Profile
RADIAN
ABOUT
A nocturnal Inkling that would quite literally sleep with the fish, as he lived with the Salmonids around Gone-Fission Hydroplant for more than 5 years of his life. He's a giant flirt who roams Splatsville's streets in the wee hours of the night wreaking havoc, as he's proficient in breaking and entering.
LIKES
DISLIKES
STORY MENTIONS
-
Anarchy Bay’s One and Only
— Chapter 4
- Radian saves Westley at Gone-Fission Hydroplant.
-
The Insomniacs
— Chapter 5
- Radian mistakenly meets Westley again at his job after hours (classic case of Radian breaking and entering).
-
Here Comes The General
— Chapter 6
- Westley runs back into Octavio and finally learns of his birthname and missing sister, Ren.
-
Westley Summers Corally Invites You
— Chapter 7
- Westley's friends throw him a massive party at Cyrus' condo to celebrate him learning his name, AKA The Westley Name Party™.
HOBBIES
DESIGN NOTES
- Wears a golden egg charm around his neck which he NEVER takes off. A Goldie gave it to him. He loves when Westley messes with it
- His ink is polluted from living in the Salmonid swim zones for so longe, hence why only the ends are orange now
- He rarely smiles unless he's around Westley or Cyrus
- No one knows if he has dark circles or is just wearing too much eyeliner
- Fun fact: In late high school, he had nipple piercings and a belly button piercing. He speaks nothing of it nowadays
- He often wears black nail polish but the moment it chips, he gets mad and repaints them all
PLAYLIST
- "Need You Now" - Lady A
(Radian and Westley) -
"Giants" - Bear Hands
(Radian and Westley)
- "Shallow Dive" - The Pica Beats
- "Poor Old Me" - Baby Strange
- "Sleep Is for the Weak" - The Dreadnoughts
- "F2f" - That Handsome Devil
PERSONALITY
Overall, he’s a flirtatious prick because he doesn’t know how else to express his feelings, so they’re often hidden behind flirts and jokes. He often comes off as a jackass and rarely interacts with other Inklings and Octolings outside of playing in public matches or looking for one-night stands. Due to his RBF, it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking, but he rarely expresses emotions other than hatred, flirtatiousness, or indifference, as he buries all the others and has a negative outlook on life. He hates taking “no” for an answer and lives by his own rules, ignoring any laws he deems inconvenient. Luckily, he’s been nocturnal his whole life and hardly gets involved with the other dwellers of Inkopolis. Cyrus and Westley are the only ones who have seen all his colors.
BACKSTORY
Radian was a reserved kid who only loved his parents. He had little to no friends, very few hobbies, and often scared the neighbors when he’d roam the streets at night. When he was 15, his parents died in a drunk driving accident caused by three kids at his school, two of which also died on impact. Before the school year ended, Radian killed the driver that managed to survive the crash.
The Inkling was being cared for at an orphanage, but he didn’t want to be bossed around by anyone other than his parents, so he ran away before they got news of his premeditated murder. He abandoned the facility in the middle of the night and got lost, though he found a few stray Smallfry and decided to follow them. He ended up in their swim zone by Anarchy Bay, and while he assumed the Salmonids would kill him and had no issue since he had lost his will to live ages ago, the fish took them in. They didn’t understand one another, but since Radian rarely spoke and was highly self-sufficient for his age, it didn’t matter.
Despite his seemingly aloof exterior, the Inkling feared most of the Salmonids and would only follow around Smallfry. While he eventually grew used to each variant, the smaller Salmonids led him to meet Grillers, which quickly became his favorites. Since he was homeless, he was permitted to sleep inside them and enjoyed the small, warm space. He never learned to drive, so when he needs to get around during the night, he’ll hitch a ride on them.
He's never been able to find a job and often steals what he needs. Still, he hasn’t been caught for the crimes he’s committed over many years. For a few months, he tried to get his life back on track and started prostituting since he figured he’d try and make money from his main hobby. He kept his side-hustle on the down low and finally made enough money to support himself but began to hate himself for it and tried to quit. However, he had already made a name for himself and couldn’t escape those who tried to pursue him despite his change of heart. He was raped multiple times, some of which occurred while he was drugged and/or unconscious, and he was only able to stop the streak by killing his assailants.
He still engages in one-night stands as it’s his only way of feeling something, but it’s no longer a business practice and instead is the only way he can make himself feel alive. He’s never stepped foot in what he deemed “the bad side of town” where he was assaulted again and can finally live in peace…or as much peace as a homeless person can live in. He’s never seen in the day and is usually only spotted during Salmon Runs. He often spectates waves from inside his Griller or intentionally disrupts the flow of the workers.
RELATIONSHIPS
Radian originally stumbled upon Ravi late one night at the end of a Salmon Run, who was unscathed, but unconscious. It was the first instance the Inkling had seen any of Mr. Grizz’s employees sticking around after the Salmonids returned to their homes. Though it was out of character for him to put someone else first, he carried Raviyoli to higher ground since he had passed out at low tide and would likely drown if left unattended.
Radian knew nothing about the Octoling and disliked most like him, but he enjoyed sitting beside him with his Griller while waiting for him to wake up. It was evident that, for once, the Salmonids had successfully terrified one of their predators and after examining his nametag, Rad realized that the boy rarely involved himself with Mr. Grizz anyway. He had a lower job title and likely wanted to fit in with what was currently popular. Eventually, the boy awoke, and while he was scared shitless by Radian and his Griller, the Inkling was amused by his fright. Still, internally he was happy to know the boy was alive, alert, and could return home.
About a week later, Radian ran into him again at the record shop where he worked. Though he would often break in after closing, he never stole anything—he’d just stand around and listen to the records to calm his mind. He never visited when he was in a good mood, but seeing Ravi managed to instantly cheer him up. He didn’t have much experience making friends but was still drawn to the other boy. In his own weird way, he attempted to flirt by teasing him.
Most people would scoff at his words or jokingly play along, but after a few minutes, the Octoling suddenly broke into tears. In the hours they spent in the store after dark, Radian learned about Ravi’s entire past, problems, and emotional baggage. Though it was unlike him, Radian empathized and felt guilty for setting him off. He decided to take the Octoling around town since the boy needed to clear his head, and being a workaholic was only worsening his state. The two rode his Griller around Inkopolis as Radian showed him his favorite spots, taking him back home at the end of the night.
The two learned a ton about each other during their string of interactions that day, and because Radian had no one else, he felt oddly attached to the Octoling. They would never plan to meet up, but even if they didn’t meet during Salmon Runs or randomly in the city’s shadows, he always visited the record shop. Whenever he was down, he’d pop-in hoping to see Ravi—not just to listen to music. Occasionally, he’ll join Ravi’s team during battles toward the evening, and while he plays dumb, he’s aware of how little his friends like him. He’s not too pressed since he only takes Ravi’s opinion into account.
He’s never been in love and has only had sex without the relationships but feels different about the Octoling. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone for him and has even considered researching Stewart’s whereabouts and beating the shit out of him. While Stewart and Raviyoli go way back, Radian often jokes that they’re exes, thanks to how the Octoling talks about him. Still, he’s jealous about how upset the Octoling is over him, how much he brings him up, and how close they are. The same goes for Wyatt and Alaias—he was never pressed about having someone to himself until he saw how happy everyone else seemed to be.
After talking to Cyrus about it, he realized he had a crush on Raviyoli but couldn’t bring himself to open up about it, or anything for that matter. But if he couldn’t even mention his past to the Octoling, he worried he’d never be able to confess anything else and was worried about how he’d react to his past.
But after months of flirting with Ravi and hoping he’d get the subtext (he didn’t), Radian asked him out and by the end of the date, finally let himself be vulnerable. He feared confessing and being turned down, or confessing, starting a relationship, but still losing Ravi because he was inexperienced and likely to fuck up. Alas, Ravi was happy Radian finally put the spotlight on himself for once and returned his feelings.
Their relationship is very low-key since Raviyoli is asexual and isn’t too comfortable with anything other than kissing. And yet Radian, the hypersexual, doesn’t mind at all—as long as he has Ravi in his life, he doesn’t care.
The only friend Radian managed to make growing up was Cyrus. They attended middle and high school together, and while the Inkling had the energy of a golden retriever, the two managed to get along. Radian was still closed off and rarely talked, but the two still went to each other's houses and hung out after school. But despite actually having a friend, when Radian's parents died, he refused to talk about it to anyone. He trapped himself in the house, and though Cyrus tried to comfort him, the police eventually had to come and get him.
Truthfully, he felt awful for never telling Cyrus how he was feeling, but he didn't know how to. He was in denial about what had happened, even after killing the classmate who killed his parents. Though, at the funeral, weeks after Radian had started skipping school and stopped talking to Cyrus, they reunited. Though they didn't speak, Cyrus held his hand the entire time. That day he realized that Cyrus must really love him, probably almost as much as his parents. Regardless of Radian's actions, he still treated him nicely.
But despite this, Radian felt like Cyrus' compassion was a waste of energy. He was always a mess, and he was only getting worse by the day, so he dropped out of school and ran from the orphanage, and no one ever saw him again.
Radian spent the rest of his teenage years on the run and eventually settled down with the Salmonids in Splatsville. However, he had no food, money, or a comfortable place to sleep and struggled to push through his depression. He begged on the streets, stole, and fought to stay alive. He eventually involved himself in sex work since it was his only hobby, and he might as well try to make money from it.
However, he fell down a rabbit hole, and when he tried to stop prostituting, he could never truly escape. Certain people still recognized him on the streets, some who refused to believe that he had quit the business and would force themselves on him regardless.
One night, a past partner found him outside a bar and attacked him in an alley with his crew. However, the group began molesting him, but Rad, sick of being treated like a sex doll, shot the main assailant with his Range Blaster, which scared the rest of the group off. Cyrus, who recently moved to Splatsville for work, overheard the fight and found Radian cowering on the ground. Though Radian didn't completely recognize him in his panicked state, he went with Cyrus back to his condo, who cleaned him up and fed him.
When he was finally sober, he realized who had actually saved him and finally talked to him, even things from when they were kids. The two were happy to be in each other's company again, and after learning that Rad was homeless, Cyrus invited him to stay with him. Nowadays, Radian resides in Cyrus' condo, but when he has internal conflicts, he hides from his friends and returns to the Salmonids. Still, he's spent enough time away from the swim zones that his tentacles are slowly becoming fully orange again.
SEX LIFE
For a short portion of his life, Radian dabbled in prostitution in hopes of earning enough money to stop living outside. While it didn’t go well, he’s always been a bit promiscuous. He’s fine with vanilla sex, especially if the person on the receiving end prefers it, but he loves experimenting, and there’s not much he won’t do. Given that he’s a switch, he doesn’t mind having things done to him or vice versa.
He enjoys having sex in front of mirrors, usually to watch his partner’s expressions from a different angle or to embarrass them. The only time he likes prolonged eye contact is during sex, although most people are freaked out by his eye color. While he’s not proud of his body, he doesn’t mind nudity and would quickly strip if someone asked him to. Most of his sex life centers around exhibitionism because he’ll happily get down in public, not just in the bedroom. He’s never desired a third party but is turned on by the idea of getting caught. And given that he loves the idea of watching someone he’s into masturbate, he enjoys a bit of voyeurism, preferably if they’re moaning his name from the other room.
Occasionally, Radian would return to past sex partners to experiment, whereas he’d only have one-night stands with those who paid to fool around with him. However, everyone knew of his weird interests like edging, asphyxiation, and masochism. He comes off as intimidating but is actually quite flexible. He’s a closed-off person and has trouble expressing feelings, so he finds it easier to keep all emotions out of sex, especially with borderline strangers. The activity is merely him scratching an itch.
However, until Westley, he had never been in a long-term relationship, especially one that didn’t start with a sexual encounter. Hence, he’s still figuring out his romantic preferences. While he’ll never admit it, his favorite place to be kissed is the scars on his wrist and thighs. The big difference, however, is that not only had Westley never been in a relationship before, but he’s also still a virgin. He can’t hide his reactions whenever Radian touches him in an unusual spot or in an area he’s not used to.
On top of that, his asexuality has prevented them from going all the way, but Radian has no problem going slow and finds Westley’s inexperience adorable. He’d love to get intimate with him, but he’s never been able to act on any fantasies without consent. Given that Radian was raped while prostituting and after he tried to quit the job, he makes it a priority. While he has an insanely high sex drive, Westley was the first person he met where his first instinct wasn’t to get into his pants, despite being heavily attracted to him. Even after a year, this is still the case.
It took a while for Radian to finally confess to Westley, since he felt like Wes deserved someone better and that the Octoling would be bothered by all the baggage (ex-prostitution, orphanism, homelessness, murder, etc.) he came with, and reject him. Of course, Radian was overthinking, and Westley already liked him and got the subtext. Meanwhile, Westley was paranoid that Radian would eventually leave him, just like Stewart since his past was a blur, he didn’t have a real name, and that despite having such a high sex drive, Wes was asexual. Of course, Radian was already obsessed with him.
Despite confessing, their relationship was still undetermined for months. Radian constantly flirted with Wes from the beginning, who quickly grew accustomed to his constant sex jokes and touchiness, hence he couldn’t tell Radian actually had a crush on him. Although a “situation-ship’ can be defined as friends with benefits, their ‘situation-ship’ just consisted of making out without labels and even once Radian confessed and Wes returned his feelings, things were still weird because neither of them had dated anyone before. They could never find the words, so they typically leaned toward actions until their relationship finally became clear.
Radian and Westley hang out in the same way Wes hangs out with his crew, but even though being in public won’t stop Radian from being flirty, it’s interesting when they get to be alone together. Wes has trouble going with the flow, even when it’s just as small as kissing or receiving Radian’s huge compliments. Radian doesn’t have a filter, but it’s worse when he has Wes to himself where he’ll ramble for ages about how attractive he finds him. He enjoys embarrassing him, but Radian lives for the slim chances where Wes finally relaxes and quits being embarrassed of himself. They never go all the way, but he at least becomes comfortable enough to take off his clothes, make sounds, and ask for what he wants, which typically only occurs if he’s not sober.
As Westley has grown more comfortable with Radian and the idea of being in a relationship, they tend to substitute full-on sex with mutual masturbation, especially since Radian is into watching his partners get off to him. He has no gag reflex and would joke about giving Wes blowjobs even when first met, but now it’s also become another substitute for sex when they’re alone. Funnily enough, it’s just Radian who’s desperate to suck him off.
It’s unlikely that they’ll ever work up to the real thing, but Radian doesn’t mind. It’s weird for Radian not to have sex, but since he liked Wes as a person before imagining them doing anything else, he wants to make sure he’ll never make him uncomfortable, hence why he constantly asks, “is this okay?”. He gets turned on just by watching Wes strip or seeing him topless. As long as he can kiss or touch him in some way, regardless of how small the action may be, he doesn’t care.
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