Character Survey

[theguidinghand]

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

Tall (6'4"-6'6") and a bit broad across the shoulders. He has well-defined muscles, but he's not especially heavyset.

2. How old is he?

At the bare minimum, he'd have to be 10,100 years old, give or take a few (he was old enough to recall the war before Atlantis sank), which is very old for a Wraith. It's possible that he's older than that.

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

His posture is (usually) impeccable. He only slouches when he hasn't fed in a long time.

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

His health is dependent upon how recently he has fed. If he has fed recently, he is, for all intents and purposes, completely immune to bacterial and viral infections. He can also completely recover from most injuries.

He only feeds as a necessity, so he tends toward being slightly weaker than his peers. Nevertheless, he's still strong enough to pick up and throw an adult human.

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

His movement is calculated and careful, as long as he's in an emotionally neutral situation. In a stressful situation (e.g. battle), be becomes very fluid.

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

To other Wraith, he's probably quite handsome, if a bit scruffy. But to humans, not so much. He seems to be aware of the culture gap.

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

Pale. So pale, in fact, that most of his veins are visible. Clear. And green.

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

His hair is entirely white. He wears it long like most other Wraith, but he doesn't seem to have combed it out in a while.

9. What color are his eyes?

Bright yellow.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

He has a black tattoo around his left eye, which is shaped a bit like a star. He also has a small beard/soul patch.

11. What are his chief tension centers?

His brow and nose.

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?

Utilitarian, all things considered. Floor-length black leather coats look like they're just meant to be cool and intimidating, but Hive-ships are kept at temperatures that are barely above freezing. It's probably easier to hand out longcoats to Hive members than it is to tax the Hive's life support system by raising its internal temperature.

That said, he only appears to have one overcoat. No word on how many shirts or pairs of trousers he has. Sheppard also gave him a grey jumpsuit to wear during his second stay in Atlantis.

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

He seems to be comfortable in his own clothes. The jumpsuit, however, seemed to be a bit too small.

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

His work clothes and his casual clothes are the same.

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

Given how alien the Wraith can be, it wouldn't surprise me if they had their own styles of underclothes.



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

He has a deep, unmistakably male voice, but one that sounds distorted and not entirely human.

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

He speaks at a comfortable (not too loud, not too quiet) volume, and while he puts some thought into his words, he speaks freely. He is not terribly wordy if he does not have to be, however.

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

Aside from being careful and occasionally unusually precise, his only outstanding quirk is that he has an inexplicable mild Canadian accent.

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

He speaks the Pegasus lingua franca fluently, as well as spoken Wraith when he isn't making use of his telepathy.

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

He switches between telepathic communication (over distance) and spoken Wraith (in the same room) with his peers, and Pegasus-ese when dealing with humans.

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

He's very careful to say exactly what he means to say. It might take him a moment to choose his words.

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

Once he knows what he means to say, he is very articulate and eloquent. He will break down into snarling and growling if he's pissed off enough, though.



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

By all indications, he's one of the more intelligent Wraith in the galaxy. That's no mean feat when the average Wraith is about as intelligent as a very intelligent human. He learns through both reading and processing information, and by experience.

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

He likes to have his plans work as he lays them out, but he's no stranger to altering those plans on the fly.

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

Todd/Guide is an opportunist. His thought process is geared toward finding anything that might put him or his followers at an advantage. He tends toward a combination of logic and intuition, the latter being more important in manipulating the people around him. (i.e. "I knew you would behave in such-and-such way because that's the kind of person you are.")

4. What kind of education has the character had?

Like so many other aspects of Wraith culture, their education system is not elaborated upon. It is possible that he had a mentor of some sort that instructed him in self-discipline and formal combat, or some other instructor.

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

In addition to being handy with a dagger and stun pistol, he's also a scientist and a spaceship pilot (of somewhat questionable quality). If he could invest himself in something other than holding an Alliance together, he'd probably spend more time learning how to make Dr Keller's retrovirus work.

6. Is he an introvert or an extravert?

He presents himself as an extravert, but he needs some solitude in order to de-stress.

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

For a Wraith, he's extremely patient and levelheaded. That's no small matter; Wraith are naturally one of the most aggressive species in the known universe. This does not mean that he won't lash out, but rather that it takes some provocation to bring him to that point.

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

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

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?

Fight. He won't run unless he is clearly, obviously outclassed.

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

Just present. He's very unusual among Wraith for even possessing a human-like sense of humor. He favors straight-faced sarcasm over pranks and anecdotes, and he laughs more easily at dark jokes than anything else.

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

Nothing diagnosable, but spending an unknown (but really long) time in an underground prison and being starved to near-death cannot have been good for his mental health. He's probably gotten better after spending time among his people, but the damage is still there. Getting thrown back into a cell will stir up unpleasant thoughts and memories.

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

14. What does he fear?

Despair. Failure can be overcome, and death is an eventual inevitability, but he is nothing without hope.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?

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



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

Likely dismissed as irrelevant. If he had any strong relationships to either of his parents, it would most likely be to his mother. Even then, he would have just been another soldier under her rule.

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

Again, dismissed as irrelevant. He could have anywhere between hundreds to thousands of brothers and half-brothers.

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

Despite living in communal ships (Or perhaps because they do), Wraith society is built upon the Klingon Promotion. If he does have family, there's a good chance that he's killed one or more to further his own ends.

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

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

The closest he comes to having a friend is having Sheppard as an ally. While far from being able to trust one another, they have a certain understanding of each other, leader to leader. It doesn't hurt that they broke out of a Genii prison together, after putting their differences aside.

6. Does he have other close friends?

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

He can get along just fine with other people, but he discourages people from getting too close to him.

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

Allies. They're just as useful as both, but so much more reliable than anyone who's too emotionally involved.

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

All of the above? He did have a high standing in an Alliance at one point, so it's possible that he's been favored by a Queen (or more than one Queen). Depending on his standing within his Hive around season 4, he could also have been 'widowed' when his Hive was shot down by a rival Hive.

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?

I don't think it's even possible for him to form a crush.

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

Strength of character. A strong sense of honor. Moral integrity, even if it is of the blue-and-orange sort. The ability to cover up weakness, so that it does not show.

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

Given that he's kind of the Wraith equivalent of Sheppard, and has a significantly longer lifespan than most humans, he could have thousands of descendents. If he does, he doesn't really seem to care.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?

The Asurans, most Pegasus humans, virtually every other living Wraith in the galaxy...

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

Exclusively or near-exclusively heterosexual (between a 0 and a 1 on the Kinsey Scale), but only within the confines of his own species. He doesn't feel any sexual attraction to non-Wraith.

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

He sees it as a means of reproduction, and that's about it. It has an important role in ensuring that his species can continue to exist, but it's not something he would seek out if he had some other, pressing matter to attend to.

It used to be important to him, but his priorities have shifted to fighting a civil war.

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

Never elaborated upon, thank gods.



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

Not applicable. He's a 10,000-year-old alien from the Pegasus Galaxy.

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

He is not spiritual or religious, but he does believe that hope is important.

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 code of honor, so to speak. He'll keep his word once given, and he only rarely takes more than what he needs, be it human life force or alien technology. Of course, he has no reason to keep his word if the other party involved has broken the deal.

He will not feed on children and young teens, though this has more to do with children being less nourishing than an adult than for honor's sake. He will not feed on the parents of young children either, if only to ensure that there are future generations of humans to cull.

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

Entirely indifferent, as long as those beliefs don't inconvenience him.

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?

Wraith have an odd take on a post-scarcity economy, so they have no real concept of monetary value. Instead, their worth seems to come from how much influence they command over their peers. In that case, he is one of the more valuable male Wraith in the Pegasus Galaxy.

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

Right now, he's in command of between one-third to one-sixth of all known Hive-ships. It's implied that he commanded an even larger force before being captured by the Genii, and that being locked up has diminished his influence.

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?

He changes location between Hives and ground facilities based on where and when he's needed. As such, he has no permanent residence.

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?

He feeds about once every month and a half, which is slightly longer than the normal Wraith feeding cycle. He doesn't starve himself by any means, but he doesn't feed for pleasure either.

Solid food is somewhat of a mystery to him (he hasn't needed to eat in thousands of years, and most of that was probably foraged and raw), but he does still need to drink water.



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

1. Color? Green.
2. Smell? The sharp smell of new snow. Alternatively, an old, musty coat closet.
3. Time of day? Evening.
4. Season? Late autumn/early winter.
5. Book?
6. Music?
7. Place?
8. Substance?
9. Plant? Some sort of amaranth, if only because 'amaranth' is derived from Greek for 'unfading'.
10. Animal? A housecat. A sneaky little bastard, but one that is just too damned loveable to get rid of.

END
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