Character Name: Dirk Strider Canon: Homestuck Age: 16 Gender: Male
Canon Point: Post Dirk: Solicit profound wisdom from your friendly guide. History:Here. Personality: Dirk Strider is a strange guy. He's the sort of quiet, intense person that you could go your entire highschool career without speaking to, unless you happened to bring up a topic that he's passionate about.
At worst, he comes across as being pushy, annoying, and something of a know-it-all. Excluding the downright bizarreness of some of the things he says and does, he often comes across as condescending or a little too full of himself. Dirk is intense, for lack of a better word. His friends remark that he has a way of getting exactly what he wants, through mindgames and force, and he often states that he is in control at all times.
It's unsurprising, given that Dirk goes so far to refer to himself as the one pulling all of the strings. He places Jane in the role of leader, but adds that it will be "in name only" as he plans on manipulating every event behind the scenes. He moves his friends something like chess pieces, never really stopping to ask if they're alright with his plans or revealing them beyond what he absolutely has to. Never forthright with what he intends to do, Dirk relies on a lot of manipulative tactics. He plays a constant mindgame with Jake to try to get him to be more skeptical, using the autoresponder to keep him on his toes and never certain whether he's speaking to the real Strider or the one inside the glasses. Dirk also uses a lot of "I" statements to sway opinion without directly telling people what to do. He makes it seem as though he's just offering his input and a long explanation of the reasoning behind it, leaving them free to do as they wish but making it clear what he thinks would be best. This occasionally breaks, leaving him stating what he thinks seems to be obvious and he will leave no room for argument. As well as less than gentle means, taking the Brobot and it's brutal treatment of Jake in order to shape him into, in Dirk's own words, a "killing machine". We see this in how his Pre-Scratch self treats Dave, playing a constant game of cat and mouse often ending in a rough Strife session.
Even so, he does genuinely mean well. Dirk cares for his friends. He makes it clear that he's there for them no matter what, offering comfort to both Roxy and Jane when they need it. He understands more than anyone else the gravity of their situation. As well as the inevitability that comes with the game. What he's doing is trying to prepare them for it. That doesn't make his tactics good or right, but he seems to consider himself the one who knows best.
This also leads to a problem where he tries to take too much on himself. Dirk stated that he does not sleep. He is constantly conscious, whether in Derse or in the waking world. He juggles two waking selves at once and because of this he tends to zone out for long periods of time in one world or the other. Additionally, he spends much time micromanaging events and people. As if his dual identities isn't enough, he claims to have built robots for the purpose of managing everything he can't at the time. All in all, way too much on this plate - he's willing to acknowledge it, but will never willingly lessen the load placed upon his shoulders.
He's a smart guy. He's been able to build fully functioning combat robots for years, not even touching on the fact that he has created AI at a very young age. Squarewave, Lil Seb, Brobot, the Auto-Responder, and Sawtooth are all his own creation, each with a distinct personality and habits. Dirk doesn't believe in just viewing them as cold, emotionless programs. He's adamant about treating them equally, not even leaving the auto-responder just for it's intended task of answering or handling things that he can't. He gives them as much room to thrive as he possibly can - even if he realizes that there's a danger to it.
And honestly, it's pretty easy to see why. Dirk is surrounded by people of his own making. His Bro died centuries before he was born, leaving him to be raised by nothing but himself and the reflections of himself. And Lil Cal. In his dystopian future he's nearly entirely alone. It's a pretty lonely existence. He refers to Lil Cal, an apparently heirloom of his brother's, as his "best friend" and refuses to harm him though he's been informed that Cal might actually be dangerous. Dirk attaches sentimental value on things and highly respects the life, or at least the cognitive workings, of his creations. This is entirely unsurprising as, again, they are the only people anywhere near him.
He is an odd guy. There is no way around that. Dirk's room is covered in fetish fuel, and he drops casual references to his extreme love of puppets in every day conversation. "Smuppets", an overtly sexual puppet that sports a bulbous ass and a phallic nose, are his own creation and he has a pile of them at the foot of his bed. There is a large TV with a cycling screensaver which alternates between things such as his heroes, equine furries, and images of BDSM ponyplay. For all of this, he remains incredibly well spoken and somehow dignified in his oddity.
One cannot talk about a Strider without eventually getting to their definition of "irony". Alanis Morissette has nothing on the way they use this word. Irony, for the Strider family, is a way of explaining bizarre behavior. Pre-Scratch Dave refers to Bro's interest in puppets as ironic, as well as near anything he does as a means of explaining away the disturbing behaviour. "Irony" is a magic word that makes anything automatically cool to Dave. Whereas while Dirk does much the same, his meaning of "irony" is closer to the textbook definition and is used in extravagant, barely comprehensible manners. He worships the ground his brother walks on, but unlike Dave he is not blind to his flaws. He takes cues from his Bro's actions and reinvents them. There is always a note of sincerity in what he does - from building Jane a robotic bunny made from a priceless heirloom, to his over the top obsession with puppets.
Dirk also makes a regular habit of long, winding extended metaphors. His explanations are rarely short and concise, though his responses to every day conversation may be as much as a single word. Also characteristic to his speaking patterns is the random flourishes of vocabulary admist an otherwise dry and to the point dialogue.
Underneath all of it is a very sensitive young man. Dirk knows his flaws better than anyone else, but can't quite find the means to stop them. He's noted to be clingy and desperately needy, apparently disliking being alone and being very difficult to keep up with. He's not nearly as ruthless as one may think, haboring a secret heart that he's not quite able to protect from hurt and is loyal to a fault. He would much rather hurt himself than see any of his friends hurt or suffering, even if it means death or suffering the weight of his own overbearing company. Powers: In canon, Dirk is a little faster than most due to his ability to flash step. This will translate into his reflexes being a little quicker than most. Dirk is skilled with a blade but without flashstepping it is at a skilled level and nothing superhuman.
Other than that his God Tier powers are currently unknown. Dirk's other abilities involve being skilled with cybernetics, holding an above-average IQ, and using that intelligence to memorize pop references that no one really gives a shit about.
dirk strider
DW Journal: circusafro
Contact: zaiphon @ plurk
Current Characters: n/a
Character Name: Dirk Strider
Canon: Homestuck
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Canon Point: Post Dirk: Solicit profound wisdom from your friendly guide.
History: Here.
Personality: Dirk Strider is a strange guy. He's the sort of quiet, intense person that you could go your entire highschool career without speaking to, unless you happened to bring up a topic that he's passionate about.
At worst, he comes across as being pushy, annoying, and something of a know-it-all. Excluding the downright bizarreness of some of the things he says and does, he often comes across as condescending or a little too full of himself. Dirk is intense, for lack of a better word. His friends remark that he has a way of getting exactly what he wants, through mindgames and force, and he often states that he is in control at all times.
It's unsurprising, given that Dirk goes so far to refer to himself as the one pulling all of the strings. He places Jane in the role of leader, but adds that it will be "in name only" as he plans on manipulating every event behind the scenes. He moves his friends something like chess pieces, never really stopping to ask if they're alright with his plans or revealing them beyond what he absolutely has to. Never forthright with what he intends to do, Dirk relies on a lot of manipulative tactics. He plays a constant mindgame with Jake to try to get him to be more skeptical, using the autoresponder to keep him on his toes and never certain whether he's speaking to the real Strider or the one inside the glasses. Dirk also uses a lot of "I" statements to sway opinion without directly telling people what to do. He makes it seem as though he's just offering his input and a long explanation of the reasoning behind it, leaving them free to do as they wish but making it clear what he thinks would be best. This occasionally breaks, leaving him stating what he thinks seems to be obvious and he will leave no room for argument. As well as less than gentle means, taking the Brobot and it's brutal treatment of Jake in order to shape him into, in Dirk's own words, a "killing machine". We see this in how his Pre-Scratch self treats Dave, playing a constant game of cat and mouse often ending in a rough Strife session.
Even so, he does genuinely mean well. Dirk cares for his friends. He makes it clear that he's there for them no matter what, offering comfort to both Roxy and Jane when they need it. He understands more than anyone else the gravity of their situation. As well as the inevitability that comes with the game. What he's doing is trying to prepare them for it. That doesn't make his tactics good or right, but he seems to consider himself the one who knows best.
This also leads to a problem where he tries to take too much on himself. Dirk stated that he does not sleep. He is constantly conscious, whether in Derse or in the waking world. He juggles two waking selves at once and because of this he tends to zone out for long periods of time in one world or the other. Additionally, he spends much time micromanaging events and people. As if his dual identities isn't enough, he claims to have built robots for the purpose of managing everything he can't at the time. All in all, way too much on this plate - he's willing to acknowledge it, but will never willingly lessen the load placed upon his shoulders.
He's a smart guy. He's been able to build fully functioning combat robots for years, not even touching on the fact that he has created AI at a very young age. Squarewave, Lil Seb, Brobot, the Auto-Responder, and Sawtooth are all his own creation, each with a distinct personality and habits. Dirk doesn't believe in just viewing them as cold, emotionless programs. He's adamant about treating them equally, not even leaving the auto-responder just for it's intended task of answering or handling things that he can't. He gives them as much room to thrive as he possibly can - even if he realizes that there's a danger to it.
And honestly, it's pretty easy to see why. Dirk is surrounded by people of his own making. His Bro died centuries before he was born, leaving him to be raised by nothing but himself and the reflections of himself. And Lil Cal. In his dystopian future he's nearly entirely alone. It's a pretty lonely existence. He refers to Lil Cal, an apparently heirloom of his brother's, as his "best friend" and refuses to harm him though he's been informed that Cal might actually be dangerous. Dirk attaches sentimental value on things and highly respects the life, or at least the cognitive workings, of his creations. This is entirely unsurprising as, again, they are the only people anywhere near him.
He is an odd guy. There is no way around that. Dirk's room is covered in fetish fuel, and he drops casual references to his extreme love of puppets in every day conversation. "Smuppets", an overtly sexual puppet that sports a bulbous ass and a phallic nose, are his own creation and he has a pile of them at the foot of his bed. There is a large TV with a cycling screensaver which alternates between things such as his heroes, equine furries, and images of BDSM ponyplay. For all of this, he remains incredibly well spoken and somehow dignified in his oddity.
One cannot talk about a Strider without eventually getting to their definition of "irony". Alanis Morissette has nothing on the way they use this word. Irony, for the Strider family, is a way of explaining bizarre behavior. Pre-Scratch Dave refers to Bro's interest in puppets as ironic, as well as near anything he does as a means of explaining away the disturbing behaviour. "Irony" is a magic word that makes anything automatically cool to Dave. Whereas while Dirk does much the same, his meaning of "irony" is closer to the textbook definition and is used in extravagant, barely comprehensible manners. He worships the ground his brother walks on, but unlike Dave he is not blind to his flaws. He takes cues from his Bro's actions and reinvents them. There is always a note of sincerity in what he does - from building Jane a robotic bunny made from a priceless heirloom, to his over the top obsession with puppets.
Dirk also makes a regular habit of long, winding extended metaphors. His explanations are rarely short and concise, though his responses to every day conversation may be as much as a single word. Also characteristic to his speaking patterns is the random flourishes of vocabulary admist an otherwise dry and to the point dialogue.
Underneath all of it is a very sensitive young man. Dirk knows his flaws better than anyone else, but can't quite find the means to stop them. He's noted to be clingy and desperately needy, apparently disliking being alone and being very difficult to keep up with. He's not nearly as ruthless as one may think, haboring a secret heart that he's not quite able to protect from hurt and is loyal to a fault. He would much rather hurt himself than see any of his friends hurt or suffering, even if it means death or suffering the weight of his own overbearing company.
Powers: In canon, Dirk is a little faster than most due to his ability to flash step. This will translate into his reflexes being a little quicker than most. Dirk is skilled with a blade but without flashstepping it is at a skilled level and nothing superhuman.
Other than that his God Tier powers are currently unknown. Dirk's other abilities involve being skilled with cybernetics, holding an above-average IQ, and using that intelligence to memorize pop references that no one really gives a shit about.