Neonverse

Swooce the Dog

Bio:

Swoocey is a childish little puppy made of patchwork who offers to be Onion's guide and rival on her quest to become a hero. Her demeanor is innocent and playful, but theres something malicious under her sewed smile.

Early into Onion's adventure, she figured that she could do with a sort of rival like Neon had in Cyan. And as if someone had heard her wishes, a mysterious little dog appeared willing to play the role.

Swoocey played her part, teasing the hyena and leading her from landmark to landmark, but her entire personality was a farce. She wasn't just some random helpful denizen, the patchwork dog had been sent to guide Onion to her master who lived within the darkest depths of the world's fabric.

Over the course of the journey, Swooce had shown off powers far beyond what seemed possible, but once she had Onion within her master's trap she unleashed an even more monstrous form.

Swoocey is an antagonistic trickster like Cyan was, but unlike the ultimately daffy and harmless wolf, Swoocey was made with the intent to lead Onion to her demise by the Moon Dragon. She is still playful at heart, but her intentions are far more malicious, and she takes a sadistic glee in her role.

In the end however, Swooce was a child. And when faced with defeat and true harm, she cowers from her master whom offers her no sympathy. Maybe there's more to her existence than being a pawn of a nihilistic old dragon . . .

Origins & Inspirations

Unlike Neon and Onion, Swoocey was never a sona, and started more as a symbol of my anxieties than a character. During 2017, as I grappled with my angst through my inner world, I had to create an antagonist to represent the source of all of my struggles, which randomly happened to take the form of the Nintendo Switch console I coveted throughout most of the year, believing the experiences it would bring me would cure my woes. When this magical thinking didn't come to fruition, Swoocey began to take more shape as an entity of my imagination born out of that initial obsession, but grew far more in scope.

The paranoia that she caused in me took me to really dark places, as embarrassing as that is to admit about such a silly character, but that duality is what inspired her characterization as a dangerous little imp in plush clothing once Neonverse developed into a story. The contextualization of my anxiety into her character are the biggest reason why it's a story in the first place.

Swoocey's personality and arc borrows heavily from some of my favorite little tricksters in video game canon, such as Marx from Kirby and Flowey the Flower of Undertale fame. In a way her goofy name (inspired by a meme I hope no one remembers) is an homage to the ridiculous "Flowey" being the name of such a compelling and strong antagonist. Her appearance is derivative of an old fan design of the Nintendo Switch popular in 2017 that took the shape of the joy-con grip controller and translated it into a dog, though I hope that after years her design still feels unique in itself.

One thing distinguishing it from the original design is an emphasis on golden age style cartoony features and expressions owed to my obsession with Sonic and classic animation in 2018, a healthy retread of nostalgia that Swoocey is born from as a creation of the Moon Dragon. Another distinguishing feature is being made of patchwork. This choice was made a while after conceptualization in order to create a more symbolic connection to her roots as a Nintendo Switch demon - that being that what she was first and foremost, a toy I coveted and then blamed for my woes when I didn't get her. It also serves in universe to make the artificial and alien nature of her creation stand out, and has become a theme of the Moon Dragon now.

There are many other little quirks of that make her her, like a funny Brooklyn accent, beartrap teeth, needing to hop everywhere due to her tiny feet. These and her writing have endeared her to me greatly, and she's one of my favorite original characters. The cute trickster imp character is combined with a complementary story to Onion's about being the doomed-by-the-narrative star child but in her case for the villain's side. That parallel sets in motion a sweet little redemption arc about befriending and understanding your demons, as they are a reflection of you after all. She often feels like an honorary sona in that sense.