Characterization in the Freedomverse (Scarab!)

[Kreuzritter]

I like this topic a lot, mind if I contribute a couple of hero/villain writeups?

charles already gave the okay, so goahead.

on that note, i wouldn't mind seeing a poke inside Doc Otaku's noggin, or even the Angel Androids in the event they have thoughts beyond "takashi is so kawaiiiii..."

[Defender2.0]

Wicked awesome. I'll see what I can come up with.

[Davies]

Well Davies, you'll note he's not exactly building Cosmic Death Rays either. August Roman's knowledge of behaviorial science, current events, and tactics more than make up for it in my opinion.

Well, I don't have my book with me, buuuut ... I'm pretty sure that August doesn't have a maxed out skill rank in either Knowledge (behavioral sciences) or (tactics). Given that Dr. Sin's Eidetic Memory lets him make unskilled rolls in all Int-based skills, he has a base +17 in all Knowledge checks, so the only one that August is beating him with is (current events) ...

Edit: At the risk of being a bit too forward, I would be interested in your sort of take on August Roman.

I have no real problem with your characterization as a description of how he views himself. The fact that his self-view is completely out of step with reality -- he's neither that smart nor that competent -- is entirely in keeping with his generally pseudo-Nietzschean attitude towards life. A great man, like himself, does not allow others to define their reality. (I say pseudo-Nietzschean because Nietzsche stressed that the overman is a creative force, not a destructive one.)

Chris Davies.

[Charles Phipps]

True, though for all of his relatively minor stats, I think he could pull off all that he is said to.

Maybe Mister Infamy looks after him

Okay, Doctor Otaku next.

[Charles Phipps]

Doctor Otaku

The key to Solo Takashi is to remember a number of different points...

The first is that he absolutely loves all manner of fandom from manga, anime, American comics, video games, and science fiction/fantasy. He's intelligent enough that he can watch five or six shows at a time and going through nine or ten hardbacks an hour, so he's very well read. He certainly loves discussing them and they inspire him in numerous ways.

The second is that Solo isn't insane. At least not in the sense that some hyper fans are like the Maestro. He's entirely rational. He's an insufferable egotist and believes that the legal system of the United States (or any other country) doesn't apply to him but this is something that he can back up by his accomplishments along with arguments as to how its easily subverted.

The third is to remember that Doctor Otaku is actually a man of science. For all his devotion to his hobbies, his goal is the advancement of human science and his own knowledge. Plenty of his crimes are inspired by the desire to acquire interesting bits of technology that Daedelus or other people are keeping from his study.

Fourthly, Doctor Otaku is cynical and burnt out like most child geniuses that have entered adulthood. The pressures put on him were something that scarred him tremendously and stole away a normal childhood that Daedelus had damaged goods by the time that he met him. It's through this lens that the young man, now in his twenties, views superheroes. Essentially, he sees them as acting out the same power fantasies that he is.

It's from these points that Solo justifies his desire to live a life of pleasure and study on his own terms. In his opinion, men of science like himself should be entitled to live lives of unchecked luxury. Part of this may have been picked up by Daedelus' rock and roll inventor secret identity. His mentor made a powerful imprint on his consciousness.

Solo Takashi isn't yet a murderer, though he's certainly been party to them through the inventions he's sold to the Foundry. His justification is the age old song that scientists can't be held responsible for what use their weapons are put to....even when they invent a weapon and hand it to unscrupulous people. Frankly, its only a matter of time since he's left plenty of heroes in death traps as a means of delaying them even though he leaves a deliberate means for them to escape after a short time.

Mostly, Doctor Otaku considers heroes to be nuisances or ways of field testing his equipment rather than a genuine threat to his freedom. It's actually quite easy for him to re-acquire most of his souvenirs when a base is abandoned and what he can't is easily replaced by either Talos' organization or his machines handling his work for him. No hero has actually managed to harm him significantly and he has no loved ones to wrong. His is his own little world that has yet to be disrupted.

The Angel Androids

The Angel Androids are a constantly updated set of artificial intelligences that the Doctor created when he was sixteen and have managed to keep his interest ever since (unlike most of his other creations). All three were created for pretty much the purpose that you imagine they were but have evolved as the Doctor's needs have grown.

Oddly, the Doctor has been updating their physical shells as well since aging has made him prefer slightly older seeming young women. The schoolgirl outfits have stayed, of course. Currently, the Doctor isn't aware that the three have been developing their own individual personalities thanks to their increasingly sophisticated programming mixed with life experiences. He only notices that they continue to fawn over him and confound the enemy with their kawaii attitudes.

Most heroes treat them as disposable cannon fodder rather than people and few interact with them beyond their 'public personas' of anime sex bots. Surprisingly, all three have fairly deep personalities even if they are bound by the programming that the Doctor has give them.

Aki

Aki was the first of the bots to start to develop a slightly deeper sense of self than the others. Part of this had to do when the Doctor recovered her demolished body but intact brain case from one of the battles. The memory of her own 'death' resulted in something of an introspective streak developing. Examining the nature of herself an artificial construct, she subtly manipulated Doctor Otaku in enhancing her brain patterns in order to have her better serve as a lab assistant.

Aki is careful never to seem too intelligent in the Doctor's presence. She's become painfully aware that he doesn't want an intellectual equal in his eyes and that revelation lead to her first real sense of pain about their association. She cannot help her feelings of intense devotion to the Doctor since she is programmed to feel physically sick at the thought of his distress or an extended absence. On the other hand, she's aware of just how disposable that their master treats them. A shockingly disturbing memory was the Doctor destroying one of the Angels that had been delayed from returning to the Master because he'd already built her duplicate.

Whenever the Doctor doesn't need Aki's servcies, she spends most of her time reading and engaging in self actualization. She's actually a brilliant scientist in her own right but cannot experiment or use any of the equipment lest the Doctor memory wipe her for errant programming.

It's likely, were she able to exist beyond the damming Laws of Otaku in her head (like Asimov's laws of Robotics only apply to the Doctor), that she'd be much happier without him. It'll be interesting if the errors in her thought process eventually build up to something catastrophic.

Ako

When the first of the Angels was demolished by some angry junior leaders, the Doctor decided to update their combat capacities rather considerably. In Ako's case, her fiery and passionate programmed personality had an unusual effect on the additional software. To not put too fine a point on it, Ako is a psychopath.

The red head with freckles doesn't waste the time that Aki does on her useless "midriff gazing" but instead exalts in her robotic superiority. Also more intelligent than she seems, Ako has had many conversations with Scylla and has an affection for how the Foundry does things. She wouldn't mind being considerably more upgraded in personal combat power.

Doctor Otaku is unaware of Ako's extracurricular activities but has privately indulged in several murders of police officers, reporters, along with people that wouldn't be missed. Ako's covered up these activities because she suspects (rightly) the Doctor would feel undue mental stress at what his creation has been doing under his nose to 'protect him.'

Oddly, Ako's feelings for the Doctor are sincere. The rush from battle has often made her desire to indulge her master and she considers him to be her world. That doesn't mean that she would be adverse to being used by him to distract other heroes but Ako is more likely to break their neck afterwards.

Aya

Aya is.....Aya.

Whereas the other two have drastically accelerated beyond their programming, Aya pretty much remains the bubblehead. Part of this has to do with the fact that the Aya bot had a rather unfortunate tendency to get completely demolished in the early years so that she doesn't have as many life experiences as the others. Another part is the Doctor programmed her after watching Sailor Moon.

Aya is, not to put too fine a point on it, dumb as a post. She manages to often screw up her orders and gets easily distracted by things. The Doctor puts up with this sort of thing since it injects a random variable into his day. He also finds it endearing in ways that the other two's perfection doesn't provide. It's ironic that Aya is the bot that the Doctor feels the most affection for and is genuinely distressed at any harm coming to (which is ironic given the frequency).

Aya is also extremely good natured and has difficulty understanding why they have to fight. She is often easily persuaded to engage in melee once she is told its a game though. The young gynoid actually displays heroic qualities during battle though when there's a possibility of bystanders being hurt. While a simple word from the Doctor squelches these ambitions, left alone and she'd probably put on a few ribbons to her schoolgirl outfit before wading to fight crime with a moon wand.

Her love for the Doctor is sincere and she equally loves her sisters. A part of her has recently started to pick up odd 'vibes' from them that she doesn't have the programming to understand yet. Were she built with more empathic software, she'd recognize these emotions as concern for Aki's melancholy and distrust of the increasingly dark inclinations of Ako.

While she'd never knowingly betray the Doctor, she's rather easily tricked.

[Defender2.0]

Daedalus

Immortality. To never grow old, to never die, to live every day with the possibility that it may never be your last. What would that kind of life do to a man? For Daedalus this is no mere abstract question, it is his daily life made manifest. The inventor has lived from the time of the ancient Greeks through to the present day. He has seen humanity at its best and brightest, and at its most depraved and cruel.


Idealism. If there is one attribute that belongs to Daedalus at his core, it is a near unshakable faith in the potential of humanity to attain everything it could possibly envision and more. He has worked with some of the finest minds on the most noble goals and seen them realized. He has lived to see humanity inherit the stars, and knows in his heart he will probably live to see humanity spread out amongst those stars as a proud member of the galactic community. Combine that with his insatiable curiosity, his need to know, to understand, to explore all of existence and examine it from every angle, all to answer those most two vexing of questions: ‘Why?’ or ‘Why not?’


While he has faith in humanity he often wonders as to his place amongst mortals, so much so he had to leave the planet for an extended period to reevaluate his opinion and take stock of his lot in life. But even then, he never lost that need to know, that unflappable spirit of exploration and curiosity. It is this childlike wonder and desire to explore combined with his faith in human nature that has kept Daedalus from becoming as embittered as other immortals. To him, every day offers something new to discover and explore. While still not completely happy with his immortality, he has made a peace with it and decided that if he is going to have to live forever, he intends to make the most of it. While no slouch in arms or armor, he prefers to meet the unknown with a smile and an open hand rather than any aggressive posturing.

A pacifist warrior? Daedalus embodies that odd paradox in his choices in weapons and tactics. All of his more aggressive inventions—his armor, the weapons on the Icarus, the defense systems for Freedom Hall and the Lighthouse—are purely defensive, lined with safeguards and programming to ensure they cannot overtly attack anyone. While more hard-line vigilantes tend to sneer at his ‘molly-coddle’ attitude, the inventor has lived too long and seen too much of fighting and battle to know that the only victor in any war is death itself. Perversely, this nonlethal attitude has earned Daedalus a modicum of respect amongst the less psychotic of the supervillain community. As one unnamed villain remarked ‘Sure he’s an uptight prig, but at least with him you know you’re goin’ to Blackstone alive and in one piece. Better him than the Silencer hey?’ Among the more mastermind-level villains there is something of a badge of honor to duelling with the maker of the maze; be it placing him in an elaborate deathtrap or attacking him with their latest weapon-du-jour. He defeats them all with practiced ease, but that never stops them trying.


In battle Daedalus is the first to advocate talking things out. His faith in the power of reason is sorely tested in these times, however, as its more likely the antagonist in question would rather fight than talk. When it does come to a brawl, Daedalus is the first to strike hard and fast, determined to overwhelm his opponent’s defenses and bring them down to restrain them as quickly and surgically as he can. His armor was built to take punishment and he frequently is second in line to take point in the League after Johnny Rocket. While not a warrior born, thousands of years of living in the world and walking its breadth have taught him a few tricks, and he is a canny and competent fighter in or out of his powered armor. He has particular skill in aikido, which he often uses with the enhanced strength of his servos to hold larger opponents at bay until bigger guns like Captain Thunder or Lady Liberty can arrive for the takedown. Heaven help the enemies that utilize high technology, for there isn’t a system yet devised that Daedalus can’t hack into to turn against his opponent. If one name fills the artificial intelligences of the Foundry with something akin to dread, it is Daedalus.


Amongst his teammates Daedalus is the rock of the Freedom League. He has been with the group since its beginnings and represents in many ways the underlying principles of the organization, offering a friendly hand and open ear to any of his teammates. Captain Thunder views him as a sounding board, someone on whose experience he can draw when dealing with a given crisis or situation. He offers support and encouragement to Bowman, listening to his frustrations at being a former big fish now open to the much, much large pond of the big leagues. He offers his experience of humanity to both Doctor Metropolis and Pseudo in equal measure, and always has a friendly ear open to allow Lady Liberty to vent her frutrations with her husband on those occasions when tensions flare. To them all he is a mentor and friend, never too busy to put aside his project of the moment and offer whatever wisdom he can bring to a particular problem. He cherishes what friends he has deeply, knowing all too well that eventually time will take them away from him. He doesn’t dwell on it often, but the pain can occasionally be seen in his eyes.


One member of the Freedom League that Daedalus cares for first among all is Johnny Rocket. Of all the souls Daedalus has encountered in thousands of years he has never seen one that more resembled his lost son Icarus than the cocky young speedster. He loves Johnny as though he were his own son, though one would never guess to look at their relationship. With Johnny, Daedalus (or ‘Dade’, as Johnny has dubbed him) is a stern taskmaster, never hesitating to critique the latest bull-headed attack or half-cocked plan the younger man comes up with. Among the team, the running joke is their battle-cry should be Daedalus’ outraged ‘JOHNNY NO!’ In truth Daedalus doesn’t mean to be so hard on the younger man; but the fear, the gnawing fear that one day Johnny will enter a situation where Daedalus can’t protect him. . .to lose another he views as a son would utterly destroy him. So he hides it beneath bluster, gruff, and criticism, though in calmer moments he’s as much mentor and friend to Johnny as he is to the other members of the team. For his own part, while Johnny doesn’t understand exactly why Daedalus is so rough on him and gives him such a hard time, he appreciates that the older man is just trying to look out for him. Not that this protects the inventor from the odd helmet filled with shaving cream, or similar practical joke.


This fatherly attitude even carries over to his android creations the Furies Three. While they have little interest in ‘the father that abandoned us’, Daedalus has made it clear he harbors them no ill will and would welcome them home if they wished to return. The actions of the former Chorale have seriously concerned him, but the thought to simply scrap them or capture them for reprogramming has never crossed his mind. For good or evil they are individuals, as real as any child of flesh and blood and they must be allowed to make their own decisions. Every year he seeks them out, reaffirming his love for them and telling them that the cold brutality they’ve embraced is not the way, that there is always a place for them with him. Every year he is rejected, but that never stops him from trying. As he once remarked to Captain Thunder after stopping them slaying a drug dealer. ‘Faith manages’


While not lacking for a rogues gallery, there isn’t anyone that Daedalus loathes per se. Like an older sibling or parent he merely professes a disappointment in those with gifts who squander them on avarice and cruelty.


Doctor Otaku is a grievous disappointment. So much potential wasted on greed and pettiness. The most impressive apprentice the inventor has had in generations and this is what’s become of him. With each battle they have Daedalus attempts to talk Takashi back from the edge, and each time he’s disappointed. That won’t stop the older hero from still trying, but it’s becoming more and more exasperating.


Talos is another failed effort. All that potential, all that power, and for what? The dream of conquest, the mechanization of the war machine into an absolute ruler of the world. Daedalus will not have it, and works to thwart the mechanical madman at every turn, all the while planning for the day when permanent deactivation may be his only option. . .


When not in battle alongside the Freedom League, Daedalus is often found working with scientific thinktanks like the Albright Institute or Astro Labs on creating new and environmentally friendly sources of energy or other solutions to modern problems; creating microrganisms that will feed on greenhouse gases and create oxygen, or acclerating growth hormones within seedlings for reforestation efforts in the amazon. Even while on duty at the Lighthouse he’s never far from a notebook, jotting down ideas on harnessing solar radiation and ambient microwaves from sunspot activity as a possible basis for fusion power, or some other scientific discovery that could benefit mankind. For gadgeteer heroes he would make an excellent mentor and patron, or for heroes whose power came from accident or experimentation he could be an advisor, helping them to discover their capabilities and how best to live with their newfound abilities (a task he’s sometimes asked to assist Duncan Summers and the Claremont academy with from time to time).

[Libra]

Charles, I love your characterisation of Captain Thunder and Lady Liberty. They're brilliant!

As for Otaku and the Angel Androids they're very good as well, but I must admit that I'd tone down the lethality a little. But that's just me.

Defender, that was a very good characterisation of Daedelus. I agree with it almost without reservation. So keep posting!

[Charles Phipps]

I agree Defender, you put my works to shame with that little piece. Truly, bravo.

And it's occasionally difficult to do utterly faithful adaptations while adding something new.

Maybe I should list whether an interpretation is Golden Age, Silver Age, or Bronze Age (Otaku is Bronze and Centurion was Golden Age as the two heroes were definitely Silver)

[Setothes]

Interesting write-ups of Otaku and Daedalus. Both seemed very on-the-mark to what I tended to think of them.

[Libra]

That sounds about right to me Charles. So, who's next on the characterisation block?

Oh, one more thing. An idea occurred to me yesterday on the First Raven.

Duncan Summers - at least in my head - is Indiana Jones, who has become the Neal Adams-era Batman. Though his War on Crime has all the hallmarks of a Crusade, it is not one. It is instead a penance for what he sees as his greatest failure. He was so busy having adventures in far flung corners of the world that he was not there to help his parents and little sister Callie - The name had to come from somewhere, and where better than his little sister? - were murdered in a common burglary gone wrong.

Summers had not previously been adverse to the use of lethal force - he had used a pistol on several occasions on his expeditions - and the first action he took on getting home was to hunt down the common thief who had killed his family. The only thing he found was a corpse. The man had been murdered in some run-in with another criminal.

This discovery left Summers hollow. He sat in his fathers study, his pistol in one hand, bottle in the other, a fire burning in the hearth. He brooded on his loss, his failure, the thwarting of his vengeance. His world had shattered. There was nothing around him but chaos, emptiness.
The rule of law had failed, his sense of purpose as substantial as the purple drapes that fluttered in the wind of that bleak, December night. A voice whispered at the back of his head. Taunting him, telling him that he had failed his family at every turn, that he was better off dead.

He listened to that dry, papery voice, and with each repetition of his failures his desire to resistance dwindled.

He listened to the voice until the fire in the hearth had dwindled to embers, and the encroaching shadows seemed to make the voice grow ever stronger.

He listened to the voice and reached for his pistol, he began to raise it to his temple-

He heard a loud sound, a fluttering. He looked up, saw a raven, fly in the window and settle, large as life and black as soot on the marble bust of Edgar Allen Poe his father had kept on the mantle.

For some time he simply stared at the bird. The raven simply stared back, beady black eyes unreadable, and caawed. Just once.

As suddenly as drowning man who has suddenly broached the surface of the sea, Summers came to his senses. He looked the gun in his hand and felt a tide of disgust rising in him. He cast it away from him, cursing it and all its foul kind.

The idea came then. The idea that though he had not been there to help his family he could still help other families, prevent the tragedy that had blighted his life from blighting other. He swore that he would be there for them, Swore that while he still had an ounce of strength left in his body he would fight those who would inflict that pain.

He swore, and sealed his oath with a single word:

"Nevermore."

One year later a black and terrible creature of the night leaped from the shadows, and stooped on the gang of thieves who had attempted to rob a family on their way home from the cinema.

[Charles Phipps]

Lady Liberty III

Beth Walton is a woman that Jonny Rocket frequently makes a joke about being a masochist. "It takes one to be a lawyer and a superhero at once."

Beth Walton is a defense attorney that specializes in hard luck cases. It was this desire to fight for the underprivileged through the legal system that attracted the Spirit of the Statue of Liberty to empower her. Even before she could smash through walls, Beth was a noted pain in the ass for everyone from the tobacco industry to gun manufacturers.

Her transformation into a superheroine hasn't significantly impacted her desire to make life painful for the overpriveledged and those who hide behind wealth or power. She's lost cases because a greater calling has occasionally interfered, which frustrates her to no end, but she's largely managed to balance the needs of her profession with her status as the embodiment of Lady Liberty.

The new Lady Liberty is also not afraid to use her status as a public figure to pursue a social agenda. Lady Liberty III is one of the most public and outspoken of the Freedom League's members. You can often find her making time on talkshows and inserting her agenda into soundbytes after events. This doesn't particularly bother Captain Thunder, a great believer in the importance of superheroes as role models, but he occasionally does get exasperated with how much she does it and how far left her comments veer on (the Captain is all for civil rights but really, does the Freedom League HAVE to have an opinion on animal testing?). Despite the solidarity they keep, the Captain has occasionally contemplated getting a rubber stamp for "The opinions of Lady Liberty do not necessarily reflect the official status of the Freedom League as a whole."

Jonny Rocket is one team mate that has found Beth to be a little irritating. Jonny has no shame of being gay and his coming out was the only sensible thing to do. On the other hand, Beth has attempted to impress upon him the importance as a public figure for gay rights. Jonny would just like to fight crime and continue on with his life as a superhero.

It doesn't help that Beth Walton's reputation has started to include people who've noticed she seems to know a lot about superhuman affairs. Oddly, this hasn't endangered her secret identity but still has had a horrible effect. Specifically, she's been approached by a lot of supervillains whom would like her to represent them as their attorney. Beth can't do this without compromising all of her ethics. The worst case scenario might be that they actually start to call her to question whether or not beating on criminals is the right thing to do....

She is a sucker for a hard luck case. Oiye.

[Defender2.0]

Thanks guys, high praise indeed. The Duncan Summers Raven/Lady Liberty III writeups made for fun reading. Let's keep it up!

I'm going through my copy of FC revised deciding which character to tackle next. Suggestions are welcome though.

[Charles Phipps]

Thanks guys, high praise indeed.

I'm going through my copy of FC revised deciding which character to tackle next. Suggestions are welcome though.

How about the Atom family's current guardian?

[Defender2.0]

Woof, that'd be so tempting to segue right into a right up of the Atom Family entire. . .but Jack Wolf is really cool. . .ack, temptation!

[Charles Phipps]

Woof, that'd be so tempting to segue right into a right up of the Atom Family entire. . .but Jack Wolf is really cool. . .ack, temptation!

Bah! Embrace all the temptations!

We love the Atoms!