River's Character Survey
I'm doing this not only because it'd be fun, but also because it'd be useful to flesh out a character as difficult to pin down as River. Equally, that makes this harder to fill in because of the things I don't know (of which there are plenty!) but it’s a good place to exercise my theory of River!
So.. let's see how I do!
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
She seems to match the Doctor for height, which suggests she's relatively tall. River has a womanly frame with a wider build, but it's a figure that suggests athleticism rather than a lack of diet.
2. How old is she?
Given River's chance of appearing at random, she could be any age. Judging by her appearance, I would say she is somewhere between her late 30s and late 40s.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
River carries herself with confidence. She could walk into a room and command everybody to look at her without saying a word.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
Being a time-travelling adventurer ensures she's as fit as a fiddle.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
She's quick and practical with her movement - it's not always about looking good. But if she has the time, she does like she show off a little (e.g. by jumping out of airlocks.)
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
River takes care of her appearance, and it's fair to say she's a rather attractive woman, despite the fact she might be considered older than most female companions of the Doctor. River rarely allows herself to look unkempt, save for when she's locked in the Stormcage. Even when dressed head to toe in adventurer gear she has the time to touch up her make-up. Well, one never knows when a pretty face might come in handy.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
River is Caucasian, but her skin almost always holds a hint of tan from her amount of trekking in various climates.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
One of her defining features is her curled, blonde hair. When it's taken care of, it's in perfect curls and full of bounce, but in direr situations, it can become a mess of frizz and tangles.
9. What color are her eyes?
Green.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
With a full-lipped, white-toothed smile, it's quite an infectious feature of hers.
11. What are her chief tension centers?
River’s shoulders and neck are the first to suffer - but that might be because of all the angry teeth-gritting when she's annoyed!
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?
River has a wide and varied wardrobe. She’s equally comfortable in a floor-length ballgown as she would be in full military gear. Given her lifestyle, River often has to dress practically for the situation at hand. Despite living in a man’s world, River holds onto her femininity to inject some glamour into the world of adventuring. She’s been known to dress in full-out combat gear, while still wearing a pair of pretty earrings and nail varnish.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
As said above, River opts for form-fitting outfits. While this is practical, it also takes advantage of her figure - River knows a pretty face can be a viable weapon.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
River wears what she likes no matter the scenario. She’d go adventuring in a dress if she had to.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
With an active lifestyle, River does rely on practicality here!
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
River’s tone is rich and womanly, and she’s quite well-spoken for her background.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
She speaks with confidence and little hesitation. All of her words are articulate and straightforward - they sound like she could have planned them in advance.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
If she’s gearing up a little flirtation, she speaks slower, with honeyed pronunciation.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
English is her first language, but it’s fair to say she knows a fair amount of other alien languages given her lifestyle. River understands Galifreyan the same way an Egyptologist can understand hieroglyphics - but still, such a rare skill is very unusual for a human. It is not known if she can speak it, but she has spoken the Doctor’s name on at least one occasion, suggesting she may have some knowledge of it's difficult pronunciation.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
If River needed to speak a different language to get out of a dire situation, I’m sure she’d do so.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
She’s very skilled at answering difficult questions quickly and without hesitation. She’s excellent at simplifying jargon, which makes her a useful person to have onboard the TARDIS. On more than one occasion she has explained the Doctor’s babbling statements into a more human sentence for his companions.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
River is eloquent, even in troubling situations. She could be looking down the barrel of a gun and she’d have some clever remark to talk her way out of it.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
It’s fair to say that River is both book-smart and street smart. While, her life as a time-traveller has made her wise to the universe, it is known that she qualifies as both a doctor and a professor in her research and ultimately takes a position as a professor of archaeology at a university. River also had a strong knowledge of time and is able to store an incredible amount of information in her head in order to know what she can and can’t say in fear of paradoxes.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
River is fast-thinking - to the point that she’s normally the first person to understand the Doctor’s wilder genius.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
River can be very logical and to the point, but not to the extent of the Doctor. She’s quick to recognise cold, hard facts, but has the patience to digest them when necessary.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
River has a 51st century education, but the research that lead her to become a doctor and later a professor suggest she has pushed her academic skills much further. Due to her time-travelling exploits and adventures that take her across the universe, River is also very worldly - in every sense of the word!
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
River has a strong knowledge of alien weaponry and technology, including those related to the Time Lords. She is able to fly a TARDIS single-handedly - at times doing so with more skill than the Doctor. It is said that he taught her these skills. As mentioned earlier, she has some knowledge in reading and writing Gallifreyan and can possibly speak the language. This leads to the possibility that River’s doctorate may be somehow related to Gallifrey and the Time Lord race. Later on in her life, it is revealed that she is a professor of archaeology working at a 51st century university.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
An extrovert in almost every sense of the word, River is confident, assertive and capable.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
One of River’s traits is her ability to keep a level head. When the Doctor lets his emotions get the best of him, she’s normally the one who manages to keep herself composed. It’s a necessary skill to keep her as unreadable as possible, but when River feels personally attacked, this cool temperament can turn into a driven need for revenge.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
River seems to thrive on new events, the more exciting the better! It’s a typical trait for time-travellers, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t on guard. In fact, it’s rather difficult to trick River.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
Act.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
Fight.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
River has a wicked sense of humour, but normally she’s the only one in on the joke. She loves amusing herself with everybody else’s confusion - particularly the Doctor’s and his frustration to try and work out just who she is.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
None that are known.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
Every single time she met the Doctor.
14. What does she fear?
Paradoxes and that her time-travelling ways might one day catch up with her. She also fears that one wrong word could make the Doctor misunderstand her motives and ultimately change their future. As a result, she’s particularly careful with what she reveals to him, even if her nature remains optimistic.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
River one day hopes to fulfil her professorship in archaeology.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
The list is most likely never-ending, but they are not secrets for the sake of being secrets - River knows her relationship with the Doctor is tricky and she has to be extremely cautious about changing the future or causing a paradox.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
River's parents have been deceased for a long time.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
River has no siblings.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
None known.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
River considers the Doctor as her family now - they certainly bicker like family.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
River is very much a loner. The only person she could call her best friend would be the Doctor, but depending on what time she’s meeting him, he might not know it yet.
6. Does she have other close friends?
Again, River is a loner.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
Rivers gets along with people very well, but her secretive nature means people usually aren’t willing to get to know her. River meets new people fleetingly, she’s never around long enough for that relationship to develop.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
Somebody you can trust, whether they’re blood-related or not.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
Despite the rumours, River is single.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
River has occasional romantic partners, but they are as fleeting as her meetings with them.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
River crushes on a lot of people - that’s 51st century culture for you.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
River seems to find something attractive in everyone - but certainly some more than others. She’s also not afraid to announce such. It seems she goes for those with a similar nature to hers - daring, exciting and dominant.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
No.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
Plenty. If they’re an enemy of the Doctor’s, they’re an enemy of hers by default. She seems to have a strong rivalry with the Daleks.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
In the 51st century, there’s no such thing as orientation. Free love, baby!
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
River’s a little minx at heart. She’s constantly flirting, checking others out, and making suggestive comments. As to whether this actually leads anywhere depends on the response she receives.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
You don’t ask a woman such a thing!
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
Her sign is unknown, but she fits Aries quite well.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
River is neither. Faith is a completely different animal in the 51st century. The only thing she believes in are people.
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?
River has a very personal code of morals - don’t cross her, or she’ll cross you. She is fiercely loyal to the Doctor, and it is here where her ethics are blurred. She has been known to defend, fight and kill in his name.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Providing that belief doesn’t came harm to others, River is rather tolerant to those different from herself. It’s second nature to a time traveller.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
River doesn’t hold many prejudices, but if she comes across a known enemy of the Doctor, his opinion tends to taint her own.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
River is comfortable in terms of finance - if she needs more money, she’ll get it somehow, whether it’s an odd adventuring job or the occasional bounty hunting.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
Given River has no fixed location, she doesn’t have much of a status!
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?
River doesn’t live anywhere. She simply lives wherever she is left. The only place she would consider a retreat is the TARDIS.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
Arming herself up with the latest technology, gadgets and weaponry. River loves anything that will give her an edge!
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?
River doesn’t have a profession as such. A time-travelling adventurer is her full time job!
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
When River gets a rare moment of downtime, she can normally be found relaxing in a space bar, or taking a moment to rest in solitude on a peaceful planet.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
River eats simply because she has to - she doesn’t often make a fuss of when or what she eats, as long as she has the energy to keep going. River enjoys the occasional drink, but you’ll never find her drunk on the job.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? Blue
2. Smell? Vortex energy
3. Time of day? Night
4. Season? Spring
5. Book? Her diary
6. Music? Singing Towers of Darillium
7. Place? TARDIS
8. Substance? Hallucinogenic lipstick
9. Plant? Rose
10. Animal? Lion
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}