CHARACTER SURVEY

[edgar_of_etheria]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Edgar is tall and fairly broad-shouldered, but he's slender.

2. How old is he? Being immortal by birth, Edgar is not entirely sure how old he actually is, but physically, he seems to be in his early 20s.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? Edgar usually tries to maintain good posture, simply because he's relieved that he can after spending his formative years as a hunchback. When he isn't thinking about it, though, he does sometimes slouch out of pure habit.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Edgar is currently the picture of health--though he spent his childhood and early youth as a hunchback.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? For the most part, he's graceful for a man of his size, though he has a slight lope to his gait.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror? Edgar is more or less physically perfect, having been given a "beautiful form to match his beautiful soul." He finds it something of a relief in terms of easing his ability to socialize, but he isn't vain. Some days, he still has trouble believing the face he sees in the mirror is really his, considering he came by it only within the last few years, and it's not natural to him. He likes the way he looks currently, sure, and he does his best to look presentable at all times, but beyond that, how he looks really doesn't matter to him.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Edgar has a clear, fair complexion and bears no physical scars whatsoever.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style. Edgar has thick hair of a light brown color that he generally wears long and loose.

9. What color are his eyes? Blue, though the exact shade seems to vary depending on the light. In bright sunlight, they're a clear blue, but indoors they often seem to be much darker.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? Although they are usually covered by his hair, his ears are tipped with delicate points.

11. What are his chief tension centers? Probably the upper back, right between the shoulder blades.

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? Edgar dresses relatively simply for a man of his station: usually a tunic belted over a shirt with hosen and boots, and he may or may not be wearing a cloak with that. The colors of his wardrobe vary: sometimes rich reds, blues or purples, sometimes softer colors like peach, cream and grey. In any case, regardless of color and style, his clothes are always of impeccable quality.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? His clothes fit him well enough that he feels 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? Edgar doesn't have much in the way of a job, per se, so he pretty much dresses the same way every day. He would wear more formal attire for a state function, though.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Technically speaking, he probably wears smallclothes rather than the modern understanding of "underwear," but they're likely most similar to briefs.



Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? He is past puberty, but he does have a clear tenor voice. You can hear it here.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate? He has to overcome his shyness before he speaks, so he does occasionally hesitate or trip over his words when trying to make sure he's saying the right thing, but he usually speaks clearly and evenly (if a bit softly in normal conversation) when he's not flustered or otherwise under pressure.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? Not really, no.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? Presumably, he speaks whatever is common to Tamir and Eldritch--which defaults to "English."

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations? He'll sometimes use foreign phrases if he's been taught them, but only if appropriate to the person and the circumstances.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words? He might not be able to pull off a long speech on the fly, as he does occasionally have to think about what he's saying, but he's pretty good about speaking impromptu.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? He's very shy, so sometimes he won't be able to say what he's thinking, but when he does speak, he's fairly eloquent.



Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? Edgar is very clever, but, having spent virtually his entire life in isolation, he's ignorant on a lot of subjects. Most of his education has been derived from books--he has virtually no street smarts whatsoever.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate? Edgar is a quick thinker, often to the point of seeming to be impulsive. Given plenty of time, though, he can concoct elaborate and detailed plans to accomplish something.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? He seems to be more intuitive and idealistic, but he has a definite familiarity with the darker side of life. His mind works very quickly, though, but he will think through a situation if he has the opportunity to do so.

4. What kind of education has the character had? Edgar's education has been pretty uneven on the whole. After all, minions of evil are discouraged from learning more than they need to know to do their jobs. Most of what he knows has been self-taught either through books or hands-on trial-and-error, but (though he is loath to admit it, let alone USE it) he has received in-depth knowledge on the matters of torture and political intrigue.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? He apparently has some skills with gardening and animal care, and seems to have a surprising knack for machinery (seeing as he figured out how to control a volcano without the benefit of an instruction manual). He'd never openly admit it, but he also has quite extensive knowledge when it comes to torture. He is interested in learning more about how to navigate politics without resorting to underhanded means.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? He's fairly introverted, having had few friends over the years, but he is kind and likes the company of others, so he tries to at least be conversational.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? He's mostly shy, and honest, with an even temperament. For instance, he took the death of his adoptive mother quite well in stride. He's not conventionally ambitious, but he knows what he wants when he sees it, and will do whatever he thinks is necessary to get it.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Having been so sheltered, Edgar sees most new things and people with a measure of curiosity. He's also very trusting of new people, wanting to believe the best of them until proven otherwise.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? He can definitely be pro-active on things, and seems to react quickly to most situations.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight? Depends on the situation, but he's more likely to stand his ground to fight than run away, especially if someone is threatening a loved one of his.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Edgar's life has not been one filled with laughter, so a lot of jokes tend to go right over his head. However, he does appreciate dry wit and irony.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? Nothing diagnosed, but chances are he does have some mental issues.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person? Probably his most defining moments have all involved Rosella: the first time they met, to freeing her from the tower, to asking for her hand in marriage (twice!), to kidnapping her to Eldritch, to defending her from Malicia, to asking to formally court her.

14. What does he fear? He doesn't seem to have any apparent phobias, but he strongly dislikes the idea of being under the effects of mind control or someone harming innocents or people he cares about. If anything, he's afraid of doing the wrong thing.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations? His biggest goal in life appears to be wooing and marrying Rosella.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him? Not much--he's pretty open in admitting his faults and where he's done wrong. He doesn't particularly like to talk about some of the things he witnessed and experienced under Lolotte, though.



Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents. He loves his parents, Oberon and Titania, but doesn't really know them all that well, having spent the vast majority of his life separated from them.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? Edgar doesn't have any siblings that he knows about.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand? Edgar has mixed feelings at best about his mother's sister Malicia, seeing as she was the one to help orchestrate the times he was kidnapped, and the fact that she murdered him (only to be rescued by his beloved Rosella with an extra life taken from a cat). But, she's an infant now, and he can't really begrudge a baby.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? There was his adoptive mother, Lolotte, with whom he had a less-than-healthy relationship. He did love her in a way, but he also felt a great burden lifted from him when she died.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Edgar doesn't really have any friends. Rosella might be the closest he has to one, and he met her when Lolotte accused her of being a spy.

6. Does he have other close friends? Not really, no.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people? Edgar likes to please others, so most find him very congenial. But, he hasn't interacted with a lot of people, so he's not always sure how to respond to a social situation.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? He's never really had many friends, but he does seem to care about Rosella far more than anyone else in his life.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once? Despite his best efforts, Edgar has yet to be married.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? He is currently courting Princess Rosella.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest? The only woman he has ever loved has been Rosella.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? He seems to appreciate someone who is clever and resourceful. Good looks are also a bonus--he's not hung up on appearances, but he does enjoy having something pretty to look at.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? No, he has no children, but he does understand that he will one day be expected to sire at least one heir, and he does look forward to having a family of his own at some point.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? Not really--he's more been used as a pawn than made an actual enemy or rival of.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale? Probably about a 1. Edgar clearly likes women, but would probably be more confused than anything else if another male tried to flirt with him.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? Edgar really doesn't know enough about sex to have much of an opinion at all on the subject. He does have some natural curiosity about it, but it's sort of an abstract concept to him on a lot of levels.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? The guy is as pure as driven snow when it comes to sex. He has no idea.



Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type? Officially unknown, as Edgar has no canonly-assigned birthday (and even if he did, chances are the Etherian and Tamir calendars and constellations don't match up to those of Earth). If I had to guess, though, I'd put his birthday just on the Gemini side of the cusp between Taurus and Gemini in a Water Dog year.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? Neither, really. He wasn't raised with any sort of religion, and considering that the pantheon of Eldritch is made up of his relatives, he doesn't really put any stock in a higher power. He does believe in a number of things that would be considered supernatural to many people, just because he's part of the world to which they belong.

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? Edgar genuinely wants to do the right thing in life, although having been raised by an evil, sadistic woman of questionable sanity doesn't provide the most reliable starting point for a moral compass. When in doubt, he tends to ask himself what Lolotte or Malicia would do--and then try to do the opposite.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? Mostly he's curious and wants to try to understand them.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them? He doesn't seem to hold any prejudices against anything.



Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? He's royalty, so he's never really wanted for much in his life. However, he doesn't have a lot of money that's his and his alone.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? Edgar is a prince by birth, and has always lived in a fair amount of comfort, although he also served much of his life as a minion of evil, so he isn't spoiled or entitled.

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? His home literally is a castle, complete with a full staff and his parents. It's in excellent shape, and the outer walls and balconies are festooned with vines and roses. However, the net time he's spent there in his life is only a matter of days.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? Probably whatever strikes his fancy at the time or something he thinks would make a nice present for someone else--he doesn't seem to want anything in particular for himself.

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? Most of his life has been spent as a minion of evil, and he's pretty good at taking direction. He doesn't like it if he's asked to do something that would harm innocents, though, and will waffle or even outright defy an order in that case. Otherwise, he is the heir to Etheria, and so is learning a certain amount of governance and politics, though these are skills he's had little opportunity to use thus far.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? He seems to have some interest in gardening roses and caring for animals, but he also likes to read, learn and explore.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? Edgar doesn't really know how to cook (or do much of anything domestic), so usually he has to have his meals prepared and served to him by someone else. However, he's happy to eat whatever is placed in front of him.



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

1. Color? Cheerful colors like pastels (pink, sky blue) and jewel tones (red, green, violet, gold).
2. Smell? Roses and fresh air
3. Time of day? Dawn
4. Season? Spring
5. Book? The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Grimm's Fairy Tales, A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
6. Music? Something on a harp, most likely. Also, "Wouldn't It Be Nice," by the Beach Boys.
7. Place? Etheria
8. Substance? Stone
9. Plant? Red roses
10. Animal? Kittens, swans. Possibly unicorns.



END
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