#gremlinkisser

I know jokes have already been made (by the devs) about Vloxx having a Patrick Bateman-esque skincare routine but I feel like he truly does have that kind of relationship with his body where it's like a machine he's rotely (and meticulously) maintaining. I just know this man is eating nothing but soylent and staring blankly at the gym wall while lifting weights. He might treat himself to a single episode of an NPR podcast or a brief symphony listen during this like he's microdosing joy or something

I hc that he doesn't really want to think of himself as a person so much as a tool honed towards whatever wacko Cultural Disruption he has planned for us. I say 'want' here because I feel like that's breaking down a little now that he's met the Commander, who Is a real flesh and blood person with their own interiority and opinions that don't necessarily align with his in the way that he was hoping.

It's almost like he can't square the thought of someone like the Comm, who is wildly successful at what they do, having a rich interior life and strong emotional core that serve as the main source of their drive and power. I feel that it downright puzzles him and that there's a great deal he's having to rationalize right now.

5.) How is their relationship with the concept of violence? Do they view it as a necessary evil, avoid inflicting it where possible, or even enjoy it? /// As Inquisitor Inza's handler, Haffa has had to do a lot of compartmentalizing and self-justification when it comes to violence. Functionally, he's the one killing, torturing, and otherwise mangling his metakrewemates from the safety of a desk with Inza only acting as his proxy. So there's this layer of dehumanization and abstraction going on that's inherit to all people whose job it is to hit a big red button that says "HURT SOMEBODY NOT PRESENTLY IN MY FIELD OF VISION WHO I WILL NEVER MEET." When it comes to more in-person violence, however, he's a bit more mixed. He's a neurosurgeon, so he's not exactly squeamish -- but I think if he had to shoot somebody in self-defense he would scream and cry and throw up.

6.) Do they have a guilty conscience? How do they cope with or personally reconcile the continuous stress and horror? /// I would say that Haffa frequently feels guilty and ashamed of what he does, although I'm not really certain whether he'd be able to articulate those emotions, or correctly assign their source. He does a lot of self-talk to cope. These guys are probably all assholes -- everybody in the Inquest is, right? Compared to these freakshows I'm normal. I'm good. Over the years the efficacy of this has started to wane a bit.

1.) Have they been an Inquest loyalist since the start, or did they defect from another faction? Is there a risk they'll defect away from the Inquest in the future? (If already defected: If it were possible, would they go back?) /// Vetra had a very brief tenure at the College of Synergetics as a neuropsych professor before being poached by an Inquest recruiter. She quickly rose in the ranks from a researcher deployed to give expert advice for interrogations to being an Inquisitor herself, then High Inquisitor. Not even the Arcane Eye would approve of her current methodology, so she has little incentive to return to taking paychecks from the Council. Although she sees her relationship with the Inquest as more practical than ideological, she would need a cataclysmic shift to happen to be anything but a loyal and obedient employee.

7.) "Fun" one: What's their uniform like? Is it a generic-issued uniform, or custom tailored? Are there any features built into it that assist with their job? /// Vetra's uniform is black siamoth leather with metal fittings -- including her signature helm, which is a custom design made especially for her. Its many lenses assist in her investigations, with each one calibrated to give different biometric feedback.

10.) How do they feel towards Inquest leadership? (Optional: How do they feel towards Kudu and Kuda?) /// Like many Inquest, Vetra is cautiously excited about the current direction in which the metakrewe is going. She finds Vloxx intelligent, well-spoken, and competent, with this last trait being one she finds important above all else in a leader. A once Kudu loyalist, Vetra became mildly disillusioned by his hubristic, messy downfall, and feels that Kuda has done nothing but squander what remains of his legacy. This isn't an opinion that she'd openly voice, however.

12.) What's their life like outside of the Inquest? Do they blend in with society well, or are they flagrantly a member of the metakrewe? /// I feel like despite it all Ikk has to be living an impossibly normal life outside the metakrewe. You know this man is like, going to farmer's markets and library book clubs and gardening like his day job doesn't involve cutting people up (mostly consensually). He doesn't wear the colors outside of work and is very affable, so people probably assume he's just Necromancer Weird and not Inquest Weird.

12.) What's their life like outside of the Inquest? Do they blend in with society well, or are they flagrantly a member of the metakrewe? /// Keto isn't as cozycore as his partner Ikk but he's also probably not easily placeable as Inquest when he's off the clock, either. Like Ikk, he's not terribly ideologically driven and has other hobbies. He's Very into alternative fashion and body modification and reads more as "some kind of goth" than "Inquest flunky." When he's not at work he enjoys horror vids (both Asuran and Canthan), collecting music, and preserving/pinning insects.

15.) Were they involved with any of the canon GW2 events that involved the Inquest-- Thaumanova, Crucible of Eternity, Sorrow's Embrace, Rata Primus, etc? (Optional: How'd they escape when the Commander rolled in?) /// Prior to being Inquest Biotechnics Division's overseer, Vahnn was stationed in Rata Primus in a supervisory role. Through what he describes as "sheer happenstance" (or "knowing the right people" when he's had enough wine), he was able to evacuate before the city fully succumbed to Joko's forces. Although he tends to smugly deflect when asked about his experience, his peers can't help but note how the city cube's horrific end changed him.