Shelter Applicationusername: mallowpop
name of leopard: Manta
leopard gender: unknown. uses it/its
personality: wooooo boy, you're in for a long one. buckle up! ,OuO,
(i didn't count the bullet points as words, but word counters do !! please keep that in mind!)
Manta, put simply, is a crybaby. Maybe that's going too far, though? It's very emotional, to say the least. It gets overstimulated very easily, using its long, malleable petal tail as its go-to comfort blanket. It's reassuring to Manta that it never has to fear losing its tail, because it holds similar anxieties over many other objects that are close to its heart. It's very easy for Manta to get attached to the little objects that make up its everyday life, especially the ones which remind it of the "good times", including (but not limited to):
❧ Its collar's bell, which it found on the sidewalk one day walking home from school, whose gleam caught its eye and caused its ongoing love of all things shimmery.
❧ A small, licorice pink sample spoon from its local ice cream shop that closed down 4 months ago.
❧ The straw from a pink lemonade it shared with its childhood best friend, who has since moved away.
And, most importantly;
❧ A short piece of pale turquoise yarn, fraying at both ends with a simple knot in the center. It doesn't remember where the yarn came from, but it reminds it that even the most broken of things can still stay together. It keeps this strand tucked in its collar at all times.
Manta's anxieties expand to other things besides objects, too. It loves going to the beach, in which the harsh sunlight over the shining, reflective ocean surface provides its petal with the nutrients it needs to stay blooming. Manta doesn't just go to the beach for sunlight though; no, that would be silly! It loves to wade in shallow water, fearing what may lurk in deeper waters. It fears having its petal snipped by crabs while it cleans the beach of litter. It fears seagulls, and the wind, and... oh, right, the beach showers. Manta hates being soaked, leaving it with a looming sense of vulnerability.
Manta loves warmth. It's the only thing that comforts it. Whether it's the warmth of their family, sentimental belongings, the sun, their petal... it proves things will be okay.
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