The character I'm building, Johnathon the were-panther, is built a lot upon the combination of the character I want with the situation he is forced into.<br/><br/>What I see is a secluded childhood, a strict and stringent clan life where life and death are firmly part of every waking moment.  He works for the military because it is an obligation, but since it's a family obligation he takes it very seriously.  He has two sides to his personality.  One is the disciplined professional.  He has built up the discipline to act without thought in most situations, reacting almost instinctively almost any situation.  At the same time, he's intelligent enough to realize that his training can not prepare him for everything.<br/><br/>Under all that, he's a pretty cheerful, laid back guy.  He's firmly convinced that the glass is half full.  He believes that by his own will he can do pretty much anything he can imagine.  This is at conflict with the fact that he's been shoehorned into a role not of his own choosing, but he's willing to make the best of the situation he is in.<br/><br/>He's extremely tolerant of other's eccentricities... to him, weird is fun.  He tends to be passive whenever action is not required.  He does not provoke events, he reacts to events as they come.  John is just as happy taking a long nap as he is getting into a good fight.  He can't help enjoying his physical gifts, and enjoys getting to show off when it won't get him into trouble.<br/><br/>John dislikes emotional conflict, and tends not to get too attached to people.  He prefers casual relationships to serious ones, and while he's nearly always polite, cool and collected, he's often considered a cold fish, because he never seems to let anything get under his skin.<br/><br/>He does have a temper, but when he's provoked his temper is like lightning.  It can be destructive, but it's over in an instant.  He rarely holds a grudge, preferring to let his anger out immediately and then fade.<br/><br/>John feels protective of those weaker than him, especially those he's working with or responsible for, and tends to act in order to prevent harm if he can.  That said, he is cooly professional when acting on orders, or protecting his clan, and will not hesitate a moment to do whatever is required of him.<br/><br/>John pays respect to the chain of command, and has no problem taking orders, but at the same time, will not hesitate to act on his own if he feels it's needed, and will act on his own initiative with confidence.  He is cocky to the point of arrogance, but he's also usually right.