Jaager Charles, known publicly as Gasconade,[1] is an experienced member of the Seattle Protectorate.
Personality[]
Given Jaeger's unique situation, suspended existence in a body that can not act upon the world, he has had to deal with depression, anxiety, even multiple mental breakdowns from stress.[2]
Gasconade recently came to a tentative equilibrium, and has started providing counseling to fellow parahuman suffers at Asylum West, usually by teleconference.[1]
Appearance & Equipment[]
Gasconade is described as a "very ordinary man" with blonde hair and a square jaw.
What sets him apart is that every part of his physical body is made up of a complex arrangement of two-dimensional images, like pictures drawn on paper. These interlock, overlap, and create a fragmented silhouette, largely ressembling a person.[1] He is still disproportionate compared to what is usually seen with people.[3] When acting as a cape he carried guns, allowing him to inflict temporarily lethal damage with his power.[1] In fact given the nature of his powers, Gasconade is one of the few capes to actively use guns in combat.[4] One of a handful of exemptions to a widely held rule.
Abilities and Powers[]
Gasconade is the type of breaker who is always active, never leaving the state. This means the breaker state abilities are also active. Notably any object he interacts with is imbued with energy, reverting back to its prior condition and location after a set duration of about half a minute. This serves to severely disorient people he uses lethal force on.[5]As a hypothetical example of how his power works: Were he to take a battle-ax and start beheading people they would 'reset' to their previous undamaged state, fully cognizant about what occurred.[6]
As a secondary benefit of his power he does not need to eat, sleep, or excrete, classifying him as a Noctis cape. This has allowed him to maintain a fierce work schedule, keeping pressure on the criminal element of his city and gather information about them. PRT regulations have bent to accommodate Gasconade's unique situation.[1]
It is very hard for anyone or any ability to harm him, as he will simply reset back to his prior condition. This combined his his ability to disable but not kill lets him function as a point man[7] and delaying tactic who can pair up against the more dangerous opponents. Justifying his Stranger rating,[8] and functioning much like Alabaster does for the E88.[9]
History[]
Background[]
Had a Breaker/Stranger trigger, a not infrequent occurrence.[10]
Post-Echidna[]
Stayed with the protectorate, dealt with a 'Hive Tinker'.[1] He and his team were getting restless with the Peace following rebuilding.
PRT Quest[]
Director Seneca called Chief Deputy-Director Renolds to inform him about the situation in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska who then looked to see who he could send to help him. Chief Deputy-Director Renolds told Director that he would send Gasconade, Fume and Snubnose to Alaska to help.
Gasconade, Fume and Snubnose met with Director Seneca in the lobby of Department Sixty-Four's headquarters. He greeted them and, after being informed that they had read up on the situation, Snubnose asked him if Gasconade could take point. Director Seneca asked him if he felt confident enough and Gasconade nodded before Snubnose told the director that they had handled similar situations in Seattle. He and Snubnose then followed Director Seneca to meet with the team that they would be working with.[7]
Later, Gasconade and then Snubnose went after a Bratva archer. He opened fire on the Bratva thugs with bullets before his power took effect and left them disoriented but unharmed. The thugs are eventually disarmed and arrested by the PRT.[1]
Director Seneca approached Gasconade, Snubnose and Fume in building B when he was talking to Rail. He asked them if they would be willing to head up to Fairbanks to break the siege and, after asking about it and exchanging looks with Snubnose, agreed.[11]
Gasconade, Snubnose and Fume patrolled the area around Department Sixty-Four's fundraiser, supported by a PRT squad.[12]
Later, Gasconade, Snubnose, Fume and Horizon entered a building to find one man amidst a slaughterhouse. He told them that a companion of his had left in the company of someone else, that they had seemed to like him and that he didn't see what happened.[13]
Trivia[]
- Similar to Nice Guy, Gasconade's power was based off of an early concept for Imp.[6]
- As with many Worm cape names 'gasconade' is a somewhat dated term. Usually meaning someone, a windbag, making a show of mock force to cover up their lack of power.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Gasconade is, by contrast, a very ordinary man, but for the fact that every part of him that isn’t costume looks like a complex arrangement of two-dimensional images, like pictures drawn on paper and interlocked, overlapping, to create a general silhouette of a person, fragmented throughout. - Department Sixty Four, PRT Quest threat ii p47
- ↑ Personality:
Gasconade is struggling to find an equilibrium in his life and lifestyle. He has described himself as a man trapped in a hologram body, detached from the simple pleasures of life, unable to truly affect the world. He has flirted with depression and anxiety, and has had a number of mental breaks from the stress.
In recent months, Gasconade has found something of a equilibrium, and is providing counselling to disturbed parahumans at the Asylum West, frequently by teleconference. - Department Sixty Four, PRT Quest threat ii p47 - ↑ ◈ GASCONADE; Jaager D. Charles
Classification: Breaker/Stranger 3
Unable to affect the world long-term, or be affected long-term.
Disposition: Protectorate Location: DEPT 22 (Seattle)
Age: 25 Status: Full time Height: 6’ Weight: 190 lbs.
Class S Option: NO Appearance: Scandinavian blond, square jaw, disproportionate build. - Department Sixty Four, PRT Quest threat ii p47 - ↑ As stated by others, it depends on what you do, not what you have.
[...]
Carrying a gun adjusts all interactions. You're saying 'I'm not in this to play' or 'I'm expecting to hurt seriously and risk being hurt, and I'm prepared to defend myself'. It escalates the game and makes everyone a little more tense. A gang of thugs that all carry guns are going to come across as much more serious and will be treated as such. Getting arrested while having a gun, even if you don't use it, the group is going to get hit that much harder. Less so for a single individual carrying a gun in a larger group.
In short, it's discouraged.
Keep in mind that I'm talking about handguns here. Rifles, SMGs, shotguns, the context is much different. You don't bring a SMG to perform more effective warning shots.
Using a gun, though, that changes things. The moment someone gets shot, it stops being theatrics and posturing and becomes an omnipresent danger. The game is no longer being entertained. In large part, context aside, the shooter is giving up the unwritten rules that would benefit them.
Tattletale played by the rules. She shot Glory Girl to disable the forcefield. Still softballing it. Skitter shot Coil, but there was a longstanding relationship (and it was fairly discreet). Still sketchy, still a problem.
Doing it with no warning, shooting a civilian, doing it recklessly enough civilians get caught in the crossfire, doing it against someone weaker, all will be perceived as dangerous and reckless. Maybe the entire city's cape population doesn't band together to go after you like the ABB did, but others may start playing it like the referee isn't watching anymore.
[...]
The way the rules work, people know what's up and generally things work against those who pack heat and those who use it recklessly. They end up alone, they end up with more enemies rallied against them, hitting harder, and generally they get enough warnings that they should cut it out that they'll quit it or commit. Typically the approach of the opposition will be 'we know he uses guns, so let's not make this a thing that keeps escalating'.
In different areas, though, the situation may well be different. I can picture Texas having more gun-wielding capes in general. - Wildbow on Reddit - ↑ Powers:
Standard file structure has been altered, as the general description and personality notes will make very little sense and even give cause for alarm if the powers are not elaborated on.
Gasconade exists in a perpetual Breaker state where any object he interacts with is imbued with energy, reverting back to its prior condition after a set duration of roughly thirty seconds. In the breaker state, Gasconade needs no sustenance or relief and is largely immune to harm. - Department Sixty Four, PRT Quest threat ii p47 - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Teleporting through shadows: A lie, a misdirection to get the Wards to let their guard down (as opposed to the safety measures they would’ve put in place for a cape with unknown powers). Trivia: It was one of the ideas that I considered for Imp, initially. Scrapped it pretty quickly. Another was far too complicated to understand; she had a breaker power that undid any action she performed after a few minutes. It didn’t fit her as a character (well, sort of. Carrying a battleaxe, chopping someone’s head off, laughing maniacally, person is fine a few minutes later), it left a hell of a lot of bizarre/screwed up interactions, and it didn’t fit with the in-universe logic of powers & power granting. - Comment by Wildbow on Interlude 13.5 (Donation Bonus)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 “Yes. One Ward, Protectorate, two PRT squads.”
“Can Gasconade take point?” Snubnose asks.
“I-”
“Sir,” she says, as if she’d forgotten. Yet it’s an interruption.
“Yes, if he’s confident.”
Gasconade nods.
“We’ve all dealt with similar situations on the Seattle team. I’m confident in him,” Snubnose says. “Your people are safe in our hands.” - Department Sixty Four, PRT Quest threat ii p47 - ↑ Stranger-type capes were classified that way due to their capabilities in stealth and subterfuge. Valefor was more the latter. He wasn’t stealthy, exactly, but his ability to perpetrate subterfuge was devastating. - Excerpt from Imago 21.3
- ↑ Her light and Fog’s mist could blind their foes, with Night leveraging any opportunities gained. Alabaster and Crusader? Probably intended as the front line, to slow the enemy down, take out the problem targets and buy time for the core group to do what they needed. Or to do what they were doing now, and occupy enemies elsewhere. - Excerpt from Buzz 7.10
- ↑ The Breaker-Stranger Combination
Not uncommon, given that both types of trigger tend to touch on abstracts and unusual sorts of harm can include scenarios where the individual is facing unwanted attention. Such a trigger would either involve an audience or observer while the harm took place or the abstract harm is driven home by a concerted effort and fixation on the part of the other party. A young professional suffering from dwindling faculties due to a hidden illness is called before the heads of their organization to prove themselves and fails utterly due to the disease, knowing they’ll never get a career in this field again, as the eyes of these people watch them. A stepfather leans too heavily on the triggeree; in the eyes of everyone else he’s trying to build a relationship with his new daughter. He doesn’t give her a moment to breathe, and she can’t escape the pressure or the panic attacks, with her triggering as he admits in a whisper that it’s intentional and predatory.
The breaker state in this case enables the Stranger effect. The options here are too varied to name, but tend to involve toggling the state, often with a cost, but is stronger than it would be without the breaker state. - STRANGERS, document by Wildbow. - ↑ - Department Sixty Four, PRT Quest thread ii p54
- ↑ - Department Sixty Four, PRT Quest thread ii p74
- ↑ - Department Sixty Four, PRT Quest thread iii p1
[]
| Defiant • Doormaker † • Dragon • Gasconade • Mama Mathers • Miss Militia • Night Hag † • Noctis * • Weld | |
| Director | Foote |
|---|---|
| Members | Fume • Gasconade • Snubnose |