The New, Improved Character Survey of Doom - From Val

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Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Janie is barely 5'3" and weighs a whopping hundred and twenty pounds. She's got a relatively small frame but her hips make finding pants that fit properly a bit of a problem.

2. How old is she?
A complicated answer because Janie is a time traveler that was born in 1914. That would make her age 95 as of May 15, 2009. Physically, she is 19 years old. If you go by how many years she has actually lived, she would be hundreds of years old.

3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch? Janie was taught to always carry herself with good posture. She was corrected often when she was younger, so you should never see her slouch.

4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? She's very, very healthy and reasonably fit. She's suffered from nothing more severe than a bad flu, and has immunities to most serious diseases. Janie suffers from no disabilities.

5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Janie is somewhat graceful in her movements. She loves to dance when no one is watching.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
She's very pretty, but considers herself slightly below average.

7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Janie considers herself light, but most would consider her complexion dark. She's got legs covered in old and faded scars, and a few newer scars on her abdomen.

8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style. Naturally, her hair is dark and kinky. She uses herbs and chemicals to lighten the color a few shades, and straighten it to below shoulder length. Her hair is very thick, and it may be pulled back into a curly pony tail when she doesn't feel like doing anything to it.

9. What color are her eyes? Her eyes are brown. With the right makeup they appear almost black, but are naturally a lighter shade of brown.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? No.

11. What are her chief tension centers? Her back is her chief tension center.

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? Janie wears a lot of purple, but most of her wardrobe is utilitarian. She buys clothing only because it's necessary.

13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them? Her clothes rarely fit well and she is never comfortable in them. She would be happy wearing overalls, or a soft cotton sack if she could.

14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences? Yes, she does.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Janie doesn't have sexual experience with the opposite gender, but if she did, she'd prefer boxers.



Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? Her voice is a little deep for a female,but when she sings, you' expect her to be a much bigger person.

2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate? She speaks hesitates and speaks softly and evenly- unless she is upset. When she is upset, her words flow quickly and loudly.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? She has a vaguely foreign accent, with a strange mix of slang from different times and places in history. It's not completely French, or American, or British. Her French is spoken in a Caribbean dialect.

4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency? She is fluent in English and French, and is nearly fluent in Basic Yoruba.

5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations? No.

6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words? Janie always has to think over her words.

7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? She's more eloquent that inarticulate. She speaks carefully enough that any grammar mistakes are intentional.



Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart? Janie is very, very intelligent, but not street smart. She's learned most of her lessons from books, or trips in history.

2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate? She needs time to deliberate. If she doesn't think it through, she'll be too afraid to make a mistake.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? Janie thinks about what everyone else would think, then what the smartest course of action would be (usually), she is very logical and practical.

4. What kind of education has the character had? For a few weeks, she attended a one room school house in Florida. After that short education, her lessons were given to her by adults in her compound and her history lessons consisted of actually witnessing various events. Her lessons on Physics were taught by those same adults.

5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about? She is very good at Quantum Physics and history. She does not appreciate errors in the two subjects. She would like to learn more about music.

6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? Janie is somewhere in the middle. She's introverted around most people, but can be quite an extrovert around people she trusts.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Janie has mood swings every once in a while, but is usually very calm. She is normally cheerful and a bit of a prankster. She's laid back about most things.

8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? In a new situation she will quietly survey it to see what the best course of action is. This could be considered suspicious, because her reaction varies according to the situation.

9. Is she more likely to act, or to react? She is more likely to react.

10. Which is her default: fight or flight? Flight. She runs quite often, and has proven to be almost an expert at dodging things.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Janie loves all jokes and pranks as long as they aren't being played on her.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them? She doesn't.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person? The death of her family really made her grow up fast. She was trapped in a strange time and realized she was completely alone int he world, and she was only eight. It was also the first very memorable time travel that she experienced. The next moment was when she realized her new guardian wasn't a good person. It shook her trust and security and taught her to be careful around everyone. The latest moment came when she was shot by that same person.

14. What does she fear? Janie is afraid of getting lost alone in time. One of her nightmares is of getting lost in a dimension where everyone is dead and where the sun never rises. She's also afraid of getting shot, and of large dogs.

15. What are her hopes or aspirations? Her hopes are to find a place and a time where she feels at home. She wants a family, friends and a sense of belonging.

16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her? That she can be prejudiced and judgmental when she first meets someone.



Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents. Janie never knew her parents very well. They were in her life for a few brief moments.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? She has no siblings.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand? She was close to Franklin Potts, a foster brother, but no one else.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them? Yes, but she is not close to any of them. She was closest with Orishabi, but that was broken recently with the attempted murder.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? She constantly making best friends in the Nexus, so no one should be considered for that.

6. Does she have other close friends? Yes, quite a few (though she says she doesn't have many)

7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people? Janie can make friends easily, and tries to talk to just about anyone. (She'll say the opposite, of course)

8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends? Friends.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once? She is single, and has only gone on a few dates.

10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? She's gone out on just a few dates.

11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest? Her first crush was Gee, a man that is part of her former compound. Her latest is Dr.Ian Malcolm.

12. What does she look for in a romantic partner? Intelligence and a good sense of humor.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any? No, but she wants them.

14. Does she have any rivals or enemies? Yes, Orishabi, her former mentor and leader.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
Janie is a one, and considers herself straight.

16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her? Sex is completely unimportant to her. She knows what it is, but does not see why people want to have it.

17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? She likes a nice smile and a little geekiness, but has no weird habits because she is a virgin.



Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life? Janie is very spiritual. She grew up learning about a lot of Yoruba gods, and learned to include them in her every day life. She doesn't worship them, but she does acknowledge that something greater is out there and is open minded to other gods and religions.

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? Yes. If she makes a promise, she keeps it. If a friend needs something or is in trouble, she will do whatever she can to help them. This started when she heard a parable about assisting others- and it stuck with her.

4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? She is very tolerant, and believes that everyone should have a belief system that works for them.

5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them? Initially, she is afraid of people who are different from her. It was drilled in her head as a very young child to stay away from certain people- and in her later life she had little contact with those people. She's getting adjusted to it and slowly losing that fear.

She's also set against telling people too many personal problems. She was raised to keep things that happen at home at home.


Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? Janie is just above poor. She has her necessities, and can afford to splurge every once in a while.

2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her? She doesn't really have one. She grew up in a small, isolated group of people, so social status hasn't really affected her yet.

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? She lives in a one bedroom apartment in Harlem. It's a terrible place with cracked walls and suspicious neighbors.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on? Nothing. She saves it all.

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? Right now she works as a cashier at a small independently owned store. She's not sure what she'd rather be doing, but she wants something more than her current job.

6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time? Janie likes watching football(soccer), correcting history books, reading, music and Quantum Physics. She also likes journalism, but she does that in a coded language. When she's not grumbling over incorrect historical representations, she likes to sing. She often reads and tries to catch up on pop culture.

7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? Janie loves eating. She eats at least three times a day, but avoids pork products, and other 'unclean' foods. This was drilled in to her in the compound, so she still avoids it. This includes Jello.
She eats out and drinks alcohol if someone else provides it for her.



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

1. Color? Purple.
2. Smell? Coconut.
3. Time of day? Right before sunset.
4. Season? Fall.
5. Book? Anything by Octavia Butler or Toni Morrison
6. Music? Blues
7. Place? A riverbank not to far from a village in Udu, Nigeria
8. Substance? Fruit punch
9. Plant? Kudzu
10. Animal? Elephant.


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