Red

[Red doesn't use video very often. When you're mute, it's generally a null point. Today, however, there's a flicker of text- ]

I've been working on something. Let me know what you think.

[And video suddenly comes to life.]

[After making sure Spark the Mismagius is holding up the Pokegear properly, Red steps away. Staying in a city again has given her cause to dress up nicely once more, makeup applied and Boxer's battered jacket draped over a simple light blouse. That's by far the least interesting aspect about the scene she's in front of, however.]

[Behind her are her Pokemon, arranged with a variety of musical instruments. A Gardevoir is adjusting an electric guitar around her shoulders, while a Sylveon blinks open one sleepy eye from his stool by a harp. A Chikorita waves with one vine to the camera, using the other to hold up a Mandolin, and behind it a Blaziken is awaiting eagerly at a drum set. In the middle of it all, Switch the Chatot is on a perch preening.]

[All of this on a little section of sidewalk in Goldenrod. It's a nice set up, with Red having taken all morning to get it ready.]

[The woman in question goes over to an electric piano, takes a breath, and whistles. Well practiced, the Pokemon begin to play. Rousing herself, Switch begins to sing, her voice rising up beautifully in a mimicry of her trainer's lost one.]

I see the lights
dance on the bay
All of the dark falls away

A glow from the heights
glances along the water's skin
Nimble and bright, swallowed in

I'm always breathless to see
growing so slowly to greet me
where I end and where she begins...

[Switch sings to the end of the song, wing stretching out as she revels in the performance, but soon the notes fade away. Spark flicks off the gear, and her clumsy text comes next.]

we have been practin!

Some Pokemon can be really hard to find, can't they? I spent all day yesterday hoping that one in particular would let me find them, but it's harder than it looks.

I guess they can't all be eager.

Since I've been performing to an empty set for so long, maybe I'll let this performance be a bit more public.

Take 53.

[The post suddenly changes to video as Red sets it up against her backpack. Anyone looking past her might be able to recognize the dim layout of Union Cave at one of the many pools about. This one seems to be one of the largest, water disappearing into the darkness ahead past the little camp Red has set up.]

[There's a Chatot perched on her should as she goes to sit by the water's edge. After a few moments, some humming starts to echo throughout the cavern. It's a duet, the Chatot seeming to 'hum' along with.]

[Off in the darkness, something seems to shift it and makes the water ripple towards the shoreline.]

[Red's reply might come a bit late.]

Text/

What do you think is worse:

Someone who hurts other people for their own selfish reasons and admits it?

Or

Someone who hurts other people but says it's for a good cause?


- Starly

Action/

[It's been a long treck to get here, and one can find Red by Sprout Tower just sitting by the water and tossing bread out to the local Duckletts. Two Growlithe and an Electrike are napping around her. They've just finished a long journey so they're allowed to relax.]

[It's a rather peaceful scene, if you can ignore the Kricketot that might suddenly run up to you with its antennae clicking together.]

Player
Name: James
Personal Journal: trilies
E-mail: trickeryandlies@yahoo.com
AIM/Plurk/Etc.: trilies on AIM and plurk
Timezone: PST
Current Characters in Route:
Joker / Kuroshitsuji / pipers_son
Garry / Ib / artificialrose
Kirikou Rung / Soul Eater / fourwayconnection

Character
Name: Red
Series: Transistor
Timeline: After the final boss battle
Canon Resource Links: Red's Wiki page
Transistor's plot

Personality:
There are many video game protagonists which are voiceless, for numerous reasons. Red is perhaps unique in that there's a canon reason for her lack of voice. That canon reason is also part of why she sets off into the storyline. Despite having no voice, however, Red's personality shows in many ways: typing on the OVC Terminals, what her file and that of others reference about her, and the songs which are implied to be written and sung by her in the Transistor soundtrack. When all of this is compiled together, it reveals an interesting woman with a strong sense of individuality, sorrowful empathy, knowing when to rip off the pretty long dress, and signs of simply being a singer thrust into a frightening situation.

Every character in Transistor- considered canon in Cloudbank- has on them a file regarding their life and their reasons for taking the careers they do. To not fill in the requested information is considered extremely unusual and rare. Thus, Red is no exception when it comes down to it. In her file, one of her key traits is already extremely apparent: her individuality. Despite being taught in a school famous for pumping out civic planners, Red chooses an entirely different route in the music program. Red has a lot of agency as a character even with her voice robbed from her. From her backstory to her choice in endgame to let herself be absorbed into the Transistor, everything is distinctly her choice and the player can only go along with it if they want to finish the game.

Voiceless does not make Red wordless or emotionless, unlike in some other games with silent protagonists. This is partially through the use of OVC Terminals, computers which allow users to vote on things or make comments on news articles. It is through her typing on these that we see the full range of Red's emotions. We see the fear and desperation she gets when the Spine is affecting the Transistor, begging the man inside it to hold on until she can find the thing responsible and "break its heart"- an exchange that also shows the anger she has when those she loves are in danger. Right after she manages to escape the attack made on her by the Camarata, she makes for an OVC terminal hosting a poll and types in a single fearful comment: "help". There are even times when she shows off her snark, shooting off a comment about how a fashion show will want to re-schedule considering the spread of the Process.

Red is very much a determined action survivor protagonist and definitely manages to soldier through the game. However, in the breaks between all the action, she definitely shows how human she is and reminds us that, before all of this, she was just a singer. She shows more emotions than perhaps a grizzled veteran space marine might but this is by no means a bad thing.

Perhaps because she herself is so in tune with her emotions, whether they be coy teasing or desperate fear, Red has a tendency of displaying an empathy for other people. Clearly, Red shows this multiple times throughout the game to the man in the Transistor. She frequently communicates with him through the OVC terminals, holds him close more like she's embracing a person than holding a sword, and even has an option of going along with what kind of flatbread he wants even if he no longer can eat it himself. However, Red also shows this empathy and sympathy to the people who tried to, more or less, kill her. It's commonly accepted in fandom that the song "In Circles" is from Red to Sybil, something only more reinforced by the fact that it's played during the two's battle. This sympathy comes up again during her encounters with Asher. While Red initially shows anger and frustration at Asher when they first begin communicating through the terminals, her tune seems to shift when she finally discovers what's happened to the Kendrells. The man in the Transistor spits out a bitter "Cowards". In contrast, Red, when listening to Asher's last correspondence with her, simply types in a quiet farewell of "See you in the Country". In fact, one could say that as the game progresses, Red loses more and more of her frustration as she learns more about what the Camarata were doing. That by no means implies she agrees with them- simply that she can acknowledge that what started out as something meant to help by more or less good people ended up spiraling out of control. The world of Transistor isn't black and white (or at least it wasn't before the Process started to spread) but instead composed of shades of gray. Red can recognize this.

Of course, part of the reason that we get to see so many different shades of Red is because we are the person playing her and the only other character she consistently interacts with is the Transistor. The man in the Transistor is her significant other- it's only natural that she would be extremely open with him especially during times of stress such as, well, the entire game for her. Other sources, such as Red's own file and mentions of her in Sybil, hint that the songstress can actually be fairly reserved and secretive. Unlike the vast majority of files, she offers no reason for why she's gone into the fields she has. When inquired in the past, she's dodged the subject by simply saying that her music spoke for her. The fact that her music caused the first physical altercation during a concert in ages just made her withdraw, only recently canon-wise coming back into the spotlight. Sybil's file at one point makes it known that Red grew distant from her, although whether this is because of Red's significant other influencing her or simply Red's own choice is never entirely cleared upon in canon. Still, even if she is naturally a more secretive person to a degree, Red is often honest with her feelings especially if she is caught up in the heat of the moment.

Red's reaction to things in the heat of the moment still isn't quite as sudden as other people's. With a few exceptions, Red seems to think over her words very carefully. Throughout the game, as she communicates on the terminals, she tends to erase most of what she starts to type at least once if not multiple times. She gives off an impression of someone who's careful with their words, thinking of how they would affect others. This may have something to do with her backstory. After her concert caused a fight, Red retreated from the spotlight to go over her songs very carefully and what she wanted to do with her career. Red never meant for her songs to cause any controversy. While she does value personal freedom and agency, Red also doesn't want others to be hurt by her actions accidentally.

As stated, Red is someone not afraid to show her emotions. Fittingly, she has a tendency towards nostalgia with things that are important to her. This shows most often in connection with her singing. Voice stolen, all Red can do is hum... And she does that often, especially when she visits the stage that she once sung upon so often. It's basically mandatory for her to sink into nostalgia, both to give us a flashback explaining how on earth we got to this point and to have her be unaware of Sybil coming onto the scene. Yet possibly because Red knows she's nostalgic, when she comes upon her apartment, she purposefully locks herself out in what could be seen as an attempt to not look back... Especially since she's likely aware that there's a chance she might not be able to come back. This also shows another trait of Red's: she's a very determined person. When she dedicates herself to something, she'll see it all the way through, even if it has her running all over the city and fighting regularly for her life against various foes.

Strengths/Weaknesses:
+ Determinator
---As stated, Red can be a very determined person and will push herself when she has a goal.
+ Small vehicle experience
---In canon, Red has shown proficiency at driving both small water bikes and motorcycles. The chances of this coming up in Route are slim but it's still something to be noted.
+ Strong presence
---While a good stage presence is important for any kind of performer, Red is specifically stated in canon to have a strong presence that gives off the feeling of a very confident and attractive person. She tends to draw the eye towards her.
+ Stamina
---Like many action video game protags, Red has a pretty good stamina although she does take breaks.

- Secretive
---As mentioned in her personality, Red can be somewhat secretive and introverted especially with those not particularly in her inner circle.
- Mute
---Because of the fact that she was partially "processed" when the Camarata jumped her, Red can no longer truly use her voice although she can make grunts, sighs, hums, and such things.
- Not a Tank
---While Red has grown adept at combat with the Transistor, it is somewhat an unconventional weapon and she also relied more on speed hits than standing and taking it. Red was a singer by trade before the game started, not a football player used to taking hits.

Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Elektrike
Password: Swedish Fish

Samples
First Person Sample:
[It's just like using the UVC Terminals in Cloudbank, really, only it's less posting comments to news articles or public polls and more just... reaching out. She's only really used her songs to reach out to so many people before. Still, it's anonymous, so there's some reassurance. She types out word after word and deletes all of them because they're not really what she's looking for.]

[Eventually, she decides to just go with something different altogether.]

Any musicians in the crowd?
Even just music lovers.
I'm not picky.

Third Person Sample:
The Transistor had the files of every person it brought into itself, and everything the Camaratta knew about them. Administrative access. The kind of thing she'd never cared for to start with.

She had read all of them, of course. It only felt right to. Some of the people she'd only heard the names of, whether from paying attention to what was hot to simply overhearing other conversations. Wave Tennegan, who she listened to every morning until his voice stopped coming over the radio. Preston Moyle, hadn't her "Mr. Nobody" gone to some of his races and liked him?

Farrah Yon-Dale. The name comes to Red as she stands on one of the routes, head tilted back and watching the colors of the sunset bleed into the sky. The name keeps popping up in her head now that she's here, here in this place that reminds her of all the words that could describe The Country but isn't it. No one here votes on what color the sky will be, or makes any requests, or takes the fine art of it into their own hands. No votes for the weather, either. "Administrative access" is a phrase locked away from all of them now, at least how Red knows it. Standing here, watching purples and oranges intermingle, Red wonders what Farrah Yon-Dale would have thought about it.

So many people she hadn't had a chance to meet, their voices locked away from her with only one chattering away. What did any of them think as she had raced across the city, seeking- vengeance? Answers? Had any of them been able to think about anything? Faintly, she thinks she can remember the cold of night pressing down around her and her fingers clutching at her body, steps weak, and a familiar voice in the distance that sounded like it had given up- What is all this, there’s nothing—…Nothing.

She gave a shake of her head, hand reaching down for the furry comfort of her Vulpix. There wasn't any helping it, not here. She didn't even have the Transistor- have him. She'd just... have to wait. A voice suddenly called her name from down the path, and she was given a sharp reminder that she was traveling with someone. Shifting to make her shoes feel more comfortable, Red sped up.

She'd just have to keep moving forward.