Fuschia Foster (READY)

[TwoBits]

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria

Name: Fuchsia Foster

Sex: Mare

Age: Younger mare

Species: Earth pony

Eye colour: Green (#006600)

Coat: Very pale pink, almost white (#ffffcc)

Mane/Tail: Vibrant magenta (#ff0066) streaked with purple (#660066) and sparing orange highlights (#ff6600). Very smooth and well groomed, the mane usually is combed over the right side of her face, and curls slightly at the end, around the start of her shoulders. The tail is likewise straight and tidy, falling just short of ground length.

Physique: Tall, and very leggy; still considerably slender, but in recent years has built up a bit more idle weight, adding an extra bit of curvy softness. Fur ends above light gray hooves in feathery, fine fetlocks.

Residence: Manehattan

Occupation: Schoolteacher; occasional casual dabbler in the literary, artistic, or musical arts.

Cutie Mark: A book resting open, with two fuchsia flowers on a sprig arching out of the spine. The book is representative of her aim to instill knowledge and curiosity in her students, whereas the bold Fuchsias stand for her desire to do so in a way that also encourages said students to explore and embrace their unique individual traits and strengths--to "blossom", as it were.

History: Surprisingly, this savvy and insightful teacher was far from academically successful in her filly years. She generally tried to do well, but oftentimes her own teacher's rigid textbook methods and rote memorization regimes failed to fully engage her attention, and on more than one occasion her schoolwork efforts went slack in preference for pursuing more expressive idle pastimes, or even just plain old playing or exploring around her birth town, Baltimare. Between a couple close friends, the constant influx of ships and goods into Baltimare's port, humorous tourist shenanigans to spy on, the readily available samplings of zebra culture in the residential districts, and the simple adventures of living alongside the delta of a seaside river, Fuchsia was hardly ever at a loss for fun ways to pass the time. If she was, then she would try her hoof at doing something of her own, such as scribbling out short stories or poems, or singing along with her favorite songs. Sure, school did confound and frustrate her plenty of times, but overall she was a happy and relaxed little filly, and was fully convinced that nothing could make her happier in life than to be with her friends and dabble in creative efforts, all at her own tranquil pace.

For a while, anyways.

It goes without saying that her sloppy results in class eventually caught up to her, and Fuchsia's parents cracked down hard on her roaming privileges in an attempt to eliminate distractions and direct her focus onto schoolwork. Coupled with the fact that all her fun, dabbling and relaxation had somehow not helped Fuchsia earn her cutie mark (leaving her one of the few remaining blank flanks in the class), the filly went through two miserable, boring months of feeling caged and carrying a weakened self esteem as a result. Fundamentally speaking, she understood why her parents were disappointed, and that getting a good education was supposed to be important...but, how could she possibly just change her entire nature to slave away singlemindedly at a system that barely seemed to acknowledge her own presence beyond her grades or the number of correct answers she gave on a test? Could school really be ALL that was important in her life? Was she just destined to be an eternal layabout, never passing through what most considered a fundamental process nor discovering what her life's purpose was to be?

At some point during this period Fuchsia's parents relented and allowed Fuchsia to have one of her friends--a pegasus filly named Wind Wisher--over for a study day. Most of the time Wind Wisher was ahead of Fuchsia in terms of academic performance, normally bringing home some of the highest grades in the class. On this day, however, it didn't take long for Fuchsia to notice her foal pal seemed down trod and was more listless than usual with homework. With some gentle prodding she was soon able to uncover the root of the problem; Wind Wisher was an avid (if not very spectacular) drawer and painter when she wasn't busy with class assignments, and unfortunately for her it seemed their teacher must have seen this as a sign that she was putting less than optimal efforts towards school because she ended up receiving an earful of a lecture after class about considering her future and putting aside "frivolous" pursuits like her drawings in favor of focusing entirely on excelling academically. After all, the teacher had reasoned, she had already been doing marvelously well on her assignments, therefore would it not be more practical to apply herself to a more advanced scholarly field when she had grown?

Fuchsia, normally a mild and thoughtful pony, had actually begun shaking and become short of breath as the teary-eyed Wind Wisher whispered her tale. How DARE stiff old Mr. Sterntrots try to decide for a young pony what was "good" for her, when all he seemed to care for was grades and who misbehaved under his watch! The nerve of it all, to tell somepony that something she loved so much wasn't worth her time, simply because her skills for it were still so rough and rudimentary! So what if drawing obviously wasn't Wind Wisher's destined talent--at least it was an enjoyable way for her to express herself, and how in Celestia's name was that supposed to be a bad thing! And Fuchsia Foster told her bewildered friend as much, with both forehooves slammed emphatically onto their little table and fierce sincerity ringing out strong and true in her voice. Surely, she assured her friend, that was no way for a teacher of all ponies to try and shape his students! Spurred by indignation and a sudden strong burst of zealous pride for her dear friend, Fuchsia swore that the two could prove him wrong, without Wind Wisher needing to give up her favorite hobby--she would even give up her free time to study with her if it meant Wind Wisher could keep getting high grades and still have time to practice drawing. Let that teach the snooty, drone-voiced Sterntrots a thing or two about what young foals were really capable of!

Her vehement outburst concluded, Fuchsia sank back down to sit shakily again, a little out of breath and surprised with herself for such a display of temperament. Such surprise was immediately driven out of her head as Wind Wisher lunged around the table to throw a hug around her friend, near sobbing as she thanked Fuchsia profusely for having such faith in her and giving her back her confidence and faith in her future. It didn't take long for Fuchsia to fall back into her usual role as the calm shoulder, helping to dry Wisher's tears and reassuring her more sedately that things would turn out alright. In all the emotion of the moment, neither of the fillies noticed until later that Fuchsia's cutie mark had appeared on her flank.

True to her word, Fuchsia became a solid support for her pegasus pal, developing her own creative ways to more easily retain the information in their lessons and even bringing home better grades herself for all the study time. Her makeshift methods must have worked wonders, because eventually more and more foals from the class seeped into their study group for help and encouragement, or sometimes even just to seek some words of advice on matters outside of school. While it was true that she had slightly less time now for playing or experimenting in the arts, Fuchsia had to admit she rather loved being a source of motivation and counselling to her peers; she realized pretty quickly the wonders that any one pony could accomplish, with just somepony behind them who could both relate to their perspective and accommodate differing needs and strengths. She decided she wanted her life's work to center on fostering intellectual curiosity and a desire to succeed in ponies, while also encouraging them to love and accept themselves for their unique traits and natures; so it came to be that Fuchsia Foster grew up to become a schoolteacher, and worked a few years in Baltimare before relocating to the more busy city of Manehattan, entrusting her first hometown school to a fellow mare who she knew would continue her teaching methods in her place. She now earns her keep through a smart little schoolhouse in the residential district of Manehattan, usually taking on classes of smaller sizes so that she can more easily work with each student as an individual.

Character Summary: Fuchsia Foster is by default a rather calm and pleasant pony, one who some might even call "motherly" or "soothing". As a friend, she is steadfast and tranquil, always ready to lend a shoulder, insight, or even just good-natured company; as a teacher, she is loving and gentle, relying mainly on praise and provoking earnest thought as lesson enforcements rather than scolding or the threat of disappointment (though she can certainly become stern if a foal or grown pony happens to keep pushing past an established boundary far too often.) Although she certainly tries to let her students know the importance of a good education, she herself knows that it should not be THE driving factor of a young pony's life, and thus she takes care to also emphasize that even if a foal is struggling with schoolwork it is not the end of the world for them. She knows firsthand the boredom of bare bones memorization and textbook reading assignments, and makes it a point to try and engage all the skills and strong points a foal claims in her assignments--after all, if a student is fully engaged in a lesson and enjoying himself, then he will likely not only retain the lesson but also be eager to come back and learn even more in the future. She makes sure to establish herself as not just a teacher, but also an experienced friend and voice of advice, and in that vein is known to go to such lengths as to schedule at-home parent teacher conferences, or walk foals home safe in the event that their parents are otherwise held up in work.

Outside of her teaching time, Fuchsia certainly loves to just kick back and relax. Sometimes this consists of doing little more than cozying up with a book and a sweet drink, or taking a peaceful nap--other times she can be found out on the town, for purposes ranging from mundane shopping errands or bookstore runs to visiting an art gallery or restaurant with a friend. While off-duty she often dons a light maize-colored beret and scarf. She continues to dabble occasionally in writing, art, and music of varying genre and technique, and has especially developed an inclination towards vocal harmonization, sometimes singing or humming in a mellow, lilting tone as she works.

[Armony]