Thank you, everyone! Time for a better question! by
GlarnBoudin
on 2015-08-04 21:10:00 UTC
Reply
OK, I've decided to go with a Thin Man for Carnage's partner-As a side note, thank you to everybody who commented with advice! Besides filling my standards, for lack of a better term, a Thing Man would actually be a good choice for another reason: through my experiences in Enemy Unknown, Thin Men seem to remain completely cool and collected at all times-an ideal counter for Carnage, who's more outgoing and impulsive.
In terms of details, though, I'm a bit lacking. He's definitely going to have a distorted voice, as if he's speaking through a garbled radio, and I'm thinking that a emotionless personality would suit him, especially considering why I picked his species. In terms of a name and fandoms, though, I'm stumped: maybe something starting with S for his name...
Also, to answer SkarmorySilver with the idea for a Yautja, there is an AVP/MLP crossover I've had my eye on with a Yautja character that I could recruit... >:]
Some thoughts. by
PoorCynic
on 2015-08-04 18:46:00 UTC
Reply
First off, I must confess to being a bit concerned about the way you're going about creating characters. This seems more like an exercise in wanting to make agents "cool" and powerful rather than interesting and compelling. Characterization is the most important aspect of creating a character. True, what an agent is can and does inform characterization to some extent, but I would argue that still takes a secondary place.
There is also the issue that many monsters are, well, monstrous. Dragons have the advantage of being shown as intelligent and cunning creatures in many of their portrayals. Most other monsters, however, are single-minded tools of destruction meant to invoke the fear of death in the audience. There are certainly ways to justify having an intelligent version of an otherwise mindless monster in the PPC, but those loopholes can be easily abused.
If you are committed to this idea of classic and modern monsters, however, then I guess I have some suggestions. As Iximaz previously said, I would stay away from necromorphs and xenomorphs. They're both too simple, too destructive. I wouldn't go with XCOM chryssalids for similar reasons.
XCOM Thin Men might be a good choice. They combine a modern fear of the unknown (what with being from space and all) alongside fears about inhumanity and security, as they were meant for infiltration. Thin Men look not-quite human; an aspect that can be played up as an allusion to the uncanny valley.
Some sort of cyborg or humanoid robot could also work well in this fashion. The rush of progress and the possibility of transhumanism can be terrifying things. How much of the original person is lost beyond their mechanized parts? The robot, on the other hand, once again plays into the idea of being not-quite human combined with the idea of uncontrollable technology. Think of all the media that uses out-of-control AI.
All that being said, though, I'd refer you back to my original point. Characters should be based around who they are, not what they are.
Hmmm... by
SkarmorySilver
on 2015-08-04 02:33:00 UTC
Reply
I'll have to second Iximaz, in that agent ideas are often things you come up with yourself - either you snatch them from your original writing, your fanfics, badfics you spork on missions, or just spitball a concept out of your rear end and see if it works. I'll also agree that xenomorphs don't work very well as agents, since their entire life cycle is destructive to people and they're infamously bloodthirsty.
Now, to answer your question, if you want a modern alien-type monster for Carnage's partner who may be able to work as an agent, a very good suggestion in my opinion would be a member of the rival species to the xenomorphs, the Yautja. They're characterized by their hunting of other dangerous species for sport and honor - so Sue-slaying wouldn't be too much of a stretch for one. Though there's the problem of the Predators intentionally hunting humans as well, which would make for a pretty interesting conundrum given that most PPC agents are human. Thus, a Predator agent may have to learn restraint very quickly to abide by PPC protocol, which would make an interesting moral conflict and (hopefully) a good story arc.
Also, according to The Other Wiki, the Yautja did have a somewhat tentative truce with humanity back when they were viewed as gods, until the Xenomorphs got out of control. So I guess a Yautja agent could in theory learn in due course to avoid treating human agents as game, and stick to hunting Sues instead. The latter of which is of course a lot more fun. ;P
XCOM: Enemy Unknown's Chryssalid. by
Scapegrace
on 2015-08-04 01:51:00 UTC
Reply
Here's why, courtesy of concept art:-

Nothing more modern than video games, though you might also look into cryptids. Or go with the flow and make a Poké-agent - Sableye's based on the Hopkinsville Goblins, after all.
You should definitely do some kind of alien, though. Monsters represent the unknown, and Carnage represents the old forms of magic while a cryptid or alien represents modern weird science - especially if you give this agent a kind of "Raygun Gothic" feel to its aesthetic. It'd also be interesting to have World One aliens running around the place. =]
Hopefully not a necromorph slasher or a xenomorph. by
Iximaz
on 2015-08-04 01:44:00 UTC
Reply
Considering that xenomorphs were violent killers whose behavior and design were meant to invoke rape and phallic imagery, I really wouldn't feel comfortable okaying one as an agent. After looking up the necromorph slashers, I would have to say the same thing.
Is it really necessary to have a bloodthirsty, monstrous (in every sense of the word) killer as, um, Carnage's partner? Because that tends to not go over very well. At all.
Also, while we're totally cool with helping hammer out details, like specific aspects of a prospective agent's personality, you can't expect us to do the work for you. Saying "Hey, I need an idea for an agent" isn't going to get you a whole lot of help. You can at least come up with the basics on your own, can't you?