CHARACTER SURVEY
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Five-foot seven and about 119 pounds. (121 in canon, but he's lost weight since coming Luceti even though he eats more than usual. Thanks, Luceti.) By shounen standards, he's pretty short, but that's still not at all scrawny. I'd say that he has an acrobat's build more than anything else: not heavily muscled, but everything he's got is something he depends on.
2. How old is he?
Sixteen going on seventeen.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
Allen holds himself with a sort of gentleman's dignity, but cuts the corners a little so that he's less graceful than just economic. This changes depending on who he's with: around friends, he's much more likely to slump and start leaning on tables, etc.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Extremely healthy-to the point of unhealth itself. He eats too much, frequently pushes himself to the absolute limit and is generally just not very good at staying still. He favors his right hand, though not by much when it comes to things that can be roughly handled. This is because he does not actually have a left arm: it's Innocence.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
His every movement is fluid and sharply balanced-that second part's important. He rarely gets into a position where he can't recover and stay on his feet at a heartbeat's notice. He's. . . not always tense, but he can go from relaxed to tension in a heartbeat, so there's always a waiting quality to it.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
IT DEPENDS ON YOUR TASTE? I think he's pretty cute, but Allen wouldn't even notice something like that. The first thing he notices about his face is the scar; the second is the hair. Everything else comes afterwards, and he doesn't necessarily expect others to see it the same way, but it wouldn't surprise him and it's stopped bothering him. He thinks that he's a little strange, but in Luceti he also acknowledges that it's probably no stranger than anyone else, so he doesn't mind.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Clear with a giant scar. He doesn't burn easily, but he obviously hasn't had much trouble with acne. It's light enough that it's easy to notice when he blushes, though.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
White, the texture of it not particularly beautiful, but thick, cut about half an inch past his ears. It's usually a mess, though he tries to keep a minor appearance of neatness for the sake of looking put-together.
9. What color are his eyes?
An oddly warm blue-gray.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Looooots of scars. The primary one is the star and crossed lightning down his left eye: the star's nearly always hidden underneath the fall of his hair, but the length of the scar itself is impossible to miss since it drags down to the level of his mouth. He also has a giant scar ripped across his torso from right to left and a series of other scars: along the right side of his neck, over his legs, his back, a burst at the center of his palm from a Tease bite. Most of them are shiny and faded, but this is not an undamaged body by far.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
Haha, um. Everywhere? Chief would be shoulders.
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?
Allen leans towards the very, very plain but formal. His outfits are always some combination of black trousers, a white long-sleeved shirt topped by a black vest and wrapped in a black waistcoat. The only color is the red tie at his throat, although sometimes he changes it up for stripes or other patterns. (NEVER STARS.) They are. . . different shades of black?? Or different cuts, or what-have-you, but regardless, black and white and red. Depending on how comfortable he is and how hot the weather around him, he'll take off the coat and the vest, but that's all. The gloves never come off unless he's with someone he absolutely does trust not to be distracted, and even then he prefers not to.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
He likes to be comfortable, so yes, they fit well! He could be more comfortable in something less formal, but that would be too much of a hassle to get used to. This is what he's been wearing for the past few years, so whatever discomfort he used to have at this way of dressing, he's gotten so far over it that he's come out the other side.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
Pretty much! It depends on what you'd call free time, really: he does have spare clothes just for training, but that's technically part of the job. Anyway, for the job itself they have a whole Exorcist's uniform, and Allen wears it without changes to the design at all.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Boxers. I. . . assume Victorians wore boxers? 8| HE'S STANDARD IN THAT AREA.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
I always imagine him as sounding a little younger than he is: boys at sixteen tend to be at their voice-breaking stage, but Allen's is clear and steady, almost a little high. Very flexible in tone. He wouldn't be a good singer, though.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
For the most part, Allen's very even and easygoing in his talk. He's friendly, but there's always a little edge of formality even when he offers to help people in matters that are fairly personal. His speech is the first giveaway to his mood, the most obvious and therefore the one Allen controls mostly intently.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
A very slight British accent, accompanied by all the usual British quirks! He's got a small array of Britishisms when I remember to plug them in.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
English is his most fluent. He can get by in French and Hindi. He can scrimp a little Chinese, mostly food vocabulary-enough to know what it sounds like. As for the rest. . . he knows a surprising number of curse words in Portuguese, Spanish, German and Italian. 8|;;
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Allen will always speak the language that a person is most comfortable with, which is completely irrelevant in Luceti, which translates everything for everyone.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
How do you define good? The average shounen speech comes very easily to him, but he tends to be more careful around cynics because the point isn't to say dumb things, it's to reassure them and to be believed. In those cases, he slows down not so much because he needs the space to get his words through but because he wants to have the effect of thinking it through.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Largely articulate, if only because he's very clear on the things that he believes and why he believes them, but he can be overwhelmed by too much happening, especially deaths. Deaths and people getting hurt wind him a bit.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Street-smart, definitely. Allen could survive in a backalley gutter but he wouldn't do half as well in a library. Intelligence-wise. . . he's a fast thinker, but only in certain ways! Low cunning, it's called.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
On his feet, although he broods over things on his own.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Allen is the ultimate idealist. He imagines a reality in which no one has to die and everyone is forgivable except one person. He moves by intuition more than anything else, although his instincts tend to be pretty spot on, so you know, it's not necessarily a bad thing.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
Bits and pieces, here and there. In my head, he has no culture except stray bits of facts likely to impress the ladies (MASTERRRRRR) which means he occasionally recognises an artist name here and there. He is, however, excellent at basic sums. 8| And pretty decent at languages, especially in the filthier areas. 8| But as for science and literature and so on, Allen doesn't know much about it. (Oh, but he knows that rubber boots are of great help during thunderstorms. THANKS MASTER.)
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
Assuming you don't mean school, he's interested in learning more about other cultures in other worlds! At the moment he's strongest in fighting and in gambling. . . which are not ideal school subjects. He is especially interested in Japan. Nothing makes him happier than a country that was meant to be destroyed thriving in every other world.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
An extrovert, definitely. With an introvert's tendencies??
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Allen is generally pretty even-tempered, cheerful and easygoing, but he has a few berserk buttons that absolutely nobody is allowed to touch: (1) beansprout, (2) debt, (3) 14th, (4) Mana, (5) threats to people. Obviously the last three affect him in ways different from the first two! But they are the guaranteed mood-changers. Otherwise, he's pretty zen and accepting.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
Allen's first instinct with new people is to want to help them, offer to show them around and that kind of thing. In new situations, he may as well be voted Most Likely To Go Explore While Hypocritically Telling Others To Stay Behind And Safe.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
I'd say act, but. . . Allen dislikes acting without cause. So, react.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight, every time. If a fight's brewing to happen, he'll face it head-on-but only then.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Allen has a ghastly and broad sense of humor. His early life was spent with a clown, so he has a long, long tolerance for puns. Pranks and joking threats of bodily harm come easily to him. About the only sort he's unlikely to appreciate is seriously morbid humor-even bathroom humor might get a slightly grossed out chuckle out of him.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
Not. . . diagnosable? Martyr tendencies aren't a recognised mental disorder. :(
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
Defined, not shaped? I'd call his hitting critical on the Ark and seizing Crown Clown a defining moment: he was so desperate not to kill the humanity left in Tyki that he actually created a new weapon that made sure he wouldn't have to. And then there was his conversation with Bak during the China Branch arc, which is actually one of my favourites: "I'm no longer a human being. I'm an Exorcist. So, please-let me return to the battlefield." They didn't have an impact on him quite as much, but they delineate much of who Allen is very nicely, I think.
14. What does he fear?
That Cross's prediction will come true and the 14th will hurt his friends and he won't be able to stop him. That Mana never loved him. That people around him will get hurt because he keeps letting Tyki off the leash. That, sooner or later, he will stop being Allen Walker-but that's not about himself so much as the potential for what the 14th could do, given such an opportunity.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
At the moment, Allen wants a few things. He wants to leave Luceti with absolutely every citizen in tow, go home, kill the Earl, save the Noah, save the Akuma, scrub the 14th from his brain, figure out what the third-gen's deal is and save them too. Not necessarily in that order. The more he hears about other worlds, though, the more he wants to turn Luceti into a crossroads so that he can go help in other worlds too. For Luceti-based goals, he just wants to keep things stable, and maybe to get Tyki to be human here. He's a boy of very scant ambition. :')
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
Everything, basically! He hasn't told anyone about Mana, he hasn't told anyone about the Fourteenth. . . I am not sure that he's told all that many people about the Akuma. He told the population about the Tease, but that was because the Tease were attacking, and he lied and attributed the Tease to the Earl, and didn't mention the Noah at all. Allen is essentially the biggest liar who ever was. |D;;
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
Allen has never known his birth parents. Mana filled the father's role completely to the extent that Allen has never been able to love anyone, platonically or otherwise, to an extent remotely approaching this. His devotion to the Akuma is a lingering aftereffect of this love. The relationship itself was kind of tsundere, I imagine: Allen softened up in his travels with Mana, but he didn't really become Sad Woobie In Snow until after his father died. The idea that Mana never loved him would be quite enough to break him.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
He doesn't! The closest he comes is Lavi, Kanda and Lenalee.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
Well. . . that depends on whether you count the Noah as "blood relatives". He can't stand any of them. |D;
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
No. Allen doesn't think of relationships in terms of a familial structure. He is close to his comrades, but they're comrades-friends, not family. Mana is, was, and always will be the only family he acknowledges.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
I. . . guess that would be Lavi. They met when Lavi and Bookman first joined up with their group on the way back to the Order, post-ordeal in Rewinding Town.
6. Does he have other close friends?
Lenalee is a close friend! L. . . ink is probably one too? If only because he knows so much about Allen that Allen feels just fine being himself. Basically, if you stand still in Allen's life for long enough and don't do anything horrible, he will get attached to you in whatever capacity you happen to serve at the time.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
It's actually a little bit of both. Allen makes friends easily, but he doesn't let them in. It's causing him a bit of trouble in Luceti.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
He refuses to choose. They're equally important, he'd claim, although obviously this applies largely to other people: Mana is still the single biggest thing.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
S-SINGLE. FOREVER.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Nope! Allen as I play him is really. . . bad at love on the individual level. It doesn't occur to him to value one person in particular over others-it takes a specific kind of relationship to get him to focus enough on that level and, especially in those cases, he has other problems to distract him. Worse yet, he's aware of his own shortcomings in this area, which means he wouldn't be willing to move forward with it unless it was guaranteed not to end badly for the other person. In short, the thought of Allen in a romantic relationship gives me pain. He would not last more than a few hours-a week, maybe, if the significant other was tolerant.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
My personal headcanon is that somewhere during their travels, when Allen was tiny and with Mana, he was trying to Be Nice and shared some food with a little girl, and she was nice back to him (without being freaked out by his arm!!) and he kind of went around being mildly dere-dere for a day. Mana teased him lightly and Allen went tsun and they kind of went back and forth for a while, but Mana was happy because Allen was connecting (!!) and Allen was happy (in a grumpy kind of way) because Mana was happy (////). Then they moved on. It wasn't a big crush. His latest. . . is probably Lenalee, although who knows if he'll ever acknowledge it or discover anything non-platonic in it.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Assuming that he ever acknowledged a want for a romantic partner. . . he'd want someone with strength: strong enough to save themselves but also strong enough to hold back and acknowledge that they need the help. Selfless, willing to do anything to help others. He'd love somebody who shared his ideals, but it would probably break his heart if they were any more like him than that. There's only enough room for one martyr on the team. Someone with a sense of humor and willing to learn and grow is a big thing for him too. Personally, I think that'd be the worst kind of relationship for him.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
He doesn't have or want kids. He's much warmer and gentler with them because children have hope and Allen loves people with hope, but no, he wouldn't want any of his own.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
Kanda. KANDA. . . . and, you know, the whole Noah family. But the latter can't be described as rivals to him quite so much.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
. . . I'd say X, except it's not necessarily true. He's not organically interested in sex, never attracted to anybody in that way in any way he'd care to acknowledge, but I'd. . . guess. . . 1.5?
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
In an ideal world, Allen feels, sex would be something that happened only to you and the affectionate partner of your choice. Unfortunately, Allen lived with Cross for several years, so he's largely disenchanted with sex: it doesn't mean much and it's definitely nothing like a motivation for him. He doesn't think about it unless it comes up and then he goes red, not because he's modest so much as because what the hell kind of subject is that to discuss.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Try it and find out. ♥
(I'm kidding. Don't do this.)
(No, seriously.)
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
A self-determined Capricorn! I couldn't tell you his Chinese zodiac sign, though. Personally, I think he's a pretty terrible standard Capricorn: his organizational skills aren't great (aside from one huge priority, everything else is kind of a mess), he's not especially neat or tidy by nature so much as out of duty, he's in no way realistic about his situation. . . and he definitely doesn't respect authority. 'Cruel taskmaster' and 'excessive perfectionism' are spot on, though. 8) And he does fear being useless and dislikes getting teased and loneliness.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
HA. HA. I don't play Allen as either spiritual or religious. During the arc in China, he says flat out that he doesn't care about God. He takes the path that he does in order to justify Mana's death to himself and to feel alive. It has nothing to do with being good for goodness' sake or God's sake. Despite everything, I still don't think he's outgrown that selfish mercy. In terms of religion, though, of course, it is supremely important to him. Given the Black Order and all.
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?
Allen only ever kills out of mercy. It began when his father was turned into an Akuma! And it allows for only one exception: the Millennium Earl. Otherwise. . . yeah, not so much on the ethics code. He's kind to people! He wants the best for everyone! But exceptions are made in those cases for douchebags. 8|
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Allen is tolerant, but he doesn't go out of his way to incorporate them into his, no matter how much they might make sense. He holds his own beliefs for a reason.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Allen holds only one absolute selfish prejudice. He believes that the Millennium Earl is evil, that he cannot be redeemed, and that there is nothing for him but to kill him. He does not want to redeem the Millennium Earl; he wants him dead. The Earl killed his daddy, after all. >8'(!! He is also very strongly biased in favor of humanity. He believes that everyone is worth saving: regardless of crime, regardless of mindset.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
So much debt is happening here. CRY MORE. There's only one nice thing about Luceti, and it's that everything is free and Cross's bills can't follow him here.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
He's gone from pauper to ward. . . to working, unpaid pauper. Being Mana's ward afforded him some comfort, but he developed manners because it was Mana rather than ffor any reason to do with his lifestyle. The change back into pauper made him extremely stingy when it comes to money, though! You never know when you're going to have unexpected bills.
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?
In Luceti, Allen lives in one of the communal buildings because there isn't anybody he needs to house with. It's fairly sparse, although not too much so-there's some mild clutter of papers and books that he's getting around to working on and a lot of food. Mostly, it's a place to crash, although he tends to retire early so that he can get to work on cooking or star-reading or just generally learning about Luceti. But he doesn't really entertain in his apartment-he hasn't decorated it at all.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
Luceti has no money! Occasionally Allen gets gifts for other people-particularly on their birthdays-and otherwise doesn't do much with the money. He hasn't really need for large, expensive objects.
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?
Allen is an Exorcist! He's pretty good at it, but he doesn't get paid much and it's not about talent in any case-it's a calling he can't resist.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
He doesn't have a lot of outside interests and/or hobbies, although he's taken up cooking in Luceti so as to avoid burdening the restaurants / other people with his being constantly hungry. He's also learning (very slowly) about astronomy because getting lost in the dark is one of the worst things. This means that he reads a bit more than he used to, although he still prefers to avoid it. His free time tends to be spent in unofficial patrols around the populated areas-to the village for groceries and back to building 6.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Allen never misses a meal. In fact, most days, he has extra meals. There's no type of edible food that he's unwilling to try, although he doesn't like overheated foods quite as much. He can eat them, but they aren't as enjoyable as the others. And he never touches a drop of alcohol.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? A warm, bright yellow. Kind of like Timcampi.
2. Smell? Pie baking? Chicken roasting? Fooooood.
3. Time of day? Dawn. It's always hopeful.
4. Season? Early spring, just enough for it to be warm for walks.
5. Book? . . . a . . . check. . . book . . . ?
6. Music? Allen likes festival music, with a lot of instruments and something that'll stick in your mind.
7. Place? The Black Order.
8. Substance? DANGO. Alternately, GOLD. Mmmoney. : (
9. Plant? . . . the rice plant that produces the flour that makes the dango. He is also fond-ish of potatoes, since potatoes are filling.
10. Animal? Dogs. CATS EAT TIM CONSTANTLY. >E
END
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