deathbecomeshers

>PLAYER INFO

Name: Suzu
Preferred Contact: PM; lilyofavalley; discord available upon request
Age: 30+
Invite Link: invite

CHARACTER INFO

Character Name: Tingyun (Fugue)
Canon: Honkai Star Rail
Age: 100-ish
If Under 16, why is this character a good thematic fit for Somnia?: n/a
Canon Point: Post 2.7 (Penacony / A New Venture on the Eighth Dawn)
Wiki Link(s): One for Tingyun and one for Fugue


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?
It is the combination of a wound and a wish. Tingyun was nearly killed when a Ravanger (a powerful being that is similar to an emissary for a god) attacked her merchant guild vessel, stole her identity to get close to the protagonists, and left her for dead. An exceptionally clever scientist was able to heal her wounds, but it was Tingyun's determination and spite that brought her back from the brink of death. This wound that will never heal combined with a longing for a life that she can no longer return to is ultimately what drew Tingyun to Somnia. And now that she is face-to-face with the dream, she is almost helpless to do anything but follow. At her core, Tingyun believes that mortals are merely pawns in the hands of gods. But that does not mean she would not try to disrupt the dream. Destruction is best wrought from within but only given the right opportunity. So Tingyun will follow the dream until an chance presents itself in which she can follow her own principals.

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?
Tingyun is no stranger to powerful forces using and discarding others on the path to ambition. Her current existence is wholly a result of being unknowingly targeted and having her personality and experiences stripped away by a powerful being who wanted to take her place. So the illusion that Fugue has any sort of control over her life has already been shattered well before arriving in Somnia. Also at her core, Tingyun is not a warrior; she is a civilian merchant. Her first instinct is to collapse and give into fear and weakness. But under that first instinct is a desperate desire to survive and a streak of spitefulness to take down those who are much more powerful than her. So less than adapt or fight, Tingyun is very patient. She will wait for the exact right moment to lay the trap to snare the enemy and wrap herself up in as many alliances as necessary to see the matter through.

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?
The majority of Tingyun's relationships are cordial and based upon the rules of civil engagement which makes them almost appear superficial in nature. While she is outwardly thoughtful in giving gifts to others and receiving gifts in return, she is not one to share much of her personal life or feelings. Her closest relationships are ones that she has nurtured over years, the most prominent one being another Foxian who practically raised her. That is what happens when one is a longer-lived race and lives among species who have borderline immortality. There is always time. There is no need to rush. And Tingyun has a certain outward persona she wishes to maintain. Therefore, her connections tend to be slow and superficial. The murmur in Somnia will be a new and uncomfortable experience for her. No longer able to hide behind a fan or her customer-service smile, Tingyun will most likely oscillate between fascination and resistance that one's true feelings are face-up on the table in interacting with others. It will definitely be a steep learning curve for her, but one of the driving reasons for me to pick her up as a character.

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.)
Diplomacy versus conflict. Before her near-death experience, Tingyun was famously a pacifist merchant and diplomat. Instead of having a traditional weapon created for herself, she had a special fan created. The logic behind this choice was that with such a tool she could "cool off" the heated arguments of those she was negotiating with and also carrying a weapon would only escalate to unnecessary conflict. However, now imbued with power of Destruction, she has a much higher capacity for using force instead of diplomacy. There's also been a internal paradigm shift because the Ravanger that almost killed her certainly would have never listened to words. They came with the intent to kill and take ruthlessly and without mercy. So despite Tingyun's previously calm and understanding demeanor, now Fugue is out for revenge. She hopes that her survival will give her allies the advantage to take down those who had meant to kill her and her people. Therefore, this dichotomy also represents her core conflict - reconciling who she was and who she is now in the hopes of guiding who she will become.

VESSEL SELECTION
Which Vessel Type are you choosing: Token or Offering? Token

Why does this Vessel type feel appropriate for your character? Specifically, I would like to play with the necromancy powers because it ties to Tingyun's rebirth theme and also slots in nicely to the latent Destructions powers she gained as a part of that. It just seems very thematic for her as a character to be able to wield the power of death after her close brush with it. Conversely, since she is already a Foxian and has fox traits, I didn't have much interest in the physical transformations required for an offering.

Choose one OR list three subclass options within your chosen Vessel type that you think would suit them: Necromancy

Samples:
* TDM top level
* TDM