Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2020 12:33:49 GMT -5
Who am I? Just a conscience!
Introduce yourself
Hey, howdy, hey! The name's Jay, and I wished upon a star from being here previously. My other imaginary friends include nobody. Jiminy and I are so very eager to join the Worlds of Disney circle of life!
Character basics
Character name: Jiminy Cricket
Age: Likely somewhere in his thirties, if I had to guess a broad range.
Species: Cricket.
Birthplace: I’m gonna say somewhere in the American midwest- specifically Hannibal, Missouri- as his mannerisms and speech patterns in the movie definitely strike me as somewhere around that area, and given he’s travelling when the canon begins it’s likely he’s not originally from Europe anyway.
Movie: Pinocchio
Custom title: Official Conscience
Why'd you pick this character? Pinocchio is one of my favorites movies, and despite being such a large part of Disney canon (even beyond the movie he debuted in), Jiminy has never really been fully fleshed-out in terms of history. There’s a lot that isn’t known about him- what his life before the canon was like, where he goes afterwards, and who he’s close to aside from Pinocchio. Consequently, there’s a lot to fill in and explore. Beyond that, given that Jiminy HAS appeared so many times following his initial appearance, there’s already a pretty good basis for how he interacts with other characters outside of his canon, and getting to continue that in a way would be a lot of fun (especially with a character with such a big personality).
Character appearance (try to get at least 2 or 3 sentences for each section)
Hair description: None! Crickets don’t have hair.
Facial description/mood/expressions: Despite having a relatively human-like appearance (or at least more human-like than non-sapient crickets), Jiminy lacks several facial features that most humans possess, including ears and a proper nose. He’s incredibly expressive, oftentimes to the extreme; when he’s in a good mood (as he often tries to be) it’s very apparent. In contrast, when his temper flares up (as it often does) it’s equally obvious- it’s very difficult for Jiminy to hide his emotions, which means it’s all spelled out both in his expression and his body language (not to mention the fact that he speaks so freely; he doesn’t hold back when it comes to letting out emotions). He’s prone to worry at times, though this is one aspect he does try to make less obvious; he doesn’t want others to worry about him. As much as he tries to keep up a cheerful appearances, small things can easily irritate him and set him off, due both to the fact that he wears his heart on his sleeve and that he’s incredibly in-tune to his surroundings and the feelings of those around him. Jiminy is an optimist, but he’s also practical, and isn’t consistently content with the state of the world and of others as a result. He isn’t going to pretend otherwise if he doesn’t have to.
Clothing style: Jiminy… wears whatever he can get his hands on, really. Despite his world consisting of both humans and other anthropomorphic animals, species as small as crickets don’t really fit in properly to the economy of the place. Without any means of making money or a proper place to stay, he more or less takes what he can get- he quite literally cannot afford to be picky. That means his clothing is usually littered with patches of whatever spare fabric he can get his hands on, and it quite often has tears and holes in it solely from how often he made his way through less-than-ideal terrain. He dresses warmly, wearing layers in case he gets caught out in the cold; a jacket, scarf, and gloves are necessities. He’s rarely, if ever, seen without a hat on to accessorize, and his umbrella is less of a fashion statement and more of a utility. Despite all this, Jiminy DOES care about his appearance quite a bit- when he gets the chance, he genuinely enjoys wearing nice clothing. Of course, he’s only gotten that opportunity once in the past thanks to the Blue Fairy; were he to receive additional outfits he would very likely wear ones that looked incredibly similar in style to the one she gave him. Nice clothes make him feel important.
Body build: Average size for a cricket, at almost exactly an inch tall- as a matter of fact, as far as crickets go he’s remarkably average in most respects. He’s on the thin side due largely in part to living life on the road for so long, and he’s not comparatively strong physically. He does have pretty remarkable legpower, being an insect that primarily gets around by jumping. But given a comparison to other crickets, just about anyone would describe Jiminy as a bit of a twig.
Any unique traits (optional): Though he (naturally) lacks hair, Jiminy does have two antennae. Additionally, it’s been established that he can chirp, which means that he prooobably has wings of some sort (as that’s how crickets chirp in the first place), though it’s also safe to assume that they can’t be used for flight given he literally never utilizes them despite the convenience it would provide. In any case, both features are typically not visible as they’re concealed by his clothing.
Original character analysis (In your own words and please be thorough)
Personality:
Jiminy is an optimist at heart, though that shouldn’t be mistaken for naivete. He tries to keep up the belief that things, no matter how bad, will look up in the end- or at least he attempts to convince others of that. He’s in the mindset that keeping your chin up and viewing life as an overall good experience will go a long way in making sure things never seem too overwhelming, and as such he makes a habit of doing his best to keep those around him in good spirits. That said, he’s seen enough of the world to still view things with a rather practical outlook: he knows of the dangers of the world, he just chooses to look on the bright side. That’s why pessimists tend to annoy him so much- he just can’t understand why someone would choose to be so gloomily realistic when the world’s got enough of that already. It’s why he keeps his sense of humor around even when things look bleak. Dwelling on the past or even fretting about what’s ahead doesn’t make a lick of sense when you could instead celebrate living in the moment and making the best of things; he’s a firm believer that doing so will do a lot for your overall outlook and happiness, even if it’s not always as easy as Jiminy would like for it to be. He has his moments of melancholy and frustration, to be certain, but he strives to never let it keep him down for long. Jiminy is all about the act of consistently moving along.
Given that he’s no stranger to the bad of the world, he’s got a healthy sense of caution and he (usually) looks before he leaps and encourages others to do the same. Though he’s not conventionally wise, he’s got both feet on the ground, and he’s both street and book smart enough to offer council even when it’s not necessarily wanted by others- he’d grown up, after all, being taught about the dangers of the world and how to navigate around them without acting like a fool. Be it just offering someone to listen or talk to or providing warning about dangers, he’s almost always got something to say. That said, he does know when to buckle down and get things done himself; there’s a time and a place for everything, after all, and just plain talking isn’t the solution to everything. Danger doesn’t faze him when it comes to solving problems by himself, and he’s loyal enough to go to the ends of the earth for those he’s trying to help if it really comes to that. As cautious as he is, he’s entirely willing to overlook how daunting something may be if it comes down to it. It boils down to the fact that Jiminy’s loyalty and his care for those around him wins out against his own health and well-being nearly one hundred percent of the time.
It goes without saying, then, that Jiminy isn’t a bad person, by any means, nor does he lack empathy. On the contrary, he cares on a personal level about the people he encounters even if he never even speaks to them. He feels for them when they’re in a rough spot, and cheering others up makes him happy in turn. He’s easily attached, easily won over by the rich and complex lives of those around him, and he wishes he could help everyone he encounters. But he is someone who hasn’t bothered to get close to people up until very recently in his life. Much of his time was dedicated to travelling, and seeing all he could see- the downside to this was that he never took the time to meet the people he passed by, not really (perhaps this was in part due to being taught not to get too terribly close to humans), and it was only after meeting Pinocchio that he discovered that was what he’d been missing throughout all that time. Taking responsibility for others was a burden he didn’t feel he was ready to bear given his own relative lack of responsibility for his own health as he traveled coast to coast (and due in no small part to how much he does feel for others, and how much he worries about their safety), but he’s learned recently that he genuinely really enjoys looking after others to the best of his ability. Gaining the opportunity to guide them was the best thing that ever happened to him. But he’s still very much in a transitional state; he needs to find a balance between ‘keeping well away from others’ to ‘becoming personally involved in issues that don’t concern him’. He’s learning how to be a good friend, but at the moment it’s a work in progress; he flickers between being overwhelmingly overly attached and so fickle that he storms off at any perceived upset. He’s getting better about it, to be certain. But Jiminy has a lot of room to grow when it comes to socializing- he strives to become less cautions of letting himself be known to and by others, and furthermore strives to be the sort of person that people would genuinely want to meet.
On that note, Jiminy is incredibly nosy. That can largely be chalked up as just having a healthy sense of curiosity, but beyond that he almost feels obligated to assist people now that it’s in his job description (although, make no mistake, Jiminy isn’t looking to be everybody and anybody’s conscience- that is a job he performs for Pinocchio and Pinocchio alone, and he is very proud of this fact). That said, he knows when to quit and back off- sometimes it could be argued that he backs off too easily, as a matter of fact. When things start going south it worries him greatly (sometimes even outrages him depending on the circumstances), and as much as he’s trying to change he still occasionally throws his hands up and walks out. His loyalty to those he cares about, however, always shines through and it’s never long before he returns to do whatever he can to help. Lastly, he’s relatively prideful- he takes pride in his job, his appearance, and his talents. He can be a bit of a showoff, and sometimes he can come off as condescending. He takes great offense to being looked down on and as respectful as he usually tries to be, if that respect isn’t returned all bets are off. He’s spent much of his life attempting to become as learned and respectful as the majority of the humans he encountered, wanting to become a proper part of their society or at the very least earn the chance to talk to them and learn from them. Almost nothing wounds him greater than when he’s treated as a lesser being, because of this.
History:
Jiminy’s early life is remarkably… unremarkable. He grew up in the countryside in the midwest, living in a field near a farm with two older siblings, two parents, and his grandfather who lived with his immediate family. His family was relatively ordinary, though his extended family was large (he has a lot of cousins). His parents had no notable occupations- crickets are scavengers by nature, and his family was no different. He spent a lot of his childhood outdoors, and his education came entirely from his parents. His father taught him the ways of the world, particularly how to avoid danger and get around safely, whereas his mother provided him with a more traditional education including reading, writing, and basic mathematics (science was never a particularly large focus for him, outside of practical matters such as learning about the rest of the animal kingdom). Jiminy was never much of a rebel, by his own standards, but he was certainly considered one by his parents; he was too curious for his own good, particularly about the larger world beyond theirs, and his father especially worried that one day he would run off and get himself in danger. He was far more stern with Jiminy than with the rest of his siblings, as a result, and while this was never enough for Jiminy to develop any negative feelings towards him it did create a bit of a divide. After all, sternness coming from an already no-nonsense individual isn’t exactly a fun experience to sit through day after day. His grandfather was the parental figure he most connected with; he listened willingly to Jiminy’s dreams and aspirations, big and far-fetched as they were, and taught him all he knew about music; even handing his ukulele down to him before he passed. As he got older and his siblings spent more time away from home, he started gravitating away from the fields and woods where they lived and instead spent his free time in the human towns nearby, though he always stayed out of sight. A great deal of his time was spent in the library or just in people’s houses- there was a lot to read and even more to overhear. He wasn’t content with the bare-bones knowledge he’d been given, and wasn’t content hunkering down in a field for the rest of his life, spending his days perpetually on the lookout and scavenging. There was a much wider world out there that his entire family had no experience with, and he wanted to move on and see it all.
By the time his siblings had left for good to start families, he’d already decided he was bored of that lifestyle- it wasn’t what he wanted out of his life. When his grandfather passed, there was no further reason for Jiminy to stick around. To that end, as soon as he reached adulthood he left entirely, venturing out as far as he could through any means possible. He made his way from town to town, never stopping long enough to get to know anybody but ducking into wherever he could both for shelter and for the chance to hear about the life experiences of others. He hopped aboard trains and boats and went from the states to Europe, spending several years learning about the different cultures he encountered, though he was never a part of them himself. Much of his experience with both the world and education in general comes from his own personal desire to experience something more than what it seemed like he was meant for. He wrote home, on occasion, addressing letters only to his mother (he assumed his father wouldn’t be particularly happy with his whereabouts). He wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t running off to rebel, or to cut ties- this was just what he wanted out of life, or at least he assumed as much, and for a long while he was just happy to see new things, to try and edge his way into the fringes of a society of people with entirely different views than him, people who had so much more they could teach and show him. Even if he never got bold enough to attempt to directly engage.
Of course, wandering aimlessly for most of his life wasn’t exactly fulfilling in any sense, even if Jiminy tried to convince himself that it was. There was no real purpose involved, nor was there responsibility, and Jiminy began to feel more and more like there was something he ought to be doing, something he ought to be looking for. An opportunity to be useful, more than a passing observer. Then one night he by chance happened to duck into a woodcarver’s shop for the night, with plans to move on the next day to continue his travels through Italy once he’d escaped the cold. There he overheard the owner of said shop make a wish for the puppet he’d crafted to come to life. It was a nice thought, but not entirely practical, and Jiminy hadn’t even bothered to think twice about it before going to sleep.
He was awoken when the wishing star from outside manifested a magical being called the Blue Fairy into the room. She brought the puppet to life and tasked it with learning the basic lessons of life in order to earn his humanity- among these lessons was morality, and in order to help him out she appointed Jiminy as a ‘lord high keeper of the knowledge of right and wrong, councilor in moments of temptation and guide along the straight and narrow path’. Literally overnight he’d gained a charge he was responsible for looking after, as well as an occupation with very high guidelines he had to meet in order to earn his reward: a golden badge as proof that he’d succeeded. Though his appointment to the task wasn’t entirely thought through properly (he largely agreed for the badge and also just to appease the Blue Fairy), in no time at all he launched himself headfirst into his new position.
The job... didn’t go great. In the span of a day he lost Pinocchio to show business, failed to rescue him when he became enslaved, and then nearly witnessed him getting turned into a donkey on Pleasure Island. He walked out on him twice, nearly gave up just as many times, and let his temper get in the way more than once. But through all the harrowing experiences, he kept on following Pinocchio, returning to him nearly as soon as he’d left- he was gradually learning how to take responsibility to the best of his ability, and the more time he spent with the puppet the more he came to genuinely care about him. He was beginning to realize that he wasn’t really missing some great big discovery to be found through aimless wandering- he’d just been missing a purpose in his life. When the time came for Pinocchio to take his final steps towards humanity and rescue his father from the bottom of the sea, Jiminy decided to tag along with him even if seeing it through to the end would put his life in jeopardy. He cared about the puppet too much to leave him behind, and was too dedicated to his new job to abandon him under any circumstances, reward or no reward. Just as Pinocchio had learned to be a real boy, Jiminy had learned how to be a true friend and a fairly competent mentor figure. Most importantly, he’d been given some sense of purpose, or at least a chance to see how he could find purpose elsewhere in his life: by caring for others, by forming genuine attachments, by sticking around long enough to play a role in the lives of others rather than just concerning himself with his own ambitions. Fulfillment, he learned, is found by leaving an impact on those around you.
Following Pinocchio’s death and subsequent revival into a real boy (the Blue Fairy saw it fit to reward him with humanity for his final act of unselfishness), Jiminy was rewarded with a badge certifying him as an official conscience. Though he’s now got a proper place to stay and someone to care about (not to mention a job he takes great pride in), he’s not entirely sure what to do now: he feels as though he ought to continue teaching others, but he’s pretty attached to Pinocchio and isn’t certain about leaving him even if the boy has got a conscience of his own now. It’s less a matter of obligation at this point and more a matter of attachment and genuine investment in his title. The call that perpetually pulls him to keep travelling is hard to fight back against, even when he knows he ought to stick around.
Ambitions:
He wants to prove that he’s someone important, someone who can be genuinely helpful and is worth remembering. Most crickets aren’t exactly set out for a particularly notable life and he wants to set himself apart by doing as much as he can for other people. Furthermore, he wants to live up to the Blue Fairy’s expectations of him and all the weight his new title holds. He genuinely wants to guide others down the right path; he wants to be there for them whenever they need him. He strongly wants to improve his knowledge of the world and is constantly looking for ways to sate his curiosity. He wants to get to know everyone as well as he can, provided they’re someone he considers worth knowing. Given he’s already earned the badge he strived for, he largely just desires to live up to that and prove that he’s still worthy of it- wants to have a hand in the happiness of others. Even if he can’t solve everyone’s problems, he can be there for them; a shoulder to lean on and voice of wisdom, to some degree.
Strengths & abilities:
Strong sense of right and wrong. Outgoing (and outspoken) personality. Worldly experience. Observational skills. Agility (he’s quick, and can jump several times his own height). Swimming, though he makes a point to avoid water nowadays due to largely negative associations. Has a basic grasp of several languages, notably Italian, French and German. Good with words, both in an oratorical manner and concerning reading/writing. Good with music, including singing and playing a couple instruments. Great with a yo-yo, though that’s an incredibly niche strength to possess. Learned a small amount of boxing from his father, enough to hold his own in a fight with someone on his level. He’s got a decent grasp of survival skills.
Flaws:
Nosy, prideful, and temperamental. A stickler for rules, even if he tries not to be as uptight as he was raised to be. Worries about the small things too much, and tends to let them get to him to an absurd degree. He feels things very deeply, even when he perhaps shouldn’t. When his temper flares up (which is with surprising frequency) he loses a great deal of his sense and will literally fight someone over something small, even if he physically cannot take them in a fight. His bravado overwhelms his common sense on occasion and he leaps into dangerous situations without properly considering the long-term consequences. Condescending at times. A bleeding heart. Very new to taking responsibility for situations and other people, and therefore very inexperienced and not terribly reliable (as much as he tries to be). Highly stubborn. Judgmental. Thinks he’s more important than he probably is in reality and takes very deep offense when people are dismissive of him as a result. Doesn’t know when to quit most of the time. He’s kind of weak for the ladies. Has no qualms about breaking and entering, as well as intruding on private situations that don’t concern him in the first place. Easily annoyed. Tries too hard to get others to see his worldview as the right one; he would be far better off if he stopped, slowed down, and examined situations fully before making assumptions and leaping headfirst into them. He still needs to learn to properly understand and bond with other people.
Likes:
Music, reading and exploring; if he had to list his three favorite hobbies those would very likely be the ones to make the cut. He likes exercise in general (he gets fidgety if he stays still or in one place for too long) and draws on occasion, as well as having an eye for artwork and fine craftsmanship as a whole. He’s pretty fond of stars and he’s got a soft spot for kids. He enjoys discovering new places and meeting new people, but he can likewise appreciate some peace and quiet. Given he’s cold-blooded he favors the warmth. He’s a big fan of books and would literally read the encyclopedia for fun.
Dislikes:
Criminals of any sort, and to any degree- this honestly includes just plain troublemakers, and though he isn’t entirely unforgiving he does tend to judge people very harshly if he knows they’ve been up to no good. He has an instinctual dislike for his natural predators, which unfortunately includes a very wide variety of animals, including but not limited to: reptiles, amphibians, fish, cats, and birds. He hates being ignored or disrespected and dislikes being wrong (though that isn’t to say he won’t own up to the fact that he was mistaken). He doesn’t take kindly to fools. Self-proclaimed pessimists and people with large egos (even if Jiminy’s got a formidable ego himself) annoy him, as do those with little empathy for others. As much as he respects education he’s a little wary of scientists, as he hates the idea of any sentient creature being treated as a subject or experiment rather than a person. He holds a grudge against whales now and is highly wary of the ocean, or any large body of water, though perhaps he’ll get over that in time. Not too fond of actors anymore. Dislikes jars on principle. He’s not very good at math, though that’s less of a dislike and more of a thing that confuses him. He’s got no fondness for actors.
Fears:
Though Jiminy is incredibly wary of natural dangers such as predators, he isn’t necessarily afraid of them- on the contrary, his fears tend to be more conceptual and they largely relate back to his role in the world and the lives of those he cares about. He fears guiding people wrongly and getting them hurt, he fears not being able to do enough to get them out of danger or help them, and he fears not being able to make any sort of difference in the world. He’s scared of never being able to do enough and of not leaving a lasting impact on anything; of never managing to find his place in the grand scheme of things. He wants to live up to others expectations of him (and his expectations of himself) and isn’t sure he could handle failure to that extent.
Anything to add?:
Nothing in particular comes to mind!
RP SAMPLE:
If anyone had taken the time to stop and ask Jiminy where he would like to go were he going to be whisked off to another world entirely (of course, no one had stopped to ask him, a fact that irritated him to no small extent), he probably would have had a wide variety of answers to provide. Granted, he couldn’t exactly think of what those answers would be, but ‘a theme park somewhere in Florida’ would be very, very low on the list.
It wasn’t that he had anything against theme parks in particular, per say, but recent experiences prompted him to hesitate to label them as ‘good places to be’ (strictly speaking). It was sort of like cats, or actors- they weren’t all bad, by any means, but that didn’t mean he really wanted to associate with them for extended periods of time.
Though maybe he was just saying that because the crowds looked downright nightmarish. It tended to be a hassle to get just about anywhere during the more crowded hours of the day (humans were chronically guilty of thinking they own the roads), but this was just ridiculous- half of the folks around weren’t even looking where they were going, and the other half weren’t moving at all, they were just sort of milling about indecisively and cluttering up the rest of the walkway which in turn caused more congestion along the sidewalks.
It was, quite frankly, stressing him out. And he wasn’t even trying to get anywhere in particular. But the one benefit of being around so many people was that there was plenty of folks around to answer his questions. Eyeing his surroundings for a couple moments, Jiminy made a few well-placed leaps until he was atop the upper frame of a window, significantly above eye-level but not high enough to be unnoticeable. It took a while longer of watching the crowds to pick out someone who didn’t have their head buried in a map of some sort, but sooner rather than a later a target made themselves apparent.
He whistled sharply, waving an arm in a broad sweep over his head just to ensure he’d been noticed, and sure enough it only took a few moments for the stranger to spot him and move through the crowd in his direction. He waited until he was close enough to be heard over the chatter (which wasn’t too difficult, really; if nothing else he was good at making himself heard, which was a good trait to possess for someone so chatty) before tipping his hat at the man in greeting.
“Hey there, fella! You don’t happen to have a spare map on hand, do ya? Or, uh, just directions? I’m lookin’ for somebody who could tell me--”
He trailed off abruptly as he reached the realization that it didn’t exactly seem like the man was listening. As a matter of fact, it seemed a lot more like he was ignoring everything Jiminy was saying entirely in favor of removing some unfamiliar rectangular device from his pocket. Jiminy hardly had time to wonder what in the blazes the thing was supposed to be used for before the guy pointed it in his direction. There was a strange sort of clicking-snapping sound from the device, and then the fellow gave him one of those slightly condescending ‘isn’t that amusing’ sort of looks before continuing on his way, simple as that.
Rude and relatively uncalled for, Jiminy thought, more than a little irritated- and he didn’t even bother to answer his question, either. Still, he was nothing if not resourceful, and despite the overwhelming unfamiliarity of the place it certainly seemed large enough to at least host some sort of guide somewhere. Vertically disadvantaged though he may have been, he liked to think that he made up for it with his observational skills, and that meant that surely it couldn’t be too difficult to find some sort of answer somewhere- it was only a matter of physically getting there. But a little healthy exploring hadn’t ever hurt anybody, so despite all hesitations regarding the situation Jiminy couldn’t entirely be in low spirits as he set off elsewhere in search of further answers.