CHARACTER SURVEY

[beleos]

CHARACTER SURVEY

Because one of the goals of Kenos is to give characters unique, compelling reasons to both show loyalty to their faction and to question it, it’s helpful to get to know them better! While filling out this survey isn’t required, it’s highly recommended! How else can we effectively torment or reward your blorbo if we don’t know what they hate/love? ♥

Just fill out the survey below and post it to this entry! We recommend commenting in such a way that you'll be able to come back and update this survey throughout the game. As their desires change, this survey can evolve!

SURVEY

Character Name(s): Include all names they've gone by
Series: Self-Explanatory!
Wiki Link: If one exists, put a wiki link for your character here

THE GOOD

How far would they go to accomplish their goals or fulfill their desires? Do they have lines they wouldn't cross?
In as little or as much detail as you want.

What is something they treasure?
Or someone. This can be something material like a precious heirloom, or can be more vague like "honesty".

What do they consider to be their best or most positive qualities?
In as little or as much detail as you want. You may also consider adding what others percieve them to be if the character is particularly self-loathing.

What is this character's best memory?
In as little or as much detail as you want. You can also link to scene(s) in canon if you want and are able.

Is there anyone they have highly positive feelings towards?
If so, describe them, link to wiki pages, say if it's another character or NPC in the game, etc.


THE BAD

What could or would tempt your character to compromise their principles?
In as little or as much detail as you want.

What do they desire above all else?
In as little or as much detail as you want. This can be something material like a MacGuffin from their canon, or can be more general like "world domination".

What are their biggest fear and/or insecurities?
In as little or as much detail as you want.

What is this character's worst memory?
In as little or as much detail as you want. You can also link to scene(s) in canon if you want and are able.

Is there anyone they have highly negative feelings towards?
If so, describe them, link to wiki pages, say if it's another character or NPC in the game, etc.


THE ET CETERA

What kinds of gifts does your character like?
Do they like chocolates? Flowers? A new car with a big red bow?

What item(s) would your character be pleased to receive as a reward?
Special weapons, a precious trinket, etc. List as many things as you want here, since this a pool where "free" AC rewards will be pulled from. Bold any that are particularly notable to the character or that you, the player, want OOC

What item(s) would your character never ask for, but you, the player, would want to give them?
If applicable. This is a free-for-all section for joke items.

OOC, what are your goals with this character? What would you enjoy seeing them getting involved in or would enjoy as a potential character arc?
Does your character strongly believe in one of the faction's promises? Did they get involved in a plot that they're now very invested in pushing to completion? Do you want a corruption arc for them? Or do they just want to become the newest local druglord? While not required, we strongly recommend giving this section thought, since this can be a helpful way for the mods to give you more customized AC Rewards, plot hooks, etc.

<b>Character Name(s)</b>: <b>Series</b>: <b>Wiki Link</b>: <a href=>Here</a> <u><b><big>THE GOOD</big></b></u> <b>How far would they go to accomplish their goals or fulfill their desires? Do they have lines they wouldn't cross?</b> <b>What is something they treasure?</b> <b>What do they consider to be their best or most positive qualities?</b> <b>What is this character's best memory?</b> <b>Is there anyone they have highly positive feelings towards?</b> <u><b><big>THE BAD</big></b></u> <b>What could or would tempt your character to compromise their principles?</b> <b>What do they desire above all else?</b> <b>What are their biggest fear and/or insecurities?</b> <b>What is this character's worst memory?</b> <b>Is there anyone they have highly negative feelings towards?</b> <u><b><big>THE ET CETERA </big></b></u> <b>What kinds of gifts does your character like?</b> <b>What item(s) would your character be pleased to receive as a reward?</b> <b>What item(s) would your character never ask for, but you, the player, would want to give them?</b> <b>OOC, what are your goals with this character? What would you enjoy seeing them getting involved in or would enjoy as a potential character arc?</b>

code

Comments

[baltimores]

Character Name(s): Amos Burton (age 15 onwards)
born Timothy, went by Timmy up until he was 15. no last name given
Series: The Expanse (TV, but the show is closely aligned with the books so I'm actually playing from both)
Wiki Link: Here

THE GOOD

How far would they go to accomplish their goals or fulfill those desires? Do they have lines they wouldn't cross?
As far as he deems necessary — which is to say, just about everything is on the table, as long as he can understand the reasoning for doing something. It's the latter part that's particularly important; unless he regresses, his days of blindly obeying someone are behind him. But if he can see the logic in a particular action, he'll take it. And he does operate very strictly off of logic, no sentiment — so if taking a life is the most efficient way to accomplish something then he'll do it, and feel nothing. This does mean that even killing a close friend would be on the table — as long as he can see the logic in doing it.

The one thing he would not do is harm a child in any way; he'd be willing to let all universes die in order to protect a kid. It's the one non-starter for him.

What is something they treasure?
Kids, basically. Childhood innocence and safety are things he would preserve above all else; everything else is pretty much meaningless to him. He knows what it's like to not even have a chance when growing up, and he doesn't want that for anyone, ever.

Otherwise? He's very detached and unsentimental.

What do they consider to be their best or most positive qualities?

— Getting shit done. Need a task done, no matter how morally dubious it is? He'll do it. Hell, he'll gladly take over for someone he believes would be hurt if they followed through on a certain action (e.g. killing someone).
— Loyalty. As long as he's decided you're one of his people or someone he should follow he'll do pretty much anything for you. There's something to be said for someone you care about knowing that you have their back.

What is this character's best memory?
He doesn't really have one, considering how devoid of sentiment he is. He doesn't look back on things, he just keeps moving forward.

However, if he was pressed on it — and it would take him a while to figure something out — it'd be the little, everyday, ultimately unremarkable moments. Here's an atmospheric vibe. Or just things like getting to be with his people and seeing them happy, like enjoying a good meal with them or sitting on the sidelines while they have a friendly debate. Just being with them is enough for him.

Is there anyone they have highly positive feelings towards?
From canon:

— James Holden. His captain, best friend, and chosen proxy moral compass. He'll do pretty much whatever he says because he believes him to be a fundamentally good person. Would die for him.
— Naomi Nagata. As a mechanic, she's the engineer he works under; his chosen moral compass before Holden, though their relationship is somewhat fractured at his canon point. Would die for her.
— Clarissa Mao. Mass-murdering terrorist he kinda accidentally busted out of prison because he knows she wishes she could be a better person. He needs guiding lights in his life to try to live like a good person — see Holden and Naomi — and he's decided to try to be that guiding light for Clarissa. Would die for her.

Needs to be noted that while he loves these three deeply, he assumes they've all been dead for at least a year now and has moved on. He wouldn't be meaningfully tempted by the idea that they could be brought back.

Massive bonus: Lydia. Content warnings for prostitution, child prostitution, child sexual abuse, statutory rape, pseudo-incest.

Lydia was, essentially, Amos' adoptive mother. His biological mother was a prostitute; she died when he was young, and Lydia — a friend of hers and fellow prostitute — took over raising him, including when he was forced into prostitution as a child. At some point their relationship turned sexual as well, and she regularly raped him. He does not see it as rape.
Lydia is the person who taught Amos the value of having a guiding figure in his life; she's the entire reason he adopts other people as moral compasses for him to emulate to begin with. She gave him a life skill that simultaneously allowed him to make a good life for himself while also making him constantly doubt himself.

From his canon point she's dead, he knows she's dead, he knows she died peacefully in her sleep, and he has for the most part moved on — though I can't say for sure if he wouldn't like to see her again... He hasn't seen or spoken to her since he was 15. She facilitated a way out of a dead-end life for him; he took it, and he never once looked back, even though this did hurt her in its own way and she longed to see him again at some point.

From the game:

— Yima. Due to the nature of Amos' arrival in-game his first impression of her was strong — she reminded him of Lydia, his first moral compass, and if this is the end of all worlds then it only makes sense he'd find someone like her again. She's essentially his moral compass now, and somebody he wants to please, and do right by, and do everything he can for — because their philosophies align; because she's a good person; because she can give him purpose; because of feelings he couldn't begin to explain but she seems to intrinsically know (because she'd know of Lydia). Does he love her? Maybe?? In what way? Let's not go there; he sure as shit doesn't know, but he trusts her with every fibre of his being.
— Zenith as a whole. They're his people; he wants to look out for them, particularly those who seem like they might need it. Amos is intrinsically drawn towards those who came from abusive backgrounds or had shitty childhoods in one way or another, and is the type to want to protect and help any way he can. That doesn't mean he's good at it, but he wants to be someone his fellow Zenites can count on — or for anyone else who might need it, too.

THE BAD

What could or would tempt your character to compromise their principles?
The only actual principle he has is that kids should be protected, and it feels like the only thing that could dissuade him from that would be the idea that even more kids could be hurt. He really, literally would let the universe die to protect a child; he is a very simple man and this is the only thing he actively cares about on his own.

What do they desire above all else?
Big picture: A good environment for kids to grow up in. He knows what it's like to not have that. He tends to be drawn to people who haven't had that. He wants that for everyone more than anything else.

Personally: To get to live comfortably and happily alongside his people. What happened to him happened, and he's found his own way to deal with it so he can continue living. And while he's continuing living, he just wants to be with his people.

What are their biggest fears and/or insecurities?
Loss of agency. He can handle just about anything, but try to take away his freedom and he'll lash out. Threaten to imprison him and he's likely to turn violent and murderous without warning; if it's a fight he'll lose, then that's okay — as long as he dies from it. There are things worse than death, and losing his say in what happens to him is one of them. Having no way to look out for himself or fight back is another trigger that could result in a suicide attempt if he sees no way out (a potential example of what could cause this would be being blinded/immersed in total darkness).

What is this character's worst memory?
He was a child prostitute, so this is self-explanatory.

Is there anyone they have highly negative feelings towards?
Child abusers. People who get off on being, well, evil. (When he kills people it's just something he does; when someone kills people and they're getting off on it? Yeah no they've gotta die.) People with flippant morals and who don't seem like they take the important things seriously, or who act like they're above others; the idea of gods does tend to rankle him some.

THE ET CETERA

What kinds of gifts does your character like?
Literally anything that feels physically good — good food, good booze, a space that's luxurious and his own... He grew up poor and then when he wasn't poor he was in space where resources are scarce, so being able to immerse himself in the material is a thrill of its own.

What item(s) would your character be pleased to receive as a reward?
Guns up to his 24th-century standards (or beyond??). Ammunition. Though at this time I'm still taking things slow there, but maybe he'll get a wholeass armoury at some point...!

Anything practical. This could include tools since he has a repair shop now, or anything that'll aid him in working with his hands.

And, failing everything else, since he's an unsentimental bastard which makes him impossible to shop for — really just giving him a bottle of alcohol would make him happy. That, or absolutely nothing! That's also acceptable by his standards.

What item(s) would your character never ask for, but you, the player, would want to give them?
I absolutely do not expect this in any way because of its likely gamebreaking nature but the Rocinante, the spaceship he used to live on with his favourite people.

We might be swinging towards bear imagery stuff now — although it'll be a lot easier for him to roll with it as long as it has some kind of use and isn't purely decorative!

Miru compared the shards of loved one Zenites receive to Tamagotchi. Since Amos never asked for anyone's shard, I think he should get a Tamagotchi so he has something to carry around and take care of. Even if it's substantially less important than the actual shard of an actual loved one. Tamagotchi for Amos.

OOC, what are your goals with this character? What would you enjoy seeing them getting involved in or would enjoy as a potential character arc?
Corruption, baby.

Amos is someone who wants to do good — but carries the capacity to do incredible harm, and not even notice that something he's doing is objectively bad. If someone points that out to him he'll try to course-correct, but if he doesn't know how to course-correct — or if he gets manipulated again by someone he trusts — then he's essentially a lost cause, which is something I'd love to angle for. Make him believe he's doing the right thing until he's so steeped into doing things so terrible that he doesn't even care anymore. Let him develop an in-world reputation as a guy who will do virtually anything as long as he's paid (what's up, Kowloon). Hell, steer him towards being a full-on sadist. Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life, right?

The thing with canon is that this has always been a possible path for him; it's just never explored because he's kept himself strictly aligned with undeniably good people... but that's not the case here anymore, is it? Test the limits of how far he'll go, because if done right, there won't be any.

And, a little more specifically:

— Working his way up the Zenite ranks. I'd love for him to become someone who can be relied on, and pick up some notoriety along the way — positively where Zenith/Highstorm is concerned in all likelihood, negatively for Meridian/Springstar. Let him develop a reputation as a Zenite, capital Z and everything. But! At the same time! Amos is for the most part rather amicably chill, so I'd love to play with that contrast of what you see (one of the more harder core guys) vs. what you get (he might come across as entirely reasonable because he's rarely outwardly gung-ho about stuff).

— Helping Zenites out! He really doesn't have anything to do with Meris, but Zenites? He wants them to feel comfortable, happy, like they belong. Someone to boost morale, to tutor or educate, to help people get settled in... He's an Exalt, that's still generally his role.

— Meridian Must Die. Not the people, but the force itself. (And then the people if they get in the way of that but that's not his problem.) Since being forced to experience Meridian himself and everything that brought up in him, he... didn't like it... So he wants to get rid of it. So he doesn't have to feel it again. That's definitely a goal of his now, however realistic it may be,

— Adelfoúla. Amos is still Amos, which means above all else he cares about children. He's got Aetós pegged as a child abuser so he wants to 1. kill them and 2. save Adelfoúla. I do not know the deeper Adelfoúla lore obviously but for what it's worth, I do love it when someone is perfectly happy where they are and doesn't need to be saved at all, and the supposedly righteous party having to contend with that...!

— Shard experimentation. While this isn't something Amos is actively interested in, it is something he's unfazed by — and something he'll be a willing participant in if he sees a benefit to it (will it save a child [Adelfoúla-style or otherwise], will it massively help Zenith kind of deal). He's already recruited Shard-Bearers for experimentation once, even though back then it was technically unknowingly. Now that he knows? If the reward is worth it to him then yeah, he'll do it. He can be involved — but less in a putting a stop to it way, more in a further enabling it direction.

— Farmos. As he's further steeped in Zenith and starting to actively think about an ideal new world, it turns out that he just really wants somewhere clean, peaceful, and safe, with abundant resources for all who live there (total shocker for someone who's dealt with resource scarcity all his life, I know). Think like a small town kind of feel, and he's someone who would like to contribute to its success... say, by farming! This could potentially be Alenroux involvement in which Amos is a committed Zenite who literally only goes over there to help with crops and stuff, no political games. Man just wants to learn how to do this so he can carry those skills over to the new world.

— Clearing out the Beyond. Just from Meridian stuff; he doesn't really care what's going on out there, as long as all the Meri gunk is out. (He can absolutely fail at this; this is just a new goal of his that's turned up.)