What lurks behind a smile?

Current Alias: Helen
Pronouns: she/her
Alignment: The Spiral
Appearance: Inconsistent
Modus Operandi: Impossible architecture
Threat Level: Minimal(?)

Name: Rose
Pronouns: she/they
Contact: weirdalchemy (discord)
Timezone: Eastern (USA)

The Distortion is an extension of the Spiral, which is one of fourteen god-like powers of Fear representing the fear of madness, unreality, and deception of the mind and the senses. Originally, it lacked any form of personhood and simply manifested as improbable doors and impossible architecture designed to entrap and frighten humans. However, upon the failure of the Spiral's ritual of power and manifestation, a lone human was able to reach the heart of the Distortion, which thrust his identity onto it, and the nameless Distortion became known as Michael.

Sometime in the following years, another human by the name of Helen Richardson was able to reach the heart of the corridors, and Michael's persona was destroyed and replaced by that of Helen--- both the same entity and an entirely new person all at once.

Upon her becoming, Helen was at first withdrawn and uncomfortable in her new identity, but over time she has grown more confident and charismatic. Moreso than previous manifestations, Helen is partial to gaslighting and false friendship, enhancing the effects of her torment by appearing as a respite and guide only to lead her victims deeper down the rabbit hole. She takes after the previous owner of her identity to an extent, utilizing Helen Classic's skills as a real estate agent to socially engineer situations to her liking. She is coy and devious, charming and wiley, and always willing to do a favor for a friend... until she isn't.

• Doors: Helen is able to manifest doors in places where they previously were not and should not be able to exist. These doors lead to a pocket dimension that is also a part of herself, where she can torment or consume captives in her endless and impossible hallways or simply teleport herself wherever she needs to go. (In a jamjar setting, the exits to her pocket dimension would be limited to the world in which she has found herself unless otherwise stated.)
• Unreality: Helen can distort and manipulate reality, sometimes directly in the world, sometimes only in the minds of her victims.
• Mild Shapeshifting: Helen can alter certain aspects of her appearance--- namely her physical proportions and the colors of a majority of her features (predominantly her hair, clothes, eyes, and cosmetics). This ability does not extend far enough to allow her to fully change her form outside of what would be recognizable as Helen, though. Her hallways can also change dimension and direction as needed.

• HEART: The desires of the Distortion and by extension the Spiral itself is are same as the rest of the Fears--- to empower and feed themselves by generating more terror. Helen in particular has a fondness for gaslighting, posing as a friendly figure to lead victims to their doom. She is the scorpion and you are the frog. However, some traces of the original Helen still exist within her and she will find herself fond of certain people. Her motivations are purely self-interested, but sometimes that self-interest can encompass her favorite individuals.
• MIND: As a manifestation of madness and delusion, Helen's logic is often strange. Her ideas about identity in particular are extremely abstract. The line between the Distortion and what used to be Helen Richardson, the line between the Distortion as Helen and the Distortion as Michael, what makes a person who they are--- Helen considers these things to be fickle and messy, and will often speak about them in riddles.
• THROAT: Helen's humanoid form is merely an extension of her full self, but it is the one best equipped to communicate with others and thus serves as her face and voice. She appears as a distorted version of the original Helen Richardson, who was a real estate agent in the UK. Her appearance shifts often, particularly her color palette and facial proportions, but she always appears as someone who is recognizably Helen: a Black woman in her early 40's with long, voluminous dark hair that falls in tight ringlets. Unlike Helen Classic, however, this Helen's hair can become streaked with shifting, moving color in patches or strands both idly and at will. Her eyes, whose pupils have been replaced with spirals, are also capable of changing color spontaneously, often cycling through the rainbow gradually or changing colors to match her mood. Her clothing also covered in swirling psychedelic technicolor that shifts on the surface of the fabric like water. Another key feature of Helen's appearance is her hands, which appear gigantic (often with too many joins) and sharp at the tips of her fingers. To the touch, they've been described as feeling like "bags of rocks" by others. Her voice also resembles that of the original Helen, though often times with a tone that is more coy.
[Beware of spoilers when listening to clips.]
• BELLY: The vast majority of Helen's physicality is actually her pocket dimension, which appears in the form of long, impossible, disturbingly liminal corridors that go on and on forever. The presence of her portals is signified by a wooden door, painted yellow, with an antique handle. Once inside, the entrance to the Distortion will disappear behind the victim and be replaced with a mirror. The colors and patterns of the wallpaper and carpet will often change subtly so that it is difficult to notice when the change occurs and the walls will be decorated with repetitive paintings and mirrors. The main hall eventually begins spiralling almost imperceptibly in one direction while occasional branches will appear in the other, leading to their own spirals. Additionally the layout can change at any time and will often do so to prevent victims from returning the way they came. The intention is to trap them and get them lost, and to feed on their misery, confusion, and fear. Helen will then eventually consume them completely or release them to finish them off another day or continue to torment them with impossible doors throughout their life. While the primary purpose of this structure is to feed from, Helen can also use this to imprison people and other monsters for various purposes. She can also use it for transportation, as she can manifest her doors wherever she likes. Occasionally, sounds of people who do not exist or muffled muzak can be heard in these hallways.

OUT OF CHARACTER

• Backtagging: Yes please always. I may drop older stuff if I get overwhelmed but if you'd like to continue something just yell at me.
• Threadjacking: Let's discuss first just so I know what's goin' on!
• Fourthwalling: Fuck it, we ball.
• Hard Limits: I only have one noteworthy trigger that ever appears in RP, which is DDLG/ageplay kinks and associated terms of address. (Starts with a D and ends with a Y, please avoid saying this around me in a sexual context at all costs or I will explode and die on the spot. The M-word is also not my favorite but that's more of a yuck.)

IN CHARACTER

• Flirting: Absolutely, though there's no guarantee Helen will take it seriously.
• Physical Affection: Helen's reactions to kissing, hugging, and other affectionate touch may be erratic based on the situation. Either be very confident or prepared for the consequences. ;)
• Shipping: It'll be weird but I'm down.
• NSFW: It'll be VERY weird but I am occasionally down! Ask me first, though, please.
• Mindreading/Psychic: Good luck with that. (Yes with discussion!)
• Violence: Helen can be a little bit hard to hit but if you're patient and lucky then go nuts.
• Killing: Inconvenient! Ask me first but I'll probably be fine with it in settings where death isn't permanent.
• Opt Out: Helen both employs paranormal unreality and social tactics that look very much like real-world psychological abuse when trying to scare someone to feed herself. Both of these things can be deeply upsetting for different reasons. Please let me know if one or more aspects of her scare tactics need to be scaled back for you or if you'd prefer not to interact with Helen at all! She is from a horror medium, so these things happen. No hard feelings!