Hi, everyone! What's up?
It's cherry blossom season here in Tokyo. I went with my dad a little while ago to see the flowering trees near a temple and the sight was just amazing. Clouds of pink petals hovering over our heads and warm (finally!) spring weather. ^^
Anyways, the following is a questionnaire I came up with a while ago to help me come up with profiles for original characters. I thought I'd post it here for fun. Feel free to use it for your own characters. If you do, please send me a message so I can see! ^_0
Here's a filled-out sample questionnaire about my OC/avatar:
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Character Profile Questionnaire:
Please use the following questions to describe an avatar or an original character of your choice. You are free to answer the questions as if you were the aforementioned character.
1. Name?
Myri Freezefire (Myri is pronounced ‘Mai-ri’
2. Nicknames or aliases?
My-chan
Keeper of the Frozen Flame
3. Race?
Halfling (part-human, part-fae). To be more specific, Myri is a ‘quarterling’ since her father is human while her mother is a halfling herself. She doesn’t know about her heritage until much later.
4. Gender?
Female
5. Age?
14 (but is often mistaken for a 12-year-old due to her short stature)
6. Religious or cultural beliefs and traditions? (e.g. holidays celebrated, certain customs, etc.)
Myri celebrates Christmas (and Hanukkah) and most holidays on the human calendar with her family and friends. It is not currently known what kind of fae traditions she upholds.
7. Describe your character (in both personality and physical appearance).
Dark brown hair with snow white bangs parted in the middle, usually pulled back in a low ponytail. Lightly tanned skin and tea-colored brown eyes that can change color. A little under 5 feet. Slightly pointed elfin ears.
Myri’s default ‘civilian’ attire consists of blue jeans, green and white shoes, a white zip-up vest over a long-sleeved striped dark and light brown hoodie, and a handmade glass-bead necklace with matching juzu-style bracelet on her left wrist.
She also has magician robes in black, white, red, and gold with a customized insignia on an armband on her left sleeve.
Myri’s pretty polite and mild-mannered for the most part…which is why people are so surprised seeing her get all excited when she’s really into something (namely books, magic tricks, mysteries, and exploring). She’s a bit on the shy side, but she’s one of the friendliest people you’ll ever know when she opens up. She’s also very patient, which makes her an ideal peacekeeper when her friends get into an argument. Myri’s curiosity can rival that of a cat, but she’s managed to stay out of trouble. She’s perceptive about the world around her and likes learning new things everyday.
At school, Myri would most likely be the top candidate for ‘teacher’s pet.’ She’s also well-liked by the kids in the younger grades, who regard her as an older sister (‘oneechan’
.
8. Any powers or special abilities? (Strengths, weaknesses, etc.)
Shapeshifting, flight, the gift of tongues, healing, some basic magic
Control over fire, ice, earth, and lightning
Energy manipulation, casting glamours / illusions, knowledge of various spells
Freezefire, a rare, mystical element that looks like a blue-white flame, but is as cold as ice and freezes rather than burns. Another name for it in one fae language is ‘Hieran’.
The Miras Lukia, also known as ‘The Silver Sight’, allows the user to see through illusions and find hidden paths and auras. It is called that due to the silver glow that lights the user’s eyes when he or she calls upon this power.
Myri uses a crescent moon-topped magician’s staff to channel her powers and can summon a jeweled rapier to fight entities that fall into the ‘armed and dangerous’ category.
Due to her fae heritage, Myri has a slight aversion to iron. However, it is not as severe as it is for her fae cousins. For example, where the tolling of an iron bell might bring some fae entities to their knees from the pain, Myri would only receive a headache ranging from mild to aggravating.
9. Friends and family? (You may include pets.)
(Any descriptions you want to add in for your characters are up to you. My descriptions are just longish because I wanted to get some ideas out. ^^)
Cyril Zephyr Anemoi, a Dreamwalker, one of many guardians of the Dreamtime (the world of dreams). He is a mysterious, but slightly mischievous, entity of unknown origin, though it is said that he has a baku heritage (baku are dream eaters in myth). Cyril is able to fly by the means of a pair of raven black wings spanning at least 14 feet (just a guess, I’m not good with wing measurements
). The insides of the wings are dusted with silver, giving them the appearance of a starry night sky. Cyril can enter people’s dreams, banish nightmares, and send ‘dream-visions’ as messages. He can even enter people’s daydreams. Myri found that out the hard way when Cyril took a peek into her mind and saw a small, innocent fantasy she was having about a secret crush she had at the time. How embarrassing…
Atlas, a living spellbook that moves about by using two ropelike clasps on its cover as arms and legs. Atlas was created by a powerful mage several decades before he met Myri. He once contained over a thousand spells of great power, but he used his own magic to scatter those spells across time and space / the world to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. He then banished himself to an unknown location to prevent anyone from tracking the scattered spells through him.
At the current point in time, Atlas is staying with Myri as a sort of secret guest. He has enough magic to disguise himself as an ordinary book on Myri’s bookshelf, and he can move and fly to dodge any trouble that comes his way.
Atlas is sort of the Keroberos to Myri’s Cardcaptor Sakura. He often gives Myri advice when she’s facing a problem (whether of the magical or everyday variety). He’s like a cousin or older brother to her and one of the best friends she has.
(Atlas is based on Kokon, the demon field guide of sorts that appears in the recent episodes of GeGeGe no Kitaro. Other refs for this character include the Grimorum Arcanorum from “Gargoyles” and The Compleat Atlas of the House from the Keys to the Kingdom series.)
10. Personal history / Background?
Myri was a fairly average girl until an unexpected visitor (Atlas) literally dropped into her life. A short while after Atlas’ arrival, one of the spells scattered from his pages was activated in the object it had taken up residence after its expulsion, a motorcycle. As a result, the bike came to life and started running amuck. Atlas was able to sense the spell and track its location with Myri’s help. Together, they managed to subdue the rampaging machine before it could do any more damage and remove the spell.
After more of the spells previously contained in Atlas were activated in various objects scattered around the town, Atlas began training Myri in the ways of magic to protect herself and others while they searched for more spells. The training gradually awakened her dormant abilities. Eventually, Cyril joins their party, having been sent to investigate the incidents caused by Atlas’ misplaced spells.
That’s all for now…
(I drew some references from the fantasy/adventure books and shows I’ve read and watched and this idea popped into my head. As far as I know there aren’t any shows or stories that follow this particular plotline exactly. However, if there are, could someone please inform me? I don’t want to completely plagiarize an already existing work by accident. Otherwise, this is still a work-in-progress, needs a lot of work. Eheh.
)
11. Hobbies?
Reading, sketching, playing the piano, fencing, playing board games, solving puzzles, practicing magic tricks
12. Strengths and likes? Weaknesses and dislikes?
Strengths: Her ability to keep her cool in almost any situation, her resourcefulness, her inherent magical abilities
Likes: Her friends and family, books, nature, animals, music, karaoke, flying, magic
13. Weaknesses and dislikes?
Weaknesses: Iron (mild), still vulnerable as most humans even with magic powers
Dislikes: Crowded places, smoking, cruelty, bullies
14. Pet peeves?
A spell blowing up in her face (she’s still a magician-in-training
).
15. Most treasured possession?
A good luck charm from her best friend.
16. Favorite food or drink?
Fresh-baked bread, strawberries, hot chocolate
17. How would others describe your character?
Quiet, good-natured, polite, sweet, mature for her age
18. Who is your character based on? (Possible answers may include people in real life and/or in fiction.)
[Real life]
Cyril Takayama (a great magician), Jackie Chan, Anne Sullivan
[Fictional]
WALL-E, Indiana Jones, Kuroba Kaito (a.k.a. Kaitou Kid), Baron, Lune, Yuki (The Cat Returns), Pururu (Keroro Gunso), Sophie Hatter (Howl’s Moving Castle), Zatanna Zatara (Justice League Unlimited), Cardcaptor Sakura, Dr. John Watson (Adv. of Sherlock Holmes)
19. If your character could be inserted into any book, show, movie, etc., what would they be like and how would they influence the plot? (If your chosen character is a fan character, then you must insert them into a different storyline than the one they are already in.)
Hmmm…not sure where Myri would fit in. I’ll have to think some more about that.
20. If your character attended school, what would be their most favorite subject? Least favorite?
Most favorite: probably Literature or Biology. Least favorite: None really…
21. What profession/career would your character consider?
Writer, journalist, teacher…hmm… *shrugs*
22. Name at least one thing your character would never consider doing.
Publicly humiliating someone out of malicious intent.
23. What does your character look for in a friend or acquaintance?
Kindness, acceptance
24. In a soulmate?
Someone sweet who can make her laugh and is willing to take things slow.
25. Is your character more of a leader or a follower?
Follower, but when the occasion calls for it, she can take charge with great efficiency.
26. What is the key thing people like about your character?
Her kindness and seemingly infinite patience, her supportive, caring nature
27. Does your character have a trademark? (Can be an item of clothing, a saying/motto, a certain facial expression, etc.)
A stylized star (points to icon in profile), her bracelet (she rarely takes it off)
Quotes:
“Seeing isn’t always believing. Sometimes it’s the other way around.”
[About magic tricks] “It may be smoke and mirrors, but it never fails to amaze me.”
28. Name a song and/or quote that best suits your character’s personality.
“Wonderland” by Angela Via
“Move Along” by All-American Rejects
29. Is there anything your character wishes they could do that they can’t do?
Before she gained her powers, Myri always wished she could fly. Other than that…not really sure.
30. Well, that's the end of this questionnaire. Anyone you want to tag?
I tag…anyone who wants to do this questionnaire! Have fun! ^_0
Getting to Know You, Questionnaire Art Challenge
Happy
