Character Survey of Doom: Bran.
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Bran is slender and tall for his age. He's an albino, so his skin and hair are abnormally pale.
2. How old is he? Fifteen.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? Bran slouches! He's pretty self-conscious, hates being stared at, so the slouch is pretty much habitual self-defence. When he's around people he's comfortable with or he's distracted out of thinking of himself, he's got a lot of grace. When he's angry he's got a proud stature.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Bran doesn't get sick in canon, but I'm pretty sure that most people with albinism suffer sight problems and other health issues. Bran's eyes are yellow and don't seem to be weak, but he's vulnerable to sunburn.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Pretty fluid and graceful, I think.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror? Bran thinks he is freakish and horrible. However, he is one of the most physically striking characters in the series, so I'm guessing there is a big discrepancy between how Bran thinks of himself and how others think of him -- he's got fine features to go with the pale skin, but a haughtiness in his jaws and eyes that probably speaks of Arthur.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Almost totally devoid of colour.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style. White.
9. What color are his eyes? Tawny yellow, like a birds.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? He is very often scowling or hiding behind a pair of dark sunglasses.
11. What are his chief tension centers? I think his hands.
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? Mostly durable clothes that he can wear on the farm, in white or black -- Bran deliberately chooses clothes that emphasise how different he looks.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? Since they're his statement to the world at large, yes, he is comfortable in them, if not with himself -- or he's as comfortable in them as he is his own skin.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences? On the job is a school uniform. I don't see sheep being particularly impressed by blazers so no.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Briefs, I expect. White ones.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? Pleasant, lilting, musical.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate? Since Bran is usually angry, he speaks pretty fast. He's a bit scornful and holds himself back until he gets into a conversation, but I don't think you could say he really hesitates.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? Broad Welsh accent. How broad depends on how much he wants to irritate the person he is talking to.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? Bran is fluent and Welsh and English, he struggles with Latin and French at school.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations? He's more likely to use Welsh with people who can speak it, English when it is necessary.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words? I don't think Bran thinks too much about what he says, but I wouldn't say this makes him a good impromptu speaker as such.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Bran's a pretty persuasive speaker when there is something he wants. In that situation, he doesn't seem to have to think about his words.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? Bran's smart, but he lacks experience of the world and social skills, so I think he gets underestimated.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate? Bran thinks on his feet and regrets it later
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? Bran's thought processes are based on emotion more than anything else, but his idealism is tempered by cynicism.
4. What kind of education has the character had? He went to the local school in Tywyn until secondary level, where he put himself into studying overdrive to get into the same grammar as Will.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? Bran's good at music, and his best marks are in history. He'd be good at English if he didn't keep annoying the teacher by playing devil's advocate. Bran's restless, not really finding anything that really pulls him in.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? Bran is secretly an extrovert trapped in the body and mind of an introvert.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Moody in the extreme.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Bran is generally suspicious of new people and situations, self-conscious and awkward and when he feels uncomfortable, likes to troll people in pre-emptive self-defence.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? React and act. I guess this might be more applicable to Bran phrased as active or passive, and Bran is very active.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight? Fight.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Bran's got a rather dark sense of humour, especially when it comes to himself, but he has a sense of humour!
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? Being a moody teen is not so far a diagnosable mental disorder.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person? Being abandoned by his mother, being teased, feared and outcast for how he looks by the people of his village, being raised in very strict all but isolation by a very Catholic father who then turns out to not even be Bran's father at all, meeting and making friends with Will, realising who he is and coming into his own power through the High Magic, giving up father, immortality and power to live as a mortal, forgetting everything.
14. What does he fear? Skeletal horses, abandonment.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations? To do something big. Impressive. That will show 'them'.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him? Bran probably doesn't want anyone to know that he was crushing on Jane Drew and that she turned him down.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents. Rocky, but solid below that -- Owen Davies and Bran are genuinely fond of each other and although they might not agree they are capable of seeing beyond this.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? Only child, unless you count Mordred. Who as Bran has only just met him, seems a bit premature to go into detail about.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
None! Bran's life is a boulevard of broken dreams.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? John Rowlands, Mr and Mrs Evans and their kids.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Will was going the wrong way, Bran's dog found him.
6. Does he have other close friends? He's getting there.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
Bran has trouble getting along with people.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? They're both so rare that Bran doesn't really distinguish between them.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once? Single.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? No.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest? Jane Drew.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? Ability to take his nonsense and tell him off for it. It doesn't hurt that Jane is blonde and pretty either.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? No, and I think at some point Bran would like kids/little Welsh nationalists of his very own. Just that point is a long way off.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? His English teacher, there are bound to be students at his school that Bran has irritated the hell out of and who irritate Bran, various village kids and people back in Tywyn; pretty much the entire active Wild Magic population.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? Bran would quite like to get laid but isn't sure how exactly you go about doing this. He is hampered by fact he goes to an all boy's school.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? People being scared of him is a definite turn-off. Bran's not big on being deceived or not valued either. I suspect Bran might be high-maintenance.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? Bran was raised strictly religious, but doesn't think much of it.
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? Bran's code of ethics is basically stick to the underdog, and it's a result of being different and picked on.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? He's tolerant as long as the differences don't threaten anything he considers important, in which case his instinct is to fight.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them? I'm not sure you can call Bran's English rants a predjudice as he acknowledges it and makes fun of himself for it, but at the same time, he is fiercely proud of his Welsh heritage.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? Upper working class -- his Dad is a shepherd, not sure if he owns his own land or not.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? Bran's discovered he is Arthur's son; this hasn't done massive amounts to change his status except internally.
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? Bran has one of the window beds in a dorm room he shares with Will among sundry other fifth formers at his boarding school.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? Rock and Roll CDs, protest posters, I don't think Bran actually has a lot of spending money.
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? Student and he's just doing it until he works out what he wants to do.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? Bran reads, plays the harp, may have started learning guitar recently, annoys Will, does whatever it is that Will insists on doing now.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? Bran is a growing teen boy; eats vociferously.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? Black.
2. Smell? Teen anguish.
3. Time of day? Evening.
4. Season? Winter.
5. Book? Moby Dick.
6. Music? Alt Rock.
7. Place? Wales.
8. Substance? Crystal.
9. Plant? Oak.
10. Animal? Hawk.
END
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