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Friendly Conversationalist
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 Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:14 pm
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ʃ may not lead the most dramatic life, but in my brain it's War and Peace everyday.
____↪ Rufus Wainwright ❖ MONEY ❖
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50K / 600K
lolnope a QUEST for a GIRL and her BIRD
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:15 pm
ϑser
▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫  ❖ Name: Merle Johisel
❖ Age: Twenty, on the cusp of twenty-one
❖ Class: Scholar
❖ Magic Affinity: Homing - Having seen a person, animal, place or item at least twice during her life, Merle is able to assign a certain "signature" to them and find them without aid of a map or related item. At her strongest moments, she would be able to pinpoint them exactly, but she has not quite reached that goal yet. Try as she might, she still hasn't mastered her magic, and can, at best, narrow something's location down to a 200-foot radius.
❖ Appearance: ( The Tektek is only used to show clothing style and hair style - the colors do not apply! )
Merle's strawberry blonde hair is short in the back and much longer in the front, framing her ovular face. It has a bit of body to it, and likes to frizz out on especially rainy or humid days; to curb this, she often ties a bandana around her head. Her skin tone is pale thanks to the past few years of self-confinement, but tans nicely when she is out in the sun often enough. Her eyes are hazel and always look somewhat owlish behind her large spectacles - owlishly annoyed, that is. As far as her clothing goes, she is more comfortable in long vests and men's shirts, although she will opt for skirts on occasion - but only with pants underneath, as she is uncomfortable about her modest curves (they look much bigger to her). She is evenly proportioned but modest in hips and bust size, with her 5'6" height stretching out her 150 pounds nicely enough.
❖ Personality: The first thing you should know about Merle is that she is smart. She never leaves her home without a book at her side, and is always in the market to learn something new. The girl has dreamed of seeing new places and meeting interesting people since she was a child, so she devours any knowledge she finds eagerly, putting her keen memory and sharp eyes to good use. However, because of her intellect it is equally likely that she thinks she is smarter than you. It is not a habit she has tried too hard to break, since she wants to be known for her hard work, and if her intelligence is the way to do it, then so be it. This is a problem that has come up in many of her relationships, and her penchant for being a know-it-all has even ended a few friendships. Merle's tendency towards sarcasm also doesn't help her hold down friends, either. She is easily frustrated when reaching a road block, and has no problems showing it. Her tone gets very snappish and until she can figure out a way around her problem, she will likely remain a very unpleasant companion.
Very independent, she is goal-oriented and is an avid planner. She would rather undertake a project by herself since she is most trusting of her own work, but will work in groups if coerced. This ends with her electing herself into the group leader position, if only to make sure things go the way she thinks is best. She is a very capable leader, but she expects the same caliber of work from those under her as she does from herself.. and unfortunately her standards are terribly high. Perhaps she is a little a**l retentive and stubborn, but if she feels her plan is best, trust that she has also planned every step of the way in order to meet her goal. She concentrates well under pressure and actually does her best work with a deadline looming over her head. The minutes trickling away give her a huge adrenaline rush, and it makes her feel all the prouder when she can accomplish something worthy of acclaim in such a short span of time.
It is unfortunate that this attitude does not carry over in Merle's home life, as she lives rather sloppily. Her desk is a mess and most of her possessions find homes in the oddest of places. She prefers it that way, however: she is the only one who knows where certain objects are, and if any should straighten up her workspace without telling her, they will receive quite the freak out from her. She will change things up in her life when she feels so inclined, thank you very much. A creature of habit and routine, Merle does not easily adapt to abrupt changes in her life or environment, preferring to have enough time to mentally prepare. But she is no stranger to the comings and goings of that morbidly curious "itch" that leads to impulse decisions. For the most part, she is fairly good at curbing them, but when certain aspects in her life prove unsatisfactory, it grows louder and harder to resist.
❖ History: Merle's parents are both scholars, and it is no secret that they hope to carry this tradition onward. Not that they pressure all of their children to become scholars, mind you - just the eldest two of their pack of four. Merle and her older brother Adam (age twenty-five) were put through their paces early on in life, made to pour over dusty books and decipher hand-made puzzles in order to hone their minds. Both children accepted the task with a sigh and did their duty as loyal children. However, Adam distinguished himself fairly early by earning high marks and praise during his training, during which Merle seemed to all but disappear in the household. Her younger sisters Rue and Havi fell under less pressing discipline, and oftentimes Merle was left to look after them when her parents would accompany Adam somewhere. If anything made Merle angry, it was being overlooked when she felt she was much smarter than her brother.
After all, it had been her who had helped him with puzzles when he was stumped by a particularly trying one. It was her who worked out the books with him when something didn't quite click. And yet here was her brother, taking all of her praise. At the age of fifteen, she came to a major decision: it was time to take care of her needs, and hers alone. The girl put her nose to the grindstone and climbed the ranks. She wanted to finish her preliminary training, and finish it earlier than her brother had (which he had accomplished at the age of nineteen). Her work, this time, didn't go unnoticed - both parents and other scholars were fairly impressed. Merle soaked up the praise and kept climbing upward.
She finished out her training at the age of eighteen. The girl proudly began her official work as an scholar, but quickly found the life to be everything she had initially dreaded it would be - rather dull. She had excelled in training, but now what was there? A few changes to her life could be seen here and there - she moved out of her family's home and moved into a small, shared quarters with a few girls she had graduated with. It was a move of necessity, as her parents' constant badgering had been getting under her skin. She was not a very hospitable roommate, either spending her free time locked up in her room or visiting the Observatory and Grand Library on the north side of the island. From time to time, she gets what she calls a "yearning" - a strong desire to just up and leave, to do something new. But each time she slips back into habit and forgets it ever happened.
Still, she wishes something would happen to spice up her life. The tomes are rather dull as of late.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:17 pm
ɕuardian
▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ❖ Name: Rangi { taken from the Maori god of the sky }
❖ Magic Affinity: Shadow Manipulation - Rangi can travel within shadows. Paired with Merle's homing ability, he can follow her lock and reach the target exceedingly fast through shadow travel. However his ability is weakest over large expanses of open land (desert, snowy wasteland, etc.) and during high noon. As he grows stronger, he will eventually be able to manipulate his shadow, or "bend" it to his will.
❖ Essence/Animal: Ginger/myna bird
❖ Appearance: Leaving this one almost entirely to the staff artists, actually. <3 However, if possible I would like to see a bit of a Maori/islander twist to him, perhaps with face markings similar to the Maori facial tattoos (though probably something akin to the chin tattoos the women have, so as not to be too obtrusive)? Also I see him as being tan-skinned, very much so~
❖ Personality: It's hard to tell if Rangi is being serious most of the time, since he has a certain mocking quality to his tone. He has a penchant towards sarcasm, but moreso in a drippy, overly-dramatic way (in comparison to Merle's sharp-edged quips). He is not very easy to gauge and likes to keep people guessing as to how he really feels about something or someone - it makes life for fun for him. Oftentimes he relies on his airy attitude and lilting teasing as a means of getting under the skin of others. Call it a morbid curiosity, but he is always eager to see what makes a person tick.
Rangi also has no concept of personal space, and has a habit of getting entirely too close or too touchy with someone. To him, it's pretty comical, especially if it's Merle - the girl is a lot stronger than her modest physique leads on. Perhaps the best way to gauge his real emotions is to watch his body language, as he tends to be more physical. He had a need to touch something he's interested in or focused on, and will clearly avoid being touched if he's upset. He's a rather miserable, easily offended bird who would rather wallow and collect sympathy from his dramatic pouting than be comforted. Merle just tells him to shut up and get over it, which seems to amuse him long enough to pull him out of whatever funk he may be in.
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:19 pm
дnimal▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫ ▪ ▫The Common Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa), sometimes spelled "mynah" and formerly simply known as "Hill Myna", is the myna bird most commonly seen in aviculture, where it is often simply referred to by the latter two names. It is a member of the starling family, resident in hill regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is overall green-glossed black plumage, purple-tinged on the head and neck. There are large white wing patches which are obvious in flight but mostly covered when the bird is sitting. The bill and strong legs are bright yellow, and there are yellow wattles on the nape and under the eye.
Myna birds are known for their skills in mimicry. In captivity, they are among the most renowned mimics, perhaps on par only with the African Grey Parrot. They can learn to reproduce many everyday sounds, particularly the human voice, and even whistled tunes, with astonishing accuracy and clarity. ξssence
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Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family. Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal. Ginger cultivation began in South Asia and has since spread to East Africa and the Caribbean. It is sometimes called ginger root to distinguish it from other things that share the name ginger.
Ginger produces clusters of white and pink flower buds that bloom into yellow flowers. Because of its aesthetic appeal and the adaptation of the plant to warm climates, ginger is often used as landscaping around subtropical homes. It is a perennial reed-like plant with annual leafy stems, about a meter (3 to 4 feet) tall. Traditionally, the root is gathered when the stalk withers; it is immediately scalded, or washed and scraped, to kill it and prevent sprouting.
Ginger finds a wide array of uses in cuisine and medicine (most notably folk medicines). The traditional medical form of ginger historically was called Jamaica ginger; it was classified as a stimulant and carminative and used frequently for dyspepsia, gastroparesis, slow motility symptoms, constipation, and colic. It was also frequently employed to disguise the taste of medicines.
Tea brewed from ginger is a common folk remedy for colds. Ginger ale and ginger beer are also drunk as stomach settlers in countries where the beverages are made. Preliminary research indicates that nine compounds found in ginger may bind to human serotonin receptors, which may explain ginger's extensive effects on the GI tract and suggesting a mechanism for its effects on anxiety. Ginger has been found to be more effective than placebo in multiple studies for treating nausea caused by seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy, though ginger was not found superior to placebo for pre-emptively treating post-operative nausea.
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Friendly Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:09 pm
Aaaand open for crits! Have at it, guys! heart
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Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:43 pm
STAFF CRITIQUEREADY OR NOT, HERE IT IS! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX❧ MAGICXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXThere was an early worry that your magics were overlapping with our current tracker, but they both work in theirXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXown unique ways so they’re completely fine. Rangi’s abilities are perfectly fine as they are and I like how theyXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXmay eventually come to play well together as he grows. No changes are needed, just letting you know ahead ofXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXtime that there is another tracker.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX❧ APPEARANCEXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXAppearance and semi-custom details are perfectly fine and within reason, no changes needed here.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX❧ PERSONALITYXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXWe can’t find anything wrong or anything we think needs expanding here. So really it’s only if youXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXfeel like editing on your own to play with the character. As it is we think it’s good and ready.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX❧ HISTORYXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXThis is the only section we really have anything of meaning to add. We’d like to know why she choseXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXginger, or at least why she went with the Alchemist faction. We’d also like to know at when in herXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXinternship she was deemed ready to get Rangi, or if you plan on having her a newly assessed pair shouldXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXyou win the semi-custom slot.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXThis is the only point we’d like expanded on, so we’re going to go ahead and move this into the acceptedXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXcategory for judging, which will start once we get a proper date. I would suggest still addressing the aboveXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXnotes though to put your quest just that much over the edge. Note that even if you don’t win the semi-customXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXevent being accepted means you may still apply directly for a custom slot without waiting on a secondary critique.
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Signo Amisso Vice Captain
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