Fredrick Munchen first appears in Vol 1.0 of the Slipshot saga. He is, from the perspective of Griddish, a Varling from Var 8, otherwise known as Earth.
Description[]
Fredrick is a college student at State University in San Francisco, California. As a student, he lives in an apartment building named Gendarme Apartments in the city's Tenderloin District. He studies computer science at the university and he works part time at a pizza restaurant named Temple Pizza, which is owned and operated by Matere Songgaard and Betel Longshrew Piper, who hail from Griddish.
Growing Up[]
Fredrick grew up in working class San Francisco. He has no siblings. His father was a chef and his mother was a restaurant manager. Because of their long hours, he grew up mostly alone.
Arrival of the Vérkatrae[]
Fredrick Meets Opal in a Dark Alley
At the beginning of Slipshot Vol 1.0, Fredrick starts to get a feeling that something is not quite right in the world. He sees glitching images that cause him to have a sense of fear and dread. One night, while walking home to his apartment, he meets the enigmatic Opal Fremmitty, who was disoriented from having recently passed out in a drunken stupor. She assaults him and runs off before Fredrick is able to get her name or understand where she came from.
He meets Opal a second time, while delivering a pizza to her apartment in San Francisco's China Town. Again, she assaults him, but before that, he warns him that time is short and that he must take his time to enjoy his life.
Fredrick Witnesses the Arrival of the Vérkatrae
As a student at State University, Fredrick meets Jillian Crenshaw. She is his classmate and soon becomes a close friend as Fredrick shares his unnerving experiences of ghostly, glitching machines called Vérkatrae. Eventually, the two are drawn into a struggle for which the Earth's future hangs in the balance.
Fredrick also develops a friendship with Dr. Jeremiah Onu, his philosophy professor from State University. However, Jeremiah is not as he seems.
In Vol 2.0, along with Jillian Crenshaw, Fredrick becomes a foster parent to Cythiria Crenshaw, the Mechanic Class Slave from Griddish.
Appearance[]
Fredrick Munchen is 5' 10" tall. He has long, curly blond hair and blue eyes. He carries a laptop bag with him when going to school, and he drives an old Vespa motor scooter when he's delivering pizzas.
Personality[]
Fredrick is a kind hearted man who was drawn unwittingly into the struggle between Var 8, Earth and Griddish. He is called upon by Matere Songgaard to step up to the challenge to save Var 8, but he does not have the confidence to undertake such a mission. Nevertheless, he tries his best.
Fredrick is oftentimes depicted as a doting father, especially in Vol 2.0, where he, along with Jillian Crenshaw, cares for the Mechanic Class Slave Cythiria. He often spoils her with treats from the restaurant where he works, named the Pissy Nissy, and he frequently carries her home at night on the subway.
Relationships[]
Fredrick is close friends with Jillian Crenshaw. His first encounter with her is in an ancient Greek philosophy class on Platonic forms, which they take together at State University. As they mystery of the Slipshot unfolds, the two are seen crossing San Francisco together as they chase down clues and characters in an attempt to understand the current circumstances of Earth and its moribund future. Their relationship grows closer over time, and Fredrick is often seen wishing he could pursue a more romantic relationship with her. But because of their class differences, he believes such a relationship to be untenable.
Fredrick works for Matere Songgaard and Betel Longshrew Piper, the owners of Temple Pizza in order to pay his rent and is tuition at State University. He is a hard worker and very comfortable working in food services, since both his parents also worked in food services. Matere and Betel take a liking to Fredrick and are supportive of his desire to gain an education.
Fredrick is a student of Dr. Jeremiah Onu, his professor at State University. The two seem to get along well, however, we soon learn that their relationship is challenged due to Jeremiah's apocalyptic goal towards Earth. Opal Fremmitty is the first Mechanic Class Slave he meets. Although the two do not get along when they first met, they soon start to form a tenuous friendship, and Opal is often seen advising Fredrick about his relationship with Jillian.
Alliances[]
Fredrick Munchen's primary alliances are with Matere Songgaard and Betel Longshrew Piper. Jillian Crenshaw is his friend and classmate at State University.
Enemies[]
Fredrick Munchen's manages to make enemies with some of the Mechanic Class Slaves who are associated with Opal. These are Rive Amber and Natty Mick, whose goal is to see through the dismantlement project of Var 8, Earth. Although these two are his enemies, more likely, Rive and Natty do not hold him in very high regard simply for the fact that his is a Varling.
Natty, in particular, often finds the Vars to be disgusting, compared to the environs of Griddish, which he is used to.
Quotes[]
"You do see them! So, they are real. They’re not just in my head. They really do exist.[1]"
“Why am I even explaining myself to you? You’ve been nothing but rude to me the whole time! You kicked me in the chest, which still hurts by the way, and then you threw me down the stairs nearly killing me. And all of this because I was concerned you were hurt. And now you’re just being crude.” [2]
He sat down on his haunches and looked deeply into Jillian’s green eyes. “I guess this really is the end, then.” Jillian smiled gently and then grasped his shoulders and pulled him close. He could feel her body tremble. “We tried our best, didn’t we?” [3]
“Look, I think of her as a friend,” he said, glancing sheepishly towards Jillian, who gazed upon Opal, a wry smile spreading across her face. [4]
Trivia[]
- Fredrick hates riding motorcycles.
- Fredrick's parents are restaurant workers. His father was a cook and he mother a restaurant manager in San Francisco. After his father's death, Fredrick's mother moved to Alaska.
- Fredrick studies computer science at State University, but doesn't like it very much.
- ↑ Aibo. (2023). Slipshot (1st ed., Vol. 1, p. 22). Mint Cookie Industries.
- ↑ Aibo. (2023). Slipshot (1st ed., Vol. 1, p. 156). Mint Cookie Industries.
- ↑ Aibo. (2023). Slipshot (1st ed., Vol. 1, p. 283). Mint Cookie Industries.
- ↑ Aibo. (2023). Slipshot (1st ed., Vol. 1, p. 156). Mint Cookie Industries.