Frobisher (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
initforthemoney) wrote2015-07-06 06:58 pm
initforthemoney) wrote2015-07-06 06:58 pm
About Frobisher
Character name: Frobisher
Character journal:initforthemoney
Series name: Doctor Who (comics and Big Finish Audios)
Canon notes: IF YOU THOUGHT DOCTOR WHO REGULAR CANON WAS CONFUSING. Try playing an expanded universe character. The timeline be confusing, bro. As far as I can sumise, Frobisher travelled with the Sixth Doctor on and off for several years, being dropped off at his own planet for a bit before being picked up again. Sometimes Peri is with them, sometimes not. And he did briefly get picked up by Seven. WHO KNOWS FOR WHY.
Based on this VERY vague canon timeline for Frobisher, I'm pulling him from some time after the events of The World Shapers, and before Trial of the Timelord.
Species: Whifferdill
History: Frobisher's entry on the Tardis Data Core
Personality:
Frobisher is a cynic, wrapped in a goofball, wrapped in a cynic. He desperately tries to be this cool, suave private investigator type. He loves popping off snarky one-liners and narrating his own thoughts like he's in the midst of his own Film Noir crime drama. But this really does come off as him being an eccentric goofball. Which is he, really! Frobisher loves nothing more than cracking jokes, often at his friend's expenses. The opportunities for mischief when you're a shapeshifter are endless, after all.
So most of the time Frobisher comes off as this fun loving, goofy guy who travels with the Doctor mostly to give the guy shit and party throughout the universe. But underneath that, there is actually a pretty cynical and world-wearied guy, hardened by too many years drifting in a nasty world. He wanted to be cool and badass and solve crime and be a gritty, dangerous sort of guy. But then life dealt him a few too many blows, first with his divorce and then his perpetually failing career, and he ended up cynical and jaded in a way that wasn't cool or edgy, but just left him feeling tired and old.
Which is why he travels with the Doctor. He's not there for the free ride, he comes from a world with it's own space travel technology so if he only wanted to travel the stars it'd be easy to. No, it's about travelling with The Doctor, someone who's seen it all and hasn't let the universe wear him down, and Frobisher admires that a lot. They're a good influence on each other, in fact. The Doctor doesn't let Frobisher get away with covering up his cynicism with humour, and Frobisher keep the Doctor's ego in check. He also gets along well with Peri, and has a sort of fun uncle streak with her, wanting to keep her safe but still have fun and party.
Frobisher was married to another Whifferdill named Francine when he was younger, and his first marriage is a pretty big influence on his character. One of the major causes of their falling out was that Frobisher couldn't handle that she was a better private investigator than he was. He clearly had a major ego at one point, and ego that does flare up again from time to time, but the fact that he let that ego destroy his marriage is something he takes really hard on himself. His marriage is also what disillusioned him about love for a while. He likes being a bachelor, and as much as he misses Francine and looks back at their relationship fondly, he knows getting a divorce was the best choice for them.
Now to address the whole 'penguin' thing. Frobisher likes being a penguin. Why? Well we know him and Francine liked being penguins together, so he clings to it largely out of nostalgia and familiarity. But he does feel a kinship with them. As a shapeshifter, it's hard to form an identity of one's own, so it's easier to adopt one to stick to, and Frobisher feels very connected to the humble penguin. They have the right mix of goofy exterior and mischievous ways, but good hearts under it all that he admires. Frobisher has taken vacations more than a few times in the south pole, blending in with the wild life and he would clearly spend a lot more time with other penguins if he could. Probably not full time, he likes modern technology too much, but it is his favourite vacation destination.
Choosing an identity and them moulding himself to it is also how he came to become such a Film Noir type private detective, too. He took the job cause as a Whifferdill, hey, it's something pretty damn easy when you can spy on people as a house plant. But he moulded himself to be more like the idea of a detective because if he's gonna be one, better go all out. Being a shapeshifter isn't just physical, when you don't have a static form you gotta pick what you want to be and make it work.
Underneath it all, Frobisher is a softy who just wants a decent life with people he loves. He's very loyal and devoted to his friends, and cares deeply about making them happy. When the Eighth Doctor bumps into him by accident years later, he's settled down, re-married, and is running a bar, and seems like he couldn't be happier. At the end of the day all a penguin wants is a quiet life, someone to love, and an endless swimming pool full of live fish.
Abilities: Shapeshifting! Whifferdill powers are pretty amazing. Frobisher can shift into just about anything, and it DEFINITELY not limited to humanoid creatures. In fact he spends a lot more time as animals and inanimate objects. He can also alter his own physical appearance in very minute detail, and do things such as stretch an arm out to aid in punching someone, turn his legs into springs, and even morph a hole in his own body to let a bullet pass through.
To balance this out, though, his shapeshifting works differently than someone like, say, Mystique, who can make a perfect replica of someone in seconds. Frobisher's shapeshifting takes conscious effort to get every detail right, so making a perfect copy of someone takes time. When he becomes the Doctor in the audio The Maltese Penguin he has to take some time in front of a mirror getting all the little features right until he has a perfect replica of his friend. Shapes he's taken before are easier to slip back into than a brand new form he's never done before. Also he finds animals and objects a lot easier than humanoids, which he tries to avoid being if he can help it as they take too much work.
Being from a technologically advanced culture, Frobisher is also familiar with piloting and repairing spaceships and operating other more advanced forms of technology. He's flown the TARDIS and helped in repairing it.
He also knows karate. And can do it is penguin form. Yes, I wish we'd seen this too.
Character journal:
initforthemoneySeries name: Doctor Who (comics and Big Finish Audios)
Canon notes: IF YOU THOUGHT DOCTOR WHO REGULAR CANON WAS CONFUSING. Try playing an expanded universe character. The timeline be confusing, bro. As far as I can sumise, Frobisher travelled with the Sixth Doctor on and off for several years, being dropped off at his own planet for a bit before being picked up again. Sometimes Peri is with them, sometimes not. And he did briefly get picked up by Seven. WHO KNOWS FOR WHY.
Based on this VERY vague canon timeline for Frobisher, I'm pulling him from some time after the events of The World Shapers, and before Trial of the Timelord.
Species: Whifferdill
History: Frobisher's entry on the Tardis Data Core
Personality:
Frobisher is a cynic, wrapped in a goofball, wrapped in a cynic. He desperately tries to be this cool, suave private investigator type. He loves popping off snarky one-liners and narrating his own thoughts like he's in the midst of his own Film Noir crime drama. But this really does come off as him being an eccentric goofball. Which is he, really! Frobisher loves nothing more than cracking jokes, often at his friend's expenses. The opportunities for mischief when you're a shapeshifter are endless, after all.
So most of the time Frobisher comes off as this fun loving, goofy guy who travels with the Doctor mostly to give the guy shit and party throughout the universe. But underneath that, there is actually a pretty cynical and world-wearied guy, hardened by too many years drifting in a nasty world. He wanted to be cool and badass and solve crime and be a gritty, dangerous sort of guy. But then life dealt him a few too many blows, first with his divorce and then his perpetually failing career, and he ended up cynical and jaded in a way that wasn't cool or edgy, but just left him feeling tired and old.
Which is why he travels with the Doctor. He's not there for the free ride, he comes from a world with it's own space travel technology so if he only wanted to travel the stars it'd be easy to. No, it's about travelling with The Doctor, someone who's seen it all and hasn't let the universe wear him down, and Frobisher admires that a lot. They're a good influence on each other, in fact. The Doctor doesn't let Frobisher get away with covering up his cynicism with humour, and Frobisher keep the Doctor's ego in check. He also gets along well with Peri, and has a sort of fun uncle streak with her, wanting to keep her safe but still have fun and party.
Frobisher was married to another Whifferdill named Francine when he was younger, and his first marriage is a pretty big influence on his character. One of the major causes of their falling out was that Frobisher couldn't handle that she was a better private investigator than he was. He clearly had a major ego at one point, and ego that does flare up again from time to time, but the fact that he let that ego destroy his marriage is something he takes really hard on himself. His marriage is also what disillusioned him about love for a while. He likes being a bachelor, and as much as he misses Francine and looks back at their relationship fondly, he knows getting a divorce was the best choice for them.
Now to address the whole 'penguin' thing. Frobisher likes being a penguin. Why? Well we know him and Francine liked being penguins together, so he clings to it largely out of nostalgia and familiarity. But he does feel a kinship with them. As a shapeshifter, it's hard to form an identity of one's own, so it's easier to adopt one to stick to, and Frobisher feels very connected to the humble penguin. They have the right mix of goofy exterior and mischievous ways, but good hearts under it all that he admires. Frobisher has taken vacations more than a few times in the south pole, blending in with the wild life and he would clearly spend a lot more time with other penguins if he could. Probably not full time, he likes modern technology too much, but it is his favourite vacation destination.
Choosing an identity and them moulding himself to it is also how he came to become such a Film Noir type private detective, too. He took the job cause as a Whifferdill, hey, it's something pretty damn easy when you can spy on people as a house plant. But he moulded himself to be more like the idea of a detective because if he's gonna be one, better go all out. Being a shapeshifter isn't just physical, when you don't have a static form you gotta pick what you want to be and make it work.
Underneath it all, Frobisher is a softy who just wants a decent life with people he loves. He's very loyal and devoted to his friends, and cares deeply about making them happy. When the Eighth Doctor bumps into him by accident years later, he's settled down, re-married, and is running a bar, and seems like he couldn't be happier. At the end of the day all a penguin wants is a quiet life, someone to love, and an endless swimming pool full of live fish.
Abilities: Shapeshifting! Whifferdill powers are pretty amazing. Frobisher can shift into just about anything, and it DEFINITELY not limited to humanoid creatures. In fact he spends a lot more time as animals and inanimate objects. He can also alter his own physical appearance in very minute detail, and do things such as stretch an arm out to aid in punching someone, turn his legs into springs, and even morph a hole in his own body to let a bullet pass through.
To balance this out, though, his shapeshifting works differently than someone like, say, Mystique, who can make a perfect replica of someone in seconds. Frobisher's shapeshifting takes conscious effort to get every detail right, so making a perfect copy of someone takes time. When he becomes the Doctor in the audio The Maltese Penguin he has to take some time in front of a mirror getting all the little features right until he has a perfect replica of his friend. Shapes he's taken before are easier to slip back into than a brand new form he's never done before. Also he finds animals and objects a lot easier than humanoids, which he tries to avoid being if he can help it as they take too much work.
Being from a technologically advanced culture, Frobisher is also familiar with piloting and repairing spaceships and operating other more advanced forms of technology. He's flown the TARDIS and helped in repairing it.
He also knows karate. And can do it is penguin form. Yes, I wish we'd seen this too.