[app] Babylon Woods
If my love has a fighter's drive,
then I will be his sword
To fight for him and serve him well,
against the searing fires.
The Player
User Name/Nick: Christina
User LJ: lollobrigida
AIM/IM: onlysayinghello
E-mail: lollobrigida [gmail.com]
Other Characters:
I am applying for three:
Paige Matthews
Faith Lehane
Ruby
The Character
Character Name: Ruby
Character Journal: sent-farfaraway
Canon: Supernatural
Age: She was alive during the Plague - but her host body is about 25
From When?: After the events of 4x16 On the Head of a Pin - She has just gotten Sam to drink about... OH just a few gallons of her own blood, the first BIG step toward getting him ready to take out Lilith. So she can either continue on that path and keep priming his body for more and more of her blood or she can let him detox and realize just how much this is hurting Sam and Dean's relationship. (Hold on while she laughs.)
Abilities/Powers:
Telekinesis - Ruby is able to shut doors, push people against walls - across rooms, move objects, etc - all with a simple hand gesture. In general, she doesn't actually prefer to use these - because she's a fan of hand-to-hand contact.
Manifestation - Generally a talent that's hidden by the shadows, Ruby has the ability to track and locate someone that isn't protected by wards and then show up right there. She's done it even to the extent of showing up in front of the Impala while it's driving down the road.
Summoning - Ruby can be summoned to a specific location via a ritual. No matter where she is, if her phone doesn't work - you can be sure that you can just yank her there against her will.
Possession - If she deems it needed, Ruby can evacuate her current host in a large plume of dark billowy black smoke. From there she can take that non-corporeal form and shove herself into another host body. That person is still in-tact, still inside, still aware of everything that Ruby does while taking over their body. If fatal harm comes to the body, it still serves as her host, but when she leaves it, the body is dead.
Enhanced strength - Girl be bringing it. She's got enough strength in her to be more than a hard shove, but similar to the TK she doesn't actually use this too often. She relies more on her host body's strength level over taking some advantage. Plus, she doesn't usually get into too many fights in canon.
Extensive Knowledge of Witchcraft/Pagan Rituals - She sold her soul in exchange for some amazing witchcraft powers. (Or to survive the plague...) but either way she knows how to save your ass, protect it from pretty much anything and find you even when you're not meant to be found. If she can find the stuff to make a Hex Bag, she'll do it and with a bit of a glimmer in her eye.
Power Limitations:
Ruby is stuck in the body she has. There will be no mass-exodus'ing from her host body, UNLESS plot/shenanigans/whatever dictates that it has to happen. Basically, only if there's a body-swap/sex-swap/animal-swap type event.
Inventory
→ 1 Anti-Angel/Demon Hex Bag
→ 1 Demon Killing Silver Knife
→ Misc. Silver Jewelry (Protection Amulets and Charms)
→ 1 Silver Lighter
→ 1 Small Black Notebook (Inside Jacket Pocket Size) Contains: Notes, Spells, phone numbers, diagrams, etc.
→ 1 Pocket Knife (for cutting ropes, opening boxes)
→ 1 Hunting Knife (stored in her boot; used for opening veins and stabbing people)
→ 1 Pair Black Boots
→ 1 Black Leather Biker Jacket
→ 1 Pair Dark Blue Jeans
→ 1 Pair Black Cotton Panties
→ 1 Pair black socks
→ 1 Black Bra
→ 1 White Tank Top
→ 1 Navy Blue V-Neck T-shirt
→ 1 Black Button-Down Tailored shirt (it is proven fact, that hunters layer their clothing)
Personality:
Ruby is known for two things, her snarky wit and her underhanded deception. She’s loyal, but she’s been known to have some moments of weakness, most times related to Sam Winchester. She has faith in the thought that what she’s doing is right and it motivates her to do whatever she needs to do in order to get what she wants. She’s capable of deception, but it’s not a bold faced lie tactic that she uses, instead she uses her own human experiences to form connections with whoever she needs to endear to her. She's a rare breed of demon, because she does actually remember what it feels like to be human. It allows her the level of sympathy and empathy that most other humans need to differentiate her from "just a demon". She is well-versed in demonology and that knowledge gives her another ‘in’ with the people she needs to deal with.
When she first showed herself to Sam, she did so as a way to present herself as an ally to him. She came in and saved the day, using her bravado and bold swings to make herself stand out. She was a mysterious chick with a magical knife. Ruby knew exactly how to position herself within Sam's life to make herself a person of 'interest'. She used her snark and knowledge about the Winchester relationship to make Sam feel as if he had a chance to save his brother. Ruby withheld the “how” part of it, because she knew that he wasn’t ready for that sort of plan. As the relationship changed over the course of two seasons, Ruby used Sam’s desperation and loneliness to her advantage and positioned herself into the role of “the only one that understood” which was easier for her to play, when there were actually parts of her that did understand. She did fall for Sam as well, hoping to stay by his side when the final plan came to its end.
She’ll banter with the best of them, snap-back with whatever she can, and if she can pick at an old wound, she’ll do it with a smile. Even though she’s a demon, unlike other demons for some reason, yet to be explained, she does still retain a great deal of her humanity. She has the capability to use this humanity to sympathize or empathize with someone, but most times, because of the plan that she’s a part of, she knows that it won’t help her if she feels bad. It doesn’t mean she’s not capable of it, but she will put her own survival and goals ahead of the sick to her stomach feeling.
History:
Once upon a time, Ruby was a witch during the plague. Possibly in order to gain more power or just survive the damn plague, she sold her soul. When the time came to collect she was sent to Hell, her soul now property of Lilith. She endured years of torture in the pit, but still retained her memories of being Human. It is a very rare thing for a Demon to not be stripped of everything that makes them human, which made Ruby an interesting asset to Hell.
She’s given a pass to the surface when Dean makes his deal. She uses her time to study the Winchesters and when she feels the time is right, she approaches Sam offering him a way to save Dean. Sam resists, because he’s going with Dean’s wishes or it’s because he thinks there’s a better way. She still stays with them, proving herself useful, giving Dean perspective into Hell, saving their lives on a few occasions. When the light at the end of the horrible tunnel is seen, Sam tries to get her to help but it’s too late. Lilith takes over Ruby’s body, using her close proximity to the boys to get what she wants. Lilith tells them that he sent her “Far far away”.
Ruby returns to Sam after Dean’s dead, telling him of how horrible it was for her in Hell and how she made a deal to kill Sam if she got to the surface. Rather than kill Sam, she saves him and allows him to become very attached to her. She uses his isolation and desperation to get him onto the track she wants him on and into her bed. When Dean returns, she takes a step away from Sam. Mostly because she’s afraid of the angel that brought Dean back, but also because she’s spent so much time aligning herself as someone that Sam needs, she needs to make sure that he does actually need her. Sam’s reliance on her isn’t just emotional, but it’s physical since she’s been getting him hooked on her blood and the abilities that they bring out in Sam.
She still maintains that she’s doing all of these things for Sam’s benefit, as a way for Sam to get revenge, by killing Lilith. She gets him hooked on demon blood, on her being there as the one who believes him and drives a wedge between him and his brother. It soon becomes a situation where things are being moved into place not just by Ruby, but by the angels as well, forcing the ending of the story along. Ruby pushes Sam until he kills Lilith, believing that he’s ending the chain of events, when in reality he’s slide the final piece into place for Lucifer to be risen.
Ruby feels that this is the way it was always going to be and believes that she’ll be at Sam’s side, that Lucifer will owe her for his freedom and that her and Sam will rule this new world that Lucifer would bring on together. However, before she can learn that this will never happen, she’s stabbed by her own knife, killing her.
First Person Sample:
Wait, this is supposed to be the easy part right? [glares] So, why am I standing here, watching you shuffle through this as if you have no concept of time at all?
Do you understand the words I'm saying? Want it in Latin? [shakes her head] I could do that, just for you, but I'm sure your low level of comprehension would just make your brain explode and I am not getting blamed for that.
How about this. [steady even tone]
I give you four dollars, you keep the change, and then... [all the steady even - goes right out the door as she shouts] you make with the fries!!
[exasperated sigh, spoken over her shoulder to some random line-goer] It's called a Happy Meal, not a bitch at the help Meal, right?
Prose Sample:
Power is an addictive thing. It coils around you, pushes down all those horrible things, lifts up the parts of you that can strike a bit of fear into the hearts of others. It's intoxicating to have a good hold on and can take the breath away from someone who just gets to watch.
The blade would slip across her skin, lacerating that top layer of flesh, parting deep enough to allow a dark streak of crimson to follow the path. His hand would swallow her wrist, clasping tight to it and yanking it closer to his mouth. That first press of his tongue would sting, the pressure to the open wound a minor concern as the intake would begin. It was more intimate than the sex. To know he needed her, to feel him taking her into him, using her to become something better, something more powerful.
Curiosity would itch at her, making her wonder what would happen if she didn't stop him, if she let him take it all. He'd stop though, wanting something other than blood. He'd look at her, pupils blown and his gaze a bit unfocused, and they'd collide into a mix of limbs and heated breaths.
In the beginning she'd offer answers, power, a taste of how he could be better. He'd respond and be rewarded for his efforts.
Now it's shifted. She knows that when he calls, she'll come and give him whatever he needs. The response isn't what they wanted, not really.
After all, Ruby was the one that was meant to be holding the bell.
Special Notes: Ruby is awesome. I will have her lie, cheat, steal, manipulate as much as she can. There are books based on the events of Supernatural that were written by the not-so-famous Carver Edlund. If your character is a total pop-culture basement-dweller type, I'm fine with them knowing Ruby from the books, but keep in mind, published books stop at the end of S3's canon. Recognizing her on-site when she's brunette - is not cool. Also, Ruby doesn't know about these books yet, so she might be sort of shocked to hear about them.
REVISION - PERSONALITY:
Ruby is known for two things, her snarky wit and her underhanded deception. In general those are just the surface of the human who sold her soul for power and ended up a demon with an advantage. She’ll banter with the best of them, snap-back with whatever she can, and if she can pick at an old wound, she’ll do it with a smile. Most times she'd prefer to pick at an old wound, instead of trying to find a new one.
Ruby is capable of deception, but it’s not a bold faced lie tactic that she uses, instead she uses her own human experiences to form connections with whoever she needs to endear to her. She's a rare breed of demon, because she does actually remember what it feels like to be human. It allows her the level of sympathy and empathy that most other humans need to differentiate her from "just a demon". She is well-versed in demonology and that knowledge gives her another ‘in’ with the people she needs to deal with.
When it comes to the Winchesters, she's studied them and their relationship, seemingly for a long time before even approaching them. So she knows a lot of the things that drive the other a bit nuts. She'll push, and hard, to try and drive a wedge between them. Using things like Dean's distrust of who Sam can't help but be, because of the demon blood, to make Sam face who he could be. Before Dean goes to Hell, she uses the fact that she knows she can't save Dean and that Dean wants his brother to be safe and protected to push him toward accepting her. She tells him that she needs Sam to be strong so that when Dean isn't around, he won't collapse under the pressure. It's not as if the brothers make their relationship hard to define, because almost every single demon knows that they are each other's weak spots, but Ruby's figured out exactly why that's true and she knows how to push, just enough, to make it more obvious and easier to pick a side.
Ruby's picked a side though and for the most part, she's sticking with it, because it was her own side. In theory, choosing Lilith's side allowed Ruby the freedom to wander topside. It gave her access to people, demons, situations that she wouldn't have been able to even touch before. Considering the fact that she isn't the standard "Numb-Evil-Inc" type Demon, my own thought is that she was something of an outcast within Hell. Lilith saw this as something she could use and Ruby, still knowing what it was like to be human, probably realized early on that she was just a pawn in the game, but she didn't want to go back to Hell either. In that way, I've always thought that Ruby was doing what she had to do to survive. She wanted to be on the winning side, but that always had a slight twist to it, because she was never sure she'd be able to pull Sam over completely.
When she first showed herself to Sam, she did so as a way to present herself as an ally to him. She came in and saved the day, using her bravado and bold swings to make herself stand out. She was a mysterious chick with a magical knife. Ruby knew exactly how to position herself within Sam's life to make herself a person of 'interest'.
Through-out Season Three, she was trying to push Sam to kill Lilith. According to the end game, killing Lilith wouldn't have done anything at all except release people (possibly) from their contracts. The first seal hadn't been broken and for all the work Ruby was doing, she was still playing the angles. If she could've gotten Sam to bite and get strong enough to kill Lilith, she wouldn't have much else to worry about. Sam would take up the missing spot in the chain of command and that would've been a lovely way to live. She just couldn't get him to that spot. She used Hex bags and threats and everything she could to try and hide what she was doing, not only from Sam and Dean, but I believe from Lilith.
The thing about Ruby's plan is that even with her trying to kill Lilith early - it could've been easily explained to Lilith as that she knew Sam would never do it. That it was her way of getting into his personal space and figuring out how easy it would be to twist him around her finger. Through out season three, she probably realized that it wasn't exactly easy because of Dean being around. She still tried though and when she realized that Dean was going to Hell, that Sam had waited too long, she had to keep going forward with Lilith's plan.
My thoughts are that when Lilith said she sent Ruby 'far-far-away' that it really was true. Ruby had been trying to play both sides in a way, just for her own survival. If it had gone one way - awesome, no more Lilith and a super powered bad-ass human that could help keep the whole demon order in line. If it went the other way, then it'd just be a longer trip to her prize. Which during her big speech, she really does believe that she's going to get some huge reward, that Sam's going to be at her side, helping Lucifer - not that Sam will be the suit for Lucifer. It was clearly a "need to know" situation, and Lilith didn't feel that Ruby neede to know that all of her work getting attached to Sam and making him her little play thing was going to mean that all the demons would die (along with humans) and Lucifer would just take her boyfriend away.
Because that's the real truth to Ruby choosing herself. Even with all of the manipulations and the plans of Lilith's she's at her core wanting to survive for more than just the body she's taken. Ruby presented herself as a new option to Sam's loneliness. He knew he had an ability, but just didn't understand how to properly use it. She pushed, just enough, to use that desperation that he had, that need to find a way to get his brother back, and if not that then to at least make the person responsible pay. She starts off, boldly telling him that she made a deal with Lilith. The fact that she's going against Lilith, can instantly give her a rebel-state that makes her just like Sam. Fighting against a common enemy.
As they make him stronger, she's feeding him, literally part of her, and that connection between two people isn't just about her blood powering him. It's about him needing her. There's nothing more powerful between two people than knowing that you are needed. She fills that void that he always had in his life, of someone that understands him just the way he is. Sam and Dean need each other, in a different way, but it's still a very strong bond. However, even with that bond there were always rules and circumstances. Dean didn't want Sam using the abilities he had, he didn't want him doing these sort of things. There were conditions set, that Ruby made sure to disclude when she helped him. She made sure that Sam knew, that he wasn't going to have to hide any part of him. That made her that much easier to cling to, that much easier to agree with because she wasn't fighting him on anything. The more he needed that pat on the head that he was doing something good, the better off Ruby felt about their relationship. Ruby got off on that want of Sam and just like he was addicted to her blood, she was growing addicted to him needing it from her.
Just like Dean being Sam's weakness, Sam was slowly becoming Ruby's weakness. My own thought, is that if she had found out that Sam was going to be the suit for Lucifer - she would've figured out a way to kill Lilith sooner. Everything about the final seal was about ritual and if she had known the truth, she could've done something to do it differently. Which is why the angels also had to shove their wings in there. They knew that they had to make sure that her own human emotions and feelings for Sam didn't get in the way of the war they wanted. Those emotions, the ones that made her a perfect candidate to show Sam that demons aren't all black and white and that some of them hate just what they've become, also made her a problem.
Blindly though she trusted what Lilith was telling her. She thought that she was doing the right thing, because by that time there wasn't much other choice. There weren't many more facts that could tell her without a shadow of a doubt that she was doing something that was going to get her killed. It's that motivation of survival once more cutting through. She wants to live, because she believes that she's part of this grand plan that's going to give someone with a whole hell of a lot of power something that they want. That she's doing them a favor and will get repaid handsomely. It's naive in a way, but she can't see past that golden ring of having the power, the guy and the gratitude of someone else.
It's one of those moments where you realize just how human she still is. She's capable of making mistakes, and probably the biggest one she made was not actually looking at the big picture. Whatever Lilith did to her between Seasons 3 and 4 was probably enough torture and threats to make her not want to look beyond that finale endgame. The ending was going to be something that she could retire on and she was actually proud to be a part of it.
The other side of this though is that she feels like she has to be part of this. Without this plan, without this spot at Sam's side or working for Lilith, she's a reject demon that feels too much. She can't just aimlessly abuse her powers as a demon, start a life of crime and go on a murder spree. There is still that part of her that just can't do that. It's ironic that she is okay with manipulating Sam completely, but not okay with how demons just kill people. It goes once more to show how her picking her own side has put her own needs first. She manipulates Sam, not just to put him into the place Lilith needs him, but to make sure that she's not alone.
On Buffy, Willow says, "Love makes you do the wacky." and I really believe that sometime during season 4, Ruby began to love Sam. It might not have been the purest of loves, or one of those "In Love" moments, but it was a love of commonality and desperation. It's the thought that if he goes - if he's gone, what would she have left? For two years her life circled his and that sort of time and claim on a person can do more than just make you friends. Add in the physical aspect of their relationship and it's not just sex. She's got emotions and she's got feelings, which not even apparently all demons can get rid of. We've seen demon couples a few times over the seasons, but Ruby is different from all of them. she can love not just from whatever demons have left in them, but with actual emotion. She can reciprocate and sympathize with Sam when he's hurting. She can be that partner to him, and I really think she wants that.
---
There is still that moment during "The Monster At the End of This Book" where Lilith goes to Sam and offers that deal. I have been trying to figure out if Lilith meant it or not. The thought could be that Lilith knew that she had to plant the seed of her death with Sam. One more thing to push him forward. The other thing could be that Lilith realized what Lucifer would do. It was said that she was sleeping with Crowley and he seemed very anti-the-boss-coming-upstairs. So if Lilith knew and wanted to save herself, I really, truly think that means that she wouldn't have told Ruby the whole truth. She might have even been twisting Ruby toward caring for Sam even more, hoping that the bond she formed with Sam could still give her some chance of survival. (Though, I really doubt that aspect of it, but it still pushes more toward Ruby just following blindly.)
---
When Ruby first came out of Hell, she picked a body that was similar to the one that Sam was familiar with. Tall, blonde, and slender with striking features. She did that because she thought she needed to connect herself to something he knew from before. However, she didn't really count on just how focused he'd be on the point that she was a demon. He literally rejects the body that she's in because it's just one more person that's being harmed because of him. It's one more innocent person that won't have the same life anymore.
Ruby takes that in stride and uses his current emotional state and picks a new body. It's shorter, more curves than slender with an olive complexion and darker hair. Not only does it fit the bill of an empty house, but it's a complete opposite of the prior body. This serves one purpose of disconnecting the sight of Ruby with the past. She's not a streak of blonde hair in a fight anymore, she's a softer, more kind face that can still glare and be strong when needed, but can easily bend to whatever Sam wants at that moment. She bears no similarity to Jess or his mother either, which keeps her as a distinct version of who he's with in this new chapter of his life.
Her voice is soft, but can carry volume and an edge to it. It's the same level of snark that she had before, but the tone isn't quite as biting. Everything about her new vessel is just a bit different from the old one. It's distancing herself from the failure and from the memories that might surround Sam for those events.
She's beautiful too, which isn't something that she overly flaunts. She's still sticking to the needs of a hunter. Layering her clothing, keeping herself in the same manner that she knows Sam prefers. She's not just some chick he picked up in the bar, she needs to make sure that she's the girl he needs and wants to be around. She makes sure that when she's being strong she folds her arms and when she's being compassionate she makes some sort of physical contact with him.
It is all a further line to her manipulation. She's making herself the association between how he's going to survive and that she's going to be a solid, real, human body there for him. That she's going to be part of him and that it's okay to choose that. Her blood gets fed to him, her body gets taken by him and all of her choices in that body, that hair style, that lack of make-up, those layered outfits - they all fit into the puzzle that she knew the picture for. It's probably the one time she was able to look at the big picture and figure out what she needed to provide and made sure to find it.
then I will be his sword
To fight for him and serve him well,
against the searing fires.
The Player
User Name/Nick: Christina
User LJ: lollobrigida
AIM/IM: onlysayinghello
E-mail: lollobrigida [gmail.com]
Other Characters:
I am applying for three:
Paige Matthews
Faith Lehane
Ruby
The Character
Character Name: Ruby
Character Journal: sent-farfaraway
Canon: Supernatural
Age: She was alive during the Plague - but her host body is about 25
From When?: After the events of 4x16 On the Head of a Pin - She has just gotten Sam to drink about... OH just a few gallons of her own blood, the first BIG step toward getting him ready to take out Lilith. So she can either continue on that path and keep priming his body for more and more of her blood or she can let him detox and realize just how much this is hurting Sam and Dean's relationship. (Hold on while she laughs.)
Abilities/Powers:
Telekinesis - Ruby is able to shut doors, push people against walls - across rooms, move objects, etc - all with a simple hand gesture. In general, she doesn't actually prefer to use these - because she's a fan of hand-to-hand contact.
Manifestation - Generally a talent that's hidden by the shadows, Ruby has the ability to track and locate someone that isn't protected by wards and then show up right there. She's done it even to the extent of showing up in front of the Impala while it's driving down the road.
Summoning - Ruby can be summoned to a specific location via a ritual. No matter where she is, if her phone doesn't work - you can be sure that you can just yank her there against her will.
Possession - If she deems it needed, Ruby can evacuate her current host in a large plume of dark billowy black smoke. From there she can take that non-corporeal form and shove herself into another host body. That person is still in-tact, still inside, still aware of everything that Ruby does while taking over their body. If fatal harm comes to the body, it still serves as her host, but when she leaves it, the body is dead.
Enhanced strength - Girl be bringing it. She's got enough strength in her to be more than a hard shove, but similar to the TK she doesn't actually use this too often. She relies more on her host body's strength level over taking some advantage. Plus, she doesn't usually get into too many fights in canon.
Extensive Knowledge of Witchcraft/Pagan Rituals - She sold her soul in exchange for some amazing witchcraft powers. (Or to survive the plague...) but either way she knows how to save your ass, protect it from pretty much anything and find you even when you're not meant to be found. If she can find the stuff to make a Hex Bag, she'll do it and with a bit of a glimmer in her eye.
Power Limitations:
Ruby is stuck in the body she has. There will be no mass-exodus'ing from her host body, UNLESS plot/shenanigans/whatever dictates that it has to happen. Basically, only if there's a body-swap/sex-swap/animal-swap type event.
Inventory
→ 1 Anti-Angel/Demon Hex Bag
→ 1 Demon Killing Silver Knife
→ Misc. Silver Jewelry (Protection Amulets and Charms)
→ 1 Silver Lighter
→ 1 Small Black Notebook (Inside Jacket Pocket Size) Contains: Notes, Spells, phone numbers, diagrams, etc.
→ 1 Pocket Knife (for cutting ropes, opening boxes)
→ 1 Hunting Knife (stored in her boot; used for opening veins and stabbing people)
→ 1 Pair Black Boots
→ 1 Black Leather Biker Jacket
→ 1 Pair Dark Blue Jeans
→ 1 Pair Black Cotton Panties
→ 1 Pair black socks
→ 1 Black Bra
→ 1 White Tank Top
→ 1 Navy Blue V-Neck T-shirt
→ 1 Black Button-Down Tailored shirt (it is proven fact, that hunters layer their clothing)
Personality:
Ruby is known for two things, her snarky wit and her underhanded deception. She’s loyal, but she’s been known to have some moments of weakness, most times related to Sam Winchester. She has faith in the thought that what she’s doing is right and it motivates her to do whatever she needs to do in order to get what she wants. She’s capable of deception, but it’s not a bold faced lie tactic that she uses, instead she uses her own human experiences to form connections with whoever she needs to endear to her. She's a rare breed of demon, because she does actually remember what it feels like to be human. It allows her the level of sympathy and empathy that most other humans need to differentiate her from "just a demon". She is well-versed in demonology and that knowledge gives her another ‘in’ with the people she needs to deal with.
When she first showed herself to Sam, she did so as a way to present herself as an ally to him. She came in and saved the day, using her bravado and bold swings to make herself stand out. She was a mysterious chick with a magical knife. Ruby knew exactly how to position herself within Sam's life to make herself a person of 'interest'. She used her snark and knowledge about the Winchester relationship to make Sam feel as if he had a chance to save his brother. Ruby withheld the “how” part of it, because she knew that he wasn’t ready for that sort of plan. As the relationship changed over the course of two seasons, Ruby used Sam’s desperation and loneliness to her advantage and positioned herself into the role of “the only one that understood” which was easier for her to play, when there were actually parts of her that did understand. She did fall for Sam as well, hoping to stay by his side when the final plan came to its end.
She’ll banter with the best of them, snap-back with whatever she can, and if she can pick at an old wound, she’ll do it with a smile. Even though she’s a demon, unlike other demons for some reason, yet to be explained, she does still retain a great deal of her humanity. She has the capability to use this humanity to sympathize or empathize with someone, but most times, because of the plan that she’s a part of, she knows that it won’t help her if she feels bad. It doesn’t mean she’s not capable of it, but she will put her own survival and goals ahead of the sick to her stomach feeling.
History:
Once upon a time, Ruby was a witch during the plague. Possibly in order to gain more power or just survive the damn plague, she sold her soul. When the time came to collect she was sent to Hell, her soul now property of Lilith. She endured years of torture in the pit, but still retained her memories of being Human. It is a very rare thing for a Demon to not be stripped of everything that makes them human, which made Ruby an interesting asset to Hell.
She’s given a pass to the surface when Dean makes his deal. She uses her time to study the Winchesters and when she feels the time is right, she approaches Sam offering him a way to save Dean. Sam resists, because he’s going with Dean’s wishes or it’s because he thinks there’s a better way. She still stays with them, proving herself useful, giving Dean perspective into Hell, saving their lives on a few occasions. When the light at the end of the horrible tunnel is seen, Sam tries to get her to help but it’s too late. Lilith takes over Ruby’s body, using her close proximity to the boys to get what she wants. Lilith tells them that he sent her “Far far away”.
Ruby returns to Sam after Dean’s dead, telling him of how horrible it was for her in Hell and how she made a deal to kill Sam if she got to the surface. Rather than kill Sam, she saves him and allows him to become very attached to her. She uses his isolation and desperation to get him onto the track she wants him on and into her bed. When Dean returns, she takes a step away from Sam. Mostly because she’s afraid of the angel that brought Dean back, but also because she’s spent so much time aligning herself as someone that Sam needs, she needs to make sure that he does actually need her. Sam’s reliance on her isn’t just emotional, but it’s physical since she’s been getting him hooked on her blood and the abilities that they bring out in Sam.
She still maintains that she’s doing all of these things for Sam’s benefit, as a way for Sam to get revenge, by killing Lilith. She gets him hooked on demon blood, on her being there as the one who believes him and drives a wedge between him and his brother. It soon becomes a situation where things are being moved into place not just by Ruby, but by the angels as well, forcing the ending of the story along. Ruby pushes Sam until he kills Lilith, believing that he’s ending the chain of events, when in reality he’s slide the final piece into place for Lucifer to be risen.
Ruby feels that this is the way it was always going to be and believes that she’ll be at Sam’s side, that Lucifer will owe her for his freedom and that her and Sam will rule this new world that Lucifer would bring on together. However, before she can learn that this will never happen, she’s stabbed by her own knife, killing her.
First Person Sample:
Wait, this is supposed to be the easy part right? [glares] So, why am I standing here, watching you shuffle through this as if you have no concept of time at all?
Do you understand the words I'm saying? Want it in Latin? [shakes her head] I could do that, just for you, but I'm sure your low level of comprehension would just make your brain explode and I am not getting blamed for that.
How about this. [steady even tone]
I give you four dollars, you keep the change, and then... [all the steady even - goes right out the door as she shouts] you make with the fries!!
[exasperated sigh, spoken over her shoulder to some random line-goer] It's called a Happy Meal, not a bitch at the help Meal, right?
Prose Sample:
Power is an addictive thing. It coils around you, pushes down all those horrible things, lifts up the parts of you that can strike a bit of fear into the hearts of others. It's intoxicating to have a good hold on and can take the breath away from someone who just gets to watch.
The blade would slip across her skin, lacerating that top layer of flesh, parting deep enough to allow a dark streak of crimson to follow the path. His hand would swallow her wrist, clasping tight to it and yanking it closer to his mouth. That first press of his tongue would sting, the pressure to the open wound a minor concern as the intake would begin. It was more intimate than the sex. To know he needed her, to feel him taking her into him, using her to become something better, something more powerful.
Curiosity would itch at her, making her wonder what would happen if she didn't stop him, if she let him take it all. He'd stop though, wanting something other than blood. He'd look at her, pupils blown and his gaze a bit unfocused, and they'd collide into a mix of limbs and heated breaths.
In the beginning she'd offer answers, power, a taste of how he could be better. He'd respond and be rewarded for his efforts.
Now it's shifted. She knows that when he calls, she'll come and give him whatever he needs. The response isn't what they wanted, not really.
After all, Ruby was the one that was meant to be holding the bell.
Special Notes: Ruby is awesome. I will have her lie, cheat, steal, manipulate as much as she can. There are books based on the events of Supernatural that were written by the not-so-famous Carver Edlund. If your character is a total pop-culture basement-dweller type, I'm fine with them knowing Ruby from the books, but keep in mind, published books stop at the end of S3's canon. Recognizing her on-site when she's brunette - is not cool. Also, Ruby doesn't know about these books yet, so she might be sort of shocked to hear about them.
REVISION - PERSONALITY:
Ruby is known for two things, her snarky wit and her underhanded deception. In general those are just the surface of the human who sold her soul for power and ended up a demon with an advantage. She’ll banter with the best of them, snap-back with whatever she can, and if she can pick at an old wound, she’ll do it with a smile. Most times she'd prefer to pick at an old wound, instead of trying to find a new one.
Ruby is capable of deception, but it’s not a bold faced lie tactic that she uses, instead she uses her own human experiences to form connections with whoever she needs to endear to her. She's a rare breed of demon, because she does actually remember what it feels like to be human. It allows her the level of sympathy and empathy that most other humans need to differentiate her from "just a demon". She is well-versed in demonology and that knowledge gives her another ‘in’ with the people she needs to deal with.
When it comes to the Winchesters, she's studied them and their relationship, seemingly for a long time before even approaching them. So she knows a lot of the things that drive the other a bit nuts. She'll push, and hard, to try and drive a wedge between them. Using things like Dean's distrust of who Sam can't help but be, because of the demon blood, to make Sam face who he could be. Before Dean goes to Hell, she uses the fact that she knows she can't save Dean and that Dean wants his brother to be safe and protected to push him toward accepting her. She tells him that she needs Sam to be strong so that when Dean isn't around, he won't collapse under the pressure. It's not as if the brothers make their relationship hard to define, because almost every single demon knows that they are each other's weak spots, but Ruby's figured out exactly why that's true and she knows how to push, just enough, to make it more obvious and easier to pick a side.
Ruby's picked a side though and for the most part, she's sticking with it, because it was her own side. In theory, choosing Lilith's side allowed Ruby the freedom to wander topside. It gave her access to people, demons, situations that she wouldn't have been able to even touch before. Considering the fact that she isn't the standard "Numb-Evil-Inc" type Demon, my own thought is that she was something of an outcast within Hell. Lilith saw this as something she could use and Ruby, still knowing what it was like to be human, probably realized early on that she was just a pawn in the game, but she didn't want to go back to Hell either. In that way, I've always thought that Ruby was doing what she had to do to survive. She wanted to be on the winning side, but that always had a slight twist to it, because she was never sure she'd be able to pull Sam over completely.
When she first showed herself to Sam, she did so as a way to present herself as an ally to him. She came in and saved the day, using her bravado and bold swings to make herself stand out. She was a mysterious chick with a magical knife. Ruby knew exactly how to position herself within Sam's life to make herself a person of 'interest'.
Through-out Season Three, she was trying to push Sam to kill Lilith. According to the end game, killing Lilith wouldn't have done anything at all except release people (possibly) from their contracts. The first seal hadn't been broken and for all the work Ruby was doing, she was still playing the angles. If she could've gotten Sam to bite and get strong enough to kill Lilith, she wouldn't have much else to worry about. Sam would take up the missing spot in the chain of command and that would've been a lovely way to live. She just couldn't get him to that spot. She used Hex bags and threats and everything she could to try and hide what she was doing, not only from Sam and Dean, but I believe from Lilith.
The thing about Ruby's plan is that even with her trying to kill Lilith early - it could've been easily explained to Lilith as that she knew Sam would never do it. That it was her way of getting into his personal space and figuring out how easy it would be to twist him around her finger. Through out season three, she probably realized that it wasn't exactly easy because of Dean being around. She still tried though and when she realized that Dean was going to Hell, that Sam had waited too long, she had to keep going forward with Lilith's plan.
My thoughts are that when Lilith said she sent Ruby 'far-far-away' that it really was true. Ruby had been trying to play both sides in a way, just for her own survival. If it had gone one way - awesome, no more Lilith and a super powered bad-ass human that could help keep the whole demon order in line. If it went the other way, then it'd just be a longer trip to her prize. Which during her big speech, she really does believe that she's going to get some huge reward, that Sam's going to be at her side, helping Lucifer - not that Sam will be the suit for Lucifer. It was clearly a "need to know" situation, and Lilith didn't feel that Ruby neede to know that all of her work getting attached to Sam and making him her little play thing was going to mean that all the demons would die (along with humans) and Lucifer would just take her boyfriend away.
Because that's the real truth to Ruby choosing herself. Even with all of the manipulations and the plans of Lilith's she's at her core wanting to survive for more than just the body she's taken. Ruby presented herself as a new option to Sam's loneliness. He knew he had an ability, but just didn't understand how to properly use it. She pushed, just enough, to use that desperation that he had, that need to find a way to get his brother back, and if not that then to at least make the person responsible pay. She starts off, boldly telling him that she made a deal with Lilith. The fact that she's going against Lilith, can instantly give her a rebel-state that makes her just like Sam. Fighting against a common enemy.
As they make him stronger, she's feeding him, literally part of her, and that connection between two people isn't just about her blood powering him. It's about him needing her. There's nothing more powerful between two people than knowing that you are needed. She fills that void that he always had in his life, of someone that understands him just the way he is. Sam and Dean need each other, in a different way, but it's still a very strong bond. However, even with that bond there were always rules and circumstances. Dean didn't want Sam using the abilities he had, he didn't want him doing these sort of things. There were conditions set, that Ruby made sure to disclude when she helped him. She made sure that Sam knew, that he wasn't going to have to hide any part of him. That made her that much easier to cling to, that much easier to agree with because she wasn't fighting him on anything. The more he needed that pat on the head that he was doing something good, the better off Ruby felt about their relationship. Ruby got off on that want of Sam and just like he was addicted to her blood, she was growing addicted to him needing it from her.
Just like Dean being Sam's weakness, Sam was slowly becoming Ruby's weakness. My own thought, is that if she had found out that Sam was going to be the suit for Lucifer - she would've figured out a way to kill Lilith sooner. Everything about the final seal was about ritual and if she had known the truth, she could've done something to do it differently. Which is why the angels also had to shove their wings in there. They knew that they had to make sure that her own human emotions and feelings for Sam didn't get in the way of the war they wanted. Those emotions, the ones that made her a perfect candidate to show Sam that demons aren't all black and white and that some of them hate just what they've become, also made her a problem.
Blindly though she trusted what Lilith was telling her. She thought that she was doing the right thing, because by that time there wasn't much other choice. There weren't many more facts that could tell her without a shadow of a doubt that she was doing something that was going to get her killed. It's that motivation of survival once more cutting through. She wants to live, because she believes that she's part of this grand plan that's going to give someone with a whole hell of a lot of power something that they want. That she's doing them a favor and will get repaid handsomely. It's naive in a way, but she can't see past that golden ring of having the power, the guy and the gratitude of someone else.
It's one of those moments where you realize just how human she still is. She's capable of making mistakes, and probably the biggest one she made was not actually looking at the big picture. Whatever Lilith did to her between Seasons 3 and 4 was probably enough torture and threats to make her not want to look beyond that finale endgame. The ending was going to be something that she could retire on and she was actually proud to be a part of it.
The other side of this though is that she feels like she has to be part of this. Without this plan, without this spot at Sam's side or working for Lilith, she's a reject demon that feels too much. She can't just aimlessly abuse her powers as a demon, start a life of crime and go on a murder spree. There is still that part of her that just can't do that. It's ironic that she is okay with manipulating Sam completely, but not okay with how demons just kill people. It goes once more to show how her picking her own side has put her own needs first. She manipulates Sam, not just to put him into the place Lilith needs him, but to make sure that she's not alone.
On Buffy, Willow says, "Love makes you do the wacky." and I really believe that sometime during season 4, Ruby began to love Sam. It might not have been the purest of loves, or one of those "In Love" moments, but it was a love of commonality and desperation. It's the thought that if he goes - if he's gone, what would she have left? For two years her life circled his and that sort of time and claim on a person can do more than just make you friends. Add in the physical aspect of their relationship and it's not just sex. She's got emotions and she's got feelings, which not even apparently all demons can get rid of. We've seen demon couples a few times over the seasons, but Ruby is different from all of them. she can love not just from whatever demons have left in them, but with actual emotion. She can reciprocate and sympathize with Sam when he's hurting. She can be that partner to him, and I really think she wants that.
---
There is still that moment during "The Monster At the End of This Book" where Lilith goes to Sam and offers that deal. I have been trying to figure out if Lilith meant it or not. The thought could be that Lilith knew that she had to plant the seed of her death with Sam. One more thing to push him forward. The other thing could be that Lilith realized what Lucifer would do. It was said that she was sleeping with Crowley and he seemed very anti-the-boss-coming-upstairs. So if Lilith knew and wanted to save herself, I really, truly think that means that she wouldn't have told Ruby the whole truth. She might have even been twisting Ruby toward caring for Sam even more, hoping that the bond she formed with Sam could still give her some chance of survival. (Though, I really doubt that aspect of it, but it still pushes more toward Ruby just following blindly.)
---
When Ruby first came out of Hell, she picked a body that was similar to the one that Sam was familiar with. Tall, blonde, and slender with striking features. She did that because she thought she needed to connect herself to something he knew from before. However, she didn't really count on just how focused he'd be on the point that she was a demon. He literally rejects the body that she's in because it's just one more person that's being harmed because of him. It's one more innocent person that won't have the same life anymore.
Ruby takes that in stride and uses his current emotional state and picks a new body. It's shorter, more curves than slender with an olive complexion and darker hair. Not only does it fit the bill of an empty house, but it's a complete opposite of the prior body. This serves one purpose of disconnecting the sight of Ruby with the past. She's not a streak of blonde hair in a fight anymore, she's a softer, more kind face that can still glare and be strong when needed, but can easily bend to whatever Sam wants at that moment. She bears no similarity to Jess or his mother either, which keeps her as a distinct version of who he's with in this new chapter of his life.
Her voice is soft, but can carry volume and an edge to it. It's the same level of snark that she had before, but the tone isn't quite as biting. Everything about her new vessel is just a bit different from the old one. It's distancing herself from the failure and from the memories that might surround Sam for those events.
She's beautiful too, which isn't something that she overly flaunts. She's still sticking to the needs of a hunter. Layering her clothing, keeping herself in the same manner that she knows Sam prefers. She's not just some chick he picked up in the bar, she needs to make sure that she's the girl he needs and wants to be around. She makes sure that when she's being strong she folds her arms and when she's being compassionate she makes some sort of physical contact with him.
It is all a further line to her manipulation. She's making herself the association between how he's going to survive and that she's going to be a solid, real, human body there for him. That she's going to be part of him and that it's okay to choose that. Her blood gets fed to him, her body gets taken by him and all of her choices in that body, that hair style, that lack of make-up, those layered outfits - they all fit into the puzzle that she knew the picture for. It's probably the one time she was able to look at the big picture and figure out what she needed to provide and made sure to find it.