DJ Ricochet

Sea Wolf (Origins) -

Born from the troubled waters of a sleeper who was at turns infatuated with and terrified of water, DJ Ricochet stems from an extremely specific nightmare that, while abstract, proved notoriously difficult to remember. Though the memory of it lingered she had to fight her way out of the void from which she spawned, fiercely battling oblivion in order to claim both a name and a Stygian form. This resulted in a newly-created Stygian who was already considerably stronger and tougher than her peers; though she revelled in the deafening underwater silence to bring new terrors to others who dreamed of water, it also made her lonely. DJ Ricochet became an incredibly social Stygian as the absence of sound in her first nightmare sparked both a gregarious nature and a love of music, which she plans to put to good use soon.

Nightmare Kingdom - 

An aquarium sequestered beneath a fragile bubble dome of glass. All the tanks are empty (for now), reserved for drowning sleepers who dream too deeply. What remains of its previous inhabitants are primal carnage and piscine gore; tinny, tooth-numbingly cheerful muzak is piped in from the monochrome blue while the kingdom's centerpiece, a giant bouncy castle within an even more massive rocket, sends out destructive shockwaves whenever its young ruler tries to have a little fun. The royal gardens currently consist of a single plot of shimmering, silvery soil within an inexplicably massive crater hole; over time it has become a tide pool attracting strange life and warping the plants that grow there. At odd intervals fissures and cracks in the starsoil rupture to reveal geysers blazing with superheated steam ready to blast you into oblivion.

DJ Ricochet has a soft spot for her daydreams, and dedicates a special area within the innermost depths of her bouncy castle to making sure they are well cared for and happy. All daydreams she chooses to keep become part of her exclusive Pod and as such are treated to Pods, a bit like capsule hotels in that they are infinitely small stacked rooms, one on top of the other, with all the comforts a daydream could ever need. I wouldn't try going in if I were you, though - once a Pod registers a dreaming human, better known as a sleeper, it shuts down and locks the sleeper in while it is jettisoned into the abyss, a claustrophobic coffin sinking into a watery grave.

Notable Connections -

Herschel (old friend and younger sib)

Though she knew it not then, Rico encountered Herschel during the events of Labyrinth Returns after too much time spent in the Labyrinth shattered his consciousness; he fought the Labyrinthine thrall and expended his last abilities to break her free of her trance and lend her the strength necessary to fight her way out. When Rico found him again in the Guardian's jar collection, she rescued him and protected him until he was able to pop out of his jar, and they've been fast friends ever since.

 River (first friend)

The first visitor to her nightmare kingdom, River became fast friends with Rico after she gifted him a bouquet of wriggling eels. They've reconnected through Dream Online where they get into all sorts of funky, slightly horrifying shenanigans. Though she occasionally teases him for being scatterbrained and single-minded in the pursuit of eel-sans Rico appreciates his hard work and determination. Plus it's nice to have a friend do the heavy lifting every now and then.

Bitter (student, maybe crush?)

Though this sharp-tempered, hot-blooded student of hers gets into scrapes and mishaps every now and then, Rico enjoys the company of Bitter since he shares her same intense personality; she also bonds with him over their shared desire to be "cool" and looked up to, though Bitter struggles more with this than her. While Bitter is by no means her perfect student - usually out of overeagerness to impress his teacher - he does his best around her. Rico was briefly infatuated by his appearance but for now has put that behind her.

Ashe (rival with a bit of spiciness mixed in)

Through a series of unfortunate events, Rico ended up getting lost in Ashe's Wild West-themed kingdom; she watched horrific destruction and gruesome suffering and sought to chase after Ashe to remedy this needless carnage. On her first attempt she tried and failed to catch a ride upon the Pony Express, for which she was roundly mocked. However on her second attempt she succeeded and when the two fought, they seemed to be evenly matched. Due to an Apex Daydream invasion they have briefly partnered up, though their motivations as to why exactly are unknown, and have continued this on/off relationship through Dream Online.

Teko (frenemy/rival)

Despite the similarities both bear when it comes to their kingdom and personalities, their strong wills and domineering personalities often lead Teko and Rico to clash. The difference is that Rico has the moxie to back up her headbutting tendencies, while Teko doesn't... For now. It is said she has known him since he was a figment, flip-flopping between helping him discover himself and mercilessly teasing him (which he returns in kind). Rico looks forward to the day when she can have a proper showdown with him.

Labyrinth Returns: Surface Tension

Having only recently become a fully-fledged Stygian, DJ Ricochet knew no better than to follow the entrancing tune of the Labyrinth and dive more than enthusiastically into its depths. She sensed no threat due to spending her existence in a state of self-imposed captivity; only when the Labyrinth's call was disrupted by a mysterious Skyline Train did she realise the peril she put herself in. Rico saved herself from the Labyrinth by forcing it to bend to her will. Selfishly albeit ingeniously, she threatened to sabotage the Labyrinth and all those within unless it let her escape, then stole a piece of it for herself and ascended back to the surface.

DREAM-ONLINE: Betta Testing

DJ Ricochet plays DREAM-ONLINE as a weekend warrior, not taking it too seriously and enjoying messing around with the side quests, but swiftly stumbles upon a mysterious key that makes her an eligible beta tester. Mysterious events follow her throughout the story mode of DREAM-ONLINE, leading to the discovery that that her Labyrinthine shadow shark, Penumbra, is sentient and is able to interface with DREAM-ONLINE. DJ Ricochet realises that her journey to the Labyrinth has fragmented her consciousness and finds her doppelganger to merge and reunite her sense of self - leaving behind a small piece of Penumbra within DREAM-ONLINE just in case.