(Paladin) Danse (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
androidvictoriam) wrote2025-03-24 08:18 pm
androidvictoriam) wrote2025-03-24 08:18 pm
Route 666 App
Player: Anna
Contact: annalizabeth @ Discord,![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
layonmacduff
Age: 30+
Other Characters: N/A
Name: Paladin Danse (though he's been stripped of the title by his canon point)
Canon: Fallout 4
Canon Point: About a month after the resolution of the quest "Blind Betrayal"
Age: Chronologically 20; looks and acts closer to 40
Backstory: Wiki
Personality:
Danse is a man who has spent almost his entire life under the thumb of a cult he doesn't yet recognize as a cult, and his loyalty to that cult even when exiled from it on pain of death illustrates just how built for duty and devotion he really is.
Despite his lingering allegiance to the Brotherhood of Steel, though, and the cognitive dissonance necessary to maintain it even when they want him (and other non-humans) dead, he possesses a measure of empathy and gentleness that the organization doesn't encourage in its members, and it's evident that there are some ways in which he's adapted his own mental image of the Brotherhood to fit more idealistic protect-and-serve values rather than accept the organization as it truly is. He disdains the previous leadership for being "unfocused and overly charitable," believing that said lack of focus made the Brotherhood less effective at its mission, but he's still the first one to argue on an individual level for generosity toward wastelanders in need, to insist that the Brotherhood needs to "start behaving like we care," and to berate his subordinates for gratuitous rudeness or cruelty.
He values decorum, careful discipline and steady temper, and while he can often be stern and sharp to get a point across, or irritable when he feels his advice is going unheeded, and his general demeanor can best be described as "gruff" or "brusque," he almost never gets angry to the point of losing control. He's developed a lot of ways to stay cool under pressure, and whenever anything threatens that, he'll either remove himself from the situation or demand that the offender walk away before anything can escalate. He soaks up taunts and insults with little offense or acknowledgement, taking most verbal animosity toward him in stride unless it hits too close to home--and even when it does, the worst he'll do is yell about it.
More than one of his acquaintances, upon learning that he's an android, claim not to be surprised by the revelation because "I mean, I've heard him speak" and "that dude shows about as much emotion as a bag of hammers." The exception to this is in the heat of battle, where he can be outright terrifying, channeling all of his pent-up aggression into near-feral bloodlust when given a hostile target to unload a weapon at.
He would say, not inaccurately, that he's motivated by a sense of honor and duty and protectiveness toward humanity as a whole, whether or not he's still counted as part of it. He likes to wax loftily poetic about the greater good, and about grandiose ideas of a distant future where humankind can rebuild in safety with protection from its own self-destructive impulses. He would also say, less accurately, that he'd make any sacrifices necessary, including his own life, to make that happen. He will die willingly for the Brotherhood's cause in a moment of despair, if allowed to, even going so far as to take his own life if the player doesn't do it for him or talk him down--but self-preservation and pride are still far more motivating for him than he wants to admit, because when faced with the prospect of execution for being a synth, he reflexively runs away rather than accept his fate, and it doesn't take much at all to convince him to live and keep fighting.
The way he processes this in the aftermath comes as a surprise to him, because he wouldn't have believed himself capable of wanting to live without everything that once mattered to him, or thought he could ever find himself facing the loss of something as intrinsic as his own (assumed) humanity, and yet he finds it easier than expected to pick himself up and keep going. After a few initial, despairing meltdowns full of tearful self-loathing, he deals with his trauma mostly by latching onto the few friends he has and trying to make himself as indispensably useful to them as he can, wanting to be purposeful rather than let himself wallow in misery. (Self-blame and self-doubt are characteristic responses to traumatic situations for him, but he tries to bottle these up to keep them from interfering with his work.) He can be outright clingy in his devotion toward the people who still support him, leaning on his relationships as a slightly unhealthy substitute for a sense of self, but he's reasonably aware of the fact that he's doing that.
In essence, Danse is someone who truly doesn't even know who he is once free to indulge things like kindness and romance and intellectual curiosity for the first time, but these are still parts of himself that he does want to explore. Despite the way he still wants to cling for safety to the indoctrination that has defined his life, a part of him is already beginning to realize that being something other than human can be freeing as well as frightening.
Powers/Abilities:
Danse is a mostly-organic android who's really more just differently-human than superhuman, but since the aim in creating his type of android was ultimately to improve on humanity, the few differences do give him a slight edge.
1. Synth biology: Compared to a human, Danse's stamina and immune response are slightly enhanced. He can't alter his pre-designed body type by gaining or losing weight or muscle, and according to the scientists who created him, his model of synth doesn't need food or sleep--though he'll still feel starving and exhausted if he tries to go without them, to almost the same degree that any human would.
2. Combat training: Danse has spent the past fifteen years in a strict, elite military environment, working his way up to a high-ranking command position. While the fighting style he's most accustomed to requires power armor that he won't have, he's very experienced with a laser rifle, serviceable with an ordinary assault rifle in a pinch, and well trained in hand-to-hand combat.
3. Survival: While Danse is accustomed to serving in a well-equipped stronghold and having more resources at his disposal than the average wastelander, he's often assigned to command recon squads for long-term missions into uncharted territory, where he and his team need to survive on what they can scavenge. He's competent at hunting/foraging for food, finding shelter in the wilderness, and performing basic field medicine when absolutely necessary.
Inventory: One Brotherhood-issue laser rifle; one extra clip of fusion-cell ammo for it; one neon-orange Brotherhood flightsuit with accompanying bomber jacket; one pair of Brotherhood-issue uniform boots.
Game Plans: I love the idea of exploring the monster transformation aspect when he's already coming to terms with not being human--whether he'll have an easier time or a harder time with it, and whether he might in turn eventually find it easier to support others through it because he's already been there in more than one way.
And of course, there's the fact that this is a nicer apocalyptic wasteland than the one back home, so I just like the idea of him being in his element to some degree and being able to use his existing skills to help out the convoy.
Monster Choice: In order of preference:
1. Zoanthrope - Werewolf -- It's a raw and especially animalistic option for a man who thinks of himself as a carefully disciplined machine and often disdainfully compares groups like raiders and bandits to "wild dogs," but at the same time, the idea of the pack bond offers a way for him to feel a sense of family that he's always desperately craved but never really had, even in the Brotherhood.
2. Celestial - Angel -- This would be a good way to lean into the more austere, dutiful, carefully-ordered side of his personality rather than contrast it. He already has a strong desire to guard and protect those he sees as vulnerable--which is most people, compared to him--and he can already go overboard with it where it isn't wanted, so making it a compulsion wouldn't be a stretch. He's also slightly afraid of the dark and likes to shoot laser beams as a combat tactic, so really, he's halfway there.
3. Elemental - Earth -- Ideally with sort of a focus on the metal/oil aspects of earth, if possible, to play into the strong steel/machinery motifs of his character. The idea of him basking in dirt or mud is funny as well, considering how many mods exist just to wash the layer of soot off his face.
Vehicle Choice: A burnt-orange pickup truck with the Tough quality.
Sample: Toplevel
Contact: annalizabeth @ Discord,
Age: 30+
Other Characters: N/A
Name: Paladin Danse (though he's been stripped of the title by his canon point)
Canon: Fallout 4
Canon Point: About a month after the resolution of the quest "Blind Betrayal"
Age: Chronologically 20; looks and acts closer to 40
Backstory: Wiki
Personality:
Danse is a man who has spent almost his entire life under the thumb of a cult he doesn't yet recognize as a cult, and his loyalty to that cult even when exiled from it on pain of death illustrates just how built for duty and devotion he really is.
Despite his lingering allegiance to the Brotherhood of Steel, though, and the cognitive dissonance necessary to maintain it even when they want him (and other non-humans) dead, he possesses a measure of empathy and gentleness that the organization doesn't encourage in its members, and it's evident that there are some ways in which he's adapted his own mental image of the Brotherhood to fit more idealistic protect-and-serve values rather than accept the organization as it truly is. He disdains the previous leadership for being "unfocused and overly charitable," believing that said lack of focus made the Brotherhood less effective at its mission, but he's still the first one to argue on an individual level for generosity toward wastelanders in need, to insist that the Brotherhood needs to "start behaving like we care," and to berate his subordinates for gratuitous rudeness or cruelty.
He values decorum, careful discipline and steady temper, and while he can often be stern and sharp to get a point across, or irritable when he feels his advice is going unheeded, and his general demeanor can best be described as "gruff" or "brusque," he almost never gets angry to the point of losing control. He's developed a lot of ways to stay cool under pressure, and whenever anything threatens that, he'll either remove himself from the situation or demand that the offender walk away before anything can escalate. He soaks up taunts and insults with little offense or acknowledgement, taking most verbal animosity toward him in stride unless it hits too close to home--and even when it does, the worst he'll do is yell about it.
More than one of his acquaintances, upon learning that he's an android, claim not to be surprised by the revelation because "I mean, I've heard him speak" and "that dude shows about as much emotion as a bag of hammers." The exception to this is in the heat of battle, where he can be outright terrifying, channeling all of his pent-up aggression into near-feral bloodlust when given a hostile target to unload a weapon at.
He would say, not inaccurately, that he's motivated by a sense of honor and duty and protectiveness toward humanity as a whole, whether or not he's still counted as part of it. He likes to wax loftily poetic about the greater good, and about grandiose ideas of a distant future where humankind can rebuild in safety with protection from its own self-destructive impulses. He would also say, less accurately, that he'd make any sacrifices necessary, including his own life, to make that happen. He will die willingly for the Brotherhood's cause in a moment of despair, if allowed to, even going so far as to take his own life if the player doesn't do it for him or talk him down--but self-preservation and pride are still far more motivating for him than he wants to admit, because when faced with the prospect of execution for being a synth, he reflexively runs away rather than accept his fate, and it doesn't take much at all to convince him to live and keep fighting.
The way he processes this in the aftermath comes as a surprise to him, because he wouldn't have believed himself capable of wanting to live without everything that once mattered to him, or thought he could ever find himself facing the loss of something as intrinsic as his own (assumed) humanity, and yet he finds it easier than expected to pick himself up and keep going. After a few initial, despairing meltdowns full of tearful self-loathing, he deals with his trauma mostly by latching onto the few friends he has and trying to make himself as indispensably useful to them as he can, wanting to be purposeful rather than let himself wallow in misery. (Self-blame and self-doubt are characteristic responses to traumatic situations for him, but he tries to bottle these up to keep them from interfering with his work.) He can be outright clingy in his devotion toward the people who still support him, leaning on his relationships as a slightly unhealthy substitute for a sense of self, but he's reasonably aware of the fact that he's doing that.
In essence, Danse is someone who truly doesn't even know who he is once free to indulge things like kindness and romance and intellectual curiosity for the first time, but these are still parts of himself that he does want to explore. Despite the way he still wants to cling for safety to the indoctrination that has defined his life, a part of him is already beginning to realize that being something other than human can be freeing as well as frightening.
Powers/Abilities:
Danse is a mostly-organic android who's really more just differently-human than superhuman, but since the aim in creating his type of android was ultimately to improve on humanity, the few differences do give him a slight edge.
1. Synth biology: Compared to a human, Danse's stamina and immune response are slightly enhanced. He can't alter his pre-designed body type by gaining or losing weight or muscle, and according to the scientists who created him, his model of synth doesn't need food or sleep--though he'll still feel starving and exhausted if he tries to go without them, to almost the same degree that any human would.
2. Combat training: Danse has spent the past fifteen years in a strict, elite military environment, working his way up to a high-ranking command position. While the fighting style he's most accustomed to requires power armor that he won't have, he's very experienced with a laser rifle, serviceable with an ordinary assault rifle in a pinch, and well trained in hand-to-hand combat.
3. Survival: While Danse is accustomed to serving in a well-equipped stronghold and having more resources at his disposal than the average wastelander, he's often assigned to command recon squads for long-term missions into uncharted territory, where he and his team need to survive on what they can scavenge. He's competent at hunting/foraging for food, finding shelter in the wilderness, and performing basic field medicine when absolutely necessary.
Inventory: One Brotherhood-issue laser rifle; one extra clip of fusion-cell ammo for it; one neon-orange Brotherhood flightsuit with accompanying bomber jacket; one pair of Brotherhood-issue uniform boots.
Game Plans: I love the idea of exploring the monster transformation aspect when he's already coming to terms with not being human--whether he'll have an easier time or a harder time with it, and whether he might in turn eventually find it easier to support others through it because he's already been there in more than one way.
And of course, there's the fact that this is a nicer apocalyptic wasteland than the one back home, so I just like the idea of him being in his element to some degree and being able to use his existing skills to help out the convoy.
Monster Choice: In order of preference:
1. Zoanthrope - Werewolf -- It's a raw and especially animalistic option for a man who thinks of himself as a carefully disciplined machine and often disdainfully compares groups like raiders and bandits to "wild dogs," but at the same time, the idea of the pack bond offers a way for him to feel a sense of family that he's always desperately craved but never really had, even in the Brotherhood.
2. Celestial - Angel -- This would be a good way to lean into the more austere, dutiful, carefully-ordered side of his personality rather than contrast it. He already has a strong desire to guard and protect those he sees as vulnerable--which is most people, compared to him--and he can already go overboard with it where it isn't wanted, so making it a compulsion wouldn't be a stretch. He's also slightly afraid of the dark and likes to shoot laser beams as a combat tactic, so really, he's halfway there.
3. Elemental - Earth -- Ideally with sort of a focus on the metal/oil aspects of earth, if possible, to play into the strong steel/machinery motifs of his character. The idea of him basking in dirt or mud is funny as well, considering how many mods exist just to wash the layer of soot off his face.
Vehicle Choice: A burnt-orange pickup truck with the Tough quality.
Sample: Toplevel
Game Details
Additional Traits
Sigil
Miscellaneous