character survey meme thing! --in progress--

[firebornfidelis]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
She is around 5'6" tall, very fit and a bit muscular for a woman. Not freakish bodybuilder type, just, she has strong arms and legs. Even so, she's a bit thin and her waist is tiny, especially in comparison to her somewhat broad shoulders and hips. Which makes her very girly-shaped and curvy, though she rarely dresses in a way that shows it off well.

2. How old is she?
She is 27 years old upon coming to Anatole.

3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
... she's military. The phrase "ramrod straight" comes to mind. She carries herself with quiet confidence and a sort of 'untouchable' air, as if she is somehow separate from the insanity that surrounds her. Not above it or better than, just unruffled by it.

4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Physically, she is quite well, at the peak of health. She's strong and she very rarely gets sick. She has no preexisting conditions or disabilities to speak of. Physically anyway.

5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Purposeful is a good adjective for her. Her movements are efficient and to a point and, while it is not generally her goal, there is a lot of grace and fluidity to the her economy of motion. Occasionally, when she is uncertain, there is a tension to her movements, little tics mostly to do with her hands needing something to do to keep themselves busy. She can consciously stop herself from doing that, though, if the situation calls for it.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
She's quite pretty. She's no model, nor is she the sort of girl who tends to necessarily turn heads when she enters a room, but her face is attractive and her body is very shapely and feminine and aesthetically pleasing. Beautiful, but in a very understated, unassuming way. She, however, does not see herself as particularly attractive. She knows she isn't ugly, but it frankly doesn't matter to her how pretty she is or isn't, so she hardly bothers to really care about it. This is one of the reasons why she is always surprised when anyone compliments her looks.

7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
She's very fair with clear, clean skin. She has her share of scars, but they're all hidden under her clothing.

8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
She has blonde hair, a pale sunny color. It's fairly fine and soft and she keeps it long, she says for no other reason than that she saw it long on another girl and thought it looked nice. The style depends on what she's doing. When she's working, she folds it up in a clip at the back of her head so it's out of the way. When she's off duty and feels like looking a little more casual or female, she leaves it down. Her bangs, however, are always swept off to the left side of her face.

9. What color are her eyes?
They are a sort of warm brown, something like dark honey or polished wood.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Nothing in particular, at least not anything that most people can see. She does have a rather large tattoo on her back and some burn scars over sections of it, but an extremely small amount of people have ever seen that. (By extremely small, I mean, probably not much more than two.)

11. What are her chief tension centers?
Her tension shows most in her hands and in the set of her shoulders. Sometimes her jaw as well. Her shoulders become stiff, and her hands curl into fists or they twitch or perform little tasks to keep themselves busy.

12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit?
She wears a lot of earth tones and soft colors, though she mostly does favor black because it is so versatile. She doesn't have a lot of clothing. She is the type of girl who has like two skirts, two pairs of pants, and five shirts and she just sort of mixes them around, to get the most use out of the smallest wardrobe. And her clothes themselves fall into one of two categories: 1)Work related. Stuff she can wear on patrol, utilitarian garments. And 2) Casual, feminine clothing. Skirts, blouses, etc. Though even these are chosen to be conservative and useful (ie, her skirts all have slits up the thigh to allow her to conceal a weapon and keep it readily available.)

13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Her clothing is a form of protection and part of the wall she builds between herself and other people. Her more feminine clothing is fitted nicely, while her work clothes are chosen to be easy to move in. She seems equally as comfortable in either, and all are chosen specifically to hide the symbols tattooed onto her back so you'll never see her in anything backless or with a low collar.

14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
I think the last few questions have answered this rather well, but I will say that she allows herself to look much more like a woman when she's not on duty, though all of her clothing allows her to fight (just, with varying levels of proficiency).

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Hmph. You really expect her to be forthcoming with an answer to this? SOMETIMES SHE WEARS GIRLY UNDERWEAR, OKAY? SHE'S ALLOWED.

Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
She's probably something like an alto, medium to slightly deep in pitch for a woman. It's a round, full sound, making it so, though she is generally quite soft spoken, she can always be heard and understood.

2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
Riza tends to be rather soft spoken though, as I said in the answer to the last question, the quality of her voice itself in addition to her attention to clarity and enunciation makes her easy to hear and understand. She speaks very evenly, her words more often than not having been carefully measured before she opens her mouth. I wouldn't call her an easy talker. She is perhaps a cautious speaker, preferring to consider her words before she utters them, and she is careful to hide a lot of things when she speaks, particularly anything relating to her emotions or the secrets she fastidiously keeps.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Weelll, since she's from an "alternate" Earth type of thing, I couldn't actually say for sure what her accent might be. Because of her last name and the fact that English seems to be the primary language of Amestris (assumed from all the signs and invoices and whatnot that we see), I would say if anything definable she would have something resembling an English accent.

4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
She speaks "Amestrian," whatever that is exactly. She's perfectly fluent in it, with the vocabulary of someone who is decently well-read and had a fairly good education. She's no erudite or genius, but she knows how to use language.

5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
No, I doubt it. She is honest above all and she would see putting an accent on as an affectation or lie. She only changes the normal rhythm or pitch of her speech when under cover.

6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
She doesn't think much of her ability as a speaker but she's rather good at it when she's not overthinking it. She's good at saying what people need to hear, even when it gets emotional, though she does that more on a one-on-one basis than to groups. She is, at her heart, a little shy of crowds or of being the center of attention, so she would never choose to be a speech maker.

7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
She is generally quite articulate, though her speech is unadorned. She doesn't use any more words than she needs, choosing getting to the point over making the point artfully. She rarely stutters or stumbles on her words, but when she does it is usually in response to something very shocking or surprising, especially something relating to her emotions.

Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
She's naturally pretty smart and she had a decent education as a kid as well as doing a lot of reading on her own. She's not a genius like some of the people she hangs out with, but she's quite intelligent. She has good instincts, too, which make her street smart in a way. It's nearly impossible to sneak up on her and she never goes anywhere unarmed. She's also very naive in some ways, though they mostly relate to her emotions and self-awareness.

2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
It depends on the situation. In battle, she is fast like a freak, no hesitation at all to throw herself into danger or pull the trigger. In more personal matters, she sometimes needs time to think, but it doesn't always do her any good because there are some things she doesn't quite understand about herself so sometimes that can lead her to think in circles.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Logical and practical, sometimes to the point of harshness. She rationalizes things, breaking them down and, if they are difficult for her to deal with, she compartmentalizes and files things away.

4. What kind of education has the character had?
She has been decently well-educated. Her father made sure of that. She probably has what equates to a high school education from a village school, in addition to what she learned from extensive reading on her own as well as four years at the military academy.

5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
Firearms. She is a qualified sniper and a firearms expert, certified by the Amestrian military. It's safe to say she knows just about everything there is to know about guns (at least, guns as they were in her time, which is a slightly anachronistic 1915). As to what else she might like to learn, she has no particular goals but she will always gladly research anything pertinent and likes to learn things that will be useful to her.

6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
Hahaha, introvert. Please. She rarely talks to anyone she doesn't know, she's practically monosyllabic even then. She would much rather spend her Saturday night at home with Hayate and a book than out at a bar or on a date. It's not that she doesn't like people, just that she is more comfortable alone than in a crowd.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
She is quite even tempered. It takes a lot to get her angry, although when she does get pushed into the red zone she does not back down. She has her snippy moments and at rare times she can be sensitive and tetchy, but for the most part she is unruffled. She is not really cheerful in any way, though she can muster some optimism (which usually comes from the naive part of her) so she does rather lean more toward the melancholic. Those who know her well may recognize a perpetual layer of sadness in her - the sediment of a lonely childhood, becoming a tool to her father, fighting in the war, and so on - but she wears her masks well and can usually hide it with professionalism and her way of constantly putting others before herself.

8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
You could say timid, that is probably the best of those choices. She is careful in her aquaintences, usually, and conservative in forming them. The basis by which she generally forms new acquaintances is through offering them assistance since she likes to be useful above all.

9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
React, definitely. She's the type who watches things careful and jumps in when she is needed rather than starting the ball rolling herself.

10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
She doesn't have a default, really, between the two of those. Her reaction would vary from situation to situation and be based usually in practicality. I would say that she likely chooses fight more often than flight, and if the Colonel's safety is involved, she will fight to the death. Other than that, it would vary case by case.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?

13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?

14. What does she fear?

15. What are her hopes or aspirations?

16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?

Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
Well, her mother died when she was young, probably no older than four or five, so she doesn't remember her very well. She does cherish what she can recall and, because she is big on personal symbolism, she wears a pair of her mother's earrings (champagne pearl studs) that she found after the death of her father. And as to her father, she loved him and was devoted to him, but he did frighten her. His intensity and single-mindedness scared her because he was almost maniacal in his pursuit of his discoveries. But she would have done anything for him, as proven by the fact that she agreed to be tattooed with his work and accepted all the huge and tiny life changes that required of her.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
No siblings. Only child.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
Her only other living relative seems to be her maternal grandfather, General Grumman. They have a decent relationship now, although they were estranged through the entirety of her childhood because of her parents. Riza is a little bit reserved with him, but he is affectionate and doesn't really mind.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
Roy Mustang. He may as well be her family. She passed on a lot of the devotion she had to her father on to Mustang when she gave him her father's legacy, and so in an odd way he has sort of taken the place of her father. She would do anything for him, up to and including killing herself to save him. His life is more important to her than her own. He is the reason she joined the military and learned to fire a gun, because she wanted to protect him. He is the best man she has ever known.

Their relationship itself is complicated. She seems to be the only one of his subordinates permitted to talk back and be generally insubordinate, which she is on occasion, but only when she thinks he's being foolish. Otherwise, she keeps herself neatly within the bounds of his lieutenant. Although she cares for him deeply, she doesn't push beyond the position of right-hand-man because she neither knows how nor if she wants to.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
At home, it's Rebecca Catalina. Probably her only female friend. They likely met at the academy, in the advanced marksmanship classes. Rebecca is a boisterous, loud, cheerful kind of person, which seems to be everything Riza is not, but they actually compliment each other very well. Rebecca raises her spirits in a way no one else can.

6. Does she have other close friends?
At home, she considers all the men in Mustang's unit to be close friends, almost family. Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Vato Falman, and Kain Fuery. She thinks of them almost like brothers (and certainly brothers-in-arms).

7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
She doesn't have trouble getting along with people, exactly, but she is a little reserved. It can be hard for her to make friends, depending on the situation, because she is not the kind of person who just opens up. She has her secrets, and she intends to keep them, no matter who you are.

8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
Family first, given her devotions. But it's more specific than that. The responsibility her father gave her to look after the knowledge he discovered is her first priority, and that encompasses protecting Mustang. Everything else is secondary. Not that she doesn't love her friends fiercely.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
She is so single. She has thought about wanting things like marriage and children, but that was always in the abstract because she had already accepted the reality that she will probably never have either of those. Due both to her job as a soldier and her devotion to her Colonel which requires a lot of her attention. In addition, because of the things she did in Ishbal, she doesn't feel she even deserves to have that.

10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
No. She has neither a spouse nor a lover.

11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
She's not the kind of person who falls into things like crushes, and she's not really self-aware enough to know it if she did. She doesn't take much note of physical attractiveness and she's a bit of a loner. She probably would have taken a shine to anyone who showed her affection in her early teens, but would have also been just as easily scared off. And she has no crushes now and is basically oblivious to that aspect of life most of the time.

12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
She doesn't look for romantic partners. But if she did, first and foremost she would have to trust the person implicitly. Nothing is more important than that because her body doesn't entirely belong to her and even with the array made illegible by the burn scars, she is extremely protective of it and would rather destroy herself than share it with someone she didn't absolutely trust.

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
She has no children, but she likes kids. She would like to have children, but she has accepted the fact that she probably never will.

14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
Not really. She counts Lust as an enemy, for sure, but the woman has fallen into a sort of gray area because she is not the same as the one the Colonel killed beneath the third lab.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
Riza probably falls dead center at a 3 because she really has no gender goggles. I wouldn't label her as 'bisexual' because the gender of the person makes no difference to her. Whether or not she connects with them and can love them has nothing at all to do with what sex they are, so she is equally likely to find herself in a romantic relationship with a woman as with a man. Although neither is terribly likely, because they have to reach other standards and levels of intimacy first, and she has a lot of defensive walls put up.

16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
She doesn't think too much about it. But she does hold it in secondary importance to emotional connection, and even without the tattoo she would never have been the kind of girl who could sleep around. She thinks of it more as an extension of the perfect trust that romantic partners should, in her estimation, share rather than as an entity unto itself.

17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Well, she's a virgin. Just gonna put that out there. She has no habits. But she could probably be turned on by someone who would lead her with a little bit of force. Some pushing and taking is good. But only if the previously mentioned absolute trust is already in place. Otherwise force would likely be rewarded by broken bones. Once she was comfortable and fairly sure of herself, she would probably be quite happy taking the lead. She does like to be in control...

Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?

I kind of headcanon that she was born in the late summer, August 27th if I'm asked to be specific. That makes her a Virgo, which I feel fits her quite well. Virgos are commonly known to be modest, shy, diligent, reliable, practical, intelligent, meticulous, and analytical among many other fine adjectives. They are listed also as being conservative perfectionists who are often harsh and overcritical and excessive worriers. All of these things seem to be a fairly perfect fit for her, so we're going to go with Virgo for the Hawk's eye here.

And as far as the eastern astrology goes, she was born in 1888 which makes her an earth rat (or mouse as that site puts it). It seems to apply decently well because she does appreciate honesty and she is the down to earth one of her lot. She's also clever and action oriented, though she's not especially open and doesn't really invest much into being popular.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
She isn't religious. She was raised by and is surrounded by scientists whose only god is the next big discovery. She understands spirituality in the abstract but doesn't really apply it to herself. Her low self-worth may partially account for that, as well as her high skepticism.

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?
She does. She believes in equivalent exchange the same way the alchemists do, and she believes that she will pay for her sins and she is trying with every little thing, with every kind gesture and offer of help, to balance the scales for the horrible things she has done. She doesn't believe that she will be able to repay it all without surrendering her life, but all she can do is try.

She also believes that, in order to save the next generation from unhappiness and grief, she must take it all on herself. Which is a little self-destructive, but she would rather suffer herself than watch others suffer.

4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
She is extremely tolerant in general. So long as they aren't hurting anyone, in her opinion people can believe whatever they want.

5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
She doesn't really have any. Being a part of an army which carried out a reasonless genocide will do that to you. She views her own value as a human being as less than other people's by default because of her involvement in that war.

Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
She is fairly comfortable. She has enough money to get the things she needs and put a little aside to save for a rainy day, as it were.

2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
She's antisocial. She wasn't high-born or anything, she's just a common soldier, a normal woman. Middle-class, if that's what the question wants to know. She grew up on the lower side of middle class because her father didn't care much for money or notoriety, though they could have lived well if he had sold out his discoveries.

3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others?
She has a small apartment. In Anatole it's really just a room in the patrol headquarters. She has her own bathroom but she had to cobble together a kitchen and sitting area. Though, since the room is made to house two, she still has the second unused bed sitting in that space because she couldn't be bothered to get rid of it.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
Bullets. Although, she would consider those a basic necessity. The occasional gun to add to her collection, Hayate's food. She will rarely go out and buy new clothes or something of that sort. She doesn't collect things she can't use, really.

5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else?
She is a soldier, an aide and a bodyguard and she is an exemplary example of all three. She doesn't fight or shoot because she enjoys it, she does it because she believes it has to be done and no one else should have to dirty their hands doing it in her place. Also, as regards being Mustang's bodyguard, there is nothing else in the world more important to her so, while the work doesn't exactly make her happy there is nothing else she would rather be doing.

6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
She likes to read, shoot, and play with Hayate. When she had free time (lol workaholic) she can probably be found doing one of those three things. She also rather enjoys cooking and sewing as the routine of them calms her but those (and shooting as well, I suppose) are utilitarian tasks. She only performs them as they need to be done and not simply for the fun of doing them.

7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
She has relatively atrocious eating habits. She tries to eat balanced meals, but if she is busy or in a hurry she will eat whatever is convenient. Food is part of her life only insomuch as it fits into her schedule.

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

1. Color? Honey
2. Smell? gunmetal and lilac
3. Time of day? dusk
4. Season? autumn
5. Book? something by Wilde or Conan Doyle
6. Music? classical, Tchaikovsky or Grieg
7. Place? back yard
8. Substance? g-gunpowder?
9. Plant? She's a pomegranate
10. Animal? Dog.

END
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