Collaborate with us to create a a new "International Director" of DBRIS character by detailing their upbringing, life story, and association with DBRIS and Disco Ball Theory.
DBRIS
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Once complete, we invite you to submit a PDF of this document to the Co-Create submission portal. One writer will be tasked with turning their character profile into a personal blog post outlining the character’s life + mission.
Name?
Tanvi (female) or Eshan (male) Bhatta
Age?
40s pushing 50s.
Gender?
Whatever actor fits the role so I’ll be using ‘Bhatta’ for the name below.
What are the 2-5 unique physical traits or wardrobe choices that define this character’s appearance?
· Bhatta is used to being an academic researcher and they dress like it. No button-ups and blazers with shiny shoes like a normal director, but instead any closed-toed shoes, long pants and a comfortable jumper. Dressed neatly but not strictly if that makes sense.
· Fun socks.
· Not technically an ‘appearance’ but Bhatta has celiac disease so all of their takeaway or catering lunches have a little ‘GF’ gluten-free on it.
· Always wears a bangle/bracelet from their mum.
· Mixed-blood maybe but honestly doesn’t matter.
1-3 unique habits/mannerisms?
· Bhatta is quick to smile but rarely laughs, staying emotionally distanced from most people.
· They have a calm head and stay rational no matter how stressful the situation, but needs a while to recover after it’s all been fixed.
· Always reading new research papers and knows a lot of facts about their research sector (DBRIS or PhD) and very willing to explain. Once Bhatta gets started by any question vaguely relating to their research, they can go on for hours. They have a background in physics and they're used to explaining things for laymen, keeping an old-school whiteboard that they can wheel around and scribble on.
What is the most defining thing that happened to them between the age of 1-18?
Bhatta spent much of their life in DBRIS, ever since they were young. Their mum would bring them to work where Bhatta would play in her office or help the secretaries ferry around folders.
They learned the staff, the stakeholders, the day-to-day running of the organisation. They learned of notable people and creatures and different worlds long before most of the top scientists.
But what they remember most is that they would accompany their mum to meetings and she would slide a tablet in front of Bhatta so they could record the meeting. In those moments they felt like the most important person in the room.
It was not the impossible discoveries, the improbable theories, or even the ridiculous amounts of money being shuffled around for new satellites that would catch Bhatta’s attention. It was meeting people and helping them that they remember so vividly.
Do they have a significant other? Kids? Close personal friends or confidants of note?
They’re still close friends with their old research group and contacts but have to keep DBRIS out of it, so their closest confidant who knows absolutely everything is a very old DBRIS staff member (maybe secretary or admin) who they worked with closely from a small child running errands.
They have a vaguely mentioned partner (I am inclined to make Bhatta gay/lesbian but that also depends on the LGBTQ spread of the other characters that I don’t know. I leave it to your discretion to even it up) and too many dogs.
Describe this character’s educational and work background before getting involved with DBRIS. What types of “mainstream” science did they study? What degree(s) do they hold? What organizations did they work for?
Bhatta has a PhD in physics and was an early career researcher studying something close to universal expansion or something about new universes, that are tangentially related to multiverse theory. They moved around internationally for their bachelors, masters, PhD and postdoc so they have a wide range of knowledge and contacts. Mostly government or university roles, but a brief stint with a start-up.
They’re still in contact with their old postdoc fellow, writing a research paper together. (Notably, they have far too many papers they need to write and no time to do it but at least Bhatta doesn’t need to struggle for grant money – just deal with stakeholders.)
Describe the specific events that happened with the mysterious incident that led to their parent's disappearance. How did this event ignite the character's interest in DBRIS and Disco Ball Theory?
Bhatta and their mum were meant to meet up since Bhatta was in the country for a science conference but the mum never showed.
Not sure how you’re doing the multiverse thing but maybe she’s just gone with markings like a rift opened and she got sucked into a different reality (again, change this to fit the plot) and Bhatta finds the markings. Everything else at the mum’s house is the same, her two dogs are fine and happy to see Bhatta, and everything looks normal. The abrupt disappearance is a lot like how Bhatta’s mum insisted the dad went missing.
Bhatta takes the dogs in with her own pets (this is how she gets ‘too many dogs’) and asks around, talking to people she knew at DBRIS. No one knows and Bhatta obsesses over it before finally quitting her job and moving back to the company, working her way up to Director.
Describe the state of the character’s personal life after having devoted themselves to Disco Ball Theory?
They’ve had to separate their other research interests and priorities and it was a great upheaval for a while but they’re used to moving jobs and countries so they settle quickly (moving so often is also why they stay distant and don’t have many true friends).
DBRIS isn’t a new place for them, it’s home, and they know many of the people here (I assume it’s the kind of job where you get sucked in, stay for a few decades and retire there). Bhatta has made not quite friends but good coworkers and reliable people.
What is the character’s personal philosophy on Disco Ball Theory?
They look at it from a very academic-inclined angle. You can’t say something doesn’t exist, you just haven’t proved it does yet. This is especially true in physics where most lay people still don’t know what a quark is. Bhatta is just working on the proving part of it.
What are the character's long-term visions for DBRIS, and how do they intend to achieve them?
They want to spread the word about it because DBRIS can’t learn and grow if the organisation doesn’t interact with others. Research papers need to be peer-reviewed and spread for others to use, otherwise there’s no greater progress. Bhatta wants more eyes on the problem, more people to talk to and discuss. They are community-minded and intent on making more contacts and spreading information on what DBRIS does.
How does this character respond to those who believe Disco Ball Theory is a hoax or pseudoscience?
They're used to keeping things close to their chest after so long as director in a place like this, only answering when asked specifically and people show real interest otherwise they watch the room first and stay vague, only explaining concepts and ideas, nothing like concrete tests.
If the person clearly doesn’t want a conversation, just to argue, then Bhatta just lets people talk at them and doesn’t try to interact. If the person is sceptical but genuinely listening. Bhatta will be happy to discuss. (Bhatta often jokes that they could have come up with a better name than Disco Ball Theory but researchers are often strange (cue several tangents about that one physics researcher who put his cat’s name on a paper because they wouldn’t let him publish as a single author and everyone else started adding the cat as author too, or those molecular biologists who named a gene after Sonic the Hedgehog and Eggman).)
Bhatta is not a fighter but if they ever get into trouble they very calmly know how to get out without violence (I just assume there will be an action scene at some point). They can block doors using tension ropes or several door wedges hammered into the edges of doorframes, climb out of windows or down balconies, and blend into a crowd very well taking off jumpers/adding jackets and head down staring at their phone to call for an uber to escape. Lots of fun physics things with levers and tension.
Who does this character work closely with within the organization? Are there any significant friendships or rivalries?
Bhatta works closely with the other managers of each department (I just assume there are some and that this organisation is big enough for it). And also stakeholders who know about the organisation, some being genuine dramatic doomsday preppers or conspiracy theorists with just too much money to give away.
Bhatta is actually very close with a rich conspiracy theorist stakeholder who talks science just as well. The theorist ran the startup Bhatta was working for and Bhatta pointed the theorist to DBRIS. They have a friendly rivalry between companies – don’t mention conflict of interest, forget about it, assume they work in slightly different areas.
Bhatta is friends with the old DBRIS staff member mentioned above in ‘do they have a significant other’ question.