♏ character survey of doom
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy? She's very thin, delicate looking, but with definition to her muscles that implies she is stronger than she looks, though she's definitely not going to be beating someone in a bar brawl any time soon. She's about 5'6", so of pretty average height, but she looks taller because she is so thin.
2. How old is she? Seventeen.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch? Her posture is very hardcore. She walks and carries herself as someone who has been trained to do so properly since she was very young, and she was. Shoulders back, back straight, head held high. She is a small girl but her physical presence can be very imposing.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Her health is very good, she is sometimes prone to catching colds in the spring, but otherwise rarely falls ill. When she does, she tends to recover quickly. She is in good physical condition due to her training in formal dance and winged horseriding, and she prefers to keep herself in shape as taking care of oneself shows pride in oneself. She also gets tension headaches on occasion.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? She moves gracefully and fluidly, but there is always a tenseness about her. She is a very rigid person psychologically, and this translates a bit to her movements as well. The more comfortable she is with the people around her, the more relaxed she becomes, but she is very rarely comfortable enough to let her guard down.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror? She's a pretty girl, though of course this is subjective. She thinks that she is attractive enough, and she prides herself on looking good, but she is more concerned with blood purity than something as superficial as appearance.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? She is pale with clear, unblemished skin.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style. Her hair is golden blonde, long, and wavy. It's also very soft, and it is one of her favorite things about herself.
9. What color are her eyes? They are blue, on the gray side.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? Not particularly? She's got a bit of a baby face, and looks sort of like a Disney fairy or a mermaid.
11. What are her chief tension centers? She carries most of her tension in her upper body; neck, shoulders, arms, and hands.
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? Her style of dress is very elegant and refined, and very conservative. Long gloves, high stockings, high collars, that sort of thing. This is not to say that she dresses like an Amish girl or anything, her clothes are modern and stylish and she looks good in them, but they're meant to cover as much skin as possible. Her school clothes are black, gray, green, and white for the most part, since Slytherin's colors are silver and green. When she's out of school she generally stays in the neutral/dark tones, but wears a wider variety of colors. She wears a lot of skirts and button-down shirts. At school there's also the vest and tie and robe. When she's not in skirts, she wears pants, and for formal occasions she's got several awesome dresses.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them? Her clothes are tailored specifically for her, so they fit very well. She rarely seems comfortable at all, but she is more comfortable in clothes which cover her than she is with skin showing.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences? She doesn't have a job, she is a student. Her regular wardrobe at home is different from her school uniform, but not by a whole lot. At home her clothes aren't quite so conservative as the ones she wears at school, because there are no Mudbloods in her home to touch and ruin things. She doesn't need to wear the Slytherin colors, or the tie and whatnot, but she still wears skirts and button-down shirts, for the most part.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? She wears classy briefs of the highest quality, in black, white, and gray mostly, but sometimes wears other colors. They are pretty, but simple. None of this fancy lacy lingerie business.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? She has a surprisingly deep voice for such a small girl. Not super deep, but it gets into throaty territory sometimes. It's on the deep side of the middle, I suppose. It can go high when she's upset or freaking out about something, though.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate? She speaks softly, but with gravity. She knows exactly what she is going to say before she says it, and chooses her words very carefully.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? She has an English accent, one of the snottier high class ones. Her speech is very proper.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency? English, certainly. She's also fluent in Latin and French. I think she's good with language in general.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations? If she's speaking to someone who doesn't speak English, she'd speak whatever they spoke, if she knew it. Otherwise her speech stays the same.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words? She is the type of person who gives careful consideration to what she says before she says it, but when she gets more comfortable or emotional, she speaks more freely. Regardless, she always speaks well.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? She is an eloquent speaker. Language is one of the things she was expected to learn the subtleties of growing up, and it's something she enjoys. If she is very angry, her speech might become less refined, but she is still good at articulating her thoughts.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart? She's fairly smart, sort of has to be in order for the cunning and manipulative thing to work. She is good at reading people, and adjusting her behavior accordingly, so she's street smart in the sense that she knows how to deal with people if she must. She's also book smart, and is good with language in particular.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate? She likes to hang back and watch things from a distance, and formulate several plans to deal with whatever situation might arise. When she's caught off-guard, she tends to falter a bit, but usually catches herself and is pretty quick at getting things under control again.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? She is very intuitive. She's able to feel her way around people, and is generally right on target in her impressions. She's pretty capable of logic, too, and some of her biggest conflicts arise when her emotions do not align with what she believes is the logical thing. She is not idealistic in the least, instead she is very pessimistic and practical. Her thought process is generally pretty straightforward. She takes what she knows or feels about someone or something, puts it all together, and is then usually able to pretty accurately predict how they will behave in any given situation. She does not particularly enjoy being surprised.
4. What kind of education has the character had? She's had a good education, as provided by her wealthy family. Of course, it was a very biased education, so she believes a lot of things that are not accurate or really... moral. She currently attends Hogwarts, which is a respected school, though far too progressive.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about? She's good at psychology, languages, and spells involving water and ice. She's always interested to learn theory rather than jumping right into practical application. She likes sciences, and classical arts.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? Introvert, definitely. She is not outgoing at all, and much prefers quiet and solitude so she can observe.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? She's very moody, but she keeps her moods hidden very well and appears calm most of the time. It takes a lot to set her off. She comes across as cold, but she is very polite, if one is deserving of her respect. She's pretty ambitious, though her ambitions are not the most awesome.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? She is pleasant enough, but probably comes off as kind of cold. She's rather aloof, and wary. She really likes to take her time learning about people.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react? To react, but her reactions are calculated generally to provoke certain other reactions in a chain which eventually leads to her getting what she wants, so it's a form of acting, just in a way that's easier for her to escape if it goes wrong.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight? Flight, for the most part. She'd rather avoid things than take risks, and is very much interested in self-preservation, regardless of whether that comes at the expense of someone else or not. When backed into a corner, she will fight, though.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? She's pretty humorless, really. She doesn't tend to make jokes, or take them well. Some things amuse her, and if she's very comfortable with someone she might make very understated, witty comments, but for the most part she doesn't tend toward humor. She's very uptight. Usually.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them? Probably. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (obsession with perfection, rules, and organization) or schizoid personality disorder (lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, and emotional coldness) might fit, but she's all around a pretty flawed person.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person? He birth, really, was the defining moment for her. A daughter for a family who wanted a son - it sort of set the tone. Not to say her family is cruel to her because of it, no she is treated with some affection by her father, in his own way, and her sister Anastasia loves her. Arachne, however, is an asshole, and her mother is sort of a non-entity. Her definition has been gradual, like a cliff being eroded by the sea.
14. What does she fear? She fears losing control most of all. She is a very tightly wound, controlled person, but she has very deep emotions and a lot of anger, and she wouldn't want to totally lose it someday. She also fears becoming like her mother. She is also profoundly lonely, I think, and fears being dependent on anyone.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations? Her whole life she's been told that her main duty in life is to get married to a well-bred young man and have children to ensure that the Sterling blood in her veins does not end with her and her sisters. So, her ambitions really lie in that vein; to make her family proud and to keep the bloodline pure. However, she also resents having her life mapped out for her, and wishes to be allowed her own freedom.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her? I am not... sure. She's a private person by nature, but she doesn't have any deep dark secrets, really. She's pretty honest for a manipulative sneaky person. I guess she likes to keep the fact that she is bitter and angry under wraps. So, I suppose the extent of her emotions is something she doesn't want getting out. Oh, and the manipulative sneakiness part is a secret, mostly.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents. There's... not a whole lot of love there. Her father is the kind of man that tears people down to build himself up, and he has definitely torn down his wife. Ambrosia views her mother as something of a ghost, since she is so beaten down and demoralized that she's just barely present, mentally. So she doesn't really have much of a relationship with her mother, and thinks of her as weak. She resents her father for it, and fears becoming like her mother. However, her father is the largest factor in what has defined Ambrosia's beliefs and sense of duty to family. Though he wanted a son and instead had three daughters, he treats them well enough. His anger at being denied an heir is taken out on his wife, and he tells his children that it is her fault his bloodline will die with him. Ambrosia is not overly fond of him, but his word is law in their household, and since she has been exposed to his extreme views from a young age, he believes him. It's very Nazi-esque and like... creepy religious cult-y, only instead of religion it's blood purity stuff.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? She has two older sisters. The oldest, Arachne, is a huge bitch. She is being groomed to head the family, though she does not wish to, as there is no male heir, and she has a giant ego as a result, as well as a burning resentment toward her sisters for not being born male. She is extremely arrogant and can be very cruel, though she has sort of adopted this manner to please her father. Ambrosia dislikes her intensely, and avoids her as much as possible. Arachne's treatment of her is one of the driving forces behind Ambrosia's calm demeanor. Arachne is the sort to be an asshole because she enjoys getting a rise out of others, and because of this, Ambrosia has learned not to react.
The middle sister, Anastasia, is totally crazycakes. Anastasia loves Ambrosia, but she is the sort of person who is most dangerous to those she loves. Her moods are very erratic, and she is easily upset by things which no one can really pinpoint. She's a person of extremes, one minute fawning over her sister and the next screaming at her and berating her in a fit of seemingly unprovoked rage, only to switch back to fawning and coddling her in the next. Anastasia is the reason, far more than Arachne or their father, that Ambrosia works so hard to maintain calm. She does not want to set her off, and this desire to not show her emotions, to internalize and hide everything beneath the surface, has become an ingrained part of her personality.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand? She has quite a few blood relatives, but is not particularly close to any of them, and neither does she despise them. She has an eccentric cousin or two, cavorting with Mudbloods and blood traitors, but she does not consider such filth her family.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them? Not as of now, but if she respects someone enough, it is possible she may eventually hold them in regard above even her family. She doesn't actually really like most of her family, she just values them because of their shared blood, which she's been taught is ~*the greatest thing she possesses*~ her entire life.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Her best friend will probably be Lilith, the daughter of one of her father's co-workers. They probably met many moons ago, but only became friends once they were at school and away from the watchful eyes of her sisters.
6. Does she have other close friends? Nereida, lmao. Not a close friend, really, but a girl she's known for ages. Stupid, but she has her uses.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people? She does not make friends easily, but she makes acquaintances easily. She's a very guarded person, and it's difficult to get past that enough to become friends with her. She is pretty resistant to it.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends? Family, for now.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once? She's 17, and still in school. Single. Until Lilith. /shot
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? No, but she will be, with Lilith. :3
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest? She doesn't really do crushes. She's pretty asexual, for someone who has such a great capacity for sensuality. Or, repressed, I suppose is the better word. On the surface, she's not really interested beyond a sort of clinical wonder, but she is deeply lonely and probably desperate for that sort of closeness deep down. But yes, she doesn't really crush.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner? She doesn't. She has no need to. Her family will pick her eventual husband, and she will go along with it regardless of her own personal feelings on the matter, so it's easier for her to just not have feelings about it to begin with.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any? She has none, yet, and she will probably never have any after all her development happens. She wants one in the sense that she views it as her duty to produce an heir for whatever dude she gets married off to.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies? She dislikes Dionysus Drake a whole lot. A whole lot. And Mudbloods/blood traitors in general.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale? I would go for the asexual X, but I don't think that is true. I wouldn't call her bisexual either. Maybe a 2, except for just the right sort of person. She's not gay, certainly. She just needs a specific personality to go with her own, and if that happens to come with a woman, well then. This question is hard, actually, I'm not that big a fan of the Kinsey scale because there are a lot of people outside it. Ambrosia is not interested in people or sex, for the most part. In order for her to have any sexual orientation at all, several conditions have to be met. /SHRUG
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her? She equates being desired and paid attention to with being loved, so she has some weird thoughts on sex, I think. She's not super interested in it, but is curious, and if someone gets her interested and helps her past the uptightness and meets her requirements, she's likely to uh... get more into it. She's a very deep and emotional person, so if she's with the right person, she can be very passionate. She just doesn't know it yet. Right now, she just thinks sex is for producing an heir, not for enjoyment. It's a duty she will do when the time comes, and she doesn't give it much thought.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? She really, really requires that people ask permission prior to touching her. It's a control thing and also a comfort thing. And it can be ridiculously hot if done right. Probably since she is very controlled, it would also be something of a turn on for her to be with someone to whom she can relinquish control. This would require a lot of trust, though, and trust is not something she is inclined to give. She is also into hedonistic lounging. Her turn-offs are a lot of things, really. Pretty much everyone she knows is a turn-off, and any of them doing anything remotely sexual in her vicinity is likely to send her in the opposite direction at a brisk walk.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type? I actually thought of a vague character outline at the beginning, like the basics for what kind of character I wanted, and then looked at various zodiac signs to see what fit best for what I had in mind in order to help flesh her out a bit. So, yeah, I'd say she's a pretty obvious Scorpio, though with a lot of the negatives more enhanced. She does have some of the positives, too, but she's a sort of negative person in general.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life? Her family is religious, it's a big deal with them. Since they are (supposedly) Old Blood descended from the Greek gods, those are the gods they worship. Religion is not overly important to her, but she does enjoy the ritual that comes with prayer.
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? Um, she has a personal code of morals relating to upholding tradition and family honor and stuff, but her family is not very ethical, and neither is she. Ethics is not a very Slytherin ideal. She has been taught the Sterling code of family values or whatever since she was very, very young, so it's something that's deeply ingrained. It would take a lot of time and effort to compromise that, but she is, on some even deeper level, very resentful of all these rules and regulations she must follow, so if one found that chink in her Armor of Tradition +2 and exploited it, it's possible she would change her mind, or at least be open to different points of view.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? Super intolerant, with certain beliefs. She's very conservative and anyone who isn't, she regards as useless and honestly she would prefer they were all dead. Others she can see from different points of view. It really depends on how important the subject is to her.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them? Mudbloods/blood traitors/Muggles. She hates them. It's a totally stupid and irrational prejudice, but in the same way that Hitler convinced most of Germany that the Jews were directly responsible for most of the country's woes and needed to be exterminated, so has Ambrosia's father carefully and at great length explained to his daughters that every wrong in the world is a result of pure bloodlines being dirtied, and Muggleborns and Squibs being allowed in wizarding society.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? Her family is obscenely wealthy. They could probably buy a small country or something.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her? Ambrosia is very privileged, in every sense of the word. She has never wanted, and will never want for anything as long as she lives. In theory. Anything that can be bought, she can have. She is a member of the very top of the upper class, and has been since she was born.
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 lives with her father, her mother, and her two sisters at Sterling estate in England. It is huge, with forest and a lake and a river and pastures and stables, etc. etc. etc. It is very old, and very elegant, and very well-kept. Her father says that Stirling Castle in Scotland used to be theirs, before some uprising or another forced the family to relocate, and some years later it was taken over by Muggle royalty, and now serves as a Muggle tourist attraction. He is very angry about this, though it may or may not be true.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on? Not a lot, really. She has everything she needs or wants, so she doesn't have much to spend it on. Probably old books. First editions. Autographed, if possible.
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 student. She is a good student, and she enjoys learning for the most part.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time? She plays cello. Sometimes she reads classic literature. She likes making Potions, and studying old magic theory. Winged horseriding is all right, but she does that more to uphold the proper young lady image. She enjoys long, meandering walks. And stargazing.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? She eats her three meals a day, and eats healthy food. She's tiny, and eats like a bird, but she doesn't have like a disorder or anything, it's just how she is. Slim, and not a big eater. She'll have wine or other classy alcoholic beverages occasionally, but she doesn't make a habit of it. During the school year, her meals are taken with everyone else, and at home family dinners are held at 5:30pm sharp in the Dining Hall, while breakfast and lunch are more of a solitary affair, prepared by the Moogles whenever requested.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? Pale blue, silver.
2. Smell? The smell just after rain. Or the smell of winter and snow. Clean.
3. Time of day? Evening and night, I think.
4. Season? Winter for sure.
5. Book? She doesn't do a lot of reading for pleasure, but enjoys old classics.
6. Music? Classical: Saint-Saëns, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Handel, etc. She has a distinct preference for Romantic Era classical compositions. Or like the Wizarding equivalent of these guys? Maybe they are secret wizards, idk.
7. Place? She likes to spend time by the lake on her parents' property, and taking long walks through the gardens.
8. Substance? Uh. I don't know how to answer this. Water?
9. Plant? Willow, birch, white flowers: roses, calla lilies, oleanders.
10. Animal? She's not really much of an animal person. The scorpion is her patronus.
END
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1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy? She's very thin, delicate looking, but with definition to her muscles that implies she is stronger than she looks, though she's definitely not going to be beating someone in a bar brawl any time soon. She's about 5'6", so of pretty average height, but she looks taller because she is so thin.
2. How old is she? Seventeen.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch? Her posture is very hardcore. She walks and carries herself as someone who has been trained to do so properly since she was very young, and she was. Shoulders back, back straight, head held high. She is a small girl but her physical presence can be very imposing.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? Her health is very good, she is sometimes prone to catching colds in the spring, but otherwise rarely falls ill. When she does, she tends to recover quickly. She is in good physical condition due to her training in formal dance and winged horseriding, and she prefers to keep herself in shape as taking care of oneself shows pride in oneself. She also gets tension headaches on occasion.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? She moves gracefully and fluidly, but there is always a tenseness about her. She is a very rigid person psychologically, and this translates a bit to her movements as well. The more comfortable she is with the people around her, the more relaxed she becomes, but she is very rarely comfortable enough to let her guard down.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror? She's a pretty girl, though of course this is subjective. She thinks that she is attractive enough, and she prides herself on looking good, but she is more concerned with blood purity than something as superficial as appearance.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? She is pale with clear, unblemished skin.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style. Her hair is golden blonde, long, and wavy. It's also very soft, and it is one of her favorite things about herself.
9. What color are her eyes? They are blue, on the gray side.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? Not particularly? She's got a bit of a baby face, and looks sort of like a Disney fairy or a mermaid.
11. What are her chief tension centers? She carries most of her tension in her upper body; neck, shoulders, arms, and hands.
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? Her style of dress is very elegant and refined, and very conservative. Long gloves, high stockings, high collars, that sort of thing. This is not to say that she dresses like an Amish girl or anything, her clothes are modern and stylish and she looks good in them, but they're meant to cover as much skin as possible. Her school clothes are black, gray, green, and white for the most part, since Slytherin's colors are silver and green. When she's out of school she generally stays in the neutral/dark tones, but wears a wider variety of colors. She wears a lot of skirts and button-down shirts. At school there's also the vest and tie and robe. When she's not in skirts, she wears pants, and for formal occasions she's got several awesome dresses.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them? Her clothes are tailored specifically for her, so they fit very well. She rarely seems comfortable at all, but she is more comfortable in clothes which cover her than she is with skin showing.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences? She doesn't have a job, she is a student. Her regular wardrobe at home is different from her school uniform, but not by a whole lot. At home her clothes aren't quite so conservative as the ones she wears at school, because there are no Mudbloods in her home to touch and ruin things. She doesn't need to wear the Slytherin colors, or the tie and whatnot, but she still wears skirts and button-down shirts, for the most part.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? She wears classy briefs of the highest quality, in black, white, and gray mostly, but sometimes wears other colors. They are pretty, but simple. None of this fancy lacy lingerie business.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? She has a surprisingly deep voice for such a small girl. Not super deep, but it gets into throaty territory sometimes. It's on the deep side of the middle, I suppose. It can go high when she's upset or freaking out about something, though.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate? She speaks softly, but with gravity. She knows exactly what she is going to say before she says it, and chooses her words very carefully.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? She has an English accent, one of the snottier high class ones. Her speech is very proper.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency? English, certainly. She's also fluent in Latin and French. I think she's good with language in general.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations? If she's speaking to someone who doesn't speak English, she'd speak whatever they spoke, if she knew it. Otherwise her speech stays the same.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words? She is the type of person who gives careful consideration to what she says before she says it, but when she gets more comfortable or emotional, she speaks more freely. Regardless, she always speaks well.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? She is an eloquent speaker. Language is one of the things she was expected to learn the subtleties of growing up, and it's something she enjoys. If she is very angry, her speech might become less refined, but she is still good at articulating her thoughts.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart? She's fairly smart, sort of has to be in order for the cunning and manipulative thing to work. She is good at reading people, and adjusting her behavior accordingly, so she's street smart in the sense that she knows how to deal with people if she must. She's also book smart, and is good with language in particular.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate? She likes to hang back and watch things from a distance, and formulate several plans to deal with whatever situation might arise. When she's caught off-guard, she tends to falter a bit, but usually catches herself and is pretty quick at getting things under control again.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? She is very intuitive. She's able to feel her way around people, and is generally right on target in her impressions. She's pretty capable of logic, too, and some of her biggest conflicts arise when her emotions do not align with what she believes is the logical thing. She is not idealistic in the least, instead she is very pessimistic and practical. Her thought process is generally pretty straightforward. She takes what she knows or feels about someone or something, puts it all together, and is then usually able to pretty accurately predict how they will behave in any given situation. She does not particularly enjoy being surprised.
4. What kind of education has the character had? She's had a good education, as provided by her wealthy family. Of course, it was a very biased education, so she believes a lot of things that are not accurate or really... moral. She currently attends Hogwarts, which is a respected school, though far too progressive.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about? She's good at psychology, languages, and spells involving water and ice. She's always interested to learn theory rather than jumping right into practical application. She likes sciences, and classical arts.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? Introvert, definitely. She is not outgoing at all, and much prefers quiet and solitude so she can observe.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? She's very moody, but she keeps her moods hidden very well and appears calm most of the time. It takes a lot to set her off. She comes across as cold, but she is very polite, if one is deserving of her respect. She's pretty ambitious, though her ambitions are not the most awesome.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? She is pleasant enough, but probably comes off as kind of cold. She's rather aloof, and wary. She really likes to take her time learning about people.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react? To react, but her reactions are calculated generally to provoke certain other reactions in a chain which eventually leads to her getting what she wants, so it's a form of acting, just in a way that's easier for her to escape if it goes wrong.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight? Flight, for the most part. She'd rather avoid things than take risks, and is very much interested in self-preservation, regardless of whether that comes at the expense of someone else or not. When backed into a corner, she will fight, though.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? She's pretty humorless, really. She doesn't tend to make jokes, or take them well. Some things amuse her, and if she's very comfortable with someone she might make very understated, witty comments, but for the most part she doesn't tend toward humor. She's very uptight. Usually.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them? Probably. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (obsession with perfection, rules, and organization) or schizoid personality disorder (lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, and emotional coldness) might fit, but she's all around a pretty flawed person.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person? He birth, really, was the defining moment for her. A daughter for a family who wanted a son - it sort of set the tone. Not to say her family is cruel to her because of it, no she is treated with some affection by her father, in his own way, and her sister Anastasia loves her. Arachne, however, is an asshole, and her mother is sort of a non-entity. Her definition has been gradual, like a cliff being eroded by the sea.
14. What does she fear? She fears losing control most of all. She is a very tightly wound, controlled person, but she has very deep emotions and a lot of anger, and she wouldn't want to totally lose it someday. She also fears becoming like her mother. She is also profoundly lonely, I think, and fears being dependent on anyone.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations? Her whole life she's been told that her main duty in life is to get married to a well-bred young man and have children to ensure that the Sterling blood in her veins does not end with her and her sisters. So, her ambitions really lie in that vein; to make her family proud and to keep the bloodline pure. However, she also resents having her life mapped out for her, and wishes to be allowed her own freedom.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her? I am not... sure. She's a private person by nature, but she doesn't have any deep dark secrets, really. She's pretty honest for a manipulative sneaky person. I guess she likes to keep the fact that she is bitter and angry under wraps. So, I suppose the extent of her emotions is something she doesn't want getting out. Oh, and the manipulative sneakiness part is a secret, mostly.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents. There's... not a whole lot of love there. Her father is the kind of man that tears people down to build himself up, and he has definitely torn down his wife. Ambrosia views her mother as something of a ghost, since she is so beaten down and demoralized that she's just barely present, mentally. So she doesn't really have much of a relationship with her mother, and thinks of her as weak. She resents her father for it, and fears becoming like her mother. However, her father is the largest factor in what has defined Ambrosia's beliefs and sense of duty to family. Though he wanted a son and instead had three daughters, he treats them well enough. His anger at being denied an heir is taken out on his wife, and he tells his children that it is her fault his bloodline will die with him. Ambrosia is not overly fond of him, but his word is law in their household, and since she has been exposed to his extreme views from a young age, he believes him. It's very Nazi-esque and like... creepy religious cult-y, only instead of religion it's blood purity stuff.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? She has two older sisters. The oldest, Arachne, is a huge bitch. She is being groomed to head the family, though she does not wish to, as there is no male heir, and she has a giant ego as a result, as well as a burning resentment toward her sisters for not being born male. She is extremely arrogant and can be very cruel, though she has sort of adopted this manner to please her father. Ambrosia dislikes her intensely, and avoids her as much as possible. Arachne's treatment of her is one of the driving forces behind Ambrosia's calm demeanor. Arachne is the sort to be an asshole because she enjoys getting a rise out of others, and because of this, Ambrosia has learned not to react.
The middle sister, Anastasia, is totally crazycakes. Anastasia loves Ambrosia, but she is the sort of person who is most dangerous to those she loves. Her moods are very erratic, and she is easily upset by things which no one can really pinpoint. She's a person of extremes, one minute fawning over her sister and the next screaming at her and berating her in a fit of seemingly unprovoked rage, only to switch back to fawning and coddling her in the next. Anastasia is the reason, far more than Arachne or their father, that Ambrosia works so hard to maintain calm. She does not want to set her off, and this desire to not show her emotions, to internalize and hide everything beneath the surface, has become an ingrained part of her personality.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand? She has quite a few blood relatives, but is not particularly close to any of them, and neither does she despise them. She has an eccentric cousin or two, cavorting with Mudbloods and blood traitors, but she does not consider such filth her family.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them? Not as of now, but if she respects someone enough, it is possible she may eventually hold them in regard above even her family. She doesn't actually really like most of her family, she just values them because of their shared blood, which she's been taught is ~*the greatest thing she possesses*~ her entire life.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Her best friend will probably be Lilith, the daughter of one of her father's co-workers. They probably met many moons ago, but only became friends once they were at school and away from the watchful eyes of her sisters.
6. Does she have other close friends? Nereida, lmao. Not a close friend, really, but a girl she's known for ages. Stupid, but she has her uses.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people? She does not make friends easily, but she makes acquaintances easily. She's a very guarded person, and it's difficult to get past that enough to become friends with her. She is pretty resistant to it.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends? Family, for now.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once? She's 17, and still in school. Single. Until Lilith. /shot
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? No, but she will be, with Lilith. :3
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest? She doesn't really do crushes. She's pretty asexual, for someone who has such a great capacity for sensuality. Or, repressed, I suppose is the better word. On the surface, she's not really interested beyond a sort of clinical wonder, but she is deeply lonely and probably desperate for that sort of closeness deep down. But yes, she doesn't really crush.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner? She doesn't. She has no need to. Her family will pick her eventual husband, and she will go along with it regardless of her own personal feelings on the matter, so it's easier for her to just not have feelings about it to begin with.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any? She has none, yet, and she will probably never have any after all her development happens. She wants one in the sense that she views it as her duty to produce an heir for whatever dude she gets married off to.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies? She dislikes Dionysus Drake a whole lot. A whole lot. And Mudbloods/blood traitors in general.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale? I would go for the asexual X, but I don't think that is true. I wouldn't call her bisexual either. Maybe a 2, except for just the right sort of person. She's not gay, certainly. She just needs a specific personality to go with her own, and if that happens to come with a woman, well then. This question is hard, actually, I'm not that big a fan of the Kinsey scale because there are a lot of people outside it. Ambrosia is not interested in people or sex, for the most part. In order for her to have any sexual orientation at all, several conditions have to be met. /SHRUG
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her? She equates being desired and paid attention to with being loved, so she has some weird thoughts on sex, I think. She's not super interested in it, but is curious, and if someone gets her interested and helps her past the uptightness and meets her requirements, she's likely to uh... get more into it. She's a very deep and emotional person, so if she's with the right person, she can be very passionate. She just doesn't know it yet. Right now, she just thinks sex is for producing an heir, not for enjoyment. It's a duty she will do when the time comes, and she doesn't give it much thought.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? She really, really requires that people ask permission prior to touching her. It's a control thing and also a comfort thing. And it can be ridiculously hot if done right. Probably since she is very controlled, it would also be something of a turn on for her to be with someone to whom she can relinquish control. This would require a lot of trust, though, and trust is not something she is inclined to give. She is also into hedonistic lounging. Her turn-offs are a lot of things, really. Pretty much everyone she knows is a turn-off, and any of them doing anything remotely sexual in her vicinity is likely to send her in the opposite direction at a brisk walk.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type? I actually thought of a vague character outline at the beginning, like the basics for what kind of character I wanted, and then looked at various zodiac signs to see what fit best for what I had in mind in order to help flesh her out a bit. So, yeah, I'd say she's a pretty obvious Scorpio, though with a lot of the negatives more enhanced. She does have some of the positives, too, but she's a sort of negative person in general.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life? Her family is religious, it's a big deal with them. Since they are (supposedly) Old Blood descended from the Greek gods, those are the gods they worship. Religion is not overly important to her, but she does enjoy the ritual that comes with prayer.
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? Um, she has a personal code of morals relating to upholding tradition and family honor and stuff, but her family is not very ethical, and neither is she. Ethics is not a very Slytherin ideal. She has been taught the Sterling code of family values or whatever since she was very, very young, so it's something that's deeply ingrained. It would take a lot of time and effort to compromise that, but she is, on some even deeper level, very resentful of all these rules and regulations she must follow, so if one found that chink in her Armor of Tradition +2 and exploited it, it's possible she would change her mind, or at least be open to different points of view.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? Super intolerant, with certain beliefs. She's very conservative and anyone who isn't, she regards as useless and honestly she would prefer they were all dead. Others she can see from different points of view. It really depends on how important the subject is to her.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them? Mudbloods/blood traitors/Muggles. She hates them. It's a totally stupid and irrational prejudice, but in the same way that Hitler convinced most of Germany that the Jews were directly responsible for most of the country's woes and needed to be exterminated, so has Ambrosia's father carefully and at great length explained to his daughters that every wrong in the world is a result of pure bloodlines being dirtied, and Muggleborns and Squibs being allowed in wizarding society.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? Her family is obscenely wealthy. They could probably buy a small country or something.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her? Ambrosia is very privileged, in every sense of the word. She has never wanted, and will never want for anything as long as she lives. In theory. Anything that can be bought, she can have. She is a member of the very top of the upper class, and has been since she was born.
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 lives with her father, her mother, and her two sisters at Sterling estate in England. It is huge, with forest and a lake and a river and pastures and stables, etc. etc. etc. It is very old, and very elegant, and very well-kept. Her father says that Stirling Castle in Scotland used to be theirs, before some uprising or another forced the family to relocate, and some years later it was taken over by Muggle royalty, and now serves as a Muggle tourist attraction. He is very angry about this, though it may or may not be true.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on? Not a lot, really. She has everything she needs or wants, so she doesn't have much to spend it on. Probably old books. First editions. Autographed, if possible.
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 student. She is a good student, and she enjoys learning for the most part.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time? She plays cello. Sometimes she reads classic literature. She likes making Potions, and studying old magic theory. Winged horseriding is all right, but she does that more to uphold the proper young lady image. She enjoys long, meandering walks. And stargazing.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? She eats her three meals a day, and eats healthy food. She's tiny, and eats like a bird, but she doesn't have like a disorder or anything, it's just how she is. Slim, and not a big eater. She'll have wine or other classy alcoholic beverages occasionally, but she doesn't make a habit of it. During the school year, her meals are taken with everyone else, and at home family dinners are held at 5:30pm sharp in the Dining Hall, while breakfast and lunch are more of a solitary affair, prepared by the Moogles whenever requested.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? Pale blue, silver.
2. Smell? The smell just after rain. Or the smell of winter and snow. Clean.
3. Time of day? Evening and night, I think.
4. Season? Winter for sure.
5. Book? She doesn't do a lot of reading for pleasure, but enjoys old classics.
6. Music? Classical: Saint-Saëns, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Handel, etc. She has a distinct preference for Romantic Era classical compositions. Or like the Wizarding equivalent of these guys? Maybe they are secret wizards, idk.
7. Place? She likes to spend time by the lake on her parents' property, and taking long walks through the gardens.
8. Substance? Uh. I don't know how to answer this. Water?
9. Plant? Willow, birch, white flowers: roses, calla lilies, oleanders.
10. Animal? She's not really much of an animal person. The scorpion is her patronus.
END
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