A character sheet for .flow and all tropes associated with them. Due to the heavily speculative nature of the game, relying on coming up with your own interpretations and conclusions, please be careful about taking anything on the page as hard fact.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, assume all examples below apply to the latest version of the game.
Beware of unmarked spoilers!
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Playable characters
Sabitsuki
- Ambidextrous Sprite: Averted; Sabitsuki always holds objects in her left hand no matter which way she is facing, and the tattoo effect's shoulder tattoo always appears on her left arm.
- Ambiguously Gay: Sometimes interpreted as lesbian or otherwise bi, due to the heavy focus on female characters, feminine imagery, and the associated body parts in her mental world, compared to that of male characters. However,
Word of God implies that Sabitsuki is aromantic, as he says, quote, Sabitsuki "doesn't understand love so much" - An Arm and a Leg
- The limbless effect removes all four of Sabitsuki's limbs, forcing her to move or crawl at a slower speed than usual. Said effect is found by interacting with, appropriately enough, a chainsaw.
- The third ending has a Cleaner chainsaw off Sabitsuki's legs. Sabitsuki's fate after this is ambiguous.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: Subtly implied to be becoming a Kaibutsu or a Fetus throughout the game.
- Animorphism/Cat Girl: The cat effect gives Sabitsuki white cat ears and a tail, and its side-effect is turning Sabitsuki into a small white cat. This side-effect allows Sabitsuki to pass through small gaps.
- Artificial Limbs: The machine effect gives her mechanical arms and legs (as well as some kind of headgear), and the television gives her a TV for a head.
- Blob Monster: Becomes one with the slime effect.
- Blood from the Mouth: Given the nature of the game, Sabitsuki is often the victim of this.
- Carry a Big Stick: Wields an iron pipe as her main means of attack.
- Cool Mask: The gas mask effect. The debug room gives her a variant with twintails.
- Delinquent: Speculated to have been one in the past due to the steel pipe, handgun, and black hood effects, and the fact that two of these effects are found around the children's hospital.
- Driven to Suicide: One interpretation of her fate in all endings.
- Eyes Always Shut: Sabitsuki's sprite implies she has these, outside of the monoeye effect and activated cat effect, which give her open eyes. Art done by lol depicts Sabitsuki with open eyes.
- Friendless Background: Heavily implied and speculated to have had one of these.
- Gotta Catch 'Em All: All twenty-five effects, which are speculated to correspond to important parts of Sabitsuki's mind and/or memories.
- The Hero Dies: Many dream world events involve her dying somehow, and she's heavily implied to die in the endings, depending on the interpretation.
- Hikikomori: Appears to be one, among other things.
- Little Bit Beastly: The unactivated cat effect gives Sabitsuki white cat ears and a tail.
- Meaningful Name: "Sabitsuki" can mean "covered in rust"; "Sabi" by itself means "rust".
- Mind-Control Device: A few of her effects, when used: the whistle effect makes NPCs move in the direction Sabitsuki is facing, the handgun effect makes NPCs shocked or otherwise run away from her, and the dress effect makes any Cleaners in the area bow in her direction.
- Parental Abandonment: Nothing is known of her parents, outside of speculation. Though there are hints that certain NPCs may be her mother, absolutely nothing is given about any possible father or other parent.
- Shouldersup Nudity: This is seen if you have her look in the mirror of the Sweet Sugar Hotel [1]
(image gallery at the bottom), even though she's wearing clothes in her sprite. - Slasher Smile: Has a tendency to pull one at times.
- Theme Naming: Another fangame character with a "-tsuki" in their name, though not gratuitously so; in Sabitsuki's case it means "covered with" rather than the usual "moon".
- Tomato in the Mirror: Sabitsuki is really a Kaibutsu, or at least, in the process of becoming one, though how aware she really is of this is questionable.
- The Undead: The corpse effect makes her into a walking one.
- Vague Age: It's not clear how old she is (or supposed to be), though, according to lol, she's apparently, still growing, so there's that.
- Your Head Asplode: Suffers this after seeing what's through the door of the bloody room event.
- Your Mind Makes It Real: Implied to be why she leaks blood and eventually sees nightmares and is speculated to go onto life-support when one raises the erosion counter.
Rust
- Ambiguous Gender: It's unknown if Rust actually has a gender or not; in fanon it varies depending on whether she's interpreted as an alter-ego/split personality or a disease/part of a disease.
- Anti-Hero: Generally interpreted as one. She's usually this when interpreted as being Sabitsuki's protector.
- The Assimilator: Speculated to be the/part of the reason why Sabitsuki is turning into a Kaibutsu/Fetus.
- Big Bad: Very commonly interpreted as part of, if not the, disease afflicting Sabitsuki.
- Brought Down to Normal: Played straight and subverted: though Rust can't access any of Sabitsuki's effects normally, she can go to places Sabitsuki normally can't.
- Carry a Big Stick: Pulls out the iron pipe during certain game events, despite not normally having access to the effect.
- Gotta Catch 'Em All: All three empty boxes, which are heavily implied to be Sabitsuki's most traumatic and/or locked-away memories.
- Meaningful Name: See Sabitsuki's entry.
- Only a Flesh Wound: Takes some pretty awful damage after being hit by Fetuses and is still able to walk around fine; that is, until it gets just too much for her.
- Split-Personality Takeover/Split-Personality Merge: Speculated to do something of the kind with Sabitsuki, given how blurry the line between the two identities becomes; usually it's Rust doing the takeover.
- The Mirror Shows Your True Self: Looking in the mirror in the Sweet Sugar washrooms while playing as her shows an image of a horned, bleeding Rust in the reflection. Pressing the action button shows an image of Rust bleeding from the forehead, even if she hasn't been hit by Fetuses up to that point.
- Walking Spoiler: Very central to the deeper story and main conflict of the game.
- White Hair, Black Heart: Commonly interpreted as this, as she carries out more violent actions.
- Yandere: Sometimes interpreted as being one for Sabitsuki.
- Your Head Asplode: Suffers this after being hit by too many Fetuses.
NPCs
Oreko
- All There in the Script: Her name comes from official art by lol and the labels of the events/variables associated with her in RPG Maker.
- Iconic Item: Her diving helmet.
- Imaginary Friend: Speculated to be one to Sabitsuki.
- Meaningful Name: Her name comes from a combination of the Japanese word for "orange" (orenji) and the name suffix "-ko", which is generally associated with girls.
- Posthumous Character: One interpretation is that she is the memory of a girl Sabitsuki once knew, taking supporting evidence from the lamp area where her ghost is found, and her appearance in the Dead Hole event in the endgame.
- Relationship Values: Has one exclusive to her known as the "friendship meter"; see the main page for details.
Smile
In-game close-up when playing as Sabitsuki
In-game close-up when playing as Rust
A black-haired boy with plus eyes and a hammer that appears prominently in the school area.
- All There in the Script: His name comes from a filename.
- Ambidextrous Sprite: Always holds his hammer in his left hand.
- Big Brother Instinct
- Seen in the event where he's with his sister: Sabitsuki taking out the iron pipe or firing the handgun makes Smile push his sister behind his back.
- On the speculation side of things, it's often theorized that one reason he broke off his relationship with Sabitsuki was to protect his sister.
- Driven to Suicide: At least one theory states that he did this at one point, seeing as you find him on a balcony in one of his many appearances, and balconies commonly have a negative connotation in Yume Nikki and related games.
- Eye Scream: One common interpretation of his plus eyes is that those pluses were marks carved into him.
- Like Brother and Sister: Speculated to have had a relationship with Sabitsuki like this in the past, if not speculated to be actual family.
- Meaningful Name: His smile is practically his number one trademark.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: It's unknown if Smile is his real name or a nickname; some interpret it as a nickname.
- Shout-Out: Presumably to the Cross-Eyes and the character Dokuga from Dorohedoro
- Slasher Smile: One of his trademarks. Notably pulls a very large one, along with a creepy laugh, when trying to attack him in his house.
- We Used to Be Friends: One guess is that Sabitsuki and Smile knew each other and were probably friendly. In the Corrupted School, while playing as Sabitsuki, he kills her and, if you're playing as Rust, she kills him, the latter is interpreted as revenge.
"Sister":
A mysterious little girl that's seen ducking behind Smile, in one scene- Big Brother Instinct: When Sabitsuki pulls out her pipe or handgun effect, Smile pushes her behind him
- No Name Given: She doesn't have have an official name besides what fans have dubbed her and "Sister" being used as a title for lol's art of a girl resembling her
Cleaners
In-game sprite
The maids of the Sugar Hole bar, and another reoccurring NPC.
- All There in the Script: Their title comes from the title of a piece of official art done by lol.
- Chainsaw Good: Associated with chainsaws, though the "good" status is debatable.
- Chekhov's Gunman: They turn out to be far more important and crucial to the story than first thought.
- Gas Mask Mooks: Constantly wear gas masks, and are never seen without them.
- No Name Given: Their real name, if any, is not known.
- Parental Substitute: Speculated to be one for Sabitsuki, if not her real mother.
- Walking Spoiler: As a result of their role in the endings.
Takibi-san ("Charlotte")
A pink-haired girl sitting beside a bonfire in the alleys.- All There in the Script: Named "Takibi-san" in the list of the game's switches.
- Killed Off for Real: If Sabitsuki pipes her, she won't respawn
- Playing with Fire: Commonly associated with fire, due to her only appearance being sitting by a fire.
- Meaningful Name: "Takibi" means bonfire.
Onigo ("Black Haired Girls")
A reoccurring NPC resembling a pale-skinned black-haired girl in a blue dress.- All There in the Script: Their name comes from one of the game's switches.
- Death by Childbirth: Implied, considering that a major and gory event with them in it is called "Childbirth"
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Have paper-white skin that contrasts with their hair. It has the effect of making them look somewhat sickly, which fits given the Childbirth event and that one is seen in a hospital bed in the past Parade ward.
- The Faceless: Their faces are never seen, always being obscured by either their hair or blood.
- Missing Mom: Commonly speculated to be Sabitsuki's dead mother, given the Childbirth event and the presence of one in the past Parade ward, in a hospital bed; the present version of said area notably leads to a version of the Dying Girls event where Rust gets an empty box, and a young Sabitsuki is found in the hospital room next door, whereas she isn't there in the past version. Some also take evidence from the black-haired girls' presence in the endings, gore demo, and a sprite set which involves a young Sabitsuki bursting from a pile of gore resembling the remains of the exploded black-haired girls.
- Orcus on His Throne: There is a room in the body area where a black-haired girl sits on a throne of flesh; aside from this, she does nothing but react to effects such as the whistle. If you kill her, Sabitsuki can sit there as well.
- The Virus: Speculated either to be one, or a representation of Sabitsuki's immune system, given their presence in the body area. Notably, in the Rust endgame, they instantly explode into gore as soon as they appear; the Rust endgame is also when the Fetuses spawn in every area (not only the body world).
Kaibutsu
Chaser enemies resembling pale, bloodied schoolchildren. Touching them sends Sabitsuki to an inescapable area.
(Normal)
(Enraged)
- All There in the Script: Their name comes from a filename.
- Ambidextrous Sprite: The Sabitsuki Kaibutsu always hold their pipes in their left hands, just like Sabitsuki does.
- Ambiguous Gender: The short-haired Kaibutsu have been interpreted as both male and female, due to the ambiguity of their sprites.
- Body Horror: All undergo some kind of body horror regarding their face.
- The Bully: Speculated to be a representation of this, given their school uniforms and usually-violent behavior.
- Carry a Big Stick: The Sabitsuki-lookalikes carry pipes, and the bar Kaibutsu wields a crowbar.
- Cast of Snowflakes: Three (four counting the Sabitsuki-lookalike) different types with a unique hairstyle (chin-length hair, shoulder-length hair, and twintails) and facial horror (hole, eyes, mouth), and then three child versions found in the Parade ward. The Parade ward even implies there's a fourth/fifth type with a ponytail or bun and another facial horror that can't be discerned due to the small sprite, but there's no "grown-up" counterpart for this type, which may be a significant detail.
- The Hyena: Their distinctive laugh is one of their trademark features.
- Kill It with Fire: The bar Kaibutsu will stuff Sabitsuki into a furnace after killing her.
- Laughing Mad: Laugh like crazy when enraged. Though this was taken out in newer versions, the Kaibutsu do still laugh a little when smacked, the infamous candle world Kaibutsu will constantly laugh after being enraged, and the Sabitsuki Kaibutsu laugh constantly while chasing Sabitsuki in her corrupted school event.
- Meaningful Name: "Kaibutsu" means "monster".
- Nightmare Face: One of their notable features. Depending on the type of Kaibutsu, you get a bloody hole in the face, a bloody hole with two pink eyes, a large and bloody mouth with obvious teeth, and a slasher smile for the Sabitsuki lookalike.
- No Name Given: The separate Kaibutsu, outside of fanon, aren't given any names.
- Off with His Head!: Depending on how you look at the sprites, the bar Kaibutsu seems to behead Sabitsuki when she tries to attack them.
- One-Hit Kill: The bar Kaibutsu to Sabitsuki when attacked, and the Sabitsuki-lookalikes when they catch her in the corrupted school event.
- Slasher Smile: The Sabitsuki lookalike has one. The twintail Kaibutsu is also commonly interpreted as having one.
- The Virus: Seem to be this to humans, through some sort of disease or bodily experimentation. The third ending strongly implies that Sabitsuki has, or is becoming one herself.
- White Hair, Black Heart: All the Kaibutsu types have white hair, and definitely lean from the neutral to evil side of things.
Fetuses ("Red Demons")
The second type of chaser enemy. Touching them takes off Sabitsuki's effects and damages Rust.- The Assimilator: Take over the Kaibutsu in Rust's corrupted school event; Rust also appears to turning into one when she gets into the heavily damaged stages.
- Belly Mouth: Appear to have a large mouth on their stomachs.
- The Corruption: Generally speculated to be a representation of some sort of corruption. As well as this, touching a fetus raises the erosion counter by a little bit.
- Fetus Terrible: Their official title and being mostly found in a rather uterine like area invokes this
- More Teeth than the Osmond Family: Their mouths appear to be ringed with teeth.
- One-Hit Kill: The large fetuses in Rust's corrupted school event immediately kill her if she touches them.
- Too Many Mouths: Appear to have both a mouth on their face and stomach.
- The Virus: Speculated to be part of the disease inflicting Sabitsuki.
Doctor and Nurse
A man and woman that can be encountered in the hospital area.- Back-Alley Doctor: Evokes this, given the hospital's proximity to a literal back alley.
- Dirty Coward: The doctor jumps up from his chair and attempts to run if Sabitsuki should enter his office holding the pipe or if she equips it while in the room.
- Dressed to Heal: Both are dressed as you'd expect: in a white lab coat and a nurse's uniform, respectively.
- Hospital Hottie: Based on the sprite, the nurse is quite cute.
- Killed Off for Real: If you pipe them, they don't respawn, however, the Nurse in the Plant Labyrinth will
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: There is what appears to be an arrow painted in dried blood on the wall outside the door of their office, and the rooms beyond the entrance hall better resemble a butcher shop than they do hospital rooms. And that was before the Dead Hole event was added to the game.
- Those Two Guys: They're usually seen in the same room, more often than not, however, the nurse can be seen separately in the Plant Labryrinth.
Sugar Girl
A girl or woman that can be encountered by triggering certain events.- Childhood Friend: A possible identity, as in her first appearance she is seen with another Sabitsuki in what appears to be a flashback. Her second appearance in the "Deterioration" location (Room 1) with young Sabitsuki seems to imply this further (supposing it's not implying that she's Sabitsuki's Missing Mom).
- Driven to Suicide: Speculated and implied by her standing on the edge of a statue in the "Vomitgirl area" and the sad music playing the background.
- Dummied Out: A search through the game's files reveals that she has a full set of walking sprites, however, she isn't animated in-game. Though, in the newest location, "Deterioration", has her sitting in the hallway and smoking.
- Missing Mom: A possible identity. She could be Sabitsuki's mother, that is, if the black haired girls aren't meant to represent her, or if they are meant to represent her after something bad happened to her. Her appearance with a younger Sabitsuki in Room 1 of "Deterioration" seems to imply this, if it doesn't imply they're Childhood Friends.
- No Name Given: The first event to feature her was added in 2013, but she has yet to be given even a widely-used nickname. However, one of the wikis call her "Sugar Girl", which comes from the events and location we find her.
- Noodle Incident: While it's not known what happened to her, it's implied that whatever it was wasn't pleasant.
- The Oldest Profession: One of the events that allows you to see her is initiated in the seedy hotel where, after interacting with a maid with a hole for a face, Sabitsuki must navigate a maze filled with sugar statues of naked women in various suggestive positions while feminine panting can be heard in the area's background music.
- The One That Got Away: Building on the imagery surrounding one of her events, it's possible that the two girls were romantically involved, or that Sabitsuki at least had a crush on her.
- Repressed Memories: One interpretation as to why it takes so much effort to trigger events with her in them is because something tragic happened to her and, whatever it was, Sabitsuki wanted to forget it.
- Unknown Character: In comparison to the other NPCs, as, besides speculations and the fact that she's only seen through certain events and certain locations, there isn't much known about her.
- We Used to Be Friends: Whatever Sabitsuki and the girl's relationship was, in one of her appearances she disappears before you can interact with her and, in the other, she is unreachable, which suggests the two might've been close at one point but then grew apart.
