Alistair
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
| |
| Presumed appearance | |
| Alistair | |
| Player: @LooneyToons | |
| Origin: | Magic |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Advisor/Mascot |
| Security Level: | Unknown |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Alistair |
| Known Aliases: | Al, Lord Waddle, Herring-wipe (All from Gil MacHeath) |
| Species: | Aptenodytes forsteri (Emperor Penguin) |
| Age: | Unknown |
| Height: | 3'6" |
| Weight: | 75 lbs. |
| Eye Color: | Black |
| Hair Color: | Feathers, actually: black and white, with blue and yellow markings |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | Judging from the accent, British |
| Occupation: | Advisor to a magical girl |
| Place of Birth: | Unknown, presumably England |
| Base of Operations: | Paragon City, RI |
| Marital Status: | Single (?) |
| Known Relatives: | None known. |
| Known Powers | |
| Sapience, Speech | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Imperceptible to almost everyone | |
| Equipment | |
| None | |
| ' | |
The woman and the kid take off, but the penguin stays behind, watching me like he expects me to do a trick. I pour another gin and edge it towards it.
"Thank you, no," the penguin says. "It disagrees with me."
"Suit yourself." I toss back mine and his. I know my limits and I'm nowhere near them. I kinda wish I was, as my life is weird enough already.
"I will admit you have me vexed," the penguin says, giving me the black, birdy eye. The damn thing talks like a British officer. "Most people cannot see me at all."
"Yeah, well, I'm not most people," I shrug, not particularly disposed to sharing
further details.
-- from A Fistful of... Let Me Get My Catcher's Mitt by Shayne Dark
Every magical girl has to have a talking animal advisor who delivers her Call to Heroism and grants her the power to answer the call. This advisor is usually a cat, or a ferret, or some other cute, furry animal.
In Evangelia's case, it's a penguin.
A snarky British penguin.
Contents |
Affiliations
Supergroup: The Legendary (Rank: None)
- Evangelia (Advisee)
- Gil MacHeath (Partner)
Personality
Very British. Wit so dry you could use it in a martini, with just a hint of snarkiness. Bluntly honest without being malicious. Protective of Evangelia, but aware that in recent months she's grown somewhat beyond the need for him, which arouses a kind of melancholy pride in him.
Imagine Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- as a penguin.
He is not entirely happy at times with his imperceptible state and apparently longs for more contact with people other than Evangelia -- but makes do with the few who can see him.
Powers
Alistair has two main powers: One, he's sentient and can speak. Two, he's invisible and inaudible to everyone but Evangelia and two or three other members of the Legendary.
His invisibility does not extend to anything he's carrying; it's not unknown for persons in the Legendary's base to occasionally see various objects floating in mid-air and scooting off apparently on their own initiative.
Additional Powers
It is not certain whether or not Alistair has the ability to give powers to people, or if he was simply sent to awaken powers that Evangelia already possessed. If the former, it would certainly count as a power of its own.
Travel
Unknown, but he seems to be able to keep up with presumably faster-moving people with no problems. He's never actually seen moving faster than a waddle, but if he's following you, somehow he's alway right behind you when you turn around.
Abilities
Over the past year, Alistair has demonstrated notable skill in tactics, logistics, and planning. While he's physically unable to use the skill, he apparently knows enough about swordplay to have instructed Evangelia during her early days as a hero. He also apparently tutored her in leadership after she took over the Legendary.
Weaknesses and Limitations
None known.
Character History
Not much is known about the origins and history of Alistair. According to Evangelia, he simply appeared in her bedroom one night to inform her of her newly-empowered state. As far as can be determined, his British accent is not an affectation; this might indicate that he came from somewhere in the UK.
He has refused to answer outright questions about his origins, saying simply, "It's not relevant." Nor will he explain who or what sent him to Raye that night.
For the last twelve months, he has apparently been living in Raye Langley's bedroom. He seems to fend for himself foodwise, although Raye frequently sneaks him smoked kippers and tinned sardines.
As Evangelia has advanced beyond the need of his constant guidance, Alistair has slowly stopped accompanying her on her missions. He has since entered into a kind of odd-couple partnership with private eye super Gil MacHeath, who is one of the few persons who can see him.
Trivia
Alistair's invisibility extends to cameras and other monitoring devices, including the notional camera that hovers over the shoulders of every hero in the game.
Members and former members of the Legendary who have demonstrated that they are able to see and interact with Alistair include Space Mage and Gil MacHeath. He has managed to (mostly) break Space Mage of her habit of hugging the stuffings out of him whenever she sees him.
Several villains apparently have been able to see Alistair as well, including Frostfire and Nocturne.
Note that although Alistair cannot be seen or heard, he can be felt and touched, which is the usual way in which his existence is proven. He can also touch back -- and poke, and prod, and in one noteworthy case, nip with his beak.
Alistair has characterized FrostFire's lair as one of the few places in Paragon City where he feels completely comfortable, at least in the summer, and he has been known to sneak off to the ice room therein to enjoy himself on hotter days.
