Application ✶ sticksandbones

[kisscam]

PLAYER INFO
Name: Lavvy
Pronouns: she/they
Contact: BlueFlewFedUQueen or Lavvy @ discord
Permissions: Here

CHARACTER INFO

Name: Lyle
Canon: Look Outside
Canon Point: Day 14, after Sam goes up to the roof but before the ending
Age: Somewhere in his 30's
Species: Cursed (former human, mutated by a cosmic entity)

History: Look Outside Wiki

Personality:
✽ What is your character's main motivation? What drives them and keeps them going?

His neighbour, former coworker and crush, Sam ♥

Lyle doesn't have a lot going on in his social life—he's been something of a shut-in even before the apocalypse happened, and his unhealthy obsession with a guy who barely even remembers him is the main thing that occupied his time prior to the Visitor's arrival. Post-apocalypse, he's been able to redirect his efforts into helping Sam explore the apartment complex and help out their other neighbours by proxy (or uhhh murder them, sometimes... same thing). This is an improvement! But he's still extremely dependant on Sam's approval as motivation. This man needs therapy and somehow it has very little to do with The Horrors.

✽ What is their biggest regret? Why?

The whole stalking thing. Does that mean he's going to stop? Hell no, this is sunk cost fallacy at work baby! But he does feel a lot of guilt and shame over his actions, and he recognizes that taking pictures of a guy and stealing his apartment key and maybe breaking into his apartment every now and then as a treat are all things that would make Sam mad if he ever found out, so he really shouldn't be doing them. But he's already doing all those things and he can't undo them so... welp! It's too late to stop, so he might as well use it for "good"! Like making sure Sam is safe! This balances out the blatant disregard for privacy, somehow.

✽ What is their worst fear? Their greatest comfort?

Rejection and disgust, both from people (Sam or otherwise) discovering his stalker habit, but also from people seeing his new appearance and being freaked out by it. Lyle is extremely self-conscious of his mutations and refuses to reveal himself in full to anyone, even his fellow Cursed. In an outcome where Sam peeks at his true form, he immediately becomes inconsolable and will lock himself in his darkroom to cry for the rest of the game. He's afraid of how people will react once they see the "real" him, so he only shows the parts of himself that he thinks people will tolerate.

Predictably, his greatest comfort is the opposite of that: human (or inhuman) connection, being accepted by others, sharing his interests with others... and if all of that doesn't work out, he'll settle for trapping his "friends" in photos where he can talk to them and protect them without having to feel judged. This is all very sane and normal and NOT weird.

✽ Top three strengths?

• Adaptability. All things considered, he is doing Extremely well at surviving the apocalypse as a fucked up camera spider abomination.


• Bold!! This is not necessarily a good thing, but wow it sure does take a certain amount of confidence to start breaking into a guy's apartment. He doesn't shy away at violence, either. There's very little he wouldn't be willing to do to protect his friends/himself as long as his current company would approve of it.


• Selflessness... kind of. Despite everything, he firmly believes in putting others before himself. Even the whole soul-stealing thing is only ever done with good intentions. He's genuinely trying his best out here even if his best only the WORST decisions a guy could be making.

✽ Top three weaknesses?

• Completely and utterly spineless. He'll basically say or do whatever he thinks will make people like him more and apologizes at the slightest hint of conflict. He has a difficult time asking for anything or expressing his opinions because he's way too worried about what others will think.


• Fidgety, nervous wreck. Would you be shocked to learn that you can loot anxiety meds from this man's apartment? You shouldn't be.


• He has a very defeatist mentality, believing that he can't be his authentic self because people will hate him for various reasons, but also believing that it's too late for him to change so he might as well keep doing terrible things. Creates a feedback loop where he fully acknowledges he's being a shitty person but then keeps doing all the shitty things.

✽ What was their last lie?

Unfortunately he is another one of That Type of person so who fucking knows what it was. Lyle more like Lie-le.

Inventory:

• A mop (deadly weapon). Stained with a concerning amount of blood, may have also been used to clean up chemical spills.


• His "cloak", which is actually just a large drape.


• A single Canadian $20 bill.


• Apartment keys!


• A very small collection of normal photos of his friends!! All the photos with souls trapped in them are Gone and presumably back in his homeworld, unless you guys think it'd be funny to let Suri have some random dead people souls. As a treat.

Abilities:

• Monstrous Form - In general, Lyle is not human. (image cw: spiders/body horror/that is too many eyes sir) He has a multitude of fully-functional bonus eyes, a giant second mouth, and a couple dozen spindly metal legs. He's roughly 7-8' tall (when not hunched over) with an arachnid body structure. He's big!! Difficult to pass in the hallway!! Unfortunately this does not come with greater strength or durability since he's made up of a lot of delicate lenses and tripods. Please be gentle with him or he'll cry. He is also absolute dogshit in any kind of stealth situation between the wildly uncoordinated legs and the fact that he is constantly making whirs and clicks from all his weird internal anatomy.
  
  He does have a mean bite, though, as well many pointy metal feet that are good for kicking. Excellent night-vision! Also weirdly long arms. Good for grabbing things out of tight spaces, high shelves, underneath furniture, etc.


• Development Fluid - Spits chemicals that can leave acid burns. It's literally photographic developer. Presumably can also vomit stop bath/fixer but It's All Chemicals so wiggles hand same idea.


• Blinding Flash - Self-explanatory! It's literally just a camera flash. Sometimes triggers unintentionally. It's unclear if this is from a separate object he carries or if that's attached to his body somewhere or if he can ???? flash from other places????? but considering it happens unintentionally and he's already half-camera I'm running with the assumption that it's built into his anatomy. somewhere.


• Film Bind - Produces reels of film from a spinneret on his abdomen which can be used to bind and wrap around enemies. Can also be produced from other orifices because I think it'd funny if he pulled film out of his throat like a magician and used it to choke someone.


• Photography - What, did you think all the camera parts were just for show?? Yes he can take actual pictures, he has to use the larger lens protruding from his neck/chest to do so. Photos pop out of his mouth (either one) and can be developed on the spot thanks to his weird anatomy. It's like a really gross polaroid.


• Soul Taker - Photography (Evil). When developing a photo, Lyle can attempt to trap the subject's soul inside the picture. This works even on photos taken hours/days/weeks prior or after the subject has died—although, a trapped soul can't talk, move, or communicate, and can only perceive the world from their tiny photo prison. Which sucks!! But it's better than being dead, right? Right?? (none of Lyle's victims can tell him how much this sucks so obviously it's fine)
  
  Soul-stealing doesn't work 100% of the time (it's actually about 40%!), but on a partial success the subject will be drained of their strength and energy (stat debuff+HP drain). Destroying the photo will instantly reverse all effects. Canonically the only downside besides the success rate is that Lyle feels kinda bad about it so he doesn't like using it offensively, but like... he does. So.
  
  OBVIOUSLY THIS IS STUPID OP i'm gonna say he's losing the ability to do that shit on weeks old photos because jfc, it has to be a fresh photo and the subject has to at LEAST be in the same dimension. Also the success rate is now Extremely Low. Outside of preplotted things it will only have the partial success effect. He's still gonna be a freak about it tho, sorry to anyone who befriends this guy he is definitely going to try and make an emergency backup at some point. Just in case!!! Like if you died or something!!!!


• The Horrors™ - Having witnessed an eldritch being that mutates living tissue and shatters minds by perception alone and Not gone completely insane, he has surprisingly strong mental fortitude. This doesn't make him immune to psychic attacks or w/e but he is going to be politely tolerant of any further eldritch bullshit thanks.