Appearance Design: Rem is a tiny, cute creature resembling a hybrid of a bat, owl, and fuzzy stuffed animal. Attire & Items: He wears cozy pajamas with a nightcap and carries a small lighted candle as his primary weapon. He also carries a oversized pillow used for combat. Companions: He is accompanied by "Lil Helpers," tiny spirit-like creatures resembling soot sprites that scurry around performing tasks and cheering him on. Personality & Behavior Childlike & Gentle: Rem behaves like a tired child who has played too much and tuckered himself out. His combat barks focus on taking naps, bedtimes, and being sleepy. Avoids Aggression: He views conflict through a playful lens, preferring "pillow fights" over brutal fighting. Mannerisms: Rem can fit into tight crawlspaces and tunnels across the map, navigating them at higher speeds. In combat, he clings to allies' shoulders to take quick naps during fights to heal. Background & Lore An accidental stowaway from the world of dreams, Rem found himself lost and stranded in the real world—specifically the "city that never sleeps" (New York/The Cursed Apple). Driven by curiosity, he wanders the five boroughs alongside his Lil Helpers to find a way back home. Relationships & Dynamics Haze: Rem shares a strong, unique bond with Haze, an OSIC agent associated with sleep/dream magic. In-game interactions reveal Rem views Haze as a mother figure (even directly calling her "mom"), while Haze feels a mixture of guilt and protectiveness over bringing him into the physical realm. Allies: Rem is fiercely attached to his teammates. He stays close to them, leaps to their defense when they are in danger, and uses his Lil Helpers to empower and support The Origin of His Name & Concept REM Cycle: Rem’s name directly references Rapid Eye Movement (REM), the phase of sleep associated with deep dreaming and vivid dreamscapes. Mythological Influx: In Deadlock's occult alternative-history setting, supernatural forces leaking into 1930s New York are usually terrifying or dark (like demonic pacts or soul magic). Rem represents the Dream Realm, introducing a lighter, fairytale-like dimension to the universe's broader cosmology. The Irony of His Location "The City That Never Sleeps": Rem’s lore explicitly highlights the tragicomic irony of his situation—a creature made entirely of dreams and sleep accidentally falling through a dimensional tear and getting stuck in New York City (known as the Cursed Apple in lore), famously nicknamed "the city that never sleeps". The Subway Commuter Urban Legend: In-universe flavor text notes that if a commuter on the NYC subway (specifically taking the "Blue Line" home late from work) feels unexplainably drowsy or sees mysterious tiny shadows, they have likely just crossed paths with Rem and his Lil Helpers. Environment Interaction Lore The NYC Tunnels & Crawlspaces: Rem's tiny size makes him one of the few heroes capable of navigating the hidden maintenance vents and subway crawlspaces beneath the Cursed Apple. Mechanically and canonically, he uses these dark subterranean shortcuts to travel through the city far faster than normal pedestrians, scavenging lost items and avoiding the dangerous streets. The "Chore" Dynamics: Rem treats life in the physical world like an endless playdate or series of household chores. The Lil Helpers—spirit-like creatures acting similar to soot sprites—are constantly tasked with scavenging the streets, stealing Sinner's Sacrifices, and picking up lost soul-crates scattered around the 5 boroughs. Relationships with the Broader Cast The Haze Connection: The most pivotal piece of lore surrounding Rem's presence in the physical realm stems from Haze. As an operative of the Office of Strategic Information & Control (OSIC), Haze utilizes sleep and dream-based shadow magic. Her lore implies that her magical experiments involving sleep opened the threshold through which Rem accidentally slipped as a stowaway, binding their fates together. In-Game Combat Interactions: Rem views the terrifying ritual battles across New York not as life-or-death struggles, but as an overwhelming game. His ultimate ability, Naptime, forces entire enemy squads into a shared dream state, illustrating how his subconscious presence literally bends the waking world into sleep around him.