Laborliss Characters
Yeah, like I want to hang out with these people.
Gus
Gus is a shy, hardworking pushover who desires acceptance but will never admit that to himself. His only friend is Abraham, a flying Octopus, whom he rides in. He came to the town of Laborliss in pursuit of living a prosperous life full of opportunity, but due to his financial status and inadequate social skills, he was quickly ostracized. Refusing to give up his desire to be apart of the community, he started living in a cave outside of the town. He is stubborn, hard working, a people pleaser, and unfortunately, due to his craving for acceptance, naive. Whenever the town has the slightest problem, a flag with a large L for loser is raised and Gus is called upon. He doesn’t participate in the monetary system, so every time he resolves a problem he reports his work to the city council then is allowed an item or two from the local store. Because he usually buys something useless like a yo-yo or magazine, he often has to eat berries and live like a caveman. He does have a small battery operated TV and a used mattress, but no refrigerator. The town believes he is their Superhero and possesses super logic, in reality he’s an average person with normal logic and weak emotional and social intelligence. Even though he solves all of their problems, the town still dislikes him, they say he is dirty and weird but really they are threatened by his artificially inflated logic. Even though never having a history with Larry, Gus knows it is Larry that causes all the problems, but doesn’t even bother telling anyone. Although the people treat him like crap, he is honored to solve the town’s problems; he feels it is his responsibility.
Larry Chovaka
The town worships Larry Chovaka as their Weatherman, but remain unaware he is really an Evil Scientist attempting to take over the town. He and his main squeeze, Fifi Furfurfester, live and work together in attempt to manipulate and take over the people using the media. He often speaks in monologues that continually grow with energy until a seizure breaks out. He actually knows little about meteorology, but enough about science to execute his plans. He hails from Iowa City, IA, where he was ostracized from the meteorology community while attending the University of Iowa. He wants to take over the town then get revenge on the weather world. He refers to himself as a Doctor and has a laboratory in his basement where he develops his plans. He uses his girlfriend Fifi, a want-to-be actress, by pretending he has entertainment connections and will hook her up if she acts in his schemes. When he first came to town, he took Leonard the Homeless Guy under his wing (used him) and had Leonard assist him in his early plans. Larry discontinued his relationship with Leonard after he discovered Leonard was incompetent and useless. Because of his relationship with Leonard, Larry knows a lot about the 2 Times Crew (Leonard’s crew, the lower class). He cares about nothing except his plans, the only time he treats Fifi good is when he is trying to seduce her. He despises Gus and is partly to blame for the town disliking him.
Fifi Furfurfester
Fifi is Laborliss’s adored news anchor and Larry Chovaka’s main squeeze. The ladies of Laborliss idolize her even though she has a promiscuous past. She is an aspiring actress and is often taken advantage of by Larry who claims he has show business connections. She has an infatuation with Koala Bears and harbors unusual sexual fetishes like making out while rolling around in chemicals. Fifi is flaky, moody, indecisive, and ambivalent about her feelings toward Larry. She is usually reluctant to help Larry at first, he convinces her by telling her he is preparing her for the big time, she eventually obliges only to demand praise later. She is desirous of male attention, a chain smoker, and wears skirts a lot. She sometimes gets frustrated because she has no life outside of Larry whom she wishes she could break free from, but never does because of her desire to be an actress. Despite the community’s adulation, she actually hates her news-anchoring job and looks at it as acting. Her name was originally Amy, but changed it after a relationship with a guy who had a fetish for incorporating eyedroppers into lovemaking. Claims she has a degree in Journalism from the University of Tamberine Love, but this degree has never been seen. She thinks she was popular in high school, but really the boys just took advantage of her and the girls made fun of her. Underneath her bitchy facade she is actually a confused, lost women craving acceptance, but that side is seldom revealed.
Leonard the Homeless Guy
Leonard is hated within the community, anything negative, which is always caused by Larry Chovaka, is blamed on him. The residents have pegged Leonard the town criminal. He is the leader of the lower class, which is referred to as the 2 Times Crew because the Second Hand Store, 2 Times, serves as their hangout. Leonard became friends with Larry Chovaka when Larry first came to town, he became Larry’s protégé and assisted him in his early schemes. Despite his relationship with Chovaka, Leonard does not know it is Chovaka that causes the problems. Leonard has a crazed look in his eyes, wears torn, dirty clothes, gets overly excited, yells random things, and speaks in a Southern accent. He spends his days running around town, causing harmless mischief, and relaying exaggerated gossip between crew members. He does have an established living area under the bridge, but usually sleeps wherever. He has an obsession with sandwich boards, when hanging out with his friends he frequently suggests they should make and or wear them just for fun. He has lived in Laborliss for years and knows everyone’s life story.
Herman Langdon
A closed off, eccentric hermit and Vietnam War Veteran, Herman Langdon is best known for owning a large glass box which he fills with butterflies and showers shirtless in. He performs this ritual in his home and does so because he claims the butterfly wings tickle his torso and mentally bring him to a state of euphoric rainbows. The only time he is seen outside his home is when he is talking to Leonard or catching butterflies. The adults of Laborliss won’t admit it, but they all know Herman from their party days. Herman has money but chooses to live an extremely frugal lifestyle; he maintains a low paying factory job and receives money from being a Veteran. His house is surrounded by trees and bushes, which children sometimes play in. Even though he occasionally communicates with Leonard and buys clothes from 2 Times, he is not considered in the 2 Times Crew. Everyone knows he is quiet and askew, but at the same time completely harmless. In his hippie days, he used to visit San Francisco a lot, but has lived in Laborliss all his life. He eats a lot of fruit and little meat. He is very content living alone, rarely talking to anyone.
Kent
Kent is only known as Kent. Since issue 10, Kent has been the editor of Laborliss Magazine. He also claims to be a professional model. He says that he is so attractive people pay him to stand in random spots so his beauty can be observed. He frequently expresses his rocky relationship with his Dad throughout his columns. Throughout high school, instead of being grounded, Kent’s Father would punish him by making him wear a fanny pack to school. Kent enjoyed writing poetry during his childhood; he’d seek acceptance from his Dad, but his Dad tried to get him to give up writing and focus on standing. He was rather insecure about his looks until his early twenties when a few teenage girls gave him a second glance at a mall. His actual sexual orientation is often questioned.
Peaches
Peaches is a vital member of the 2 Times Crew, she works at the Second Hand Store and is good friends with Leonard and everyone else in the crew. The town perceives her as a whore, in reality she is a very nice, intelligent and creative person. She has low self-confidence and is somewhat shy around people she doesn’t know that well, partly due to being put down by her family. In high school she was a standout Art student, she stills paints and sculpts, the crew encourages her to do that instead of work at 2 Times, but she doesn’t believe she is good enough. Although never going to college, she is extremely bright and capable of going way further than working at 2 Times. The entire 2 Times Crew respects her immensely. Peaches is her real name.
Sashi Bare
Sashi is the town Psychologist. The community loves her even though she is obviously insane. She uses a crystal ball and often talks about herself to clients during treatments. During her therapy sessions she has clients perform a routine she invented, called Clarity Dances, which involve getting into unusual positions and chanting bizarre things. She claims her Clarity Dances release emotional trigger points, which cause negative experiences to leave the body. An example of a Clarity Dance is lying supine, doing rapid pelvic thrusts, and yelling, “Momma/Daddy (depending on the gender of the patient) is coming home.” She says she created these Clarity Dances while living in a hole in a South American Rain Forest. Sometimes, Sashi becomes too involved and tries to befriend the client, mostly due to her inadequate social life.
Tami the Tambourine
Tami the Tambourine was the victor of a October 2007 debate where the winner got to be Laborliss’s cheerleader/mascot. Now her job is to walk around town and cheer on Laborliss citizens as they go about their daily activities, such as picking out which eggs to buy, cleaning, walking from their house to their car, etc. With her insane positivity, her relentless waving of her tambourine, and her frighteningly peppy cheers, Tami takes optimism to a new level.
Tami’s Mother and Father had such abnormal pessimistic views on the world that they often attempted to kill infant Tami, not because they didn’t love her, but because every time there was any sign of danger, they felt it was life threatening to Tami, so they tried to kill her so the world wouldn’t. They felt that by ending her life they were saving her from the perils of the world. With each murder attempt, Tami prevailed, which only strengthened her optimism. When her parents weren’t trying to kill her, Tami spent her childhood developing individual cheers for each one of her parent’s concerns. “The Dow Jones goes down AND up,” became a household favorite. Tami feels she was put on this earth to uplift the morale of all living species. Although she’s a worker and not an actual Laborliss citizen, she has been somewhat accepted within the community. She does live in Laborliss, but she mainly focuses on her work and doesn’t mix too much with the citizens. When there’s no one around to cheer for, she’ll cheer on herself.
Beverly Loston
Beverly is superficial, judgmental, gossipy, a stay at home Mom and wife of a Magistrate. Her and husband Richard, who along with being a Magistrate serves as a city council member, have one child, Jeffrey. She worships Fifi Furfurfester and lives by anything that comes out of her mouth. Despite being a stay at home Mom, she is not good at cooking or anything domestic. She usually spends her days shopping, eating out, or going to the Salon with other housewives. She is very bossy, controlling, conservative and old fashioned. She supervises Jeffrey’s Internet time, rarely lets him watch cable and pre-approves all his video games.
Richard Loston
Richard is the husband of Beverly Loston and father of Jeffrey Loston. Richard is a Magistrate, city council member and former abuser of peyote. He usually remains very quiet and passive, he always agrees with whatever Beverly says and does because deep down he is afraid of her. He sees a lot of things as black and white, right and wrong. Like Beverly, he controls Jeffrey. Somehow, he is very loving towards his wife.
Jeffrey Loston
A 10-year-old 5th grader, Jeffrey is the son of Richard and Beverly Loston. To his parents he poses as a perfect angel and keeps his grades up to maintain the image, in reality he is constantly causing problems among his peers by instigating fights and spreading lies. As a confused adolescent, Jeffrey is always battling his conscience; one side is what his Mother and Father want and the other side is the temptations he is restricted from. Jeffrey is looked up to and respected by his classmates; they usually will do whatever he tells them to. Due to his parents overwhelming control, he is more insecure and confused than most kids his age.
Abraham the Octopus
Larry Chovaka was attempting to build a poisonous Octopus that would multiple whenever someone screamed, but the experiment went awry and instead the Octopus was able to fly. After scaring the residents by hovering over the town for days, Abraham met Gus and the two have been inseparable since. Abraham now serves as Gus’s transportation method and only friend. Abraham often moans, especially while listening to one of Gus’s monologues. It is purple, has an indention in its head where Gus rides, and likes to eat saltine crackers.