ONE'S CHARACTER BLOG

1. How do they move and carry themselves? Pace, rhythm, gestures, energy?

gamma slouches badly. think k2-so but 5 feet tall and with huge claws

beta is a lot more outgoing and animated. she’s not hyperactive but she moves around a lot when she talks, makes a lot of big expressions (especially when she gets going on something she’s interested in)

3. How do they position themselves in a group? Do they like to be the center of attention, or do they hang back at the edges of a crowd?

gamma’s pretty gregarious, always in the thick of things, but not at the center. leave that to other people. they do data analysis

beta’s fun in groups and is in the spotlight a lot. she’s passionate about things. if there’s a discussion going she wants a part in it

13. How do they greet the world — what is their typical attitude towards life? How does it differ in different circumstances, or towards different subjects? Why do they take these attitudes, and why do they change? How do these tend to be expressed?

gamma: cynical, cranky, can be counted on to be a grump. it’s the personality they were built with. always willing to chip in with the latest disheartening news: It’s Time for Gamma’s Opinion. but they’re not a jerk, just pessimistic. the grumpiness never outweighs their friendship, and they’ll oppose their cynicism when the others are in danger

beta: cheerful, inquisitive, willing to take things apart to see how they work. the trouble with group hugs is that she has about 3 feet worth of reach. she’s much more optimistic than gamma, though it gets strained when she’s had a run of bad luck. 

14. What do they care deeply about? What kind of loyalties, commitments, moral codes, life philosophies, passions, callings, or spirituality and faith do they have? How do these tend to be expressed?

gamma is a big friend. just not openly. otherwise they’re mostly devoted to their work, crunching numbers and charting relationships. their interest in anthropology is much less personal than beta

beta takes anthropology very personally. why do you think she’s shaped like a human + wears human fashions. she is also a big friend, but openly

19. How do they behave within a group? What role(s) do they take? Does this differ if they know and trust the group, versus finding themselves in a group of strangers? Why?

beta is a leader -- she’s second to alpha in group decisions, and will absolutely have a conflict of leadership if she’s ever put in another group with a clearly defined leader. mostly her team’s been together long enough that everybody works together smoothly

gamma is second to beta, which suits them fine. they’re not a big fan of being the center of attention, but they like having their voice heard too. unlike beta, gamma would work well in any other group, since data analyst isn’t really a leadership position

22. How do people respond to them, and why might these responses differ?

within beta’s team, beta is definitely respected. she’s in the field the most of all of them and has plenty of hands-on experience. when she speaks she expects people to pay attention and usually gets it, but this is again largely because she works in the confines of a clearly defined research team

gamma gets respect too, but mostly because their words are backed by data. of course people sometimes disagree with them and/or their conclusions, but that’s just the way of things

31. Is there anything that counts as a “dealbreaker” for them, positively or negatively? What makes things go smoothly, and what spoils an activity or ruins their day? Why?

gamma tends to get real fussy when it turns out their calculations are off. conversely they don’t react when their calculations are correct, since they’re correct and so nothing to get excited about. also they’re not a big fan of field work. grit and dirt gets caught under their hull

beta gets sullen when her latest field op turns up nothing of worth. she’s a researcher -- when her research runs into a dead end, she’s at a loss. however this is reversed whenever she finds something new and interesting

32. Do they have any “props” that are a significant part of their life, identity, activities, or self-presentation somehow? What are they, how are they used, and why are they so significant? How would these props’ absence impact them, how would they compensate, and why?

not really? beta and gamma aren’t so much robots as AIs piloting robot bodies -- they might go without physical existence for long stretches of time. that being said they’re pretty fond of those bodies. they might have backups but it’s like throwing your old pair of shoes away, you have an emotional connection to it

on the other hand keep your hands away from beta’s wardrobe. she recycles the contents every week and spins new outfits from the printer but don’t touch her clothes

33. How do they learn about the world–what is their preferred learning style? Hands-on learning with trial and error? Research, reading, and note-taking? Observation or rote memorization? Inductive or deductive reasoning? Seeking patterns and organization? Taking things apart and putting them back together? Creative processing via discussing, writing about, or dramatizing things?

beta is absolutely hands on. she’s an explorer. she’s 4 ft tall because small size means you fit into small spaces. she’s got diagnostic tools in her fingers and chemical sensors in her tongue. she’s also a fan of group discussions, bouncing ideas around to refine them

gamma, meanwhile, prefers to stay in orbit, studying what beta brings back, running numbers, making predictions. they’re a lot more fact-based, doesn’t like jumping to conclusions without enough supporting evidence

38. Is there anything they wish they could change about their worldview or thought processes? What, and why?

19. How do they behave within a group? What role(s) do they take? Does this differ if they know and trust the group, versus finding themselves in a group of strangers? Why?

arokht is, basically, a switch

without clear lines of authority he will attempt to assume dominance. on the other hand if there are clear lines of authority he will immediately assume submission. however this assumes that the authority is a fellow iceworlder, because he despises taking orders from aliens

(he would be more amenable to taking orders from aliens if said alien kicks his ass first)

31. Is there anything that counts as a “dealbreaker” for them, positively or negatively? What makes things go smoothly, and what spoils an activity or ruins their day? Why?

arokht is extremely fond of clear lines of command and communication. when he shouts people should obey. he likes when things are clear-cut, us vs. them. he gets frustrated when things get muddled, when things don’t go the way they should (the way he understands they should go), when his authority is constantly being undermined by these godsdamn undisciplined aliens

1: their voice

2: their smile

3: their greatest achievement

4: their insecurities

5: their shortcomings

6: how they deal with grief

7: how they like to dress

8: what they like to eat

9: their theme

10: their fashion sense

11: their family life

12: their romantic life

13: their embarrassing memory from years ago

14: how they react to burning their tongue on food

15: how they react to a brainfreeze

16: their dreams

17: their ambitions

18: how they sleep

19: their reaction to betrayal

20: their reaction to a mystery love letter

21: how they react to pain

22: what they're like on two hours of sleep

23: how they act when they're sick

24: what motivates them