Character Profile: Jayne Ayer

How to Create a Character Profile With a little help from blog.reedsy.com 

PART 1: THE OUTER LAYER Definition: How your character looks, sounds, and moves. Similar to: An offender profile. 📖📖

THE BASICS

Name: Jayne Ayer (born Jane Hulce)

Age: 18

Place of birth: Spice District, San Myshuno

Current location: ???

Nationality: Sim

Education: High School graduate

Occupation: eBay “reseller”; petty thief

Income: Lifetime earnings of about §10,000

👀👀PHYSICAL APPEARANCE 

Height: 5’6

Eye color: grey 

Hair color: black

Build: thin

Distinguishing features (tattoos, scars, birthmarks)? 

None

🧥🧥Preferred outfit? 

Black. Particularly little black dresses

👓👓Glasses? 

Wears (colorless) contacts; wears glasses at night etc.

🌂🌂Accessories (cane, pipe, necklace, etc.)? 

Wears minimal jewelry on purpose. Often thin, non-chunky necklaces; small watches; frequently wears beloved pearl ring, the first thing she stole

Grooming: ☐ Disheveled X Smart, very put together ☐ Untidy but clean ☐ Other? 

Distinguishing “tics” and mannerisms: 

Jayne is a “toucher,” meaning she’s one of those people who will start touching you immediately after meeting, which is often read as flirtatious. Little pats here and there, flicks to your wrist, touching your lapel/chest, clasping hands etc.

Jayne is an introvert, wearing a mask of the extrovert. She’s quiet and observant but also outgoing when in company.

🏥🏥Health? Do they suffer from chronic illnesses? 

Good health

✍Handwriting (sloppy, neat, careful, unintelligible): 

Careful, feminine handwriting; strong drawing skills

👣👣Gait: ☐ Confident, powerful strides ☐ Lazy stroll ☐ Fast, walks at a clip ☐ Distracted, eyes on the ground ☐ Other? If so, explain: 

Confident but not powerful gait; good posture; quiet tread

💬💬SPEECH AND COMMUNICATION Style of speech (elevated, educated, peppered with slang, etc.)? 

Speaks standard Simlish natively. Speaks relatively strong English, a language she learned in school and through online exposure. Actively working to improve her English.

Tempo of speech (rapid, slow, measured, drawl, etc.)? 

Measured. Occasionally rapid in deep conversation. Sounds similar to most girls her age or a bit older. In English, speech is slower. 

Do they have an accent? 

Standard Simlish. Slight Spice District accent observable in some words but largely erased by practice. Has noticeable Simlish accent in English. 

Posture: ☐ Stiff, military ☐ Slouching X Casual and relaxed ☐ ‘Turtle,’ tired ☐ Other? If so, explain: 

🖐🖐Gesturing: ☐ Only when agitated or eager ☐ Doesn’t gesture X Compulsive “hand-talker” ☐ Controlled, only to make a point ☐ Other? If so, explain:

Hand talking, mimicry and nonverbal gesturing is a culturally normal and important part of communication in Sim culture, which Jayne has adopted. (Have you ever seen a Sim?) Her touching and gesturing may come across as more flirtatious to non Sims or depending on context.

👁👁Level of eye contact (direct, shifty, etc.): 

Direct and confident

Speech impediments: None

Distinguishing speech “tics”: None

🖕🖕 Preferred curse word: Jayne is observant enough to adapt her speech to situations she’s in; if someone curses a lot, she will too; if they never do, she won’t either.

⚾ Catchphrases: n/a

🤣🤣Laughter? What do they tend to find funny? 

Dark, mature sense of humor. Tends to laugh more at the jokes of men to seem flirty and ingratiating.

Describe their smile? 

Wide and confident, light lilting laugh

Emotive? Do they wear their emotions on their sleeve? How easily can others to read them? 

People often detect a mystery about Jayne, but she works hard to cultivate an air of non-threatening, middle-of-the-road personality. Not too smart, not dumb. Perceptive people may read the true Jayne a bit better. 

They have a resting ________________face. ☐ Bitch 😒😒 ☐ Angel 😇😇 X Neutral 😐😐 ☐ Confused 🤨🤨 ☐ Other? If so, explain: 

Jayne naturally wears a RBF and does so openly on occasion. Works hard to present a more neutral or upbeat expression.

PART 2: THE FLESH 

Definition: How your character is a product of their environment. 

Similar to: The character bio and backstory. 

⏪ THE PAST 🏡🏡Hometown: Small apartment, Spice District, San Myshuno. 

Type of childhood (sheltered, neglected, etc.)? 

Contented childhood; neither sheltered nor neglected; not spoiled by material things due to limited finances, but prone to telling small lies and pushing boundaries to see what she could get away with.

🍏🍏Education: 

Free public education at an underfunded school through high school

Were they involved in organizations and clubs at school? 

Jayne isn’t much of a joiner unless she sees a benefit to herself in doing so.

🎓🎓At graduation, they were named Most Likely To live abroad in the yearbook.

💼💼Jobs (if applicable)? What would their résumé look like? 

Briefly, clothing store attendant, cashier at the mall (quit)

Dream job as a child? Why?

Actress, model, singer, influencer. Dreamed of escapism careers that would take her away from her neighborhood.

Who were their role models growing up? Describe them: 

Her mother, who she is close with. Later, admired magicians, sleight-of-hand experts like Apollo Robbins, who she watched countless times on YouTube. Famous thieves and con men.

Some of the most successful people Jayne saw growing up were criminals in her working-class neighborhood, who seemed to have more power and control over people than others. But Jayne doesn’t have much desire to get into drugs or organized crime. She knows she needs to rely on herself.

Greatest regret: 

Had some questionable, controversial social media exchanges with peers around age 15, and began becoming more careful of what parts of herself she shared online. Once flirted with a male teacher in high school who she thought she could get presents from or even steal from but her behavior was reported by another teacher who contacted her mother. Jayne is observant enough to learn lessons from her past.

⛳Hobbies growing up: 

Reading, drawing, practicing sleight-of-hand, distraction and confidence techniques. Dedicated and ambitious researcher. Careful planner. 

🗺🗺Favorite place to be as a child? 

Playing outside in the square with friends; watching YouTube at home. Rarely did she enjoy school, which to her was boring. 

⏳ If they could change one thing from their past, what would it be? Why? 

Not knowing her father.

Major turning points or “life beats” in childhood: 

Father gone at age 2

Won school art contest age 7

Stole her first object (the pearl ring) at a birthday party at a friend’s better-off aunt’s house when 11 years old and realized she was poor. She was thrilled by the opportunity to take control back by stealing from others in an effort to improve what she feels she wasn’t given but wants or even deserves.

Earliest memory: 

Her mother taking her to work age 3-4 at the fish cannery

Saddest memory: 

The humiliating weeks leading up to the annual father-daughter dances at school. Being pitied by friends’ relatives and older male cousins who offered to take her instead. Jayne hates feeling like an object of pity. 

Happiest memory: 

The thrill of learning to pickpocket via internet tutorials and books, and then putting it into practice. Jayne derives enormous satisfaction from successful cons and thefts.

Clearest memory: 

💀💀What are their skeletons in the closet? 

The literal jewels, trinkets and collected things she stole and hid in her closet.

Three adjectives to describe them as a child? 

Motivated; carefree; deceitful (bonus: unempathetic) 

What advice would they give to their younger self? 

Always forward, never back

⚖Criminal record: 

None

👪👪FAMILY 👨👨Father: Age (if living): ___________ Occupation: ___________ Briefly describe their relationship with your character: 

Lived with family until shortly after Jayne was born. Last seen when Jayne was 2.

👩👩Mother: Melanie Pliger

 Age (if living): 40 

Occupation: cannery factory line worker 

Briefly describe their relationship with your character: 

Mother and daughter are close but some distance was created during Jayne’s teenage years which has never really been repaired. She admires her mother for providing for the family single-handedly but quietly resents her lack of ambition and for not improving their lives.

👧👧Siblings: How many? 1 brother

 What are their names? Ages?

James Hulce, 22

Briefly describe their relationship(s) with your character: 

Grew up together. Relatively close, having shared a room. When younger, they fought often. By the time Jayne was a teen, they often stuck together keeping each other’s secrets, lying for each other to their mother. 

James is perhaps one of the only people who know of Jayne’s kleptomania, and she doesn’t bother denying it to him, just downplaying it. He’s pieced enough things together over the years. But he perhaps does not understand the extent of her problem. Jayne would never admit it, but she’s perhaps her most authentic self around James. The need to completely deceive and lie about who she is isn’t quite as necessary as she knows James would never turn her in.

👴👴Extended family: Grandparents: 

Her maternal grandmother, Anna, was an influence growing up and lived nearby.

Uncles and aunts: 2 maternal uncles; a great-uncle 

Cousins: Her mothers cousins, who are older, the Pligers, also lived nearby and were friendly with the family

💰💰Family’s economic status: 

Working class, inner city, often struggled to get by but not desperately poor. Lived in rent controlled, older apartment for much of Jayne’s life. Recently, problems with the building and landlord saw Jayne’s mother move to a different apartment, somewhat larger, with a friend and roommate. James no longer lives at home and Jayne is looking to move very soon.

How often do they see their family in a year? 

Currently, often

💜💜EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS 🤙🤙Closest friends? Describe them: 

Tanya Preet, an old friend from elementary school who lived in a nearby building. Shy and reserved, they maintained a close friendship through high school, where Jayne was more popular than Tanya. Still very friendly and likely to stay friends.

👋👋Other significant friends: 

Bianca Suarez. A neighborhood girl who became a closer friend in high school. Other than James (and a sharp pawn shop dealer who put the pieces together), the only person to know Jayne’s secret kleptomania. Bianca and Jayne occasionally lifted small items like lip gloss together when 13-14. Unlike Jayne, she hasn’t graduated to heavier thefts. She’s outgoing and often took Jayne to parties in high school and introduced her to boys. 

Lindsey Myrtle. Childhood friend through middle school, became less close in high school.

😡😡Enemies? Describe them: 

Jayne argued with other girls in high school who gossiped and bickered with her, or tried to bait her online, but she knows how to move on with her life and not dwell; she finds it hard to hold grudges against most people because she doesn’t care about them enough. (An exception: her resentment toward wealthier people who have never struggled financially)

How are they perceived by…  …strangers in the street? 

Jayne is inconspicuous when she wants to be but can rely on her good looks to gain advantage with strangers. When she wants to pickpocket, she can be outgoing and friendly, funny and warm to marks. She wears a mask of cheerfulness and friendliness or even mystery to get what she wants. 

…authority figures? 

Teachers often liked Jayne but wished she worked harder at school. Passed all her classes and tests and appeared to them naturally intelligent but rarely motivated by academics or sports. 

 …friends in their friend circles? 

Normal, not socially awkward, but could present to others as a bit of a loner with only a few friends. Jayne appeared to them about as well off materially as others.

…children? 

Friendly with children.

…the opposite sex?

Boys often would want to get to know her but she wasn’t always receptive to their advances, or not always for long. They find her nice but somewhat mysterious. May present as something of a tease and not an “easy” girl.

 …extended family? 

Liked her. Found her sometimes haughty or putting on airs, ambitious and disdainful of their circumstances. A striver.

📸📸What social media platforms are they on? ☐ Twitter ☐ Facebook ☐ Reddit X Instagram ☐ Snapchat X Tumblr ☐ Other? If so, explain: 

Jayne used social media to keep up with appearances but her Instagram is highly curated to project her best self. Rarely compromising (she learned that lesson early).

🤳🤳How would they use their social media platforms? 

Jayne does want to be somewhat popular so she fills her social media with selfies and sunsets and fun trips that would get her enough likes and friends to not feel completely ignored (or worse, pitied for being friendless or poor). She’s careful never to flaunt though.

✨How would they fill out an online dating profile for themselves? 

Jayne would play up her looks. Her charm. And let men come to her. It’s what she does in real life.

💡💡 What’s their role in a group dynamic? ☐ Leader ☐ Joker ☐ Parent ☐ Hype man ☐ Mooch ☐ Other? If so, explain: 

Jayne is more of a loner at heart (almost picked that trait for her) but is confident enough to be somewhat of a leader.

📨📨How quickly do they respond to emails? 

e….mails? You do know she’s 18 right? Jayne would calculate how long she should wait before responding to a text to make the most of an advantage.

Who do they depend on for…  …practical advice? 

Mother, brother, best friend Tanya, books and YouTube

…a wingman? 

Her friends

…emotional support? 

Jayne doesn’t need emotional support. I mean, everyone needs emotional support — so her mother, friends etc. — but it’s Jayne’s first instinct to solve a problem on her own. Jayne sometimes finds it hard to get close to other people. 

…moral support? 

Her friends

What do they want from a relationship? 

Status. A better position in life. Material things. Physical infatuation. (To be loved?)

💖💖Who would be their ideal partner? 

Someone who “gets” Jayne at a cellular level. Who she can be partners in crime with so to speak. Someone she trusts, which is hard for her. Someone as brazen as she is, who can impress her. 

💕💕Do they have a significant other? Describe them: 

No.

How many people would attend their funeral? 

A few dozen from the neighborhood, as her mother has a larger support network in the community than Jayne has (or cares to have). 

PART 3: THE CORE Definition:

How your character is deep down. Similar to: A psych test. 💭💭PSYCHOLOGY 

🌧🌧What do they do on rainy days? 

Read, go online, go to indoor shops. 

One of Jayne’s cons involves looking pathetic and bedraggled in the rain. Men who stop to help are treated to tales of her having the “worst day” and encouraged to pity her, perhaps coughing up some cash, revealing the location of their wallet, which she may take if the circumstances are right. Falling out of a strappy high heel at the right moment may provide an opportunity to regain balance by grabbing a wrist — and perhaps a new watch. 

Are they: X Street-smart X Book-smart ☐ Optimist X Pessimist X Introvert ☐ Extrovert 

🔊🔊What is their favorite sound? 

Music. Money rustling. Jewels clattering.

🌎🌎Favorite place in the world? 

New York, Paris, SimCity, Hollywood, Miami. Big cities. Anywhere she hasn’t been. 

The local shopping mall, which she knows inside and out. 

🔒🔒What secrets do they keep? What are they most afraid of people finding out? 

The extent of her kleptomania. How compulsive it is. How good it makes her feel. Her lack of empathy or remorse for her victims.

Also that she really only cares about her mother and brother. Everyone else is replaceable to Jayne. 

🔍🔍What do they want the most? 

Jayne wants a much better life than the one she had growing up. She wants to be wealthy, of course, but more than that she wants to be in control of her destiny, her finances, her relationships, her choices. Stealing is a way to assert that control and that sense of power.

Biggest flaw: 

Jayne pushes people away when she shouldn’t. She denies her past to work on her future. Arrogance is something Jayne tries to curb but comes out in anger or frustration. 

Biggest strength: 

Ambition, motivation for things she cares about, work ethic, attention to detail and planning, ability to spend days planning things down to the smallest detail. Quick on her feet.

Biggest fear: 

Being arrested, being poor, losing everything she has, being pitied and bailed out by others, disappointing her family who she has something to prove to

📈📈What is their biggest accomplishment? 

Starting what she thinks of as her “business,” taking things and reselling them for money. Teaching herself the skills to become self sufficient. 

What is their idea of perfect happiness? 

Success

⌚Do they want to be remembered? What for? 

Jayne is internally motivated; she doesn’t need the validation of fame as much as she thought she did when she was younger. She wants to be memorable enough to get what she wants but forgettable enough to blend in to help her lead a double life.

👌👌 Favorite quote: 

Always forward, never back

How do they approach…  …power? 

Power to Jayne is a sense of control over your life, which often means depriving people of their control. In other words, making someone powerless makes Jayne feel powerful. The more Jayne can take or get away with, the more powerful she feels. But that arrogance can be a weakness, as can her lack empathy, which Jayne overcompensates for by trying hard to read people.

As an emerging confidence artist, she knows she needs to give her marks what they need at that moment, requiring her to read them. When she’s right, and gets what she wants, she feels powerful at their expense. Power is control over your destiny. To her, it’s the proactive ability to make decisions instead of having things happen to you by circumstance. 

…ambition? 

Jayne wants everything. Playing by the rules never got anyone in her family anywhere. She’s not above breaking them for her ambition. 

 …love? 

Jayne is no hopeless romantic but with that said she’s not heartless and is 18. Perhaps she doesn’t know what she’s looking for. She perhaps needs or will need to be loved, but doesn’t feel she has to give it back 100 percent. That said, she admires loyalty and security.

…change? 

Change can be refreshing and invigorating to Jayne. High school was more of a challenge at first than a nightmare. Keeping a dark shoplifting secret was an easy adjustment. But change without control is a fear of Jayne’s. 

🔥🔥 What is the one object or possession that they would rescue from their burning home? 

The pearl ring, the first thing she stole.

💤💤What (or who) bores them? 

Oh, many dull people. 

School subjects like math or science. 

💢💢What makes them angry? 

Failure. Incompetence. Missed opportunities. Pity.

What do they look for in a person? 

An easy mark.

How strong is their moral compass? When, specifically, are they willing to compromise their morals? 

Jayne doesn’t have strong morals but she wouldn’t readily kill without a reason or a motive. Of course, she wouldn’t feel bad about killing if she knew it needed to be done. Jayne may find herself on a slippery slope of justifying a lot and having the needle of acceptable behavior move further and further away.

📚📚List the last 10 books that they read: 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The Confidence Game: Why we fall for it every time by Maria Konnikova

How to Pick Pockets for Fun and Profit: A Magician’s Guide to Pickpocket Magic by Eddie Joseph

Mischief Vol 3: The Long Con by Lauren Bear

Logic Vol 2: The Reason to Reason by Becky Rose

Crisis Barn by Jim Scuttleson

M is for Misdirected Angst by Helmuth von Gluck

Which fictional world would they most wish to visit? 

If they didn’t have to sleep, what would they do with the extra time? 

Read, go online, plan, steal in the dead of night.

⚠What are their pet peeves? 

Rude strangers. People who are late. Situations she can’t talk her way out of. Excessive drama. Pity.

 

🎟🎟If they won the lottery, what would they do? 

Buy an island! (No, jk.) Jayne has no serious money management skills so she might run out of money but she’d improve her life and that of her mother’s. She would feel validated by the status. 

Describe the character’s bucket list at the ages of: 15: 

Travel the world

Get rich

Become successful

Find true love

Become a respectable wife

Stop stealing….someday 

What is the best compliment that someone ever paid them? 

Her 5 star eBay rating. The pawn shop dealer who calls her with specific “requests.” Compliments on her intelligence by teachers.

🚪🚪 In an elevator, do they push the elevator button more than once? X Yes ☐ No 

Doesn’t everyone?

What would they want their tombstone to say?

Jayne is still a teen; she’s never given ten seconds thought to this in her life.