Survey for reference

[crystalblessing]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Average height -- about a hair taller than Juudai, but far more well-built. He actually is surprisingly toned underneath that baggy shirt... yeah, I doubt Juudai could lend him clothes or anything.

2. How old is he?
Eighteen, give or take a couple months!

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
He's pretty proud and confident, and it shows in his posture. He doesn't slouch at all, stands up straight and tall, always with a confident aura about him.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Man, this guy probably wrestles bears in his spare time. I can't imagine he could be out of shape with that figure. And he's about as healthy as healthy can be.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Fluid and smooth. He has no issues with anything that might affect his movement, up to and including physical or emotional hindrances, and while he's not poetry in motion or anything, he's not anywhere near awkward, either.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
He doesn't pay too much attention to how attractive he is, surprisingly. When he looks in the mirror, he probably thinks it simply gets the job done for his purposes, since he's not out to attract anybody or anything. And I mean, you can't look horrible if you're a pro duelist, after all.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Very light, since he's of European descent, and... probably burns easily, ffff. Clear, because he's an anime character, and who the hell isn't clear when you're in a shounen anime?

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
Surprisingly finely-textured for a mop that thick and wild -- and yes, he is naturally teal. He doesn't do anything particularly special to it, it just sort of... sticks out every which way like that on its own.

9. What color are his eyes?
Sea-green, a couple shades shy of Yubel's. They're lighter and clearer, not quite as bold, but equally stunning.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Nah, not really!

11. What are his chief tension centers?
Along with the usual ones? His hands, I suppose -- he does a lot with them as a duelist.

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?
Oh, here we go. He wears a lot of the same uniform, with and without the blue vest. The poofy, frilly lavender V-neck shirt is totally here to stay. He does, in fact, like frills in his wardrobe, and thinks he looks good in them (and can pull them off pretty damn well, so this mun thinks). Most of his other stuff is probably casual and modern, nothing too bright or flashy... probably more on the pastel side. Lots of long sleeves and pants, since he doesn't care to show off his body much more than just proving how secure he is with himself by revealing his neck and collarbone.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
He likes baggy, loose clothes, so yes on both counts. They're not so baggy that they fall off of him, but they're not uncomfortably binding for him, either.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
Man, who needs suits when you're a pro duelist? Edo can take his bleached suits and-- I mean.

Well. He usually just dresses in his normal clothes (the frills and the vest and the legwarmers) for matches and stuff. He probably has whatever manager decided to deal with him do the business end of it, anyway, so no need for suits or anything.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
...MAN, I DUNNO. I don't think he goes commando... but either way, you know they're gonna be multicolored or rainbow-patterned or something. They can't not be.

Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Irie Kanako. Oh my god. Very high-pitched, varying from snarky and slightly nasal to serious and throaty at times. Not that it doesn't fit him, but it's very interesting to hear for the first time.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Loud and easily, mostly on the even side. He's fluent in Japanese, and can speak without hesitation, but every once in a blue moon, has misunderstandings over words, and then quickly corrects himself. VERY rarely.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
He's good at pronouncing loan words in Japanese, considering he's not even Japanese to begin with and doesn't have that accent, but he's also good at pronouncing Japanese syllables, too. He speaks informally most of the time, and rarely uses honorifics unless it's someone blatantly above him in status, like a teacher or an elder.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Norwegian, Japanese, and a bit of English. The former two are completely fluent (with the occasional aforementioned misunderstanding in Japanese), and English is slightly less so, but still enough to hold a conversation.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Only when he has to speak politely to someone, like in Japanese when he has to start using polite verb endings when speaking to a teacher or the headmaster or something.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
Pretty good, though not Manjoume-level or anything. He's not outstandingly charismatic, but also not terribly awkward and stuttering all over the place either.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Somewhere in the middle. He doesn't use big words all too frequently, preferring simple yet powerful words to express himself when he can help it. But he doesn't stumble over his words, either.

Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Street-smart, as being a duelist tends to make one, but probably marginally more cultured and book-smart than Juudai. Marginally.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
Oh, does he ever think on his feet. He's very quick, and can make the best decision for any given situation with little hesitation and under a lot of pressure. He's far less likely to do something reckless than a certain other someone, as well. Even the most difficult circumstances where he needs to think about it usually turn out well if he's careful about it.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Idealistic. So idealistic. While he's not beyond using logic for things, Johan thinks with his heart and not his head more often than not. Occasionally it turns into a mixture of using his brain and using his emotions to come up with a good solution to a problem, but usually his decisions hinge on his feelings and beliefs, because he adheres to those like superglue at all times.

4. What kind of education has the character had?
Average. I'd say he went to elementary and middle school despite the (headcanon) trouble he had with family and other people, but high school was spent at North Academy, which, while a sister school of the respected Duel Academia, isn't quite as prestigious as the main branch. His grades were probably... average-ish. Not good, but not horrible. He's like Juudai in that he does better on practical exams, though at least he actually does his homework. Sometimes.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
DUELING. SPIRITS. This is not a hard question at all. He's sort of interested in learning about the other worlds, the ones that have duel spirits in them, but... I think he'd rather not go back if he has any say in the matter.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Extrovert, mostly. He's very friendly. That doesn't, however, guarantee everyone is friendly in return, though, or that he makes a good impression on them the first time.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Kind of a complicated answer. Johan is difficult to push, for the most part. He's quite easygoing, but very, very passionate when it comes to his goals. Usually he's hard to ruffle, and takes a lot of things in stride. He's cheerful, but also honest, in both good and bad ways -- if you're really making him happy, he'll let you know, and if you're pissing him off... well, he'll let you know that too.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
New people are cool with him! He treats everyone pleasantly, and tends to give them the benefit of the doubt at first meeting until they prove otherwise. He's always open and enthusiastic, and totally relaxed around people unless they've given him reason to doubt them.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
Act. He's a more assertive, pre-emptive sort, and would probably try to prevent any possibly-foreseen trouble before it starts, if possible.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight, usually, but it's circumstantial. He doesn't like to back down from a challenge, even if it's threatening him bodily harm, but if it puts someone else in the middle, then he will grudgingly try to pull away. If it's just between him and someone else, though, he'll fight his own battles.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Oh, boy, here we go. Johan has a sense of humor, all right, but not everybody is capable of appreciating it. It's not the obnoxious bathroom-humor sort, but a lot of the things he thinks are funny or cute aren't so much to other people. In fact, the time he pulled the prank on the whole school by faking his summon of Rainbow Dragon during the exhibition duel against Juudai got him a lot of protests from the stands, and Juudai himself was kind of flabbergasted. So he's not beyond petty, harmless pranks, definitely. He's not much of a cheesy pun person, though.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
Not especially.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
Getting the Gem Beasts. When Pegasus presented him with the cards that revealed themselves to him, he felt an instant connection, and went so far as to give up his old deck of spirits for them. A similar situation would've been meeting Juudai, for similar reasons -- there was a connection right off the bat, and he actively sacrificed something for that person's sake, so he could live happily. (Of course, what he didn't realize at the time was that Juudai was obstinate and obsessive enough to want to go back and save him, but...)

14. What does he fear?
Losing his family, and/or losing the ability to see spirits. The Gem Beasts are his support through everything, and losing them would be to lose the emotional backing that has kept him going strong for his whole life. Same thing with the spirits; plus, it would utterly destroy his ultimate dream, the one he devoted his life to.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
That spirits and humans may one day live in peace together, helping out and bonding with one another. Spirits mean everything to him, because they've always been what humans never could be to him, so it's sort of wanting to help them out, as part of his benevolent personality.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
Probably any of his feelings concerning Yubel. Johan doesn't have a lot of deep, dark secrets, but if he has any at all, Yubel is it. If/when he finds out about her fusing with Juudai, he'll be confused and a bit frustrated -- she pulled all that crap on his friends, on Johan himself, went so far as to let most of them die and use them as bargaining chips, and deeply hurt the ones who didn't die... and he chose her anyway? He won't really understand it, and it's something he will readily acknowledge that he doesn't understand. He's not sure if he wants to forgive Yubel, since Juudai cares so much about her, or if he wants to hold her at a distance and continue to be unsure about her, since she hasn't proven she wants or deserves the forgiveness anyway.

Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
...What parents? When he had them, he probably loved them, but he didn't have them for very long, I suppose.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
In a way, I suppose all the Gem Beasts are like siblings. They all take on a specific niche, but in the end, they all treat Johan himself as the "leader" and head of the family. And it seems he does a damn good job with that right. (Truthfully, I have a specific headcanon in which Johan had a twin brother who sort of didn't like him, but that's not part of this particular Johan's headcanon.)

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
I don't think he outright hated his blood relatives, since he had to live with somebody until he was old enough to take care of himself, but he didn't have a great relationship with them, either. They probably didn't bother with him much, since he was always talking about spirits, and considered them more of a family than his biological family ever could be. Perhaps they all knew it, too, whether or not they believed his words.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
...Hehehe. If you haven't heard enough about the Gem Beasts by now, here's another mention of them. This is the most obvious answer, and Johan himself probably considers them "blood" relatives, because the concept of family in general mean more than life itself to him.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Juudai! And they met in their third and final year of high school, went through hell for each other, and bonded through it all. They're both "duel idiots", as Edo so eloquently put it, and they get along frighteningly well, like they'd known each other for their whole lives, so much so that Juudai started ditching his other friends in favor of Johan.

6. Does he have other close friends?
Actually, not... really. I suppose he gets along well with Jim, but they don't share the same interests, so there isn't a huge amount of chemistry like there is with Juudai. Shou is similar, though I would think Shou is a little bitter about him, seeing how Juudai started neglecting the rest of his friends to pay attention to Johan instead. He seems... sort of fond of Kenzan, I guess. Asuka and he don't interact enough to tell if they get along or not, and I'm not sure if Johan knows about how Amon was secretly a rat bastard or not. He seems to have some semblance of respect for Hell Kaiser, however, based on their unfinished duel from the sand world. Most of them are just classmates, to tell the truth, or acquaintances at best.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
You'd think he'd make friends far more easily than he does, but the problem seems not to lie with him or his personality, but with other people's opinions, and the lack of social chemistry between them and him. Sadly, it doesn't always seem to work out, though not for lack of trying.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Family, all the way. He bases his life around his family, essentially.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Single, probably going to stay that way for a whiiiiiiile.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
...What spouse?

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
Here is a complicated subject. I think, if he ever had a crush, it would be Juudai, but with him, they could both probably be in what most people would consider a romantic relationship for years and never have any clue it actually meant anything. I think he does have a crush on him, for what the word "crush" is worth; he's the first human other Johan has ever really had who can relate to him and care for him that deeply. He probably has no idea how to differentiate between "best friend" and "crush" at this point, to be honest, but if he had to choose anyone as a romantic partner, Juudai would be it.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Understanding, mostly. If he was looking at all, that is. He's not very romantically aware, but if he had to describe someone, he'd probably describe a person who knew and understood the hearts of spirits, who was just as passionate about them as he is -- and, importantly, probably someone who could see them, just because anyone who couldn't relate to it all might be a little put-off. Personality-wise, someone who he could dork with would be good, too. Basically, "must love dueling and duel spirits".

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
No kids... not sure if he's really ever considered it, though. I mean, if romance is so beyond him, it's likely he might not have thought about it at all. I wouldn't put adoption or something like that past him, though, even if he never hooked up with anyone in his life. Big maybe, though.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
Not... particularly. He doesn't consider anyone an outright enemy, unless you're like Giese and are going around capturing and killing off spirits, because that is literally the same thing as murder to him, if not ten times worse. Even Yubel doesn't really register in his mind as an enemy. And anyone who even knows how to duel at all is a rival to him, but especially if you're a skilled duelist and a good challenge. I think Juudai falls under this, but also Hell Kaiser... and it's possible even Yubel herself would be considered a good rival, in a weird sort of way, if he can ever get past that "she took over my body" thing.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
Somewhere between 4 and 5, maybe leaning more towards 5. He's never looked at girls as romantic objects before... pretty much ever, and all of his closer friends have been male in his life. If he were to ever choose a partner, chances are it would be a guy. If he ever found a girl who was, for example, like Juudai, though, he'd probably consider her too, though I feel like he might be less likely to actually dig girls like that. Friendship is gender-neutral, always, so that's what he usually sticks to.

And I'm honestly not sure if he'd swing like Juudai and go for spirits as well as humans, though I'm inclined to say yes, despite the fact that Juudai and Yubel is a rather special situation.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
Mmm... probably doesn't even care either way. He's probably experimented before, but not openly and not with a bunch of different people. It's not something that matters a great deal to him, since what he cares about in a relationship is the actual state of the bond, not the sex.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
...Ahhhh, jeez, I dunno. Turn-offs are probably anybody who starts pestering him into sex, or who is very one-track minded when it comes to that. If you're pushy about it and he's not sure of you yet, you're not going to get any... probably ever. Kinks, who the hell knows. Habits, same thing. I HAVE NOT THOUGHT ABOUT THIS.

Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
He doesn't have a set birthday, and I don't feel like setting one and doing research about it right now -- maybe I'll edit it in later.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
Extremely spiritual (though not in a classic sense), and maybe a little religious. He believes in the Judeo-Christian God, but isn't a devout religious nut or anything. He just believes what he wants, and leaves it at that. I'm hesitant to say he even practices or goes to church much, for that matter. It's not a super-important part of his life.

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?
Oh, certainly. He's a pretty big goody-two-shoes, actually. He wants to save everyone and make them happy, but he also wants to help spirits and make them happy too. And there is literally no compromising it. If you should happen to tell him you're going to rip up or throw away a card, or kill someone in cold blood for some reason (why would you ever, though, knowing who you're talking to), he will try his damnedest to talk you out of it. He values life very, very highly, in all its forms.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Religiously? He doesn't even care, man, believe in whatever god or pantheon of gods you want. Spiritually, though? If you don't believe in spirits, he will absolutely try to convince you otherwise. And if you wind up butting heads instead and come to an impasse, he'll keep trying until one of you walks away from frustration. He has difficulty letting it lie that people don't believe in spirits, because it just absolutely clashes with his dream, which he's doing his very best to make possible on his own.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Not many. He's not terribly fond of people like assassins or hunters on the grounds that they hurt people, but he's never met one to be able to tell if they're secretly good people or not, and he doesn't dwell on it much. Usually, he gives people the benefit of the doubt when possible, though.

Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Ehhh... comfortable, I suppose. He probably makes a lot as a pro duelist, but a lot of that probably goes to his manager and fees and stuff. But what he does get, he makes do with.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
Middle class; always has been. I think it mostly depended on who he was living with at the time before he took off on his own.

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?
Prrrrrrrrrrobably some sort of small house, likely in a suburb or completely out in the country. I can't really see him wanting to live in the city, personally. I doubt he goes wild with the interior decorating or anything; it's just a roof over his head, so that's good enough for him. I don't think he shares it with anyone, though... he would if he had to, but if it's just his house, he wouldn't rent it to people unless they were on their knees begging him for a place to stay. Not that anyone would, though.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
First and foremost: CARDS. I wouldn't doubt if he handed out cards with spirits attached to them to people on the street at random who look reasonably worthy (or maybe even people he's familiar with), and telling them to take good care of it. In the way of leisure, I doubt he buys much, since he's not terribly attached to material possessions that aren't his deck.

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?
Pro dueling, and while he knows it's a tough business, he feels it's the best way to spread his message. Sometimes it frustrates him how cutthroat it is, or if an opponent taunts him for how "silly" his gimmick is, but then he'll just taunt them right back to rile them up and have them give him a good duel, so it's all good. He's content with it.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
Other than dueling? Juudai got him into fishing, kind of, though he's not as avid as his friend is. He sometimes likes just hanging out with his spirits and talking, somewhere nice and secluded, be it in his house or in the middle of nature. We don't really see enough of him to glean any canon hobbies off of him that aren't dueling, honestly.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
From what I can tell, he's a light eater, and one who takes his time. Not picky at all, no, but in the sand world, when everyone was starving and scarfing down their portion of the tofu-thing Tome had prepared for them, Johan was nibbling at his lightly with a spoon, despite claiming to have been as hungry as everyone else. So I suppose he has some sort of table manners, unlike Juudai, who wolfs a whole dish down in two bites and then asks for seconds, and thirds, and fourths. Judging by Tag Force's options for him, he actually enjoys traditional Japanese food quite a bit.

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

1. Color? ALL OF THEM, how can you even make me choose.
2. Smell? ...Hard to say, but I'm tempted to say that really soft, clean, pleasant scent that comes after a rainstorm.
3. Time of day? Umm, late morning, I guess
4. Season? Spring
5. Book? Dunno
6. Music? Sakamoto Maaya - Tune the Rainbow; YES I KNOW IT BELONGS TO ANOTHER ANIME, but it just... fits.
7. Place? Somewhere outside, maybe at a waterfall in the mountains or something.
8. Substance? ...What, I dunno. Crystal, I suppose.
9. Plant? ...Umm, dunno.
10. Animal? Real animals? Cats. He just seems like a cat person, I guess. He likes them all, though, cause animals are pretty cool too! Spirits just happen to be better.

END
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