Strings

A petulant young space bat adopted into the crew of H.M.L. the Orphean. Not used to giving or receiving compassion and tenderness, but it’s trying to learn.

As is true of all curators, Strings feels an inherent need to hoard. It's focus is on representations of bonds and sentiment. This got it into trouble with much of the crew when it first arrived, but it has since come to understand more about boundaries and personal possessions and it has apologized. It’s trying to make up for its transgressions, though not everyone has fully forgiven it.

Curators are not kind. Strings’ parent flock was not, despite being less cruel than others. In that environment, Strings quickly learned that compassion was softness and mercy was weakness and all of it was strictly punished. Strings learned to hide the kind part of itself and act selfishly and horrible.

Strings is unlearning this behaviour now, but it struggles with empathy and it gets frustrated when its attempts to connect with people are not well received. And a frustrated Strings is a very loud and bitey Strings. It's a menace when it wants to be.

Strings' birth flock was more lenient than most, but it was not kind. It still punished aberration, just less severely.

Strings couldn’t bring itself to join in when another youth in the flock, Ends, was made a target to torment and harass for refusing to hide its own kindness. But neither would it stick up for Ends while others were around for fear of retaliation. In solitude, the two could speak freely and became close friends. Strings is inclined to be an asshole, and is not nice, but it could be kind with Ends. It admired Ends for the other youth’s gentle nature and unique insights, and longed to be more like it, but feels it’s not capable.

Ends’ last days were the first and only time Strings put itself on the line and intervened, taking action to protect its only friend. Too little, too late. It’s fears came true as it was painfully injured in the fight and was exiled with Ends. Then, not long later, Ends still died. Strings doesn’t know how to come to terms with this.

A few weeks into being an injured outcast, Strings quite literally bumped into the Orphean and the crew took pity on it. It was reluctant to accept or return any care at first, but its since grown to trust and love the crew.

Strings does NOT like to be alone, though it seems very embarrassed by the concept of needing companionship and does not enjoy others drawing attention to its ‘softer’ side.

Strings is very cuddly only when it’s sleepy or rarely under other circumstances. Otherwise, no touching!!!

Strings’ hoard is less about what an object is, and more about what it means or what it invokes in people. It tends to be drawn towards music as something it can appreciate without getting in trouble for taking something. It is very defensive of its collection still, finding a secret place in the train to hide everything. Some items include:

• ruana (poncho-like garment), given to it by Bronte. the first gift it has ever received
• gramophone records
• books with extensive dedications
• wedding bands that it claims were NOT stolen from anyone currently living
• photographs. of places that were left behind, and people and pets who were loved
• newspaper clippings that speaks of family and community and love
• possessions that were once sentimental to people who aren’t around anymore
• cuttings from a garden grown in someone’s memory
• the bonds it’s forming with its new family