Ruby Quest/Characters
Characters of the RPG style story Ruby Quest.
Beware of spoilers!
(Could use some character description improvement)
Patients
Ruby
A young hare ventured from her den
And as she danced in field and glen
The world sang joy about her.
But wicked hateful things abound...
A female rabbit and main character of the story.
- Action Girl / Action Survivor: Ruby has a mean left hook.
- A-Cup Angst: One player suggests that Ruby should flash Tom to get him to cooperate with her escape, but Weaver replies with "Oh no! Unfortunately for all parties involved, Ruby is flat as a board! That probably won't work."
- Badass Normal: Unlike Tom, she doesn't even make use of her crazy, new mutations in combat. She just uses her fists of concentrated kick-ass.
- Berserker Tears
- Bunny in a Box
- Everythings Better With Bunnies
- Fan Service: In the April Fool's day gag, the other half of her skirt is missing (and she is apparently not wearing any underwear). And another big one at the end.
- Flipping the Bird
- Genre Savvy: "Ruby throws away the FOOTY SOCK PAJAMA FOOT. Her genre instincts tell her she won't need it."
- Heroic BSOD
- Running Gag: GIRLISH FIGURE
- Split Personality: Ruby, mostly by being controlled by the Hive Mind anonymous: Hundreds of people telling her to do things.
- Talk Like a Pirate: At one point, to cheer up Tom who was not feeling at the time.
- Third Eye: An Evil Eye, at that.
- Troubled Backstory Flashback: Poor, poor Stitches...
- Weapon of Choice: The improvised "bludgeony caneshovel," or her scalpel.
- Weirdness Magnet: She usually experiences more of the bizarre occurrences than Tom, mostly due to her third eye/ psychic powers.
- You Are Number Seven
Tom/Subject 6
But the cat stood up and shook his head
And rising from his metal bed
He said "For now, I am not dead,
And I will not die in vain!"...
A male cat and Ruby's companion through most of the adventure.
- Ax Crazy Apparently, his earlier state of being, as stated in one of the medical notes.
- Blood From the Mouth
- Character Name Alias: "Rover" in the April Fool's day gag.
- Covert Pervert
- Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Maybe poking the Dummy in its squishy eye was a bad idea?
- Eyepatch of Power
- Face Palm: His frustrated response to /tg/'s "flooding of the thread with pointless comments".
- The Fool: Probably not considered a true "Fool"; but he is known for thinking more with his crowbar than he does with his head.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Subverted.
- Large Ham: On occasions.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous
- One Steve Limit: Subverted.
- Punny Name: On "Tomcat".
- Rage Breaking Point: A huge one near the end.
- Running Gag: MANLY PHYSIQUE
- Super Strength/ Extreme Melee Revenge
- Supporting Protagonist
- These Hands Have Killed: Also subverted.
- Weapon of Choice: His crowbar.
- You Are Number Five...or should I say, Six?
Stitches
The bear cried "this is just our lot",
and surrendered to his pain.
- Big Damn Heroes
- Body Horror
- Everything's Worse with Bears
- Get It Over With: After he had been left very badly mutated and barely able to think, he shrieked and cried for death.
- Averted when they simply tranquilize him and stow him in the locker.
- Heroic Sacrifice
- Innocent Bystander
- Knight of Cerebus: Well, not really in that he's evil (He actually saves the heroes at the end), but it was his appearance that heralded the reveal of the actual genre.
- No Indoor Voice: He is often known for screeching something horrible when addressing Ruby or Tom in the later parts of the story.
- Off with His Head
- Prophetic Names: It seems that his name was "Stitches" even before he was shredded to pieces in a giant fan and sewn back together...
- Reveal Shot: Woah, who's that? Maybe they'll be friends witOH MY GOD AJJHGFGJ
- You Are Number One
Daisy AKA The Hound
The hound was still
- Body Horror
- Deadly Hug: Apparently, averted?
- Face Revealing Turn: Jesus Christ there's someone behind that mirror! Oh well, maybe this time they'll be fr HOLY SHIT
- Sequel Hook
- You Are Number Eight
Discontinuity
- Buffy-Speak
- Deadpan Snarker/ Rage Quit: "Ferget this, I'm going t'eat my spaghetti..."
- Identity Confused: At first, Daisy goes by "Maddie" and later storms away, coming back wearing a [1], calling herself "Ruby" and that everyone should trust her because of that.
- No Fourth Wall: In "NotWeaver's" mini-installment, Daisy directly converses with /tg/.
- Space-Time Fucker-uper: As pointed out by Anonymous.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: "Maddie" had mistaken "Yandere" as French in the fore-mentioned interlude.
Subject #6 / "Tom Nook" (actually Subject 5)
"LUCY?
LUCY IS THAT YOU?
I KNEW YOU'D COME BACK TO ME."
- Affably Evil: Subject 6 is possibly the creepiest character of them all. He's dangerous, violent and apparently delusional, but is also capable of having a nice friendly chat with Ruby without harming her, as well as providing her with an important key.
- And fans would think this to be true up till the game ended. But one of the ripped notes thrown into the water proves otherwise -- that the character they thought to be '6' turned out to be Subject FIVE.
- Tom was Subject 6. Back before things went to hell, he began acting violent FIRST, thus the "dangerous" description he was given. This also explains why he busted up so much stuff on the player's whims.
- Determinator: He's shown to be very much in love with someone named "Lucy" and has been waiting for her probably as long as he's been without her. He has even become so deluded that he believes Ruby is "Lucy".
- Eldritch Abomination: Tom finds the light switch.
- Extra Eyes/ Eyes of Gold: If you thought Ruby was bad...
- Eyeless Face: And no, that's not a contradiction of the above…
- I Want My Mommy
- Last Request: Scissors. (Although he wasn't exactly dying)
- Madness Mantra:
"LUCY? LUCY, WHERE ARE YOU? LUCY IS THAT YOU? ...I LOVE YOU, LUCY...I WILL WAIT FOR YOU, LUCY..."
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood
- The Pig Pen
- One Tom Limit: His name is coincidentally also Tom, but most people just call him Subject 6 to avoid confusion.
- Spock Speak: In a way, along with his voice being being "strange and hollow".
- Yandere
- You Are Number Six ...oops, I mean, Number five.
- Younger than They Act: He calls Ruby "CHILD" even though they are most likely about the same age.
Jay
And the birds all cried
- Emo
- A Darker Me: Quite literally, as his other form.
- Expy: Jay's other form is comically mistaken by a player for a Witch at one point.
- Fan Nickname: Emobird
- Get It Over With: Averted.
- The Quiet One
- You Are Number Four
Discontinuity
- Identity Impersonator: It is revealed at the end of the April Fool's day gag that Jay had apparently been impersonating Ace the whole time.
Staff
Ace
The birds said naught...
"Ace will get you! He won't listen to his orders anymore -- he won't even listen to HER! But, he is still obedient. I don't know who, but I know he is still listening to SOMEONE! He will GET you!"—Filbert's warning towards Ruby, paraphrased
A massive, bird-esque creature employed at the facility as an orderly, janitor, and security guard.
- Almighty Janitor
- Awesome McCoolname
- Badass Pacifist/ Technical Pacifist: Even though he is the most feared creature in the facility, and even being known to charge around the facility with a freakish spear-hook, he is never actually seen harming anyone. More likely, he gets his fearsome reputation by sheer intimidation, which, for him really isn't that hard. Word of God even states that Ace is not to harm (or at least kill) any of the patients or other staff, himself, due to his mind being controlled by the CJOPAZE.
- Though, in one of Weaver's half-discontinuities, he is seen stunning Ruby with an electric prod.
- Battle Aura: Near the very end, he is outlined--presumably glowing--with a blood red color.
- Broken Ace
- Chest Insignia
- Lampshaded after the discontinued wearing of his ♠ shirt after the facility's transition.
- Collector of the Strange: It is revealed that Ace had been collecting the various artifacts from around the facility and hiding them in his personal cold storage room.
- Cool Mask: At some points, players almost constantly told Weaver that Ruby should take Ace's mask and wear it.
- The Dragon: Since the discovery of his secret storage room and the contents within, this is most likely.
- The Dreaded: Almost everyone in the facility, including the staff, fears Ace. Even the deranged Eldritch Abomination "#6" cringes at the thought of him!
- Eldritch Abomination: Maybe.
- Expy: Pyramid Head from Silent Hill.
- Faceless Goons
- Fan Nickname: He was referred to as "Spade" for a time, due to the famous symbol ♠ attributed to him. This mistake was corrected later when it was made clear that "Ace" was his true name.
- Implacable Man
- Inexplicably Awesome: Ace. Literally nothing is known about him except that he obeys someone else and is quite possibly The Worm That Walks.
- Like a Badass Out of Hell: Another interpretation and explanation for what he is.
- Meaningful Name: The Ace of Spades is also commonly known as the "death card."
- My Master, Right or Wrong
- Names to Run Away From Really Fast
- No Face Under the Mask: Subverted during the April Fool's day gag, where he is shown to have a normal, anthro bird-man's face.
- No One Could Have Survived That
- Not Himself
- Super Strength
- The Reveal: Is that Ace's mask? So we'll finally be able to see his facHGHVGFACAAXDFAADFAGXGDGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
- The Speechless
- Unfortunate Names: Due to incompatibility with his symbol in the facility's new font type, his name had to be changed from "♠" to "?".
- Was Once a Bird: He used to be a perfectly normal orderly, but The Corruption hit him the worst (probably because he died the least).
- Weapon of Choice: Some sort of improvised, hook/spear thing.
- White Mask of Doom
- The Worm That Walks: The other explanation for what he is.
- Your Size May Vary: At times, he is seen to be twice as tall as Ruby and the rest of them; other times, he is only slightly taller.
Discontinuity
- Accidental Pervert: In the April Fool's day gag.
- Dumb Jock/ Dumb Muscle: Portrayed as such in the April Fool's day gag.
- I Shall Taunt You: Once, to John from John Quest, though not specifically canon to Ruby Quest.
- More than likely just a Take That to the players to constantly suggested "READ NOTE".
- Large Ham: In the April Fools day gag.
- Nice Guy: In the April Fool's day gag, Ace is apparently accompanying Ruby to help aid her in finding her missing boyfriend, "Rover".
Red
And the fox just laughed,
The fox denied he had been caught...
Chief diagnostician and head of research.
- Ambiguous Disorder
- The Bad Guy Wins: As Word of God says: "You know, from Red's point of view, he won. He never got caught. He never got beaten. He never gave up. And he exited on his own terms. And most of all, he died with a smile on his face."
- Berserk Button: Best advice? Do not ask Red too many questions.[2]
- Cane Fu: To Ruby, hard.
- Dirty Coward: He describes his actions as such in one his last journal entries.
- Dissonant Laughter
- Evil Laugh: Oh, god...
- Expy: The Joker and in addition, the closest one to his Animal Crossing counterpart.
- Eyes Always Shut
- Face Heel Turn/ Heel Face Turn: Incredibly hard to truly determine.
- Hearing Voices
- Jerkass Facade
- Laughing Mad
- Madness Mantra: NEVER CATCH ME NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER
- Mood Dissonance/ Dissonant Serenity: Red is known for this.
- More Teeth Than the Osmond Family
- My God, What Have I Done?
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood
- Resist the Beast: Red had attempted to avoid consumption of the new medication, but Filbert would not have it.
- Riddle Me This
- Slasher Smile
- Thanatos Gambit: He figured out a way to commit suicide so that Ace couldn't possibly bring him back.
- The Smart Guy
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: It was originally his idea to obtain and administer the new "cure" which had unintentionally caused the unfathomably catastrophic meltdown of the facility.
- Villain by Default: Besides Tom whom ate the tank fish, Red is the only one in the story blatantly established to be a predator, by nature.
- Though, he most always seems to be in control of this--lampshaded by the cereal--and this is handwaved after he states that he was "just kidding" after threatening to bite Ruby's throat out.
- Younger Than They Look: Red is occasionally mistaken to be much older than he actually is; often due to use his of the cane, which was sort of implied as an elderly crippling. Word of God states that he is just as old as Ruby and Tom.
Discontinuity
- Nice Guy: Apparently, he had been a very nice man--er, fox--before his first suicide. By "Maddie's" accounting, he even told good jokes.
- Psycho-Nut with a Heart of Gold: At least by "Maddie's" account, Red actually treated the patients nicely.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Often portrayed as such in fanart. [3]
Filbert
A male squirrel and the head doctor at the facility.
- Bad Boss
- Berserk Button: Disobeying a direct order is a definite no-no.
- Body Horror: He keeps mumbling about how he's "clean" even after he turns into a horrific mess of mixed-up body parts.
- Brainwashed and Crazy
- Dr. Jerk
- Even Evil Has Standards: It seems that Filbert will not resort to violence if it does not involve either medical research, or the "cutting of badness" out of others.
- Faux Affably Evil
- For Science!: He had Subject 2 killed to test the limits of what the treatment can do.
- He Who Fights Monsters
- I Reject Your Reality
- Downplayed by the fact Ruby nor Tom really got the chance to tell him otherwise.
- It's All About Me: "I'M THE ONLY ONE CLEAN! I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN ESCAPE!"
- Lack of Empathy
- Mad Scientist
- Madness Mantra: Filbert would like you to know he is clean. And he needs to cut the bad out of you.
- Manipulative Bastard: As seen when Ruby first meets him, he can easily fake sympathy and gain pity without even trying. He can also fool others into thinking he's a competent doctor and most often manipulate them into doing nearly anything he wants.
- Note to Self:: "Well, this explains a lot."
- One-Winged Angel
- Only a Flesh Wound: He had been assaulted hard by Ruby's barbed-wire glove, but gives almost no recognition to this injury and continues his attempts to make Ruby acknowledge his commands and wild rantings.
- Weapon of Choice: A medical bone-saw.
- You Keep Using That Word: Filbert constantly defines himself as "clean" and everyone else "infected", while few others recognize such statuses.
Discontinuity
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: From "Maddie's" (Daisy's) point of view that the "cure" Filbert was giving the patients had apparently just been him having some sick fun.
- Stock Phrases: Something very close to "Don't worry, I'm a doctor".
Dr. S
"To whatever staff member or patient fancies himself a prankster: you've had your fun. Some of us have work to do."—From Dr's S's note
Another doctor at the facility, though not apparent through the course of the adventure. His/ her presence was confirmed by a formal notice of complaint seen by Ruby. It has been speculated that the goat head found in the cabinet belonged to him, making him "Sven" by AC default.
- Da Chief
- Hearing Strange Laughter and other Voices
- Only Sane Employee: More then likely, along with Bella.
- Posthumous Character: Possibly.
- The Spock
Bella
The receptionist and head systems manager of the Metal Glen.
- All Just a Dream: Apparently, she has come to think that all that has happened is just one, big, bad nightmare.
- Big No
- Cyborg: Her body is/was so badly damaged that the way she could stay alive to continue her duty was with immensely heavy life support.
- Fan Nickname: Monitorface
- Get It Over With
- I Cannot Self-Terminate
- Mercy Kill
- Only Sane Employee
- Seen It All
- Undying Loyalty: Bella has been tasked with maintaining the lock-down of the facility and will continue to do so until her death.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?
Other
The Dummy
An unnaturally-tightly leather-bound scarecrown/ dummy bolted to a rotating pivot that seems to always be staring toward the players.
- Artifact of Doom: As stated from the last of Filbert's notes, the Dummy--along with several other malevolent artifacts--were retrieved from the recently excavated, lost chamber at the bottom of the facility.
- Beam Me Up, Scotty: As a sort of Memetic Mutation; Red's schizophrenic, graffiti-messages are often attributed to it.
- Chekhov's Dummy
- Demonic Dummy: Literally. The dummy (originally in the room named after it, but later found in Cold Storage) is absolutely, positively evil. It turned to look at them when it was tied to the post, and if that's not creepy enough, later its nature was absolutely confirmed when it grew tentacles on the ceiling of Cold Storage, Ace's room. It was excavated from below the station in the first place. Considering the stuff apparently imprisoned down there, that alone comfirms its evil nature.
- Eldritch Abomination: In part; lampshaded.
- Dummy in the dark and FUCKING CJOPAZE!!]]
- The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You
- Irony/ Fridge Logic: The Dummy's skin was made of leather... And leather and made out of?
- The Dummy Behind the Bird
- Psychic Powers: It is implied that The Dummy, itself, had a sort of special psychic-control over Ace, influencing his actions and causing him to take it from its original place to Ace's hideaway in cold storage.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Only in the dark, though.
- The Speechless
Water Cooler
- Affectionate Nickname: "Mr. Water Cooler"
- Running Gag: He is disappointed in us all.[4]
- The Speechless
- The Stoic
WARNING: MAJOR, UNMARKED SPOILERS BELOW
The Barbed Wheel
The great, ancient, unseen Eldritch Horror responsible for all the reality-bent chaos within the Metal Glen facility.
- Berserk Button: It's probably not a coincidence that when Tom and Ruby gave Bella her Mercy Kill Ace flew into a blind, glowing fury.
- Big Bad
- The Corrupter
- Mind Rapist
- I Want Them Alive: It is never made clear just why Ace is ordered to resurrect everyone just to have them destry everyone, but the dark entity seems to need them for some reason other than just For the Evulz.
- No Name Given: At least not until the Mushroom Forest special.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: If you consider the filmy, red "cure" and the black void relative to it, then it counts.
- The Speechless
- Ultimate Evil
- You Cannot Grasp the True Form: In theory, Ruby quite possibly could have in the cold-storage room if her third eye wasn't hurting so bad. (of course, trying to use her super-power to view such an other-worldly force directly would probably leave her in a permanent state of insanity)
And what became of cat and hare?
Did they break free to purer air?
To guess their fate we shouldn't dare
Perhaps their tale closed well...
- ↑ (likely referencing the lost patient "Lucy," a supposed pig creature)
- ↑ (though, actually a little more gradual than an average Berserk Button)
- ↑ (Furthermore, is often his general perception among the fandom -- Possibly canonized when Weaver posted the second image in his Daisy Quest thread)
- ↑ (Because of the position of the water cooler's taps, many players have referenced it as an appearance of a vexed expression. It has since become a sort of running joke by the Ruby Quest players and have referenced the fact many times during later parts of the game, often as a sort of Animal Reaction Shot)