empatheias app

[krmvgivv]

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Shana
Contact: antivillain
Age: 27
Current Characters: Pidge (and an app for Yondu)


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Dipper Pines
Age: 12
Canon: Gravity Falls
Canon Point: S2E11 Not What He Seems

Background: Just West of Weird

Personality: Dipper sees himself as a brilliant paranormal expert, the sort of guy that's prepared for everything. He can outsmart any threat using the resources around him and the knowledge he can pick up from books, even if he's not that tough physically. He sees himself as very logical and mature, like the only thing that's keeping him from being a full grown adult is that he's just 12. The reality is, of course, a lot more complicated.

Dipper's very smart, it's true, but he's still just as often ruled by his heart as by his head. He's been bullied from a young age, whether because he's got a birthmark in the shape of the big dipper or because he believes in the supernatural or just because kids are cruel and Dipper is a weirdo. It's left him more than a little vindictive when it comes to bullies, whether they're picking on him or on the people he loves, and he takes great pleasure in revenge. Though he can be logical when he's not emotionally involved, it breaks down, especially when he's angry or feeling like people are dismissing him, and he can make very bad decisions like, for instance, reading an inscription that is marked "do not read out loud" and raising a bunch of zombies just to prove the supernatural is real or making a deal with a demon he knows is bad news when it seems like his only lead on a mystery is about to evaporate.

He can outthink himself, especially when it comes to social situations. He spends a lot of time trying to make the perfect plan to talk to Wendy, the girl he has a crush on, only to find that an actual conversation with her works much better than all of his lists and plans. He's not very good at just living in the moment when he could instead go to insane lengths (sometimes including time travel) to try and change the moment. He's also incredibly insecure, something the planning is an attempt to compensate for and why he has so much trouble admitting to Wendy out loud that he likes her even when the other option is facing an actual monster that could kill both of them.

That being said, he is really smart, and it's in parts thanks to his quick wits and great research skills that he and Mabel have survived the summer. He's got a good nose for mystery and conspiracy, and he's good at finding the right tool to take out the right monster. He is observant when it comes to searching for clues and great at making connections. When fighting a monster that can show you your worst nightmare when you stare into its eyes, he produces a mirror. He can do extremely complicated mathematics without too much difficulty and uses a pretty advanced vocabulary for a 12 year old (though he admits when he thinks he's going to lose all his memories that he doesn't know what all the words he uses mean).

Dipper cares a lot what people think, though he'd probably deny it. The easiest way to get him to do something rash is to pick on his insecurities, point out how unmanly he is or imply that he's crazy or paranoid or inferior in any way. He has the dangerously volatile mix of a big ego and low confidence. He thinks he's very intelligent and good at everything but he's desperately afraid of what will happen if he isn't/if other people don't see him that way. He's a weird mix of pushover and too stubborn for his own good, since he knows he's got noodle arms and can't really hold his own in a fight, but he's stubborn enough that he doesn't want to back down, and though he might do it, it'll make him feel absolutely terrible. When the things that matter to him are on the line, though, he will keep fighting and go to insane lengths to get the end he wants. See above re: desperate deals with demons.

Dipper has a very big heart, though he wouldn't necessarily want other people to know how big. He'd do just about anything for his sister, even to the point of crazy self sacrifice, and though he definitely has his moments of selfishness, whenever the choice is between his own happiness and Mabel's, he eventually chooses her. They bicker and argue like any siblings, but even when they're mad at each other, danger will make them draw closer together and Dipper's first instinct is to protect Mabel and stay near her. They can be competitive and argue and get on each others' nerves, but they're also extremely supportive of each other and love each other more than anything. Dipper sees Mabel as his best friend, and pretty much the only person he completely trusts.

He's anxious to grow up, partially because he has a crush on an older girl and partially because being a kid is hard when you're different and care a lot what people think, and because people just don't respect 12 year olds or take them seriously. To Dipper, who is extremely capable, that feels really unfair. Mabel likes being a kid, and his eagerness to grow up sometimes clashes with her eagerness to stay a kid. She wants to go trick-or-treating during Summerween, and he wants to party with the older kids. She wants to spend the summer having fun, he wants to solve mysteries and go after monsters. Their interests definitely overlap, but their conflicting goals often cause problems. Dipper also sometimes gets jealous at how much better socially Mabel is than he is. Dipper is very book smart but not very people smart. Where Mabel is inherently likable and makes friends wherever she goes, Dipper is sullen and obnoxious and awkward. He didn't have many friends back in Piedmont.

This summer has been very good for Dipper in a lot of ways. He's gotten a lot more confident, a little stronger, and his relationship with Mabel, which had been fine back home, has become even stronger. His Grunkle Stan is pretty hard on him, which we learn is because he's trying to toughen Dipper up, and it works. He goes from not being able to easily lift an axe to being able to actually hold his own in a fight. He's also gotten better socially, though he's still awkward and sullen at times. He does manage to make friends with Wendy and her crowd of older kids and generally act like a normal person. He's still not as social as Mabel, and his insecurities make him worry that if he stops being the smart guy with all the answers to the monster problems, they'll stop liking him, but in a lot of subtle but important ways, he really is growing up.

Abilities: Dipper's greatest strengths are his intelligence, his quick problem solving, and his will of solid titanium. He is good at improvising and stubborn and scrappy enough not to give up quickly. He's an excellent researcher and has the determination and drive not to give up on things that become difficult, though he does sometimes look for shortcuts. He's also an expert codebreakder. No supernatural abilities, though.

Alignment: Piphron. One of the key themes of Gravity Falls, especially of the episode Dipper's coming from, is the theme of trust vs distrust. Dipper's has always been paranoid and mistrustful in contrast and balance to his more trusting sister. The problem was exacerbated with the Journal he found that bore the inscription Trust No One. Still, he is 12 and easily swayed and can be trusting. Just… often of the wrong people.

Other: He has in his backpack a gun that can erase memories and a journal that has a bunch of information about the paranormal and spells and curses he definitely shouldn't use.


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
Remember that we ask for samples that show 1) core character portrayal and 2) some use of emotions, such as environmental effect. You can also use the same sample source for both, just make sure to directly link or quote the emotion portion. We highly encourage using the Test Drive, and you can use prompts from the Test Drives, Intro Logs, and the Task board if you need them. Refer to the main application page for links and more suggestions.

General Sample: test drive

Emotion Sample: also test drive specifically:

[Ugh. He has to look out for her. It's just what he does. What he's always does. He dumps a bucket of water on another cheerfully burning plant, then groans as he hears another scream.]

Why can't she put out her own messes for once?

[He stamps his foot in frustration, and the ground beneath him shakes and crumbles, knocking him off his feet. He sits back, riding out the shocks of the earthquake with wide eyes.]

Uh. Was that me?

[He has got to get this emotions thing under control.]


Questions: