OOC; Character Survey of Doom
You know. Every so often I have to stop and think about the canon this kid's pulled from. And the sheer levels of Messed Up never really cease to amaze me. I hope Yoko Matsushita found a therapist after she quit writing new bits.
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Hisoka's canon height isn't specified, aside from the embarrassing visual of how SHORT he is compared to everyone else; he's a full head shorter than the other (adult) principal members of his cast. 5'4, bordering on 5'5" on a good day. He's also terribly thin, though not so bony that he could be mistaken for a cancer patient or anything. He's got the body of a thin teenage boy who could probably use a sandwich, though.
2. How old is he? Physically 16; in my headcanon, he was 17 when he was taken (though possibly older? There's a definite flow of time between YnM arcs, and Hisoka occasionally mentions the passing of years since his death, but never specifies. Until someone tells me differently, I assume that he was 17 in Kyoto). Since arriving in Luceti, he's had an 18th birthday, with a 19th looming October 18th (headcanon date, since "October" is the best we get from canon sources).
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? Hisoka was once the last heir of the prestigious Kurosaki family. Kurosakis do not slouch. :|
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Does being dead count as a condition? Hisoka doesn't like to waste time complaining about things that can't be changed, but he should probably be kept in a giant bubble considering how often things bother him. In life, he was generally a fairly sickly boy, who never spent enough time outside building up immunities to the natural world. As such, he has difficulty handling excessive heat or cold, and when left to raw physicality he tires easily. He's not quite a track star.
In regards to illnesses, Hisoka died from a curse that disguised itself as a terminally degenerative illness; he spent his last living years traveling to and from hospitals as his organs slowly failed. The curse itself manifests as a sometimes-visible pattern of scars covering his arms and torso. The other, more supernatural condition is his empathy, a sixth sense that allows him to synchronize his thoughts and emotions with people around him. It would be fun and games if he could figure out how to turn the damn thing off. As it happens, he just spends a lot of time avoiding crowds and drama queens.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Hisoka was trained from an early age to be aware of his body and the motions it can create. Because he's a bit of a canon Stu, he excels at several martial arts, including but not limited to kendo, akido, and archery. His movements reflect this, and are generally fluid and graceful. However he's also easily riled up, and tension often snakes its way into his body language.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror? Hisoka's prettier than he is handsome. Back home, he's got his fair share of admirers in the kind of girls who're into feminine guys, like the hyperactive Saya and Yuma. As a punishment challenge against a rival branch of underworld employees, Hisoka was to be forced to kiss the gynophobic Terazuma, who could only consider a m/m kiss if he pictured Hisoka in a dress. (It worked better than they'd thought, and Terazuma was rendered incapacitated for the remainder of the competition due to his inability to shake the visual of Hisoka as a pretty girl) On a darker note, Hisoka was also raped on the evening Hisoka was cursed to die, simply because he was "too beautiful" to murder in a simpler way.
Hisoka's self-perception is a reaction to that last bit. He hates to be seen in any state of undress, regarding himself as damaged, filthy, and untouchable. Regardless of the weather, he keeps himself fully clothed at all times (Except when he runs around in a tanktop for fanservice purposes. Apparently the deserts in GensouKai are just THAT much hotter than everywhere else). He hates the girlishness of his features, and oftentimes laments that he'll never have the blissful moment of post-puberty when he might come into a more masculine body.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? In conjunction to the discussion of his sickliness and general aversion to excessive sunlight, Hisoka's just a shade darker than the color of christmas snow. He isn't corpse-level pallid, be he's pale enough. His only scars come from his aforementioned curse, and are only visible when emotionally triggered.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style. His hair is on the delicate line between very light brown and very dirty blond. It's the kind of pinstraight hair that Asians are known for, and would fall into a stringy, lifeless mop if he decided to let it grow out. As it is, only his fringe manages that.
9. What color are his eyes? They're a bright, piercing green. He can see into your soul with them. :D
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? None, aside from the aforementioned mystical scarring and being a boy trapped in an embarrassingly feminine body.
11. What are his chief tension centers? Thanks to the time spent bent over books, his neck and shoulders.
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? I cannot stress enough that Hisoka should not be allowed to dress himself. Look at that outfit. He voluntarily wears a jean jacket over a pumpkin-orange shirt with jeans tucked into his hi-tops. His clothes vary, but it's never very stylish. Exhibit B: the pink sweatervest. He needs a fashion makeover.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? His style is generally to dress in several layers and call it an outfit, which doesn't lend itself for a particularly good fit. At least it keeps others from commenting on how badly he could use a big meal, though? As far as comfort goes, Hisoka needs to work more on being comfortable in his own skin before the clothes can reflect that.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences? That depends on what kind of job it is. Hisoka's work generally demands a flexible wardrobe; whether it's a uniform while masquerading as a student or formalwear while playing the part of an aloof millionaire's rarely-spotted son, the role generally demands how he dresses at work. When not on a specific assignment, though, it's ugly denim ensembles in the office as well. :|
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Hisoka is offended at the very question. And also, briefs.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? He hasn't finished puberty and it shows when he talks. Sounding like this doesn't do much to help his masculinity issues.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate? Generally, Hisoka speaks in a soft, if dry, tone devoid of inflection. During the rare moments when he's honest to people and letting emotion slip through, his words become quick and tense, as if he needs to rush through whatever he's saying before someone catches him being shamefully open. In times of crisis, his voice rises an octave. He also tends to yell while in a panic.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? It depends on his audience. If he is being respectful, his language is formal and proper, but generally he talks with the accent and slang of traditional teenagerdom.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? His first language is Japanese, though he's canonically able to read things in "several other languages." My headcanon tells me that his conversational English is passable, though he'd be lost if attempting to dismantle an extended spoken discussion that became more complicated than "I will use my money to buy this from your company. :)" Written language allows more thought and comprehension, and given enough time I think he'd be able to get through English literature fully, with a smattering of Chinese and Korean comprehension, and a gist of Spanish/Italian/French (if provided with translation dictionaries to clear the vocabulary hurdle) through the merit of latin languages sharing similar grammatical structure. If they're speaking though, and you'd like them both to be understood, Japanese is totally the way to go.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations? He's extra-formal when his audience deserves it, but otherwise no.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words? In casual conversation, Hisoka is good at bantering quickly and casually insulting others (and if all else fails, just calling the other person "stupid" is a good way to dismiss it and save face). But again, when saying words that matter, he quiets down and chooses his words rather thoughtfully.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? He's an eloquent kind of kid in general, though his wordstream stops short when he's startled. He has no idea how to take a compliment; people saying nice things to him will have him rattled every time.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? Hisoka's not a genius in any respect, but he's very well-read from years of seclusion, and this bookishness has done well for him in terms of academic prowess. His street-smarts generally fall to what he's acquired postmortem during fieldwork. He's learned to act in a series of different roles, but that can be attributed to a series of well-crafted dossiers and preemptive research -- to a point (During his first assignment, he thought he was battling a vampire and assumed he could hold it off at gunpoint :|). He's also stupidly antagonistic at times, which isn't a terribly smart thing to do when one is so very very small in stature.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate? Given time to deliberate, Hisoka is a reasonable strategist. He is a card-carrying cynic, which gives him ample opportunity to see the varying ways a plan can fail before he attempts it. In the heat of battle, however, his heart is in charge. He's run blindly into danger on more than one occasion when spurred on by desperation, though only when the danger is to others. He willfully entered a fully flaming building during the Kyoto arc for the sake of saving a suicidal Tsuzuki, and would have willingly died alongside him had Tatsumi not taken both of them away. Those are his spur-of-the-moment decisions. They're not the smartest.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? Provided there isn't presently some kind of life-or-death situation at hand, Hisoka's thoughts lead toward the logical and practical. Idealism is for chumps.
4. What kind of education has the character had? He was homeschooled by a live-in handmaid. No, seriously.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? Academically speaking, he's strong in classical eastern literature (the only really good lit, in his own biased opinion), but only in the sense that he's above average. He both understands and has no clue about the emotional state. It's what he's best at in the basest technical sense, but he has a lot of learning to do when it comes to understanding his own impulses. He'd rather be studying magic, though again in a skewed capacity where he'd rather learn offensive spells while his natural talent lies in healing and defense.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? Hisoka's one of the introvertiest introverts you'll ever encounter. It's okay for him to know what you're thinking and feeling, but he'll be damned if he'll share the same things about himself. He generally only talks to people long enough to express to them how they aren't worth his time.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Hisoka hates you even if he hasn't met you yet. He has a terribly short fuse, and will snap loudly and irritably at anyone he feels deserves it. Alternatively, this makes him less prone to holding grudges over pettiness. He reserves his legitimate anger for people who genuinely deserve it (like murderers). He's prone to long bouts of melancholy, but only when he's sure he's alone or otherwise around those he trusts.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Hisoka suspects everyone. He can count on one hand the number of people who haven't seen him as an object to be used, whether socially as a family heir, physically as a sexual toy, or emotional as some kind of psychic weapon. It takes some time to prove oneself past that, and only the most patient of new acquaintances has a chance of being called "friend". Or the most stupidly tenacious.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? A little of both. Presently, he would rather act before reaction is necessary, but that thought itself stems from his years alive where he was kept housebound and unable to completely act on his own. In the one canonical instance wherein Hisoka is shown to be acting under his own power during this period (taking a pleasant nighttime walk in the summertime), it gets him killed. Thusly, I have no idea how to answer this chicken/egg question.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight? Fight. Hisoka doesn't run, even when he really ought to.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Hisoka's humor is dry and cynical. He doesn't smile much, though Draco's jokes occasionally break through enough to break up his lineface.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? Hisoka has all the disorders ever. Not really, but his symptoms run a little deeper than just "adolescence." He's pretty much the poster child for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person? Dying's the big one, and the iffy circumstances therein. After that, his partnership with Tsuzuki did a lot to open him up enough for Draco to have room to squeeze himself into a friendship (they even call it "friendship" sometimes now :D). The murder committed on the Queen Camellia. Kyoto. The combination of those specific events have left him emotionally gooey, aware that he needs a support system but still mostly too proud to admit it aloud. He's learning, though, thanks to the very small handful of people who've inexplicably stayed with him.
14. What does he fear? Vulnerability. As luna-glass-wall has succinctly expressed, "the boy is a control freak who equates someone dominating him, in any sense, as leading to immense pain." Regardless of his accomplishments, physical or academic, it's never good enough for him. He's never been strong enough to keep himself out of real danger alone; left to his own devices, he makes poor decisions at best, and is disastrously violated at worst. Even though he is now in a position where he is respected and occasionally considered a valuable partner, it's never quite enough to create a sense of safety.
Then there is his fear of love. He's aware of love as it exists in others, but to love and be loved is a terrifying concept in and of itself. While coming to grips with Riko's death in the Gensoukai arc (which this particular Hisoka has not yet experienced), there is a moment when he examines his own skewed development. "Because I'm hated," he decides, "I hate back. Because I wasn't loved, I stopped loving." Intimate love is a charade in all forms that he's witnessed, and he's afraid of what might become of him if love decides to become a pressing issue in his existence.
More tangibly, he fears Muraki. He's deathly afraid of being taken again, that the curse continues to link them together after so long. He fears the power Muraki continues to hold over his body (I refuse to believe that Hisoka would've willingly let Muraki come so close during Kyoto without even trying to run away if he wasn't being supernaturally bound), and of the terrifying notion that Muraki has continued to maintain a link between their minds, the only way he's been able to explain the horribly painful moments on the Queen Camellia where Hisoka was able to hear Muraki's taunts from several rooms away. Somewhere deep inside, past the bits that would ever acknowledge having thought it at all, there is the terrifying notion that there is a chance their connection will have him misdeveloping into a sociopathic serial murder. He killed Tsubaki with Muraki's gun: does that mean he'll kill again? It was justified murder, but how can any death be completely justified? Will Tsuzuki or Draco be next? As much as he disavows it, he felt Muraki on the night under the red moon. He connected intimately to the darkest carnal impulses he still can't begin to process, and worries they might overtake him someday. Though I don't agree with the bit of fandom that believes the empathic connection between Muraki and Hisoka was enough to make Hisoka climax in the middle of his own rape, I do think the line between sobbing and laughing is thin enough that Hisoka himself might not be sure he didn't cross it in the heat of Muraki's passion.
The issue of losing himself has raised itself before during Hisoka's stay in Luceti, during a period wherein even Hisoka's limited control over his power was robbed from him. Joshua, the only other psychic Hisoka's yet encountered in Luceti, once implied that if one can't control one's own powers, one is destined to be consumed by them. Since then, Hisoka's kept his powers in check as much as he can manage, somewhat afraid that if he comes to terms with other people he might become irreparably lost in a sea of strangers' consciousnesses.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations? To go home. He considers it a personal failure that he hasn't yet been able to get himself back, to the point that Luceti itself felt the need to enlist Tsuzuki, as if Hisoka wasn't strong enough to handle it on his own.
He'd also like to work on keeping the passageways between worlds open if possible to see the friends acquaintances he's made in an environment that isn't mutually exclusive with horrible experimentation and abduction.
Once home though, he's bound and determined to pick up some shikigami to place him more firmly on par with Tsuzuki. He's in for some disappointment, but ssh. Don't tell him just yet.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him? The full details about how he died. He'd also probably try to commit an honorable suicide rather than admit how many people have slowly become endearing without his express permission. Even Duo's not so bad anymore.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents. Um. Not so good. Hisoka is the secondborn child (more on that in a second), but through unfortunate circumstances, his function is to act as heir. Unfortunately, he was also born with powers unbecoming to heir-ness, and since his parents were busy dealing with their family curse wherein the head of household is occasionally tentacle-raped by the snake god their ancestor was famous for slaying, they had no room in their lives for a petulant, overemotional toddler. Hisoka's mother was prone to bouts of insanity, and she oftentimes mistook him for a monster and kept him locked in a cage in the basement. His father was emotionally distant and emotionally abusive, particularly when it came to his frustration that Hisoka had difficulty just being a normal enough child to not bring shame to the prestigious family name.
You know. For kids. :D
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? He's got a dead older twin sister! She was murdered as an infant. She also had the same name. :D And he may have known about her, but with the new edits that come with the tankubon edition of volume 12, that's fallen into some debate (you know. If you're me. >_>; ). What's not in debate though is that his nightmares are occasionally haunted by a mysterious little girl who demands her identity back. Most people have the occasional bad dream. Hisoka has the occasional night where he doesn't wake up screaming.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand? I guess there's the uncle who's trying to steal back the power of inheritance? It's not exactly the closest possible relationship, though.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? They haven't been seen directly interacting yet, but the family maid, Miya, has been seen to adore Hisoka to bits and pieces. The way she speaks of him, she was something of a surrogate mother during the periods where his actual parents were being excessively cruel. Curiously though, he never mentions her.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Hisoka has room in his life for exactly two close friends. There's Asato Tsuzuki and there's Draco Malfoy. He met Tsuzuki during his duties in the underworld, and though they had a rocky beginning, he quickly proved himself willing to take grevious harm for the sake of rescuing Hisoka from certain doom. It's hard to hate someone after they've almost died for you. Though Tsuzuki's not exactly a friend, there's no category for "partner". He's special, for lack of another wording. It's a good kind of special.
Draco's both more and less complicated. He wanted very badly to hate Draco when they met. His intent was to snark and move on. Yet somehow, in the course of the Luceti lifestyle, they noticed some kind of kindred spark between them. Draco gets him and accepts him as he is, despite his grumpiness and insecurity, without knowing the details of his past. Hisoka's become rather territorial about Draco lately.
6. Does he have other close friends? The friend zone only fits two at present. So sorry.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people? Hisoka hates people. Friends are for suckers.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? Is there a third option? Both of them are just lying around waiting until they can backstab you.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once? He's very much single...ish. Tsuzuki makes things complicated. He's trying not to think about it too much.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? No...ish.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest? Hisoka, as far as he will admit, doesn't believe in crushing on anyone or anything. It's just that Tsuzuki isn't always impossible to be near. He's warm and safe, and above all, he's there. He's stayed when he could have left. He's stayed to console Hisoka when hard times overcome him. He's there to be weak during the periods Hisoka most desperately needs to be strong for someone else. He's secure in a way no other person has been before or since.
And then sometimes Draco smells good. It's all ridiculously confusing; it's best not to think about it.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? He doesn't. Romance is a terrible soul-eating beast.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? There will be no children. Never anytime ever.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? Do you have an hour to hear about them? As far as rivals go, Tsuzuki and Draco top that list as well. Hisoka absolutely cannot stand the fact that they're more powerful than he in the ways he wishes to be powerful, a complex which is quickly getting to the point where Hisoka will never be able to reach the skill level he thinks is necessary to validate himself. It doesn't matter to Hisoka that he can create strong shields or perform an exorcism. Tsuzuki can summon a phoenix and Draco can blow things up by using a stick and that means they're stronger.
In terms of enemies, there's the obvious Muraki, and Hisoka's equally obvious intent to kill him and avenge himself and all the other hapless souls Muraki's murdered over the years. On the complete opposite end of ways a person can be hated, Hisoka finds Hermione Granger to be absolutely unbearable. She needs to be in his library less.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale? Hisoka's an X in terms of exclusively sexual attraction. If emotional connection can be factored into the mix, then Hisoka would land at a 4, thanks to Tsubaki acting as his beard for a short while. The very few times it happens, Hisoka's more attracted to people than he is genders.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? Sex is pain. It's a transfer of power in a way power should never be transferred.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? Hisoka finds wing-petting to be shamefully pleasurable. That's the closest he comes to letting anyone cuddle with him at present, aside from the occasional shared sleepspace he has with Tsuzuki after particularly rough nightmares. It's slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type? He's quite possibly the most Libraest Libra alive. I would interpret him as more of a Yin than Yang, and he's not much of a monkey at all. I think Matsushita gave him the wrong birthyear. >|
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? It's hard to be a dead person working on the celestial cleanup crew without believing in God. God signs the checks.
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? As stated above, Hisoka comes from a long string of situations that have tried to modify his behavior in one respect or another. Though he's willing to accept that pragmatism means occasionally being an asshole for the greater good, there's never a reason to kill. Ever. (Unless you're taking revenge for having been killed. Then it's perfectly okay.) Equally not okay is abusing the innocent. But provided there's honor in one's actions, and everyone is on a level playing field (Or levelly operating on an unequal one), anything goes.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? He tries to be mostly indifferent. He'd rather dismiss an ideological fight than try to converse with someone who isn't listening. However, sometimes he gets bored and trolls a little bit. Just when people deserve it or are otherwise infringing on his ability to ignore the universe.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them? Even though he's a closet snob himself, Hisoka has a very low opinion of the upper class. Keeping up with the Joneses is the sort of mentality that had him spending years of his life kept under lock and key; he has no intention of advocating that kind of class system.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? There's no money in Luceti, so he's at the same level as everyone else. Back home, he's on one of the lowest-paid teams in his district, though he'd probably be just as big of a tightwad even if he had money to spend.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? Dead. He used to be the heir of a prestigious and very old clan, but that was before the whole dead thing happened. He's found it liberating, actually.
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? At home, he's got an apartment, but in Luceti he shares a house with a bunch of noisy boys. It's crashspace and nothing more.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? Again, there's the "no money in Luceti" issue. He buys a lot of books, though.
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? He collects lost souls that missed their judgment day appointment. In a lot of cases, this involves killing people who're already supposed to be dead, or otherwise arranging for their bodies to not be so stubbornly alive. It's draining, unfun work, but provides the ability to return to the living world and handle one's unfinished business. It's been weirdly stagnating to be at Luceti, as if he's passed on to the place where he can't act on his anger anymore. Luceti'd better not turn out to be Heaven.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? He's an avid reader, because books are better than people. Every so often he'll decide to contact the Luceti spirits to pick up some magic, but he continually falls into the trap of approaching it in a hostile way and not learning as much as he could if he went about it more peacefully. He's avoiding the healing spirit like the plague, though, no matter how urgently she whispers at him when he's trying to contact the others.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? THERE IS NO ALCOHOL. Ever. It does terrible things to him thanks to his nonexistent tolerance. He eats sparingly, just little nibbles when he's hungry with no regard to an actual mealtime schedule. However, food is serious business when he sits down to eat it. If he's decided to eat a tuna roll, don't get in his way if you want to leave the dinner table with all your limbs intact.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? Indigo.
2. Smell? That particular odor that comes from a brand new book
3. Time of day? Sunset
4. Season? Autumn
5. Book? "Kojiki" by Yasumaro Ono
6. Music? Vast - "Pretty When You Cry". MAYBE. THE JURY IS STILL OUT searching for something less damaging. I blame Matsushita for this.
7. Place? Any number of little boxes, metaphorical or otherwise. Also, libraries.
8. Substance? Saltwater.
9. Plant? Acacia trees
10. Animal? Hedgehog.
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? Hisoka's canon height isn't specified, aside from the embarrassing visual of how SHORT he is compared to everyone else; he's a full head shorter than the other (adult) principal members of his cast. 5'4, bordering on 5'5" on a good day. He's also terribly thin, though not so bony that he could be mistaken for a cancer patient or anything. He's got the body of a thin teenage boy who could probably use a sandwich, though.
2. How old is he? Physically 16; in my headcanon, he was 17 when he was taken (though possibly older? There's a definite flow of time between YnM arcs, and Hisoka occasionally mentions the passing of years since his death, but never specifies. Until someone tells me differently, I assume that he was 17 in Kyoto). Since arriving in Luceti, he's had an 18th birthday, with a 19th looming October 18th (headcanon date, since "October" is the best we get from canon sources).
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? Hisoka was once the last heir of the prestigious Kurosaki family. Kurosakis do not slouch. :|
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Does being dead count as a condition? Hisoka doesn't like to waste time complaining about things that can't be changed, but he should probably be kept in a giant bubble considering how often things bother him. In life, he was generally a fairly sickly boy, who never spent enough time outside building up immunities to the natural world. As such, he has difficulty handling excessive heat or cold, and when left to raw physicality he tires easily. He's not quite a track star.
In regards to illnesses, Hisoka died from a curse that disguised itself as a terminally degenerative illness; he spent his last living years traveling to and from hospitals as his organs slowly failed. The curse itself manifests as a sometimes-visible pattern of scars covering his arms and torso. The other, more supernatural condition is his empathy, a sixth sense that allows him to synchronize his thoughts and emotions with people around him. It would be fun and games if he could figure out how to turn the damn thing off. As it happens, he just spends a lot of time avoiding crowds and drama queens.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? Hisoka was trained from an early age to be aware of his body and the motions it can create. Because he's a bit of a canon Stu, he excels at several martial arts, including but not limited to kendo, akido, and archery. His movements reflect this, and are generally fluid and graceful. However he's also easily riled up, and tension often snakes its way into his body language.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror? Hisoka's prettier than he is handsome. Back home, he's got his fair share of admirers in the kind of girls who're into feminine guys, like the hyperactive Saya and Yuma. As a punishment challenge against a rival branch of underworld employees, Hisoka was to be forced to kiss the gynophobic Terazuma, who could only consider a m/m kiss if he pictured Hisoka in a dress. (It worked better than they'd thought, and Terazuma was rendered incapacitated for the remainder of the competition due to his inability to shake the visual of Hisoka as a pretty girl) On a darker note, Hisoka was also raped on the evening Hisoka was cursed to die, simply because he was "too beautiful" to murder in a simpler way.
Hisoka's self-perception is a reaction to that last bit. He hates to be seen in any state of undress, regarding himself as damaged, filthy, and untouchable. Regardless of the weather, he keeps himself fully clothed at all times (Except when he runs around in a tanktop for fanservice purposes. Apparently the deserts in GensouKai are just THAT much hotter than everywhere else). He hates the girlishness of his features, and oftentimes laments that he'll never have the blissful moment of post-puberty when he might come into a more masculine body.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? In conjunction to the discussion of his sickliness and general aversion to excessive sunlight, Hisoka's just a shade darker than the color of christmas snow. He isn't corpse-level pallid, be he's pale enough. His only scars come from his aforementioned curse, and are only visible when emotionally triggered.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style. His hair is on the delicate line between very light brown and very dirty blond. It's the kind of pinstraight hair that Asians are known for, and would fall into a stringy, lifeless mop if he decided to let it grow out. As it is, only his fringe manages that.
9. What color are his eyes? They're a bright, piercing green. He can see into your soul with them. :D
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? None, aside from the aforementioned mystical scarring and being a boy trapped in an embarrassingly feminine body.
11. What are his chief tension centers? Thanks to the time spent bent over books, his neck and shoulders.
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? I cannot stress enough that Hisoka should not be allowed to dress himself. Look at that outfit. He voluntarily wears a jean jacket over a pumpkin-orange shirt with jeans tucked into his hi-tops. His clothes vary, but it's never very stylish. Exhibit B: the pink sweatervest. He needs a fashion makeover.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? His style is generally to dress in several layers and call it an outfit, which doesn't lend itself for a particularly good fit. At least it keeps others from commenting on how badly he could use a big meal, though? As far as comfort goes, Hisoka needs to work more on being comfortable in his own skin before the clothes can reflect that.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences? That depends on what kind of job it is. Hisoka's work generally demands a flexible wardrobe; whether it's a uniform while masquerading as a student or formalwear while playing the part of an aloof millionaire's rarely-spotted son, the role generally demands how he dresses at work. When not on a specific assignment, though, it's ugly denim ensembles in the office as well. :|
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Hisoka is offended at the very question. And also, briefs.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? He hasn't finished puberty and it shows when he talks. Sounding like this doesn't do much to help his masculinity issues.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate? Generally, Hisoka speaks in a soft, if dry, tone devoid of inflection. During the rare moments when he's honest to people and letting emotion slip through, his words become quick and tense, as if he needs to rush through whatever he's saying before someone catches him being shamefully open. In times of crisis, his voice rises an octave. He also tends to yell while in a panic.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? It depends on his audience. If he is being respectful, his language is formal and proper, but generally he talks with the accent and slang of traditional teenagerdom.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? His first language is Japanese, though he's canonically able to read things in "several other languages." My headcanon tells me that his conversational English is passable, though he'd be lost if attempting to dismantle an extended spoken discussion that became more complicated than "I will use my money to buy this from your company. :)" Written language allows more thought and comprehension, and given enough time I think he'd be able to get through English literature fully, with a smattering of Chinese and Korean comprehension, and a gist of Spanish/Italian/French (if provided with translation dictionaries to clear the vocabulary hurdle) through the merit of latin languages sharing similar grammatical structure. If they're speaking though, and you'd like them both to be understood, Japanese is totally the way to go.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations? He's extra-formal when his audience deserves it, but otherwise no.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words? In casual conversation, Hisoka is good at bantering quickly and casually insulting others (and if all else fails, just calling the other person "stupid" is a good way to dismiss it and save face). But again, when saying words that matter, he quiets down and chooses his words rather thoughtfully.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? He's an eloquent kind of kid in general, though his wordstream stops short when he's startled. He has no idea how to take a compliment; people saying nice things to him will have him rattled every time.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? Hisoka's not a genius in any respect, but he's very well-read from years of seclusion, and this bookishness has done well for him in terms of academic prowess. His street-smarts generally fall to what he's acquired postmortem during fieldwork. He's learned to act in a series of different roles, but that can be attributed to a series of well-crafted dossiers and preemptive research -- to a point (During his first assignment, he thought he was battling a vampire and assumed he could hold it off at gunpoint :|). He's also stupidly antagonistic at times, which isn't a terribly smart thing to do when one is so very very small in stature.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate? Given time to deliberate, Hisoka is a reasonable strategist. He is a card-carrying cynic, which gives him ample opportunity to see the varying ways a plan can fail before he attempts it. In the heat of battle, however, his heart is in charge. He's run blindly into danger on more than one occasion when spurred on by desperation, though only when the danger is to others. He willfully entered a fully flaming building during the Kyoto arc for the sake of saving a suicidal Tsuzuki, and would have willingly died alongside him had Tatsumi not taken both of them away. Those are his spur-of-the-moment decisions. They're not the smartest.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? Provided there isn't presently some kind of life-or-death situation at hand, Hisoka's thoughts lead toward the logical and practical. Idealism is for chumps.
4. What kind of education has the character had? He was homeschooled by a live-in handmaid. No, seriously.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? Academically speaking, he's strong in classical eastern literature (the only really good lit, in his own biased opinion), but only in the sense that he's above average. He both understands and has no clue about the emotional state. It's what he's best at in the basest technical sense, but he has a lot of learning to do when it comes to understanding his own impulses. He'd rather be studying magic, though again in a skewed capacity where he'd rather learn offensive spells while his natural talent lies in healing and defense.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? Hisoka's one of the introvertiest introverts you'll ever encounter. It's okay for him to know what you're thinking and feeling, but he'll be damned if he'll share the same things about himself. He generally only talks to people long enough to express to them how they aren't worth his time.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Hisoka hates you even if he hasn't met you yet. He has a terribly short fuse, and will snap loudly and irritably at anyone he feels deserves it. Alternatively, this makes him less prone to holding grudges over pettiness. He reserves his legitimate anger for people who genuinely deserve it (like murderers). He's prone to long bouts of melancholy, but only when he's sure he's alone or otherwise around those he trusts.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Hisoka suspects everyone. He can count on one hand the number of people who haven't seen him as an object to be used, whether socially as a family heir, physically as a sexual toy, or emotional as some kind of psychic weapon. It takes some time to prove oneself past that, and only the most patient of new acquaintances has a chance of being called "friend". Or the most stupidly tenacious.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? A little of both. Presently, he would rather act before reaction is necessary, but that thought itself stems from his years alive where he was kept housebound and unable to completely act on his own. In the one canonical instance wherein Hisoka is shown to be acting under his own power during this period (taking a pleasant nighttime walk in the summertime), it gets him killed. Thusly, I have no idea how to answer this chicken/egg question.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight? Fight. Hisoka doesn't run, even when he really ought to.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Hisoka's humor is dry and cynical. He doesn't smile much, though Draco's jokes occasionally break through enough to break up his lineface.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? Hisoka has all the disorders ever. Not really, but his symptoms run a little deeper than just "adolescence." He's pretty much the poster child for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person? Dying's the big one, and the iffy circumstances therein. After that, his partnership with Tsuzuki did a lot to open him up enough for Draco to have room to squeeze himself into a friendship (they even call it "friendship" sometimes now :D). The murder committed on the Queen Camellia. Kyoto. The combination of those specific events have left him emotionally gooey, aware that he needs a support system but still mostly too proud to admit it aloud. He's learning, though, thanks to the very small handful of people who've inexplicably stayed with him.
14. What does he fear? Vulnerability. As luna-glass-wall has succinctly expressed, "the boy is a control freak who equates someone dominating him, in any sense, as leading to immense pain." Regardless of his accomplishments, physical or academic, it's never good enough for him. He's never been strong enough to keep himself out of real danger alone; left to his own devices, he makes poor decisions at best, and is disastrously violated at worst. Even though he is now in a position where he is respected and occasionally considered a valuable partner, it's never quite enough to create a sense of safety.
Then there is his fear of love. He's aware of love as it exists in others, but to love and be loved is a terrifying concept in and of itself. While coming to grips with Riko's death in the Gensoukai arc (which this particular Hisoka has not yet experienced), there is a moment when he examines his own skewed development. "Because I'm hated," he decides, "I hate back. Because I wasn't loved, I stopped loving." Intimate love is a charade in all forms that he's witnessed, and he's afraid of what might become of him if love decides to become a pressing issue in his existence.
More tangibly, he fears Muraki. He's deathly afraid of being taken again, that the curse continues to link them together after so long. He fears the power Muraki continues to hold over his body (I refuse to believe that Hisoka would've willingly let Muraki come so close during Kyoto without even trying to run away if he wasn't being supernaturally bound), and of the terrifying notion that Muraki has continued to maintain a link between their minds, the only way he's been able to explain the horribly painful moments on the Queen Camellia where Hisoka was able to hear Muraki's taunts from several rooms away. Somewhere deep inside, past the bits that would ever acknowledge having thought it at all, there is the terrifying notion that there is a chance their connection will have him misdeveloping into a sociopathic serial murder. He killed Tsubaki with Muraki's gun: does that mean he'll kill again? It was justified murder, but how can any death be completely justified? Will Tsuzuki or Draco be next? As much as he disavows it, he felt Muraki on the night under the red moon. He connected intimately to the darkest carnal impulses he still can't begin to process, and worries they might overtake him someday. Though I don't agree with the bit of fandom that believes the empathic connection between Muraki and Hisoka was enough to make Hisoka climax in the middle of his own rape, I do think the line between sobbing and laughing is thin enough that Hisoka himself might not be sure he didn't cross it in the heat of Muraki's passion.
The issue of losing himself has raised itself before during Hisoka's stay in Luceti, during a period wherein even Hisoka's limited control over his power was robbed from him. Joshua, the only other psychic Hisoka's yet encountered in Luceti, once implied that if one can't control one's own powers, one is destined to be consumed by them. Since then, Hisoka's kept his powers in check as much as he can manage, somewhat afraid that if he comes to terms with other people he might become irreparably lost in a sea of strangers' consciousnesses.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations? To go home. He considers it a personal failure that he hasn't yet been able to get himself back, to the point that Luceti itself felt the need to enlist Tsuzuki, as if Hisoka wasn't strong enough to handle it on his own.
He'd also like to work on keeping the passageways between worlds open if possible to see the friends acquaintances he's made in an environment that isn't mutually exclusive with horrible experimentation and abduction.
Once home though, he's bound and determined to pick up some shikigami to place him more firmly on par with Tsuzuki. He's in for some disappointment, but ssh. Don't tell him just yet.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him? The full details about how he died. He'd also probably try to commit an honorable suicide rather than admit how many people have slowly become endearing without his express permission. Even Duo's not so bad anymore.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents. Um. Not so good. Hisoka is the secondborn child (more on that in a second), but through unfortunate circumstances, his function is to act as heir. Unfortunately, he was also born with powers unbecoming to heir-ness, and since his parents were busy dealing with their family curse wherein the head of household is occasionally tentacle-raped by the snake god their ancestor was famous for slaying, they had no room in their lives for a petulant, overemotional toddler. Hisoka's mother was prone to bouts of insanity, and she oftentimes mistook him for a monster and kept him locked in a cage in the basement. His father was emotionally distant and emotionally abusive, particularly when it came to his frustration that Hisoka had difficulty just being a normal enough child to not bring shame to the prestigious family name.
You know. For kids. :D
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? He's got a dead older twin sister! She was murdered as an infant. She also had the same name. :D And he may have known about her, but with the new edits that come with the tankubon edition of volume 12, that's fallen into some debate (you know. If you're me. >_>; ). What's not in debate though is that his nightmares are occasionally haunted by a mysterious little girl who demands her identity back. Most people have the occasional bad dream. Hisoka has the occasional night where he doesn't wake up screaming.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand? I guess there's the uncle who's trying to steal back the power of inheritance? It's not exactly the closest possible relationship, though.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? They haven't been seen directly interacting yet, but the family maid, Miya, has been seen to adore Hisoka to bits and pieces. The way she speaks of him, she was something of a surrogate mother during the periods where his actual parents were being excessively cruel. Curiously though, he never mentions her.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Hisoka has room in his life for exactly two close friends. There's Asato Tsuzuki and there's Draco Malfoy. He met Tsuzuki during his duties in the underworld, and though they had a rocky beginning, he quickly proved himself willing to take grevious harm for the sake of rescuing Hisoka from certain doom. It's hard to hate someone after they've almost died for you. Though Tsuzuki's not exactly a friend, there's no category for "partner". He's special, for lack of another wording. It's a good kind of special.
Draco's both more and less complicated. He wanted very badly to hate Draco when they met. His intent was to snark and move on. Yet somehow, in the course of the Luceti lifestyle, they noticed some kind of kindred spark between them. Draco gets him and accepts him as he is, despite his grumpiness and insecurity, without knowing the details of his past. Hisoka's become rather territorial about Draco lately.
6. Does he have other close friends? The friend zone only fits two at present. So sorry.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people? Hisoka hates people. Friends are for suckers.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? Is there a third option? Both of them are just lying around waiting until they can backstab you.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once? He's very much single...ish. Tsuzuki makes things complicated. He's trying not to think about it too much.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? No...ish.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest? Hisoka, as far as he will admit, doesn't believe in crushing on anyone or anything. It's just that Tsuzuki isn't always impossible to be near. He's warm and safe, and above all, he's there. He's stayed when he could have left. He's stayed to console Hisoka when hard times overcome him. He's there to be weak during the periods Hisoka most desperately needs to be strong for someone else. He's secure in a way no other person has been before or since.
And then sometimes Draco smells good. It's all ridiculously confusing; it's best not to think about it.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? He doesn't. Romance is a terrible soul-eating beast.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? There will be no children. Never anytime ever.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? Do you have an hour to hear about them? As far as rivals go, Tsuzuki and Draco top that list as well. Hisoka absolutely cannot stand the fact that they're more powerful than he in the ways he wishes to be powerful, a complex which is quickly getting to the point where Hisoka will never be able to reach the skill level he thinks is necessary to validate himself. It doesn't matter to Hisoka that he can create strong shields or perform an exorcism. Tsuzuki can summon a phoenix and Draco can blow things up by using a stick and that means they're stronger.
In terms of enemies, there's the obvious Muraki, and Hisoka's equally obvious intent to kill him and avenge himself and all the other hapless souls Muraki's murdered over the years. On the complete opposite end of ways a person can be hated, Hisoka finds Hermione Granger to be absolutely unbearable. She needs to be in his library less.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale? Hisoka's an X in terms of exclusively sexual attraction. If emotional connection can be factored into the mix, then Hisoka would land at a 4, thanks to Tsubaki acting as his beard for a short while. The very few times it happens, Hisoka's more attracted to people than he is genders.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? Sex is pain. It's a transfer of power in a way power should never be transferred.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? Hisoka finds wing-petting to be shamefully pleasurable. That's the closest he comes to letting anyone cuddle with him at present, aside from the occasional shared sleepspace he has with Tsuzuki after particularly rough nightmares. It's slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type? He's quite possibly the most Libraest Libra alive. I would interpret him as more of a Yin than Yang, and he's not much of a monkey at all. I think Matsushita gave him the wrong birthyear. >|
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? It's hard to be a dead person working on the celestial cleanup crew without believing in God. God signs the checks.
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? As stated above, Hisoka comes from a long string of situations that have tried to modify his behavior in one respect or another. Though he's willing to accept that pragmatism means occasionally being an asshole for the greater good, there's never a reason to kill. Ever. (Unless you're taking revenge for having been killed. Then it's perfectly okay.) Equally not okay is abusing the innocent. But provided there's honor in one's actions, and everyone is on a level playing field (Or levelly operating on an unequal one), anything goes.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? He tries to be mostly indifferent. He'd rather dismiss an ideological fight than try to converse with someone who isn't listening. However, sometimes he gets bored and trolls a little bit. Just when people deserve it or are otherwise infringing on his ability to ignore the universe.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them? Even though he's a closet snob himself, Hisoka has a very low opinion of the upper class. Keeping up with the Joneses is the sort of mentality that had him spending years of his life kept under lock and key; he has no intention of advocating that kind of class system.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? There's no money in Luceti, so he's at the same level as everyone else. Back home, he's on one of the lowest-paid teams in his district, though he'd probably be just as big of a tightwad even if he had money to spend.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? Dead. He used to be the heir of a prestigious and very old clan, but that was before the whole dead thing happened. He's found it liberating, actually.
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? At home, he's got an apartment, but in Luceti he shares a house with a bunch of noisy boys. It's crashspace and nothing more.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? Again, there's the "no money in Luceti" issue. He buys a lot of books, though.
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? He collects lost souls that missed their judgment day appointment. In a lot of cases, this involves killing people who're already supposed to be dead, or otherwise arranging for their bodies to not be so stubbornly alive. It's draining, unfun work, but provides the ability to return to the living world and handle one's unfinished business. It's been weirdly stagnating to be at Luceti, as if he's passed on to the place where he can't act on his anger anymore. Luceti'd better not turn out to be Heaven.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? He's an avid reader, because books are better than people. Every so often he'll decide to contact the Luceti spirits to pick up some magic, but he continually falls into the trap of approaching it in a hostile way and not learning as much as he could if he went about it more peacefully. He's avoiding the healing spirit like the plague, though, no matter how urgently she whispers at him when he's trying to contact the others.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? THERE IS NO ALCOHOL. Ever. It does terrible things to him thanks to his nonexistent tolerance. He eats sparingly, just little nibbles when he's hungry with no regard to an actual mealtime schedule. However, food is serious business when he sits down to eat it. If he's decided to eat a tuna roll, don't get in his way if you want to leave the dinner table with all your limbs intact.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? Indigo.
2. Smell? That particular odor that comes from a brand new book
3. Time of day? Sunset
4. Season? Autumn
5. Book? "Kojiki" by Yasumaro Ono
6. Music? Vast - "Pretty When You Cry". MAYBE. THE JURY IS STILL OUT searching for something less damaging. I blame Matsushita for this.
7. Place? Any number of little boxes, metaphorical or otherwise. Also, libraries.
8. Substance? Saltwater.
9. Plant? Acacia trees
10. Animal? Hedgehog.
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}