OOC | Character Survey | Completed
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Spencer Reid is 6'1", a little bit taller than everyone he works with, and is generally thin. He used to be thinner than he is, but his time spent on crutches gave him a little more upper body strength and a little more width about the shoulders.
2. How old is he?
He's thirty.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
Reid has a habitual slouch that comes from having grown up tall and skinny. It's a subconscious want to fit in - to be the same height as the people around him.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
For the most part, Spencer is fit. He still has trouble with his knee where he was shot, but it doesn't stop him from living a normal (or normal as possible) life. Currently, however, he's struggling with migraines.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
When he thinks about how he's moving, Reid is clumsy and tense, tending to run awkwardly and fidget. When he talks, he talks with his hands, and that's where his grace shines through more often than not: on subjects where he's confident or enthused, paying more attention to the topic than himself, he suddenly becomes graceful.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
Physically, Reid is no Adonis, but he has his appeal - but he doesn't see it. He hates what he sees when he looks in the mirror. He's been taught, thanks to years of being teased and taunted and even beaten, that he's nothing anyone would be attracted to.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? He has pale skin due to the outdoors having very little draw for him and he constantly has dark circles under his eyes.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
Reid's hair is a nice, medium brown with a tendency to look either dry or clumped. It's very curly, and it shows more now that he's cut his hair to boy-band length.
9. What color are his eyes?
His eyes are a light brown, tending more toward yellow-brown than red-brown.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
His hands and fingers are long, easily spanning an octave on a piano if he were to try to play. At times, he forgets to close his mouth when he breathes, and his mouth is a bit wider, which mostly only shows when he smiles.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
Reid carries his tension across his shoulders, in his knee, and in 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?
Spencer's wardrobe comes straight from Goodwill. He wears a lot of slacks. In fact, he only owns one pair of jeans, and they're black. His shirts are mostly button-down shirts. He used to wear short sleeves but he doesn't anymore. He does, however, wear sweaters, sweater-vests, and cardigans. One thing does remain standard: Out of all colors Reid could choose, he prefers purple. He tends to wear layers - shirt, tie, vest, jacket - and his socks never match.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
Reid never seems comfortable in his clothes, and none of them exactly fit perfectly. His sleeves and pants legs are often just enough too short, or they fit fine and the shirt hangs too big, or the pants have to be cinched in at the waist with a belt.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
He does. It's the way he's dressed all his life. The only difference is that he takes off his shoes at home.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Boxers or boxer-briefs. Anything else just doesn't feel like it has enough coverage.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
His voice is a clear tenor.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Reid usually speaks quickly, especially on subjects he knows. When he gets going, it's hard to make him stop. On impersonal manners, he doesn't hesitate at all, but when he starts talking about himself, his voice either turns low or he starts to hesitate and nearly stammer.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
While he doesn't think he shows any verbal tics, he uses the word 'actually' quite a bit, and falters into "I, um," at times.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Reid can only really speak English, but he can read a few languages. His accents when he tries to speak foreign languages are usually very flat or they sound cartoonish.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
No.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
When called on to speak, Spencer always manages to make it awkward. Either he goes on about topics that aren't really related, or he makes an effort at humour and fails miserably.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
He's very eloquent, but he's also verbose. He knows a little bit about almost everything and likes to tell people about it.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Reid has an IQ of 187, has an eidetic memory, and can read 20,000 words per minute. All of his smarts, however, come from books.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
He can think on his feet but it's obvious when he's making connections. He goes still and murmurs to himself as things fall into place.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
He's an interesting mix of all of the above. At times, he follows his intuition, but he always tries to apply logic. While he'd like to be altruistic, realism and everything he's seen keep him from being too much so.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
With three doctorates from CalTech and three bachelors' from other colleges, Reid has a definite affinity for education.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
His doctorates are in mathematics, chemistry, and engineering. His bachelors' are in sociology, psychology, and philosophy. There aren't many fields, however, that he isn't interested in. Who knows what degree he'll get next, or which of his bachelors' he'll further.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
He wants to be liked but he isn't good at talking to people, so he tends to stay to himself.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
More often than not, Reid is cheerful enough. When he's ill, however, he tends toward mood swings, snapping at people and lying to cover it up. He is, however, determined to succeed at his job, and that drives him.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
To new people, he's a little wary. Experience has taught him that people don't like him. But new situations intrigue him.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
A very situational question. When his instincts strike, Reid will act, but more often, he's presented with a situation where he has to react.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Reid definitely isn't a fighter. He'll try to talk his way out, but he has had to defend himself before.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Reid likes intelligent jokes, often that nobody but him gets.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
It's very likely that Reid does have diagnosable mental disorders - depression, anxiety, PTSD - but he refuses to go and be diagnosed.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
There are more defining moments in Spencer's life than are fair. From being stripped naked and tied to a goalpost to being taken hostage more often than he cares to count, he's been taught that he's the one everyone aims for.
14. What does he fear?
He fears his own mind turning against him - that someday he'll snap and not be able to do his own job anymore. That he'll end up in an institution like his mother. He fears being a hostage again and not being able to do anything about it. He fears being killed by an unsub and the guilt trip that would inflict on the team.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
He's accomplished most of his hopes and aspirations. The only ones he has left are to do with money - which he'd like more of.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
He doesn't want anyone to find out just how weak he thinks he is.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
Spencer's relationship with his father is almost nonexistent. After William Reid left the family when Spencer was eight, they weren't in contact at all until seventeen years later when Spencer thought his memories were telling him that his father had murdered one of his childhood friends. His relationship with his mother is better, though he suffers severe guilt over having put her in an institution when he turned eighteen. He still writes to her daily, though sometimes cases get in the way, and even visits when he has the chance.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Reid is an only child.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
His uncle, Daniel, died when he was four, and there are no other known blood relatives.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Reid considers his team like his family. For a long time, Jason Gideon was a father figure to him, but when he disappeared, Reid was left to flounder amidst his abandonment issues once more. A lot of his hero worship was turned toward Aaron Hotchner, but time wore away that veneer and left him seeing Hotch as just another human, though one he tries to win the respect of. Derek Morgan is like the big brother he never had and only occasionally wanted - a good friend, but sometimes the teasing wears thin - and Emily Prentiss is like the older sister, cool and distant but still coming close enough to either tease or comfort. He still can't figure out which she'll do when. David Rossi has fallen into the niche of cool/weird uncle, what with him being rather distant but mostly trustworthy. JJ, for the longest time, was his crush, but then became the one he was closest to. She was warm and understanding and, while she wasn't exactly a mother figure, she was perhaps a sister of similar age. Penelope Garcia, however, has been the one he's trusted with most of his secrets.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
In many ways, Spencer's best friend is Derek Morgan. They met in the BAU when Reid was brought in. In the ways Derek can't be, there's Jeremy Orson. They met in Goodwill when both of them reached for the same purple shirt. It ended up being Jeremy's size, but Jeremy made it up to him by giving him a purple tie he'd found.
6. Does he have other close friends?
Not really, but he does have a few people he feels like he can generally go to if he needs to talk.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
He isn't very outgoing and is very busy - therefore he doesn't have the chance to make many friendships.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Given the small number of friends he has and the larger number of people who fall under the category of 'family', he generally considers family more important.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Spencer is (mostly) terminally single. (In Viva Las Vegas 'verse, he's drunken married to Hotch, but that might be getting annulled.)
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
He tried to be, but it didn't work out. (Here There Be Dragons 'verse)
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
His first crush was a girl named Alexa Havins. His latest was Hotch (Here There Be Dragons 'verse), but that ended in a BFBVFS.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
At the moment, nothing - because he isn't looking. If he ever does look, he'd like to find someone he feels he can trust with his secrets and someone who accepts him despite his self-perceived faults. He wants to help take care of someone as well as have someone who will take care of him a little, someone who complements his strengths and weaknesses.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
He never thought he'd want children, but after seeing Hotch with Jack and JJ with Henry, he has to admit the thought isn't as terrible as it used to be, as long as he didn't have to get someone pregnant to do it.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
He's had his share, but most of them are either dead, arrested, or not thought about by now.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
Spencer is hard to fit on the Kinsey scale. He self-identifies as straight, but he can tell someone another man is attractive. What attracts him more than gender is personality - unfortunately this means that he tends to feel for people who find him attractive and treat him well whether they're a good fit or not.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
He doesn't feel much of anything about sex. It's something he's not gotten around to and doesn't see it as that big of a deal, though it seems to distract other people quite a bit.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
He has no idea what his turn-ons are, but his turn-offs are much easier to catalogue: He dislikes feeling pushed or pressured. He dislikes people assuming he'll react in a certain way. And once he's turned off, it's right next to impossible to interest him again.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
He fits his Chinese zodiac type rather well, with only a few conflicts. For a Year of the Monkey, he isn't very self-assured, and he isn't physically vain.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
Spencer believes in science more than spirituality, though he's seen some things that make him a little dubious.
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?
He carries a somewhat Roddenberry-esque set of ethics, determined to do his best not to harm anyone if it can be at all avoided. His metaphorical phaser is always set to stun.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
If there's something he can learn from it, he wants to learn - he's nothing if not a habitual scholar.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
He thinks people built like linebackers are generally assholes and he remains wary of them. He sees alpha-type personalities generally as people to keep at arm's length unless they prove themselves to have more going for them than their determination to be in charge. Pretty women are to be carefully edged around - he sees them as potential blows to his fragile ego.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Spencer can make ends meet but only through careful budgeting. Despite his pay grade, he lives in a cheap apartment and doesn't buy anything but groceries firsthand. He lives without a lot of things that most people would consider basic; he has no TV, no computer, and his car is from the sixties. Most of his money goes, instead, to keep his mother in Bennington, the institution where she's doing so well.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
Spencer was born upper middle class and has moved to lower middle class. It happened so early in his life that he doesn't really even think about it.
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?
He lives in an old victorian that was separated into six apartments. It's not his castle or just a place to crash as much as it's somewhere to go to be alone. His little haven where the world can't come in behind him.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
Spencer's indulgences are few - secondhand books, maybe a DVD once it hits the bargain bin, and occasionally, new-to-him clothes.
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?
Reid is a Supervisory Special Agent in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. He's good at his job - he's a good profiler, able to infer much from a suspect's handwriting, habits, and behaviors. He often picks up on small details that other people might miss, making him an asset to the team. He enjoys his work, as much as one can enjoy the gore of what they see day to day, but there are times he wonders if maybe he shouldn't find another line of work.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
He reads and has taken to reading in foreign languages. He plays chess at the park regularly. He visits the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress, and he's memorized most episodes of Star Trek.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
While he'd like to be able to budget less money for food, Spencer isn't really the best cook, so he ends up eating out more often than not. There are times that he forgets to eat, though, and keeps himself running with extra-sugared coffee. He hates spinach and shouldn't eat much dairy, but he loves it too much not to spontaneously indulge even if it does leave him reaching for antacids later. When he does drink alcohol, he prefers brandy.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? Purple.
2. Smell? Coffee.
3. Time of day? Evening.
4. Season? Autumn.
5. Book? Many.
6. Music? Beethoven.
7. Place? The Library.
8. Substance? Wool.
9. Plant? Silk.
10. Animal? Fire lizard.
END
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