OOC: Splendorocity App
Player Information:
Name: Neb
Journal: nebulaqueen
Method of Contact: AIM: NebbieQ E-Mail: nebulamastermind[at]gmail.com
Previous characters: None
Character Information:
Full Name: Gregor Samsa
Series: The Metamorphosis
Canon point: After his death near the end of the story
Age: None given in canon; I'm assuming sometime in his late 20s, nearing his 30s.
Species: Giant bug. What exactly he is depends on the translation, but I'm going to go with "giant beetle with biological quirks".
Appearance/PB: Essentially a giant (approximately three foot long) version of this type of beetle. There are some slight differences, though, such as longish feelers and more pronounced mouthparts. He also some human features, oddly enough, such as nostrils (or nose holes) and eyelids.
Appearance upon arrival: He’s in much better condition than he was at the end of the story. His injuries (such as his damaged legs and the wound in his back) have been healed, though his body is still thin from malnutrition.
History:
Previous RP memories: N/A
Bringing someone along?: No
Character History: Here's a short wikipedia summary and a slightly more tl;dr fan summary
Personality:
On the surface Gregor's personality is that of a textbook introvert, and a boring one at that. In the past he was more focused on his work and duties than pleasure and fun, and used to prefer quiet nights at home to a night on the town. In his personal life he's meek, humble, and self sacrificing, and tends to put other his loved ones' interests ahead of his own; any harm this causes him tends to be bottled up, denied, or rationalized with how at least he's doing good. For example, when his family fell on hard times financially, he took a job with his fathers' debtors as a traveling salesman. He clearly hates the job and the way his strict superiors treat him, but he keeps at it anyway to provide his family with security, stability, and a comfortable life. If not for the debt he would have quit long ago (or so he tells himself). He also tends to shy away from conflict (especially if it would have repercussions on people aside from him), as he sees it more practical to just keep his head down and get his work done. However, in his efforts to keep the peace, he sometimes has a tendency to overexplain himself - at least, when he gets the opportunity.
Underneath this, though, he harbors fantasies of being bolder and more assertive, where he stands up for himself and says what he truly feels. He also has his limits, and while he can take a good deal of punishment, he can only take so much. He's capable of harboring great resentment and bitterness, and when pushed to the edge, his anger and desperation can drive him to act recklessly.
However, this leaves out the influence his metamorphosis has had on him. At first, he wasn't as repulsed as one might expect. In fact, his initial reaction wasn't horror, but denial, followed by pathetic attempts to go about his life as normal and panic that his work would think the worst of him. While he loathes his form, one could argue that it's a result of others' reactions to him as well as the lack of communication it created. He's taken for granted the fact that he's disgusting and fearsome, because others found him to be so, and usually tried to hide himself to spare others from the sight of him. He also found himself to be a burden; thanks to his change, he was now dependent on his family, instead of vice versa. Frustration spurred him to break his self-imposed exile a couple times, but they ended poorly, and only cemented his view that others are better off without him. Even so, he still has a deeply held longing for human companionship, and may seek it out regardless. He's essentially lived in isolation for the past few months with little to none ways to communicate to those around him, so he might be a bit...over-exuberant when he finds he has the ability to speak once more. To say this has done a number on his social skills is a vast understatement, and he may have a tendency to become obsessive and fixated over any bonds he is able to form.
There's one other issue, though: in some ways, he's adapted rather well to his form, and has even taken some minor joy in things such as crawling over walls and ceilings in only a way an insect kind. Unfortunately, the more he adapts to his form, the more he fears that he may be losing his humanity; for example, when his mother and sister try to clear his room to make more space for him to crawl around, he's grateful at first but then later fearful and even angry that they're taking away the last attachments he's had to his old life. While acceptance from others may soothe his emotional wounds, they may also serve to strengthen his identity crisis.
Extra:
Character Abilities: Beetle-man, Beetle-man, does whatever a beetle can Basically, he has similar abilities as an insect. He's able to heal minor injuries rather quickly and has a heightened pain tolerance, although major injuries can still be damning. He also has a heightened sense of smell and the ability to crawl up walls, ceilings, etc. Oh, and he can also hiss like those freaky Madagascar cockroaches. It's a great party trick, real popular with the ladies.
Also, this is not canon, but it's been theorized that depending on Gregor's species he might be capable of flight. I can go either way on this, but I think it would be interesting if he could learn to fly as sort of a small character plot.
Possessions: None
Anything else: Ever since his transformation his vision has been weakened. While he's not fully blind, he now relies more on the senses of smell and hearing. Another effect of his change is that he's no long able to ingest normal food. While fresh food won't make him sick (that we know of, at least), the scent and flavor is now completely unappetizing to him. However, old, rotting, or moldy food is now absolutely delicious to him. This is great if a pal needs a sapient garbage disposal, but not so much if you don't want to completely gross out everyone around you. Oddly enough, though, out of all the foodstuffs that were experimented with in the story, meat wasn't offered to him. Whether or not he's able to ingest it is anybody's guess.
He also has a few skills that are no longer useful in his current form. Gregor used to be a somewhat skilled woodworker, and while he was more of a hobbyist than a professional, he was able to competently build small items such as picture frames and other small knicknacks. There's also brief mention that he attended a trade school of some kind, which might have something to do with this or his position as a clerk. There's also a brief mention of his former role as a lieutenant in the military. Very little information is given on this (other than the fact that he was obviously proud of his position); we don't even know if he ever saw combat. However, he might have some knowledge of tactics, strategy, etc that an officer would have had in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Samples:
Action/Communication thread/post sample: Log in process
Log/Prose sample: The music box faded and Gregor's vision cleared. What a strange, dreadful dream he just had. Gregor suppressed a yawn as his feelers twitched against the cool air-
That wasn't right. Gregor skittered back in alarm and felt his side scrape against old brick. This wasn't right at all, none of it! Gregor dashed forward in alarm, his spindly legs moving in a strange sort of unison, and it wasn't until he was halfway up a small stone wall that he was able to get ahold of his senses. His mind was flooded with memories and he was now confronted with the cold, hard truth: none of what had happened to him in the past few months was a dream. It was all real, just as real as the stone he now rested upon and the soft breeze that brushed against his carapace. He immediately felt a brief rush of elation; his legs now moved properly, he was more mobile than he had been in weeks, and the apple that plagued him for so long had apparently vanished with only a dull ache to remind him of the old wound.
However, any joy he felt had vanished as quickly as it appeared. Whatever power that had cured him of his wounds still saw fit that he remain in his current, loathsome form, without even the comforts of his home, his parents, or even Grete-
No, no, he chided himself, he mustn't think of them. After all, they made it quite clear that he was no longer necessary in their lives. Their son and brother had vanished long ago; all that was left was a monster, an abomination, and a hindrance to their lives. He was as useful to them as a millstone around their necks. He slowly crawled back to the ground, when his feelers twitched once more. The scent of food was in the air, and while most of his wounds and aches had been cured, his body still suffered the dull throb of hunger. His legs wriggled and his body moved with barely any permission from himself, and his melancholy was temporarily ignored in favor of basic sustenance.