OOC INFORMATION
Name: Yume.
Contact: memorylikeasieve on Plurk.
Other Characters: None at the moment.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Davros. No surname.
Age: Old. Colossally old. No, really, not even he knows how old he is, he's that old.
Canon: Dr Who.
Canon Point: Sometime after the events of The Witch's Familiar (S9E2). Oh, come on, you know he got out alive. He always does.
Character Information: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Davros
Personality:
Davros was born near the end of the Thousand Years' War between the Kaleds and the Thals on Skaro and, as such, this wartime upbringing already created an outlook on life that is, perhaps, unique when compared to others. Fear and revulsion of 'the other' was steeped into every aspect of the Kaleds' culture for as long as anyone could remember. Familiarity with scarcity, draconian security measures, and extreme--for lack of a better term--nationalism, resulted in a society not unlike that of Germany (or even Britain) during WWII or Soviet Russia (In fact, the parallels between the Kaleds/Daleks and Nazis are well-known!).[DW:Genesis Of The Daleks] It is hardly any wonder, then, that Davros is paranoid, xenophobic, and possessed of a very black-and-white, us-versus-them outlook, just as it is little wonder that he is resourceful, indomitable, and clever.
Terrifyingly clever, in fact. His mind is his greatest resource and he has always been extremely prideful of it, even from a young age. This intelligence bred the typical sort of arrogance and disdain of the scientist toward any he considered of a lesser mind, even other scientists.[BF:I, Davros] It is interesting to note that he used to hold disdain for military procedures and weaponsmaking, preferring to concentrate on 'pure research.' Science would lead to the end of the war, he believed, not fighting. He was an idealist, but not necessarily a benevolent one--anything and everything was secondary to the pursuit of research, experimentation, and discovery. The war simply got in the way of that.[ibid., BF:The Davros Mission]
This anti-military attitude, of course, changed dramatically when he was maimed in a Thal attack on the laboratories. Whether through the psychological trauma of injury, near-death, and invasive medical procedures or physical brain injury or both, this created the Davros we know now.[BF:I, Davros] He became manipulative and deceptive, power-hungry, all too eager to prescribe to the military philosophy only to play both sides against each other.[DW:Genesis of the Daleks] Any emotion other than hatred he now loathed and attempted to program out of his Daleks, with varying levels of success. The paranoia and xenophobia of your typical Kaled spun out of control and is writ large, now, in his every thought and action. The only thing he appears to fear more than 'the enemy' is death. The only thing he values is power, survival, and conquest or extermination of all others.
That is not to say he has given up scientific pursuit. He constantly tinkers with the Daleks in an effort to improve them--to make them more deadly, more violent, more rabidly xenophobic. He creates endless inventions to aid whatever plans he has for domination or escape from wherever he is stranded or imprisoned or the defeat of what he considers his single greatest enemy--the Doctor and, through him, the Time Lords.[DW:Revelation of the Daleks, DW:Requiem of the Daleks, DW:Remembrance of the Daleks, DW:Stolen Earth/Journey's End, et al.] It is widely considered, after all, that the Time Lords fired the first shot when they sent the Doctor to Skaro to destroy the Daleks at the moment of their creation.[DW:Genesis of the Daleks] His scientific expertise runs the gamut from cybernetics to physics to medicine and back again.
The scope and breadth of his knowledge outside of science regarding anything from Galactic stocks trading[BF:Davros] to Time Lord history and technology[DW:Remembrance of the Daleks] speaks not only to his mental flexibility, but also the lengths to which he is willing to go to see his plans through. One wonders what would happen were he to turn his hand to a new occupation--it is altogether possible that he would prove just as brilliant.
It can also be said that Davros is perhaps the best actor in any galaxy, as he routinely bamboozles anyone from individuals [BF:The Davros Mission, BF:The Curse of Davros] to large groups [BF:The Juggernauts, BF:Davros] to entire planets [DW:Requiem of the Daleks] into thinking that he was a belevolent scientist, or that he'd changed and no longer wished to lead the life he'd so far led--but try as he might [BF:The Curse of Davros, BF:Terror Firma, DW:The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar et al.] he could not convince the Doctor of this. Just how much of this performance is drawn from genuine desire, if any, to change, is difficult to ascertain, as it also often appears that he goes back to his usual stance only after being thwarted by the Doctor. It is then that the Doctor is often at his coldest, and it makes one wonder what would happen if he believed his age-old enemy, what Davros would do if he kept the act up long enough. For a being who claims to have eradicated emotion in his followers, Davros himself appears more ruled by emotion than seen at first glance.
It is well-known that the Daleks loathe anything that is not Dalek, but it is also easy to see where they get their duplicitous nature,[DW:Victory of the Daleks] their inability to process positive emotion,[DW:Asylum of the Daleks] and their lack of any concept of mercy unless it serves their own ends.[DW:Big Bang] Second to the Time Lords, the Daleks are the most technologically advanced species in the cosmos. The Daleks are Davros, refracted innumerable times and spread across the Twelve Galaxies. Yet he will vehemently deny that he is a Dalek, even when at his most Dalek-like.[BF:Terror Firma]
With the Daleks at his command he is haughty, demanding, and imperious.[DW:Remembrance of the Daleks] Without them, or under their command, however, he is much more interesting. He has time for thoughts to catch up with him and that is when the layers of his personality can really be seen. Over his long existence he's been placed in suspended animation [DW:Destiny of the Daleks] imprisoned in cryostasis by the Earth government [BF:Davros, DW:Resurrection of the Daleks] captured by Thals [BF:The Davros Mission] and imprisoned by his own creations. [DW:Stolen Earth/Journey's End, DW:The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar,] This time spent in isolation or, at the very least witness to but not influencing Dalek activity, apparently gives memories and introspection a chance to take over in his mind--especially during the 90 years in cryostasis where he was somehow forced to mentally live his life repeatedly. When this happens, he is likely to second-guess his goals and choices, often wondering if there is any way to turn from the admittedly tiring path of constant war. It is, however, all that he is accustomed to and people, no matter their planet of origin, tend to fall back on the familiar. Furthermore, it means he is less secure in his control over a situation, and therefore more apt to employ subterfuge, disguise, manipulation, and falsehood to gain whatever foothold he can. Any loss of such control engenders a sometimes vertiginous fear that events will slip from his control and he will lose his life or, worse, his mind.
5-10 Key Character Traits:
Manipulative
Intelligent
Resourceful
Meticulous
Completely Amoral
Arrogant
Xenophobic
Haunted
Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, EITHER, or opt for 100% RANDOMIZATION? I'd prefer one that fits.
Opt-Outs:
Kelpie
Merperson
Troll
Roleplay Sample:
http://graveyardsmash.dreamwidth.org/15102.html?thread=10941694#cmt10941694
Name: Yume.
Contact: memorylikeasieve on Plurk.
Other Characters: None at the moment.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Davros. No surname.
Age: Old. Colossally old. No, really, not even he knows how old he is, he's that old.
Canon: Dr Who.
Canon Point: Sometime after the events of The Witch's Familiar (S9E2). Oh, come on, you know he got out alive. He always does.
Character Information: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Davros
Personality:
Davros was born near the end of the Thousand Years' War between the Kaleds and the Thals on Skaro and, as such, this wartime upbringing already created an outlook on life that is, perhaps, unique when compared to others. Fear and revulsion of 'the other' was steeped into every aspect of the Kaleds' culture for as long as anyone could remember. Familiarity with scarcity, draconian security measures, and extreme--for lack of a better term--nationalism, resulted in a society not unlike that of Germany (or even Britain) during WWII or Soviet Russia (In fact, the parallels between the Kaleds/Daleks and Nazis are well-known!).[DW:Genesis Of The Daleks] It is hardly any wonder, then, that Davros is paranoid, xenophobic, and possessed of a very black-and-white, us-versus-them outlook, just as it is little wonder that he is resourceful, indomitable, and clever.
Terrifyingly clever, in fact. His mind is his greatest resource and he has always been extremely prideful of it, even from a young age. This intelligence bred the typical sort of arrogance and disdain of the scientist toward any he considered of a lesser mind, even other scientists.[BF:I, Davros] It is interesting to note that he used to hold disdain for military procedures and weaponsmaking, preferring to concentrate on 'pure research.' Science would lead to the end of the war, he believed, not fighting. He was an idealist, but not necessarily a benevolent one--anything and everything was secondary to the pursuit of research, experimentation, and discovery. The war simply got in the way of that.[ibid., BF:The Davros Mission]
This anti-military attitude, of course, changed dramatically when he was maimed in a Thal attack on the laboratories. Whether through the psychological trauma of injury, near-death, and invasive medical procedures or physical brain injury or both, this created the Davros we know now.[BF:I, Davros] He became manipulative and deceptive, power-hungry, all too eager to prescribe to the military philosophy only to play both sides against each other.[DW:Genesis of the Daleks] Any emotion other than hatred he now loathed and attempted to program out of his Daleks, with varying levels of success. The paranoia and xenophobia of your typical Kaled spun out of control and is writ large, now, in his every thought and action. The only thing he appears to fear more than 'the enemy' is death. The only thing he values is power, survival, and conquest or extermination of all others.
That is not to say he has given up scientific pursuit. He constantly tinkers with the Daleks in an effort to improve them--to make them more deadly, more violent, more rabidly xenophobic. He creates endless inventions to aid whatever plans he has for domination or escape from wherever he is stranded or imprisoned or the defeat of what he considers his single greatest enemy--the Doctor and, through him, the Time Lords.[DW:Revelation of the Daleks, DW:Requiem of the Daleks, DW:Remembrance of the Daleks, DW:Stolen Earth/Journey's End, et al.] It is widely considered, after all, that the Time Lords fired the first shot when they sent the Doctor to Skaro to destroy the Daleks at the moment of their creation.[DW:Genesis of the Daleks] His scientific expertise runs the gamut from cybernetics to physics to medicine and back again.
The scope and breadth of his knowledge outside of science regarding anything from Galactic stocks trading[BF:Davros] to Time Lord history and technology[DW:Remembrance of the Daleks] speaks not only to his mental flexibility, but also the lengths to which he is willing to go to see his plans through. One wonders what would happen were he to turn his hand to a new occupation--it is altogether possible that he would prove just as brilliant.
It can also be said that Davros is perhaps the best actor in any galaxy, as he routinely bamboozles anyone from individuals [BF:The Davros Mission, BF:The Curse of Davros] to large groups [BF:The Juggernauts, BF:Davros] to entire planets [DW:Requiem of the Daleks] into thinking that he was a belevolent scientist, or that he'd changed and no longer wished to lead the life he'd so far led--but try as he might [BF:The Curse of Davros, BF:Terror Firma, DW:The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar et al.] he could not convince the Doctor of this. Just how much of this performance is drawn from genuine desire, if any, to change, is difficult to ascertain, as it also often appears that he goes back to his usual stance only after being thwarted by the Doctor. It is then that the Doctor is often at his coldest, and it makes one wonder what would happen if he believed his age-old enemy, what Davros would do if he kept the act up long enough. For a being who claims to have eradicated emotion in his followers, Davros himself appears more ruled by emotion than seen at first glance.
It is well-known that the Daleks loathe anything that is not Dalek, but it is also easy to see where they get their duplicitous nature,[DW:Victory of the Daleks] their inability to process positive emotion,[DW:Asylum of the Daleks] and their lack of any concept of mercy unless it serves their own ends.[DW:Big Bang] Second to the Time Lords, the Daleks are the most technologically advanced species in the cosmos. The Daleks are Davros, refracted innumerable times and spread across the Twelve Galaxies. Yet he will vehemently deny that he is a Dalek, even when at his most Dalek-like.[BF:Terror Firma]
With the Daleks at his command he is haughty, demanding, and imperious.[DW:Remembrance of the Daleks] Without them, or under their command, however, he is much more interesting. He has time for thoughts to catch up with him and that is when the layers of his personality can really be seen. Over his long existence he's been placed in suspended animation [DW:Destiny of the Daleks] imprisoned in cryostasis by the Earth government [BF:Davros, DW:Resurrection of the Daleks] captured by Thals [BF:The Davros Mission] and imprisoned by his own creations. [DW:Stolen Earth/Journey's End, DW:The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar,] This time spent in isolation or, at the very least witness to but not influencing Dalek activity, apparently gives memories and introspection a chance to take over in his mind--especially during the 90 years in cryostasis where he was somehow forced to mentally live his life repeatedly. When this happens, he is likely to second-guess his goals and choices, often wondering if there is any way to turn from the admittedly tiring path of constant war. It is, however, all that he is accustomed to and people, no matter their planet of origin, tend to fall back on the familiar. Furthermore, it means he is less secure in his control over a situation, and therefore more apt to employ subterfuge, disguise, manipulation, and falsehood to gain whatever foothold he can. Any loss of such control engenders a sometimes vertiginous fear that events will slip from his control and he will lose his life or, worse, his mind.
5-10 Key Character Traits:
Manipulative
Intelligent
Resourceful
Meticulous
Completely Amoral
Arrogant
Xenophobic
Haunted
Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, EITHER, or opt for 100% RANDOMIZATION? I'd prefer one that fits.
Opt-Outs:
Kelpie
Merperson
Troll
Roleplay Sample:
http://graveyardsmash.dreamwidth.org/15102.html?thread=10941694#cmt10941694
[Oh, hey, Infirmary, 'sup? You know that Davros-shaped decoration over there that's been motionless for a month? The one Iris has been decorating? Sure has been quiet, huh? One has to literally check to make sure he isn't actually as dead as he looks. Suffice it to say he isn't, he's just been completely unresponsive, life-support ticking over in standby mode. Typical Barge coma, really, but this one's gone and lasted for a while. That's Davros for you, never does anything half-assed.]
[So there he's been, as people have come and gone and breaches and things have happened. One could be forgiven for thinking he'd never move again and just start gathering dust.]
[But today the little light on his head winks back on. He coughs and wheezes.]
[...]
[He reaches for his comm, and in his post-coma haze he accidentally hits VIDEO instead of SOUND ONLY. So, yeah. Have something out of a sci-fi horror flick that also looks as though it's only just survived an explosion in a Lisa Frank factory--stickers decorate every metal part on him, and there are a lot of metal parts on this man.]
Why... am I covered with... sparkling decorations?
[Good morning to you, too, Davros, your dulcet rattling electronic tones are always welcome.]
[So there he's been, as people have come and gone and breaches and things have happened. One could be forgiven for thinking he'd never move again and just start gathering dust.]
[But today the little light on his head winks back on. He coughs and wheezes.]
[...]
[He reaches for his comm, and in his post-coma haze he accidentally hits VIDEO instead of SOUND ONLY. So, yeah. Have something out of a sci-fi horror flick that also looks as though it's only just survived an explosion in a Lisa Frank factory--stickers decorate every metal part on him, and there are a lot of metal parts on this man.]
Why... am I covered with... sparkling decorations?
[Good morning to you, too, Davros, your dulcet rattling electronic tones are always welcome.]
[Things've calmed down a bit. So it's into the relative quiet that Davros' video feed now broadcasts... and what is it broadcasting?]
[Why, it's a Dalek. It just sits there, motionless and silent, staring. The blue light in its eyestalk is steady and unwavering. It just staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaares.]
[And just when you can't be stared at by a blue light any longer, a giant metal hand descends and carefully picks up the Dalek, carrying it away. Said Dalek fails to react.]
[The camera refocusses itself and the hand turns out to belong to Davros. IS HE A GIANT, NOW?! AWGAWD....]
[No, no, he's normal-sized, as his surroundings indicate. No, the Dalek is just very very wee, at four, maybe five inches tall. He places it on a table set into the wall, next to a small stack of papers and pauses, then nudges it closer to the wall with one finger. It sits there. Staring blankly.]
[He then rolls past the surface where the comm sits, and stops. "Hm," is all he says, and reaches out to turn off the video feed.]
[Well, then. That was an interesting little peek into his home, wasn't it?]
[So what IS that wee thing and why is someone's photo in the stack of papers?]
[OOC: Feel free to yell at him over the comm or barge into his cabin. Ahaha. Barge.
...
I'll show myself out.]
[Why, it's a Dalek. It just sits there, motionless and silent, staring. The blue light in its eyestalk is steady and unwavering. It just staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaares.]
[And just when you can't be stared at by a blue light any longer, a giant metal hand descends and carefully picks up the Dalek, carrying it away. Said Dalek fails to react.]
[The camera refocusses itself and the hand turns out to belong to Davros. IS HE A GIANT, NOW?! AWGAWD....]
[No, no, he's normal-sized, as his surroundings indicate. No, the Dalek is just very very wee, at four, maybe five inches tall. He places it on a table set into the wall, next to a small stack of papers and pauses, then nudges it closer to the wall with one finger. It sits there. Staring blankly.]
[He then rolls past the surface where the comm sits, and stops. "Hm," is all he says, and reaches out to turn off the video feed.]
[Well, then. That was an interesting little peek into his home, wasn't it?]
[So what IS that wee thing and why is someone's photo in the stack of papers?]
[OOC: Feel free to yell at him over the comm or barge into his cabin. Ahaha. Barge.
...
I'll show myself out.]
[He hasn't so much forgotten his filters as he can't be arsed to use them. He sounds... depressed. Back to the inflectionless tone he'd had before.]
I believe I shall simply have to discover a new occupation. Perhaps my path to redemption must involve abandoning what I have spent my life in pursuit of. Science is something I am apparently unworthy of, now.
I have read that prisons often rehabilitate inmates by teaching them new occupations. I wonder, however, if anyone would even be willing to do such a thing for one such as I?
[Yeah, he's kind of calling you out, Barge.]
I am fully prepared for unhelpful replies. I shall simply have to weather them on the off chance that someone may offer something to the contrary.
I believe I shall simply have to discover a new occupation. Perhaps my path to redemption must involve abandoning what I have spent my life in pursuit of. Science is something I am apparently unworthy of, now.
I have read that prisons often rehabilitate inmates by teaching them new occupations. I wonder, however, if anyone would even be willing to do such a thing for one such as I?
[Yeah, he's kind of calling you out, Barge.]
I am fully prepared for unhelpful replies. I shall simply have to weather them on the off chance that someone may offer something to the contrary.
[It's sad, really. He's so bored that he decided to check out exactly what the Admiral meant by 'changes being made to the CES.' He'd heard they'd put up signs at least, and while being beholden to someone else is the last thing on his list of Things Davros Wants To Do To-day, he supposed he... might prevail on someone to let him in. He's terribly curious, after all.]
[So there he is, reading the sign on the door to the CES. Maybe you're curious. Maybe he's just in your way...]
[So there he is, reading the sign on the door to the CES. Maybe you're curious. Maybe he's just in your way...]
((Open to spam or comm from anyone. c:))
[Since the latest port, Davros has left his cabin once, on the day after Chris' fight with Rorshach.]
[Quite a change from the restless roaming he'd been doing ever since he'd arrived.]
[He's scarcely been heard on the comms, either.]
[What's he up to, eh? Creator of the Daleks, all locked away in private. Must be plotting. Building a doomsday device out of scraps. Experimenting on... something.]
[Is he? He's been subdued lately. Or maybe distracted. Ooo, could be big.]
[Might want to look in on him and find out.]
[Since the latest port, Davros has left his cabin once, on the day after Chris' fight with Rorshach.]
[Quite a change from the restless roaming he'd been doing ever since he'd arrived.]
[He's scarcely been heard on the comms, either.]
[What's he up to, eh? Creator of the Daleks, all locked away in private. Must be plotting. Building a doomsday device out of scraps. Experimenting on... something.]
[Is he? He's been subdued lately. Or maybe distracted. Ooo, could be big.]
[Might want to look in on him and find out.]
[Private text to Barbara]
Requesting these components. I wish to construct a psychic blocking device for myself.
[Attached is a list that the mun could never come up with. Seems pretty harmless.]
[Voice; standard Time Lord blocks and sound filters apply.]
Doctor Lecter has gone. I find I am... unhappy about this fact. I would have liked to have continued my association with him, however brief it was.
I... is this what... regretting someone's disappearance is like? Is that even the proper word?
Requesting these components. I wish to construct a psychic blocking device for myself.
[Attached is a list that the mun could never come up with. Seems pretty harmless.]
[Voice; standard Time Lord blocks and sound filters apply.]
Doctor Lecter has gone. I find I am... unhappy about this fact. I would have liked to have continued my association with him, however brief it was.
I... is this what... regretting someone's disappearance is like? Is that even the proper word?
[For once, the video feed turns on, though it doesn't look as though it was done entirely deliberately. The image of Davros on the other side is off-centre and he is not focussing on the comm device at all. In fact, he is a mess, shaking and apparently distraught if his breathing is any indication. He appears to be mumbling something on a breath that can't be heard. Then, a whisper]
Help... me...
[He shudders and when he speaks again, his speech is slurred and wandering, weary and ill-sounding. His head droops for an instant and snaps back up.]
I am... compromised....
I cannot... compromised... mind... invaded....
They surround me... even now, these... Time Lords. They are never satisfied with how... impermanent death is, here, how... unsuccessful their attempts to rid themselves of me are....
Always... surrounding me, their... allies, their... friends, watching me... waiting. I... will not let them... defeat me, I cannot... I am....
I am....
closer... to... something, some... conclusion, some... realisation...
[There's a sound that could easily be mistaken for a sob as he presses metal fingers to his eyesockets.]
And yet they hound me, they... attack me, body and mind, they will not let me be, they will not let me--I... I-I... they....
[His hand drops and he hisses and wheezes, more like his old self than he's been for a while.]
No. No, Time Lord, I will not bow, I will not give in, I. WILL. NOT. CRY. OUT... I! AM! DAVROS! I! AM! NOT! A DALEK! I am....
I am....
[The Dalek-like hysteria has fled and he draws a shuddering breath that dissolves into more sobbing that, in turn, becomes laughter that would be hysterical if he only had enough energy left to shriek. As it is, it's more of a stringy giggle.]
I... cannot regret... I cannot... It would destroy me, Time Lord, as well you know. As well you hope. What I did was necessary. My planet was dead, my people dying, their leaders too... blind, their minds too decayed by constant war and politicking and short-term self-interest to see what Skaro was becoming, what we were becoming....
[His coherency flees as well, and his voice drops back to the wandering tone it had before, his hand resting against his forehead.]
I had hoped... you would see that....
But I...
Shan... you said I would someday find peace... so long ago... peace, you dared to say...
...braver than you thought you were....
...it has been... so... long... since....
...since we....
[His hand drops, knocking the communicator from its perch where it hits the floor, unnoticed, transmitting a view of a ceiling somewhere. All one can hear, now, is the occasional whispered mumble or shuddering breath.]
Help... me...
[He shudders and when he speaks again, his speech is slurred and wandering, weary and ill-sounding. His head droops for an instant and snaps back up.]
I am... compromised....
I cannot... compromised... mind... invaded....
They surround me... even now, these... Time Lords. They are never satisfied with how... impermanent death is, here, how... unsuccessful their attempts to rid themselves of me are....
Always... surrounding me, their... allies, their... friends, watching me... waiting. I... will not let them... defeat me, I cannot... I am....
I am....
closer... to... something, some... conclusion, some... realisation...
[There's a sound that could easily be mistaken for a sob as he presses metal fingers to his eyesockets.]
And yet they hound me, they... attack me, body and mind, they will not let me be, they will not let me--I... I-I... they....
[His hand drops and he hisses and wheezes, more like his old self than he's been for a while.]
No. No, Time Lord, I will not bow, I will not give in, I. WILL. NOT. CRY. OUT... I! AM! DAVROS! I! AM! NOT! A DALEK! I am....
I am....
[The Dalek-like hysteria has fled and he draws a shuddering breath that dissolves into more sobbing that, in turn, becomes laughter that would be hysterical if he only had enough energy left to shriek. As it is, it's more of a stringy giggle.]
I... cannot regret... I cannot... It would destroy me, Time Lord, as well you know. As well you hope. What I did was necessary. My planet was dead, my people dying, their leaders too... blind, their minds too decayed by constant war and politicking and short-term self-interest to see what Skaro was becoming, what we were becoming....
[His coherency flees as well, and his voice drops back to the wandering tone it had before, his hand resting against his forehead.]
I had hoped... you would see that....
But I...
Shan... you said I would someday find peace... so long ago... peace, you dared to say...
...braver than you thought you were....
...it has been... so... long... since....
...since we....
[His hand drops, knocking the communicator from its perch where it hits the floor, unnoticed, transmitting a view of a ceiling somewhere. All one can hear, now, is the occasional whispered mumble or shuddering breath.]
Miss Gordon. The Admiral, indeed, has a singular sense of humour, does he not? I request but one thing: that I be allowed to peruse my file. I wish to ensure its accuracy.
[Later, in the library]
[Davros waits in his usual place, the small private alcove he's managed to stake a claim to.]
[Later, in the library]
[Davros waits in his usual place, the small private alcove he's managed to stake a claim to.]
[It's Davros again. Oysh. At least this time he doesn't sound as though he's going to crumble into dust. In fact, he's attached a shiny new reverse voice filter onto his comm and he now sounds a bit like this instead, only much more precise and Received-Pronunciation-y. He sounds genuinely curious when he makes his query.]
I am told that, as an Inmate, my restoration to life hinges upon the request of a Warden. Since I have no such... advocate assigned me, it occurs to me to ask:
Who would do such a thing as to revive me, Davros, if I am so dangerous to everyone else? Who would take that risk?
I wish to... thank him or her.
((OOC: Sorry about the ad on the file, I couldn't find a better one than that one. orz))
I am told that, as an Inmate, my restoration to life hinges upon the request of a Warden. Since I have no such... advocate assigned me, it occurs to me to ask:
Who would do such a thing as to revive me, Davros, if I am so dangerous to everyone else? Who would take that risk?
I wish to... thank him or her.
((OOC: Sorry about the ad on the file, I couldn't find a better one than that one. orz))
[Davros sounds, at best, semiconscious. His normally crisp, almost overenunciated speech is now a slow, weary, vaguely slurred mumble. Welcome to death-tolling, Davros, you're probably going to be here a lot.]
I have been hearing a lot lately about Wardens doing everything but their jobs, here, neglecting their responsibilities to their Inmates in favour of constantly bickering and working at cross-purposes amongst themselves. That is simply the nature of sapient beings forced into close proximity with one another and I am in no mood to comment further on the psychology of... workplace relations or what they call "office politics." You Wardens can sort it our yourselves, I am certain.
[He does far too much research into absolutely everything around him. Ask him about his views on the stock market, of all things, for a really fine example....]
[When he speaks again, his tone has regained some of its former clipped aspect, though still lacking sufficient volume to really sound like himself.]
However, I feel I must comment upon the blatant criminality of one of these Wardens, who are all supposedly above such actions in the interest of setting a good example for the Inmates. I was viciously attacked and apparently killed by one such a Warden, even though I had done nothing to incite such an act. There are even witnesses--I was in the laboratory, attempting to aid in a remedy for the contagion, as I was under the impression that I was here to put my skills to "good use."
[His voice drops to a brooding grumble for a moment.] Clearly it is the same here as it is everywhere else in that, as they say, no good deed goes unpunished.
[Back up to its previous volume, now.] I was not infected with said contagion, and I had done nothing to this individual--no, this is no time for protecting identities--to Iris Wildthyme to deserve such an attack. I was stealthily approached from behind and viciously yet clinically attacked with a bladed weapon. [Now he's getting a little more into truly agitated Dalek-cadence.] She. Knew. Exactly. Where. To. Strike. This! Was! Pre-med-i-tated! I-- [He breaks off, coughing, as his system hasn't quite recovered from having lost the respirator.]
[When he regains his breath he appears to have calmed significantly, back to his usual soft, contemplative tone.] I, too, find myself doubting this Admiral's capacity for reason. This is not redemption. This is simply punishment. I am accustomed to simple retribution. I accept it as a given. I do not, however, accept such blatant sanctioned untruth. To add further insult to injury, I am certain she will go unpunished for this act by sheer dint of her popularity, whereas I will be blamed on no other grounds than my past. I expect such an outcome. I do not, however, have to accept it.
There is nothing, however, that can be done, is there? Whenever it is that I am assigned a Warden, as I gather such a thing is an inevitability on this ship, I cannot help but wonder if such a being will be advocate or torturer. I suppose that simply remains to be seen.
I have been hearing a lot lately about Wardens doing everything but their jobs, here, neglecting their responsibilities to their Inmates in favour of constantly bickering and working at cross-purposes amongst themselves. That is simply the nature of sapient beings forced into close proximity with one another and I am in no mood to comment further on the psychology of... workplace relations or what they call "office politics." You Wardens can sort it our yourselves, I am certain.
[He does far too much research into absolutely everything around him. Ask him about his views on the stock market, of all things, for a really fine example....]
[When he speaks again, his tone has regained some of its former clipped aspect, though still lacking sufficient volume to really sound like himself.]
However, I feel I must comment upon the blatant criminality of one of these Wardens, who are all supposedly above such actions in the interest of setting a good example for the Inmates. I was viciously attacked and apparently killed by one such a Warden, even though I had done nothing to incite such an act. There are even witnesses--I was in the laboratory, attempting to aid in a remedy for the contagion, as I was under the impression that I was here to put my skills to "good use."
[His voice drops to a brooding grumble for a moment.] Clearly it is the same here as it is everywhere else in that, as they say, no good deed goes unpunished.
[Back up to its previous volume, now.] I was not infected with said contagion, and I had done nothing to this individual--no, this is no time for protecting identities--to Iris Wildthyme to deserve such an attack. I was stealthily approached from behind and viciously yet clinically attacked with a bladed weapon. [Now he's getting a little more into truly agitated Dalek-cadence.] She. Knew. Exactly. Where. To. Strike. This! Was! Pre-med-i-tated! I-- [He breaks off, coughing, as his system hasn't quite recovered from having lost the respirator.]
[When he regains his breath he appears to have calmed significantly, back to his usual soft, contemplative tone.] I, too, find myself doubting this Admiral's capacity for reason. This is not redemption. This is simply punishment. I am accustomed to simple retribution. I accept it as a given. I do not, however, accept such blatant sanctioned untruth. To add further insult to injury, I am certain she will go unpunished for this act by sheer dint of her popularity, whereas I will be blamed on no other grounds than my past. I expect such an outcome. I do not, however, have to accept it.
There is nothing, however, that can be done, is there? Whenever it is that I am assigned a Warden, as I gather such a thing is an inevitability on this ship, I cannot help but wonder if such a being will be advocate or torturer. I suppose that simply remains to be seen.
[The lights had gone out and computers and electronics had fitzed. And then everything had come back. For most everyone that's a relief.]
[For someone who's mostly electronics, the loss of power was a bit more drastic. There are most likely those who would be cheered at the prospect of Davros' life-support completely cutting out, leaving him slumped across the controls of his chair, completely insensate and actually dead for a moment or so until power returns. And when it returns it slams into him with enough force to dent three-inch-thick steel. His communicator is jolted into life and the entire network is treated to a terrifying noise. The sound of a man screaming in agony is chilling enough, but when it's also electronic and seems to last forever, the very spine shudders. A blurry image accompanies it, flashing lights and a barely-visible convulsive thrashing. The scream trails off in a horrifying choking gurgle and he falls forward again, silent amid the insistent beeping of an alarm or other.]
[It's a testament to the construction of these communicators that it's still transmitting. It shows everyone silence and stillness for nearly two minutes before said silence is broken by a barely audible moan, hoarse even behind the electronic sound. At least he's still alive and somewhat conscious?]
[It's just a bad day on the Barge for a lot of people, isn't it?]
[For someone who's mostly electronics, the loss of power was a bit more drastic. There are most likely those who would be cheered at the prospect of Davros' life-support completely cutting out, leaving him slumped across the controls of his chair, completely insensate and actually dead for a moment or so until power returns. And when it returns it slams into him with enough force to dent three-inch-thick steel. His communicator is jolted into life and the entire network is treated to a terrifying noise. The sound of a man screaming in agony is chilling enough, but when it's also electronic and seems to last forever, the very spine shudders. A blurry image accompanies it, flashing lights and a barely-visible convulsive thrashing. The scream trails off in a horrifying choking gurgle and he falls forward again, silent amid the insistent beeping of an alarm or other.]
[It's a testament to the construction of these communicators that it's still transmitting. It shows everyone silence and stillness for nearly two minutes before said silence is broken by a barely audible moan, hoarse even behind the electronic sound. At least he's still alive and somewhat conscious?]
[It's just a bad day on the Barge for a lot of people, isn't it?]
[The video screens come to life, displaying... part of... is that someone's head? It tilts and OH, HOLY CRAP WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?! What is it--dead? It looks like something that used to be a man but is now some strange kind of mummy. There are no eyes, only sunken sockets. The cheekbones and brows stand out skeletally and there is no hair at all. The nose is a gaunt beak and the ears appear withered. More than that, though, the head is crowned with an elabourate cranial rig festooned with wires, and a glowing...something appears to have been grafted into the forehead. This head is attached to a withered neck that vanishes into the high collar of a leather tunic.]
[Behind it is a room that looks a lot like an Inmate's cabin--sparsely furnished, with gleaming black-and-red walls and futuristic lighting. In the background is an odd electronic hum that almost seems to pulse. ooooom-oom... ooooom-oom... ooooom-oom.... Aside from that and the faint ticking and sighing of something that sounds oddly like a respirator there is no sound.]
[And then the apparition speaks. Its voice is soft, contemplative, male, and possesses a rattling, oscillating electronic tone that may, indeed, sound terrifyingly familiar to some.]
This... device will, at least, prove useful. But for what, I wonder? Do they require me to endlessly talk and discuss and commiserate with the rest of you? I fail to see what advantage that would gain me.
[A pause. When he continues, his tone is even softer, scarcely above a whisper.]
They tell me I have a soul that was nearly lost. That could be, somehow, redeemed. That could be saved. They mock me.
[Slightly louder, again, now. Declarative. Challenging.]
Still, let us say, for the sake of argument, that they are not mocking me. How, then, will the soul of Davros, Creator of the Daleks, be possibly saved?
[Behind it is a room that looks a lot like an Inmate's cabin--sparsely furnished, with gleaming black-and-red walls and futuristic lighting. In the background is an odd electronic hum that almost seems to pulse. ooooom-oom... ooooom-oom... ooooom-oom.... Aside from that and the faint ticking and sighing of something that sounds oddly like a respirator there is no sound.]
[And then the apparition speaks. Its voice is soft, contemplative, male, and possesses a rattling, oscillating electronic tone that may, indeed, sound terrifyingly familiar to some.]
This... device will, at least, prove useful. But for what, I wonder? Do they require me to endlessly talk and discuss and commiserate with the rest of you? I fail to see what advantage that would gain me.
[A pause. When he continues, his tone is even softer, scarcely above a whisper.]
They tell me I have a soul that was nearly lost. That could be, somehow, redeemed. That could be saved. They mock me.
[Slightly louder, again, now. Declarative. Challenging.]
Still, let us say, for the sake of argument, that they are not mocking me. How, then, will the soul of Davros, Creator of the Daleks, be possibly saved?
◾ Tags:
User Name/Nick: Me? I'm Yume.
User DW:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
memorylikeasieve
AIM/IM: AIM: IIMDYinker
E-mail: yumegari_2@yahoo.com, but I scarcely look at it. I'm more easily reached at memorylikeasieve on Plurk
Other Characters: None here.
Character Name: Davros
Series: Dr Who
Age: Old. No, really, he was dragged flailing and screaming from the Classic series into the New series which makes him... crikey. Uhm. Several hundred? He even spent a century deadfor tax reasons waiting for the Daleks to find him.
From When?: The end of "Journey's End" where it sure looks as though he's dead. Then again, somewhere down the line Moffatt will most likely prove me wrong.
Inmate/Warden: Inmate. What needs changed is this fellow's delusions of genetic superiority/xenophobia/megalomania. He shoots himself in the metaphorical foot with these traits and never manages to get anything done other than building Daleks and getting killed repeatedly.
Item: N/A
Abilities/Powers: A vast intellect. He's your standard evil genius polymath, well-versed in everything from robotics to genetics, from chemistry to astronomy, from physics to medicine. Any device he gets his, well, hand on can be figured out with remarkable speed, usually without even having to disassemble it first. He even understands psychology, but his own outlook twists that knowledge to the point where it seems he only comprehends about half of it. He just doesn't want to think on the rest of it.
He also has the ability to throw lighting from his hand but, really, the Barge can feel free to take that entirely, as he only had it in the new series and the one time he showed up in the Colin Baker era. Of course, without it he's absolutely boiled shite in combat but I'm sure he can brain up something.
Personality: Davros' personality has been described as paranoid, xenophobic, megalomaniacal, arrogant, merciless, cruel, and manipulative. He is a right nasty piece of work and burns through alliances with an alarming rapidity considering how physically vulnerable he is. The only kind of being he considers worthy besides himself are his Daleks and even then his opinion of them vascillates between their being his children and their existing only to obey him. Nevertheless, he invariably refers to them as "my Daleks." He is prideful of them, considering them his greatest achievement, and wishes to see them reach their full potential, even if that potential is conquering the universe. He is even seen to scold them when they deviate from his ideal--for example exhibiting emotion or entertaining the idea of compromise (see Stolen Earth for the most recent example).
His xenophobia is culturally-derived, a product of the Kaled war effort versus the Thals wherein, by the time Davros was born, the prevailing opinion was that the other nations on Skaro were inferior and unfit to live and that life on other planets did not exist (Genesis of the Daleks). This war had been going on for at least a thousand years and said opinions were so entrenched in the Kaled psyche that to believe differently was an exceedingly rare phenomenon and considered high treason. Even science had been bent to this propaganda as, when a detailed study was made, the subtle physiological differences between Kaled and Thal were immediately taken to prove the Thals' inferiority (I, Davros). This smacks very much of WWII-era Nazi philosophy and scientific prejudices seen in other countries around the same time and earlier. It wouldn't be the first time Davros has been likened to an alien Josef Mengele. People, especially non-Kaled people, are nothing more than lab rats.
His arrogance was in evidence from a very early age, according to the Big Finish Audio series I, Davros. Even as an adolescent he saw himself as superior to those around him due to his extreme intelligence. He had nothing but scorn for the military and those who supported it, and derided as imbecilic those who refused to explore life other than people. Upon reaching adulthood his scorn for the military had only increased, because their hierarchies and bureocracies stood in his way, preventing him from conducting the kind of scientific exploration he felt he was capable of and preferring to waste his talent and intellect in endless weapons testing. He was sure he would be the greatest scientist Skaro had ever seen, and well on his way toward true megalomania.
His pursual of pure science for its own sake can easily be seen as merciless and cruel, as he is documented to have deliberately hastened what he thought was the evolutionary path of the Kaled people, exposing adult test subjects to extremely high doses of radiation, then moving on to do the same to the foetuses of pregnant women and then to actual Kaled children, making them into the first Daleks (ibid.). Even after the Daleks were created, he would consistently tinker with their design and biology, and is responsible for anything from mining genetic material from to deliberately mutating countless species in order to make newer, better Daleks (Revelation of the Daleks). Hovever, his original aims may have been born out of an albeit twisted drive to see the Kaled people survive, and he is not above further mutilating himself to provide genetic material for Daleks (Stolen Earth), which may speak of a long-buried altruism and a tiny remaining spark of the capacity for self-sacrifice.
He does not resent his condition, preferring life in any capacity to death, which speaks of at least a measure of thanatophobia, as do the numerous failsafes built into his life-support system (Destiny of the Daleks, Revelation of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks). To continue living is the highest goal a sapient being can strive toward, and choosing death is a coward's choice, in his opinion. Life is hard, painful, and terrifying, but it is not to be thrown away. Suicide is cowardly and heroes are fools. This philosophy, mixed with the undeniable vulnerability of his condition, makes him terribly paranoid, indeed. He has too much to accomplish to ever think about dying. Now, if someone could convince him that the same applies to everyone else, as well.
His manipulative traits are well-evidenced, as well, as he has been known to beg for mercy convincingly enough to lull an adversary (usually the Doctor) into hesitation before attacking. He has even managed to convince interrogators that they'd broken him in order to get them to capitulate and to secure his own freedom (The Davros Mission, Big Finish Audio), though a case could be made that it was not entirely a performance.
His psyche is not without its strengths and positives, however, as he is driven, creative, resourceful, not averse to hard work, and insightful. The fact that he created the Daleks with little support and continued to re-create them with even less (Stolen Earth) speaks to this. Though usually because of the age-old adage, 'if you want something done right do it yourself,' he has, nevertheless, invented not only the Daleks but his own life-support unit (Genesis of the Daleks) and the embalming and processing technologies of Tranquil Repose (Revelation Of The Daleks.) His creativity and intellect, however twisted, are also evidenced in the concept that he knew of the existence of the ancient Time Lord relic the Hand of Omega, as well as how to implement it to his own ends (Remembrance of the Daleks).
Barge Reactions: The Barge itself will come as little to no surprise to Davros. He's been in space countless times and in countless capacities, from giant war cruiser to tiny escape pod. He's also seen his share of prison ships and of aliens. The presence of this many aliens in one ship might be a bit overwhelming which will present as supreme irritation, but it's nothing he hasn't seen before.
His reaction to other character types, genres, canons, et cetera, is pretty easy to describe. Anything that isn't a Kaled or a Dalek is inferior. End of story. He doesn't care how people from American or Japanese source material think or act, they're aliens and therefore not worth consideration. He may occasionally splutter at pop culture references and have absolutely zero tolerance for somethingorother-dere mind games but at the end of the day they're aliens and inconsequential.
If he encounters anyone from his own canon, if he's heard of them, he will react with a little more vitriol. He's got a shit list a mile long, mainly because it's made up of every companion of the Doctor's he's ever met and the entire population of Gallifrey. His hatred of Gallifreyans in general, Time Lords to be specific, and the Doctor to be REALLY specific, knows no bounds. This is a Davros who's fought in the Time War, and the mutual hatred of Gallifreyans and Daleks is a terrifying thing.
As to floods, breaches, et cetera, there is no way any of these things will miss him, seeing as it's not exactly easy for him to escape any kind of environmental effects. In fact, he will go out of his way to negotiate, convince, or even bully people into ensuring his safety. He is so paranoid and thanatophobic that he used to actively work to hide the cuttoff switch someone had built into his life-support. Nowadays it's well-hidden but still there because the Daleks don't trust him, but he doesn't have to guard it. If he ends up saving someone else, then, well, they'll owe him, won't they? At least until he ends up doing it often enough that recompense is no longer an issue.
I have it on reliable authority that he's stayed on the Barge before but he has absolutely no memory of it.
Path to Redemption: Any Warden trying to redeem Davros is going to have his/her/its work cut out for him/her/it. It's not impossible, no matter how much Davros himself would like one to believe so, just exceedingly difficult. A Warden will have to be clever, creative, devious, and relentless. Essentially, one needs to convince him that redemption is the most logical course, proving it irrefutably. And they're going to have to prove it many times, as only befits scientific thinking. Save his life a few times. Engineer circumstances so that he has no choice but to do something for the benefit of others. Lock him in a hydroponics garden where he's forced to care for something other than himself or his experiments in order to survive. That sort of thing. He will relapse, and often; he will most likely be found experimenting horribly on people or creatures he's meant to heal or save but occasionally the desired result will occur. Of course, once that's mentioned he will dismiss the idea coldly--at least in the presence of others. Alone, he'll wonder what's happening to him. Still, a life without intergalactic war might take his edge off a bit. Poor chap's been through hell--perhaps he just needs someone to take care of him.
...
Naaaaah. It's gonna be a long, hard, violent slog and we all know it. He'll probably go through Wardens like most people go through socks. If he weren't an evil genius he could have been a Skarosian Lawrence Olivier, he's that good at fooling people. And yet people are going to keep trying because they're occasionally going to see a glimmer of change. And every once in a great while that glimmer is real.
History: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davros I can, however, type it out if you'd rather I did so.
Sample Journal Entry:
[The video feed activates, and what it displays is nothing short of ghoulish--unless you already know Davros, in which case it's just him, attempting to smile like the poster boy for Your Stalwart Kaled Soldiers. It fails and he instead appears as though he's attempting human expression based on nothing more than schematics. Still, his rattling electronic voice has an almost impossible purring quality, like Shroedinger's Cat happily haunting 1960's sound equipment. If not for its innate unnaturalness, one might find it pleasant.]
Good afternoon, passengers. [That is... deceptively polite. Never let it be said that Davros is a rude evil genius.] Now that I've had the chance to settle into my new abode, I must confess to a certain... curiosity. I have never seen such diversity in a single vessel--no, my part of space is decidedly homogenous. [He pronounces it hom-oh-GEE-nus, just to up the esoteric quotient.] As I have few things to occupy me at present, I wish to make a request, in the interest of furthering scientific knowledge, for the opportunity to examine a few of you--nothing invasive, of course, simply a physiological catalogue for common use. [If he had two hands, he'd be spreading them innocently--he does at least do that with his remaining right hand.] Any co-operation would not find me ungrateful. Do please contact me if you are interested in volunteering.
[The broadcast cuts out, but the line is still open for response.]
Sample RP:
It's freezing cold. At least, that's what everyone seems to be saying.
The thought brings a smirk to Davros' features--one hasn't really experienced cold until one's hurtled through the vacuum of space in an escape pod outfitted with only the barest of essential life-support. And it's clear none of these creatures have done so. Soft, pathetic things.
Still... he's not going out there. While he doesn't allow the cold to bother him, technology is not nearly as resilient as an organic being and he's already seen several components of his chair freeze up, literally, especially abovedecks. Besides, this impossible snow serves no purpose. It never had. Not even on Skaro when there was such a thing as weather patterns, before the planet had literally dried up to the point where precipitation was impossible.
It hadn't interested him then, either.
He suppresses a shiver as memories wander by, and when a particularly early one involving snowballs and friends and a game of war visits him--childish voices shrieking "Exterminate the Thals!" and laughing--Davros gives an odd, growling hiss and turns his chair away from the door. The last thing he needs, after all, is that detestable Warden coming in at the wrong moment and asking him what he was thinking about. He's run out of random scientific dissertations to confuse with and is in no mood to be honest.
He curses his terrible luck when the door opens anyway.
Special Notes: Davros cannot be removed from his wheelchair-like mobile life-support unit without dying in the space of a few minutes--unless, of course, someone's got the medical technology to replicate its effect. Kaled medical science is almost infallible but it's also terrifyingly visceral and brutally efficient. To remove Davros from this thing would involve disconnecting at least two dozen ingrafted devices and countless sensors in a procedure that would take at least a day. Great for medical horror but not worth the bother in any other capacity--best to just leave him there.
That said, I would not be averse to allowing it. It'll just take a long time and a lot of people to do without killing him--unless, of course, one's aim is to terrify him completely, in which case go for having your character do it themselves.
User DW:
memorylikeasieveAIM/IM: AIM: IIMDYinker
E-mail: yumegari_2@yahoo.com, but I scarcely look at it. I'm more easily reached at memorylikeasieve on Plurk
Other Characters: None here.
Character Name: Davros
Series: Dr Who
Age: Old. No, really, he was dragged flailing and screaming from the Classic series into the New series which makes him... crikey. Uhm. Several hundred? He even spent a century dead
From When?: The end of "Journey's End" where it sure looks as though he's dead. Then again, somewhere down the line Moffatt will most likely prove me wrong.
Inmate/Warden: Inmate. What needs changed is this fellow's delusions of genetic superiority/xenophobia/megalomania. He shoots himself in the metaphorical foot with these traits and never manages to get anything done other than building Daleks and getting killed repeatedly.
Item: N/A
Abilities/Powers: A vast intellect. He's your standard evil genius polymath, well-versed in everything from robotics to genetics, from chemistry to astronomy, from physics to medicine. Any device he gets his, well, hand on can be figured out with remarkable speed, usually without even having to disassemble it first. He even understands psychology, but his own outlook twists that knowledge to the point where it seems he only comprehends about half of it. He just doesn't want to think on the rest of it.
He also has the ability to throw lighting from his hand but, really, the Barge can feel free to take that entirely, as he only had it in the new series and the one time he showed up in the Colin Baker era. Of course, without it he's absolutely boiled shite in combat but I'm sure he can brain up something.
Personality: Davros' personality has been described as paranoid, xenophobic, megalomaniacal, arrogant, merciless, cruel, and manipulative. He is a right nasty piece of work and burns through alliances with an alarming rapidity considering how physically vulnerable he is. The only kind of being he considers worthy besides himself are his Daleks and even then his opinion of them vascillates between their being his children and their existing only to obey him. Nevertheless, he invariably refers to them as "my Daleks." He is prideful of them, considering them his greatest achievement, and wishes to see them reach their full potential, even if that potential is conquering the universe. He is even seen to scold them when they deviate from his ideal--for example exhibiting emotion or entertaining the idea of compromise (see Stolen Earth for the most recent example).
His xenophobia is culturally-derived, a product of the Kaled war effort versus the Thals wherein, by the time Davros was born, the prevailing opinion was that the other nations on Skaro were inferior and unfit to live and that life on other planets did not exist (Genesis of the Daleks). This war had been going on for at least a thousand years and said opinions were so entrenched in the Kaled psyche that to believe differently was an exceedingly rare phenomenon and considered high treason. Even science had been bent to this propaganda as, when a detailed study was made, the subtle physiological differences between Kaled and Thal were immediately taken to prove the Thals' inferiority (I, Davros). This smacks very much of WWII-era Nazi philosophy and scientific prejudices seen in other countries around the same time and earlier. It wouldn't be the first time Davros has been likened to an alien Josef Mengele. People, especially non-Kaled people, are nothing more than lab rats.
His arrogance was in evidence from a very early age, according to the Big Finish Audio series I, Davros. Even as an adolescent he saw himself as superior to those around him due to his extreme intelligence. He had nothing but scorn for the military and those who supported it, and derided as imbecilic those who refused to explore life other than people. Upon reaching adulthood his scorn for the military had only increased, because their hierarchies and bureocracies stood in his way, preventing him from conducting the kind of scientific exploration he felt he was capable of and preferring to waste his talent and intellect in endless weapons testing. He was sure he would be the greatest scientist Skaro had ever seen, and well on his way toward true megalomania.
His pursual of pure science for its own sake can easily be seen as merciless and cruel, as he is documented to have deliberately hastened what he thought was the evolutionary path of the Kaled people, exposing adult test subjects to extremely high doses of radiation, then moving on to do the same to the foetuses of pregnant women and then to actual Kaled children, making them into the first Daleks (ibid.). Even after the Daleks were created, he would consistently tinker with their design and biology, and is responsible for anything from mining genetic material from to deliberately mutating countless species in order to make newer, better Daleks (Revelation of the Daleks). Hovever, his original aims may have been born out of an albeit twisted drive to see the Kaled people survive, and he is not above further mutilating himself to provide genetic material for Daleks (Stolen Earth), which may speak of a long-buried altruism and a tiny remaining spark of the capacity for self-sacrifice.
He does not resent his condition, preferring life in any capacity to death, which speaks of at least a measure of thanatophobia, as do the numerous failsafes built into his life-support system (Destiny of the Daleks, Revelation of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks). To continue living is the highest goal a sapient being can strive toward, and choosing death is a coward's choice, in his opinion. Life is hard, painful, and terrifying, but it is not to be thrown away. Suicide is cowardly and heroes are fools. This philosophy, mixed with the undeniable vulnerability of his condition, makes him terribly paranoid, indeed. He has too much to accomplish to ever think about dying. Now, if someone could convince him that the same applies to everyone else, as well.
His manipulative traits are well-evidenced, as well, as he has been known to beg for mercy convincingly enough to lull an adversary (usually the Doctor) into hesitation before attacking. He has even managed to convince interrogators that they'd broken him in order to get them to capitulate and to secure his own freedom (The Davros Mission, Big Finish Audio), though a case could be made that it was not entirely a performance.
His psyche is not without its strengths and positives, however, as he is driven, creative, resourceful, not averse to hard work, and insightful. The fact that he created the Daleks with little support and continued to re-create them with even less (Stolen Earth) speaks to this. Though usually because of the age-old adage, 'if you want something done right do it yourself,' he has, nevertheless, invented not only the Daleks but his own life-support unit (Genesis of the Daleks) and the embalming and processing technologies of Tranquil Repose (Revelation Of The Daleks.) His creativity and intellect, however twisted, are also evidenced in the concept that he knew of the existence of the ancient Time Lord relic the Hand of Omega, as well as how to implement it to his own ends (Remembrance of the Daleks).
Barge Reactions: The Barge itself will come as little to no surprise to Davros. He's been in space countless times and in countless capacities, from giant war cruiser to tiny escape pod. He's also seen his share of prison ships and of aliens. The presence of this many aliens in one ship might be a bit overwhelming which will present as supreme irritation, but it's nothing he hasn't seen before.
His reaction to other character types, genres, canons, et cetera, is pretty easy to describe. Anything that isn't a Kaled or a Dalek is inferior. End of story. He doesn't care how people from American or Japanese source material think or act, they're aliens and therefore not worth consideration. He may occasionally splutter at pop culture references and have absolutely zero tolerance for somethingorother-dere mind games but at the end of the day they're aliens and inconsequential.
If he encounters anyone from his own canon, if he's heard of them, he will react with a little more vitriol. He's got a shit list a mile long, mainly because it's made up of every companion of the Doctor's he's ever met and the entire population of Gallifrey. His hatred of Gallifreyans in general, Time Lords to be specific, and the Doctor to be REALLY specific, knows no bounds. This is a Davros who's fought in the Time War, and the mutual hatred of Gallifreyans and Daleks is a terrifying thing.
As to floods, breaches, et cetera, there is no way any of these things will miss him, seeing as it's not exactly easy for him to escape any kind of environmental effects. In fact, he will go out of his way to negotiate, convince, or even bully people into ensuring his safety. He is so paranoid and thanatophobic that he used to actively work to hide the cuttoff switch someone had built into his life-support. Nowadays it's well-hidden but still there because the Daleks don't trust him, but he doesn't have to guard it. If he ends up saving someone else, then, well, they'll owe him, won't they? At least until he ends up doing it often enough that recompense is no longer an issue.
I have it on reliable authority that he's stayed on the Barge before but he has absolutely no memory of it.
Path to Redemption: Any Warden trying to redeem Davros is going to have his/her/its work cut out for him/her/it. It's not impossible, no matter how much Davros himself would like one to believe so, just exceedingly difficult. A Warden will have to be clever, creative, devious, and relentless. Essentially, one needs to convince him that redemption is the most logical course, proving it irrefutably. And they're going to have to prove it many times, as only befits scientific thinking. Save his life a few times. Engineer circumstances so that he has no choice but to do something for the benefit of others. Lock him in a hydroponics garden where he's forced to care for something other than himself or his experiments in order to survive. That sort of thing. He will relapse, and often; he will most likely be found experimenting horribly on people or creatures he's meant to heal or save but occasionally the desired result will occur. Of course, once that's mentioned he will dismiss the idea coldly--at least in the presence of others. Alone, he'll wonder what's happening to him. Still, a life without intergalactic war might take his edge off a bit. Poor chap's been through hell--perhaps he just needs someone to take care of him.
...
Naaaaah. It's gonna be a long, hard, violent slog and we all know it. He'll probably go through Wardens like most people go through socks. If he weren't an evil genius he could have been a Skarosian Lawrence Olivier, he's that good at fooling people. And yet people are going to keep trying because they're occasionally going to see a glimmer of change. And every once in a great while that glimmer is real.
History: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davros I can, however, type it out if you'd rather I did so.
Sample Journal Entry:
[The video feed activates, and what it displays is nothing short of ghoulish--unless you already know Davros, in which case it's just him, attempting to smile like the poster boy for Your Stalwart Kaled Soldiers. It fails and he instead appears as though he's attempting human expression based on nothing more than schematics. Still, his rattling electronic voice has an almost impossible purring quality, like Shroedinger's Cat happily haunting 1960's sound equipment. If not for its innate unnaturalness, one might find it pleasant.]
Good afternoon, passengers. [That is... deceptively polite. Never let it be said that Davros is a rude evil genius.] Now that I've had the chance to settle into my new abode, I must confess to a certain... curiosity. I have never seen such diversity in a single vessel--no, my part of space is decidedly homogenous. [He pronounces it hom-oh-GEE-nus, just to up the esoteric quotient.] As I have few things to occupy me at present, I wish to make a request, in the interest of furthering scientific knowledge, for the opportunity to examine a few of you--nothing invasive, of course, simply a physiological catalogue for common use. [If he had two hands, he'd be spreading them innocently--he does at least do that with his remaining right hand.] Any co-operation would not find me ungrateful. Do please contact me if you are interested in volunteering.
[The broadcast cuts out, but the line is still open for response.]
Sample RP:
It's freezing cold. At least, that's what everyone seems to be saying.
The thought brings a smirk to Davros' features--one hasn't really experienced cold until one's hurtled through the vacuum of space in an escape pod outfitted with only the barest of essential life-support. And it's clear none of these creatures have done so. Soft, pathetic things.
Still... he's not going out there. While he doesn't allow the cold to bother him, technology is not nearly as resilient as an organic being and he's already seen several components of his chair freeze up, literally, especially abovedecks. Besides, this impossible snow serves no purpose. It never had. Not even on Skaro when there was such a thing as weather patterns, before the planet had literally dried up to the point where precipitation was impossible.
It hadn't interested him then, either.
He suppresses a shiver as memories wander by, and when a particularly early one involving snowballs and friends and a game of war visits him--childish voices shrieking "Exterminate the Thals!" and laughing--Davros gives an odd, growling hiss and turns his chair away from the door. The last thing he needs, after all, is that detestable Warden coming in at the wrong moment and asking him what he was thinking about. He's run out of random scientific dissertations to confuse with and is in no mood to be honest.
He curses his terrible luck when the door opens anyway.
Special Notes: Davros cannot be removed from his wheelchair-like mobile life-support unit without dying in the space of a few minutes--unless, of course, someone's got the medical technology to replicate its effect. Kaled medical science is almost infallible but it's also terrifyingly visceral and brutally efficient. To remove Davros from this thing would involve disconnecting at least two dozen ingrafted devices and countless sensors in a procedure that would take at least a day. Great for medical horror but not worth the bother in any other capacity--best to just leave him there.
That said, I would not be averse to allowing it. It'll just take a long time and a lot of people to do without killing him--unless, of course, one's aim is to terrify him completely, in which case go for having your character do it themselves.
