Io | Doe | Stormbringer

Reference image by the wonderful, the fantastic Eternityspool so go over to Io and give her some LOVE!!
Old reference can be found Io | Old Reference

Basic Information
Name: Io
Nickname: Eyes
Breed:  by Ehetere
Gender: Doe
Age: 10 (human equivalent 19-20)
Year of Birth: 756 of the New Age (Late Spring)
Height: 8.3 HH (at full growth)
Build: Light-Medium
Phenotype: Silver Grullo Roan Restricted Fawn
Genotype: Ee/aa/nD/RnRn/nZ/fwfw/RxRx
Eye Colour: Warm brown
Design Sheet: Festive Fawnling Designs 2014: Batch 4
Sire: Ganymede – Windborn Stormbringer, NPC (deceased)
Dam: Europa – Windborne Herbalist, NPC
Bloodline: 100% Windborne
Magic Type: Wind Magic

Herd Information

Herd: Windborne Allied Herd
Herd Position: Stormbringer
Mate: Magnus | Stag | Herbalist in Training
Fawns: Ganymede | Stagling | Herd Member
Current Location: Cockle Bay

Significant Relationships:

 Hate
 Dislike
 Unsure..
 Acquaintance
 Respect

 Trust
 Close Friend
 Friend
 Crush
 Unsure/Mixed Feelings
 Romantic Love
 Love
 Family
Deceased

 Magno: This stag has become central to Io's life, taking over fatherly duties after Ganymede was killed. He's one of Io's favorite people ever.

 Virgil: Basically Io's little brother. Also one of her favorite people ever.

 Magnus: Magnus is the best. Just the bees knees (though Io is still not convinced bees HAVE knees, this is supposedly a very good thing). She would do anything for Magnus, even if she is just starting to realize that the feelings she has for him are more like the feelings mama had for daddy.

 Cordelia: A fawnling that Io keeps running into, a great friend and one she loves very much.

Details
Companion: Io's companion is a sugar glider named Squeak. You can view Squeak here

Personality: Io is a medium-functioning autistic. She has many barriers to understanding language. When talking to her, other fawnlings must use simple terms. If she goes all glassy-eyed (which she does often) it means you’ve lost her, and you’ll have to come up with another way to get your point across. Io is also very literal: you must tell her exactly what you want done, in the exact way. For example, she can’t handle multipliers such as “some” – she must be told exact numbers. Explaining things step by step is usually wise – anything not mentioned will not be done. Being literal also means she cannot comprehend things like similes, or metaphors: Io will think you’re being serious. This can have unintended consequences, for if your similes are colorful enough, she’ll think you’re the most amazing, funniest fawnling ever – and you’ll be her new favorite person (this changes frequently).

Despite this (or perhaps because of this) Io is the best friend one could ever make. Loyal and trustworthy to a fault, she will always defend those she cares about and she gives her friendship as easily as she breathes. Her very being is sweet, and joyful, bubbling over almost constantly with laughter (be warned, she snorts when she does!) and a shiny-eyed awe of the world around her. The simplest things make her happy, and her happiness is infectious.

When around people she trusts, Io prefers to lean on them heavily (or drape herself over them) relishing the feel of safety she gets from the contact - but as for those fawnlings she doesn't know and give her special trust to, she's terrified of contact and will do anything to avoid being touched. Her parents discovered her special love of water (when they took her to meet the dolphins the first time), and give her as much time to wallow in the shallows as they can. Both of these have to do with her sensitivity to pressure (touch), which is a unique quirk that comes from being autistic. 

As with other autistics, Io has her areas of obsession, or focus. Her particular areas of focus are her wind magic, and butterflies. She lives and breathes in the wind, able to see the magic and how it works in completely different ways (because her brain isn’t structured like other fawnlings). Oftentimes Io will get lost in the intricacies, playing with subtleties that no other fawnling would even notice – but she can teach it to you, if you but ask! Io also collects information about butterflies like some humans collect baseball cards. She will spend as much time as she can get away with watching them, and can describe a wing pattern in incredible detail after only having seen it once.

And of course, not everyone is sympathetic. Io gets teased for not understanding things. Because she is so literal, she will not realize she is being teased. In the cases where it’s a single fawnling doing it, it’ll just go straight over her head – in groups, she’ll wonder why all the others are laughing, and wish she was in on the joke.

  For my own ease, I have started documenting Io's autistic traits here, so I can keep track of them. Much simpler than adding additional paragraphs to this section ^_^

Appearance: Io is a lean doe, with pert ears and large watery eyes. Her hair is allowed to dread naturally, to make it easier for her to take care of by herself, and grows long on both her mane and tail. There are several wraps in blues and purples sporadically spaced through her dreads. Io's tail is much shorter than average, her hair barely brushing the ground when she stands.She is very proud of the preserved butterfly wings her mother made her for decorations, and will tell you where each and every one of them came from (and what kind of butterfly they are) if you ask. Also, because of her affinity for wind magic, there are always little breezes playing in her hair, or mini whirlwinds swirling near her hooves. 

History: Her parents realized something wasn't quite right with their darling daughter when all her age-mates had been talking for months and she still hadn't said a word. Their quiet child would spend hours watching the butterflies floating by in the sheltered little meadow, staring at them in rapt fascination and not making a sound.  Even though living with Io is trying at times, Europa and Ganymede love her madly, and do all they could to keep her safe and secure in the bosom of the herd, doting on her as only they can.

Io was two before she finally said her first word. Ecstatic at this sign, her parents had her repeat it over and over – and she giggle-snorted with joy at their attention, burbling out “butt-fly” until her tongue became too dry to say it again. She does have a speech impediment, even though it does seem to be improving as she ages. Specifically, it's an articulation disorder where substitution occurs (she replaces one sound with another). It can be mistaken for a lisp, and is most evident when she tries to say words with "m"s in them - she'll replace it with a "b" instead ("baba!" instead of "mama", etc). A note on this, though - Io has trouble with a particular sound of m. If you say "ma" and then "me", you can feel the difference in the way your mouth moves. It's the movement in "ma" she can't do, and those sounds that will be replaced with a "b." She has grown out of this!

At three, her magic manifested. This was a particularly terrifying experience for the poor child, as Ganymede had avoided using magic around her (so as not to scare her). But once she finally understood what was happening, Io took to it like a duck to water. Since then, she can most often be found practicing her magic by herself, or following the others in her age-group around like a puppy. Her parents are happy that their child has found her place in the world, even though they are often overprotective. They support her wish to someday become a stormbringer, knowing that those ranks are where she truly belongs.

Also at three, she met the fawnling that would become her closest friend: Magnus. He was a dark, troubled colt who had never found his magic. Io didn't mind that he was different, just that he didn't care that SHE was different - and that they could play together. Growing up with her friend, Io experienced strange fuzzy tingly feeling in her chest whenever the two would touch. She didn't quite know what it meant, but she knew she liked it.

The next year, when Io was four, she went with her mother to visit the captured resistance fawns and does. There she met Virgil, a young Allied Herd member who just needed a friend. This would prove to be a fateful meeting, and have consequences later in Io's life. That winter, the Allied Herds fought back against the iron hoof of the old rule. They won - but Io's family got trapped in the middle. During the fight at Gum Tree Hollow, Io's father Ganymede was killed. Her mother took it hard, as her mate had been her strength and her life. Io tried to help her mama as best she could, but the poor fawn barely understood what was going on and she certainly couldn't find words to help.

The loss of her father left a hole in her life that Io will never really be able to fill. Her mother will never be quite the same, and it was a burden to care for a fawn as special as Io by herself. Thankfully, a blessing came in the form of Virgil's father, Magno - he offered to help Europa raise little Io. The doe happily accepted, and Io now has a large family - her mama, and Magno, and Virgil and Lia (Magno's older daughter, Magnolia). Her patterns have settled, and the young doe is growing up into a competent Stormbringer, surrounded by love. She spends her winters near Gum Tree Hollow, and her summers near the bay where she is in the water as much as possible. Her time is split between the people she loves, travelling well worn paths between her mother, her surrogate family, and her friends (mainly Magnus).

History

Skill Points

Speed: 19 [Medium Level] *AGE RESTRICTION - Capped at Advanced level until age 15*

Stamina: 16 [Medium Level] *AGE RESTRICTION - Capped at Advanced level until age 15*

Strength: 4 [Basic Level] (Build Cap: 19 points max)

Magic: 50 [Master Level - CONFIRMED CAPPED] *AGE RESTRICTION - Capped at Advanced level until age 15*

Herbs: 2 [Basic Level]

Experience: 0

Breakdown

+5 speed - base bonus

+3 stamina - base bonus

+1 strength - base bonus

+11 magic - starter bonus

+20 magic - Festive Fawnlings 2016 Gift

Of Butterflies and Breezes
+3 (+2 magic and +1 speed) - lit - 2000+ words - Of Butterflies and Breezes
+2 magic - training/sparring with a Fawnling of higher level

A Nickname
+2 magic - lit - 1000-1999 words - A Nickname

Down by the Bay
+3 (+2 speed and +1 magic) - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Down by the Bay

Sand Bake Fun Race
+3 (+2 speed, +1 stamina) - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Sand Bake Fun Race

Challenges
+1 speed - art - Challenges
+2 speed - lit - 1000-1999 words - Challenges

Tasty Spots
+3 (+2 stamina +1 speed) - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Tasty Spots

Running from the Trees
+3 (+2 stamina +1 speed) - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Running from the Trees

Winter Babes
+3 Magic - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Winter Babes

Making Waves
+3 (+2 stamina +1 speed) - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Making Waves

Flower Hunting In Winter
Art - A Little Big Help
+3 (+2 stamina, +1 herb lore) - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Flower Hunting In Winter

Funny Little Fuzzy Tingle
+3  (+2 stamina +1 herb) - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Funny Little Fuzzy Tingle

Tiny Little Squeak Maker with Not-Hooves
+2 magic - lit - 1000-1999 words - Tiny Little Squeak Maker with Not-Hooves

The Moving Stones
Art - The Moving Stones
+3 magic - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - The Moving Stones

Playing til the Night Falls
+3 (+2 stamina +1 speed) - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Playing til the Night Falls

Bullies are Mean
Collab lit - 400-999 words - Bullies are Mean

Old Sorrows and New Joys
+3 strength - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Old Sorrows and New Joys

Butterfly Snatchers
+2 speed - collab lit - 400-999 words - Butterfly Snatchers

Io and the Mute
+2 magic - collab lit - 400-999 words - Io and the Mute

Figuring Things Out...Together
+3 magic - collab lit - 1000-1999 words - Figuring Things Out...Together

Art Featuring Io:

Other Info: