Re: On the Subject of Toons

On the Subject of Toons by theusualsuspectshines on 2012-01-06 23:18:00 UTC Reply

I assume that at least some of the Boarders are familiar with classic cartoon series such as Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry. I have a question regarding an idea for an Agent. If I were to create an Agent native to the Looney Tunes continuum, or a continuum of a similar nature, by what degree should it be toned down for it to be acceptable?

In case you are curious, the details for the Agent in question are below. Note that this is not a Permission request, only a request for suggestions.

Name: Rhodes Runner
Age: 23
Species: Cartoon Road Runner
Home Continuum: Looney Tunes
Department: Floaters
Partner: Riley Coyote
Fandoms: Disney Animated Canon, Looney Tunes, Harry Potter, Animaniacs, can pick up most video game continua in a pinch
Lust-Objects: None (that we know of)
Favorites: Road Runner (natch), Bugs Bunny, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc.
Weapons: Super speed, a crowbar

Rhodes is a replacement of Road Runner from a Looney Tunes AU, in which the main cast live in the United States during World War II. His ability to talk, and somehow play the saxophone, were what marked him as an out-and-out replacement. However, he was actually a decent character, and he, along with his future partner Riley, helped the two Agents deployed to kill the fic to hunt down the real cartoon stars. Rhodes is a generally upbeat kind of guy, and always eager to be doing something. He's also surprisingly good at he saxophone, and has a great appreciation for music. As a consequence, he gets annoyed quickly by songfics. He also reacts badly to characters being imprisoned, either literally (in an actual prison or plothole), or figuratively (by being trapped in their own minds due to the Sue throwing them OOC). As a general rule, he believes the day wasted if he hasn't bugged his partner at least once.

I will post Riley's info once I get a definitive ruling on this character.

Riley's info, as promised by theusualsuspectshines on 2012-01-14 13:03:00 UTC Reply

Name: Riley Coyote
Age: 32
Species: Cartoon Coyote
Home Continuum: Looney Tunes
Department: Floaters
Partner: Rhodes Runner
Fandoms: Pirates of the Caribbean, Super Mario Bros., Looney Tunes, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc.
Lust-Objects: No official ones, but he tends to act oddly around Anamaria from POTC.
Favorites: Wile E. Coyote (again, natch), Bowser, Jack Sparrow, formulating plans, things that go boom, etc.
Weapons: Explosives, traps, a cartoonish six-shooter (brand unidentifiable, but appears to be a .44)

Riley Coyote is a replacement of Wile E. Coyote from the same Looney Tunes AU as Rhodes Runner. His status as a character replacement first came under suspicion when he had failed to use a sign to communicate even once whenever he actually had some lines to say. It was confirmed by his disregarding Rhodes Runner when, and instead focusing his attentions on the "star" of the story, a Replacement!Sue impersonating Lola Bunny. His character was sufficiently complex enough to warrant rescuing, and he assisted the Agents, along with Rhodes, in killing the Sue and finding the real cartoon stars.
He is a bit more cynical than his partner Rhodes, but is overall a decent guy. He does retain the "mad scientist" traits of his canon counterpart, and is an ardent believer in the notion of applying explosives to any sort of problem, no matter how trivial. He gets slightly annoyed when he's in a continuum without explosions of some variety, and seriously annoyed when he's in a fic featuring any sort of uncanonical Bad Science (Biology, Physics, etc.). He also appreciates a person's ingenuity, tenacity and perseverance, so he gets REALLY irritated if a character disregards his dreams or goals because of a Sue's presence. Sometimes, he gets aggravated by Rhodes's antics, but usually he just takes it in stride (though not without being snarky about it).
Re: On the Subject of Toons by Data Junkie on 2012-01-08 09:31:00 UTC Reply

Okay, that actually sounds pretty cool.

As for how much it should be toned down, my usual rule of thumb is that while in their home continuum and in HQ, an agent is able to behave normally, as per the rules of that continuum. However while in another 'verse with different rules, the agents are bound to follow those rules, at least as much as possible. So if Rhodes and Riley are visiting, say, Narnia, they won't be indestructible or be able to pull giant rockets out of nowhere. However, if they were visiting Tom and Jerry or Scooby Doo, or whatever, they'd have a lot more leeway with what they could do.

Of course, other people might have better suggestions for how to handle it.

That seems about right... by Joe on 2012-01-09 01:59:00 UTC Reply

It varies between them, since two of my Agents are from Japanese cartoons and only one from Western, but now and then Snapshot does do things or contortions that would be impossible for a non-cartoon (I'm pretty sure a real horse can't reach into its own saddlebags with its mouth, for instance, but ponies seem to be fairly capable).

Indestructability would be a bit much, but I'd be fairly alright with extra resilience in pretty much any canon. It really depends on the cartoon, since there's so much variation.

UsualSuspect, I'd love to talk with you more about this, if you have the time/chance? If I'm honest I just love rambling on about my characters :P

But of course! by theusualsuspectshines on 2012-01-14 01:42:00 UTC Reply

Though now, I have to wonder: how would an anime character react to getting sent on a mission into a Western cartoon?
Toons aren't indestructible, anyway. by Neshomeh on 2012-01-09 02:33:00 UTC Reply

There's the Eraser, or, failing that, the Dip.

*shudder*

You're welcome.

~Neshomeh

*gulps* Yeesh. (nm) (nm) by theusualsuspectshines on 2012-01-14 01:51:00 UTC Reply