Tombsonas

Tombsonas are the characters portrayed by the members of the band The Living Tombstone. The term is a portmanteau of the words "Tombstone" and "Persona". The Tombsonas appear to be based off the science fictions of various decades and eras and first appeared in the background of the music video for the single Sunburn; and were featured prominently in the video for Chosen and Fly Home (reloaded).

According to Sam Haft, tombsonas exist outside time and space and don’t experience memory like people do; instead, they harbor the knowledge of the timeline and are able to ““recall”” events that could have not yet happened. They are unable to have free will as a result of experiencing time non-linearly, and rely on obtaining that ability through possession of a human host. This possession results in something that is neither two beings within one body nor is it one being taking the body of another, but rather the process creates a new being that is neither of the two old beings, yet in a way is both: a fusion. Due to the fact tombsonas have no free will on their own, what makes a tombsona find a host is simply fate. Because of this, tombsonas have multiple hosts throughout time and every host is tied to their respective tombsona due to the timeline being unchanged when not with a host. It is unknown whether or not the actions of a tombsona’s free will when with a host can affect the timeline as to change whether or not a host is fated to be with a tombsona.

   In TLT canon, the Tombsonas that make up the fictional band The Living Tombstone are:

* zero\_one
* Rust
* Armstrong
* Tesla
* Doc

## Tombsonas

### zero\_one

zero\_one is the first tombsona in the fictional version of the band The Living Tombstone. zero\_one is a composer, music producer, and vocalist within the band and acts as a ringleader for the rest of its members. It is the namesake of the band's first album and is considered the "first" tombsona despite being the second youngest. zero\_one is tied to those who have a curiosity of the world, similar to its own. It has a keen sense for mathematics, codes, and formulas that connects it to the type of people it is most close to: ~~nerds~~ composers. It takes the form of digital data, often being mistaken for malware by most modern computers, and finds a host through the digital world. zero\_one is very playful and childlike, acting very energetic and optimistic. zero\_one's real-life counterpart is Yoav Landau.

### Rust

Rust is the youngest of the five. Inspired by the cyberpunk and dystopian science fiction of the 1980s. Rust stands for the concepts of rebellion against, and the defiance of, authority. Rust is the only tombsona tied to a physical object, a helmet and riot armor, and because of such, is closely tied to the raw emotion and empathy of humans. This tether to humanity makes Rust ideally take the position of lead singer, acting as a mouthpiece for the band as a whole. The real-life counterpart to Rust is Sam Haft.

### Armstrong

Armstrong is the biggest, strongest, and most reliable member of the band. Armstrong is inspired by the sci-fi form the Atomic Age in the 1950s. Armstrong's host is that of an astronaut who died of exposure in space who was found by it in a gaseous form. Armstrong functions as the guitarist for the band. Their real-life counterpart is Or "Orko" Cohen.

### Tesla

Tesla is the second oldest tombsona in the band and is the smartest, yet shortest member of the group. The turn of the 20th century yielded what could be considered the dawn of modern science fiction and is the inspiration for Tesla's design, based on the second industrial revolution. Tesla communicates to its hosts by the use of radio waves, transmitting detailed instructions for how to receive its data. Tesla's hosts willingly, and often painfully, construct and create their own transformation. Tesla is very arrogant and does not find interest in the business of the other band members. They play the bass within the band, same as their real-life counterpart, Guy "Beren" Bernfeld.

### Doc

Doc is the last of the tombsonas. Doc is the eldest and most mysterious tombsona. It was the first in the world and wandered the world as a sort of arcane being, looking for meaning to its existence. Doc then found a human soul, and bonded with them. Doc is inspired by the concept of witchcraft, voodoo, alchemy, and physical magics in general. They are known to have been in France and Louisiana. Doc's real-world counterpart is Maxime Cholley, drummer of the band.

## Gallery

There is a gallery for the Tombsonas here.
## Trivia

* Armstrong is the only tombsona to not have the same height as their real-life counterpart.
* Doc has some sort of symbolic link with crows, harkening back to their gothic and mystic inspiration.
* Sam Haft has confirmed that the tombsonas (without a host) are genderless. When they bond with a host, they assume the host's pronouns/gender.