Quetzal Coltail

[The-Jaded-Bug]

[colour=#000000][colour=#000000]Roleplay Type: [/colour][/colour][colour=#000000][colour=#000000]World of Equestria RP[/colour][/colour]

Name: Quetzal Coltail

Sex: Male

Age: Young stallion

Species: Pegasus

Eye colour: Jasper [colour=#CD3333](#CD3333)[/colour]

Coat colour: Dartmouth green[colour=#00703C] (#00703C)[/colour]

Mane/Tail/Markings colour & Style: Blue near the roots, with blond layering the rest ([colour=#4169E1]#4169E1[/colour], [colour=#FBEC5D]Maize: #FBEC5D[/colour]). His mane is styled in a floppy mohawk with dreadlocks parted in random, windswept segments. He has a medium-length tail that matches his partially matted mane. The locks in question are strung with beads of various colours and shapes, and possibly even a feather or two.

Physique: Average height, and has a lean/athletic build. He’s a pegasus built for flight as well as a pony with nimble hooves.

Cutie Mark: A fluffy feather that is half red and half blue, with a single golden bead threaded at the end of its quill.

Origin/Residence: Gallopocus Islands

Occupation: A jeweler as well as a part-time bird caretaker. A seemingly odd set of jobs, but being particularly innovative, Quetzal prides himself in the fact that both occupations seem to benefit from each other; He makes enough bits from his merchant sales to tend to his feathery friends in need, and he incorporates the feathers they have into the pieces he makes (often when they molt, or when he gets proper permission from them, of course!).

Motivation: His compassion and special connection with birds, as well as conforming to the family business – making/selling traditional and authentic jewelry, a long-standing practice and craft perfected by his native born family within a certain archipelago.

Likes: Birds, potential materials for his wares (especially exotic feathers), feel-good music, having a good time when he’s not working, and being within proximity of a pretty mare and the occasional handsome stallion…oh, he has a thing for griffons and hippogriffs as well.

Dislikes: Wing injuries, the dull and straight-laced, broken glass beads, and bad singing. Said dislikes grow significantly stronger if they somehow involve annoying/rude tourists.

Character Summary:

Being born as a pegasus in a family otherwise made up of earth ponies, Quetzal had gotten his name due to three factors: His hair and coat colour matched the tropical bird he was named after, ‘coltail’ came from her mother Coral Coltail, and Resplendence, his father, had always had a liking for the archaic languages that had been used by ancient civilizations that had inhabited the Gallopocus – ‘quetzal’ meant ‘feathered’, and it fit right in with his wing-bearing status amongst his flightless parents.

But how his name became something of an embodiment of his special talent? It’s strangely commonplace when it come to most ponies, but a Cutie Mark story you shall receive.

Quetzal had a relatively happy foalhood. Though he was sometimes teased since he took interest in making jewelry – or ‘filly things’ as the colts at school would say – his intuitive charm and carefree attitude was enough for him to become a popular face among others his age. He was able to learn, for the most part, about not letting others’ opinions of him diminish his self-esteem, particularly through his mother: “What others think of you isn’t always a reflection of who you are” was what she’d say. The green pegasus took those words to heart, and they remain with him even to this day.

While he didn’t exactly care about finding his special talent at an early age, the green Pegasus had the feeling, prior to earning his Cutie Mark, that something was missing. He enjoyed following in his family’s footsteps – even though they would have been fine either way if he didn’t – but even then, he wasn’t too sure if being just a jeweler was the one thing he wanted to do in life. It was only during the beginning of his colt years when he began to connect the dots.

One rainy day, within the normally sunny island chain, Quetzal was following his father as they were leaving Corralwood Corral earlier than usual, having closed the stand where he would assist Resplendence in selling their trinkets and jewelry to natives and tourists alike. On the colt’s way home, he noticed a small hummingbird, a striking little flyer with iridescent teal feathers. It wasn’t airborne however, as he almost stepped on it before hearing it call out with a fast yet piecing chirp! Startled by the sound, Quetzal stepped back before looking down at it; the bird tried to fly, but its wings were flapping slower than usual for a bird auch as itself. In fact, one of the wings weren’t even moving in rapid sync with the other. The pegasus, oddly enough, could almost sense that the bird’s calls were that of pain. While he didn’t know why at the time, having not given thought about the feathery creatures before, he instinctively knew that something definitely wasn’t right with the little bird. With a pang of empathy, Quetzal tried to calm it down with gentle reassurances, and gathered a leaf from a nearby palm tree in order to shield the poor bird from the rain. Within less than a minute or two, the hummingbird started to relax before finally managing to settle down.

When the colt’s father took note of this, the two of them agreed to take the hummingbird home and nurse it back to health. Such a task quickly proved to be a challenge, however, as it became apparent that providing it with food – nectar and small insects – was easier said than done. Between the bird’s failed attempts at flying again while trying to remove the bandage and wing-sized splinter for its fracture, it would refuse to eat, and even Quetzal, while he had an easier time dealing with the creature than his parents, wasn’t prepared with dealing with its stubborn attitude. As much as the colt wanted to care for the bird, he and his parents both knew that they couldn’t provide for it for long.

It was decided that the hummingbird would stay at a bird sanctuary. It seemed only fair, and the place wasn’t too far aof distance from their home. Wanting to watch over the bird still, the green Pegasus would use some of his free time everyday to visit the establishment. As time passed by, however, the injured flyer wasn’t the only reason Quetzal made his visits. He started to notice how the other birds would, almost literally, flock to him, and how he could handle them just as well as those who had worked there for years on end...well, almost! The employees and volunteers there helped and watched over the young colt from time to time, and he eventually became a skilled regular at the sanctuary as well. One the day when the hummingbird was deemed to be completely healed, the most peculiar thing had happened: When Quetzal arrived, a few of the sanctuary's inhabitants – and the healed bird in question – presented him with good hoof-full of beautiful, gleaming, tropical feathers!

When it suddenly dawned to him that he could use them as jewelry-related adornments, it didn’t take long for a certain symbol to show up on his flanks. While it took him a bit to realize what it meant, it became clear as time went by - the blue and red on each side of the feather represented a duality, the red being his family profession, and the blue, since a particular type of animal was usually linked with the sky, his newfound affinity for the birds. The golden bead threaded at the end of the quill was what held them together because, if you had ever heard of the term ‘heart of gold’, then you would know that his heart was in both of these interests.

As for now, he still works at the sanctuary from time-to-time, and may be seen on the lookout for birds in need of care, bringing them there if his own provisions at home are not enough for their needs. During his time off, while he still keeps a watchful eye for the for birds in need, he'll usually be out and about, not afraid to mingle with anypony or one he meets along the way - and with that in mind, his carefree, playful demeanor can be pretty off putting for some, and both his confidence and flirtatious streak can give the impression that he’s nothing but a cocky, voluptuous tease. Still though, a more stubborn pony will be slow to realize there’s something deeper than what is seen at first glance, and that his dedication and care for his life’s pursuits can also extend towards those who give him the benefit of the doubt. Like looking after an injured bird, it may take a bit to get to know him in full, just as it takes time to mend a broken wing.

((Note: 'Tis nothing of importance, but my headcanon imagines him as sounding like Bruno Campos, otherwise known as the voice of Prince Naveen from The Princess and the Frog. Fillies and gentlecolts, you now have the right to swoon.))

[SonicRainboomGirl]

Wow. Excellent application.

[SunsetSombra]

I really like this application - there's a lot to digest, but for the most part there really isn't anything I can say I have an issue with at this stage of assessment.

Stamping for GREAT FEATHERY JUSTICE!

[Dio]