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Characters / Castoff

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Character page for the webcomic Castoff. Spoilers are unmarked!

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Vector's Party

    Vector Jacobs 

Vector Jacobs

A perpetually terrified boy of unknown origins. Suffers from a massive Power Incontinence. His magic has a sunny yellow glow (and gives off a lot of heat).

  • Agony of the Feet: Suffers it in silence, because after getting kidnapped with no shoes on, he has to walk quite a distance through the forest. Later on Arianna gets him a pair of shoes, but there's still blistering and hurt.
  • Blessed with Suck: One of his abilities is to induce fear in anyone who makes eye contact with him. He cannot turn this off, and this has resulted in most people who see him freaking out, sometimes to the extent that they want to kill him.
    • His other ability is Flashy Teleportation to (seemingly) random places. He can't control this, but it activates when he's in mortal danger and gets him somewhere safe.
  • Break the Cutie: Not two chapters in and the world already seems dead set on breaking Vector.
  • Cute Bookworm: Of the Moe, "wanna hug him and take him home with me" sort. His book-awe after finding the multi-story library in the old, abandoned and rather creepy magic school building causes quite some panic when his teammates can't find him.
  • Cute Little Fangs: He uses them to bite Sage when the latter tries to take him hostage.
  • Defence Mechanism Superpower: His teleportation, as of yet, only activates when in mortal danger.
  • Embarrassing Nickname: Twitchy, courtesy of Arianna.
  • Glowing Eyes: They're always glowing, even when they're closed. They glow even more intensely when his power is in use. They also appear to have a seriously unsettling effect on most people who look into them - the exceptions are a robot - Frankie, a (maybe) revenant - Arianna, Rori and Marina, who also have eyes that glow.
  • Happily Adopted: Ms. Jacobs isn't Vector's birth mother, but they clearly love each other as much as any blood-related parent and child would.
  • Hero with Bad Publicity: As of yet, he hasn't had the occasion to do a lot of heroics, but he is a fugitive, quite innocent and well meaning.
  • Hulking Out: Vector's Freak Out is a magical one - he releases enough energy to scorch a stone wall and transport himself and Arianna really, really far. Across the continent, in fact.
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: It's not easy living with everyone freaking out when they look you in the eye...
  • I Just Want to Have Friends: Since he never had any before meeting Arianna.
  • Kidnapped by the Call: The Call here comes in the disguise of a choleric mage with a mysterious agenda.
  • Nervous Wreck: He gets panic attacks, especially in crowded cities.
  • The Most Wanted: Being a "Class 5" criminal, which is reserved for the most dangerous. Vector is supposed to have committed "high treason" which Arianna believes is a political accusation and an excuse to get rid of him.
  • Pointy Ears: Vector has pointy ears, and unlike other characters with them, he's not an elf, so it's unclear why his ears are pointy.
  • Power Glows: His entire body glows yellow before he teleports. Also gives off heat - it burns Arianna's hand.
  • Prone to Tears: His friends are careful what to say so as not to upset him. Arianna in particular has to back pedal a lot.
  • Shrinking Violet: A scar on his back hints at a Dark and Troubled Past being the cause, although being a walking Supernatural Fear Inducer probably doesn't earn him many friends. Even his adoptive mother has slipped "once or twice". Note that he reaches out pretty quickly to everyone who's immune to this effect.
  • The Shut-In: He almost never left his house before the start of the story.
  • Single Specimen Species: Possibly. He's not a human or an elf, and no others like him have been seen so far. The last page of chapter eleven reveals he's a magically-created Artificial Human.
  • The Smart Guy: As long as he manages to stop panicking, he's very well read and inventive. For example, he comes up with the idea of using Arianna's wind spell as a jet engine of sorts when they lose their boat sail.
  • Supernatural Fear Inducer: For some reason, when people look into Vector's eyes they freak out, usually to try and attack or kill him. Arianna and Frankie are the only two people that he's met that seem fully immune. The former claims to not be afraid of anything, but in the latter's case, it's probably a robot thing. Later on, Marina (a healer in a world where healing magic doesn't exist, so she's definitely exceptional in at least two ways) and Rori (who's... Rori) join the list of the immune. So does Sage.
  • Supernatural Gold Eyes: Not only gold but glowing.
  • Super-Senses: Vector can read the inn sign from such a distance that all Arianna can see is light from the windows.
  • Teleportation Misfire: Vector does not have any control of his teleportation ability, which is how he and Arianna wound up a continent away from where they were. The teleportation seems to activate whenever he's terrified for his life and bring Vector, along with anyone touching him, to a random safe place. Which may or may not mean "the nearest unafraid person".
  • Traumatic Superpower Awakening: His teleportation power first activated when Vector was getting subdued by the guard.
  • You Are Number 6: His Wanted Posters have no name on them, just the number: 613.

    Arianna Marcel 

Arianna Marcel

A Bounty Hunter and experienced battle mage with red magical aura. Choleric and grumpy towards pretty much everyone, favors actions over words, possibly because life hasn't been kind to her.

  • Action Girl: A Bounty Hunter, a seasoned fighter, the most immediately violent person in the group.
  • Ambiguously Related: To Zera, who shares a last name with her. He might (or might not, since they appear to be different species) be her older brother. Who she thinks died...
  • Back from the Dead: Supposedly, she died fifteen years before the plot started. She herself doesn't seem to know, or possibly care, but she distinctly remembers her brother's death fifteen years back...
  • Bait the Dog: Arianna is one of the very few strangers to treat Vector nicely, only to turn right around, break into his house the following night, and kidnap him. She's none too gentle about it either.
  • Barrier Warrior: Arianna makes magic shields both in combat and to huddle under while it rains.
  • Be All My Sins Remembered: Arianna flat out says she's not a good person.
  • Big Sister Instinct: Towards Vector. She's suspicious of everyone else, but with Vector her sass seems more of a way to smooth things over than to keep him at arm's length.
  • Bounty Hunter: She works as one of these as a member of the Black Wings Mercenary Group.
  • Cool Big Sis: To Vector. Keeps everyone else at arm's lenght, although her facade does crack under stress.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: She ran away from home, her older brother was executed for "high treason", and she spent a while living on the streets... and she herself may have died and come back to life.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Or not-so-deadpan, on occasion. But snarker extraordinaire.
  • The Determinator: Turns out, she did interpret the tracker fizzling as Vector possibly being dead. She just refused to give up searching for him.
  • Eye Colour Change: Blue to purple to red and back again. It seems the color depends on how angry she is - blue is her natural color, visible when Arianna is relaxed or merely surprised. When she gets Red Eyes, Take Warning - this means she's pissed off and you're about to get an ass full of magic. Purple is the in-between state.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: Arianna's eyes glow when she uses her magic, and if she's about to use magic that usually means someone's in for a bad time.
  • Hard Head: Gets a lot of head trauma, often with blood, but easily shrugs it off and never has lasting damage. Then again, Marina healed the worst head wound.
  • Hard Light: Her magical shields, including the fan-dubbed Shame Cube (seen here), appear to be made of this.
  • Hot-Blooded: She leaps, then she thinks, both in battle and long-term "planning".
  • In a Single Bound: Arianna knows a spell for this and is quite enthusiastic about using it. Vector... not so much.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sure, she beat up and kidnapped Vector, but she also wasn't so keen on leaving him to die, both at the fortress and in the woods. And she did apologise and offer to take him back.
  • Kung-Fu Wizard: The author has described Arianna as a "punch mage."
  • Magic Missile Storm: Arianna's primary offensive spell.
  • Mrs. Exposition: The group's expert on everything magic-related.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Arianna seems to have a moment of this when she realises Vector will be put to death for "high treason", just like her brother who she knows was innocent.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Vector was living a peaceful life and not bothering anyone with his existence until Arianna came along and not only made life harder for him, but also for herself.
  • The Nicknamer: She nicknames everyone in the group.
  • No Sense of Direction: Or she's just never been that far and can't recognise anything.
  • Safety in Indifference: As we learn here, she seeks it, due to all that Dark and Troubled Past. Not that it works, since it's really obvious she cares about Vector (and maybe Frankie) quite a lot. Add some stern talking to from Marina, who's having none of this crap, and we may be having a Defrosting Ice Queen on our hands.
  • Sir Swears-a-Lot: In a world where nobody really swears, Arianna uses "shit" as a comma.
  • No Social Skills: She's grumpy. Very, very grumpy and distrustful. Also blunt, choleric, more than a little paranoid, and did we mention grumpy?
  • Oh, Crap!: Hers is state-of-the-art. You can hear the dominoes in her head toppling.
  • Pointy Ears: Pointedly averted. Her round, human ears are emphasised by the headband she wears.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Her eyes turn red when she's angry.
  • Red Is Violent: She has a red color scheme, magi stone (thus, aura) included, and is notably the most angry and aggressive of the main cast. Note - Zera claims that the Arianna he knew had pink aura.
  • Satisfied Street Rat: Ever since the Black Wing Mercenaries took her in, she's this.
  • Troll: The first time Arianna laughs is over trolling Vector. Also:
    Rori: Don't touch my things!
    Arianna pokes a random thing, grinning
  • Utility Magic: Has specific spells for cleaning and drying. These come in handy a lot.

    Frankie 

Frankie

A happy-go-lucky robot cartographer from Ferrin. That's pretty much all you need to know.

    Marina 

Marina

A sweet, gentle, caring and motherly healer with blue aura. Kind of a big sister to Rori, despite not being related.

  • Blue Is Calm: Contrasting Arianna's Red Is Violent, Marina, who wears blue, never lets her anger or worry get the better of her - she thinks logically, makes successful arguments and gets her way without a shred of violence.
  • Elemental Motifs: Water. Her name is Marina, she has a blue color scheme, and she lives on a tiny island amidst the ocean. She also owns a boat (until she doesn't anymore...) and is a confident sailor.
  • Feminine Mother, Tomboyish Daughter: With Rori, the tomboyish, unruly inventor. Marina's motherly personality is underscored by the soft, curly hairstyle and curvy figure and explicitly shown by her scolding Rori and making her apologise, as well as deeply caring for her and apologising on Rori's behalf.
  • Feminine Women Can Cook: Well, she can. It Tastes Like Friendship. When listing her skills as she becomes a full time member of the team, "I can cook" comes first.
  • Glowing Eyes: Her eyes glow blue when she uses her healing gift.
  • Healing Hands: She can heal with a touch. Arianna interprets this as some odd new kind of magic, even though magical healing is unheard of in this setting.
  • Holy Backlight: Introduced with one of these through Vector's eyes.
  • Innocent Blue Eyes: They glow when she uses healing magic.
  • In-Series Nickname: "Curls," by Arianna.
  • Insistent Terminology: She doesn't have magic! It's just something she can do. Always could.
  • Mama Bear: Nice Girl all the way. But when her adopted daughter/little sister is in danger, Marina won't be talked down by a distrustful choleric mage, instead pointing out to Arianna that they can only rescue their wards if they work together. And that the last boat Arianna was on sank (which is true, but not caused by incompetence).
  • Tastes Like Friendship: When she first meets Vector, Arianna, and Frankie, she makes them all a nice dinner and invites them to stay at her house for the night.
  • Team Mom: Sweet, gentle, caring and assertive, and generally the voice of reason. While the team is still forming, she's already slipping into the role. Later, she's The Heart as well as the responsible person who looks after everybody.
  • Younger Than They Look: Cast page says she's eighteen. With her curvy figure, she looks like she really could be the mother of a sixteen-year-old Rori (who, granted, is a bit Younger Than They Look, as well).

    Rori 

Aurora Vinsage (Rori)

A rude, snarky, larger-than-life inventor and thief who chose to use her talents for no good. Has Super-Speed powers with green aura.

  • Bratty Half-Pint: She of the net traps, smoke bombs, sassing the guards, stealing stuff just to mess with people (including stealing magi gems - that are being worn)...
  • The Gadfly: She steals things and sets up traps because she just likes screwing with people.
  • Glowing Eyes: They glow green when she uses her speed powers.
  • Hidden Depths: Her reaction to the library that enthralled Vector is:
    Rori: Woooooah. Cool.
    • As she later explains, she wants to build machines, because only rich people can afford magi gems, and machines are for everybody.
  • Insistent Terminology: Just like Marina, she can't do fancy rich-people's magic. She just has this trick she uses for nicking stuff.
  • Large Ham: Whenever she's taunting someone, especially guards. While luring guards into a trap...
    Rori: 'tis I, the master thief- er, I mean, the big bad trio of wanted criminals! Wanted for high treason and guard punching and a bunch of other... stuff! Catch us if you can, royal guard chumps!
  • Miles Gloriosus: Rori goes on and on about being a "master thief" but the moment she realizes she's in trouble, she'll get the hell out of Dodge faster than you can say "Oh, Crap!"
  • Sticky Fingers: Has a bad stealing habit, and particularly seems to enjoy stealing magi gems. Which may be because she despises rich people, and the gems are expensive.
  • Super-Speed: She is supernaturally fast, which she she regularly uses to steal things in plain sight without being seen. The origins of this are unclear and despite a seeming similarity to magic, isn't addressed as a magical power, likely at least in part because Rori doesn't seem to have any sort of more conventional magical aptitude.
  • Throw Down the Bomblet: Smoke bombs are one thing, but her raw enthusiasm for setting off a lot of fireworks is something to be seen. And when Vector points out why she shouldn't (fireworks would attract city guard attention, which they're avoiding), Rori sulks.
    Rori: ... freakin' guards ruining everything.
  • Tomboyish Ponytail: She also wears a rather tomboyish pair of dungaroos.
  • Trap Master: She makes net traps and Trick Bombs, which she puts around Marina's house just for fun. Can also make quite creative use of fireworks.

    Spoiler Character 

Sage Miller

An experienced mage and magic researcher whom the group meets while trespassing in Knotwoods - where he's squatting, partly because of the library. He had a hand in the experiment in the prologue that resulted in Vector's existence. This might be why his hands are covered in scars and why he's in hiding. Then again, it might have more to do with his general Mad Scientist approach to magical research.
  • Absent-Minded Professor: Somewhat. He tends to forget other people in the room when presented with an interesting puzzle.
  • Creating Life Is Unforeseen: Since he apologises for creating Vector, it's safe to say he didn't plan to.
  • Locked into Strangeness: The flashback opening chapter 12 has Sage with black hair (and brown eyes), while nowadays and in Arianna's earlier flashback, his eyes and hair are purple. A magical mishap definitely happened to him in-between.
  • Mad Scientist: Technically, a mage. Nevertheless, he acts pretty much like a Mad Scientist, including The Madness Place and Creating Life, which might have been a side effect. And wanting to have Vector Strapped to an Operating Table (thankfully, Arianna interferes).
  • Mr. Exposition: Ever since he appeared, a good part of what Sage says is a lecture on how magic works.
  • Professor Guinea Pig: Another classical Mad Scientist trait he has - in the flashback to his youth, Sage's friend is only mildly concerned finding him passed out on the floor ("again"), and entirely unsurprised this is due to experimenting on himself. Sage has been trying out healing spells with a mad-scientist worthy abandon. He also has been experimenting on his colleagues and got expelled from the academia for it.
  • Sufficiently Analyzed Magic: Sage's approach. He carefully numbers the tests for healing spells he does on his own arm. For Science!
  • Scary Shiny Glasses: Sage is introduced wearing big round glasses that shine and hide his eyes entirely. He has also tied Vector up and is monologuing in this scene. In the very next scene, where his somewhat scatterbrained, but generally not so bad personality comes to light, the glasses become transparent. Later, when he gives in to his For Science! urges, the glasses shine again.
  • Telepathy: He can hear people's thoughts, but Vector and the rest of the group are exceptions. He's not a happy medium, though, since people's thoughts are loud and give him migraines.

The Alverian Royal Guard

    Zera Marcel 

Zera Marcel

The captain of the Royal Guard, weighted down not so much by The Chains of Commanding as by his own Dark and Troubled Past.

  • Ambiguously Related: To Arianna. He may or may not be her older brother. Then again, he'a an elf, and she's not, as evidenced by their ears. It appears he's adopted.
  • Anti-Villain: He's trying to track down the protagonists, but only because he can't believe Arianna is who she says she is (since he thinks she's dead) and wants to find out why someone would pretend to be Arianna. He does not seem to actually want to do anything bad to Vector and seems upset over his treason sentence.
  • Back from the Dead: Like Arianna, it's ambiguous if it is actually the case, but if he's actually Arianna's brother, he died fifteen years ago. But as far as he and the rest of the world know, Arianna was the one who died. It is entirely possible either is right, neither are right, or both are right.
  • The Captain: Of the Alverian Royal Guard.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: The records unearthed by Terran and company suggest he has one, but it's quite ambiguous for now. He definitely thinks Arianna died fifteen years back and considers this his fault.
  • Don't Call Me "Sir": He does not like being called "captain" by his friends.
  • Elfeminate: New readers often mistake him for a girl due to his androgynous character design.
  • Exhausted Eye Bags: Always shown with these, because he's not sleeping well. He jokes about it.
  • A Father to His Men: According to the cast page. He's generally very informal and friendly, insisting they don't salute him, and acts more like a big brother than a military leader.
  • First-Name Basis: His friends only know him as "Zera," and actually thought that was his last name, until Brisse outright called him Zera Marcel.
  • The Insomniac: Hardly gets any sleep, which Sonja expresses concern over. The first time we've seen him sleep had been in the library, on the floor, and he woke up gasping, panting, and holding his chest (because he had a nightmare). The second time he's apparently fallen asleep standing up, waiting in line for an appointment.
    Zera: ... one of my many talents.
  • Magic Knight: We first see him using his magi gem as a set of magic armor.
  • My Greatest Failure: Judging by his Recurring Dreams, he blames himself for little Arianna's death. While travelling to find her, he explicitly tells his companions he sees her death every time he closes his eyes (this is why he avoids sleeping).
  • Only One Name: Averted. As Zera explains, elves normally have Only One Name, but his surname was "a gift".
  • Plagued by Nightmares: We've seen him sleep twice so far. Both times he was having a probably highly symbolic nightmare full of glass shards and recriminations yelled by "his" (little girl) Arianna.
  • Pointy Ears: He's an elf.
  • The Quisling: The elvish ambassador seems to see him as one, judging by the hissed "Traitor" he flings in Zera's general direction. Judging by his expression when the queen speaks about elves and how they're entitled blowhards just begging for a Screw You, Elves!, he may also see himself as one.

    Liam Avery 

Liam Avery

Zera's aide. A slightly nervous but loyal and hardworking young man trans-man, actually. He's looking forward to his 18th birthday, when he'll be able to finally get a mage's license and use magic whenever he wants to.

    Sonja Verde 

Sonja Verde

One of Zera's lieutenants, an archer, a mage and a dependable, reliable person.

    Terran Arc 

Terran Arc

Zera's other lieutenant. Irreverent, snooping, makes bad puns that everyone just rolls their eyes at.

    General Brisse 

General Brisse

Leader of the Alverian royal guard, which makes him Zera's immediate superior. A very important person. Also a very subtly sinister person who seems to know more of Zera's past than Zera is comfortable with anyone knowing, and possibly even more than he himself knows.

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