that huge meme. subject to later edits.
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Ruby is tall (5'10"), and willowy.
2. How old is she?
21.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
It's pretty good, and she doesn't hide how statuesque she is, but she sprawls on people/things sometimes.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
She's in decent health, given her age and activity level. She gets sick like anyone else, though.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Ruby is sort of airily graceful, having outgrown her colty awkward long-limbed stage a few years ago. That said, she can be startled into dropping things, sometimes.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
She's ridic beautiful (c'mon, her PB was declared Beauty Pope on plurk and was a Miss Universe contestant), but doesn't necessarily always believe it. Sometimes her body just frustrates her and she resents its existence.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Light. Not unhealthily pale, but she doesn't have a great deal in terms of melanin.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
Ruby's hair is epic. People comment on it on canon all the time. It is long, thick, red, and prone to some curliness if she lets it, though usually she flat-irons it.
9. What color are her eyes?
The type of dark brown that looks black. Her eyes are also huge.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
I don't think so?
11. What are her chief tension centers?
Back of her neck, definitely.
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?
Ruby's sense of fashion is pretty good--a bit Bohemian, with lots of thigh-high stockings, short skirts, flowy tops, and 70s-inspired boots. She likes low necklines and long sleeves, white lace, and bright colors like yellow.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Yes, definitely.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
At work, she wears flat shoes, black stretchy yoga pants and a comfortable top, usually a long tunic or something she can roll up the sleeves on.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
She prefers briefs and boyshorts, but some clothing articles will only work with less fabric.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
It's an alto, a little bit musical-sounding, a bit sweet. Disney princess.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
She does hesitate sometimes, but she is also given to excitable bursts where she's much more confident. If the matter is serious, her tone is evenly paced.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Boringly Midwestern.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
English, and a little Spanish and French.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Nope.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
She has the defense mechanism of having to be good on her feet, as a result of her abusive home.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Ruby is capable of being more eloquent than she ordinarily portrays, although she's more verbally poised than the average 21-year-old (especially given her educational level); it's obvious she's a reader, but she tries not to be pretentious with her vocabulary, as accessibility is important to her.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
Ruby is very bright. She is a voracious reader, and learns quickly. She's the type of girl who didn't do well in school partly because of her home environment, and partly because she was bored.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
I think I just answered this in the speech section, whoops.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Oh, jeez. Definitely, definitely intuitive; her behavior and the way she thinks don't always make a lot of sense to other people. She endeavors to be practical but is inherently hopelessly mystical. That said, she is not naive.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
High school. She's working on improving her educational background in Baedal, and is getting her massage license to tide her over and make money in the meantime.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
Magic, definitely. Flirtation or men in general. Clothes. Animals. She knows a little bit about a lot of things given her creative tendencies.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
Ostensibly an extrovert, but there is so much she keeps to herself that I would say she actually straddles the line.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Ruby tries really hard to be nice to everyone, and tries not to be moody or to have a lot of "baggage". She wants people to like her and she tries to be perfect. If you push her a bit, she'll yell at you, sure, but she mostly conceals it. That said, once a line is crossed, her anger goes cold and deadly, and if you fuck with her, she'll fuck you up. She has a lot of inner darkness, and she doesn't forget it when someone's been really awful to her; she will get revenge, as she did on her father.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
She's enthusiastic and curious, though she tries to be empathetic and to read their behavior in the circumstances.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
Little of both, actually.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
Fight. She's a self-described fighter in canon--her first ever anecdote says "I will fight back."
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Playful, silly, sometimes a little sly and dry, too. She's kind of trolly sometimes, but never in a mean-spirited way.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
She definitely has some form of PTSD, although it's not severe. She deals with it by pretending it's not happening and repressing it, yay!!
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
Deciding to fight her father, age three.
Being raped at twelve.
Meeting Steven.
Losing Steven.
Meeting Orion, and learning about her gifts as a consequence.
Killing her father.
14. What does she fear?
Being a bad person, like her dad. She knows she could never be exactly like him, but she is afraid that she's got that bad blood. Ruby also fears being rejected not just in general, but due to her baggage. She is afraid of being outed as a liar.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
Ruby just wants to be happy, tbh. She'd like to get books published, but all she wants is to feel genuinely okay with herself for five minutes. To do so, that means she has to learn more about her magic and her origins, though.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
Her her real history + her killing her father.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
ahaha.
Ruby's mother is a nice woman who got trapped in a horrible abusive marriage with a wealthy man. She knew that he physically abused her and the girls, but was not aware of the sexual abuse, which is what pushed her over the edge and caused her to leave him. She (and Opal) are basically gentle people who don't want to hurt anyone, and while they'll try to intercede in bad situations, they're not going to actually maim you back, like Ruby.
Ruby's father was almost certainly sexually abused by his own father, and her dad did the same to both of his daughters. Ruby was so disgusted and full of self-hatred regarding the sexual abuse in her pre-teens that she became extremely combative, actually injuring him at one point when she was seventeen. She didn't quite let go of her anger, and when she lived in the UK, she used magic to kill her father, despite four years passing since she last saw him.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
She has an older sister, Opal. They're very close, but don't necessarily talk all the time; it's kind of a powerful emotional connection, forged in fire. Opal is pregnant, and Ruby is really happy for her.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
She has/had grandparents, but they're all deceased now. Her paternal grandfather was really nice to her and Opal, but they were never allowed to be alone with him, and Ruby kind of had a feeling about why that was.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
I don't think so.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Amy! Amy has been her best friend forever. Ruby sort of regards tiny, more conventional Amy as way prettier (certainly in a less threateningly ethereal way) and cooler than she is, but Amy always looked out for her and drove with her to LA when Ruby took a job there.
6. Does she have other close friends?
Not in canon, but in Baedal she's getting closer to Asbjørn and is destined to be buds with Penny and Ilde.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
Ruby befriends people really easily, albeit sometimes on a superficial level.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
Family, generally. She could get to see friends as equally important, but never more so.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
Single.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Nope! She just broke up with her canon boyfriend before she came to Baedal because I didn't want to play her pining for him and because he's a terrible fucking boyfriend and character. SORRY FLB.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
UMM well she had feelings for a boy before Steven, but they got a bunch of racist bullshit and he wasn't up for dealing with that, even though he liked her back. Then there was Steven, who also sucked, because Ruby's canonical tastes in men are so ridiculously bad.
In RP canon she has a crush on a werebear and is constantly half-unconsciously trolling him with her sexuality because she is crazy attracted to him but doesn't want to act on it due to the recent break-up/ISSUES. ...and she thinks that amping up the sexual tension as far as she can stretch it will help, somehow.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
Adventure, kindness, a sense of feeling protected (which is pretty common in survivors of parental abuse as severe as hers was); this can attract some dangerous types, because she talks herself into thinking "oh, well, he wouldn't hurt me..." But she is also self-aware enough, most of the time, to recognize she has to be careful about that. Being a little nerdy or cool with her nerdy hobbies at the least is great, too.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
Nope.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
Actually not anymore, she killed her last one. :D In Baedal, we will see.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
I'd say 2.5 or so; she's canonically shown being sexually attracted to a woman.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
Ruby likes sex. She started having it really young as a way of reclaiming her own autonomy, and is perfectly cognizant of how powerful her own sexual magnetism can be. With her look, she can be the trembling ingenue or the hellcat, and she'll use both equally. She does have moments of flashbacks, though less so since her relationship with Orion was actually beneficial for her in that way, and has been used for sex before (thanks, Steven), so she's a bit sensitive about simple one-night stands. A degree of feeling respected is necessary for her.
She thinks about sex a lot, though, so it makes her laugh when men are like "you don't understand how much guys think about bonin'!!" NO IT IS YOU WHO HAVE NO IDEA, SIR.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Spontaneous jumping, being pinned, biting, laughter, general enthusiasm (it's validating, okay, and also just fun): turn-ons. Degrading language is kind of a huge turn-off, especially "bitch", even though she intellectually understands why people would find it appealing. In general, she's had a lot of sex (some of it with inappropriate partners ha ha) but has not yet had a partner with whom she feels comfortable being really adventurous.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
I think I said Ruby is a Cancer, but I don't remember exactly and this may be subject to change.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
Girl is a witch, so. She is definitely spiritual, and believes in kind of a quasi-magical Christian-inspired (with touches of earthy paganism) belief system.
I REFUSE TO SAY WICCAN, it's much more Luciferian-inspired, if anything, the way I do it. Demons are involved.
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?
Ruby's sense of morality is, uh, a bit twisted--she can be persuaded toward revenge-murder, and is somewhat kneejerk in her sense of vengeance. That said, she does have a pretty conventional one: she dislikes killing for killing's sake, sadism, betraying one's friends, things like that. She understands sometimes circumstances demand stretching your beliefs, but she tries to stay on the side of the angels, even if she can be tempted.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Depending on the beliefs, she's okay with it. She might ask questions. Beliefs rooted in bigotry or oppression are not gonna fly, though.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
Ruby is sort of instinctively mistrustful of Suit people, people who are slick and bureaucratic banker types like her dad.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Ruby's dad had a lot of money, but that changed significantly when her parents divorced. She does well now, with a small trust fund and money she makes on her own, but she's not living in a manor, or anything.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
Ordinary upper-middle-class girl who went to more working-class but retains much of her wealthier trappings.
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 rents a duplex in Baedal. It's a pretty little place with airy rooms and a cute kitchen. Soon, she will have a roommate.
Her mother has found a small three-bedroom house with a fenced yard in Duluth, Minnesota, which is not fancy or even gorgeous, but she's improving it with decor and is on an eight-year rent-to-own plan, so she'll own the house by the time she's in her mid-fifties.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
Clothes, aromatherapy, magic supplies, books, drinks when she goes out.
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?
Ruby is training to be a massage therapist in Baedal, and yes, she is good at it. Ultimately she'd like to combine that, aromatherapy, and discreet magical practice, as well as writing novels on the side. It'll keep her busy.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
Ruby has a lot of play and socializing in her life. She likes to go out, to shop, to study her books and magic. Arguably mystery-hunting and getting nosy about certain secret societies in Baedal is also a hobby, albeit a trouble-making, bad idea hobby.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
She's not hugely concerned with avoiding rich foods and isn't allergic to anything, but she prefers healthy, natural food. Ruby doesn't have anything against eating meat at all, but doesn't eat a lot of it herself. She doesn't drink to excess and never alone, only with friends; she's careful to drink when she's in a good mood, not to improve a bad one.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? Yellow.
2. Smell? Heliotrope (which is what she wears on a daily basis instead of perfume, which is saved for special occasions).
3. Time of day? Sunset.
4. Season? Spring.
5. Book? The Golden Book of Fairy Tales.
6. Music? She prefers female vocals, but is flexible.
7. Place? The village she was in with Isabelle and Orion.
8. Substance? Rainwater.
9. Plant? Oleander.
10. Animal? Some kind of wild fox.
END
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