The value of a hard day's work
From a young age, Otto Octavius had known the value of knowledge and hard work; with the first, the world ceased to be a confusing place, and the snatches of invention forming in his head could be translated into solid plans... and with the second, his grand ideas could be made concrete and he could prove his own brilliance to the world, placing himself above his peers as both a thinker and a doer. During the short time that he served as a professor for Penn. State, Doctor Octavius did all that he could to force an appreciation for both into the heads of his students, preaching that simply being smart was not enough, and that without the resolve and independant spirit one needed to see one's dreams to fruition, seeking greater understanding was a waste of time.
Though he had mellowed with time, (time spent in prison with nothing better to do than learn new things for the fun of it had given Otto new appreciation for the concept of having simply an amateur understanding of many things) he still clung to his objectivist philosophy and an elevated belief in the importance of the mechanical arts. It was these two qualities that made him about the worst candidate at Thunderbolts HQ for tutoring Robbie Baldwin in the field of basic metalwork. If he was going to be saddled with the troubled ex-hero, who had been ordered to assist the Doctor in the rebuilding of a priceless robotic harness, Otto was first going to ensure that the lad knew the 'basics' about the field, forcing him to study through an apprentice-level collection of textbooks and manuals on metallurgy, diemaking and milling. Once he felt certain that he could (almost) trust Robbie in a shop, the real fun... some basic experiments involving smelting and casting a few rough forms out of cheaper metal.... could begin.
* * * *
"Now.. can you tell me why it is important to add this limestone flux to the... Baldwin! Are you paying attention?" Otto glares at his apprentice, his tone the equivalent of a cuff upside the head. Unshaven, and dressed in a smock, goggles and raggedy clothing, the doctor looks far closer to his blue-collar roots than he would prefer to.
Though he had mellowed with time, (time spent in prison with nothing better to do than learn new things for the fun of it had given Otto new appreciation for the concept of having simply an amateur understanding of many things) he still clung to his objectivist philosophy and an elevated belief in the importance of the mechanical arts. It was these two qualities that made him about the worst candidate at Thunderbolts HQ for tutoring Robbie Baldwin in the field of basic metalwork. If he was going to be saddled with the troubled ex-hero, who had been ordered to assist the Doctor in the rebuilding of a priceless robotic harness, Otto was first going to ensure that the lad knew the 'basics' about the field, forcing him to study through an apprentice-level collection of textbooks and manuals on metallurgy, diemaking and milling. Once he felt certain that he could (almost) trust Robbie in a shop, the real fun... some basic experiments involving smelting and casting a few rough forms out of cheaper metal.... could begin.
* * * *
"Now.. can you tell me why it is important to add this limestone flux to the... Baldwin! Are you paying attention?" Otto glares at his apprentice, his tone the equivalent of a cuff upside the head. Unshaven, and dressed in a smock, goggles and raggedy clothing, the doctor looks far closer to his blue-collar roots than he would prefer to.