Aria Rosewood

Aria Rosewood had as average a childhood as anyone could hope. Born and raised in Manehatten, she always had many opportunities available to her of which most ponies could only dream...something of which her mother seemed keen to remind her throughout life. Yet even at a young age, Aria had little interest for the activities into which she felt pressured. There were only two things she enjoyed about all else: academics and music.

The problem into which she eventually found herself running was that school felt too structured. She enjoyed absorbing knowledge of most subjects, particularly those that had a practical application in life, such as the sciences. She was annoyed, however, that the teachers were too slow and limiting in what they could learn; eventually she took to teaching herself more practical knowledge, ultimately dismissing school as a place to socialize above all else. This did nothing to improve her view of it, however; she did not much enjoy socializing either. No one seemed to want to learn things in the same manner, but rather continue the monotonous drone of school drama.

Given that her circle of friends, then, was rather small, there was the one other activity to which she devoted herself: music; something that she felt was enjoyable on both a creative and technical level. Many an hour did she spend experimenting with what family of instruments she preferred. By the end of her primary schooling, she had ruled out significant sections of a full sized orchestra and still had not yet found that for which she yearned. A frustrating dilemma, considering that her cutie mark manifested itself as a music note through these experiments, yet she was drowning hopelessly in her inability to make music. The only guidance she had was that, of the instruments she had tried, her favourite tones came from those made of her namesake, Rosewood.

As her education progressed, she eventually found herself attending West Manehatten University, continuing her study of the sciences. Although not altogether unwilling, she knew that this was only a means to an end, not a true passion that she could live with for the rest of her life. On one auspicious day whilst making her way home from her studies, the local music shop not far from campus had a rather weathered looking guitar in the window for quite a bargain. Dubious but desperate, she found herself at home some time later staring at the beleaguered instrument resting precariously against a chair. This, she thought, would not have been her first choice as a stringed instrument. It perhaps would not have even been her fourth. Nevertheless, she took it in her hooves carefully and plucked a string.

A warm tone rung with memories of a life she had never lived. A strum here, a strum there, Aria felt as though she was unravelling a tale as old as time itself with every note, made especially alluring by the instrument requiring such a delicate but precise hoof. A technical, nostalgic instrument worthy of her study. Over the course of the next few weeks she devoted almost all of her waking moments to practicing, teaching herself in much the same way she had taught herself through school. So great was her newfound passion that she decided to drop her academic studies altogether, much to the disapproval of her mother. Aria did not care; she developed in shy of a year the degree of mastery it would take most a decade to perfect. In turn, that obsession would become an art, and in her self-assurance of her craft, she would look to one day make a name for herself as one of Manehatten's most prominent musicians.

Insane(ly smart). When not dedicating time to her passion of the musical arts, Aria's mechanical mind manifests itself in a variety of ways. Above all else is her drive to understand the way things work fundamentally through analysis and reasoning. In this way, she is acutely aware of the physical nature of the world around her and how to manipulate it to solve a problem. In addition to this rational intellect is a strong sense of equity and fairness. This "do unto others" attitude does not always equate to avoiding conflict, however. More likely is that she may take something too far and accept the retaliation, good or bad, as fair play. Although she does not always respect the rules of the "System", she will follow her own guidelines faithfully. She will not take part in something that violates her personal laws. Given her method of thinking, Aria seems to spend a lot of time internally. Whilst there appears to be a calm countenance on the surface, her mind could be traveling at 100 kph, thus giving her a certain spontaneity when she finally decides to take action. Combining this spontaneity with rationality, Aria can switch her mindset to fit new situations with little effort, making her a flexible and versatile individual. With this natural talent, she has the potential to be good at a great many things, the Jack-of-All-Trades yet Master-of-None. She is happiest when in her element of action-oriented tasks involving detailed analysis and technical skill.

Yet as much as these traits come together to form a virtuoso, they also present quite a few flaws. Aria indeed uses logic, and even when she tries to meet others halfway with emotional sensitivity, it doesn't seem to come out quite right, if anything is said at all. It also does not help that she spends a lot of time in her head. Being so seemingly reserved and keeping personal matters to herself, she can be quite difficult to get to know, often preferring silence to small talk. As for her spontaneity, it can be as detrimental as it is a boon. She tends to be easily bored and, when something has been fundamentally understood, will often move on to something more new and interesting. On a larger scale, this can manifest as a dislike for long-term commitments. She prefers living in the present, taking every new moment as it comes.

In summation, Aria's ability to understand the nature of things lends itself to technical proficiency. With cool logic in introverted thinking, she can come off as reserved and terse, but can be jovial in equal measure with her spontaneity and fairness. With many an interest and desire for action she does not like to plan for the future, but experience the current world around her.

Cream coloured coat with a rich red mane, often well groomed. Her mane is almost never without pins styled in the shape of semiquavers holding her bun.