Thane Krios (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
spacecancer) wrote2020-01-03 09:12 pm
spacecancer) wrote2020-01-03 09:12 pm
ooc: other
For when I want to ramble but not actually subject people to tags sob
Kepral's Syndrome
General Headcanon
Things that have come up in game, and just brainstorming in general.
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
He's tall, an inch or two shorter than Shepard, but slighter. He's all muscle/well-built though, and the drell are denser than humans are-- 'wiry strength,' as the game puts it. Still, not huge like Vega or Shep, even if he probably weighs about the same.
2. How old is he?
39 galactic years whatever that means.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
When he sits he's pretty relaxed, but he stands straight. His posture is superb for anything beyond the most casual situations.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Fit. He spends a lot of his time taking care of his body, making sure it's in top shape for his job. On the other hand, he's got Kepral's Syndrome; a noncommunicable, terminal disease that degrades his ability to take in oxygen. It will eventually degrade his cardiovascular system into nothingness.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Thane controls his body to a t; he knows exactly how it moves and when to do so. His reflexes have literally been trained to kill people, and he's so used to how it functions that everything works with extreme fluidity. When he fights, it's 'power and grace in constant motion.' In everyday motion, Thane moves lightly and with purpose-- even his hand motions are sort of delicate when he speaks.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
De...pends. Some people find his appearance kind of off-putting because. Space lizard. Some find it exotic (oocly, I think the drell look badass as hell). He was purposely designed to be attractive, so it's safe to say that he's handsome by drell standards. As for his thoughts, he's an indifferent judge, but he keeps up his appearance because he has pride in his job. No use showing up looking sloppy, in any respect.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
green
But seriously, he has really tiny scales. They're mostly shades of earthy greens, and tend to be glossy whereas the turians are matte. And I mean, if the drell shed, then I guess they don't have scars? I dunno how it actually works.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
uh
9. What color are his eyes?
They look pitch black, but he does have irises, which are a forest green-ish color.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
His middle and ring fingers are webbed together. The other most obviously reptilian feature is the red neck fringe, and the crested design of his facial features. He also has two sets of eyelids (one 'regular,' one inner set that closes sideways) and tear ducts.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
god i don't know shit about this. 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?
He wears three outfits, all of which are some variation of a stylized trenchcoat and pants. He prefers dark colors and clothes that fit well to keep them out of the way. Accessories are generally limited to a necklace, or if he's wearing a jacket that doesn't expose his chest/back, earrings. The drell also really like popped collars.
Fun fact, one of Thane's outfits is dark red which is hilarious given he has trouble seeing that end of the spectrum. He also owns a pair of douchebag sunglasses.
sorry i just find his clothes really funny (but cool!!)
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
They do fit him well, again, to keep them out of the way. I think he just wears whatever makes him look classy enough to actually seem like a professional and not some random mercenary, but dark enough that it's easy to hide with them on.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
No differences because game engine whatever
Realistically, I think he's on the job always, so he likely dresses the same.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
he's an alien i'm going to skip this
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Deep. Filtered like it's been run through gravel and gasoline.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
He speaks quietly, without violent inflections. It's not a monotone so much as just smooth and even. He can hesitate, but it's extremely hard to get him that flustered in usual conversation. He pauses instead of stuttering.
The one exception to this is someone asks about his past, or personal feelings. Then he actually gets pretty awkward and evasive. As Shepard says, he's open to talking and answering questions, but rarely divulges anything about himself.
When he's being solipsistic, he talks in bizarre meter and very quickly.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
There are a few words that don't directly translate into 'English,' and he has a permanent gravelly sort of undertone to his speech. But no accent.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Presumably whatever the drell/hanar speak, fluently.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
When he quotes scripture or prays, translators tend to screw up and not catch everything he says, particularly proper nouns.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
He can polite-talk his way out of trouble, or interrogate people as necessary. And I'm sure he has a load of experience lying in a general sense. However, he's generally a quiet man, preferring to let someone else do the talking if they can or avoiding the need completely.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
He's noticeably eloquent. He's not quick to start conversations, but when carrying them on he tends to go for more poetic words and speaks without any problems. The only times he seems to be at a loss are when he has to be open about personal matters, which he is expressly mediocre at. He hesitates a lot, and becomes much vaguer.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
I don't doubt that the hanar gave him some level of education, and he's well-read. But besides the whole drell-memorize-everything-instantly deal, he's not a genius. He does, however, have a great deal of experience working with dubious people. So I'd say he's definitely more towards the street-smart/common sense end of the spectrum.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
Ideally, he prefers being able to plan. Execute only after carefully deciding on the most effective methods-- in this, Thane is incredibly patient. He'll take however long he needs to take to make sure everything goes perfectly, with as little risk as possible.
The more time he spends with Shepard, the more he finds this won't really work in a team environment. He has little issue improvising on the field, but prefers to let someone else come up with the main plan of attack.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
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?
Introverted. Being around too many people is hectic and stressful, and he spends a great deal of his time alone or with very small groups. He's definitely a lone wolf and has functioned as such for the vast majority of his life.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Depending on the situation and the person, he tends to be either serene or sort of distant, with an often melancholy edge. But even then, it's not that much of a difference: he's just not one for strong reactions ever. You could literally execute a man in front of him and he'd barely bat an eye. In that same vein he tends to seem sort of passive, preferring to follow rather than lead-- except when he has some kind of goal. Then, for better or worse, he's damn devoted and driven.
It's worth mentioning how he acts when he DOES manage to get angry. When legitimately insulted, he'll be sharp and irritated, but quick to recover. When emotionally frazzled, he usually closes himself off and gets either evasive or cold. If he feels comfortable enough with a person to actually talk about what's bothering him (aka basically never), it's a rare situation where he'll display rather dramatic flares of emotion. And if he's mad enough, he'll just shut himself away entirely. An enraged Thane is a bitter, depressing man with an obsessive drive for keeping his mind on the mission, whatever that may be. In the past, he wasn't above getting revenge, though at this age he'll think twice before doing so.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
He's typically polite (which sometimes loops around all the way to frigid), but on-guard. He's got a lot of built-in paranoia with being an assassin, so he's never super jovial or open with new people.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
React. He's spent stretches of his life sort of just going along with the flow of things; lately he's actively tried to do good, but he's still not incredibly self-motivated by nature.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Unaffected by toilet humor and crudeness, will enjoy cleverness of most kinds even if he doesn't outright laugh. Not a great target for pranks because he'll just shrug it off.
His own delivery is subtle, as he's not really one for obvious sarcasm or witticisms. A lot of times it's faux-politeness, or self-deprication.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
Nope!
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
14. What does he fear?
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
His parents gave him up when he was six, and he was raised by the hanar. So I doubt he was very close to them; maybe the occasional call home, a visit every once in a while. But they were proud of him, and he would have loved them regardless of how little they actually interacted.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
He mentions that Kolyat has aunts and uncles, so he might! I think it'd largely be like any relationship he had with his parents: not really personal, but still affectionate. He does try to keep his family well-protected from his occupation, so he probably doesn't interact with them much. Maybe a mutually nice, but fairly meaningless connection.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
He definitely kept channels up with his relatives while he was in the Compact, and really does like most of them. He probably just did the same thing he did with Irikah-- slowly drifted apart.
By ME3 he does have a close relationship with his son; I'd like to think that he got in touch with his other family and finally let them know what was going on with his illness.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Well, there's his wife? And some hanar, who are very dear friends of his. I'm sure there were one or two that looked down on him, but some would end up sharing their soul names, and they would end up being his closest companions for many years.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Before, it was Irikah, who got in the way of one of his targets. Now, definitely Shepard, who he met en route to Nassana.
aka he doesn't get out much
6. Does he have other close friends?
Not really :c He mentions that the hanar were friends, and that he spoke with his family, but he's pretty out of touch with both.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
lol
Shepard's the first friend he's made in a decade. It's not that he's abrasive, or doesn't get along with others; he's actually fairly easy to get along with. But actually getting close to? Much, much more difficult. He mentions that Shepard is the first friend he's made in a decade, but I think he has potential to open up to others; it just takes some prodding and patience.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Family comes first, but his close friends basically become that close to him. It doesn't matter if they're blood-related or not. He'll do anything he can, for anyone he cares about.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Married once to another drell named Irikah, now a widower. He can be romanced by female Shepard, but he's not involved with anyone in any of these games.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
He basically fell in love with Irikah at first sight, and never really even gave a glance at anyone before that. He will under almost every circumstance in the games develop a crush on Shepard, but is far more reserved about it than he was with his feelings towards his late wife.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
He's drawn to people who are selfless and courageous (even when reckless, like Irikah was); fiery, vivid people with bright personalities. He can get along fine with people more coldblooded and self-absorbed, but doesn't find himself romantically attracted to them. Basically, he's looking for his polar opposite: someone who can love, forgive, and keep him grounded.
As for physical traits, it's hard to say because Shepard is the only measure we have to go by and she can literally look like anything :|a So he's attracted to... humanoids.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
He has a son named Kolyat. Their relationship was more than a little strained since Thane was a deadbeat dad, but he genuinely loves his son in his own way. All his money and work ultimately goes to Kolyat, who he views as the one good thing he ever added to the world. He's just an awful father on any sort of personal level, though the two of them do eventually resolve the tension and work through their issues.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
Not really. Jacob doesn't like him much, but they're both too reasonable to have anything actually come of it. Him doing his job is never personal, and he's slow to actually hate anyone.
However, he appreciates friendly competition and I imagine he has one going with Shepard most of the time.
Oh, I guess there's the Collectors if you count them. And uh, Kai Leng I guess.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
0 or 1 at most.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
Krios means Aries so uh. THAT SEEMS KIND OF A COP-OUT so I'm going to say Pisces, which is a close sign and also continues his oceans metaphor. Headcanoning that March 16 as his birthday. In which case he actually does fit the conflicting, sensitive Pisces stereotypes.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
oh lordy
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?
It's complicated. He doesn't view his job as morally 'bad,' but does find killing/hurting innocent people reprehensible. Even if he has, in fact, ended innocent lives before. Outside of his job, he is really quite moral.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
If anything good can be said about Thane, it's that he's tremendously tolerant. He's actively curious and interested in other cultures and drell in general excel at integrating into and absorbing new environments. A good example is that Thane doesn't really care about the synthetic/organic divide, finding AIs more intriguing than scary.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Very few. While the drell philosophies are morally grey, they also allow for very few prejudices; he doesn't judge people by their bodies or even as a sum of their actions. It's intent and personality that he's most focused on. Given how he's used to people not understanding his religious or moral stances (and the Compact), he tries to stay openminded about everyone else's, and is quite civil even when he disagrees.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
I'd imagine he lives frugally, but charges a ton because well. He can afford to. I think he's wired most all of his money to his family, but could live more than comfortably if he wanted to.
Which he doesn't, really.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
While he was in the Compact, I'd guess he had a pretty decent social standing as it was considered a great honor. For being as talented as he was, I'd think both the drell and the hanar would've held him in fairly high regards. Now? He's probably still liked well enough, but no one really wants to associate themselves with a freelance assassin. Some might even be a little miffed with how he chose to use his gifts, as the codex puts it that the drell can be almost fanatical in the Compact.
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?
If he has a job he needs to buckle down for, he'll rent out a room in as nondescript a location as possible. And set up to move as soon as it stops being suspicious. He has a nice home on Kahje that he's given to his/Irikah's siblings for Kolyat to inherit should he ever return, but he finds it has too many difficult memories associated with it to be entirely comfortable.
He never shares a room, and sets up the furniture so he can observe all entrances from where he sleeps (which is usually a chair, not the bed). Only real requirements otherwise are that it's warm, and dry!
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
Weapons. Seriously all his room has are neatly arranged guns and a coffee mug.
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?
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?
The drell are omnivorous, but there's not a whole lot known past that. I'm going to say that they don't need to eat as frequently as humans do, biotic or not, and they're not dextro. Thane doesn't stop to eat much, and is far from gluttonous, but does appreciate his meals; I imagine that after Rakhana, drell culture is probably adverse to waste. He prefers dishes that are simply prepared and avoids overwhelming, or unnatural flavors.
As for drinking, he's maybe done it enough times to count on one hand. Like, on his wedding night. While most people enjoy relaxing and losing themselves, he's rarely ever in company that he totally trusts, and dislikes not having complete control over his body, or information he might share about himself.
After writing that I realize he really should get drunk at some point, because god does he need it.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
(very quick associations, mostly!)
1. Color? gold/green
2. Smell? cinnamon and cloves
3. Time of day? sunset (hurr)
4. Season? summer
5. Book? Leviathan
6. Music? classical (percussion-based)
7. Place? overcast beaches
8. Substance? dust
9. Plant? hyacinths or orchids
10. Animal? lizards....
wow these are really uninspired i'll try again later
END
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Kepral's Syndrome
When you recruit him, he (supposedly) has 8-12 months left. For simplicity's sake, I'm going to assume the Cerberus News (which ran Feb-Dec) kind of kept up with the game and say it was (10) months long, and that the second group of squadmates was recruited about (4) months in. It takes (6) months for the Reapers to show up after Arrival, and by then we've got his ME3 appearance.
So there's (6) months of limbo, after (6) months of canon activity. This (barely) lines up with his whole thing about how he's living past his expiration date-- still, by (12) months he should be taken down several notches. He'll want daily medical attention and some minor physical therapy.
Gargleblasted
He has Mordin and pretty awesome space future facilities around, so life is good! Being from immediately after ME2, he definitely has the full half-year, if not a little longer since Kai Leng doesn't exist (going to say 9-10 months). Need to gradually make his condition worse, but I'm going to say he should be good to fight Purists for 6-7 months. He'll probably try to stay active for longer, though by then I'm sure he'll be noticeably worse at everything.
Once he bites it, the game revives characters with their terminal condition fixed. Maybe prototype synthetic organs (to explain why he didn't just get a transplant earlier)? And that way I can keep him at like 40% of his original, healthy lung capacity AKA where he was at for ME2 AKA I don't need to suddenly make him stronger.
There's also the possibility of me just killing him off early :|a
Abax
There's the complication that the living conditions are ass and that there's limited medication. So that 9-10 I mentioned will probably be cut short to 5-6. I know this is realististically way too generous given that he's only alive by the end because he's totally hospitalized. I just need the time to settle, both OOCly and ICly; let's chalk it up to him being one stubborn mofo (which is true!). His symptoms would definitely be worse here to make up for it. Since he refused to be added to the organ recipient list in-game, I think it's safe to say he'll be using minimal medicine if he thinks other people need it more. As of a recent item drop though, he's got some antibiotics! So now I'm going to bump up his survival to 7-8 months.
When he revives, he'll be brought back in the condition he entered Abax with [mod response]. But I could also freeze his condition, since time is stopped in the city. I don't mind the prospect of the disease killing him every several months, but it might lose its meaning if I ham it up for the sake of drama so often. At the same time, it's Thane's core conflict; in GB this is offset by the fact that Kolyat's around and that there's actually an enemy that can be fought. Still haven't figured out exactly what direction to take this, but he should start showing some symptoms soon-ish.
Also, why doesn't he just kill himself to reset the damn thing? In the end, Thane doesn't want to die anymore; he actually has something to live for. He doesn't like having to trust Abax to bring him back, and he doesn't want to risk coming back at the apex of his illness or something ridiculous since there's no real precedent here. There's been a few people that haven't come back, and he would rather try his best to live than somehow risk not being able to go back and see his son again, or not end up in the afterlife he thinks exists.
Symptoms
From what he tells us and what we see:
- Gradual loss of oxygen uptake as 'hemoglobin' degrades
- Which leads to organ failure (but lungs will usually shut down before the rest fully have a chance to)
- Reduced cardiovascular stamina (obviously)
- Dizziness/Lightheadedness
- Numbness of the extremeties
- Pain that ranges from something falling asleep (that pins and needles feeling) to really awful
- Coughing/Trouble breathing
- Thane can't exactly see how much it affects his brain, but does mention it. Maybe just some minor fuzziness in memory, or lapses of disorientation.
Not a symptom, but something important to consider: any significant blood loss will be not good. Very not good in Abax's case since he's the only drell. Chakwas' notes mention that he'll struggle to recover from injuries, and they'll just generally set him back. Plus, he already doesn't get enough oxygen-- losing blood is kind of counterproductive!
Note to self: try to be subtle. He dislikes people (barring Shepard, because they're friends) knowing that he's physically vulnerable. Assassin's paranoia and all.
General Headcanon
Things that have come up in game, and just brainstorming in general.
- He's not as elusive as Kasumi-- he has to balance staying out of the spotlight, and having enough of a reputation that he gets jobs. In Abax, it's been headcanoned that because he was active on the Citadel, he's kept up with the Spectre roster to avoid them, and therefore recognized Nihlus. Who also recognized him, given that Thane's far from an unknown in the criminal underground.
- Since he's worked on Illium for a good while, he's heard of Liara.
- Given that Irikah had an Enkindler funeral ceremony, I doubt she shared Thane's religious beliefs.
- From what we hear about her, I honestly can't see why she'd let him continue killing people. I think Thane was a horrible mix of selfish and desperate so he just didn't tell her; after all, she was the first person he'd ever loved. He did want to support her in the only way he knew how, but he probably should've just let her go.
- 'She was a vivid person.' I think we can build an image of Irikah around Thane's description, and Shepard/Kolyat's personalities. Kolyat is snarky, quick to anger, and has much more powerful reactions to everything than Thane does, which I'm guessing he got from his mom. She probably had some traits similar to Shepard in that she was stubborn and strong-willed, a fiery person with a charisma that drew more reserved people.
I think it's clear that Irikah was a strong person-- she rose a child basically on her own, and would throw herself in the path of a bullet for a complete and utter stranger. And then she would forgive the shooter. I imagine that she was ridiculously honest her emotions, from anger to love. She wanted to show Thane a life beyond what the hanar had for him, but there was probably tension between the two from their vastly different views on his job. In the end, she was flawed, but it's hard to look past what a fucking saint she must've been for putting up with him.
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
He's tall, an inch or two shorter than Shepard, but slighter. He's all muscle/well-built though, and the drell are denser than humans are-- 'wiry strength,' as the game puts it. Still, not huge like Vega or Shep, even if he probably weighs about the same.
2. How old is he?
39 galactic years whatever that means.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
When he sits he's pretty relaxed, but he stands straight. His posture is superb for anything beyond the most casual situations.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Fit. He spends a lot of his time taking care of his body, making sure it's in top shape for his job. On the other hand, he's got Kepral's Syndrome; a noncommunicable, terminal disease that degrades his ability to take in oxygen. It will eventually degrade his cardiovascular system into nothingness.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Thane controls his body to a t; he knows exactly how it moves and when to do so. His reflexes have literally been trained to kill people, and he's so used to how it functions that everything works with extreme fluidity. When he fights, it's 'power and grace in constant motion.' In everyday motion, Thane moves lightly and with purpose-- even his hand motions are sort of delicate when he speaks.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
De...pends. Some people find his appearance kind of off-putting because. Space lizard. Some find it exotic (oocly, I think the drell look badass as hell). He was purposely designed to be attractive, so it's safe to say that he's handsome by drell standards. As for his thoughts, he's an indifferent judge, but he keeps up his appearance because he has pride in his job. No use showing up looking sloppy, in any respect.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
green
But seriously, he has really tiny scales. They're mostly shades of earthy greens, and tend to be glossy whereas the turians are matte. And I mean, if the drell shed, then I guess they don't have scars? I dunno how it actually works.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
uh
9. What color are his eyes?
They look pitch black, but he does have irises, which are a forest green-ish color.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
His middle and ring fingers are webbed together. The other most obviously reptilian feature is the red neck fringe, and the crested design of his facial features. He also has two sets of eyelids (one 'regular,' one inner set that closes sideways) and tear ducts.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
god i don't know shit about this. 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?
He wears three outfits, all of which are some variation of a stylized trenchcoat and pants. He prefers dark colors and clothes that fit well to keep them out of the way. Accessories are generally limited to a necklace, or if he's wearing a jacket that doesn't expose his chest/back, earrings. The drell also really like popped collars.
Fun fact, one of Thane's outfits is dark red which is hilarious given he has trouble seeing that end of the spectrum. He also owns a pair of douchebag sunglasses.
sorry i just find his clothes really funny (but cool!!)
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
They do fit him well, again, to keep them out of the way. I think he just wears whatever makes him look classy enough to actually seem like a professional and not some random mercenary, but dark enough that it's easy to hide with them on.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
No differences because game engine whatever
Realistically, I think he's on the job always, so he likely dresses the same.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
he's an alien i'm going to skip this
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Deep. Filtered like it's been run through gravel and gasoline.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
He speaks quietly, without violent inflections. It's not a monotone so much as just smooth and even. He can hesitate, but it's extremely hard to get him that flustered in usual conversation. He pauses instead of stuttering.
The one exception to this is someone asks about his past, or personal feelings. Then he actually gets pretty awkward and evasive. As Shepard says, he's open to talking and answering questions, but rarely divulges anything about himself.
When he's being solipsistic, he talks in bizarre meter and very quickly.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
There are a few words that don't directly translate into 'English,' and he has a permanent gravelly sort of undertone to his speech. But no accent.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Presumably whatever the drell/hanar speak, fluently.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
When he quotes scripture or prays, translators tend to screw up and not catch everything he says, particularly proper nouns.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
He can polite-talk his way out of trouble, or interrogate people as necessary. And I'm sure he has a load of experience lying in a general sense. However, he's generally a quiet man, preferring to let someone else do the talking if they can or avoiding the need completely.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
He's noticeably eloquent. He's not quick to start conversations, but when carrying them on he tends to go for more poetic words and speaks without any problems. The only times he seems to be at a loss are when he has to be open about personal matters, which he is expressly mediocre at. He hesitates a lot, and becomes much vaguer.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
I don't doubt that the hanar gave him some level of education, and he's well-read. But besides the whole drell-memorize-everything-instantly deal, he's not a genius. He does, however, have a great deal of experience working with dubious people. So I'd say he's definitely more towards the street-smart/common sense end of the spectrum.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
Ideally, he prefers being able to plan. Execute only after carefully deciding on the most effective methods-- in this, Thane is incredibly patient. He'll take however long he needs to take to make sure everything goes perfectly, with as little risk as possible.
The more time he spends with Shepard, the more he finds this won't really work in a team environment. He has little issue improvising on the field, but prefers to let someone else come up with the main plan of attack.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
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?
Introverted. Being around too many people is hectic and stressful, and he spends a great deal of his time alone or with very small groups. He's definitely a lone wolf and has functioned as such for the vast majority of his life.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Depending on the situation and the person, he tends to be either serene or sort of distant, with an often melancholy edge. But even then, it's not that much of a difference: he's just not one for strong reactions ever. You could literally execute a man in front of him and he'd barely bat an eye. In that same vein he tends to seem sort of passive, preferring to follow rather than lead-- except when he has some kind of goal. Then, for better or worse, he's damn devoted and driven.
It's worth mentioning how he acts when he DOES manage to get angry. When legitimately insulted, he'll be sharp and irritated, but quick to recover. When emotionally frazzled, he usually closes himself off and gets either evasive or cold. If he feels comfortable enough with a person to actually talk about what's bothering him (aka basically never), it's a rare situation where he'll display rather dramatic flares of emotion. And if he's mad enough, he'll just shut himself away entirely. An enraged Thane is a bitter, depressing man with an obsessive drive for keeping his mind on the mission, whatever that may be. In the past, he wasn't above getting revenge, though at this age he'll think twice before doing so.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
He's typically polite (which sometimes loops around all the way to frigid), but on-guard. He's got a lot of built-in paranoia with being an assassin, so he's never super jovial or open with new people.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
React. He's spent stretches of his life sort of just going along with the flow of things; lately he's actively tried to do good, but he's still not incredibly self-motivated by nature.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Unaffected by toilet humor and crudeness, will enjoy cleverness of most kinds even if he doesn't outright laugh. Not a great target for pranks because he'll just shrug it off.
His own delivery is subtle, as he's not really one for obvious sarcasm or witticisms. A lot of times it's faux-politeness, or self-deprication.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
Nope!
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
14. What does he fear?
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
His parents gave him up when he was six, and he was raised by the hanar. So I doubt he was very close to them; maybe the occasional call home, a visit every once in a while. But they were proud of him, and he would have loved them regardless of how little they actually interacted.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
He mentions that Kolyat has aunts and uncles, so he might! I think it'd largely be like any relationship he had with his parents: not really personal, but still affectionate. He does try to keep his family well-protected from his occupation, so he probably doesn't interact with them much. Maybe a mutually nice, but fairly meaningless connection.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
He definitely kept channels up with his relatives while he was in the Compact, and really does like most of them. He probably just did the same thing he did with Irikah-- slowly drifted apart.
By ME3 he does have a close relationship with his son; I'd like to think that he got in touch with his other family and finally let them know what was going on with his illness.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Well, there's his wife? And some hanar, who are very dear friends of his. I'm sure there were one or two that looked down on him, but some would end up sharing their soul names, and they would end up being his closest companions for many years.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Before, it was Irikah, who got in the way of one of his targets. Now, definitely Shepard, who he met en route to Nassana.
aka he doesn't get out much
6. Does he have other close friends?
Not really :c He mentions that the hanar were friends, and that he spoke with his family, but he's pretty out of touch with both.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
lol
Shepard's the first friend he's made in a decade. It's not that he's abrasive, or doesn't get along with others; he's actually fairly easy to get along with. But actually getting close to? Much, much more difficult. He mentions that Shepard is the first friend he's made in a decade, but I think he has potential to open up to others; it just takes some prodding and patience.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Family comes first, but his close friends basically become that close to him. It doesn't matter if they're blood-related or not. He'll do anything he can, for anyone he cares about.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Married once to another drell named Irikah, now a widower. He can be romanced by female Shepard, but he's not involved with anyone in any of these games.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
He basically fell in love with Irikah at first sight, and never really even gave a glance at anyone before that. He will under almost every circumstance in the games develop a crush on Shepard, but is far more reserved about it than he was with his feelings towards his late wife.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
He's drawn to people who are selfless and courageous (even when reckless, like Irikah was); fiery, vivid people with bright personalities. He can get along fine with people more coldblooded and self-absorbed, but doesn't find himself romantically attracted to them. Basically, he's looking for his polar opposite: someone who can love, forgive, and keep him grounded.
As for physical traits, it's hard to say because Shepard is the only measure we have to go by and she can literally look like anything :|a So he's attracted to... humanoids.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
He has a son named Kolyat. Their relationship was more than a little strained since Thane was a deadbeat dad, but he genuinely loves his son in his own way. All his money and work ultimately goes to Kolyat, who he views as the one good thing he ever added to the world. He's just an awful father on any sort of personal level, though the two of them do eventually resolve the tension and work through their issues.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
Not really. Jacob doesn't like him much, but they're both too reasonable to have anything actually come of it. Him doing his job is never personal, and he's slow to actually hate anyone.
However, he appreciates friendly competition and I imagine he has one going with Shepard most of the time.
Oh, I guess there's the Collectors if you count them. And uh, Kai Leng I guess.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
0 or 1 at most.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
Krios means Aries so uh. THAT SEEMS KIND OF A COP-OUT so I'm going to say Pisces, which is a close sign and also continues his oceans metaphor. Headcanoning that March 16 as his birthday. In which case he actually does fit the conflicting, sensitive Pisces stereotypes.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
oh lordy
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?
It's complicated. He doesn't view his job as morally 'bad,' but does find killing/hurting innocent people reprehensible. Even if he has, in fact, ended innocent lives before. Outside of his job, he is really quite moral.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
If anything good can be said about Thane, it's that he's tremendously tolerant. He's actively curious and interested in other cultures and drell in general excel at integrating into and absorbing new environments. A good example is that Thane doesn't really care about the synthetic/organic divide, finding AIs more intriguing than scary.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
Very few. While the drell philosophies are morally grey, they also allow for very few prejudices; he doesn't judge people by their bodies or even as a sum of their actions. It's intent and personality that he's most focused on. Given how he's used to people not understanding his religious or moral stances (and the Compact), he tries to stay openminded about everyone else's, and is quite civil even when he disagrees.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
I'd imagine he lives frugally, but charges a ton because well. He can afford to. I think he's wired most all of his money to his family, but could live more than comfortably if he wanted to.
Which he doesn't, really.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
While he was in the Compact, I'd guess he had a pretty decent social standing as it was considered a great honor. For being as talented as he was, I'd think both the drell and the hanar would've held him in fairly high regards. Now? He's probably still liked well enough, but no one really wants to associate themselves with a freelance assassin. Some might even be a little miffed with how he chose to use his gifts, as the codex puts it that the drell can be almost fanatical in the Compact.
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?
If he has a job he needs to buckle down for, he'll rent out a room in as nondescript a location as possible. And set up to move as soon as it stops being suspicious. He has a nice home on Kahje that he's given to his/Irikah's siblings for Kolyat to inherit should he ever return, but he finds it has too many difficult memories associated with it to be entirely comfortable.
He never shares a room, and sets up the furniture so he can observe all entrances from where he sleeps (which is usually a chair, not the bed). Only real requirements otherwise are that it's warm, and dry!
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
Weapons. Seriously all his room has are neatly arranged guns and a coffee mug.
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?
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?
The drell are omnivorous, but there's not a whole lot known past that. I'm going to say that they don't need to eat as frequently as humans do, biotic or not, and they're not dextro. Thane doesn't stop to eat much, and is far from gluttonous, but does appreciate his meals; I imagine that after Rakhana, drell culture is probably adverse to waste. He prefers dishes that are simply prepared and avoids overwhelming, or unnatural flavors.
As for drinking, he's maybe done it enough times to count on one hand. Like, on his wedding night. While most people enjoy relaxing and losing themselves, he's rarely ever in company that he totally trusts, and dislikes not having complete control over his body, or information he might share about himself.
After writing that I realize he really should get drunk at some point, because god does he need it.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
(very quick associations, mostly!)
1. Color? gold/green
2. Smell? cinnamon and cloves
3. Time of day? sunset (hurr)
4. Season? summer
5. Book? Leviathan
6. Music? classical (percussion-based)
7. Place? overcast beaches
8. Substance? dust
9. Plant? hyacinths or orchids
10. Animal? lizards....
wow these are really uninspired i'll try again later
END
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