McALISTER, CHLOE LYNNE

[CHLOE LYNNE McALISTER ♥]

&&. PLAYER INFORMATION:

Nickname:

: Lindz
Gender:: Female
Contact Information:: aim: ALineInASongxx
Years RPing:: 10ish
[/blockquote]&&. CHARACTER BASICS[/b]:

Character Name:

: CHLOE LYNNE McALISTER
Nickname:: none
Birthday ;; Age:: November 18 ;; 25
Gender:: Female
Sexuality:: Heterosexual
Ethnicity:: German x Irish
Persona:: Jenna Fischer
Animal Shift:: Mountain Lion
Residence:: Dorm
[/blockquote]&&. CHARACTER APPEARANCE[/b]:

Height:

: 5ft 4in
Weight:: 115lbs
Body Type:: Lean with some muscle
Skin Tone:: Light, almost pale
Hair Color:: Reddish-Brown
Eye Color:: Green
Other:: Animal scratch tattoo on back of right shoulder; Pierced ears
[/blockquote]&&. CHARACTER MENTALITY[/b]:

Personality:

:

Its strange, how much life can change in only a few years, due to a single experience. Chloe used to be an extremely shy and quiet girl, due to the years of being looked down upon due to her disability. But ever since Chloe acclimated to the Variel Academy, she has become an entirely different person. Her vibrant smile is her most well known smile, since it seems to never disappear from her brightened face. She always seems to be in a good mood, and that mood radiates, influencing all of those around her. Through experience, Chloe has learned to always be optimistic - if you go through years, even decades, of trials and tribulations, something good will always come out of it. It may not be exactly what you wanted, it may not be a dream come true, it may not even be good for you, but…something good will come out of it, everything happens for a reason. Because of her lighthearted attitude, she seems to attract people of both sexes to her for guidance. She is always open to help in any way possible, whether it is just sitting and listening or taking some sort of action to fix a problem. These traits are the main reason that she was asked to be an advisory for the Variel Academy. But, her life is not entirely dedicated to the needs of others, Chloe does allow plenty of time for herself. Now, whether this “time” involves only Chloe, or other people, that is another thing. She is always ready to have fun, always ready to experiment and try new things. When alone, she typically reads, or gets lost in thought, but she also loves playing games, both inside and outside, with groups of people.

Though it seems like everything about Chloe is happy and cheery, this is certainly not the case. Chloe is human (well, for the most part), and does have her flaws. She gets frustrated easily, especially when someone ignores her advice, when it would almost certainly help them in their situation. She also speaks her mind, and often can get carried away if someone is in the wrong. However, she has learned how to manage herself, making herself mentally stronger - she does not often let others see this side of her. She feels as though she needs to be a role model since she is the advisor, so she tries to always be someone to look up to and to always follow her own advice.

Likes:: Being outside; Interacting with others; Having fun; Sunsets; Cooking; Going to the carnival; People who are willing to admit they have a problem; Helping people with issues
Dislikes:: Hot, humid weather; Being sick; Being around rude people; People who think being a shifter is awful; Asian food; Cleaning; Fighting; People who abuse their shifting abilities
Strengths:: Good at talking with other; Always optimistic and in a good mood; Good in sports
Weaknesses:: Always speaks her mind; Still has a limp from her childhood; Tends to procrastinate
Fears:: Lightning and storms; Losing someone close to her; Having something else destroy her life
[/blockquote]&&. WELCOME TO THE VARIEL ACADEMY![/b]:
Introduction::

Chapter One ;;
From her first breath as she emerged from her mother's womb, Chloe had been different from everyone. She was a child who had been crippled from a debilitating disease that left her without the use of both legs. She could not crawl, she could not learn to walk - she could not develop like a normal child as she grew into her toddler years. It was quite awful, growing up as she had to, ever confined to the rigid seat of a wheel chair, needing help wherever she went. Luckily, she had her mother always by her side. She had quit her job to help Chloe, both physically and morally...she was always there. Her mother had pulled out all of her savings, and spent it on fixing up the house to best suit Chloe. Swings to help her move from her wheelchair to the shower, or even to bed; a lift to help her move upstairs to her bedroom; wider doorways so that, as she outgrew her current chair, she would be able to get around with ease. Thousands of dollars - all for Chloe, and her mother never thought twice about it.

Her father, on the other hand, was barely a part of her life. He had 'accidentally' gotten her mother pregnant, so they married for the sake of the child. But he was miserable in the marriage, and was not a fit father - especially for a crippled child. He worked long hours, somewhat to make up for the fact that Chloe's mother did not work...but even moreso, so that he could get away from the family. It was assumed that he had more women in his life, and Chloe's mother did not care - at least he provided income, that is all she needed...she could do the rest, she didn't need him to be there as a husband, and she never would.

Even so, it was awfully difficult, especially to keep a growing infant in a wheelchair. Chloe couldn't stand it - she wanted to be like her mother, she wanted to walk, to run, to stand. She wanted to be like the children outside - playing tag in the sunlight, dancing through the sprinklers in their bathing suits, running after their dogs in their front yards. At this time, the children in the neighborhood were all a few years older than Chloe - but her mind was always at work, wanting and wishing to be like them. And, being a child who was not able to completely understand, she did not always despise the chair. She just figured that, by the time she was as old as the children outside, that she would be able to walk, that she would be just like them...that her legs would just start working.

Chapter Two ;;
Sadly, as Chloe grew, her problems did not suddenly go away. Instead, they intensified, and with every passing year, she felt as though a new hurdle had been thrown in her path. Once she started school, she felt like a complete outcast. She was smart, and excelled from elementary school to college. She was in all of the advanced classes, with students at the same mentality level as her. Even though this classified her as a 'nerd', she was surrounded by others of the 'nerd' status, so it was not as if she were any different than them.

But, she was. Her chair was like a curse, one that could not be cured. She was constantly made fun of - always the head of insults and the butt of jokes. She was never asked to be in group projects, though she was practically the smartest in the class, and she made very few friends. She was never able to participate in gym class, she could never play any sports, she couldn't even do anything during recess. How she would love to just sit in a swing and rock back and forth - but no, no one would even help her out of her chair. The teachers were all too busy talking amongst themselves to even notice her, and the other children would just laugh at her helplessness. It was a hard life for a child, one that left deep scars within her. It all continued, throughout Elementary and Junior High, and still - she was always subject to the same things. You'd think after being in school with the same people for about nine years, they'd get used to you, they'd see past the disability and realize who you are on the inside - they'd absorb your personality and look past your physical appearance. But unfortunately, the students at Chloe's school never got the memo. She was still different, and therefore, would never be accepted.

Chapter Three ;;
School only gets more difficult as you go on, and for Chloe, this meant she had to work even harder than the rest in order to succeed. Over the years, she had become quite shy when meeting new people and when confronting others. She only talked when addressed, and did not ask many questions. Though, the latter part was not because of fear, but because she did not have questions to ask. Her mind was always running, working out logical reasonings behind school work and quickly reading the manuals on anything that needed fixing. She could do it all with little help - as long as it did not involve using her legs. Because of this, she would often stay after school and help out her teachers; during school hours, they were much more strict than teachers she had in the past, but after hours, they were kind to her, and did not treat her any differently than anyone else, except for the bit of pity mixed into the matter.

But Chloe was not in high school for long - she tested out of over half of her classes, and made the decision to go off to college early, in an attempt to get away from the immaturity of her current class mates and move into a world of adults, a new group - those who could accept her for who she really was.

Chapter Four ;;
So she had gotten through her first three years of college, and had gotten into Veterinary School before finishing her bachelors degree. It was quite an accomplishment, especially since she had found a job that did not require the use of legs. Also, she had developed quite a strong passion for animals over the years - when people had let her down time after time, animals had always been there, from the family dog to her grandmother's cat, she had often thrived on the unconditional love that they had given her.

After her first year of vet school, she was given a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go with a group of Ethologists (animal behaviorists) to Colorado for a month. Luckily, there would be no skiing on this trip, it was all for research. They were to track and study the behaviors of a pack of wolves who were being threatened by an unknown disease. The researchers had to observe what the signs of the disease were within the wolves - keeping steady tabs on each one so that they could determine the beginning and ending stages. From here, they were to determine the disease, and to try to obtain samples to take back to a lab. The college students were put into teams of two, and were given silent snow vehicles to navigate, which was also the reason Chloe was able to go on this trip.

So the groups had split, moving silently through different areas of the wolf pack's territory, trying to spot them without being spotted first. Chloe and her partner had moved north, through a thick grouping of pine trees. It was dusk, so for the time being, they were still able to see without the help of night vision goggles and cameras. The two girls had stopped within the trees, and waited. Within minutes, a few wolves emerged into a clearing ahead of them, adults and pups, running around and playing. It was exactly what Chloe and her partner had been waiting for, and they both took careful notes of each wolf and what it was doing. This was obviously not the whole pack, and it seemed as though none of this group was infected with the disease. Good for the wolves, but bad for trying to figure out any information on their sickness.

But suddenly, all of the wolves froze, and looked within the grove of trees that the two girls were in. What were they looking at? Chloe and her partner had made no noise, did they smell them? The two humans sat motionless, with brows raised in puzzled expressions. What on earth was going on? Even the pups had stopped what they were doing, and were hunkered down within the snow. Then in another flash, the wolves were gone - they disappeared quickly into the same place from which they had come. It was very odd behavior indeed, though not anything that would add up with the current notes on the disease...this was something different, as if they had been spooked.

It was at that moment that a blood-curdling scream was emitted, and it sounded as if it were right over their heads. Chills raced down Chloe's back as her green eyes frantically scanned the canopy above them. There was movement - lots of movement, and another scream was let out. But, it was not the girls that were screaming - but an actual being of the forest. A cougar, high above them - it had been watching them without them knowing, stalking them. If the wolves had not seen it, the two girls would already be long gone, but its cover had been blown, and now the girls had a chance.

Chloe's partner, the driver of their vehicle, started the engine in a hurry, and slammed on the gas. The wheels spun from under them, causing them to go nowhere for a split second. As they tried to get out of their hole in the snow, the cougar jumped down from the tree, and was slowly advancing on them with tense muscles. Finally, the mover had gotten free of the snow, and rushed forward with the two girls holding on tight - but it was not tight enough. The cart hit a large, fallen tree, causing Chloe to fly right off and land in the snow, knocking her out cold.

Chapter Five ;;
Chloe had blacked out - she had no idea how long it had been, but assumed only moments had passed by. Her partner was nowhere in sight, she had not stopped for Chloe, she had kept going in the vehicle, not even looking back. And now, Chloe was stuck in the wilderness, alone, and she could not even try to run away. And worst of all? The cougar was still there, circling her - she was the prey, the weakest of the group, the easy catch - this was the end.

She had closed her eyes, preparing, well...preparing to die, preparing to have every limb ripped from her body, to see the red soaking into the crystal white snow...she was preparing for the pain. Tears had begun to stream down her cheeks, why her? Why was she always the one to experience the downturns in life? Why did all of this always happen to her? She had kept up the "everything happens for a reason" act for years, but really...come on! This had been her break, her life was getting better, she was starting to love herself, to love who she was...but now, it was all going to end. Chloe didn't know what to do, what could she do? Her strong arms reached behind her, pulling her slowly back, farther away from the cougar, but with every pull, the cougar took a step towards her - it was hopeless, and now...her arms were giving out. She couldn't move anymore.

She strained, trying to use all of her strength to move. Though she knew that it was over, her instinct to survive had taken over, just as the instinct to hunt was driving the cougar. She couldn't stop herself, she couldn't just let go and let the cougar have her, she had to fight until the very end. The cougar let out a deep growl, followed by another one of its wretched screams, causing Chloe to jump. But then, her mind had to pause, and rewind what just happened. Her body had suddenly moved back with the startle from the scream, and her arms had not been the main source of her movement...it was her legs. For a moment, she forgot about the man eating beast infront of her, and glanced down at her legs, a confused look upon her face. Again, consciously this time, she contracted the muscles in her legs, gently lifting one off the ground, followed by the other. It was so strange, so surreal. Of course, they were extremely weak due to twenty three years of never using them, but...they were working.

With that, Chloe's mind suddenly snapped back to the reality of her situation, and she looked back up ahead of her. But, there was nothing there. All she saw were the snow covered trees, creating larger shadows as the dusk grew to night. There was no cougar in sight, there was no movement around except for the occasional gust of wind, but other than that, nothing. She was completely alone, but more alive than ever before.

Chapter Six ;;
It was a year later - it was never fully explained to Chloe how she wound up back within society, back within the comfort of a hospital room. It was also never explained how she had suddenly gained use of her legs, but no matter...she had something now that she had always wished for. But sadly, there was one thing that was explained to her once she recovered within the hospital - her mother had suddenly passed away during the time she spent on her trip...her mother...her best friend...her support...her whole life. She never even got to see her move her legs, she never got to see her walk. After all of those years - it was if she was sacrificed for the sake of Chloe, in order for her to walk, her mother had to give up her life, or so it seemed.

Chloe returned home, wanting to express the joy she had about her legs, but too depressed about her mother. She stayed with her father for the year, going every day to a new therapy center, working out her muscles as much as she could. She was going to learn to walk, she was going to learn how to do everything that a 'normal' person could do, she would do it for her mother, she would do it for herself. And though her father did not really love her as a father should, he was still there, paying for her ongoing medical care, rolling his eyes whenever she needed to be driven to therapy. It even seemed as if their relationship was on the verge of a breakthrough, as if...for the first time in her life, Chloe actually had a real father. Things were looking up, but again...they never seemed to stay that way for long.

Chapter Seven ;;
She thought it was over, she thought her life was finally as it should be. She could walk, though she still had quite a limp; she could run, though it was still short lived; she could finally live a life without a wheelchair, she could finally have the life she always wanted. For the first time, Chloe stepped lightly out into her backyard, feeling the softness of the green grass. She had lived here her whole life, but she had never experienced her home like this before. She was dressed in her bathing suite, and the hose was hooked up and ready to go, the old sprinkler sitting in the middle of the yard - the same one her mother had always used.

With a smile upon her face, and a laugh bursting forth from her glistening lips, she raced into the water, letting the cool liquid hit her face, and run all the way down her legs. It was the greatest feeling ever, even though it was so childish, but still...it was something Chloe had always wanted.

She finished her joyful 'romp' back to childhood, and shook the excess water off of her as she made her way to turn off the hose. As she reached out, something felt rather strange, as if she tripped, and her front half fell to the ground. She caught herself on her hands, and looked around, a bit stunned. It was a strange feeling, one she had never felt before, but then again - everything with legs was new, so she did not think much more about it. Again, she reached out her hand to turn off the water - but no hand was within her line of sight. Instead, there was...a paw? A giant, grey paw - pads gracing the bottom of it, with long, sharp dagger-like claws protruding from each digit. Chloe jerked back, and shook her head - her imagination was getting the better of her, perhaps it was not such a good idea to take a trip back into her childhood. But it was not a dream, it was not a dream at all. Chloe had reached out again, and after seeing the same paw, she looked over the rest of her body. She was no longer a fair-skinned, twenty-four year old woman, but a deep tan-grey, furry creature - sleek and slender...she was a cougar.

Chapter Eight ;;
Chloe woke up suddenly - she was in bed, and the lights were off. A deep sigh of relief escaped from within her chest - a dream...yes, it really had been a dream. How strange it was to have a dream where you actually ask yourself if you're dreaming. She let out a laugh, thinking about how silly all of this had been. She stretched out, and yawned a deep yawn, then began licking her furry paw.

...

Paw?? No, no, it couldn't be...Chloe had just looked at herself, she had just seen that she was a person...and yet now, she was yet again a beast. She jumped off the bed quickly, on all fours, and raced across the room. She propped her front paws up on her vanity, gazing into the large mirror. What she saw frightened her even more than her initial discoveries. Within the mirror, there was not an image of a dark haired, green eyed girl...but a cougar - that very same cougar that she had come face to face with a year ago.

She turned around in a hurry as she heard her door squeak open - it was her father. She wanted to cry, but tears did not come. "Dad, dad...its me! I'm not an animal, I'm not! I'm Chloe, Chloe!!" She lifted a paw, reaching out to him. But, he did not look surprised. He didn't even seem to be in awe of the situation, he just seemed...angry.

"I know you're confused." His voice seemed almost void of emotion, "I've looked up everything, and made arrangements. I can't deal with this anymore, I can't deal with you."

Chloe tilted her head, questioningly. "What do you mean you can't deal with me? I'm your daughter! And arrangements? Arrangements for what? Dad, what the heck is happening to me? Why won't you help?"

"You are not my daughter." His monotone voice spoke the last words Chloe would ever hear from him, then he turned and walked out of the room.

He was no father, he might have been a dad, but not a father. He abandoned her, just when she needed him the most.

Chapter Nine ;;
She stood, alone with only her baggage, in the middle of the street. A large sign reading "The Variel Academy" rested on the ground ahead of her, welcoming her to this new and strange life. Here she was - once again, a stranger in a place she had never been to...what was to come? What was she to do? At that moment, the silhouette of a man appeared ahead of her, walking in her direction. Without speaking a word, he took her by the shoulder, and slowly led her into the academy. Chloe followed obediently, tears falling from her green eyes.

Chapter Ten;;
Chloe was now twenty five years old. It had been another year in life, two years after regaining the use of her legs, and a year after finding out about her 'special' ability. The year had been hard, more difficult than any schooling she had experienced so far. She was older than most of her peers, but for once...seemed to fit in. All of the students around her, from the ten year olds all the way up to those older than she, all had one thing in common - they could all shift into various animals.

From beavers to bears, birds to bobcats, they ranged over every size, every terrain type - they were of any and every animal you could think of. And they were all here, all for that reason. Whether they came here on their own accord, or were just abandoned by those they loved - their stories all wound up coming to the same climax. But this place was different from the 'real world'. This place was designed to feed the needs of all of the 'shifters' that the world created. It was made to teach those with this ability, to take away the fear and to educate, to bring out the good in this situation and allow people to realize that this really was a gift, rather than a curse.

Everyone here seemed to get along, they all became friends (for the most part) and for once, all of them were able to learn to live for themselves, and to be happy with who they were...no matter what their past lives had brought them.

Chapter Eleven ;;
This new life had changed the goals in Chloe's life, and eventually, she was asked into a staff position at the Variel Academy. She was an adviser at the academy, or a counselor. She was always there to help, no matter what the problem. From shift-related problems all the way to relationships, or even venting about the past - Chloe was always willing to listen to the other shifters, and to help them get through the hard times and make a new life for themselves.

For the first time, she loved her life, and she loved herself.

Animal Shift::

For the most part, Chloe's mountain lion, or cougar, shift is very similar to her human form. Her personality is essentially the same - she is still kind to everyone, and always willing to help out. However, she is a bit more independent, and keeps to herself. She would much rather sit around and examine what is going on around her than actually participate in any activity. Since she has been at the academy for a while now, and because she has a lot of self control in her human form, Chloe is able to manage her animal form without worry of it taking over. The cougar instincts are almost completely erased, so there is no worry in encountering her when she shifts, she will still be the same, funloving Chloe that everyone knows.

As far as her appearance goes, her frame also resembles that of her human form. Her body is average sized for a cougar, at around 120 pounds, and is lean yet muscular. From her nose down to the tip of her tail, Chloe is almost 8 feet long, with a third of that length coming from just the tail.; the height at her shoulders is approximately 3 feet. Chloe’s cougar pelt is rusty-tan in coloration, and is super thick, though not extremely long. A tone of white runs from the underside of her chin down through her front legs, ending up between her back legs. The back’s of Chloe’s ears are black tipped, and two black streaks run from the bottom of her eyes down her maw. Finally, the fronts of Chloe’s jowls and chin are covered in snowy white. Her body resembles that of a typical house cat, though her head is a bit smaller, her face is shortened, her ears are rounded, and her body and tail are elongated.

Make sure you read the rules![/font][/b]: