Stumbler O'Hare

Stumbler O'Hare is a supporting character in the 2024 indie horror platforming game Shipwrecked 64, as well as the ARG surrounding it, Broadside Beach. A rabbit who aspires to be an artist despite his hands being amputated, he needs the help of Bucky Beaver in order to impress the girl of his dreams. He also provides help as "A Helping Nub!", an online service guide where he and his friend, Chief Wulf, help to guide players through the game.
He is voiced by Squeaks D'Corgeh, the main developer of the game, and who voices Chief Wulf.
==Appearance==
Stumbler is an anthropomorphic blue rabbit with black dot eyes and freckles. His most notable feature is his lack of forearms, torn off by a rogue wolf on the island. This attack has left his arm bones exposed, as well as a perpetually open wound on both of his arms. Unlike other characters in the game, he lacks clothing of any kind.
==Personality==
Compassionate and friendly, Stumbler is easy to get along with. While he tries to stay positive all the time, he tends to let his façade slip from time to time, and deep down he's very critical of himself after the loss of his hands.
Stumbler has always had a passion for art, having lived in a place that seemingly respects his hobby for his entire life, if the theater is of any indication. Even with the disadvantage of having both of his arms ripped off and a broken easel, Stumbler still tries to find a way to make things work out. He does have doubts about his art not being the best after the incident, but he still enjoys making it.
Stumbler has been described as a hopeless romantic, due to being based on Mark's devotion to his terminally ill wife. His entire deal in the clean version of the game is to create a painting worthy enough to impress his crush, one who he does not even remember most of the details of.
Stumbler is aware about the nature of his creation, and it’s a touchy subject for him. That being said, a video by Squeaks has Stumbler comforting Mark over the death of his wife, showing that he has grown beyond what his original purpose. Stumbler has a habit of calling people Harley, and is seemingly haunted by what he was originally made for.
==Biography==
===Original Conceptualization===
As a character, Stumbler O'Hare was created specifically for Shipwrecked, having been conceptualized in December of 1995. While designed as a gag character who tried to do things without arms, one of his character designers, Connor Thomas, specifically had this gimmick in place in order to spite his business partner, Mark Mullins, whose wife had one of her arms amputated. The idea of Stumbler being an artist comes from the save points in the game, which are canvases.
While not an established character within the Broadside Entertainment cast, being made by Cogware Games, he had a costume designed for him for promotional purposes. It was stolen days after filming for reasons unknown.
It is unknown if a Starling was made in his likeness, though it's highly unlikely. His costumed actor (and presumed voice actor) has been reported to have died sometime before 2002.
===2023 Edition===
Stumbler O'Hare was a resident of Nulla Terra, living in the first Layer of the game. While an aspiring artist, a run-in with a wolf has torn his forearms, leaving them a bloodied mess. While he has learnt of a workaround by using his mouth instead, his easel has been damaged, leaving him unable to fulfill his purpose.
Fortunately, the incident has led to him meeting Chief Wulf, the leader of the island and its many canine inhabitants. After seeing what had happened, Chief Wulf appeared with a large rock, holding it over his head. Stumbler was terrified before realizing that he wasn't the one being targeted, but rather his assailant. Chief Wulf would kill the dissenting wolf before embracing Stumbler, with the two survivors heading home and becoming friends.
Bucky Beaver, a survivor of a shipwreck looking to rescue his friends, first encounters Stumbler by himself in the Town Hall. Having become smitten with another rabbit, he wishes to impress her by drawing, but needs a bit of help. Going back to his home, Bucky needs to keep Stumbler's ink vials filled while making sure that his easel is kept up. After enough time has passed, Stumbler will finish his painting, unlocking J.D. in his place the next day.
Should Bucky achieve either the standard or bad endings of the game, or should the volcano erupt, Stumbler dies alongside the rest of the island's inhabitants. Should Bucky find the barge hidden in a cave and bring it to the surface, Stumbler leaves alongside the rest of the island, leaving in peace.
As of now, Stumbler seems to be living his best life with Chief Wulf, being somewhat active online. How he is able to interact with the real world is unclear, but it's been stated that Chief Wulf and his assistant help him use technology.
===1997 Edition===
In the original copy of the game that was pulled from store shelves, Stumbler mostly has the same role as he did in the remastered port, at least when playing normally. That being said, completing the game normally was not the intended path in the original game, as the game practically eggs the player to go on a different path.
Sometime before the game began, Stumbler and Chief Wulf decided to explore the secrets of the island, encountering mysterious creatures they call the Dwellers. While scared out of their wits, the two managed to get somewhat far, recording strategies for how to survive the depths in a guide they dubbed "A Helping Nub!", which becomes available when Bucky reaches Layer 3 of Nulla Terra. Some things included in the guide are instructions to get to Layer 4, as well as a passcode in case Bucky gets caught by one of the Dwellers.
According to Squeaks D'Corgeh, during the events of the 1997 Edition of the game, Stumbler dies offscreen at the end of the game when the Dwellers invade the top layer of Nulla Terra, allegedly being impaled by the leg of his easel. It's unknown how Stumbler is able to have access to the Internet, but it's likely that since the 2023 Edition was made long after the original, the Stumbler that is still active came from the "clean" version of the game.
==Quotes==
==Trivia==
*If online play is enabled, Squeaks D'Corgeh himself can appear using Stumbler's model, guiding players to secrets and speaking to the player using his voice. Should a secret be encountered through this method, dialogue may be altered.
*Stumbler was originally much ruder, openly mocking Mark over Harley's condition in a nurse's costume, and congratulating him for pulling the plug on her. Due to this version of Stumbler being "WAY too on the nose", this was scrapped and Stumbler's character was massively rewritten.
*Stumbler has multiple social media accounts, specifically on Reddit and YouTube. Both are under the alias "A Helping Nub". People are able to ask Stumbler questions through both emails and comments, and Stumbler has a chance of replying.
**Most questions about the end of the game get ignored or dodged, likely due to Stumbler canonically being dead after the Dwellers invade Nulla Terra. Questions about the in-universe reality, such as questions regarding Connor or other Cogware Games employees, seem to be fair game.
*According to various emails, he loves string cheese. He can't peel it, for obvious reasons.
*His birthday is on April 21st, as confirmed by another email. He was also born on Nulla Terra and has no memory of ever having parents.
*Stumbler makes a cameo in a now-taken down multiplayer game known as Gauntlet of Banban, a fangame based on the Garten of Banban series also created by Squeaks D'Corgeh.
*The name of his crush is Chelsie, as confirmed by Squeaks on Discord.
*In the legacy version of Shipwrecked 64, Stumbler's model was simply a recolored model of MIPS, an armless rabbit who appears in Super Mario 64.
==External Links==
*
Category:Animals
Category:Anthropomorphic
Category:Artificial Intelligence
Category:Fictional Fictional
Category:Honest
Category:Horror Heroes
Category:Indie/Doujin Heroes
Category:In Love
Category:Male
Category:Neutral Good
Category:Non-Action
Category:Orphans
Category:Paranormal Investigators
Category:Self-Aware
Category:Status Dependent upon Player Choice
Category:Supporters
Category:Tragic
Category:Video Game Heroes
Category:Weaklings