Paloma Salt

[Espi]

Name: Paloma Salt
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Grade: 12th
School: George Hunter High School
Hobbies and Interests: Busking, street art, photography, painting, cooking, restaurant reviewing, blogging

Appearance: Paloma is 5'1", and weighs 120 pounds, well within the average for a girl her age. She is curvy and has wide hips, though her breasts are still small. She is partly of southern Slavic heritage, specifically Croatian and has fair Caucasian skin. Paloma's thick hair is burgundy-red, bushy with a pronounced wavy texture, and usually worn mid-length, rarely allowed to reach her shoulders. Paloma's young age as a senior is exaggerated in her round, full-cheeked face, with large brown eyes and long lashes, all giving her a childlike look. She has full lips with a small mouth, eyebrows that are rather thick and extended, and a nose which is pointed and small. Paloma has a lot of freckles on her face, especially on her cheekbones and nose.

Paloma doesn't care to put much effort into her appearance, but she still maintains her cleanliness and dresses with some attention towards style. She hasn't had to deal with acne for the most part, so she doesn't worry about her skin unless it gets very dry, in which case she'll use moisturizer, though she doesn't keep at it for long. Because her hair is naturally wild and tangles easily, she puts more focus on keeping it conditioned and clean. She often neglects flossing, but her oral hygiene is otherwise appropriate. Her nails are rarely painted, but kept neat and trimmed for the most part. For makeup, Paloma wears lip gloss, usually a shade of bright red, mascara, and dark brown eyeliner with brown eyeshadow, though she sometimes uses light green. She will sometimes experiment with more elaborate styles and preparations, but usually more for the sake of switching it up than to improve her appearance.

Paloma has poor circulation and prefers long sleeves and pants even in warm weather. She tends towards muted colors, especially shades of blue, indigo, and violet, as well as black. Her most-worn items are turtleneck sweaters, leggings with ankle warmers, and pleated skirts. She also likes to wear hoodies, though less frequently. Because she likes the style of wearing hats, though her hair becomes especially unkempt when she does, Paloma has developed a small collection of fascinators and doll hats, each of which she will usually wear several consecutive days before selecting a different one.

Biography: The only child of Sabrina and Evan Salt, Paloma was premature by one month and had to be monitored for a short while before being discharged, though fortunately there were no major complications. Like most children, Paloma was inquisitive and exploratory, constantly moving about as soon as she could crawl. However, this behavior was encouraged to an unusual degree; Evan, who managed a whole foods store, had a personal philosophy to encourage Paloma to grow on her own terms. As such, he put few restrictions on her as a toddler, and aside from obviously dangerous activities she had lots of freedom to do what she wished. Sabrina, who stayed home and occasionally sold handwoven clothes online, was a bit more conservative with monitoring Paloma, though she mostly limited herself to watching over and encouraging her daughter without interfering.

Paloma's early independence was ultimately a positive growth experience; she was a quick learner and was soon able to sate her curiosity without getting into trouble. She also developed self-confidence quickly; she adapted easily upon entering elementary school, being outgoing and active, with a cheerful and energetic demeanor that made her popular with other students. Paloma displayed an early affinity for academics, and was soon reading at a very high level, plus becoming proficient in math and other subjects.

Paloma's earliest interest was art, becoming an enthusiastic fingerpainter before moving to more advanced paint techniques as she grew older. Though she performed well in other subjects, she found them too easy to stay interested, and the combined sensations of physically applying paint and appreciating the colors and patterns drew her focus. At first, she mostly did simplistic pictures, but as Paloma grew older she developed a distinct personal style, combining bright warm colors and cool dark colors to create a dark, somber aesthetic, which she found more interesting than working with brighter shades.

In second grade, Paloma's success in school led to the school approaching her parents to suggest she skip third grade entirely. Sabrina was somewhat reluctant, not wanting to push her daughter too hard, but Evan's desire to let Paloma excel won her over, so Paloma moved to fourth grade shortly after. Though being much younger than her peers was intimidating, her independence and confidence gave her a mature sense and she avoided any serious scorn from her classmates.

Middle school was more challenging for Paloma, but her innate talent at standard academic subjects let her continue to succeed with high grades. After graduating fourth grade, her mother surprised her with a reward for her hard work, in the form of a simple child's camera. Sabrina had correctly assumed that Paloma would enjoy a new form of visual media, and Paloma was delighted by the activity. Her experience in painting was a good reference for framing and perspective, and she was rarely seen without a camera, even after getting a cell phone. Paloma's sensibility for photos is similar to how she thinks of painting, and her pictures tend to incorporate buildings, structures, and other landscape-style scenes, rarely showing animals or people. She has a special fondness for shadow and light in pictures, and loves to create starkly beautiful imagery using alleyways or sunlight at specific times of day.

Going through middle school, Paloma spent a lot of time on her artistic mediums, but she frequently tried to branch out into new methods, always experimenting. Though she quickly decided she had no interest in music, sculpture, dance, or writing, Paloma found an unusual calling during freshman year. Sabrina had never learned to cook, and while Evan was competent, he didn't use recipes and was prone to unsuccessful experiments, which meant the family often discarded the meal and ordered out. Paloma grew tired of this and decided to begin making dinners herself, a bold stance which was greeted enthusiastically by both parents. By using recipes precisely and looking up different methods, Paloma quickly became a skilled cook, albeit an amateur. She loved the intellectual challenge of preparing complex dishes with many components or ingredients, managing time and cooking period, and the variety of foods to learn about and discover. She tends to prepare richer meals, indulging in butter or cream, but doesn't do this often to avoid gaining weight. She also likes spicy food, as do her parents, which encourages her to focus on Mexican or Caribbean styles.

At the suggestion of her mother, Paloma started up a blog online, where she could share her various works of art. Over time, she has garnered a sizable audience with her mix of paintings, photos, and food pictures including her modified recipes. She was soon receiving commission requests, and was eager to take up the offers and earn money with her art. Around the age of 13, she officially opened up commissions to buy her paintings, as well as occasionally selling photo prints she felt had turned out well. Though initially reluctant to create pieces involving certain aspects, namely gore or sexual content, she loosened up by age 16 when she felt more comfortable drawing explicit material. Starting slowly, Paloma has since been making a sizable income, averaging out to roughly $500 a month, most of which she saves or puts towards more art supplies. Her usual billing is roughly $45 for a standard full-sized piece, though she lowers the price for less intensive work.

At 15, after seeing another blog featuring restaurant reviews, Paloma began to add these to her page as well, featuring her traveling to various establishments and putting some of her savings towards ordering lots of food and then writing a short review. Though she is tough and honest in these writeups, she tries to include at least a few positives if the staff are nice. However, if she finds them rude she is often vindictive and gives poor reviews even if the food is better. Paloma likes having a reason to go and eat out, and enjoys talking about her experiences knowing her audience is already interested if they seek her out.

High school has been an enjoyable experience for Paloma, though her life hasn't changed significantly since her previous years. By senior year she has still been successful in most scholastic fields, but her disinterest in most of the subjects keeps her from excelling, and she has deliberately taken no advanced courses. Her weakest subject is English classes, since she finds the process of writing tedious and quickly loses interest in books. She usually avoids art classes as well, as despite her appreciation for the subject she finds the course material too constraining. Paloma's social life is mixed, as she is cheerful and enthusiastic but tends to find many of her classmates boring, and doesn't pay much attention to them. Her closest friends are usually artists, especially those with styles very different from hers. She can be sharp-tongued when provoked, but this rarely occurs, and she normally just ignores antagonists.

Though not exactly flighty, Paloma follows her own path in a way that sometimes puts her at odds with her surroundings. She is confident and upbeat, but has a stubborn tendency and tends to dig in her heels when rebutted. She tends to be self-interested and doesn't usually worry about other people. Though not without empathy, she assumes most people can handle themselves and doesn't really care to interfere with their personal lives. She is independent and doesn't appreciate being forced into leadership or following roles. She's not very ambitious in general, and is mostly happy to do whatever comes to mind at a given time.

Paloma is somewhat vindictive, and though she doesn't usually discuss or act on it, she will hold a perceived slight against someone, and tends to judge people by first impressions. She also has a slight tendency towards superiority, comparing her own successes with other students and doubting them and their skills. Paloma is protective of her art and lifestyle and is suspicious of criticism towards either. These feelings are usually kept to herself, though someone who has offended her is likely to get a cold treatment or be subjected to more biting comments.

Recently, Paloma has begun delving into busking, performing speed paints to create caricatures on commission in the street. She has a low cost and is good at capturing the essence of the person without taking very long, so she receives modest success at this. The majority of the money she earns goes to art supplies, but she usually comes out with about $100 per month from these. She prefers to think of it as practice, moving towards more portraits and people instead of more familiar landscape pieces. She's also made an effort at creating street art, though much less frequently. She has created a few paintings in various areas, and has also experimented with chalk work. She hasn't gotten into trouble for these, but she wants to avoid the risk of drawing negative attention, so she doesn't do this often. Because she is usually very busy working on her art, Paloma doesn't spend much time with her parents. She is closer with her mother, who likes to look at Paloma's art and is familiar enough with the subject to offer more in-depth suggestions and critique. Evan is somewhat distant and has little awareness of Paloma's daily life, though both of her parents will join her whenever she cooks, and sometimes on her restaurant trips. Paloma is fairly private around them, however, such that she doesn't discuss her more mature work, and her parents have come to see that she feels that she's outgrown them, which they reluctantly accept.

One recent topic in the household was discussing if Paloma was interested in attending college. Though her grades would likely open many options to pick from, higher education doesn't interest her, and she instead hopes to continue her current lifestyle, paying for her expenses with commissions. To further this goal, she has been saving up for about three years, and currently possesses a few thousand dollars in a savings account. Though she recognizes that she doesn't make enough money to live in many places, she believes graduating will allow her to focus on productivity and raise her income. Evan is happy enough that she has passions and self-esteem, and while Sabrina worries that her daughter is too unmotivated, she is willing to let the issue rest for now.

Advantages: Paloma is smart, confident, and strong-willed. She's very self-sufficient, but has a positive nature and could make for an appealing ally.
Disadvantages: Paloma is stubborn and will hold grudges, which could lead to needless hostility. She holds judgment against some people and will often underestimate them. Paloma also lacks ambition, and while she is driven when she has invested in something, she doesn't always put her focus on a goal when she should.