Wisp
The Basics
♥ Character Name: Wisp
♥ Age: Unspecified
♥ Gender/Pronouns: Male, he, it, they (Wisp really couldn't care)
♥ Species: Forest Monster
♥ Occupation: Guardian of the forests, environmentalist.
♥ Faceclaim(optional): N/A
♥ Do you play any other characters on this site? If so, who?: None
Strengths/Abilities
Forest's Curse: Wisp has a psychic bond he establishes with any forest he winds up in. This bond works in rainforests as well. The trees and other foliage act like a nervous system for him, so he knows everything that goes on in it. All of his senses will expand to the forest's size, so there's no hiding from him if an undesirable wanders into his forest or even stands at it's edge. The animals that live there will not be affected by this bond directly, but they will detect a looming, protective presence lurking in the forest. This is most effective outside of deserts, barren wastelands, and cities. He tries to use it in any of those places, it will either get cut by 90% or ineffective. The more foliage present, the more effective this gets. The plants would have to be alive as well for Wisp to "see through them". This ability also allows for easier magic casting on the plants themselves because of the psychic bond with them.
Willow Wisps: From the sockets of his skull and the skulls adorning his clothing emerge floating balls of light when summoned. They can be used for communication as well as hypnosis and sensory illusions for who (or what) he chooses to protect (protip: turn your focus away from the wisp-balls to avoid getting hypnotized from their color shifting and soothing sounds). He can use and manipulate them however he chooses. Each one being the size of a basketball, they take physical form when they leave the sockets, so they can be purged through use of ordinary objects, like baseball bats and other weapons. When destroyed, they get sent back to the socket they came out of, unable to be used again for the entire day. The wisps can be dismissed at will, and if so, can be called out again at anytime. It is crucial to have all twelve magic wisps if he is to make mass-teleportation. Yes they can teleport objects and people by using themselves to carry whatever (and whoever) is in the floating horizontal circle they shape. If one wisp ends up destroyed, the circle is incomplete and nobody's going anywhere all at once. It also requires a 15-second preparation time to charge up all 12 of them for the mass port. During this charging period, if one of the wisp-balls is destroyed, nobody's going anywhere in a hurry. Wisp himself can use one of these floating balls of magic to teleport himself to a place where he's already been. It only works backward, it doesn't work forward. He can't teleport to a place he's never physically been to before. He can't mass-teleport anything or anyone to a place he's never been to either. Due to the dangers of teleportation, he doesn't use it in a fight. He uses it to flee.
Chlorophyll: He photosynthesizes for energy and food. This in turn allows for new growth for any missing limbs or damaged parts. Depending on how severe the damage is, it could take weeks, months, even years to fully heal himself. He would need a constant supply of water and sunshine to regenerate everything. If it's a fatal blow, this doesn't do anything. This new growth also applies to other plants as well. He can make a seedling grow into an adult plant in just a few seconds of constant magic flow from him. He can also manipulate the direction of the plant growth as well as how big the plant gets. Wisp can even go so far as to create new structures out of already existing plants by adding new growth to them and manipulating that. This explains why he hoards wild seeds in the sash pouches draped around his torso. The seed does need to be planted in soil before the overgrowth can start.
Trevenant: When damaged enough, the sockets will flash white and he'll fly into a destructive rage with a massive surge of magic. He's completely numb to pain while berserked. Much like an actual revenant from Irish myth, he'd get stronger, faster, smarter, quicker with reflexes, except he'd be on borrowed time. It doesn't last. This makes him vulnerable as well as unpredictable. He'll calm down after the target of interest has been terminated, has disappeared, the magic powering the rage is spent, or he's dying on the floor. Call this his "special attack".
Thornskin: During a fight, he will grow a lightweight armor comprised of large, serrated thorns out of his body. His claws will also grow the same thorns, making his punches and kicks hurt, badly. The thorns will fall out if he had been burned or the fight's over. Getting in contact with his skin while he's growing the Thornskin armor will release short spines that cause irritation and inflammation until the growth is complete. These teeny spines can be burned off, and even be used as animal feed after burning. Any thorns that fall out can be ground up and used as a mulch.
Inabilities/Weaknesses
Flammable: There's a reason why Wisp has pyrophobia. He catches on fire easily! If he's a bright green, then he won't burn as easy, but he will still burn. It would be a slow, painful burning. If withered from lack of sun or lack of water, he will burn much faster. He will back off when he sees a flame, no matter how small. Even a spark will get him to back up. He'll stay away from areas where there's smoke, because fire. Wisp will also find shelter when there's a thunderstorm because his height puts him at risk for getting struck and lit on fire. He'll still hide even when there are objects taller than him around him. His paranoia about fire makes him a real mood-killer on camping trips.
Soft Bark: He doesn't have thick skin due to needing mobility just to move around, so he's very much vulnerable to any weapon anybody can grab. Guns, sharp objects, anything. They might get stuck in him due to him being, well, tree-like, but that doesn't mean it won't draw dust... or tree sap, in Wisp's case. Ranged weapons like bombs and guns are pretty much his bane as he needs to get in close to do any nasty damage. The Thornskin armor only adds a little bit of protection without sacrificing movement, so it doesn't do anything against a human with a pistol anyway.
Wild Child: Having lived on his own for a long time, he had forgotten how to socialize and hasn't been caught up that well on the times due to his isolation in the forest. Technology scares him. He shies away from tight spaces and urban cities, but recently, the barrier was destroyed. It took him ten years to get used to the outside world, but he still wouldn't get used to technology all this time, considering he went forest hopping and not making himself known to the humans. He didn't even make himself known to any Monster in the Underground. This makes him really awkward, in many ways. It would also get him into a lot of trouble depending on who finds him. Wisp might need some help adjusting.
Dangerous Elements: He will wither and shrivel up if not given the daily sunlight or water he needs to survive. Too much water will drown him. Getting buried in salt will dry him out. He will freeze solid if caught in a severe blizzard. Too many chemicals will kill him. Anything and everything will happen when above ground. Having a soft body sucks.
Drained: His reliance on the sun and water for energy also fuels how much magic he can output in a day. Not enough of one, the other, or both, will make him much weaker. He won't be able to use anything to it's full potential. His movements would be sluggish and sloppy at the worst. The best he could do would be to summon those Willow Wisps and use Forest's Curse. Those don't require much energy to do. His attempts to teleport using a wisp-ball would fail. He'd be compost at the hands of a smart human.
Personality
He's shy, reclusive, secretive, cryptic, creative and curious. Wisp has high intelligence but his shyness is so severe, it makes him look dumb to the ignorant. Once he's comfortable with something (or someone), his curiosity will show. If he's really comfortable with his friends, he'll become a prankster, enjoying jokes and pulling harmless pranks on them. He hates it when people threaten forests and their inhabitants by cutting down trees and not planting new ones. He'll calm down after new life has been planted in place of the dead plant. Wisp will even help with replanting as he can make seedlings grow. He can't express emotions as is, but he can express them through the changes on his body as well as general body language. When happy/content/satisfied, he'll grow flowers. When sad, his leaves will droop. When angry, he'll grow tiny vines with thorns from his body. He'll use body language, growths, and sounds from the "Willow Wisps" he can summon to talk to others. He'll get creative with his powers and with the knowledge he obtains to make things easier, depending on what it is. He's not evil by any means, he's just awkward. He's a dummy when it comes to technology, but when it comes to surviving in the wild, he's the Monster to turn to for classes.
Do not ask him about his family. Don't even mention it at all. Underneath that inquisitive exterior lies a Monster who's on the brink of snapping. Loneliness can kill sanity.
Life Story
Wisp hailed from Monsters who had made their homes in the forest. Before the war, they were tricky beings to deal with, given that they lived to defend their home from any intruder. They were all reclusive, secretive, and cared for their own. These tricksters didn't need anything outside of the forest as they were well-adapted to the homes they had. That didn't mean they didn't keep in contact with other Monsters. They allowed Monsters through their forests no problem. Many were invited over for parties in the deepest heart of the forest. Everyone would be there and it would be great time! It was the humans they were dubious about. If there was a lost human, one of them would guide the lost human out. If a human were to get attacked by a wild animal, one of the "spirits of the forest" would scare the animal away from them. If a human came into the forest with the malicious intent on destroying it, they were never seen again. Wisp's kind were also responsible for the myth of the Will O Wisp, the Banshee (due to a few of them making the auditory and visual hallucination of a shrieking ghost lady through use of the Willow Wisps), and the spirits who abducted children, which was a lie fabricated by some jealous parents because their young daughter had befriended one of them. It was when war broke out that they were one of the first to go. The forests having been set ablaze from a distance as a preemptive attack, they fled their homes, many of which did not survive when they ran out. Some were already on fire, others were lit on fire with flaming arrows, and a few were caught, dumped into boiling hot oil, then lit on fire. Only a meager handful survived to make the mad scramble for a nearby cave. It was Mount Ebott's cave, the cave that led to the ruins. After most of them had been slain, they decided to become even more reclusive, even to Monsters. They loved the other Monsters, a lot, but for the safety of their dwindling numbers in case the humans tried to follow, they had to hide away. Having no desire to stay within the confines of a claustrophobic ruin, they left it, going deeper into the caverns and planting trees along the way for their future home.
These trees would be Snowdin Forest with time.
The other Monsters eventually arrived within the ruins, and during that arrival was when Wisp's kind had planted the Echo Flower. They exploded in the marsh, the conditions having been just right for them to thrive. The other Monsters who were late to the party eventually left the ruins, and that was when the "spirits of the forest" had gone into hiding. It was like they were never there. Slowly, one by one, without much sun or water, they started to die off. They tried reproducing as much as they could but without proper sun and water, it was for naught. Wisp is the last tree-like Monster of his type. He was still a sapling when his parents "fell down" and turned to dust. He had to live on his own. He taught himself how to navigate the forest with ease, with the unfinished training that his parents had given him before they fell. Through the vicious self-training he was flipping and turning and twisting and dancing across the branches like they weren't even a hazard. He had even mastered the art of getting around quietly while on the branches, just like his parents did. Hardcore parkour! Wisp grew up keeping his distance from the teeny town of Snowdin, but there were the chances that he entered the town while everyone else was asleep. He survived on stealing for nourishment or trying to melt the snow for water. He even tried to move to Waterfall, but the Echo Flowers constantly talking back and the lack of proper hiding places made it unlivable for him. Wisp loved the silence of the forest, so hearing the echos of other monsters would eventually get on his nerves. He would be seen if he tried to funnel the water from Waterfall to his sad little shack of a shelter. His mother did say to stay away from contact with others and his father agreed. He wasn't sure why but being the good little sapling he was, he believed them. Wisp grew secretive and cryptic, leading Monsters out of the forest in case they got lost by using his namesake. Ice Cap, Snowdrake, Chilldrake, and Gyftrot were none the wiser. Nobody knew he was there. Not even Undyne's Canine Unit. He even avoided a talking yellow flower by using the Willow Wisps to make his presence invisible by creating a sensory mirage on the forest.
He watched every event unfold from Snowdin's forest, even events that he thought he remembered. Did those happen?
Wisp constantly thought about why his parents told him this and that. Having been a recluse for a while, he didn't have any thoughts about socializing with others. Maybe they told him that to protect him? Well he decided it was time to come out of the woods. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to read or write. After watching Snowdin for a while, he learned that everybody there knew how to do that. Again, he did what he did best. Steal. He took books from the Librarby and taught himself how to read. He taught himself how to write using a stick and the snow. After teaching himself those things, he was sure that the library sign wasn't spelled right. After hearing something about missing library books and newspapers, he put them all back when everyone else slept. This boring routine repeated until a human came by. It was a child to boot. He was curious about them, but his parents' warning said to not interfere, even when they left Snowdin. The skeletons he got accustomed to seeing wandering around did bother with them, specifically with puns and yelling.
The barrier eventually shattered.
Everyone else left but him. It took him a couple days to leave on his own. He avoided Gyftrot (who wanted the peace and quiet, which he admired) and headed for the sunlight, where his withering body immediately soaked up the rays and gave him vitality that he wasn't used to. His parents never saw this. His grandparents never saw this. It was AMAZING. Feeling refreshed, he left the mountain, going to the re-grown forests and seeing the world, sort of. His enemy was loneliness and fear (also lies as his parents lied to him to protect him), but he felt even that was being left behind in the mountain.
Sample Roleplay
Wisp stared into the pond, watching the tiny fish swim around inside.
It had been ten years since the barrier dropped. Everyone left. It was a joyous day. He heard birds for the first time after leaving. He thought it was strange, and soothing to listen to. After a couple days in the forest, he picked up on which call belonged to which bird. Several days after that, he learned how to talk to them by mimicking their sounds through the Willow Wisps. He decided that he liked birds. Wisp even liked those big ones that screeched and had sharp claws. That was a memory from ten years ago. Now he was so used to everything this forest had offered that it became home. The amount of sunlight out here provided him with more energy than he could ever gather in that mountain. Combined with the clean water, and he was as green as green could be. He felt like he could navigate the entire forest ten times in a single day. The tree beast had so much energy to burn. Instead of doing that, he decided to sit here and watch the little fish move around their pond. Noises filled the air, the kind that were not part of the forest. They were loud and grating, set in a rhythm that wasn't natural. His Forest's Curse pinged him that a tree was getting cut down, and he felt something sharp go through it's bark. Granted, it was a phantom pain, but that was part of having an entire forest as a self-extension. Nope, he wasn't going to allow this! Using both Forest's Curse and a Willow Wisp, he teleported himself near the edge of the forest, where humans were done with cutting a tree down using some loud device. He was about to move on to the next tree when the human found himself caught in a hypnosis from four more magic balls of light. That human was asleep half a second later. Wisp willingly pulled them back in when the human's friend came over to check on him.
He went to sleep too.
One by one, the group of humans went to sleep, until they stopped coming to the edge of his forest. Now that they were sleeping on top of each other in a comically nice pile, Wisp went over to the machines they were using. He tapped them with a finger-claw, poked them, slapped them, shoved them, but they wouldn't budge. Hmm, this was a problem. They all had sharp ends. Wisp got an idea. Plucking seeds out of the pouches on him, he planted them beneath the machines, using his narrow fingers to surgically get them where he wanted them. After the last one had been planted, he funneled his energy into the seeds, the ground erupting with vines that ensnared them, and only grew bigger. The vines got so big that they completely destroyed the deforesting machines, pieces collapsing and serving as the trellis for the thick vines. With that cared for, he grabbed the seed of the fallen tree and put it into the gap in the trunk. Within a few seconds, a new tree grew back where the old one has been cut. Now what to do with the humans? He thought about it for a moment... then got a brilliant idea.
Night arrived quietly, and the humans who were asleep finally woke up, only to realize that they were tied up by growths coming out of the trees they were tied to. After a few moments, the forest's silence was broken by a cacophony of terrified screaming in the forest canopy, scaring the birds that lived up there.