Epsilon

Player Information
Name: Raile
Age: I'm 29
Contact: Railehatesfun on Plurk!
Current characters: N/A

Character Information
Name: Epsilon
Series: Pluto (Naoki Urasawa)
Appearance: Here!
Age: Robot. (Adult.)
Canon Point: Post-canon/post-death.
Transferring From: Ryslig
Canon History: [There is no Wiki. Sorry.]

Epsilon was created by Dr. Ronald Newton-Howard, and the only one of the "seven most powerful robots in the world" to be created in Australia. These seven robots are the only seven robots known (at the beginning of canon) to function as weapons of mass destruction--the creation of which is now illegal. Which tells you something about Epsilon right from the start. He is also the only robot in the world to run on a photon reactor, drawing his energy--and power--from sunlight. While his AI is not always as humanlike as some of his fellow six, his unique technology is more than enough to set him apart. Programmed to be compassionate, peaceful, and caring, he is strictly nonviolent, and he is often distant to his fellow advanced robots and the world at large. This may be understandable, as he is looked down on for refusing conscription in the 39th Central Asian Conflict, a decision made all the more remarkable for his immense power--a power so great, in fact, that he is regularly referred to as the strongest robot in the world.

He is well aware of what his capabilities are, but actively refuses to use them.

Despite this, he was commissioned by the U. N. military for a cleanup operation at the end of the 39th Central Asian Conflict.

While investigating the roboticist Goji before the war, the 'Bora Investigation Squad' found thousands of high-level robots hidden deep beneath an old mosque, all with their AIs removed. It was, from a robot perspective, a literal sea of corpses. A few weeks later, the war began.

After the war's end, Epsilon was driven out to the village to "clean up." He was not happy with the appropriation of his powers, but left in the dark about his actual task, he was more or less led down the stairs in the dark in unhappy silence (he did light the stairs up upon request) before being showed the vast collection of remains. The sight left him aghast, but he was shown no sympathy by the human soldiers. His orders were to eliminate the entire thing using his photon powers. At the first countdown, however, his sensors picked up the signal of a single living thing, and he abandoned his post--despite orders to the contrary. Racing up the stairs, he ignored the soldiers' commands and found a single child crouching beneath the burned wreckage of a building. The boy, filthy and deeply traumatised, burrowed into him, repeating the same word over and over again: "Bora. Bora." Epsilon, openly horrified by what he'd almost done, held the boy close, but the soldiers ignored him, removing the boy and leading him from the village before ordering Epsilon to take care of what he was brought to do. Deeply disturbed, Epsilon returned to the chamber under the mosque and waited for the countdown before unleashing a wave of power so immense that it engulfed the village, completely incinerating the robots... and the mosque, and the village, all in one instantaneous release of photon energy.

That is the full sum of Epsilon's involvement in that war, however. While the other six of the world's most advanced robots all played an active role in the war's events, Epsilon--the world's strongest robot--declined to participate in the conflict. In doing so, he earned the worldwide scorn and contempt of humans and robots alike, and returned to Australia, where he began adopting orphaned children from the conflict--many of them deeply traumatised, left with permanent emotional and psychological scars from the horrific things they saw and experienced.

This is where canon events more or less start, with a lot of political stuff relating to the war, its true causes, and the nature of humanity and "perfection" as it relates to A.I.

The early story focuses largely on Gesicht, another of the world's most powerful robots, as he attempts to track down a string of murders that appear to have been committed by a robot. It's the second (known) time this has ever happened, and during the course of his investigation, Gesicht discovers a dark secret about himself that is later passed onto Epsilon at the moment of his death, later in the form of an overwhelming feeling of hate. ("But... whom did he hate?")

Epsilon first makes an appearance halfway through the story, when a robot researcher, Dr. Hoffman, is being targeted by the mysterious robot 'Pluto.' Rather than warning Dr. Hoffman of the danger, however, he knocks on the man's office door, then seizes him and shatters the office window by throwing them both through it before rocketing up into the sky--just as a hidden bomb destroys the office behind them. He flies them both to a floating radio tower and deposits the scientist roughly onto the floor, where Dr. Hoffman finally recognises him and questions the rough treatment (considering Epsilon is a pacifist.) It is then that Epsilon reveals the reason for his bizarre behaviour--his own creator, Dr. Newton-Howard, had just been killed by Pluto. Epsilon, anguished, proclaims that he "feel(s) as though (he) could lose control at any moment!" It is an unusual display of very powerful emotion from a robot, even a robot like Epsilon, and Hoffman falls silent. Epsilon then explains he chose the radio tower for its distance from the city, as a fight between him and Pluto could instantly destroy several city blocks, and he does not want to fight at all.

Once he's come to grips, he takes Dr. Hoffman to a rocky, isolated island out on the sea, where two more of the world's strongest, including the Greek robot Heracles, are already waiting. He explains that Dr. Hoffman will be safe there, but attempts to warn then others against fighting Pluto. A brief discussion of war and hate follows (in which Epsilon mentions his worries about how close humans and robots have become), and Epsilon leaves.

At Dr. Newton-Howard's funeral, Epsilon has a conversation with (what seems to be) the Persian roboticist Dr. Abullah, and they have a conversation about rebuilding after war. Then his children come running up to tell him about a squirrel they saw, and he bids farewell to Dr. Abullah.

When next Epsilon appears, he is in Hunter Valley, Australia, where he and the children live (along with at least one other robot and a human woman who helps him care for them all.) Heracles, Brando, and the other World's Strongest have all been killed--including Gesicht, whose final emotion of powerful hate reaches Epsilon as he rests, watching the weather through a large, floor-length window. It's revealed that it has been overcast for days, and he reflects on how dangerous this might be for him.

Then a U.N. robot arrives and introduces himself as Hogan, having been sent to bring him to a secure hideout, as he is last remaining robot of the seven and 'too valuable' to lose. Epsilon is not thrilled by this, but delays, explaining that it's his 'birthday,' and the children have planned a "surprise party" for him. "Of course, it's not much of a surprise, seeing as I already know about it." The U.N. robot allows him time for the children's party, where they sing for him and reveal they've made him presents--among them a knitted hat, a bead necklace, and a paper mache sun that hangs from the ceiling, so that he'll feel better even when the weather is bad. ("You're right; I feel better already." He also puts the hat and necklace on immediately and enthusiastically.) Wassily, a near-catatonic boy, has drawn a picture for Epsilon--it depicts a huge dark figure scribbled violently with crayon. Then for the first time since anyone's known him, he says something other than 'Bora'--it's a strange song about a giant destroying the world. Epsilon delays for ten more minutes from Hogan and contacts a weather robot named Arnold, who first assumes Epsilon wants to know the coming forecast. Instead, he asks Arnold about satellite images from around the time of the 39th Central Asian conflict.... but there's too much smoke, and nothing can be seen. Then they have to leave. The children are disappointed, but Epsilon reassures them he'll be back and they can finish the party later. As he leaves, though, Wassily races forward and says his name, prompting a very emotional reaction from Epsilon. He begs Epsilon not to die, and Epsilon drops to his knees, hugging Wassily, reassuring him he doesn't need to worry.

Then he and Hogan leave to the mountaintop safehouse.

There, he is surprised to see the Thracian soldier who gave him the orders to destroy the mosque at the end of the 39th Central Asian conflict, and the man tells him he's a general now. He assures Epsilon that the place is equipped with the highest tech defences, but then notes that as far as Epsilon is concerned, the best part is probably all the unfiltered sunlight. Epsilon is visibly unhappy with the situation, and briefly interrogates the general about 'Bora', quoting Wassily's song and connecting Bora to 'what will eat the world.' Both he and Hogan still have a connection open to the orphanage, where they can hear the children still singing Wassily's song--but are interrupted when the children exclaim about something weird outside. Epsilon realised the target is not him but the general and becomes alarmed, attempting to get the general and the others to evacuate, but he scoffs--then the safehouse is attacked by Pluto, obliterated in mere seconds. It is all Epsilon can do to grab Hogan and whisk them to safety (the general is vaporised before Epsilon's eyes.) As they race towards the orphanage, they can see the mountaintop has been blasted into the shape of two curved horns--Pluto's 'trademark.'

When they reach the orphanage, the window has already been shattered by the weird storm outside and Hogan uses his body to shield the children while Epsilon flies directly into the monstrous tornado. There is a brilliant flash, and robot parts rain from the sky as the storm dissipates. For a few brief seconds, there appears to be a second sun in the sky. It is not a second sun, however; it is Epsilon, who lands grimly in the grass outside as the children race out the door to meet him.

There is a brief gap in time during which the story focuses on Dr. Tenma and Dr. Ochanomizu and their attempts to resurrect Atom. Epsilon reappears at a U.N. hearing, where the members are attempting to get information about his fight with Pluto. It is revealed that while all the parts in the field were in fact from Pluto, they only came from his right arm. The tribunal repeatedly asks Epsilon if he actually defeated Pluto, to which Epsilon replied over and over, "I defeated my enemy." One man notes that robots cannot lie, but another demands that Epsilon tell them that he didn't allow his pacifism to stay his hand against Pluto. Epsilon finally says that "no matter how many times (he) has to fight him (Pluto), (he does) will never consider him an enemy."

While he is away, a man from the adoption agency brings a man claiming to be a wealthy businessman (but is actually Abullah) to visit the orphanage, which is being overseen by Ms. Griffith, the female human caretaker in Epsilon's absence. The suppposed Mr. Johansen expresses a desire to adopt a particular child, and mentions that he and his wife are childless. He explains he'd also like to make a sizeable donation to the orphanage. Ms. Griffith is hesitant, and the adoption agency man presses further, mentioning that there is, of course, no concern about her, as she is A. human and B. a licensed caretaker, but says "I'm sure you're quite aware of what people are saying," and questions whether a robot can truly be a parent to a child, asking whether it is truly in the children's best interests to be raised by a robot (a robot being no substitute for a reason person.) She relents, and Wassily (the fearful and largely nonverbal child from before) leaves with the man.

When Epsilon returns, he is glad to see the children, and gently rebuffs Ms. Griffith's admonishments to them that he may be tired. He notices in seconds that Wassily is missing, though; when the situation is explained, he becomes very upset and immediately suspects what has happened. No one is really happy about it, and Ms. Griffith miserably says she had no choice.

Epsilon calls upon Hogan, who informs him that the adopter's identity doesn't exist and that they're in Vigeland Castle, which is in Norway. Epsilon retrieves the combat vest that was issued to him during the 39th Central Asian conflict, noting that as a conscientious objector, he never used it. Hogan asks why he didn't finish Pluto off when he had the chance, but Epsilon refuses to answer. Hogan accompanies him, although Epsilon tells him to stay behind, saying he doesn't want to create any more victims. Hogan replies he's going to protect Wassily, and Epsilon remains silent, but doesn't stop him. When they arrive, it is night time, and Hogan questions whether Epsilon should wait for a time more favourable to him (i.e. when the sun is out), but Epsilon replies that he needs to rescue Wassily as soon as possible. Inside, Epsilon uses his ability to detect living things to pinpoint Wassily's location, and Hogan shoots the door off its hinges; then Pluto literally explodes the stone wall of the castle , using his powerful prehensile horns to seize Epsilon, who orders Hogan to rescue Wassily. Hogan tries to protest but Epsilon shouts at him to do it, then uses his own massive power to blast through the top of the castle, taking Pluto with him and destroying the castle in the process. (Hogan is briefly amazed by just how powerful Epsilon is, even in the middle of the night. Abullah, too, is shown to be awed by Epsilon's destructive display.)

Above the clouds, Epsilon notes he's starting to run low on power, saying "if it were only... dawn..."

Abullah shouts to Pluto that it's time to finish Epsilon off, and Hogan declares Wassily to be safe.

Then Pluto asks about the child. Epsilon, shocked, asks if he means Wassily--unbeknownst to Epsilon, Pluto directly disobeyed Dr. Abullah to shield Wassily from a blow by Abullah's cane. Epsilon responds by asking who the AI inside Pluto is, guessing (correctly) that it's a robot named Sahad (a detail largely irrelevant to this app, since I'm not apping Sahad.) Then he asks, desperately, who Abullah is, and what Bora is. The sun begins to rise, and Abullah orders Pluto to finish Epsilon off once more.

Instead, Pluto reaches out towards Epsilon... and says "Help... help... me...."

Despite cries from Hogan and Abullah to finish each other off, Pluto demands to know why Epsilon didn't finish him off in their prior fight. Epsilon, still bound, finally manages to reply that it was because the emotional wavelengths he felt from Pluto transmitted such grief. Pluto replies that Epsilon must finish him off now and uses the same weather-controlling capabilities to launch an assault on Epsilon, who responds with a burst of photon energy so intense that it begins to melt Pluto's horns--the same horns so powerful they could not be damaged by even Heracles' power.

And as they melt, we finally see Epsilon's anger.

Pluto encourages Epsilon to finish the job, to use his photon energy to vaporise him. Epsilon almost does--he almost succumbs to anger and hate like the others robots. But then he receives a transmission that overrides 'Pluto,' briefly, and morphs the AI into Sahad, who appears standing in his tulips with tears running down his face.

The spell of his hate is broken; in the end, his compassion is stronger than his hatred. Epsilon reaches out to Sahad, telling him they can search for his real body and that it's up to Sahad; he can end this. But Sahad, still crying, replies only "No. I can't." Then he says "He is coming..." Epsilon starts to ask who is coming, but the scene ends, and the clouds have covered the sun (thanks to Pluto's weather control.)

Wassily, recognising Pluto, begins to scream 'BORA!' And the weather, now roaring violently out of control (or rather, violently responding to Pluto's control), threatens to overwhelm both Wassily and Hogan. (This is where things sound weird.) In response, Epsilon's arms separate from his body, and using electromagnetic control, uses them to channel his photon energy and shield both Wassily and Hogan. Wassily calls up that Epsilon's hands are protecting them, and Epsilon smiles, glad for their safety.

Then he looks up.

And Pluto destroys him, severing his head from his body.

Epsilon's remaining consciousness produces a memory of all the children running towards him, and for a moment, he believes it is real. Then it inverts and he realises it is only a memory. "I thought I could really see them all and hug them again...to hug them all again.... wait... where are my arms...? Where is my body....? What has happened to me..?" (This last part is sometimes translated as "Where is myself....?")

As the miniscule parts of Epsilon's body begin to rain down over Wassily and Hogan, Epsilon is finally able to answer who Pluto is, who Abulla is, and what Bora is. He understands everything. Hogan covers Wassily's eyes, saying 'Epsilon has become light.' And then, strangely, Epsilon's still-floating hand turns palm-up, like he is reaching out. In his last moment of existence, he sends a message to them and the newly awakened Atom (who was awakened using Gesicht's memory chip and Gesicht's hate). "Someone.... someone must stand in my place.... to save Earth..."

And then his hand falls to the ground.

Wassily picks up Epsilon's severed hands, cradling them to his chest as Hogan stands and salutes Epsilon's remains, declaring that though he knows Epsilon was never after any kind of exoneration, Epsilon was no coward to refuse the draft... he was brave, and a true warrior.

Canon Personality: Quiet, gentle, and compassionate, Epsilon is not exactly what most people would expect when hearing about "the strongest robot in the world." An ultimate pacifist, Epsilon's incredible power is eclipsed only by his passive temperament and rigid doctrine of nonviolence. His refusal to participate in the 39th Central Asian Conflict was met with condemnation and derision, but he makes no apologies and openly maintains his beliefs about it, even years after the fact. He later declines to fight or even defend himself even after the other six of the "seven most powerful robots in the world" (the other six known robots of mass destruction) have been killed, alongside numerous humans related to certain of the war's events--a list of fatalities that includes his own creator. And though Dr. Newton-Howard's death causes him so much grief and pain that he fears he might lose self-control, when it comes to the use of lethal force... he simply can't. Whether it's through fear, an actual inability to do so, or an inability to bring himself to do so, Epsilon cannot and will not fight. It is only when the robot attacks the orphaned children he raises that he seems able or willing to exercise any force at all, and even then it's completely nonlethal--a single, decisive, nonfatal blow. He would much rather run than fight, 100% of the time.

The strongest robot in the world is a self-professed "coward."

Epsilon is not incapable of violence; far from it. The only robot in the world to utilise photon energy, he could very easily obliterate every organic and nonorganic thing in a vast radius if he so chose, with himself as the epicentre. He simply doesn't. He has no desire to, and in fact abjures any notion of it. In this, his beliefs--and his limitations--are ironclad. But his weakness is also a strength. Instead of being a fighter, Epsilon is a listener, an observer, a mediator, and a caretaker. The caretaker of a large collection of children, orphans of the 39th Central Asian Conflict, he prefers to spend his days with them, teaching, playing, and helping them grow.

Around these children, Epsilon is bright, open, even lively--a safe, supporting, nurturing presence with the gentle patience to nurse them through speechless terrors and the honesty and interest to laugh at a funny song or play a game of hide and seek. He's tolerant and understanding with them, but responsible--he may be a robot, but he is their adult, and he exercises this with a quiet authority when it's required. Still, his smile is genuine and his joy and love are a far cry from the lingering burden he sometimes seems to exhibit when in the company of adults or even other robots.

When Heracles was still alive, he and Epsilon have a conversation about the war, and the "hate" the evolved from it. Heracles tells Epsilon the story of a robot he knew and fought alongside who succumbed to the emotional and psychological toll--a toll too great even for an AI--and was found repetitively 'washing his hands' under a trickle of water from a broken pipe, repeating 'it won't come off.' Epsilon is horrified, but Heracles continues, saying he that Epsilon found something else from the war: love. Epsilon confirms it.

They are referring to the children.

All of the children Epsilon raises have been wounded, emotionally, psychologically, and sometimes even physically, by the war that Epsilon refused. Rather than spending his time objecting to the war that's passed, however, he chooses to spend his energy helping its young victims heal, giving them what he could not during the war itself: childhood, safety, love. Though he has help (at least two human women and one small robot are seen living in the orphanage), this is, literally, a labour of love: he asks nothing of the children, but values their friendship, their well-being, their happiness. In playing with, protecting, and caring for this small portion of the war's victims, Epsilon is not just healing the children--he is, indirectly, healing himself, whether he realises it or not.

But, as his canon tells us repeatedly, you cannot erase a wound once it's been inflicted, nor can the cycle of hatred be broken so easily. Is there such a thing as a world free of hate? Can the elimination of hatred truly be achieved? Or is such a solution impossible--no matter how necessary it might be?

Epsilon's death suggests that simple kindness, no matter how sincere, cannot be enough.

It's implied in canon that Epsilon's private nature stems in large part from the events surrounding the 19th Central Asian Conflict. Often, his demeanour outside of his interactions with the children could be described as "distant," "aloof," "solemn," "stoic," or occasionally just "sad." This may have more to do with the choices of the world around him than Epsilon himself, however--his gentility and compassion can make others' actions and beliefs hard to bear. As private as he is, Epsilon is often perceived as passive, and could even be considered a stoic in many capacities.

His canon is complicated and details a lot of political stuff relating to the war, its true causes, and the nature of humanity and "perfection" as it relates to A.I. Hate and sorrow are also addressed--but while he and many of the other six experience "hate," Epsilon never shows his, save near the very end. And in the end, his hatred is overpowered by his love, or compassion--and his ability to extend that compassion even to his supposed enemies.

It is, ultimately, what kills him.

Occasionally, Pluto approaches the question of how much of a robot is programmed and how much is experience.

As a robot, there is, at least theoretically, a real gulf between Epsilon and the human "experience." He will always lack the full emotional richness that humans have--an emotional 'downtone' or at least a functional restriction--and though it may often aid him, it also separates him.

But the humanity of emotion, the inability to truly 'dehumanise' or prevent them, and the consequences of those emotions are, ultimately, the real story of Pluto.

His relationship with his creator, Dr. Newton-Howard, is something of a mystery. Newton-Howard is mentioned only three times: first, Epsilon declares him dead. Later, he is seen attending the funeral, in the rain (but, strangely, sans umbrella.) The third mention is the briefest, but does give us a glimpse of what he looked like: a brief flashback to a meeting of the greatest scientific minds in the West, at least as far as robots are concerned (Dr. Hoffman, who created Gesicht; Dr. Newton-Howard, who created Epsilon; Dr. Ochanomizu, who created Uran; and Dr. Tenma, the 'father' of Atom), includes a single panel with Dr. Newton-Howard, but he has no speaking role, nor does it elaborate at all on the man's personality or intentions in creating Epsilon.

It's known that Dr. Newton-Howard is the inventor of photon energy, the incredible solar-based energy system that both gives Epsilon 'life' and which provides him with his immense power. But it's never explained why he gave such a powerful robot such a gentle nature--Epsilon's complete lack of combat programming is specifically mentioned on multiple occasions. Epsilon is not programmed to be able to fight. But is he also programmed to abhor fighting? It's never specified, but Epsilon's distress over Dr. Newton-Howard's death suggests that not only did he and his maker have an ongoing relationship, Dr. Newton-Howard had no overt problem with Epsilon's choice not to fight in the 39th Central Asian Conflict. Or at the very least, he did not condemn that choice strongly enough to cause a permanent rift, as the rift between Dr. Tenma and Atom. My personal theory is that Epsilon was meant to be an 'ambassador; Epsilon was, after all, the face of photon energy to the world, and therefore was intended to be kind and personable. His choice not to fight in a terrible war would certainly fall within the bounds of that intention, and therefore caused little friction between Epsilon and his maker (although it caused plenty of friction between Epsilon and the world.)

Obviously, there was a caring relationship between Epsilon and his maker, but it's difficult to say much past that. Most likely, their relationship fell somewhere along the lines of Dr. Hoffman's relationship with Gesicht. The typical creator-robot relationship seems to fall somewhere between the parent-child 'familial' relationship of Dr. Ochanomizu and Uran (and Atom) or Dr. Tenma and Atom (which later ruptured, as Dr. Tenma wanted Atom to be something he could never be) and the master-servitor 'creator' relationship between 'Dr. Abullah' and Sahad (as Pluto.) In all likelihood, Epsilon and Dr. Newton-Howard communicated regularly and saw each other periodically for 'check-ups' or just to talk over problems (functional and otherwise), but Epsilon had no obligation to 'serve' Dr. Newton-Howard and Dr. Newton-Howard never asked such obedience of his creation.

As for Epsilon's incredible, almost(?)human-like level of sophistication...

Well. If you wanted to present your greatest achievement to the world--

You get the idea.

That said, it's not immediately clear whether Epsilon can love, as humans love (though he cares, and is caring--Epsilon loves his children, but the nearness of this to human love is precarious and brought under serious scrutiny by the rest of the world.) He certainly does not rage, as humans rage (at least, so it would seem.) He does not grieve, as humans do (though he may experience loss.) His pain is not human pain. He understands human emotions, human pains, human joys--to a point, that is; he knows of them, he knows when they happen and understands them, in an objective way. This is not an issue--but for Epsilon, his "heart" is the heart of a robot, and though he pains for others, he cannot actually grieve for them as intensely as he may perhaps wish to. It is only at the end that the true depth--and limitation--of these emotions is made truly clear.

Epsilon, like many robots in his canon, possesses a striking degree of feeling that is both subtle and nebulous. There is an element of sadness and pain to Epsilon, concealed under his gentle exterior. But it is hidden, and he keeps it private--so much so that when his private emotions do find external expression, it's quite a surprise.

Interestingly, Epsilon can be much more direct and frank about his robotic nature than many of the other robots in canon, even those far less advanced. Even older models often choose to go through various motions of human life--for example, they may drink tea or eat human food to simulate the human experience and thus understand it better. Epsilon does not. Perhaps it is because of his programming or perhaps it is because of his children. Or perhaps it is simply a degree of self-awareness. Regardless, he has fulfilled his existence in a way that does not require a facsimile of humanity. He does not drink tea, does not eat human food, does not attempt to possess or understand feelings that he does not--he is content with what he has. Compared to certain other robots--Gesicht, Atom--Epsilon is relatively streamlined. Efficient in what his speciality is, but with some of the other aspects stripped down a bit; he definitely has an individuality and he certainly has personality, but it's not as intense--as obviously human--as the two mentioned.

Because of this, however, he can sometimes be a little too blunt, a little too "robot."

He does, however, have a dry sense of humour--occasionally he can be almost sassy, in an understated way.

It'll sneak up on you.

Personality Shifts: Epsilon's personality hasn't shifted much, despite the length of his stay in Ryslig; much of this has to do with his original limitations as a robot. Some of it is just that, frankly, Epsilon was pushed very far in canon and much of Ryslig was the same sort of terrible patterns he'd seen back home, but in monster clothing.

The two main changes that have grown in him are a capacity for certain emotions (possibly love?) and an increased tendency towards acts of violence out of anger, which occurred a couple of times during the course of the game. The first time was a loss of control when he and Henry Townsend (another Nymph who was mentoring him) came upon Edward Elric destroying a section of woods, but that time, his pacifist nature prevailed over his Nymph Rage.

The second time, unfortunately, he came across Ed again, shortly after an event had temporarily transformed him into a much more volatile troll.

This time, Ed did not survive.

He perceives this mostly as a manifestation of the "hate" that plagues Gesicht and so possessed Sahad/Pluto, and it troubles him deeply.

As a deeply private person (or robot), he didn't grow terribly close to many while in Ryslig, though he was polite and often friendly to just about anyone he didn't see as warmongering. (He was polite to most of the warmongering monsters anyway, really.) Instead, he sort of... adopted... trees as a substitute for robots. He feels much the same way about them as he does robots in his canon, and is much more comfortable in forested seclusion than he is in a human (or monster)-dominated space. He sees them as alive and exploited for human use, and possessing lives with value that is separate from that--but is also aware that the power here is in human hands.

This particular affinity for trees did put a strain on one of the few close bonds he formed. Ginko (who is in Lifeaftr) is a close friend of his--maybe his only real friend who wasn't either Henry or Norman (who was attempting to manipulate Epsilon for his own gains anyway.) He and Ginko have similar morals and a similar sense of humour and a similar... well, truth be told, they're very compatible, and at the point of game departure, at least one of them was beginning to have feelings for the other.

Epsilon remains oblivious to this; however; he would count Ginko as one of the only people he knows whom he would categorically trust with another person's life.

Then again, the other one is Norman, so sometimes Epsilon still isn't the best at this?

NOTE: He briefly appeared at LifeAftr and stuck around for about a month, during which he did not socialise very much, but he did meet Mickey Mouse. He was also set on fire by Tim, with fatal consequences. He holds no hard feelings over this, and is mostly sorry for scaring Tim the way he did.

NOTE 2: Epsilon returned again for a few months, during which time he made a few more friends and finally started dating Ginko after following him up into the mountains and cornering him into a conversation about his feelings. It was much more wholesome than that description implies.

Abilities: Epsilon's original powers were basically all part of being a robot and using photon energy. As of now, his only powers are those typical to being a nymph in Ryslig--the ability to feed through extendable roots which serve as his feet, the presence of (in Epsilon's case, very powerful) grasping vines he can use to subdue prey, an extra monstrous form present under fog and other conditions, the ability to grow commune with plants and grow flowers out of his body (some of which may be medicinal), and so on.

He is still exceedingly vulnerable to the presence of sunlight as a mitigating factor to his ability to stay alive, and as an added drawback, must now also consider things like temperature, which previously didn't matter.

NOTE 3: Epsilon also bought back a portion of his photon powers from the Storyteller last time he was in LifeAftr.

Inventory: His various items from last time.

Sample (Previous Q&A)

If you could give up all emotions, both good and bad, would you? There really isn't a choice at all. Humans originally created robots without emotions, you see. But as AI grew more advanced, the existence of a thinking machine without them started to cause trouble. Very simple AI machines still wouldn't have or need them, but even very old models are programmed to simulate basic emotions in a limited fashion. [He offers a wan smile.]

Would you rather hurt someone physically to spare them emotional pain, or hurt them emotionally to spare them physical pain? This is a terrible question! Hypothetical or not, there are things you cannot heal--only live with. I might amputate someone's arm to save a life, but I would still be sorry to have done it. Physical pains leave emotional wounds as well. And emotional wounds, even small ones, take time and care to heal, if they can be healed at all.

How do you think you measure up compared to your peers? My... peers? I... don't think I have any.

Not any more.

Is it difficult for you to get along with people? Why or why not? I 'get along' just fine. At least face-to-face. Even when I make myself unpopular, I'm inoffensive enough that I don't tend to motivate retribution. [He sounds...faintly bitter? But it's followed by a faint smile.] I know because I'm good at making myself unpopular. Not by choice, of course. I try not to regret what I've done... my programming is gracious in that regard.

Could you take a life if it was necessary? If so, what would “necessary” be defined as to you? I don't want to answer this question. I'm sorry, but you'll have to ask something else.

What’s your favorite kind of weather, and why? I'm... a plant. And I've always needed the sun, even as a robot. So I'm inevitably partial to clear skies and bright sunlight. But the weather isn't for my benefit alone. I would have plenty of sunlight in a scorching desert, but if the people who live there struggle with the heat, it will be cause for celebration when it rains.

Actually, now that I think about it, I may need the rain now, too.