Line #54 Main/PastimesProvePersonality


1	Jobs can tell us a lot about a person, but the fact is that very few jobs really showcase our true colours. Some of us will be lucky enough to snag that legendary "dream job," but most of us work because we have to, and that can mean anything from slapping a grin on our face when dealing with a customer we secretly wish we could [[CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon disembowel with a teaspoon]] (and who probably feels the same way), to accepting a job well below our ability level because we need to pay the rent.
2
3	Our hobbies, however, can say a lot more about what we like and what qualities/skills we possess; after all, they're totally voluntary, and we may even be prepared to spend a lot of money in order to do something we enjoy. This is echoed in the media, where the mention of a character's favorite pastimes can provide a shorthand for their personality.
4
5	The weird thing is, [[HiddenDepths once this hobby is revealed]], a character's social circle tends to disregard everything they previously knew (or supposed) about their friend. If the GirlNextDoor is revealed to be a kickboxer at the weekends, her associates will instantly assume that she's only "pretending" to be a wholesome sweetheart and is actually an ActionGirl. On the other hand, if the school bully is revealed to attend piano lessons three times a week, he can expect a sudden upturn in his romantic success, as the ladies decide that his unexpected musical talent proves that he's a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sensitive soul at heart]], and hides it beneath a thuggish exterior. Given enough time, {{Flanderization}} may ensue to the point that the pastime becomes the entire point of the character, and scenes with the character before their pastime was revealed may feel [[CharacterizationMarchesOn out of place]].
6
7	If, on the other hand, the hobby is introduced at the same time a character is -- for example, "Hey guys, meet Marie, we met at the sci-fi convention last week" -- it's the ''viewer'' who knows what to expect in terms of personality. Sometimes this will be exploited in AnAesop about not jumping to conclusions, especially if the person whose hobby is being mentioned is a main character. If they're a one-shot or side character, however, don't expect too many surprises; [[TheLawOfConservationOfDetail writers seldom spend time on revealing the complexities of a minor character's psychology,]] and are usually quite happy to let the stereotype stand.
8
9	Occasionally, the hobby will provide a "punchline" for the character because it is completely at odds with their personality. This may lend them credibility, as in the case of the nerd who's also a skateboarder, or be a bit of an AchillesHeel, as with the AlphaBitch with an astonishingly large collection of comic books.
10
11	In RealLife, a hobby's demographic encompasses all sorts of personality types...but the world of fiction normally prefers to keep things simple, so the stereotypes endure. However, works where the writers really ''did'' do the research -- or where the pastime itself is an integral part of the story -- will be much more sympathetic.
12
13	Also worth noting is the fact that the associations and connotations of both hobby and stereotype will vary from place to place. See the [[Analysis/PastimesProvePersonality Analysis subpage]] for a detailed exploration of this.
14
15	----
16	!!Examples:
17
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
20	* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'':
21	** Jet is a bonsai gardener, a hobby which requires a lot of focus and patience.
22	** Faye is a compulsive gambler, since she's reckless and motivated by greed.
23	** Ed is a hacker, being a ChildProdigy.
24	** Spike's only hobbies seem to be pool and sleeping ([[spoiler:he has nothing to live for and believes himself in a dream]]).
25	* ''Manga/DeathNote'': Roger Ruvie collects insects—a pursuit that typically involves pinning down little creatures and stabbing them into place. Oh, and he also [[ChildHater hates kids]].
26	* ''Anime/{{K}}'': SCEPTER 4 leader Reisi likes playing jigsaw puzzles, which indicates his intellectual nature.
27	* ''Manga/KOn'': Aside from the obvious interest in music and song-writing shared by the club, the anime decided to make Mio a sports-fan for a throwaway line in addition to her reading hobby.
28	* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Anemone has a number of artistic hobbies, including painting, drawing, dollmaking, and cosplay. She mentions that she "[has] a lot of time on her hands", and whatever role she's playing in keeping the city safe, it's certainly a lonely one. Shortly after her role of [[spoiler: BarrierMaiden]] is revealed, it's subsequently revealed that she also [[spoiler: designs the barriers. And gets quite grumpy when people criticize her work.]]
29	* ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'': Barnaby's one and only hobby is listening to opera, which is often associated with an affluent family background, 'snobbish' personality and being 'intellectual'. This ultimately serves as a sort of deconstruction, as opera music is also a direct trigger for his PTSD, so much so that even ''directly talking about liking opera as a hobby'' has him becoming distracted with flashbacks to the night his parents were shot. [[spoiler:It's entirely possible that his interests being narrowed down to exclusively something that will remind him of his trauma is yet another facet of Maverick's manipulation.]] While it outwardly contributes to his public facade, it also betrays how hollow his life is outside of things that drive his single-minded pursuit of revenge.
30	** In season 2, Barnaby is shown to have filled his once-empty apartment with plants that he dotes on and even talks to. It's an entirely new hobby, befitting his more patient and nurturing aspirations following his character development, while still being something he can enjoy in solitude.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Fan Works]]
34	* ''Fanfic/{{Coreline}}'': A man assigned to look over a warehouse full of media that has watched and read it all, even having a quirk of letting movies run uninterrupted in the background as relaxation noises, has an apparent [[UnabashedBMovieFan fondness of B-movies]], and has given praise to his cover work because it's let him see a myriad of ways that the "DifferentWorldDifferentMovies" trope has manifested on the Core Timeline? Roger Hackett is definitely a [[Literature/ReadyPlayerOne James Halliday-slash-Parzival]]-slash-[[Film/BabyDriver Baby]]-slash-Creator/QuentinTarantino-style geek with an undying love for pop culture... only tempered with the fact that this knowledge is also useful for those times he has to ''kill people''.
35	* ''Fanfic/TheQuestForTheLegends'': The drawings Mark creates tend to reflect his quiet, careful temperament.
36	* ''Fanfic/{{Symbiosis}}'': As a devoted gardener, a hobby that requires both care and effort, Erika has a stern but nurturing nature.
37	* ''Fanfic/TotalDramaReloaded'': Dominic of the Agile Axolotls loves to race and fix cars. This reflects his competitive nature and his belief that he needs to be the best.
38	* ''Fanfic/WitchingHour'': Gaz's favorite pastime is hunting and slaughtering wild animals, which is pretty fitting for her violent, sadistic nature.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Literature]]
42	* ''Literature/EightySixEightySix'': Lena is often seen doodling in her diary while talking with Spearhead Squadron over the Para-RAID, and following Kaie's death and Theo's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, part of her efforts to get to know Spearhead's members on a more personal level include drawing simple pictures of all their faces. Fittingly, Lena is passionate, sensitive, and idealistic.
43	* ''Literature/TheClique'':
44	** Horse-riding Massie is a rich snob. Various other rich and spoiled characters play tennis, golf, squash, etc.
45	** Soccer star Kristen constantly drives herself harder both on the field and academically to keep up her scholarships and is arguably the most driven of the Pretty Committee.
46	* ''Literature/ImInLoveWithTheVillainess'':
47	** Rod's love of dueling and chess are indicative of his strong, militaristic nature.
48	** Thane's penchant for the harp is indicative of a gentle personality beneath his cold exterior.
49	** Yu's wit and cunning are demonstrated by her fooling all but Rae while [[CunningPeoplePlayPoker cheating at poker]], and [[SmartPeoplePlayChess her talent in chess]], with Rae noting the "Hidden Yu" AI was so skilled it was hard to imagine being from a dating sim.
50	* ''Literature/InfinityBeach''. A FirstContactTeam has to think up questions to exchange when making FirstContact with an alien race. Someone suggests asking about hobbies because that would tell a lot about a civilization, however it's pointed out that if the aliens discovered that humanity wasted most of its time playing virtual reality roleplaying games, it might cause an AlienInvasion!
51	* ''Literature/{{Raffles}}'': The titular GentlemanThief plays cricket, which the media considers a sport for highly intelligent, smug people. While he's an all-around excellent cricket player, his specialty is slow bowling — which, as opposed to fast bowling, relies on skill and deception.
52	* ''Literature/TheTomorrowSeries'': Chris is a poet and a drug user, fitting how he is sensitive, withdrawn and, ultimately, lonely and depressed.
53	* ''Literature/VickyBliss'':
54	** Max has the strange hobby of cutting silhouettes. He has a [[CreepySouvenir special collection of people he killed]].
55	** Alan does LiveActionRolePlay, supposedly because he [[IJustWantToBeBadass wants to be someone else]].
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
59	* ''Series/ThirteenReasonsWhy'': Clay is a noble guy, and his school activities include peer tutoring and working on the Honor Council. He's helpful and concerned about the people around him.
60	* ''Series/DocMartin'': Martin is frequently seen repairing clocks, showing that even his hobby is similar to his job as a doctor, requiring slow care and attention to detail.
61	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The ''very'' [[QuintessentialBritishGentleman British]]-[[HumanAlien presenting]] Fifth Doctor is a huge fan of cricket, as befits his eccentric intellectual personality and love of fair play.
62	* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'': Brent really loves golf, which reflects his lifetime of massive privilege. He also plays with the cheat codes on so each shot is perfect, yet still brags about his skill, showing his gigantic ego.
63	* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': Played with. [[TheChessmaster Nate]] plays chess and poker. [[MasterOfUnlocking Parker]] does gymnastics and recreational lock-picking. And when he is not beating people up, [[TheBigGuy Elliot]] cooks gourmet food.
64	* ''Series/OrphanBlack'': Kira's constantly drawing and painting and has the associated personality traits of an artist, as the girl is genteel, sensitive, and perceptive.
65	* ''Series/{{Sadakatsiz}}'': Asya's gardening proves that she's a nurturing, patient, and hard-working woman. It also shows that she understands change is good because otherwise people/plants wilt.
66	* ''Series/SesameStreet'': Fitting for TheBore, Bert enjoys oatmeal, pigeons, and bottlecap and paperclip collecting.
67	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': ProudWarriorRaceGuy Worf likes to unwind by [[BloodKnight slicing up monsters on the holodeck]] with his [[CoolSword bat'leth]]. conversely, he also teaches ''mok'bara'' classes (think tai chi InSpace) to show he's not just a BloodKnight all the time.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Roleplays]]
71	* ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'':
72	** It's shown that Irene Melissenos enjoys reading, which fits with her intellectual and somewhat distant nature.
73	** Ivan Bjelnič's piano fingers aren't just for show, as he enjoys playing the piano in his spare time. It shows him to be a tad more distinguished than the rest of the cast.
74	* ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'': The following are the four shows that Ananpi enjoys watching the most, in order: ''Series/{{Pointless}}'', ''Series/AntAndDecsSaturdayNightTakeaway'', ''Series/OnlyConnect'', and ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus''. The four are extremely silly and witty British television shows, alluding to Ananpi's craziness.
75	[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Theatre]]
78	* ''Theatre/LoveInHateNation'': Sheila's liking of billiards at a time when it was considered a men's game shows that she is not traditionally feminine.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Video Games]]
82	* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'': Sarif ''really'' likes baseball. He's got a ball in his office that he tends to toss around during conversations, and one of his televisions is always tuned to a Tigers' game. (Given that he's the wealthiest man in Detroit, it's entirely possible that he owns the team.) This ties into his competitive sensibilities, but also acknowledges that he's sort of a kid at heart, with his fascination on augmentation and his desire to bring it to the masses.
83	* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': An unmarked Sidequest for Mr. House involves collecting snow globes for him. Why snow globes?
84	-->'''Mr. House:''' What of it? I enjoy them. There's something about a little diorama set inside a glass dome that I find... pleasing.\
85	'''J.E. Sawyer:''' It's for the ''Film/CitizenKane'' reference, partially because it's especially fitting for Mr. House. He has no interest in physically interacting with the world but wants absolute control over New Vegas. Snow globes are perfect static worlds in miniature that can't be directly touched but can be (literally) turned upside down any time the owner desires.
86	* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Constantine XI likes chess and shogi, which shows his penchant for strategy as an emperor who [[FrontlineGeneral fought on the front line]] and that [[SmartPeoplePlayChess he is an intellectual]].
87	* ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'':
88	** Moutnefert's two major pastimes are gardening and postcard-collecting--one symbolizing her patience, the other her desire to see the outside world.
89	** Red's two favourite pastimes appear to be fishing and chess, indicating his patience and [[SmartPeoplePlayChess strategic mind]].
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
93	* ''VisualNovel/ButILoveYou'':
94	** High-class but kindly Emma enjoys singing and playing piano.
95	** Childish and playful Ryanne hangs out at the playground.
96	** Rebellious, in-your-face Leila enjoys the energetic sport parkour and playing pranks on others.
97	** Solitary, nervous, but intelligent Alison is a sketchbook-owning graffiti artist and gardening enthusiast.
98	** Vivian, the efficient, professional neatfreak, enjoys cooking and has a "hobby" of putting things back in place or arranging them in a pleasing manner.
99	[[/folder]]
100
101	[[folder:Western Animation]]
102	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3'': Toola-Roola is a creative, soft-spoken, and dreamy artist.
103	* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'': Scooby is particularly fond of fishing, whether with rod and reel or just with a line tied to his tail. This demonstrates his laziness (fishing is mostly waiting around), his love of seafood (or any food at all), and his propensity for trickery and/or being used as bait in Fred's plans.
104	* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'': Bloom first meets her roommate Flora as she's unpacking her vast collection of magical plants, which signals her love for nature and that her fairy power is GreenThumb. Her nurturing personality is shown when her first action is to save Kiko from one of her plants, ask Bloom not to scold him, and feed him a carrot.
105	[[/folder]]

Context Main / PastimesProvePersonality