info / permissions;

[splittingheadache]

Mind Powers Opt-IN

Code

Pan
plurk

Information

alias: Loupgarou / "Louis" * Read the NOTES section in his about!	canon: Original
name: Lazarus Anthony Baker, "Andy"
age: 17 / 29 ** Read the NOTES section in his about!	gender: Masc, he/any

About

Living in the land of the dead as a Grim Reaper, Louis is a person of class and elegance - and poison. On the surface, he's a warm, friendly presence who appreciates being in your company... but roiling underneath is paranoia stretching miles deep, questioning your motives, your actions, your thoughts - all of it. Trust is few and far between for him, and those who earn his trust have also earned themselves nasty little barbed hooks ready to yank themselves out of their flesh should he deem these people to have betrayed him.
Never betray him, though... and you've earned yourself a terrifying ally.

"Toxicity" is his mainstay, both in his actions and literally; if he can do something insidiously, seeping into every little nook and cranny you give him, he will. Likewise, if he can solve a problem through dosing someone's food with a lethal venom, he's happy to do so without hesitation. He's the epitome of the assassin, able to shroud himself invisible and kill without being seen -
But... this, too, is still just a surface look at Louis as a whole.

Beneath the warm facade, beneath the prickly inner layer, beneath the deeper, deadlier layers, and even deeper than that... Louis's just someone who's been ignored, neglected, and abused since he was young - someone who claws at any shred of attention he can get but drops it and denies it the moment someone calls him out. Someone who desperately wants friends, but fears the idea of friendship - like the maladaptive nausea from starvation, the idea of having true friends makes him sick to his stomach, but it's all he's ever wanted in life.
To that end, he angles and lures people in with his warm facade, lies to them, smiles and dances and molds himself to them however they want - and he hopes, prays, that this version of Louis is all they'll ever want from him, never wanting to dig any deeper.

Make it past that mirror and you'll find a bizarre kaleidoscope of self-hatred and egotism, unyielding love and contempt for mankind, boundless generosity and claw-filled possessiveness, a strange little dance of yin and yang as he tries to understand who he even is as a person... something he's never once had a grasp on, if even for a moment.

So? What do you want him to be?

---------

NOTES

• [*] Loupgarou is pronounced "loo-gah-roo", with emphasis on the middle syllable; Louis rhymes with "gooey", the S on the end is silent. So when writing his possessive, it's "Louis's", rhyming with "geez".
  As a fun fact, Louis pronounces Loupgarou in an American fashion (so with a very rhotic R and emphasis on the first syllable, it sounds more like "loog-ahroo" with him), but Chipp pronounces it a la Cajun French, with a soft, rolled R and proper emphasis.
  
  
• [**] His age is fucky, being nebulously both in his teens and in his twenties at the same time. He died at 17, but he's existed for 12 more years after that, but Grim Reapers don't age - so it's fucky. I know it's fucky. It's fucky for story reasons that are too convoluted to get into for a plain info page. Please, treat him as whatever makes you most comfortable, and I'll follow along; I don't care either way, so really, just do what's comfortable for you.
  
  
• The above also applies to shippy stuff. I'm down for shippy stuff, but only if you're comfortable with it. Louis might flirt because he's just that kind of character, but it's literally just because he's that kind of character. He can be turned down and asked not to do it, don't worry.
  He's also polyamorous, so if he seems like he's "taken" in one thread with someone else, you're still free to ask me about things with your character, too. I'm generally here for whatever, if the characters click.
  
  
• Louis's whole entire theme as a character revolves being stuck between. He's hatred and love, he's lucid and senseless, he's gracious and envious, altruistic and cruel, all of it. That means his CR with one character may be vastly different compared to another's.
  
  
• Thanks to how his magic works, and the fact that A. he's not immune to it, and B. it's in his blood, Louis spends 90% of his time high as a fucking kite. He's learned to navigate it seamlessly, as it's been constant for the past twelve years, but make no mistake - even if it's not mentioned in a thread (which it largely won't be), he's Seeing Shit:tm:.
  Also, check the sidebar for a link to his mind powers opt-in post!
  
  
• Some extras:
  - He's mildly physically disabled, though it's different than it was while he was alive, as if the transition between human and Grim Reaper tried its best to translate it and kinda got things off here and there.
  - He's got so many allergies and intolerances, man. When he says he's vegan, it's because of this.
  - Yes, he has a thing for bugs/spiders/other creepy crawlies.
  - Despite his strict adherence (and deep running love) of the gothic aesthetic, he also loves pink and soft things. He just never really has a reason to talk about it, but it can be seen in his seal.
  - He's technically nonbinary and may refer to himself as such, but generally, he refers to himself as a man. Just, y'know, sometimes he's not. And sometimes it's whatever's funniest to him in the moment.

First Impressions

height: 5'0"/152cm.

weight: 90 lbs/41kg.

build: Thin, wispy, underweight.

hair: Softly colored, fluffy and voluminous, worn long.
Pearlescent in the light.

eyes: Cream sclera, pink-orange irises,
red cat-eye pupils.

voice: Pretty soft, well enunciated. Goofiness possible. Check the "In Depth" section for linked examples!

at a glance: Thin with a haughty posture, clearly trained to stand up straight and sit up straight and be as proper as possible at all times. Everything about him is spidery and spindly; he looks delicate, like a stiff breeze could knock him over. Wears a lot of high-waisted bottoms, whether they're skirts or pants doesn't matter much to him. Defaults to boots with heels, but just likes boots in general.
Wears a lot of jewelry, mainly on his hands; very big fan of claw rings and metal caps for the ends of his fingers, as well as chains.
Has a thick, gruesome scar across the right side of his face. That eye is blind, of course, and he tends to wear false eyelashes on that side to keep his face from feeling lopsided.

Has a cane that he carries with him (image ref); he doesn't walk with it, nor does he seem to need it, but it's for moments where his health catches up to him and makes it hard to get in and out of seats, as well as climb stairs.
While it seems like it's fancy just for show, it's actually a depowered form of his Weapon, Daydream. More info in the powers section!

features: Very light silver skin without markings aside from his facial scars. VERY thick hair that's soft to the touch, almost like a mane, and has a pearly sheen to it in the light. Has a pair of horns growing from the top of his head; they blend into his hair, but they're real, actual horns.
Tends to turn his head to look at people with his good eye.

dress: Turtleneck sweaters, open button-ups, airy blouses, long, lightweight skirts, tall slacks, boots, heels, and jewelry galore. The only jewelry he won't wear are necklaces, as they get in the way of his neck bow.
Very much a goth, but seems to be particular in how he expresses that.

notes

• His artwork tends to make him look a little tall due to his proportions, but keep in mind that he is SHORT. He's 5'0", sometimes 5'3" in heels. Very small, very light.
• I suck at artistic consistency. For the sake of making it objective, his horns are about 8 inches in height; with his horns, that makes him 5'8". I say this because the actual height of them varies icon to icon, whoops.
• His left eye is sighted, his right eye is blind. When he turns his head to see someone better, he's turning his head to the right so his left eye is focused on them.
• Because of the scarring/blindness, his right eye is "emtpy"; it lacks a pupil entirely.
• Color references for the various weird colors Louis's got going on.

Powers

orange magic

What his magic is known as overall. Orange magic covers "perception" as a concept; there are a lot of things that can cover, as it's a very broad concept!

However, like all other forms of color magic, his relies on reflected light (so, visible color) in his surroundings; if his surroundings have no shades of orange anywhere, he can't gather up the magic to use his powers.
This can be something as simple as a field of orange poppies or traffic cones on a sidewalk; it doesn't really matter what the source is.

OM: psychotoxins

Like all Orange magicians, Louis's magic builds up in his system more as a fluid than as formless magic, and he's able to secrete it outside of himself as a highly psychotoxic substance - coming into contact with it causes hallucinations, delusions, confusion, paralysis, loss of senses, and more. If someone's in contact with it for more than an hour, they will fall into a coma, and may eventually die.
This liquid-magic is very sticky and clings to metal well, so he obviously likes to use it to coat his weaponry.

This takes a lot of energy to use, however, as he has to more-or-less "pull" it out of himself; using too much will leave him exhausted, and no matter how much he's used, he'll always need to eat afterward.

OM: mindreading

Requires locking eyes with his target for at least three seconds, as well as taking a lot of energy. He cannot respond to any thoughts - only hear them. Not only that, but it's a highly disorienting power, as he gets what's essentially an uncorked feed of the other's thoughts without the ability to stop them.
To break this connection, he must blink. His target blinking or looking away won't break the connection, but Louis blinking always will.

To go with this, he's able to more-or-less "vibe check" someone, as if he's reading their aura; players of villain characters don't need to worry, however, as Louis doesn't really give much of a shit.
If someone's vibes are off, he'll file that away under "huh! neat" and move on with his life.

OM: enhanced suggestion

By locking eyes with someone else, he's more-or-less able to put ideas in their head or influence their actions. If this comes with a verbal request, his target will fulfill it without question, though people with stronger mental fortitude are able to shake themselves out of it, if not block it entirely.

By default, this is a power he uses sparingly outside of helping him with things he cannot do. For the most part, just expect your character to be asked to get something off of a high shelf for him.
Obviously won't be used without other players' permissions!

OM: mental strength

He is immune to the mental powers of others, as well as madness effects. Most Orange magicians are capable of handling eldritch energies without too much difficulty, almost seeming unphased by it, and Louis is no different.
To go with this, his mental stamina is increased, and he's able to withstand sensory overload - even able to accomplish true multitasking, like listening to two people at the same time while understanding them both.

OM: mental healing

He's unable to use this ability on himself, but he's capable of healing mental damage sustained by others (for example, Lobcorp's white damage, or Psychic-type attacks from Pokemon). This also includes slowly curing madness induced by magic and healing emotional damage due to trauma, though these will take him a few days.

OM: glamors

No one's quite sure how they work, but Orange magicians are able to cast themselves in glamors to their own specifications. They aren't real, of course, but everyone's able to see it and looking away won't "turn it off", so to speak. Louis's preferred use for this is to make himself invisible for quick getaways, but he's also known to use it for intimidation, and he has a glamor he takes involuntarily when his weapon is drawn.

OM: second sight

Realized this should probably get its own, proper entry.

Louis's second sight is both a passive and active ability; passively, it allows him to peer past general invisibility and weak illusions. Stronger glamors may appear semi-transparent to him, or they may still work fully, unimpeded.
Should he activate his second sight properly - opening that cat-eye pupil of his into something of a second eye - he'll be able to peer through all illusions, look between planes of reality (think Bayonetta's Paradiso VS Earth), and see ghosts/souls in their true forms instead of just as souls.

As an added bonus, both forms of this ability come with extra perks!
Passively: Louis's second sight grants him the ability to view madness inducing objects, text, and creatures without an effect on his wellbeing. It doesn't grant him the ability to understand any of it, but it won't drive him mad (or other secondary effects) just to look at it. To go along with this, it passively boosts his eyesight, making it a bit sharper than average. Also makes his vision faster, allowing him to keep up with things moving at even near-instantaneous superhuman speeds... visually, anyway. He's a fast little fucker, especially with Daydream, but he's not "basically teleporting" fast.
Actively: When activated, Louis's second sight boosts his normal sight tenfold, almost as if he's wearing a magnifying glass to spot even the finest details. It also boosts his range of vision, widening the peripheral edges a tad.

Activating his second sight has a pretty steep magical cost, however, and similarly to his psychotoxins, often requires him to eat after using it. He can use its active form for up to an hour before he nearly drains his internal magic stores.

OM: precognition

May sometimes gain the knowledge of upcoming events, but is unable to control when this happens, what information he gains, or how far in the future this information takes place.
Does not occur in jamjar/game settings! But might in memes, so may as well list it, right?

OM: "useless" abilities

Abilities that are basically useless either thanks to his physical limitations, or because they're genuinely useless.

• Absolute time sense: able to instinctively know what time it is without a clock.
• Thought deletion: while locking eyes with someone, he's able to delete whatever thought was in their mind at that exact moment. Does not stop them from re-thinking it.
• Sensory control: able to turn his own senses on and off, allowing him to focus on others. Does not give him a means to make up for whatever he turns off.
  UPDATE: He's now learned that this includes his gag reflex, so it's suddenly a lot more useful. Thanks, Evangeline!
• Perception control: able to ignore the likes of pain and hunger, even on the brink of death. Does not stop him from dying, however.

Daydream

Like all Grim Reapers from his world, Louis is able to summon his soulbound Weapon - a large axe of stained glass armed with minigun barrels.

Daydream has its own subset of abilities:

• Psychic bullets; these cause no physical damage, but are psychotoxic (hallucinations, headaches, potential paralysis, eventual coma and death if hit with enough)
• Increased movement; by using the kickback from firing its minigun, Louis can launch himself around or power up his downswing with the axe itself
• Waking nightmares; being hit by the blade will cause the target to experience particularly horrifying hallucinations, whatever that looks like for them
• As mentioned in First Impressions, has a depowered form that he uses as a cane.

Louis has a glamor that he takes wholly involuntarily while Daydream is summoned; he does not need to be touching Daydream for the glamor to stay in place, and harming him/knocking him out won't dissipate it, either. Only desummoning Daydream will drop the glamor.
He also cannot choose how the glamor looks, so unfortunately, he's stuck with the goat face.

Image ref, both for Daydream and Louis's glamor! (I know the angle's weird. He's got two horns, though.)

Grim Reaper abilities

Just the stuff that affects all Grim reapers from the plane he comes from.

- Strength. All Grim Reapers are at least ten times the strength of a strong human. Any and all Grim Reapers are strong enough to lift 2,000 pounds (a car) with ease, including the children. Louis, however, is a bit weaker than other Grim Reapers, only able to lift half the weight of others... which is still 1,000 pounds, but still.

- Soul sensing. Like all other Grim Reapers, Louis is able to feel and read the souls of those around him; Louis's range is about the size of a city block, so he can only see the core color of a person's soul.
More info on that here!

- Rapid healing/immortality. So long as Louis has access to light, his wounds will always heal closed, and after death, his soul will "incubate" at night to rebuild him in the morning.
In order to die, the heart or the brain need to be destroyed; Reapers cannot die from things like hypo/hyperthermia or starvation/thirst. Those will only make a Reaper fall comatose until they're helped by someone else.
They CAN be bled out, but the wound must be forced to stay open for a very long time for it to work.
To go with this, Reapers are immune to mortal illnesses and toxins; however, they can catch magic illnesses and be poisoned by magic as well.

- Name control. Obviously, "Louis" is just an alias; like all other Grim Reapers, his real name (the one he specifically preferred in life) carries the ability to command him like a doll. He'll be fully aware of it, but will still be compelled to follow commands given with his real name. The only limit is his own moral code; if it goes against his moral code, it'll knock him unconscious. Likewise, being forced to disobey an order will knock him unconscious, as well (ex., being ordered to stay out of a room but being shoved in).
This is more of a weakness than a power, but it's still not an average human thing, so... it goes here.

Skills

music

COMPETENCE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Louis was raised on and taught to play various classical string instruments; he's capable of playing violin (and fiddle), cello, and upright bass. He's most proficient with the violin/fiddle, pretty damn good with the bass, and okay at cello.
"But how is he only okay with the cello if he's good at the bass," you ask? He plays the bass jazz-style is how. No bow needed for that! So he's still figuring out the proper bow techniques with a cello.

singing

COMPETENCE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

To go with the above, he's just pretty damn good at singing. The "In Depth" section has a link to how that sounds.

food

COMPETENCE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A master of the improvised meal. Louis had to teach himself how to cook to feed himself after dying, and he's gotten to the point where he's almost comedically good at cooking... if it's improvised. If he tries to use a recipe, he's honestly kind of terrible at it - so he obviously can't make any dishes that require a recipe, like finicky cakes or souffles. He can probably be trained to use a recipe, though.

tailoring

COMPETENCE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Something Louis taught himself how to do to "survive" in a teensy tiny little town. You can't get good goth clothes in a teensy tiny little town unless you make them yourself, okay.

foraging

COMPETENCE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Something else he picked up for his own needs; being a vegan in a teensy tiny little town, he's had to kinda rely on himself to provide everything he needs, so that's included learning how to forage. He's very skilled at this, and this includes mushrooms... however, this only applies to plants in the land of the dead.
He can easily learn how to forage plants from new places, though.

gardening

COMPETENCE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A skill that Louis picked up out of necessity and boredom; he focuses mostly on flowers, but also grows his own vegetables as needed. But like, he really focuses on flowers. His home is filled with them.

trivia

COMPETENCE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ or ❌, depending on topic

I also like to call this "Jeopardy knowledge". Louis's got a LOT of shit stuffed in that brain of his, and as an Orange core, he is obsessed with learning more just for the sake of having it - however, he's extremely fickle with what actually interests him, and if it doesn't interest him, he likely knows nothing about it.
For example, he can tell you the botanical classification of any flower he's acquainted with... but it took him a while to understand why tomatoes are fruits. Or, another example: LOVES to learn about psychology and the mind, has a general idea of the gut-brain connection, but whatever the intestines do is a complete mystery to him. Those are just some weird floppy tubes in there that do the thing with your food, that's all he knows.
And another example: holy shit, does this boy have a lot of insect knowledge in that head of is. Get him on the topic of Musca domestica and you'll have sacrificed your entire afternoon. ... Ask him what cats are scientifically classified as, though. Go on, do it.

math

COMPETENCE: ❌❌❌❌❌

I'm putting this here just to rag on him.

In order to acquire their magic, a Grim Reaper must sacrifice something that:
A. isn't a worldly possession (like a car or a shirt or something)
B. belongs to them and no one else
AND
C. won't make their afterlife utterly impossible. So nothing like giving up tangibility, or their ability to understand languages in general.

Louis gave up his ability to do math. He LITERALLY cannot do math. He can count, and thus he can add and subtract via counting up and counting down (often on his fingers), but aside from that?
Mathless. Empty headed. Idiot moron imbecile.

Quick Personality

stars indicate the higher trait
no stars means it's 50/50, he's either both or neither

Lawful 𖤐Chaotic

Prudent𖤐 Reckless

Peaceful𖤐 Violent

Gives𖤐 Takes

Fearful 𖤐Brave

Selfish 𖤐Altruistic

Emotional 𖤐Logical

Laidback𖤐 Highstrung

Trusting 𖤐Suspicious

Honest 𖤐Deceitful

Prudish 𖤐Shameless

Agreeable𖤐 Disagreeable

Contemplative𖤐 Instinctive

Open 𖤐Secretive

Apologetic 𖤐Remorseless

Introverted 𖤐Extroverted

Energetic 𖤐Sleepy

Offensive Defensive

Determined Unmotivated

Optimistic Pessimistic

Rude 𖤐Polite

Pragmatic𖤐 Idealistic

Humble 𖤐Vain

Vengeful𖤐 Forgiving

Grounded 𖤐Dreamer

Fight𖤐 Flight

Speech + Languages

To start with: Louis is capable of speaking in English, Spanish, Hindi, and Japanese (with a smidgen of Mandarin and French). Aside from Spanish, which he taught himself in secret as a sort of "fuck you" to his parents insisting he didn't need it, he was being tutored in all of these as business languages. On top of all that, he's also been made fluent in the language of the dead (Enochian) upon dying. I will NOT be discussing the majority of these, because again, he was only being taught them as business languages, being that he was the heir to a rich family; he CAN speak them, but there's literally nothing fancy to them at all. It's just the most stock, proper versions of these languages possible.
In terms of fluency, it's in this order: Enochian (supernaturally), English, Japanese, with Spanish and Hindi tying at the end.

And, of course, these sections are all dropdowns! Just to keep it tidy.
And remember, a link to how he sounds is in the "In Depth" section.

English:

Honestly? This is just an excuse to talk about how Louis speaks. For 99% of the people he talks to, Louis will speak with plain weatherman's English; flat, polished to a clear shine, with no accent of any kind beyond the way he over-enunciates some words. It's very, very practiced. Very much the speech of someone who was whapped with a ruler as a kid when he said anything incorrectly.

However. The beauty to Louis and how he speaks is code-switching.

He may have been the fancy heir to a rich family, but he was the fancy heir to a rich family living only a mile's walk from rural little census centers in deep Louisiana, raised by staff that had been hired from the people around them.
The practiced English isn't his "real" accent; when speaking to anyone else from the American South, Louis will slip into a proper drawl of his own. He does not have a Cajun accent like Chipp, however; his is more "general", sounding closer to Texan or Georgian.
He's also capable of just "turning it on" when he wants to, like many people with accents they've worked very hard to smother, and there are words he can say that might make him slip into it unconsciously.
Watch me absolutely forget that last detail and have it never come up, ever.

Enochian:

Living in the land of the dead as a Grim Reaper, Louis had his main languages pushed down a peg, and Enochian now acts as his “first” language; this is done to all new Grim Reapers so that communication isn’t impossible between them. There are so few Grim Reapers and they can show up from any part of the world... without a unified language, their society wouldn’t have worked out as well as it has.
That means Louis is capable of reading and speaking the same language as most angelic/demonic characters from many other universes, and he defaults to it whenever jamjar rules don’t apply.

HOWEVER, the Enochian Louis speaks isn’t... normal.
Every time a new Grim Reaper appeared in the land of the dead with a concept that didn’t yet exist among the dead, the language as a whole would adopt whatever their word for it was, as if the language itself was a living, learning being alongside them - and thus their Enochian is full to the gills with loanwords from every language under the sun.
What those words are depends entirely on who brought that word in and where they’re from. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, otherwise, and the words do not change with time; they remain exactly as they were when the language itself picked them up.
As an example, bars and pubs are all known as “alehouses” thanks to the word being brought in during the middle ages - meanwhile, their word for TV is taken from German, so it’s “Fernseher”/“Fernsehen”.
It can be largely assumed the majority of their loanwords are not English, and many are pretty damn old.

Because of this, Grim Reapers generally refer to their language as Bastard’s Enochian; it’s a “bastardized” version of it, MacGuyvered together out of duct tape and paperclips, held together only by the magic that grants new Grim Reapers this language in the first place.
He can read and write Enochian as well as any angel or demon can, but when speaking it with other divine characters, it’s likely he won’t be understood at all.

Most Reapers are aware of all of this, of course, and just think it’s hilarious. Many of them prefer to actively use their own languages from when they were alive, too!
While Louis defaults to Bastard’s Enochian, he often prefers to write and speak in English, though he's more than happy to talk to Grim Reapers in their original languages if it's one he knows.

Permissions

IC Physical affection: Go for it, though Louis might get clingy if he thinks your character actually genuinely likes him, whoops. Shipping: Ask first so we can hash things out! Fighting/death: Ask first (I'm not great at writing fight scenes, lmao) Mindreading: No (not possible with Louis, sorry!)

OOC Backtagging: Yup, of course; keep in mind I limit it to a month so I can keep up with current posts! Threadjacking: Yes, but ask if it's a serious thread Fourthwalling: Please don't.

In Depth

﴾ Reference art needs updating, alas ﴿

Physical » Fashion Y'know what? Pinterest board. » Poise Treads lightly, but not so light that you can't hear his heels clack against the floor - may walk heavier for that exact reason, in fact. Carries himself with an air of nobility, though it isn't on purpose. Not afraid to take up space, but very happy to give space up for others. Walks like he was trained to do so with a stack of books upon his head... because he was. VERY capable of stealth, to the point that he may take others by surprise purely by accident. » Sound Man, fuck it. I've gone through like three voices for Louis trying to decide on one that sounds right, and I'm really mad that the one that I've officially settled on is PERFECT because of what it is, but fuck it. Speaking voice. You know who I mean. Thankfully he talks slower than Bedman McGuiltyGear does, at least. Also important to note: unlike Bedman McGuiltyGear, Louis lets himself sound goofy and will use voices and tones from time to time. Stuff like getting nasally when he's mocking people, adding aplomb and flourish when he's goofing around, stuff like that. Singing voice; keep in mind that there's a lot of weird cuts and the video's a little goofy, but it also fits Louis FAR too well, so, y'know. » Olfactory Florals and resins. If he can smell like roses and incense, he will make certain that he does. Enjoys both perfumes and colognes.

Mental » Demeanor Calm, friendly, seemingly open but purposefully keeps everything close to his chest. Goes out of his way to be warm and helpful, assumes that's enough to satisfy most people and actively avoids becoming friends with others. Prefers to keep to himself, but not so much that he won't go out and interact with others. » Intellect Exceedingly smart in many ways, but at the same time, kind of as dumb as a bag of hammers. This goes for book smarts (only knows anything about what he has an interest in), street smarts (has a general gist), and socializing (great at manipulation, terrible at being sincere). Of course, this means he's both very good at picking out when someone is lying to him, yet simultaneously terrible at being able to tell he's being teased. Not that the latter matters much; he's good at hiding when he feels embarrassed or ashamed. » Trust ZERO. None. Zilch. It will take a lot of clawing and patience for him to warm up to someone enough to trust them. Like a shelter dog that's been abused one too many times. Once someone has proven to him that they're trustworthy and actually want to befriend him, however, he clings.