gareth immediately caught my eye as a friend for danny to smoke with haha! how about 2, 5, 23, 26, 33 and 34 for gareth!
Only if Danny doesn't mind a little paranoia haha!
2. what sort of music would they like? have you thought about what genres or bands do they lean towards? do they have a favorite song?
Gareth's story is set in the 80s, and he's still listening to a lot of 70s-80s music that will after the fact be folded into "classic rock" -- Tom Petty, The Cars, Pink Floyd. He feels strangely drawn to Depeche Mode for some reason, and will definitely be into Nine Inch Nails once it exists.
5. how do they typically dress? does their wardrobe lean more towards practicality or aesthetics?
He's mainly a jeans and t-shirt or button-down type of man, and he is almost always wearing three-eyelet Docs or Chelsea boots. He owns one unremarkable gray suit that he uses exclusively for work situations (court appearances, pretending to be a businessman as A Disguise).
I think he values comfort and practicality the most in clothing, but he is also (secondhand) shopping with an eye for things he thinks look nice on him. I think at one point in Latent Defects I describe him wearing jeans that remind him of Bruce Springsteen :P
23. how would you describe their voice? can they sing?
He has been a heavy smoker since his teens and he sounds like it -- hoarse and short of breath. He has a low voice with a wide vocal range. The range does NOT translate into any singing ability whatsoever.
He grew up outside Burlington, NC and has put a lot of effort into sounding "normal" to the Philadelphians whose city he now skulks around.
26. how do they move? are they clumsy? light on their feet? do they use mobility aids?
He can move pretty quickly when he needs to and his long legs let him sprint cover short distances effectively before he gets out of breath. Emphasis on short distances -- he is not particularly fit. His proprioception is not great* and he is liable to stumble.
He is manually dextrous and is much better at, e.g., picking a lock than staying balanced while walking. He would consider himself non-disabled. The wrists are, despite his best efforts, limp.
*He 100% has undiagnosed EDS, a choice I made while unaware I too had EDS lol. Unfortunately for him it's 1986 and he does not go to the doctor
33. if applicable, how would your other characters describe them? i mean specifically the people around them.
Luke, Gareth's bff/love interest, would say he is weird (affectionate), gangly, kindhearted, and secretive.
Emily, Luke's wife, would say he is tolerable and closeted.
Judy, Gareth's primary client in Latent Defects, was initially worried he was a hippie, then spent a while having trouble figuring out what his deal was before figuring out that he was just gay. She thinks he is trying too hard to get her to trust him, but it might also be working.
Norman, Judy's husband and the main antagonist, would say he is some kind of sneaky, meddling pervert who follows people around taking pictures of them without their consent.
Linda, Gareth's friend and the owner/bartender of his preferred hangout spot, once addressed him as "you little clam". She would say he is frustrating and should really think about getting a haircut with a bit more shape, but that he does mean well.
34. how would your character describe themselves? it doesn't have to line up with how they really are.
Gareth would describe himself to others as hard-working, committed, and private. He might make a joke about being insufficiently masculine, but he would be fervently hoping that you didn't pick up on the vast, sucking insecurity behind the joke.
Internally, he thinks of himself as neurotic, cowardly, indecisive, passive, bisexual, and perhaps too clever for his own good.
