Rocky Rickaby

Names Nicknames Rocky Personal Gender Male Age 22 (1927) Height 5'6"[1] Nationality American; Irish descent Birth December 19, 1904 Birthplace St. Louis, Missouri Eye color Blue Relationships & Career Relatives Ransom Rickaby (father) Sophie Rickaby (mother) Carroll McMurray (uncle) Nina McMurray (aunt) Calvin McMurray (younger cousin) Affiliation(s) Lackadaisy crew Lackadaisy Occupation(s) Rumrunner Violinist Roark "Rocky" Rickaby is the main protagonist of the Lackadaisy series, who joined the Lackadaisy crew as a rumrunner and an addition to Zib's band. After the death of Atlas and the departure of much of Lackadaisy Speakeasy's staff, Rocky began doing odd jobs for Mitzi. He is the nephew of Nina and is also Freckle's older cousin. Physical description Rocky is a short and slim young adult cat with gray and beige fur, and a bushy, tabby tail which is beige on its underside and gray on its upperside; In the comic he has regular bright blue eyes, however in the animted series he has fully blue eyes with no sclera and basic black pupils. Prominent features of Rocky include his thick eyebrows, a bullet hole in his left ear, and black stripes around his fur. During Haymaker, Abelard hits Rocky with his car leaving him with a severe head injury which stays as a large permanent scar on the middle of his forehead thru the rest of the series. Clothing His usual attire is a 1920-style suit that consists of high-waist blue pants (more specifically called Oxford bags), a long tailed blue blazer, and matching hat, complemented by an orange tie featuring the initial "R.", and 1920s-style black and white spectator shoes, under his suit he wears a collared white undershirt with black suspenders, usually removing his coat when out on jobs that could get messy. Biography Roark Rickaby was born on December 19th, 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri to Ransom and Sophie Rickaby. At a young age, Rocky lived in a nice house with his mother while his father worked on a railroad, during this time he learned how to play the violin. Later, his mother became sick and bedridden (likely due to the plague) leaving Rocky to have to go live with his aunt Nina and cousin Freckle, however at the age of 16 Rocky was kicked out of the McMurray House for unspecified reasons so he decided to move in with his uncle in Kankakee, Illinois where he would work as a farmer. Only 3 months after moving into his uncles farm he left and took the Pacific Railroad to Central Oklahoma where he joined a circus as a roustabout. When the circus went south, Rocky found himself stuck in South Dakota with a violin that was gifted to him by a hobo. Sometime after that he attempted to hitchhike back to his parents in St. Louis but for whatever reason the driver immedientally kicked him out of the vehicle, instead he hopped on a cargo train car and rode into the city [5], when he arrived he found what was presumably his parents house abandoned, clearly for some time. To make money he began busking on the streets, there he met Mitzi while she was on a walk with her husband Atlas, she took a liking to his street music and took him in to become a violinist for Zib's band After Atlas died under mysterious circumstances, and Viktor's knees were disabled by Mordecai Rocky volunteered to become the new rumrunner. He later managed to rope his cousin, Calvin "Freckle" McMurray into helping him with his booze-collecting missions, and the two are joined more often than not by Ivy Pepper. During Freckle's first "mission" in "Scathefire", the duo ended up burning down a moonshine barn, and as a result the speakeasy was attacked by the owners. One of them managed to shoot Viktor in the chest during the attack in "Rowdydow". Following information from Viktor, Rocky and Ivy went on a mission to retrieve wine from a cellar in "Begorra". They were caught and chased by the Arbogasts, during the chase Rocky got his head smashed in by their hearse; as he was unconscious, Ivy managed to convince the drivers of the hearse to help him, so they brough him into their home where Elsa, a nurse, stitched up his head, leaving him with a massive permanent scar across his forehead. On the drive back from Elsa and the cellar, Ivy asked a barely-conscious Rocky where he lived, leading him to reply with "we're already there" and subsequently revealing that he'd been living in the car. Still half-asleep and not fully himself, Rocky revealed a few other bits and pieces of his past to Ivy, though much of it was still obscured. Ivy took him back to her school and snuck him in, where he called Mitzi to assure her that everything was fine. That night, he snuck out, leaving a note on the wall for Ivy in her roommate's lipstick. He met back up with Freckle, and the two continued their work. Personality and traits Rocky is, at the first glance, jaunty, humorous, happy-go-lucky, immature, reckless, buffoonish, grandiloquent and zany. He has a knack for joking and spontaneously laughing in the most inappropriate of moments, usually to the annoyance (and mild concern) of others. He is outwardly the polar opposite of his more reserved and humble cousin Calvin “Freckle” McMurray, though the two share a similar sense of complex resentment and pent-up emotions regarding their familial situation. Rocky often involves Freckle in the Lackadaisy's affairs, sometimes against the latter's will (though he still cares for him greatly). In the animated pilot, Rocky mostly speaks in verse, adding to his already outlandish presence. In spite of his apparent lack of self-awareness, Rocky is quite intelligent and boasts multiple talents, the most prominent being playing his treasured violin, which he excels at and even spontaneously crafts rhymes while playing. The high skill is what caused him to be involved with the Lackadaisy speakeasy in the first place, as his first job at the speakeasy was playing in Zib's band. In "Dithyramb", he performs a very sophisticated poem dedicated to the river Mississippi (which was later adapted for the pilot), to the chagrin of a nearby police officer. Though his recklessness and destructive tendencies often cause trouble for those around him, he still has his comrades' best interests at heart, and tries to help them in imminent danger even with no actual ability to. While the other Lackadaisy workers often consider him a source of annoyance, he's rather playfully tolerated than outright disliked, and respected by both his superior Mitzi and fellow band member Zib. Despite his chaotic nature, Rocky has an intense urge to please the people that he respects. This appears to partly be a natural personality trait, but some of his desperation can also likely be traced to the young age at which he was kicked out and the lonely life on the road that followed. He goes to extreme, reckless lengths to make sure he gets Mitzi what she asks for, and much of his resentment towards Wick stems from worry that Mitzi and the others won’t need him anymore. This was given more weight directly after he was injured, when he called Mitzi in "Camouflage" and immediately reassured her that he was fine, asking how she was and attempting to act casual despite barely being able to form coherent sentences and trying to hide his frustration at Mitzi bringing up Wick’s contribution. After hanging up the phone, Rocky began loudly sobbing as Ivy led him through the hallway, angrily glaring ahead when she tried to make a joke. Relationships Calvin "Freckle" McMurray Rocky is Freckle's cousin, and the two of them were together a great deal as children prior to Rocky being forced out of their home. Rocky is indirectly responsible for Freckle developing acrobatic skills; he was a reckless child and Freckle learned to evade him very quickly. In one illustration, there are two photos of the pair as children, taken what seems to be only a few minutes apart. In one, Rocky has attached several clothespins to his (very annoyed-looking) cousin, and in the other, Rocky has his arms around him in a hug. "Correspondence" reveals that Rocky sent a number of letters to Freckle between 1921 and 1924, which Freckle kept in a box located under his bed. Nina states to Rocky in "Somersault" that Freckle is, "the only one in all o'creation who'd follow you". It also seems that there was something in the past that led Freckle to feel like he owes Rocky, though this has not been fully explained. Though the two seem to have a close relationship, Rocky does not understand Freckle's interest in enforcing the law, and deceives Freckle into believing that he is a vigilante in "Scathefire". Rocky later claims to Freckle that what is lawful is not always what is right, though Freckle does not appear entirely convinced. Rocky shows few qualms about deceiving Freckle, and he cuts Ivy off when she suggests that he bring Freckle to Lackadaisy, after having earlier deflected Freckle's questions concerning Rocky's involvement with the band. In "Wishy-washy", Rocky is not happy to see that Ivy has brought Freckle to Lackadaisy, in part due to fear of Freckle’s mother catching wind of it. Rocky seems to be caught off-guard by Freckle's sudden turn into a gun-wielding maniac in "Doolally", then he proudly proclaims Freckle, "my cousin". Mitzi observes that Freckle has Rocky's laugh. Rocky later notes to Mitzi that Freckle has gone crazy, "once or twice", before, though he adds that the, "unmitigated carnage is a recent development". He figures out that Freckle was dismissed from the police academy because of his behavioral issues in "Pinstripes". When Ivy asks Rocky how she can get Freckle to talk to her, Rocky advises Ivy against prying too deeply into Freckle's psyche.Mitzi May Rocky appears to be very dedicated to Mitzi. In "Bunny-box", he waxes poetic about her and refers to her as “Lady Dionysus”. He states to Viktor in "Spaghetti" that he does not know how Mitzi would survive if Rocky quit. This is likely a fib, however, as Rocky holds an intense fear of being replaced or abandoned and is also attempting to keep Viktor from worrying about Rocky’s abilities to obtain alcohol (which was formerly Viktor’s job). Rocky is willing to go to extreme lengths to keep himself from appearing “superfluous” in Mitzi’s eyes. Some of this attachment may come from the fact that she took him in when he was on the streets, and she actively tolerates his chaotic mannerisms. Rocky once presented Mitzi with a strangely-decorated cactus to watch over her while she slept, but Mitzi insisted that he keep it. Mordecai Heller Rocky is familiar with Mordecai from before the latter left Lackadaisy. In "Heartstrings", Mordecai recognizes Rocky as being a member of the band. Rocky calls Mordecai "Ol'Serious Face" and claims to have heard stories about him. Mordecai is less than impressed. Rocky asks Mitzi whether he should confront Mordecai after he notices that her conversation with him has brought her to tears in "Haggersnash", but Mitzi tells him to keep his distance. He respects this for the moment and instead tries to cheer Mitzi up by joking around.Nina McMurray Nina is Rocky's aunt. While she is willing to do his laundry, there appears to be little love lost between them. In "Somersault", Nina essentially informs Rocky that Freckle is the only person who cares for him; as far as she is concerned Rocky has "already squandered (his) second chances". Nina is the only person to refer to Rocky by his real first name, Roark, though this may be due to other characters not being aware of Rocky's real name. Rocky has not been fully honest with Nina regarding his occupation; she believes he plays the violin for a living. When Rocky decides to involve Freckle with Lackadaisy, he similarly lies to Nina, claiming he will be working as an errand boy for Little Daisy Café. In "Breakdown", Rocky explains his relationship with Nina to Ivy; when he was young, the McMurray House often was more of a home for him than his own home. Over time, however, Rocky was responsible for several minor incidents which caused problems. Eventually, there was a larger situation that Rocky took responsibility for despite not actually being the cause, and he was subsequently kicked out. This way, Freckle could focus on school without Rocky's distractions. Viktor Vasko Viktor appears to have some problems with tolerating Rocky, likely in part due to Rocky's excitability and verbosity along with his worry about Rocky working as his stand-in. In "Formaldehyde", Rocky refers to Viktor as a "surly Slovak", and Mitzi sends Ivy with Rocky to talk to Viktor, believing he will consequently be less inclined to throttle Rocky. Viktor does not believe that Rocky has a future in the rumrunning business due to Rocky's lack of muscle, though Rocky considers himself Viktor's protégé. Rocky calls Viktor, "Vinegar", in "Defiance", but this appears to be an exception rather than a common occurrence. Tracy had this to say of Rocky's relationship with Viktor: "For Viktor, the only thing worse than Rocky being insufferably incompetent is Rocky being ruthlessly competent. It comes with a side order of desperate, shortsighted flair, after all, which nearly got him (and everyone else) murdered. Viktor doesn't mince words - he thinks Rocky is dangerous. Rocky, at least superficially, respects and extols Viktor, but clearly also recognizes him for his usefulness. He managed to pinpoint just what motivates Viktor to keep doing what he does and used it to wrest important information from him when Viktor had more justification than ever to do what his better judgment keeps telling him to do (to Rocky's cranium with a wrench)."Sedgewick "Wick" Sable As of "Overture", Rocky and Wick are familiar with each other. Rocky appears to enjoy making Wick feel uncomfortable. By "Haggersnash", after Rocky has seen Wick and Mitzi kissing, his feelings have escalated to expressing his disdain for Wick in front of Mitzi and Freckle. He appears to be upset by their romance, not out of romantic feelings for Mitzi, but out of fear that with Wick, Mitzi won’t need him anymore. Dorian "Zib" Zibowski Zib seems to have a faintly paternal interest in Rocky, though not necessarily moreso than with the other members of the band. He tries to learn why Rocky has begun working for Mitzi, and later advises him not to become too involved with it. The two seem to share a genuine bond, and Zib is generally so low-energy that he isn’t bothered by Rocky’s extreme abundance of energy.