MR (Ant) TENNA! (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
crticalhit) wrote2025-09-14 08:53 pm
crticalhit) wrote2025-09-14 08:53 pm
labyrinthum - application.
OOC INFORMATION
Player Name: Essie
Pronoun Preferences: She/her
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
dudemeister, PM
Are you over the age of 18?: Yes
Invitation Link: N/A
Current Characters: Zelda
Link to Permissions: Permissions.
IC INFORMATION
Character Name: Mr. (Ant) Tenna
Species: Darkner/a CRT television set
Canon: Deltarune
Canon Point: Chapter 4, Castle Town, before being given to a new home (pacifist playthrough)
Character Age: No age specified, but he's a CRT television so probably 20-30 years old. In his Darkner form he's the equivalent of someone around 45-50 years old.
CRAU: No
Character Appearance: Here.
Powers and Abilities:
Size-shifting: Tenna can change sizes depending on his moods and also has some level of control over it to do it at will. Canonically he is a BIG character, estimated to be around 15 feet tall at his usual max height. He can also become very small, pocket-sized if you will. Without powers his 'standard' height will be 10 feet tall.
Strength and resilience: Since Tenna is a large guy and is also somewhat of a robot, he does have a higher strength capacity that your average human. This would depend on his size at the time but he probably does come with a little extra force. As for resilience, being metal-plated and boned means he can take more hits than a human as well, though as mentioned above he's not impervious to damage. He's just not going to suffer in the same way if you burn him, cut him, etc.
Exaggerated word fonts: Tenna's dialogue in canon can be interspersed with elaborate colourful fonts for certain words. Imagine putting a fancy clipart word in the middle of a powerpoint presentation. What I would play this as is injecting a certain impression of colour/noise/intensity into a sentence that is beyond the capacity of your average talking. Like if someone yelled 'WONDERFUL' right in your face and you just got a vivid impression of rainbows, somehow.
All-Star Cast + Rimshot: Tenna can fire star projectiles as an attack. These can either go straight or bounce around. For the latter, these can also play a rimshot sound and fire bullet projectiles out of the points of each star. The stars also laugh. Because... well, because.
Smash Cut: Tenna can clap his hands and cause a visual distortion that 'cuts' the opponent's vision in half horizontally, pulling the two halves apart and causing disorientation.
Lightning bolts: Paired with the above Smash Cut, Tenna can fire lightning bolts as an attack. This is typically paired but in-game I'll say he can use the lightning bolts separate from the Smash Cut if he wants.
Minigames: In canon one of Tenna's attacks involves forcing the opponent into a minigame, sometimes more than one in rapid fire succession. I consider this to be tied to his status as the boss of his own Dark World however, and he will not be capable of doing it in Labyrinthum even if he got full powers restored. He likely wouldn't wish for it back either as he would also assume it's linked to his Dark World, which is gone.
Antennae receivers: It's shown in canon that Tenna can receive calls or messages via his antennae. It's unlikely this would ever come up in Labyrinthum even if he gets his full powerset back, unless something involving radio or broadcast signals ever happens.
What Did Your Character Wish For? To be adopted into a new home.
What Potion Did They Receive? Red.
Did They Drink It? Yes
If Yes, What Element/Animal? Fire.
Character Questions:
1. Who is the person your character is most bonded with from their canon, or who is someone they miss the most and why?
Tenna is literally, and figuratively, defined by his relationship with his owners: the Dreemurr family. As the family TV he occupied a central place in their home and for many years the family all enjoyed watching him and playing video games on him. When the family started to fall apart, through divorce, circumstances and disinterest, they slowly stopped watching TV and eventually left it unplugged. Tenna's entire purpose is being watched: that is what he was made for. Watching the family disintegrate and then stop watching TV one by one caused Tenna extreme abandonment issues, as he lost his purpose and fears being thrown out. It's implied that the trauma and negative feelings brought about by the divorce also shape who Tenna is when the Dark Fountain gives him life.
This desperation to entertain and be watched again comes out in terrible fashion when Kris, one of his owners, comes into the Dark World and Tenna tries to trap them and their friends there forever. He knows a lot about Kris thanks to being part of their life for so long, but in a way he doesn't know them at all, having only been a silent witness on the other side of a screen. It's sadly a one-way street for Tenna. Despite the circumstances and Tenna having a complete breakdown, he does want Kris to have fun. His methods just don't work anymore. By the end of his chapter Tenna's been offered the chance to be given to a new home where he'll be watched, which he's happy about. But he will always care about Kris and the Dreemurrs, because they are 'his' family. His viewers. He'll miss them no matter what.
2. What are they most afraid of and why?
Tenna is most afraid of being abandoned and not being watched anymore. This doesn't come without reason, as over the years he went from being watched by the whole family and their friends, to eventually sitting unplugged and unnoticed in the living room. Darkners are made to serve Lightners, and TVs are made to be watched. Tenna's fear and distress over the situation cause him to make some terrible choices: he makes a deal with the Roaring Knight to keep Kris and friends distracted in his TV show, in exchange for having as many people watch him as he wants. He kidnaps Toriel, one of his owners, as part of this scheme and tries to keep her hidden in his world. When his plan falls apart Tenna has a complete breakdown, trapping the protagonists in a series of minigames while ranting on and on about how good things used to be, how they can still have fun together, and eventually starts attacking them in direct combat. It's only when Susie offers him the chance of being adopted into a new home that Tenna manages to do the right thing and let them go.
3. What are their emotional, mental, and physical weaknesses and why?
Emotionally, Tenna is deeply insecure and as described above, afraid of being alone and abandoned. He is also pretty erratic in his moods when his distress peaks, becoming unstable and unpredictable, often taking out his stress on his employees. He feels things very strongly, for better or worse. Give him any impression that you might ditch him and he's going to be distraught about it.
Mentally Tenna is pretty straightforward but since he suffers from trauma and insecurity, he's liable to make bad choices in a pinch. He's a controlling person himself, making unfair contracts with his employees, which only got worse after he was left behind by his former business partner Spamton. He will make deals to get what he wants, even if this is not a good idea. Despite being a showman with manipulative tendencies, he can be just as easily manipulated by someone else who knows how to get under his (theoretical) skin.
As for physical weaknesses, Tenna is ... a big ol' robot man. This doesn't make him impervious though and he can be surprisingly fragile. His head is a CRT TV - if you break his casing or screen, there's a big risk of causing him real damage, smoke, sparks, you name it. In canon his arms get cut off by a serious blow and this nearly kills him. He's also subject to whatever happens to his real form as a TV in the Light World, though obviously this doesn't apply in Labyrinthum where he's his Darkner self.
Just saying, though, if you left that TV out in the rain he would get a cold.
4. What discrepancies are there between their inner self (who they feel they are) and their outer self (how they present themselves to others)?
Tenna likes to present himself as the biggest, best entertainer there is. He's bouncy, makes jokes, and wants to give everyone the best time of their lives. And this is true, to some extent! He's the king of his Dark World, he had great success for many years, he knows how to put on a show and bring entertainment to the masses. But as noted above, Tenna worries a lot about being made obsolete and no one wanting to watch him anymore. He might think he's appealing to nostalgia by reminding Kris over and over again about their happy times with the family, but this is really just Tenna desperately wanting to go back to happier times when things made sense to him. Regardless of if anyone else wants that.
When Tenna is caught backstage or unawares when he's not performing, it's clear he's full of doubts and worries about whether he's good enough. Being abandoned by both the Dreemurr family and Spamton over the years has eroded his confidence and he's far less sure of himself than the act he puts on.
5. What would make them happiest and why?
Simple - being watched again. All Tenna wants is to be useful to his owners and to have people watch him. He wants to entertain and have a place in someone's life, and not be left alone.
6. What characteristics does someone need to have to be your character's ideal significant other?
They have to match his level of freak. In seriousness, Tenna is a big personality, high energy, and he absolutely needs someone who can both deal with that and also bounce off him similarly. Canonically the closest relationship he had in his own world was with his former business partner, Spamton, who was himself a scheming marketer wanting to make it big. Despite them both using each other for personal gain, there was also great affection there, and it's clear that Tenna still misses him even after everything fell apart and Spamton disappeared.
Additionally, they will have to reassure him over and over that they won't leave him. Over and over. This would go a long way. Patience is definitely going to be a virtue here.
7. Would your character make a sacrifice to save someone else and why or why not?
Not intentionally, but it would probably happen by accident. Tenna is pretty self-absorbed; it's not that he doesn't care about others, but self-sacrifice isn't something that would occur to him as a serious idea. He wants to live and exist. In canon he decides to break his deal with the Roaring Knight to help Kris and their friends, which results in him almost getting killed. So in a way that was a sacrifice he made for their benefit, just one he wasn't really thinking about in those terms. He'd still do it again - it was the right thing to do.
8. What is one thing they would tell their younger self if they had the chance, or if your character is young, what is one thing they would want their older self to remember?
That it's not going to last. That things are going to get worse and he needs to make the most of the time he has with the family and the show. And if he got two things, that there isn't anyone on the other end of the phone, and he should go after Spamton instead.
9. When in dire circumstances does your character fight, flee, freeze or fawn and how does that look?
Tenna would fight, with shades of fawning. To get what he wants, Tenna goes to extreme lengths, even hurling attacks at his owner Kris to try and keep them where he wants them. Tenna strongly wants to keep existing, keep having a purpose, and he won't just easily accept any alternatives. He might try manipulating others to get out of such a situation, appealing to nostalgia or making a deal instead, but if push comes to shove he'll throw everything he has at keeping himself safe.
10. Why did your character make the wish they did?
Again, Tenna just wants to be watched and be a part of something. Wishing for a new owner is an option that comes straight from canon. Once he's given the idea that he could be given to someone new, he's hopeful he can turn his circumstances around. It's really a wish to keep fulfilling his purpose, just a bit longer.
Samples:
Log sample
Network sample
Player Name: Essie
Pronoun Preferences: She/her
Contact:
Are you over the age of 18?: Yes
Invitation Link: N/A
Current Characters: Zelda
Link to Permissions: Permissions.
IC INFORMATION
Character Name: Mr. (Ant) Tenna
Species: Darkner/a CRT television set
Canon: Deltarune
Canon Point: Chapter 4, Castle Town, before being given to a new home (pacifist playthrough)
Character Age: No age specified, but he's a CRT television so probably 20-30 years old. In his Darkner form he's the equivalent of someone around 45-50 years old.
CRAU: No
Character Appearance: Here.
Powers and Abilities:
Size-shifting: Tenna can change sizes depending on his moods and also has some level of control over it to do it at will. Canonically he is a BIG character, estimated to be around 15 feet tall at his usual max height. He can also become very small, pocket-sized if you will. Without powers his 'standard' height will be 10 feet tall.
Strength and resilience: Since Tenna is a large guy and is also somewhat of a robot, he does have a higher strength capacity that your average human. This would depend on his size at the time but he probably does come with a little extra force. As for resilience, being metal-plated and boned means he can take more hits than a human as well, though as mentioned above he's not impervious to damage. He's just not going to suffer in the same way if you burn him, cut him, etc.
Exaggerated word fonts: Tenna's dialogue in canon can be interspersed with elaborate colourful fonts for certain words. Imagine putting a fancy clipart word in the middle of a powerpoint presentation. What I would play this as is injecting a certain impression of colour/noise/intensity into a sentence that is beyond the capacity of your average talking. Like if someone yelled 'WONDERFUL' right in your face and you just got a vivid impression of rainbows, somehow.
All-Star Cast + Rimshot: Tenna can fire star projectiles as an attack. These can either go straight or bounce around. For the latter, these can also play a rimshot sound and fire bullet projectiles out of the points of each star. The stars also laugh. Because... well, because.
Smash Cut: Tenna can clap his hands and cause a visual distortion that 'cuts' the opponent's vision in half horizontally, pulling the two halves apart and causing disorientation.
Lightning bolts: Paired with the above Smash Cut, Tenna can fire lightning bolts as an attack. This is typically paired but in-game I'll say he can use the lightning bolts separate from the Smash Cut if he wants.
Minigames: In canon one of Tenna's attacks involves forcing the opponent into a minigame, sometimes more than one in rapid fire succession. I consider this to be tied to his status as the boss of his own Dark World however, and he will not be capable of doing it in Labyrinthum even if he got full powers restored. He likely wouldn't wish for it back either as he would also assume it's linked to his Dark World, which is gone.
Antennae receivers: It's shown in canon that Tenna can receive calls or messages via his antennae. It's unlikely this would ever come up in Labyrinthum even if he gets his full powerset back, unless something involving radio or broadcast signals ever happens.
What Did Your Character Wish For? To be adopted into a new home.
What Potion Did They Receive? Red.
Did They Drink It? Yes
If Yes, What Element/Animal? Fire.
Character Questions:
1. Who is the person your character is most bonded with from their canon, or who is someone they miss the most and why?
Tenna is literally, and figuratively, defined by his relationship with his owners: the Dreemurr family. As the family TV he occupied a central place in their home and for many years the family all enjoyed watching him and playing video games on him. When the family started to fall apart, through divorce, circumstances and disinterest, they slowly stopped watching TV and eventually left it unplugged. Tenna's entire purpose is being watched: that is what he was made for. Watching the family disintegrate and then stop watching TV one by one caused Tenna extreme abandonment issues, as he lost his purpose and fears being thrown out. It's implied that the trauma and negative feelings brought about by the divorce also shape who Tenna is when the Dark Fountain gives him life.
This desperation to entertain and be watched again comes out in terrible fashion when Kris, one of his owners, comes into the Dark World and Tenna tries to trap them and their friends there forever. He knows a lot about Kris thanks to being part of their life for so long, but in a way he doesn't know them at all, having only been a silent witness on the other side of a screen. It's sadly a one-way street for Tenna. Despite the circumstances and Tenna having a complete breakdown, he does want Kris to have fun. His methods just don't work anymore. By the end of his chapter Tenna's been offered the chance to be given to a new home where he'll be watched, which he's happy about. But he will always care about Kris and the Dreemurrs, because they are 'his' family. His viewers. He'll miss them no matter what.
2. What are they most afraid of and why?
Tenna is most afraid of being abandoned and not being watched anymore. This doesn't come without reason, as over the years he went from being watched by the whole family and their friends, to eventually sitting unplugged and unnoticed in the living room. Darkners are made to serve Lightners, and TVs are made to be watched. Tenna's fear and distress over the situation cause him to make some terrible choices: he makes a deal with the Roaring Knight to keep Kris and friends distracted in his TV show, in exchange for having as many people watch him as he wants. He kidnaps Toriel, one of his owners, as part of this scheme and tries to keep her hidden in his world. When his plan falls apart Tenna has a complete breakdown, trapping the protagonists in a series of minigames while ranting on and on about how good things used to be, how they can still have fun together, and eventually starts attacking them in direct combat. It's only when Susie offers him the chance of being adopted into a new home that Tenna manages to do the right thing and let them go.
3. What are their emotional, mental, and physical weaknesses and why?
Emotionally, Tenna is deeply insecure and as described above, afraid of being alone and abandoned. He is also pretty erratic in his moods when his distress peaks, becoming unstable and unpredictable, often taking out his stress on his employees. He feels things very strongly, for better or worse. Give him any impression that you might ditch him and he's going to be distraught about it.
Mentally Tenna is pretty straightforward but since he suffers from trauma and insecurity, he's liable to make bad choices in a pinch. He's a controlling person himself, making unfair contracts with his employees, which only got worse after he was left behind by his former business partner Spamton. He will make deals to get what he wants, even if this is not a good idea. Despite being a showman with manipulative tendencies, he can be just as easily manipulated by someone else who knows how to get under his (theoretical) skin.
As for physical weaknesses, Tenna is ... a big ol' robot man. This doesn't make him impervious though and he can be surprisingly fragile. His head is a CRT TV - if you break his casing or screen, there's a big risk of causing him real damage, smoke, sparks, you name it. In canon his arms get cut off by a serious blow and this nearly kills him. He's also subject to whatever happens to his real form as a TV in the Light World, though obviously this doesn't apply in Labyrinthum where he's his Darkner self.
Just saying, though, if you left that TV out in the rain he would get a cold.
4. What discrepancies are there between their inner self (who they feel they are) and their outer self (how they present themselves to others)?
Tenna likes to present himself as the biggest, best entertainer there is. He's bouncy, makes jokes, and wants to give everyone the best time of their lives. And this is true, to some extent! He's the king of his Dark World, he had great success for many years, he knows how to put on a show and bring entertainment to the masses. But as noted above, Tenna worries a lot about being made obsolete and no one wanting to watch him anymore. He might think he's appealing to nostalgia by reminding Kris over and over again about their happy times with the family, but this is really just Tenna desperately wanting to go back to happier times when things made sense to him. Regardless of if anyone else wants that.
When Tenna is caught backstage or unawares when he's not performing, it's clear he's full of doubts and worries about whether he's good enough. Being abandoned by both the Dreemurr family and Spamton over the years has eroded his confidence and he's far less sure of himself than the act he puts on.
5. What would make them happiest and why?
Simple - being watched again. All Tenna wants is to be useful to his owners and to have people watch him. He wants to entertain and have a place in someone's life, and not be left alone.
6. What characteristics does someone need to have to be your character's ideal significant other?
They have to match his level of freak. In seriousness, Tenna is a big personality, high energy, and he absolutely needs someone who can both deal with that and also bounce off him similarly. Canonically the closest relationship he had in his own world was with his former business partner, Spamton, who was himself a scheming marketer wanting to make it big. Despite them both using each other for personal gain, there was also great affection there, and it's clear that Tenna still misses him even after everything fell apart and Spamton disappeared.
Additionally, they will have to reassure him over and over that they won't leave him. Over and over. This would go a long way. Patience is definitely going to be a virtue here.
7. Would your character make a sacrifice to save someone else and why or why not?
Not intentionally, but it would probably happen by accident. Tenna is pretty self-absorbed; it's not that he doesn't care about others, but self-sacrifice isn't something that would occur to him as a serious idea. He wants to live and exist. In canon he decides to break his deal with the Roaring Knight to help Kris and their friends, which results in him almost getting killed. So in a way that was a sacrifice he made for their benefit, just one he wasn't really thinking about in those terms. He'd still do it again - it was the right thing to do.
8. What is one thing they would tell their younger self if they had the chance, or if your character is young, what is one thing they would want their older self to remember?
That it's not going to last. That things are going to get worse and he needs to make the most of the time he has with the family and the show. And if he got two things, that there isn't anyone on the other end of the phone, and he should go after Spamton instead.
9. When in dire circumstances does your character fight, flee, freeze or fawn and how does that look?
Tenna would fight, with shades of fawning. To get what he wants, Tenna goes to extreme lengths, even hurling attacks at his owner Kris to try and keep them where he wants them. Tenna strongly wants to keep existing, keep having a purpose, and he won't just easily accept any alternatives. He might try manipulating others to get out of such a situation, appealing to nostalgia or making a deal instead, but if push comes to shove he'll throw everything he has at keeping himself safe.
10. Why did your character make the wish they did?
Again, Tenna just wants to be watched and be a part of something. Wishing for a new owner is an option that comes straight from canon. Once he's given the idea that he could be given to someone new, he's hopeful he can turn his circumstances around. It's really a wish to keep fulfilling his purpose, just a bit longer.
Samples:
Log sample
Network sample