Character Survey

[sandcarnage]

Body and Appearance

1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Gaara's roughly 4'10" and weighs ~39kg (86 lbs). He's a shorty, with a muscular build to him. He's definitely not skin and bones/scrawny, but isn't bulky either. He's obviously well toned with no visible body fat, but his physical build isn't what will make a person reconsider beating him up- that'd be the permanent line face, and poisonous attitude.

2. How old is he?
Twelve. He's a kid.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
Everything about Gaara's posture just kind of screams arrogant. Cocky. He walks straight backed, usually with his arms crossed across his chest.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Gaara's in very good physical health; He's a ninja, so of course, he's fit. (Even if he does a lot less running and jumping than others do b/c of the nature of his combat style.) He doesn't have any physical illnesses, but mentally that's another story. He's possessed by Shukaku and lives in this constant fear of getting his own existence erased. Shukaku basically omnomnoms on his consciousness if Gaara ever falls asleep, and the boy is already paranoid about dying thanks to spending most of his childhood fighting off assassination attempts. He hasn't slept in twelve years, and you could probably argue that this has some detrimental effects on his physical health, but it's not really supported by anything seen in canon. The boy is damn healthy. At least on the outside.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
More than anything else, Gaara's movements are assured. He doesn't make wasteful motions- mostly because he spends a lot of time just standing still during a fight, but. He's a psychological beat-down type too. He likes people to feel despair after they throw everything they have at him and fail to touch him, so Gaara's motions have a very fatalistic, almost absolute feel to them.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
Gaara is twelve, man! Post-time skip after he settles down a bit, and becomes Kazekage, he gets a legion of fangirls that describe him as the strong, silent type, but at the point in canon I've taken him from most people see him and have survival instincts kick in, rather than romantic ones. Gaara doesn't really give a damn how others perceive him, and so I don't think he really thinks anything of himself when he sees his reflection. He does note later, that he can recognize loneliness and hatred in other people's eyes, so he might recognize that in himself as well.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Pale. Very, very pale. He has one self inflicted scar, and that'd be the kanji for love that he marked on the left side of his forehead. Otherwise, no scars.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
Bright red, sometimes reddish brown. Kept very short, slightly longer than a pixie cut, parted on the left side of his forehead to make the kanji all the more prominent.

9. What color are his eyes?
Seafoam green, and without pupils. Shukaku has amber irises, with black sclera.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
He has no eyebrows, and he never smiles.

11. What are his chief tension centers?
Gaara always carries around a heavy gourd of sand with him, so most likely his back and shoulders.

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?

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

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
Yep! He wears pretty much the same thing all the time. He gets costume changes later, as his personality does a 180, but otherwise it's the same outfit.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Commando. Ffft. What use does Gaara have for boxers or briefs?


Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Deep. Scarily deep for a twelve year old. There's an almost sinister, whispery quality to it as well.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Gaara's the sort who does not need to raise his voice to be heard. He typically speaks quietly, at a slow-moderate, leisurely pace. He's in no hurry to go anywhere. Whoever he's talking to on the other hand....

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Nope, and he's free of verbal tics (and ticks. Hopefully.)

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
One. Japanese, presumably. (Or whatever the universal language of Naruto-verse is.) Communicating with people isn't exactly a high priority for Gaara at this point in canon.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Nope. Doesn't need to.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
With Gaara, actions speak louder than words, but when he does talk, he keeps it short and sweet; not much head thought goes into his words. Only if he's deliberately trying to crush a person psychologically will he go on a rant. Not nearly as long winded as pre-chunin exam Neji can get, mind you, but he does have a few words to say about hate.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Again, Gaara isn't a person of many words to begin with, but when he does talk he can be very eloquent. You can see this in the time-skip, when Gaara gives speeches to motivate the army. Unfortunately pre-chunin exam Gaara's gift with words is used solely to inspire terror in people and or ridicule them. He's good at both, so I guess that would make him eloquent by default.

Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Street smart, definitely. Speak literature at him, and he might just wander off after giving you a dirty look. Gaara isn't genius, but he isn't unintelligent either. As he does become the Kazekage later, he must have been judged to be of reasonable intelligence b/c that job not only requires a good deal of physical strength, but a head for logistics, and military strategy. In short, he's no (insert micromanaging super genius here) but he's certainly not a person you can fool either.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
In terms of fighting strategies, Gaara is very quick on his feet. He's never seen to give up on his assaults; he swiftly transitions from tactic to tactic in order to win. In terms of decision making, he'd deliberate if he is clear headed at the time. If his instincts have gotten the better of him, there's not much thinking going on so much as: Will it shut up if I kill it? *kills it*

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
As a ninja, Gaara relies more on intuition for fighting instincts. His murderous instincts are also based off of intuition (aka he feels someone is belittling him/threatening to him and then acts rather than knows it.) When it comes to "head" (logic) vs "heart" (intuition) Gaara's ironically more likely to follow his heart. As for idealistic vs practical, Gaara's very pragmatic, very practical. Ideas translate into action for him. They don't fester in the idea stage.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

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

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?

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

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. By a long shot. Running away isn't in Gaara's list of things he knows how to do. He lives for the fight, and then the kill.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Kind of nonexistent. He linefaces through basically everything.

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

It seems fairly obvious to me that Gaara suffers from a kind of post traumatic stress disorder as a result of what happened with Yashamaru. The incident practically destroyed his personality and transformed it into that of someone who essentially behaves like a feral animal so that no one can ever get close to him again. He can't deal with the PTSD; he refuses to talk to anyone about his past, because it requires him to open his heart again and trust someone. But he can't do it, as it's that very mistake that made what Yashamaru did, so unbearably painful. It's why he adopts the mantra "I will only live for myself, I will only love myself" as it excuses him from the necessity of depending on another person.

It's also likely that he suffers from a paranoid personality disorder. I say this because he takes his mantra from lone-wolf to a further extreme, in which he preemptively decides to destroy everyone who is a possible threat to his existence. By killing others he's also, obviously proving that he is alive and cannot be ignored, but also he's protecting his own fragile shell of existence. By eliminating threats to his life (real/perceived & physical/emotional) he will endure. He will never again suffer that same way again.

If that wasn't enough, it's also likely he suffers from a kind of inferiority complex that Gaara himself isn't fully conscious of. He is unquestionably the strongest human weapon in Suna, and yet, his father, the Kazekage, considers him to be a failed experiment, not a son. Yashamaru ingrains it into Gaara's mind that nobody ever wanted him, that nobody ever loved him. The entirety of Sunagakure basically hates him. All of these things make Gaara question what exact purpose he has- though oddly enough, he's optimistic enough to assume that his existence must have worth. That he does indeed have a right to exist. He continually rejects the notion that his existence is meaningless, and tries to fill it with bloodshed, but even then... it's reactionary as though he's behaving under a self-fulfilled prophecy of "Well if this is what I'm meant to do, then so be it" rather than acting in accordance with his own self-described purpose.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
Yashamaru's betrayal. Everything else is minor and unimportant in light of how monumental this one moment was to Gaara.

14. What does he fear?
Being eradicated. Becoming close to people. Betrayal. Rejection. Heart break. Having no purpose.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?

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


Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
It's complicated. His mother, Karura, died so that they could seal the Shukaku in Gaara, so he's never had any maternal love. But he does hear a version of what his mother's feelings for Gaara are through Yashamaru. Yashamaru tells Gaara that he inherited her legacy of hatred. She never wanted him. She never loved him. She died resenting him. Suffice to say, Gaara doesn't have any sort of positive impression of his mother.

His father is the Fourth Kazekage who basically sanctioned multiple assassination attempts on Gaara's life. Oh, and Gaara is fully aware he's behind it too. Gaara's kind of a textbook example of "Daddy issues." He essentially had any hope of a normal childhood ripped away from him by his father, and grew up a failed experiment rather than a loved son by his father. His father deemed him a threat to the village, and an unnecessary existence-- essentially sending what self worth Gaara had plummeting down the drain, and on top of that, had the one person Gaara cared about try to kill him on a suicide mission. He's not even seen as a son, never really given a kind word, kept away from his siblings when he was younger, basically there's a hoard of emotional abuse, and indirect physical abuse.

In other words, Gaara has nothing that bears any semblance to familial ties to his parents. He doesn't think of the Fourth Kazekage as his father; he's more of a figure that's important to Sunagakure, but not to Gaara himself. He's more than likely a ninja that Gaara is careful around, because of the Kage's fighting prowess. In that sense, Gaara might grudgingly respect the authority of the Kage (He does go as far as to chastise Temari and Kankuro for reflecting poorly on the Kazekage) but as a father? There's not a single drop of love in either direction.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Yep, Gaara has two older siblings, Temari and Kankuro. They have an interesting relationship. As he was kept away from his older siblings as a child (presumably due to his poor control over Shukaku's powers) he never grew up with much of a connection to them, or even what siblingship meant. By the time that he does gain control over Shukaku's powers, Gaara's already sworn never to let people get close to him again. Consequently, Temari and Kankuro are both existences that are tolerated, simply because they are useful to him. He sees them as his possessions rather than brother and sister, or even team mates. They are his toys to play with and discard. For instance he bosses them around in canon, and you can tell from his reaction, that he expects full obedience.

He doesn't have a trace of respect for either of them, though he will on occasion listen to them if he so feels like it. It's likely that as they started growing up together, they both resented him for the death of their mother, and Yashamaru, without really understanding what Gaara was capable of. I think to a degree, Gaara's willing to protect them, only because they are safeguards to his own existence as well. Temari and Kankuro will both defend Gaara in a battle, if not out of siblingship, then because the Kage ordered it.Headcanonly has a touch of a "No-one can hurt you but me" twisted mentality to him with regards to his older siblings.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
He used to be close to his maternal uncle, Yashamaru, but... now? He'd kill the poor fool that dared mention his name. It's still raw.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Oh god no.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Gaara has nobody he would call a friend.

6. Does he have other close friends?
Nope.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
The latter. Gaara doesn't make friends nor does he want them.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Neither. He's in it for himself.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Single, and he's never given it a spare thought.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
He's twelve.... so, no.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
I headcanon it as Gaara first crushed a fox in the desert. He saw one, thought it looked pretty, made grabby hands, and then ended up with fox guts everywhere. Oh. Oh, right you meant the other kind of crush. He has as much sexuality in him as an amorphous blob.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
He wouldn't look.

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

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
He has a lot of them. Rock Lee, Sasuke, the entirety of Sunagakure. If he's in a state, everyone is his enemy.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
If Gaara overcame his aversion to people, I think it's likely that he'd be a three. I could see him going either way in a relationship, but unfortunately he isn't over his aversion to people, and he's not at the age where he'd be curious about it either; He's an X. He hates everyone.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
As a twelve year old? He's got zero interest in it. His past interaction with people has also pretty much turned him off from the idea of ever being intimate or even being touched by other people. He keeps everyone at an invisible arms distance.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Haha, invoke the blood lust, and maybe you'll get him to look at you twice, but otherwise, Gaara has nothing that would make him want to touch other people.


Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
Gaara's a Capricorn. Traits listed seem to be: practical, prudent, ambitious, disciplined, patient, careful, humorous, reserved, pessimistic, fatalistic, miserly, grudging. Eh, I think these sets of words are so diverse that it's hard for anyone to reject all of them. Read: mun thinks this question is stupid.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
Ffffft. No. None of the above. Spirituality plays absolutely no role in Gaara's life whatsoever.

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?
In a way, yes, he does but they don't adhere to any kind of conventionally accepted code of morals or ethics. His code of morals basically boils down to the fact that all human existence deserves to be eradicated, but especially so if they pose a threat to Gaara's existence. Anything that crosses his path, or tries to deny him, will be destroyed with little remorse. No, it doesn't matter if they're family or not. So, yes, all people are equal! Just not in a way people want to be equal.

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

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?
It's never really elaborated on in Naruto canon. It's probably safe to assume that between his father being the Fourth Kazekage, and his own income from completing ninja missions, Gaara lives a fairly comfortable life.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
He's all but an official outcast of his village. His existence in Sunagakure is more or less tolerated because the villagers can't get rid of him. He's far too strong for anyone to take out. (yes, they've tried) He's hated because he's the human vessel of the spirit of Shukaku. The villagers all despise Shukaku for being a murderous, very difficult to subdue lump of chakra in insane raccoon form, and they tolerate Shukaku very poorly even when he's contained inside Gaara's body. At the same time, however, Gaara doesn't really care to fit into the village anymore. He has a very pronounced lone-wolf streak to him; he won't trust another human being, and has all but lost his faith in human decency.

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?
Again, not really elaborated on in Naruto canon. It's probably safe to assume that he lives in a small house, along with Temari and Kankuro to keep an eye on him. However, given Gaara's chronic self enforced insomnia, it's unlikely he has any kind of attachment to his "home." He's probably most at home in the desert where no-one can bother him.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
Nothing. Gaara doesn't do material possessions. His whole world view is the validation of self through the annihilation of others.

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?
He's a genin rank ninja, and yes, he's damn good at it. He enjoys that job only because it allows him to quench his thirst for destruction once in a while.

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?


Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
The following are associations, not character favorites!

1. Color? Red
2. Smell? Somewhere in between sterile and iron.
3. Time of day? Sunset
4. Season? Fall
5. Book?
6. Music? In the End.
7. Place? Desert
8. Substance? Sand
9. Plant? Cacti
10. Animal? Raccoons



END
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