Huh...looks interesting.
Apr. 19th, 2010 07:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ravensweptFound this while profile hopping. Looks interest, and it'll give me an excuse to flesh out a character I've been meaning to work with. Her name is Tai-Lan, by the by.
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Tall for a girl, I think, at 5'11". She's well muscled, like combiniation of a sprinter and a gymnast.
2. How old is she? Seventeen...ish.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch? Holds herself up, no slouching.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Good health, very in shape. No disabilities, the story evolved past that.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Cat-like grace. It's totally called for though.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror? Um, yeah, she's attractive. She's not vain, she doesn't go out of her way to expand on whatever she looks like for the most part.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Whatever you get if you mixed Indian and Chinese.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style. Black, pretty wild looking. She wore it in either a loose braid or a messy ponytail, at least until it cut short around her ears.
9. What color are her eyes? ...Royal Purple-Red. Don't judge me.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? Is being able to turn into a tiger considered a feature or an ability?
11. What are her chief tension centers? Between the shoulders.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit? Almost non-existant at first, but when she starts wearing more it tends to be loose and easy to move in. Not much into layers, they tend to get shredded.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them? Yeah, I think so. Takes her a bit to get used to wearing them regularly.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences? For courts she'll dress as is apporpriate. Other wise it's not much more that what's considered standard jungle attire.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Um...commando, or whatever girl briefs are.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? Never thought about that. Hmm...
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate? Direct, with a hint of command.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? Nothing any different from the rest of the cast. Maybe a tendancy to purr, haven't decided on that yet.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency? Native language, tiger-speak, fluent.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations? Yes, actually.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words? She'll think about what she's trying to say.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Not quite eloquent, but she has a good range of vocabulary.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart? Some book, but only up to age six. After that it's all street - er, jungle.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate? Depends, but she's more quick footed than anything.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? If she has the time she'll think her way though a situation, but tends to go with a gut feeling in the actual practice of it.
4. What kind of education has the character had? Good teachers, best for royalty, until she turned six. After that it was on her own, for the most part.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about? Hunting and tracking. She's curious about everything, now that she has a chance to learn again.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? Extrovert, but very shy in bigger crowds.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Cheerful, or as much as she can be. Not fond of just laying about, so she'll go after something if she sees the need.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Cautious. She's not gonna turn you away, but you're not a friend until she's okay with you.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react? Act.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight? Fight. No question.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Little bit of gallows, she feels more like a fish-out-of-water straightman to me.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them? Parental abandonment count? What about family issues? Cause she's not to happy about that.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person? Being abandoned by her father in a forgotten jungle watchtower because he wanted his first-born heir to be male, learning to speak to tigers, later learning how to transform into a tiger, remembering and reconnecting with her human side/past, and overthrowing her tantrum-throwing little brother from power while not claiming the throne herself due to her lack of connect with the people seem to be pretty memorible moments for her.
14. What does she fear? Abandonment, being sent away, and boats. She hates riding on boats.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations? Living a care-free life, not to be tied to any one place forever.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her? That she still sometimes wakes up crying for what happened when she was six.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents. Her mother was one of many wives of the emporer, who was banished/forgotten after bearing a female heir to the throne. Her father is ruler of a empire surrounded by jungle, who had his daughter hidden away so she wouldn't take the throne after him, hoping that by leaving a six-year old alone she wouldn't survive on her own in the middle of the jungle.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? A younger brother. Their relationship is, shall we say, rocky.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand? None yet. Maybe.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them? Her two tiger-siblings. They're pretty tight-knit.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? A palace advisor's son. They met growing up. She didn't see him again until they were in their late teens.
6. Does she have other close friends? Let's see, childhood friend, non-blood siblings...nope.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once? Single.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? She has an interest, but nothing currently...I think.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest? First was the advisors son when she was six. Latest was leader of a Black Lion tribe.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner? The hell if I know, ask her.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any? No, but she got some cousins who are unsure of how to relate to her.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies? OOooh yeah.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale? Straight most likely; take a look here...huh...okay then, she's either a 3 or a 2.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her? She's somewhat confused by it, going through the hormone phase while a tiger, but she enjoys the act. It's not something she absolutes craves, she can go without if she wants.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? She's pretty assertive. Physical power attracts her attention, but it's not enough by itself to hold it.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type? Doesn't really apply to her world. As for an equivilant, I don't think there is one yet.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life? She's mildly religious, growing up by law of the jungle taught her more to give thanks for a good hunt.
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? She does; stand up on your own legs. You can have help, but you can't just have others do everything for you. Also, take responsibility for your actions. Becoming part of the tiger family did it, because they wouldn't let her not. I don't think there is a compromise, not one you could justify to her.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? She really doesn't care what you believe, she'll respect whatever it is, but don't expect her to change for it.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them? She's not a big fan of birds; bastards make hunting difficult. She also has a slight problem with attaching to father figures; her first one didn't end so well for her.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? Technically rich, she is royalty, but she's used to living off the land.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her? Princess, first heir. It doesn't change, but because she was placed in hiding, her first brother became emporer in her stead. After usurping her brother, she placed a friend as regent ruler while she travels the empire to learn about the land she is to govern.
3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others? Castle to start, abandoned watchtower in the middle of a jungle next, then a den of tigers (which meant pretty much under the stars and then caves when it rained), and pretty much camping while she travels.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on? Tends to give it away to help whoever she may be staying with, otherwise not much of anything.
5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else? Is being a princess considered a job? Well, she's technically ruler of the empire, but she's trying to learn about...well, humans really. Everything she knows about people is based on what she knew at age six.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time? She likes to hunt. Learning about the outside world interests her as well, and her attention towards everything is very ADD like trying to take everything in.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? She eats well. Loves meat, and loves learning about new foods. First time with alcohol was interesting, she tries to avoid it afterwards; she's not a fan of going from human to tiger and have her senses messed with.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? Reddish-purple.
2. Smell? Tangy cinnamon.
3. Time of day? Awake?
4. Season? Summer.
5. Book? Combination of Tarzan and princess stories.
6. Music? Chinese harp.
7. Place? Jungle. Duh.
8. Substance? Huh?
9. Plant? Orchid. Too stereotypical?
10. Animal? Tiger. No doubt.
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}
It's weird, because when I first came up with her she was an entirely different person. Then the story split, and became either a Disney-esque version or a darker, harsher novel. By now they barely resemble each other, but it was more of adjusting to the tastes each genre required. Above is the Disneyfied character.
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Tall for a girl, I think, at 5'11". She's well muscled, like combiniation of a sprinter and a gymnast.
2. How old is she? Seventeen...ish.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch? Holds herself up, no slouching.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Good health, very in shape. No disabilities, the story evolved past that.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Cat-like grace. It's totally called for though.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror? Um, yeah, she's attractive. She's not vain, she doesn't go out of her way to expand on whatever she looks like for the most part.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Whatever you get if you mixed Indian and Chinese.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style. Black, pretty wild looking. She wore it in either a loose braid or a messy ponytail, at least until it cut short around her ears.
9. What color are her eyes? ...Royal Purple-Red. Don't judge me.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? Is being able to turn into a tiger considered a feature or an ability?
11. What are her chief tension centers? Between the shoulders.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit? Almost non-existant at first, but when she starts wearing more it tends to be loose and easy to move in. Not much into layers, they tend to get shredded.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them? Yeah, I think so. Takes her a bit to get used to wearing them regularly.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences? For courts she'll dress as is apporpriate. Other wise it's not much more that what's considered standard jungle attire.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Um...commando, or whatever girl briefs are.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? Never thought about that. Hmm...
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate? Direct, with a hint of command.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? Nothing any different from the rest of the cast. Maybe a tendancy to purr, haven't decided on that yet.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency? Native language, tiger-speak, fluent.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations? Yes, actually.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words? She'll think about what she's trying to say.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Not quite eloquent, but she has a good range of vocabulary.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart? Some book, but only up to age six. After that it's all street - er, jungle.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate? Depends, but she's more quick footed than anything.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? If she has the time she'll think her way though a situation, but tends to go with a gut feeling in the actual practice of it.
4. What kind of education has the character had? Good teachers, best for royalty, until she turned six. After that it was on her own, for the most part.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about? Hunting and tracking. She's curious about everything, now that she has a chance to learn again.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? Extrovert, but very shy in bigger crowds.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Cheerful, or as much as she can be. Not fond of just laying about, so she'll go after something if she sees the need.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Cautious. She's not gonna turn you away, but you're not a friend until she's okay with you.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react? Act.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight? Fight. No question.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Little bit of gallows, she feels more like a fish-out-of-water straightman to me.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them? Parental abandonment count? What about family issues? Cause she's not to happy about that.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person? Being abandoned by her father in a forgotten jungle watchtower because he wanted his first-born heir to be male, learning to speak to tigers, later learning how to transform into a tiger, remembering and reconnecting with her human side/past, and overthrowing her tantrum-throwing little brother from power while not claiming the throne herself due to her lack of connect with the people seem to be pretty memorible moments for her.
14. What does she fear? Abandonment, being sent away, and boats. She hates riding on boats.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations? Living a care-free life, not to be tied to any one place forever.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her? That she still sometimes wakes up crying for what happened when she was six.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents. Her mother was one of many wives of the emporer, who was banished/forgotten after bearing a female heir to the throne. Her father is ruler of a empire surrounded by jungle, who had his daughter hidden away so she wouldn't take the throne after him, hoping that by leaving a six-year old alone she wouldn't survive on her own in the middle of the jungle.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? A younger brother. Their relationship is, shall we say, rocky.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand? None yet. Maybe.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them? Her two tiger-siblings. They're pretty tight-knit.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? A palace advisor's son. They met growing up. She didn't see him again until they were in their late teens.
6. Does she have other close friends? Let's see, childhood friend, non-blood siblings...nope.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once? Single.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? She has an interest, but nothing currently...I think.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest? First was the advisors son when she was six. Latest was leader of a Black Lion tribe.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner? The hell if I know, ask her.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any? No, but she got some cousins who are unsure of how to relate to her.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies? OOooh yeah.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale? Straight most likely; take a look here...huh...okay then, she's either a 3 or a 2.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her? She's somewhat confused by it, going through the hormone phase while a tiger, but she enjoys the act. It's not something she absolutes craves, she can go without if she wants.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? She's pretty assertive. Physical power attracts her attention, but it's not enough by itself to hold it.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type? Doesn't really apply to her world. As for an equivilant, I don't think there is one yet.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life? She's mildly religious, growing up by law of the jungle taught her more to give thanks for a good hunt.
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? She does; stand up on your own legs. You can have help, but you can't just have others do everything for you. Also, take responsibility for your actions. Becoming part of the tiger family did it, because they wouldn't let her not. I don't think there is a compromise, not one you could justify to her.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? She really doesn't care what you believe, she'll respect whatever it is, but don't expect her to change for it.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them? She's not a big fan of birds; bastards make hunting difficult. She also has a slight problem with attaching to father figures; her first one didn't end so well for her.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? Technically rich, she is royalty, but she's used to living off the land.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her? Princess, first heir. It doesn't change, but because she was placed in hiding, her first brother became emporer in her stead. After usurping her brother, she placed a friend as regent ruler while she travels the empire to learn about the land she is to govern.
3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others? Castle to start, abandoned watchtower in the middle of a jungle next, then a den of tigers (which meant pretty much under the stars and then caves when it rained), and pretty much camping while she travels.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on? Tends to give it away to help whoever she may be staying with, otherwise not much of anything.
5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else? Is being a princess considered a job? Well, she's technically ruler of the empire, but she's trying to learn about...well, humans really. Everything she knows about people is based on what she knew at age six.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time? She likes to hunt. Learning about the outside world interests her as well, and her attention towards everything is very ADD like trying to take everything in.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? She eats well. Loves meat, and loves learning about new foods. First time with alcohol was interesting, she tries to avoid it afterwards; she's not a fan of going from human to tiger and have her senses messed with.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? Reddish-purple.
2. Smell? Tangy cinnamon.
3. Time of day? Awake?
4. Season? Summer.
5. Book? Combination of Tarzan and princess stories.
6. Music? Chinese harp.
7. Place? Jungle. Duh.
8. Substance? Huh?
9. Plant? Orchid. Too stereotypical?
10. Animal? Tiger. No doubt.
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}
It's weird, because when I first came up with her she was an entirely different person. Then the story split, and became either a Disney-esque version or a darker, harsher novel. By now they barely resemble each other, but it was more of adjusting to the tastes each genre required. Above is the Disneyfied character.