15 Characters Meme - Answers

[pedanther]

The characters:

1. David Audley (espionage novels by Anthony Price)
2. DS Cambridge (Pie in the Sky)
3. Chrestomanci (Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones)
4. The Seventh Doctor (Doctor Who)
5. Dr Dinosaur (Atomic Robo)
6. Harley Quinn (Batman)
7. Jamie McCrimmon (Doctor Who)
8. Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart (Remembrance of the Daleks by Ben Aaronovitch)
9. Kermit the Frog (The Muppet Show)
10. The Librarian (Discworld series by Terry Pratchett)
11. Margaret, Lord Lynn (Hellspark by Janet Kagan)
12. Miss Parker (The Pretender)
13. Daav yos'Phelium (Liaden Universe series by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller)
14. Samantha Stewart (Foyle's War)
15. Batman (Batman)


From daibhid_c:

[The Seventh Doctor] and [Miss Parker] are working as charity canvassers. What's their cause, and does [Kermit the Frog] cross the road to avoid them?

I can't really see Miss Parker doing charity canvassing, but I guess she might do it in support of children who've lost their families, which is the only charitable issue I can recall her ever having shown much interest in. The Doctor, well, it doesn't much matter what cause he claims to be working for, because he's really working for his own secretive purposes as usual.

Kermit wouldn't go out of his way to avoid charity canvassers, even if all he has to give them is an apology for the fact that he can't spare any money from the latest desperate effort to keep the Muppet Theatre afloat. Depending on how things are going, he might even offer to organize a charity show.


How would [Chrestomanci] and [the Librarian] react to meeting each others' evil twins?

Chrestomanci would react to meeting an orang-utan's evil twin with that elegant bemusement he does so well that usually means somebody's about to be in very deep trouble.

That said, I find I don't believe orang-utans have evil twins; yet another of the reasons the Librarian's happier as an ape than he was as a human.

Chrestomanci might not have an evil twin either; he's canonically an only child, and furthermore, while his series features alternate universes, it's a major plot point that he doesn't have doppelgangers, evil or otherwise, in any of them.

Stipulating, for the sake of discussion, an evil enchanter in a magnificent dressing gown, the Librarian's first reaction would be to update his mental list of "weirdest things I've ever seen" (probably well below the giant flickering woman being buzzed by wizards on broomsticks, even if it's a particularly magnificent dressing gown). Given that the most likely place for this meeting to occur is in the Library, where the evil enchanter is attempting to steal some arcane tome, his second reaction would probably be to start re-enacting the the old proverb that even the most powerful magic user will find his style crimped by having an orang-utan sitting on his shoulders trying to twist his head off.


[Jamie McCrimmon] is captured by evil aliens and can send a message to any two of the others to help. Who does he choose?

It seems inescapable that the two on this list most likely to answer a call for help from Jamie are the Seventh Doctor and Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart, though in that case I suspect that the message was really addressed to the Second Doctor and the Brigadier.


From seawasp

Which one would you most want to see as a companion of The Doctor? (exclude The Doctor and any actual companions on your list, if any)

Sophia Cambridge. I like her, and she's demonstrated a variety of skills useful to a companion, including that evergreen favourite Running Very Fast, a strong moral sense, a grasp of the difference between Doing The Right Thing and Following The Rules, and an ability to prosper in the company of an eccentric hero. (I don't think I'm being unduly swayed by the knowledge that said eccentric hero was played by an actor who's nearly been the Doctor twice, but that doesn't hurt.)

Several others who would have been good, or at least interesting, companion material rule themselves out because they have duties or family ties they wouldn't abandon. (Daav, of course, has both.) Then there's the people who'd chafe at being the Watson when they're usually the Sherlock. (Audley would take to being a companion about as well as Sherlock himself did in All-Consuming Fire, and for pretty much the same reasons.) And then, of course, some of these people are villains. (Though come to think of it, a team-up between Dr Dinosaur and the Doctor could be hilarious -- not to mention the scene where Dr Dinosaur tries to tell Robo about it afterward and Robo refuses to believe a word.)


Are any of these characters Lensman grade?

It's been too long since I've read the Lensman books; I don't remember what the criteria are. I suspect, though, that the answer is "no". Batman's been offered a Green Lantern ring a couple times, for what it's worth.


[Batman], [Miss Parker], [Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart], [Harley Quinn], and [Chrestomanci] are chosen by fate and a sadistic author to become the next heroic Five-team. Which one gets which of the modern five elements (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit?)

Miss Parker is hot-tempered and a chain-smoker, so she's Fire. (This is about the right level of profundity for a Five-Team justification, yesno?)

Chrestomanci feels like Air to me, though I'm not sure I could say why.

Batman, earth.

Harley, water.

Kadiatu, spirit.


From john_elliott

[Margaret, Lord Lynn] and [DS Cambridge] have to find the cure for a virulent, hitherto unknown plague. Can they do it in time?

By themselves? Probably not. Neither of them have any particular medical ability or training. Maggy's databanks are extensive, but they're the library of a lay generalist and probably don't have any specialist medical texts.

If Maggy's allowed the opportunity to share the problem with others, I have a feeling it might be managed. Tocohl has a way of getting things done, and their circle of friends includes at least two doctors (one of whom is also an Yn shaman, which might be handy when they get beyond the medical literature) -- not to mention the serendipitist, an asset to any solution-seeking endeavour.


A valuable McGuffin has to be delivered. [Dr Dinosaur] has agreed to do it; [Daav yos'Phelium] and [Samantha Stewart] are trying to stop him. Who succeeds, and why?

Daav would, even on his own. Sam's a dependable assistant, and only increases the certainty of success.

(Interesting, by the way, that we ended up with a villain trying to deliver the McGuffin and two heroes trying to prevent the delivery. Presumably this is an evil McGuffin, or at least a very naughty one.)


From battblush

[David Audley] is chosen to go undercover at a WPT poker event. They are sitting next to Phil Helmuth. What exchange do they make?

Audley doesn't get chosen to go undercover. He's a desk man; he's got field agents to go undercover for him. On the other hand, he does occasionally go and do field work off his own bat when he doesn't feel he can trust anybody else with the task (or when assigning the task would mean explaining something that he wants to keep as his own secret for the time being). On the gripping hand, I can't see how any of his usual interests could be served by playing poker. For that matter... for all that he has a formidable poker face and loves to play his cards close to his chest, I don't think he actually plays poker. Chess is more his line.