(( non je ne regrette rien ))

[downplaying]

THE CHARACTER SURVEY OF DOOM

Body and Appearance

1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Claude isn’t the tallest of men – although neither is he the shortest – and he is relatively sturdy, with a wide chest and broad shoulders. Although he, in many ways, lives up to the stereotypes of a somewhat effeminate gay man, it is not in appearances that this is the case. Rather, he could easily be mistaken for a ladies’ man in looks and his effortless dealings with women lend themselves to this impression as well.

2. How old is he?
He is born 13.02.1965.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
He has a good posture and carries himself well when in motion – though with age, his shoulders lose some of their straightness.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
He’s in excellent health without any conditions or disabilities, although he doesn’t make any conscious efforts to maintain it. He doesn’t work out on a regular basis, except for a daily walk with his cats, and he enjoys food as much as any other Frenchman, but remains fit as his metabolism is high and burns the calories as quickly as he can get them in his system.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Claude’s movements are always carried out with a certain patience and fluidity. He moves in accordance with his personality, so he’s generally languid and soft to watch, rarely hurried or angry.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
Claude is attractive for a man his age and has always been considered good-looking by others. It isn’t something he ascribes any great importance himself and he doesn’t as such take pride in his looks, though he does make efforts to uphold his neat and appealing image. On the other hand, Claude is very aesthetically minded and appreciates beauty in others.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
His complexion is surprisingly light, for a Frenchman, but clear and unscarred.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
Claude sports a classical man-bob, his hair brown and the texture slightly coarse from many years spent in the African sun.

9. What color are his eyes?
Brown with grey streaks.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
The cheekbones, my love. Do note the cheekbones.

11. What are his chief tension centers?
When Claude gets stressed, his back tenses up. It’s never worse than a good massage from Vincent cures it, but it does tend to enforce a temporary halt in his work.

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?
Claude prefers to dress casually, in old t-shirts and sweaters with matching jeans, if not sweatpants and since he’s working from home, he has the freedom to do so, unless he’s out doing interviews or with Vincent to some social event, in which case he can just as easily wear suits and other more formal clothes.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
His casual clothes are often quite old, speaking 5 to 10 plus years here, and are as such a bit loose on him, but all new clothes that he himself buys or that Vincent buys for him fit like a glove. Despite his preferences, he’s comfortable in whatever he wears, be it his own casual wardrobe or a tux from Lacoste.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
As a biographer, it is important that Claude gives off an air of confidence and professionalism – and he dresses with this in mind, when he’s out interviewing or in other ways collecting data. It’s rarely a suit that he shows up in, since he also needs to inspire a certain degree of intimacy, but it’s nice clothes nonetheless and definitely not the used t-shirt and washed jeans he’d wear at home.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Briefs. Preferably stark pink, for the humour of it all.



Speech

1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Claude’s voice is relatively deep, a tenor rather than a baritone, and pleasantly soft.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Gently and evenly, without many pauses or other shows of hesitation.

3. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
French, fluently. English, relatively fluently. Wolof, enough to hold an everyday conversation.

4. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Working as a correspondent in the French-speaking parts of West Africa, he generally doesn’t have to switch languages often, although his Wolof does come in handy when he’s in Senegal and the surrounding countries. His English comes into use when he needs to get in contact with the international news offices and bureaus as well as when he’s interviewing non-French people.

5. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
While he doesn’t have to think about his words, he generally does anyway. The best way to describe him is as a careful speaker, since he considers the impact and consequences of what he says carefully before saying anything. However, as a journalist, he also needs to be good at impromptu conversation and he doesn’t fail in this regard either.

6. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Claude is eloquent in pretty much all situations, something that rarely changes. He knows how to use as well as manipulate words – and makes use of this skill both on a professional and on a personal level.



Mental and Emotional

1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Claude is (after almost a decade of university education) mainly book-smart, but almost as much time spent on the streets of Abidjan, Dakar and other West African hubs ensures that he stays grounded even so. He’s theoretically minded in general, both in his work and in his private life, but has no problems carrying his theories out in practice.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
Again, he doesn’t need time to deliberate, he takes the time to deliberate and it’s very rarely something that slows him down under any circumstances. However, he can think on his feet, too, especially when feeling playful or making jokes.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Intuitive and idealistic. Claude harbours a great amount of empathy and has a good feeling for how other people respond, always taking care to show respect and understanding for the emotions and opinions of others, even when he doesn’t understand or when completely disagrees. Besides that, Claude is an idealist – he is a (quiet) advocate of human and gay rights, is very insistent on journalism ethics and other similar guidelines that enforces ethics on the public.

4. What kind of education has the character had?
He has finished Lycée, taking le bac littéraire and went on to study for first a bachelor, then a master and lastly a PhD degree in journalism.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
His field of expertise is biographical journalism, the subject of his PhD thesis and what he would personally prefer to work with, although he doesn’t get to focus on writing biographies until after he goes freelance.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
Extrovert.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Claude is even-tempered and pleasant, but still very driven in his work – even if his wardrobe might lead you to think otherwise. He’s never out of balance emotionally and doesn’t succumb to mood swings of any kind. Although he’s a jovial person by nature, his default facial expression isn’t smiling, though he does smile more often around Vincent.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
As a journalist, Claude is always curious about other people in interested in hearing the stories they might have to tell. When he encounters people that he finds interesting, he is overtaken by a certain sense of enthusiasm, whether he is writing their story or not. Besides his curiosity and enthusiasm, he’s pretty relaxed in the company of others and never shows signs of discomfort.

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

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Fight.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
As a rule, Claude’s humour is somewhat understated, save the occasional sex joke. He likes making Vincent flustered and finds his brusque mannerisms amusing. Due to his work being based on the written word, he also likes to make puns and this is his most overt show of wit.

12. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
When his first boyfriend, Gilbert, died of AIDS when Claude was 18 – making him leave France and travel to the Ivory Coast to live in Abidjan with his dad whom he’d otherwise not seen in ten years. It would be the beginning of a long and loving relationship between Claude and West Africa, the part of the world that he would always think of first as his home. Also later, when he first met Vincent at age 44, at a journalism course arranged for by his workplace at the time, Luxembourg Daily. This would be the beginning of a partnership that lasted the rest of his life and what he himself would describe as the best relationship of his life.

13. What does he fear?
Having his first serious relationship end the way it did, Claude nurses a secret fear of watching another lover die from terminal illness – something that becomes especially prominent after his relationship to Vincent becomes increasingly more committed. Claude would much rather prefer being the first to go, himself.

14. What are his hopes or aspirations?
Since writing the book Did You Hear, Monsieur Cazal? and interviewing the owner of the most prominent gay club in Abidjan in relation to it, Claude has been very committed to promoting gay rights in West Africa and often works on a voluntary basis for Amnesty International’s contacts in the region. His dream is to see Africa become a safe place for gay men and women. On a more general level, he strives to always portray the truth as objectively as possible in his work, letting the stories speak for themselves and on their own terms.



Relationships

1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
Claude grew up as the youngest child and only son of Laurent and Nanette Bérubé (maiden name, Féret). When Claude was 8, Laurent abandoned his family to travel to the Ivory Coast with an Ivorian woman and his mother raised her three children on her own from then on. As a young child, Claude was a mama’s boy, but after he came out to her, their relationship cooled somewhat, even after she began accepting the fact that he was gay. From he was 8 till he was 18, Claude’s only contact with his father was by letter, but when he had finished his bac, he bought a one-way ticket to the Ivory Coast and came to stay at his dad’s and his new wife’s place in Abidjan. Although he never fully forgave his father for leaving them the way he had, they did develop a warmer relation and his father helped him create a lot of different contacts in the political milieu that would later be beneficial to him as a journalist.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
Two older sisters, Catherine (5 years older than him) and Céline (2 years older than him). Catherine is a painter, specialising in abstract art and Céline is a former stage actress now director. He has a very close-knit relationship to both his sisters, having grown up without a father and the two sisters continue to dote on him, even as he reaches his 40s and 50s. When he moves in with Vincent, they are ecstatic to see him in an established relationship and completely adore Vincent, although he doesn’t like them much.

3. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
When he went to university in Dakar, he met the indigenous Didier, a poet who was collecting material for a new anthology, and the two started an affair which lasted until Claude finished his master degree. After Claude left Senegal, they have kept in touch and remain close friends.

4. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
Claude makes friends easily, being a jovial and pleasant person most of the time.

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

6. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Claude is in a registered partnership with Vincent Fortesque. It’s the first time he’s taken a relationship so far as to marry the other person, though he has once – in Dakar with Didier – lived with another man.

7. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
When Claude was 17, he met the openly gay Gilbert Tremblay through some school friends and the two immediately formed an attraction. The first time they were about to have sex, Gilbert had to admit to being a HIV carrier and all sexual conduct had to be performed with the use of condoms, to prevent Claude from being exposed to infection. No more than a year later, Gilbert’s immune system could no longer fight the disease and he died at an age of 20, leaving Claude completely devastated. His latest crush is Vincent whom he continues to be attracted to, every single day of their lives together.

8. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Honesty. Intelligence. Good looks. All Claude’s romantic partners, however different they may otherwise have been, have shared these traits in one form or other.

9. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
No, Claude and Vincent doesn’t have any children, but Claude – if certain legislations hadn’t been in place to prevent it – wouldn’t have minded adopting an African child. He thinks of himself as being good father material and knows he would have been willing to make the sacrifices it would require in regards to his work, in order to meet the child’s need first.

10. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
Completely and utterly gay.

11. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
Like any normal man, Claude likes sex, but it isn’t in itself overly important to him and he doesn’t have a crazy sex drive that requires constant maintenance. He likes to have sex with one, established partner and doesn’t do one-night stands as a rule, but on those terms, sex is something he enjoys very much and he can easily manage to have sex once-twice a day, if the mood strikes him.

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



Beliefs

1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
In Western astrology, Claude is an Aquarius. As such, he should be reluctant to share his innermost emotions which is true to some degree, live in his own realm which is also true to some degree and finally flourish amongst others of his kind which is definitely true. In Chinese astrology, Claude is a Wood Snake – the Snake being perceived as intelligent, but unscrupulous, the latter something Claude definitely is not. The Wood aspect of the sign fits him very well, however, as he is a warm person. Generous and idealistic.

2. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
Professionally, Claude adheres to the given journalism ethics of the country in which he’s working – as he is bound to do. These ethics are ones that he would never compromise, unless forced by others or by human mistake. On a more personal level, Claude believes in honesty and loyalty – something which extends to his relationships as well, where he expects faithfulness from his romantic partners. With Vincent, knowing his history and respecting his autonomy as a person, however, he is willing to make one exception when Vincent one night comes home, reeking of sex with someone else.

3. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
As a person, Claude always strives to respect the opinions and views of others and if not respect them, then show respect for them. As such he is a pretty tolerant individual who likes to take an approach of curiosity towards his surroundings and their experiences.



Daily Life

1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Claude makes a very good salary, first as a journalist and later as a full-time biographer. He isn’t filthy rich, but he’s definitely comfortable and although he likes simple living, he never denies himself anything.

2. 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?
Living in a house with Vincent, Claude regards his home as his safe haven and the centre of his world. He works from home most of the time and therefore, the boundaries between private and professional life have been blurred a bit for him. Everything in their home is stylish and clean, since they both take an interest in interior design and the general state of their surroundings.

3. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
Travels. Although he’s no longer an African correspondent, Claude still loves to travel in West Africa and goes to Senegal at least once a year for a couple of weeks.

4. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?
Claude used to be a journalist and correspondent, but has now gone freelance to focus on writing biographies. He loved his job as a journalist, but loves his job as a biographer even more. The kind of storytelling required to write a good biography is everything he believes good journalism should be and he takes great pride in his craft and talent, since he’s also rather good at it – several prominent people, women especially, choosing him to write their life stories.

5. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
Claude reads a lot of French poetry, especially contemporary, but also classic. When he’s off work, he spends his time keeping the house clean, walking the cats or reading/writing.

6. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Food is one of Claude’s guilty pleasures and he especially loves French cuisine, both in its rustic and fancy form. He eats five times a day, makes certain to eat a lot of fruit in between meals, but otherwise doesn’t do much to eat healthy. He doesn’t particularly care about wine, but drinks it to food since the two kind of go together. However, he much prefers beer.



Associations

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

1. Color? Purple.
2. Smell? Lacoste Pour Homme.
3. Time of day? Evening.
4. Season? Autumn.
5. Book? Biographies.
6. Music? Edith Piaf.
7. Place? Dakar.
8. Substance? Velvet.
9. Plant? Chamomile.
10. Animal? Siamese cat.