snaggletooth | SOMNIA APP

PLAYER INFO

Name: Jackal
Preferred Contact:

Sleeptalk, PM
Age: 34
Invite Link: hi owlie! it's me, monsterfucker 9000

CHARACTER INFO

Character Name: Ivan
Canon: Alien Stage
Age: 22
Canon Point: Post-Round 6
Wiki Link(s):

SOMNIA-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

1. Dreams are how Sleep chooses you. What might draw your character into Somnia— a wound, a wish, a weakness? Would they follow the dream, or run from it?

Ivan sacrificed himself for someone he loved. However, he didn't necessarily want to die. He just didn't want to live if it meant Till would die in front of him—because of him, even. Outside of this moment, he's always been a creature that does what's necessary to survive regardless of whether there's any joy in it. He will not know what to make of this second chance, but will once again go through the motions of staying alive.

To Ivan, who has never been offered anything out of kindness, Sleep's promise to give doesn't make sense. At the same time, the one thing he cannot stop himself from desiring, the most selfish thing he could ask for, is another chance to see Till.

So, the answer? A wish. He'll follow the dream in hopes that some day said chance will come.

2. Somnia is a slow unraveling—of worlds, and of selves. How does your character respond to fear, transformation, and losing control? Do they fight, adapt, collapse?

On fear— Ivan's life experiences have left him with a muted fear response. Rather than causing him to visibly crash out, fear pushes him to take decisive, potentially hasty actions to protect himself from what he is afraid of.

On control— Humans in the world of Alien Stage have little to no autonomy. They live on borrowed time, very likely to die to caretaker neglect, vicious squabbles between species, or even for entertainment. Ivan has long resigned himself to not being fully in control of his fate. A shifting of the source of this lack of control will not change that.

On Transformation— He will be treating his transformation into an Offering more like a truth revealing itself than a change. SEE: Question 4.

Put this all together, and Ivan will most likely adapt. He has survival skills to fall back on from his time in the slums. He's also clever, and will readily conform in whatever way will spare him from the most harm. He won't be easily convinced to take excessive risks to change the status quo in a world that is frankly better, freer, than the one he came from. If Ivan fights, it'll be for his wish.

3. Connection is the only constant. What kind of bonds does your character form— fast and burning, slow and wary, deep and desperate? How might that shape their time in this world?

Most of Ivan's relationships are only surface deep. He's emotionally blunted and socially stunted. After learning to model a more acceptable demeanor, he still spent most of his time observing, gauging situations, and adjusting his own behavior to beget the most approval from their alien captors. Because in the context of Alien Stage, mass approval = survival. Truly getting to know his classmates at ANAKT garden fell to the wayside. Though some wished to be closer to him, he either did not pick up on the nuance, or did not care to be "close" or in other words vulnerable with that particular person.

But when Ivan does want to be close to someone, he wants to be under their skin. He wants their attention no matter what kind. He wants to be everywhere they go. Yet, he still can't let them know what he's thinking, feeling—can't let them know him, because his inner self doesn't match his outer façade.

With the Murmur in play, Ivan will be directly exposed to the emotions of others, nor will he be able to continue to secret his own away. This could become key to Ivan forming bonds that lie at a healthier midpoint between aloof and absolutely devoted. Unfortunately, there's also a chance he'll remain detached and drift into succumbence.

4. What are two major forces in your character’s personality that are often in conflict? (Ex: logic vs emotion, power vs guilt, obedience vs rage, etc.)

What Ivan wants and what he thinks he deserves are diametrically opposed; his poor self-worth is in conflict with desire. The incredibly negative image he has of himself is spelled out in his songs. In both Nowhere and Black Sorrow, the lyrics imply Ivan's belief that he will be alone in the end. In Paratise, Ivan describes Till as "paradise" and himself as a parasite leeching off of him. Isolation throughout his childhood is to blame. He was never given love, therefore he cannot imagine being loved. The overwhelming praise coming from his peers just doesn't seem to reach him; he feels flawed.

That said, Ivan wants love with his whole being, so much that he sings about this desire causing him deep emotional pain. Given his past, maybe his life could be completely changed by a positive touch; he certainly qualifies as touch-starved. However, because he has convinced himself that his feelings are unrequited and that admitting them could even cause him to lose Till's companionship, he stays silent, mostly, flirting only in a confusing, concealed manner, never pushing too hard for Till to consider him in that way. Ivan has resolved to be satisfied with receiving not only neutral but negative attention from Till, riling him up on purpose if only because it forces the other boy to think about him.

If Ivan knew what a normal life looked like, he'd dream of it. But he'd still come up with something about himself that excludes him from the possibility of ever having one.

VESSEL SELECTION
Which Vessel Type are you choosing: Token or Offering? Offering
Why does this Vessel type feel appropriate for your character? Question 2 & 4 hit on this, I think. Ivan would see becoming a creepy crawly bug monster as being exposed for what he really is, and that's juicy. It's also great set-up for later if I start him out really monstrous and have him regain human elements over time through positive convergences. Yay, narrative!
Choose one OR list three subclass options within your chosen Vessel type that you think would suit them: Swarmling