Foxfire originally came out of a Palladium Heroes Unlimited/Ninjas and Superspies/TMNT campaign run by a friend of mine my freshman year in college (1993-94, for those curious) entitled "Of Gods and Men." That campaign lives on in infamy in certain circles...but I digress. The character started out as a mutant fox from one of Earth's fledgling orbital colonies, the closest thing the team had to a hacker/decker. Much of her original devil-may-care attitude and irreverence came from this, though during the course of the campaign she grew to care about her group and about the world they were trying to save. Sound familiar?
When changing her to fit into the Altered Dimensions universe, I kept many of her core personality traits and some elements of her history. The greatest change I made to her was less emphasis on her computer prowess (although she can still code with the best of them) and greater emphasis on her psionic talents. The Palladium incarnation had her with minor telepathic and ESP abilities, but the AD incarnation has a wider range of ability and more power to back it up. Foxfire's background as played on Altered Dimensions 3 can be found here.
Foxfire has mellowed over the decades. She still has a temper, but she's learned to keep it in check most of the time. Friendship comes more easily to her, but trust is still difficult for her to extend. She's made peace with her past, though it still influences her decisions, particularly when it comes to freedom and equality for all races. She also still has the habit of speaking her mind, whether anyone wants to hear it or not. Patience is something she has slowly learned, though when she's lost in the moment, her patience goes out the window.
In playing Foxfire, I've tried to make it evident that she is more than just a human with fur and teeth. While she does have a smattering of human DNA, she is still mostly fox. Her mind on some levels is more primitive than the average human, and she carries many of the instincts and perceptions of her vulpine ancestors. There are times that she can act very human, but many times she does not (and could not) react the way a human would to a certain situation.
Many concepts understood by humans are difficult for Foxfire to grasp, particularly time. She can differentiate between past, present, and future, and she could tell you a sequence of events in order, but she would be hard-pressed to say exactly when something had happened or would happen. For example, she could tell you of the years she and Evil were married and give a vague idea of when they were married ("many years ago, before you were born"), but she could not tell you how long they were married or precisely how long ago that Evil disappeared. She takes note of the seasons, but the concept of years is little more than an abstraction for her. The fact that she is now practically immortal has compounded this, and now she could hardly tell you how old she is.
Foxfire for the most part lives her life in the moment. This should not be confused with living for the moment. What I mean by this is that what is happening Right Now, at this very moment, is all that matters to her. For those who are familiar with Elfquest by Wendy and Richard Pini, it is much like the Now of Wolf-Thought. She rarely dwells on the past unless necessary, and does not concern herself overly with the future. This gives her a certain clarity of thought at the cost of foresight. It is a double-edged sword at times, giving her the ability to concentrate on the matter at hand to the exclusion of all other thoughts, yet making her easily distracted if confronted with a new subject.
Foxfire's foxish instincts give her a rather different view of the world than that of the average human. In her mind, the world is divided into skulk/pack (family or clan), friends, non-threats, and threats. Those around her can easily be moved from one category to another, particularly between threats and non-threats. This has lead to some pretty bizarre actions (at least by human perspective) on her part. She considers Zero one of her dearest friends, yet she has crossed swords with him twice when his actions threatened the people she has been charged to protect. She fought Niac nearly to the death to defend Aria, yet she let him go free after he confessed that he had no interest in further conflict. She knows Forte is alive, but since he has left Altered, she has no interest in pursuing him. Although she despises Ahren for the centuries of torture she suffered at his hands, is content for his spirit to be trapped in a soul bottle because it means he can cause no more she harm. In essence, she will fight to protect Altered, but only until the threat has passed. The moment that person or group is no longer a threat, she will cease fighting. Revenge has no meaning for her.
Foxfire is also incredibly loyal, almost to a fault. She lives for Zeus and for Altered, and would do anything for them. The same goes for those she considers her family and friends, but her duties as a Wizard always come first. This has caused conflict on more on one occasion, especially when the actions of the people she loves threaten that which she has sworn to protect (see above).
While it would be nigh impossible for me to post every single log that has involved Foxfire over the years (and I'd bore you to tears if I did), you can find some of my favorite scenes below.
9/14/00 - Foxfire defends her friend Aria from her father. Part of the Order/Chaos story arc.
2/5/01 - It begins with philosophy and ends in battle. Also part of the Oder/Chaos story arc.
2/26/01 - This one takes a little explaining. MegaMan X4, AD3 style. Remember the second battle with Colonel? Foxfire takes his place, and kicks butt.
4/6/01 - Foxfire reveals her distant past to her good friends. An epilogue to the MMX4 plot.
9/8/02 - I'm not sure even how to explain this one. Megumi deserves an award for this scene.
Foxfire, as drawn by my friend Charlotte.
Back to the closet