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hisrighthand) wrote2012-02-27 12:35 am
hisrighthand) wrote2012-02-27 12:35 am
incomplete info.
First impressions:
Balfour's about 5'8", around 125-130 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes, and he freckles easily under sunlight. And he's really, really not facially expressive, because displaying emotions all over your face is not typically an asset in the circles he works with.
He's usually dressed in a dark-colored suit in a conservative cut, high-quality but not meant to attract attention. He has good posture, but he doesn't stand tall, per se. He tends to move quietly and speak quietly. What he strives for in his appearance is to blend into the background; assistants and assassins aren't here to be seen, after all.
Oh, and he's a total workaholic, rarely without his mini-tablet and earpiece.
---
For more information (still incomplete, but working on it):
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
He's 5'8" and has a skinny build. He's one of those people for whom it's really difficult to "bulk up," and he doesn't do a good enough job of eating to be able to bulk up right now anyway.
2. How old is he?
18.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
He has really good posture, trained into him from years in private school and military school.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
He's fairly fit, and his health is okay, but he could definitely be doing better. He doesn't usually eat well, because he takes his vitamins and supplements and figures that's the most important part. Food is just secondary, and that point of view means his immune system is not the greatest.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
I wouldn't go so far as to say graceful or fluid, but his movements are self-assured and deliberate.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
He's attractive if you're into pretty boys. He's fairly realistic about his own appearance; he understands that his pretty face and sleek build work to his advantage, but some days it does bother him how scrawny and weak he looks next to his military colleagues.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Light and clear, where it's visible, though he freckles easily in the sun. He has some degree of scarring under his clothes, as you might expect from someone who was supposedly living on the street before being taken into slavery, after which he went to military school-- but none of his scars are particularly significant to him.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
He has brown hair, soft and fluffy, kept in a longer cut than is usually allowed in the military by virtue of him being in a special post.
9. What color are his eyes?
Blue.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
None.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
His neck and shoulders.
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?
His wardrobe now consists almost entirely of suits for work, all in dark, traditional colors. He has a military uniform that he wears for occasions when his ties to the military need to be obvious, so during important meetings and going on inspection tours and stuff. He has simple pajamas (a long-sleeved t-shirt and flannel sleep pants) and a few other things for the off-the-record side of his work, too.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
His clothes fit well! After all, it would reflect badly on his employer, Lieutenant General Falkner, if he weren't dressed well. Because of the conservative cut of his suits, he can sometimes come off as a kid playing dress-up, but he's pretty comfortable in his clothes by now and it shows.
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 do free time (or at least, not very much of it). He counts sleeping as his free time-- in which case he wears pajamas, but other than that, he's pretty much in suits most of the time and a military uniform for the rest.
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?
He has a mid-range low tenor sort of voice, quiet and smooth.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
He speaks at a moderate pace, usually in a soft voice. When he's had a chance to think about what he wants to say, he talks very smoothly. After a lot of training and practice, he's usually able to keep talking smoothly without too many stop and starts even in uncomfortable situations where he hasn't thought about his words. It might not be well-phrased or even very fitting for the situation, but at least the delivery will be smooth.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
He tends to speak very formally. He has to speak formally to nearly everyone he sees on a daily basis-- and even more so for people he doesn't see on a daily basis. He usually addresses people as Sir, Miss, or Ma'am as appropriate.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
He speaks Universal, the language of the future (everyone in the empire speaks it!) as a native language. He's fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, and Spanish as well.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
He'll switch languages if the person he's talking to is more comfortable in a different language.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
He is not a good impromptu speaker at all. He really needs the time to think about his words. Even for things like giving daily reports to Falkner, he needs time to go over everything and plan roughly what he's going to say. The one exception to this is Hotchkiss, with whom he speaks a little more freely-- but he's still not a good impromptu speaker.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
He's eloquent when he has a chance to think about it. He gets less articulate the less time he has to spend thinking about his words, and also as he gets less comfortable. There's a point of discomfort where he kind of "zones out" and becomes super eloquent, but before and beyond that point is just a whole lot of inarticulateness.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
He's very book-smart. When he was in school, he consistently scored ridiculously high marks. Street-smart, not so much. He's street-smart in specific ways, like how to blend in, where to look for snipers, where to position yourself if you're a sniper, and how to deal with authority figures. He's lacking in most other street-smarts, especially the sort of street-smarts that come with typical life experience.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
He can think on his feet. He likes having time to deliberate, so he can synthesize all of the data and find the best solution, but he's been doing this for a long time, so he can think on his feet. Why he can't apply that to talking, well.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
4. What kind of education has the character had?
He attended a public school very briefly at age seven, transferred to a private school, and continued up through a military academy for his junior/senior high school years. He left school at age 15 at Hotchkiss's suggestion to become Falkner's right-hand man. The truth is, the physical training was getting harder and harder, and Hotchkiss thought he wouldn't be able to keep up. At the same time, Falkner was looking for someone to be a personal assistant and someone discreet to work side jobs for the military off the record, so it was killing two birds with one stone.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert, definitely. He kept to himself while in school, and now most of his interactions are with Falkner or Hotchkiss, or sometimes the other Lieutenant Generals in the district. He doesn't interact much with Falkner's other subordinates. And all of that suits him just fine. People are tiring.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
He's even-tempered, neither cheerful nor melancholy, but somewhere in between, and extremely driven.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
React.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
It'd depend on the situation, really!
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Oh, god. Balfour's sense of humor is really not the strongest thing. There's quite a lot in the way of jokes that he just doesn't get. He's not around people who joke much, and he sort of isolated himself during his school years, so in some ways he's extremely sheltered.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
14. What does he fear?
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
One day it might be nice to be the chief of staff or something. He doesn't aspire to be emperor or viceroy or general or anything like that; he doesn't enjoy being put in a leadership position like that. He's much more comfortable working behind the scenes, being the assistant or the right hand. As it is he's happy in his post and he has plenty of room to grow, and there isn't much room for ascending the ranks unless he transfers to a different district to work under a more powerful Lieutenant General or unless he takes over Hotchkiss's job.
Titles aside, though, at the core of it, he just craves validation. Not validation from any old person, he doesn't care about that. He wants validation from the people he respects, the people in his life whose opinions really matter to him. Like for example, he'd much rather be praised by Chief of Staff Hotchkiss than the Emperor, because the Emperor is this distant authority figure-- who, yes, his opinion matters, but not as much as Hotchkiss, who Balfour's known since age seven. It's this dichotomy about him, because he is very self-assured, he knows he's damn good at every job he does, he was one of the best students at the military academy while he was still there. He just desperately craves validation, especially from Lt. Gen. Falkner and Chief of Staff Hotchkiss. Hell, he'd be just ecstatic if he finished every workday with Lt. Gen. Falkner patting him on the head and telling him he did a good job.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
Um, see most of the above paragraph on validation. It would have been the fact that he was rescued from a slavery ring as a child, but that's already made the rounds around the military, what with everyone wondering what his connection with Hotchkiss is. The rumours, and then the truth, spread like wildfire during his first few days in the job. He was not pleased when that happened.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
He doesn't remember them at all. He blocked out most of his memories from before age seven.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
He doesn't have any siblings that he knows of! No siblings were with him while he was in slavery, so he doesn't think he has any.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
He doesn't know of any blood relatives.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Hotchkiss is about as good as family, to him. They're like a very distant father and son. It's sort of an odd relationship with a long story. About ten years ago, Hotchkiss, then a Brigadier General, led the operation that busted a major child slavery ring, rescuing Balfour in the process. Hotchkiss hadn't thought anything of it at the time, hadn't realized how much Balfour's life was going to affect his own. Long story short, after a well-timed plea from a well-meaning teacher and after dealing with a lot of bureaucracy from Child and Family Services, Hotchkiss decided to "adopt" him. Just temporarily, until his records could be found and he could be given an official government scholarship. As a government scholarship success story himself, Hotchkiss could relate.
It was Hotchkiss who gave Balfour his name (after one of his old school friends). However, both of them knew they couldn't get attached-- Hotchkiss didn't want to get attached to this kid, and he didn't want the kid getting attached to him. Balfour lived at school and had some correspondence with Hotchkiss, but both of them made efforts to maintain a sense of distance. Some degree of attachment was inevitable, and Hotchkiss was honestly impressed by the kind of progress Balfour was making in school.
Now that Balfour and Hotchkiss are working together, their relationship has actually gotten closer than it used to be, but both of them still take care to maintain that sense of distance. It's not a good idea for Balfour to get attached to someone over Falkner, and both of them know that.
As for Falkner, Balfour's not sure if he counts as family yet or not. There's no denying that they're close, but it's much more of a working relationship than his relationship with Hotchkiss.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
See above paragraphs on Hotchkiss.
6. Does he have other close friends?
No. He'd say he doesn't have time, and it could be a liability to Falkner.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
He doesn't make friends easily just by virtue of being so introverted. He doesn't really have trouble getting along with people, but he has trouble getting close to people. He tends to keep his speech pretty minimal and avoid saying "unnecessary things," which makes small-talk and getting to know people kind of hard.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Lieutenant General Falkner above all else. It's his job.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Single.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
No.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
He's not looking. He'd say he doesn't have time for that, and that it could be a liability and it would distract him from his job.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
No children, and he doesn't want any. He doesn't think he'd be good with kids, and right now he doesn't see the point in having children of his own.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
He's probably like... between 4-5 or so. Girls are pretty, but he's not usually interested in them that way.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
His major turn-on is submission, but he's a picky sub. Like the whole validation thing, he (theoretically) won't submit for just anyone, it has to be someone who earns his respect. In practice, though, he's eighteen and inexperienced and all it really takes is a confident top who doesn't clash with his personality. You'd be hard-pressed to get him to admit it but he also totally gets off on pleasing people/being told he's a good boy or some variant thereof.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in 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?
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
He's comfortable. Everything he needs is provided for by the military
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
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 the military housing complex inside a large space settlement in orbit around the Earth. Which basically means he gets a dorm room.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
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?
His official job is to be the personal assistant to Lt. Gen. Falkner.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
His eating habits are pretty bad! He just forgets to eat sometimes. His basic view is food = fuel, not something you really derive enjoyment out of, and the only important thing is to get the vitamins and minerals he needs. Which leads to things like being ridiculously diligent about taking his vitamins every day... and then sometimes just not eating for a day or two because he doesn't want to take time out of his schedule. Other than that, he does what's required of him for the job, whether it's eating specific things, skipping meals, drinking alcohol, taking stimulants, whatever.
As far as personal preference goes, he dislikes anything that has too strong of a flavor, whether it's sweet, salty, or spicy, he doesn't like greasy foods, he doesn't like certain textures, and he doesn't like alcohol.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color?
2. Smell?
3. Time of day?
4. Season?
5. Book?
6. Music?
7. Place?
8. Substance?
9. Plant?
10. Animal?
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}
Balfour's about 5'8", around 125-130 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes, and he freckles easily under sunlight. And he's really, really not facially expressive, because displaying emotions all over your face is not typically an asset in the circles he works with.
He's usually dressed in a dark-colored suit in a conservative cut, high-quality but not meant to attract attention. He has good posture, but he doesn't stand tall, per se. He tends to move quietly and speak quietly. What he strives for in his appearance is to blend into the background; assistants and assassins aren't here to be seen, after all.
Oh, and he's a total workaholic, rarely without his mini-tablet and earpiece.
---
For more information (still incomplete, but working on it):
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
He's 5'8" and has a skinny build. He's one of those people for whom it's really difficult to "bulk up," and he doesn't do a good enough job of eating to be able to bulk up right now anyway.
2. How old is he?
18.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
He has really good posture, trained into him from years in private school and military school.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
He's fairly fit, and his health is okay, but he could definitely be doing better. He doesn't usually eat well, because he takes his vitamins and supplements and figures that's the most important part. Food is just secondary, and that point of view means his immune system is not the greatest.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
I wouldn't go so far as to say graceful or fluid, but his movements are self-assured and deliberate.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
He's attractive if you're into pretty boys. He's fairly realistic about his own appearance; he understands that his pretty face and sleek build work to his advantage, but some days it does bother him how scrawny and weak he looks next to his military colleagues.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Light and clear, where it's visible, though he freckles easily in the sun. He has some degree of scarring under his clothes, as you might expect from someone who was supposedly living on the street before being taken into slavery, after which he went to military school-- but none of his scars are particularly significant to him.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
He has brown hair, soft and fluffy, kept in a longer cut than is usually allowed in the military by virtue of him being in a special post.
9. What color are his eyes?
Blue.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
None.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
His neck and shoulders.
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?
His wardrobe now consists almost entirely of suits for work, all in dark, traditional colors. He has a military uniform that he wears for occasions when his ties to the military need to be obvious, so during important meetings and going on inspection tours and stuff. He has simple pajamas (a long-sleeved t-shirt and flannel sleep pants) and a few other things for the off-the-record side of his work, too.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
His clothes fit well! After all, it would reflect badly on his employer, Lieutenant General Falkner, if he weren't dressed well. Because of the conservative cut of his suits, he can sometimes come off as a kid playing dress-up, but he's pretty comfortable in his clothes by now and it shows.
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 do free time (or at least, not very much of it). He counts sleeping as his free time-- in which case he wears pajamas, but other than that, he's pretty much in suits most of the time and a military uniform for the rest.
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?
He has a mid-range low tenor sort of voice, quiet and smooth.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
He speaks at a moderate pace, usually in a soft voice. When he's had a chance to think about what he wants to say, he talks very smoothly. After a lot of training and practice, he's usually able to keep talking smoothly without too many stop and starts even in uncomfortable situations where he hasn't thought about his words. It might not be well-phrased or even very fitting for the situation, but at least the delivery will be smooth.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
He tends to speak very formally. He has to speak formally to nearly everyone he sees on a daily basis-- and even more so for people he doesn't see on a daily basis. He usually addresses people as Sir, Miss, or Ma'am as appropriate.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
He speaks Universal, the language of the future (everyone in the empire speaks it!) as a native language. He's fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, and Spanish as well.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
He'll switch languages if the person he's talking to is more comfortable in a different language.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
He is not a good impromptu speaker at all. He really needs the time to think about his words. Even for things like giving daily reports to Falkner, he needs time to go over everything and plan roughly what he's going to say. The one exception to this is Hotchkiss, with whom he speaks a little more freely-- but he's still not a good impromptu speaker.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
He's eloquent when he has a chance to think about it. He gets less articulate the less time he has to spend thinking about his words, and also as he gets less comfortable. There's a point of discomfort where he kind of "zones out" and becomes super eloquent, but before and beyond that point is just a whole lot of inarticulateness.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
He's very book-smart. When he was in school, he consistently scored ridiculously high marks. Street-smart, not so much. He's street-smart in specific ways, like how to blend in, where to look for snipers, where to position yourself if you're a sniper, and how to deal with authority figures. He's lacking in most other street-smarts, especially the sort of street-smarts that come with typical life experience.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
He can think on his feet. He likes having time to deliberate, so he can synthesize all of the data and find the best solution, but he's been doing this for a long time, so he can think on his feet. Why he can't apply that to talking, well.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
4. What kind of education has the character had?
He attended a public school very briefly at age seven, transferred to a private school, and continued up through a military academy for his junior/senior high school years. He left school at age 15 at Hotchkiss's suggestion to become Falkner's right-hand man. The truth is, the physical training was getting harder and harder, and Hotchkiss thought he wouldn't be able to keep up. At the same time, Falkner was looking for someone to be a personal assistant and someone discreet to work side jobs for the military off the record, so it was killing two birds with one stone.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Introvert, definitely. He kept to himself while in school, and now most of his interactions are with Falkner or Hotchkiss, or sometimes the other Lieutenant Generals in the district. He doesn't interact much with Falkner's other subordinates. And all of that suits him just fine. People are tiring.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
He's even-tempered, neither cheerful nor melancholy, but somewhere in between, and extremely driven.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
React.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
It'd depend on the situation, really!
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Oh, god. Balfour's sense of humor is really not the strongest thing. There's quite a lot in the way of jokes that he just doesn't get. He's not around people who joke much, and he sort of isolated himself during his school years, so in some ways he's extremely sheltered.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
14. What does he fear?
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
One day it might be nice to be the chief of staff or something. He doesn't aspire to be emperor or viceroy or general or anything like that; he doesn't enjoy being put in a leadership position like that. He's much more comfortable working behind the scenes, being the assistant or the right hand. As it is he's happy in his post and he has plenty of room to grow, and there isn't much room for ascending the ranks unless he transfers to a different district to work under a more powerful Lieutenant General or unless he takes over Hotchkiss's job.
Titles aside, though, at the core of it, he just craves validation. Not validation from any old person, he doesn't care about that. He wants validation from the people he respects, the people in his life whose opinions really matter to him. Like for example, he'd much rather be praised by Chief of Staff Hotchkiss than the Emperor, because the Emperor is this distant authority figure-- who, yes, his opinion matters, but not as much as Hotchkiss, who Balfour's known since age seven. It's this dichotomy about him, because he is very self-assured, he knows he's damn good at every job he does, he was one of the best students at the military academy while he was still there. He just desperately craves validation, especially from Lt. Gen. Falkner and Chief of Staff Hotchkiss. Hell, he'd be just ecstatic if he finished every workday with Lt. Gen. Falkner patting him on the head and telling him he did a good job.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
Um, see most of the above paragraph on validation. It would have been the fact that he was rescued from a slavery ring as a child, but that's already made the rounds around the military, what with everyone wondering what his connection with Hotchkiss is. The rumours, and then the truth, spread like wildfire during his first few days in the job. He was not pleased when that happened.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
He doesn't remember them at all. He blocked out most of his memories from before age seven.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
He doesn't have any siblings that he knows of! No siblings were with him while he was in slavery, so he doesn't think he has any.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
He doesn't know of any blood relatives.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Hotchkiss is about as good as family, to him. They're like a very distant father and son. It's sort of an odd relationship with a long story. About ten years ago, Hotchkiss, then a Brigadier General, led the operation that busted a major child slavery ring, rescuing Balfour in the process. Hotchkiss hadn't thought anything of it at the time, hadn't realized how much Balfour's life was going to affect his own. Long story short, after a well-timed plea from a well-meaning teacher and after dealing with a lot of bureaucracy from Child and Family Services, Hotchkiss decided to "adopt" him. Just temporarily, until his records could be found and he could be given an official government scholarship. As a government scholarship success story himself, Hotchkiss could relate.
It was Hotchkiss who gave Balfour his name (after one of his old school friends). However, both of them knew they couldn't get attached-- Hotchkiss didn't want to get attached to this kid, and he didn't want the kid getting attached to him. Balfour lived at school and had some correspondence with Hotchkiss, but both of them made efforts to maintain a sense of distance. Some degree of attachment was inevitable, and Hotchkiss was honestly impressed by the kind of progress Balfour was making in school.
Now that Balfour and Hotchkiss are working together, their relationship has actually gotten closer than it used to be, but both of them still take care to maintain that sense of distance. It's not a good idea for Balfour to get attached to someone over Falkner, and both of them know that.
As for Falkner, Balfour's not sure if he counts as family yet or not. There's no denying that they're close, but it's much more of a working relationship than his relationship with Hotchkiss.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
See above paragraphs on Hotchkiss.
6. Does he have other close friends?
No. He'd say he doesn't have time, and it could be a liability to Falkner.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
He doesn't make friends easily just by virtue of being so introverted. He doesn't really have trouble getting along with people, but he has trouble getting close to people. He tends to keep his speech pretty minimal and avoid saying "unnecessary things," which makes small-talk and getting to know people kind of hard.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Lieutenant General Falkner above all else. It's his job.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Single.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
No.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
He's not looking. He'd say he doesn't have time for that, and that it could be a liability and it would distract him from his job.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
No children, and he doesn't want any. He doesn't think he'd be good with kids, and right now he doesn't see the point in having children of his own.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
He's probably like... between 4-5 or so. Girls are pretty, but he's not usually interested in them that way.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
His major turn-on is submission, but he's a picky sub. Like the whole validation thing, he (theoretically) won't submit for just anyone, it has to be someone who earns his respect. In practice, though, he's eighteen and inexperienced and all it really takes is a confident top who doesn't clash with his personality. You'd be hard-pressed to get him to admit it but he also totally gets off on pleasing people/being told he's a good boy or some variant thereof.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in 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?
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
He's comfortable. Everything he needs is provided for by the military
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
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 the military housing complex inside a large space settlement in orbit around the Earth. Which basically means he gets a dorm room.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
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?
His official job is to be the personal assistant to Lt. Gen. Falkner.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
His eating habits are pretty bad! He just forgets to eat sometimes. His basic view is food = fuel, not something you really derive enjoyment out of, and the only important thing is to get the vitamins and minerals he needs. Which leads to things like being ridiculously diligent about taking his vitamins every day... and then sometimes just not eating for a day or two because he doesn't want to take time out of his schedule. Other than that, he does what's required of him for the job, whether it's eating specific things, skipping meals, drinking alcohol, taking stimulants, whatever.
As far as personal preference goes, he dislikes anything that has too strong of a flavor, whether it's sweet, salty, or spicy, he doesn't like greasy foods, he doesn't like certain textures, and he doesn't like alcohol.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color?
2. Smell?
3. Time of day?
4. Season?
5. Book?
6. Music?
7. Place?
8. Substance?
9. Plant?
10. Animal?
END
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