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Player Info:
Name: Gena
Timezone: PST
Contact: genalovestoons

Character Info:
Name: Stanley Pines
Age: Somewhere in his 60s. He is old.
AU/PG/CANON/OC: Canon, taken shortly before “Not What He Seems”

Summary:

• Stan Pines grew up on the east coast with his twin brother. As an adult, he took to a life of crime after a failed career as a travelling businessman. He was chased across the US (and briefly into Columbia) by the authorities. He used a number of fake identities in order to avoid capture.Somewhere around this time, his brother was secretly researching the paranormal creatures and anomalies in Gravity Falls, Oregon. It's very likely that Stan lived with him for a time there, even if it was just "because it was the one place where the cops didn't know who he was".


• In the summer of 1982, his twin went missing. After his brother's disappearance, Stan took ownership of his brother's home and possessions. He turned it into a "Mystery Shack" and filled it with fake paranormal exhibits in order to earn some money, and to secretly work on bringing his brother back via the strange deactivated portal in the basement. He also looked for his brother's missing field journals. He had the first, but the other 2 were hidden somewhere in town.


• 30 years later, Stan's grand-niece and nephew visited him at the Mystery Shack for their summer vacation. Dipper and Mabel accidentally stumbled across the 3rd journal and used their new-found knowledge to solve the mysteries of the town. Stan lied to them about knowing anything about the paranormal, but tried to keep them out of danger when he could. After Dipper let him borrow the 3rd Journal, and after stealing the 2nd from his arch-rival Gideon, Stan had the complete code needed to activate the dimensional portal.


• The energy of the portal caught the attention of a secret government agency, who believed that Stan was building a doomsday device. Stan was arrested on the day that that the portal was ready to open. While he tried to break out, Dipper and Mabel found out about his extended criminal record, false identities, and how he had lied to them about the journals. Despite everything that she had learned about him, and the apparent danger that the portal posed; Mabel believed that his actions were for a good reason, and she allowed the portal to open completely. Stan's brother was able to come back primarily due to her trust.

Make no mistake: Stan Pines is a huge jerk. He's malicious, cynical, greedy, opportunistic, and lies to everybody. He loves teasing people and laughing at the misfortune of others. He's tough and gruff, and has a particular fondness for fighting and conflict. He can put on a charming facade for the customers of the Mystery Shack, but he sees them only as a source of income. He isn't fond of most of the people in Gravity Falls either, calling them "literally the dumbest people in the world". When he's not working in the Shack or the basement, he usually just lazes around the house in his boxers. He dislikes using common courtesies like "please" and "thank you".

He shows some difficulty in expressing his emotions or seeming vulnerable. This is probably due to his hardened demeanor and the long period of time he spent working and living alone. He struggles to confront his own loneliness and grief, and his methods for dealing with it are often still masking the truth (like Wax Stan's funeral). There are some secrets that he can keep bottled up indefinitely, and even those closest to him can be surprised by how little they really know about him. He's good at lying directly to people's faces, so it can be hard to discern whats true and what's not. He stumbles over his words when he's confronted unexpectedly, and grows visibly uncomfortable whenever anyone discovers something he tried to cover up. He rarely mentions his past, and only does so briefly with his closest friends and family.

Despite his rough exterior, he's fiercely loyal and protective of the people he cares about. He grows more attached to people over time, and in the right company his demeanor can improve from grumpy and combative to friendly and cheeky . He'll still make jokes at the expense of his family and friends, but he seems glad to have that same kind of attitude sent back at him. He tries to bring out the best in his family, even if they see it as him being unfairly difficult. For example, he picked on Dipper frequently in order to teach him how to fight back. Stan is quick witted and self confident, and can make concrete choices when the going gets tough.

However, he doesn't always make the best decisions, and can sometimes react spontaneously and violently. He steals and shoplifts often. He has had such a long string of luck in avoiding the cops that he doesn't really worry about the consequences. In his long-term goals he's a careful planner, and is fine with waiting for the right moment to act. He's had a fair amount of experience in dealing with the paranormal, but he's extremely cautious around it because he knows how dangerous it can be. When Dipper and Mabel entered his mindscape, the manifestation of his worst fears were locked away in a chained box, and a misshapen monster's arm could be seen thrashing out of it. Whenever he finds out that they'e going on monster hunts, he panics and tries to convince them to do other things instead.

Stan would do anything to protect the people he loves. He has risked life, limb, and the very fabric of the universe for his family. While he might not always be upfront about who he really is, or how he feels, or what he's doing; he has good intentions. Sometimes.


Gem Considerations:



“Apache Tear” Obsidian

From Crystal Dictionary:
“Metaphysically, ‘apache tears’ are believed to help one to establish and maintain a deep connection with Mother Earth and encourage strength, courage and hope in the face of adversity. If forgiveness is not your strong suit, an apache tear could serve as your aid. They are said to make it easier for one to both forgive and receive forgiveness from others. Apache tears may dispel negative energy present in the environment and one's emotions and provide protection from psychic attacks and being taken advantage of. They may help to break any repetitive egocentric and negative patterns that you tend to get caught up in and create quite a radical change in behavior as these negative influences are replaced by positive attitudes. In other words, they might be considered a cleansing and healing stone. Many believe that they bring good luck, and wear or carry them during business endeavors to promote success. Being excellent meditation stones, they may also increase psychic powers and produce clear vision.”

This gem's symbolism follows the path of Stan's personal growth pretty closely in terms of being a protector and trying to be a better person. While he's still a loooong way from being considered a hero, he can at least try to keep people from getting hurt. The gem might affect him slightly, and make him feel a bit calmer and more compelled to keep an eye on all these weird monster-fighting gem kids.

His gem is embedded in the back of his right hand, and his gem weapon is a pair of obsidian knuckledusters.

Power considerations:

• Gravitational Manipulation


• Shapeshifting


• Teleportation

Stan probably won't turn to using his powers immediately. He prefers to use his fists and his wits to solve problems, and magic makes him uncomfortable to begin with. However, as time goes on he will see the advantages of his abilities and try to get a hang of them pretty quickly. His powers would probably first begin to activate out of a need to protect people, but after a while he'll start using them casually. There's an excellent chance that he'll use them for petty, flippant reasons. (Amethyst's use of her powers in Steven Universe are a good example.)

As a small note, Stan will also have a fairly easy time in creating his room in the temple thanks to his experience as a lucid dreamer. In the episode Dreamscapers, he teaches Dipper how to manipulate the mindscape with his thoughts.

Sample:
Threads from the Cosmographia Test Drive:
- Stan and Dipper go out for Pizza! Also Mystery Dog harrasses him for stealing food.
- Stan punches Bill in the face
- Stan punches Bill in the face 2: The Electric Boogaloo