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Mindless Rantings
Saraez analyzes, reads, rants, and writes.
I think this is the ultimate proof positive that I think way too much about these things.

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Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?


A little on the short side- about 5'3" perhaps. Also a bit thin, but closer to average than anything else. Actually, rethinking it, in spite of what I said I always picture him as being very tall and thin. o.O So, interpret how you like?

2. How old is he?

Oliver's age is a little hard to define. Technically speaking, he'd be a few years younger than Akiko. Mentally, he's about seventeen despite immaturity, and he appears to be that old too. And if you believe kid!Akiko, he's probably in his seventies if you count the years between when he 'died' and now. We'll go with seventeen.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?

Oliver has good posture, although he's not ramrod straight.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

Weeelll... like his age, this is a bit difficult to explain because he's both 'dead' and 'not dead' and he doesn't precisely have a health to have problems with.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

Extremely fluid, especially when he floats. At the same time, when he's solidified he comes across as rather clumsy because he forgets not to bump into things.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?

Kind of a matter of opinion. He's got a reasonably attractive face when it's visible, although because of messy dark hair and creepy red eyes the effect is somewhat ruined. Oliver doesn't really think much about his appearance, although he's aware he's generally kind of unpleasant to look at, due to creepy ghost-ness.

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

Very pale, in a sallow, ill sort of way.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.

When it can actually be touched, Oliver's hair is black, straight, and messily cut into no particular style. When touched, it's clean but very dry.

9. What color are his eyes?

Bright crimson red. Theoretically they might have been another color before Oliver 'died' except he's always been dead.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

He's got a bit of a thin face. Oh, and most of the time he's surrounded by semi-transparent shadowy darkness that's somewhat fog-like.

11. What are his chief tension centers?


Probably the heart, despite him not exactly having one. (In the physical sense, anyway.) You know, 'his heart sank', 'it felt like his heart was being squashed within a giant fist', and so on.

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?

Most of the time, Oliver seems to be wearing a hooded robe made out of shadows. When the doom aura disappears, Oliver appears to be wearing an old-fashioned suit, all colored black. Said suit just vanishes once it's taken off, but can reappear on him pretty much at will.

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

Yes and yes.

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

Oliver has no job, so n/a.

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


In the unlikely event anybody was able to get Oliver to take off the doom aura and then strip off his suit, they'd find he also wears ghostly boxers. (Plain white ones, if you're curious. You perv.)


Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?


Sort of boyish- while he doesn't sound like a girl, Oliver isn't a bass either.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?

Rather quickly, since he doesn't have to pause for breath. He occasionally stumbles over his words.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

He has an unidentifiable accent that would best be described as 'vaguely European'. No particular verbal tics, but since he isn't supposed to have a big vocabulary, he'd use descriptive words like 'thingy' a lot.

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

English, and fully fluent. He's also picked up a few Japanese words and phrases here and there from Akiko, although he's not exactly fluent. (It doesn't help that he only knows mostly swear words.)

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

If he ever had a reason to try using Japanese, maybe, but he just sticks to English for the most part.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

He has to think about them a little, and he's not all that used to talking.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?

He should theoretically be mildly inarticulate, due to a) not having had many conversations throughout his life, and b) not having a large vocabulary at his disposal. This might change if he gets more used to speaking with other people and learns more words, but it might take a while.



Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?


Beneath the childishness, Oliver is reasonably intelligent... unfortunately, he's neither particularly book-smart (Up until recently, he couldn't turn the pages, which put a damper on things) or street-smart. (Since he spends his time either moping in a graveyard or with Akiko) Although he does have some 'street' smarts, in that he has a little bit of experience fighting monsters.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?

Ideally he'd get to deliberate, although whenever he encounters a monster he has to learn to think on his feet very quickly.

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

Uh... I'm not sure how to describe thought processes. xD Oliver prefers to work out a problem, but he works more with his heart than his head, if that makes any sense.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

Almost none. He knows how to read, write, and do some basic math though. What education he's had is essentially what he's picked up after tagging along with Akiko to school. Other than that, Oliver is an uneducated hick.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?

Having superpowers. Other than that... Oliver basically sucks at things. He'd love to learn more about just about anything though.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?


He's naturally inclined to be extroverted, but circumstances have made him into more of an introvert.

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 basically just this great big sunny optimist.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

When he isn't worried about Akiko turning into monster chow, he greets most new people and situations with EXTREME ENTHUSIASM!

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

More of a reactor. It takes him a while to actually get to acting.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?

Probably fight, since Oliver isn't afraid of very many things.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

Really silly, goofy, harmless sort of stuff. He's not so big on dark humour, and while he's capable of appreciating sarcasm, it tends to go over his head.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?

I'm not deliberately writing him with any, but according to an online quiz answered from Oliver's POV, he has a high chance of being Schizotypal. I'd personally say he's closest to a Dependant, if only he were more angsty, but I'm not an expert an mental disorders. So I think I'll just go ahead and say no, Oliver's surprisingly healthy mind-wise.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?

No particular 'moments' but the childhood spent with Akiko was pretty much the high point of his life. Actually, rather than any particular moment, it would be more accurate to say Oliver's defined by Akiko.

14. What does he fear?

Oliver really doesn't want to go back to his state of perma-invisibility/perma-intangibility/all-but-non-existence. Similarly, he really fears losing Akiko in some manner, particularly death. If Akiko were to die, Oliver really doesn't know what he'd do with himself.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?

Mostly, Oliver just wants to learn more and interact more with the world around him.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?

That he's not always as happy as he tries to be. That part of him doesn't want to destroy the machine. And on a lighter (but no less creepy note) that one time he followed Akiko into the shower. (He wasn't paying much attention at the time and didn't realize until she started getting changed, and he immediately bolted out of the room, but he was still horribly embarrassed by the whole thing.)



Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.


Oliver has no parents. Unless you count Akiko, although that has potential to be squicky.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

Nor does he have any siblings.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?

Or blood relatives at all.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?

Akiiikoooo~ Specifically, Oliver is Akiko's imaginary friend who is now real. Oliver is extremely close to Akiko, since she's been basically the only person with whom he's had a relationship, period. However, the amount of time it's been since they've been able to speak has put an awkward rift between them. Oliver doesn't quite realize it yet, but Akiko's different from how she was as a kid, enough that their relationship isn't going to be the same as it was when they were kids. Furthermore, Oliver's extreme affection for Akiko is partly one-sided. Akiko certainly cares for him, but her life doesn't revolve around him.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?

Again, Akiko. They first met when Akiko was a wee titch of a lass, and very lonely. So she made up Oliver. They haven't exactly had a proper meeting, since from the moment Akiko started dreaming of him Oliver's been her friend. You could also interpret the time Akira took Akiko to a graveyard as when she first 'met' Oliver, since that's mostly where she got the idea.

6. Does he have other close friends?

Nope~

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

Oliver's really easy-going and friendly in spite of his various social handicaps, so he probably has an easier time making friends than enemies.

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

Oliver has no family, so friends.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?

Oliver is a single McSingle-pants. By which I mean he's single.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?

Nope.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?

While he does have a huge amount of affection for Akiko, he doesn't think of her as a love interest. Oliver has yet to have a 'crush' and is pretty naive and inexperienced about all things romance.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?

Just a really good friend, preferably one who's sweet and pretty? Oliver isn't really looking yet or sure of what he wants.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?

No offspring whatsoever, and Oliver doesn't particularly want any. Which is probably all for the best, since it's highly unlikely he'll ever have any.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?

None that are personal, but Oliver dislikes monsters.

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

For the purpose of the roleplay he's straight, although most characters I write end up as a 2.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?

Oliver is naive as hell. He's probably only dimly aware of sex, and doesn't think of it as applying to him. And thinking about it, he'd probably be incapable... WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT IT? D:

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?

...I'm just gonna go ahead and quote Rumiko Takahashi: "I don't think about that, and neither should you."



Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?

Having never been properly born, Oliver doesn't really have a birthdate with which to determine an astrological sign.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?

Oliver is pretty much neither. He rarely addresses the concepts, and for the most part is an atheist. He's not particularly spiritual either. Odd for a ghost perhaps, but there you go.

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?

He has a general sense of right and wrong, yeah. (Don't kill people, don't take things that aren't yours, don't tattle, share your stuff, stand by your friends, etc.) Pretty much always has, and most of it's been picked up from Akiko. If it were ever to be compromised, Akiko would probably have something to do with it.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

Depends on the beliefs.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?

Uhh... he doesn't like monsters? Does that count? Other than that, he's painfully open minded.



Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?


Utterly broke, but he's rather cheap to maintain.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?

Um, he might be middle class by extension because Akiko is?

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?

Oliver has two different 'homes'. One is Akiko's house, and the other is a nearby graveyard. Akiko's house is very important to him, so you could call it his castle, although he doesn't really use anything in it. The graveyard is where he goes when Akiko's asleep or he's feeling mopey.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?

He doesn't even spend it on the basic necessities!

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?

Oliver is unemployed.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?

Oliver likes to sing and dance, although he mostly only knows either silly children's songs or stuff he overhears on the radio. He also spends a lot of his time daydreaming, stalking Akiko, wandering around in people's dreams, watching television, and moping.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

Oliver can't eat at all. But he does have a creepy habit of watching other people eat.



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

1. Color? Dark grey. Gaily enough, Oliver's favorite colors are pink and yellow.
2. Smell? No particular associations, but Oliver's favorite smells are probably baking related.
3. Time of day? Nighttime. Oliver probably prefers the day though.
4. Season? Fall. And no particular favorite season for Oliver.
5. Book? No associations. Oliver's favorite book is Horton Hears a Who. He has a fond memory of Akiko reading it to him when they were both much younger.
6. Music? There's his somewhat inappropriate theme song (I'm bad at picking out theme songs), this, this, and this. Oliver has no particular favorite song, but it's probably something you would learn in elementary school.
7. Place? Graveyards? Unless he's feeling mopey though, Oliver prefers Akiko's house.
8. Substance? Ectoplasm. Oliver has no favorite substance, because that's weird.
9. Plant? No associations. Oliver likes trees though.
10. Animal? I associate Oliver with kittens, for some reason. Oliver loves all the animals equally.

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