Character Survey
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Shelby is around 5'5”. She's waifish: very thin-almost sickly looking if you pretend that her muscles don't exist. Her bone structure make her look almost like a bird.
2. How old is she?
23
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
It depends. She's a master of changing herself to suit the situation-after all, a good assassin doesn't stand out in the crow. In casual situations, however, her posture is pretty good, slightly relaxed. When alert, her spine straightens and her body goes stiff.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Shelby definitely has the pallor of one who is sick often, but she's pretty healthy, if somewhat malnourished.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Gracefully, quietly. She makes little to no noise when she walks, and she's been trained to be as fluid as humanly possible.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
Shelby has the lowest self-esteem. Logically, she realizes that she's physically appealing-and she is quite pretty-but there are other factors that she knows can take precedence over that. Her body is scarred, and she isn't exactly the curviest in the bunch. But there's also that she's a low born orphan that was raised in an assassin's guild. She has no worth outside of that, and her only appeal would be purely sexual.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Incredibly pale. Dark circles are often seen under her eyes, along with any number of bruises often covering her skin. She also carries a multitude of scars, ranging in size and shape.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
Her hair is longish, falling past her shoulder blades. It's dark, thick, and bit messy-she rarely has a need to make it presentable. She generally wears it tied up and out of the way so that nobody can use it against her.
9. What color are her eyes?
Brown.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Other than the scars? No. She's pretty average.
11. What are her chief tension centers?
Her neck and lower back are the big ones.
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?
Whatever works best for the situation, but usually dark colors, pants, boots, a simple tunic. She needs to be able to move quickly, quietly, and without hassle.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Baggy clothes are a hazard, as are clothes that are too tight. She's comfortable enough.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
Again, it depends greatly on the situation.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Medieval panties, aw yeah. :'D
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Soft, quiet. It's delicately feminine and belies the killer that she really is.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
Soft, calm, even. A lot of the time, she says things so casually that put people off. She's generally pretty quiet, though, and so doesn't really say much unless she needs to. If she's starting to talk at once with more than three sentences, it's something that should clearly be paid attention to.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
There's a slight lilt to her voice, the barest minimal hint of an accent from Kinniburgh, but it's been mostly stamped out during her training. Verbal tics? She takes a lot of pauses and shortens her sentences when she can.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
A couple of fantasy languages from her home world. She understands more than she speaks, though.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Yes.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
She sort of just speaks what she is thinking/feeling/believes. It's not so much impromptu as she just doesn't have a brain-to-mouth filter in regards to the comfort level of others.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Probably a good mixture in between. She might get flustered when it comes to emotional outbursts directed at her, but in those cases, she probably has a hard time saying anything in return. Emotions are hard.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
Shelby is pretty smart! She's well educated for someone of her status, with a fair amount of both book and street smarts.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
Her life is all about quickly made decisions. Hesitation equals death.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Logical and practical. She's almost a machine at this point of her life. Of course, her logic is all her own and can't typically be understood by others. There is a bit of childish idealism in her still, manifesting is regards to magic, dragons, adventures, etc.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
The guild she was raised in took care of her education. Reading, writing, foreign languages, weapons, stealth, arithmetic, plants, animals, hunting, sex, history, anatomy...
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
poisons, vital points on the body, various methods of killing and/or disabling, stealth
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Even-tempered. There's not a lot that gets under her skin, unless someone she cares about is threatened, and then an anger burns through her like fire.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
She doesn't like people and rarely allows herself to get close to any. However, her fluid nature allows her to weave in and out of new situations/people.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
React
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
Flight
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Dry, cynical, nearly sarcastic. Her thought processes are the same as other, and often what may find amusing really isn't.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
Yes, and she doesn't deal with them because she doesn't particularly realize that there is a problem with herself. Antisocial Personality Disorder is basically what she would be diagnosed with if she was living in the modern world. But she isn't. She's just a woman who was broken as a young child and rebuilt into a killer.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
So many. The death of her mother, the adoption into Insidia, all aspects of training to become an assassin, meeting Chuck and forming that bond, falling in love with Chuck, murdering Chuck's betrothed, leaving Kinniburgh, rescuing the “princess” from the tower for a ransom, the dynamic between her, Chuck, and Garrett, taking care of Bubbles, dealing with Francis von Magica, falling in love with Garrett, cutting all ties with her guild, forming a relationship with her only two friends
14. What does she fear?
Failing, losing Chuck and Garrett
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
She... doesn't really have any of her own. She hopes to give Chuck and Garrett a better life.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
There's nothing that would really be an issue to her.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
Her mother was a prostitute and died when was three. She never knew who her father was.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Nope.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
Nope.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
Yes! The first would be her master who took her in for reasons that were his own. He was harsh and strit, but never cruel-in her own opinion, at least. He saved her from starvation, a life of prostitution, and death.
Charlene de Pretenns would be another. Chuck was the first friend she ever made-practically the only one. They looked out for each other over the years. Shelby's in love with her.
Garrett Taliesin is another. At first, he seemed like nothing more than a spoiled prince who complained about everything, but as a natural observer, Shelby sort of saw beneath of that and formed an odd relationship with him. Also in love with him.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Chuck! They met when Shelby was six, Chuck eight. Chuck rescued her from a few of the meaner kids, and Shelby was led to believe her hero was a boy for the next four years.
6. Does she have other close friends?
Garrett, and Bubbles the pygmy dragon.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
Haha, no.
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?
Single. Ish.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
She will be in a relationship with Chuck and Garrett
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
Chuck. Garrett (and Chuck)
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
Shelby really doesn't even know.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
Nope.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
Possibly? The guild wasn't exactly competitive, but “friendly” rivalries were encouraged. The only enemy she can say she has is Francis von Magica.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
Uh, she doesn't really adhere to the Kinsey scale, but her sexual orientation is fluid. Sex is sex, no matter who it's with.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
Haha, see above. Basically, sex is sex. She's been trained in it the same way that she's been trained to kill a man. In fact, it's even useful in assassinations. So, importance? Not really. She likes it, it's enjoyable, it's useful, but that's about it.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
She doesn't really know if she has any, because she's done... a lot of things to complete a job, but she's pretty passive, so people who are more dominant than her are a turn-on.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
Well. She. Lives in a fantasy land, so astrological signs don't really pertain to her life.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
Both? The only god she worships is the Silent One - the patron god of assassins. She often prays to him; not for the souls of who she kills, but for his guidance in the kill. It's pretty important to her, considering her upbringing. She has no reason to doubt the power of her god.
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?
Not really. She does what she's told or what feels right to her. She has no problem in killing and doesn't view herself as a monster or a hero, though she definitely knows that other people would.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
She lives in a society where different groups and countries have different patrons and beliefs, so she no care.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
None.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Ha, she's... pretty damn poor.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
BOTTOM RUNG. The strange thing about assassins are that they are in one of the lowest classes in society, but they are highly sought after and hired by those who consider themselves better.
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?
Currently? Nowhere. Her, Chuck, and Garrett make their home in whatever clearing looks safe enough to sleep in.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
Blades, poisons, sweets, things for Bubbles
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?
She... kills people. For hire. She's pretty damn good at it. Does she enjoy it? That's a loaded question. Part of her does, because it gives her power, brings her closer to the Silent One and is something she's been doing for so long that she really doesn't know anything else. But part of her recognizes that there's something wrong with being content on watching the light go out of another's eyes.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
Besides her lifestyle? She enjoys hunting, watching people, and reading. She's an avid reader.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
She... eats. When there's food. Fancy foods do nothing for her, as they remind her that so many don't have those foods, including herself. She enjoys the independence that finding her own food brings, even bartering gives her that joy. But she's no stranger to missing meals.
She also doesn't drink.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? Gray
2. Smell? Something like autumn: leaves, the faint smell of smoke
3. Time of day? Early morning, as the sun rises
4. Season? Fall
5. Book? She really likes adventure books.
6. Music? Violin music
7. Place? The forest
8. Substance? Blood
9. Plant? Tree
10. Animal? Owl
END
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