OOC: Apprentice Wanted! Application

[fishdouche]

PLAYER INFORMATION
Name: Geneva
Timezone: CST
Personal Journal: shutupiamthebard
Player Contact: AIM: stardustlady121 Plurk: shutupiamthebard
Characters in Game (previously too): None
 

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Eridan Ampora
Canon: Homestuck
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (Aged Up!)
Suitability: Trolls really don't get the luxury of a childhood. Eridan has been literally murdering other troll's parental figures for most of his life, in order to feed a giant god--the situation doesn't exactly speak to any sort of innocence. However, giving him an extra "sweep" or three years to mature would allow Eridan to mellow out in minor ways, perhaps make him just a bit more self-aware of his own dramatics. This doesn't necessarily mean that he would stop them. And let's be honest here, Eridan is just the right kind of desperate "teenage" troll who would love nothing more than people being forced to fill his quadrants. (Though, he'll be picky for the most part. He deserves the best.)

Species: Troll
Canon Point: SPOILERS! (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005435) After his death.
World/Setting: NA

History: http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Homestuck And Eridan specific: http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Eridan_Ampora

Personality: Eridan is introduced in Homestuck as being “a bit of a tool.” But, saying Eridan Ampora is a “bit of a tool” is like saying the Sun is a “bit hot” or that Antarctica is a “bit chilly.” Eridan is one of the very few trolls in Homestuck to actually take stock in the hemospectrum, most likely because he is quite near the top of the “food chain,” as it were.  Which gives him a massive superiority complex.  He considers himself to be almost-royalty due to his blood color, and his ancestry, and acts as such, with all the entitlement and delusions of grandeur that accompany stereotypical “royalty.” If this were not enough, he uses his high status as cause to mistreat and be a gigantic douche to anyone he considers to be lesser than him—which is just about everyone (besides Feferi.)

This arrogance and bravado are not just an act, though. Eridan truly thinks that he is remarkable and amazing and a genius and better than almost everyone else, and he just cannot fathom why other people do not see him the same way he sees himself.  That’s why when others insult him, Eridan immediately reacts with anger, by reminding the other person just how “low” they are in comparison. He tries desperately to cling onto these ideals of himself and his delusions of grandeur because he simply cannot cope with being “just like everyone else.”

This is probably in part caused by his fascination with military history and his own ancestor, Dualscar, who Eridan models his life after by reveling in drama, suspense, and intrigue. Though the other trolls engage in live action roleplaying (FLARP), Eridan actually seems to live the game—he is desperate to live up to Dualscar's legacy and making himself appear just as grand as his ancestor. And so he makes even the smallest problems into complicated dramas and drives away the very audience he hopes to captivate.

Moody, dramatic, and prone to theatrics, Eridan is almost exclusively ruled by his emotions, allowing them to cloud almost every judgment he makes. And, if it weren't already apparent, the two emotions that often have a controlling influence? Anger and pride.  He often makes emotional snap decisions caused that get him into situations that most people would have the common sense to avoid entirely, as with Feferi's death. But, common sense and Eridan are not even acquainted. He sees things in black and white and always as much more important than they actually are.

Anyone else would realize that acting like a massive tool is not getting them anywhere and is, in fact, alienating people and causing more harm than good. Subsequently, they would probably change their behavior. Not Eridan.  Eridan sees the world as owing him, well, just about everything and having slighted him personally by not handing him everything he's ever wanted, namely Feferi and the respect of his peers. He just doesn't have the emotional maturity to deal with things, like Feferi's leaving, in a calm, rational manner.  Instead, he lashes out in hurt anger, allowing his emotions to control his actions and make him do things he later regrets

But, at the same time, Eridan is not without a sense of self-awareness.  In rare moments of clarity, he knows that he's melodramatic and blows things out of proportion. He admits this when he hears of Sollux's first death, saying that his own issues are petty compared to Feferi's.  He knows that he's hard to deal with, but he is still so desperate to have someone, anyone, like him—and so far, no one, not even Feferi who is arguably the closest thing Eridan has to a friend (besides Karkat who he occasionally solicits for romantic advice), has been able to deal with all of his nonsense. Instead of dealing with this loneliness in a constructive way, he throws himself at anyone who might seem remotely interested (Feferi) and often creates interest when there is none (as with his hate-flirting with Rose.) When this doesn't turn out the way he wants it to, which is often, Eridan falls back on one of his only constants, anger, and he lashes out, often claiming sour grapes and misinterpreting the situation to make himself the victim. Whether or not he actually knows that he is in the wrong is debatable.

Eridan projects an aura of narcissism, but he is actually quite insecure and emotionally fragile. Yes, he does think that he is absolutely fantastic and unique and generally amazing, but he also has a desperate need for someone else to acknowledge all of those qualities. Eridan needs to be noticed. Hence his ridiculous plan for genocide and commissioning “Doomsday Devices” from Vriska that he knows are faulty. He needs the reassurance that he is remarkable, unique, etc. that comes from being in the limelight, whether it be fame or infamy.

When he actually does manage to make friends, Eridan is surprisingly loyal and almost self-sacrificing, but he somehow manages to do this is a completely selfish way. He does whatever he thinks is best for the people he cares about. Of course, whether or not it actually is best for them is debatable, and he doesn't take their opinions into consideration when deciding just what is best for them.  Feferi calls  him being overbearing and cites it as the reason for breaking off their relationship, and that is the perfect description of his actions. He pushes whatever course of action he thinks is best upon his “friends,” and, because of his warped world-view, this often ends up blowing up in his face.

Basically, his attempts to live up to what he thinks highblood royalty should be and his own inability to admit that he isn't a special snowflake makes him act like a total douche which then makes absolutely no one want anything to do with him. His subsequent loneliness at being pushed aside makes him bitter and causes him to act out in even more violent and dramatic ways, driving people even further away when what he wants most in the world is to be noticed (and liked.) Eridan is caught in a cycle of his own idiotic decisions with no real hope of breaking free.

Abilities/Weaknesses: Eridan is a fairly incredible marksman from his FLARP practice. He also had a "science" wand (because magic is fake-fake and not real at all) that could project lightning strong enough to kill or blind someone.

RP Samples:

 

1st person: Linked from Asgard Eventide: http://asgardeventide.dreamwidth.org/775728.html?mode=reply

 

3rd person:

 

Wandering along one of the narrow, winding village streets, Eridan mumbles to himself, his gaze firmly on the ground in front of him. All that's missing is drizzling rain and a can for him to kick along the alley and Eridan would be the perfect dramatic picture of dejection. He is still not completely convinced that this place isn't some kind of strange dream bubble, mostly because he is just not willing to accept the alternative. Magic doesn't exist, and it's juvenile and unbecoming for someone of his stature to pretend otherwise. So, since it can't be magic, that clearly means that he's stuck in some sort of awful dream bubble and everyone else is just having a laugh at his own expense. Again. That must be why that scandalously dressed woman confronted him. Clearly she had been hired by Feferi. Or perhaps Vriska.

Suddenly, Eridan falls back against the cobblestones, blinking up at the person in front of him. How dare someone knock him over--didn't they know who he was? It didn't matter that Eridan was the one not watching where he was going. People should just know better.

 

“Wwatch where you're goin, imbecile,” Eridan spits out angrily, gathering his dignity and his cape, as he pushes himself back to standing, brushing off his clothing, “I swwear, people need to havve some respect for their betters. Now get outta my fuckin wwa--”

His attention is caught not by the person, but by the store front just behind them. Were they actually selling--... yes. Yes they were. Bucket aids. Not that a highly sought-after troll like him would ever need something like that. Eridan's mouth hangs open, quite unbecoming and fish-like for a long moment before he splutters indignantly, "Wwhat the hell kind a' place is this?"