Editing Snowdrop (section)

==Personality==
The key to understanding Snowdrop is that she's effectively a compulsive liar; everything she says will be the opposite of what she [[Rule of Discourse|intends to say]].<ref name=":0">“She’s not ‘glaikit’, as you would put it, Alpeana. She’s contrary by nature.”<br><br>“You couldn’t have told us this before?” Lucy asked.<br><br>“I didn’t know the opossum’s rule until I saw her here, as this spirit of the Path. But even if I knew there was no way to tell how the rule or tendency would manifest. Another opossum could have had a different approach than expressing the opposite of what she means.”<br>[...]<br>“The gimmick. The opossum. It plays dead even when it doesn’t mean to, fainting. Deceives when it doesn’t mean to. It says the opposite of what it means to, but it can deceive well enough to bring a token item into the Wolf’s negotiation.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/07/14 excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.1]]</ref> This can be frustrating for Snowdrop, as from her perspective she speaks plainly while others have trouble parsing what she's saying. A partial exception exists for questions.<ref>"People got so weird, sometimes. She couldn’t always predict how they’d react to stuff she said. Questions were usually safe, though. Questions didn’t get flipped around. Other stuff did, though. Even the ‘huhs’ and ‘ughs’. It didn’t matter if she tried to reword it or fib, because it was based on what she ''meant'', not what she said." - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/09/12 Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.x]]</ref> The trait is not limited to verbal speech, and extends into body language,<ref>“I did charm you a bit, didn’t I?”<br><br>“I’m super gay, Jude. So not like that. But you were nice enough.”<br><br>“I’ll take it. I could take that last bit and say it to my dad, but I dunno…”<br><br>“She really likes you in that romantic way,” Snowdrop said.<br><br>“Tell your dad my boon companion said that, maybe,” Avery said.<br><br>Snowdrop gave him a thumbs up.<br><br>“Okay, that works,” Jude said. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/18 Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.1]]<br><br><br>“This is tough,” Lucy said. “But we can do this. Eyes open, okay?”<br><br>Avery and Verona nodded, giving a thumbs up. Snowdrop joined them.<br><br>Verona reached down, putting Snowdrop’s middle finger down with the rest of the fingers, and adjusted her thumb. “There.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/09/12 Excerpt] from [[interlude 4.x]]</ref> and writing.<ref>Writing ''wouldn’t'' work, and it wasn’t because she was an opossum. It was because things got flipped around. Even in writing. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/09/12 Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.x]]</ref> Other aspects of her personality come from her origins. She has an instinctive awareness of everything Avery knew and thought at the time the girl performed the [[Forest Ribbon Trail]] ritual.<ref>“This wee bairn went to tha meeting place I was to meet tha lassie at.”<br><br>“I didn’t know anything about what that Avery twit was planning, where she came from, or any of that,” the little girl said. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/07/14 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.1]]</ref> Which informs much of her personality and actions, while giving her skills and similar to draw on.<ref name=AD>

 - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/09/12 Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.x]]</ref> The other comes from her species; the translation of many opossum-like behavioral traits to human form. She's been seen climbing and crouching on all fours,<ref>A kid, eight or nine or so, flipped down from the branch, dangling by her knees so she was upside down. She wore cargo shorts and a tee that said ‘Trash Face’, her hair was greasy, and she had dark circles around her eyes.<br>[...]<br>“Our opossum,” Miss said. “Hello, dear.”<br><br>The kid dropped from the branch, landing on all fours, as Miss approached. She backed away a half step, then stopped retreating. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/07/14 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.1]]</ref> not liking loud noises,<ref>“Want something to help with the distraction?” Lucy asked. “Firecrackers or a stinkbomb?”<br><br>“Firecrackers. I like weird, loud noises.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/08 Excerpt] from [[Out on a Limb 3.8]]</ref> or birds.<ref>“It’s raining,” Avery said, raising an eyebrow.<br><br>Verona gave her a look. “You’re going to get wet anyway. It’s still warm out, and there’s probably less kids out.”<br><br>“Aw, but there’s less birds,” Snowdrop commented. “Gotta love the birds, especially the big ones, they do that cool stuff with sudden movements and flying off in a way that totally makes sense. I love it.”<br><br>“Less birds,” Verona said, seriously, to Avery. “I guess it makes hunting harder.”<br><br>“And it keeps the bugs underground,” Snowdrop said. “Yucky bugs.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/11/14 Excerpt] from [[Cutting Class 6.6]]</ref> Understandably extending to her preferences in partner and general sexuality.<ref>“We were just talking about opossum boys,” Verona said.<br><br>“Opossum boys?”<br><br>“If our girl’s going to find an opossum lad out in the wild, and think, oh man, that’s a fine specimen.”<br><br>“I’m all about that opossum boy,” Snowdrop said.<br><br>“Opossum girls?” Avery asked.<br><br>“Them too.”<br><br>“Do you know what you’ll look for, when and if you ever want a mate?” Verona asked.<br><br>“Nah. I’ve got no instincts.”<br><br>“I’m morbidly curious now,” Lucy said.<br><br>“I’ll tell you what I’m probably ''not'' going to do. I’m not going to follow in my ma’s footsteps and find the nearest available loudmouth boy that clicks his tongue all the freaking time, I’m not going to become a young mom and pair up with some dude for life, only to secretly have a bunch of kids by other men. I’m definitely not going to end up having kids twice a year, every year.”<br><br>“Oh, woah, what is ''going on'' with opossums?” Verona asked.<br><br>“We’re a class act,” Snowdrop said, smiling and showing off her missing teeth. “And I gotta be classier. Not going to die before I’m twenty-one like my ma did, no ma’am.”<br><br>“You being a class act may or may not be true, but you’re ''not'' going to die before you’re twenty-one, if I can help it,” Avery said.<br><br>“Nah,” Snowdrop mumbled, shifting position so she sat beside Avery. Avery put an arm around Snowdrop’s shoulders. - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/08/29 Excerpt] from [[Leaving a Mark 4.4]]</ref> Then there are her own personal traits. Like contributing to the welfare of her species, especially liking the idea of Avery helping opossums in her name somehow.<ref name=":1">“I was going to lead a nice long life. I had the rest of the time with my mother to get drunk on her milk, cozy and safe. Then a good life awaited me, eating trash, eating bugs, eating plants, and eating carrion. I would have found a mate, I would have had babies, and I’ve heard that Nature rewards good animals who have babies with a weeks-long hit of happy, like we’ve been given heroin. Doesn’t help keep some moms from eating their babies. [...] I’m going to die a meaningless death, when I had a real chance of contributing to my species,” Snowdrop said.” <br><br>“Can you ''please'' chill out, Snowdrop? Please? This is nerve wracking as it is. If that is what happens, I’ll try to do something to keep your end here from being meaningless, and… I don’t know, I’ll see about doing something nice for your species. I don’t know what that would be, but if it would make you feel better…”<br><br>“It wouldn’t, you sad, lonely failure.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/07/07 Excerpt] from [[Stolen Away 2.9]]</ref> Including her excessive gluttony.<ref>“I thought you seemed heavier, Snowdrop.” - [https://palewebserial.wordpress.com/2020/10/31 Excerpt] from [[Cutting Class 6.2]]</ref> Her ability to get along with [[Goblin]]s is helped by her personality.