Sage Harpuia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lovesthepain) wrote1999-06-13 02:35 am
lovesthepain) wrote1999-06-13 02:35 am
(no subject)
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Headcanoned to 5'8", I believe; he's the second-tallest Guardian and just judging by sprites, he's maybe a head taller than Zero. He's thin, toned, and he's got ridiculous hips. Seriously, go gawk at that official artwork for a bit. Dude gives Leviathan a run for her money. Since he's a flight-based model, I like to pretend that Harpuia'd be lighter than average for a reploid his size. Of course, I have no idea how much a reploid weighs, so take that for what it's worth.
2. How old is he?
Assuming... nine... but there's really no concrete canon "YES HERE THIS IS WHEN THE GUARDIANS WERE BUILT" so this rides on the assumption that they were born around when Copy X was.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
His standing sprite's always stick-straight, dude. Harpuia's probably like the king of posture. I don't imagine he ever actually sat on the throne while he ruled Neo Arcadia, but if he did, he'd be ramrod-straight compared to Copy X's fancypants cross-legged draping. Even when he's kneeling he's all elegant about it.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
lmao he's a robot. A high-class custom-built one made from X's DNA, too, so he's a pretty top-tier machine, as far as they go.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
He's pretty
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
Uh... Leviathan calls him pretty? That's the most praise anyone's getting for their looks in this series, at least, so he's probably meant to be good-looking. I'm inclined to think it's a feminine kind of attractive because everything ever just points to Harpuia being tragically unmanly in appearance. I can't imagine him being too vain about appearances, though, just because he's got so much more important things to worry about. He's pretty wrapped up in being a serious eyes-on-the-prize general that I don't really imagine dating and looks and whatnot really rank high on his list of things to spend time on.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Pretty light, as far as I can tell. Scars aren't really a thing that happen too often for reploids anyway, unless a very quick repair-job happens. (Personal headcanon: scars like Axl's are a result of simply welding/melting/cauterizing?? the artificial skin shut, instead of replacing it as is more common. A high-ranking custom model like Harpuia in a well-funded, well-run institution like Neo Arcadia would be assured to always receive proper, quality maintenance and repairs.)
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
I usually default to pale blonde, but for Damned purposes, Harpy's a brunette. His hair's more of a lighter shade of brown compared to the rich chestnut-brown usually seen on X headcanons, and I tend to imagine it as constantly tousled and messy. Blame this, too, on him being a flight-based model; I'm not sure he's often in the practice of flying helmetless, but one way or another his hair is probably doomed to be perpetually windswept.
9. What color are his eyes?
Green. I'm not sure if he has pupils or not (lmao) thanks to the art style, but I have to admit that I do like the idea that reploid eyes don't have the same clearly-defined-black pupils humans do. (I also prefer not drawing pupils because I emulated the MMZ pupilless eye style as a kid and it's wreaked havoc on my art ever since. WHOOPS.)
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Big green cheek-arrow markings. Why arrows? TO HELP HIM FIND HIS NOSE DOHOHOHO. Actually, I have no clue, but they look cool.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
Upper back for sure. Right between the shoulders.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?
Always in unifooorm. It's kind of hard to imagine what he'd look like out of it; I think even if he did have the choice, he preferred his armor over anything else; the Neo Arcadian uniform was probably something he was honored to call his.
I suspect a part of him might be tempted to dress his "age", if he had to -- I can see him dressing light and casual if he didn't think he'd be seeing anyone. Professionalism is such a big thing with him, though, that he'd probably want to look the part in public. I can see him with a pretty solid collection of coats and sweaters, too, just because of that vulnerability to the cold.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
Considering he was built with his armor on, he's pretty comfy in it. He probably has to take his helmet and wings off to sleep, I mean, unless he's gotten used to lying on those recharge beds on his side, but other than that there's nothing else he'd rather wear.
As far as the professional human attire, I... can't see him being all that comfortable in it, honestly. He'd be a lot more at ease in the nobody's-looking looser, more youthful stuff, but really... he'd rather just be in his armor.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
I personally tend to imagine that reploids just spend most of their life in their armor. It's what they're made to wear, so it's kinda like lounging around the house with no pants on, only you get to do it all the time. Harpy might be inclined to take the helmet off when he's off-duty, if only because those fins probably get in the way of a lot of stuff, but I still imagine that he favours that getup over anything else.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Metal undies. Man, this is the easiest question when you play a Megaman character.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Voiced by Megumi Ogata, so he's pretty boyish. Regular speech is decently low-pitched, but as soon as he's yelling or making those combat-noises, he sounds really girly. If you just went by ingame soundclips and never heard the drama tracks, you'd probably assume he was a girl. (A lot of the fandom did.)
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Soft and even, more often than not; he tends not to raise his voice unless he's on the battlefield. In that case, though, he's not shy about making his voice heard. I wouldn't call him a hesitant speaker by any means, either. He's kinda Neo Arcadia's default on-topic exposition machine.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
None that I could pick up. His language tends toward formal, so his word choice isn't what you might usually expect, but he's not hard to understand or anything.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Whatever they're speaking in the games. For Damned purposes, that's Japanese. I imagine that language isn't much barrier for a robot, though; translation programs in 23XX have probably come a long way from the Babelfish days.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Nnnnope. Presumably if he was dealing with a non-Japanese speaker, but it never comes up in canon.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
Dude, look at those Telos track speeches. He's come up with some pretty powerful word choice even when he's not monologuing, too. I'd say he's all-around a pretty good speaker.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Definitely eloquent. He's not exceptionally verbose or anything; tl;dr isn't really his style. Even so, he's well-spoken -- he can get his ideas across pretty clearly in those few words. As for what changes that... Baby Elf possession? %D;; (It still bugs me that he says he'll soon be contolled by Baby Elf instead of the Baby Elves. Obvious translation hiccup, I bite my thumb at thee.)
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Well shit, he's the Sage around here. I'd say he's got his shit together. He's probably got a solid mix of practical and theoretical knowledge; he's got a pretty good scope of how the world works, and it shows in his actions.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
He can definitely be quick when he needs to be -- just look at how Operation Righteous Strike went. Everyone but Elpis dead, and a bomber sent out almost right away. That points to one efficient-ass general.
On the other hand, in Z3's opening Ciel mentions not having received a reply from Neo Arcadia about her Ciel system yet. It's not stated just how long she's been waiting, but that suggests Harpuia (who was still in charge at the time) was approaching this cautiously. Makes sense; it is negotiation with an enemy of Neo Arcadia, and they probably couldn't afford to come out of it appearing weak to the general public. The secret that the Maverick murders were a stopgap for the energy crisis wasn't a known thing, and most humans looked on the Resistance as extremists in need of terminating; it would not have boded well for Neo Arcadia to bow down to terrorists.
Basically, I think he can it either way. Yeah, he can spring on an answer pretty quicklike, but he's just as capable of recognizing when he oughta shelve that answer and think things through.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
More practical than idealistic, that's for sure. Sorry, Master X. I think he'd tend toward the analytical, too. Or... most of the time, anyway. I have a feeling that the emotional gut-feeling side was what had him dropping Zero off at the Resistance's doorstep in Z2, since from a purely logical point of view there's no advantage whatsoever to helping the enemy.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
It is a mystery.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
Expertise in combat, leadership skills, military strategy, and probably some obscure meteorology knowledge that will never come up ever. I... actually see nature as being something he'd be interested in, considering his original purpose was around restoring nature. He'd be a birdwatcher, most likely, for the staggeringly obvious and uncreative reasons.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
I'm inclined to say introvert. He comes off as pretty stand-offish, so he probably puts a lot of people on the defensive in that regard, and I figure he's probably a pretty private guy by nature. He has the other Guardians, and I think he'd be satisfied with a small circle of trusted friends than a wide group of acquaintances.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Harpuia's got a pretty cool head, honestly. He gets pretty riled up if he sees an injustice being committed, but that anger's more of a knife's-edge than a spiked-club-to-the-face; concentrated and controlled. Harpy's kinda intense overall, though. If he had more acceptable outlets for that adrenaline junkie side, then it might show itself a little more, but most of the time, it's restraint and linefacing.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
Harpuia's probably always thinking. I'd say he reserves judgment until he's ready to give it, but as always, composure is the name of the game; he'd probably come off as haughty or guarded.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
It might seem contrary to his driven nature, but I'd say react. He doesn't make the first strike against the Resistance (that'd be Operation Righteous Strike that tips his hand) and a Resistance member mentions in Z3's opening that there hasn't been much by way of Neo Arcadian aggression. When Weil shows up, Harpuia remains reluctantly loyal -- he does try to talk Copy X out of it, to his credit, so that could count as acting over reacting -- but he doesn't actually take forceful action until innocent humans are harmed. Even his obviously-fight-hungry moments like in the Crystal Cave are in the context of Resistance forces intruding on his turf. Even if he is just as combat-addicted as Fefnir and Leviathan, it's not in his character to seek violence out, I don't think. He won't hesitate to fight back once he sees a wrong committed, but he's not likely to be the initiator.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight, of course. Harpy's a lot of things, but fainthearted isn't on that list. He's already made it plenty clear he'd even pick a fight he couldn't win if it was for the sake of humans.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Man, the closest he gets to humour is sorta-kinda-almost laughing as he fighting his way to his death with Fefnir and Leviathan. I really don't think he's the sort to make jokes, period. Fefnir and Leviathan's teasing of him is probably one of the only things that can coax even a withered dry hint of a sense of humour from this dude.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
Masochism and apparent suicidal tendencies?
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
Meeting Zero -- not only because he had a challenge for the first time in his life, but I think Zero was a lynchpin for getting Harpuia to change his ideas.
The whole entire Elpis clusterfuck -- I think he blames himself for a lot of this. If he'd stopped TK-31 from going through that classified data, if he'd found a solution other than a Maverick verdict, if he'd successfully carried out the arrest, if he'd just killed Elpis after Operation Righteous Strike instead of letting Zero take him, if he'd thought a little harder about why Elpis wanted to infiltrate Neo Arcadia alone, if he'd been strong enough to stop him, if Zero had killed him before he wasted time on that fight... the entire scenario is just full of points where he could have stopped this, saved Master X from a needless death, and prevented the release of the Dark Elf.
Weil showing up -- His entire world crumbled right then and there. I think he still hasn't fully recovered from his ideal of Neo Arcadia and what it stands for being so thoroughly shattered.
Betraying Neo Arcadia -- Good god does he hate himself for that. USED GOODS. 8'( The subsequent decision that protecting humanity > everything else was probably pretty impactful too, though it was mostly just verifying something the Guardians all knew deep down, I think.
14. What does he fear?
Absolute headcanon power hour: Being a flight-based reploid, ventilation and cooling are important parts of his system; that means that unlike reploids like Zero or Leviathan, he's not fully waterproof, merely water-resistant. He can clean himself up fine and hang out in the rain, sure, but submerge him for too long and water seeps into the vents and the cracks, and he shorts out entirely. Add in his ice weakness and I think overall, he'd probably be pretty hydrophobic.
...He probably also finds the idea of being buried alive pretty scary. Maybe he's a bit claustrophobic in general? All complete and utter headcanon, but he's flying basically every time you see him, so I figure the freedom to move around is probably something he's fond of. Complete and utter asspull, though, I have zero canon evidence of this.
As far as the more abstract fears go, he's kinda... already been through most of them. Losing the ones dearest to him? So long, Master X and Phantom. Oh, dang, Leviathan and Fefnir are technically dead now too. Everything he values and struggled toward proving to just be a futile, corrupt illusion? Wow, Neo Arcadia, sucks to be you right now. All his efforts being meaningless, those struggles adding up to nothing, and he himself being cast aside as useless? Betraying the things he believes in most? WHOOPS, USED GOODS. Dang, Harpy, no wonder you were so okay with getting blown up.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
Protect the huuuuumans. Usher in the peace Master X wished for. Uphold justice, so that the weak need not live in fear. Putting an end to the energy crisis woulda been nice, but so much for that.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
I can imagine word getting out about the time he saved Zero might be kinda embarrassing to him. Oh, and the Crystal Caves thing. He keeps that part of him repressed for good reason, so he'd probably cringe if his reputation suffered because of it.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
Who even knows who built the Guardians? If you count X as their parent by virtue of DNA, uh... I'm not sure he ever met X, barring the last 20 seconds of his life or so. Even so, he's gotta know of the dude's legend, and I think he wants to live up to the DNA used to create him. That sort of heroic protector ideal is probably one that Harpy has a lot of respect for. All the Guardians are proven to have been wicked loyal to X, either way, so that definitely applies here.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
He doesn't refer to them as such, and I'm never quite sure whether it's intended for them to be seen as siblings or not, but I guess the other Guardians count.
I kinda like the dynamic between Harpuia and Leviathan/Fefnir a lot. Especially Leviathan; that teasing is just way too cute. She'd definitely be more of the playful big sister, I think, trying to get a rise out of the little brother who takes himself WAY too seriously. If you ever want Harpuia to relax and open up a little, then their presence is probably a must; they balance him out and pull him out of his straitlaced shell, even if only just a little.
You really don't get to see how Harpuia gets along with Phantom, but they've got a lot in common -- both are more serious and task-oriented than the flightly, combat-hungry other two, and both are loyal and dedicated. I think they were likely pretty close; Fefnir and Leviathan's antics would probably wear thin eventually, and I think Harpuia'd find Phantom's presence calming. Phantom was probably an intellectual equal; I can easily see them having a philosophical discussion or a thoughtful debate over tea. Or... subtanks? E-Crystal juice? Whatever the reploid drink equivalent is.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Nope, those four are enough for Harpy.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Probably safe to say the other Guardians are his best friends. I mean, they were born together, grew up together, died together. I'm pretty convinced that Harpy cares really deeply about them, even if he's got too much of a flagpole up his rear port to show it in anything but the subtlest of ways.
6. Does he have other close friends?
Zero's... not a friend. Not like Fefnir or Leviathan. But Harpuia does recognize his skill, does respect him, and has been shown to trust him. You don't just die shielding someone for no reason, you know?
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
Again, canon has demonstrated that he comes off as haughty ("Do you regret not showing more respect to me, YOU HUGE ASSHAT AHAHAHA BRB SHANKING X", "lol this is the first time Show-Off Boy's ever asked our opinion") sooo I imagine that it's probably kinda tricky to get close to him.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
They're the exact same thing, as far as Harpuia sees it.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
hahahaha what is a love life
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
hahahaha
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
ONLY YOU MAKE HIM FEEL THIS WAY, ZERO.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
I think he wants someone who can challenge him, both mentally and physically. He's an intense dude, and there's a lot of hunger for life in need of an outlet, so it'd have to be somebody who could keep up with him, and keep surprising him as well. As soon as things started to get stagnant, he'd probably get bored, and that'd be the doom of that relationship.
...He'd probably also want someone who was open to playing rough in the bedroom. Please be familiar with the concept of safewords. Pain is the only expression of living that he's ever really had.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
Not exactly likely, on account of being dead and all.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
Zerooooo. He's probably pretty pissed at Weil, too, but that's not his fight to pursue; he probably doesn't have what it takes to strike down a human, and I think he knows that. I consider Elpis to also be a very bitter enemy of his. Yeah, Zero was the star of Z2, but the story really boiled down a lot to Elpis' bitterness at how Harpuia treated him, Harpuia's condescending disdain, and the ABSOLUTE BOILING HATRED when the whole beatdown, Baby Elf possession, and murder of X came to happen.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
Man, I dunno. There's exactly zero evidence in canon, unless you count unsettling subtext-heavy creepouts. 3? 4? Eleventy-five?? Your guess is as good as mine.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
Getting involved with Harpuia is probably a pretty intense affair. Sex and violence definitely bleed together for him, and even if his thing is more about receiving the pain, I can't see him being overly submissive in bed for most people; he's pretty assertive about what he wants, I imagine. As restrained as he is, for Harpuia, a romp in the hay probably means you're still feeling it days later.
That's not to say he'd never have slow, gentle lovemaking or whatever. I just think he'd see the bedroom as another of those precious places where he's allowed to shut off the controlled general for a little while. He probably doesn't have the time or particular desire to seek out a close and intimate relationship at the moment, though the idea's not totally out of the question... but he'd probably be okay with a casual thing or a friend with benefits, provided they could be discreet.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
UHHHHH......
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
Technically this'd probably be the same as all the other Guardians, so, uh... pass?
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
He didn't get the cool, touching brink-of-death reunion with Phantom and X, but he did see Elf!X shortly before his death, so it's likely he has at least some sort of concept of an afterlife. I imagine he hasn't invested much thought into spirituality or anything, though. I imagine there's a cynical side of him that expected oblivion instead of eternity (or until ZX happens) with his family.
3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
ohhh my god wall of text on this one. Yes he's super moral and he only compromises his ethics (be loyal to Neo Arcadia) if another more important ethical rule has to be followed at the expense of his other principles (protect the humans).
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
I think he started out pretty intolerant, but he did a lot of maturing over those three games. As he is now, Harpuia's probably a lot more open to ideals that challenge his and better at letting himself see both sides of a matter, to boot.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Uh... slight bias to humans over reploids? That seems to be a societal/cultural thing. I think that's about it, though.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
He's probably well enough of, considering he was temporarily god-emperor guy in Copy X's stead.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
For most of his life he was about as high-ranking as you can get, and beloved by the people of Neo Arcadia as a hero. Then he lost his rank, turned traitor, and as far as his point of view goes, he died as a worse-than-worthless detestable turncoat. Have I mentioned he really didn't take it too well?
3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?
Presumably, the Guardians had quarters in Neo Arcadia. If they decorated them and made them homey and such, then Harpuia's probably tended toward clean and bright, minimalist but peaceful. He probably didn't accumulate too many possessions to clutter the joint up, and I think he'd want it as spacious and relaxing an environment as possible.
(Complete headcanon: he kept a simple bird mechaniloid. He probably would have wanted a real, living bird, but most species were likely endangered after the whole "nature is fucked" dealie and he was probably too busy for one anyway.)
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
I don't think he needs or wants much. A few books, maybe, that he'd then go on to recommend to Phantom (he'd probably long since given up on reccing them to Fefnir and Leviathan), a modest collection of music (he wouldn't really listen to it so much as just turn it on for background noise and tune it out), maybe try to make his recharge bed more comfortable.
5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?
He's a general. He generalizes.
So yeah leading and/or fighting are the names of his games, and he's dedicated as dicks to his work. It's not in his nature to half-ass things, period. He doesn't relish killing, and I don't think the power of his position would give him much of a rush; in that regard, he'd probably be just as happy (maybe happier) going back to the original Earth purification duties. On the other hand, his new role gives him a chance for combat, which he's since discovered is really pretty fun, so there's that.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
Again, I see him being partial to nature, rare as it is. Just going out somewhere and flying is probably pretty relaxing for him. A lot of his hobbies probably stray toward the intellectual and relaxing pursuits -- reading, he probably has a book of sudokus or something to keep him entertained during maintenance, he's probably partial to a good, deep conversation or two on the meaning of life. All stuff that suits a guy like him.
But at the same time, I think he probably watches the athletes and the partiers and the other daredevils with more wistfulness than annoyance in his eyes.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Well, he doesn't eat, so... uh. If he did have the option of eating, and the luxury of choice were there, I think he'd go vegetarian; sacrificing a living creature to feed an artificial one probably wouldn't strike him as a justifiable use of a life. I think he'd probably get bored if he was just sitting there and eating too; he'd probably want the distraction of company, or at least something to read. Food would be more like recharging; just a means to an end, something that you get out of the way so you can do more interesting things.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? Green. What a surprise.
2. Smell? ...Robot... smell...?
3. Time of day? Morning.
4. Season? Early summer.
5. Book? Uhhh I'll think of this later.
6. Music? I usually default to putting Nomak on when I write him. It's definitely "tune out while you do something" music, too, so let's go with that.
7. Place? The... sky...?
8. Substance? Air? %|
9. Plant? I kinda associate him with leafy ferns.
10. Animal? Three-toed sloth. LOL JUST KIDDING IT'S A BIRD. I tend to go for falcons, personally, because obvious bird of prey.
END
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