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HERO/PUBLIC NAME: Toba
REAL NAME: Unpronounceable in any human language

LOOK: A humanoid, genderless being made of what appears to be orange oobleck or clay. Toba's body structure changes from day to day, shifting from male to female forms and back again, using extensions of xer body to act as "hair". These shifts do little to impact Toba's capabilities, and xe is unable to change colors. Thus, xe cannot use this ability to (convincingly) impersonate others.

Toba's only permanent feature is xer eyes, which have black sclera and violet irises. Although the amorphous alien has no real need for clothing, xe wears a light blue jumpsuit capable of accommodating all but the most radical of shapeshifting. This usually serves as a superhero outfit, allowing Toba to wear eclectic human garments during off-duty time if xe wishes.

ABILITIES: Toba possesses the ability to fly at a decent, but not supersonic, speed, and has superhuman levels of durability due to being made at least partially of an alien goo. Most injuries simply don't stick, as xe can reincorporate lost bits of xerself and reform around blunt trauma, though the transdimensional alien still feels discomfort from such involuntary deformation. Taking too much damage in a short time frame will cause Toba to run out of energy and collapse back into a formless blob.

Aside from recovering from physical attacks, Toba's amorphous nature allows xer to shift forms both for combat and utility purposes. Although complex machines are behind xer ability to mimic, xe can readily form limbs into simple objects or stretch them several meters. In times of great need xe can perform more radical transformations, such as taking the shape, size, and properties of a large net to catch a falling civilian.

Toba is also capable of storing sunlight as internal energy and unleashing it in blasts of heat and light. This heliokinesis is xer preferred method of doing battle against villains at range.

LABELS:
Danger: 0
Freak: +1
Savior: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0

BACKGROUND: Fifteen years ago, a strange portal opened in low Earth orbit and deposited an object the size of a small bus. This object, tracked closely by A.E.G.I.S. and other interested parties, entered Earth's atmosphere and came to a controlled landing in the Rocky Mountains, where it was quickly seized by a task force consisting of government agents and a trusted team of superheroes.

It quickly became apparent that the object was a vehicle of advanced design, beyond what was available to all but Earth's brightest super-scientists. Opening the hatch and boarding the craft, the team found only one living occupant: an amorphous orange blob in a sealed capsule. Both vehicle and occupant were removed from the landing site and brought to a top-security facility for study.

While the mechanics behind the craft remained a mystery, as it seemed to have no power source of any kind and did not respond to any tests, the alien lifeform provided nearly as many answers as questions. Upon opening the capsule, the blob began to move around under its own power, crawling around the sealed laboratory and trying to mimic whatever it came across. A few tests showed that the mass was not hostile to lifeforms, nor toxic in any way the scientists could detect. Deciding that the creature/colony did not merit immediate disposal, the science team labeled it UAL-03-021, or more informally The Orange Blob Alien.

As study on TOBA continued, the blob became more and more adept at shifting its form, being able to mimic more complex detail and hold its shape for longer periods of time. This worried some of the scientists, who feared that TOBA might eventually become a perfect shapeshifter and escape, and their fears grew even more intense as TOBA showed signs of mimicking the humans who worked with it. A small but vocal part of the science team began petitioning for TOBA's destruction.

It was the head of the UAL-03-021 project, Doctor Edgar Hinks, that saved TOBA. Not wishing to incinerate a genuine alien without due cause, Hinks called in a number of experts, super-powered and otherwise, that specialized in working with post and non-humans. Through observation; careful interview; and the use of tel-empathic communication, the experts discovered that TOBY was not hostile or threatening to humanity. Far from it, in fact.

As it turned out, the alien was something of an emissary. As a representative from a trans-dimensional race of xenophiles, TOBA's journey to Earth was not one of conquest, or assimilation, or even espionage. Rather, it was here to learn. To study humanity up close and personal, to observe the best and worst of the species, and eventually to return to its home dimension in order to share its collected knowledge. To TOBA's species, such forays were crucial to understanding the universe.

These revelations begat a number of changes in Project UAL-03-021's methods. Whether out of a genuine desire to assist TOBA's quest for knowledge or a selfish wish to make humanity seem more favorable, the science team moved away from impartial observation and began to engage with the alien. This shift caused a dramatic improvement in TOBA's ability to imitate humans, allowing it to learn human language and take on properly humanoid forms. These open discussions resulted in a flood of new information: for instance, the knowledge that TOBA's species was genderless (it chose some new pronouns when it learned that some human languages did not have such a concept in mind) and that it had a very different form in its home dimension. As time passed, the science team stopped referring to the xer as The Orange Blob Alien and instead simply as "Toba".

RELATIONSHIPS:
Toba's been learning more about Earth by spending time with ___________.
Toba has a crush on _____________ but keeps it under wraps.

INFLUENCE:
Cheerful demeanor. Toba genuinely enjoys xer mission to Earth and has a generally fantastic time. Everyone has Influence over Toba, especially if they have something new about humankind to share.

OUTSIDER MOVES:
Kirby-craft: The vehicle that Toba arrived on Earth in. The size of a small bus, it has a decent amount of passenger room and is capable of flight at much greater speeds and altitudes than Toba can manage alone. It's real use, however, is serving as a method of interdimensional communication and travel.
Being an emissary vessel, however, it is completely unarmed and is readily detectable by even humanity's relatively primitive technology. Toba's species seeks peaceful interaction, not stealth or conquest.
Belong in Two Worlds: Toba periodically uses xer craft to speak with xer species in their home dimension. While the primary purpose is to report on what xe has learned, xe can also seek advice or material aid.[
u]The Best of Them[/u]: Toba greatly enjoys being around humans, and can often find good aspects about individuals when trying to help one through a tough time.