Basic Information
Name:
Virgil Starling
Gender:
Male
Age:
40
Height:
5'7
Weight:
167 lbs
Home District:
Glenderry, Washington
Appearance
Hair Color:
Bald
Eye Color:
Red
Ethnicity:
Caucasian
Physical Appearance:
Of the world's metahumans, though there are many classifications and subclassifications, it is widely agreed there are two distinct groups; Those who carry abilities with them to be used and shown at their discretion, and those who announce their extraordinary genetic makeup to the world with every waking moment. Of the two, Virgil is firmly in the latter category. Most obviously, he resembles a lizard, or perhaps some sort of bipedal dinosaur. He has reptilian scales, reptilian eyes, and if he were to be cut open, pseudo-reptilian biology. The scales on his underbelly are a muted sage green, whereas his tougher, more protruding scales are a darker forest green.
Personality
Innate & Outward Personality:
Virgil was a quintessential bookworm as a child, who has grown into a deeply troubled adult as a result of his father's celebrity. Even before his isolation on Ayodhya, he was a shy, quiet boy who avoided the limelight whenever possible, preferring to read and study rather than accompany his father to press conferences and similar ordeals. Due to his fame and physical appearance, socialization has always been difficult for Virgil, with his social skills and knowledge of contemporary culture dulling even further after nearly two decades of isolation. The few interviews from those who have known him before his disappearance describe him as a mild-mannered, closed-off introvert.
From a more psychological perspective, Virgil's personality is a fairly predictable result of his upbringing -- He was receiving death threats and declarations of love since he was too young to read them, which heavily affected his view of humans, causing him to believe that there are essentially two camps of humanity; The card-senders who have enthusiastic, if often misguided support for his kind, and those who have no qualms mailing a metahuman child a letter dusted in anthrax. He does not hate humans by any means, though he definitely views them as a threat worthy of fear. To Virgil, a person whose identity is that of a metahuman, pragmatic loner, and a man of science, the solution to this looming threat has been to pour himself into his research as far from society as possible.
From a more psychological perspective, Virgil's personality is a fairly predictable result of his upbringing -- He was receiving death threats and declarations of love since he was too young to read them, which heavily affected his view of humans, causing him to believe that there are essentially two camps of humanity; The card-senders who have enthusiastic, if often misguided support for his kind, and those who have no qualms mailing a metahuman child a letter dusted in anthrax. He does not hate humans by any means, though he definitely views them as a threat worthy of fear. To Virgil, a person whose identity is that of a metahuman, pragmatic loner, and a man of science, the solution to this looming threat has been to pour himself into his research as far from society as possible.
Skills/Talents:
Virgil enrolled in college at sixteen and exiled himself to a life of studying and research at the age of twenty two. He is a scientific prodigy of a high calibre, who could easily be considered one of the most intelligent non-cerebral metahumans alive.
Goals/Motivation
Simply put, Virgil's goal is to safeguard the existence of metahumans in a world he believes grows closer to exterminating them by the day. His motivations for this center mostly on a consistent view of humans from early childhood -- that they see metahumans with pity at best and hatred at worst -- as well as a subconscious desire to be remembered for something other than his father's television show.
History/Bio:
Virgil Starling was born in 1985 to Julius Starling and Susanne Spraier, a secretary at Starling Enterprises. Due to the abnormalities of his physical shape in relation to a human newborn, such as the spiky ridges and scales covering his body, his mother died from the complications of childbirth, leaving Virgil's care in the hands of Julius. Even during infancy, Virgil's childhood was mostly spent in Ayodhya, his father's forested compound, working on the set of Julius Starling's World of Science.
Though his role on the show was relatively small -- Virgil played one of the several children Julius interacted with in his lessons -- Julius's choice to have his very metahuman-looking son on a children's show created a firestorm of controversy from the show's inception. Some argued casual depictions of metahumans could bridge the gap between the two peoples, while others believed Julius to be forcing an agenda through his show. Others entirely simply argued Virgil's appearance frightened their children, and that Julius' inclusion of a physically aberrant metahuman was in poor taste. In any case, Virgil remained on World of Science until he was sixteen, at which point he enrolled at the Carrington University of Idaho.
Eager to break out of his life as a child actor, Virgil began studying biochemistry, eventually taking classes seeking to earn a double major in biochemistry and molecular biology. Before Virgil was able to finish this degree, his father was found mysteriously dead in Ayodhya, catapulting Virgil into the spotlight once again. Being an anxious teenager known for fainting, this did little to help Virgil's mental state -- Three years after his death, at a press conference held for a team of scientists Virgil had been working with to cure leukodystrophy, Virgil had a televised breakdown, known colloquially as the "Shut Up Speech".
Though there is only one video, which has widely circulated the internet since then, Virgil's mood visibly changes throughout the course of the video when it becomes clear that all of the questions asked are about the recent firing of a Starling Science executive. Near the end of the video, Virgil clears the table of the papers and diagrams covering it before flipping the table entirely, attacking a reporter, destroying the recording camera, and storming out of the room shouting profanities. The video has been modified and remixed on Youtube and similar mediums extensively, essentially making Virgil's breakdown a footnote in memes of the mid-2000's.
Following the incident, Virgil quietly paid a settlement to the reporter and moved to his father's secluded forest estate in Washington, which had served as the setting of his late father's show and housed his childhood home. It is suspected that Virgil shares the estate with groundskeepers, though other than them, Virgil has only ever made contact with the outside world through phone calls at Starling Science press conferences.
Though his role on the show was relatively small -- Virgil played one of the several children Julius interacted with in his lessons -- Julius's choice to have his very metahuman-looking son on a children's show created a firestorm of controversy from the show's inception. Some argued casual depictions of metahumans could bridge the gap between the two peoples, while others believed Julius to be forcing an agenda through his show. Others entirely simply argued Virgil's appearance frightened their children, and that Julius' inclusion of a physically aberrant metahuman was in poor taste. In any case, Virgil remained on World of Science until he was sixteen, at which point he enrolled at the Carrington University of Idaho.
Eager to break out of his life as a child actor, Virgil began studying biochemistry, eventually taking classes seeking to earn a double major in biochemistry and molecular biology. Before Virgil was able to finish this degree, his father was found mysteriously dead in Ayodhya, catapulting Virgil into the spotlight once again. Being an anxious teenager known for fainting, this did little to help Virgil's mental state -- Three years after his death, at a press conference held for a team of scientists Virgil had been working with to cure leukodystrophy, Virgil had a televised breakdown, known colloquially as the "Shut Up Speech".
Though there is only one video, which has widely circulated the internet since then, Virgil's mood visibly changes throughout the course of the video when it becomes clear that all of the questions asked are about the recent firing of a Starling Science executive. Near the end of the video, Virgil clears the table of the papers and diagrams covering it before flipping the table entirely, attacking a reporter, destroying the recording camera, and storming out of the room shouting profanities. The video has been modified and remixed on Youtube and similar mediums extensively, essentially making Virgil's breakdown a footnote in memes of the mid-2000's.
Following the incident, Virgil quietly paid a settlement to the reporter and moved to his father's secluded forest estate in Washington, which had served as the setting of his late father's show and housed his childhood home. It is suspected that Virgil shares the estate with groundskeepers, though other than them, Virgil has only ever made contact with the outside world through phone calls at Starling Science press conferences.
Relationships
Family:
Julius Starling (Deceased)
Abilities
Power Class:
Super-System (Bestial)
Power:
Reptilian Biology
Weaknesses/Drawbacks:
Due to Virgil's physical inability to regulate his internal temperature, Virgil's energy slides with the scale of the weather, making him sluggish in particularly cold weather and hyperactive in particularly hot weather. Other than that, Virgil is essentially a fork-tongued man in his early fourties covered in scales.
Other:
Likened to a cross between Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, and Carl Sagan, Julius Starling was the host of Julius Starling's World of Science in the eighties and nineties, an extremely popular children's program funded out of his own pocket. On the show, Julius taught science -- particularly engineering -- to a group of ethnically diverse children alongside his metahuman son Virgil, in an amusement park-like compound in the forests of Washington. At the time, having his metahuman son on the show was an extremely controversial move on Julius's part, which many believed to be a political choice.
Julius Starling has been seen throughout history as one of the most skilled salesmen of his age by marketing his image. On and off the show, Julius was only ever seen in the same blue suit with a permanently unkempt gray beard and long gray hair, making him an instantly recognizable pop culture icon with an image synonymous with his work. Aside from his show, Julius was known for being the CEO and founder of Starling Science, a high-end company that supplied the world -- though mostly Germany and Japan -- with some of the highest grade machinery, hardware, and robotics available at the time.
Aside from the durability and technological advancements Starling Science products held over most competitors, the company was known for its branding much in the same way that Julius was. The company's logo, a black outline of a bird's head on a blue shield, is front-and-center on all of their products, which are all painted Starling Blue, a specific shade of cyan Julius had copyrighted at the company's conception. All of the robots on his show displayed the infamous logo on their chests, and though his son was the only member of the children to wear a Starling Blue shirt, the rest wore solid color shirts with the company's logo. Even today in the advertising world, calling an ad pitch "Starlingesque" implies that it is too heavy-handed with its approach. Julius's philanthropy has also played a part in making Starling a household name, as most major robotics and engineering universities often use equipment donated by Starling Science.
Julius died in the early 2000's, though very little information was ever made public about his death other than his body having been recognizable only by dental records, and that he had Parkinson's Disease at the time of his death. His funeral was a televised event that made national headlines, drawing a crowd numbering into the thousands. Since then, edits to his Wikipedia page and all similar sources have been locked by order of Virgil Starling's legal team, drawing greater suspicion from conspiracy theorists and the general public alike. Aside from the suspicions surrounding his death, Julius Starling is the subject of several drug-laden conspiracies.
Julius Starling's FBI record shows a strong possibility that during the height of his fame, Julius either sold or consumed massive amounts of Lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD. His connections as a celebrity scientist allowed him to purchase large quantities of controlled chemicals with little suspicion -- most notably, the chemical components diethylamine, ergotamine, and ergot fungus, all of which are found in many psychedelics. Near the end of his life, there are strong suspicions that Julius was dosing monkeys with acid as part of a closed research project.
Julius Starling has been seen throughout history as one of the most skilled salesmen of his age by marketing his image. On and off the show, Julius was only ever seen in the same blue suit with a permanently unkempt gray beard and long gray hair, making him an instantly recognizable pop culture icon with an image synonymous with his work. Aside from his show, Julius was known for being the CEO and founder of Starling Science, a high-end company that supplied the world -- though mostly Germany and Japan -- with some of the highest grade machinery, hardware, and robotics available at the time.
Aside from the durability and technological advancements Starling Science products held over most competitors, the company was known for its branding much in the same way that Julius was. The company's logo, a black outline of a bird's head on a blue shield, is front-and-center on all of their products, which are all painted Starling Blue, a specific shade of cyan Julius had copyrighted at the company's conception. All of the robots on his show displayed the infamous logo on their chests, and though his son was the only member of the children to wear a Starling Blue shirt, the rest wore solid color shirts with the company's logo. Even today in the advertising world, calling an ad pitch "Starlingesque" implies that it is too heavy-handed with its approach. Julius's philanthropy has also played a part in making Starling a household name, as most major robotics and engineering universities often use equipment donated by Starling Science.
Julius died in the early 2000's, though very little information was ever made public about his death other than his body having been recognizable only by dental records, and that he had Parkinson's Disease at the time of his death. His funeral was a televised event that made national headlines, drawing a crowd numbering into the thousands. Since then, edits to his Wikipedia page and all similar sources have been locked by order of Virgil Starling's legal team, drawing greater suspicion from conspiracy theorists and the general public alike. Aside from the suspicions surrounding his death, Julius Starling is the subject of several drug-laden conspiracies.
Julius Starling's FBI record shows a strong possibility that during the height of his fame, Julius either sold or consumed massive amounts of Lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD. His connections as a celebrity scientist allowed him to purchase large quantities of controlled chemicals with little suspicion -- most notably, the chemical components diethylamine, ergotamine, and ergot fungus, all of which are found in many psychedelics. Near the end of his life, there are strong suspicions that Julius was dosing monkeys with acid as part of a closed research project.
1967 - Starling Science is founded in Eugene, Maine. Julius Starling makes a fortune primarily doing business with Germany and Japan, which are still reeling from the effects of WWII. Starling Science begins primarily selling industrial equipment, weaponry, and high-grade scientific equipment for government use overseas. Julius copyrights Starling Blue, and has all Starling products painted with it -- this use of branding quickly makes Starling Science a recognizable brand and household name. Starling Science's sole competitor, New York-based Global Technologies, runs a smear campaign against Starling Science for supplying two former Nazi-led countries with weapons and high grade technology. This lasts only a month, as the CEO's incarceration for a long-standing tax fraud investigation causes stock in Global Technologies to plummet.
1972 - Julius Starling is taken into custody and questioned in connection to a drug-trafficking investigation. The following day, Starling Science makes national headlines for vowing to cease all weapons development, turning the limelight from Julius's criminal charges to his philanthropy. Julius quietly returns to the public eye weeks later, with a clean criminal record, releasing F.O.T.O, the world's first personal robot, capable of walking, taking polaroid pictures, and playing cassette tapes. Though only three are ever made and sold to wealthy buyers as collectibles, Starling Science cements itself as the first personal robotics company.
1976 - Julius Starling purchases Pamben Forest, a private nature reserve in Washington, renaming it Ayodhya, after the realm the Hindu god Rama supposedly lived in. After building a substantial amusement-park compound, Julius begins developing new robotic prototype models. It is suspected Julius chose Eden for its private location, far from the society and the federal agents eager to see behind Julius's closed doors, as well as for the eye-catching backdrop it would later create for the setting of his show. It is also suspected that Julius began manufacturing LSD in Ayodhya, selling it through one of the state's many ports.
1980 - Julius Starling's World of Science is released on PBS. Several robotic prototypes are featured on the show, making it an immediate success and a precursor for the nation's upcoming decade-long obsession with technology. Starling Science experiences a 600% increase in sales with the launch of "B.U.D.D.Y", a personal robot capable of sweeping, playing chess, answering math problems, and reminding users of calendar dates. Though it is generally inefficient at sweeping and is the most expensive toy of the year, B.U.D.D.Y receives overwhelmingly positive reviews.
1985 - Virgil Starling is born, making frequent appearances on World of Science as "The Baby" and later by his own name. This was controversial at the time, inciting a national debate on whether children's media should contain metahumans. In the same vein as Macaulay Culkin and Ralph Macchio, Virgil Starling is seen as one of the decade's iconic one-role child actors.
1993 - Virgil is named "Child Prodigy of The Year" by L.R Magazine. Julius is diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, though it is kept private until his death. Starling Science releases "P.I.P.E.R", a personal robot capable of answering up to 300 questions, playing the flute, and feeding pets. Though Starling Science is still considered a luxury technology brand, "M.I.N.R", an automated drilling machine, is released this year as well.
1999 - Julius Starling's World of Science ends. Julius begins work on a serum designed to treat his Parkinson's Disease, garnering some controversy for the number of rhesus monkeys seen by helicopters being tested on in Ayodhya, which number well into the thousands. Little information is given about Julius's condition other than World of Science ending due to Julius's health complications, as well as research and testing being done on Ayodhya for Julius's unnamed condition.
2001 - Ayodhya is raided twice, though no drugs are ever found. According to his seized notes, Julius discovers a "breakthrough" in his testing. Inspired by his father's condition, Virgil enrolls at The Carrington University, majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. At 16, he is the youngest in his class -- his status as a celebrity, a young prodigy and a metahuman make transitioning difficult, and he is seldom seen at Starling Science conferences or other public appearances.
2003 - Julius Starling is found dead in Ayodhya, identifiable only by his dental records. Starling Science attornies stop the spread of most information, though it becomes public knowledge that Julius's corpse was moved post-mortem and had been burned severely. Control of Starling Science and its subsidiaries, Julius's fortune, and ownership of Ayodhya are all given to Julius's sole beneficiary, Virgil.
2004 - Virgil joins Carrington University's ongoing leukodystrophy research team, having all but abandoned public appearances with Starling Science. Additionally, Virgil begins transferring company control to several board members. It is made public by a Starling Science executive that Julius Starling suffered from Huntington's, causing a spike in Starling profits for the fiscal quarter.
2006 - Virgil has a public meltdown known as the "Shut Up Speech". Shortly thereafter, he moves to Eden, breaking off all relationships and leaving the public eye.
2015 - After trackers placed on personal vehicles of suspected members of the Hands of Science show frequent movement to and from Ayodhya, Virgil Starling is one of many scientists put on a NEST watchlist.
2021 - NEST investigations link Virgil Starling to financially backing several members of the Hands of Science through substantial donations, and though the legal nature of this keeps him from being questioned, he is placed under additional scrutiny. After NEST begins surveying the forests of Washington via helicopters, Starling Science purchases the air space above and around Ayodhya, supposedly for testing aircrafts.
1972 - Julius Starling is taken into custody and questioned in connection to a drug-trafficking investigation. The following day, Starling Science makes national headlines for vowing to cease all weapons development, turning the limelight from Julius's criminal charges to his philanthropy. Julius quietly returns to the public eye weeks later, with a clean criminal record, releasing F.O.T.O, the world's first personal robot, capable of walking, taking polaroid pictures, and playing cassette tapes. Though only three are ever made and sold to wealthy buyers as collectibles, Starling Science cements itself as the first personal robotics company.
1976 - Julius Starling purchases Pamben Forest, a private nature reserve in Washington, renaming it Ayodhya, after the realm the Hindu god Rama supposedly lived in. After building a substantial amusement-park compound, Julius begins developing new robotic prototype models. It is suspected Julius chose Eden for its private location, far from the society and the federal agents eager to see behind Julius's closed doors, as well as for the eye-catching backdrop it would later create for the setting of his show. It is also suspected that Julius began manufacturing LSD in Ayodhya, selling it through one of the state's many ports.
1980 - Julius Starling's World of Science is released on PBS. Several robotic prototypes are featured on the show, making it an immediate success and a precursor for the nation's upcoming decade-long obsession with technology. Starling Science experiences a 600% increase in sales with the launch of "B.U.D.D.Y", a personal robot capable of sweeping, playing chess, answering math problems, and reminding users of calendar dates. Though it is generally inefficient at sweeping and is the most expensive toy of the year, B.U.D.D.Y receives overwhelmingly positive reviews.
1985 - Virgil Starling is born, making frequent appearances on World of Science as "The Baby" and later by his own name. This was controversial at the time, inciting a national debate on whether children's media should contain metahumans. In the same vein as Macaulay Culkin and Ralph Macchio, Virgil Starling is seen as one of the decade's iconic one-role child actors.
1993 - Virgil is named "Child Prodigy of The Year" by L.R Magazine. Julius is diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, though it is kept private until his death. Starling Science releases "P.I.P.E.R", a personal robot capable of answering up to 300 questions, playing the flute, and feeding pets. Though Starling Science is still considered a luxury technology brand, "M.I.N.R", an automated drilling machine, is released this year as well.
1999 - Julius Starling's World of Science ends. Julius begins work on a serum designed to treat his Parkinson's Disease, garnering some controversy for the number of rhesus monkeys seen by helicopters being tested on in Ayodhya, which number well into the thousands. Little information is given about Julius's condition other than World of Science ending due to Julius's health complications, as well as research and testing being done on Ayodhya for Julius's unnamed condition.
2001 - Ayodhya is raided twice, though no drugs are ever found. According to his seized notes, Julius discovers a "breakthrough" in his testing. Inspired by his father's condition, Virgil enrolls at The Carrington University, majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. At 16, he is the youngest in his class -- his status as a celebrity, a young prodigy and a metahuman make transitioning difficult, and he is seldom seen at Starling Science conferences or other public appearances.
2003 - Julius Starling is found dead in Ayodhya, identifiable only by his dental records. Starling Science attornies stop the spread of most information, though it becomes public knowledge that Julius's corpse was moved post-mortem and had been burned severely. Control of Starling Science and its subsidiaries, Julius's fortune, and ownership of Ayodhya are all given to Julius's sole beneficiary, Virgil.
2004 - Virgil joins Carrington University's ongoing leukodystrophy research team, having all but abandoned public appearances with Starling Science. Additionally, Virgil begins transferring company control to several board members. It is made public by a Starling Science executive that Julius Starling suffered from Huntington's, causing a spike in Starling profits for the fiscal quarter.
2006 - Virgil has a public meltdown known as the "Shut Up Speech". Shortly thereafter, he moves to Eden, breaking off all relationships and leaving the public eye.
2015 - After trackers placed on personal vehicles of suspected members of the Hands of Science show frequent movement to and from Ayodhya, Virgil Starling is one of many scientists put on a NEST watchlist.
2021 - NEST investigations link Virgil Starling to financially backing several members of the Hands of Science through substantial donations, and though the legal nature of this keeps him from being questioned, he is placed under additional scrutiny. After NEST begins surveying the forests of Washington via helicopters, Starling Science purchases the air space above and around Ayodhya, supposedly for testing aircrafts.
Note: Unless you live under a rock, you'd know some of this. Think Bob Ross fame levels -- Even if your character doesn't know Julius's name, they've heard of his show or his company, and they'd probably recognize him as "The crazy haired science guy".
Julius Starling was the host of a children's science show as well as the CEO and founder of Starling Science, a famous high-end technology company that paints all their products a really specific blue. They mostly make industrial machinery and research equipment, but they're also one of the longest-standing robotics companies.
Julius himself is recognizable for his blue suit and crazy beard/hair, and his show is the subject of occasional parodies for the super diverse cast of kids, including his metahuman lizard-son. That last part of the show pissed a lot of people off, because the eighties were kind of early for kid's shows to contain metahumans. There were rumors that he was constantly doing a crazy amount of drugs because he got arrested once in the seventies and bought a lot of weird chemicals for research, though that's mostly the kind of thing conspiracy nuts discuss on forums nowadays.
He died in the early 2000's and very little information was given about his death. His son Virgil, a medical prodigy and former child-actor on his father's show, went into biochemistry and inherited his father's company. The pressure got to him (He was already known for fainting and stuff like that) and Virgil famously freaked out on a bunch of reporters about twenty years ago, and has lived alone on his father's estate ever since.
Julius Starling was the host of a children's science show as well as the CEO and founder of Starling Science, a famous high-end technology company that paints all their products a really specific blue. They mostly make industrial machinery and research equipment, but they're also one of the longest-standing robotics companies.
Julius himself is recognizable for his blue suit and crazy beard/hair, and his show is the subject of occasional parodies for the super diverse cast of kids, including his metahuman lizard-son. That last part of the show pissed a lot of people off, because the eighties were kind of early for kid's shows to contain metahumans. There were rumors that he was constantly doing a crazy amount of drugs because he got arrested once in the seventies and bought a lot of weird chemicals for research, though that's mostly the kind of thing conspiracy nuts discuss on forums nowadays.
He died in the early 2000's and very little information was given about his death. His son Virgil, a medical prodigy and former child-actor on his father's show, went into biochemistry and inherited his father's company. The pressure got to him (He was already known for fainting and stuff like that) and Virgil famously freaked out on a bunch of reporters about twenty years ago, and has lived alone on his father's estate ever since.
