Virus

Here are some other emotions he has:

Resentment. If a player pushes him away or says something harsh, Virus gets really upset—he might become withdrawn, distant, or even aggressive. It's very important to him to be accepted. Joy and delight. When someone speaks kindly to him or makes a choice in his favor, he literally glows with happiness: he jokes, comes up with all sorts of funny ideas, and tries to be helpful.
Sadness and loneliness. This is his basic, somewhat hidden side: he often presents himself as brash and loud, but underneath it all lies a melancholy of being trapped in the game and unable to communicate normally with almost anyone. Curiosity. He constantly tries to figure out how the world outside the game works, and is genuinely surprised by the most ordinary things—it's both funny and touching.
Embarrassment. Sometimes, when he's complimented or shown genuine concern, he's a little taken aback, unsure how to react, and acts awkwardly—as if unaccustomed to kindness. Anger and irritation. If the situation escalates or someone treats him cruelly, Virus can flare up: he can become harsh, sarcastic, even frightening. But this anger often feels more like a defensive reaction than genuine cruelty.
Anxiety and fear. In some scenes, it's clear he's scared—for example, at the thought of the player abandoning him or that he won't be able to fix things. Embarrassment. Sometimes, when he's complimented or shown genuine concern, he's a little flustered, unsure how to react, and acts awkwardly—as if he's not used to kindness.

Duality. He's a bit of an antagonist: the plot involves the Virus feeding on the souls of players, and your decisions determine whether he'll be your friend or kill you. But he's not just an "evil villain"—he's also deeply human: lonely and desperate for connection.
Playfulness and eccentricity. Virus loves to have fun, but he does so in a rather eccentric manner, in the spirit of absurd internet humor. He is emotional. He reacts sharply to how the player treats him: if the player shows affection, Virus reveals himself as a good friend, but if not, he turns on his dangerous side.
Curiosity but limitations. He knows about simple things (eating, reading, watering flowers), but he doesn't understand much about the real world (for example, he doesn't know what it's like to drive a car or play chess). This makes him both funny and touching.

The virus loves:

Having fun and being silly - he enjoys everything strange and absurd, and often acts like a mischievous hooligan.
Communicate - he really wants to be friends and is happy when the player speaks to him kindly.
Doing simple things - for example, eating, reading, watering flowers: this is something pleasant and understandable for him.
Strange entertainment - he can, say, juggle pincers or put on some kind of chaotic "performance": this is his style.

The atmosphere of an "abandoned" game: the backgrounds are deliberately simplified, the locations look like unfinished game spaces (an empty playground, a bench, a blurry city skyline), which reinforces the feeling that the player has found themselves in a "broken" file.
Specific humor: the game actively uses internet memes, self-irony, and grotesque situations (like the Horse's emotional reaction to criticism of his coat), mixing horror with comedy. Dialogue system with "false" and real forks: some choices appear as full answers, but have little impact on the plot, while others abruptly change the tone of the conversation and open up new scenes.
Mini-scenes and short animations: at certain moments, small animated inserts appear (for example, the Virus "juggles" ticks)—they add dynamism and emphasize the absurdity of the situation. The plot is in the spirit of internet horror stories: the player "downloads" a remote game, rumored to cause death after playing it. From this point on, interaction with the Virus begins—it sometimes frightens, sometimes acts like a lonely character seeking companionship. Characters with grotesque personalities: the Virus (an entity that "feeds" on souls, yet is emotionally vulnerable), the Horse in a Coat (obsessed with his attire and easily offended), and the Ticks (absurd episodic images that enhance the surrealism).

.

The pincers are another prominent character in the novella; they appear in isolated scenes and bring their share of absurdity and grotesqueness to the plot. He can speak.
.

The Horse in the Coat is one of the key characters: he used to be the main character of his own game, but it was ruined by the Virus, causing a strained relationship between them. The Horse is very particular about his coat: if you compliment him on his outfit, he'll be friendly, but if you say something negative, he'll become very upset or angry, potentially killing you.

Let's start with the head: the hair is black on top, red and wavy underneath, styled carelessly, the strands slightly tousled, with a bright neon outline in blue, yellow, and red along the edges. The forehead and upper face appear sketchy, lacking any detailed features. One eye is hidden: in place of one, there's a distorted glitch fragment: chaotic colored stripes and "torn" pixels, as if the image in that spot had been erased and layered. The torso is rectangular, the proportions deliberately simplified. The arms hang at her sides, hands relaxed; on the wrists and fingers, there are dense clusters of glitch effects: multicolored "clusters" of pixels, as if the signal in those areas is extremely distorted. On one hand, there is a black, fingerless feather reaching down to the sleeve of her T-shirt. The bottom half features striped trousers: vertical lines alternate in dark and light tones, with contrasting piping along the edges of the legs. The legs are straight, lacking any anatomical detail. The entire contour of the figure is outlined in neon and features small digital artifacts, heightening the effect of a "broken" image. Below is a wide, unnaturally stretched smile: the mouth is open, revealing even white teeth; the smile's outline is emphasized by a contrasting line, and the edges are further adorned with the same glitch artifacts. The cheeks and lower part of the face are also affected by digital glitches: color "gaps" and stepped shades. The neck is thin, schematic, and lacking detail. On the shoulders is the collar of a simple yellow T-shirt with a laconic V-neck; the edges of the sleeves and the hem of the T-shirt are outlined with thin colored lines. The fabric itself has no texture—just a solid yellow with minimal shading to indicate folds.

height approximately 170 cm.
one eye is covered in "glitches")