Contest Eighteen -- Design a Salamandyr

[glamourie]

Contest Eighteen
Design a Salamandyr

So we had a ton of interest in the Design a Clutch contest. I've been writing up babies for the salamandyr clutch and it dawned on me: Maybe we should let you guys design some salamandyrs! That thought in mind, this contest was born.

Your objective, should you choose to tackle this task, is to design a salamandyr. A single salamandyr. It can be any color of the existing ones, though I recommend against gold and white. You must pick a hex code for it to talk. Read the salamandyr guide for more information on what they look like.

Everyone who enters will have their salamandyr featured in an upcoming Dael and Showoff clutch (but not the one in October as it's mostly done). There will be credits to the creators. Winners will also receive --

First Place: A firelizard egg and 10 marks
Second Place: 10 marks
Third Place: 5 marks

Judging will be done by Sym and Avu who won't be entering, and Neeuqtar and Weaving are also asked not to enter (due to having queen salamandyrs).

You must enter by September 15th. That's just over two weeks to create your babies. Post 'em here. Make sure to include their color, appearance, personality and hex code. You MAY use old salamandyr hatchings for reference. You MAY NOT copy anything already made (sneaky fools). Oh, and factoid: Length DOES NOT impress me... so don't bother trying to out novel each other. I don't care how long your descriptions are, and I doubt Avu does either. So if you're hoping to win, drowning us in text isn't the answer. Just as a warning.

<3

[Sheari]

Name:
Colour: Blue (#00FFB9)
Age: Hatchling
Looks To:

Physical Appearance: Blue? Or maybe green? At first glance this 'mandyr might be quickly mistaken for a green as his colouring leans more toward a sea foam green than anything else. However, after much speculation, it has been decided that this "teal" Salamandyr is in fact, a very feminine blue. He has a short body with a comparatively average length tail that looks longer than it really is. His legs are of a slightly shorter length, complementing is short body. He has a nice head with a very, very large frill. When this lizard isn't frilling, you can barely tell because it is so large. Large wings for a Salamandyr adorn his back but do not allow for him flight. He can glide pretty far but that's as useful as his wings are. If he doesn't make sure he checks himself, he will wind up tripping over them.

Personality: Possibly the most humorous trait of this Salamandyr is that he is convinced he is a green. Even to the point of flirting occasionally with other blues. He is so convinced that he will insist to anyone who says otherwise that he is the most pretty green ever. He is also not afraid to frill and hiss at anything he defines as offensive to him. From people, to moody golds (of any type), to even rocks that are in his path of travel. Oh yes, they are in his way and the must[/u] move out of it! Very prideful, this blue is easily offended. But all hope is not lost on this gender-confused creature, as he does have moments of realizing he is, in fact, male. These moments only come when there is a Run or Flight however; probably much to the dismay of whomever he looks to.

[Kisha-Ra]

Name: ?
Colour: blue (1BF7D0)

Appearance: The most noticeable thing about thing about this salamandyr is, without a doubt, his colour. The majority of his body is an offensively bright shade of blue/green that might confuse people if he wasn’t clearly marked with navy speckles dusting his rump and trailing lightly down his tail and up his spine. The same navy shade circles his eyes, giving his expression a sinister cast, as if to emphasise this menacing look his face is a few shades paler than the rest of his body, and not nearly so eye wateringly bright. In fact it almost looks as if his head were intended for another salamandyr entirely.

In form this salamandyr is deceptive, his body is a thin, fragile looking thing, a length of skin and bone between a tail that’s long even for a mandyr and a delicately formed head. He might look like a poor little starveling but don’t be fooled, stretched out he’s easily the length of a small brown salamandyr in the body, and his legs, though spindly, are long. Between his long legs and long tail this blue is quick, he can climb and run so fast that he looks like a streak of colour. However he will never be a master of the air, even among salamandyrs, his wings can barely be said to exist, they’re little more than stubs and will only hold him on a short glide taken from a height, an activity he will avoid at all costs, this is one mandyr who strongly feels he belongs on the ground.

Like his wings this blue’s frill can hardly be said to exist, not only is it small, it’s also rarely displayed, with his face this salamandyr can make a statement without his frill.

Personality: Loud, egotistical, possessive. Any or all of these words would describe this salamandyr perfectly. He will claim anything or anyone as his, even if they already have one or more bondeds to claim them, and not just humans, he’ll lump dragons, whers, firelizards, and even runnerbeasts, felines, canines and avians into the category of his possessions, and naturally everything that belongs to those who belong to him is his as well. Expect to find him wandering around with any number of things that don’t belong to him, openly and confident in the knowledge that they are, in fact, his.

He chirps, he chatters, he sings like a firelizard and whines like a canine, but many people will think they’ve stumbled across a mentally mute salamandyr, so little does he use his voice. Never be fooled though, he learns new words with a remarkable ease, and is simply waiting for the right time to say them. He’ll be silently clinging to his bonded’s shoulder, all but forgotten and then, at the most mortifying moment possible he’ll start bouncing up and down, bawling obscenities at the top of his ‘voice’. He seems to be attracted to private meetings and many of his bonded’s trysts will be interrupted by a bright blur dashing around and a cry of SEX! Sexrapemurder! or similar. And while his bonded is flailing with mortification, this blue will happily preening, looking proud of his achievements.

Strange enough this is one male salamandyr who bears a dislike for females. He glares at greens with rage burning in his eyes, and obeys gold salamandyrs, and only gold salamandyrs, grudgingly. He won’t chase females unless their Run or Flight goes right past his nose..

[rii]

Color: Brown #B47619
Gender: Male
Age: Hatchling
Physical Appearance: Easily the size of a small bronze, this brown has elongated features; his length most prominent when he stands proudly in meerkat style. His wings are nearly none existent, but there is no need to glide when this brown has long, power legs of a swift runner. His limbs end in slender, dexterous digits with short, sturdy claws that are excellent for climbing and digging--the latter used to unearth his favorite delicacy of tunnel snake eggs. His tail is an oddity, growing so long that it would appear that it ran out of room inside of the shell and was forced to bend in an acute kink near the end. The brown doesn't seem to realize the deformity. To him it is nothing less than perfect. Ever since hatching the brown has known how to use it, as if he really had been meant to be born with the kink. He constantly hooks it into shirts, hairs, around ears, over ledges and around items. It is more than just a tail, it is another limb to him.

His coloring is earthy; a background of sepia brown with soft caramel and copper stripes running along his sides and circling once around his snout and three spirals down the length of his long tail. Upon closer inspection a person would see these stripes are actually a thick dusting of tiny freckles. His average sized frill also shows these lighter, creamer tones, and although not large in size, the stark contrast of light against the rest of his dark hide earns a second look.

Personality: This brown thinks himself a bronze and no one can convince him otherwise. The 'brown' just simply has that level of unshakable confidence in himself. With this boldness this bronze-brown thinks he is capable of anything he puts his mind to, and of course his way is best. Paired with the holier-than-thou perspective, the brown believes he deserves only the finer things in life, which makes him a very, very picky salamandyr. Caring for this one can be quite the chore, as the brown will out right refuse to eat if the food does not meet his high standards (and often enough he wants to go find tunnel snake eggs). He needs to be oiled just right to make his hide gleam perfectly, and he will even fuss over his bonded's appearance.

Gold fever, might be a proper way to describe his love affairs, as this brown chases anything gold--be it mandyr, flit or even dragon. He will even go for greens that think themselves gold. People that he deems gold-worthy also earn his affection. This brown snubs anything less, opting to ignore those who are not even worthy of insults. To his 'golds' however, he is nothing but sweet and flattering. He enjoys giving them gifts (shinies, even his precious tunnel snake eggs) but any gold that refuses his attention are considered not real golds and are shunned. Picking a mate may never likely occur, as this brown is a bit of a Casanova. He can't settle for just one, but he still loves all his golds and never neglects a single one.

[Ember]

Color: Green (00AA55)

Physical Appearance: This green is probably the least attractive salamandyr around as far as her build goes. She has a thinner shape than most of her species and may at first glance appear to be a bit sickly. Unfortunately for the little dear she seems very disproportionate with a shorter than usual tail and larger wings. Her wings are indeed larger than normal in the sense that they're even wider rather than having gotten longer. Her frill is one of the only normal things about this 'mandyr and will more often than not be displayed for all to see. One of the more noticeable traits is that this green is tiny. She is barely bigger in size than a white but is very fast in comparison to other 'mandyrs.

The only redeeming feature of this girl's appearance is her colouration. She is a particularily fetching shade of green and solid in shade throughout her entire body. A nearly black green creates little rings around her extremities. Her frill is also decorated by the same dark green. If it weren't for the fact that the colour does not come off one might think someone drew on this 'mandyr. Two big circles lay parallel to each other while a line curves downward, both points starting below the circles. Happy face anyone? This trait makes her frilling in anger a rather amusing sight.

Personality: This 'mandyr positively demands attention. No really, she does. Her opinion about people is determined based on how, and if, they acknowledge her. Pretty compliments and praise sit well with this oddly vain green. In her opinion, she is the most gorgeous 'mandyr though she seems to understand she looks different. This is because she believes she's the true ideal of 'manydrs and all others are ugly mimics. Never mind that she was born later than others...Due to this trait she will be drawn to people and creatures that look different than the norm. The uglier something seems to the majority the more beautiful she will see it.

This extends to her vocabulary. The most horrible insults will come out of her sounding like compliments. Calling her beautiful, pretty, gorgeous, smart, ect. is like calling her the opposite of these words. Beware people who insult her, she will believe you are her best friend. As a vain being she will always try to show off and catch attention. Her oddly eye-catching frill is most often seen being displayed for the sheer enjoyment of it. She will have a tendency to broadcast very loud and often from a higher vantage point so she may see the reactions. No one escapes her scrutiny and no one gets by her without receiving judgement.

[Lotty]

Color: Green (004F00)
Appearance:
She appears swollen, bloated, sagging in the stomach even at hatching. She is a monster of a green and is as big as any of her blue siblings. Walking is more a scurry or a crawl; hung low to the ground and strained. Curiously enough, it seems to be only the trunk that is meaty, the tail still remains true to form in it's long whip-like manner. Her wings are rather useless even for gliding, but it is rare to see them kept tucked neatly to her sides, drooping down they sometimes hang, as if forgotten limbs. Her frill, though large and triumphant hardly makes an appearance, except in half-hearted bursts of antagonism.

This salamandyr more than makes up for her pot-bellied appearance with something of an amorphous quality to her green hide. Hardly any discernable pattern can be found in the overlapping shades of dark olive, lime rind, and the odd illuminations of a thick chartreuse. There are only semblances of design; a glassy illusion in the chroma shifts. Boggy black-green limbs and generally dark body, but there are traces of those lighter tones on the thin stretched membranes of the wings and frills; dark ichor filled veins stick out like the lead tubing of stained glass mosaics. Yes, it seems this specimen is missing those odd splotches of color down her back...save a few. Most of the deep reddish brown speckles are nothing more than that, a tiny dot of splatter, but one is a larger blotch sitting happily at the base of her neck; a rough edged circle looking something like a wax stamp of approval.

Personality:
Moody, moody, moody. A word usually taken with a grain of salt in reference to mandyr kind - what salamandry isn't moody? - but this little specimen is woefully ready to live up to the expectation and then some. Languidly she trips through emotions like a stumbling drunk, morose as the mourning after a wake one moment, but easily prodded into a bumbling, rowdy, anger the next. Hardly eloquent and hardly even feminine for that matter, the broken verbiage of the green is hectic and unpredictable in it's tones, rushed in a frantic pace only to be slurred and slowed when faced with one of those ever tricky three syllable words.

It is a good thing those wings are flightless, because staying up on four feet is hard enough. The little critter could be called clumsy, with it's total lack of motor skills and it's penchant for just kind of...keeling over. Her bonded would be well advised to keep her secured in a pocket or pouch, because clinging to a shirt - a normally simple task for a salamandyr - is not going to work out for her. But she will find the coordination to Run, even if awkwardly, and as often as any green can, because does she ever love the boys... Shamelessly she flirts, even if they do not reciprocate the same feelings. To her lovely male suitors she will chat and chat and chat in her eccentric, uneven, way...and usually about topics that would better off be unsaid, namely your every secret.