Convergences aren't meant to be formed quickly, nor taken lightly, as they are very strong bonds that a pair must be completely devoted and open to on both sides of the relationship (so a more one sided tether would not make this possible, nor would the slightest bit of distrust or secrecy on either end).
Do you think your Tether pair (or throuple) are suited for a Convergence? Comment below explaining your pair's development and reasoning behind forming a Convergence, along with any possible gains including ability or appearance bleeding should there be any, and you will get a mod answer approving, requiring revisions, more thought.
This is to not only help players with their ideas, but to ensure that possible abilities gained are not overpowering or unlikely, along with keeping Convergences as something special and not easily formed as regular Tethers are. It's also a helpful place of reference for those unsure of what a Convergence should look like so they may plan their own in the future. Please fill out the form below to get started!
Characters involved: Ivan + Till Convergence Suitability: This is a pair of characters who grew up in a harsh canon setting together. Due to the nature of what they were put through, much of their trauma is shared. Ivan has been enthralled by Till since they were young, yet never made these feelings known due to fear, low self-worth, and a poor understanding of what love was meant to be. Ultimately, he sacrificed his life for Till during a round of competition that pit them against one another. His devotion runs incredibly deep and in Somnia that has not changed.
Till, meanwhile, has always known Ivan was special to him too, but did not have the knowledge to define those feelings. His own avoidant thought patterns and anxieties prevented him from confronting them in canon until it was far, far too late.
But they were given another chance.
The two reunited during the first month of the game, forming a tether that then aided them in realizing just how much they meant to one another. This was eventually followed by a sincere confession of feelings, as well as promises to stay by each other's sides no matter what. As for other potentially relevant game events:
They have been intimate since the September TDM dream, which first prompted them to explore one another.
Ivan reached out to Sleep to obtain protection for Till, who refuses to worship. He took on a burden from her temporarily in exchange for Till's protection from that month's host incursion.
Till saved Ivan from almost certain death during the Rat King fight with his excellent RNG roll. This was played as Till seeing it about to happen and being overcome with desperation and determination to prevent it.
Though their understanding of the ritual is in the early working stages, they have agreed to cement their bond through that thing called "marriage"...? They're working on obtaining the rings they've been told are needed.
Overall, this is very much a pair who would feel like something has been ripped away if one were to die or disappear, even without a tether or convergence linking them.
Abilities and Appearance Gained:
For Ivan:
Ivan's appearance modification is a slight cosmic appearance to his carapace. It sometimes glitters faintly with small white lights. If gazed into up close, these begin to look like stars, interstellar dust, constellations—the universe.
Borrowed Lightweaver concealment — AKA the ability to bend light to blend into surroundings as if invisible. While standing still, this camouflage is close to perfect. Whereas moving creates a distortion in the air that may look off, or set off a sense of wrongness in the amygdala.
If you've seen the Predator films, it's meant to be like that: flawed invisibility
For Till:
Appearance modification undecided; Till's stuff is very much what we're still working on. Swarmling is an interesting one to try to draw inspiration from y'all!
The ability to produce two extra sets of dexterous arms made of light; these are in a similar placement & configuration to Ivan's arms. He has an easier time sustaining these than other light constructs.
Coming to Manhattan from a similar line of work, Choi and Subaru were quick to understand one another and, on Choi's side, feel a certain level of connection past what was felt with other newly acquainted vessels. After Choi tanked a hit from Charlotte in order to protect Subaru during The Night Does Not Belong to God, Subaru reached out to tether with him to ground/support him, which Agent Choi accepted.
Accepting the tether was not only an expression of trust on Agent Choi's part, but the reason for that tether, the act of Choi taking that hit for Subaru, was also impactful for Subaru's perception of him. For scale, the last person to take an attack for Subaru was Sakurazuka Seishirou, which caused Subaru to realize his feelings of love for him in that context.
While Subaru had offered/assumed for this tether to be snapped shortly after the event, he was also in a unique position of being someone that Choi was willing to place the burden of tethering on more so than his other acquaintances so far. Because his other tethers were either comparatively low trust or with individuals he did not want to burden with the risk of active tethering (as he saw tethers as a side effect/accelerant of contamination), he chose to maintain his tether with Subaru, someone he felt was better equipped to handle the consequences of their connection.
During The Offering, Agent Choi was part of an initial expedition to explore and investigate the subway tunnels, which were vacated of hosts due to the blood moon, though no less dangerously filled with spores. As a result, he experienced sudden onset of succumbence symptoms on top of a month that already had him feeling no longer human and distant from himself due to the influence of Sleep. However, the resultant tethering session with Subaru grounded him significantly, allowing him to accept that tethering isn't necessarily something dangerous and is necessary to maintain his humanity, if still burdensome.
The Jaws dream is where Choi finally had the opportunity to reciprocate the reliability that Subaru had shown to him. When Subaru attempted to isolate himself through his refusal to demonstrate his love, Choi refused to back down, stubbornly insisting to witness it. While his own memory of calling down the Daecheongbong Tiger General first caused Subaru to liken his form in Manhattan to the shape of his love, Agent Choi recognized the humanity of Subaru's love in turn, deepening their understanding of one another and further solidifying an already strong tether.
Specifically, as a result of Jaws, Choi went from someone Subaru was protecting as a matter of latent duty to someone he's actively choosing to protect, and therefore let in. While he isn't typically a person who wants anything, in this instance, he wanted to prove to Choi that he is still human and that isn't losing that humanity to the changes he's undergoing as an Offering. Instead, those changes are a reflection of his love (humanity).
Shortly after Jaws, and before Levitate had kicked into full gear for the veterans, Subaru learned about Agent Choi's choice to sacrifice his left ring finger to Sleep in exchange for information. While he felt he had no right to ask Choi to choose his own safety over knowledge, Subaru did decide that in the future, he would simply have to take action before Choi is put into a position where he can make that choice. During this thread, their shared feelings of trust and understanding ultimately led their tether to strengthen into a convergence.
Other notes
One of the biggest factors from Subaru's perspective is that he's never properly formed connections with other people because of how much his powers othered him. To find someone who not only sees that inextricable side of him, but understands it and puts it through a lens that normalizes and loves it culminates in a unique and important relationship.
Both of them are prone to being reckless and self-sacrificing, but they share a brand of trust that's kind of like, "I trust him because if anything bad happens, I'm here." Which is to say, both of them are so confident in their own ability to be more reckless and self-sacrificing than the other if necessary, that it's fine if the other is a bit impulsive too.
Abilities and Appearance Gained:
These abilities and appearance changes are not immediate, and will set in slowly over time!
Agent choi
The black stripes on his skin and fur are glossy and slightly wet to the touch, staining the surface they come in contact with in black ink at will (or against his will, until he gets the hang of controlling it). When and if he experiences succumbence or extreme mental duress, the ink will drip off of his body completely, Dream Tiger style.
Access to some minor quality of life runes. Thinking like a small ember he can use to ignite the tip of his cigarette, or item detection within a certain meter radius here. He starts out with no proficiency and needs to learn gradually from Subaru. Additionally, the price for the runes Agent Choi "borrows" is still paid as backlash experienced by Subaru as a deterrent.
Sumeragi Subaru
The runes and ink underneath/on his skin move in patterns akin to a tiger's stripes.
A weakened version of a lycan's accelerated healing under moonlight. Not enough to trivialize the backlash that a runecaster receives from spellcasting, but enough to potentially reduce a healing period that would have taken months to weeks, or from weeks to days. Would still need to be supported by other methods of healing/medical treatment. As a trade-off, he can also gain a lycan's vulnerability to poisonous substances, one thing that his accelerated healing will not be assisting him with.
New combo for them to roll another 1 on
Subaru can lift the 'ink' (stripes) from Choi's skin/fur as a resource for his eventual inkbending later on.
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Convergence Suitability: This is a pair of characters who grew up in a harsh canon setting together. Due to the nature of what they were put through, much of their trauma is shared. Ivan has been enthralled by Till since they were young, yet never made these feelings known due to fear, low self-worth, and a poor understanding of what love was meant to be. Ultimately, he sacrificed his life for Till during a round of competition that pit them against one another. His devotion runs incredibly deep and in Somnia that has not changed.
Till, meanwhile, has always known Ivan was special to him too, but did not have the knowledge to define those feelings. His own avoidant thought patterns and anxieties prevented him from confronting them in canon until it was far, far too late.
But they were given another chance.
The two reunited during the first month of the game, forming a tether that then aided them in realizing just how much they meant to one another. This was eventually followed by a sincere confession of feelings, as well as promises to stay by each other's sides no matter what. As for other potentially relevant game events:
- They have been intimate since the September TDM dream, which first prompted them to explore one another.
- Ivan reached out to Sleep to obtain protection for Till, who refuses to worship. He took on a burden from her temporarily in exchange for Till's protection from that month's host incursion.
- Till saved Ivan from almost certain death during the Rat King fight with his excellent RNG roll. This was played as Till seeing it about to happen and being overcome with desperation and determination to prevent it.
- Though their understanding of the ritual is in the early working stages, they have agreed to cement their bond through that thing called "marriage"...? They're working on obtaining the rings they've been told are needed.
Overall, this is very much a pair who would feel like something has been ripped away if one were to die or disappear, even without a tether or convergence linking them.Abilities and Appearance Gained:
For Ivan:
If you've seen the Predator films, it's meant to be like that: flawed invisibility
For Till:
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Convergence Suitability: Abilities and Appearance Gained:
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