(character survey) -- out of date, revising

[to_thevictor]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? HTR has him at 5'1'' and 88lbs.  It's strange to see these stats applied to post-pubescent Near, as they're well within the healthy height/weight range for a thirteen year old boy and that's how old he is on his canon debut.

In DN 109 he's drawn as though he's had a growth spurt, so let's say since he was of average height and weight on canon debut, he's of average height and weight in 109. So, 5'9"-ish, around 140lbs.

2. How old is he? 21

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? Doesn't carry himself much at all, actually.  Hard to say.  He likes to crouch.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Healthy, not fit. Conditions? Albinism.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? A little clumsy-looking.  Choppy, as if he's more accustomed to sitting around and thinking than he is to moving.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror? Aside from the lack of pigmentation, his appearance is unremarkable. Nothing special.  It's safe to say he doesn't care, as evidenced by the fact that he usually looks pretty unkempt, like he just rolled out of bed and walked out of his room in those white pajamas.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Very light, clear.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style. White, wavy, thick, messy.

9. What color are his eyes? Grey.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? No.

11. What are his chief tension centers? It seems paradoxical for a guy so obsessed with planning and fact-checking, but Near isn't very tense at all, physically. It's all mental, since he keeps himself far enough away from any action that he doesn't stress over it. So, it's hard to say. Maybe his back? Since he spends so much time slouching around and sitting on the floor.

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? White. pajamas.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? Loosely. Extremely comfortable.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences? Exactly the same.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? Commando.



Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? Near's voice isn't deep, exactly, but he doesn't sound like a child, anymore. His delivery is deadpan, almost monotonous.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?  Even tempo, moderate volume.  Speaks easily when he's pre-thought things.  Otherwise, hesitantly. He takes his time deciding what he wants to say and he expects others to wait.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? No.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? Various and sundry fluently.  Hyperpolyglot.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?  He uses languages according to context, and he doesn't switch up unless he's specifically trying to mislead someone into thinking he's of a certain nationality.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?  Fairly good impromptu speaker, but he prefers to think before he speaks, so he often hesitates when he's improvising.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? Articulate.  Gets a little crude when he's pissed, though.



Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? Extremely, extremely intelligent. From the books, as he ... rarely ventures out into the streets.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?  He's decent with both, but he prefers to deliberate.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? Logical, practical, systematic.

4. What kind of education has the character had? World-class, uber-detective training.  He was raised at an orphanage with a curriculum specially designed for the cultivation of little geniuses.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? Investigating, general researching.  He's also good with building miniature models.  He's interested in learning more about ... most things.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? Introverted as they come without being catatonic.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? Near is very even-tempered, phlegmatic. He doesn't often engage emotionally with his surroundings.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Often, he doesn't seem to respond at all.  Setting aside the fact that by the time he actually meets someone new he's usually already done background checks and verified security clearance, he plays his cards very close to the chest. Pun intended.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? React.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight? Typically he avoids situations in which this sort of instinctual response might arise.  Still, he's a flight guy by default ... but only so he can gather his thoughts and retaliate from afar.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Schadenfreude, especially -- with a side of gallows humor and snark.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? He's a pretty dubious omission from the autistic spectrum. Possibly reactive attachment disorder? But these don't hinder him from doing his job, just from building healthy relationships. So, it's cool.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person? Adoption by Q. Wammy, being chosen by L, L's death, Mello's death, Kira's defeat.

14. What does he fear? Failure.  Mediocrity. Mistakes. Inaccuracy. Also, traveling alone and working alone.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations? He wants to be the world's best detective - to have a track record better than L's.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him? He doesn't want anyone to connect his detective code and works with his actual identity; doesn't want anyone to know his real name, either.



Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.  None. I headcanon that Near was neglected in infancy/as a toddler by an inept mother and orphaned in early childhood. His mother was possibly a drug user, a smart woman who had difficulty dealing with the quotidian stresses of her horribly mundane life and so fell into depression and poverty (-- which is incidentally probably what would happen to Near if he was forced to try and live a normal life on his own). Near has only very vague memories of her. And his father was never in the picture.

Roger at Wammy's was the closest he ever had to a real parental figure, and what they had would be better termed an "alliance" than a "relationship". Roger disliked children, probably because he had to deal with a bunch of rambunctious little geniuses all the time. Near knew of this dislike, and he was always a little manipulator who was more than capable of causing mayhem with the student body at the orphanage -- by starting rumors, orchestrating fights or kid-mutinies. But he didn't cause any trouble for Roger so long as Roger kept him stocked with the best toys, kept the other kids from bugging him and made sure he had his own room with a lock on the door.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? None.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand? No.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? No.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?  He doesn't really do 'friends'.

6. Does he have other close friends? No.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people? Trouble.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? Associates.  Subordinates.

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? In the loosest sense of the word, L - for both.  As in, the detective code.  Not the dude behind it.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? He doesn't.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? No. Never.  He doesn't want any annoying little bitches running around in his space and messing with his toys.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? Yes, many.  Hazard of the profession.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale? He's an X.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? Sex with others sounds like a waste of time.  It isn't important.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? Tacticians turn him on.  And simulated destruction ( ... also, occasionally, real destruction).  Turn offs? Other people.  He hasn't had enough experience in the bedroom to determine whether he has any 'habits'.



Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type? Near is a Virgo, and he very much fits the cool, analytical Virgo stereotype. He thrives on parsing and ordering facts and is very controlling. 

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? Neither. They're not.

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? Depends on the belief.

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? Extremely rich.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? Shady super-detective, upper class.  Yes, he started as an orphan.  Now, he can finance his own toy collection.

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? Varies.  Place to crash.  Neat, ascetic.  No.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? Toys, cards, model-making supplies.  Computing equipment.  Outsourcing investigative action-things.

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?  Detective.  He beat the guy the best couldn't, so yes - he pawns at his job.  He very much enjoys it.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? Stacking things, building models.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? He eats when he remembers -- or, more often, when someone reminds him. He's not overly picky, though he prefers quick, neat meals like finger foods. Kid-style foods. Bring him some dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and he's a happy camper. No alcohol, usually, because he doesn't think it tastes good.


Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:

1. Color? White
2. Smell? Plastic-y scent. New toy smell.
3. Time of day? 2 AM, stacking things by computer-glow.
4. Season? Autumn
5. Book? Kathy Reichs Bones novels. Brennan's voice is so similar to Near's.  Bit nicer, but very similar.
6. Music? This. Also, his themes.
7. Place? Somewhere dark - metallic walls, computer monitors everywhere etc etc. Usually I think of the SPK headquarters.
8. Substance? Paper
9. Plant? Mosses
10. Animal? Hibernating animals that horde for winter kind of fit. So do predatory animals that herd prey into optimal position before they strike.



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