Characters

Mr. DiPatera (more commonly known as “Dips”) is a second-rate freelance journalist who does most of his work for the fourth-rate newspaper, The East Nettlesford Smoke Signal. He’s combative, stubborn, hyper-critical, tactless, and has a hard time relating to most of humanity; it makes one wonder why he got into a field as people-skills dependent as journalism in the first place. What he does have going for him is his intelligence, dedication and curiosity. Despite the fact that he often comes across as a jerk, he has strong (although sometimes odd) principles. As one who dresses perpetually in socks and sandals and wears an old pair of swim trunks in lieu of pants, he’s clearly a substance over style kind of guy. He enjoys mocking the emotions and logic of others and getting into political arguments with Blatto. He’s the roommate of Eric Nidd, his larger, gentler, quieter friend.


Eric

Eric Nidd is Dips’ roommate and is the assistant manager of the East Nettlesford public access television station. It’s a strange job for him, and he’s ambivalent about the nerdy, audio visual types he works with; he switches between sympathy and the desire to strangle them. He’s a gentle giant, and the rest of the cast sees him as a sympathetic ear to vent at. He’s brighter than most of the other characters, but usually finds the most subtle way possible to suggest they might be acting like idiots. He’s prone to over analysis, and his musings often take on an anxious edge. He probably gets depressed more than the rest of the cast, with the possible exception of Leah Pedoptera, who at least complains about it the most.



Blatto

Blatto is the nickname this character goes by exclusively, which he got after crashing into a case of blattodea (cockroach) specimens in his work as an entomologist. As Blatto says of his nickname’s similarity to “blotto,” “the rampant alcoholism is only a coincidence.” He’s boisterous, crude, constantly dressed in a dew rag and trenchcoat and is usually either suffering from a hangover or working on the next one. He doesn’t seem to fit the “science guy” stereotype. He's street smart and science smart, but seems to be lacking the ever-so-important 'common sense' smarts' in between.. At some point during his childhood, Blatto’s family emigrated to the U.S. from some unspecified former Soviet bloc country, which may be why his patriotic zeal borders on the over-compensating. He enjoys getting into political arguments with the more liberal Dips.



Anna

Anna Lidd is a struggling freelance artist who supplements her income with business endeavors of dubious legality. She has a dark past of hard drug use that’s alluded to, which she’s trying to move past; this may be why she usually tries to put a positive spin on things and keep life in perspective. She’s prone to bizarre trains of thought, although they’re less melancholy than Eric’s (more like whimsical flights of fancy). She’s kind of a hippy-ish space cadet, and the roommate of Leah Pedoptera.


Leah

Leah Pedoptera is Anna’s roommate and a high school teacher of remedial history. Leah is the least freakish-looking member of the cast, which may contribute to her overly inflated sense of self worth. She’s whiney, cranky and more than a little self-involved. She does have some good qualities going for her; she’s well read and relatively assertive, although that can be annoying too. Why she puts up with the rest of the cast (and why they put up with her) is shrouded in mystery. It's probably just inertia.


Gus

Gus Tropod is more of a tertiary character, and usually doesn’t interact much with the main cast. He’s a lazy, vice-riddled con artist, and though he isn’t very political himself, he’s often been known to exploit the politics of others in order to make a buck. His actions are forgivable, if for no other reason than the fact that he’s usually scamming jerks and that his ends are fairly un-ambitious. He can be a bit of a smooth talker, but you would be too if the upper-half of your face looked like a tentacle gripping a pair of coconuts.


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