The New, Improved Character Survey of Doom

[glamorsongstress]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Ruby is of average height, although she often wears heels to make herself appear a little taller. She's thin-ish, but she has curves in all the right places.

2. How old is she?

29 years old. She was born on February 9th, 1928.

3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?

She carries herself well. She likes to look confident and sophisticated, and be the centre of attention when she walks into a room.

4. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?

Physically, if vivacious, curvy redheads are your thing, she's very attractive. She knows that she's pretty and enjoys dressing up, but she's not super vain about herself, she's not that shallow.

5. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.

Ruby's fire-red hair is her natural colour. Its length goes to around the bottom of her rib cage, and she likes to wear it down, although she styles it up when she's on stage. It is silky and shines in the light.

6. What color are her eyes?

Ruby has blue-green eyes.

7. What is the character's wardrobe like?

Stylish. She enjoys fashion, particularly dresses that look sophisticated and stylish. Her favourite colours to wear are red and black.



Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

Ruby has quite a husky voice, especially when singing; her vocal range goes quite deep, too.

2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?

Ruby talks easily and evenly. She's not particularly loud, but she's certainly not quiet, either.

3. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?

Fluent in English. She was made to learn French at school, which she was terrible at, but managed to remember a few random words which impressed her GI sweetheart, whom she met in France.

4. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?

She's a pretty good impromptu speaker. She enjoys conversation, is used to improvising from being on stage, and likes to put her opinion about whether people want it or not.


Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?

Ruby wasn't anywhere near the top of her class at school. She could have been, if she had wanted to put in the effort, but she never enjoyed book learning, and cut classes to mess around with friends instead. She left school at sixteen and never pursued further education, instead going over to Europe with the USO, where she grew up very quickly. That's not to say that Ruby isn't intelligent. She's very eloquent, especially having been raised by her also eloquent grandfather. She's also interested in people's points of view, partly because she likes trying to size people up, but also for the intellectual debate it presents. Even if Ruby's idea of debate is pretty much just telling the other side they're wrong. She's not book-smart, though.

2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?

She thinks on her feet. She often makes snap decisions, some of which are bad choices, but she is determined not to regret anything, as she only lives once.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

Ruby's thought process is intuitive, although she's quite shrewd when it comes to her business affairs, too. She is a very practical thinker, the idealistic aspects of her thinking having disappeared due to her experiences in the war.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

Ruby's grandfather had her homeschooled until age 11, at which point he sent her away to a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut, hoping to curb her fiery personality and get her a good education and married to a man deserving of his heir. This didn't work out exactly as planned; Ruby has always been a free spirit, and has always valued the education she gets through her own experiences and the people she meets than anything she could learn from a textbook.

5. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?

Very extroverted. However, there is some suggestion that this is partly an act that she puts on, and she's quite vulnerable underneath.

6. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

Ruby loves new people and new situations. She's the first to jump in and see what's going on, and isn't shy at all.

7. Which is her default: fight or flight?

Depends on the situation. She likes to fight her corner, most of the time. Her instinct to run away comes in when confronted with her deepest fears, which she has locked away in her past on coming to Rapture: firstly, the insinuations that she is a Communist (and tying her to her parents' choices), and even more, the death of the soldier she loved, and the broken men she saw in army hospitals all over Europe, men who had seen such horrors, whose spirit she was expected to restore with a song and a dance.

8. Describe the character's sense of humor.

Ruby enjoys banter. It's probably for this reason that most of her friends are male, as she finds this sort of interaction with women a little more awkward, as there's always a teasing, flirting undertone to her witty bantering. As well as this, she also has quite a dark sense of humour, that can be even a little morbid at times, which is part of her defenses as much as her sense of humour.

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

Ruby feels a need to be the centre of attention. She doesn't like being upstaged, and needs to be validated all the time. She has a good deal of paranoia, both in her political views and her personal fears.

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

Her experiences in World War II and her move to Rapture are the biggest events to have defined Ruby as a person.

11. What does she fear?

Losing someone she loves; she doesn't let people get that close to her any more, because of that. She fears war and death and destruction, from the horror stories she heard from the GIs she befriended, as well as seeing soldiers in army wards adjusting to life without any of their limbs, or worst, with a blank, dead look in their eyes. The thing that spurred her towards Rapture more than anything else was Ryan's argument that altruism causes these wars and horrors. She also fears becoming what Andrew Ryan would define as a parasite; this stems from the very different political positions of her parents and grandfather, as well as having her reputation slurred in the past, and she works hard to constantly prove to herself that she is an important link in the great chain.

12. What are her hopes or aspirations?

She's pretty happy being a singer and living a luxorious lifestyle. She knows it probably won't last as she gets older, but she hopes to be able to retire and grow old gracefully, still able to support herself in a lifestyle that she enjoys.

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

That her parents are the very opposite of what Rapture stands for; she is scared that because it's in her blood, she is in danger of falling to socialism. She also doesn't speak of her GI, although there's a picture of him in her apartment that is a constant reminder. If asked about the picture, she will change the subject quickly, although it's no secret that she was sent to Europe with the USO for two years during the war; she is proud of that.


Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.

Ruby doesn't really have a relationship with her parents. She was raised by her grandfather, who refused to let her parents see her as a child, due to their vastly different ideological perspectives. Ruby has grown up with feelings of scorn and disappointment towards her parents, particularly her father, who is an out and out socialist, which Ruby finds dangerous.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

Ruby has a younger brother, called Joseph, who was born several years after her and grew up with Ruby's parents in California. He's been raised to their leftist viewpoints, and Ruby has only seen him a couple of times in her life, and doesn't really consider him part of her family.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?

Ruby was raised by her maternal grandfather, Anthony Blauvelt, who owns a successful factory in the Garment District of Manhattan, and was the only person out of his family and friends to weather the depression. On the one hand, her grandfather shaped a lot of Ruby's worldviews, but on the other, he had a set path that he wanted her to follow, and they fell out badly when Ruby chose to follow her own path instead. They were somewhat reconciled during the attempts to smear Ruby after her parents had been blacklisted, but fell out again when she chose to come to Rapture.

4. Does she have other close friends?

Ruby has always floated around, and had lots of groups of acquaintances rather than close friends. However, now that she's been in Rapture for six years, she's beginning to feel a little isolated and lonely. The new arrivals to the city have given her a new chance to form friendships, which she's not passing up.

5. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?

It's easy to make friends with Ruby. She's outgoing, confident, and loves talking to people and hearing their opinions. There is a barrier, though, to get very close to her, because she's scared of losing people, although she will never admit it. If you can get past Ruby's barriers, congratulations.

6. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?

Ruby is single. She's been in a couple of relationships since she got to Rapture, but they fizzled out once it became clear that they were only interested in her for her body and her money. She was only ever in one serious relationship before she came to Rapture, with an injured GI that she entertained and helped nurse while in the USO. They went on several dates and were starry-eyed for each other; he was a naive idealist, and they both believed that they would marry after the war. But when he was healed and sent back to the battlefield, he died. It has made Ruby far more cynical about giving her heart away. She would be happy to be in a relationship now, but she's far more cautious about getting close to someone in that way again.

7. Who was her first crush?

Ruby's first crush was a boy in the year above her at the boarding school. He acted mature and tough, and she wanted to impress him, so she lost her virginity to him, aged 15. She immediately regretted it, she realised at once that she was too young and not ready yet, and it hadn't been glamourous or fun like she'd thought, it was just sordid and uncomfortable. She began to get a reputation around the school, too, but she found that she had a thick skin.

8. What does she look for in a romantic partner?

Someone interesting. Good looks are a bonus, but not a requirement. There's nothing Ruby can abide less than someone who is shallow or boring, but unfortunately they seem to have been the ones trying to get into her pants until recently. Ruby loves conversation, whether it's trading life experiences and points of view, or conversations about movies or travel or food. She likes a person with a sense of humour; not necessarily someone who can make her laugh, but someone who is lighthearted and won't get upset by the gentle teasing that she's bound to give them. Most importantly, though, she's looking for someone who respects her as an individual, not just a pair of legs (although they are stunning legs). She wants a partner who can hold their own against her, banter with her, show her a good time.

9. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?

No, and she doesn't want any. She doesn't want a responsibility like that.

10. What is the character's sexual orientation?

Straight. Ruby likes the menfolk, pretty exclusively.

11. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?

Ruby enjoys sex a lot. She doesn't see it as the most important part of a relationship, though; she doesn't need to feel like she's going to be together forever in order to sleep with someone. It is part of a meaningful connection to her, though, in the sense that she's slept with a couple of people who have only wanted to use her for sex and then never contact her again, which has hurt her, as to her it's part of getting to know someone, even as a friend, and an extension of the flirty banter that she enjoys so much. She doesn't get all that much sex, then, because she's been used and dumped a couple of times since she got to Rapture and doesn't like that at all, not to mention that she has a certain reputation as a club singer anyway, so she doesn't want to make that any worse by rumours that she's sleeping around everywhere.

12. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?

Ruby is the sort of girl who will try almost anything once. Her biggest turn on, though, is being with someone she likes and having the opportunity to explore each other. She is turned on the most by strong personalities, and by someone who will enjoy her without objectifying her.


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

Ruby's Chinese Zodiac sign is the Dragon, as she was born in 1928. Looking at the personality description here, this actually fits Ruby quite well. Ruby's birthday of February 9th makes her an Aquarius. Reading the description of Aquarian personalities here, this also describes several elements of Ruby's personality.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?

Ruby had never been particularly religious, but the idea of religion became very distasteful to her when she started buying into Andrew Ryan's philosophies.

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 is a loyal friend. If you confide in her, she won't break that trust no matter what. While she likes to help out her friends, she also believes that people get what they have earned, and it's sometimes difficult for her to feel sympathy for others, unless she's been through the exact same problem herself, which would be rare. She believes very strongly in individual freedom and will fight for hers, but if that of others is compromised, she won't always run in to fight, unless it's someone she cares about a lot, believing that they haven't fought hard enough for their own rights.

4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

On the one hand, Ruby is wary of dangerous views such as socialism and altruism that threaten Rapture, and is intolerant of anyone acting to undermine the objectivist society they've built there. On the other hand, she really enjoys people questioning her views and debating them with her, in a theoretical sense.


Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

Ruby is very well off. She came from a wealthy family and has never wanted for anything. Despite this, she's not spoiled and has never relied on her grandfather's money to take care of her. She has worked hard to make a name for herself and get to where she is.

2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?

Coming from old Dutch roots and Gilded Age wealth, Ruby's social status has always been relatively high. None of that really matters for anything in Rapture, though. She's high class in Rapture because she's been successful financially, and has been able to afford to move to the swankiest residential district. Ruby's aware that she's probably looked down upon by some of her neighbours, who are the best and brightest in their fields, but she doesn't really care.

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?

Ruby lives in an apartment in the Mercury Suites, a high class complex in Olympus Heights. Everything is always spotless, and the furniture is stylish. Posters advertising her act, both in New York and in Rapture, adorn the walls, and on the dresser there are two photographs. One is a black and white photograph of a stern looking, mustachioed, man in his late 60s/early 70s: this is Anthony Blauvelt, Ruby's grandfather. The second picture is of a soldier. He looks as though he's from the Second World War. He's decorated with a purple heart and has a serious, far-off look in his eyes. When asked about the soldier, Ruby will try and change the subject. Ruby doesn't spend all that much time in her apartment, but she still considers it her home, and a place to get away and have a safe space to herself. She shares her home with her Persian cat, Isis, who adores Ruby, but treats any visitors that she has with disdain.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?

She likes to indulge herself. Expensive booze, expensive clothes, expensive jewellery, the finest food, and days out in other parts of the city.

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's a singer in a fancy nightclub. She loves her job, and given the clamour from the audience and the fame she's achieved, she's very good at it. On the one hand, she loves being in the spotlight and at the centre of attention. On the other hand, she treats it like a mask she can hide behind, so the world won't know how vulnerable she really is.

6. What are her interests or hobbies?

Hanging out in fancy bars and restaurants, talking with friends, dancing, singing, going to the movies (she has a particular passion for the musicals of the 1930s that she grew up with, especially extravagant Busby Berkeley staged dance sequences).

7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

She likes to eat out whenever possible. Partly this is because she doesn't enjoy cooking all that much (although if she has company, she's happy to cook to try to impress them). It's also because she likes an excuse to get out to different parts of the city, and also enjoys indulging herself on fine food. She does drink alcohol quite regularly, especially scotch. She'll usually stay behind at the club after her show for a drink or two.


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

1. Color? Red
2. Smell? cigarettes and alcohol, and the flowers that her dressing room is always adorned with
3. Time of day? Evening
4. Season? Summer
5. Book? The Great Gatsby
6. Music? Jazz
7. Place? New York City
8. Animal? Butterfly or tiger


END
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Alignment :: What would be their D&D alignment? How might it come into play?

Lawful Good. While she believes in less regulation, she believes that the few laws that should exist are there to benefit everyone, and doesn't understand why people would deliberately go against them. Besides, she places an inordinate amount of trust in the lawmakers.

Beverage :: What do they most like to drink, and why?

Scotch. Preferably straight, but she'll take it on the rocks or with soda, too. As far as non-alcoholic drinks go, she loves fresh fruit juice. She really dislikes hot drinks, but will have coffee out of necessity if she needs to be more awake. She really can't stand overly sugary drinks.

Co-Habitate :: Do they live with anyone? What's "need to know" before moving in?

Ruby just lives with her cat right now. She had Alex as a roommate for a couple of months. Crane stays over sometimes. The "need to know" things would be: firstly that her bedroom is her personal space and unless you're Crane or if you have permission to come in for a specific reason, she is going to flip out if you're in there; and secondly that she really likes things neat and in their place. She's very houseproud.

Decor :: What kind of home do they keep? Are there any defining details?

Ruby doesn't have many personal decorations. She has a couple of posters for her act in New York and Rapture, and she has photographs of Joshua and her grandfather on the mantelpiece. Her walls are wood panelled and one wall is entirely made of glass and looks onto the ocean and the lights of the city. She has a grand piano as a centerpiece in her living room, however it's rarely played.

Escape :: What do they do to destress? How successful is it?

She drinks a lot, goes dancing, goes out to fancy restaurants, and spends a lot of time with Crane. It's pretty successful.

Fluff :: What hits their soft spot? Does anything them into emotional goo?
Grudge :: How bad does an insult go over? Do they hold a grudge long?
Hobby :: What's something they do for fun that might be surprising?
Insomnia :: What's their sleeping schedule like? Snorer? Sound sleeper?
Jaded :: Do they buy into the "happily ever after" ideal? What's their standard?
Kin :: What's their role among their relations? Do they consider others family?
Law :: What do they think about abiding rules? Are they selective about it?
Magic :: In a magic series or not, are they accepting, or is each instance a shock?
Network :: Are they connected to the people? How much do they reach out to others?
Offspring :: What kind of parent would they be? Would they prefer one, or multiple?
Pistol :: Is this character skilled with a weapon? What's their opinion of violence?
Question :: How often do they feel doubt? What topics are they defensive about?
Reminder :: How are they at remembering daily needs? What falls through the cracks?
Sing :: Do they like music? Do they listen often/sing/hum/play songs in their head?
Touch :: How do they handle contact? Is their personal bubble big?
Upcoming :: How much do they think of the future? Do they make long-term plans?
Vice :: What bad habits do they have? Is there something they would be ashamed of?
Wardrobe :: What's their fashion style? Do they have any staple pieces?
X-Ray :: How's their health? Any problem areas? Do they take care of themselves?
Yack :: What's their favorite thing to talk about? What do they go on about?
Zodiac :: What's their astro sign? Does it fit? What would you pick, if it's unknown?