character survey of doom

[couragemantra]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? He’s about 5’9”-5’10”, slim but with some muscle to him, especially lower body, but he’s a bit soft around the upper arms, hips, thighs, etc.

2. How old is he? 16 or 17, canonically. I’m going with 16 because that’s what the Glee writers are saying even though he was also 16 last year…

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? His posture is nearly perfect and he strives to make it flawless, often walking down hallways as if they’re a runway.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? He’s fit, able to dance and play some sports easily.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Graceful and fluid. Like a diva or a model. Even in heels.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror? Depends on personal tastes. He’s more CUTE and adorable than traditionally handsome or hot (though his ass is pretty hot, just saying, have you seen this kid in skinny jeans?). As for how he perceives himself, he tries to make himself flawless but that’s because he sees in himself lots of flaws that need correcting. Kid needs some nice guy to tell him he’s hot and treat him like he’s a hottie before he’s going to be able to really start believing it.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Very light, very clear - almost impeccably so.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style. Light brown, usually sleeked backwards in a carefully styled coif.

9. What color are his eyes? Blue-ish-green-ish-grey. THE COLOR IS A MYSTERY.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? Other than his often outrageous but totally chic fashion sense? Not really.

11. What are his chief tension centers? Shoulders, neck, to some extent probably his face for all the fake smiling and glaring he’s sometimes forced to do.

12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit? Designer, fabulous, progressive, hardly ever casual and often heavy on the bow-ties. His favorite shoes are a pair of Doc Marten boots that he rocks even when wearing shorts.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? They fit flawlessly and he’s comfortable in even the most outrageous of his ensembles.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences? Considering his two main jobs are a. glee-clubbing it up and b. working in his dad’s garage from time to time… no. In Glee performances he’ll wear something that matches with what the others are wearing, and in the garage it’s coveralls.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? I’d imagine he does boxer briefs.

Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? High. So high that you might think his voice hasn’t yet changed, but he CAN slip into a deeper voice… it’s just not as natural as speaking the way he does.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate? He speaks loudly, usually, in a way that demands you pay him attention. His words come easily and his witty remarks are often delivered flawlessly and confidently. Emotional things are harder to talk about, though.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? A penchant for the phrase “oh my god”, maybe, but no actual accent or anything. I’ve heard some people say that he has a slight lisp, but I don’t really hear it.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? English is his first language, but he studies both French and Spanish at school, and is pretty decent at French in particular.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations? Not really, though he’d be happy to try conversing in French or Spanish with a native speaker. For the challenge, you know.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words? He’s a very good speaker. When put on the spot, it’s less of a stressful situation than a situation to be taken advantage of, a chance to be noticed.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Very eloquent for someone his age. Big words are his way of exerting his superiority over the dumbasses surrounding him at any given time. He only really gets inarticulate when he’s flustered, embarrassed, or crushing particularly hard.

Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? Pretty book-smart - maybe a little too much so, as he’s stated before that his current high school’s curriculum isn’t exactly challenging him in the least. He could do with being a bit more street-smart, as he’s fairly naïve and young and prone to making mistakes.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate? His best plans are the ones he has time to deliberate over, but he’s not incapable of making stuff up on the fly.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? He’d like to consider himself logical, but in many ways he’s thinking with his heart and ignoring how the world REALLY works in the process. He definitely gets carried away by his emotions and feelings to the point where he ends up making mistakes and hurting people on occasion.

4. What kind of education has the character had? A typical American public school education. Aka not the best, but he does well enough that hopefully it’ll get him somewhere. I also assume he’s got some informal singing and acting training. And piano lessons as well.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? His expertise lies in both music and fashion. He hopes to make a career on Broadway someday, a dream that may be too big for a small town kid like him, but if anybody can make it it’s him. He’s got the talent and doesn’t intend to let it go to waste.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? He’s… an extroverted introvert. He’ll give the appearance of making an effort of making friends if he thinks he has a chance of people accepting him, but he keeps so much to himself and has a distrust of people he doesn’t know well that reveals that he’s actually pretty introverted on the inside.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Oh, expect mood swings galore. His mental processes are all over the place, one minute he’ll be smiling and flirty and the next after you say something that he somehow construes as bad or unwelcoming, he’ll become more closed off. He lives off of drama, a lot of the time he’ll create drama out of nothing at all. Cheerful or melancholy depends on the mood, which as I mentioned SWINGS A LOT. He’s definitely driven to his goals, though.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? New people are usually met with nonchalantly until he gets a feel for what a person is like. If you’re nice, he’ll be nice back. If you share interests, he’ll quickly and enthusiastically talk to you about them. If you’re a jerk to him, he’ll be a bitch back at you. In general, he’s suspicious of you until you prove to him he has no reason to be. And even after you’re buddies, he may still display some trust issues.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? React. And loudly.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight? This depends on the situation, though most of the time I’d say FIGHT. Not physically, but with a few choice words or insults. There are a few times he’s been able to physically fight back against aggressors, but if it’s physical aggression (ie, bullying) his default after fighting back via talking back is just to… take it. He doesn’t run away, just takes what’s coming.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Kurt’s sense of humor is dry, sometimes morbid. A fun example is when Mr. Schue asks the glee club “How do you guys answer the phone?” and Kurt says dryly, “No, she’s dead, this is her son”, referring to people hearing him and thinking he’s his dead mother. Jokes aren’t lost on him, but his humor is used less in an attempt to make the other person laugh than to make himself sound witty. Humor is just another defense mechanism, used to cover up for when he’s feeling insecure or put-upon.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? I’ve toyed with the idea of him being borderline anorexic… but there’s really no proof for that. I mean, his eating habits on the show aren’t by any means the focus of the show, but after being told by Ms Sylvester he has ‘hips like a pear’ he becomes really concerned about what he puts into his body, eating just some celery for lunch. He’s very calorie and health conscious, and his friends mention in season two that he’s been losing weight and not in a good way, but I don’t know if it goes that far. If REALLY pushed any further, though, it could develop into real anorexia…

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person? First and foremost, his mom’s death, which resulted in him being raised by his dad. Second to that is the bullying he’s had to go through probably since puberty, at least, but quite possibly sooner since he wasn’t exactly into things that other little boys were into. Glee club has been, for the most part, a refuge for him where he’s been able to be himself and have friends for the first time in a long time, as well as grow as an artist.

14. What does he fear? Dave Karofsky. I swear, if we got a Karofsky in S_C the drama of that would SLAY ME in a good way, because Kurt is just… terrified. Before he came to Death City Karofsky gave him his first kiss (unwanted, btw, considering Karofsky’s been bullying him for months, if not longer than that), made vaguely sexual gestures, pushed him around into the lockers like he was a rag doll, and finally threatened to kill him! So to say he’s terrified of Karofsky is putting things lightly. In general, though, people LIKE Karofsky - real bullies, ignoramuses, tough guys without much in the way of conscience… And on another note, the death of his father is a big one. Also, he fears being alone, rejection, not fulfilling his dreams. Lots of things. In game, a big thing keeping him grounded is his music, which is still locked away safely in his iPhone. If he loses that he’ll probably have a mini-breakdown.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations? To find love. Or heck, maybe that’s even too much to ask for - he just wants to experience those normal things that most teenagers take for granted, like holding hands, kissing, going to prom… Professionally, he hopes to win Tony awards some day, maybe become a fashion designer, to be well-traveled and well-educated and to finally be BEYOND small-town Ohio and its prejudices.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him? How little confidence he actually has. He hides his insecurities under layers of designer clothes and layers of skincare and hair products and tons of witty remarks that don’t really mean anything. He stands up straight so he can have the illusion that he’s bigger than he feels. He covers himself up so he doesn’t have to show people how he really looks. He puts on a happy face and smiles, even though it doesn’t reach his eyes, so people don’t know the truth.

Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents. His dad is the most important thing in his life, by far. They take care of each other, his dad supports him no matter what.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? N/A

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand? N/A

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? Mm, can't believe I missed this before but there's Finn and his mom. Even though at the timepoint I've taken him from Kurt's dad hasn't proposed, they're at that stage where they're just considering themselves family. You could also argue that Mercedes is almost like a sister to him, I suppose.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Mercedes. They met during glee club, and Mercedes quickly developed a crush on him, oddly enough. She’s the first person to learn that he’s actually gay, and the first person to accept him despite that. From then on, they’re platonic bffs.

6. Does he have other close friends? On the show, there’s Finn, his former-crush and future-step-bro, Tina, Rachel (beyond the diva rivalry there’s some sort of friendship there), Brittany… In game, he’s quickly becoming friends with Souji Seta and Kanaya Maryam, among others.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people? In his own world, he had TONS of trouble. Most people wouldn’t even give him a chance. In S_C, though, he’s finding it remarkably easy.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? Family, for sure. No doubt about it. Sorry, friends, he’d trade you for his dad any day.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once? Single, never even dated.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? No, not even close.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest? The first we learn about is Finn Hudson, the least cruel of the bullies that harass him on a day to day basis. Kurt actually sets up Finn’s mom and his dad in an attempt to get closer to Finn (who’s straight) - but eventually this blows up in his face and Finn rejects him. Epically. His latest in CANON is Blaine, who is surprise-surprise ACTUALLY GAY. And his latest in game is Souji, who surpasses his expectations in almost every way.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? His standards are set so low… Just, obviously they have to like boys. :| Though that part is negotiable. And they should be KINDA NICE… though he’s willing to forgive a bit of mean-ness as long as the guy’s nicer than most other guys are to him. Just… the first thing he looks for is a. are they nice?, b. are they hot?, and c. …it’d be nice if they’re musically inclined. He… needs to reevaluate his standards a bit, admittedly. He falls quickly and when he does, he tends to lose a bit of self-respect. And sometimes morals. And definitely common sense.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? Pft, no. He’d probably adopt, though, if he finds Mr. Right.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? RACHEL BERRY. Enough said. Also, in a different sort of way that’s less rival and more enemy, Dave Karofsky.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale? 6, aka GAYER THAN THE FOURTH OF JULY.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? He knows he wants to have it, but he also is ready to wait for it. It’s not something to take lightly, and even though he falls in love a little too quickly, I get the feeling he’d hold out on sex with someone until it felt absolutely right. On the same note, if he wants sex and his partner isn’t providing, he’d probably push the issue, insisting he’s ready, that they’re ready.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? Turn-ons: Kindness, compassion, musical ability, guys with charm, natural/rugged good looks, possibly sporty types. The first three are the big ones, though. Turn-offs: blatant disregard for hygiene, cruelty, ignorance, pushiness. As for weird bedroom habits… I don’ t know. I like to think once things become sexual he’s just like any guy - eager and totally willing to please and be pleased.

Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type? There is some speculation in fandom that Kurt may be a Capricorn, though his birthday isn’t known. If he isn’t one, he probably should be, though. It fits him to a T.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? Neither. At all. He looks down at religion and god as “Santa Claus for adults”.

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? Not… per se. He’s not a bad person, but he’s obviously not beyond manipulation, lying, selfishness, etc. His moral code is hardly well defined, if it exists at all.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? He’s been intolerant bordering on indifferent. For example, when his dad’s in the hospital he refuses to have his friends pray for him. He makes very judgmental comments about religion in front of some very religious friends of his. He’s gotten better about this, though.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them? As much as he wishes people would be more tolerant around him, he’s got some issues as well. Most people he doesn’t know are placed down a peg in relation to himself until they prove they’re worth being considered on equal (or higher!) footing.

Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? His family seems to be middle class, maybe bordering on upper-middle. He’s more than comfortable with his designer clothes and luxury SUV.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? He’s an outcast at school, due to both being the only out gay kid and also a member of the glee club, which is considered the dorkiest extracurricular ever to exist at McKinley High. His status briefly changed when he was a member of the national championship winning cheerleading squad, but once he quit… it was back to being a grade A loser.

3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others? He lived in a house with his dad. Not a particularly big or fancy house, either, though his basement bedroom is very nicely decorated.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? Skin and haircare products, and CLOTHES. Lots’n’lots of them.

5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else? My headcanon is that he works at his dad’s garage from time to time. He’s decent at it, enjoys it enough beyond the fact that it’s a pretty dirty job. In DC, he’s working at the salon as an aesthetician, and may also soon be performing at Northern Lights as a singer/dancer (which is what he REALLY wants to do).

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? Music, musicals, fashion, and singing and dancing. He’s been known to make his own music videos, and my headcanon is that half the time when he’s sitting in a corner and texting during glee club, he’s actually online-shopping. :|

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? Salty, sweet, fatty, and otherwise unhealthy foods are avoided at all costs. Non-organic products are avoided whenever possible. He’ll skip meals or replace them with something incredibly light on a regular basis. Drinking is a no-no after he got drunk that one time and barfed all over Miss Pillsbury…

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

1. Color? Black, or maybe red?
2. Smell? Burt’s Bees. Idek, it seems like something he’d adore.
3. Time of day? Evenings.
4. Season? Fall.
5. Book? The biography of Patti LuPone?
6. Music? Mm, the soundtrack of Wicked.
7. Place? His modern-minimalist bedroom, decorated in whites, grays, and silvers.
8. Substance? It’s not exactly matter, but can I say energy itself?
9. Plant? First thing to come to mind is a four leaf clover.
10. Animal? A mink. Because they make nice coats. Or, if he WAS an animal I’d compare him to a cat. Maybe a Persian.

END
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