Tapper Smurf (Empath stories)

"May the luck of the Smurfish be with you!"

Tapper is a Smurf character who is part of the EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story series.

History
Tapper is born the son of Seamus and Molly Smurf, the proprietors of the Smurfrock tavern, given the birth name of Naomhán (pronounced noo-vahn, meaning "little holy one") by his parents. In an interview with Reporter Smurf, Tapper revealed that he was mute when he was born. His father learned of the legend of the Blarney Stone in the Emerald Isle, which was able to cure any problems of whoever kissed it. So Seamus took his wife and his son to the Emerald Isle so that Tapper could kiss the Blarney Stone, and surely enough, Tapper was able to speak his first word.

Apart from that, Tapper knew very little about the Emerald Isle except that his mother had prevented Seamus from eating an enchanted stew made of shamrocks that she discovered would have turned her husband into a leprechaun -- a bit of information that would prove to be useful later on in Tapper's life during the time-traveling adventures of the Smurfs.

Around the time that he and his fellow Smurfs lost their parents and Papa Smurf adopted them as his own children, Tapper had no faith in Papa Smurf ever being able to be an effective leader of the village and thus ran away from the village, only to find himself caught floating downstream in the River Smurf. He was reportedly rescued by an angel, who then gave him a book by God which has enabled him to put his trust in a being with much greater power, and from there Tapper lives his life through faith.

Personality
Tapper is very friendly and enjoys conversing with his fellow Smurfs. He is usually of a temperament where it takes a lot to really get him angry. The only known occasion where he immediately got angry was when Brainy had to be put up in somebody else's house during the events of "Good Neighbor Smurf" and he was causing problems with the various Smurfs he was trying to bunk with. Tapper was glad to offer hospitality to Brainy, but gave him specific instructions not to touch any of his things, which Brainy ultimately paid no attention to, much to the displeasure of both Tapper and Brainy. Tapper regretted that he ever had to get angry with someone like Brainy, whom he generally likes despite his faults.

He tends to be a rather spiritual Smurf, for one of the things he reads is a book called The Holy Bible, as revealed in the story "The Innocence Of A Smurf". Very few Smurfs in the village are interested in wanting to read or have discussions of the Bible with Tapper, while Hefty thinks that Tapper is too pushy with his religion. Nonetheless, Papa Smurf does allow him to practice his faith within reasonable limits, and Tapper tends to be very respectful when it comes to his discussions.

In one of the stories of that series, Tapper joins with Sweepy, Miner, and Barber as a member of the Barber Smurf Quartet, practicing for the Smurfstock Festival. Mostly his singing is limited to private praise and worship. Usually Tapper keeps company with Barber and Sweepy due to their limited roles in the Smurf Village, and sometimes works alongside his friend Duncan McSmurf, whom they share an affinity for their unique Smurf cultural backgrounds.

Tapper's favorite holiday is the Day Of Clovers, which turns out to also be his birthday, a day that he celebrates his being of the Ailill clan. Due to having some knowledge of the Ailill language, Tapper's names for his fellow Smurfs are:
 * Empath Smurf - Ionbhá
 * Smurfette - Aoibheann
 * Sassette - Máirín
 * Brainy Smurf - Chliste
 * Hefty Smurf - Láidir
 * Handy Smurf - Seiftiúil
 * Vanity Smurf - Dathúil
 * Grouchy Smurf - Cantalach
 * Lazy Smurf - Leisciúil
 * Greedy Smurf - Ocras
 * Clumsy Smurf - Guaise
 * Harmony Smurf - Chéile
 * Jokey Smurf - Fuirseoir
 * Painter Smurf - Péintéir
 * Poet Smurf - File
 * Sloppy Smurf - Bréan
 * Scaredy Smurf - Scanraithe
 * Sickly Smurf - Breoite
 * Nosey Smurf - Aisteach
 * Chatty Smurf - Cainteach
 * Narrator Smurf - Scéalaí
 * Crazy Smurf - Dúsachtach
 * Duncan McSmurf - Laoch
 * Polaris Psyche - Finnegan

Relationships

 * Empath is considered one of his closest friends, as are also
 * Smurfette, whom he loves but refuses to push her into considering him as a love interest, and currently declines as he now sees Smurfette is interested in Empath.
 * Grouchy, whose feelings he respects, even to the point of refusing to hug him on Hug-A-Smurf Day. In fact, Tapper won't hug Grouchy at all unless he specifically asks for one.
 * Barber
 * Sweepy
 * Miner
 * Duncan McSmurf, who trains him in the use of a sword, though Tapper is less interested in fighting or hurting someone.
 * Eros is considered Tapper's enemy, mostly because he uses his lust arrows to go after Tapper's fellow Smurfs, with Vanity and Century being his favorite targets due to his own perverse nature.

Role
He is the friendly proprietor of Tapper's Tavern, where he serves fresh-brewed sarsaparilla ale to his patrons. He also acts as an informal counselor, offering advice to anyone who wants to hear it.

Clothing And Appearance
He is mostly identified by a shamrock that he wears on his modified Smurf hat and by his green tie and green-striped vest. Like his father Seamus, Tapper speaks with an Irish accent.

Possible Voice Actor
His speaking voice would probably be that of whoever currently does the voice of Lucky the Leprechaun from the Lucky Charms cereal commercials. His singing voice would be that of Christian worship leader Robin Mark or a similar sounding voice.