The Emissary

[MarkK]

(OOC: Alright, having noted Barnum's request to try for a post of news type stuff per thread a body's been involved in, going to make an attempt for that, by way of writing up a report home as related to each from the Emissary's perspective)

From the files of The Emissary project:

Halloween! Topped only by Christmas and followed closely by Easter (note, enclosed with my report for that time will be a sample of a 'Cadbury's Cream Egg'. I warn you, they seem to have wildly addictive properties. Also? Not actually an egg. Perplexing.) as my favourite of this world's holidays. I could go on at length about the marvelous core notion of taking up the appearance of what are normally the traditional embodied fears of their culture in order to mock and belittle them, to take ownership of them instead of being owned by them. I could speak of the interesting social flux from which the current version of this holiday takes shape. All matters of history and psychology. But all of that pales in comparison to what I love best of this evening. The sight of children hurtling about the city on a glorious sugar binge as they revel and are indulged in their reveling by nearly the entire community around them.

Any society that so dotes on their young ones must be acknowledged as having some inherrent value and potential.

Sadly, not everyone it turns out, so dotes.

This Halloween was near disrupted by an assault in poor jest of robots crafted to seem as the legendary monsters most associated with this time. All across the city they teleported in and rampaged (and let this also be a note to those who ponder as to the technological sophistication of this outside world. In fact it varies wildly. We might do well to try and guide them to a more uniform progression).

However, this city's champions rose up all across it to give battle to these machines and save this holiday. It was like one of those wonderful cartoons (see my attatched appendix on cartoons, and the very legitimate chance they have at being the best thing ever) invariably titled how someone saves insert holiday of choice here come to life. I was honoured to find myself amongst them.

It seems possible that this effort was part of some larger and more unfortunate plan by a force with a technological sophistication that rivals a few of our own advancements. The Freedom League itself is looking into the matter, and I and some of the others that saw battle this day seem likely to serve as their agents in so doing. I will keep the council appraised of how this proceeds.

(OOC: The thread in question: http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... &sk=t&sd=a )

[MarkK]

From the Files of the Emissary Project:

This was a day of both hope and frustration.

There are times where it seems that the fears some on the council have of this wider world are not without justification. The frequency of its metahuman presence takes shape with dizzying variety, something I normally view as vibrant. Today I was given over to view it as tragic.

In my usual patrols and exploration of the city (see attatched essay: "Earth's cities: A suprise around every corner.") the sounds of fire reached my ears, of screams, of explosions. Travelling quickly to the source of such devastation, I found the cause of it to be but a single man, a cruel, sociopathic gleam to his eye as he hovered over the streets as some mad god, spreading destruction. There was no rhyme or reason to his actions, no real motivation, no.. anything. It is difficult, even physically painful for me to conceptualize that it is possible for someone to feel nothing but... but pure nihilistic indulgence. And somehow this sense of bleak viciousness radiated off this man in palpable waves, an actual force as twisted and real as the ravaging fires that leapt from his hands. I could feel it washing over me, seeking to degrade my mind, my spirit. It chilled.

But I am a Utopian. We did not lose hope even in the face of the fall of our parent civilzation. And that proud heritage makes for my nature to face and overcome despair, not give into it. Of course I fought the man, to end his rampage. And better still, other men and women came out to do so, despite having powers nowhere near his, and thus making their courage all the more awe inspiring, they battled the fires that raged, enacting rescue after rescue.

Still, I never even found out his name..

More than anything, it struck me what a senseless waste this all was. A being with control over so primal an energy? From firefighting to scientific research, how couldn't this man have been helping his society? And psychic gifts besides? With time, training and concentration, he could apply them to aid and counsel those of his people suffering from mental ailments. And yet such things are not to be. He has instead chosen his baser nature, and I delivered him to the city's authorities to face the consequences of having done so.

And yet it is precisely from these thoughts that my hope springs. For there is a principle of rehabilitation in the justice system of humanity's more salutary nations. It does not always work. In fact, many times it does not. But that they too recognize what could have been, what might have been, it is an important step. And if they even reach but one of their own? Given that dizzying, vibrant variety of metahumanity, the results could be wondrous.

And I hope that one day, I will see them.

(OOC: The thread can be found here: http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... &sk=t&sd=a )

[MarkK]

From the files of the Emissary Project:

High society. I interact with it regularly as part of my duties as an ambassador, but, I don't know, if there was one specific thing I could do without.. The parties that are not actually parties are an exasperating thing. Where are the games? The good natured laughter? The sense of celebration? The delightful tiny 'hot dogs'? (See my ongoing paralell report series: "The fantastic but unhealthy wonders of non Utopian cuisine: Chapter 4, Pigs in a Blanket")

You might from my descriptions be inclined to guess that with all the style and showing off, perhaps instead these events are some kind of elaborate mating ritual, with very ornate preening to draw attention. But from the pointed comments, sense of one upmanship, and, well, thinly veiled backbiting, it seems unlikely that they are trying to build ties with each other. It could be said however, that perhaps it still is a mating ritual, but what they are trying to mate with is power itself, status itself, making them look more attractive to it by making their rivals look as less, and themselves as more. Winning over the collective sense of importance they all generate to focus solely on one of them alone, a contest that can never end, nor have any lasting dominant player. While one of the psyches from which mine was crafted may have been an anthropologist, I am not. I do not enjoy watching this kind of thing.

And everyone always wants to ask me about our technology, no one ever wants to ask me about our ideals...

I should say, not all members of the societal elite are like this. Many of them, even if only out of their principle of.. enlightened self interest it is called (yes, I know, a silly term, but when it results in positive help given to their fellow man, they could call the idea Purple Monkey Dancing Rainbow, and I would still find it worth some respect, even as I hoped their ideas would evolve) give a great deal back to the community that has given them so much, and are entirely the worthies that provide an inspiring example for others to aspire to.

But the Midnight Society seems all too often to be the place where those entirely unlike that gather to, well.. see above. I mean, I did meet some nice people at the latest function of theirs I was invited to, but overall, sigh.

I think that for the next of their parties I attend, I will try to at least ask that they have the tiny hot dogs.

(OOC: The thread can be found here: http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... &sk=t&sd=a )

[MarkK]

From the files of the Emissary Project:

I have faced all manner of strange and powerful things in my time in this world. Monsters, robots, giants, empowered humans, and forces not easily classified at all. And yet I find myself truthfully only intimidated by Astro Labs Security Chief Lauren Loafman. Really. She is scary.

To preface how I reached this point:

The Freedom League did indeed investigate further into the machines that rampaged about on Halloween. Daedelus (who is a technological genius even our own scientists would find impressive), determined them to be sent about by a sophisticated teleportation network hacking into and taking brief control of various parts of Earth's satelite network. I realize we ourselves have such capacities and even far beyond them, but to me this still stands out, and all the more astoundingly for how haphazard such achievements are. It is not as though they have the benefit of millenia of unbroken cultural progression. And yes, it was used for ill, but it still speaks to the intellectual potential of this wider world. Can you imagine what both our societies could achieve in partnership? Their sense of driving innovation coupled with even just our sense of hard earned wisdom.. the mind boggles.

Regardless, he was able to track down some of this network, and asked those of us already involved (See appendices: 'Raindance', 'Velocity' and 'Hybrid') to go investigate the potential locations, proving League communicators as part of our work on their behalf. It is always spiritually invigorating to work with the Freedom League, and my father was a member in good standing of their predecessors. How could I say no? It was pleasing at that to spend more time in the company of my costumed peers, and better get to know them. Heroism takes many different forms, and I am that much of a better person each time I encounter, fight alongside, and develop a further understanding of those who embody it.

We encountered more garish machine creatures, and gave skillful battle unto them, obtaining more of this mysterious presence's workings for Daedelus to analyze. I proceeded to Astro Labs to obtain data from their satelites to further refine these searches.

And there I met the terrifying Ms Loafman. I suppose it could be that our society does not have any need for work strategies of being an imposing force of dread to motivate one's subordinates towards efficient labour, and so I am thus entirely unused to that kind of thing, as I imagine any of us would be.

Or, she's just scary.

(OOC: the thread in question http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... &sk=t&sd=a )

[MarkK]

From the files of The Emissary Project:

I am not always certain how to handle the trust of others in this world. This I think will be difficult to explain. You likely ask yourselves why, after all, is not trust fundamentally natural? Perhaps I should next say I am not always certain how to handle gravity. Or the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening.

But this society is not our society. And what for us is incomprehensible as anything but a basic and fundamental right we extend to one another, is for them a far rarer thing to give. And yes, that is a flaw, and one that grieves me, but at the same time, it makes trust something far more precious between them than it could be between us. A gift, golden and warm to overcome everything that screams at them to do otherwise, and instead bind their hopes to another. An individual triumph of the spirit that if we look back, we might recall was for us a key step on the path to the current apex of our society. I am thus gratified and moved whenever one of them finds me worthy enough of this. But at the same time, it also means sharing with them a burden of the worry whether their risk of having faith in me will not be dissapointed.

I say this because it would seem that I have been given the trust of the Freedom League itself. I bear one of their communicator badges. I have worked with them on several matters. And now, they have invited me to their hall to help in the training of a nascent heroine. I hope to live up to the responsiblity of their esteem. For these are the men and women who have stood between all societies, even and especially our own, against the sort of threats that would imperil us no matter where in the universe, or across dimensions entire we might go (yes, I am making a disapproving comment on the school of thought that suggests such relocations, you might recall I have sent home an entire series of letters specifically titled "Dissapproving Comments on the School of Thought that Suggests Relocation").

As for the young woman, one Agnes, or Celestia as her professional name goes, she has her own issues of trust to work through, especially in herself, resulting in a near crippling lack of resolve and a thorough self doubt. And that is unfortunate, for in her heart she bears an outright radiant strength of spirit and capacity for legendary accomplishment that for my part I can see as plain as day. But my sight of such will mean nothing if she cannot come to it of herself. She is also extremely potent in terms of her powers, and so I have included an appendix on her capacity with this report, to head off the request for one.

The training session itself was a total fiasco. I ended up accidentally knocking her out and I still twitch with embarassment to think of it. But afterwards we were able to speak, and most importantly, reach each other through the nervousness and hesistancy. We shared concerns and dreams, and I like to think have taken steps toward building a bond of trust and reliance. She has even agreed to join me on one of my patrols.

I find this pleasing. For is this not the sort of thing I was sent to this world for? To help people better themselves, to be the messenger of such strength and quality as we have built for ourselves, and in being that messenger, help impart that strength and quality to others? I hope I can help her in finding a sense of confidence. I think the world itself will marvel to behold what she can become when so bolstered.

(OOC the thread in question: http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... 3201#p3201 )

[MarkK]

From the files of The Emissary Project:

I had mentioned parties that are not actually so. Freedom City's Christmas gift to me was a party that was entirely a celebration. It is a curious thing. I know that given long and squabbling and screaming lines in shopping malls for gifts, locally employed proxies for Santa Claus that can be unfortunately odious (for more information on Santa Claus and his proxies, see attatched appendix: "Santa Claus, the world's most powerful superhero"), and even family get togethers that simmering tensions make anything but familial, that the idea of some kind of yuletide spirit of goodwill is a tenuous one.

Yet all the same, in my flights through the city at this time, I have seen many acting more charitably in ways small and large, those who walk about with more usually dour or blank expressions have found themselves a smile. Soup kitchens have more volunteers, children laugh just a bit louder, light seems to reflect in the eyes of this city's people just a bit more brightly. Like everything in this world, there is both good and bad that can be found in this season, both the disheartening and the inspiring.

For the Freedom League, it is the time of year when they open their doors to the heroes of this city, treating with them as peers, inviting them to come together and find the very tidings of comfort and joy that are sung of in one another's company. To not just in so doing help gather resolve to face any challenges in the coming year, but also to celebrate the triumphs of the one that passes.

I enjoyed myself thoroughly, and not just for such weighty reasons, but for being able to listen to some very talented musicians, to relax in the company of friends, and for the delicious taste of the Nogg of Eggs. Oh, and the decorations were entirely pretty.

As a side note, it turns out that the song the Twelve Days of Christmas does not refer to any existing tradition of gift giving. I would suggest that the notion to present to the United Nations all of those so listed next Christmas should probably be scrapped.

(OOC: The thread in question: http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... &sk=t&sd=a )

[MarkK]

From the files of The Emissary Project:

I do not especially have what many superpowered adventurers term, an 'arch nemesis'. But I would have to say, the White Knight probably comes close. Having encountered him on my arrival to this world, it seems my bailiwick to periodically have to beat him about the head. I suppose there is a certain symmetry to this. He is here, in contrast to me, to embody a message of intolerance, of closemindedness, of hatred and cruelty. That all men cannot be brothers. And he too is both the result of a mindset inherited from his people, and his own nature. He even, in a garbled way, refers to a spiritual transcendance as having helped to empower him, or.. something. It is regardless an ugly symmetry.

I do not even really take /that/ much satisfaction in being able to actually physically waylay intolerance. It isn't actually a lasting solution. It is why when I fight him, much of what I shout back towards him is in some hope he will finally be able to give me an answer that will make some sense of himself. The questions and statements are earnestly meant. But no answer has ever been forthcoming, and by this point, one likely never will. I do still try, and supplement this by taking time to walk up to his manic street preaching equivalents and ask them if they could explain the many holes in basic sense in the things they are saying, through a determined and helpful series of questions. I am sure one of these days they will not simply run away...

Regardless, he was out again to rampage, and so I took to the field against him once more. This time I had aid from the Valkyrie, and intriguingly, a synthetic life form entirely as, and potentially far more sophisticated than my own, calling herself Erin, or, Payback, presenting herself as a heroine seeking what her path to walk will be.

Unfortunately, it turned out that what she was truthfully seeking was just a way to validate what she wanted to do anyway. Anyone thus trying to say or suggest or do otherwise being nothing more to her than fodder to further define herself as not, and superior to, having it all mapped out and thought out with all the steel grounding and firm organized mapping of railroad tracks. In her talk of blood and retribution and death, I am loath to picture what the destination is going to look like. It was such a contrast to Agnes, who could be presented with ideas, and even if she did not decide to go with them, regardless would consider and take everything in, then reach a conclusion. Instead, as it happens with some people, everything was warped to be interpreted in a way that would facilitate or could be reacted to how this young synthetic already wanted to, or just completely ignored. It was a depressingly ironic experience after facing with her the White Knight of all people. I wonder at who created her, and I must admit to my thoughts being a little bit grim.

I am not entirely certain how to meaningfully reach people like that, though I will continue to try and think of ways.

(OOC: the thread in question: http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... &sk=t&sd=a )

[MarkK]

From the files of The Emissary Project:

Today I found the time for the patrolling I had mentioned I would be taking Agnes on. And she aquitted herself wonderfully, as I had hoped. Lives were saved, malign actions were stopped, criminals were given over to the proper authorities. I was able at times to just step back and let her take charge, and it seemed that what she needed in the end was not my words, or some moment of inspiring clarity, but just a chance to help her fellow man, to let her fears and anxieties ebb away in the face of offering succor to another, in stopping them from being hurt. And I think that says something hopeful both about the strength that was always inside her, and that of, well, her fellow man of whom she is a part.

Obviously she is not in one day purged of all lingering issues and questions, and for her part, given her sheer power, she will likely struggle for some time with the balance of how to apply it, and she will have to find her own way through the questions that arise when having to face man's inhumanity to man directly, and what she can meaningfully do about it. My own way of dealing with that is not necessarily hers, after all. But today was regardless an important and successful beyond my wildest dreams sort of first step.

We did also take time to just enjoy between ourselves the pure beauty and, well, fun of flight. The ultimately indescribable joy of it being in my view another reason that we should eventually end our isolation. It is a completely different experience to fly under a security field, than it is to fly knowing that one has the full freedom of it. Seeing the joy of that reflected in Agnes' eyes, it is one I want all of my people to be able to know (and after all, we do have flight belts and conveyances and such things).

I do not have all that much else to add as far as these events... Oh. Giant superstrong squids are quite real, and not just from that movie where they are a bafflingly and completely inapplicable unit of measurement under the sea. I have no particular idea why. As to why that movie is called that, or why giant superstrong squids are real. I do know you should never get hit by one. That feeling is also ultimately indescribable, but in a very, very bad way.

(OOC: the thread in question: http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... 7905#p7905 )

[MarkK]

From the Files of the Emissary Project:

Captain Wonder!

No, that is undignified, I will attempt to start over with a more appropriate tone to my reports.

....

Captain Wonder!

I fear it will simply have to be accepted that I cannot scribe this missive home without a certain sense of giddiness. Today I had the good fortune to encounter a figure quite literally out of the stories of Councillor Sarlyn. As is appropriate for a legend, he had emerged from the mists of time in an hour of his people's need, when one of their holiest shrines might have otherwise been desecrated (It will also have to be accepted that I cannot scribe this missive without ocassionally waxing poetic. To do otherwise would be the truly inappropriate thing). I had the honour of battling at his side, and watching the man thus in action. There was a certain.. presence about him. A reserved confidence and majesty.

Ironically I have only ever seen the like when watching Captain Thunder in action (there is a.. bit of friction involving the naming and costume choices between each. For details, see attatched appendix, Captains Courageous and Confusing: so many superheroes named Captain, so many people who do not actually own a boat or hold military rank).

An attack from the global terrorist organization SHADOW was repelled, along with members of one of the adolescent superhero groups, though their actions carried a certain unfortunate recklessness, even an outright briefly violent challenge to those seeking to aid them. It is my hope that though words themselves are truthfully of poor currency with regards to their passion for youthful rebellion, examples such as those the Captain himself provides will guide them to proper action (and as a side note, never tell those with a passion for non conformity that it makes no sense that their clothes then largely are the mass produced stock of franchised stores, ever will that end badly).

On the whole, I was happier for this day, it speaks well of this world that traditions of heroism endure within it, and that the paragons of previous generations, can find worth in new ones in order to fight for them. When I have time, I think I will seek out as I can others that might still be around who remember our society's own legendary figure.

(OOC: the thread in question: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=591&st=0&sk=t&sd=a )

[MarkK]

From the Files of the Emissary Project:

There was resolution at last to a lingering threat that had loomed over Freedom City this day. I played my own part in so ending it, as far as it goes.

I had mentioned in earlier reports the strange teleporting machines that had plagued the city, and the efforts of the Freedom League, along with myself and various others, to halt their paths of destruction and track down their creator.

Through Daedelus' puissance, this was achieved and acting quickly before the signals were lost, I dropped off Raindance and Velocity at one location, while I and a newer heroine, Valkyrie, proceeded into space (my somewhat basic piloting skills were of a decent use for a change. Truthfully it was much easier than the flying car I had crashed the one time. I found it best not to mention that was one of the sources of my familiarity with flying craft).

Space itself.. oh. It is my dearly held hope I will be able to return to it one day, and in better circumstances. I know we have holo crystals and orreries and remote viewers of fantastic sophistication, but nothing at all compares to a personal view. There are simply no adequate words for the sheer wonder of the expanse of shimmeringly jeweled void. Before any of a particular mindset would seize on this to add to various misguided exodus arguements, I will say that the greatest sight of all was that of the Earth itself, perfect, beautiful and blue, a vista to put all others to shame. How could we ever want to leave such a marvel? How could we ever not wish to add our own part to the glory of it? When we would be giving up being a part of such awe? I advocate all council members taking the time to view our homeworld from this vantage point.

To resume my narrative proper.. while Raindance and Velocity found themselves fighting through the numerous factories where these machines were assembled and shipped out, I and Valkyrie assaulted the control center, an orbiting platform.

Wave, after wave, after wave, after wave of assault robots, shrapnel and explosions and sparks everywhere... I know there are those who take a certain enjoyment in battle, whether visceral, the satisfaction of skills well enacted, or some other sort of motivator, but I find I myself do not have a taste for it. Oh, you could break it up into component parts that I have a like for, the challenge of precisely timed flight, the heady rush that comes with victory. But on the whole, I have no real enjoyment in violence, and I doubt I ever will. Sorrowful especially that as a being of synthetic life myself, to see all these robots put to such wasted and horrible purpose, given programming only sophisticated enough to allow them to destroy.

We were all of us eventually triumphant, the culprit revealed as the sinister Toy Boy, a sort of manchild in a state of permanent, stunted and deranged youth and genius. Tragedy folded on itself for an intellect accomplishing on a technological scale that could otherwise be uplifting his people, instead merely terrorizes them.

But on the other hand, this entire experience was hopeful all the same. For though being scattered across the city, though some seemed not even to be human (aside from myself that is), men and women rose up and joined together to fight for the well being of the world they had found a place in, and emerged in a glorious victory. There is, at least to me, an obvious lesson in that.

(OOC: the thread in question: http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... &sk=t&sd=a )

[MarkK]

From the Files of the Emissary Project:

I have accepted that in my efforts to encourage unity, hope and heroism in those around me, both individually, and as part of a wider world, there will be setbacks. I know that all they mean is that I have to try that much harder next time. Still, some reversals are far more depressing than others.

The idea occured to me to try and establish firmer ties between the city's superheroic community. To provide a basis for relationships to form, partnerships to build, information to be shared, trust and camaraderie to increase. You must admit, this is if nothing else, a good idea. Through my ties with the Freedom League, I put out a general call that for the day, Freedom Hall's advanced training facilities would be open to use. I prepared snacks, planned workout programs and simulator scenarios, and painted what I think was a very lovely banner.

Things seemed to be right on track, as is said. Worthies such as Velocity and Captain Wonder arrived come the day, and newer faces such as Doctor Archeville and the Mongrel Angel. Unfortunately, not soon into even just warm ups, some kind of.. time tossed Roman legionnaire (see attached appendix: Temporal Accidents and You part 12: Anachronisms That Walk the Universe and Want to Boot You in the Face) became blood mad, attempting to kill his sparring partner.

Oh, he was stopped before he could significantly injure anyone, restrained and hauled away, to be sure. And the redoubtable Captain Wonder did what he could to salvage the day by shifting things to the lounge where he regaled us with tales of his adventures. But... in my mind, my thoughts ever returned to the image of the blood on the Wreck Room floor, a place of benign exercise. An image not condusive at all to unity, hope, or heroism.

I am depressed, but not despairing. The day was a failure on my part, but within it all the same were those that acted with heroism and good will towards one another. From that, I choose to take that all I have to do is figure out how to better arrange a day that can more properly encourage and honour such impulses. To be more thorough and attentive in my planning, so that it balances, and is not swept away by, my personal enthusiasm. Perhaps a charity event...

(OOC: the thread in question http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... f=11&t=812 )

[MarkK]

From the Files of the Emissary Project:

Captain Wonder! (Readers will just have to accept my enthusiasm in entries that are so focused)

I got over my own sense of personal awe to the point where I was able to arrange a shared patrol of the city with the good Captain. He seems to have spent some time away from what might be called the superheroic scene, that I hoped such efforts would aid in easing him back into it. I admit I did also hope I would hear more of his stories of exploits of yesteryear, of the world my father fought in. I was not dissapointed on either account.

We found time for both fighting crime, and for connecting with neighbourhood children. The latter provided enough fun that I did not even have time for my usual sigh at all the wonderful playground workings that I can never use, for that my body's weight and density would simply destroy them (as connected, see attached inquiry and requisition forms with regards to the embassy. Why I have a writing desk and chair constructed to bear my weight, but no jungle gym or slide, well that just seems as skewed priorities right there.)

Particularly as to fighting crime: We came upon an old man facing down a gang of street toughs as backed by rented combat drones, obviously, hopelessly and completely overmatched, but facing them down with resolve all the same. Indeed, the entire matter was a result of the man and his peers banding together to refuse to submit to the looming and vastly more powerful criminal syndicates that preyed upon them. I could go on here for a very long time about that kind of strength of fighting spirit, but I want to hope that the example there is self evident. Instead, I must wonder.. do we ourselves have that quality anymore? We live on a hyperadvanced, concealed fortress island, where our lives are a peaceful perfection. We face no real, plausible immediate threat, and in response to just the idea of one, we seriously discuss abandoning the entire planet. Is that a sign of what our lives would be in the wider universe we would exile ourselves to? A constant willingless to flee across an expanse in the face of adversity, ever sapping our resolve and valor in each act? Our very society was founded in an act of almost pure valor, that though the entire world was being torn apart, descending to barbarism and ignorance, we refused to allow our culture, our traditions to die, and struggled against the impossiblity of fate itself to make that so. Do we have that courage anymore, the courage I saw today in that old man's eyes, or have we become complacent? Do we still honour the valor of our ancestors?

I have, we have, viewed my ambassadorship as a way to give humanity the gift of our virtues. Tolerance, enlightenment, compassion, equality, serenity. But perhaps it is humanity that in interacting with us, has a gift of their own to give in return, even if only just the one. And perhaps, just perhaps, it is the most important gift of all.

(OOC: thread can be found here http://endlessflight.net/freedom/viewto ... f=41&t=978 )

[MarkK]

The Questionnaire:

Introduction

Give a two or three word description of yourself. (Describe your character's concept.)

Hopeful stalwart ambassador

Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume?

No.

What is your full birth name?

The Emissary

Where do you live?

The Utopian Embassy in Freedom City

Why do you live there?

I’m the Utopian Ambassador to Freedom City and the wider world

What do you perceive as your greatest strength?

My belief in man’s inherent goodness

What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?

My belief in man’s inherent goodness. I realize it’s something misguided people can attempt to exploit me by, but that is a price I pay gladly for my faith.

Physical Traits

How old are you? (Chronological age as well as age category.)

6 years old.

What is your sex?

Male

What is your race?

I do not have one. Synthetic life form, if that counts.

How tall are you?

6â€Â5

How much do you weigh?

Over a ton

What is your general body type, frame, bone structure, and poise?

Mesomorphic.

What is your skin colour?

Silver

What is your hair colour?

Silver

What is your hair style?

Close cropped with light curls

Do you have any facial hair?

No

What is your eye colour?

Shining light blue

How attractive are you?

Ah… I have been told that I am? I am a poor gauge of such things.

What is your most distinguishing feature?

I should like to say the brightness and warmth of my smile. Probably though that I am a floating being of animate silvered alloy is far more distinguishing.

Do you have any scars, tattoos, or birthmarks?

No

What is your handedness (left/right/ambidextrous)?

Right handed.

Do you resemble some currently known person?

I like to think I look like my fa-.. like Councillor Sarlyn, who is certainly currently known in my homeland, otherwise no.

What kind of clothing do you wear?

Either suits, or my superheroic costume

Do you wear makeup?

That would just look bizarre on silver skin

What sort of vocal tone do you have?

I have been told it spans from resonant, to “the clarion call of silver trumpetsâ€Â, from someone poetically minded.

History

Where is your homeland?

… that’s classified, as they say. It is an island though.

Are you aware of its history?

I am literally a creation of its history, so yes.

Are you patriotic or a social outcast?

I consider myself a patriot

What are your opinion of home?

It is one of the finest places that has ever been, and could yet be a shining beacon to the rest of the world of the heights that are theirs to one day reach.

Where is your home town?

Councillor Sarlyn’s estate, there aren’t really towns on the island.

Are your real reasons for becoming an adventurer different from what you tell others?

I do not dissemble. That is just not who I am.

How far would you go to keep such secrets from being revealed? What would you do if the truth became known?

See, worries like these are why it’s just not worth presenting a false face to the world in most situations

What do you fear would occur if the truth became known?

And now we’re onto fear even. I hope society will become far more open some day to pre empt lines of thought like this.

Do you have any particularly high or low ability scores?

While it will unfortunately sound like ego, given my basic form and composite consciousness, all of my capacities are enhanced to some degree. I am most grateful of them for an enhanced insight and perception.

How have these scores affected your life so far?

Great strength, durance and keen agility have well aided my superheroic efforts. But an enhanced capacity for insight is what has allowed me to have a compassion for humanity all the more strongly, to have a sense of what is in their hearts, both good and ill, and to feel empathy for either.

What about your race, growing up were you in the majority or a minority?

Those concepts do not exist in my society, it’s hard to address them sometimes.

Did this impact your outlook in any way?

It certainly makes me exasperated by racism and intolerance. All of humanity is one.

How do you feel about other races?

It took me a while to wrap my head around the concept of humanity feeling it is divided up into other races. As far as races distinct from humanity though, I think they’re all fascinating in their own way, though the Grue sadden me as far as what seems to be an existence of little more than vestigial tools for the Meta Mind. I cannot envision such a life bound to such a tyrannical will.

Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?

None.

Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.

My very creation was the defining moment of my early existance. To know from birth that one is the legacy of the heroes and luminaries of one’s people is a responsibility and challenge that requires diligence and dedication to live up to.

What stupid things did you do when you were younger?

There was a brief unfortunate period where I had not quite grasped the importance of public nudity taboos. Also I am built in an image of.. full functionality. I think you can picture what kinds of things ensued from there.

Which toys from your childhood have you kept?

I did not, really, exactly have a childhood, having been created fully formed and with a developed mind that was then trained. That all said, there was a simulated solid light dog I was very fond of when father was teaching me about pets as combined with how to be careful with my own strength. He still frolics in father’s gardens back home, I think.

Why? What do they mean to you? If you didn't keep any, why not? What did you do to them all?

Well, the technology to project my pseudo furry friend is nothing I would be allowed to export.

Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?

See, again this is the problem with secrets.

Are you who you claim to be?

Yes

Do you have any sort of criminal record?

No

How do you view the heroes/legends of your country?

As the literal reason for my existence. Without their presence, there would have been nothing to shape my mind from. I owe them, literally, my life.

Family

Who were your parents?

Councillor Sarlyn raised and trained me. I feel he is my father, and since his was one of the minds that contributed to forming mine, this is even true in a sense beyond metaphor or the like.

Were you raised by them? If not, then why didn't they and who did raise you?

I was indeed raised by him.

What was their standing in the community?

One of the leaders of.

Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot?

There’s really only Utopia Isle, and as far as my father and my greater family that are the Utopian people, everyone is entirely sedentary.

How did you get along with their parents?

Very well.

How would your parents describe you? Answer this in the voice of your mother, then in your father's.

I do not really have a mother. The closest that could be called such are the scientists who crafted my body, and as extended from them, the Utopian people as a whole. It would regardless be difficult to speak in their group voice. As for my father… “A fine young man. Though he is going to run himself ragged from trying so hard. Maybe too hard.â€Â

Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what were their names? How did you get along with each of your siblings?

I have none. That would be interesting if I did though.

What was your birth position in the family?

Ahm.. I suppose the “only childâ€Â.

List all current knowledge of family locations, spouses, children, birth dates, schooling, and any important incidents that only you and they might remember.

Utopia Isle. My father was born several decades before the second world war.

Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged?

I am in regular contact with my father

Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?

Though I love all my people, I do hold my father first in my heart particularly.

Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?

My father, who remains my teacher and guide.

Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)?

Not especially. Well, my father is vaguely scandalous for his views on integration with the wider world, but many others have those views, he just has them most strongly.

If so, who are they and how did they "gain" the position?

Again, he’s not /that/ scandalous.

Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor?

Given that my mind is shaped from the psychic imprints of the worthies of my society, I have many.

If so, what did this person do to become famous or infamous?

Create notable works of art or science, powerful oratory, perform heroic deeds.. My father particularly was a member of the Liberty League during its days of glory.

Do you try to live up to the reputation of your ancestor, try to live it down, or ignore it?

I view it as a shining standard to live up to and guide my life by.

Do you ever want to have a family of your own someday?

Well, the Utopian people are my family, but one of a more personal sort? I don’t know.. it would be nice to one day impart whatever wisdom I manage to garner in my life to another,

I suppose.

Would anything change your mind on this issue and if so, what?

I’m just not sure.

What type of person would be your ideal mate?

Ahm…. Ahm…. I have also never thought about this. Someone with a good heart, above anything else.

Relationships

Do you have any close friends? If so, who and what are they like?

I like to think Captain Wonder is a close friend. They are, well, a hero of legendary valour, honour and quality.

What is the history of their relationship(s) with you?

We go on patrols of the city together, and talk about matters as we do.

Do you currently have a best friend whom you would protect with your reputation or your life?

Well.. a willingness to do so is not something exclusive to close friends with me.

If so, who are they and what caused you to feel so close to them? What would have to happen for you to end this relationship?

I simply believe in humanity, and want to do whatever I can to give each of them chances to grow and flourish. For someone not to get this consideration from me, they would have to be involved in living a life of doing harm to their fellow man and seeking ill of them. And even then, there are still some ways.

Do you have any bitter enemies?

The White Knight quite hates me, I have found.

If so, who are they, what are they like, and what is the history of their feud with you?

They present themselves as the functional avatar of racist intolerance and hatred, a klansman with powers. I defeated them in my first appearance in the wider world, our paths have kept crossing since, both intentionally and otherwise.

Have you defeated them before?

On several ocassions.

How might these enemies seek to discomfit you in the future?

By attempting to kill me, I imagine.

Which person(s) or group(s) are you most loyal to?

Utopian society, the Freedom League, humanity as a whole.

Who is your most trusted ally?

My father, the Freedom League and Captain Wonder all stand at similar placing for this.

Who do you trust, in general?

Though it has not always ended well, and though I keep mindful when doing so, I try to give most people the benefit of the doubt, or if not that, the hope they can and will come to something better than what they currently do.

Who do you despise and why?

I don’t despise anyone really. There are people I have been angry at, people who I pity, and people who exasperate me, but I despise no one.

Name seven things you hate in others.

I don’t… hate. If we limit the question to irk or exasperation though.. hatred itself, really. It is a deeply unfortunate and self annihilating emotion, I wish people could see how it twists them from within. The movement among my people to leave Earth exasperates me, this is our home, humanity are our brethren, and we could work such wonders with them, so, isolationistic tendencies exasperate me. Intolerance is a similar source of discomfort and sorrow. I dislike laziness as far as learning, it is only through being open to learning that we can grow, change and improve ourselves, and we have to be willing to push forward to doing so. I am periodically guilty of it, and I suppose it has a place, and certainly some put it to humorous use, but.. sarcasm. It is just so ultimately mean spirited. Whatever impulse causes people to wear those baggy pants that leave one’s underwear completely exposed. Why bother to wear the pants? You are mocking the entire purpose of pants and the work that goes into them. There are many people who would much like a good pair of pants that do not have them. How needless. Just go around without pants and give your pants to the less fortunate. Oh, and smoking. The world holds such promise, why hasten your journey through it just for a paltry nicotine rush? Also it smells.

Is your image consistent?

I try to be consistent. If that makes my image consistent as a result, well, so be it.

Do you deliberately present yourself differently in different situations, and how?

While I certainly try to act in ways that accommodate the different situations I encounter, or preferences and needs of others, and with some I am firm and even angry, and others I seek benign dialogue with.. it’s not on the whole a deliberate effort.

What would you die for?

Humanity. My father. The people of Utopia.

What is the worst thing someone has done to you?

Lie to me. Even by contrast trying to kill me.. it is honest, in its way. But a lie means that someone feels they just cannot trust or be themselves around me in some way. That is painful.

What is your general reaction to an attractive member of the opposite sex who lets you know they are available?

Ahm…. Ahm……. Ahm…. I think that my reaction to this question is probably conveying my reaction.

How do you get along with others of the same adventuring class?

My fellow superheroes? I think quite well, though some are more or less willing to be receptive to my verbosity.

Have you lost any loves?

No

How did you handle the situation (short & long term)?

It has not occured

Who would miss you should you go missing?

My father, my friends, my people..

How close are you to your adventuring companions?

Ultimately, on the whole, I suppose I am not all that close. My life keeps me very busy, and I think that has prevented me from establishing particularly deep ties with my peers. I find that a bit sad.

What do they not know about you?

Nothing comes to mind.

Are you a member of any house, guild, organization, or church? What is your level of involvement?

I am the ambassador of Utopia Isle, and a member of the Freedom League. I am heavily involved with both.

Personality & Beliefs

Do you, or did you, have any role models?

Yes. My father.

Do you have any heroes or idols, either contemporary or from legend?

Indeed, my father. Also Captain Wonder.

Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances?

Not particularly

When did you decide to become an adventurer?

When I saw White Knight attacking the city on my first visit to it, though I wasn’t really thinking about such things at the time, I just.. acted.

Why have you chosen to risk your life as a career?

I don’t really think about it that way. I am just trying to help people in all the ways that are within my ability to do so. If that so happens to risk my life, well, that happens.

What do you expect to get out of being an adventurer? What, if anything, would make you stop adventuring?

I hope to be able to tangibly improve the lives of the people around me. And.. some massive crisis back home that would call me back, I suppose.

Do you have any dreams or ambitions? If not, why?

I would one day like to see the rest of humanity achieve the level of societal and technological development Utopia Isle has, and for my people to then join them as brothers.

What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)?

Lower Freedom City’s crime rate, get several scholarship programs set into place, organize various district improvement projects to provide jobs and reinforcement of social infrastructure in disadvantaged areas.

What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)?

Announcing the full membership of Utopia Isle to the United Nations, as a full and participating nation of the world (I realize this may take that long)

If these goals seem at odds with each other, or with your dreams, how do you reconcile the differences?

They are all part of the same overall goal of helping people.

Do you have any great rational or irrational fears or phobias? If so, what are the origins of, or reasons behind them?

None that come to mind.

How do you react when this fear manifests itself?

See above.

What are your attitudes regarding material wealth?

Coming from a society that does not truck in such things.. well.. I recognize it can be put to good use, and is as good an arbitrary construction to reward merit and frame a society around as any, if you need to have such a construction, but it also does so many unfortunate things, and can keep mindsets in an unfortunate place.

Are you miserly with your share of the wealth, or do you spend it freely?

In that I have no need of wealth, I share it freely and encourage others to do so.

Do you see wealth as a mark of success, or just as a means to an end?

Only a means to an end for helping people and giving them incentive to do so within the strictures of their society.

How do you generally treat others?

As I would like to be treated

Do you trust easily (perhaps too easily) or not?

I do, it is, as I have noted before, a weakness, but I deal with it.

Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)?

I am fairly outgoing.

Are you a humble soul or blusteringly proud?

I am blusteringly proud of my people. Calling oneself humble can often mean one is actually not. I /like/ to think I am, I suppose.

What habits do you find most annoying in friends?

Sarcasm, rudeness, if they wear their pants in that way from above.

What are your most annoying habits?

I have been told by Raven that “my cheerfulness is an unstoppable force that borders on the unholy and traumatizingâ€Â.

Is there any race, creed, alignment, religion, class, profession, political viewpoint, or the like against which you are strongly prejudiced, and why?

Goodness no.

What is your favourite food?

I am currently quite partial to samosas.

What is your favourite drink?

Cherry cola

What is your favourite treat (desert)?

Rainbow sherbert

Do you favour a particular cuisine?

There are too many wonderful types to pick the one.

Do you savor the tastes when eating or "wolf down" your food?

In that I don’t need to eat and my synthetic metabolism essentially burns ingested foodstuffs to nothing, I eat really only to savour tastes and textures.

Do you like food mild or heavily spiced?

I have appreciated either. Heavily spiced is more interesting to taste though.

Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat?

Baby mice wine deeply horrifies me.

What are your favourite colour(s)?

I am partial to blue and gold.

Is there any colour that you dislike?

Not really

Do you have a favourite (or hated) song, type of music, or instrument?

I like the flute and the variations of. It can be haunting, sweet, inspiring, and melancholy, often within the same piece. And it can echo wonderfully.

If you have a favourite scent, what is it?

I do not have a favourite scent really.

What is your favourite type of animal?

The duckbilled playpus. It is just fascinating. How can we want to leave a planet with such strange and wonderful things? And also the panda bear, for looking adorable.

Are you allergic to any kinds of animals?

No

Is there anything that enrages you?

Wanton, cruel violence.

Is there anything which embarrasses you?

Erm.. intense romantic attention.

Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts?

Given the difficulty in accommodating my particular density, I am in a sense almost always roughing it. And it is fine. I do like a nice comfortable chair on the rare ocassions where one can support me though.

Do you have a patron deity?

No, not really.

Are you devout or impious?

My people are vastly more philosophical than religious. Indeed, completely so. I am not however I would say, disrespectful of religion and the strength it can give people, and I do think that there are measures of truth to be found in many of them.

Do you actively worship and proselytize or do you simply pay lip service?

I do none of these things.

What lengths would you go to defend your faith?

I lack a religion. As far as my overall faith in humanity? Look to my previous answers.

Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special?

In humanity? By my father. Again, we Utopians are philosophers.

Do you belong to a dominant church, or an independent church, cult, or sect (and is the group accepted, frowned upon, or considered heretics)?

Again with the church… no, I do not.

Will you kill?

No.

When did you decide (or learn) that you would?

I have not.

When do you consider it okay to kill (under what circumstances)?

I do not begrudge.. well, that is not quite so, I despair deeply even of when police officers and soldiers kill. It should not be so. It drives me to work harder for a society in which such an option need not be. I recognize that the way their society is structured however, that this is something that happens.

When do you consider it wrong to kill (under what circumstances)?

Almost all, if not all.

What would you do if someone else attempted to (or successfully did) kill under your "wrong" circumstances, what would be your reaction?

Try to stop them, whether physically or talking them out of it.

What if it were your enemy?

The same.

What if it were your friend?

The same.

What if the opponent were not in control of their own actions (under duress, charmed, dominated, possessed)?

The same.

What would you do if something were stolen from you?

I don’t really have anything to steal. I suppose try to get whatever it was back.

What would you do if you were badly insulted publicly?

Ask the person so doing why they were doing so.

What would you do if a good friend or relative were killed by means other than natural death?

Mourn. Live my life to honour what they wanted to do with theirs.

What is the one task you would absolutely refuse to do?

Er.. there are several tasks I would absolutely refuse to do. Anything involving rapine or murder, if you need me to pick out some.

What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why?

Murder. You take away everything someone ever could have been. And in all that potential that we all share, they could have been something good some day. But now we will never know.

How do you feel about government (rulers) in general? Why do you feel that way?

Do you support the current government of your homeland?

By and large. I disagree with a particular opinion held by some of the members of it.

If so, how far are you willing to go to defend the government? If not, do you actively oppose it?

I would fight for the council if needs must, yes.

What form of government do you believe is the best (democracy, monarchy, anarchy, aristocratic rule, oligarchy, matriarchy) and why?

Meritocratic council acclaimed by the society as a whole from those with the right qualities to sit on it. That said, that form of government really only works if one’s society has progressed to a certain point. Otherwise, so long as run with the people in mind, most governments can be made to work, though they will all have their flaws. Except for communism, by the time a society could progress enough where it would not be a completely disastrous ideology, there are far better systems that could at that point be put into place anyway. Unfortunate, the principle at the center of it is certainly nice.

Do you have any unusual habits or dominant personality traits that are evident to others?

I suppose the floating.

If so, describe them and how you acquired them, as well as when they might be more noticeable and what causes them.

Well, I weigh a lot. Better to float. I’ve managed to get it down to being usually imperceptible, but sometimes I forget.

Do you have any unusual or nervous mannerisms, such as when talking, thinking, afraid, under stress, or when embarrassed?

Not really

What is your most treasured possession?

I don’t really have any possessions.

If your life were to end in 24 hours, what 5 things would you do in those remaining hours?

Tell my father I love him. Tell my people I love them. Tell humanity I love them. Eat my favourite foods. Go on one last patrol of the city, to help whoever I could, as usual.

Career & Training

Where and how were you educated?

By my father, both at his estate and across Utopia Isle.

Who trained you in your adventuring class(es)?

My father

What was your relationship with your teacher(s)/mentor(s)?

Considering he is my father, a very good one.

Is this person or institution still in existence?

Yes

Were you a prize student or did you just barely pass?

I like to think he is proud of my progress.

Look at your skills. How did you acquire them (especially the unusual ones)?

My training, glimmers of knowledge from the minds from which mine is formed that I pursued of my own violition to develop further

Have you ever done anything else for a living?

No

How do you function in combat (maneuvers, weaknesses)?

I try to move fights away from those that might be harmed as collateral of them, then close to physical combat with my foe while maneuvering around them acrobatically to seek openings.

Have you ever received any awards or honours?

I think being invited to join the Freedom League is an honour.

Is there anything that you don't currently know how to do that you wish you could?

Create objects from sheer will? I could have a lot of fun with that, and there are many situations where it would be useful.

Are you envious of others who can do such things in a good-natured way or are you sullen and morose about it?

I don’t believe in begrudging someone the capacity to do something interesting.

Lifestyle & Hobbies

When not adventuring, what is your normal daily routine?

Attending social functions, giving speeches at lectures, organizing discussion groups on social change, representing my people, volunteer efforts at various societal levels and encouraging the same from those around me, furthering my training and knowledge. Social engineering on various scales to help others.

How do you feel and react when this routine is interrupted for some reason?

If the reason is good, I just accept that these things happen.

What are your hobbies when you are not adventuring or training?

I like to read. And gymnastics is fun, on the occasions when I find facilities that can support me.

What do you do for relaxation? What things do you do for enjoyment? What interests do you have?

Read, work out, fly through the skies and just enjoy the feeling of it. My interests vary wildly, from children’s books to histories, to artwork, to.. they vary wildly.

How do you normally dress when not in your adventuring gear?

I usually am in costume.

What do you normally wear in bed at home?

I don’t sleep. Well, I’ve indulged sometimes in it. Usually nothing, in that case.

What do you normally wear in bed while adventuring?

Again, I don’t sleep. If resting while engaged in some activity though, probably my costume.

Do you wear any identifiable jewelry?

The clasp for my cape.

Where do you normally put your weapons, magic items, or other valuables when you are sleeping?

I don’t have such things.

What morning or evening routines do you normally have?

I read the news, tend to such messages as I have, drink some juice if there is any on hand and it is tasty, check my schedule for appointments and engagements, and ideally get in a patrol of the city if it is one of the days where I have forced my schedule to adjust.

Do these change when you are adventuring?

I suppose not.

Travel: how do you get around locally?

I fly.

Do you have a Last Will and Testament?

No

What does it say?

I don’t have one.

Miscellaneous

What would you like to be remembered for after your death?

That I helped people, and some of them as a result helped others.

What kind of threat do you present to the public?

I… suppose those who fear the unknown or societies outside their own might fear the influence I bring into their world and my desire for societal change.

If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body?

The alloys and energies I am made of.

As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice...

People, and this is the thing right here, suck. Yes, someday they might not suck, but right now, they suck. They suck out loud. They’re hypocrites, they’re cruel, they’re selfish, they’re mean. And while acting like they don’t suck is admirable, people may just feel that you’re doing an idylls of the King to them, where people first felt guilty for not being able to live up to Arthur’s faith in them, and then guilt turned to resentment, and betrayal, and hate, and a desire to tear him the fuck down so they could stop being reminded of a guy who was doing all of relentlessly believing in them and hoping for them. People don’t want to be believed in. Someone else’s faith can be a smothering thing, it’s why we mostly put it in omnipotent, distant, near faceless gods instead, they can totally handle it. It’s much easier to follow someone who says he believes in a cause, or talks ultimately about hating something, or believes in an abstract concept than to deal with someone that looks at a person, says, and totally means “I believe in youâ€Â. So, watch out. People would sooner natter on some crap about how your sheer existence is crippling human potential or some nonsense than try to deal with being the them that believes in you believing in them. And they’d hurt you for making them having to think about doing otherwise.

(Yes, Mark is vastly more cynical and pessimistic than Mark’s character)