Robert Callaghan // ʏ๏кคเ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pushtheboundaries) wrote2015-03-19 09:16 am
pushtheboundaries) wrote2015-03-19 09:16 am
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maskormenace] Application
Headcanon noted in #CC00
〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Mindy
AGE: 27
JOURNAL:artoni
IM / EMAIL: I prefer DW PMs, plzkthx?
PLURK:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
artoni
RETURNING: I used to play at CnC, but I'm new to MoM.
〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: [Professor] Robert Callaghan AKA Yokai, but this is presumably some sort of nickname the newspapers gave his alter ego
CHARACTER AGE: Early/mid 50s
SERIES: Big Hero 6
CHRONOLOGY: Right at the end of the movie, as he's being hauled off to jail.
CLASS: Repentant Villain*
HOUSING: If both he and Krei are accepted please put them in together it's going to be so terribly terrific. Otherwise, random is fine.
BACKGROUND: The place is San Fransokyo; the year, 2034. In this culture mash-up of Tokyo and San Francisco (where the Japanese immigrant population held a heavy part in rebuilding post the 1906 earthquake) we are only given so many views in to the world at large, but to focus on the essentials- it is a bustling city with everything from blimp-turbines to a seedy underbelly of illegal botfighting. Nonetheless, there are many things still comparable to the world as we ourselves know it, just...a bit more advanced. It is here where the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology is housed, a renown place of learning with many claims to fame - and one of which is that it boasts Professor Robert Callaghan in its faculty.
While Callaghan's history is only explored so much (word of god notes he has previous military experience, and has maintained a fit lifestyle since his service), what is known early on is that he had a daughter. Just how close he was to his daughter isn't shown until later, in which he defines her as his 'everything'; her mother is never seen or even alluded to. For all intents and purposes, the two were all each other had, and Callaghan was extremely proud of her when she went to take part of a demonstration at Krei Tech, the local technological giant. Not only was she working with them, but the project itself - Silent Sparrow - was pushing the boundaries of science, opening up the very possibilities of teleportation via portals.
The demonstration began well, but quickly went wrong- one portal destroyed itself, the other was shut down as a means to contain the damage. And Robert, blinded by shock and grief, turned to violence- attempting to attack the man perceived at fault, Alistair Krei, screaming about how he knew it wasn't ready, how this was his fault-
Suffice it to say he was halted before he could even lay a hand on his former friend, and what happens from there isn't specifically mentioned. It could be assumed he cut off what ties he could with the company, and based on his later set-up as a foil, that whatever counseling/treatment he received afterwards - if, indeed, any at all - was inadequate to soothe the rage in his heart.
Either way, fast-forward an unknown amount of time; it could be weeks, months, even years. At least long enough for the testing facility to fall in to disrepair as it was quarantined and cut off from the rest of San Fransokyo. Professor Robert Callaghan continued teaching at SFIT, developing his reputation on-campus as he had as a pioneer in robotics in the world at large. A respected man, a good man, the sort that a wide-eyed stray youth would be starstruck by - and perhaps one of the few men who could issue a casual challenge to the youth, implying that botfighting is the easy route and that it was school, his school, that would offer him a real challenge.
We never said Callaghan doesn't have a bit of a sly streak. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and when the time came for that boy to impress him at the Student Showcase, where current and prospective students of SFIT would demonstrate their latest creations- well, it was his turn to be starstruck by the boy's inventions. Microbots, he called them, tiny metal pieces which, when working in tandem, could accomplish some incredible things. Despite Krei's attempt to purchase them after the demonstration, after Callaghan butted in to advise against such misuse, the boy - Hiro Hamada - would refuse to sell, and then rejoice as Callaghan handed him his acceptance letter.
At this point, things went to hell.
Though it is never outright stated in canon, it is heavily implied that Callaghan had something to do with the fire at the showcase that night. It is confirmed that he used the microbots to survive, and that he seemed content with letting the world think him dead; it is not confirmed he was aware that Hiro's brother, Tadashi, one of his current students...had run in, after hearing that he was still 'trapped' inside.
Either way, the world mourned the loss of two great mines, and with the microbots, Robert took a turn straight in to darker territory. Hunting down every piece of Silent Sparrow that he could find, he also began to replicate the microbot design, over and over, until he had a veritable hoard at his disposal. He stuck to the shadows, appeared to have performed no small amount of criminal activity, and then Hiro got involved again.
At first, he appeared to have been trying to scare Hiro off; when that didn't work and the boy tracked him down again, this time with an armored health care companion [Tadashi's last creation, Baymax, who had been there at the initial encounter as well], well- Callaghan decided to get more serious. The fact that there were three other of his former students there, and one mascot, as well...it's gathered that Robert was absolutely not thinking properly at this point, and he sort of chased them through the city streets, throwing cars and debris at them with clear malicious intent, and then ran them off a pier.
Let's not mince words; Callaghan straight-up tried to kill them. We'll go in to why in the personality section, but that's later. Let's get back on the action and what actually happened.
After believing them dead, Callaghan moved to the testing island that Silent Sparrow had been initially demonstrated upon; again, they tracked him down, but this time wearing armor and power-suits that made use of their considerable knowledge and inventions. Still, Callaghan found little trouble in defeating them, and was about to finish them off once and for all when Hiro tackled him, and ended up knocking off his mask and the controller band attached to such.
When Hiro realized whom he was (and not, in fact, Alistair Kreireally, Hiro? like he'd initially assumed), he was in no small amount of shock and distress. This was not helped by the fact that when he brought up how Tadashi had given his life to try and save Callaghan- Callaghan threw it back in his face with "that was his mistake." All told, Hiro could be forgiven for siccing Baymax on Robert at that point, but he did in fact try to murder Callaghan using his brother's last invention as the means, and Robert barely scrambled out of the way before the other students were able to stop the berserk Baymax. He managed to reclaim his mask and controller band, grabbed the piece of Sparrow he had come for, and fled.
And then, realizing he was out of time and that he'd finally gotten all he needed - he went after Krei directly.
In true supervillain fashion, he struck at Krei's unveiling of his newest building- terrorizing the crowd in to fleeing and capturing Alistair himself in the process. He explained his master plan for revenge, that he was going to use Alistair's own portal to destroy everything he cared for, and then him as well.And he would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids. And then the, er, 'Big Hero 6' showed up.
To Robert's surprise, they knew about his daughter. What's more, Hiro at first offered empathy- this won't bring her back. I know. and for a moment, Callaghan hesitated. Then Krei opened his mouth, begging for his life, offering anything- money, power, you-name-it. The 'reminder' that Krei thought of his daughter's life as nothing more than something to be bought and sold was enough to throw Callaghan once more in to a rage, and he threw himself head-long in to the resulting fight, almost overwhelming the 6 until they were able to turn the tide- mostly, due to Hiro and Baymax taking point on distracting Callaghan while the rest threw his microbots in to the portal.
Without his tools, Callaghan was powerless, and defeated- and informed by a somewhat smug Hiro that they weren't going to harm him. Still, as he was further disarmed and reduced to a defeated human being, the worst was yet to come- Baymax's scanner proved that there was still a life form in the portal, and what was more, it matched the features of his daughter. Hiro and Baymax immediately threw themselves in to the destabilizing wormhole, despite Krei's own shout that it was unstable, there was no telling how long it would last- all because someone had to help.
Callaghan and the others could only watch and wait, holding their breaths, until Hiro rocketed out with a familiar pod- and no Baymax. Abigail had been saved, in a sort of hibernation known as 'hypersleep' - but the debris that had been sucked in to the portal had forced Baymax to sacrifice himself to ensure his patient('s/s) safety.
By the end of the events, Robert was shoved in to a police car and obtained the barest glimpse of his daughter as she was hauled away in to an ambulance - and we are treated to something pained across his face before he bowed his head in resignation. And it is at this very moment from which we take him, hauling him in to this silly city as he's coming to terms with everything that's just happened.
PERSONALITY: It's important to note that Robert Callaghan very much considers himself a good person. He is not overly self-righteous about it, but he is firm in the belief that he has contributed to this world and contributed well. Whether it be his service in the military, his post-service scientific work(possibly at Krei Tech?), or his work at the university, he seems ultimately proud of his life and has only so many regrets. (No more than the average person, at least.)
However, during the course of the movie, he undeniably commits actions that are not hallmarks of a good person; he performs arson (and homicide, albeit accidental), he attempts (multiple) murders, and he lashes out at a young boy and insists that his brother's 'sacrifice' was nothing but their mistaken choice. He is ruthless, and outright cruel, at times, but through it all he never seems to hold any doubt or guilt. It is not until the very end of the movie that he shows an inkling of regret; this may be so selfishly simple as the realization that he will never see his daughter again, the very thing he so desired coming within his reach and then being taken away as a result of his actions.
Nonetheless, these sets of events have the potential to fuel 'the end justifies the means' sort of mindset, and were Callaghan ever given a new motive to wreck havoc, he has the potential to once more become a force of outright wrath.
One does wonder, though, if he would continue to be willing to use such means; it can be assumed that many of his ruthless actions were fueled by a sort of rage-hatred-desperate need for revenge, the fear that he'd never have such a chance again and that he had to do whatever he did in order to finish it. (It could just as well be assumed that he stopped caring about anything[or anyone] else, but for the purposes of this writeup, we will be standing by the thought that he considers himself 'a good man', even post faking his death, and that involves a good man being driven to extremes and things he would Normally Never Do. There isn't enough information one way or another to 100% confirm his then-motivations.)
Presumably, if he felt strongly enough about it, or otherwise was pushed? Yes. It can be assumed that the groundwork has been/was laid with his first stint as Yokai; if he ever did don the mask once more, he would be perfectly willing to carve through anyone who stood in his path with the understanding they should know better. By getting in his way, they implicitly understand the risks; it is their mistake, and he will take no responsibility for their choices. He'll respect them, in a warped sort of way, but short of Abigail himself throwing herself before him there is no one he would hesitate to cut down if need be.
During a particularly emotional moment there may or may not be regret, and it's wrong to say he'd take pleasure in any of this; on the opposite, he is a good man, and doesn't/wouldn't enjoy any of it. It's something to be dealt with and done, as cleanly/expediently as possible; Callaghan/Yokai is even more dangerous because of it, because there's no thrill, but it's the vehement belief that this needs to be done.
And that is one of the things that make him the most terrifying. Because there is no sadism, there are no games, there is only action, response, and dealing with it. Regrets, if any, come later.
One can presume that in some cases he wouldn't be so much 'unwilling' to kill as deem it unnecessary; if given a crowd of terrified civilians, for example. He might make a show to get them out of the way first before going through, assuming there was the opportunity; he did make a show, at Krei Tech, dramatically appearing over the crowd and then going for only Krei, ignoring everyone else. After all, good men do not target innocents; good men do what is necessary, and are then done.
And really, when you get over all that whole darker side of him? He's not a bad man. His students held a high amount of respect for him, and seemed honestly astonished by the fact that he was Yokai; it can be drawn, then, that he was darned good teacher. His attitude in the movie seems to lead him in to the strict-but-kind sort; mild amounts of sass/sarcasm, but never outwardly offensive with it. The kind of teacher who would single you out as an 'example', but make you laugh, too, because you really should have known better than to give him that kind of opening.
With Hiro, in the first act, he displays a knack for subtly; outwardly approving of Hiro's botfighting while insinuating he could do so much more if he applied himself, but never saying it outright. Just hinting. Pushing. Nudging. After all, Hiro has such a career in botfighting ahead off him, far be it from Callaghan to suggest he do anything otherwise! And depending on how Callaghan viewed the rest of his students, he may be manipulating them all - for the greater good, of course, pushing them past their own boundaries in an attempt to drive them to improve. Little comments, dry humor, etc etc.
Of course, there's points where he drops the subtlety and gets serious. Such as informing Hiro that he could either continue to improve himself, or become a sell-out like Krei, who by the way he wouldn't trust with microbots or anything else. We see Callaghan's darker side for the first time, there, and it's fair to assume that he displayed it in a few other ways, as well. Being a stickler for safety, for example, and having little patience for anyone who outright flaunted the rules and/or guidelines. Perhaps being able to connect/calm down once the danger had passed, but during, say, even a mild accidental chemical fire- being the first on the scene, the first to reach for the fire extinguisher, and then the first to look for who was at fault so that he could kick them out of his lab (temporarily or not). And if a student turned in something that he saw as unsafe, you can darn well bet he'd pull them aside to ask you're not suggesting what I think you are, now, are you? and otherwise ensure they were made fully aware of possible consequences.
Ironic, in that later on - during the course of the movie - he would make himself stop caring about those consequences. Or at least rationalize them as out of his hands. He's not a stupid man; it's very possible that he simply didn't care what happened after his original plans were completed, and would have been accepting of jail or life on the run because his need would have been sated, his conscience at rest, and his daughter avenged. But he saw an opportunity, he took it - and pushed himself to never look back.
If not for that, Callaghan could have very well remained a productive teacher - rearing the next generation of scientists to be anti-Krei, and therefore giving at least a simple satisfaction if not a petty revenge. But he gave in to temptation, and the opening he saw to obtain the greatest vengeance of all. He is a man susceptible to a very manic sort of love, which can be both for the best and the worst; there is nothing he wouldn't do in the name of someone he was close to, whom he outright defined as his 'everything'. And there is nothing he wouldn't do to a person who dared threaten or take that someone away.
TL;DR COOL MOTIVES, STILL KIND OF AN ASSHOLE.
POWER:
POWER THEFT;
Basically What It Says On The Tin. Through direct physical contact, Callaghan can take another's power - or entire powerset, depending on length of contact/focus. He can only hold one person's at a time, and if he tries to take another's, the original set he has will immediately restore to the previous owner. He can return them on his own, but it also requires direct physical contact. Please note that both of these are deliberate; Callaghan simply shaking someone's hand won't trigger the power. Callaghan shaking someone's hand with the deliberate intention to steal their powers, on the other hand...
Please note that he does not absorb skill or experience with the powers [unless that is directly a part thereof]- he does have a basic idea of what he's gotten, but it's sort of a seeing it from the previous owner's eyes, and only so helpful. Practice is required for him to really get the hang out of them, most of the time.
As Callaghan could indefinitely hold the power(set) and requires that second contact in order to return them (or taking someone else's), a degree of OOC communication will be required to ensure that all goes smoothly. I don't foresee any major problems, though, as long as there's the conversation.
INCITEMENT;
You know how some people can say the right things at the worst times and just get you going? That's this. It's not quite mind-reading, not quite mind-affecting, but after a minute or so of conversation with someone...Robert instinctively knows what to say to get the strongest reaction possible. In essence - he knows their berserk button.
Bear in mind, however, that this is (1) completely out of context and (2) not really known to him until it comes to mind to press that button. An example being if someone was sensitive regarding the loss of a family member or loved one, it wouldn't be until mid-conversation that Robert could/would get frustrated them for one reason or another and just lash out - hammering directly in on that topic. And he wouldn't even know about said button until the words came out of his mouth, and even then he only knows what he's just said. And it's partially dependent on his own mood, as well - the aforementioned frustration will lead him to getting aggressive and hurtful, while, say, if he was actually trying to help someone- well, he might still bring it up, but he'd be a bit more constructive with it. It's not exactly an easy power to do so with, but this is the kind of thing that could lead to actualshounen motivational speech, or the Callaghan variant thereof. (Which, based on the movie, seems to be more of an implied challenge.)
Nine times out of ten, though, it's probably going to make someone want to punch him in the face. Anger is easy. Getting angry at him to get over a problem also works. Dredging out an unresolved issue so that it can be properly addressed...well, that's one of Robert's own weaknesses.
This power will be opt-in as opposed to opt-out, and rely on the idea that if Robert can't get a 'read' on someone, he simply can't get a 'read' on them.
〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[Callaghan's tone is light and wry;]
I can't say that this is the most unwelcoming city I've ever visited, but I can say that this is the one I'm least prepared for. At least before I'd be given a chance to pack.
[keeping himself casual about it all helps edge off some of the unease. forcing himself to treat it as some sort of business trip means clinging to a bit of normalcy when his world continually seems to be turning upside down.
...at least he's pretty sure he had nothing in any of this]
So, for those of you who have already gone through it all; where's the best place to resupply? And how reliable are these 'stipends' we've been given?
LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:
behold, the test drive!
FINAL NOTES:
*I'd like to touch on the fact that Callaghan is clearly ill, mentally, and consumed by his own grief-rage; if he's able to obtain actual treatment it is possible that a redemption/anti-villain arc is in order.There could be an argument for temporary insanity, but I'm not going to make it. However, with him on such a dangerous line, he's on the very cusp of a descent in to full-blown villainy-madness; the ends justify the means, etc etc. Where he goes and what happens with him will very much depend on the first few days/weeks of his interactions with people in the city- he could go full-on seeking redemption and help, or he could dive back in to feeling fully justified for his actions.
〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Mindy
AGE: 27
JOURNAL:
artoniIM / EMAIL: I prefer DW PMs, plzkthx?
PLURK:
RETURNING: I used to play at CnC, but I'm new to MoM.
〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: [Professor] Robert Callaghan AKA Yokai, but this is presumably some sort of nickname the newspapers gave his alter ego
CHARACTER AGE: Early/mid 50s
SERIES: Big Hero 6
CHRONOLOGY: Right at the end of the movie, as he's being hauled off to jail.
CLASS: Repentant Villain*
HOUSING: If both he and Krei are accepted please put them in together it's going to be so terribly terrific. Otherwise, random is fine.
BACKGROUND: The place is San Fransokyo; the year, 2034. In this culture mash-up of Tokyo and San Francisco (where the Japanese immigrant population held a heavy part in rebuilding post the 1906 earthquake) we are only given so many views in to the world at large, but to focus on the essentials- it is a bustling city with everything from blimp-turbines to a seedy underbelly of illegal botfighting. Nonetheless, there are many things still comparable to the world as we ourselves know it, just...a bit more advanced. It is here where the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology is housed, a renown place of learning with many claims to fame - and one of which is that it boasts Professor Robert Callaghan in its faculty.
While Callaghan's history is only explored so much (word of god notes he has previous military experience, and has maintained a fit lifestyle since his service), what is known early on is that he had a daughter. Just how close he was to his daughter isn't shown until later, in which he defines her as his 'everything'; her mother is never seen or even alluded to. For all intents and purposes, the two were all each other had, and Callaghan was extremely proud of her when she went to take part of a demonstration at Krei Tech, the local technological giant. Not only was she working with them, but the project itself - Silent Sparrow - was pushing the boundaries of science, opening up the very possibilities of teleportation via portals.
The demonstration began well, but quickly went wrong- one portal destroyed itself, the other was shut down as a means to contain the damage. And Robert, blinded by shock and grief, turned to violence- attempting to attack the man perceived at fault, Alistair Krei, screaming about how he knew it wasn't ready, how this was his fault-
Suffice it to say he was halted before he could even lay a hand on his former friend, and what happens from there isn't specifically mentioned. It could be assumed he cut off what ties he could with the company, and based on his later set-up as a foil, that whatever counseling/treatment he received afterwards - if, indeed, any at all - was inadequate to soothe the rage in his heart.
Either way, fast-forward an unknown amount of time; it could be weeks, months, even years. At least long enough for the testing facility to fall in to disrepair as it was quarantined and cut off from the rest of San Fransokyo. Professor Robert Callaghan continued teaching at SFIT, developing his reputation on-campus as he had as a pioneer in robotics in the world at large. A respected man, a good man, the sort that a wide-eyed stray youth would be starstruck by - and perhaps one of the few men who could issue a casual challenge to the youth, implying that botfighting is the easy route and that it was school, his school, that would offer him a real challenge.
We never said Callaghan doesn't have a bit of a sly streak. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and when the time came for that boy to impress him at the Student Showcase, where current and prospective students of SFIT would demonstrate their latest creations- well, it was his turn to be starstruck by the boy's inventions. Microbots, he called them, tiny metal pieces which, when working in tandem, could accomplish some incredible things. Despite Krei's attempt to purchase them after the demonstration, after Callaghan butted in to advise against such misuse, the boy - Hiro Hamada - would refuse to sell, and then rejoice as Callaghan handed him his acceptance letter.
At this point, things went to hell.
Though it is never outright stated in canon, it is heavily implied that Callaghan had something to do with the fire at the showcase that night. It is confirmed that he used the microbots to survive, and that he seemed content with letting the world think him dead; it is not confirmed he was aware that Hiro's brother, Tadashi, one of his current students...had run in, after hearing that he was still 'trapped' inside.
Either way, the world mourned the loss of two great mines, and with the microbots, Robert took a turn straight in to darker territory. Hunting down every piece of Silent Sparrow that he could find, he also began to replicate the microbot design, over and over, until he had a veritable hoard at his disposal. He stuck to the shadows, appeared to have performed no small amount of criminal activity, and then Hiro got involved again.
At first, he appeared to have been trying to scare Hiro off; when that didn't work and the boy tracked him down again, this time with an armored health care companion [Tadashi's last creation, Baymax, who had been there at the initial encounter as well], well- Callaghan decided to get more serious. The fact that there were three other of his former students there, and one mascot, as well...it's gathered that Robert was absolutely not thinking properly at this point, and he sort of chased them through the city streets, throwing cars and debris at them with clear malicious intent, and then ran them off a pier.
Let's not mince words; Callaghan straight-up tried to kill them. We'll go in to why in the personality section, but that's later. Let's get back on the action and what actually happened.
After believing them dead, Callaghan moved to the testing island that Silent Sparrow had been initially demonstrated upon; again, they tracked him down, but this time wearing armor and power-suits that made use of their considerable knowledge and inventions. Still, Callaghan found little trouble in defeating them, and was about to finish them off once and for all when Hiro tackled him, and ended up knocking off his mask and the controller band attached to such.
When Hiro realized whom he was (and not, in fact, Alistair Krei
And then, realizing he was out of time and that he'd finally gotten all he needed - he went after Krei directly.
In true supervillain fashion, he struck at Krei's unveiling of his newest building- terrorizing the crowd in to fleeing and capturing Alistair himself in the process. He explained his master plan for revenge, that he was going to use Alistair's own portal to destroy everything he cared for, and then him as well.
To Robert's surprise, they knew about his daughter. What's more, Hiro at first offered empathy- this won't bring her back. I know. and for a moment, Callaghan hesitated. Then Krei opened his mouth, begging for his life, offering anything- money, power, you-name-it. The 'reminder' that Krei thought of his daughter's life as nothing more than something to be bought and sold was enough to throw Callaghan once more in to a rage, and he threw himself head-long in to the resulting fight, almost overwhelming the 6 until they were able to turn the tide- mostly, due to Hiro and Baymax taking point on distracting Callaghan while the rest threw his microbots in to the portal.
Without his tools, Callaghan was powerless, and defeated- and informed by a somewhat smug Hiro that they weren't going to harm him. Still, as he was further disarmed and reduced to a defeated human being, the worst was yet to come- Baymax's scanner proved that there was still a life form in the portal, and what was more, it matched the features of his daughter. Hiro and Baymax immediately threw themselves in to the destabilizing wormhole, despite Krei's own shout that it was unstable, there was no telling how long it would last- all because someone had to help.
Callaghan and the others could only watch and wait, holding their breaths, until Hiro rocketed out with a familiar pod- and no Baymax. Abigail had been saved, in a sort of hibernation known as 'hypersleep' - but the debris that had been sucked in to the portal had forced Baymax to sacrifice himself to ensure his patient('s/s) safety.
By the end of the events, Robert was shoved in to a police car and obtained the barest glimpse of his daughter as she was hauled away in to an ambulance - and we are treated to something pained across his face before he bowed his head in resignation. And it is at this very moment from which we take him, hauling him in to this silly city as he's coming to terms with everything that's just happened.
PERSONALITY: It's important to note that Robert Callaghan very much considers himself a good person. He is not overly self-righteous about it, but he is firm in the belief that he has contributed to this world and contributed well. Whether it be his service in the military, his post-service scientific work(possibly at Krei Tech?), or his work at the university, he seems ultimately proud of his life and has only so many regrets. (No more than the average person, at least.)
However, during the course of the movie, he undeniably commits actions that are not hallmarks of a good person; he performs arson (and homicide, albeit accidental), he attempts (multiple) murders, and he lashes out at a young boy and insists that his brother's 'sacrifice' was nothing but their mistaken choice. He is ruthless, and outright cruel, at times, but through it all he never seems to hold any doubt or guilt. It is not until the very end of the movie that he shows an inkling of regret; this may be so selfishly simple as the realization that he will never see his daughter again, the very thing he so desired coming within his reach and then being taken away as a result of his actions.
Nonetheless, these sets of events have the potential to fuel 'the end justifies the means' sort of mindset, and were Callaghan ever given a new motive to wreck havoc, he has the potential to once more become a force of outright wrath.
One does wonder, though, if he would continue to be willing to use such means; it can be assumed that many of his ruthless actions were fueled by a sort of rage-hatred-desperate need for revenge, the fear that he'd never have such a chance again and that he had to do whatever he did in order to finish it. (It could just as well be assumed that he stopped caring about anything[or anyone] else, but for the purposes of this writeup, we will be standing by the thought that he considers himself 'a good man', even post faking his death, and that involves a good man being driven to extremes and things he would Normally Never Do. There isn't enough information one way or another to 100% confirm his then-motivations.)
Presumably, if he felt strongly enough about it, or otherwise was pushed? Yes. It can be assumed that the groundwork has been/was laid with his first stint as Yokai; if he ever did don the mask once more, he would be perfectly willing to carve through anyone who stood in his path with the understanding they should know better. By getting in his way, they implicitly understand the risks; it is their mistake, and he will take no responsibility for their choices. He'll respect them, in a warped sort of way, but short of Abigail himself throwing herself before him there is no one he would hesitate to cut down if need be.
During a particularly emotional moment there may or may not be regret, and it's wrong to say he'd take pleasure in any of this; on the opposite, he is a good man, and doesn't/wouldn't enjoy any of it. It's something to be dealt with and done, as cleanly/expediently as possible; Callaghan/Yokai is even more dangerous because of it, because there's no thrill, but it's the vehement belief that this needs to be done.
And that is one of the things that make him the most terrifying. Because there is no sadism, there are no games, there is only action, response, and dealing with it. Regrets, if any, come later.
One can presume that in some cases he wouldn't be so much 'unwilling' to kill as deem it unnecessary; if given a crowd of terrified civilians, for example. He might make a show to get them out of the way first before going through, assuming there was the opportunity; he did make a show, at Krei Tech, dramatically appearing over the crowd and then going for only Krei, ignoring everyone else. After all, good men do not target innocents; good men do what is necessary, and are then done.
And really, when you get over all that whole darker side of him? He's not a bad man. His students held a high amount of respect for him, and seemed honestly astonished by the fact that he was Yokai; it can be drawn, then, that he was darned good teacher. His attitude in the movie seems to lead him in to the strict-but-kind sort; mild amounts of sass/sarcasm, but never outwardly offensive with it. The kind of teacher who would single you out as an 'example', but make you laugh, too, because you really should have known better than to give him that kind of opening.
With Hiro, in the first act, he displays a knack for subtly; outwardly approving of Hiro's botfighting while insinuating he could do so much more if he applied himself, but never saying it outright. Just hinting. Pushing. Nudging. After all, Hiro has such a career in botfighting ahead off him, far be it from Callaghan to suggest he do anything otherwise! And depending on how Callaghan viewed the rest of his students, he may be manipulating them all - for the greater good, of course, pushing them past their own boundaries in an attempt to drive them to improve. Little comments, dry humor, etc etc.
Of course, there's points where he drops the subtlety and gets serious. Such as informing Hiro that he could either continue to improve himself, or become a sell-out like Krei, who by the way he wouldn't trust with microbots or anything else. We see Callaghan's darker side for the first time, there, and it's fair to assume that he displayed it in a few other ways, as well. Being a stickler for safety, for example, and having little patience for anyone who outright flaunted the rules and/or guidelines. Perhaps being able to connect/calm down once the danger had passed, but during, say, even a mild accidental chemical fire- being the first on the scene, the first to reach for the fire extinguisher, and then the first to look for who was at fault so that he could kick them out of his lab (temporarily or not). And if a student turned in something that he saw as unsafe, you can darn well bet he'd pull them aside to ask you're not suggesting what I think you are, now, are you? and otherwise ensure they were made fully aware of possible consequences.
Ironic, in that later on - during the course of the movie - he would make himself stop caring about those consequences. Or at least rationalize them as out of his hands. He's not a stupid man; it's very possible that he simply didn't care what happened after his original plans were completed, and would have been accepting of jail or life on the run because his need would have been sated, his conscience at rest, and his daughter avenged. But he saw an opportunity, he took it - and pushed himself to never look back.
If not for that, Callaghan could have very well remained a productive teacher - rearing the next generation of scientists to be anti-Krei, and therefore giving at least a simple satisfaction if not a petty revenge. But he gave in to temptation, and the opening he saw to obtain the greatest vengeance of all. He is a man susceptible to a very manic sort of love, which can be both for the best and the worst; there is nothing he wouldn't do in the name of someone he was close to, whom he outright defined as his 'everything'. And there is nothing he wouldn't do to a person who dared threaten or take that someone away.
TL;DR COOL MOTIVES, STILL KIND OF AN ASSHOLE.
POWER:
POWER THEFT;
Basically What It Says On The Tin. Through direct physical contact, Callaghan can take another's power - or entire powerset, depending on length of contact/focus. He can only hold one person's at a time, and if he tries to take another's, the original set he has will immediately restore to the previous owner. He can return them on his own, but it also requires direct physical contact. Please note that both of these are deliberate; Callaghan simply shaking someone's hand won't trigger the power. Callaghan shaking someone's hand with the deliberate intention to steal their powers, on the other hand...
Please note that he does not absorb skill or experience with the powers [unless that is directly a part thereof]- he does have a basic idea of what he's gotten, but it's sort of a seeing it from the previous owner's eyes, and only so helpful. Practice is required for him to really get the hang out of them, most of the time.
As Callaghan could indefinitely hold the power(set) and requires that second contact in order to return them (or taking someone else's), a degree of OOC communication will be required to ensure that all goes smoothly. I don't foresee any major problems, though, as long as there's the conversation.
INCITEMENT;
You know how some people can say the right things at the worst times and just get you going? That's this. It's not quite mind-reading, not quite mind-affecting, but after a minute or so of conversation with someone...Robert instinctively knows what to say to get the strongest reaction possible. In essence - he knows their berserk button.
Bear in mind, however, that this is (1) completely out of context and (2) not really known to him until it comes to mind to press that button. An example being if someone was sensitive regarding the loss of a family member or loved one, it wouldn't be until mid-conversation that Robert could/would get frustrated them for one reason or another and just lash out - hammering directly in on that topic. And he wouldn't even know about said button until the words came out of his mouth, and even then he only knows what he's just said. And it's partially dependent on his own mood, as well - the aforementioned frustration will lead him to getting aggressive and hurtful, while, say, if he was actually trying to help someone- well, he might still bring it up, but he'd be a bit more constructive with it. It's not exactly an easy power to do so with, but this is the kind of thing that could lead to actual
Nine times out of ten, though, it's probably going to make someone want to punch him in the face. Anger is easy. Getting angry at him to get over a problem also works. Dredging out an unresolved issue so that it can be properly addressed...well, that's one of Robert's own weaknesses.
This power will be opt-in as opposed to opt-out, and rely on the idea that if Robert can't get a 'read' on someone, he simply can't get a 'read' on them.
〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[Callaghan's tone is light and wry;]
I can't say that this is the most unwelcoming city I've ever visited, but I can say that this is the one I'm least prepared for. At least before I'd be given a chance to pack.
[keeping himself casual about it all helps edge off some of the unease. forcing himself to treat it as some sort of business trip means clinging to a bit of normalcy when his world continually seems to be turning upside down.
...at least he's pretty sure he had nothing in any of this]
So, for those of you who have already gone through it all; where's the best place to resupply? And how reliable are these 'stipends' we've been given?
LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:
behold, the test drive!
FINAL NOTES:
*I'd like to touch on the fact that Callaghan is clearly ill, mentally, and consumed by his own grief-rage; if he's able to obtain actual treatment it is possible that a redemption/anti-villain arc is in order.