Player Name: Mutant Personal Journal:mutanthairything E-mail: mutanthairything@hotmail.com AIM/Plurk/Etc.: AIM: mutanthairything / mutanthairything Timezone: CST Current Characters in Route: N/A
Duster doesn't make the best of first impressions: he's described to look like a bum, he has bad breath, he often has a gloomy expression, and he walks with a limp. His quiet nature doesn't help. Without a strong sense of self-care and self-preservation, physically and at times emotionally, it's easy to be looked over. But like many other things that are "ugly" on the outside, inside, Duster is a kind, humble, loyal friend who lets things be as fate demands.
His naming screen describes him as a nice guy, and it's no exaggeration. He jumps at the chance to help Flint investigate, waits for him outside the jail to console him, speaks politely, and thinks of others before himself. However, when his first thought when untied from a pole after being captured is "I'm glad you're alright, guys!", this can be a problem. He instinctively put his needs aside, whether protecting his friends or letting his father's pride take precedence over his emotional health. For reasons like this, he needs friends to keep an eye on him and intervene when necessary.
His tendency to passively let things happen as they are may have developed as a way to cope with his upbringing. The universe dealt him a lousy deck in life, being raised by a possibly abusive father, away from the other villagers in order to train day in and day out for the day the village might need a hero. Because of his isolation, he's socially awkward, having difficulty making new friends without coming off as weird. Yet he remains one of the most optimistic characters in the story. As the game's resident Butt Monkey, he has his share of bad luck, but as long he and his friends come out of it okay, he sees himself as lucky. While he does become more certain in that he wants to help Lucas on his quest to save the world, he has a tendency to get dragged into situations by other people or by stroke of luck.
He's aware that he's a strong fighter and decent thief, but Duster has moments of self-doubt. He makes mistakes, overlooking certain details like any other human. His musical skills is the one thing he's completely confident about, but when it comes to his other skills, he doesn't find it much to brag about. When using Wall Staples for the first time in-game, he comments that he isn't sure if he'll do well, as he's only done it for practice before. His speech is uncertain, trailing his sentences off in a quiet voice. More frequently than any other character in the game, he hesitates when he's about to speak. But if he's needed somewhere, he'll do his best to help, no questions asked. Once he has a task, any mission, he will dedicate himself to seeing it to the end.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
+ Combat Duster has been trained most of his life how to fight, focusing on strong, rapid kicks and first strikes. Not only does he have fast reflexes and powerful legs, he also has great upper body strength from all those Wall Staples he drives into cliffs.
+ Creative Use of Tools To aid in battle, Duster utilizes his Thief Tools to weaken or distract the enemy. Apart from the smoke bomb and hypno-pendulum, they are unconventional items used in creative ways (a mask to scare the opponent and lower their Attack, a feathery stick to tickle them and lower their defenses, a Siren Beetle to have enemies turn away, and giant staples to pin them down). When given a limited set of items or attacks, Duster knows how to strategize and use them to his advantage.
+ Musician/Sense of Rhythm Duster is the bassist of the most popular band in the Nowhere Islands. DCMC plays songs ranging form jazz to rock, and judging from the soundtrack, Duster's really good. His excellent sense of rhythm stems from Mother 3's combat system, where hitting the attack button to the beat of the battle music lands extra hits.
+ Diligence Wess' training left a strong sense of dedication in Duster. When he has to practice something, he'll practice it until he's good at it, though not to the point where it's painful. If he has a quest to complete, he'll see it to the end.
+ Empathy Duster has a soft spot for kids and small animals. He'll speak gently with kids that need help and look after anyone that falls under his protection.
When rescued by the Mr. Saturns, Duster quickly warms up to them to the point where he can understand them and read their body language, despite them being creatures possessing only heads and feet. Though their manner of speech is odd, he knew that they wanted the party to go north because "[he] can tell by the look in its eyes". While Pokémon don't speak, Duster will have a better understanding of what they want by careful observation.
+/- Just Roll With It Duster takes a lot of things as they are and moves on. If he gets hit by lighting, he'll push himself up and go back to the task on hand. If his father calls him a moron, he'll feel awful but say nothing.
+/- Loyalty Duster is fiercely loyal to his friends, not in the sense of killing anyone who messes with them, but by sticking by his loved one's side. This is great when it comes to his band mates and party members, but it's also why he sticks with his father. They're family, and Duster should respect him. When a supposed friend slowly starts to treat him badly, Duster may not realize it's time to bail out. On the other hand, his friends know that he's dependable and will always watch their back.
+/- Welcome to the World of Mother 3 Mother canon is filled with quirky items and enemies, and a lot of unusual animals won't weird him out at all. Sure, he's never seen an Abra before, but it's not all that weird, even if it uses psychic attacks. And look, Charmander used a variant on PK Fire.
However, some of the odder Pokémon, especially those that seem to be a combination of two different animals, remind him of the chimera experiments and creep him out. Electric mice like Pikachu are a borderline example, but Girafarig? Nope-ing the hell out of there.
- Lack of Hygiene Duster's introduction to the story comes with a comment on how awful his socks smell. While Duster knows how to groom himself for a concert, he usually forgets to tuck in his shit, doesn't shave too often, and can never seem to get his bad breath under control. When sleeping outside, he don't put a lot of effort into looking fresh.
- Indecisive When confronted with a major decision, Duster takes a long time on picking his choice. At the end of Chapter 4, he has to decide whether to stay with the band or help Lucas on his journey, but he comes to the conclusion that either outcome ends with disappointing the other party. Lucas and the DCMC members need to rig a rock-paper-scissors tournament to decide for him without him feeling guilty.
As the story progresses, Duster decides that he wants to help Lucas out of his own volition, showing that he can think for himself in certain situations, given enough time.
- Passive As mentioned above, Duster's initial instinct is to let others decide for him, though he's gotten better about this. He prefers being a follower instead of a leader, and while his helpfulness is a good trait, he neglects to think about himself. It's an opportunity for overbearing people to walk over him.
- Disability Duster has a bum leg, resulting in his distinctive limp. He has long learned how to live with it, but he needs to account for it when doing complex footwork. Carrying heavy objects gets tricky when he can't distribute his weight evenly.
Note: Duster will be arriving with his hypno-pendulum in his pocket. It has no supernatural abilities, but it's useful for putting people and Pokémon to sleep, though it has about a 75% success rate.
Pokémon Information Affiliation: Trainer Starter: Scraggy Password: Cherries Strudel
Samples First Person Sample: [The camera tilts back and forth, shifts upwards and downwards, until the image centers on a concerned, unshaven man.]
Ah, it's working.
...I need some advice abou my...Scraggy, right?
[Said Pokemon pops into the frame and glares at the screen before ramming into it, knocking it to the ground. Muffled footsteps on grass and a shout of "Lucas, no!" come from off screen as Scraggy shuffles away. Duster picks up the PokéConnect.]
Sorry, he keeps doing that.
[The muffled sound of Scraggy yelling at a new enemy in the distance.]
I'm kind of worried about those...pants? Skin? What he's holding onto with one hand. I feel kind of bad for him, never having both of his hands free...so I was wondering if I should buy a belt for him. I don't know if Pokémon like wearing clothes or if there are belts that can work in this situation! That's why I need to ask you guys:
Is this a good ide-Lucas get back!
[The screen goes black.]
Third Person Sample: The bed was unexpected. The ground, some sort of glowing void would make more sense, unless this was how dying worked.
His eyes shot open. This could be the new world Lucas created. Duster pushed himself off the mattress and rolled out of bed. This certainly wasn't his old basement bedroom or his private performance studio. And it had way too much stuff in it to have been built recently. Did he fall unconscious and was taken to someone else's house?
"Duster?" An unfamiliar voice called from downstairs. Hesitantly, he pushed the door open, walked down the stairs, and spotted a complete stranger zipping up a backpack. He debated whether to make a dash for the door or stay and observe her, but it was too late. She spotted him. "You sleepyhead, it's about time you woke up!" The mystery woman smiled and before Duster could answer, she dumped the bag into his hands. Why was she acting like she was his mother? She can't be his, Wess said she died long ago. Who was she? Why is she pushing him out the door? What journey? Where are the others?
The door slammed behind him. Kicked out of his own house, though it never was his in the first place.
It had to be the new world the Dark Dragon created. Probably. Sure. He didn't think it would add towns and pre-made families with it, unless that was Lucas's doing.
Where was the boy? "Lucas?" Duster called out. "Lucaaas?" With no reply, he set to investigating the contents of his backpack. Food, clothing, a red-and-white sphere, and a small machine. Duster held the Pokéball on the tips of his fingers while he poked at the button. It was a stupid idea: there was a bright light (did that lady give him a flash bomb?!) that startled him and he tossed it, turning away and covering his face.
A minute passed before he felt something tugging his pant leg. When he thought about it, he must have looked really stupid: a grown man cowering beside an open, harmless backpack. He sighed. Months of fighting chimeras, facing the end of the world, and this is what scares him.
He didn't react to the Scraggy tilting its head at him. What was Lucas thinking, having the Dragon create something like this?
Right, Lucas. He had to find him. "Lucas?" He walked around Scraggy to pick up his pack. "He has to be somewhere nearby."
This town was tiny and full of unfamiliar faces. He decided to take his searched into the nearby grassy area. The patter of tiny feet followed him. It appeared he found a pet. "Lucas?"
"Scra-!!" The creature replied.
Duster paused and took a good look at it. The poor thing's pants were falling, and it had to hold onto them himself. Duster made a note to buy the animal a belt at the nearest shop. "Right. We'll be looking for him together. Come on." He beckoned for it to walk beside him. Instead, it ran past him and dove into the grass, where it rammed into a Sentret.
"What-no!" Duster pushed the tall stalks aside to find Scraggy standing atop its defeated opponent, on hand holding onto its baggy skin, the other thrust into the air in triumph.
"..." Duster help a finger up, but let it drop. "We're going." He pushed onwards, not looking back. If his new pet would rather fight than stay with him, fine. Let it makes its own decisions.
Duster | Mother 3 | Not Reserved
Name: Mutant
Personal Journal:
E-mail: mutanthairything@hotmail.com
AIM/Plurk/Etc.: AIM: mutanthairything /
Timezone: CST
Current Characters in Route: N/A
Character
Name: Duster
Series: Mother 3
Timeline: At the end of the final cinematic when the apocalypse arrives, but before the epilogue.
Canon Resource Links: Mother 3 Summary | Duster's wiki page | Leder's Infodump
Personality:
Duster doesn't make the best of first impressions: he's described to look like a bum, he has bad breath, he often has a gloomy expression, and he walks with a limp. His quiet nature doesn't help. Without a strong sense of self-care and self-preservation, physically and at times emotionally, it's easy to be looked over. But like many other things that are "ugly" on the outside, inside, Duster is a kind, humble, loyal friend who lets things be as fate demands.
His naming screen describes him as a nice guy, and it's no exaggeration. He jumps at the chance to help Flint investigate, waits for him outside the jail to console him, speaks politely, and thinks of others before himself. However, when his first thought when untied from a pole after being captured is "I'm glad you're alright, guys!", this can be a problem. He instinctively put his needs aside, whether protecting his friends or letting his father's pride take precedence over his emotional health. For reasons like this, he needs friends to keep an eye on him and intervene when necessary.
His tendency to passively let things happen as they are may have developed as a way to cope with his upbringing. The universe dealt him a lousy deck in life, being raised by a possibly abusive father, away from the other villagers in order to train day in and day out for the day the village might need a hero. Because of his isolation, he's socially awkward, having difficulty making new friends without coming off as weird. Yet he remains one of the most optimistic characters in the story. As the game's resident Butt Monkey, he has his share of bad luck, but as long he and his friends come out of it okay, he sees himself as lucky. While he does become more certain in that he wants to help Lucas on his quest to save the world, he has a tendency to get dragged into situations by other people or by stroke of luck.
He's aware that he's a strong fighter and decent thief, but Duster has moments of self-doubt. He makes mistakes, overlooking certain details like any other human. His musical skills is the one thing he's completely confident about, but when it comes to his other skills, he doesn't find it much to brag about. When using Wall Staples for the first time in-game, he comments that he isn't sure if he'll do well, as he's only done it for practice before. His speech is uncertain, trailing his sentences off in a quiet voice. More frequently than any other character in the game, he hesitates when he's about to speak. But if he's needed somewhere, he'll do his best to help, no questions asked. Once he has a task, any mission, he will dedicate himself to seeing it to the end.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
+ Combat
Duster has been trained most of his life how to fight, focusing on strong, rapid kicks and first strikes. Not only does he have fast reflexes and powerful legs, he also has great upper body strength from all those Wall Staples he drives into cliffs.
+ Creative Use of Tools
To aid in battle, Duster utilizes his Thief Tools to weaken or distract the enemy. Apart from the smoke bomb and hypno-pendulum, they are unconventional items used in creative ways (a mask to scare the opponent and lower their Attack, a feathery stick to tickle them and lower their defenses, a Siren Beetle to have enemies turn away, and giant staples to pin them down). When given a limited set of items or attacks, Duster knows how to strategize and use them to his advantage.
+ Musician/Sense of Rhythm
Duster is the bassist of the most popular band in the Nowhere Islands. DCMC plays songs ranging form jazz to rock, and judging from the soundtrack, Duster's really good. His excellent sense of rhythm stems from Mother 3's combat system, where hitting the attack button to the beat of the battle music lands extra hits.
+ Diligence
Wess' training left a strong sense of dedication in Duster. When he has to practice something, he'll practice it until he's good at it, though not to the point where it's painful. If he has a quest to complete, he'll see it to the end.
+ Empathy
Duster has a soft spot for kids and small animals. He'll speak gently with kids that need help and look after anyone that falls under his protection.
When rescued by the Mr. Saturns, Duster quickly warms up to them to the point where he can understand them and read their body language, despite them being creatures possessing only heads and feet. Though their manner of speech is odd, he knew that they wanted the party to go north because "[he] can tell by the look in its eyes". While Pokémon don't speak, Duster will have a better understanding of what they want by careful observation.
+/- Just Roll With It
Duster takes a lot of things as they are and moves on. If he gets hit by lighting, he'll push himself up and go back to the task on hand. If his father calls him a moron, he'll feel awful but say nothing.
+/- Loyalty
Duster is fiercely loyal to his friends, not in the sense of killing anyone who messes with them, but by sticking by his loved one's side. This is great when it comes to his band mates and party members, but it's also why he sticks with his father. They're family, and Duster should respect him. When a supposed friend slowly starts to treat him badly, Duster may not realize it's time to bail out. On the other hand, his friends know that he's dependable and will always watch their back.
+/- Welcome to the World of Mother 3
Mother canon is filled with quirky items and enemies, and a lot of unusual animals won't weird him out at all. Sure, he's never seen an Abra before, but it's not all that weird, even if it uses psychic attacks. And look, Charmander used a variant on PK Fire.
However, some of the odder Pokémon, especially those that seem to be a combination of two different animals, remind him of the chimera experiments and creep him out. Electric mice like Pikachu are a borderline example, but Girafarig? Nope-ing the hell out of there.
- Lack of Hygiene
Duster's introduction to the story comes with a comment on how awful his socks smell. While Duster knows how to groom himself for a concert, he usually forgets to tuck in his shit, doesn't shave too often, and can never seem to get his bad breath under control. When sleeping outside, he don't put a lot of effort into looking fresh.
- Indecisive
When confronted with a major decision, Duster takes a long time on picking his choice. At the end of Chapter 4, he has to decide whether to stay with the band or help Lucas on his journey, but he comes to the conclusion that either outcome ends with disappointing the other party. Lucas and the DCMC members need to rig a rock-paper-scissors tournament to decide for him without him feeling guilty.
As the story progresses, Duster decides that he wants to help Lucas out of his own volition, showing that he can think for himself in certain situations, given enough time.
- Passive
As mentioned above, Duster's initial instinct is to let others decide for him, though he's gotten better about this. He prefers being a follower instead of a leader, and while his helpfulness is a good trait, he neglects to think about himself. It's an opportunity for overbearing people to walk over him.
- Disability
Duster has a bum leg, resulting in his distinctive limp. He has long learned how to live with it, but he needs to account for it when doing complex footwork. Carrying heavy objects gets tricky when he can't distribute his weight evenly.
Note: Duster will be arriving with his hypno-pendulum in his pocket. It has no supernatural abilities, but it's useful for putting people and Pokémon to sleep, though it has about a 75% success rate.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Scraggy
Password: Cherries Strudel
Samples
First Person Sample:
[The camera tilts back and forth, shifts upwards and downwards, until the image centers on a concerned, unshaven man.]
Ah, it's working.
...I need some advice abou my...Scraggy, right?
[Said Pokemon pops into the frame and glares at the screen before ramming into it, knocking it to the ground. Muffled footsteps on grass and a shout of "Lucas, no!" come from off screen as Scraggy shuffles away. Duster picks up the PokéConnect.]
Sorry, he keeps doing that.
[The muffled sound of Scraggy yelling at a new enemy in the distance.]
I'm kind of worried about those...pants? Skin? What he's holding onto with one hand. I feel kind of bad for him, never having both of his hands free...so I was wondering if I should buy a belt for him. I don't know if Pokémon like wearing clothes or if there are belts that can work in this situation! That's why I need to ask you guys:
Is this a good ide-Lucas get back!
[The screen goes black.]
Third Person Sample:
The bed was unexpected. The ground, some sort of glowing void would make more sense, unless this was how dying worked.
His eyes shot open. This could be the new world Lucas created. Duster pushed himself off the mattress and rolled out of bed. This certainly wasn't his old basement bedroom or his private performance studio. And it had way too much stuff in it to have been built recently. Did he fall unconscious and was taken to someone else's house?
"Duster?" An unfamiliar voice called from downstairs. Hesitantly, he pushed the door open, walked down the stairs, and spotted a complete stranger zipping up a backpack. He debated whether to make a dash for the door or stay and observe her, but it was too late. She spotted him. "You sleepyhead, it's about time you woke up!" The mystery woman smiled and before Duster could answer, she dumped the bag into his hands. Why was she acting like she was his mother? She can't be his, Wess said she died long ago. Who was she? Why is she pushing him out the door? What journey? Where are the others?
The door slammed behind him. Kicked out of his own house, though it never was his in the first place.
It had to be the new world the Dark Dragon created. Probably. Sure. He didn't think it would add towns and pre-made families with it, unless that was Lucas's doing.
Where was the boy? "Lucas?" Duster called out. "Lucaaas?" With no reply, he set to investigating the contents of his backpack. Food, clothing, a red-and-white sphere, and a small machine. Duster held the Pokéball on the tips of his fingers while he poked at the button. It was a stupid idea: there was a bright light (did that lady give him a flash bomb?!) that startled him and he tossed it, turning away and covering his face.
A minute passed before he felt something tugging his pant leg. When he thought about it, he must have looked really stupid: a grown man cowering beside an open, harmless backpack. He sighed. Months of fighting chimeras, facing the end of the world, and this is what scares him.
He didn't react to the Scraggy tilting its head at him. What was Lucas thinking, having the Dragon create something like this?
Right, Lucas. He had to find him. "Lucas?" He walked around Scraggy to pick up his pack. "He has to be somewhere nearby."
This town was tiny and full of unfamiliar faces. He decided to take his searched into the nearby grassy area. The patter of tiny feet followed him. It appeared he found a pet. "Lucas?"
"Scra-!!" The creature replied.
Duster paused and took a good look at it. The poor thing's pants were falling, and it had to hold onto them himself. Duster made a note to buy the animal a belt at the nearest shop. "Right. We'll be looking for him together. Come on." He beckoned for it to walk beside him. Instead, it ran past him and dove into the grass, where it rammed into a Sentret.
"What-no!" Duster pushed the tall stalks aside to find Scraggy standing atop its defeated opponent, on hand holding onto its baggy skin, the other thrust into the air in triumph.
"..." Duster help a finger up, but let it drop. "We're going." He pushed onwards, not looking back. If his new pet would rather fight than stay with him, fine. Let it makes its own decisions.