OVID Schofield (AM/mirror pronouns) is a collection of radio frequencies of unknown origin, presently manifesting to play for the Ohio Worms.
HISTORY
The Core Mechanics were the first to make note of the strange figure that plagued their hallways. Zoey Kirchner originally attempted to make contact with the entity. It wasn't until Gia Holbrook stumbled across the airwaves surrounding the figure that true contact was made. As Gia's head was filled with echoes of some strange radio channel, the figure identified themselves as OVID. Mindy Kugel is the one who put the pieces together.
Mindy spent some time at NASWA; not as much time as some of the other Ohio Worms, but enough to know of NASWA’s work intercepting and interpreting radio waves. Mindy didn’t know exactly how to contain the signals that pieced together this person… but she knew somebody who did. Dulce Schofield was an engineer at NASWA, and a friend of Mindy from her time on the Worms. After a few lengthy emails back and forth, Dulce agreed to work on some schematics for a way to keep OVID alive and in a physical form. The people of the Core built a machine based on Dulce's schematics, and OVID was finally, truly alive.
It would be some time until OVID could meet AMs… Creator? OVID thought on AMs origin for long stretches while trapped in blackhole(blackhole). The closest word that AM could think of was Parent. Creator was so detached and “above.” Parent was comfortable and related. OVID was excited to meet Dulce Schofield, AMs parent.
The question still lingers, how did OVID come to be? Why was OVID’s broadcast floating about in the Core, and later, in Ohio? While there are no clear answers, there are a few hypotheses. Either the OVID we know is a manifestation of radio waves that never left Earth, or there is something, somewhere out there in the solar system or beyond, that sent OVID here.
DESCRIPTION
OVID maintains the aesthetics that prevailed at the time of the late 1990s: Y2K internet bright colors and simple themes. OVID’s physical form resembles a computer screen on a humanoid body. Specifically, OVID’s large box computer head has translucent, colored panels as was the fashion in this period of internet history.
OVID experiences a disability which impacts AMs core systems inconsistently. Sometimes, radio interference gets in the way of OVID’s processing ability. One common symptom is visual snow, temporarily impairing OVID’s senses. Another is chronic fatigue, which is a near-constant low-level struggle, but one that OVID rarely speaks about.
OVID is an extremely over-the-top positive person. AM wants to be friends with just about everyone, and goes out of AMs way to make friends with everyone AM interacts with. This can be a source of tension, especially with those annoyed by the overly saccharine overtures. Even so, OVID is generally well-loved, as teammates know AM is coming from a good place with AMs intentions. Others often feel a familiarity with OVID even when seeing AM for the first time – NaN was quoted as saying “I can’t quite place it, but I swear I’ve met OVID before. Or someone just like Ovid.”
OVID communicates using text-to-speech and clips from old broadcasts that AM has come across. Ovid is an avid fan of Ji-Eun Loubert’s work as a DJ for the Ohio Worms. OVID feeds off of the energy from old Worms broadcasts, including Loubert’s disc-jockeying and the roars of the fans. Some believe that OVID is familiarizing AMself with Loubert’s work so as to become the next Worms DJ—DJ Non-Solid?—but for now, OVID’s primary interaction with the Worms’ sound systems occurs during Blacklight. When the Blacklight takes hold, OVID hijacks the entire LCD sound system at the Wormhole, blaring out appropriate clips and tunes. Under the influence of Drive, OVID’s friendly energy is even more pervasive and unavoidable.
When asked about AMs name, OVID explains that the meaning has evolved from its creation. "I don’t know what my Parent was thinking when they named me, but today, I use it to mean 'Optical Variance Interception Device.' I like OVID as a backronym this way, to describe who I am as a person."
