vivala application [SPOILERS for PLUTO]

[upupatomway]

OOC INFORMATION
Player Name: Kristine
Pronouns: she/her/any
Contact: thoughtbubble
Characters Played: None yet

IC INFORMATION
Character Name: Atom
AU or OU: OU
Canon: PLUTO
Canon Point: Post-canon
Character Age: It's complicated.

Atom is an android who looks at a glace to be about a 12 year old human boy, but looks aren't everything. Atom will engage in play with children or toys, respond without taking offense when referred to as a child, and has a curiosity that rivals a real kid's. But just as easily as he passes for a child, he will be dead serious and speak with adults as a peer about the most serious of topics. In canon, he refers to himself as "looking like a child on the outside". He sort of straddles existence as a child and something else at the same time.

Suitability:

Atom deals with a multitude of dark and mature issues in his story.

• From the very beginning, anti-robot racism and slavery. At the present time of the story, it has only been a few years that robots have been given rights as full fledged people. Atom himself was previously sold to a circus.

• War is a major theme in the story as well. Atom did not experience being a soldier himself, but he has access to the memories of a robot who was deployed if he wishes to view them. He was sent to the site of the war after the fighting had ended as a peace emissary, and described what he saw there as children wounded and crying.

• PLUTO centers around the investigation into a string of murders and Atom helps with the investigation, viewing crime scene images of a dead body calmly.

• He also faces a number of dangerous situations, from being on the list of potential murder targets, to risking his life to disable a bomb. Atom eventually does battle with the intention to kill another robot and Atom himself experiences death.

OU Backstory:

Note: I have left out certain names and details in hopes of not only simplifying the summary, but also to avoid spoiling EVERY LAST mystery and element in PLUTO, but there are major, unavoidable spoilers here regardless.

Dr. Tenma, a genius of robotics was a single father of a son who died in a car crash. In his grief, Tenma built a robot to replace his son. This robot was Atom.

Atom did not live up to his father's hopes, behaving too maturely and cooperative to truly match the original Tobio's personality. Unable to handle his grief and regrets, Dr. Tenma agreed to sell Atom to a circus. (At the time, robots did not have rights as people and were property.)

Atom eventually escaped the clutches of the circus thanks to the help of another robotics expert and the director of Japan's Ministry of Science, Professor Ochanomizu. Ochanomizu saw to it Atom had his independence and that he had access to education. He even built Atom a sister robot, Uran, who became part of Atom's new family. Atom thrived in his new life, and became famous in Japan and the rest of the world for helping people and heroics.

In the country of Persia war broke out. Robots were considered more expendable than humans, making them the preferred soldiers in said war and the majority of the casualties. While Atom was built powerful enough to make a potential soldier he was not deployed. He was, however, sent to Persia shortly after the war ended to aid with peace talks and rebuilding. During his time there, Atom witnessed the horror and destruction left behind by the war, and felt his help did little to comfort the locals who had lost their families.

The robot's rights movement gained momentum and finally laws were passed that recognized them as full fledged people nearly everywhere on Earth.

A few years later, a string of murders began to take the lives of robotic engineers and the most advanced robots of the world with the potential to be used as weapons of mass destruction. Atom met with the investigating robot assigned to the case, Inspector Gesicht, who warned Atom that he could be on the target list. They swapped case data and Atom joined the investigation, looking into the death of a victim in Japan and realizing Professor Ochanomizu was a possible target as well.

As Atom continued swapping information with Ochanomizu, Gesicht, and the other targeted advanced robots, it became clear their enemy was motivated by some kind of grudge tied back to the Persian War.

Atom caught Uran skipping class. His sister claimed to be helping a lost cat, but when he searched her bag he found an energy drink for robots. He eventually figured out that she had been visiting a robot living under a bridge who was giving off suspicious electro magnetic waves. He brought Ochanomizu with him to warn her, but his good intentions were thwarted when the police showed up, scaring the stranger. The stranger revealed himself to be the AI of "Pluto", the killer they had been searching for. Pluto abandoned the android body he had been borrowing, effectively escaping the police before they could subdue him.

When Ochanomizu and his grandson were targeted by Pluto, Atom and Uran both rushed to protect them. Atom clashed with Pluto in battle and was overcome. His body was collected by the Ministry of Science, and Ochanomizu attempted to repair and revive him with no luck. Atom was dead.

Dr. Tenma appeared after being off the grid for years, claiming he wanted to say farewell to Atom. Instead, he joined the effort to repair him. Atom's body and electronic brain were soon repaired completely, but he would not wake up. Tenma suggested that it was because his AI could not comprehend and decide how to react to what he witnessed just before his death- essentially, Pluto's murderous hatred. Tenma believed the only way to disrupt the chaos in Atom's AI, was to introduce an extreme, unbalanced emotion such as a hatred comparable to Pluto's to his programming to force his AI to choose a reaction. Ochanomizu rejected the idea.

As Atom lay dormant, Gesicht continued investigating the case all the way back to Pluto's origins. Gesicht discovered that Pluto had another life and body from before the Persian war as an agricultural robot meant to transform parts of Persia's desert land into fertile crop fields for the good of the people. The war changed Pluto's creator's goals, however, when his family was killed, and Pluto was given a new body made for battle and destruction in hopes of getting revenge on the people and robots who had contributed to the war or would stand in the way of revenge.

Just as Gesicht was about to return home with the answers to the case, he was the next advanced robot murdered. Gesicht's wife secretly met with Tenma and gave him Gesicht's memory chip in hopes it could be used to help find those responsible for the killings.

Knowing Gesicht's final painful moments were recorded on his memory chip, Tenma installed the chip in Atom to introduce extreme, unbalanced emotions to his programming. At last, Atom lived again, but it was unclear at first how his newfound capacity for hatred would affect his actions.

After a brief scare of wordless, odd behavior, Atom found his regular disposition and called on the professor and the police in order to tell them about the ultimate goal of Pluto and their enemies.

Pluto's creator desired the end of the human world, and planned to do so by setting off an atomic bomb in the underground magma pockets of a large volcano. The explosion would release ash and cinder and cover the Earth in a cloud, killing most plant life and making normal survival impossible for organic life, leaving the world in the hands of the robots. Pluto's creator had already prepared a giant robot capable of molding the earth for agricultural reasons, but it was instead sent under the Earth's crust to get into position to set off the bomb.

After tying up his affairs, Atom flew to the national park where the volcano was located, hoping to intercept the plan. Pluto appeared to fight him once more. Fueled by a new hatred for Pluto for killing Gesicht and the other advanced robots, Atom fought Pluto mercilessly, ripping pieces off of him and threatening to kill him in revenge. But while remembering those lost, Atom realized that the other robots never would have wanted him to embrace his hatred. He realized that nothing good would come of killing Pluto and feeding into the cycle of hatred that had driven Pluto to kill. Pluto cried when Atom refused to kill him, revealing his desire to be freed from his pain and the hatred he had inherited from his creator and father figure. Still, Atom refused to kill him.

Atom dug a calculated tunnel into the side of the volcano and located the giant enemy robot where it emerged from under the magma. Atom only had a few minutes to disarm the bomb before he melted in the heat and was lost for good. But Pluto joined him and insisted on being the one to sacrifice himself. The moment Pluto received the instructions to disarm the bomb from Atom, he forced Atom out of the volcano to safety. Pluto was successful, leaving the world safe and Atom to live another day.

If any anime fans are reading this and wondering why the boy robot to replace a dead son story sounds so familiar, that's because this is a dark and gritty retelling of a classic Astro Boy story. PLUTO is the Nolan Batman to the campy Adam West Batman original Astro Boy, you could say.


Powers and Abilities:

Notes on nerfing and questions for the mods regarding powers will be in green like this.

• Robotic Physicality
As a robot, Atom has different needs from organic people. He only eats or drinks performatively, unless it's an energy drink for robots. He doesn't have to worry about pain or wounds the same way, instead needing repairs for any damage. He is capable of sleep, but it's not required as long as he is charged with power.

• Robotic Sturdiness
He can withstand the pressure force required to fly at high speeds and temperatures higher or lower than any human can. e.g. Flying very high in the cold sky, hovering in the heart of a volcano with a few minutes to spare before he melts. He can use his super strength without breaking off his limbs, and he can take a hard hit from a robot made specifically for battle around five or six times his size without being crushed. Basically, his creator made him extremely sturdy.

Nerfed to the cannon ball level.

• Robotic Super Strength
In his fight against a robot about five or six times his size that was built for battle, Atom easily breaks heavy metal pieces off of his opponent, including ripping a big ol' arm off. He easily lifts said arm while flying. He can smash through layers of hard rock with his fists to get to the heart of a volcano.

Nerfed to the cannon ball level. I was wondering if leveling up strength or defense related abilities are on the table as regains?

• Advanced AI Computing
Atom's AI is considered the most advanced of his futuristic world. In the context of advantages and skills, Atom can make complex calculations and process large amounts of information quickly. This gives him an edge in learning and performing skills like mathematics. This could also give him an advantage making quick reactions and decisions in battle.

His AI is a bit of a double edged sword though. As much as data as he can process, he is advanced enough to have feelings that can sway his judgment. Yes, he's an advanced robot, but he can make mistakes just like a human.

• Photographic Memory
Atom's memories are like the save files on a computer. Unless they are corrupted, he can reference them with entire clarity as if they just happened. This gives him an advantage when collecting information or recognizing familiar people or things he has knowledge of.

• Knowledge Bank
In the same vein as above, the things he has learned about before stick with him as if he just learned them.

• Eye Lights
Atom's eyes can light up in multiple colors. This happens sometimes when accessing information or based on his emotions. This can be handy in dark places.

• Eye Sensors
Atom's eyes aren't simply cameras. He has a sense of depth perception and can accurately match hard measurements in his data to real life surroundings, making it easy for him to navigate a crime scene replica. He can also scan for information and recognize things like the difference between humans and very human-like androids.

It is not made explicitly clear if he has night vision, x-ray, or heat mapping vision, but he is able to precisely tell where to dive through a roof and avoid hitting any people inside the building, so he has some kind of basic ability allowing him to see past some kinds of walls.

If the mods have a preference of how this is dealt with, please let me know. See also: Super Hearing further down.

• Rocket Flight
Atom is able to fly like a rocket by firing up his propulsion system, spitting flames out the bottom of his feet. He can fly at speeds comparable to an actual rocket, and is shown flying between continents without stopping for fuel within a few hours or less.
(The real superpower here is that he can break the sound barrier with fire blasting out his feet and his clothes aren't ripped off or burned.)

I'd imagine flight needs to be nerfed to a lower speed and smaller distance. Should flight be a regain? I figure with the need to buy ships for other characters that might be the fairer option. Granted, he can only carry two adults or three children maximum depending on how big the passengers are, and their movement would be limited the same as someone getting carried by another person.

• Electric Magnetic Wave Resistance
Atom's creator made him resistant to energy waves that would normally interfere with machines to keep him safe from attempts to shut him down or scramble his AI system. Normally other robots are unable to hack or disrupt his system, at least not wirelessly, and an EMP shouldn't affect him.

• Electronics Interaction
Atom can wirelessly project information in his data to devices like computers and projectors in order to share it with organics. Basically, he has bluetooth.

• AI to AI wireless communication
Atom can communicate with other robots from as far away as across the world in the same sort of way people can make a video call, but this version of it isn't strictly visual and audio only. Information can be exchanged quickly- like a very fast file exchange with others.

• Advanced AI recognition
It's mentioned multiple times in canon that whenever an advanced AI awakens, other advanced AI notice its presence from across the planet. This could be related to the above item, though it is never fully explained. Atom could potentially sense that other advanced robot characters are somewhere in the world, if there are any.

I'll check with other robot players about permissions for this.

• Gesicht's Memory Chip
Atom is in possession of Gesicht's memory chip and can choose to open the files if he feels so inclined. Gesicht worked as a detective, and while Atom is not equipped with the same practical investigative hardware Gesicht was, the memory of Gesicht's conclusions during cases is available to him. Gesicht also served in the Persian war as a ground soldier. Basically, Atom has access to extra information on these topics, but they are not a part of his own memory and knowledge unless he reads them.

These are classic Astro Boy abilities that weren't explicitly confirmed in PLUTO, just hinted at as possible. Please let me know how you'd like to approach these. I wasn't sure how strict to be.

• Super Hearing
There is a scene where Atom dives through the roof of a house with precise timing and positioning to appear just in time to scare the bad guy and protect the Professor. To do this diving from up in the sky would require some way of knowing what was going on inside the house. It's not made clear if this is due a visual sensor ability or super hearing, or both.

• Underwater Travel
He is confirmed in PLUTO to be water proof based on his ability to fight in an ocean storm without worrying about leaks, but we never actually see him dive into the water. He is confirmed to be resistant to large amounts of pressure due to his flight ability.

If the mods are open to some blatant Let's just have some fun with upgrades options, here are some classic Astro Boy abilities that would make fun upgrade options. Basically I was thinking maybe when buying certain firearm rewards, they could be a part of his body instead of just handheld weapons. Let me know your thoughts. It would make sense if they cost a little extra because of their concealable and integrated nature.

• Finger Laser
This fires a small laser beam from his pointer finger. The original canon was inconsistent about how powerful it was, so I was leaning towards it being a lower power weapon that's closer to a hand gun in fire power, and can optionally be used as a lighter or a way to heat up a specific point. Think more melt metal for repairs with patience rather than saw metal in half in a second kind of laser power.

• Arm Canon
This weapon turns his arm into a canon with considerable fire and electric shock power. It requires a brief arm transformation and a charge time.

Charge time and power level could be adjusted to levels.

• Hip Gun aka The Cursed Butt Gun
These are rear facing guns that shoot from two barrels, one for each hip or booty cheek, if you will. They're about as powerful as a couple of rifles.

Desired Faction: Either Elysium or The Vault

• In Elysium, Atom could pose as a young street performer using his skills from his time in the circus, or fill a support role (cleaner, waiter, busboy, etc.) for one of the local businesses. This is my first faction choice because I think at the start, at least before he recovers his full abilities and due to his personality, he is best suited to the Negotiator or Infiltrator roles.

• In The Vault, Atom could offer up his basic knowledge of mechanics from his world, and maybe contribute some upgrade ideas by offering himself up for study.

SAMPLES
• TDM toplevel

• Why should the Crimson Corsairs allow you to join them?

I'm not a soldier, but I can offer other things to your cause.

[ He's getting a look from the recruiter like he doesn't belong here. Atom leans forward in his seat. ]

Please hear me out! I know I look like a human but I'm actually a robot. I'm a person but I'm also a machine. I'm stronger and have a better memory than a human, and I can't be injured the same way. I have experience back home helping people when they were in danger, and I know I can help the people in this world too.

I could use how I look to an advantage. The Imperials will assume I'm a kid the same way you just did. Or I can help your scientists and engineers with their work using the knowledge I have from home.

Please. I can't just sit around here when there are people being treated as slaves.

• Have you ever lost a comrade? How did you react?

[ His expression shifts from eager to something heavy and solemn. ]

I have. Not that long ago. We didn't know each other for very long but I considered him a friend. When I found out that he had been killed, I...

[ How can he possibly explain to someone without robots in their world that he saw the memory of how Gesicht died? And how would they react to the full truth of what happened next? Maybe he can simplify. What kind of answer would make sense for a human? ]

He had been killed by the same person who murdered our other allies. I wanted nothing more than to stop his killer. There was more at stake though. More people were going to be in danger of losing their lives. So instead of hunting his killer down immediately, I focused on doing what could to save everyone.

• If a superior officer orders you to do something you believe is morally wrong, what would you do?

I don't think I could go through with their orders in that case. I'd probably talk to someone of the same rank or higher about it. But if there wasn't another superior officer around, I'd be honest with my superior that I didn't think it was the right thing to do. I would want to know why they made the order. There could be a better way to do it that isn't so problematic.

• Many Crimson Corsairs must serve Imperials to preserve our cover and gather resources. How do you feel about this?

I understand why it's necessary. Your efforts won't be as effective without knowing what you're up against. Servants and "tools" often go unnoticed by those who look down on them, and make good sources for information.

It reminds me of the efforts of robots back home. It hasn't been that long that we've had rights as people. Robot right activists depended on those who were working in the worst conditions to come forward with their stories to help the cause.

I really look up to robots who fought for our rights while still living as the property of unfair humans. If I hadn't been freed from the circus that owned me, I would have been in the same position.

• How well do you work with comrades? What can we expect from you when you are placed on a team?

Usually I don't have any problems working in a group! I've always done well in group projects- it's been really helpful when I'm not as good with the subject matter.

[ He realizes that maybe examples from school are too lighthearted compared to the burdens of the Corsairs. In that case... ]

I've been to a war zone after the battle was over before. It was thanks to the people I worked with there that my efforts were more effective; they coordinated with me and helped me find where I was most needed. We were able to find missing people and get the wounded medical aid faster.