username; bakuraas.
pony name; metamo
nickname; meta, mo
gender; male (he/they)
magick type; natural earth magic
familiar; boar
design without armor/clothing;[here]
prompt;
It was never a case of desire for Metamo, it was never an option to not be entirely passionate about the royalty and give unending importance to Magister Lunare. At a very young age, his parents raised him into the idea that his goal in life should be something to do with the royals, and though being a part of the royal guard would not have been Metamo's first idea, it definitely had not slipped his parents' minds. Thankfully enough, Metamo had no interest in any other magic besides his earth magic, and always desired for his magic to become stronger in order to protect those around him. On a rare few occasions, his father would even see the young foal covered in mud and dirt after attempting to 'become more connected' with the earth around him. Thankfully this habit passed after his years as a foal, but at the very least it made him quite comfortable with the concept of getting his hooves dirty.
His overall training was a mix of the usual and the abnormal. To say the least, Metamo was quite a bit worried that the injuries he sustained from some of his more unique training would last long enough to make it a struggle to try out for the royal guard, but fortunately enough, the wounds and injuries have since healed and scarred over since his strange training techniques were acted out. He would always keep up with a routine of healthy habits and exercises to keep his strength and coordination up to par with his peers, but in the past he had gone through what he likes to call 'the untrained trials'. These supposed trials had not been approved by the guard academy in any capacity and was not monitored by them, but Metamo considered it extracurricular activities along with his guard academy schooling.
While his family had trained him as best they could in earth magic when Metamo was out of classes, Metamo still had a very particular worry scratching at his brain. If he did join the royal guard, and one of his fellow guards suddenly went rouge for one way or another, could he take them and be able to stand his ground? After some thought, he believed that a focus on his element of choice would make this even more of an issue if it were to occur, which was the inspiration for the untrained trials. In order to be able to be prepared for such a terrifying situation, he had to make sure he could handle the elements the royal guards could wield. He had to brace the harshness of rough winds, the sting of uncontrolled fire, and the nauseating strength of rushing water to make sure he could be strong enough to protect Paledon in such a moment. Though describing it in that way makes it sound a lot easier than it was. While he went through the trials as best he could manage, even assuring his friends and fellow guard academy peers who helped him that he was fine, he ended up injured in some capacity after each one of them.
A burn on his shoulder from a blast of fire that, if he had been caught unaware, could have done a lot more damage. Small wounds on his legs from standing firm against stray sharp rocks and debris from a rushing river going much too fast. A broken wing from a crash after braving an air-magic driven wind current for as long as he could manage, never truly going back to normal while still allowing him to recover enough to fly. In the end, though doubt lingered in Metamo's mind, he still found himself proud of what he had gone through. Even though the possibility was most likely slim that anyone with the passion to become part of the guard would turn against them, Metamo felt safe in the fact that he felt he would be able to survive combat with the other elements that weren't his specialty. He struggled quite a bit in his training in the academy after the trials, though he would always power through them, not allowing him to make it an excuse in any capacity, even if it caused many a time where he just barely kept from fainting or collapsing during training. In a way, that only made Metamo feel more proud of himself for not letting any injuries become an excuse for him not to work his hardest.
Oh, but when the Royal Decree came around, Metamo's actions to attempt for perfection became more specific along with his regular routines becoming more intense, if only for the time. He used to have a longer mane, but he cut and shaved it down in some places in response to the call. After all, a long mane might struggle a bit to fit into a helmet, and if an attack were to occur, a longer mane could burn for longer, or be used to the detriment of the wearer. A necklace was fashioned, or at least partially. The gemstone was always there, a charm meant to remind him of his elemental focus when he was younger, though as he got older he felt convinced that it helped his earth magic work even more effectively. The only part that was truly fashioned was the fabric to keep it stable. Dangling jewelry could be used against you in battle, so he kept the small bit of jewelry close to his neck. A fine placement for something, as in a way it covered a weak point. Even his glasses, fashioned just a bit too tight, just a bit uncomfortably as to keep them steady when in flight or in a fight. To be completely fair, he didn't even need the glasses most of the time, but Metamo did in fact like being able to read things close to him on occasion, like the royal decree. He enjoyed reading the royal decree very much, even if he did need his glasses for it.
And his armor, of course, was mostly made for functional purposes only, just for that additional form of protection and training. After all, if you can't train in a full suit of armor, you can't fight in one either. Though he hoped to use it even if he wasn't chosen as part of the royal guard. Certainly he could still be part of a guard force that wasn't so important, protecting the Paledon citizens in some capacity. The large green fabrics were originally not his idea, thinking them to be counterproductive to his defenses. However, he was eventually convinced by his mother, who had created the fabrics for him, to be able to attach them to the armor. She claimed that he could remove it at any time, and that a bit of fabric would do good for more formal appearances as opposed to consistently being battle-ready. And his bracelet? Well, that was a gift, a very important one at that. A way to keep his closest friend with him at all times, even when she isn't there in front of him. A reminder that he is someone's way to earth, and that he has people that he needs to be strong for.
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Personality
Due to both the way he was raised and how he is by nature, Metamo is extremely loyal, to his friends, to his family, to the royals, and to Paledon as a whole. Once someone has made a friend out of Metamo, he'll always hear them out and do anything in the world to make them happy. In the same vein, Metamo thinks more about others than himself, being altruistic to the point where it can be a bit dangerous to himself. Thankfully, as he's grown, he's attempted to find a good inbetween of making sure others are okay and making sure he's well enough to be able to protect others in the future. Metamo is also quite the creative type, mostly found in his extremely out-there solutions to some problems in his life, and though sometimes the solutions aren't always easier than the normal method of going about things, they sure allow Metamo to have a different perspective compared to some others.
Metamo is a bit anxious about what could happen, and to combat this he enjoys being overprepared, the most famous example of this trait being the trials he went through simply because of a situation that has such a low chance of occurring it's almost funny. Even beyond this, he's the type of pack an extra tent, extra firewood, and extra everything else on a camping trip just in case. The batpony also really likes to work with others over everything else, being extremely noncompetitive. He doesn't like working against others in any capacity, though he has been getting better at allowing himself small bits of competition in the form of board games and friendly competitions that assist with his training. And yet, despite how good of a pony he is and how hard he works, he's quite self-conscious, consistently wanting to be the best he can be and worrying that somehow he's failing that. He's able to deal with this by more training and assurance from his friends and peers, but it definitely comes around every so often.
Metamo's family has always believed that Metamo should focus on his magic and training above all else, wanting him to become something great. Because of this, Metamo is a bit repressed when it comes to some of his other interests. It used to come from his parents, but Metamo has now learned to repress his own interests for fear of them becoming more comforting to him than his work and passions that have been part of his life for as long as he can remember. The only exception for this is his comfort in the animal care he does for his familiar, who he adores with all his heart no matter what. Due to his extreme loyalty, but in the right group of people can make Metamo become a bit more vulnerable than desired. If he isn't entirely confident in his own judgement, even the slightest bit of negative attention from those he's loyal to can make him shut down entirely; and while it's good that it's never come up much before, it also hasn't allowed for him to figure out how to cope with this in a solid manner.
Home Life + Personal Views
Metamo's home life can't be separated far from his views on life, he was born into a family that immediately made sure that he knew what right or wrong was; at least what his parents believed what right and wrong. Thankfully, his parents were rather sensible people with only a little bit of their views being skewed. Overall it made for a rather normal foal, running around in the mud and getting dirty, while also keeping away from the dangers of the world. His parents had no doubts about the royalty, so neither does Metamo, of course- it's quite obvious that he finds no faults with the royalty or the royal guard, seeing as he's had the dream to become part of the royal guard running around his head for many years.
He has a healthy fear of the Werwild and Haven like any good Paledon citizen should, but also doesn't fault any folks who live near the werwild for being a bit adventurous. It concerns him, certainly, and he would actively tell anyone he comes across not to go anywhere near the werwild, but he can't blame those raised near it to be curious. He'll admit, if his parents hadn't watched him so closely as a child, he would have gone into the woods more than he ever should to try and get close to the earth... However, He's a loyalist through and through, and he truly hasn't met a single pony that's been able to change that about him...but that doesn't mean he's immune to faults on occasion.
Magic and Familiar
Metamo is a natural earth magic user and has been trained to hone his skills for his entire life. The thought of learning another form of magic wasn't a concept that Metamo knew about due to his parents training him only in his earth magic before he went to proper schooling. Of course, the reason for this was very clear; royal guards could only use one of four magics, and it just so happened that with Metamo being naturally talented in one, that it'd be the track he was set on for as long as he lived. Metamo never minded this fact, actually finding great enjoyment in his attempts to become closer with the earth, and in turn, closer with his magic.
In fact, Metamo met his first best friend while trying to become closer with nature. When he was young he'd always love to play in mud and attempt to be closer with the earth, and it just so happens that on one of these occasions, he happened to find a mud puddle where a young boar was bathing themself. In a way, it was almost like their fated meeting, Metamo quickly joining the boar in the mud and playing with them. After the day was done, the boar followed Metamo home. His parents didn't find anything wrong with allowing Metamo to have a pet, so they let the boar stay as well. To find out that the boar, who was eventually named Earthquake, was Metamo's familiar was another story entirely. Metamo's parents didn't think it to be true at first, but when an animal's eyes start to glow and their hooves become able to disrupt the ground around them, it's hard to deny the magical connection.
Lore Threads
Lore Threads are things on his design that could be expanded at a later point to connect to his personal lore.
- Body Stones; It's said to be the result of extreme earth magic, and they're completely attached to his body. However it's unknown what specific incident caused them to appear.
[ image sources; littlecrookedheart on tumblr, national gallery of art, wallpaperaccess]
![[here]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/338949222676037632/911689173990273024/image_5.png){kind=link}