Character Survey (In Progress)

[androidvictoriam]

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

Quite tall, around 6'2". Broad and bulgingly-muscled, especially around the arms and chest, almost as if he was engineered in a lab to be a perfect combat-ready soldier--because, well, he was.

2. How old is he?

He has no idea. The Institute designed him to look nebulously thirtysomething or fortyish, and he's looked that way for as long as he can remember. He hasn't yet been able to sort out which of his memories are false implants and which actually happened, but he thinks the real ones start about twenty years ago.

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

He rarely needs to worry about carrying himself in any way at all, since he's accustomed to spending 90 percent of his time in a massive suit of power armor that holds him upright and does the "posture" part for him--but even when he's out of it, he stands like a ramrod-straight soldier at all times. Slouching is beneath him.

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

The scientists who created him would claim that he's literally superhuman in his fitness, endurance and immune response. Danse himself, like other Gen 3 synths when actually asked, would dispute this, but it's true that he's never been sick a day in his life and finds it easier than other soldiers to recover from injuries.

He still thinks the scientists are full of shit, though, as they insist that synths need neither sleep nor food, and Danse has gone without those often enough in his life to know that he still craves them as much as anyone else. He's observed that he can function with less food than other men of his size and build can, and less sleep than others who do his level of physical activity usually need, but he does still need them at least on an emotional level.

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

He moves like a guy in a half-ton suit of mechanical armor, most of the time. Awkward, clanking, barely able to fit through doors, slight movement delay whenever he tries to turn, et cetera. Outside of the armor, he moves with the hesitant awkwardness of someone who feels like something is missing, like he has to remember how to function without the power armor.

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

Danse is one of the rare, irritating examples of someone who actually is handsome without knowing it. Sure, he's abstractly aware that a lot of people find guys with big muscles appealing, and he understands that appeal, but it rarely occurs to him to connect the dots there (mostly because he thinks his face is pretty average, and it's the only part of him people can usually see.)

When he thought he was human, he didn't really spend much time considering his appearance, except to demonstrate military discipline with proper grooming. Now that he's aware that he's a synth, looking in the mirror always prompts a little ripple of revulsion and self-loathing. He thinks of his appearance now as something designed by his enemies, and whatever reasons they had for their design choices must have been nefarious ones.

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

Lightish olive skin tone, with some darkness and weary crow's feet around his eyes. He has network of scars across his face from old combat injuries and flying shrapnel, though comparatively few scars on the rest of his body. Most are thin and pale enough not to be visible from a distance, save for two: a long vertical one bisecting his right eye, paired with a noticeable chunk taken out of that eyebrow, and a deep ridge carved out under his left cheekbone and trailing across his cheek.

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

Danse's hair is, frankly, fabulous. He is not unaware of this, and has been accused a couple times of vanity about it because it's the one aspect of his appearance that isn't stringently within Brotherhood regulation, but he insists that it's only longer than it should be because he's out in the field too often to get it cut regularly, and it's usually tucked safely away under a flightsuit hood anyway. It's very thick, jet black, and, when not under aforesaid hood, swept back from his forehead in a modest pompadour. The texture of it is such that he can (and does) slick it back with power armor lubricant and it still looks okay.

He also likes to maintain a short, neat beard, which is easy enough to take care of but does tend towards neckbeardery when he's on field missions.

9. What color are his eyes?

Clear medium brown, with a tinge of hazel in bright lighting.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

Aside from the Captain America build and the kind of eyebrow scarring that fuckboys the world over try to emulate, not really.

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?

He doesn't have a wardrobe, exactly. Even after his exile from the Brotherhood, he still wears its regulation-issue orange flightsuit, because (a) it's all he had on him when fleeing the Prydwen and (b) nobody can see what he's wearing under his armor anyway. When the flightsuit is in the laundry, he'll wear the closest thing he can find that serves a similar function, which is usually some kind of mechanic's coveralls.

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

The flightsuit "fits well" in the sense that it is skintight, leaves nothing to the imagination, and earns his ass a good deal of discreet admiration. He does not, however, ever seem comfortable without armor, even when his body is not on display in a uniform that might as well have been painted on.

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

What is this..."free time" you speak of?

Literally, though. The power armor comes off only when bathing, having sex (after which it goes right back on), or being medically examined. Danse barely even has a concept of "off the job."

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

Regulation-issue tighty-whities.

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

His voice is a deep, commanding, slightly growly baritone--pleasant and velvety when speaking quietly, but with an undercurrent that becomes harsh and strident when he yells.

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

Danse's manner of speech varies from "gruff but typical military man" to "how did people not realize he was a robot sooner?" Military jargon aside, of which he uses a lot, Danse has the vocabulary of a guy who ate a thesaurus and an apparent compulsion to use it when it's not necessary. There's rarely any hesitation when he talks, even when he's using five different SAT words in a sentence that could easily have been expressed in half the time.

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

Generic Midwesternish American accent, no unusual ways of pronouncing anything. He is much more prone than he realizes to the tic of adding "you know" or "you know that" to the end of his sentences, and he has a habit of addressing everyone by title when they have a title to use, or as "citizen" or "civilian" or "soldier" when they don't.

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

Only English, and a few phrases in Latin. Despite his above-average eloquence in English, however, he's unable to distinguish between Asian languages and doesn't seem interested in trying.

He has other good qualities. Really.

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

Other than frequent usage of the Brotherhood's Latin battle cries and catchphrases, no.

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

Danse generally has a gift for speaking well off the cuff, especially on subjects he's passionate about. He only becomes hesitant when talking about emotional issues that make him uncomfortable, and even then, his speech still flows well except for periodic interjected apologies for how bad he is at talking about feelings.

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

The only circumstances under which he becomes less eloquent, to the point of stammering and hesitating, is when caught off-guard by someone expressing feelings for him or asking him about the same. Flirting with him is sometimes the only way to shut him up when he's on a roll, and even then, it's 50-50 whether he'll start fumbling or just reprimand you for inappropriate boundary violation.

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

Quite intelligent, in both ways, though more the latter than the former. He's very well-versed in military strategy, and has a good grasp of economic theory from his past gig as a merchant, and he usually draws on his experience with those--but he also clearly holds a great deal of respect for scholars and historians, and enjoys availing himself of libraries and archives and hearing stories about the pre-war world when he can.

He thinks Henry David Thoreau was kind of a wanker.

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

Being accustomed to taking command and having to make split-second decisions in the heat of battle, he thinks on his feet to the point of going into survival-instinct autopilot even when he doesn't want to. When something frightens him, his military instincts kick in and take over long before the rest of his mind catches up.

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

Others would probably describe him as relentlessly logical and practical, and in some ways, he is--he'll grouse about not seeing the point of things like comic books or children's toys, or how wasteful and decadent aspects of pre-war culture and architecture were. Some of this is genuine, and some of it is performative, because he likes the idea of being considered practical to a fault and doesn't at all mind cultivating that impression.

When he talks about the Brotherhood's philosophy, though--waxing poetic about the positives while seeming completely unaware of the negatives--or lets the logical facade crack enough to be wistful about things he wishes he could have seen before the war, it's clear that he has an idealistic streak far wider than he wants to admit.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

He's not actually sure how much of his knowledge has been programmed into him by the Institute, and how much he's learned on his own. He can't remember ever not knowing how to read, or do math, or that sort of thing, so he assumes that he was created with at least a basic GED-level education, and then everything else he's learned since has been courtesy of the Brotherhood or the School of Hard Knocks.

He credits the Brotherhood in particular for his military education and almost everything he knows about pre-war history, though that disgruntles him because there are some things in that area that he doesn't actually remember the scribes teaching him, and he hates the idea that some of his historical knowledge might have been implanted with an Institute propaganda spin.

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

Areas of expertise include economics, power armor, weapon modding, the Brotherhood Codex, and all things shooty-smashy-strategical. Things he will admit to wanting to learn more about include pre-war history, computer hacking, and what conditions are like outside of the former United States.

Things he will not admit to wanting to learn more about include poetry, cooking, and whatever the hell he can expect from his own biology now that he knows he's not human.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?

Overall, he's surprisingly more of an extrovert. He doesn't like being alone with his thoughts and he's happiest working in medium-to-large units or being at headquarters with lots of fellow soldiers around him.

On the other hand, he doesn't make new friends or come to like people easily, and he tends to be pretty socially awkward when out of his element.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

Gruff, serious, and excruciatingly steady and professional at almost all times. He'll frequently scold anyone under his command for being anything other than perfectly disciplined, and in high-pressure situations he'll commonly shout at people to get his commands across, but he doesn't actually lose his temper or his self-control.

He's driven when he has a purpose to be working towards, and if he loses that purpose, he tries his damnedest to find another one as soon as possible.

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

Initially suspicious, but confident and relaxed once he's allayed those suspicions with enough questioning.

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

He's used to taking charge, acting first and expecting others to fall in line and follow.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?

Depends entirely on the circumstances. He likes to fight, and nobody could ever accuse him of cowardice or dereliction of duty, but when the chips are really down, his instinct is definitely to retreat and regroup.

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

Most people who know him could be forgiven for saying he has no sense of humor at all, but he does--it's just well-hidden. When he does joke about things, it's wry, monotone and dark.

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

He has been diagnosed, by multiple different Brotherhood medics, with PTSD. He deals with this by ignoring it as hard as he possibly can.

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

The one he would cite, and the one he still thinks is the only one that truly mattered, is the moment he joined the Brotherhood.

He'll admit as well that even many years after the fact, he's still deeply traumatized from having been forced to mercy-kill his best friend Cutler, and it's left him reluctant to let himself get close to anyone else ever since.

14. What does he fear?

He fears having to kill Brotherhood soldiers in self-defense, something he knows is now a distinct and even likely possibility.

More than anything now, he fears being weaponized by the Institute, whether they can use his synth component to remote-control him, or they manage to recapture him and erase his memories. He's not sure if the former is possible, but he knows that the latter is, and it terrifies him.

On a deeper level, one he doesn't even let himself think of too much, he's afraid of anything that could upend the little bit of stability he's managed to regain after losing everything that mattered to him. Having been through that once, he sincerely feels he'd rather die than go through it a second time.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?

Right now, he's still just trying to find something beyond the Brotherhood to live for, and that kind of eclipses everything else.

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

Honestly, he's getting to be kind of okay with ghouls. (But not so okay that he's willing to let people find out that he's okay with them.)

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

He doesn't have any and never did. He refers to the Institute scientists as "the sons of bitches who created me," and neither he nor they would consider them to be his parents, but they're the closest thing that could possibly qualify.

Though he hates everything the Institute has done, and it tortures him that that his early memories are fabricated, he still expresses a conflicted wish that the scientists had at least given him some fake memories of parents, so that he could have known what it was like to be loved in that way.

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

The same thing goes for siblings as for parents, and he mentions wishing he could have had some memories of siblings as well.

Before his exile from the Brotherhood, though, he genuinely did consider his fellow soldiers to be siblings for all intents and purposes--calling them "brother" and "sister" wasn't just performative lingo.

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

Genetically speaking, the director of the Institute is a blood relative of his, as are all other Gen 3 synths in existence.

He's not a fan of this. They are not close.

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

Any of his (formerly) fellow members of the Brotherhood, as above, but before everything went to shit there, he'd had a particular bond with Elder Maxson.

Danse had been one of the few still on a first-name basis with him not so much because of rank--not every Paladin got to call him "Arthur"--but because he'd been with the Brotherhood long enough to have known Maxson as a squire and adopted a warm, familial mentoring role toward him.

He'd only outranked Maxson for a short while before the then-teenager had distinguished himself enough to take charge, but they both still remember when it was the case, and Danse had still considered Maxson something like a cousin (or what he assumed people who had cousins felt about them) right up until the man had ordered his execution.

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

This depends entirely on whether or not he's being played from an AU without a Sole Survivor. If canon, then his best friend is some vault-dwelling rando who got frozen like a bag of peas, thawed out two centuries later, and showed up just in time to save him from getting eaten by feral ghouls. (And also, incidentally, another blood relative.)

If AU, then probably Scribe Haylen, who is at least half responsible for his continued existence whether canon or not. They met when she was placed under his command on a recon mission so ill-fated that it now gives both of them night terrors. She keeps trying to kiss him and he is completely oblivious as to why.

6. Does he have other close friends?

Not anymore, he doesn't. Everyone else that he once cared about has started calling him "it" and opining that he should be vivisected.

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

He's never been good at making friends, because even when he wants to let himself bond with people--which he usually doesn't, and so it happens against his will--there understandably aren't many who want to bother getting past his brusque, severe exterior.

And then, of course, even if someone does bother, it's always entirely possible that Danse might drive them away anyway by being a sneering asshole to any other non-human friends they might have. It's a thing.

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

Friends, because as few and far between as those are for him, he still has more of them (one or two) than he does family (zero.)

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

Single, never married. Never been in a serious romantic relationship at all, actually.

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

Nope. Not least because anyone who wants to try will first have to spell that explicitly out for him, and then convince him that being a synth doesn't mean he deserves to spend the rest of his life celibate and alone. If human, it'll take some additional reassuring him that it wouldn't constitute hideous interspecies degeneracy, and if another synth, it'll require an entirely separate therapy session to work past the hypocritical prejudice.

Honestly, it's a good thing he's hot.

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

He will never admit to having had feelings for his dead friend Cutler, who was a thoroughly heterosexual bro and would not have reciprocated them, but there was some attraction there.

When still aboard the Prydwen, he'd always found himself lingering just a little too long in the repair bay and finding a few too many excuses to talk shop with Proctor Ingram, and very privately wondering to himself what she was capable of doing in that modified power armor of hers. He was far from the only one interested in her, but he did like to imagine that he was at least slightly more appealing a prospect than that sloppy thieving drunk Teagan.

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

In theory--since he's never actually pursued more than a fling in practice--shared values are the most important thing to him. He would have wanted someone as dedicated to the Brotherhood as he was, so long as protocol was observed and there were no issues related to their respective ranks or squads.

Even now, he would still want someone who agreed with the general purpose and mission of the Brotherhood, though for obvious reasons he can't date an active member of it.

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

When he still thought he was human, he had entertained the occasional hopeful thought of being a father someday. He's not great with kids, but he had still enjoyed teaching things to the Brotherhood squires, and they'd liked him well enough too.

Now, he's not sure if it's even possible for him to father children (it's not), but he wouldn't dream of trying. He still firmly believes that synths being lab-created in limited numbers is an existential threat to humanity as it is, let alone them reproducing themselves without human intervention.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?

At this point, half the Commonwealth seems to qualify. He should probably stop making fun of the Minutemen, since they're the only ones who might still put up with him.

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

He's probably somewhere around a 3.5 or 4. He's attracted to both men and women, but his experience has been more with men. It's relatively limited experience, either way, but he's a little bit better at figuring out when other men are into him and responding in kind.

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

It's not that he doesn't like sex. He likes sex just fine, once he's slotted it properly into his schedule, ensured that every aspect of it is compliant with protocol or otherwise fits within rigid Brotherhood standards of morality, and eliminated every possible ambient distraction or danger beforehand so that there's no chance of being caught with his pants down.

He doesn't get to have a lot of sex. And now that he's convinced himself that he can't ethically have sex with humans, he's basically never going to get laid again until someone smacks him upside the head and talks him into lightening up.

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

He's not into really hardcore submission, but it does make him weak in the knees when someone else takes charge and tells him what to do, freeing him of the burden of command for a little while. And if his partner happens to give him some extra verbal praise and validation that he doesn't always get in a professional setting, so much the better. He likes to be manhandled a little, with fingers clenched in his hair and pushed into his mouth.

In terms of weird habits, he does tend to be a little too eager to get back into the power armor instead of letting himself relax and cuddle--but the hypervigilance responsible for that is something that could be worked through, with effort.

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

Danse would argue that he doesn't have one at all, because (a) he wasn't actually "born," and being dumped out of a vat doesn't count, and (b) astrology is stupid.

For RP purposes that require him to have a birthday, he was created on October 17, 2267. This would make him a Libra, but really, the reasoning is just because important events throughout the game seem to happen most often in October.

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?


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?


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?


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?

While Danse can stomach a lot of gross things that other people can't, to the point of being near-immune to food poisoning and willing to take the nastiest available rations to save the better ones for others, he does enjoy a nice, higher-end meal on the very rare occasion he can get one. His salary has never been high enough to afford good booze or minimally-mutated meat, but that just makes them more aspirational.

People often expect him to be a teetotaler, given how sharply he'll scold those around him for using any other drugs--but those people have never actually been aboard the Prydwen and seen how every available inch of space in Elder Maxson's cabin is filled with liquor bottles. Drinking is the one vice Brotherhood members get to enjoy, and Danse is no exception, within reason. He's as much of a beer connoisseur as anyone in the wasteland can justify being, he'll do shots if someone else buys them, and he'll cheer for anyone who can chug impressively.

He still won't drink while on duty, a distinction which makes Commonwealth bartenders side-eye him whenever he asks for soda, but alcohol is the only thing that can make Danse cut ever-so-slightly loose and act like the young guy he never actually got to be.