character surveeeeey
this is what I do instead of sleeping
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy? River is a thin, wispy sort of girl. You could argue that she probably doesn't eat enough, but then again, very little stays down in her stomach anyway. She's nearly 5'7".
2. How old is she? Seventeen.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch? River holds herself like a dancer: with delicate grace and a poise that some may interpret as strange, but still nonetheless inspires awe in some people. One of her "doctors" once described her as a creature of incomparable grace.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Physically, River is thin and has a hard time with some foods, but other than that, she seems fairly fit and, especially in Serenity, she is way stronger than she looks.
River's ailment lies inside her head. She was lured to a government-sponsored school called the Academy where she was told she could develop her advanced brain. Instead of what she was promised, the doctors cut into her brain and eventually removed her amygdala, the part of the brain which controls emotions. Because of this, River "feels everything--she can't not."
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Very graceful, even in battle, River has a sort of rhythm she moves to. It may not be noticeable to anyone else, but she hears it, and that's what matters.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror? River is actually very pretty, but she has never been in an environment where her looks necessarily help her. If anything, she is valued for her brain; her looks are not mentioned. River has a very small sense of self due to the fact that she hears everybody else's thoughts and ideas and feelings.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Very light. She has multiple scars in her scalp from the surgeries the Alliance doctors performed on her.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style. River's hair is usually always a mess. Unlike Inara's perfect styles, Zoe's ponytailed curls, or Kaylee's adorably straight hair, River's is probably combed once a week, if at that. When she does take care of it, though, it is curly and probably falls to the middle of her back.
9. What color are her eyes? Very light brown, almost hazel.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? River actually has very well cared for feet. If you watch the series you'll notice she almost never bothers with shoes, and she usually is comfortable barefoot, even when other people around her wear boots.
11. What are her chief tension centers? Neck, beck, hands. She holds her stress in these areas as well as the top of her head.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit? A combination of bright colors and pastels. LOTS of bohemian-style skirts, dresses, and knit fabrics, River has a very earthy, almost country sense of style compared to her brother Simon's top-of-the-line city clothing.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them? River's clothes are long, flowy, and loose-fitting for the most part, and while they do not exactly frame her body very well, she looks like she wouldn't be comfortable in, say, a dress of Inara's or pants that belong to Kaylee.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences? Dresses the same.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Whatever she can get on in the morning.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? River's voice for the most part is relatively normal for a girl of her age. She gets lower or higher depending on a few things: a) how frightened she is, b) whose thoughts she's reading, and c) whether she's imitating a girl or a guy.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate? River's speech patterns are basically messed up beyond hope. She never talks the exact same way twice, often using obscure references and panicked, quick speech to get her point across. She takes long pauses between ideas, and uses sentences that are shorter in the series compared to her relatively even speech in the R. Tam sessions.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? River can pick up and drop accents at will; however, her accent can be classified as standard American by accents today. She also speaks Mandarin with a fairly natural timbre.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency? Both English and Mandarin. Fluent in both.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations? Like most people in Firefly, River switches between Chinese and English easily. When reading Badger's thoughts, she picked up his Cockney accent. She can be described as a parrot in this sense: able to imitate things she hears.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words? River's entire speech pattern is sort of impromptu: she does not keep to one topic often and when she does she usually has to be talking to someone else. However, River does very little speaking on her own except in Objects in Space, and while she is playing Serenity, she sees very confident in herself.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Eloquent and inarticulate, depending on who you ask. Simon would say eloquent because of his sympathies to his sister; Jayne would say inarticulate because he finds her incomprehensible.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart? Book book book. If it's written down, River knows it. She can also pick up things from people's heads, so I can imagine that if she were to spend some time on the streets, she could survive. Probably not for very long as a fugitive, but it's still possible.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
4. What kind of education has the character had?
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
14. What does she fear?
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
6. Does she have other close friends?
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
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?
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others?
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else?
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color?
2. Smell?
3. Time of day?
4. Season?
5. Book?
6. Music?
7. Place?
8. Substance?
9. Plant?
10. Animal?
END
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TBC~
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy? River is a thin, wispy sort of girl. You could argue that she probably doesn't eat enough, but then again, very little stays down in her stomach anyway. She's nearly 5'7".
2. How old is she? Seventeen.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch? River holds herself like a dancer: with delicate grace and a poise that some may interpret as strange, but still nonetheless inspires awe in some people. One of her "doctors" once described her as a creature of incomparable grace.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Physically, River is thin and has a hard time with some foods, but other than that, she seems fairly fit and, especially in Serenity, she is way stronger than she looks.
River's ailment lies inside her head. She was lured to a government-sponsored school called the Academy where she was told she could develop her advanced brain. Instead of what she was promised, the doctors cut into her brain and eventually removed her amygdala, the part of the brain which controls emotions. Because of this, River "feels everything--she can't not."
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Very graceful, even in battle, River has a sort of rhythm she moves to. It may not be noticeable to anyone else, but she hears it, and that's what matters.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror? River is actually very pretty, but she has never been in an environment where her looks necessarily help her. If anything, she is valued for her brain; her looks are not mentioned. River has a very small sense of self due to the fact that she hears everybody else's thoughts and ideas and feelings.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Very light. She has multiple scars in her scalp from the surgeries the Alliance doctors performed on her.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style. River's hair is usually always a mess. Unlike Inara's perfect styles, Zoe's ponytailed curls, or Kaylee's adorably straight hair, River's is probably combed once a week, if at that. When she does take care of it, though, it is curly and probably falls to the middle of her back.
9. What color are her eyes? Very light brown, almost hazel.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? River actually has very well cared for feet. If you watch the series you'll notice she almost never bothers with shoes, and she usually is comfortable barefoot, even when other people around her wear boots.
11. What are her chief tension centers? Neck, beck, hands. She holds her stress in these areas as well as the top of her head.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit? A combination of bright colors and pastels. LOTS of bohemian-style skirts, dresses, and knit fabrics, River has a very earthy, almost country sense of style compared to her brother Simon's top-of-the-line city clothing.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them? River's clothes are long, flowy, and loose-fitting for the most part, and while they do not exactly frame her body very well, she looks like she wouldn't be comfortable in, say, a dress of Inara's or pants that belong to Kaylee.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences? Dresses the same.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Whatever she can get on in the morning.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? River's voice for the most part is relatively normal for a girl of her age. She gets lower or higher depending on a few things: a) how frightened she is, b) whose thoughts she's reading, and c) whether she's imitating a girl or a guy.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate? River's speech patterns are basically messed up beyond hope. She never talks the exact same way twice, often using obscure references and panicked, quick speech to get her point across. She takes long pauses between ideas, and uses sentences that are shorter in the series compared to her relatively even speech in the R. Tam sessions.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? River can pick up and drop accents at will; however, her accent can be classified as standard American by accents today. She also speaks Mandarin with a fairly natural timbre.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency? Both English and Mandarin. Fluent in both.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations? Like most people in Firefly, River switches between Chinese and English easily. When reading Badger's thoughts, she picked up his Cockney accent. She can be described as a parrot in this sense: able to imitate things she hears.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words? River's entire speech pattern is sort of impromptu: she does not keep to one topic often and when she does she usually has to be talking to someone else. However, River does very little speaking on her own except in Objects in Space, and while she is playing Serenity, she sees very confident in herself.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Eloquent and inarticulate, depending on who you ask. Simon would say eloquent because of his sympathies to his sister; Jayne would say inarticulate because he finds her incomprehensible.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart? Book book book. If it's written down, River knows it. She can also pick up things from people's heads, so I can imagine that if she were to spend some time on the streets, she could survive. Probably not for very long as a fugitive, but it's still possible.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
4. What kind of education has the character had?
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
14. What does she fear?
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
6. Does she have other close friends?
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
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?
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others?
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else?
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color?
2. Smell?
3. Time of day?
4. Season?
5. Book?
6. Music?
7. Place?
8. Substance?
9. Plant?
10. Animal?
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}
TBC~