Character Surveys and Other Useful Stuff
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
She’s about average height for her age, perhaps a little short. She’s slim, athletic but not overly toned. She’s filled out a fair bit over the last year, but she’s not overly busty or curvy either.
2. How old is she?
15
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
She carries herself well; straight posture, light steps.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
She’s fit, but only in the sense that she’s not out of shape. She’s a little athletic, but not overly so.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
She’s pretty graceful, particularly when it comes to fine motor movements. But she’s not-quite fluid. She has a little teen awkwardness, particularly if she’s already in an awkward situation.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
She’s pretty. She knows she is pretty. She likes that she’s pretty. But she doesn’t make an effort to capitalize on it really. She takes pride in her appearance, but it contributes more to her own self confidence than anything she might flaunt in front of others.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Caucasian, light, clear.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
Deep red/auburn, a little past shoulder length with a side-part and layered at the front. It's pretty thick and dead straight.
9. What color are her eyes?
Violet-blue
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Not really
Keep: A scar on her [[find out which]] arm from a topiary spawn attack.
11. What are her chief tension centers?
I don’t know what this question means.
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?
She likes feminine sorts of clothes and will almost always be wearing a skirt, even if it’s over the top of shorts. She likes pastels, pinks, purples and white. She has some variety, but as her likes are fairly uniform, a lot of her outfits tend to blend together. She also likes her clothes to be functional, so she will often wear a belt with attached pockets.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Yes and yes, for the most part. Some of them are just weird in the way they fasten but she likes the quirkiness.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
She's a student. For school, she wears a school uniform - plaid blue skirt, black school shoes, knee-high black socks, white shirt, short blue tie. She individualizes by rolling up the short-sleeves so they look more like capped sleeves.
Keep: In her free time, she wears whatever she likes. If she knows she'll be doing something specific (cleaning, swimming, climbing trees) she might opt for shorter skirts and more utilitarian outfits.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Briefs.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
High-pitched unless she sad, when it’s lower and thick-sounding.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
She usually speaks fairly evenly and easily. Sometimes she will hesitate and overindulge in the modifiers, and if she's sad, she's much more softly-spoken.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
She often laughs mid-sentence.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
Common, fluent.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
No
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
She’s a good impromptu speaker, and does not often choose to think about her words unless she is writing them down.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
She’s fairly eloquent. The only time she isn’t is when she’s afraid. Then she is not so much inarticulate as she will state the obvious or blurt out something very stupid-sounding.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
She’s about average when it comes to intelligence. She does alright in school, but does not enjoy studying in and of itself. She does have some street-smarts, and will pick things up faster if they have an obvious practical application, but she also tends to be pretty impulsive. She doesn’t crave knowledge for its own sake, but she learns fast enough when she has a mind to. She has a knack for making things.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
She acts on her feet. Whether she thinks on them is another thing entirely.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Idealistic and intuitive to a fault.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
A normal high school education, probably freshman year/ninth grade.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
She’s good at crafts. She dabbles in free-verse poetry. She knows that she needs to learn to fight but she doesn’t really want to.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
Extrovert.
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. She is usually cheerful but when melancholy strikes, it strikes hard. She's pretty laid back generally speaking, but can focus when she needs to, if her friends need help or she's in danger.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
It depends on the people and the situation. She is almost always curious to begin with, but she makes judgments very quickly and on very little information. If she likes a person, she’ll be relaxed, friendly and enthusiastic to try something new. If she doesn’t, she’ll be tense, hostile, rude and suspicious.
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?
She likes to tease and make fun, minor pranks perhaps. She doesn’t like bathroom humour at all and gallows humour is not funny.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
Not... Really. If she did, it would be MPD because of Namine, her 'other self.' But that kind of depends upon your take on the series and context.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
The whole Hollow Bastion denouement, when Sora vanished before her eyes and Riku defended her from an unknown enemy. In fact, the whole ‘losing her heart’ experience can pretty much go here, though it isn’t a moment.
Sora’s telling her that she would only get in the way if she tried to fight alongside him is also pretty significant. She doesn’t want to be put in that situation again, so she will learn to fight, even if she doesn’t enjoy it, if only so that nobody need put themselves in danger for her sake, and she can help when her friends need her.
Being attacked by unversed and meeting Aqua and King Mickey (now that she remembers it at last). It was her first real brush with the concept of other worlds and one that likely unconsciously coloured her perceptions right through Kingdom Hearts ("Riku's changed", "I was scared at first")
And the moment Xehanort abducted her/she woke up on Destiny Islands. More than anything else, it defined her as otherworldly amongst the Destiny Islands community. And while they all stopped treating her like a stranger, it's not really a reputation that she appears to have shaken (Lookin' at you, Riku and Selphie).
14. What does she fear?
Losing her friends.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
While Kairi’s a believer in happy endings, likes having the security of a home to go back to and has been disillusioned with adventure, she is in no way ready to just settle down. She never really had aspirations about a mundane life, and while she easily fell back into that routine, it’s not what she hopes for or dreams about.
No, she hopes to be re-united with her friends. She hopes to return home, eventually. But even if that is what lies in store for her, she’d like to give the raft another go, to explore what lies beyond the ocean, to see if there’s more to her own world.
If it’s possible without the worlds being damaged, she would like to travel, visit old friends. She would like, eventually, to learn about her own abilities and what they mean for her. Whether she does this on the islands or via meeting the other princesses, she doesn’t mind.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
… She doesn’t really have any deep, dark secrets. Sorry. But she doesn't really like to be seen afraid and will throw on the bravado the instant someone is watching (Hi Saix!)
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
She doesn’t remember them. She’s attached to the idea of them, but they were absent from her life from a very young age. She knows she loved them. That is all.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
No
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
Her grandmother raised her on Radiant Garden for as much of her life there as she can remember. Her relationship with her grandmother was never that of parent and child. She was cared for and loved. She loved and cared for her grandmother. But she was also treated like a precious little princess a lot of the time, and told all sorts of stories. There’s a lot of nostalgia for that part of her life.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
Sora, Riku. See below.
The Mayor and his wife. They have been her guardians for the greatest part of her life and while they’ve raised her well, they aren’t her parents. She loves them dearly, but she remembers being a lost, scared child with no memory of where she came from and their being the people kind enough to take her in. Conversely, while she’s become part of the family, she will never stop being that strange girl who arrived in a meteor shower. With that kind of foundation for a relationship, she’ll always feel a sense of gratitude toward them. She loves them, would mourn them, obeys them and craves their approval. But she is far more aware of how much they have done for her than most children would be with their parents, and this awareness only increases with age. It colours her relationship with them. She doesn’t love them any more or less than she would her biological parents. She just loves them differently.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Sora. He and Riku came to meet her when they heard she had arrived and was staying at the Mayor’s house. They grew close very quickly. He made her laugh at a time in her life when there was very little to laugh about. He didn’t care that it was often at his own expense. She grew to love him as a best friend while they were both still young. As they grew up, he was her first crush. That relationship only got deeper after she spent time sheltering inside his heart. They went through so much together while being so close that they are pretty much eternally bound. No matter what happens with the romantic side of their relationship - if she grows out of her crush on him or he doesn’t return the attraction - she’s certain she’ll love him ‘til the day she dies.
Riku. He’s the ideas man. While Sora made her laugh and smile, Riku came up with games and took the three of them on adventures. Riku showed her how her new home could be fun and exciting. He too took her mind off her past and instead drew attention to her future. She loves him very much, but as they grew older and darkness threatened, she noticed the change in Riku. It affected their relationship a little. They were still close, she still cared a lot for him, but she was also wary. Even while she was wary, she was sad about the distance it put between them. And when he fell, she was afraid of losing him for good. Still, she never quite lost faith in him. In the year she was on the islands alone, she never stopped believing that he was working his way back and that she would see him again. And when she did, she was not willing to let him go, no matter how much ground he still felt he had to make up.
6. Does she have other close friends?
Selphie. While their relationship is largely grounded in the superficial, it is important for that reason. Selphie is Kairi’s tether to normality. In the year that Riku was missing and Kairi almost completely forgot Sora, Selphie was there to distract her with gossip and talk of boys and make-up and their island and all kinds of other frivolous things. Kairi eventually came to confide in her. Even though Selphie didn’t understand, Kairi still values her as a friend.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
Kairi does make friends easily in that she’s sociable, friendly and confident. She doesn’t make friends easily in that there are some people she just seems to click with and others who are just friendly acquaintances.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
Friends. The close ones become part of her family.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
Single
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
No
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
Sora. She’s been crushing on him for a while. She will always love him, far longer than forever and until the end of time. But as far as romantic relationship go, theirs is in the fledgling stages. They haven’t talked about their feelings and though both of them seem to know that the feeling exists, neither of them seems ready to act on it just yet.
In the unlikely event that something should rend them asunder, Kairi’s love for and undying belief in Sora will basically colour any future relationship she has. Even if she loses Sora, she will never stop loving him. It’s kind of tragic really.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
Weird hair. Kairi is a fan of crazy hair.
Okay seriously? Someone who can make her smile on the rare occasions she can’t. Someone who’ll goof around with her and try new things. Someone who can take a joke.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
No offspring. She would like them some day though, in the abstract way that she thinks about the future. One day, she’d like kids.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
Not yet.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
Probably a one. She's usually straight but you never know.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
She’s a teenage girl. So that would be: S-sex?! o////o;
Okay no. Sex is all tied up in romance for Kairi. So basically? She has a lot of misconceptions. She would get nervous, embarrassed and giggling if it got brought up. As far as she’s concerned, it’s something for people who are in love. Which means her and Sora, right? But bringing that up will only make her blush. A lot. As far as attraction she actually experiences? She has no framework in which to recognize that sort of thing for what it is and so has no idea what to do about it. HOW DOES FLIRTING?
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Okay she has no idea so neither do I.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
No and I don’t know
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
Spiritual I suppose. She has an unerring hope that good will triumph over evil. She believes in the power of a person’s heart. These beliefs are incredibly important to her life. If they’re shaken, she’s shaken. She usually manages to grasp them again before she falls apart, but it’s been a near miss a couple of times.
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?
It’s not a code. She is not nearly smart enough to have thought long and hard about right and wrong. But she knows it when she sees it. She follows her intuition in that regard, and that intuition was born of the lack of darkness in her heart. As such, it would take something pretty hefty to get her to compromise it.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
She can be pretty tolerant to an extent, if it’s only discussion. If people act on beliefs that directly conflict with hers though, she will react with intolerance. Evil people are evil, end of story. If people have beliefs that are fundamentally different to her own - dark and light do not exist, people don’t have hearts - Kairi would probably pity them and refuse to accept their point of view.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
Um… Not many? People she deems to be evil? Aside from that, she’s pretty open-minded. Oh hey, you’re a talking wolf? That’s cool. I know a talking duck. So you’re a robot… Do robots have hearts? But if you are a bad person then you are a BAD PERSON and Kairi does not like you. Yeah, it’s pretty darn irrational, but personal experience is also a pretty good reason.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Mayor’s foster-daughter. She was comfortable in the sense she was provided for. She herself has no financial assets.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
It hasn’t recently. But as a child, sure; she went from just a girl in Radiant Garden, the apple of her Granny’s eye, to that strange new girl on an island where everyone knows everyone. She arrived in the middle of a meteor shower with no memory of where she’d come from and no explanation for how she’d got there. She was the gossip of the town for months. It carried over into her school life, so that while a lot of people were nice to her and vice versa, she was still the new girl in first grade. Luckily, Sora and Riku were already her close friends by that stage. It eased off as she grew older, but then the whole “Princess of heart” business started manifesting. When you get all withdrawn after your close friend vanishes, and start talking about trying to remember a boy that everyone else thinks doesn’t exist, it’s bound to rekindle talk of your mysterious origins and make you just a little bit of an oddity.
She’s not an outcast as much as a figure of curiosity and bemused smiles, a sweet but strange girl, ‘otherworldly’ in every sense.
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?
House. It was the Mayor’s house. It’s in pretty good nick. Home is where her heart is and Destiny Islands is her home. But the house is just a house. She’s attached to it as much as anyone else is to the house they grew up in. If it burned down, she’d get over it. But she doesn’t want to move away yet.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
Craft supplies, sweets, icecream, clothes, stationery, romance novels, makeup, building supplies, whatever she wants.
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’s a student. Her future has pretty much been tied by other events recently.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
Writing, crafts, building things. She liked helping add to the boardwalk and ladders on the little island a lot. She enjoyed building the raft. She likes making charms and jewellery out of natural items like shells, nuts and seeds. She likes writing poetry or letters. She likes reading myths, legends or romance novels.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
She eats pretty regularly. She doesn't drink much.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? pink
2. Smell? That beach smell; sea salt and coconut-scented sun screen.
3. Time of day? early sunset
4. Season? summer
5. Book?
6. Music? Simple and Clean
7. Place? Paopu tree~
8. Substance?
9. Plant? Frangipani
10. Animal?
END
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