★ MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL 1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart? Rowena is a mixture of street-smart and book-smart, growing up with street-smarts and choosing to lean into books. Formal education wasn't available to her in childhood and it wasn't until Rowena began studying to become a witch did she have education outside of what her parents knew or that she could pick up in her village. However, Rowena heavily applied herself to her magical studies (talented and ambitious) and has spent her 300 years since learning as much as she can, and learning about the world as she goes. Now, she can pass as a well-educated, upper-class woman, someone who is not technologically minded but intelligent, worldly and classy. A far cry from the tanner's daughter she began as.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate? Whilst Rowena would prefer having time to make a plan she has become very used to situations making her think on her feet and can act quickly in the moment.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? Ideally: she would claim to be logical and practical. Truthfully: she is very idealistic and intuitive. Rowena has spent her life seeking power and is heavily ambitious and whilst more recently she has re-evaluated her life in terms of what makes her happy she is still very impulsive and idealistic, not having the best ideas about getting what she wants. She's still figuring it out.
4. What kind of education has the character had? Rowena is self-taught in both her magic and her world knowledge, spending much of her years both experiencing the world and reading, practising her magic and (where she could) learning from others.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about? Rowena is a highly skilled witch, though with this comes a high level of botanical knowledge, herbalism, alchemy and some biology. Chemistry would be an interest (and skill) for her if she chose to step sideways towards the sciences.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert? She's very flexible about it. Rowena is used to her own company after her life experiences and has gotten comfortable with it, not always knowing the most appropriate social things. But at her heart, Rowena craves attention and affection, enjoying spending time with and around others even if she sits quieter to the side rather than being the life of the party.
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 typically quite cheerful and though she gives off a very casual, laid-back air is also very driven at her core to grasp the things that are important to her. She's quite even-tempered but is also quick to anger (and you don't anger a Scotswoman).
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? It depends on how she meets them. Socially, she can be quite relaxed and warm to them, though she's quite a suspicious person due to past experience, even if she doesn't actively do or say anything about it.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react? It's situation-dependent. If it's something she wants she'll act, if it's just come up she'll react. And quickly.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight? Flight. She will immobilise with magic if necessary before getting the heck out of there. She'll only fight if she can beat it and needs to.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Rowena can often be the one to make inappropriate jokes, though she'll also roll her eyes at them if she's not in the mood for them (or it's poor to her humour). She is more likely to be disapproving of pranks (at herself) but would encourage them towards others.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them? Somehow... no. "Evil skank" is a condition of circumstance rather than a mental disorder.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person? All of Rowena's early life. She grew up poor, she was abandoned by the father of her child, she was further rejected by her coven and tossed aside by other witches. These experiences taught Rowena that no one will care about her, that she can only look out for herself and that love makes her weak when she needs to be strong. It took centuries before she learned more positive affections and has been able to look out for other people and trust that they will help her, even if she can't yet be vulnerable or too affectionate.
14. What does she fear? Lucifer. Fire.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations? She no longer knows. Rowena used to crave and seek power but it's now less important to her, knowing that power alone won't bring her happiness. Rowena is still looking for what will make her happy but until then she'd just like to feel safe and secure.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her? Rowena is very frank about her experiences but speaks very little of her time before becoming a witch. She likely wouldn't be as pleased with people knowing her early history of being the tanner's daughter or of her life when she was poor and struggling.
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1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
Rowena is a mixture of street-smart and book-smart, growing up with street-smarts and choosing to lean into books. Formal education wasn't available to her in childhood and it wasn't until Rowena began studying to become a witch did she have education outside of what her parents knew or that she could pick up in her village. However, Rowena heavily applied herself to her magical studies (talented and ambitious) and has spent her 300 years since learning as much as she can, and learning about the world as she goes. Now, she can pass as a well-educated, upper-class woman, someone who is not technologically minded but intelligent, worldly and classy. A far cry from the tanner's daughter she began as.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
Whilst Rowena would prefer having time to make a plan she has become very used to situations making her think on her feet and can act quickly in the moment.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Ideally: she would claim to be logical and practical. Truthfully: she is very idealistic and intuitive. Rowena has spent her life seeking power and is heavily ambitious and whilst more recently she has re-evaluated her life in terms of what makes her happy she is still very impulsive and idealistic, not having the best ideas about getting what she wants. She's still figuring it out.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
Rowena is self-taught in both her magic and her world knowledge, spending much of her years both experiencing the world and reading, practising her magic and (where she could) learning from others.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
Rowena is a highly skilled witch, though with this comes a high level of botanical knowledge, herbalism, alchemy and some biology. Chemistry would be an interest (and skill) for her if she chose to step sideways towards the sciences.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
She's very flexible about it. Rowena is used to her own company after her life experiences and has gotten comfortable with it, not always knowing the most appropriate social things. But at her heart, Rowena craves attention and affection, enjoying spending time with and around others even if she sits quieter to the side rather than being the life of the party.
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 typically quite cheerful and though she gives off a very casual, laid-back air is also very driven at her core to grasp the things that are important to her. She's quite even-tempered but is also quick to anger (and you don't anger a Scotswoman).
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
It depends on how she meets them. Socially, she can be quite relaxed and warm to them, though she's quite a suspicious person due to past experience, even if she doesn't actively do or say anything about it.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
It's situation-dependent. If it's something she wants she'll act, if it's just come up she'll react. And quickly.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
Flight. She will immobilise with magic if necessary before getting the heck out of there. She'll only fight if she can beat it and needs to.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Rowena can often be the one to make inappropriate jokes, though she'll also roll her eyes at them if she's not in the mood for them (or it's poor to her humour). She is more likely to be disapproving of pranks (at herself) but would encourage them towards others.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
Somehow... no. "Evil skank" is a condition of circumstance rather than a mental disorder.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
All of Rowena's early life. She grew up poor, she was abandoned by the father of her child, she was further rejected by her coven and tossed aside by other witches. These experiences taught Rowena that no one will care about her, that she can only look out for herself and that love makes her weak when she needs to be strong. It took centuries before she learned more positive affections and has been able to look out for other people and trust that they will help her, even if she can't yet be vulnerable or too affectionate.
14. What does she fear?
Lucifer. Fire.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
She no longer knows. Rowena used to crave and seek power but it's now less important to her, knowing that power alone won't bring her happiness. Rowena is still looking for what will make her happy but until then she'd just like to feel safe and secure.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
Rowena is very frank about her experiences but speaks very little of her time before becoming a witch. She likely wouldn't be as pleased with people knowing her early history of being the tanner's daughter or of her life when she was poor and struggling.