thatpianoman | Character Survey

Granted the speech part of this is a bitch to fill out since Josiah's mute.

BODY AND APPEARANCE

1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

Josiah is freakishly tall. It's unsure where his height comes from - and he's very insecure about it. He feels very awkward that he pretty much towers over his best friend, Saeran, and most of his classmates. Josiah has filled out quite a bit within the few years, and he has a pretty muscular build as well. He's not as obsessive about staying in shape (like Saeran is), but he often times will go for a run if his schedule allows it. During soccer season, he goes to the mandatory weightlifting - which helps him fill out even more. He's around 226 lbs, which is pretty good.

2. How old is he?

As of December 17th, he's eighteen years old. Yeah, he's a winter baby and kind of gets screwed over since his birthday is about a week before Christmas.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?

Josiah has always had good posture. His father instilled in him that the better he carries himself the better he'll feel about himself. He kind of got into a better habit after starting piano lessons, so he definitely is always sitting up straight and never slouching.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

He's very fit, although usually in the winter he kind of gets a bit out of shape (when he's not doing cross country and soccer). Josiah's right ankle is still a bit weaker than his left, due to the fact he broke his ankle sophomore year during soccer. He also suffers from knee problems (overuse), but he usually just takes a ton of painkillers to deal with that.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

He's very stiff and tense.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?

Now he's attractive, since puberty and all. But prior to this he was your typical teenage dork: tall, skinny, not fit, acne and had braces. Josiah also opted out of wearing his glasses and started wearing contacts when he was sixteen. Saeran helped teach him how to deal with acne and after he started to fill out, he became more physically appealing. His braces came off over the summer of his sophomore year.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

There's some scarring, but nothing too major. Josiah's pale, but it's not like he doesn't tan at all. he usually burns first, then tans.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.

Josiah has brown hair. It's straight. Usually he doesn't do much with it, so sometimes it looks like a mess (unless Chardonnay or Saeran take control) most of the time, as he usually has major bedhead. His hair is super soft and very straight. However, it gets super greasy super fast, so he has to wash it pretty much every day.

9. What color are his eyes?

He's got blue eyes.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

He has a scar on his right ankle from his surgery, and he has a hearing aid.

11. What are his chief tension centers?

Shoulders, neck, and feet. Actually... his whole body. He's hella tense.

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?

He's VERY casual. Many people expect Josiah to be the one who dresses well and stylish, but most of his wardrobe and outfits are due to Chardonnay and/or Saeran. He prefers comfortable clothing with plain, neutral colors, so sometimes his outfits seem repetitive, but he does have a lot of other options. Tbh Jo is a bit of a slob sometimes.

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

They fit well and he is comfortable.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?

n/a, since he's an unemployed high school student.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?

Boxers.

SPEECH

1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

Josiah, due to hearing complications and his own choice, does not speak. He has selective mutism, and hasn't spoken since he was two to anyone except on rare occasions. Usually, he says maybe a word or two on these rare occasions. Since he hardly speaks, his voice is very hoarse and rough, and it physically hurts him to talk.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?

IF he were to speak, it's usually described as a low and soft tone. He's pretty slow to speak, too, which is another reason he chooses not to, because he's afraid people will think he's dumb because he talks slow.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

His words would be kind of mumbled, hard to understand. He can't hear very well at all.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?

He is very fluent with American Sign Language, but hardly uses it because not many people at his school know it. He'd probably be fluent in English, if he ever spoke.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

Josiah and Edward will often use sign language at the dinner table when they're having a conversation they don't want Aimee, Chardonnay, or Gonzalo to know.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

N/A, because if he had to give a speech he would die.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?

Speaking, he's inarticulate, but he does have a very large vocabulary. Otherwise, signing and writing he sounds like a genius.

MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL

1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?

Josiah is very much book smart. He's in all advanced classes and is pretty smart.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?

Josiah needs to always think things through, but if something calls for an immediate decision, he has pretty good judgment on what should be done at that very moment.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

He's a logical and practical thinker. He tends to over think a little bit, but he usually is able to conclude his decision is the right one, after careful deliberation.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

He's a high school senior.

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

Josiah is very good with numbers and figures. He also is a talented pianist and is a decent writer. Josiah is interested in music, obviously, and he often studies music in his spare time.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?

Introvert, definitely.

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

Josiah doesn't have much of a temper. In fact, he's very indifferent to everything going on around him. It takes a lot to set him off, and when he's angry, he usually kind of loses his cool and goes batshit crazy. He's very melancholy though. Like he is a pessimist extreme.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

He is scared shitless. Strangers and new people cause him to have an anxiety attack. He isn't very social with anyone who isn't a friend and when forced into a situation like that, he shuts down completely. Often times he just gets sick to his stomach.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?

React; he's not one for action.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?

Flight

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

Josiah's kind of a stick in the mud, but he has a gallows sense of humor.

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

Josiah has really bad social anxiety. He is constantly worried about what everyone around him thinks, cannot really interact with people he is not close to, and almost seems to break down when put on the spot. Edward, while he is very supportive of Josiah, enrolled him in cognitive behavioral therapy and counselling. Also, Josiah attended speech therapy for most of his life up until his 18th birthday, but it didn't work very well.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?

His relationship with his mother, his early childhood, his friendship with Saeran, his complicated relationship with Migdalia, and his father marriage to Aimee Garcia are some major ones.

14. What does he fear?

He fears that his mother was right; he thinks he is pretty much useless and soon everyone will see that in him.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?

He hopes that one day he can maybe hold a real conversation with his dad or with Saeran - someone very close to him so that he can start improving his verbal communication skills.

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

Everything. Josiah doesn't talk much about himself and doesn't want anyone to know anything about him, because he's afraid of judgement.

RELATIONSHIPS

1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.

Josiah and his father, Edward, have an extremely close relationship. Edward has been unconditionally supportive of Josiah and Josiah can usually confide in him with anything.

Josiah's mom, Mina, is the reason he is the way he is. Growing up, Mina was his primary caregiver, as his father was working a lot during that time, often abused him and belittled him. When he was two, she allowed him to become seriously ill. During this time, he began to cry due to ear pain and ear ringing, and his mother claimed she needed to "clean" his ears. She purposely punctured his eardrum and caused him to become permanently deaf in his right ear. Edward was able to get Josiah to a hospital, and it was discovered had he been left untreated, he would've lost his hearing completely. Mina also would have any men she have over be extremely rude to the young Josiah. After Edward and Mina separated, Josiah no longer speaks to her.

Edward remarried Aimee Garcia. They started dating when Josiah was seven. Josiah was initially distrustful of her, but she made the effort to earn his trust. Josiah likes Aimee and they have a very good relationship, although he thinks she's flighty.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

He has two step-siblings. His stepbrother's name is Gonzalo Garcia. They get along, although they don't interact on the same level that Josiah and Chardonnay do. Gonzalo admires Josiah for overcoming his obstacles, and looks to him as a role model.

Chardonnay and Josiah have a very good relationship. However, the two constantly drive each other crazy. Chardonnay's loud, extroverted personality clashes with Josiah's need for seclusion and silence. Chardonnay and Josiah are very protective of each other though and often times are the each others shoulder to lean on.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?

No; Josiah and Edward no longer speak to their family after he remarried Aimee.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?

Saeran Maguire is like his brother.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?

Saeran and Josiah met when Saeran started piano lessons. Josiah was maybe almost twelve and Saeran was probably thirteen then. Josiah didn't think Saeran belonged there, and was forced into socializing with him as Saeran began to learn how to play the piano, but eventually he warmed up to Saeran. At first, it was rough because Josiah was super self-conscious and he didn't like that he was being forced into a friendship, but Saeran respected some of his boundaries and tried not to push him.

6. Does he have other close friends?

Kind of; he's got friends through Saeran. He's pretty close to Xavier Straight, but that's kind of it.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?

It's not so much he doesn't get along, it's more so that he just cannot physically be put into a social situation with new people. So he has a problem making friends, but not because he can't get along with people.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?

Family, mostly because they're his biggest supporters.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?

He's not married, that's for sure. Uhm, well yes and no. Josiah has a complicated relationship with Migdalia Trinidad. They are not dating, but there is an obvious attraction between the two. However, the idea of a relationship makes him very nervous. Also, he has some personal hang-ups on getting involved with Migdalia.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?

No; Josiah has never had a girlfriend and never been kissed, so naturally, he isn't cheating on anyone, per se.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?

I think his first and only is Migdalia.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?

He needs someone who is loyal and very patient with him. They have to understand that something like a relationship is scary to him and he's going to be constantly afraid of fucking up. They also have to be able to deal with the fact he will not verbally communicate with them (at least as far as he's concerned), and be accepting of him the way he is. They also need to realize he will probably not be ready to get physical anytime soon.

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

He's eighteen he doesn't have kids. He really is just afraid of kids, so he's unsure if he even wants any ~~(naturally he ends up with fucking nine kids)~~

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?

Andrei Barbu is his tormentor, and he kind of feels like he has to compete with Ike because Migdalia use to be like with him. He sees any guy with Migdalia as a rival I guess?

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?

He's heterosexual. He's about a 0 or 1 on the Kinsey scale.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?

Sex makes him nervous. It's not important at all.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?

N/A; for now.

BELIEFS

1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?

He's a Sagittarius - but he's like the less Sagittarius person out there sooooo he doesn't fit at all.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?

No, he has no religious nor spiritual elements in his life at all.

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?

Josiah's morals and ethics come from his father. He doesn't believe in lying or cheating of any kind. He doesn't like promiscuity, but honestly, if it was to protect someone he cared about, he would probably toss his code of morals and ethics out a window.

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

Josiah kind of is cynical to those who have a deep faith; he gives Saeran shit all the time.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?

He really doesn't have any?

DAILY LIFE

1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

He's living in a higher class lifestyle.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?

He is a dork and he will forever be a dork. It's slightly improved now that he's part of the three, going on four time state champ soccer team though, and now that he has friends he's not a loner anymore.

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?

In a house, with his dad, stepmom, and stepsibs. It's very nice.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?

Sheet music.

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?

N/A; unemployed.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?

Piano, soccer, and running. Two of those three things are always involved in his day. During soccer season he's very dedicated to it and often will skip running days or not practice piano for a few days.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

Josiah typically eats well; he's a light eater, thought. He doesn't drink alcohol, but when he does, he's a lightweight and gets very drunk very fast and makes shitty choices.

ASSOCIATIONS

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

1. Color?

Gray or blue.

2. Smell?

Ginger.

3. Time of day?

Noon

4. Season?

Fall

5. Book?

tbh a music theory textbook.

6. Music?

Classical / piano instrumentals

7. Place?

A quiet, dark room with a piano.

8. Substance?

N/A

9. Plant?

idfk a tree because he's so fucking tall

10. Animal?

a rabbit.

END