Slippery People (Talking Heads)

NAME/ORIGIN
Character name	Slippery People
Song/Album	"Slippery People"/ Speaking in Tongues
Act	Talking Heads
Writer	David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth
Release Date	1983
ABILITIES
Powers	[no superpowers]
Skills	Excellent explainers: "These slippery people help us understand" Excellent comforters: "He's all right. The Lord won't mind" "These slippery people gonna see you through"
Attributes	Will spontaneously awaken from a copse-like state when needed: "Watch 'em come to life right before your eyes"
Vulnerabilities	Need a precise amount of moisture. Too much and they stay in stasis; too little and they dry out. Repelled by nervousness: "Stop acting crazy/ They're gonna leave."
Formidability	Low. Are fragile.
Attractiveness	Physically, low. Are only described as "slippery." Emotionally, high. Are prized as counselors.
Source	unknown, but believed to be water-related
Goals	provide comfort and acceptance offer unconditional "love, from the bottom to the top"
POSSESSIONS
Weapons	Are anti-weapon "put away that gun"
Amulets	N/A
Objects	N/A
Clothing	N/A. May be nude or wear waterproof clothing
Vehicles	N/A. Seem to swim rather than walk, or roll: "turn like a wheel"
Dwelling	baththubs
Milieu	Damp places
BIOGRAPHY
Gender	Both male and female, possible other genders
Age	Mixed
Physique	Travel in groups of 35, and prefer to be arranged "7x5"
Ethnicity	seem to be humanoid by also aquatic
Origin	unknown, but a watery place
Ancestry	N/A
Profession	amateur therapists
Education	N/A Their abilities may be genetic or passed culturally
SES	N/A but they don't seem to require money
Relationships	travel in groups of 35
Pets	N/A
PERSONALITY
Morality	purely good
Intro/extrovert	Introvert until needed, then forward with their comfort and solace
Intelligence	High
Emotions	Calm and calming
Sanity	Not just sane, a voice of reason
Enemies	Will help the agitated, but not the insane
Narrative Function	Catalyst
Other Notes	Some people need help and know it-- but some do not. These, who "must be having fun" but are in fact "fall[ing] on their faces[s]," may get a visit from the Slippery People. These creatures-- humans who have mutated-- emerge from a drain, by rolling, and appear as lifeless corpses. After a moment, they dry off enough to seem to come to life, but remain damp and "slippery." They then arrange themselves in rows-- five rows of seven. Naturally, this is highly shocking to those they visit, their unwitting hosts. Some may respond by pulling out a gun, or freaking out. In many cases, some might be coming down from a drug trip and are still unsure of reality. Once the Slipper People's hosts "stop acting crazy," and accept their presence (which may itself feel like they are losing their minds), then the Slippery People begin to do something remarkable-- they provide therapy and comfort. They assure the person that they are "all right" and accepted by God. They provide unconditional love of the whole person, flaws and all. Their main advice is to "turn like a wheel inside a wheel." The outer wheel is life, change, the passage of time, their hosts' uncontrollable, always-shifting circumstances. The inner wheel is the person himself, whom they counsel to always rotate within the outer circle-- in other words, to keep adapting to their ever-changing circumstances. Trying to stay still in a turning world is only going to make them disoriented, so the only healthy response to reality is to change as it does. These "people" have gotten so good at adapting, they slide easily through their "wheels" to the point that they are always "slippery." And if someone "backslides"? They reappear: "How do you do?" They return as often as necessary until the cure is secure; they "see you through." Sometimes, help can come from unexpected sources, but it's still help.