Munday survey
Attitude in relation to authority figures
Val is respectful of authority figures and believes in their necessity to society and primarily good intentions.He wants his instructors to think well of him,and has a strong desire to please them. He believes that cops and firefighters and soldiers are there to protect and serve and all that good stuff. He's somewhat mistrustful of doctors and nurses and other such health professionals, but he still has that respect.
Perfect mate
Ellis. Seriously, that's it.
They're functionally dysfunctional together. If Val and Ellis hadn't wound up getting together, Val would likely be functionally asexual due to his issues.
Biggest shame
That he's still struggling through a lot of issues that stem from childhood, things he feels like he should be 'over by now'. It's very shameful to him that no matter how much he knows something logically , the old mental tapes are still right there playing in a continual loop if he slips back into listening to them.
Ideal job vs. actual job
Val's ideal job is being a college professor of jazz studies. He's working towards that goal - his actual job right now is college student, more or less. He's got some other little part time things he does, tutoring at college, and occasionally still helping out at the record store. He tried being a clerk there for a while, but he wound up having a hard time with keeping up with that and school and lessons and the band. Val really doesn't have a monetary incentive to work at the moment, and he's really kind of enjoying this period of his life where he doesn't have to work-work, as he'd been working pretty steadily in acting from the ages of 4-17 and really likes having a bit of a break.
First moment of childhood happiness
Dancing with his grandmother and grandfather to records. It's one of his earliest (if vague) childhood memories - being in their living room, grandma and grandpa dancing together with him in their arms, then each of them showing him some dance steps, and letting him choose a record to play, etc. He was likely around three.
Peak romantic experience he/she is constantly trying to recreate
I don't think Val's really hit a 'peak experience' yet - he hadn't had any real intimacy and was a virgin when he got together with Ellis, so everything is still pretty new/fresh/exciting and full of discovery.
Bedrooms
Val spends a lot of time in bedrooms. As a child, he was often told to go to his room and stop being underfoot. Go in your room and don't bother anyone. As he got older, he relished being in his room for the privacy it afforded. It is hard for him to accept that now the rest of the house 'belongs to him' as much as to the other people who live there, and as such he'll default to doing things in his own room whenever possible. He is making an effort to be social and do more things in the living room and kitchen at his New York home, but it is slow going to change the habit. In New Orleans, he sleeps down in the basement with Ellis, so that is mostly his bedroom - but he also has a room of his own on the second floor where he keeps some of his stuff. He tends to go in there to do things like sit and read in the window while Ellis is sleeping during the day (it's the only one that's unboarded so he can get some sun up there), and will bring anything that's messy/likely to be in the way elsewhere up there to work on (like a jigsaw puzzle spread out on the floor to piece together)
Refrigerator innards
In New York, primarily whatever his uncles buy, he's good with. He makes special request for things like ice cream, cornmeal for his cush cush, fruit cups, and Lucky Charms cereal (he likes to pick the marshmallows out and play with them on the table while he eats), but for the most part he'll eat whatever's available. In New Orleans, all the food is for him - so he frequently either accompanies Ellis shopping or participates in making the grocery list. Lots of healthy things like fruits and veggies and OJ and the like, ingredients for easy to prepare meals, corn meal for cush cush, various ice creams and cookies, and anything that strikes his or Ellis's fancy as something he might enjoy tasting. He tends to try out a lot of new foods, now that he feels like he can.
Nervous tics
Val tends to fidget when he's uncomfortable, shifting restlessly in his seat or from foot to foot if he's standing. He also chews on his thumbnail, or bites his lip.
Dream life
Living in New Orleans with Ellis full time, working as a college professor and performing the occasional show.
Biggest rival/antagonist
Daniel, Val's former bandleader/friend who turned out to be trying to capitalize on Val's acting days to promote his band. He's bitter about Val having slugged him, and about Val breaking up his band - and is trying to find a successful way to get his revenge. He's a fairly ineffectual antagonist most times though, more of an annoyance than a HUGE threat at this point.
Biggest accomplishment he/she wishes to achieve
Right now, the big milestone he's looking towards is graduating college. After that will be grad school.
Favorite site of refuge or succor
The basement room in New Orleans
Person from the past he/she doesn’t wish to bump into
His mother's friend the pornographer.
Most challenging physical act
Working out is his most continually challenging physical act. As far as a single-shot, probably the kidnapping.
Most challenging mental act
At the moment, learning all the stuff he needs to for college
Most challenging emotional act
Fighting his way through the emotional baggage of the past and trying to come up with new patterns of behavior.
Val is respectful of authority figures and believes in their necessity to society and primarily good intentions.He wants his instructors to think well of him,and has a strong desire to please them. He believes that cops and firefighters and soldiers are there to protect and serve and all that good stuff. He's somewhat mistrustful of doctors and nurses and other such health professionals, but he still has that respect.
Perfect mate
Ellis. Seriously, that's it.
They're functionally dysfunctional together. If Val and Ellis hadn't wound up getting together, Val would likely be functionally asexual due to his issues.
Biggest shame
That he's still struggling through a lot of issues that stem from childhood, things he feels like he should be 'over by now'. It's very shameful to him that no matter how much he knows something logically , the old mental tapes are still right there playing in a continual loop if he slips back into listening to them.
Ideal job vs. actual job
Val's ideal job is being a college professor of jazz studies. He's working towards that goal - his actual job right now is college student, more or less. He's got some other little part time things he does, tutoring at college, and occasionally still helping out at the record store. He tried being a clerk there for a while, but he wound up having a hard time with keeping up with that and school and lessons and the band. Val really doesn't have a monetary incentive to work at the moment, and he's really kind of enjoying this period of his life where he doesn't have to work-work, as he'd been working pretty steadily in acting from the ages of 4-17 and really likes having a bit of a break.
First moment of childhood happiness
Dancing with his grandmother and grandfather to records. It's one of his earliest (if vague) childhood memories - being in their living room, grandma and grandpa dancing together with him in their arms, then each of them showing him some dance steps, and letting him choose a record to play, etc. He was likely around three.
Peak romantic experience he/she is constantly trying to recreate
I don't think Val's really hit a 'peak experience' yet - he hadn't had any real intimacy and was a virgin when he got together with Ellis, so everything is still pretty new/fresh/exciting and full of discovery.
Bedrooms
Val spends a lot of time in bedrooms. As a child, he was often told to go to his room and stop being underfoot. Go in your room and don't bother anyone. As he got older, he relished being in his room for the privacy it afforded. It is hard for him to accept that now the rest of the house 'belongs to him' as much as to the other people who live there, and as such he'll default to doing things in his own room whenever possible. He is making an effort to be social and do more things in the living room and kitchen at his New York home, but it is slow going to change the habit. In New Orleans, he sleeps down in the basement with Ellis, so that is mostly his bedroom - but he also has a room of his own on the second floor where he keeps some of his stuff. He tends to go in there to do things like sit and read in the window while Ellis is sleeping during the day (it's the only one that's unboarded so he can get some sun up there), and will bring anything that's messy/likely to be in the way elsewhere up there to work on (like a jigsaw puzzle spread out on the floor to piece together)
Refrigerator innards
In New York, primarily whatever his uncles buy, he's good with. He makes special request for things like ice cream, cornmeal for his cush cush, fruit cups, and Lucky Charms cereal (he likes to pick the marshmallows out and play with them on the table while he eats), but for the most part he'll eat whatever's available. In New Orleans, all the food is for him - so he frequently either accompanies Ellis shopping or participates in making the grocery list. Lots of healthy things like fruits and veggies and OJ and the like, ingredients for easy to prepare meals, corn meal for cush cush, various ice creams and cookies, and anything that strikes his or Ellis's fancy as something he might enjoy tasting. He tends to try out a lot of new foods, now that he feels like he can.
Nervous tics
Val tends to fidget when he's uncomfortable, shifting restlessly in his seat or from foot to foot if he's standing. He also chews on his thumbnail, or bites his lip.
Dream life
Living in New Orleans with Ellis full time, working as a college professor and performing the occasional show.
Biggest rival/antagonist
Daniel, Val's former bandleader/friend who turned out to be trying to capitalize on Val's acting days to promote his band. He's bitter about Val having slugged him, and about Val breaking up his band - and is trying to find a successful way to get his revenge. He's a fairly ineffectual antagonist most times though, more of an annoyance than a HUGE threat at this point.
Biggest accomplishment he/she wishes to achieve
Right now, the big milestone he's looking towards is graduating college. After that will be grad school.
Favorite site of refuge or succor
The basement room in New Orleans
Person from the past he/she doesn’t wish to bump into
His mother's friend the pornographer.
Most challenging physical act
Working out is his most continually challenging physical act. As far as a single-shot, probably the kidnapping.
Most challenging mental act
At the moment, learning all the stuff he needs to for college
Most challenging emotional act
Fighting his way through the emotional baggage of the past and trying to come up with new patterns of behavior.