CW | Character expansion | Amber

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ORIGINS & FAMILY:

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Name: Amberley

Nickname: Amber

Reason for Name: Well, it's a pretty simple reason actually. Her mother likened her coat color to Amber, hence her name. Amber stil swears her coat is nothing like it though. The  -ley in the end is 'cause both of her parents thought a lenghty name was more impressive.

Birthday: Summer, 372

Age: 29

Gender: Mare

Place of Birth: Amber was born near the city of Old. Her mother wanted her foal to be born close to the revered praying pool.

Places Lived Since: About everywhere right now. She started in Old, came to the Island of the Bachelors and as Loner she also lingered around the Island of the south. And now finally she has followed Ba'yagu to the crescent. There's nowhere she calls home anymore however.

About the Parents:

Mother | Roselia

A follower of the Old, Amber's mother was a textbook example of a follower. She prayed religiously and taught her children all about the unicorns. She also looks up to royalty like some people now do with celebrities.

Father | Eliam

Eliam was the knight that fell for the pretty follower mare Adrianna and thus is the father of Amber and her siblings. Loyal, noble and loving, he carried out his duties well both his role as knight as his role as knight. Pretty fairytale like if you asked his daughters when younger.

Number of Siblings: 2 younger sibling, Lilliana and Nathaniel, the latter of which she is unaware he exists.

Relationship with Family:

Amber used to love her family dearly, never having a day go by that she didn't see them. Her mother and father treated her as a little princess and while she had to adapt a little to her younger sister, she soon grew fond of her also, seeing how the younger horse looked up to her. As she grew older however the relationship began to wear under Amber's bad moods. She became jealous of her sister who had what she couldn't get and pushed away her mother who she thought couldn't understand her. Her father could somewhat make her walk in line, but even he could not prevent her from leaving in the end. Ever since she left she hasn't seen any of them. Also her would be future family, her own foal, she left behind. The concept family is something painful for Amber. She regrets leaving them behind, her mother and sister that is. Her newfound experiences in the Bachelor herd have made her doubtful off her own father. She has never ventured back as Loner however fearing punishment  for her 'crimes' as well as the cold shoulder from her family for her unjust behavior towards them. When in season she keeps two flowers in her hair, either a Lilly and a rose or two flowers resembling those. Remembrances of those she left behind. She's unaware she has a brother as he was conceived in the aftermath of her leave.

Happiest Memory:

If you asked before she left, Amber would have told you being selected for Mage training. Now however the memory she cherishes most is that of her and her little sister playing a silly game of 'unicorn' both with ridiculous branches sticking on their heads, their so-called horns. Her parents keeping a watchful eye from a short distance. It's a memory of innocent and sweet times for her when life was uncomplicated

Childhood Trauma/Worst memory:

Well, not exactly a child anymore, but she considers herself to have been childish and naive at that point in life now. Out of all things, it's her foal and events surrounding it that have scarred her the most. It definitely scattered whatever was left of her fairytale view on the world. And she resents herself for having chosen to leave it behind to die.

Does He/She Want Children of His/Her Own?:

No. She used to. Dreamed of it. She was going to marry this handsome brave stallion who she deeply loved and deeply loved her and from their love would come forth a child. That's what she used to fantasize. But her views have changed. She distrusts stallion and has tossed aside the idea of romantic love. After the one foal, there's definitively no children o her mind.

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PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

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Height: 15 Hh (~152 cm)

Breed:  Mustang x Andalusian x Arabian

Disabilities: None

Markings: Not much. She's dun so she has the typical dorsal stripe and her coat is lightened on her body, making her legs and head seem darker. The coloration around her eyes and the tip of her snout is most intense.

Base Colour: Her coat is an intense red dun. The coloration tends to shift a bit with the seasons.

Distinguishing Facial Features: I think her most distinguishing facial feature is her eyes. They're a pale blue and will often look haunted. If you look into them you can see her past she carries with her and in them you can find truth. I think the mirror to the soul thing really applies to her.

Mane and Tail Color: Also red in color. There's not all that much variation in shades, seeming pretty uniform in color. It is not exactly curly, but it does have some wave to it.

Usual Hair Style: Mostly casual, but neatly cared for as she spents quite some time on it. It has a bit of wave to it, though not much as she leans more towards her father's straight hair than her mother's curls. It's just enough to give it a bit of swing though. When in season she likes sticking flowers into it.

Eye Colour: Pale blue

Health: Amber's a sturdy horse thanks to her genes no doubt. She's always carrying onwards and though she can look delicate she has proven to be able to take a punch. So physically? Great! Mentally? Not so great. She has a troubled mind and she can appear tired, actually wearing herself down emotionally at times.

Accessories: Flowers is the only thing she really wears when available. It's not that'd she'd be against jewelery or anything, but she hasn't really have anything of the sort.

Unique mannerisms/physical habits:  She typically forces herself to act in a way around other horses to get the desired effect, even if it's faked. It's a front, a mask she puts up, also out of self-defense. Her eyes could give her away though, if one were to look close enough. She has become a master in schooling her expression, manipulating her voice and behavior, but her true self is lying just beneath the surface of those eyes which she cannot fully control.

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  INTELLECT:

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Level of Self Esteem: Living with the idea of having unicorn blood running strong through her veins, Amber is rather confident in herself. She's also acutely aware that she is pleasant to look at and will exploit that if necessary. Where she is very confident in her looks and skills -sometimes even a bit too much- she isn't always all that sure about her choices, though she likes to tell herself otherwise. She has made mistakes, multiple and she's very aware of that also.

Talents: I guess if she's one thing she's driven and she has an open mind. It's probably due her controlling nature, but she doesn't give up. She keeps fighting, struggling on even if all what she'd like to do is sleep her sorrows away. She's also open to seeing other's looks on things, even if she does not agree. If she takes the time to listen that is.


Shortcomings: When opinionated about something, Amber tends to not nuance. Bad experience with stallions? Clearly all stallions must have a one way mind. Spites with ranks? All ranks are made to oppress individuals by higher ups! She generalizes too much. She's got also a bit of an ego which she can't stand being picked on, not even in a friendly matter. She thinks nobody is above her and can go unthinkingly about making sure this is true. She is very controlling and want things to go as she wants. Last major thing is that she drags the past around, letting it restrict her future. She keeps onto things that might better be let go.

Gift and Unique Ability: None yet.

Style of Speech: Amber's voice is clear and her style of speech dry and to the point sometimes of sounding bored. She doesn't like speaking too much and sometimes her voice will be ruff/raspy from disuse - mostly if she hasn't seen any horses in a while, she isn't one to talk out loud to herself -. She has different tones of voices depending on the situation. If she doesn't care for you she'll be very short in her answers. If she doesn't mind you talking, her voice will be neutral. If she wants something from you, her tone will become sweeter. If she is angry, her tone becomes snide, suppressed with anger, but she'll barely raise it. If she likes and cares for you, her voice will become soft at occasion. She has a nice and clear laugh, like water, but you'll almost never hear her laugh for real.

Religious Stance: Amber is very spiritual in the sense she holds much reverence for unworldly things and higher powers. She's a vast follower of the unicorns, seeing them as the bringers of order in the world. Prayer is her go to thing when she's fearful, confused or feels lost. She also is intrigued by magic and things to do with it. She has great respect for those who seem to be extra special or in close contact with these powers like the oracle of Olde for instance or the witch Ba'Yagu.

Cautious or Daring: She is cautious in nature, wary of strangers and not one to jump into situations without considering her options, but her ego sometimes makes her throw that caution in the wind :')

Most Sensitive About/Vulnerable To: Her past. Don't pry in it, unless you are prepared for some major anger on her part. She doesn't want to talk about it and doesn't want to share so: Back off!

Optimist or Pessimist?:  Pessimist when it comes to life. Optimist when it comes to gouging her own skills. Say she wants something and she has to charm a stallion for it, of course she's gonna nail it. Waiting on someone who's late? They probably ditched her, horses are such asses.

Extrovert or Introvert?: Amber floats somewhere in the middle. She isn't  turned into herself all the time and depending on the situation, social interaction will not always want to make her crawl into a hole either. Yet she enjoys her occasional alone time and can be more of observer than a talker when she doesn't feel prompted to mix herself into a conversation. Social interaction is mostly draining when she needs to play a part.

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RELATIONSHIPS:

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Current marital/relationship status: Single.

Sexual orientation: At the moment she has no interest in males whatsoever, but she used to be attracted to them. Females, well, the idea has never crossed her mind.

Past relationships: She has had a relationship before, but it didn't work out between her and the stallion.

Social or Not: Something in between, she needs her downtime, but she also enjoys company from time to time.

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SECRETS:

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Phobias: She has some serious issues with the idea of not being in control. It puts her at a total loss and in a panicked state of mind hence why she avoids this at all costs. She can do dumb stuff to get her feeling of control back when it's slipping or if she lost it. Her fear for the future is tied to this as well as her fear of loss of freedom.

Life Goals: To be honest. She has non. The future is frightening and unpredictable so she lives in the now.

Dreams: Her old dreams are lost and she does not look towards the future. She wishes for things, but these come from current desires, not dreams. What she longs for however, though she will not admit to it, is something or someone which will bring stability to her live. This is a reason why she likes watching the stars. The sky is her constant in life.

Greatest Fears: Amber has a couple of fears. First of all she is afraid of dying prematurely. It is not a major fear, but it's there nonetheless. She isn't so much afraid of death itself rather than dying before her time has come, before she has found and fulfilled her purpose. Amber is superstitious in that way. Her largest fear is a real phobia mentioned earlier, the fear of loosing control. She has been tossed around from one situation to another and have her life decided for her by other horses before and now she doesn't want to loose that control she finally gained. She will go great lengths to keep it or obtain it back when she feels like she lost it. Along with this comes a fear for the future. To her it is something vast and unknown, something she can't control and can't foresee. She has no plans for it and thus has a great dislike of speaking or thinking of it, preferring to live in the now. The idea of future will put her at unease. Then of course she fears not being free. Being captured and oppressed is not only displeasing, but it also means loosing control which is no option for her.

Most Embarrassing Thing EVER: She's not only angry, but also embarrassed about having been 'let go' from Mage training. It's humiliating and a pure insult to her very being to her.

Compulsions: She's compulsive about keeping in charge of a situation. Someone else leading for her, letting go would be a though break from this behavior.

Obsessions: Aside from being a control freak? None.

Secret Hobbies: She has no secret hobbies really. What's the point? She doesn't share that much anyway.

Secret Skills: She's actually pretty nifty at doing other horses' hair, since she used to braid her sister's hair and put flower and stuff in it.

Crimes Committed: A bunch, depending on which herd's rules you look at. For Olde she crossed the land bridge, had a foal outside of marriage. For the bachelor herd she was defiant towards stallions and ran from the herd. She's a bad horse :')