First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for an overview of the projects and characters.

Swap (4)

Project: Comic

Known as: Swap

Real name: Calvin (Cal) Cooley

Group affiliation: MizFits

Physical description: Cal is a blond-haired, blue-eyed surfer dude. Skinny, but in good shape, with a number of surf-related tatoos. He’s young (18).

History: Unsurprisingly, Cal is from Cali (Huntington Beach, specifically). Cal was son of a single mom with humble means, Sally, who was very loving and fun (she named him “Calvin” for both the connection to California and the way it made his name similar to a president’s). They were poor, but happy as Cal inherited his mother’s sunny disposition. Still, Sally working two jobs sometimes limited their time together, so fortunately Cal was “adopted” at a young age by a local surf shop (especially by the owner, Jefferson Smith). In return for him doing small jobs around the shop (e.g., sweeping, taking out the garbage) the shop would often loan him an old board and Jefferson would give him free surf lessons. This worked out (dare I say it?) swimmingly for Sally who was happy to know that Cal had a safe place to go while she was busy.

The adoption became more formal when Sally was killed in a car accident when Cal was 14 (Jefferson became his guardian). While Cal was incredibly sad about losing his mother, he considers it a tribute to her to live an upbeat, optimistic life. He regularly talks to his shark tooth necklace as if it were his mother, as they found the tooth together during a walk on the beach. While some find it strange that he calls his shark tooth “mommy” and asks its opinion on things, most just find it charming.

Cal is not book smart (he quit high school as a sophomore). In fact, he also isn’t non-book smart. Really the guy is pretty dumb. But demeanor-wise he’s basically a puppy in human form so his lovability means he gets by in life pretty well. He is often funny, though this is usually in the form of a non-sequitur that may be driven by stupidity rather than cleverness.

He’s not heroic in the traditional sense (he doesn’t seek out evil and deliver justice; at least on purpose). However, he is very compassionate. It was not unusual for a wounded animal to be housed in the back of the surf shop while Cal nursed it back to health. He wants everyone to be happy and is good at reading people’s moods. He’ll take on the hardships of others when he can as he knows that he is just more emotionally resilient than most. He wouldn’t hesitate, for example, to switch places (literally) with someone about to get injured.

When Jefferson sold the surf shop when Cal was 18, Jefferson encouraged Cal to see the country. With some money from Jefferson, simple needs, and odd jobs Cal did pretty well. But he was drawn to the Mizfits as he needs family (what puppy doesn’t?). He spends the most time with the unemotional Boost (who never finds Cal overly annoying, as others can). He’s also very attracted to the repressed Nudge. These feelings are unrequited, which doesn’t overly bother Cal (after all, nothing really does).

Role in the narrative: A lot of the Mizfits have baggage, so Cal is here to be simple comic relief. His character is both cliché and passé, but I was hoping that the most familiar-feeling character might be the one most out of place on the Mizfits (again not that that would bother Cal). Also any team/family needs a little heart.

Abilities: Swap, when he chooses, can instantly change places with anyone with whom he makes eye contact. However just the bodies are swapped not clothes, things being held, etc. (note when Boost is around Swap/Cal has better luck with clothes and items going with him if he so chooses). This can be both highly useful (e.g., someone is holding a gun on him) and fairly ridiculous (e.g., swapping with an elderly woman walking her dogs). It’s not unusual for Swap to end up in baggy or too tight clothes, but fortunately he is quick at disrobing and pretty comfortable going naked.

Comedic potential abounds, but his power is also very useful when the Misfits get in a scrape. He can help less quick teammates (like InviciBill) get into the right places, and it can present quite a problem to a villain who relies on weapons/armor.

A few things to work out about his powers still (such what happens when he swaps with someone who wears very small boots, or what kind of range eye contact has).

Inspirations: A bit of Spicoli, and an obvious nod to Jericho from the Titans.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for an overview of the projects and characters.

Boost (3)

Project: Comic

Known as: Boost

Real name: Milo Wun

Group affiliation: MizFits

Physical description: Boost is still young (14 years old) and is the epitome of nondescript. He has dark brown, straight hair, dark brown eyes, and a pale complexion. The shape of his eyes suggest at least some Asian ancestry (perhaps Japanese). His cloths are usually very simple, and also shades of light brown. It’s almost like he has indoor camouflage and is likely to blend in to beige walls. Combined with his quiet nature this makes it hard for people to notice him and harder for people to remember him. Which serves him well in his thieving.

History: Boost knows very little of his own history, having been abandoned at a fire station as a baby. His name is a combination of the name of the firefighter who found him (Ben Milo) and the squad (Squad 1 in the Brooklyn area; in a bout of Ellis-island-like racism, they spelled “One” as “Wun” as they thought he was at least part “Asian”; mildly in their defense, they thought he’d get a new name when adopted). As he was physically healthy, most thought he wouldn’t have trouble being adopted. However, he was a most unusual baby, and never cried. This and other unusual behaviors suggested that he might have (rather severe) developmental disabilities. This unfortunately limited the interest of potential parents, and he spent most of his early years in hospitals of one form or another.

His caregivers found him to be a most unusual mix of strengths and weaknesses. Physically, he was advanced; walking early and having scary good fine motor skills at an usually early age. Yet he spoke rarely and showed emotion even less frequently. Testing would later show he was above-average in most categories, and exceptional in some.

Role in the narrative: Ah, the foundling cliché for a reason. In Campbell’s monomyth the hero is always a foundling. This enables an extraordinary person to be raised/part of the common people and sets up a journey of self-discovery. In my case, it might be laziness I haven’t decided yet if Boost is an alien or human, from common stock or extraordinary. So, he’s a foundling to give me some narrative flexibility down the road. Of course, the accident with Random also caused a lot of the unusual abilities and weird things around their version of New York (and thus generated a lot of the situations the Mizfits needs to resolve).

Abilities and limitations: Boost’s extraordinary power is the ability to increase the powers of others. He can make super-strong individuals even stronger, fast people faster, etc. This can help people without “super powers” as well, amplifying their gifts (e.g., a ballet troupe will could have their best performance of their lives with Boost in the audience). The main limitation is that for him to have any noticeable effects he needs to charge up, like a battery. So, if he tries to enhance abilities on a daily basis, the result might be subliminal. On the other hand, after not using his power for a month the recipient will receive quite a, well, boost.

Note that when he used his power on Random to create what is now referred to as the Last Halloween or “All Saints’ Anarchy,” it was the first time he had used his power. So functionally he had a lifetime’s “charge” and thus it is unlikely he could ever enhance anyone’s abilities to the same degree again (which is likely for the best).

His thieving abilities are actually as, if not more, impressive than his “power.” He is a virtuoso pickpocket, and his size, flexibility, climbing skills and fearlessness means he has a different definition of inaccessible than most (he’s quite comfortable in ducts, sewers, gaps between walls, and the like). His patience is off the charts, and he has escaped from more than one situation by finding a tight hiding spot and staying there well beyond anyone would have expected. Few realize how observant he is, or how impressive his memory is. This means he is constantly “casing” every place he goes noting entries and exits, hiding spots, security cameras, the people and their routines, etc. (and able to recall with near perfection later). He’s great with traditional locks and safes, and his only real limitation is he is not that great at countering electronic security measures. The good news here is that he is on a team with at least three geniuses, and follows instructions well, so with a little preparation only the most advanced systems pose a barrier to him.

It is worth noting that his EQ is particularly low (understanding emotions in others is a bit tricky when he feels so few himself). He will virtually never be able to talk himself out of a situation, and his team mates have to be careful how they ask him questions or give him instructions as he can be surprisingly literal at times.

Inspirations: Boost has that duality that comics creators love so much (and that I’ll be using for a lot of my characters). He’s quiet, unemotional, nondescript nearly non-extraordinary in every way, but his power is to make others more extraordinary. Of course, the ability to increase other’s powers is nothing new a think more than one Marvel mutant can do it, and I think of a series of novels by Weis and Hickman where characters who amplified the magical abilities of others was crucial to the plot.  The “beat of his own drummer” character is also common, and if I think I had the skill as a writer I would love for him to be a hero in spite of (because of?) his emotional disabilities. Finally, I like the double meaning of his name “Boost” (to steal, to increase) which may or may not have been used before.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for an overview of the projects and characters.

Random

Project: Comic

Known as: Random

Real name: Carolina Kowal (often goes by “Lina”)

Group affiliation: MizFits

Physical description: Random is exactly like her twin sister (Cassidy/Nudge), at least in every way she can’t change (e.g., a little shorter than average, quite thin, sharp, well-defined features). In every other way, she is a sharp contrast. Her hair is usually one or more colors not found in nature (pink, purple, green), and is usually cut asymmetrically (often with a closely-cropped side with a charming phrase shaved in like “Screw you”). Her fashion style, at first glance, looks like Goth. However, she usually incorporates something unexpected (like a brightly-colored cashmere scarf). Her shoes are often different colors from one another. In short, she is non-traditional/non-conformist (yet somehow it all comes together and works).

History: Random grew up in suburban Short Hills, New Jersey, and she’d be happy to tell you all about it. Of course, it will be a lecture on how modern suburban America is a blight on the human soul, sucking away all creativity and individualism until all that is left is empty automatons mindlessly going through the motions. She was a downright disruptive student, and most of her teachers dreaded her constant challenges (of course, most of them also realized she was smarter than them). With some effort, she was a solid C student (the effort on her part was the work she put in not to get better grades). She has always been a huge bookworm (point of pride usually true, paper books), and her self-education would put most college curriculum to shame.

For the most part, people have always disappointed Random. Less at a personal level (although she’s been let down more than a few times there, as well), but more as a species. It always seemed to her that no one lived up to the ideals she read about in her philosophy books, nor could any lives measure up to the heroics she read about in her fiction books. She has the spirit of an activist but sees too much hypocrisy and ulterior motives in most movements to ever join. And that is only considering the interesting, extraordinary people.  The vast majority of humanity to her are banal, stupid, selfish animals not even worth her time to insult. She is one of the youngest curmudgeons around. Of course, her power also causes her to largely isolate herself when possible.

Yet she does have a tremendous soft spot for those she sees as disadvantaged and disenfranchised. As victims of the system she hates, at least their shortcomings seem understandable and forgivable. For someone who believes she doesn’t like people, she does help the less fortunate (in secret whenever possible; and she favors helping those she discovers on her own, vs. formally volunteering somewhere). She sees them as kindred spirits (which is interesting for a person who has a wealth of mental, physical, and familial advantages).

It probably goes without saying for anyone who has also read about Nudge that Random and her twin sister do not get along at all. Nudge is the ultimate disappointment to Random somewhat smart enough to see the flaws in the system but embraces it anyway. The feeling is mutual, as there is no one in the world Nudge wanted to prove she was better than then her sister. Random always did the one thing that was worse to Nudge than beating Nudge in competition: Random wouldn’t even compete. Of course, Random knew this drove her sister nuts, and reveled in it.

Random ultimately thought she had found her niche. She worked at a used bookstore (inventory and paperwork; she avoided customers). The pay was pretty low, but the older man who owned the store let her crash on a cot in the office and read whatever she wanted. The man, Ezra, though Random was a complete pain in the ass but secretly loved her like a daughter (both feelings were also mutual).

That changed when Random, never particularly adverse to breaking the law, impulsively did something she shouldn’t have with people she shouldn’t have been with. One of those people was her future team mate Boost, and their abilities interacted in such a way that fundamentally changed the city of New York, with some tragic consequences.

Random finds herself with the MizFits for fairly simple reasons. First, the events with Boost made it clear that the humanity she was so disappointed in unfortunately included her. She now finds that she may have to embrace her personal kryptonite: responsibility. Second, the MizFits’ leader, Abia (Puzzle) may just be the truly admirable person Random didn’t know she was searching for. Perhaps there is even hope that Random will connect with her equally-humbled sister, but she doubts it.

Role in the narrative: There is the mystery of what happened with Boost. Redemption, especially when it may not be clear to the character that they need it, is a traditionally handy driver of story/pathos. Also, Random and Nudge are a pretty obvious dynamic of opposed identicalness. Both have worked really hard to distinguish themselves from one another, but this has ironically shown exactly how much they are alike. They both see themselves as independent but are ruled by society (Nudge in a conformist way; Random equally so in a non-conformist way). The share similar strengths (intelligence, their powers) and weaknesses (viewing themselves as separate/superior to others). And both can’t stand, but secretly really need, the other. Finally, a character that encourages unusual things to happen can be awfully convenient to a story-teller.

Abilities: Reality is a bit more squishy when Random is around. Unusual, improbable things tend to happen when she is around. If you flip a coin 10 times around Random, it’s not unusual for it to come up heads every time or tails every time. She cannot, however, predict or influence whether it would be heads or tails. In fact, if she really tries to influence the outcome, things are likely to get still more random (e.g., the coin lands on its edge).

There is a sort of Murphy’s law corollary to Random’s powers. Not that the outcomes are more likely to be “bad,” it’s that her powers are more likely to manifest in situations with lots of things happening. So, she tends to avoid events with active crowds, and the fact she prefers books to electronic alternatives may not be surprising. Spills, falls, flat tires, and more are more common around Random, so even when people don’t notice the “bad luck” (people tend to attribute the good luck around her to themselves), people are often vaguely uneasy around Random. Random has developed little control over her power but can “amp up” the effects a little if she concentrates.

Since she has no control, on the balance her abilities have been more curse than gift (she buys winning lottery tickets, and loses them). If Random and Nudge could ever find a way to work together, the results would be impressive. Nudge can affect things with intent, while Random’s ability could enable Nudge to do more than small things. However, this means that Random will have to give up control to Nudge, and Nudge will have to rely on Random (so, don’t hold your breath).

Additionally, Random is probably smarter than her sister, but lacks the discipline to be in as good of shape. She is a walking encyclopedia of facts, and has some skills in minor larceny (lock picking, minor grifts, etc.).

Inspirations: As noted for Nudge: Twins have obviously been used for narrative purposes many times, but likely Caramon And Raistlin influence me here. Reality-altering or “luck” powers are also obviously not new (e.g., Domino). There is a bit of Tyrion in Random’s curmudgeon-ness with her sympathy for the outsiders. The narrative convenience of having characters who cause unlikely things to happen is influenced by the Wheel of Time.

First time at this blog? Check out Home for details on the project and the Character Index for an overview of the projects and characters.

Nudge (1)

Project: Comic

Known as: Nudge

Real name: Cassidy Kowal

Group affiliation: MizFits

Physical description: Nudge is a little shorter than average, and quite thin. She has blond hair and blue eyes, with sharp, well-defined features. Her style could be best defined as “serious.” She usually has her hair pulled back in a perfect bun, and most often can be seen in a business suit in a conservative color.

History: Nudge grew up in suburban Short Hills, New Jersey, not that she’d ever tell you that. Though in many ways her childhood was idyllic, with a loving family, Nudge always saw her destiny was to be someone important and successful, a stand-out in her personal excellence. So she especially hated that she was born with an identical twin (“Random” who we will meet tomorrow). She believed that the world was less likely to see her as a true stand-out, when I duplicate of her was so often standing right next to her. To make matters worse, when the twins uncovered their special abilities, it turned out that they were (quite literally) more powerful as a duo, than as individuals.

Nudge therefore learned to control her abilities, to suppress them (her success would not come from her extraordinary gifts). A straight-A student with every extra-circular an Ivy-league school could dream of, and soon found herself with a law degree from a prestigious school, a high-powered job, and all of her dreams coming true. Political success seemed right around the corner, when it all came crashing down. Embroiled in a scandal, she soon found herself disbarred and without a career.

So now she is with the MizFits, in part because she has nowhere else to go, and in part because the MizFits leader, Puzzle, is so persuasive. This, of course, reunites her with her sister, to the displeasure of both.

Role in the narrative: Nudge will help us examine our need as humans to stand out, while at the same time knowing that we are most powerful when we work together. She will drive story as we will be revealing the details of her scandal over time. Is she really guilty, or a victim (which pride would never let her admit)? At her core, is she selfish or insecure? Her and Random will help us explore the nature of family and sisterhood.

Abilities: Nudge can change reality, which seems awesome, but she can only do it a tiny bit. This basically means she can make things that would have gone one way instead go the way she wants, but on a small scale. In Roulette, she can’t make any number come up, but she might be able to nudge the ball one number to the left or to the right. You don’t want to coin flip with her, as her chosen side comes up an unusual amount of times just not every time. Statistically, her power is certifiable. It’s just that it is usually small and undramatic. Now, were she to somehow partner with someone who made rules that drive reality as we know it a little more lax, they could be powerful indeed.

Nudge is very smart, and her drive has made her good at many things (she is quite an athlete in addition to her mental prowess).

Inspirations: Twins have obviously been used for narrative purposes many times, but likely Caramon And Raistlin influence me here. Reality-altering or “luck” powers are also obviously not new (e.g., Domino).