Penny Inkwell Character Bio

	Penny Inkwell is a shy, introverted mare that can often be found with a bag of chocolate and her muzzle buried in a book. A hopeless romantic, she has always dreamed of one day stumbling into a fairytale romance, but her lack of social graces and general anxiety have left her incredibly inexperienced, to say the least. Nonetheless, she spends much of her free time writing her own love stories, though for now, they’re best described as trashy airport fodder.

	As a filly, Penny grew up in the Canterlot suburbs, where she was fortunate enough to receive a decent public education. Her social anxiety was especially prevalent during her school years, and she did not have many friends as a result. Instead, she took solace in doodling her favorite characters during class and immersing herself in chapter books when she got home. Eventually, she would take up writing herself, starting off with the occasional fanfiction and working her way up to her own standalone short stories. She finally got her cutie mark when her middle school prominently displayed an art piece of hers with its accompanying short story during an art show. High school was a little bit easier for her, as her newly cemented passions allowed her to find some friends in her art classes and the school newspaper. Still, she never really went out of her way to be social, and she didn’t really have a social life beyond school.

	Eventually, the time came for her to attend college. Firm in her creative passions, she decided to major in Ponish with a focus in Journalism, taking whatever art classes she could fit in as electives. After all, as much as she wanted to make a living off of her work, she realized that she needed some way to make money in the meantime. With goals in mind, she set off to continue a peaceful existence of drawing, writing, and reading at Manehattan University.

	A major wrench in Penny’s plans, however, appeared in the form of her new roommate: Melody Bash, theater major. The two were polar opposites: while Penny was anxious and shy, Melody was confident and outgoing. While Penny was soft-spoken, Melody was loud and brash. When Penny preferred to stay in and read, Melody would go out and party. While Penny studied hard to maintain her GPA, Melody just winged it. Needless to say, things were rough at first. The two would constantly clash. Melody’s antics would drive her up the wall, and Penny’s reclusive nature would drive Melody up the wall in turn.. However, they would eventually come to an understanding by playing to each others’ strengths. Melody would occasionally force Penny to come out of her comfort zone and socialize, and Penny would help Melody with keeping her grades at acceptable levels. Eventually the two of them, now best friends, decided to continue rooming together and got a small apartment in downtown Manehattan after graduation.

	Currently, Penny works as a freelance writer, finding the most stable work as an art critic for the Manehattan Times, where her dry sense of humor has earned her a modest following even outside of art circles. She makes a modest side income with her romance novels, but her lack of experience and the general embarrassment associated with it forces her to write under a pseudonym.