Wren Rose

**For those who found this page whilst browsing the web: this page is about an introject, or a headmate that came from an outside source. This is not meant to steal an original idea, but rather, document an alternate iteration of a sourced character/idea. This is not too different from those alternate universe type of things, only this applies to a system.**

*"I made one hell of a rival back in those days. I wonder how she is now." -* Reflecting on his past life

*"I don't know where I am or who any of you are, but I need to get my revenge on my enemies!"* - Wren's first meeting with the Etheridge Collective before engaging in battle, bewildered by his change in living situation, to put it lightly.

*"This is the only group of people I've known who won't leave me behind over doing something dumb, or losing a single match at anything. I don't know how to feel about that[..]if this is what I can get from now on, the world I came from can screw off for all I care."*

**Wren Rose** is the tenth host of the Etheridge Collective, and the second one that came from an alternate source to Axol. His marksmanship, agility, and nigh supernatural aim stuck with him after his rebirth; he puts these abilities to use when it comes to protecting his friends, protectors, and his land from nightmare energies and those who otherwise seek to harm them.

## Biography

### Old Life

Not much is known about Wren's early life, but in his teenage years, he made it big as an athlete. His accolades garnered him countless fans, abundant wealth, and the admiration of his biggest fan when she was just a toddler - he saved her life when she wandered into the stadium to greet her hero when she was about to be crushed by an enemy. Overtime, he kept making it big as an athlete until he suffered just one loss, and lost everything - his home included.

At his lowest, he's lured into a facility to relive his fantasies at the cost of his sanity and his mind, given how the process brainwashed him. He went so far as to kidnap his biggest fan and her friends, which came at the cost of his life at the end. When Wren was on the brink of death itself, he felt himself get pulled away from the unknown that was after the end. This would be revealed later as Skye opening a portal from Synaptum to save his life.

### New Life

Wren awakened from the Etheridge Memory Pool nearly a month after leaving his old life behind, but with residual effects from the brainwashing he had been subjected to previously. He was left to wander, but had a certain calling, and stumbled upon Shuugou-mura where he would meet the Etheridge Collective for the first time, but this was after attacking one of their members on a whim without provocation. Doing this nearly cost him his life as the collective descended upon him, until Skye stepped in and urged the group not to annihilate him despite what he had just done.

Using his new lease on life and knowing now that he's no longer controlled by the the laws of his old life, he dedicates his life to protecting others and honing his skills to impress those he loves. He currently operates as a key player on the nightmare defense team, and operates as a host and leader in the Etheridge Collective.

## Personality

*"I'm only not evil because you all love up on me so much.. otherwise I'd..." -* Wren's view of himself

Once considered to be arrogant, selfish, and outright dangerous, these qualities came from the brainwashing he was subjected to during the last years of his old life. Although his true personality is like night and day, some of these qualities have been preserved in a downplayed form, if not outright helpful. While he can be a little arrogant time to time, he knows when to dial it back. Although he has a small selfish streak, he ultimately cares about those around him on his journey to forgive himself for his past deeds.

His dangerous skills come in handy when it comes to fighting off nightmare energies, as he's the only one strong enough to take down stronger enemies that the rest of the collective can struggle to put down.

In his new life, Wren is highly protective and is like a puppy in a sense to the other collective members. When he's not spending his time with his friends, he's patrolling Shuugou-mura during the night. Given his new freedom, Wren has been able to reveal his more sensitive side not just in the form of his developing empathy, but also tends to be prone to tears in the face of overwhelmingly good news, or when something has gone wrong with someone he loves. The young adult, thanks to his experiences in his old life, has been plagued with trauma involving abandonment and betrayal; therefore, he tends to take perceived abandonment and betrayal very hard when he sees it happen to anyone else. It typically enrages him. Wren is also sensitive to the Conduit's health status, as being hungry for too long will enrage him, and being tired will also put him to sleep along with it.

He views himself as someone who needs companionship, lest his brainwashed personality returns to full force, which implies a low level of confidence in his identity and his sense of goodness despite how loving and protective he's turned out to be.

## Relationships

### Skye Rose

*"She looks out for me, and she even saved my life. How could I not love her?"*

Wren takes his surname from Skye's surname due to Skye adopting him to be her little brother. Their relationship is grounded in a sibling-like dynamic, although at first, Wren was looking for something more before learning just how similar his and her experiences were; Skye lost everything in her past just like he did. Skye is the first one to step in should anything happen to her little brother, real or perceived. In turn, Wren tends to be the first to either reassure her of his safety for the sake of another person's safety, or come to her own defense when she's not watching her back. The two of them have bonded over a few months that have felt like several years.

### Kodachi Tsurugi

*"She gave me a chance even after I did something that should've been unforgiveable right then and there. She's a good leader."*

Wren looks up to Kodachi for her leadership skill and her accepting nature, as well as for establishing that those who come to be part of the world are free to come into their own, and not be obligated to stay tied to their sources or their past, or both if applicable. As friends, the two of them get along and are protective of one another, as he's among the first to comfort her when she's down, and vice versa. Wren also enjoys hearing Kodachi's stories of the past involving her childhood, her heroics, her struggles and how they were overcame with the help of her collective members and friends. He also looks up to her for her forgiving nature, as rather than dispatch him using lethal methods when he attacked the group at first, she and Skye protected him from losing his new life.

### Moku Tsurugi

"The light of my life, she's the person I wish I could've been ages ago. I'll do anything to protect her smile and that innocent way she looks at the world through her beautiful green eyes. I swear it."

Wren absolutely adores Moku, a fellow cephalopod human hybrid, to the point where the two of them have become romantically involved. The two of them take on the alternate world together as well as many different projects when the two of them take the helm. He's her rock when she needs it, and she's his emotional guide when it comes to quick decisions in more ways than one - whether she gives direct advice, or if her safety is at risk. It's because of his desire to protect her that he's been getting others to do their part to keep her safe when and if he can't be there, just as they already do for him. Aside from their alternate world adventures, the two of them are privy to spending time together during their off time. There is a great deal of trust and love between these two that can't be done justice with words alone.

### Axol Lotl

*"He's really great, and super cool to have as a big brother. I can't imagine life without him."*

Whilst their relationship started on detached and skeptical terms due to their roles in their common source, as Axol's old life's friends were put in harms way due to Wren's actions, and the latter being confronted with more reminders of his old source, the two of them sharing a common source was the reason why it went from detached to as brotherly as it is presently. They both have been ejected from their old lives in similar ways, although one death was a result of a sacrifice to save the world, whilst Wren's was a complete accident. Their deaths were similarly contrived in nature, like they were completely preventable and were done for shock value on behalf of the stewards of that alternate universe. Nonetheless, the two of them remain wounded from their experiences and have bonded over those shared struggles, as well as the pranks they play on each other time to time. Wren has a tendency to land on Axol from tall heights at any given opportunity, but this is done out of love rather than malice, to which Axol is in on it most of the time.

Axol cares a great deal about the cephalopod human hybrid, to the point where he came back from retirement to be one of the leaders again alongside him just to ensure his protection.

### Talia Annemieke

*"Make no mistake, she's like a turbo charged car in tuxedo cat form with her supernatural speed, and that's not nearly as fast as her ability to recall past memories. She's a walking talking encyclopedia."*

Wren and Talia share a respectful relationship based on a shared appreciation for learning and preserving history, as well as linking present events to historical events. That being said, the two of them are on the same team as the collective's dedicated historians. Although Wren might see her as cryptic at times, he trusts her credibility and her as a person, given how she had already been through so much herself and just how much she knows about the past. Aside from being historians, they tend to spend their own time together doing their own things quietly, whether Talia's reading a book or Wren's being distracted by the alternate world or a memory he stumbled upon.

For as serious as she can be, she tends to joke that Wren has "cat energy" as implied by his athletic skill and quick reflexes, much to his chagrin. Sometimes she can be seen rubbing her face against him as a cat would do to claim someone as one of them, as well as sit on his head when he doesn't expect it; his head being sat on is reminiscent of the way Talia used to sit on Kendra's head in the ancient past.

### Makibishi Tsurugi

*"She's like the mom I never had. She makes clothes for her friends and heals us when we're hurt, and she's got that cheer about her that makes even uncertain times feel like there's still a sense of direction - as if she were a compass powered by the trust she has in us."*

Makibishi was the first to suggest Wren getting a new outfit for his adventures in Synaptum, as this world is a lot less mundane than his old life, and as such modified one of his older outfits to be more suited for battle should the need arise. She also healed the facial scar on his right cheek, but left a little scar tissue behind at his behest because "it looked cool." When Wren expressed his curiosity and suggestions about Makibishi becoming a nurse or seamstress in the alternate world just to translate her skills, she cited that the healthcare industry would wear down their own body, but she has seriously considered practicing sewing in the alternate world so those skills can more easily translate.

He looks up to her positivity and her abundant cheery attitude, but has been known to step in to help her as he's been made aware of her tendency to become so stressed, she gets sick.

### Arashi Tsurugi

*"She's such a sweetheart and an expert at using the bow and arrow she had since she was three. I wonder if she'll ever be up to learn marksmanship in a few years."*

Wren admires Arashi's prowess in archery at such a young age, thanks to the training she received from Zeph. This quality is something shared between the two of them, as Wren was trained from a very young age himself to use weaponry for his future athletic accolades from the time he was fourteen. Wren also admires how tenacious she is when training, as well as how brave she can be during situations that seem hairy during their adventures in Synaptum and alternate world uncertainties, but is also keenly aware that she needs just as much protection as any other child, and thus makes protecting all aspects of her wellbeing and innocence among his highest priorities, if not number one.

As for Arashi, it took a while for her to warm up to him considering the first impression he made, but recently she's come around and started referring to him as an uncle.

### Chokuto Tsurugi

*"He cooks great food and he's fun to hang out with. What more could you want?"*

Chokuto and Wren love to banter with each other and has a shared love for good food; Chokuto cooks it, Wren eats it - but the latter has also been learning how to cook these foods for himself, given how his own hunger can enrage him at times. Chokuto makes sure he's protected when things get hairy, whether that's by comforting him or protecting him in battle, and has been known to become increasingly vicious if any harm comes to Wren - to the point where he gets to the same level as berserk as if Arashi had been attacked instead, implying that despite Chokuto's bromance at the start, he's recently started seeing Wren as a little brother or perhaps even someone like a son. As for Wren's own view on the protective drift car, he finds it a touch overbearing at times, but endearing nonetheless.

## Abilities and Combat

* **Expert Marksmanship**
	+ **Expert Sharpshooter/Supernatural aim**
* **Peak Human Condition**
	+ **Agility**
	+ **Supernatural Jumping Ability**
	+ **Powerful dive kicks**
* **Teleportation**
	+ Used during his old life using technology to fulfill his dreams, but gifted as an ability he can use in Etheridge to protect himself and others.

## Interests/Disinterests

**Likes**

* Winning/competition
* Keeping others safe
* Coffee
* Being loved on excessively (secretly)
* Others' positive interpretations of him through fan works
* Rainy weather
* Western movies/tropes
* Country music
* His weapon collection

**Dislikes**

* Abandonment/betrayal
* Being around fire, no matter how small
* Being hungry
* Being alone
* Being too cold or too hot
* Being loved on excessively
* Being subject to anything that could hinder his sense of masculinity
* Being reminded of the fate he was subjected to in his old life
* Seeing anyone procrastinate for too long on something, not realizing that expressing any form of disappointment usually makes it worse

## Trivia

* Despite losing his life in something similar, he sleeps in a new iteration of the tube of water he used to occupy. In Hana's words, "this side of the Ryokan could be blown off the face of Etheridge and this bad boy will still be left standing," a testament to how durable and safe it is for him to occupy these days.
	+ It's not hooked up to anything he could use either, so it's purely for rejuvenation.
		- There's a railing around its perimeter, as Wren has a habit of jumping out of the top without looking out for his surroundings. Axol tends to miss the railing completely and get landed on every time.
* Wren will sleep anywhere, but prefers sleeping underwater.
* Wren is one of two confirmed descendants of Kendra, the other being Moku.
	+ His descendance is the equivalent of being seven or eight generations down the line, making her the equivalent of his great (7x) grandmother