#betje ryder

[bethadastra]

Getting to knooowww yooouuu 🎶  

[bethadastra-art]

I haven’t drawn my Andromeda Babes in, like, a minute 😭

[bethadastra]

ME:A Countdown (no spoilers, only guesses and hypotheticals)

On Betje Ryder’s family, past, and life in the Milky Way

15 Days: Delve into the Ryder family background - how is/was their relationship with their father, sibling and mother? Do they get along, hero worship, close twin connection, sibling rivalry, was it strained, was it distant, etc.

I honestly can’t say, because I want more of the canon backstory before I decide on any angsty or fluffy relationships, especially if the writers swoop in and change everything up with a plot twist. As a child, she had mild hero worship for her parents, since they weren’t around as much, but had important and high-profile jobs. Rather than use this as a foundation to connect with her brother, however, they distance themselves a bit because they feel like that is the only way they can individually become great, and the only way they can understand why their parents made the choices that they did.

14 Days: Describe some important or formative events in Ryder’s history. How did these impact and shape them?

Again, I don’t want to come up with these crazy and complex backstory events until I’m a little ways into the game. I don’t want to waste my creative energy on something if it’s only going to get scrapped as soon as I finish the character creator.

But Betje dislikes being intimate or social for most of her life, due to minor incidents where her interests were mocked/teased, and her intelligence usually outpaced her peers. This gave her the time and energy to become a focused soldier and researcher. 

13 Days: Why did Ryder join the Alliance military? Later on, what were Ryder’s reasons for signing up to the Andromeda Initiative? 

Ryder equated the Alliance to a bright future as a child. As she grew up and travelled the universe, she added the Citadel to her list of options. Andromeda was a natural next step. If we take family and political motivations out of the story, Betje joined the Andromeda Initiative out of pure curiosity. She wants to know more about the universe beyond the Local Cluster, and she doesn’t care if the price is written on a one-way ticket.

12 Days: How will Ryder feel upon waking up from cryo? Relieved, excited, scared, impatient to get going, lost, etc.

A)   Nauseous. Cryo won’t be kind on her tummy.

B)  She’ll want logistics. Packets of info on what’s been done to prepare, what needs to be done... And sooner or later she’ll find something that she wishes she had been more prepared for. And that will turn into self doubt, which will require her teammates to help her open up and boost her confidence.

11 Days: Once in Andromeda, what are Ryder’s goals? What drives them?

Betje wants to learn. She finds unity in sharing knowledge, and is driven by the need to analyze and collect and study and share. Out of anybody on the Tempest, her codex collection will probably be the biggest. 

10 Days: Will Ryder ever miss the Milky Way? What things and places will they miss most?

I don’t know if Andromeda or any of the ships will carry the ingredients for percik chicken, but she’ll miss the heck out of indulgent, zingy fried chicken while in space. She’ll also have a small but sad feeling when she realizes she won’t ever see the human homeworld again after waking from cryo, but she never felt any deep connections or nostalgia for anyplace on Earth.

9 Days: Did Ryder have any notable friends or connections in the Milky Way? How about past relationships? Which friendship or relationship was the most significant to them?

No idea…. This will be another thing that reveals itself when I start playing. Generally, she’s so caught in her own inner monologues that she keeps most connections and relationships professional.

8 Days: How does Ryder feel about aliens? Are they uncomfortable, wary, intrigued, curious, intimidated, not bothered, etc? In the Milky Way, where did they stand on humanity’s place in galactic society - Earth first, Terra Firma, human superiority, peaceful cooperation, pro-galactic integration & unity, etc? How will they feel upon discovering that there are sentient alien races in Andromeda?

Betje sees every sentient being as something to analyze and better understand, whether human or alien. She’s comfortable with almost all alien species (even finding certain ones sexually attractive, ay yoooo), and had an obsession with the mysterious Rachni as a little girl. When it comes to galactic society, Betje sees humanity as a small slice of the big galactic pie. There’s no sense in focusing all of her talents with humanity only, or trying to discredit other races.

She’s an explorer, and though she may not show it very well during the trip through Andromeda, she ecstatic about there being previously undiscovered alien races and can’t wait to meet them. I sense some minor hero-worship and maybe even attraction to Jaal when they team up.

7 Days: Ryder’s father gave the twins informal N7 training in the past. How did Ryder feel about this (pressured, resentful, grateful, motivated, overworked, excited, etc)? What are their feelings on “N7” as a symbol? How do they relate to it, if at all?

I don’t knooooowwwww. This is where I’ve stopped tracking spoilers & in-game content that isn’t covered in the briefings. At this point, I think that the overachieving/ambitious side of Betje will be very grateful for it, but maybe a small part of her will be bitter because she believes that it fed into her distrust of others, and distanced herself from her peers while growing up??? I think that she has an immense amount of respect for N7, no matter what her relationship with her father is. I’m hesitant to assign a specific value because I have a feeling that there will be events in the game that make the N7 status something that it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be? Either way, Betje is grateful that her training gave her the ability to travel the galaxy.

[bethadastra]

ME:A Countdown

16 Days: How would Ryder define their sexuality?

Betje Ryder is pansexual. She is very much of a “mind your own business” mentality when it comes to talking about sex, though I’m hoping her crew will mix things up for her. She knew that gender identity didn’t affect her attraction to humans early on in her life, and saw plenty of potential in most alien species during her training (but didn’t have a lot of playtime). I have several thoughts on how her sexuality plays into her relationship with her family, but I want more canon backstory before I fall down that rabbit hole...

Also: She’d rather die of embarrassment than admit it, but the day she discovered Fornax was, like, the best day ever.

[bethadastra]

Betje Ryder has no idea what’s going on at any given moment.

[bethadastra]

Falling behind on Ryder’s #meacountdown ... Fear not!

30 Days: Will you play SisRyder or BroRyder first? Why? How does your Ryder define their gender?

SisRyder! I want a character that I can relate to and develop as an extension of my own personality, and the easiest way to do that is to create a female character. I’m sure I’ll give BroRyder a chance after a few playthroughs though…

29 Days: What is your Ryder’s name? Why did you pick this name - is there a meaning or origin story behind it? Do they go by any nicknames? What would you name their sibling, father and mother if you were able to choose? 

I’ll be naming my Ryder Betje. Part of it is because I’m a narcissistic self-insert junkie (Betje is a Dutch version of Beth/Elizabeth). I always try to insert a little part of myself in the characters I create, whether it be name, appearance, personality, or backstory.

I may be willing to work with Bet as a nickname (only through her family, and that’s only if I get a certain vibe from them during the game), but I doubt it since she’s not a nickname kind of gal. In an ideal world, her brother’s name would be Bram. These worked surprisingly well with the default “Alec” and the (at this time) unknown mother’s name, so I’ll probably stick with default parent names.

 28 Days: Are you going to use the default appearance or create a custom Ryder? 

Custom, baby. Betje is a happy 5’8” and is very wiry and muscular. Her Malay heritage is easy to see with her olive skin, blue-black hair, almond brown eyes, and the dual stripe tattoo that wraps around her right forearm. She’s got some fierce cheekbones (but only because she works out a bunch, and can’t hold fat on her face to save her life), and thick eyebrows that she tweezes into a strong angled arch. I’m not sure what the facial scarring options will be, but in an ideal world, I’d have a scar that runs from her bottom lip over her left cheek just below her left eye. She’ll have a dramatic angled bob that will make Cora jealous, and her makeup routine will only ever consist of eyeliner wings and maybe a brush through her hair if she’s lucky. She’s half Dutch, half Malay, and very proud of both of her heritages.

 27 Days: Are you going to use the default appearance for Ryder’s sibling or customize them? Describe your ideas for their sibling’s and father’s physical appearance. 

Not sure how it’ll work, but if the stars align, her brother (Bram) will have short hair that is constantly slicked back, and the same Asian features. To be frank, I didn’t think we’d be able to customize dadRyder, so I tried to make the Ryder twins different, but believable enough that they could look related to a white(ish) guy???

[bethadastra]

ME:A Countdown: 25 Days: Describe Ryder’s favorite combat style. How would you describe Ryder’s combat role/strengths? What are some of their favorite biotic/tech/other abilities?

I’m probably the minority when I say that I’m not eager to give her biotic powers. But she loves guns. She likes to keep things in her sights, and not let the enemy charge up close to her… I’ll want to design her skill set so that she can collect and carry lots of powerful weapons, so I guess her closest description might be “sniper”???

[bethadastra]

ME:A Countdown

I’m sooooo behind on this *sweating frantically*

24 Days: Which squadmates do you think will best compliment Ryder’s combat style? Alternatively, who do you plan to take out most in the field?

Having a biotic and a techie has always complimented my soldier preference, but honestly I have nooooo idea. I was a huge sucker for squad combos in the original trilogy that had a joker and a straight man, so I’ll want to try that eventually when I know the team’s personality. But I’m very eager to team up Vetra and Cora if possible. 

23 Days: Which weapons or category of weapons will Ryder prefer? Describe their favorite loadout.

PLASMA RIFLES. Cooling time is peanuts for me, compared to wasting time trying to replace empty thermal clips.

22 Days: Will Ryder craft? What are you most excited about crafting? Do you have any names in mind already for weapons?

Ehh I’m not really interested in crafting, and if I do, it’ll probably be last-minute adjustments. If I make any names, they will be entirely NSFW and more than just a little rude.

 21 Days: What are Ryder’s personality traits? Describe 5 strengths and 5 flaws.

Once we have a canon backstory, I’ll be able to create a more deliberate character. She generally mutes her emotions/personality, and it takes a lot to bring out her lighthearted side. But she’s very upfront, professional, and driven to support her team.

Strengths: Ambitious, eats healthy food, patient, can let go of the past easily, well-versed in alien cultures

Flaws: Terrible conversationalist, easily jealous, gets road rage, slow to trusting others, self-doubting 

20 Days: What first impressions does Ryder tend to give people? Do they have any ‘odd’ or specific mannerisms, habits or other quirks? How do they present and carry themselves?

At this point, I see my Ryder as someone perceived as aloof and frosty. She does not wear her heart on her sleeve at all, but it takes a deep relationship with her to know that she cares a lot about a lot of things. One thing I want for her is that she incorporates exercise and healthy eating into her daily routine. Like, if she isn’t able to do her workout sets or take her vitamins in the morning, it throws off her entire day. She makes a good soldier, but needs opportunities to be an individual. Deep down, she’s a great leader, but often second-guesses herself so much that she can’t see past the what-if’s, and gets caught up in hypotheticals without sharing those concerns with others, and doesn’t realize that strangers read her as an enigmatic robot woman.

 19 Days: Where would Ryder fall in the classic Paragon/Renegade morality system? What would their D&D alignment be? If you know their personality type in any personality typing systems (such as MBTI and Enneagram - you can find various type descriptions and tests using Google), feel free to add and discuss them here.

Ryder would be a Paragade. I get the feeling that she starts out for Andromeda with good and pure intentions (maybe even a little naïve), but has to quickly adapt to the less-than friendly environment. Also, since she’s not a big fan of liars & manipulators, she’ll throw a couple rude comments and fists around to make her point clear.

She’s a True Neutral, and an ISTJ, more specifically, the Logistician personality. She never bases her decisions on assumptions, and believes in practicality and self-sufficiency.

 18 Days: What qualities does Ryder like and dislike in other people? Are there any things they particularly appreciate or can’t stand?

Ryder likes honesty and people who can get to the point. She also appreciates anybody that is a good teacher (someone that can explain new/different things in a way that is easy to understand). Social butterflies make her uncomfortable; she sees them as people who put on masks and adjust little bits of their personalities to take advantage of different groups and situations. When it comes to respect, nobody holds it more than the person who started at the bottom of the ladder and slowly (and honorably) climbed their way to the top.

 17 Days: List some of Ryder’s favorite things - colors, food, music, etc. Is there anything of this nature that they hate? Do they have any hobbies or skills outside of combat?

Betje loves to wear charcoal grey, the more, the better. She’s got quite the sweet tooth (and I headcanon Bram as being the spicy food consumer of the family), but they make up for it with exercise and good ol’ fiber. I think she’d be uncomfortable in formal, feminine clothing if it doesn’t give her the freedom to move around. Like, she understands that she has to sometimes dress up for important/fancy events, but she prefers to dress in a way that says “what you see is what you get,” and Galactic Explorer Badass is what she wants to be.

If the chance arises in the game, I think that it would be very beneficial for her to have a hobby. Exercise, mainly running, is the one non-combat activity that got her through training. She’s always been an avid reader and hoarder of codex info, even as a child. Besides that, I see her enjoying history books, autobiographies, and the occasional cheap romance novel. I also like to think that she has a very refined palate that comes from her interest in xenoculture, and in her downtime she experiments with levo & dextro cooking.