[Areion] Snapshot [Ready]

[Ciraxis]

Name: Snapshot. For friends she is 'Snappy' or 'Shotty'

 

Sex: Mare

 

Age: Young Adult

 

Species: Areion

 

Eye Colour: Copper

 

Coat: Ecru

 

Mane/Tail: Peridot with a single magenta streak running over left side, near the ear. Most of the time her long mane looks like it was windswept. When she however happens to be present on some official occasion, like making academic speech for example, she slicks her mane back (with a help of large amounts of hair gel). Her tail is much less wild but still retains the same magenta streak.

 

Physique: Petite, skinny and small which makes her look very cute. Snapshot don't have much muscle aside from her gargantuan wings (much to her frustration). She however prides herself for her very shapely legs.

 

Residence: Born in Las Pegasus. Currently lives in rented apartment in Manehattan.

 

Occupation: Wildlife Photographer as well as Doctor of Ethology.

 

Cutie Mark:  Camera with a snake eye instead of lens.

 

Unique Traits: The first thing that ponies tend to notice when meeting Snapshot is her enormous pair of wings, especially compared to her otherwise compact frame. Even when folded Snapshot's wing fingers are longer then her body. Most ponies could think that possessing such appendages is crippling, but his is not the case. Despite belonging more to some prehistoric beast then a areion the pair is perfectly functional. They are also exceptionally strong and Snapshot can easily throw away a fully grown stallion with one flap of them. Her wing thumbs are also enlarged, forming an wicked looking, curvy claws. The claws themselves aren't particular useful. However just like wings themselves they are very eye catching. As such Snappy find herself manicuring or wearing various trinkets on them.  Her heart is also larger and more powerful then that of other ponies, with output three times of the other fliers. Both wings and blood-pump are actually atavistic traits that tend to pop out in Snapshot family every few generations.

Obviously so, possessing such wings comes with quite number of cons as well. Being careful when walking through door or accidentally breaking vases are the obvious ones. By a necessity of all her clothes needs to be custom made and the same holds true for her bed. Other problem is how ravenous appetite can become when she uses her wings often in short amount of time. As a child Snapshot herself ate as much as her three siblings combined and it didn't affected her figure at all. On the plus side it makes her eat whatever she wants without worrying about her figure, on the other Snappy never has enough proteins to build up 'filly six pack' like she always wanted. Active flying also tires her out really quickly, so Snapshot learned to soar using up-drafts - a trick picked up from vultures. She still has trouble when trying to fly over large bodies of water however, and even trying to emulate albatrosses didn't helped much.

And least but not least constant questions or reactions of astonishment like - 'Are those real?' , 'Whoa!' or 'It's a dragon!' when flying over something. Snappy brings other attention wherever she goes which can be very tiring sometimes.

 

History pt.1: Born in quite....unusual family at March 31 Snapshot always had lots of love from very start. Technically Snapshot and her siblings are illegitimate children but their parents (and children themselves) couldn't care less. The trio of ponies that brought that four bundles of joy into the world split from their colony a long while before return of Princess Luna, choosing to have exciting happy and event full life instead of playing hermit like most of their spaces did. They got exactly what they wished for, and if there is one thing that Snapshot can't call her childhood is boring.

The family influenced the Snapshot a lot.  For example her first mom, being a fashion designer shown her to look elegant and chic, as well as giving her a dry sense of humor. Her other mom meanwhile, encouraged her to pursue career in the field of science, as well as teaching her patience. It was however her uncle and grandfather who made  young 'Shotty' what she wanted to do in her life.

 

Cutie Mark Story: For Snapshot understating of her talent - just like her family - grew steadily.

Her parents may split from areions colony but they weren't the first in the family to do so. The true precursor was Snapshot grandfather who was director of Las Pegasus Zoo. While he may been a big weirdo by areion standards, his heart was bigger still. Living within the same city, kids had a lot of contact with him, and elderly pony instilled the love for animals in his grandchildren. The four spent a lot of time hanging around the zoo, spending much time with it's inhabitants. For Snapshot, who stood out even more then other areions it was especially soothing. The filly found herself driven towards animals that were unusual like her, albinos and snakes with partial limbs being an example. These interactions helped Snappy develop into lively mare she is today instead of bitter recluse, as well as being first lessons about their behaviour. She knew she wanted to pursue line of work that has something common with animals, but wasn't sure what could it be.

The help came from other family member. Snapshot uncle - a family and portraiture photographer decided to join them in Las Pegasus. Snapshot quickly took liking to her uncle and the feeling was mutual. Young filly was especially fascinated by the tools of his craft. Unexpectedly she displayed a great talent for it. Focus, aperture adjusting, lightening - it was like a second nature to her. Snapshot was fascinated how photographs captured world how it truly was - with both virtues and flaws intact unlike paintings, where the artist often idealized the objects of their work. Not surprisingly during the Next Heartwarming Snapshot received the first camera she could call her own. But while her uncle shown her all "knows" and "how's", no matter how much she tried she couldn't find within herself enthusiasm for photographic ponies. Not because she was antisocial or they were unlikeable. Snappy just didn't founded this interesting. The fateful day was approaching fast however.

Snapshot and her older brother found themselves on the school field trip to Whitetail Woods. The filly of course took her precious camera along, with intent of taking pictures from the trip. When the kids were walking through very tangled rested on top of the long hill. Suddenly one of the Snapshot large wings got entangled in branches. While freeing herself, filly's camera slipped from her grasp. Shotty gasped in horror and - ignoring her brother, classmates and teacher - dived through the bushes to retrieve the the very important apparatus. Little areion slid down the hill, but soon found herself in the hillside glade. In the middle of it was growing a lone tree, and her treasured camera was resting against it's trunk.

Bouncing - happy that her possession didn't got far Snapshot moved to pick up her camera. But just as she extended her hoof toward her Snapshot froze in terror.

Before her was not one, not two but three rattlesnakes! Knowing very well how lethal they could be, Snappy didn't dared to make a move or sound. But as seconds passed the filly realized that the snakes weren't focused on her. While they did seem to notice their presence, the struggle between the two was apparently much more interesting and attention demanding.

Indeed two of the long reptiles wrestled with each other while the third rested aside, completely absorbed by their struggle.

Young areion observed the scene before her slack-jawed, she was captivated by what she saw.

Yes, she was still scared, but also incredibly excited. Without thinking Snapshot reached for her camera and started to make pictures, one after another. With her cheek flushed by overwhelming emotion she lost track of time.

Only when numerous voices called her name she flinched. They were looking for her! Filly took one parting picture of the reptile trio before running. To meet her class. She didn't spoke about what she witnessed, instead lying that her camera slid all the way down the foot of the hill. Only her brother got the privilege of hearing what really happened.

At the evening kids took their seats in return ride to Las Pegasus. Only then when Snapshot hindquarters were unobscured by her large wings her brother noticed something. On her flank was....Yes, a brand new Cutie Mark!

Snapshot home return was meet with large celebration.

 

History pt.2:

For Snapshot it was now clear what she wanted to do in life. She will photograph animals, all those incredible and exotic animals she meet in zoo, as well as those she was yet to see. And not in cages or behind fence but in their natural habitat, where she could be witness to more amazing scenes like one that earned her cutie mark. But Snapshot realized that knowing how to take pictures was not enough, no matter how talented you were at it. She needed to learn about the objects of her interests and there was only one degree course that met her criteria.

So filly studied hard. And then studied harder, supported and encouraged by her family and armed with plain stubbornness. Filly become the young lady and entered the Canterlot University. This was the place where Snapshot encountered her biggest obstacle. The appeal and fun that came with student life proved to be very tantalizing and Snappy resolve waned a little. Party life was simply too much of a temptation. The voice of reason came back when areion realized that if she keep this up, she can very well and up as a single mother.

Which was exactly what happened to one of her room-mates.

 

From then on there were no further issues in her education. Thanks to herculean amount's of work, Snapshot managed to actually skip few years and successfully earn a doctorate.

Now with both the degree and still brightly burning enthusiasm Shotty moved out to Manehattan - the most logical choice for pony with job that will involve lot's of travelling.

Snapshot quickly earned reputation of a reliable photographer. One that gone extra mile during a job and is able to endure any inconvenience. As such her photographs often ends up in renowned nature magazines, something that she prides herself with. So far her greatest success is being the first pony who captured gold-necked swan on film, a bird known for his distrust of equines and attacking them on sight. Snappy stalked one pair with hatchlings for two whole months - sometimes resorting to either disguising or simply hilarious means - before they started to tolerate her presence.

Nowadays Snappy travels around the world when not in Big Orange, as well as working over her first ethology book. After all she's not only photographer now but also a doctor doing research in her field of study!

Sometimes commissioned, sometimes on the whim Snapshot will hunt any animal with the trusty camera of hers. Her life is not all sunshine and rainbows but it's pretty bright, and she wouldn't trade it for any other!

 

Family:

Snapshot and her siblings are luckier then most ponies, as they have not two but three parents! Her father and moms met when young and have been with each other since then. Each one loves and trust the other two equally and as such relationship holds strong to this day despite many voices of doubt over the years.

 

Snapshot first mother, called Mom by her children for differentiation, is a fashion designer specializing in suits and tuxedos. Always elegant and chic she has nothing but contempt for frilly dresses...or well, any dresses for the matter, a trait that she passed to her eldest daughter. Mom is on the never ending crusade of popularizing neckties, suits, tuxedos and other usually stallion's clothing

among the mares of Equestria. She is quite successful in this endeavour, thanks to her quick wit, dry sense of humour and flair for business and ability of making others see her point of view.

 

Other of siblings mothers, nicknamed Mum is an accomplished astrophysicist and astronomer. Patient, kind and quite mare, but not shy as some could have thought. It was her and her big brain that orchestrated the relationship the trio is today - attainment met like any other with a serene smile. Mum is big believer of the power of science and is rooting for everyone who is searching for the knowledge.

Despite being kind she can also be very vindictive. Unlike her wife she won't chew you out. Instead she will engineer a punishment that will leave you beet reed from embarrassment and with you being non the wiser that it was her.

 

Shotty father is a former stuntpony, a stallion seemingly without fear. Very loud but also goofy he has a looks of an action hero, with one-liners included! Unfortunately he couldn't act or lie to save his life. After an accident during a stunt that almost killed him, Dad decided to retire and focus on housekeeping and rising children while his wives would continue pursuing their careers. It turned out that he does incredibly well, a thing surprising for so macho-looking stallion. A strong candidate for 'Equestria Best Dad', he always makes sure to keep promises made to his children and be honest with them, a trait that - along with his dorkiness made his kids absolutely adore him.

 

Character Summary:

An unusual mare from an unusual family, Snapshot grown up into a very quirky pony. Snapshot is very hard working areion, but luckily she posses almost inexcusable enthusiasm for her job. Snappy can hunt for animal she want's to photograph for weeks, and is patient enough to lay still for hours waiting for a perfect shot. This diligence however does not extend beyond her work. For starters Snapshot is a total slob, her apartment littered with titanic amounts of sweet and snacks wrappers, bottles and other trash not to mention dirty dishes. The only places that can be considered clean is her 'work corner' and wardrobe. Snappy doesn't see a problem with that, at least until sunlight start's having problems getting through, which is one of the rare moments when she does any cleaning. This is not surprising considered that this is a mare who allows millipedes and other crud crawl on her, as long as she's making a shots of exotic bird for example. That line of work made her a quick learner - for example she became a quick expert in camouflage, an  invaluable skill in her line of work.

 

Although she has little regard for house cleanliness, the same does not apply for her clothing. While Snapshot couldn't care less when she's in the 'zone', where only witnesses are monkeys and lizards, when in the civilization she makes darn sure to look good and presentable. Casual or formal, it doesn't matter.  This is something that Snappy learned from her Mom as well as 'inheriting' her parent dislike for dresses. However Snapshot contempt runs much deeper, especially since her wings got caught in folds of the one worn by one of her classmates, and during school play no less! Since that embarrassment ecru filly declared herself sworn enemy of all frills and sequins!

Still while she may hate gowns and other girly garments, Shotty takes great pleasure looking chic in her suits. So much that she has seven different ones for various occasions!

 

When not on the job, Snapshot is a very cheerful mare, always willing to have fun, as long as it not makes anypony upset. Shotty has unusual knack of guessing what sort of activity would other ponies take to relax. This insight makes it easy for her to make new acquaintances, and is very helpful when it comes to buying birthday or Heartwarming presents.

 

Snapshot is not a mare that gets riled easily, yet another sign of her near angelic patience. Most don't manage to make her more then annoyed and get some sharp ridicule for their troubled. In fact the areion mare responds in snark to any kind of stupidity (or perceived stupidity) she witnesses. This sharp wit of her made all potential employers think two times when speaking in her presence.

There are however two things that make Snapshot boil in seconds. One is wasting food. When you have to compete for meals with four siblings AND have to eat more then any of them then you will learn to respect any source of calories. For all the trash that lays in her apartment there is not a single crumble in it.

The second is interrupting her work when she's in the zone. This is a very justified however, since often her efforts to take perfect picture take days if not weeks when dealing with some skittish species of animal. Thus any pony or no-pony that makes her efforts wasted should better be prepared to get an earful of a lifetime.

 

Shotty is also anything but subdued when it comes to expressing her joy. When seeing or receiving something exciting or being very happy, she ends up bouncing in joy as well as giving cacophonous (and high pitched as befitting a bat pony) squeaks of cheerfulness. She also talks much faster, often running out of breath when in that mood.

 

When it comes to her wings, Snapshot surprisingly wasn't picked on because of them in school. More often then not she was met with voices of admiration and envy. Still some negative comments reached her, as such Snapshot developed superiority-inferiority complex regarding them. On one hoof she proud to have such magnificent pair that she loves to use, and is always ready to boast over them, spreading her appendages to show her awe inspiring wingspan as well as their great strength. On the other hoof she feels that they may play a part in her unlucky dating history and that ponies perceive her more as the bearer of them then an actual mare.

This isn't the only body issue that areion mare has. As an avid comic book and Neighpones manga reader Snappy always wanted to have defined stomach muscles (or 'girl abs' as she calls it), just like her favorite heroines - quite usual goal for a proud and self proclaimed geek. However no matter how much she works out, no matter how many times she hits the gym or what diet she's using, her labors end in failure because of her wing's massive energy requirements getting in the way. Still Snapshot is too stubborn to give up, but her unsuccessful efforts give her no small amount of frustration.

 

As a pony who was raised by triangle relationship she has clear - if unusual - idea what she wants when it comes to making her own family. Snapshot dated few colts and fillies who didn't minded her wings, but weren't comfortable with idea of three-way relationship, which always ended in disappointment.

Usually patient mare, Snapshot isn't willing to compromise when it comes to her vision of 'Happy Ever After' and as such, she put her attempts of searching for her special someponies on hold, deciding to focus on her career instead for a time being.

 

Likes:

- Photographing

- Fried locust

- Looking chic

- Comic books

- Spending time with her family and friends

- Karaoke

 

Dislikes:

- Dresses

- Poachers

- Interruptions when photographing

- Deadlines

- Traveling by ship

-Wasting food

[Arcus]

Isn't it spelled "Aerion"? I might be wrong, though, in which case, please ignore!

[Ciraxis]

Aaaand done. Quite a fast work when it comes to me. As always thoughts and comments are appreciated, not only from the site staff. Feel free to point out any  errors in the text you find.

 

Isn't it spelled "Aerion"? I might be wrong, though, in which case, please ignore!

 

It was taken straight from On-site species description, so I say that no, it's not spelled 'Aerion'.

[Arcus]

It was takes straight from On-site species description, so I say that no, it's not spelled 'Aerion'.

Ooh, I see.

Yep, definitely ignore that, then!

[RainbowFoxxy]

Ok, so back to this app  I think we left off with making the adjustments to the wing size? Is that right?

[Ciraxis]

I came to belie that the issue was not the size but that extra 'functionality' so to speak? I mean we have Snowflake in the show, and although he's more comic relief then anything else ,no one is crying 'uncle' over his wing size. If that's additional abilities that are the issue then I am willing to let any mention of them go, but I will stay adamant about the wing-size itself. In retrospect I should give Snapshot extra toes (or scars remaining after removing them) because, again, atavism. And yes this is a real life phenomenon.

I agree however that I should make more mentions about animal's reactions around Snappy herself. Additional bits and clarifications will be added soon.

[RainbowFoxxy]

Yes, it was functionality.  

Just let me know here when you've updated and added what you want to.

[Ciraxis]

Aaaand done. Let me know if this is still insufficient.

[RainbowFoxxy]

Ok, I'll pass this up for you.

[Bellosh]