[OOC] Character Survey
I ramble. XD; Apologies in advance for the tl;dr.
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Lilly stands at roughly 5'7" and weighs around 128 lbs. She has a modest bust, slender waist, and long, shapely legs. Her hands are a little on the dainty, delicate side with long, elegant fingers and nicely manicured nails; they're very much the hands of a lady or an artist.
2. How old is she?
She's fifteen, turning sixteen in October.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
Most of the time, she has good posture without being stiff unless she's tired or sick, then she slouches a little. She does tend to sit and stand with one or both arms crossed over her chest and edges slightly away from people who enter her personal space more often than not which tends to be a little larger for her than the average person's. She can hold herself very still, which comes across to some as a little eerie.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
For the most part, she's healthy, just lacking in stamina, physical strength, and constitution. She doesn't have any serious diseases or disabilities but if she tends to catch whatever communicable illnesses are in the air. She tires pretty easily from a low iron content count and needs to rest frequently in hot weather or after strenuous activities.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
She moves a little like running water: quickly, fluidly, with smooth changes of direction. She has good reflexes, balance, and reflexes which makes her ineptitude at sports that much more puzzling to her classmates and gym coach.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
She's a pretty thing but she's very critical about her appearance. She thinks her eyelashes are too short, her eyes are too big and far apart, her lips are too thin, her nose is too pointed, and her cheeks and arms have too much baby fat in them. She thinks her feet are too big, her toes are too long, and she has bony knees and ankles. She doesn't think she's ugly, by her own perception and tastes, she's pretty enough, but thinks of herself as rather plain and awkward-looking.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
It's light and clear. She takes good care of it, uses lotions and deep facial cleansers, wears sunscreen when out in the sun for long lengths of time, uses aloe when she gets sunburned. She bruises easily so that tends to stand out pretty clearly. She has a scar on her right thigh from getting stitched up in an E.R. after getting bitten by her neighbor's dog when she was six.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
It's blue-black, very thick and soft, and hangs down her back. It curls naturally into ringlets when she lets it dry on its own but she always brushes it out so most just see it in her usual waves. For the most part, she takes good care of it and it shows. She washes it every day but doesn't use any special or expensive shampoos other than conditioner. She favors scented shampoos so her hair usually smells fruity or flowery. She gets regular trims both to deal with split ends and the fact her hair just grows fast. As for style, she doesn't do anything fancy with her hair aside from braiding it, putting it into a ponytail, or pulling it away from her face. Sometimes she wears hairbands but for the most part sticks to simple scrunchies and barrettes. She's fond of butterfly-themed hair accessories and her tastes in general tends toward the girly but practical.
9. What color are her eyes?
They're a very deep, midnight blue with striations of lighter blue in the irises and kind of soulful looking.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
None really. She paints her toenails a lot?
11. What are her chief tension centers?
Probably her shoulders and upper arms.
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?
Feminine, modest, and somber. 70% of her fall/winter wardrobe is some shade of purple, 20% is blue, and 10% is gray or green. She wears more casual, light-colored clothing in summer (70% lavender, blue, or green, 20% white, 10% pink or peach). Her clothing doesn't really vary or deviate and she doesn't experiment much with colors or styles. She likes casual, comfortable clothing that compliments her well.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Her clothes either fit well or they're a little loose. She doesn't wear anything really tight, short, or low-cut. She's uncomfortable in high heels and also thinks she looks a little silly wearing because she's already long legged and a little on the tall side. In the clothes she chooses for herself, she looks very comfortable because she doesn't wear things she doesn't like. She's a little more relaxed if she's wearing long sleeves or a sweater.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
She dresses more sharply and more plainly during school hours, starched blouses, neatly pressed uniforms, etc, and doesn't really make any personal touches to her uniforms. She's always liked wearing uniforms at private schools Her hair's pretty much the same in and out of class. At school, she wears a lady's watch, pearls, plain silver or white gold jewelry, and an heirloom locket that's been passed through her family for several generations. Outside of school, she has a noticeable fondness for Austrian crystals and amethysts.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Lacy panties and bras in white or pastel colors. She also wears really girly nightgowns with bows and roses made of ribbons on them.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Lilly is voiced by Tara Jayne in my head and sounds pretty similar to this sample.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
Evenly and a tad slowly in quiet, hushed tones. She doesn't speak quite as strongly as the above sample on an everyday basis but it gives you a pretty good idea of the kind of voice she has.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Sometimes there's a slight slur between her words but it's not really that noticeable unless you're listening for it.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
She's a native English speaker and a well-spoken, well-educated one at that. She doesn't throw out a lot of big words or anything but she presents herself in a way that hints at a fairly well-developed vocabulary. Aside from English, she can read Latin and understand it (mostly) when it's spoken or sung if she listens closely enough to it. She's also able to pronounce it correctly when speaking it. She's had three years of Latin classes and two years of French but can't speak or write either with any degree of fluency. She understands enough Latin that she can very vaguely translate text that's written in Romance languages but her grammar isn't very good.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
She speaks in English unless she has to do a presentation in one of her language classes. If people she's tutoring can't understand what she's saying to them, she simplifies her language (i.e, shorter sentences, more commonly used words).
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
She's a pretty good impromptu speaker but an even better one if she has time to think about what she wants to say first. She's also a really skillful liar.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
For the most part she's eloquent, just quiet. When she's upset or her feelings are really hurt, she goes silent and any inquiry gets an automatic response of "Don't worry about it" or "I'm fine". The more emotional she gets, the harder it is for her speak coherently and the more she clams up and the more aloof she becomes.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
She's very intelligent and perceptive but not a genius - just brighter and wiser about some things than most people her age. She's book-smart but not to the degree her teachers generally believe her to be; she's mostly just a dedicated worker and people pleaser. She isn't street-smart so much as people smart and logical. Her sense of empathy and tendency to remain neutral tend to give her a lot of insight into the people around her. She's also intellectually mature for her age; it's not difficult for her to grasp abstractions, shades of gray, or adult concepts.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
She generally strikes a balance between the two.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
All of the above? She feels her way through things but I guess her mindset is slanted more toward logic than intuition at this point. Fairness is important to her. She doesn't think it's fair if gifted students remain in classes below their level because it takes the teachers' attention away from those who really need it. Oftentimes, she won't let people pay for things for her because she doesn't think it's fair to saddle them with the costs, even when they want to treat her. She's practical when it comes to problem solving. If something works, she'll keep doing it. If it doesn't, she'll stop. From an outside perspective though, it looks like she makes decisions and takes whimsical action.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
Lilly's attended private schools since preschool. She's never gone to a public school or any school that didn't require it students to wear a uniform. (As a result, she's supportive of school uniforms because of the equalization it offers students from different financial standings.) Aside from that, her education hasn't really different that much from the norm.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
She's a great artist. She's best at 2-D art like paintings and drawings, especially at portraits and still lifes. Her drawing style is very detailed and she draws equally well with ink or pencil. She also does fantasy art and has a ongoing series of paintings she's done based on fairytales, fables, and local lore, especially with the rumors of demons on the rise in Abaton City. She is curious about these rumors and also the school basement.
She's also good at picking up languages and spotting patterns in events and behaviors. She has unrealized potential as an actress but her shyness and lack of initiative hinders her in really developing it.
She's very good with people, particularly at diplomacy, mediating, and listening. She understands them well and she can be a little on the tricky side. Lilly's always polite but she can be pretty persuasive and sly when she wants to be. Thankfully, her strong sense of fairness keeps her honest.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
She's an introvert who likes to socialize. She isn't particularly talkative or outgoing but she likes being near people. She doesn't like to be left completely alone but doesn't like being in crowds of people either. Ideally, she likes to be in a quiet, somewhat secluded spot that's populated with people.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
She's very even-tempered and a little melancholy. It's rare to see her get visibly angry, upset, or frustrated with something or someone. She's pretty laid-back and mild-mannered, not really making waves and just going with the flow. Most of the goals she has are ones set for her by her parents, teachers who've invested a lot of time and energy into her, and school counselors. Other people usually have more ideas about her future than she does herself. She's more into pleasing people than being successful though oftentimes, success is the side effect of her pleasing her teachers and parents.
She can be apparently normal one moment and her mood will begin to rapidly darken the next, kind of like thunderclouds that move quickly across the sky. An observant person will generally notice that her darker moods don't come out of nowhere; there are subtle nuances of disapproval or unhappiness in her tone that gradually increase before she catches herself and cranks up the politeness and civility.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
She's very reserved, quiet, and a little timid. She doesn't offer a whole lot about herself. She's a little restrained. Sports and manual labor are generally met with a small sense of trepidation and lack of initiative or enthusiasm. She's more curious than suspicious, particularly about people, in general, but that can rapidly turn into suspicion and defensiveness is something doesn't feel right to her. She has good self-preservation and protective instincts; in other words, if something or someone is off, it trips her inner alarm which tends to be accurate most of the time. Whether she'll actually trust it and listen to it is a different matter.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
React. Taking initiative isn't something that comes easily to her. She also prefers to stand by, observe, and deliberate her actions. Once she becomes accustomed to fighting demons and the like, this will start to change and she'll probably become more proactive.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
It's actually fight which is kind of ironic given how peace-loving she is and how much she doesn't like violence or conflict. Her first instinct is to hunker down and stand her ground though she winds up retreating more often than not after the moment's passed.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
She has a sophisticated, witty sense of humor. It's a little tongue-in-cheek and slants toward irony. She appreciates jokes so long as they're politically correcta nd will giggle at least a little at them, no matter how lame. Bathroom humor and vulgarity is a turn-off, as is mean humor. She enjoys puns but doesn't use them herself. Similarly, she gets a kick out of harmless pranks but doesn't actually do any of her own.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
If Lilly was assessed by a professional, she'd probably be diagnosed with dysthymia which is a default low-to-moderate grade form of depression, low self-esteem, and identity confusion. She copes with most of her issues through mindfulness and art therapy. She doesn't think of art as therapy but she notices it has a therapeutic effect on her. Other than that, crying and keeping busy.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
The year she went straight from second grade to fourth was a really big year for her. She went from being one of the oldest in her class to the youngest. That same year, her little sister was born and she became a big sister for the first time. Starting at Adessi Hall has been a really defining experience for her. She's been slowly starting to find herself and come out of her shell. When she was six, her neighbor's dog broke his chain and attacked her in her front yard which has left her terrified of dogs. The dog was put down and she still feels a little guilty and blames herself for it.
14. What does she fear?
Lilly has a phobia of dogs, especially big, black ones. Small dogs don't faze her much. Loud barking makes her extremely nervous and if a pack of dogs have her trapped, she'll start shaking and crying silently. She becomes very withdrawn and if she's startled, she'll scream. If a big dog jumps on her, she starts freaking out. If it knocks her down, she becomes violent and will punch it in the head as hard as she can to get it off of her. Afterward, she'll be very remorseful and upset with herself, particularly if she hurt the dog in the process. The sound of dogs yelping really gets to her.
Once plotty things start happening, she'll probably worry about becoming a weak link and letting the others down when they need her the most.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
She hopes to become a world famous artist and paint for a living. She has really vague aspirations of possibly becoming a teacher if that doesn't work out but nothing else that's really concrete.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
That she really insecure and confused about her identity. She doesn't want people to know how little she knows herself, how upset this makes her, and how often she cries when she's alone. She feels like she's a false person and not quite real, shaped mostly by what others desire and wish her to be.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
Lilly perceives it as superficial and detached, though there's more of an emotional connection there than she believes. She feels like her parents treat her a little more like a trophy than a teenage girl with feelings and thoughts. They don't often ask her how she's doing outside of school, if she's happy and making friends, what she wants to be when she grows up. Her parents love her but there's not a lot of straight-forward, honest communication between Lilly and her parents and they make a lot of surface assumptions about each other. Her parents spare no expense when it comes to supporting the children's education, especially Lilly's because she has so much promise.
In looks, Lilly and Matthew take after their father while Emily takes after their mother.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Lilly has a brother, Matthew, who is two years older and one grade level ahead of her. Their relationship has been a little awkward and strained since their classes started overlapping. Lilly's grades are higher than her brother's, who is a bit of a slacker and resentful of her because she's the golden child in their family. She also has a little sister, Emily, who's seven, that she's devoted to. Emily insists on talking to Lilly at least once or twice a week. Lilly's really supportive, patient, and encouraging with her. It's always obvious when she's talking to her because she lights up like a Christmas tree when she's on the phone and generally looks happy after she gets off of it.
Matthew's tall, skinny, lanky, blue-eyed, and his hair is boyishly short but otherwise identical to Lilly's. Emily's a strawberry blonde with hazel eyes but she strongly resembles Lilly when she was younger in facial structure and build.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
Not really. Her extended family doesn't really get together much except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the occasional family reunion. Lilly was close to her grandmothers, Lillian and Rose, when they were alive but they passed away years ago.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
People from her childhood tend to hold greater significance than most. When she gets older (if she doesn't die in game, that is), the 2012 group might fall into this category collectively.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
She's never had a best friend before. This may change in game, however~
6. Does she have other close friends?
None yet. Ditto for above.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
She could if she tried. She's very personable with a soothing presence, the kind of person people find really easy to talk to and hang out with because she's so gentle and good-natured. It's hard for her to take the initiative to make friends.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
At this point, family because she doesn't have anything beyond casual school friends yet. Friendships will probably become very important to her once she has them.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
She's single.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Nope. Lilly's interested in boys and dating but doesn't think she's quite ready for it yet.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
Various artists she's admired over the years, particularly ones of the young and handsome variety. She had a celebrity crush on Vincent Van Gogh when she was a little girl. I'm hesitant to make any stabs at current crushes but she probably likes the masculine, chivalrous, intelligent guys.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
Companionship, compatibility, and communication. Someone who's artistic like her or at least makes attempts to understand art are a plus. She takes looks into consideration but in a practical, realistic sense. She doesn't want to date anyone she doesn't like or isn't attracted to but she isn't looking for anyone spectacular or a supermodel either. Someone who's tolerant and understanding about her idiosyncracies who's capable of tact and doesn't overwhelm or intimidate her. Someone intuitive and good at non-verbal communication. She's a lady and wants to be treated with dignity and respect. She's coming across as really picky here but she'll give pretty much anyone a chance.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
No children or grandchildren. She's only fifteen. XD; No idea if she wants them yet either.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
She might have some academic rivals or rivals among other artists, but other than that, not really. She's Rolf's tutor and plays the part of a rival to motivate him into doing the work she thinks she's capable of. No real enemies though I'm sure most of her gym class is extremely frustrated with her total lack of enthusiasm and half-assed efforts at anything athletic.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
She's a little interested in boys but she gets a little dreamy over girls she admires a lot, too. She's still really young. It seems equally likely to me that she could swing either way or both when she grows up.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
Since she's very much a fifteen year old girl at this point, I'll theorize a little about a grown-up Lilly. I think she'd enjoy it and have a healthy appetite and fondness for it but casual sex wouldn't be her cup of tea. On an intellectual level, fulfilling sexual needs wouldn't be as important to her as fulfilling mental and emotional ones but in practice, she'd try to maintain a healthy balance for all three. I doubt she'd be promiscuous or easy to get in bed by a long shot.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Again with the theorizing about a grown up Lilly. She'd be turned on by romantic gestures like soft music, dim lighting, and complete privacy, I think. She'd let an SO kiss her in public and let their hands wander a little so long as they were discreet about it and they were in a relatively remote setting. She comes across as pretty vanilla but I could see her as surprisingly imaginative and curious about trying new things if she thought they sounded appealing. Bondage, even light bondage, and any kind of vulgarity would be an immediate turn off. I don't think she'd think much of food play either. She'd eat an ice cream sundae while naked in bed but not off of an SO. That would gross her out a little, probably.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
I tend to draw a lot of inspiration from astrology for my characters and the first thing I usually do is draw up a natal chart for them so Lilly fits her zodiac sign. She was born on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio so she has some traits from both signs. At this point, her Libra side comes out more than her Scorpio side does. She's nice, diplomatic, peaceful, fair, lazy, and aesthetically oriented like a lot of Libras. Her Scorpio side is also apparent. Lilly's a lot less talkative, a lot more reserved, and more intensely emotional than most Libras tend to be. She's slow to make decisions or draw conclusions but it can be extremely difficult to sway her once they're made. She's intelligent, perceptive, intuitive, strong-willed, and determined like most Scorpios are. Libra's an air sign and Scorpio's a water one which plays out in Lilly in that her logic and her heart seldom lead her in the same direction which leads to a lot of indecisiveness and hesitation. As for other zodiac influences, she's a Cancer rising and a Pisces Moon which also fit her. She's a sentimental, insecure homebody and dreamer with an active imagination and lots of artistic talent. She also feels her way through situations and environments. That's the short version. I could go on about this very easily so I'll stop this here. XD;
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
Lilly goes to church with her family on Sundays when she's home. She agrees with some of Christianity's teachings like don't kill, be kind, love your neighbor, etc. I think she's pretty balanced between spirituality and religion but practices and traditions don't hold much meaning for her outside of going to church which has more to do with familial togetherness. She believes people have souls and concerns herself with the state of them. She believes in God, angels, and a heavenly paradise for people who are exceptionally good. She also believes in the Devil, demons, but thinks they have higher agendas than tempting people to do bad things and cause misfortune. Purgatory and Tartarus (the underworld in Greek mythology, not the Persona 3 dungeon XD; ) are concepts she's more willing to believe. She isn't a devout practicioner of any organized or philosophy but these subjects do cross her mind and religious and spiritual themes are expressed in her artwork.
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?
She's always been really conscious of what's fair and also what's practical. She believes people should be treated fairly, equally, and an effort should be made to understand all viewpoints and philosophies. Black, white, and shades of gray are all a part of the same moral spectrum for her. She doesn't judge people until she's walked in their shoes and knows all the facts and even then she'll pass on judgement because she's tolerant and aware when it comes to people's idiosyncracies. She's impartial and very open-minded.
Most of it just the way she's wired but I think she makes a special effort to be nice and attentive because she was ignored so much when she was in elementary. She's extra supportive of people emotionally because her feelings tend to be really carefully hidden and when they're not, people dismiss them as a weepy, teenage girl thing.
It'd be difficult to get her to compromise her morals. I think Lilly would sacrifice herself before turning her back on everything she believes is right and true. She wants to do the right thing by people, both others and herself. If she's certain about an issue enough for it to become a principle she lives by, it becomes a rock solid belief and you'll have a better chance of persuading the Himalayas to relocate to Africa than getting her to change her mind unless you can come up with a perfectly logical, near flawless counter-argument.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
She's very open-minded and tolerant. She's respectful of other people's beliefs whether she agrees with them or not. She's very empathetic and it's not hard for her place herself in someone else's shoes and try to look at things from their perspective. She's genuinely concerned and interested in other people though she may come across as somewhat unflappable or indifferent.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
She doesn't have many prejudices; if anything, she makes a conscious effort not to have them. She's somewhat skeptical when it comes to the supernatural or paranormal though intuitively, she knows there are some things in the world that simply can't be explained by science or logic. There's some discord between her head and her heart here. Lilly's willing to believe a lot of things but she's also pretty rational for the most part. Even so, she has moments when her emotions rule over the rest of her and she behaves irrationally.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
The Taylors aren't rich but they're well off enough to have a nice, big house and keep all three kids enrolled in private schools.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
People generally know of her more than they know her. She has a reputation for being really, really smart and the go-to girl for all problems academic for her grade level. She's fairly popular among boys because she's pretty but most consider her unapproachable. She doesn't think she quite fits in with other fifteen year olds or the people in her own grade and it's been an issue since elementary. She's grown used to hiding her insecurities and social inexperience behind masks of politeness to the point she doesn't think about them much anymore and if she starts to, she breaks out the sketchpad or paintbrushes until she's calm again.
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?
When she's not living in the dorms, she lives at home with her family. Her house is very similar to this one. She's a homebody so it's very much her castle. She spends more time indoors than outdoors when she's home for visits and vacations. Emily's in BR #4, Matthew's in BR #3, and Lilly's room is in the corner room across the hall from Matthew's bedroom, directly above the family room. Her parents are in the master bedroom and BR #2 is used as an extra bedroom for guests. Lilly's bedroom doubles as her art studio and has a ventillation system installed. She has a double bed, a mahogany desk with a PC, a large cabinet to store art supplies in, a vanity, a bookshelf, and her own small color TV/dvd player/vcr combo and a Gamecube that she seldom plays. She used to have cream colored carpet in her room until she spilled paint on it and her parents stripped it out and replaced it with wooden tile and floor rugs.
Her house isn't quite as big as the above example and the paint job is several years old. The interior is nice but very clearly lived in. It's clean but a little cluttered in different areas of the house and the occasional juice stain. There are three vehicles in the garage: her dad's car, her mom's mini-van, and her brother's truck. There are also a couple of bicycles but Emily's is the only one that gets any real use.
As for her dorm room, it's a little messy. She keeps it clean for the most part but has a habit of absentmindedly sitting things down when she enters and forgetting where she put them which leads to semi-flustered attempts to find her room key, her ipod, her cellphone, etc. She has hanging prisms in the window, art prints she's done on the walls, a fluffy white comforter with large purple orchids all over it, and a padlocked trunk containing sketchbooks that don't see much frequent use but have drawing in them, unfinished or discarded pieces, some art supplies, and a portable easel. Her living space is generally her sanctuary and usually full of girly decorations.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
Art supplies, books, CDs (music and burnable), the occasional DVD movie. She squirrels away what she doesn't spend in a lockbox locked inside her trunk.
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?
Since she has a pretty generous allowance, she doesn't actually do anything for a living. She tutors people in exchange for favors and sometimes helps teachers assess whether students are genuinely struggling with homework or just slacking and transitioning them into honors classes. She's a good tutor, patient, and better at communication with academic subjects than personal ones. She's tolerant when confronted with mistakes or confusion but tough with slackers. She can be very sly when it comes to motivating people to work harder. She's not above subtle (but polite) baiting, trickery, or reverse psychology to help people improve their grades. She's strict (but again, polite) about not doing the work for the person. Asking to copy her work not only offends her, it angers her, and the person is left to sink or swim, completely bereft of any assistance from her.
She likes tutoring because she likes pleasing and helping people but she'd like to have an art career of some type.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
Art, history, art history, theater. She likes to people-watch and read a lot. She enjoys acting but isn't particularly passionate about it and just thinks it's fun to be someone else for a few moments. She also likes meditating though she doesn't label it as such. She's just resting.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
She eats pretty regularly. Even when she's caught up with a painting, she keeps an energy bar or some kind of snack on hand. She tires easily on a normal day; skipping meals usually brings about fainting, headaches, and dizzy spells. She eats out at delis and coffee shops and frets over the menu if she doesn't already know what she's hungry for or if it's a new place. She's indecisive about picking restaurants and usually leaves it up to whoever she's with, even if they insist that it's up to her. She's not big on fried, fatty, or greasy foods. She likes salads, soups, pasta, and things like hot pockets that she can just throw in the microwave and go. She doesn't drink but probably wouldn't be adverse to drinking small amounts of wine, a margarita, a pina colada, or a daiquiri socially when she's older. She'd avoid harder stuff, beer, and drugs.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? Purple. It shows. :D;
2. Smell? Rain's her favorite but I associate the smell of fresh paint with her.
3. Time of day? She's a morning/early afternoon person. Lilly likes fresh air and sunshine. :D
4. Season? Winter. She loves snow and just thinks everything looks pretty in winter. She also loves to drink hot cocoa, wear sweaters, and bundle up in blankets.
5. Book? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She likes authors like Charles Dickens and poets like Emily Dickinson, Lord Byron, and Yeats.
6. Music? Show tunes and movie scores. She doesn't care much for most pop music and practically has allergic reactions to singers like Hillary Duff and Miley Cyrus.
7. Place? Lilly really, really likes her shade tree.
8. Substance? ...paint. She likes homemade playdough, partly because she makes it with Emily when she's home, and she just likes the way it feels.
9. Plant? ....her shade tree. She also like lilies.
10. Animal? Squirrels. She thinks they're cute and likes how bushy their tails are.
END
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Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Lilly stands at roughly 5'7" and weighs around 128 lbs. She has a modest bust, slender waist, and long, shapely legs. Her hands are a little on the dainty, delicate side with long, elegant fingers and nicely manicured nails; they're very much the hands of a lady or an artist.
2. How old is she?
She's fifteen, turning sixteen in October.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
Most of the time, she has good posture without being stiff unless she's tired or sick, then she slouches a little. She does tend to sit and stand with one or both arms crossed over her chest and edges slightly away from people who enter her personal space more often than not which tends to be a little larger for her than the average person's. She can hold herself very still, which comes across to some as a little eerie.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
For the most part, she's healthy, just lacking in stamina, physical strength, and constitution. She doesn't have any serious diseases or disabilities but if she tends to catch whatever communicable illnesses are in the air. She tires pretty easily from a low iron content count and needs to rest frequently in hot weather or after strenuous activities.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
She moves a little like running water: quickly, fluidly, with smooth changes of direction. She has good reflexes, balance, and reflexes which makes her ineptitude at sports that much more puzzling to her classmates and gym coach.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
She's a pretty thing but she's very critical about her appearance. She thinks her eyelashes are too short, her eyes are too big and far apart, her lips are too thin, her nose is too pointed, and her cheeks and arms have too much baby fat in them. She thinks her feet are too big, her toes are too long, and she has bony knees and ankles. She doesn't think she's ugly, by her own perception and tastes, she's pretty enough, but thinks of herself as rather plain and awkward-looking.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
It's light and clear. She takes good care of it, uses lotions and deep facial cleansers, wears sunscreen when out in the sun for long lengths of time, uses aloe when she gets sunburned. She bruises easily so that tends to stand out pretty clearly. She has a scar on her right thigh from getting stitched up in an E.R. after getting bitten by her neighbor's dog when she was six.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
It's blue-black, very thick and soft, and hangs down her back. It curls naturally into ringlets when she lets it dry on its own but she always brushes it out so most just see it in her usual waves. For the most part, she takes good care of it and it shows. She washes it every day but doesn't use any special or expensive shampoos other than conditioner. She favors scented shampoos so her hair usually smells fruity or flowery. She gets regular trims both to deal with split ends and the fact her hair just grows fast. As for style, she doesn't do anything fancy with her hair aside from braiding it, putting it into a ponytail, or pulling it away from her face. Sometimes she wears hairbands but for the most part sticks to simple scrunchies and barrettes. She's fond of butterfly-themed hair accessories and her tastes in general tends toward the girly but practical.
9. What color are her eyes?
They're a very deep, midnight blue with striations of lighter blue in the irises and kind of soulful looking.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
None really. She paints her toenails a lot?
11. What are her chief tension centers?
Probably her shoulders and upper arms.
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?
Feminine, modest, and somber. 70% of her fall/winter wardrobe is some shade of purple, 20% is blue, and 10% is gray or green. She wears more casual, light-colored clothing in summer (70% lavender, blue, or green, 20% white, 10% pink or peach). Her clothing doesn't really vary or deviate and she doesn't experiment much with colors or styles. She likes casual, comfortable clothing that compliments her well.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Her clothes either fit well or they're a little loose. She doesn't wear anything really tight, short, or low-cut. She's uncomfortable in high heels and also thinks she looks a little silly wearing because she's already long legged and a little on the tall side. In the clothes she chooses for herself, she looks very comfortable because she doesn't wear things she doesn't like. She's a little more relaxed if she's wearing long sleeves or a sweater.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
She dresses more sharply and more plainly during school hours, starched blouses, neatly pressed uniforms, etc, and doesn't really make any personal touches to her uniforms. She's always liked wearing uniforms at private schools Her hair's pretty much the same in and out of class. At school, she wears a lady's watch, pearls, plain silver or white gold jewelry, and an heirloom locket that's been passed through her family for several generations. Outside of school, she has a noticeable fondness for Austrian crystals and amethysts.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Lacy panties and bras in white or pastel colors. She also wears really girly nightgowns with bows and roses made of ribbons on them.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Lilly is voiced by Tara Jayne in my head and sounds pretty similar to this sample.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
Evenly and a tad slowly in quiet, hushed tones. She doesn't speak quite as strongly as the above sample on an everyday basis but it gives you a pretty good idea of the kind of voice she has.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Sometimes there's a slight slur between her words but it's not really that noticeable unless you're listening for it.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
She's a native English speaker and a well-spoken, well-educated one at that. She doesn't throw out a lot of big words or anything but she presents herself in a way that hints at a fairly well-developed vocabulary. Aside from English, she can read Latin and understand it (mostly) when it's spoken or sung if she listens closely enough to it. She's also able to pronounce it correctly when speaking it. She's had three years of Latin classes and two years of French but can't speak or write either with any degree of fluency. She understands enough Latin that she can very vaguely translate text that's written in Romance languages but her grammar isn't very good.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
She speaks in English unless she has to do a presentation in one of her language classes. If people she's tutoring can't understand what she's saying to them, she simplifies her language (i.e, shorter sentences, more commonly used words).
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
She's a pretty good impromptu speaker but an even better one if she has time to think about what she wants to say first. She's also a really skillful liar.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
For the most part she's eloquent, just quiet. When she's upset or her feelings are really hurt, she goes silent and any inquiry gets an automatic response of "Don't worry about it" or "I'm fine". The more emotional she gets, the harder it is for her speak coherently and the more she clams up and the more aloof she becomes.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
She's very intelligent and perceptive but not a genius - just brighter and wiser about some things than most people her age. She's book-smart but not to the degree her teachers generally believe her to be; she's mostly just a dedicated worker and people pleaser. She isn't street-smart so much as people smart and logical. Her sense of empathy and tendency to remain neutral tend to give her a lot of insight into the people around her. She's also intellectually mature for her age; it's not difficult for her to grasp abstractions, shades of gray, or adult concepts.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
She generally strikes a balance between the two.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
All of the above? She feels her way through things but I guess her mindset is slanted more toward logic than intuition at this point. Fairness is important to her. She doesn't think it's fair if gifted students remain in classes below their level because it takes the teachers' attention away from those who really need it. Oftentimes, she won't let people pay for things for her because she doesn't think it's fair to saddle them with the costs, even when they want to treat her. She's practical when it comes to problem solving. If something works, she'll keep doing it. If it doesn't, she'll stop. From an outside perspective though, it looks like she makes decisions and takes whimsical action.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
Lilly's attended private schools since preschool. She's never gone to a public school or any school that didn't require it students to wear a uniform. (As a result, she's supportive of school uniforms because of the equalization it offers students from different financial standings.) Aside from that, her education hasn't really different that much from the norm.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
She's a great artist. She's best at 2-D art like paintings and drawings, especially at portraits and still lifes. Her drawing style is very detailed and she draws equally well with ink or pencil. She also does fantasy art and has a ongoing series of paintings she's done based on fairytales, fables, and local lore, especially with the rumors of demons on the rise in Abaton City. She is curious about these rumors and also the school basement.
She's also good at picking up languages and spotting patterns in events and behaviors. She has unrealized potential as an actress but her shyness and lack of initiative hinders her in really developing it.
She's very good with people, particularly at diplomacy, mediating, and listening. She understands them well and she can be a little on the tricky side. Lilly's always polite but she can be pretty persuasive and sly when she wants to be. Thankfully, her strong sense of fairness keeps her honest.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
She's an introvert who likes to socialize. She isn't particularly talkative or outgoing but she likes being near people. She doesn't like to be left completely alone but doesn't like being in crowds of people either. Ideally, she likes to be in a quiet, somewhat secluded spot that's populated with people.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
She's very even-tempered and a little melancholy. It's rare to see her get visibly angry, upset, or frustrated with something or someone. She's pretty laid-back and mild-mannered, not really making waves and just going with the flow. Most of the goals she has are ones set for her by her parents, teachers who've invested a lot of time and energy into her, and school counselors. Other people usually have more ideas about her future than she does herself. She's more into pleasing people than being successful though oftentimes, success is the side effect of her pleasing her teachers and parents.
She can be apparently normal one moment and her mood will begin to rapidly darken the next, kind of like thunderclouds that move quickly across the sky. An observant person will generally notice that her darker moods don't come out of nowhere; there are subtle nuances of disapproval or unhappiness in her tone that gradually increase before she catches herself and cranks up the politeness and civility.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
She's very reserved, quiet, and a little timid. She doesn't offer a whole lot about herself. She's a little restrained. Sports and manual labor are generally met with a small sense of trepidation and lack of initiative or enthusiasm. She's more curious than suspicious, particularly about people, in general, but that can rapidly turn into suspicion and defensiveness is something doesn't feel right to her. She has good self-preservation and protective instincts; in other words, if something or someone is off, it trips her inner alarm which tends to be accurate most of the time. Whether she'll actually trust it and listen to it is a different matter.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
React. Taking initiative isn't something that comes easily to her. She also prefers to stand by, observe, and deliberate her actions. Once she becomes accustomed to fighting demons and the like, this will start to change and she'll probably become more proactive.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
It's actually fight which is kind of ironic given how peace-loving she is and how much she doesn't like violence or conflict. Her first instinct is to hunker down and stand her ground though she winds up retreating more often than not after the moment's passed.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
She has a sophisticated, witty sense of humor. It's a little tongue-in-cheek and slants toward irony. She appreciates jokes so long as they're politically correcta nd will giggle at least a little at them, no matter how lame. Bathroom humor and vulgarity is a turn-off, as is mean humor. She enjoys puns but doesn't use them herself. Similarly, she gets a kick out of harmless pranks but doesn't actually do any of her own.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
If Lilly was assessed by a professional, she'd probably be diagnosed with dysthymia which is a default low-to-moderate grade form of depression, low self-esteem, and identity confusion. She copes with most of her issues through mindfulness and art therapy. She doesn't think of art as therapy but she notices it has a therapeutic effect on her. Other than that, crying and keeping busy.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
The year she went straight from second grade to fourth was a really big year for her. She went from being one of the oldest in her class to the youngest. That same year, her little sister was born and she became a big sister for the first time. Starting at Adessi Hall has been a really defining experience for her. She's been slowly starting to find herself and come out of her shell. When she was six, her neighbor's dog broke his chain and attacked her in her front yard which has left her terrified of dogs. The dog was put down and she still feels a little guilty and blames herself for it.
14. What does she fear?
Lilly has a phobia of dogs, especially big, black ones. Small dogs don't faze her much. Loud barking makes her extremely nervous and if a pack of dogs have her trapped, she'll start shaking and crying silently. She becomes very withdrawn and if she's startled, she'll scream. If a big dog jumps on her, she starts freaking out. If it knocks her down, she becomes violent and will punch it in the head as hard as she can to get it off of her. Afterward, she'll be very remorseful and upset with herself, particularly if she hurt the dog in the process. The sound of dogs yelping really gets to her.
Once plotty things start happening, she'll probably worry about becoming a weak link and letting the others down when they need her the most.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
She hopes to become a world famous artist and paint for a living. She has really vague aspirations of possibly becoming a teacher if that doesn't work out but nothing else that's really concrete.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
That she really insecure and confused about her identity. She doesn't want people to know how little she knows herself, how upset this makes her, and how often she cries when she's alone. She feels like she's a false person and not quite real, shaped mostly by what others desire and wish her to be.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
Lilly perceives it as superficial and detached, though there's more of an emotional connection there than she believes. She feels like her parents treat her a little more like a trophy than a teenage girl with feelings and thoughts. They don't often ask her how she's doing outside of school, if she's happy and making friends, what she wants to be when she grows up. Her parents love her but there's not a lot of straight-forward, honest communication between Lilly and her parents and they make a lot of surface assumptions about each other. Her parents spare no expense when it comes to supporting the children's education, especially Lilly's because she has so much promise.
In looks, Lilly and Matthew take after their father while Emily takes after their mother.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Lilly has a brother, Matthew, who is two years older and one grade level ahead of her. Their relationship has been a little awkward and strained since their classes started overlapping. Lilly's grades are higher than her brother's, who is a bit of a slacker and resentful of her because she's the golden child in their family. She also has a little sister, Emily, who's seven, that she's devoted to. Emily insists on talking to Lilly at least once or twice a week. Lilly's really supportive, patient, and encouraging with her. It's always obvious when she's talking to her because she lights up like a Christmas tree when she's on the phone and generally looks happy after she gets off of it.
Matthew's tall, skinny, lanky, blue-eyed, and his hair is boyishly short but otherwise identical to Lilly's. Emily's a strawberry blonde with hazel eyes but she strongly resembles Lilly when she was younger in facial structure and build.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
Not really. Her extended family doesn't really get together much except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the occasional family reunion. Lilly was close to her grandmothers, Lillian and Rose, when they were alive but they passed away years ago.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
People from her childhood tend to hold greater significance than most. When she gets older (if she doesn't die in game, that is), the 2012 group might fall into this category collectively.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
She's never had a best friend before. This may change in game, however~
6. Does she have other close friends?
None yet. Ditto for above.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
She could if she tried. She's very personable with a soothing presence, the kind of person people find really easy to talk to and hang out with because she's so gentle and good-natured. It's hard for her to take the initiative to make friends.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
At this point, family because she doesn't have anything beyond casual school friends yet. Friendships will probably become very important to her once she has them.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
She's single.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Nope. Lilly's interested in boys and dating but doesn't think she's quite ready for it yet.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
Various artists she's admired over the years, particularly ones of the young and handsome variety. She had a celebrity crush on Vincent Van Gogh when she was a little girl. I'm hesitant to make any stabs at current crushes but she probably likes the masculine, chivalrous, intelligent guys.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
Companionship, compatibility, and communication. Someone who's artistic like her or at least makes attempts to understand art are a plus. She takes looks into consideration but in a practical, realistic sense. She doesn't want to date anyone she doesn't like or isn't attracted to but she isn't looking for anyone spectacular or a supermodel either. Someone who's tolerant and understanding about her idiosyncracies who's capable of tact and doesn't overwhelm or intimidate her. Someone intuitive and good at non-verbal communication. She's a lady and wants to be treated with dignity and respect. She's coming across as really picky here but she'll give pretty much anyone a chance.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
No children or grandchildren. She's only fifteen. XD; No idea if she wants them yet either.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
She might have some academic rivals or rivals among other artists, but other than that, not really. She's Rolf's tutor and plays the part of a rival to motivate him into doing the work she thinks she's capable of. No real enemies though I'm sure most of her gym class is extremely frustrated with her total lack of enthusiasm and half-assed efforts at anything athletic.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
She's a little interested in boys but she gets a little dreamy over girls she admires a lot, too. She's still really young. It seems equally likely to me that she could swing either way or both when she grows up.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
Since she's very much a fifteen year old girl at this point, I'll theorize a little about a grown-up Lilly. I think she'd enjoy it and have a healthy appetite and fondness for it but casual sex wouldn't be her cup of tea. On an intellectual level, fulfilling sexual needs wouldn't be as important to her as fulfilling mental and emotional ones but in practice, she'd try to maintain a healthy balance for all three. I doubt she'd be promiscuous or easy to get in bed by a long shot.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Again with the theorizing about a grown up Lilly. She'd be turned on by romantic gestures like soft music, dim lighting, and complete privacy, I think. She'd let an SO kiss her in public and let their hands wander a little so long as they were discreet about it and they were in a relatively remote setting. She comes across as pretty vanilla but I could see her as surprisingly imaginative and curious about trying new things if she thought they sounded appealing. Bondage, even light bondage, and any kind of vulgarity would be an immediate turn off. I don't think she'd think much of food play either. She'd eat an ice cream sundae while naked in bed but not off of an SO. That would gross her out a little, probably.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
I tend to draw a lot of inspiration from astrology for my characters and the first thing I usually do is draw up a natal chart for them so Lilly fits her zodiac sign. She was born on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio so she has some traits from both signs. At this point, her Libra side comes out more than her Scorpio side does. She's nice, diplomatic, peaceful, fair, lazy, and aesthetically oriented like a lot of Libras. Her Scorpio side is also apparent. Lilly's a lot less talkative, a lot more reserved, and more intensely emotional than most Libras tend to be. She's slow to make decisions or draw conclusions but it can be extremely difficult to sway her once they're made. She's intelligent, perceptive, intuitive, strong-willed, and determined like most Scorpios are. Libra's an air sign and Scorpio's a water one which plays out in Lilly in that her logic and her heart seldom lead her in the same direction which leads to a lot of indecisiveness and hesitation. As for other zodiac influences, she's a Cancer rising and a Pisces Moon which also fit her. She's a sentimental, insecure homebody and dreamer with an active imagination and lots of artistic talent. She also feels her way through situations and environments. That's the short version. I could go on about this very easily so I'll stop this here. XD;
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
Lilly goes to church with her family on Sundays when she's home. She agrees with some of Christianity's teachings like don't kill, be kind, love your neighbor, etc. I think she's pretty balanced between spirituality and religion but practices and traditions don't hold much meaning for her outside of going to church which has more to do with familial togetherness. She believes people have souls and concerns herself with the state of them. She believes in God, angels, and a heavenly paradise for people who are exceptionally good. She also believes in the Devil, demons, but thinks they have higher agendas than tempting people to do bad things and cause misfortune. Purgatory and Tartarus (the underworld in Greek mythology, not the Persona 3 dungeon XD; ) are concepts she's more willing to believe. She isn't a devout practicioner of any organized or philosophy but these subjects do cross her mind and religious and spiritual themes are expressed in her artwork.
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?
She's always been really conscious of what's fair and also what's practical. She believes people should be treated fairly, equally, and an effort should be made to understand all viewpoints and philosophies. Black, white, and shades of gray are all a part of the same moral spectrum for her. She doesn't judge people until she's walked in their shoes and knows all the facts and even then she'll pass on judgement because she's tolerant and aware when it comes to people's idiosyncracies. She's impartial and very open-minded.
Most of it just the way she's wired but I think she makes a special effort to be nice and attentive because she was ignored so much when she was in elementary. She's extra supportive of people emotionally because her feelings tend to be really carefully hidden and when they're not, people dismiss them as a weepy, teenage girl thing.
It'd be difficult to get her to compromise her morals. I think Lilly would sacrifice herself before turning her back on everything she believes is right and true. She wants to do the right thing by people, both others and herself. If she's certain about an issue enough for it to become a principle she lives by, it becomes a rock solid belief and you'll have a better chance of persuading the Himalayas to relocate to Africa than getting her to change her mind unless you can come up with a perfectly logical, near flawless counter-argument.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
She's very open-minded and tolerant. She's respectful of other people's beliefs whether she agrees with them or not. She's very empathetic and it's not hard for her place herself in someone else's shoes and try to look at things from their perspective. She's genuinely concerned and interested in other people though she may come across as somewhat unflappable or indifferent.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
She doesn't have many prejudices; if anything, she makes a conscious effort not to have them. She's somewhat skeptical when it comes to the supernatural or paranormal though intuitively, she knows there are some things in the world that simply can't be explained by science or logic. There's some discord between her head and her heart here. Lilly's willing to believe a lot of things but she's also pretty rational for the most part. Even so, she has moments when her emotions rule over the rest of her and she behaves irrationally.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
The Taylors aren't rich but they're well off enough to have a nice, big house and keep all three kids enrolled in private schools.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
People generally know of her more than they know her. She has a reputation for being really, really smart and the go-to girl for all problems academic for her grade level. She's fairly popular among boys because she's pretty but most consider her unapproachable. She doesn't think she quite fits in with other fifteen year olds or the people in her own grade and it's been an issue since elementary. She's grown used to hiding her insecurities and social inexperience behind masks of politeness to the point she doesn't think about them much anymore and if she starts to, she breaks out the sketchpad or paintbrushes until she's calm again.
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?
When she's not living in the dorms, she lives at home with her family. Her house is very similar to this one. She's a homebody so it's very much her castle. She spends more time indoors than outdoors when she's home for visits and vacations. Emily's in BR #4, Matthew's in BR #3, and Lilly's room is in the corner room across the hall from Matthew's bedroom, directly above the family room. Her parents are in the master bedroom and BR #2 is used as an extra bedroom for guests. Lilly's bedroom doubles as her art studio and has a ventillation system installed. She has a double bed, a mahogany desk with a PC, a large cabinet to store art supplies in, a vanity, a bookshelf, and her own small color TV/dvd player/vcr combo and a Gamecube that she seldom plays. She used to have cream colored carpet in her room until she spilled paint on it and her parents stripped it out and replaced it with wooden tile and floor rugs.
Her house isn't quite as big as the above example and the paint job is several years old. The interior is nice but very clearly lived in. It's clean but a little cluttered in different areas of the house and the occasional juice stain. There are three vehicles in the garage: her dad's car, her mom's mini-van, and her brother's truck. There are also a couple of bicycles but Emily's is the only one that gets any real use.
As for her dorm room, it's a little messy. She keeps it clean for the most part but has a habit of absentmindedly sitting things down when she enters and forgetting where she put them which leads to semi-flustered attempts to find her room key, her ipod, her cellphone, etc. She has hanging prisms in the window, art prints she's done on the walls, a fluffy white comforter with large purple orchids all over it, and a padlocked trunk containing sketchbooks that don't see much frequent use but have drawing in them, unfinished or discarded pieces, some art supplies, and a portable easel. Her living space is generally her sanctuary and usually full of girly decorations.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
Art supplies, books, CDs (music and burnable), the occasional DVD movie. She squirrels away what she doesn't spend in a lockbox locked inside her trunk.
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?
Since she has a pretty generous allowance, she doesn't actually do anything for a living. She tutors people in exchange for favors and sometimes helps teachers assess whether students are genuinely struggling with homework or just slacking and transitioning them into honors classes. She's a good tutor, patient, and better at communication with academic subjects than personal ones. She's tolerant when confronted with mistakes or confusion but tough with slackers. She can be very sly when it comes to motivating people to work harder. She's not above subtle (but polite) baiting, trickery, or reverse psychology to help people improve their grades. She's strict (but again, polite) about not doing the work for the person. Asking to copy her work not only offends her, it angers her, and the person is left to sink or swim, completely bereft of any assistance from her.
She likes tutoring because she likes pleasing and helping people but she'd like to have an art career of some type.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
Art, history, art history, theater. She likes to people-watch and read a lot. She enjoys acting but isn't particularly passionate about it and just thinks it's fun to be someone else for a few moments. She also likes meditating though she doesn't label it as such. She's just resting.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
She eats pretty regularly. Even when she's caught up with a painting, she keeps an energy bar or some kind of snack on hand. She tires easily on a normal day; skipping meals usually brings about fainting, headaches, and dizzy spells. She eats out at delis and coffee shops and frets over the menu if she doesn't already know what she's hungry for or if it's a new place. She's indecisive about picking restaurants and usually leaves it up to whoever she's with, even if they insist that it's up to her. She's not big on fried, fatty, or greasy foods. She likes salads, soups, pasta, and things like hot pockets that she can just throw in the microwave and go. She doesn't drink but probably wouldn't be adverse to drinking small amounts of wine, a margarita, a pina colada, or a daiquiri socially when she's older. She'd avoid harder stuff, beer, and drugs.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? Purple. It shows. :D;
2. Smell? Rain's her favorite but I associate the smell of fresh paint with her.
3. Time of day? She's a morning/early afternoon person. Lilly likes fresh air and sunshine. :D
4. Season? Winter. She loves snow and just thinks everything looks pretty in winter. She also loves to drink hot cocoa, wear sweaters, and bundle up in blankets.
5. Book? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She likes authors like Charles Dickens and poets like Emily Dickinson, Lord Byron, and Yeats.
6. Music? Show tunes and movie scores. She doesn't care much for most pop music and practically has allergic reactions to singers like Hillary Duff and Miley Cyrus.
7. Place? Lilly really, really likes her shade tree.
8. Substance? ...paint. She likes homemade playdough, partly because she makes it with Emily when she's home, and she just likes the way it feels.
9. Plant? ....her shade tree. She also like lilies.
10. Animal? Squirrels. She thinks they're cute and likes how bushy their tails are.
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