application for fasti

[blackmesa_traveller]

PLAYER INFORMATION

Player Name: Swattie
Are you 18+?: Yes
Preferred Contact: swatpenguin
Current Characters: None

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Character Name: Gordon Freeman
Canon: Half-Life to Half-Life 2 Up to Episode 2 (Including the soft remake Black Mesa: Source)
Canonpoint:Right after Episode 2's finale.
Character Age: Physically 27, Chronologically 47 because of canon shenanigans

Appearance:Image

Background/History:Gordon Freeman on the Half-Life Wiki

Strengths:

→ Curious - Like any scientist worth their salt, Gordon is curious about the world and everything about it. He even finds things like a Snark, an explosive alien weapon and decides to see how it can react to being poked. Which in the Black Mesa remake, ends up with the Snark actually biting back. He studied one of the most abstract sciences, theoretical physics out of a drive to figure things out, particularly in the field of teleportation of heavy elements. He might not speak but he does act in ways that demonstrate he's quite alert in his surroundings.

→ Intelligent - Gordon Freeman was a scholar in every sense of the word, having studied theoretical physics and applied mathematics in MIT, and having worked in many of the quantum mechanics fields in Black Mesa. From a young age, he proved to be quite clever, devising a potato gun at a young age, though this account may be apocryphal. He's a man who understands the science and devices as many creative solutions to get himself and his friends out of trouble, like using the Gravity Gun as a means to launch saw disks to dispatch Headcrab zombies from a safe distance. He can adapt to the world's strengths and obstacles as best he can and to reduce as many casualties.

→ Determined - The man will do anything to survive, be it going into an electrified pool of water with a giant alien fish, or to going through a desert full of Antlions while watching someone get eaten by them. He will wade through sewer and alien infested water to get to the other side as complete as possible. Results may vary on the people who follow him. He tends to stop only when he can't go on anymore and physically can't. He also won't stop striking his enemy until it stays down.

→ Resourceful - Gordon can take whatever he has on hand and make something to fit his needs. In the apocryphal story of the potato gun, he made this device from items found in a garage and broke someone's window with it. In his adult life, and to compete with Barney in being the first one to open Dr. Isaac Kleiner's office, both men used the vents and systems in Black Mesa to get around these obstacles. He might be the silent type but should the needs arise and he's in a pinch, he'll cook up a solution on the fly and hope to any deity that's listen that the solution doesn't actually cause more trouble or get him killed.

Weaknesses:
→ Impulsiveness - Freeman really doesn't think ahead past the matter at hand and that unfortunately has come to bit him in the ass throughout his adventures in Half-Life and Half-Life 2. This is best seen in the fact before the Resonance Cascade, Eli warned their boss Wallace Breen that there was a chance of catastrophic consequences, Gordon didn't question the decision to go ahead with the experiment. Even farther back, Freeman decided to join Black Mesa after discovering that academia would not yield the experiments and results at the pace he expected them to be. Hell, he doesn't really think twice about the G-Man's offer, though it must be said that the alternative was facing down a room full of Xen aliens with nothing but a crowbar.

→ Reactionary - Complementing his impulsiveness, Gordon doesn't actively plan things, merely reacts to them as they happen. It's been noted by various characters that he doesn't speak, merely goes with the flow while others take the lead. While that's great to keep one's self alive, it makes his short-term gains into long-term losses, as his decision to accept the G-Man's contract branched out into years of disappearing, while his friends and coworkers had to deal with the fall-out. He only acts in the moment, never quite settling down to really think about the outcomes. Like that nuke. He didn't have to launch it but he did.

→ Inexperienced - For all his smarts and cleverness, Gordon Freeman has no idea what he's doing outside of the labs and academia. His only knowledge of weaponry and physical skills comes from a basic training and obstacle course in Black Mesa. While this makes him adaptable, it also demonstrates flaws in the mythology the Resistance created around him. He has no real set of survival skills aside from that training, especially obvious when compared to more experienced characters. This is best seen by him strolling through a clearly Combine-Controlled City 17 and needing help from Barney Calhoun, his best friend from Black Mesa, to get out of a full-blown raid and being sent to Nova Prospekt. Throughout missions that have other Resistance fighters, it's clear that Freeman's learning on the fly and it gets some soldiers killed in the process. It's a weakness that can be overcome but it could be a problem.

→ Lack of Interpersonal Skills - While Gordon can talk as seen that he did have a chat with one of his supervisors in Black Mesa, he doesn't do so for various reasons throughout the game. This is especially noted in Half-Life 2 when Alyx points out that he's "not much of a talker". Gordon never utters a word, he also doesn't make any gestures or actions that show his personality. He merely acts on the task at hand and people like Wallace Breen and the G-Man see this lack of speech as a sign of a submissive personality. Though not on purpose, Gordon just never speaks, interrupted by people, explosions, attacking aliens and soldiers. He doesn't quite get through to getting that beer back from Barney, or a goodbye for Alyx.

Fatal Flaw: His impulsiveness really is a problem, and while the G-Man did put him in various situations that should've ended in his death, his short-term choices tend to end terribly. The G-Man even mocks him by reminding Freeman that there would be "unforeseen consequences" for his cooperating with the Vortigaunts in saving Alyx. That unforeseen consequence was the death of his mentor Eli Vance (another man contacted by the mysterious benefactor) by Combine Advisor as well as the Resistance being dealt a heavy blow.

Driving Force:
Determination and curiosity. Gordon's entire arc since the Resonance Cascade has been to keep his head firmly attached to his body, and the world of Fasti would not be any different. Unlike the mythos that surrounds him in his home world, he's very much a mortal man and even more so without his HEV Suit. He wants to keep going, to see where it all leads to and he has nothing to lose. He wants to see it all, and would likely end up in hell for it. He probably wouldn't care either, as it's another journey into the unknown.

Patron:
He most likely would follow Minerva as she is the Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom. His own drive to learn could become an asset to her, being open to new skills and knowledge. He will fight as hell should it be necessary, while his own impulsiveness might find others that share in that problem (and hopefully learn to not always be thinking in the moment). If Minerva has access to the library, he'll definitely be living there. Not visiting, practically living in there and seeing what the world holds. He WILL head out into the unknown, not really thinking about what's on the other side and just jump ahead, both courageous and blindly stepping forth

GAME INFORMATION

Setting Suitability:
On the surface, Gordon accepts the call simply to escape the G-Man's contract and hide away for a while. It's not the most courageous reasoning but when the world's falling apart, compromises will be made. Though he won't enjoy having to fight in wars or adapt to a far ancient time (he won't think about it too much), he'd serve his fellow citizens to his best possible capacity, given his earlier weaknesses. Over time, he can adapt to peaceful times, participating in non-combat activities and helping others out.

Sample: Gordon at the Junius Test Drive Meme