The Signless (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
69problems) wrote2013-04-02 12:30 am
69problems) wrote2013-04-02 12:30 am
Games App
OUT of CHARACTER
Name: Inkwell
Other characters: N/A
IN CHARACTER
Name: The Signless
Fandom: Homestuck
Canon point/AU: From before his execution.
Journal:69problems
PB: Art, mostly fanart since he doesn't have much in-canon. This is the picture used for him in one of the flashes. (I also highly encourage you to use this picture, because it is beautiful).
History: Here is his wiki link! Unfortunately it's not very comprehensive, and mentions some things that are explained better on other pages, so I'll also add an abbreviated history here.
Before the Signless was Signless, he was Kankri Vantas in an entirely different iteration of his universe on a planet aptly called 'Beforus'. Kankri was loud, obnoxious, and obsessive about social justice in a misguided but well-meaning way. As a mutant-blooded troll whose blood color fell outside the usual hemospectrum, he was inevitably treated differently than his peers, something that made him uncomfortable even if it wasn't necessarily negative treatment in Beforus's very peaceful and loving society.
When he and eleven of his friends played Sgrub, a computer game that ends the world and pulls the players into the game in order to create a new universe, they found themselves woefully unprepared because of that same peaceful society and because of inter-player issues. Kankri attempted to lead, but no one really took him seriously because of his overbearing nature. Eventually, the group decided to 'scratch', or reset the game and their own universe in order to give another group of players a better chance at winning.
This reset created Alternia, the world that most of the Hivebent arc in Homestuck takes place in and where the twelve main trolls eventually played Sgrub and won. Signless's story happens far before that.
Alternian trolls are born as grubs in brooding caverns and must fight their way to the surface and a non-troll caretaker called a lusus that will raise them. The Signless, because of his mutant red blood, had neither a sign to designate his caste (all trolls of all castes have a personal sign) or any lusus that would want him. He would have died as a grub if not for a troll called the Dolorosa, a jadeblood who left her post as a caretaker of the mother grub and instead adopted him to raise as her own, something very unusual for a troll to do. She raised him in the wilds of Alternia, because unlike Beforus, Alternia was a cruel and difficult place for anyone to live, 'different' or otherwise. If he had been found he would have been killed immediately for being genetically impure and unable to offer anything to the continuation of the race.
As he grew, the Signless began to have visions of his life as Kankri on Beforus. It's heavily implied that his powers from the game related to his in-game title of Seer of Blood are behind this, as well as his own mutant blood. Knowing that troll society could be peaceful and loving, he began to tell stories of a better life and a better culture, where longer-lived and more-powerful highbloods protected and respected lowbloods and everyone lived in harmony regardless of blood color. Soon he had a following, including the Psiioniic (a yellowblood with psychic powers) and the Disciple (an oliveblood with whom he shared a very deep and loving relationship, and who recorded his teachings for future generations), who traveled with him and the Dolorosa. All three of them were reincarnations of trolls who had played the game on Beforus with Kankri, as were many others he had contact with over the sweeps.
Eventually the ruler of the Alternian Empire got fed up with what they saw as the very strong beginnings of a people's rebellion and ordered the Signless to be executed. He was captured, shackled with burning manacles, and executed publicly as a show of the Empire's force. It was then that his love for his people and hope for a better future turned to rage and despair, and he died angry and cursing those that once again wouldn't listen to him or take him seriously. It was especially painful because many of those closely involved, including the Alternian Empress herself, were reincarnations of people he had known as Kankri.
I'll be taking him from before his execution; he won't yet know it's going to happen. He's just been traveling happily with his small found family, spreading his message of peace and love.
Presentation: The Signless is a friendly troll, in itself something of a oxymoron. Because he was raised by a loving troll mother, something no other troll could ever claim, and because of his memories of Beforus, the Signless believes in inherent good inside his fellow trolls and will act accordingly. In a society where trolls are actively encouraged to be violent and anti-social except in terms of producing more trolls and serving the Empress, the Signless's 'treat others as you would like to be treated' attitude is a singularly strange one.
He's not naïve, however. Alternia is a dangerous place, especially for someone with no sign and mutant blood like him. He's inherently less trustful of those in positions of power, and doesn't feel comfortable staying in any one place for too long. This is partially because he feels it his duty to spread his word as far as possible and partially simply because he knows if he presents an easy target he will eventually be captured and killed, along with those that follow him. Though he believes a world of respect and compassion is possible, he also understands that it isn't the current reality.
The Signless is very well-spoken, a good skill for someone who preaches and one he likely inherited from his well-spoken adoptive mother. He's patient in conversation and it takes quite a lot to get him frustrated, even if he knows he's right. You catch more buzzbeasts with honey than with vinegar, after all. He also doesn't curse, though much like his descendant Karkat he tends to speak very inventively when agitated. If he sees an injustice being committed he will speak up, even if it may put him in danger to do so; he very much prefers convincing a person of his position by logic rather than force. His speech and demeanor have a particular pacifying effect on other trolls, and he uses it to his advantage. Still, he knows (mostly from having it impressed upon him for years and years by the Dolorosa, Disciple and Psiioniic) when to walk away from an argument before things turn sour – he'd be no good to anyone if he were dead, and being calm and soothing will only get him so far.
He's very strongly and vocally against oppressive forms of government, especially monarchy, and has a particular dislike for systems based around social castes where one group is made inherently inferior by something they're born with and can't change (he's going to have a lot of fun in Panem).
In terms of physical presentation, the Signless isn't very imposing, which suits him just fine. He doesn't want to intimidate or frighten people into agreeing with him, he wants to earn their trust and respect. As trolls go and even as humans go he's quite short, somewhere around 5'6''. His hands and especially his feet are callused and rough, his eyes are lined beyond his years, and he's quite scruffy despite the Dolorosa's best attempts to get him to look sleek like her. Like most trolls, his fashion sense isn't very good: his chosen clothing is a pair of black leggings (known as the Righteous Leggings) with a top that comes all the way up to his chest and red ornamentation (see the second picture under PB), covered by a ragged cloak, and that's pretty much it. Unlike all other trolls, this clothing bears no sign to distinguish him.
I feel, though, that the stylists and media might go in different directions with him. They may see the yellow and red eyes, the horns, the prominent teeth, and the general 'other'-ness of him, combine it with 'alien from a very violent society', and try to play up that angle to make him appear a stronger competitor than he actually is – keep the ragged clothing, make sure his horns were displayed as well as possible despite being so nubby, things like that. Alternately they may play up the gentle pacifist that he actually is, and reshape his image into something soft and pristine that can then be ruined by the other tributes and the stress of the Arena (probably to the delight of the Capitol viewers). Or they may take the middle road, and try to present him as a good person who is capable of reverting to that more dangerous and non-human 'other', thus again making him appear worse than he is and more likely to do well.
Also, deep down, there is the potential for him to snap entirely. This happens in canon at his execution, when he utters the Vast Expletive and his love and hope turns to rage and despair. He wants so very badly not to fail those he cares about (in this case, most every oppressed troll on Alternia) much in the way that Kankri failed his fellow players in the game by not being a good enough leader. He wants so badly for the highbloods to understand that what they're doing is wrong. The realization that they won't understand this in his lifetime, and perhaps not ever, and that in the interim so many innocents will be hurt and in many cases killed or enslaved, pushes him over the brink. I believe a similar situation could possibly occur in Panem, especially once he's been in several Arenas and tried to speak out multiple times and nothing changes.
Motivations: Like all Alternian trolls, one of the Signless's greatest drives is just to stay alive. This is probably more true of him than of anyone between his status as a kill-on-sight mutant and a dangerous heretic who speaks out against the current Empire. As discussed above, he knows when to cut his losses and he knows how to keep moving around and effectively disappear; growing up in the wilds of Alternia helped with that quite a lot.
He's also heavily influenced by his memories of Kankri and Beforus and the previous game session (it's said in canon that he told of another Signless who would come and bring the end of the world, which refers to his descendent that he would play the game, meaning he must have known about it). Not only does he know what troll society could look like if it were happier and more equal and have bringing that about to motivate him, but he also knows how not to go about inciting social change thanks to seeing Kankri in action. He used the lessons of Kankri's failings as an effective guide, and it paid off for him: all of the trolls from Kankri's time are available for interaction in the shared universal afterlife and many of them say that they are or are implied to be fans of the Signless's work on Alternia. One, Aranea, says point-blank that he became a true leader because of the memories that Kankri passed on to him. And, of course, you have the proof in his huge following that lasted well after his execution and into 'present day' canon Alternia, albeit in secret.
But why strive for social change at all? Why rebel against such a deeply-ingrained Empire and risk execution and torture? Basically, the Signless cares. He cares a lot. He hates to see suffering where he doesn't think suffering needs to exist, and that's just about everywhere. He's deeply saddened seeing what his world and especially his 'friends' from Kankri's time have become in some cases, as well as being determined to protect those he knows in this life as his found family. Unlike most trolls, who accept degradation and pain as part of their lives, the Signless is a firm believer in fighting actively for something better.
SAMPLES
Thread: Dear_Mun! If you need more, let me know.
Prose:
'Impress them', he was told, but looking up at the shadowy group of figures the Signless sees no one he's remotely interested in impressing. They aren't trolls, he can tell as much from the lack of horns (though one of them has hair that might pass for them), but he's still overwhelmingly reminded of self-congratulatory Highbloods who think they have all the power in the world over lives that mean nothing to them. It's disheartening to find that it's not only Alternian society that has such corruption and oppression as its backbone.
He glances first to the left and then to the right, red and yellow eyes sweeping over what's been laid out for him. Weights. Clubs, with and without spikes. Spears, swords, knives, all things he's been threatened with before. Bows and arrows, darts, a trident (he thinks of the Empress, of Meenah, and shivers). It's overwhelmingly clear what they want to see.
He sighs but makes no move toward any of the weaponry. Instead, he shakes his head and says quite simply:
"No."
Then he sits himself down cross-legged on the floor in front of their observation area, crosses his arms, and waits. They want him to show them he can fight, do they? This is how he knows how to fight. It's a risky choice, he knows, to make this sort of statement at a time when doing so may get him killed, but that's never stopped him before and it certainly won't now. What's the point in having values if you don't keep to them when it truly matters?
They shift uncomfortably as one minute turns into two and then three, and he can tell they aren't impressed. One clears his throat in a way he thinks is perhaps meant to be a prompt for something, but he doesn't respond and instead just stares back at them silently and unblinkingly until he's removed from the room.
What is your character scored: I'd say a 5 to 7 at best. The Signless is a troll and that comes with increased strength and durability, and the ability to see well in the dark (trolls being a nocturnal species). He's also used to a nomadic lifestyle and thus has pretty decent stamina, but as trolls go he's also not that gifted in the offense department. His chosen weapon is the sickle, but it's very likely he's never had to use it on more than plants. His horns are small and nubby, not really good for offense, and as trolls go his teeth, while sharper than a human's, are fairly dull. He's used to hiding from big strong people with big strong weapons that want to kill him, which might be useful, but he's also a big fat pacifist. I can see this either turning the crowd off to him or making them even more interested in seeing him pushed over the breaking point, being disillusioned and forced to go against his ideals; if it were advertised as a fall from grace arc it might capture Capitol attention. In terms of personality he's friendly, charming and like all the mutantblood boys a little sassy, which might earn him points.
Additional information: N/A
Name: Inkwell
Other characters: N/A
IN CHARACTER
Name: The Signless
Fandom: Homestuck
Canon point/AU: From before his execution.
Journal:
69problemsPB: Art, mostly fanart since he doesn't have much in-canon. This is the picture used for him in one of the flashes. (I also highly encourage you to use this picture, because it is beautiful).
History: Here is his wiki link! Unfortunately it's not very comprehensive, and mentions some things that are explained better on other pages, so I'll also add an abbreviated history here.
Before the Signless was Signless, he was Kankri Vantas in an entirely different iteration of his universe on a planet aptly called 'Beforus'. Kankri was loud, obnoxious, and obsessive about social justice in a misguided but well-meaning way. As a mutant-blooded troll whose blood color fell outside the usual hemospectrum, he was inevitably treated differently than his peers, something that made him uncomfortable even if it wasn't necessarily negative treatment in Beforus's very peaceful and loving society.
When he and eleven of his friends played Sgrub, a computer game that ends the world and pulls the players into the game in order to create a new universe, they found themselves woefully unprepared because of that same peaceful society and because of inter-player issues. Kankri attempted to lead, but no one really took him seriously because of his overbearing nature. Eventually, the group decided to 'scratch', or reset the game and their own universe in order to give another group of players a better chance at winning.
This reset created Alternia, the world that most of the Hivebent arc in Homestuck takes place in and where the twelve main trolls eventually played Sgrub and won. Signless's story happens far before that.
Alternian trolls are born as grubs in brooding caverns and must fight their way to the surface and a non-troll caretaker called a lusus that will raise them. The Signless, because of his mutant red blood, had neither a sign to designate his caste (all trolls of all castes have a personal sign) or any lusus that would want him. He would have died as a grub if not for a troll called the Dolorosa, a jadeblood who left her post as a caretaker of the mother grub and instead adopted him to raise as her own, something very unusual for a troll to do. She raised him in the wilds of Alternia, because unlike Beforus, Alternia was a cruel and difficult place for anyone to live, 'different' or otherwise. If he had been found he would have been killed immediately for being genetically impure and unable to offer anything to the continuation of the race.
As he grew, the Signless began to have visions of his life as Kankri on Beforus. It's heavily implied that his powers from the game related to his in-game title of Seer of Blood are behind this, as well as his own mutant blood. Knowing that troll society could be peaceful and loving, he began to tell stories of a better life and a better culture, where longer-lived and more-powerful highbloods protected and respected lowbloods and everyone lived in harmony regardless of blood color. Soon he had a following, including the Psiioniic (a yellowblood with psychic powers) and the Disciple (an oliveblood with whom he shared a very deep and loving relationship, and who recorded his teachings for future generations), who traveled with him and the Dolorosa. All three of them were reincarnations of trolls who had played the game on Beforus with Kankri, as were many others he had contact with over the sweeps.
Eventually the ruler of the Alternian Empire got fed up with what they saw as the very strong beginnings of a people's rebellion and ordered the Signless to be executed. He was captured, shackled with burning manacles, and executed publicly as a show of the Empire's force. It was then that his love for his people and hope for a better future turned to rage and despair, and he died angry and cursing those that once again wouldn't listen to him or take him seriously. It was especially painful because many of those closely involved, including the Alternian Empress herself, were reincarnations of people he had known as Kankri.
I'll be taking him from before his execution; he won't yet know it's going to happen. He's just been traveling happily with his small found family, spreading his message of peace and love.
Presentation: The Signless is a friendly troll, in itself something of a oxymoron. Because he was raised by a loving troll mother, something no other troll could ever claim, and because of his memories of Beforus, the Signless believes in inherent good inside his fellow trolls and will act accordingly. In a society where trolls are actively encouraged to be violent and anti-social except in terms of producing more trolls and serving the Empress, the Signless's 'treat others as you would like to be treated' attitude is a singularly strange one.
He's not naïve, however. Alternia is a dangerous place, especially for someone with no sign and mutant blood like him. He's inherently less trustful of those in positions of power, and doesn't feel comfortable staying in any one place for too long. This is partially because he feels it his duty to spread his word as far as possible and partially simply because he knows if he presents an easy target he will eventually be captured and killed, along with those that follow him. Though he believes a world of respect and compassion is possible, he also understands that it isn't the current reality.
The Signless is very well-spoken, a good skill for someone who preaches and one he likely inherited from his well-spoken adoptive mother. He's patient in conversation and it takes quite a lot to get him frustrated, even if he knows he's right. You catch more buzzbeasts with honey than with vinegar, after all. He also doesn't curse, though much like his descendant Karkat he tends to speak very inventively when agitated. If he sees an injustice being committed he will speak up, even if it may put him in danger to do so; he very much prefers convincing a person of his position by logic rather than force. His speech and demeanor have a particular pacifying effect on other trolls, and he uses it to his advantage. Still, he knows (mostly from having it impressed upon him for years and years by the Dolorosa, Disciple and Psiioniic) when to walk away from an argument before things turn sour – he'd be no good to anyone if he were dead, and being calm and soothing will only get him so far.
He's very strongly and vocally against oppressive forms of government, especially monarchy, and has a particular dislike for systems based around social castes where one group is made inherently inferior by something they're born with and can't change (he's going to have a lot of fun in Panem).
In terms of physical presentation, the Signless isn't very imposing, which suits him just fine. He doesn't want to intimidate or frighten people into agreeing with him, he wants to earn their trust and respect. As trolls go and even as humans go he's quite short, somewhere around 5'6''. His hands and especially his feet are callused and rough, his eyes are lined beyond his years, and he's quite scruffy despite the Dolorosa's best attempts to get him to look sleek like her. Like most trolls, his fashion sense isn't very good: his chosen clothing is a pair of black leggings (known as the Righteous Leggings) with a top that comes all the way up to his chest and red ornamentation (see the second picture under PB), covered by a ragged cloak, and that's pretty much it. Unlike all other trolls, this clothing bears no sign to distinguish him.
I feel, though, that the stylists and media might go in different directions with him. They may see the yellow and red eyes, the horns, the prominent teeth, and the general 'other'-ness of him, combine it with 'alien from a very violent society', and try to play up that angle to make him appear a stronger competitor than he actually is – keep the ragged clothing, make sure his horns were displayed as well as possible despite being so nubby, things like that. Alternately they may play up the gentle pacifist that he actually is, and reshape his image into something soft and pristine that can then be ruined by the other tributes and the stress of the Arena (probably to the delight of the Capitol viewers). Or they may take the middle road, and try to present him as a good person who is capable of reverting to that more dangerous and non-human 'other', thus again making him appear worse than he is and more likely to do well.
Also, deep down, there is the potential for him to snap entirely. This happens in canon at his execution, when he utters the Vast Expletive and his love and hope turns to rage and despair. He wants so very badly not to fail those he cares about (in this case, most every oppressed troll on Alternia) much in the way that Kankri failed his fellow players in the game by not being a good enough leader. He wants so badly for the highbloods to understand that what they're doing is wrong. The realization that they won't understand this in his lifetime, and perhaps not ever, and that in the interim so many innocents will be hurt and in many cases killed or enslaved, pushes him over the brink. I believe a similar situation could possibly occur in Panem, especially once he's been in several Arenas and tried to speak out multiple times and nothing changes.
Motivations: Like all Alternian trolls, one of the Signless's greatest drives is just to stay alive. This is probably more true of him than of anyone between his status as a kill-on-sight mutant and a dangerous heretic who speaks out against the current Empire. As discussed above, he knows when to cut his losses and he knows how to keep moving around and effectively disappear; growing up in the wilds of Alternia helped with that quite a lot.
He's also heavily influenced by his memories of Kankri and Beforus and the previous game session (it's said in canon that he told of another Signless who would come and bring the end of the world, which refers to his descendent that he would play the game, meaning he must have known about it). Not only does he know what troll society could look like if it were happier and more equal and have bringing that about to motivate him, but he also knows how not to go about inciting social change thanks to seeing Kankri in action. He used the lessons of Kankri's failings as an effective guide, and it paid off for him: all of the trolls from Kankri's time are available for interaction in the shared universal afterlife and many of them say that they are or are implied to be fans of the Signless's work on Alternia. One, Aranea, says point-blank that he became a true leader because of the memories that Kankri passed on to him. And, of course, you have the proof in his huge following that lasted well after his execution and into 'present day' canon Alternia, albeit in secret.
But why strive for social change at all? Why rebel against such a deeply-ingrained Empire and risk execution and torture? Basically, the Signless cares. He cares a lot. He hates to see suffering where he doesn't think suffering needs to exist, and that's just about everywhere. He's deeply saddened seeing what his world and especially his 'friends' from Kankri's time have become in some cases, as well as being determined to protect those he knows in this life as his found family. Unlike most trolls, who accept degradation and pain as part of their lives, the Signless is a firm believer in fighting actively for something better.
SAMPLES
Thread: Dear_Mun! If you need more, let me know.
Prose:
'Impress them', he was told, but looking up at the shadowy group of figures the Signless sees no one he's remotely interested in impressing. They aren't trolls, he can tell as much from the lack of horns (though one of them has hair that might pass for them), but he's still overwhelmingly reminded of self-congratulatory Highbloods who think they have all the power in the world over lives that mean nothing to them. It's disheartening to find that it's not only Alternian society that has such corruption and oppression as its backbone.
He glances first to the left and then to the right, red and yellow eyes sweeping over what's been laid out for him. Weights. Clubs, with and without spikes. Spears, swords, knives, all things he's been threatened with before. Bows and arrows, darts, a trident (he thinks of the Empress, of Meenah, and shivers). It's overwhelmingly clear what they want to see.
He sighs but makes no move toward any of the weaponry. Instead, he shakes his head and says quite simply:
"No."
Then he sits himself down cross-legged on the floor in front of their observation area, crosses his arms, and waits. They want him to show them he can fight, do they? This is how he knows how to fight. It's a risky choice, he knows, to make this sort of statement at a time when doing so may get him killed, but that's never stopped him before and it certainly won't now. What's the point in having values if you don't keep to them when it truly matters?
They shift uncomfortably as one minute turns into two and then three, and he can tell they aren't impressed. One clears his throat in a way he thinks is perhaps meant to be a prompt for something, but he doesn't respond and instead just stares back at them silently and unblinkingly until he's removed from the room.
What is your character scored: I'd say a 5 to 7 at best. The Signless is a troll and that comes with increased strength and durability, and the ability to see well in the dark (trolls being a nocturnal species). He's also used to a nomadic lifestyle and thus has pretty decent stamina, but as trolls go he's also not that gifted in the offense department. His chosen weapon is the sickle, but it's very likely he's never had to use it on more than plants. His horns are small and nubby, not really good for offense, and as trolls go his teeth, while sharper than a human's, are fairly dull. He's used to hiding from big strong people with big strong weapons that want to kill him, which might be useful, but he's also a big fat pacifist. I can see this either turning the crowd off to him or making them even more interested in seeing him pushed over the breaking point, being disillusioned and forced to go against his ideals; if it were advertised as a fall from grace arc it might capture Capitol attention. In terms of personality he's friendly, charming and like all the mutantblood boys a little sassy, which might earn him points.
Additional information: N/A