[OOC//PROFILES/MEME] Character Survey - Yami
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Yami is 5′5″ and is quite lean and skinny. It's the steel cable/whip-cord kind of skinny, though. Naturally he is also short for a guy, but still three inches taller than Yugi.
2. How old is he?
Almost 6,000 years old. But he looks about 25, possibly younger due to his stature and build. 25 is his age when he died.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
Yami stands straight-backed and proud, with plenty of confidence. He really only slouches when tired.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
...He's DEAD. When he was alive he was in pretty good shape, though not nearly as much as his friend Methos, who was captain of the Royal Guard. :)
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
He's not clumsy, but neither his he very graceful. His movement would be tense if he were feeling tense, but other than that... usually pretty average.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
No comment-beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, as the narration, I do find him attractive, though. ;) As for how he perceives himself, I don't think he really thinks about it too much. He has other things on his mind.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Depends on when you're looking at him. When he's alive, it's a kind of olive tone. When he's a spirit, it's very pale. In either case, it's clear.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
Yami's hair is very distinctive. It's a spiky, tri-coloured mess; the main body of his hair is a reddish black, the tips of which are bright red. His bangs are blond, and three blond spikes stick up against the rest of his hair.
9. What color are his eyes?
A reddish magenta. Very striking. ;)
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
In anime, you don't really get a sense of the character's facial features because they're typically extremely simplified. Let's change that, shall we? I've always pictured Yami thus: Yami has the same basic facial structure as Yugi (no surprise, since Yugi's a distant descendant of his). However, while Yugi's facial features are very rounded and boyish, Yami's are much more defined. He has prominent cheekbones and a cupid's-bow shaped mouth, with thin lips. His eyes are almond shapes, and he's nearly always seen wearing ancient Egyptian-style eye makeup. After the DBFS Installment Take Back the Night (the third in the Saga), he has a tattoo on his right arm which features the crown he wore as Pharaoh with simplified depictions of his eyes beneath it, a golden ankh, the words "Beware the wrath of the King of Games" in Egyptian hieroglyphs snaking around the design, his name in hieroglyphs enclosed in a cartouche beside the ankh, and a chain snaking around the bottom of the design. He also has a ring through his left eyebrow, a bolt through the tip of each ear, and a thick brass ring around the ridge of each ear.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
Back, arms, and hands.
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?
Very goth, minus the makeup. (Well, except eyeliner for Yami, but that's because he's ancient Egyptian.) Casual, for the most part, and somewhat varied. Most often, however, you'll see him wearing black, tight-fitting leather trousers, a black sleeveless shirt, a black jacket slung over his shoulders like a cloak or cape, a black leather belt and bandoleer, a series of armbands, black combat boots, and a leather "choker" of sorts.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
He's very comfortable in his modern-day clothes, despite being used to a completely different fashion style.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
Yami doesn't have a job :)
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Boxers. Or commando when he was alive ;)
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Yami's voice is a deep baritone (if you're unfamiliar with the voice pitch scale, baritone is half-way between tenor and bass) and not at all hoarse (compare that to Yami Bakura, whose voice is quite hoarse-I've always described Yami Bakura as sounding as though he were permanently stricken with laryngitis).
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Yami is not at all soft-spoken, unlike Yugi. He actually has a very sonorous voice, which is to be expected, since he was once Pharaoh. Leaders of any stripe tend to have that attribute.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Yami has no accent to speak of. Or, rather, his accent sounds basically American.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Yami is fluent in Old Khemetic (the ancient Egyptian tongue), and speaks very advanced American English (which he picked up from Yugi).
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Yami will frequently lace his English with Old Khemetic/ancient Egyptian phrases. For instance, he'll often be heard calling Yugi Mechenek, which is the Khemetic word for "Partner". Khenmes and Khenmeset are two other words you'll hear around him often-they both mean "friend", but the latter is the feminine form of the word.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
He's pretty good at impromptu speech, but he does take his time to think about his words in sensitive situations, as most anyone would. Well, as anyone with tact would.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Usually pretty eloquent, though this changes if he's embarrassed or flustered.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Yami is highly intelligent, though it's hard to categorize which kind of intelligent he is. I'd hazard halfway between book-smart and street-smart.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
He's very good at thinking on his feet.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Again, it's hard to categorize it. Mostly logical, but also idealistic.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
He was the Prince of Egypt, and later Pharaoh. Naturally he's been educated. It might fall short of modern standards, though. He was taught to read and write in Old Khemetic, and also taught some basic self-defense. In the modern day, he's taken an interest to learning some of what the modern world has to teach, and has expressed that interest to Yugi. In the point of DBFS canon I'm taking him and Yugi from, Yugi's trying to figure out how to get Yami enrolled at his High School.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
Yami was a Pharaoh, so he's a natural leader and a pretty good strategist. He's also very interested in learning more about the modern world in general, and about events that have occurred after he died.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Extrovert. Very much an extrovert.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Usually rather even-tempered, fairly cheerful, and driven.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
Suspicious, though he tries to seem relaxed. Not nearly as enthusiastic as Yugi, though.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
More likely to act.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
He does appreciate jokes, and when the situation permits, he does attempt to crack a few jokes himself. Gallows humour and gamer snark seem to be what he favours the most.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
No.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
Given his AU history, some of this is gonna sound really strange. Ahem. The day he met Setep-sy was a huge influence on him; his friend Methos lost his father on that day, and Setep-sy was also orphaned, when a Shadow Monster attacked a very well-populated area of Men-Nefer. This drove him to eventually seek to imprison the Shadow Games in what would become a section of the NeverNever. The death of his father was also a huge influence on him, as he loved his father very much, and he wasn't ready for his father's death. Then again, I suppose no-one's ever ready for the death of a loved one. The moment the Shadow Games were imprisoned was an important one as well, since he died and was imprisoned in the Millennium Puzzle.
14. What does he fear?
Yami has always feared two big things: the Shadow Games wreaking havoc on the world and losing the people he cares about.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
He does have lofty hopes that the Shadow Games will never ever be a problem again. They're very, very lofty hopes. Probably won't ever happen.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
Not... in particular, but he doesn't particularly enjoy discussing his short time as Pharaoh, mostly because he didn't want the job in the first place.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
He was close to them both, but especially to his father, whom he loved very dearly. It was this love that pushed him to take the throne of Khemet instead of turning it aside, even though he wanted to do the latter.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Yami has no biological siblings.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
He barely knows the rest of his family; his paternal grandfather (Anedjib) died before he was born, so his father, Semerkhet, was already Pharaoh. (DBFS Yami is from the first dynasty of Pharaohs.)
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
He did have two brothers-at-heart: Methos (of Highlander) and Malik (Or rather, Yami Bakura-don't ask, it was a mix-up on my part yonks ago.) They were best friends growing up, as their fathers had been best friends growing up. Yugi is also as a surrogate son to him.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Methos and Malik. He's known both them as long as he can remember.
6. Does he have other close friends?
Yugi's friends and family are also Yami's friends.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
He does make friends very easily; he's charismatic, which goes without saying for leader-types. :)
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
He considers friends and family equally important and occasionally interchangeable, since he has friends that he considers blood family, even if they aren't in reality.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Married, to a young woman named Setep-sy (who is an original character).
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Uhm, no? That's gonna change though, since I'm a Puzzleshipper, mwahahahahahahahaha.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
Setep-sy, since he didn't get out of the palace much when he was alive. She was one of the first women his age he'd met.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Uh. Hard to say. As I've said below, personality is much more important to him than physical appearance, and he looks mostly for people with kind hearts and a good sense of humour and morals, but also those who are fairly open-minded.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
He has a son, Atanu, and Yugi is one of his descendents. However, since Atanu was only five when Yami died, neither knew the other very well. Atanu eventually declined the throne, when he was old enough to no longer require a regent to rule in his place.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
Kaiba has declared himself both Yugi and Yami's rival (although he doesn't initially seem to realize that they're not the same person. He figures it out later, though.) As Pharaoh he probably made more than one enemy, especially given an assassination attempt activated Methos's immortality.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
Yami is bisexual, about a 4 on the Kinsey scale-if only because the ancient Egyptians had a problem with same-sex relationships. Otherwise he'd probably be a 3.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
Oh gods. AWKWARD. Ahem. Sex is fun, but it's not terribly important to him.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
In terms of attraction, Yami is most affected by personalities, not physical aspects. Kind-hearted and easy-going people would be most attractive, I think. Insanity is a real turn off.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
I don't think Yami's date of birth is ever given, and while the ancient Egyptians did have a Zodiac, I'm not familiar with it. I decided on a birthday for him in the DBFS Saga such that his birthstone is Topaz, but I forget when, specifically, it is.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
Yami is Khemetic Pagan, formerly taking Horus as his Patron. Now his Patron is Osiris, in accordance with Khemetic beliefs about the Pharaohs-in life, they are an incarnation of Horus; in death, of Osiris. His beliefs are important to him, though in death, not nearly so much as they once were. After all, the world has all but forgotten his deities. If he feels a situation is especially desperate, he'll pray to the appropriate god(dess), but otherwise, he's become rather to wrapped up in modern-day life to regularly venerate them.
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?
His code of ethics was largely influenced by his father and mother. It would take a loved one being in danger for him to break it.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Between tolerant and curious. Christianity and other monotheistic religions intrigue him, and he often wonders how modern mortals can cope with the idea of having only one God.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Yami's very open-minded, so relatively few. What remaining prejudices are there are usually for good reason.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
N/A-he's dead, so it doesn't matter.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
Yami was at the top of the ladder when he was alive-he was Pharaoh, the ruler of an entire country. Now, however... he might as well be on the "Geek" rung of the social ladder of Yugi's high school.
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?
He lives in Yugi's home.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
N/A
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?
N/A
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
Like Yugi, he spends much of his free time gaming-mostly with Yugi at his side, with the two of them either competing amicably with one another or working together to get through a game.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
When he was alive, Yami had a very low tolerance for alcohol, and thus he drank extremely rarely. Other than that, N/A.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? Gold, Violet, Black, Magenta
2. Smell? Papyrus and dust. (This is an association I figured out while writing out the second installment of DBFS, in which Chris, one of the characters, mentions Yugi smells like "papyrus and dust, and I don't even know how I know what papyrus smells like." Yugi thought she was actually smelling Yami, not himself.)
3. Time of day? Dawn
4. Season? Summer
5. Book? Pert-em-Herew, the Book of Going Forth by Day; this is what the ancient Egyptians called the Book of the Dead.
6. Music? Yugi's taste is in symphonic rock and metal, and Yami seems to enjoy that music. He also enjoys ethnic music and any song that is meant to sound Egyptian.
7. Place? Uh... Egypt? Duh?
8. Substance? Uh... substance how? I guess... sandstone.
9. Plant? Papyrus
10. Animal? Hawk or eagle (the fact that his crown resembles the spread wings of an eagle doesn't help!)
END
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