Dismas Mersiv

Dismas Mersiv
I don't c/\re if I'm import/\nt, I just w/\nt to sur\/i\/e///
Introduction First Appearance
AKA	Cowboy, Edgy, Phossy Jaw
Title	Rogue of Mind
Age	8 Repitonian Solar Sweeps
Gender Identity	He/Him (Trans Male)
Status	Alive
Screen Name	gigantisDebilitation
Typing Style	Uses proper capitilization. Replaces "A"s and "a"s with "/\", replaces "V"s and "v"s with "\/", and suffixes every message with "///" (not every sentence, every message). Generally uses proper punctuation, but on the last sentence of a message, end-of-sentence punctuation is placed before the "///" with no spaces, and periods are excluded.
Strife Specibi	2xdaggerkind
Relations	The Fomenter - Ancestor Jentha Briati - Moirail Murrit Turkin - Kismesis (Bonded.)
Live(s) in	Dismas's hive
Planet	Land of Labyrinth and Surge
Music	Bias ♫ Radioactive Ore ♫ You'd Do It For Randolph Scott ♫ Scarred For Life ♫ Survival ♫ Refutation ♫ Dismas's Theme (Beta) ♫ Rootin' Tootin' (UF) ♫ Lacedaemonia ♫ Steadfast ♫ Atomsplitter / Destroyer Of Worlds ♫
	v·d·e
Chatlogs Dismas: Answer UK. ======> Arcjec: Open Memo Ellsee: Open memo. ======> Albion: Connect to Dismas. ======> Dismas: Panic for like the fifth time tonight. Arcjec: Open new memo. Sova: Continue reading. Sova: Disregard that. Lurk in the new memo instead. ======> ======> The next evening... ======> ======> Nappies: Be rudely interrupted. ======> ======> Dismas: Answer you know who.

Dismas Mersiv, also known by his Skorpe handle gigantisDebilitation, is one of the trolls in Vast Error. His associated alchemic sigil is Phosphorus, and he is a deconstruction of the "edgy" fantroll archetype.

His survival ability is a pseudo-healing factor, which speeds up his body's natural healing process but does not lessen any resulting scarring.

He was the fourth troll introduced and the fifth troll to enter the game.

Etymology

Dismas shares a name with Saint Dismas, the "Penitent Thief" or "Good Thief", possibly as a nod to his player class. According to the Christian tradition, Saint Dismas was one of the two criminals who died on crosses next to Jesus during the latter's crucifixion.

The name Dismas is also derived from Greek δυσμή (dysme), meaning "sunset".

Biography

Four Sweeps

Dismas went to school at the same time as Albion Shukra and Murrit Turkin, the latter of which constantly subjected him to their antics, getting the two in trouble often. On one such occasion, Dismas was sent to detention for getting into a fight with Murrit, and when attempting to connect to his teacher to write his apology note, he was instead connected to another student: Jentha Briati.

The two quickly became friends over the conversation that followed, which prompted Dismas to intentionally get in trouble the next evening in order to get sent to detention again to be able to message Jentha more. When he got there, however, he was instead messaged by the Principal. They revealed that they were the one who connected Dismas to Jentha in the first place, so that Jentha would have someone she knew when she graduated since she has to spend all her time in a mould of her own due to her condition.

Later that night, Dismas meets Albion at lunch and the two discuss a plan to get Jentha out of her mould and out to the yard to play. This conversation goes overheard by Murrit, who secretly tails the two on their way to Jentha's mould and keeps them from getting caught. They head for the yard with Jentha in tow when Murrit reveals his presence, bragging about how they wouldn't have pulled this off without him and using this as leverage to get them to let him join them. Dismas reluctantly agrees after a fair bit of back-and-forth, and the four head into the yard.

After some time, Dismas gets up on top of a structure, Murrit following soon after to shove him off. This act of animosity greatly upsets Jentha, who shoves Murrit off the structure in turn before exploding with nuclear energy. This outburst attracts a skulltitan to the school, which proceeds to kill several other students and staff before reaching the yard. After Jentha inadvertently powers the skulltitan with more energy, Dismas gets its attention to keep it away from Jentha, eventually ending up in its clutches. The Principal arrives on the scene too late to rescue him, instead making a gamble that the skulltitan will bond with Dismas as a lusus and teleporting the two of them to the dunes.

From then on, Dismas was forced to care for his new lusus, going into mines and harvesting radioactive ore in order to feed him.

Six Sweeps

A younger Dismas working for Murrit.

Later on, Dismas reunites with Murrit through an online game of poker in which he bet and lost his "soul", coming to work for the seadweller as a personal hitman in the process. During this time, he helped them take back the pieces of the Frog Temple they had sold, as Murrit needed them back in order to fulfill their deal with White Noise. The two became kismeses over the course of their relationship.

Also during that time, Murrit had pinned down Jentha's location through unknown means, leading Dismas to her under the guise of a hit. Dismas refused to end her life, and eventually the two found solace in each other, entering a moirallegiance.

Act 1

Dismas is first introduced inside his respiteblock. He is soon messaged by Murrit, who urges him to go outside in order to help her with her plans to save their friends from planetary annihilation and bring about The Game. Despite his concerns about dealing with his lusus, Dismas begrudgingly complies.

After leaving his hive, Dismas finds one of Murrit's remote surveillance "boobdrones" waiting for him. Controlled by Murrit, the boobdrone points toward the sky and draws his attention to an incoming meteor, proof that their world-ending claims are true. Moments later, Dismas's angered lusus finds him, and he braces for a confrontation.

Later, Dismas receives a message from Albion while hiding from the Skulltitan inside a cave. Unaware that she is being possessed by her long-dead ancestor, he has a brief conversation with Cyprim Shukra, who warns him not to "lend credence to the man who spins his words like yarn" and tells him to stop the "limeblooded vessel to his heart". Both statements leave Dismas deeply confused and concerned for his friend.

During the events of [S] Arcjec: Enter. , Dismas is shown fighting his lusus. He is knocked off cliff and then shot with a laser-like blast from the Skulltitan's mouth, losing his bandana in the process and hurtling toward a nearby waterfall.

Act 2

Some time later, Dismas wakes up at the bottom of the canyon, alive but heavily injured. He's approached by the same boobdrone from earlier and lets Murrit know that he's out of commission, on account of a newly-broken arm. They get into an argument about Murrit's previous actions putting Dismas's in harm's way, all for one of their fun little exploit/\tion numbers, but the couple dances around an actual apology. In an effort to make Dismas feel better and get him to move on, Murrit brings his moirail, Jentha, into the call.

After Dismas reassures Jentha about his condition, downplaying his injuries, Murrit states that he's ready for Dismas to act as his server player. Dismas and Jentha are outraged at the suggestion, both due to Dismas's condition and Murrit being entirely at fault for it, but the seadweller manages to talk Dismas into listening to him: he tells them that he's hatched a plan to get Dismas back to his hive using an ore-powered minecart by the nearby rails. Jentha and Dismas are skeptical, but Dismas concedes, due to both a lack of options and Murrit's reassurances that things are >([under control]. Dismas is then deposited into the cart and proceeds to MELT TRACK, boobdrone in tow.

During [S] Engage. , Dismas is shown almost falling to his death as he's forced to jump from the mine cart in order to avoid a pile of rocks on its path. Murrit manages to catch him with the boobdrone, safely throwing him inside his hive through a window. She then pushes him down through the ladder that leads into his respiteblock, where Dismas finally manages to help her with her entry.

At some point after Murrit's entry into the Game, Albion messages Dismas in order to assist him. Dismas inquires after her strange behavior from before, a subject she tries to deflect much to his chagrin. She concedes on talking about it later on the promise that he'll let her call him "cowboy", an old childhood nickname, again.

The two friends spend some time working together to figure out his entry codes, without much success. In the midst of an angry tirade, Dismas is visited by Weird Al, who enters his hive through a strange portal. Weird Al then tears a hole through Space, uncovering Dismas's entry codes for him. Seemingly taking over his entry process, Al continues to assist Dismas with the help of a few wispy black creatures.

As the homunculi build Dismas's entry gate, his paragon repository trial activates, binding him and simultaneously taking control of his lusus. Before he has a chance to act, however, Al kills the skulltitan with alchemy, releasing Dismas's denizen and activating his gate. A fuming Dismas is then kicked inside his gate and into the Medium.

During the events of [S] Ellsee: Enter. , Dismas is shown landing on his welcome platform and arguing with his denizen, Forcas.

Act 3 Act 1

Dismas is a part of the memo Arcjec makes after the group's entries into the Medium. He catches up with the other players as they discuss the events of the past day and their progress through the Game so far, explaining the situation with his lusus and showing frustration at his dungeon crawler-like planet.

Some time later, he is shown fighting boss monsters on his planet, killing them with ease. He then comes across Granite, who offers him a healing potion for his broken arm. Dismas drinks it after some bickering, unaware of how hot the liquid is, causing him to breathe fire and burn off his bandana. He quickly shoves the bottle back in his mouth to cover up his facial scar. The bone heals as promised, and Granite activates the floor beneath them, elevating them both to the next layer of the labyrinth.

Dismas then receives a message from Murrit, and a brief conversation is shown between them in which Murrit asks Dismas for an example of a paradox.

Personality and traits

The world's not going to be ending anytime soon.
Not if he has anything to say about it.

Dismas is defined by a constant struggle to overcome his difficult circumstances. Having been raised by a volatile and aggressive skulltitan lusus, he was forced to endure horrible physical tolls and fend for himself from a very young age. Before the Game, Dismas was driven by his goal to escape his abusive home and kill his lusus, a dedication he shows through time spent studying ancient footage of skulltitans and the methods of their defeat.

He also seems prone to overestimating his abilities, to the point where he often does more harm than good to himself. Dismas tries to present a façade of being capable and tough, but has a tendency to freeze whenever it comes to making riskier decisions, a fact he is painfully aware of. His gentler, more nurturing side is on display whenever he interacts with those he cares about, namely Albion and Jentha. Although he remains curt and a bit "prickly", it's clear that he is an understanding and honest friend. In contrast, Murrit seems to bring out his thornier side, intentionally flaring his temper and causing him to lash out in frustration.

Dismas is very self conscious about his appearance, particularly his facial scars which have disfigured the left side of his mouth. He tends to cover himself up with multiple layers of clothing in order to hide this scarring.

Relationships

Murrit Turkin

Murrit and Dismas have known each other since childhood, and have been in a kismessitude for at least two sweeps, sharing a mutually antagonistic relationship. Murrit appears to have a tough-love stance toward Dismas, often "helping" him in roundabout, frustrating ways meant to prod him into action. Dismas is vocally disapproving of Murrit's more aggravating stunts, but tends to go along with them most of the time. He is particularly frustrated by Murrit's avoidance of honest communication, being much more inclined to talk things out without resorting to the usual rival-like theatrics. There is, however, an implicit bond of trust between the two, which is a testament to their partnership of many sweeps.

Dismas seems to hint at a more recent strain in their relationship, which is aggravated by Murrit's aforementioned typical avoidance of direct communication.

Jentha Briati

Dismas and Jentha are childhood friends, and are in a moirallegiance. Despite being anxiety-ridden and constantly struggling to put her thoughts into words, Jentha is much calmer when in Dismas's presence, and he's very good at intuitively understanding her feelings. He also provides for Jentha's material needs, as her anxiety has stopped her from being able to find a source of income on her own. The two are shown to be very in tune with one another.

Albion Shukra

Albion and Dismas are longtime childhood friends. Dismas was notably concerned about Albion's behavior during her brief possession stint, only relaxing when Murrit assured him that she was fine through his surveillance feeds. The two share an easy rapport, frequently teasing each other but still showing a lot trust and personal insight into the other's emotional states. They used to go by "star child" and "cowboy" when they were younger.

Trivia

• Dismas's chat handle, gigantisDebilitation, means "Godzilla's weakness" or "weakening Godzilla", with "gigantis" being a reference to the original international title of the second Godzilla movie: Gigantis: The Fire Monster, and "debilitation" meaning "to weaken", a reference to Dismas's desire to eliminate his lusus.
• Dismas's distinctive facial scars appear to be a reference to "phossy jaw", an occupational disease to those who work with phosphorus without proper safety equipment.
  • Murrit has specifically called Dismas "phossy jaw" in reference to that condition.
  • Notably, this coincides with Dismas's alchemic sigil, phosphorus.
• In Snowbound Blood: Volume Nine, it was first confirmed that Dismas is a trans man. This was later confirmed further in the comic itself .
• Being a Derse dreamer, a bronzeblood and a Hero of Mind, Dismas's would-be extended zodiac sign is Taurza, Sign of the Revealer.
• Dismas runs a Filler account under the username irradiated.

Gallery

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  Young Dismas

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  Dismas pre-game

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  Dismas in-game

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  Dismas's Filler account

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  4 pass old Dismas

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  Dismas's trollodex card

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  Pure Self Dismas from an alternate probability