Jun 09, 2010 22:06
character name: Alexander Anderson
Fandom: Hellsing - the Manga (Though the Hellsing Ultimate OVA's are the same.)
Timeline: Just before he pricks himself with the Sacred Nail in Volume 8, Chapter 65: Might and Magic 1
character's age: Unknown, appearance and fighting abilities in late 30's, speculated to be at least late 60's
powers, skills, pets and equipment:
Powers: From Canon he has excellent bayonet based combat skills, deadly accuracy, particularly with multiple knives/bayonets. Super-speed and super-strength: he can hold his own against supernatural foes, agility and dexterity (bayonets again) far above most humans. Barriers - he can create barriers out of bible pages, affixed to the walls by bayonets. Though this can only affect those with weakness to holy objects. He can also teleport using these same bible pages, though not too far, 1/2 mile at the most with no mist to muck it up. And the mist will certainly play havoc with that - teleporting to wrong locations, splicing (i.e. losing an arm) should it be really thick mist. He can also regenerate, such as he can take a bullet to the head without flinching with no new scars formed. For game purposes, he can only regenerate in the sunlight. Also, as he is a priest, he can exorcise spirits. Depending upon the spirit of course.
Equipment: He seems to almost be extra-dimensional with his unlimited knives canonwise. For game purposes, he'll have 20, lined in his jacket and belt. They are made of holy silver. And he'll either have to keep collecting them after battle or buy more. He has a bible that he uses to create his barrier pages with, though he can also preach with it should he need to. He'll also come with his priest cassock and collar, glasses and gloves that are inscribed: Section XIII Iscariot.
I'm also giving him his left arm back but I had no idea what section to put it under.
canon history: Canon-wise, not much is known about Anderson before the story begins. He goes by many names, including: Angel Dust Anderson, Paladin, Judas Priest. He speaks with a very heavy Scottish dialect though shows no connection otherwise to the country. He has worked with Section XIII Iscariot of the Vatican for a very long while and has lived in an orphanage caring for the children there, perhaps just as long. He's old enough to have raised orphan Enrico Maxwell, who became his boss later in Iscariot.
Anderson is first introduced when he goes to settle a "border conflict" in Badrick, Ireland. He kills the vampire making trouble in Badrick, then goes after Alucard and Seras, citing that they are also the enemy being both vampires and protestants. After a very brutal battle, he is able to decapitate Alucard and gives chase to Seras who he has already wounded. He eventually confronts Integra, the head of the Hellsing orgainization and exchanges some rather heated words with her. He teleports himself (via bible pages) away as Alucard resurrects himself, saying that next time he would win and would kill the Protestants.
Anderson is next seen as Enrico's "bodyguard" when Enrico meets with Integra at a museum to give information on the Millennium group. Alucard and Anderson gear up to fight again but are stopped as Seras leads a group of elderly Japanese tourists through. Later, he is watching the Hellsing conflict in South America, even willing to be late to dinner with the children for it.
After the conflict in South America is over, Anderson is dispatched to give a message, and a helicopter, to the Hellsing troops. He and Alucard have a fist fight but both relent so the Hellsing army can escape. He himself gets home by his own means.
Anderson arrives in Europe and is attacked by the vampire Nazis of Millennium, though none powerful enough to be a challenge. Enrico and he conclude they are teasing him and by extension the Vatican.
The next time Anderson is seen the battle of London is in full swing and Maxwell, now an archbishop, has also declared war on Protestant England. Iscariot become the leaders of the Vatican's side of the Siege, Anderson's group assigned to find Integra Hellsing.
Integra, being surrounded by vamps and ghouls, asks - rather, demands - that they escort her to her destination. And Anderson, much to the surprise of his subordinates, agrees. Despite Maxwell's order to capture her, Anderson escorts her, stating that "to force their will upon a lady alone in the dark, they might as well be rapists."
Maxwell, who had been leading the troops from a bulletproof glass case, suspended in air by a helicopter, is shot down. As he awakes and realizes that the glass is still intact, he continues to taunt the vampires and ghouls surrounding him. It is Anderson's bayonet that shatters the case, allowing a spear to pierce Maxwell, finally killing the power-mad Archbishop. He ignores Maxwell's cries for help, even though he is specifically calling for Anderson. However, like a good father, Anderson sits with him while he dies, preforms the last rite of the eye closing, and mourns for him a little.
Finally, Anderson and Alucard have their big final fight. Both deal numerous, powerful blows to each other. Anderson even loses his left arm to Alucard. Still, neither can take any more ground than the other. Anderson decides to use the artifact that Section 3 Matthew found: The Nail of Helena. He was just about to pierce his skin with it, until the Door takes him.
personality: When dealing with children, innocents, and general humans he's calm, cool, and kind. He loves his job at the orphanage and, while is a firm hand in raising the kids, has found a bit of paradise in that place. He can be a little fanatical, saying "save your fighting for heathens and non-believers" to two children who had been arguing amongst themselves.
Once the proverbial sun goes down, he is quite a different person. In a fight he is ruthless, almost sadistic in killing those that he deems unworthy for life/unlife (guided by the Catholic church and the Bible of course). He enjoys the fight, looking for a challenge. He even hisses in delight when on the battlefield. Of course, he has found his match and more in Alucard whom he has a grudging respect for in fight. Even as the king of vampires, because he is a challenge and a worthy foe, Alucard can gain the priest's respect. And Anderson has gained his respect in his ever-ending quest to rid the world of heathens and the undead.
Anderson can be quite rude to his enemies, calling Integra "Babylon" and inches away from killing her with no regret. But he also has a more complex side in which he follows his own moral code, in which ladies are ladies no matter what and all humans have a bit of decency and should be treated as such. This moral code will also prevent him from following an order from a direct superior, deciding that he's "drunk on power", and no longer following the will of God. And should it come to it, Anderson will kill that superior.
why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting? How could Anatole not have a monster hunting, Catholic crusadin' priest who loves orphans? His canon is definitely survival based, and his religious attitude - I think - would add an interesting dynamic to Anatole.
Writing Samples
Network Post Sample:
There is a lot of fumbling with the Forge. This is someone who clearly doesn't use anything like this on a daily basis. The video shows the world being flipped about as the person methodically turns it over, examining each side. At one point the viewer could perhaps discern an eye behind a shining glasses lens. The forge is turned off, then turned back on to text. It's then flipped to audio, then settles on video. Shown is, of all things, a priest. It's either white-blonde or white-grey hair that's on his head, the dim light of the outlander apartment is no help in discernment. He wears a grey cassock and, of course, a priest's collar. His eyes are blue, hidden behind round framed glasses that catch the light far too easily. His mouth is drawn into a frown, one of concentration and annoyance.]
This i' Father Alexander Anderson. Ah'm cahllin' a' Section XIII Iscariots.
[Waits for a response, thinking this is an advanced "video" walkie talkie of sorts.]
Agin, thi' i' Father Alexander Anderson. Daes anyin heir meh?
[Pause.}
Ach!
[Turns away from the Forge, looks out the window. He comes back, even more annoyed.]
Thi' yin o' yer tricks, devilman? T's ae guid yin. Thanks fer gie meh ma airm back tae.
[Waves his left arm in demonstration, flashes smile that doesn't reach his eyes. Very pointed canines are visble, more like bared. The smile vanishes quickly.]
Bu' cut i' oot. Ye cannae get away tha' easily.
Nae mair tricks, Alucard!
[A smile, a real one, comes across his face. It's as probably devilish a smile as a priest could get and still be considered holy.]
Unleiss yer scairt, boogeyman.
[The Forge is shut off, to punctuate the affront.]
Third Person Sample:
Anderson was having a very hard time believing what the others had told him over the - Forge, was it? - machine. He had been transported to another planet? Impossible. The vampire didn't have skills like that; he'd have used them before then. He stalked through the streets in the dark, trying to figure out some clue to what was going on. It certainly didn't feel like an illusion. Even if it was, why make an illusion so far fetched? The children came up with better lies.
His face softened just a little at the thought of the orphans he'd left behind. He missed them. He had already accepted that he'd never see them again but that was when he'd resigned himself to death. If he really was on another planet, in another dimension, what would become of them then?
Fists clenched in annoyance. What was his purpose in this place? On Earth, it had been so easy. Kill the heretics and abominations, protect the children and raise them right. From what he'd seen there were no children to raise and protect. Monster hunting only counted when you did it for God, not for sport.
He looked up, wondering about his surroundings. It reminded him of the older streets of Europe, cramped and uneven. Every shadow, every alleyway, every crevice was noted. Any place a monster could hide was marked, watched out of habit. The buildings were becoming unevenly spaced, straggling and ruined. He must have walked to the end of town. Or this was what passed for the slums here.
Up ahead was an open plain, sporadically covered with piles of rocks, all of it blanketed with mist. This must be the "ruins" the others had warned about. He didn't see why they all sounded so wary of it. Just some rocks. And mist.
Anderson wandered out into the ruins. The mist clung to him heavily. The further he went in, the heavier it got. Soon he could barely see and that was saying something for one who hunts in the dark. He took his glasses off to give them a quick wipe. Something shifted off to his left.
Everything tensed in Anderson. He didn't bother to turn his head. If he couldn't see, might as well keep his ears sharp. And let the beast, or whatever it was, think he hadn't heard it. All the better to get the drop on it. He clenched his teeth to hold in the hiss of anticipation. His right arm moved slowly into his jacket to grab a bayonet or three.
Keeping an even pace, he walked forward. He wanted to lure whatever it was into making another move, so he could get a better idea of what it was that was tracking him. He heard breathing but put that down as either his own or his imagination. He came upon another pile of rubble, this one almost as tall as him. Unfortunately almost as thin as well. He slid behind it and armed his other hand.
Whatever it was gave a very low growl. Meaning it was probably an animal of some type. Had it been a vampire, it would have started taunting him by now. They were always foolhardy enough to believe in their invincibility. All up until the very end. A ghoul could never muster more than a low groan, poor damned soul. No, this was an animal and a large one at that.
He heard a few pebbles get dislodged and kicked as a heavy foot padded closer. Padded? What could pad but still make enough noise to be heard? There was silence now. A very bad, cold silence. It was getting ready to pounce.
He loved this moment. The heartbeat of tension and survival. He felt the smile curl upon his lips. It wasn't a vampire or any other heathen but it was something. And the animal had been foolish enough to go after him. Whether it killed him or he killed it was up to God now. No second thoughts now, just the hunt and the kill.
Anything else? He speaks in a super strong Scottish dialect as demonstrated in the network post. I can write him without the speech pattern if that makes it easier.
It is generally accepted that Hirano's Angel Dust which features a badass priest is either a precursor to Anderson or some of Anderson's early days. I'm not taking it as canon, choosing to believe that the other priest is unrelated. It doesn't really add much, anyway.
Thank you! It's been great playing so far!
scorched app,
application,
scorched