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nature ⫽ contemplative |
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573.5 GP |
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nature ⫽ contemplative |
|
573.5 GP |
549 tends to be bubbly and happy-go-lucky in nature, finding enjoyment and contentment in even the smallest things. Her mind is bright and imaginative, often lost in thought around memories and ideas, and loves to take her time working through a problem or decision because, well, she has all the time in the world. She has a few ticks that can cause harsh and panicked reactions, but for the most part remains positive and level-headed.
Her favourite hobbies are swimming in the ocean, daydreaming in the dunes, and taking naps while burrowed in the sand. She also loves to run up and down the shoreline and goes on walks every morning and night, protecting her boundary and admiring the landscape. Due to the amount of man-made rubbish that washes onto the beach she often turns her walks into cleanup efforts, collecting litter and stuffing it into fishers' cars before they leave. She also has a penchant for shells, stones, and anything shiny, and collects them to put on display at her point of transformation.
Character Notes
549's dunes overlook a beach littered with driftwood and shells, frequented only by seagulls or the odd fisherman and their dog. The hills themselves are held together by carpets of beach grasses and stretch up through light bush to the foot of a sprawling pine forest. A river cuts through to the coast at the edge of her boundary, creating a small gorge.
Shifting sands and tides bring a lot of variance to the coastal landscape. As days go by, shells and pebbles will appear along the shoreline, along with the remnants of human activity. In the dunes, however, the landscape never changes.
While 549 considers the entire beach her "territory", she is most strongly connected to a small clearing in the dunes, flanked on all sides by native grasses and toetoe plants, where she was transformed. This is where she keeps her treasure hoard and it's her favourite spot to nap and reflect. It also provides a good view of the rolling tides, if she positions herself correctly. She is very protective of this space and will not allow almost anyone to enter.
Austroderia is a plant genus made up of five separate species that are native to New Zealand. They are more commonly referred to by their Māori name toetoe. These grasses grow in many different areas including swamplands, cliffsides, and coastal environments. Each plant can grow up to 3 metres in height and are characterised by their cream-coloured, drooping flower heads, protruding on long stalks.
They are not to be confused with their South American relatives known as Pampas Grass, an introduced species that is regarded as a weed.
Historically, Māori communities have used these plants in the construction of houses, containers, and cooking equipment, as well as for medicinal uses.
The leaves of toetoe are serrated, leading to the plant earning the name 'cutty grass'.
549's toetoe have the capacity to encourage sleepiness in those who bear witness to them — this is a power she refers to as Sleepy Flowers. The flowers glow from their stalks to their petals in a seafoam hue and she swings them back in forth like a pendulum, enthralling the target and making them drowsy.
In the wider biome, this ability can be used to calm anxious animals and esk or otherwise help them to relax, but at her boundary it is strong enough to make a creature fall asleep unwillingly. She primarily uses this power to protect her hoard of treasures from nosey tresspassers, such as opportunistic birds lured in by the shinies, but she is not opposed to using it for deescalation.
In her past life, 549 was a young girl named Faith who lived near the beach with her parents and three older brothers. She was bubbly and enthusiastic, her energy outpaced only by her imagination. She loved to spend time at the beach: swimming in the ocean, making sand castles, playing up the river while her dad caught whitebait, or just sitting in the dunes, letting her thoughts run free.
One night her parents had a heated argument; they often quarreled about things, but this occasion was especially violent. Faith grew upset with their words and ran to the beach so she couldn't hear them anymore. While she was in the dunes, she began to worry about what was happening at home, convinced that this was the worst thing ever. Through her blurry vision, she made out a curious animal approaching her from the shoreline. This creature was Somber, who transformed the upset child into an esk.
Like most esk, 549 doesn't remember all these things about her past life. What little she knows comes back in fragmented memories laced with extreme emotion, often triggered by repeating those actions, and always coming as an unwelcome surprise. She's never been interested in knowing who she was, as she understands the concept that she needed to have been sad to become an esk. However, she does borrow the same connection to the beach from her old self, most strongly in seeing the beach dunes as a place to think and reflect.
549 considers Archieps to be her best friend. The two are no strangers to adventure, and they developed their bond over multiple chance encounters across the world. She was the first esk who 549 invited to view the treasure hoard, and they frequently hang out on the beach and play together.
Coming soon.
