Character Study 1-10: Maximus

In between writing for my stories, I thought I’d do a character development thing just for fun. I’m currently putting together new updates for both Echoes of Eternity and The Compound. I finally had some time to think about my game and stories since my temporary job is winding down.  Technically this spans 30 days, but I am just going to do as much of it as I feel like.

There are some things marked in red that I haven’t answered at the moment because I am going out and I don’t have time to open my game, nor do I want to wait to post this. LOL. I’ll just fill it in later.

Day 1 – Basics and cosmetic

Age? 36
Date of Birth?
Hair color? Hot pink with black highlights
Eye color? Light green
Skin color/nationality? Caucasian/American
Accent (if any)? American
Height? 6 foot 2
Weight? 178 pounds
Tattoos? Gladiator quote on upper left arm,  wolf head on middle right arm
Piercings? Eyebrow, nose, and lip
Birthmarks? None
Disfigurements? None
Scars? None
Do they have any nicknames? Where did they come from? Yes, his nickname is Max, which comes from shortening his full name, which is Maximus.

Day 2:
How do they usually dress? Max usually wears jeans or his favorite pair of black combat pants. He also has a favorite pair of shoes, which are black stylish boots. His shirts vary from tshirts to button downs, or hoodies, depending on the day and what he feels like.
What do they wear to sleep? Max wears a pair of pajama pants or boxer briefs to sleep. He usually sleeps shirtless.
Do they wear jewelry? Yes, Max has an eyebrow, nose, and lip ring.
Is there anything about their appearance they wish they could change? No, Max is very satisfied and confident about his appearance.
How would they look as the opposite sex? Max’s jawline is very strong, so he might look wierd as a woman in that sense. Other than that, his hair color would fit a woman just fine.
What do they smell like? Why (do they wear the scent or does it occur naturally)? Max smells like cologne because he wears the scent.
Do they have an accurate mental picture of their appearance (how they see themselves versus how the world sees them)? Some people may think a man with hot pink hair is gay, but that is Max’s natural hair color. He did have a run in with a guy who thought he was less of a man because of his hair color, but Max showed him that his hair color didn’t make him less of anything. Max and the guy are now friends.

Day 3:
Choose a different time period and describe what your character would have been like in that time period.
Max is chivalrous, so he would fit in during medieval times. He is brave and would have made a good knight. He wouldn’t hesitate to save a damsel in distress and would love to make sure she got home safely. Max would enjoy the taverns as well, and he’d be no stranger to the barkeeps or wenches who frequented it.

Day 4 – Favorites and habits:
What are some of your character’s hobbies? What do they do with their time? Max also loves martial arts. He likes to spar with his father, who was the one who taught him martial arts. Max enjoys working out, he has two pieces of exercise equipment at his house, which are a total gym and a chin up bar.
Favorite color?
Favorite music artists? Movies or TV shows? Books or authors? Actors? Max likes intense gritty movies and tv shows that make you think. Max sometimes reads books that a movie is based on for job purposes. He doesn’t really have a favorite author or book, so long as it captures his interest. Max’s favorite kinds of actors are ones that really become the character they’re portraying, especially if they are intense.
Political stance? Are they active in politics or do they not care? Max likes freedom, and being able to do what he wants. He doesn’t like being told what to do, so as long as you respect his privacy, he is okay with you. He doesn’t care for politics, bribery, or corruption.
What are some of their pet peeves? Max dislikes when people judge him. He gets really annoyed when people don’t give him a chance to explain himself and assume that he is a certain type of person.
What sort of gifts do they like? Max likes thoughtful gifts, even if it’s something like a toothbrush, the fact that the person noticed he needed a new toothbrush makes him happy. Max gets judged a lot, so he appreciates when someone notices him for him.
What is their favorite time of day? Favorite weather? Season? Max doesn’t really have a preference on time of day, he likes them all pretty equally. He’s lived in a fair weather city for most of his adult life, and he likes that. His favorite season is spring.
Where do they like to spend their time? Max likes to spend time on the movie sets that he works on, or at home relaxing in his hot tub.
Favorite food? Favorite drink? Hot drinks, soft drinks, or alcohol? Max’s favorite drink is orange juice. He finds that it refreshes him and gives him a good start to his day. Max also loves alcohol and having a good time.
Favorite animal? Max’s favorite animal is a wolf. He likes that they are wild, strong, and free.
Do they have any pets? Do they want any? Max has no pets, and no real desire to own one.
What relaxes them? Max loves his hot tub. The jets of water and heat after a long day of filming always relaxes him.
Do they have any bad habits? When Max was younger, he had a bad habit of playing with people’s emotions and breaking their hearts. He had a lot of one night stands followed by never calling them back.

Day 5 – Resources and abilities:
Where did they learn their abilities? Max knows how to perform martial arts, which he learned from his father when he signed up for a karate class as an after school activity while he was in high school. Max is a kind person, which he inherited from his father, who wasn’t in his life up until they met when he was sixteen. His father willingly wanted to be a part of his life, and Max could have shoved the offer back in his father’s face and held a grudge, but he took the opportunity to make a new friend. Now, he and his father remain best friends.
If they have an income, where does it come from? Max’s income comes from movies and tv shows he stars in.
Do they have a job? Do they like it? How do they feel about their co-workers? Max works as an actor, and he loves it. He has many different co-workers, and he gets along with most of them quite well.

Day 6:
Why do they have their resources? How long have they had them, and how have they served the character over time? (Ex. Contacts, money, political power, fame, etc.) Max met his best friend Dustin when he moved to Silicon Shores. He went to his girlfriend’s dorm and Dustin was her friend. He found out Dustin was in the acting business, and so Dustin got him hooked up with auditions and other people in the business. Max has known Dustin since they were 18 and 19 years old. Over time, Dustin has helped Max secure lots of roles, and Max is now a five star celebrity with an Oscar under his belt.

Day 7:
Where does your character live? Why did they choose it, and how did they acquire it? How do they handle intruders (graciously? violently?)? Describe the space. Max  lives in a house in Silicon Shores. He chose it because it was a cozy space for him to start out in when he first moved to that town from Ravenview. He bought it with his own money. Paparazzi sometimes linger in his yard, but he usually just ignores them because they don’t come in. He got a security system installed in his house.  His house is small, with a bedroom and kitchen/dining area on the first floor. He has a deck that wraps around two sides of the house and a second story that has a living area and his workout equipment. Max would expand his house, but the land it sits on isn’t stable enough for a strong foundation.

Day 8:
What are some of your character’s more notable merits and flaws (including physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.)? How did they develop? How has this helped or hindered them in the past? Max’s main flaw was that he never used to care about people’s feelings. He didn’t want a relationship so he thought he could just go out with people and then never call them again. He also thought he could just use people for sex. He developed that flaw because his mother did that all the time, and he thought it was normal because she was happy. It hindered him in the past because he wasn’t able to form relationships and people thought he was a jackass even though he’s a really nice guy. Max’s merit comes from his flaw. One day his mother had a talk with him about his sleeping around and Max realized that he didn’t have to do that. He learned that relationships will come and go but he didn’t need to push them away so harshly. This resulted in him taking a chance on a girl he had real feelings for, and he has remained faithful to her ever since.

Day 9:
How are they with technology? Max is fine with the basics of technology, he knows how to use most electronic devices. He is very intelligent, so if he needed to, he could learn the more advanced features of things, but he has no real need to do that in his life.
Are they specially qualified in any particular field? Would they be considered at the top of the field? Max is very good at the performing arts. His passion and intensity translate well to the camera, and he has many fans. Yes he would be considered at the top of what he does. He is a five star celebrity and he has many fans.
Have they ever been publicly acknowledged for anything? (Ex. Nobel Prize) Yes, Max has since won an Oscar for a movie role.
Is there anything they’ve deliberately sought to improve at? Max continues to improve his martial arts skills and his acting. Just because he’s good at these things already doesn’t mean he thinks there’s no room for him to get better.
Do they speak more than one language? Yes, Max learned a little bit of French from his girlfriend Soleil, who is fluent in the language. He had a few lines in a movie where he had to speak French.

Day 10 – Relationships and history:
What is their family history like? How does it affect them? How do they feel about their family? How does their family feel about them?

Max came from a truly unconventional family. His mother never settled down with any one man, and Max was the result of when his mother participated in the mile high club. Max’s father reentered his life by coincidence when Max signed up for an after school karate club because his father was the teacher. Max’s older sister by one year was very judgmental of Max and their mother, often yelling at Max to clean up his act and disapproving of everything he did. She couldn’t help but admit that Max was very intelligent, however, and Max would often help her with her homework despite how she treated him.

Max has a great relationship with his mother. He loves her and knows she means well even though she was a single parent. His mother gave him great advice that helped him with his current relationship. Max no longer lives in the same town as his mother, but he keeps in touch with her. Even though he and his mother don’t visit each other often, they both know they love each other and would be there if the other one needed it. He also has a wonderful relationship with his father, who lives in the same town as he does. They are best friends and he often comes to family events to support Max. They also spar together often as part of Max’s workouts. Max and his sister have a rocky relationship. His sister is judgmental and rarely has a kind word to say towards Max. Max tries his best to not get into arguments with her, but she makes it very difficult, and he feels like she enjoys picking fights with him, or making him feel bad about himself. Max spends most of his time doing damage control whenever his sister is around.

Days 11-20 coming later 🙂 Thanks for reading!