character survey meme thing.

[feycarved]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
5'9", broad-built and muscular.

2. How old is he?
44.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
He tends more to keep his posture straight to compensate for his height, and only slouches when he's totally relaxed.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Both the physical demands of his job and his connections with high-skilled healers keep him in top condition.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
It depends largely on whatever he's doing at the time, but his movements are almost always surely-made, at least when he's on the job.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
Fairly attractive, though perhaps not in any traditional sense. It's not something he really thinks about or tries to maintain.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Pale, though he tans easily (and often, in the warmer seasons), and pretty well scarred from the neck down (except for his back).

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
Brown, shortish, thick and somewhat wavy.

9. What color are his eyes?
Light blue.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
His grimoire, which is fairly large by his world's standards, covers nearly the entirety of his back and is spreading across his shoulders and around his torso. The interior of the design is much the same as when he first inherited it, patterned with hexagonal and pentagonal shapes, but it has since "grown wild" with more random, chaotic patterns reflecting that magicks he's gained over the years.

11. What are his chief tension centers?
His upper back and shoulders.

12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?
Utilitarian, mostly earth tones. He prefers variety, but doesn't like anything too flashy.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
For the amount of physical activity he typically goes through on a daily basis, his clothes pretty much have to fit well.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
Yes. He's learned the hard way not to take off his protective gear in the company of others, not even during his downtime.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
It depends on his mood, really.



Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Somewhat deep, but not very.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Slow and even; with his accent, he runs the risk of not being understood in the slightest if he talks too fast. Partly because of this, he rarely ever hesitates with his speech.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Having been born and raised in the region, he speaks with a very thick Vandalian (equivalent of southern West Virginian) accent/dialect, despite the fact that he hasn't been there in several years.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
He's picked up several European languages due to his travels, though his skill with any of them is barely passable at best—due in part to his awful pronounciation, but also to his reliance on Geir as a translator since partnering with him.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Not really, but his accent thickens (and his grammar worsens) considerably when he's intoxicated.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
Both, considering his typical rate of speech and his experience at bullshitting.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
His style of speech doesn't allow for much eloquency, but he is far from inarticulate. This definitely changes whenever he's angry or under pressure, however.



Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
More intelligent than he may seem, between his grimoire, training with magic, and years of experience.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
Both, depending on the situation.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Logic and practicality always. He's not the type to ignore instinct or a gut reaction if it's strong enough, though.

4. What kind of education has the character had?
Nothing formal, considering the environment in which he grew up, but his mother educated him and trained him with magic well enough, and he learned from his father and peers various skills in hunting and trapping both animals and fey. Everything he knows beyond that is mostly self-taught.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
To answer both, various fields of magic, countering, warding, and combating those magicks, and fey.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Usually an extrovert, but he does have plenty of moments in which he prefers to keep to himself.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Mostly laid-back and even-tempered, but it doesn't take much to raise his temper if his mood is already sour.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
Outwardly enthusiastic if the situation is right, but always cautious.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
Act.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
He has a good sense of humor and will laugh at just about anything that deserves to be laughed at, unless it's a joke made at his expense. His ego is a little too sensitive for him to appreciate those.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders?
No.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
The two big ones would probably be when his mother was killed, giving him a guilt complex it would take him years to get over, and when he was outed and consequently ostracized from his hometown, which he still hasn't gotten over.

14. What does he fear?
Very little that he hasn't managed to get over or work past in his work or travels. The one fear that still affects him in any significant capacity is that of rejection, at least on an emotional level.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
He doesn't really have any, aside from whatever long-term jobs he might undertake or simply getting by on a day-to-day basis. He doesn't feel like he has much he can realistically aspire to outside of decent lodgings and a relatively painless death.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
His homosexuality, to the point that he's in some serious self-denial over it. (This has not, however, stopped him from having a number of one-night stands over in Europe.)



Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
He was very close to his mother, and for a long time after her death blamed himself for not being able to keep her from getting killed. His father, on the other hand, started to grow distant when Elijah first began learning magic, and after his mother's death, their relationship was irreparable; despite Elijah's efforts to "prove his worth" and impress him with his fey hunting prowess, when he was outed in his late teens, his father disowned him entirely.

2. Does the character have any siblings?
Nope.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
None.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Not particularly.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Aðalgeir Brynjúlfsson, whom he calls "Geir" for short. They met first by chance, with Geir being the target of a job Elijah had recently been offered; when their paths crossed again, however, Geir suggested a business partnership, and the two have been working together ever since.

6. Does he have other close friends?
None close.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
Yes, though as mentioned above, he prefers not to let people get too close.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Family.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed?
Single.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Nope.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
His first was a boy from his hometown who had been close to his age (and ultimately outed him), and his latest is on Geir.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Not that he really looks for romantic partners, but he'd be happy with someone who wouldn't backstab or reject him.

13. Does the character have children? If no, does he want any?
None that he knows of. He doesn't particularly want any, either, if only because he feels like children would hold him back from his work and drifter lifestyle.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
None, apart from the witches who have tried to steal his grimoire on more than one occasion.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
Homosexual, close to a 5 on the Kinsey scale.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
Important enough that he'd prefer to have it on a regular basis, but not so important that he'll risk being publically outed again.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
He's a chest and ass man. His only "weird" habit would be his reluctance (or often outright refusal) to expose his back or allow it to be touched in bed, but considering the typical placement of grimoires, this is considered completely rational in his world.



Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
His birthdate is December 2, 1878, making him a Sagittarius born in the year of the earth tiger. Both signs fit him pretty well.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
He was raised in a very religious environment, and part of that still sticks with him to this day, but since he left his home, neither religion nor spirituality hold much meaning for him anymore.

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
Yes, one that he's developed over the years and through his various experiences; if someone he cared for was in danger, however, he would break it in an instant.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Usually indifferent, but otherwise tolerant.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
His experiences with fey (and the general attitude held towards them by contemporary society) have led him to be fairly speciesist.



Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Comfortable enough to survive.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
There were few social strata where he grew up, and the drifter's lifestyle he took up afterwards put him well outside any typical social status. However, being forced from his home and not having any prospect of ever returning has affected him more than he'll ever admit.

3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?
He "lives" wherever he can find room and board for the night, which is sometimes even outside.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
Alcohol, weaponry, and little else.

5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?
He is a world-renowned fey hunter, and he is highly skilled at what he does. He does enjoy it, but even if he didn't, he isn't exactly qualified to do much else.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
He usually spends what little downtime he has in the local bar, tavern, pub, or similar establishment, or just relaxing on his own.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
He can't really afford to be picky over when and what he eats (sometimes to his peril). He is quite the social drinker, though.



Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:

1. Color? warm brown
2. Smell? woods after rain
3. Time of day? early afternoon
4. Season? late summer/early autumn
5. Book? n/a
6. Music? something like this
7. Place? Appalachian mountains
8. Substance? leather
9. Plant? dogwood tree
10. Animal? basilisk



END
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