empatheias application

[scatheful]

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Julie
Contact: synthetica / DWPM
Age: 26
Current Characters: -


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Jean Kirstein
Age: 16
Canon: Attack on Titan
Canon Point: end of chapter 70
Background: AoT Wiki Link

Personality:

Jean Kirstein begins the series as a cynical, hot-headed, and selfish young man, one who isn’t afraid to hold back on his opinion even if it is offensive. Wanting nothing more than to join the Military Police and live a cushy life in the interior rather than face the threat of the titans head-on, one of our first introductions to Jean is a scene in which he actively shuts down Eren Jaeger’s idealistic plans of being able to push back the titan invasion:

 

“Are you trying to say that I'm an idiot, Eren? Well, I'm not. I'm looking at reality more than anyone. Four years ago, 20% of the human population was sent out to recover territory stolen by the titans. An all-out attack was launched... and most of them ended up walking straight into a titan's mouth, swallowed whole. … For every one of them that we defeated, an average of 30 humans died. … I think it's crystal clear. Humanity doesn't stand a chance against the titans.”

This argument really sets the tone for Jean's character -- he is a sobering force in the anime and the voice of reason which grounds the characters in the reality of the grim situation that faces them: most of them won't get out of their time in the Scouts alive, and humanity stands almost no chance against the hellish titans.

Jean doesn't hesitate to state grim facts, and he isn't afraid to hold back and get physical in disagreements, either, having engaged Eren in fistfights frequently. He is headstrong and quick to anger, and even in his personal relationships, he is equally as blunt, quick to give his opinion even if it is unpopular. Even to his best friend Marco, he doesn’t hesitate to call out a lie, valuing honesty even if it’s not pretty.

 

“Are you still playing the goody-goody, Marco? Tell me how you really feel. You can't wait to get to the interior, right? We can finally escape this shitty, suffocating front-line town!!”

That being said, though, a lot of Jean's exterior harshness and confidence is either an over-exaggeration or a façade. Jean is plagued by a lot of doubts -- not just about the world and the fate of humanity, but about himself. He is thoroughly aware that he is weak, and thoroughly aware that he shouldn’t care or worry for his friends in this world where they’ll probably all die anyway, but… he can’t help it. Jean utterly hates his own lack of resolve in these matters, and really hates how cowardly he is.

“If I hadn't become a soldier... If I hadn't met you guys... I wouldn't have to worry about who's next.”

His best friend, Marco, sums Jean up rather perfectly at the beginning of the series, stating that Jean would be a good leader because he isn't a strong person -- his weakness means that he understands how weak people feel, and can use that to motivate or support people. Additionally, Marco says that Jean is good at recognising what's going on at any given moment, which means he knows exactly what needs to be done.

It's Marco's death that solidly pushes Jean to go against his desire of self-preservation to join the Survey Corps rather than the Military Police. Knowing what needs to be done means that Jean knows that they must fight the titan threat despite every fibre of his being telling him he should just run and hide. When it comes time for him to choose whether to join the Survey Corps, he becomes almost paralysed by fear and self-loathing, thinking to himself, 'Shit, I'm begging you here... Don't make me hate myself more than I already do...' as he stands his ground and forces himself not to bail. His instinct to run is strong, but in the end, he knows what needs to be done, and has the integrity and self-awareness to accept that.

A large part of Jean's personality centers around how he quite envies Eren's careless, headstrong behaviour and idealistic view of the world. While he publicly derides Eren's speeches and optimistic attitude, Jean privately thinks a lot that 'not everybody is strong like you' in regards to Eren. He calls Eren a suicidal blockhead, but there's really a lot of admiration in that insult.

 

Marlowe: Why did you go so far?
Jean: Because... you remind me of a kid I hate... a certain dumbass...
Marlowe: ... Could that be the same person that Annie talked about?
Jean: ... Who knows? There are plenty of idiots around... And thankfully, that includes both of us.

Jean is compassionate and more human that he'd probably care to admit, dwelling on every death along the way when other characters like Armin and Erwin are more at ease with discarding their humanity in sacrificing lives for the greater good. When Jean begins to take on leadership roles, he stumbles when those he commands are injured or killed, and even hesitates to kill when faced with a human opponent looking to kill him. Although Jean prides himself on being pragmatic, he is inherently good, and hates having to make cold decisions -- hates that he even thinks about it. This is shown when he, Armin and Reiner are left with only two horses between them and need to escape from Titans:

"We can't afford to stay here any longer... if worst comes to worst, one of us will have to stay behind… and how would we decide who that'll be? Armin, who's wounded? Reiner, who's so big that the horse would probably have a hard time carrying two of us? Or should I take off on foot in search of my own horse? Shit... I hate that I can't get my mind off of it! The three of us just managed to escape the jaws of death and here I am plotting about who to abandon!"

The fact that he does think about those facts demonstrates his cleverness, however. While he isn't as fast and as sharp as Armin, he is capable of thinking things through, and he and Armin make a tactical force to be reckoned with.
 

"Oh? You think I can trust you two...? Especially you, bowl-cut... I just can't muster up any sympathy for someone who'd get that haircut!!!"

All seriousness aside, though, Jean does have a humorous side, though his humour errs on the side of berating his friends and teasing them for topics that can be sensitive. While he doesn't always have a filter, he can generally read a room and understand when enough is enough. He has been the voice of brevity before, as well, easing everybody's moods.

"Hey, why don't you tell me? Tell me the secret to keeping your sanity after disgracing yourself in public like that!"

He wears his emotions on his sleeve, with everyone being blatantly aware of his crush on Mikasa, but is level-headed enough that he doesn't let those feelings get in the way of his judgment of people at the end of the day. Even though he has a crush on Mikasa and initially views Armin as pathetic, he is able to assess them practically for what they are despite his prejudices.

“... You know, Armin, I've always been creeped out by the way you fawn over Eren... but I always thought you were a capable guy.”

As the series progresses, Jean grows as a character, caring for others more openly. He becomes able to admit that he is wrong, standing by Eren and apologizing to Levi when he disobeys a command and sees his errors. The maturity that Jean gains prompts characters to later remark, 'Are you really Jean Kirstein? The Jean I know only thinks about himself,' and 'No, Jean, he's right. It really is creepy how serious and responsible you got all of a sudden.' This growth can really be pinned down to him being able to find strength in his friends, and at the end of the day, he constantly proves that he is willing to die for those friends and for, ultimately, humanity.

Abilities: Jean has a decent mind for strategy, and has good leadership skills due to being able to pick out people’s weaknesses and therefore find their strengths. He is also highly skilled with the three dimensional manoeuvre gear (3DMG), and is capable of using firearms. Overall, he's got good combat efficiency and knows how to handle himself, ranking in the top 10 of the 104th graduates at position 6.

Alignment: Thras; Jean is constantly afraid of the titans and the hell that the scouts face, and he fears losing his friends. He's incredibly wary when it comes to trusting people and placing responsibility in them, but ultimately, he is able to mostly overcome his fear, eventually getting to the stage where he is willing to sacrifice his life for his friends and for humanity.



⌈ 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: TDM @ Empatheias

Emotion Sample:

The festival is beginning to die down, and Jean has to say, it's been... fun. It's weird to think that, especially because he's been wandering the festival all on his lonesome. Festivals at home are usually so shallow -- a temporary distraction, made to give comfort to the scared and the hungry; to the refugees of the outer walls. Nobody has any real fun at the festivals back home except for drunks too inebriated to remember that death might be around the corner, and kids that are too young to know any better.

He wishes his fellow scouts could be here.

The thought hits him like a heavy blow, and Jean suddenly feels winded by the yearning and emptiness he suddenly feels. He misses his friends, and wants to be able to share this with them. They deserve it -- they deserve it most out of anybody here, he thinks. They should be winning prizes; they should be eating this strange and wonderful food.

The grass wilts beneath his feet, and follows his footsteps as if Jean oozes despondency in a trial behind him. The air around him grows heavy, as if suddenly thickening with humidity, full of the smell of dirt before rain. It's suffocating, not only to him but to anybody who comes close.

Jean tightens his fist. Suddenly the festival isn't so fun anymore.