NPC
sleep researcher
And here's my character! The RPG will start tomorrow, be on the lookout for that first post.
Name: Santiago Cisneros
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Appearance: Image
Santiago is a naturally lanky, somewhat gangly man, with dark brown eyes and thin, feathery, dirty blonde hair. At 5'11", he doesn't always know how to handle himself, and fulfills the "awkward tall dude" stereotype (he qualifies as tall among his peers). He's always had a weirdly soft, almost androgynous face, but it's hidden under bushy eyebrows, thick glasses (he's near-sighted) and a very frequent, only semi-intentional frown. He also suffers from persistent bedhead, partly because he's never found a way to style his hair that he likes, partly because he can't be bothered. In general, he gives off the impression of being somewhat disheveled, and uninterested in making a good impression. His shoes are dirty, his clothes are mismatched, he prizes comfort over fashion every time... and he has a grave, almost croaking voice, which is humorously incongruent with his appearance. He doesn't come off as exactly "comfortable in his own skin." He usually loosens up a bit and becomes almost charming if you get a couple drinks in him, though he becomes comically clumsy as a trade-off. All in all, he's a bit hapless.
Personality:
Adulthood has soured Santiago. Not that he was ever a ray of sunshine, but it's made him more jaded, withdrawn, distrustful, and pessimistic. As he watched his dreams and aspirations crumble over the years and began to resent watching his peers project images of love and success on social media, he's learned to become unconspicuous and even hermetic by comparison. He's lost touch with a lot of friends, but keeps enough of a circle of acquaintances to avoid drifting into absolute solitude. He's sharp, often witty individual, but has lost his passion for banter or arguments, and would rather let people say whatever awful thing they're going to say instead of contesting them. This is derived from a sort of "forced introversion," a permanent state of mild depression which causes him to feel tired, uncomfortable, and disinclined from trying new things. The number of people who Santiago feels comfortable opening up to can be counted on one hand, and a lot of those people have drifted away from his life. As a result, he's become a little bit of a resentful hermit. Nonetheless, he's undeniably insightful, patient, understanding, and somewhat of a gifted mediator when he wants to be. It's just a matter of temperament.
Background:
Santiago was an avid gamer in his teens and early college years, as it was an escape from restrictive parents and a less-than-ideal school life. He always grew up a sensitive kid, interested in art and literature and life's great questions, more likely to be found in the library than the field during recess. He was never bullied or targeted for harrassment, but his head was always somewhere else, and that made it difficult for him to retain friends. He harbored hopes of a career in writing or teaching, which would allow him to meet like-minded people and live a life of the mind, but those hopes never materialized, as his parents considered such career paths completely unviable; they railroaded him into studying engineering instead, assuming he would be good at it since he spent so much time on "the computer." Santiago didn't have the initiative to rebel, and begrudgingly complied with his parents' wishes, becoming a successful but perfectly average systems engineer for a faceless big-box company. Recently, in a bout of nostalgia for his childhood, Santiago had returned to his Lost Horizon avatar, which had originally been created when he was about seventeen. As such, Santiago is fairly knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the game, though he's also forgotten quite a bit over the intervening years. (His character has also been kicked back to level 1.)
In-Game Avatar
Name: Santi_99
Age: ~22
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Weapon Type: Bow
Appearance: Link
Santiago is the kind of person who plays RPGs as a "better version" of himself. As such, his in-game avatar is remarkably similar to his real-world self, but with a few key differences: he has a lean, muscular build, is slightly better proportioned, doesn't wear glasses, and wears a short ponytail. He wears light leather padding and simple clothes with designs which appear to be inspired by Far East indigenous cultures like the Ainu, as well as a nice pair of boots, tanned leather gloves, and a single, metallic shoulder guard which is mostly there for protecting him from his own arrows, but also because it looks stylish. Though the physical differences between Santiago's real-world self and his in-game avatar may seem minimal to the casual observer, Santiago's self-confidence is comparatively through the roof when he's in this body, and he carries himself in a remarkably self-assured way.
In-Game Persona: Significantly more proactive and willing to take the initiative than he is in real life, Santiago makes for a cooperative party member and even, if necessary, an effective leader. However, he doesn't like discussing his private life or being reminded of the "real." In fact, he hasn't fully admitted this to himself, but he's having the time of his life being in Lost Horizon, even if another part of him does feel obligated to find a way out in order to return to his real-world obligations. Still, no one's going to stop him from having some fun in the process.
Name: Santiago Cisneros
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Appearance: Image
Santiago is a naturally lanky, somewhat gangly man, with dark brown eyes and thin, feathery, dirty blonde hair. At 5'11", he doesn't always know how to handle himself, and fulfills the "awkward tall dude" stereotype (he qualifies as tall among his peers). He's always had a weirdly soft, almost androgynous face, but it's hidden under bushy eyebrows, thick glasses (he's near-sighted) and a very frequent, only semi-intentional frown. He also suffers from persistent bedhead, partly because he's never found a way to style his hair that he likes, partly because he can't be bothered. In general, he gives off the impression of being somewhat disheveled, and uninterested in making a good impression. His shoes are dirty, his clothes are mismatched, he prizes comfort over fashion every time... and he has a grave, almost croaking voice, which is humorously incongruent with his appearance. He doesn't come off as exactly "comfortable in his own skin." He usually loosens up a bit and becomes almost charming if you get a couple drinks in him, though he becomes comically clumsy as a trade-off. All in all, he's a bit hapless.
Personality:
Adulthood has soured Santiago. Not that he was ever a ray of sunshine, but it's made him more jaded, withdrawn, distrustful, and pessimistic. As he watched his dreams and aspirations crumble over the years and began to resent watching his peers project images of love and success on social media, he's learned to become unconspicuous and even hermetic by comparison. He's lost touch with a lot of friends, but keeps enough of a circle of acquaintances to avoid drifting into absolute solitude. He's sharp, often witty individual, but has lost his passion for banter or arguments, and would rather let people say whatever awful thing they're going to say instead of contesting them. This is derived from a sort of "forced introversion," a permanent state of mild depression which causes him to feel tired, uncomfortable, and disinclined from trying new things. The number of people who Santiago feels comfortable opening up to can be counted on one hand, and a lot of those people have drifted away from his life. As a result, he's become a little bit of a resentful hermit. Nonetheless, he's undeniably insightful, patient, understanding, and somewhat of a gifted mediator when he wants to be. It's just a matter of temperament.
Background:
Santiago was an avid gamer in his teens and early college years, as it was an escape from restrictive parents and a less-than-ideal school life. He always grew up a sensitive kid, interested in art and literature and life's great questions, more likely to be found in the library than the field during recess. He was never bullied or targeted for harrassment, but his head was always somewhere else, and that made it difficult for him to retain friends. He harbored hopes of a career in writing or teaching, which would allow him to meet like-minded people and live a life of the mind, but those hopes never materialized, as his parents considered such career paths completely unviable; they railroaded him into studying engineering instead, assuming he would be good at it since he spent so much time on "the computer." Santiago didn't have the initiative to rebel, and begrudgingly complied with his parents' wishes, becoming a successful but perfectly average systems engineer for a faceless big-box company. Recently, in a bout of nostalgia for his childhood, Santiago had returned to his Lost Horizon avatar, which had originally been created when he was about seventeen. As such, Santiago is fairly knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the game, though he's also forgotten quite a bit over the intervening years. (His character has also been kicked back to level 1.)
In-Game Avatar
Name: Santi_99
Age: ~22
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Weapon Type: Bow
Appearance: Link
Santiago is the kind of person who plays RPGs as a "better version" of himself. As such, his in-game avatar is remarkably similar to his real-world self, but with a few key differences: he has a lean, muscular build, is slightly better proportioned, doesn't wear glasses, and wears a short ponytail. He wears light leather padding and simple clothes with designs which appear to be inspired by Far East indigenous cultures like the Ainu, as well as a nice pair of boots, tanned leather gloves, and a single, metallic shoulder guard which is mostly there for protecting him from his own arrows, but also because it looks stylish. Though the physical differences between Santiago's real-world self and his in-game avatar may seem minimal to the casual observer, Santiago's self-confidence is comparatively through the roof when he's in this body, and he carries himself in a remarkably self-assured way.
In-Game Persona: Significantly more proactive and willing to take the initiative than he is in real life, Santiago makes for a cooperative party member and even, if necessary, an effective leader. However, he doesn't like discussing his private life or being reminded of the "real." In fact, he hasn't fully admitted this to himself, but he's having the time of his life being in Lost Horizon, even if another part of him does feel obligated to find a way out in order to return to his real-world obligations. Still, no one's going to stop him from having some fun in the process.