breadhead. He is the older brother of Ken the Butcher, the uncle of Melancholy Hill and Breadhead, and a member of The Smiling Dead crime family. Mud is depicted as a slimy, underhanded gunman, who often steals from his younger brother, Ken. However, despite his self-serving nature, he shows genuine affection for Melancholy, encouraging her criminal aspirations. Mud is also portrayed as a sadistic individual who enjoys violence, as evidenced by his gleeful cackling while sniping at Jack and his satisfaction in bloodshed. He harbors a grudge against Joshua, a former friend, whom he brutally murders after five millennia, only to call it a prank when Joshua revives. This suggests a mix of vindictiveness and cowardice in his personality. Mud possesses several skills, including marksmanship, contortion, and functional immortality as a Rotling. He is also hinted to have once been a Virtue Corps member, given his possession of an outdated uniform and Joshua's recognition of him.

Breadhead is the artificial son of Ken the Butcher, adoptive brother to Melancholy Hill, and a member of The Smiling Dead crime family. Described as a dim-witted but friendly golem made entirely of bread, Breadhead functions as the muscle of the gang. His body features lanky limbs and a pot belly, with a head shaped like a loaf of sliced bread, bulging red eyes, and a large grinning mouth that can reveal either a normal or baguette-like tongue. He's considerably taller than both his adoptive sister Mel and his uncle Mud. He's usually seen shirtless under a cropped brown leather jacket, wearing black pants and boots with metal toes, and has a "Dad" heart tattoo on his left shoulder. Breadhead is fiercely loyal to Ken, eagerly following his orders, and shares a good relationship with Mel. He also enjoys playing the piano. While possessing questionable morals due to his criminal activities, he primarily seems motivated by payment (even if it's "valuable life experience" instead of cash) and is known for his gluttony. He has superhuman strength, capable of easily moving cars and crushing smaller creatures. He also has powers of magical augmentation, able to consume wheat products like yeast to increase his size and strength, and possesses immortality thanks to the Black Mark.

Ken, also known as Ken the Butcher, is a large, portly, yet muscular Rotling (undead) with bluish-green skin, bright red eyes, and yellow teeth. He has a cleaver embedded in his skull, which he can use as a weapon. One of his arms is missing patches of skin, revealing the muscles underneath. He is typically seen wearing a bloodstained apron and undergarments. Ken is the leader of The Smiling Dead crime family and the owner of the Whale Belly Butcher Shop. Despite his criminal lifestyle, he is a loving and fiercely protective father to his son, Breadhead, and adopted daughter, Melancholy Hill. Ken is particularly overprotective of Mel, as she is a human with the potential to end the Rotlings' immortality, a fact he desperately tries to keep secret. While Ken can be prone to explosive outbursts of anger, his actions are driven by his desire to keep his family safe. He will go to extreme lengths, even violence, to achieve this, cementing his own employees who learned of Mel's secret. He also holds a deep-seated hatred for Temperance, a virtue who played a part in Ken's past and subsequent torment in the Inferno, leading him to seek revenge. Overall, Ken is a complex character: a ruthless crime lord driven by a deep, protective love for his family, especially his vulnerable adopted daughter.

Melancholy Hill, or Mel, is the fiery, rebellious protagonist of "The Gaslight District". This 20-year-old human, adopted by gangster Ken the Butcher, is the only human in a world populated by supernatural beings and is central to a prophecy about destroying the district's immortality. Despite being human, she possesses black blood, a trait linked to angels in the setting, and hatched from an angel's egg. Mel's most striking features include her greyish-teal face and neck, although skin revealed by a scrape is a more natural beige, hinting at possible makeup usage. She has bright red pupils, purple eyelids, three eyelashes per eye, and freckles on her nose. Her ginger-orange hair is tied into a high ponytail with two bangs framing her face. Her attire consists of tan, mummy-like bandages wrapping her entire body except her face, neck, and hands, along with a beige bandana and oversized brown boots. Mel's ambition is to join her adoptive father's gang, The Smiling Dead, a desire Ken disapproves of due to the prophecy surrounding her existence. She is depicted as hyperactive, enjoying the chaos she creates, and can be quite mischievous. However, beneath the surface, Mel deeply cares for her family, including her adoptive father Ken, her adoptive uncle Mud, and her adoptive brother Breadhead. Her determination to prove herself to Ken is a driving force behind her actions. Mel is also known to be bisexual.