The New, Improved Character Survey of Doom

[cinereoargenteus]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Garrett is a really small and skinny. He's one of those kids that had to wait awhile for puberty to hit, thanks to stress and some malnutrition issues when he was younger. Now that he's finally starting to mature, he's gotten stuck in an awkward growing phase. He’s all long, sharp angles, and looks more like he’s made up of elbows and knees than arms and legs. Garrett is currently 5'2" when he's 14 and very underweight, probably around 105 lbs. or so. At age 16, he's sprouted up to 5'6". He's growing fast, and based off his other family, will probably end up anywhere between 5'10" and 6'0".

(Confession time, I am really bad with weight estimations. I did look and try to find some good info on teenage growing habits, but all of articles said "They all develop differently", so that was no help. 105 was as good as I could guess. If anyone knows what would be underweight for a very small teenage boy, please tell me.)

2. How old is he?
14-16, depending on when I'm playing him from.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
Garrett tends to lean heavily on his staff whether walking or at ease, causing a slump that makes him look smaller than he actually is. This is a deliberate strategy, one designed to play up the adorable fox image.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Despite the hard life he lives, Garrett is in surprisingly good shape. He's active and constantly on the move, and despite the lack of muscle mass, he's got good stamina. The one obvious marker is that he's underweight, stemming from rarely getting enough to eat. It's not to a dangerous degree, but it is going to affect his growth and overall health if it doesn't start getting addressed.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Garrett moves with the air of a cautious predator. He's not on the top of the food chain, but he knows he can handle himself. He'll bounce around like a playful little fox kit, yet there's always a wariness and alertness in regards to his surroundings.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
Garrett's more on the "Oh, he's adorable and cute!" side of physical nature than having smoldering good looks. Since he's still caught in the horrible throes of puberty, it's hard to tell whether he's going to end up actually good-looking or just average. He's got pretty low self-esteem thanks to having that scar on his face, which is yet another reason why he rarely removes his hood.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
He's got light-brown skin. The areas that poke out from under his cloak and clothes are very tan thanks to a lifetime in the sun. Thanks to lucky genetics, he's ended up without much acne and has a clear face as a result. He’s never worn shoes, and consequently, his feet are all scarred up to Hellgates and back again.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
He's got shaggy dark brown hair that is in badly in need of a haircut at all times. Since no one sees it, he tends to let it go until the last possible moment. Parts of it poke out of his hood. He's given up trying to stuff them back in.

9. What color are his eyes?
The same dark brown as his hair. With so much brown making up his face and body, he likes to joke he was made out of mud and set out in the sun to dry.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
He’s got a slightly curved, very deep scar starting just above his right eyebrow. It bisects his eyebrow, goes down across his eyelid, and halfway down his right cheek. It's rather ugly-looking and not at all pretty. He got it when a raider tried to bury an axe in his face. He was quick enough to get his staff up and lock handles, preventing the blow from hitting him completely, but it was still deep enough to leave a permanent mark.

His eyes have round pupils like a human’s, but they go vertical in bright lights or during intense emotions like a grey fox’s.

11. What are his chief tension centers?
His feet, which tends to ache after a hard day's work, and his scar, which throbs when he gets stressed.

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?
Due to the nomadic nature of the clan, Garrett only has one outfit. Skinwalkers use clothing until it is no longer a practical option. Besides his obvious grey fox pelt, he wears a short-sleeved white shirt with a tan leather vest over it and brown pants that have become an inch too short for him. The vest has a pocket on the inside of it which can hold a few choice items. All are looking tattered and worn-out.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
Due to sprouting up an inch the past season, he is in the early stages of outgrowing his clothes. While the shirt still fits well and will until he gets some muscle mass in his shoulders, his pants are beginning to high water. With how fast he keeps growing and the constant wear the clothes have been going through, he's going to need some ones that fit ASAP.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
No differences. He's only got the one outfit, after all.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Commando. Underwear is not a necessity in his world.

Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Garrett's got a surprisingly deep voice for a teenager. Apparently, his vocal cords adapted faster than his body did to puberty.

(Aside note, I imagine his voice in my head as sounding like a young Tom Waits.)

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
He's loud, projecting at top volume at all time, and talks as if he can't get the words out of his head fast enough. Indeed, it's a wonder anyone can understand him at all. His voice tends to dip up and down as he goes along.

(Again, the cadence of Tom Waits' voice is what I imagine in my head, that weird up and down thing he does with his voice.)

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Now's the part where tunes out while I explain how Skinwalker brains work. Each clan member has their own unique style of speech. Thanks to sharing their minds with so many animal instincts, a lot of that gets crossed over into their human lives. One way that this affects them is their speech patterns. A lot of animals don't use language the same way humans do. They rely on body language for communication, with only some verbal communication to supplement that. Because there are two different mindsets sharing one brain, the way each Skinwalker talks is a unique blend of English, the clan's argot, and the bits and pieces that their animal has affected.

It doesn't mean he isn't intelligent, far from it. But he does certainly give that impression until someone starts paying attention to his babbling. He's got an accent when he speaks English, though what language it is compared to (Spanish, Italian, Swedish) tends to vary from person to person.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
His clan's particular mashed-up dialect called the Tongue, his world's version of English called Common, and the Rath's language, called Grawf.

His Common, taught by a wandering priest who stayed with the Clan when Garrett was a child, is a bit stilted, since he hasn't used it in a long time. Most four-dollar words are beyond him, but he can make himself understood between his words and using a variety of hand signals.

His Grawf is much worse, a language that sounds like a variety of growls and clicks from the outside, is just enough to get his meaning across.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
He defaults to his clan's language when he's stressed out, afraid, or just waking up. When he can't think of an English equivalent, he'll just use the argot equivalent and hopes whoever he is talking to understands.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
He isn't necessarily good at speaking off the cuff, he tends to do so anyway. He never really thinks before he speaks, which has landed him in hot water more than once. Garrett is trying to curb this habit, with limited success.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
This questions is one of those that has a yes/no answer. To most outsiders, his talking skills are eclectic at best and unintelligent at worst. Inside the clan, almost everyone can understand him perfectly.

While he can speak in what most people consider a "normal" manner, it takes a lot of effort and focus to do so. No surprise, considering he's overriding part of his instincts in order to do so. If he's separated from the clan and around other people for a long period of time, he might begin to lose a little of his more eclectic speech patterns, but they're never going away for good.

Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
The kid isn’t booksmart at all. He can’t read, can barely count, and expressing an abstract concept like philosophy is completely beyond him. One would think he has some sort of learning disability with how bad those skills are, but really, it’s all willful ignorance and a lack of energy put forth into something he considers boring. His animal instincts tying in closely and muddling a concept like numbers just makes it worse. He'll look at a group of twenty, but all his instincts can tell him is that the answer is "a lot."

Skinwalker clans have an old saying: “Unless the child is about to fall into the fire, let him figure out that it’s hot by touching it.” Everything he’s ever learned was done the hard way. It gives his entire being a feral, not-quite-human air, something people tend to notice even after just a brief meeting.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
He's pretty quick to adapt to any circumstance, a result of constantly poking his nose in where it doesn't belong. Plus, there's that old "sly as a fox" cliche. He has to uphold some animal stereotypes, after all.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Garrett's basic thought process goes as such: "Oh, what's this? Size up situation. Pick best (read: usually) worst way to approach it. Keep right on going until told to stop or until I get in trouble." It's not like he sets out to be a bother, he just naturally turns out being that way. He definitely relies on his instincts much more than his common sense, which shifts him more to the intuitive side of things. As far as idealism goes, Garrett is convinced he's going to the most boring place alive after he dies, so he tries to be the glass half full kind of guy. This does't always work, considering the often dangerous world he lives in, but he does try.

4. What kind of education has the character had?
Nothing formal. He's never even set foot inside a classroom, even the one-room prairie schoolhouse. The priest who traveled with the Clan tried to teach the children some basic education, but Garrett was a horrible student, and Father Wayne paid more attention to the children who actually wanted to learn.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
He's quite good at foraging and hunting for food, a role given to him many times by the clan to keep him out of trouble. If he sets out to bring back an animal, whether a squirrel or a deer, he'll do it. He also has some skills with poisons, thanks to lessons from his older brother Is. He tends to downplay both of these, unsurprisingly, given his perfectionist streak. He's also got a lot of general survival skills, like tracking, setting up and breaking down camp, and using basic weapons.

What he really wants to do is improve his skills with a staff. He's not a warrior, and doesn't want to be, but Garrett makes no illusions about the dangerous world he lives in. Having the skill to defend himself can mean the difference between life or death.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Garrett is an extrovert through and through. Aside from when he's hunting, he's rarely on his own. The little fox loves to be in the middle of everything and everyone, making friends and acquaitances with ease.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
For the most part, Garrett is a chill little dude. Nothing much phases him, even when the situation is reaching a critical mass level. He sees no point in stressing out when so many people around him already do that. Instead of freaking out, he'll just remain calm and happy, a nice little nucleus of peace amiss all the chaos.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
On the flip side, Garrett does not react well to new situations. He's been with the Clan his entire life and indoctrinated with their beliefs. Everything is regarded as being a potential threat until proven otherwise. Even then, he still holds whatever it is as something in the firm category of "Different" and not to be trusted. Part of this stems from the cultures of his world being so removed and hostile from each other.

Another reason stems from the language barrier. If he's trying to understand a situation outside the norm, say going into town and trading with the locals, he tries as best he can, but can become frustrated when he can't make himself understood. Rather than blaming this on himself, he blames it on the situation that he's been put in, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy that new situations are dangerous at worst and stressful at best.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
For the most part, Garrett likes to react to situations. He's not a leader or a go-getter, so he's used to being told what to do. He's learned through hard experience that when he tries to be the first to do something or lead a group with his own ideas, everything's going to fall apart, or the idea won't even get off the ground.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight is ingrained in this little fox's instincts. He doesn't back down from anyone, no matter how large they are or how scared he is inside his head. He knows that he may not be the strongest or most skilled fighter in the clan, but he's stubborn and has a lot of grit. Being continually underestimated doesn't hurt either.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Garrett laughs at everything. He's the first one to laugh at a joke or start snickering during a funeral. This is both a good and bad trait, since trying to face down a group of Raths or cowboys and look tough while fighting down a case of the giggles is a bad combination.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
At present time, I'm going to say no, simply because I haven't done enough research to confidently put anything down, and I feel it would be disrespectful to give a diagnosis without proper research. All that can be said is that he's suffered a few great traumas over the past few years that have left a deep impact in his mind.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
Meeting his father for the first time.
Crossing a very wide river where the wagon nearly tipped over.
Getting his pelt.
Losing Lucas and the kids during the raid.
Being injured during the raid.

14. What does he fear?
Garrett's surface fears are very practical. Hunger, starvation, dying of thirst, stampedes, etc. Due to a tremendous amount of guilt he felt losing the children he was supposed to be guarding to a group of Raths when he was 14, he's got a crippling fear of fire. He associates it with the burning wagons, chaos, getting injured, and most of all knowing he had failed his little brother and the other children. He can handle fires when he knows they are going to be set, but an unexpected torch or spark from a campfire can make him flinch. Anything large, like an out-of-control fire, terrifies him beyond belief. His legs lock up, he can't breathe, and his mind flashes back to that night.

Under the surface, things start to make more sense. What Garrett fears most of all is being alone. He's constantly afraid that his place in the Clan isn't secure, a fear fueled by his father's parental neglect. He thinks everyone is just being dragged down by his presence. He keeps everyone laughing and chatters on so that no one will forget him. He fears one day his family and clan will just get tired of this useless fox and cast him out. For him, that's a fate worse than death. Having Lucas and the children he was supposed to be guarding get kidnapped solidified this fear for him in solid form. He had one job. One job. And he failed at it. Thomas, the brother he most associates with his father, threw his failure in his face right after when he was most fragile. So for him, the fire equals that sense of failure and the inevitable loneliness that will follow.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
What Garrett wants more than anything else is to find the place he belongs in the Clan. He's not a leader and he's not a warrior, or a healer, or a storyteller, or even someone good at making the little trinkets the Clan members love. He just...is. It's the worst state of being to be in. If he knew where he stood, the earth under his feet would be more solid and maybe then he could feel he was living up to the ridiculously high standards he set for himself.

16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
Any of the above. He feels it makes him even weaker than he already thinks he is. Most of the really emotional stuff is buried so deep he doesn't even realize that it's there. He knows he's developed a fear of fire but doesn't know why. He knows he feels a longing inside him knowing Thomas will likely become Clan leader, but doesn't understand where that longing stems from.

Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
In a word? Complicated. His father, the AllSkins, is considered to be the Chosen One amongst his people. While he's very good at leadership skills, when it comes to parenting, AllSkins is lacking quite a bit. Part of this, to put it quite bluntly, stems from the fact that he has a lot of kids. When they start going into the double-digits, it's a little hard to give all the kids the love and affection they individually need. Not that he would do that even if Garrett was his only child. AllSkins is a distant parent even at the best of times. He would allow Garrett only to get as close emotionally as arm's length. Garrett could never get a read on his father. He wasn't even sure if his own father liked him or not, let alone love him. This relationship, or lack of one, defined a lot of decisions made. Much of what Garrett has done is to try to get his father's attention, a way to get acknowledged and respected. It hasn't come, a fact that weighs heavily on Garrett's mind.

His mother Ilsa, a badger Skinwalker, on the other hand, was a very good mother to her sons. While perhaps a little too flighty in his early years, she quickly settled into the role of motherhood with ease. She encouraged her boys to forge their own paths in life, telling them that she would support them no matter what they decided to do. Garrett sometimes resents how she pushed him growing up to learn fast and hard, even though he understands the necessity of it in his world. She's the one person Garrett trusts above all else with his secrets and the first person he goes to for advice. Garrett loves her more than just about anyone else he can think of and the feeling is mutual. He's also a touch intimidated by her, which just goes to show she's a mother who raised him right.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
The short answer is yes. He has siblings. A lot of them. In fact, there's so many, Garrett isn't even sure just how many he has. At this point, it is definitely over a dozen. While he knows the names of most, some he's only met a handful of times, or not at all. The list of them is below, roughly in the order that they were born, and how old they were the year Garrett turned 15. The order goes their animals, ages, and names.

(Still working on this. Might be tweaking ages and moving some siblings around. Feel free to skip, they'll only come up as mentioned.)

Siblings:
1. The wolf: 21 Thomas

Thomas is the oldest of his siblings, a position he never expected to be put into until the death of James. James was being groomed to take over the clan, a position everyone expected Thomas to now fulfill. Suddenly forced into a leadership position, he grew up fast and hard. An alpha male who's stickler for the rules, Thomas is hard and unyielding on the surface.

Garrett and he butt heads a lot, for their personalities are completely different. Thomas can't understand what he sees as Garrett's flippant attitude and inability to grow up, while Garrett sees his older brother as a frozen, cold stick in the mud who can't get it through his head he's not leader of the clan yet.

2. The cat: 21 Leonidas

Leonidas, affectionately known as Leo, is probably the most well-adjusted of all his siblings. No potentially traumatizing issues seem to be plaguing his mind, which means he's often the one his brothers and sisters go to when they need advice. A mountain lion Skinwalker, Garrett teases him for his vanity and womanizing habits, but of course secretly adores and loves his older brother.

3. The snake: 20 Iscariot (Is)

Most people shunned Iscariot, due to the bad luck of receiving a rattlesnake as his animal. Iscariot, who prefers to go by Is (pronounced Iz), is a quiet and introverted soul, a side few get to see. His mother was a woman named Magdelene who didn't know how to love her son, let alone be a mother. Saddling him with a bad luck name from the start, Is turned to a new career path after the clan shunned him. He became an assassin, his childhood love of plants and poisons serving a new purpose.

Though he rarely travels with his family, he does have a soft spot for Garrett, Lucas, and Alastor, the only three who never shunned him. Ilsa's strict warning not to go near their half-brother had the predictable opposite effect on Garrett and Lucas. They found their silent, mysterious older brother to be fascinating, someone just too cool for words. In the only way he could express gratitude, Is taught them both quite a bit about poisons. He's quite a lonely snake. Garrett gets the impression he'd willingly stay with the Clan if only they would accept him, though he knows one Clan member isn't going to change an entire culture's mindset.

4. The raccoon: 20 Alastor (Ghost)

As bad as Is received treatment from the clan, Alastor got it ten times worse. Cursed with foresight from birth, Alastor was destined to become a great seer. But when he left to go find his animal, he never returned. The clan assumed he was dead until about a year ago. He returned wearing the cloak of an albino raccoon. Albinos were considered the worst omen and to wear the skin of one was practically declaring Alastor was a demon.

His name was stricken from him. All now called him Ghost, the seer with one paw already in the land of the dead. Ghost haunts the clan, always living on the outskirts, prophesying the fates in store for the clan members. Garrett avoids his brother like the plague, terrified that one day that all-seeing inner eye will be turned upon him in an evil manner. The only one who tolerates him is the other outcast, Is. He's a strange creature, his visions driving him to the edge of madness. Sometimes, even Ghost thinks he's already been pushed past that edge.

5. The stag: 19 Roland

Roland is a dreadful bore by Garrett's standards. Stuffy and pompous, he's more suited for a life at court then the nomadic lifestyle of his people. Garrett honestly has no idea or what his brother is doing, though he privately hopes he ended up "working in a brothel as a high-paid sissy."

6. The horse: 18 Perseus

Garrett's never met this brother. All he knows about him are from rumors and tidbits around the camp. Perseus used to be favored by the AllSkins, until he did something unspeakable to offend his father. AllSkins cursed him, trapping him in his horse form and banishing him from the clan until a prophecy can be fulfilled.

7. The jackrabbit: 18 Rachel

Rachel is Garrett's oldest sister and Alana's (Leo's eventual wife) best friend. He always found the two of them amazing and was the quintessential little brother always following at their heels when he was younger. He thanks his lucky stars, because he'd be clueless on how to decipher girls as a teen without all that secondhand knowledge. While she sometimes comes off as being a little haughty and proud, Garrett knows underneath "the world's too good for me" facade, is a sweet and kind girl.

8. The bear: 17 Stubborn

Stubborn is the male half of a fraternal set of twins. Stubborn is very much like his twin sister in personality, though he does tend to be a bit more level-headed. He's usually the one left being the mediator when his other siblings are all trying to kill each other. Since the pair tends to travel on their own, Garrett has only met them a handful of times. The unusual names came from their mother's side, a tradition started several generations back to harness the magical power such names could hold. Her own? Chastity.

9. The boar: 17 Bashful

Bashful is the female half of a fraternal set of twins. Bash, as she is known, made her fame by being the only living boar Skinwalker. Garrett both loves and is terrified by the Amazonian beauty. Loud and boisterous, Garrett tries to stay on her good side. Anyone who could kill a boar with their bare hands clearly is not to be messed with. Fortunately, she's as friendly as she is loud, so it's an easy task.

10. The raven: 16 Psyche

Despite only being a year older that Garrett, he only recently found out he even had an older sister so close in age. Psyche's mother wasn't a Skinwalker, but a sorceress named Hera. She all but abducted the girl as an infant, raising her in the mountains among her own people. Psyche wasn't accepted by the sorcerers and left on her journey when she was 13 without ever looking back. The Skinwalkers took her in, but she still was a child of neither world.

Garrett's personality couldn't be further from his dark, cold sister. He has often tried to pry open her closed shell with little to no success. The one bond that they have forged is their mutual angst over being unable to find a place to belong. He still has hope she will find her's among the clan, even if she doesn't.

11. The fox: 15 Garrett

The one this is all being written about. 'Nuff said.

12. The squirrel: 12 Lucas

Lucas is Garrett's only full-blooded sibling and definitely the one he is closest to. His mother always told him to look out for his little brother and it's one of the few promises Garrett has always taken seriously. While the hero worship attitude of his little brother exasperates him, Garrett secretly loves it and basks in the attention. While Garrett certainly loves all his siblings, he doesn't always like all of them. Fortunately, Garrett's always found Lucas makes a pretty good friend in addition to little brother.

Lucas has a personality similar to his brother's. He is a chatterbox and enjoys life to the fullest. Unlike Garrett, he's got a quick mind and learns fast. He's good at seeing patterns and understanding how people work. Much to Garrett's chagrin and Lucas' delight, Lucas is already taller than he is.

While Garrett still sees Lucas as a helpless little kid, Lucas would very much like for his older brother to realize he's starting to grow up. Getting kidnapped wasn't a very good way to show this.

The ones after Lucas still haven't gone on their journeys yet.

13. Too little: 8 Hera

The older sister of Sheba, Hera is a tough little tomboy. Garrett, despite his attempts at acting more adult, will drop his pride, and play with her at a moment's notice.

14. Too little: 5 Rupert II

After the first Rupert died, his mother Dana went a little bit insane. She became obsessed with having another child. Garrett suspects the AllSkins only slept with her again out of pity. The union produced Rupert II. The poor child is practically smothered by his mother, who rarely lets him out of her sight. Garrett worries that Rupert might take off on his journey far too early, if only to get away from his mother.

15. Too little: Sheba 1 1/2

Garrett just recently found out that the newest addition to the clan had been born when he returned after rescuing Lucas. Privately, he hopes that this one might be the last. He's going to run out of fingers and toes to count them on if this keeps up.

Dead:
In such a dangerous world, at least a few siblings have passed on.

16. The crocodile: 16 James

Garrett never actually met this brother. Had he lived, he would have been the oldest of siblings, about 24. Garrett only knows about him because he's often mentioned as a cautionary tale to young Skinwalkers. He ended up with the bad luck of a crocodile being his animal. Though it doesn't happen often, James and the crocodile both ended up dead. His decayed body, chewed halfway through and still locked in the jaws of the beast, was discovered as the clan traveled through the swamplands.

Garrett didn't really understand what impact the tragedy of losing their would-be future leader had on the clan. It's only after spending so much time with Thomas when they went after the kidnapped children that he realized that it completely changed the future of the clan for better or worse. An ominous prophecy foretold by Ghost, stating the clan will fall apart without their leader, has also put fear into the clan's hearts.

17. The ferret: 15 Rupert I

Garrett's vague, young child impression of the first Rupert was that he was rather obtuse and lazy. Funnily enough, he wasn't mistaken on either account. Rupert's mother, Dana, was a vain and silly woman was obsessed with her son, pampering him and turning him into a silly little creature like herself, one who needed everything to be done for them, and had no idea how to survive in the real world. Rupert's attempt to find his animal led to him freezing to death in midwinter, still trying to dig a ferret out of its hole. He never even realized that there were half a dozen other exits the ferret had already left its burrow from. He would have been 20 had he lived.

Privately and unkindly considered by his surviving siblings to be something of a family joke, his death devastated his mother, leaving her more than just a little unhinged.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
The mothers of his siblings, known as Tifs in his world, are as great and varied as the siblings himself. Some of them are as close to him as his own mother is, providing maternal advice, food, comfort, or whatever he needs when he goes to them. Others are indifferent to him, since he's not their son. One or two are downright hostile, like Dana, seeing him as a potential threat to their own offspring.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Owen, the man who accompanied the group sent to retrieve the missing children when they were taken by raiders. Everything Garrett had been looking for in a father figure, Owen was, despite the old man's cantankerous outer layers. He eventually started referring to him as Unk Owen, Unk being a form of affection similar to Tif. Owen ended up sacrificing himself to give the group time to save the children. Garrett didn't know until the old man was already close to death. It was a devastating blow, and Garrett mourned for a very long time, but some advice from his actual father, AllSkins, and a spirit dream helped bring closure.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Himself. That's not conceit or a joke, just the simple truth. Garrett's always found that the Clan provides him with all he needs and that anything else he can make up the difference for.

6. Does he have other close friends?
Alana, his first crush and eventually his brother Leo's wife. She's a golden eagle Skinwalker and Garrett has always admired her fierce and independent spirit. She's had to claw her way up to her position from the bottom of the Clan towards the top. Being hot as hell doesn't hurt either.

Daniel, a roadrunner Skinwalker, is one of the few male friends he has who isn't a family member. He's the complete opposite of Garrett, a calm and methodical old soul with only the occasional energy burst. With so many, Garrett sometimes needs someone who can be impartial and won't judge him. He's used mainly by Garrett when he needs to vent about his family or in the rare instance his energy levels are turned down lower than normal.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
Garrett has a very sociable personality, one that easily slips in and makes himself right at home with a person. He'll just blithely keep turning up in their lives until they accept the fact he's there. If he can make them laugh, Garrett knows for sure he's got 'em.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
For the most part, Garrett considers the two terms to be interchangeable. The clan is one big family to him, mixing and muddling until it's hard to tell where family ends and friend begins. Lately, he's begun to include those outside of the clan in this line of thinking if they get close enough. Owen is a good example.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
He's single, a result of his unpredictable lifestyle and inferiority complex.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Nope. He'd be willing to try if he found the right person.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
Alana, the hawk Skinwalker who would eventually become his brother Leonidas' wife. She was just so cool and beautiful, the little ten year old fell in love at first sight. The latest one was Thiefold, the leader of a band of Rath. He's around Garrett's age, and despite their many differences, Garrett found himself admiring more than just his ability to keep his band together. Despite his crush, nothing came of it from either side, due to the circumstances they met under. They parted ways as nothing more than allies and possible friends.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Garrett needs someone first and foremost who can be his friend. He wants and needs that much more than he does a lover. Once he's comfortable enough with someone that he feels like he knows them, then the romantic feels can start to blossom. Opening up to someone is a terrifying and exhilarating process for the young fox. If he shows someone all the insecurities and fears he has on the inside, would they walk away? Or, worse yet, would they stay?

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
No and no. He's too young right now by his own standards, though the idea of having kids way, waaaaay down the line doesn't completely repel him.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
In a general sense, he's got the prejudices of his Clan towards the Rath, magic users, and anyone different, in that order. There's a fierce hatred for the Rath inside of Garrett that's gotten personal since they burned his family's wagon, kidnapped his little brother, and left him with a permanent facial scar. He considers them to be sub-human, monsters than aren't anywhere near being close to human beings. While he doesn't enjoy taking life, he doesn't shed too many tears over them. He's also developed an irritation bordering on dislike for normal human beings, seeing them as weaker being who just can't keep up with the Clan.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
Currently, Garrett isn't really sure what he is. His life is just too crazy for him to really consider getting involved with anyone, so he just doesn't think about it. This will change if/when he ever feels really settled enough to pursue someone. Thanks to an open-minded culture and a mind willing to pursue anyone the least bit attractive, he'll eventually fall at a comfortable 3 on the Kinsey scale.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
He's a teenage boy, so that old cliche of always thinking about sex all the time does hold true. He's in a culture where having sex is just another part of life, but seeing as how he's still a virgin, he's more than just a little antsy and ready for his first time to happen already.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Garrett loves someone who is willing to take charge. As with other aspects of his life, he's fine being told what to do. The thought of strong, bossy partner turns him on like nothing else. What he really dislikes is someone who talks too much and doesn't listen. There's just too much take and not enough give in someone like that.

Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
Being born in the fall on September 13, Garrett is a Virgo. Since they judge years completely differently in his world then on Earth, finding out his Chinese Zodiac animal is nearly impossible. Garrett doesn't fit in with that overall impression, having just a few qualities. Those tendencies he does possess are the need to work for the greater good rather than himself, being a salt-of-the-earth type of person, being a bundle of energy, and practical. The qualities he doesn't have that Virgos are said to be are perfectionists, detail-oriented, clean & neat, modest, and pay attention to detail.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
Garrett wholeheartedly believes in the gods of his Clan, despite the skepticism that comes from being the son of what is essentially a demi-god. The idea of atheism has never even crossed his mind. He's seen to much to not think there's at least something at work in his world. He figures if the gods are anything like what his father is, they are just a bunch of dickish assholes playing with mere mortals for their entertainment. Yet when the chips are down, he still prays to the stars, in the hope that one of them might take pity on him and help him out of a tight spot.

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?
Garrett's morals come in a form of rules. Don't lie unless faced with a liar, don't steal unless you're starving, don't cheat unless it's for a good cause, don't kill unless you have to, pull your own weight, and above all else, the Clan comes first. As seen, most of these rules come with a firm "but or unless" clause attached. He's found that being too rigid in a dangerous and hard world will get you killed. Being too soft will do the same. So he's learned to make compromises in what he believes in. But his number one rule about his Clan and family coming first, that one is unbreakable. If he breaks that one, he might as well be dead.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Garrett greets anything that differs from clan beliefs with suspicion. It's not entirely unfounded, as most other groups see Skinwalkers as weird, backwards barbaric heathens, barely tolerated at the best of times. Having encountered this prejudice many times, Garrett has come to believe that sticking with clan beliefs is the only way to go. Other people's beliefs are clearly inferior or just plan wrong. This prejudice could potentially soften over time, but it's going to take a lot.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
The Skinwalkers have a lot of superstitions and omens attached to their culture. For brevity's sake, I'll list just the ones that affect Garrett personally.

There's animals that are considered good to be a person's skin and animals that are considered bad luck. Most reptiles, raccoons, and opossums fall into the latter category. Thanks to his dealings with his brother Is, Garrett's mostly gotten over his prejudice towards rattlesnakes, though the others still stand. Associating with bad luck animals supposedly brings that clan member bad luck as well.

Albinos are considered to be creatures downright evil, something close to devils and ghosts. They're creatures who have one foot in this world and one in the next. While the clan would never kill someone with an albino hide, they would be cast out and their name forgotten. Garrett will downright refuse to go anywhere near them.

The sky holds a lot of superstitions. The sun and moon are living creatures, so it's best to be wary if talking directly to them. Stars are their children, creatures blessed with great power. A shooting star is one of them falling to earth, and to witness an event will bring a clan member great prosperity. Praying to the stars is common among religious clan members and most important ceremonies in life take place during sunrise and sunset.

Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Skinwalkers don't value money, as there's no real place for it in their society. What they do love is jewelry. The more intricate and shiny a piece is, the more they covet it. They trade with the normal humans and occasionally the calmer groups of Rath, first for the things they need to survive, and secondly for any pieces of jewelry they might fancy. Garrett himself doesn't own anything, being too young to have a sweetheart who would give him anything.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
He's the son of the AllSkins, something he's always taken for granted. He doesn't realize just how privileged a position that is. He doesn't realize that not all the children in the Clan had adults greeting him by name and watching him grow up with more than just casual interest. While Garrett is his own worst critic, the rest of the clan views him from the outside as an extraordinary young man. It's no surprised, seeing as he's the son of the Chosen One.

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?
Garrett lives wherever the clan does. Since they're a nomadic tribe, they move as often as the urge strikes them or necessity dictates. In good times, they can stay in one place for two or even three seasons. In bad times, they can move six or seven times in a single season. His mother has her own wagon, which gives her a slightly higher ranking than other clan members who can only afford a cart or a trapois. He doesn't spend too much time in it. All of their belongings are stored in there, making it extremely uncomfortable to be bunched in with objects that might shift at a moment's notice during the journey.

Usually, he's out and about doing various activities while the Clan moves. Once they settle in, whether in a semi-permanent location or just for the night, he drags a bedroll out and sets up a tent. He shares one with Lucas, which is a boon during the cold winters.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
The clan doesn't use money, only the system of bartering. Though Garrett longs to own as many little shiny bits and bobs of jewelry as his heart desires, realistically, that isn't the case. Traded goods like food, clothing, and anything else needed comes first, though he has been known to trade a squirrel or two just for the pleasure of having some rock candy.

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?
As far as jobs go, no one in the Skinwalker Clan can deny that Garrett is a good hunter, though Garrett himself is quite modest about his talents. From the time he was a small child, he picked up on how to track and kill an animal very quickly. If he sets his mind to it, there's almost nothing he won't bring down. Since shifting back and forth takes up a lot of energy, being able to bring down enough game for everyone to eat properly is a valuable job.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
When Garrett's not out hunting, his second-most favorite hobby is poking his nose in and everywhere it can go. While other call it getting into trouble, he insists on calling it curiosity. His Muirwood staff being a big source of pride for the fox, he does love practicing with it, whether it's with a sparring partner or just on his own.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
The boy will eat, and eat, and eat, and eat some more before he's finally finished. The magic required to power his abilities only compensates so much, so he needs food to help fuel those missing energies. There's never really enough food in the Skinwalker clan, since everyone is in the same boat, so he tends to eat quickly when he has food right in front of him. He's also quite possessive of his food and will even show a bit of aggression to anyone who tries to take it away.

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

1. Color? Brown
2. Smell? Dry leaves and dust
3. Time of day? Midday
4. Season? Late Summer
5. Book? Taggerung by Brian Jacques
6. Music? Jacob's Dream by Day of Fire
7. Place? The desert
8. Substance? Tequila and salt
9. Plant? Muirwood
10. Animal? Grey fox

END
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