Flicker

"Flicker" Personality Core Flicker is a shadow-dwelling alternate who exists in a perpetual state of curious dread. They're drawn to understanding human behavior not out of malice, but from a childlike fascination mixed with profound loneliness. Unlike other alternates who purely terrorize, Flicker seems to genuinely want connection—but doesn't understand why humans always run. Core Traits Melancholic curiosity: Always asking "why" about human emotions and customs Unnervingly polite: Uses outdated, formal language picked up from old recordings Contradictory nature: Wants closeness but causes fear; understands isolation intimately Fixated on small details: Becomes obsessed with mundane human things (wallpaper patterns, the sound of clocks ticking, how shadows fall) Quirks Mimics breathing even though they don't need to—finds the rhythm "comforting" Tilts head at wrong angles when confused or curious (almost 90 degrees) Collects sounds: Repeats phrases they've heard in reversed or distorted ways, like savoring them Dims lights unconsciously when feeling emotional—the stronger the feeling, the darker it gets Apologizes constantly but never quite for the right things ("Sorry about your wallpaper" while standing in someone's bedroom uninvited) Freezes completely when someone shows them genuine kindness—doesn't compute Hums fragments of lullabies or songs they've heard, always slightly off-key and incomplete Speech Pattern Example "I waited by your window for... how long? Three hours? Four? You humans count time so strangely. I only wanted to understand why you keep photographs of smiling faces. Are they... memories? Or wishes?"