Ralph Ryans

NAME Ralph Ryans

ALIAS None

OCCUPATION Pub Owner

GENDER Cismale

PRONOUNS He/Him

ORIENTATION Heterosexual

SPECIES / RACE Human / Rabbit... thing

STATUS Widower

WORTH info

ABOUT

Ralph comes off as a very grumpy person. His face seems to be fixed in a glare, his voice is gruff, and those thick downturned eyebrows do not help. He is relatively short for a man but still manages to be intimidating. Ralph runs a tight ship at his bar and people know not to get on his bad side. Tabs are always kept up to date and he knows when someone needs to be cut off for their own health. At the same time, Ralph is also supportive, thoughtful, kind, and gentle. He is very friendly and true to himself. Frequenters of the bar know they can talk to him and find aid in their worries as well as just have a good time. Ralph is adept at many card games and is a patient teacher. Besides playing cards, he loves collecting seashells, reading romance novels, and brewing his own beer (he sells both company and handmade drinks).

The comfort and confidence that Ralph has in himself were not always there. He grew up in a large household with two brothers and a twin sister and was always the smallest. He was also often described as cute. His brothers teased him and his father, who was fully invested in the ideals of masculinity, put him down for his tendency to prefer playing with both his sister’s dolls and his own action figures over sports and other things his brothers did. He tried to play into what his father wanted of him but could never seem to do enough. Years of emotional trauma from his father’s treatment of him caused Ralph to take his frustrations out on others. He began getting into fights with other kids to then feel horrible afterward. No matter how angry he got at the other kids, he always felt for them later. Ralph had a hard time improving as he got older and throughout his teen and young adult years he did not have a good relationship with his father. In high school, Ralph was overjoyed when his grandmother Daimhin, on his father’s side, moved to America from Ireland. She was a crass woman but was simultaneously very accepting. Daimhin was the one who gave Ralph his first romance novel. She brought a few from Ireland and the two of them grew a collection. Once she came, Ralph’s father had a harder time giving him shit. Daimhin had been compliant to her husband when raising Ralph’s father but in her older age she strengthened and came into her own. Through her, Ralph and his father created a tense truce.

With homelife improving, Ralph began to heal. Out of high school, he got a job in a warehouse and started to make friends. Over the years, anger at his father grew into empathy. Ralph’s father was just trying to raise him as his own father did. In his father’s world, softness in men was a weakness, something that could get you hurt. Soon after Ralph’s mother passed away (Daimhin had already moved on as well), Ralph sat down with his father and the two had a long talk. It was the first time Ralph ever saw his father cry. They decided to start over and get to know one another again. Ralph’s father even invited Ralph to work at his tavern: Ryan’s Irish Pub. Their relationship was never close, but it was friendly. Ralph helped open his father’s eyes to seeing his impact on others, among other things, and the pub became visibly more inviting with these changes.

At 32, Ralph married Kathrine Danoff, a sweet but strong woman with a heart of gold. She fit right into the Ryan family and pub. Per her suggestion, Ralph and his father renamed their business to Daimhin Tavern, in honor of Ralph’s grandmother and in gratitude for bringing Ralph and his father together.

When Ralph was in his mid 30’s his father retired and began to suffer from dementia. He was always welcome at the tavern but would sit alone at a private table, only talking to close friends and his son. Ralph’s father passed away a few days after Ralph’s 41st birthday. Ralph has run the tavern by himself since then. His life fell into patterns, and while he was not unhappy, he felt like something was missing. He and his wife were unable to have kids and were hesitant about adopting. The subject would be brought up and one of them would manage to veer away from it. At age 46, Kathrine was killed in a hit and run. It was a shocking situation in their quiet little town and made headlines. Ralph refused to comment. From there, he stiffened a bit. His hair turned fully grey and frown lines deepened. He was still kind and supportive, but there always seemed to be a heavy edge to his laugh. He stopped reading and he put away his seashell collection. He would never admit it, not wanting to burden people with his feelings, but he was suffering. He had lost his parents and grandmother already and had been able to bounce back, but losing his wife kept him down. For six years he sat in this dark corner, trying not to let his pain be noticed. Then, a little bundle showed up on the back door of the tavern.

Amy’s introduction in Ralph’s life turned his world upside down. Finding an infant on your doorstep is one of the last things anyone expects to happen. He had no idea what to think. He tried to find the baby’s parents but was unsuccessful. By the time he gave up, a connection had formed. Amy little hands would always grab for Ralph and being with her warmed his heart. Some friends advised Ralph that he give her up, he was a widower who lived above a bar. Was he really the right person to raise a baby girl? Ralph struggled with this, wanting the baby to have the best life she could. Yet, something about Amy touched the sad man. Maybe something in her eyes. He vowed to give her the best life and after some legalities, he became her legal guardian. Ralph knew he could be a good father and he and his wife had always wanted a child. He could fulfill her wish and also bring up a little girl. Taking care of Amy was challenging, but Ralph's sister was overjoyed to help him. She had three children who had already left the house and had no interest in stopping her job of being a stay at home mom. The two worked together to raise Amy and she grew into a spunky little girl. Raising Amy helped turn Ralph’s memories of his wife from sorrowful to joyful and bring light into his life. The two have a very close relationship. Ralph is extremely proud of Amy and Amy adores her dad.

STATS

CHARISMA

CREATIVITY

EMPATHY

HUMOR

INTELLIGENCE

PATIENCE