[ SURVEY. ]
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
He seems to hit a growth spurt later in his teens, and acquire a tall, lanky build by the time he hits 20. But as a 16-year-old, he's kind of short and skinny. Probably around 5'5" / 165 cm. A bit lean for his age, not to an alarming degree, but just a little twiggier than average.
2. How old is he?
Around sixteen. He recently quit high school.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
Nothing notable. He carries himself okay when he walks around, except the fact that he usually has his hands jammed in his pockets. He slouches a bit when he sits but mostly just because he's bored.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Physically fine. He seems in pretty good shape despite everything -- he might look skinny and diminutive, but if his ability to throw a quick punch is any indication, he's got some lean muscle to him. He doesn't work out or anything, but he does get into extremely frequent fights so he's in pretty good shape for someone who rarely exercises.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
He doesn't move any more than necessary, preferring to stand or sit still and observe his surroundings, but when he does get moving it's with a sort of easy, effortless grace. It's rare for him to hesitate in his actions or give any warning about what he's about to do.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
Charming enough, if the rumors surrounding him are any indication. Because he doesn't really groom himself, he probably just has a scruffy, boyish sort of appeal. He's aware that he doesn't look bad but he doesn't care about it much.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Slightly tanned since he spends a lot of time lingering around outside in the park. Scarred and scuffed up in spots from frequent fights.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
Black, rough. He's let it grow out a bit long, so it frames his face in a tangled mess. Rarely brushed or combed, so it sticks out in all directions.
9. What color are his eyes?
Black. He's rarely drawn with a 'shine' in his iris.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
A scar across the bridge of his nose. It's unknown how he acquired it, but he wore a bandage across the spot as an elementary school student, so he's obviously had it for a long time.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
Hands. Usually shoved in his pockets, but he'll clench his fists in preparation for a fight when he's tense or wary.
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?
Casual. He doesn't put much thought into what he wears, as he doesn't really have the luxury of having a large wardrobe to choose from. Seems to like big jackets and coats with roomy pockets to jam his hands into. Has no complains about wearing clothes that are ragged, stretched or torn. Favors jeans and clothes with dulled colors.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
They're okay. As long as he can move in them, he doesn't really pay them much attention.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
He doesn't really have a job.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
I wonder.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Slightly deep, as his voice has just broken. Steady and quiet.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
An evenly-paced, steady deadpan. He speaks quietly, letting very little emotion leak into his words unless he's supremely pissed off (or upset). He speaks easily enough, but has trouble articulating more complex ideas at times since he's a little dumb like that. Can be pretty blunt.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
No verbal tics or accents. He's pretty nondescript.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Japanese only. Fluent on a conversational level, but bad with technical language. Probably knows some minimal broken English from school, but never uses it.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Nope.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
In most cases he doesn't bother thinking over things much, so he'll just say whatever comes to mind, even if it's kind of stupid. On a rare occasion he'll be thrown in some sort of moral or emotional dilemna and struggle for words. He might stammer a tiny bit in those cases, and fumble over his words.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Inarticulate. He's bookdumb, so his vocabulary is pretty simple and straightforward.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Book-dumb. Very book-dumb. He only properly got through elementary school, and half-heartedly struggled through middle school without really absorbing anything. But he's decently street-smart and has a good head on his shoulders. He can be clever enough to take care of himself, it's just that he's incompatible with books and studying.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
Thinks on his feet for the most part. He tends to think over things too much when he has free time, but this rarely translates into any sort of action.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
See for your self. He tends to try and think things over in a logical manner when he's idling, but when it comes down to making decisions he's more intuitive. He's aware of the fact that he's just a dumb kid, so he doesn't bother trying to be too intellectual. Practical more than idealistic.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
Public school through elementary school. Skipped classes a lot, or just didn't come to school at all throughout middle school. Not attending high school at all.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
Lol learning.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert to a terrible degree. He's a loner through and through, so he rarely trusts people and pretty much never shows how he feels.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
He acts apathetic and blank for the most part and can seem a bit somber at times. Doesn't really have mood swings, but if something pisses him off he'll lash out pretty suddenly without the need for any sort of build up. He's also pretty quiet and calm even when he's angry, just raising his voice to a harsher growl.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
Suspicious. Acts blank and apathetic. Tends to speak more concisely.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
React for the most part.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight. He won't back down if something pisses him off, and even if he gets the shit kicked out of him he'll take it in silence.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Doesn't really have much of a sense of humor any more. Occasionally makes extremely dry quips, but no real guffaw-worthy laughs.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
He seems a tiny bit sociopathic at times, between his tendency to throw punches with no hesitation and his seeming distaste for most of the human population. Otherwise, no. He's just a normal kid.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
His near-death incident at the miso factory explosion and his ultimate refusal to kill a man he was paid to.
14. What does he fear?
Fire. He'll freeze up and back off when faced with any flame, even something as small as a lighter flame. It seems he'll pass out if he has to stick around a fire too long. He's quite aware of how stupid this phobia of his, but that incident at the miso factory traumatized him pretty good.
He also seems to have a deepset fear of being abandoned by the very few people he trusts, if his tearful pleading to Shimizu is any indication. He keeps it pretty well hidden, but it's always there.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
None. He doesn't have any hopes for the future.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
That he's actually really lonely and wants someone to look to.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
Very poor. After his family's bento shop lost business, his father started turning to alcohol and began refusing to work. Seki briefly considered wielding violence against him when he was younger. By the time Seki graduates from middle school, his father has left the house and completely vanished off the radar.
It seems his father worked his mother to exhaustion, although she's never shown and it's never clarified whether she's sick, alive or dead. He's fairly distant from both parents due to their hands-off approach to his parenting, and he doesn't have much faith in adults.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Unknown. Seems like he'd be an only child.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
None that are shown.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
No one that close.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Shimizu. They've known each other since kindergarten, presumably because they were classmates. Shimizu is, in some ways, a direct opposite to Seki -- his family seems pretty well-off and he's pretty smart (despite his completely spacy tendencies), but he's pretty spineless and allows himself to get walked all over. Seki wants to protect Shimizu and teach him to stand up for himself, as long as Shimizu won't abandon him.
6. Does he have other close friends?
He used to have some other friends during elementary school but he's drifted away from them since.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
Seki doesn't trust people and it's very rare for him to consider anyone a friend.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Friends, if he has any.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Single. He's apparently knocked up a girl before and began ditching school big-time as a result, but it's dubious that the child was actually born, or -- even if it was -- that he took any care of it.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Lol romance.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
None. He distances himself from pretty much everyone.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Not interested in romance.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
Afore-mentioned accidental impregnation probably ended in an abortion. Otherwise, nothing.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
None in particular. In Mayfield, he's started to hate Shounen Bat / Lil Slugger, but that's a bit more complicated than just "rival".
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
Probably something like a 2. He's been sexually active with girls, but he does spend an awful lot of time with Shimizu, and it's doubtful that he'd care more about a person's gender than their personality and his compatibility with them. However, he's really not much into romance or relationships, so it's a bit of a moot point.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
He won't say no if an easy opportunity throws itself at his feet, but it's really not something of high priority to him. It's nice enough when it happens, and it's an okay method of stress relief, but it's not worth the effort of chasing down.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Probably likes pretty, demure, somewhat mature girls. Someone who doesn't require him to talk too much. No weird bedroom habits, although he's probably a bit clumsy and rough since it's not like he's got loads of experience.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
Canon doesn't reveal either. I'd pin him as a Taurus for western astrology (stubborn, insensitive, calm, enduring loyalty, stuck in a rut), and maybe a snake by Chinese strology (shrewd, cautious, strong, loner, bad communicator, self-doubting, distrustful).
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
Neither. He doesn't care about any of that shit.
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. He has no qualms about hitting girls given a reason, and he doesn't really hesitate in knocking out his best friend, either. He does, however, draw the line at killing a man, so he's not completely lost in terms of morals.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Tolerant and indifferent. He'll get pissed off if there's some sort of confrontation -- he gets especially pissed when people speak about money frivolously in front of him -- but unless these beliefs are smashed in his face, he won't care.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Doesn't really hold any prejudices. He knows he's not in the position to be judging anyone else.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
At home, very poor. He and his mother were in danger of being evicted because they were unable to pay rent. His financial situation at Mayfield is more nondescript -- kind of average, not too rich but not badly off -- and he feels very uncomfortable about it, since it reminds him of everything he doesn't have back home. As a result, he avoids staying at home whenever he can.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
'Stupid loner-poser.' Hasn't changed much.
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?
His family lived in a smallish, cramped residence back home, it seems. At Mayfield, he lives in one of those nondescript, identical houses that everyone has. He just uses it as a place to sleep (sometimes not even that, and he'll sleep in the park when it's warm). Shared with Miria Harvent (his "mother"), a drone father and a drone sibling.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
Nothing. He's not used to having extra money. If he gets any, he probably stows it away until it's needed.
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?
No job. Half-heartedly goes to school as little as possible.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
No real interests or hobbies, he leads a boring and listless life. He probably spends his free time sleeping somewhere or just people-watching.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Eats whenever there's food available. Not picky about food, just shovels it in without thought. Too young to drink yet, although he probably won't say no if someone offered it to him.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character:
1. Color? A really dull grayish-green.
2. Smell? Wet grass.
3. Time of day? Late afternoon, just before the sun sets.
4. Season? Late fall.
5. Book? None.
6. Music? World's End Girlfriend - Black Hole Bird.
7. Place? A park bench overshadowed by tree branches.
8. Substance? Old fabric?
9. Plant? Uhh.
10. Animal? A jackal.
END
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