Super Duper Deep Character Questions
Send in a number and I’ll answer the following questions about my muse! Specify muse for multi-muses.
Death is an inevitable part of life. What is your character’s experience with death? Have they had someone close to them die? Have they ever killed someone? How did these events affect them? Have they been able to move on? What do they believe happens to people when they die? And why? How does your character feel about death? Do they feel at ease, or uncomfortable with the idea of dying?
Spirituality deals with the non-material realm and a character’s experience of it. Is spirituality important to them? Has your character had any spiritual, divine, or sacred experiences? How has this affected them? How do they feel about other people who talk about spirituality? Is your character likely to share their spirituality with others, or do they keep it to themselves? What are their metaphysics? Do they have more abstract, or concrete conceptions of the world?
Religiousness is the ritual act of spirituality, it refers to devoutness and piety. Is your character religious? Are they part of a large, organized religion, or a smaller, more personal one? How do they express piety and devotion? is this important to them? Or do they do it out of obligation. When did they begin their habits and why? Is it something they were raised in or something they learned as they grew older?
The people who raise us influences our outcomes, for better or worse. Talk about your character’s biological parents. Does your character consider them to be good or bad parents? If your character was in-part or totally raised by, people other than their biological parents, talk about them too. Was this relationship good or bad? How has your character’s relationship to their guardians changed as they aged? How has it influenced them? Was it a foundation? Or something they regret? Have they been able to move on and grow from their guardians? Or are they close?
Our bodies are how we interact with the physical world and are critical to how we think of ourselves. Overall how do they think about their body? Does your character have a good relationship with their body? Do they see their body as apart of them, or as something they are disconnected from? Are they confident in their appearance? Do they take care of their body, either by proper nutrition, good sleep, or exercise? Do they consider themselves to be physically healthy?
The mind includes our cognitions and thought processes. How does your character learn best? By listening? Reading? Or through doing? No one is truly rational, but do they consider themselves to use logic or emotion? Is your character contemplative or introspective? Or do they focus more on observation, and use of their senses to learn? Are there are peculiarities in their thought patterns? What sorts of intelligences do they excel in? I.e., book learning, music, social, mechanical, spatial, etc.
Mental health is very important to our overall well-being. Has your character ever had challenges to their mental health? If so, what? How did they learn to cope with their symptoms? If they recovered, what factored into it? Have they ever received counseling, diagnosis, or treatment for their mental health? How was this experience, was it helpful?
Psychoactives are any substance that alters the mind-state, including but not limited to: coffee, alcohol, opioids, cocaine, nicotine, anti-depressants, and sedatives. Talk about your character’s relationship to psychoactives. Are they active users or do they avoid these substances? Why is that? Do they use legally or illegally? Is their use social or not? Have they ever struggled with addiction or withdrawal? Have there been people in their lives that use? What do they think of people who use? If the psychoactive is a medicine —prescribed or not— discuss their relationship to it.
Some say rules are made to be broken, and others still couldn’t make themselves jaywalk. How does your character relate to authority? Are they law abiding or do they skirt the boundaries of legality? Do they consider rules to be a necessary parts of society? Or merely, red-tape that gets in the way? Is it important to them that they contribute to their society? To them, what is a ‘good-person’ or a ‘bad-person?’ Do they agree with the typical social definitions of these terms? If not, why? Where do they think they fall on the spectrum? If at all?
Creativity is how we express ourselves to the world and other people. How does your character show their more creative side? Is it through the arts, like painting, drawing, wood-work, music or writing? Or something less typically thought of as ‘creative,’ like science or engineering? What influences their creative process? Have they ever experienced burn-out? And if so, how did they overcome it? Are they avid in the consumption of other art and creative works? What are their preferences?
Sexuality is a facet of human expression that can take many forms and expression. Does your character feel sexual attraction? If so, to who? Is this feeling strong or weak? Do they have any particular type of person that they’re attracted to? How do they usually act on these feelings? Are they experienced or inexperienced in this domain in their lives? How do they view their own sexuality? With pride or with shame? What influenced this viewpoint?
Romantic attraction is the desire to have a romantic relationship with another person. Does your character experience romantic attraction? If so, who is this feeling directed to? Is it strong or weak? What does it take for your character to develop a romantic attraction to someone? Do they have a type? Do they have much experience with romantic relationships? Talk about your character’s romantic relationships, or lack therein. Is romance important to them or something they could do without?
Gender is the cultural and social constructs that define the range between masculinity and femininity. How rigid is your character’s gender roles? Does your character agree with their assigned gender at birth? If not, does this affect how they perceive their body (i.e. do they suffer from dysphoria)? How do they present their gender? Is this presentation important to them, or could they not care less?
Platonic relationships are no less intimate than romantic relationships. How does your muse feel about their platonic relationships? Do they have many friends, or just a few? Do they make friends easily? Talk about some of the platonic relationships your character has had that are important to them. How did these relationships develop and how do they define your muse?
Love languages are loose definitions of how we express and reciprocate love, both platonic and romantic. How does your character prefer to express that they love someone? Do they use their words, time, gifts, service, or touch? How does your character prefer to receive affirmations of love?
Style is one way a person can express themselves. What unique ways does your character use to say something about who they are? Is their appearance important to them? If it is important, is it something they do for the benefit of others or themselves? Why is this? If it is not important, why do they not care? How else do they express their style? Be it through music, art, vehicles, home, or other means? Do they have any particular tastes?
Parenthood is a significant event in many people’s lives. Does your character have any children? Be they biological or adopted. If so, talk about them and your character’s relationship to them. Is this relationship healthy and good, or broken? Does your character want anymore children? How do they hope their relationship will change with their children as they grow? If your character doesn’t have kids, do they want any? If they don’t, discuss their feelings on the matter. If they do, talk about their reasons and their plans.
Most people have jobs, or will end up with one, at some point. Talk about your character’s job, or their aspirations for one. Are they working in a role that they like, or are they doing it for the ‘money?’ How did they have to train to get this job? Is this a career for them or something they’re doing just to get by? Or if they are in training, what are their hopes for their future job? If they don’t have a job, do they want one? If your character is too young to have a job, talk about their plans for the future. Is their dream clear to them or do they not know what they want to do? Do they feel nervous or excited about it?
Home is where the heart is, or so they say. Talk about where your character grew-up, was it just one place or many places? Was their home(s) somewhere that they remember fondly, or is it just bitter memories? How has their home changed as they aged? Does your character have a strong sense of home, a place where they ‘live,’ or are they more transient? Are their any people who they associate with their home? Does your character want to have a home, or are they happy living on the road?
Not all relationships are healthy, or are even good for us. Has your character ever had any unhealthy, toxic, or abusive relationships? How did your character know the other person in the relationship? If and when did your character realize that this relationship was unhealthy? Was the toxicity mutual, or one-sided? What sort of behaviors, from one, or both parties, defined this unhealthy relationship? Has your character been able to move on from this relationship, or are they still ‘stuck’ in it? If they are past the relationship —or writing from a perspective where they are past it— talk about how your character reflects on it. Is there regret? A sense of satisfaction? Or have they not allowed it to affect them? Could they or would they make amends, if possible?
Write your own! Dig into my muse and ask them the hard questions!