Massive Character Survey -- Incomplete
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
The best way to describe Ladon is "scrawny." He makes up for it by wearing bulky, thick, woolen clothing, but he's really very skinny and small. He's roughly 5'7" if you include his hat in the measurement. He weighs around 120lbs. When his shirt is off, you can barely see his ribs. Despite this, he's relatively healthy, though not as strong as most men.
2. How old is he?
Ladon is 32 years old, but thanks to the fact that he's a dragon taking human form, he doesn't look it. It's difficult to pinpoint an age on him because he acts much different than you'd expect someone who looks young. Most people place him in his early twenties, but would be hard-pressed to commit to a number.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
Ladon's posture could be best described as avoidant. It has been assumed that he's shy because of how he bows his head, avoids eye-contact, and leans away from others. The truth is that he's doing his best to keep them from looking at his eyes, which are strange and could draw negative attention. By and large he manages, because of this posture and his hat. When he's with people he trusts, like the guys in his mob, his posture changes and he stands more straight. He tends to lean back in his seat, though he's fairly good about not kicking his feet up on surfaces that aren't meant for them.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Ladon is relatively healthy for a skinny guy who smokes like a chimney. The cigarettes don't waylay him as much as your average human because of what he is, but he does have trouble recovering from things like smoke inhalation and if he's had to really push himself physically it'll be more difficult for him to catch his breath. In terms of illness, Ladon only gets sick if he's chilled. Typical viruses can't last in a dragon's bloodstream-- it's too oily.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Tense. Ladon pretty much carries the stress of hiding what he is at all times, and that has reflected in his movements. Rarely is his jaw unclenched or his shoulders not tight. He tries to play it off with the way he acts and the gestures he makes, but there is a lot of tension going on under his skin.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
Ladon is moderately attractive. He made his human form to reflect the ideals of society so he would be accepted and forgotten about-- not so handsome that he'd get positive attention, not so ugly that he'd get negative attention. He made himself look like the men in advertisements in the magazines he'd found. His build and his hair color were out of his control, but his skin tone and facial structure were his own choice-- dark skin tones are stigmatized in Nieve, as is anyone who doesn't seem like they "belong." Ladon did his best to belong.
Ladon doesn't really recognize what's attractive and what's not on fundamental levels. He sees nothing special about himself in the mirror, nor is he inclined to think he's handsome. Human concepts like physical attraction are still out of his reach, though he does find himself reacting to beauty and handsomeness as projected in movies and advertizing-- mostly because the women make his stomach growl.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Light complexion. He has one large scar from the first time he was knifed and then treated by a human doctor instead of Aza. He's had many more injuries over the years, but thanks to his cousin being a healer, he doesn't have many scars to show for them.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
Dark, black hair, which was determined by the pigment of his scales in his dragon form. Ladon's hair is straight and neither stringy or thick, just somewhere in the middle. He wears it longer in the front than in the back for ease of covering his eyes. He keeps well-groomed but his hair almost always winds up looking somewhat shaggy.
9. What color are his eyes?
Ladon's eyes are weird by human standards. His magic enables him to have whites, a pupil, and an iris, but can't completely camouflague the fact that his eyes aren't human. The irises of his eyes are green with mottled bright, glowy blue, and his pupils are a dark blue snake-slit [ example ]. As a dragon, he has no whites to his eyes, simply iris and pupil [ example ].
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Hidden under his hat are two silver horns. They're not terribly long or large, but they're there, and they poke out of his black hair. Now and then he unwillingly sports a black tail, which he usually manages to keep hidden and under control, but it also has a mind of its own and will wag when he's particularly happy (like when he's around someone he has affection for).
11. What are his chief tension centers?
The small of his back and his temples.
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?
Ladon falls somewhere between dressy and casual. On one hand, he wears a sweater instead of a button-up shirt and tie. On the other, he wears gloves, slacks, polished shoes, and a long coat. Back on the other, he wears a hat all the damn time, disregarding the "rules" as to when he should remove it. He has three colors in his wardrobe: black, brown, and gray. Rarely you can catch him in his zoot suit, which has red in it, but is mostly black. Ladon has many different hats, but most of them are gatsbies. Now and then he'll wear a white button-down shirt and a gray vest. Mostly, though, he sticks to his sweater + slacks + coat combination. This is partially because he's a creature of habit and partially because he's always cold, so lighter clothing rarely sees the light of day for him.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
Ladon has all his clothing custom-made from his own tailor, so yes. They fit him very well and he seems comfortable in them.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
Yes. Ladon wears the same stuff all the time. He only takes out his suit for special occasions, and only if he knows he can't get away with wearing the same thing he wears every day.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Gripper shorts. Which are pretty much the prelude to boxers. Though now and then he goes commando if he knows he's going to change into a dragon later that day.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Ladon's voice is middle-range, nothing terribly deep and masculine, but also not high-pitched. His pitch is slightly nasal, though when he's frustrated it dips into his chest, partially because in his dragon form, he would be growling.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Ladon isn't terribly loud, but he's not that quiet, either. He talks quickly and clips the endings of his words or slurs them together now and then. He talks easily, doesn't stutter unless he's flustered, and only hesitates when he needs to choose his words carefully.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Ladon has a very strong accent that he picked up from the humans in the farms outside of his caves. He's picked up a few verbal ticks from living in Nieve, too. The use of "ain't" and the clipping the g's off the end of his words are from the farms, and the mushing of words together ("M'not gonna" "S'what you said") and the addition of "yeah?" at the end of his sentences are from Nieve. Ladon also uses a fair bit of slang, some of which is generational and some of which is Nieve-specific.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Ladon's world only has one widely-used language, which is what he speaks. Unless jivetalk counts.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Ladon will either cut down on the slang or up his use of it, depending on who he's talking to and what his goals are. His accent is almost always there, despite the difficulty he's been given for it. He realized a while back that it may make some people think he doesn't belong, but it also makes him memorable in ways that aren't dangerous and could mean more business.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
He's a decent impromptu speaker, though now and then his mouth gets away with him, especially if he's upset.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
He's eloquent enough until he's flustered or caught off-guard, then he starts sputtering.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
First off, Ladon is mostly illiterate. He never attended school and has only picked up some reading skills out of neccessity. He avoids writing beyond his scribbly signature, because his command over letters and spelling is on par with a grade-schooler. However, those who have kept company with Ladon would hesitate to call him dumb. He's not book-smart by any means, and calling him street-smart wouldn't fit since he still has a lot to learn about human culture and society. However, there is an intelligence to him that renders him capable of thinking on his feet and being strategic. Ladon is good at figuring ways out of situations, and while he may not be able to pull philosophical quotes out of his hat, he's smart enough to hang around with some rather book-smart people and keep up with them.
If Ladon's strength lies anywhere, it's in numbers. He can do complex calculations in his head, especially if said numbers involve money. Ladon can figure out bank lingo, and when he knows the patterns of interest for a money market account, he can do the math in his head of what he should have by year end based on his average monthly income and expenses. This has made Ladon a wise investor and made him a lot of money. In a different reality, he could have become a Wall Street banker or a mathematician.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
Ladon thinks very well on his feet and under pressure. However, he is also the kind to plan things far in advance if he's capable of doing so. He believes that preparation is important, as is a cool and logical head to act when you can't be prepared.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Ladon relies much more on logic than he does on emotional reactions. Over the years he's had to tone down his emotional side to make tough decisions, but they've all lead to his continued survival and the safety of his friends. Ladon is far from idealistic, and holds back on dreaming big. He's cautious and realistic about his goals and takes things one step at a time.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
Ladon was taught to use lightning magic by his father, how to navigate using the stars, and to avoid humans at all costs. He's only really retained the lightning magic. He opened a tome to learn glyphomancy, which transferred the knowledge of the magic straight into his brain. Everything else, including what little he can read and write, he taught himself.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
As mentioned before, numbers. Glyphomancy is his newest skill, the most useful thing he's learned, and thus the one he's the most interested in expanding on. He still likes learning about humans deep down, but he's also become cynical about them. He's also interested in learning about other species and their cultures.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Very much an introvert. Not enough to be a hermit, but enough to be generally unfriendly to most people.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Ladon has mood swings, dear lord does Ladon have mood swings. When he gets angry, he gets very angry. When he rages, he's dangerous to himself and others. He broods and grumps and acts like a grouch a lot. He's also high-strung and anal-retentive. At his best, he's mild-mannered and somewhat playful. At his worst, he enjoys the pain and suffering of his enemies and does whatever he can to prolong it.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
Ladon is always suspicious, even of people he's known for a while. He has a hard time trusting anyone.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
Both, depending on the situation.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight, particularly if he has someone or something that needs protection.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Ladon actually has a sense of humor under all that sourness. He can take a joke. He doesn't like anything that is too lewd or crude, though, as it offends his sensibilities and renders him unsure how to react.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
Ladon has anger issues. He deals with them in the healthiest way possible: by not acknowledging them, burying them under a bunch of grumpiness, and drinking.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
Leaving his clutch, joining the mob, and striking out on his own to create his own business.
14. What does he fear?
Humans learning what he and his friends are, and thus bringing genocide or worse to their kind. Beyond that, he fears losing any of his close friends, his father, and spiders.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
Ladon simply wants to live. He wants to survive in human society and not waste away in the mountains where he was born. He has no big dreams of revolution or heroism. He just wants to live. Unfortunately, life doesn't have the same plan that he does.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
That he's a dragon. Also, that he enjoyed torturing the men who shot Aza, and would have enjoyed torturing the ones who shot his little brother.
*** Doot doot doo ***
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
6. Does he have other close friends?
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
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?
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
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?
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?
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
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?
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
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?
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color?
2. Smell?
3. Time of day?
4. Season?
5. Book?
6. Music?
7. Place?
8. Substance?
9. Plant?
10. Animal?
END
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