Messages

1

General News / Re: Incoming Update, XP Changes, And More!

2018 Aug 03, 19:28:18

I'm just hopeful the flight talent marks for pegasi start working. I've been unwilling to play my pegasus because of that issue...

2

Art / Re: Seika's Art

2018 Mar 15, 20:00:30

That's some very impressive artwork, well done!

3

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Show Discussion / Re: Average Unicorn Magic?

2018 Jan 02, 21:53:53

I think we're kind of narrowing things down to two different scales: raw magic potency, and a focus.  Twilight and Starlight (and probably Sunset if she were also Celestia's personal pupil) seem to have both: strong magic affinity and a focus (study) for magic.  I think it'd be reasonable to say then that unicorns can have strong magic potential even if they don't tap it regularly.  That's kind of how I set up one of my OCs: she's got strong magic, but since she doesn't identify her skills solely by magic she's nowhere near on Starlight or Twilight's level.

In that case I think "number of spells" is at least halfway based on how much a pony wants to know magic.  Twilight went to school explicitly for magic, so she's naturally better suited to the subject than Rarity.  Conversely my character went to school for geology, so her strong magic is put to use only for the healing spells she learned to weave into her gems.  She doesn't know anything about duplication or transfiguration.  But again this is just my 2 bits on the subject, how I see magic working.

4

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Show Discussion / Re: Average Unicorn Magic?

2017 Dec 31, 14:00:39

This is a great question I've been mulling over for a while now.  It's unfortunate we mainly have magic aficionados to look at for judging "normal" magic talent.  I've been trying to write my characters with this in mind, and it's kind of rough with so little info.

I agree with the telekinesis and maybe a hoofful of spells useful for the talent idea, though I'd also include that if there's a spell somepony really wants to learn for some reason, they could probably add it to their repertoire with repeated use (such as Trixie's teacup obsession) with proper study.

5

Forum suggestions / Re: Chatbox?

2017 Dec 09, 12:57:18

We've moved onto a Discord channel instead. Link's on the main page.

I don't think the chatbox is going to come back, as a direct result of the Discord.

6

Pony Off-Topic / Re: Brony Documentaries

2017 Nov 28, 12:32:42

I remember that I backed the first one and got a chance to watch it.  I think I also had the second, but I never bothered popping it in for a view.  Always put it off.  Remember liking the first one though.

As for others around me, I don't talk to people often enough (about anything, but pony related even less so) to notice any brony haters.  I'm sure they exist near me, but I haven't dealt with them.

[Spoiler: Crystal Lattice •]

7

Original Characters / Re: How well do you know your OC?

2017 Nov 17, 13:58:41

And my other two.  Guess I should have expected the forums to only want so many symbols in one post!

Spoiler: Crystal Lattice • show

Spoiler: Questions • show

1: What is her favorite color?  
Light Green

2: Where does she work?
Her own private jewelry/crystal therapy shop that also serves as her home.  She'll sometimes get orders from local designers to locate gems for their work.

3: What is her favorite food?
A hearty kelp salad with diced apple and cheese.  She also has a very soft spot for anything chocolate.

4: What is her favorite drink?
A thick chocolate milkshake, so much so that she learned to make them herself with her own blend.

5: How old is she?
18

6: Does she have any supernatural powers?
No.  She is trained in teleportation which is unusual, but not too much of a stretch.

7: Is she in a relationship?
Not presently.  She had a bad one about a year ago that she's still not quite over.

8: What are some of her strengths?
Physical:
• Stronger and more stamina than an average unicorn.
• Her body is tough enough to come out of even a vicious roller derby nearly bruise-less.
Skill:
• Knows how to work gemstone shaping tools
• Talent for infusing spells into crystal structures
• Fantastic balance and grace while on roller skates
• Educated in crystal formation, which gives her the knowledge of where to go looking for certain gems.
Magic:
• Illumination spell
• Gem location
• Teleportation (blind)
• Practicing several emotional and physical wellness spells for infusion into her gems (though these aren't as strong as somepony who focuses on them)
• Laser-cutting spell, good for splitting rocks and excavating gemstones
Emotional/Personality:
• Kind and empathetic to everyone around her
• Emotionally intuitive

9: What are some of her weaknesses?
Physical:
• She has a powerful sweet tooth, so despite her physical nature she's still a bit stocky.
• She can't run or sprint very well; her speed is mainly on wheels rather than on hoof.
• She relies on magic for particularly heavy lifting.  She can carry decent loads without magic, but lifting them to begin with is a problem.
Skill/Magic
• She's only learned to teleport herself and a few bags of inanimate objects.
• Her gem-searching spells have a very limited range.
• Her laser spell has limited combat use, since it doesn't affect organics very much.
• She can't swim at all.  She refused to learn and has used her magic to avoid large bodies of water ever since.
Emotional:
• Her empathy can run too deep, making it hard for her to see when she's being taken advantage of.
• She hesitates to mention her own needs and desires, focusing more on those of others.
• She's come to rely heavily on Vlyka, as much as Vlyka relies on her. Anything that happens to Vlyka will send her either into a panic or depressive state until resolved.

10: What is her favorite outfit?
Her personalized roller derby uniform: she doesn't wear it much since roller derby is just an occasional hobby, but the outfit offers great cushioning in the event of a crash and even has her derby name (Cat Scratch) embroidered on the collar.  More day-to-day, her opal necklace to connect with her friends.

11: What is her spirit animal?
She jokingly would say a mole.  It might actually be more of a hummingbird.

12: Is she currently in school?
Yes, part time, major in geology.  

13: What is her earliest memory?
The earliest clear one is schooling a self-righteous classmate in the formation of peridot from her grade-school mineralogy courses.  She was right, at least as far as her education level was concerned; she missed the detail about olivine being present mainly in mafic magma flows, and instead indicated a nearby (extinct) felsic volcano might have deposited peridot.
Alternative: Making a promise to care for Vlyka however she could.  Even when she couldn't remember her mother that well, she didn't want her new sister to feel that same odd gap.

14: Does she have a cell phone?
She would if Equestria had them.  She'd probably use Twitter heavily, but mainly to reply to others she follows, or try and help advertise Vlyka's business (the mare doesn't do a good job of it herself...) and Winter's art.

15: What makes her angry?
Finding out someone has been taking advantage of her, ponies being difficult for no reason/the wrong reason, having to defend herself from ponies suggesting she's making up the more mystical properties of her trinkets, especially since she does cast spells on most of them.

16: When is her favorite time of the year?  
Springtime afternoons

17: How long can she hold her breath?
About 20 seconds at rest.  

18: What is her favorite holiday?
Hearth's Warming Eve, but only when it's properly celebrated and not warped into something else.

19: What bums her out?
Jerks and ponies acting selfishly.  She also gets a little bit bugged when she gets called "Emerald" by her patrons, mostly because her favorite gem is actually peridot, but ponies don't know that so well.

20: What is her favorite kind of pizza?
She's actually pretty plain, just likes cheese and maybe a little grass.  She's not above sneaking a piece of Midnight's olive slices though.

21: Who is her best friend?
Her adoptive little sis Vlyka.  She recognizes that Vlyka opens up to her the most and relies on her to stay functional, and equally feels free to be most honest with her even when she's unsure how much the socially inept Vlyka can help.

22: Has she ever been arrested?
She almost let herself be, intending to go to jail for a crime somepony she liked committed.  Her friends convinced her that it wasn't helping anypony to take the hit, and she stopped protecting the culprit.

23: What is her biggest secret?
Almost every time she feels like doing something for herself, she berates herself for being "selfish", even when it's painfully obvious that she's just taking care of herself.  She's afraid to tell anypony about it because they might try to change her to be less worried about it, and fears she'll lose her generous spirit.  It's a similar issue when she fails to do something for someone, feeling that latent "selfish" desires kept her from trying harder at accomplishing her task.

24: What does she smell like?
Rich soil, quite often.  

25: What time of year does she prefer?
Spring

26: What race is she?
Unicorn.  Her magic aura is the rose-pink hue of the rhodonite in her cutie mark.

27: What languages can she speak?
English/Equestrian

28: Does she like anime, western animation, what?
She isn't much into TV, only really using it for news updates on occasion.  She understands fandoms though, mostly because she's talked out the experience with dozens of ponies.

29: Can she swim?
No.  She teleports over water whenever possible.

30: What would be her favorite movie?
Wall-E.  She knows that animals can have pony-like emotions through Vlyka's brilliant understanding of dogs, so why not machines?  Plus, it's a story about compassion, love, and nature's resilience; what wouldn't she like about it?

31: Does she believe in fairies?
Yes, though she tends to be a little more grounded about those beliefs.  She's willing to seriously reconsider what she thinks, but believes mainly because she loves the idea of them.

32: Did she go to college?  What major?
She's in college now, major in geology. She hopes it will help her study where to find rare and unique gemstones, since the gem finding spells she knows only have a limited range.

33: How many members in her family?
Two besides herself.  Her father and adoptive sister Vlyka.  She's met older relatives but doesn't see them often.

34: Is she a huge fangirl over something?
Gemstones.  She'll talk your ear off for hours about what gems fit your personality/would help your thoughts and feelings.

35: How flexible is she?
She's perhaps a little more flexible than average, mainly through practice of slipping through some unusual cracks underground.  She's generally reliant on teleportation though.

36: What if they were genderbent?
He'd probably be a little more brash and headstrong, even more hesitant to talk about his own emotions, and be more outraged at being taken advantage of.  But otherwise he'd be just as helpful and friendly as she is.

37: What was her first word?
"Dada" to her father.

38: Does he have any pets?
Yes, a cat named Ottoman (Otto).  She loves cats dearly, but Otto is a piece of work, especially around her gemstones.  She's had to start keeping her workshop door closed because of him.

39: Who is her biggest enemy?
She doesn't like to admit she has one, but it would probably be Tirek if she had to say.  He represents the antithesis of her worldview, trying to see the good in everypony and the significance of being close to others.  

40: What's the craziest thing she's done?
On a particular hike into the mountains she stumbled onto a gem cache of the diamond dogs without realizing it belonged to something.  She tried to move the entire mass back home, leaving her only barely escaping a horde of diamond dogs by teleporting so high up a mountain they couldn't reach her.  They gave up after night fell, but Midnight found her trying to decide if she should wait until dawn to try and get back home; that was their first meeting.

41: What is her motto about life?
"Give somepony a chance to talk.  You never know what they'll say until you're speaking in synch."

42: Does she drink coffee or tea?
A little coffee in the morning.  Vlyka also gave her an herbal tea she uses to soothe her muscles after getting banged up on a derby track.

43: Who is her biggest hero?
The new Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle.  

44: What color eyes does she have?
Teal

45: Does she like reading?
Yes, but it's not one of her major hobbies.

46: Is she loyal?
She likes to think this of herself.  The problem comes when she tries to be loyal to too many ponies at once, leading to conflicts of interest.  She prioritizes her closer friends over strangers, but between the same "tier" of friends she can get stuck on this for a while.

47: Does she tolerate violence?
No.  She honestly believes that every situation can be dealt with by talking and understanding.  It was quite a shock when she decked her last coltfriend him for his jerkish behavior, right before they broke up.  She isn't above a good shoulder tackle when she signs up for a roller derby, however...

48: What social class is she?
Lower middle class.

49: What country was she born in?
Equestria, Baltimare.  

50: Does she cry easily?
No, she's very restrained in showing her own emotions to other ponies, especially "negative" ones.  Most ponies only see her chipper and helpful side.

51: What is her favorite genre of music?
Rock.  ...What?

52: How does she feel about insects?
Likes them well enough.  It's part of being outside for her.

53: What are her hobbies?
Roller-skating (and occasionally a roller derby, where she often serves as a blocker), socializing, learning more about ponies.  She also counts gem hunting, but that's at least half her actual paid work.

54: Does she use any medication?
She uses crystals as healing treatments, mainly for emotional wellbeing.  She admits it might simply be a placebo effect, and will go to the doctor or psychologist without sneering.

55: What gender?
Female.

56: What kind of clothes does she wear?
If she's wearing anything it's practical, hiking clothes and saddlebags, or special charms she made herself out of jewels and metal.

57: Is she adventurous?
Yes.  She's willing to try a lot of things out and explore new locations.

58: Is she social?
Very.  It's her bread and butter.  She has an upper limit, but she far outclasses her closest friends.

59: What is the first thing someone would notice about her?
Her smile and open heart.

60: Does she enjoy nature?
Loves it tremendously.    

Spoiler: Origins • show

1: When and why did you create her?
An extension of a previous character of mine, to join her sister character in the ponyverse.  My passing fancy with gems and mineral formations did the rest.  She was the last one I've worked on, certainly the last to get a physical design.

2: How did I decide on a personality?
It kind of started as the antithesis of myself socially, exhibiting the kindness and love for others I want to feel but just don't because of fear for myself.  Similar to Midnight and Vlyka, I tweaked my old character's existing personality to make something recognizable to the original character, but unique to Crystal.

3: Why did I give him that name?
Once I finally settled on the ability, and convinced myself I wasn't just remaking Rarity, I was in the midst of a project involving gemstones.  I'd just learned that the term for the arrangement of atoms in a gem were referred to as a lattice, and the idea rattled around in my head long enough that I finally liked the ring to it.

4: Compare me and her.
Crystal is an extravert, for a start.  I kind of think that she started as a more extraverted me, certainly explaining her impulse to help others before herself, bearing the same deep feeling that others happiness is often worth more than my own.  She and I both love seeing others happy, she is just much better at helping people get to that place and sticking around long enough to associate with them.  She loves learning about others, while I appreciate it but can't recall details for very long.  She's a little more superstitious than I am: I had to research what people believe about crystal treatments from the ground up in order to give her cutie mark meaning, and while she's not exactly gullible, she is willing to give something fantastical serious consideration.

Spoiler: Vlyka Velveteen • show

Spoiler: Questions • show

1: What is her favorite color?  
Red and purple, mostly because she can identify that spectrum pretty well, and it's her coat color.

2: Where does she work?
Her dog-whispering business, set up in her home.  But since that doesn't quite pay the bills (at least not yet), she also takes work in physical labor as necessary.

3: What is her favorite food?
She's ashamed to admit she likes something tougher to chew, like she has to rip it with her teeth.  She feels weird, since it sounds like she wants to be a carnivore instead of a pony.

4: What is her favorite drink?
Her chamomile tea blend, with just a hint of lemon.

5: How old is she?
17

6: Does she have any supernatural powers?
No. Some ponies claim that her sharpened canine teeth (and other canine-like characteristics) are signs of something supernatural, but it's not true.

7: Is she in a relationship?
Nope, and she doesn't feel the need to start a family either.  Her friends are close enough to her to be emotionally satisfied.

8: What are some of her strengths?
Physical:
• Stronger, faster, and bears more stamina than an average pony
• Incredible hearing, strong sense of smell, above-average eyesight.
• Her mind is exceptionally sharp, allowing her to learn at an accelerated pace, especially via tactile methods.
Skill:
• Understands any and all canines perfectly.
• Knows how to hide even with her burgundy coat in a wooded environment.
• Has experience using her senses to track animals
Emotional/Personality:
• Unwaveringly loyal to those she really gets to know.
• Pretty strong judge of character.
• Quick intuition and mind.

9: What are some of her weaknesses?
Physical:  
• Her growth is physically stunted, leaving her shorter than most ponies her age.  
• She has a slight case of tritanomaly (blue-yellow colorblindness).
• Her elongated, sharp canines can cause trouble manipulating things with her mouth.
Emotional:
• She's likely to rush headlong into an issue and try to overpower it.  It succeeds enough that she still thinks it's a reasonable tactic.  
• She's very stubborn on certain matters and tends not to budge on them.  
• She's not a ponies pony and can lack some tact when describing something to her clients' owners, but thankfully it's often written off as a joke on her part.  
• She's very sarcastic even with ponies she likes, which can make her come off awkwardly at first.  
• She gets lonely fairly easily but doesn't like opening up to strangers, so she relies heavily on a close circle of friends.
Other:
• She's almost cosmically unlucky.  While she generally doesn't suffer from this day-to-day, she's almost guaranteed to lose any game of chance.  This even applies to her genetics, as her body chemistry is a mess compared to the average pony, leading to her "misshapen" teeth, stunted growth, tritanomaly and social hampering.
• She tends to miss some social cues, which can muck with her "judge of character" ability.

10: What is her favorite outfit?
What she calls her "camo" cover, which mainly consists of covers for her mane and tail that help her blend into the forest easier.  It's about the only "outfit" she wears besides something to go hiking in.  Other than that, just her opal necklace gift from Crystal.

11: What is her spirit animal?
Wolf

12: Is she currently in school?
Yes, aiming for a veterinary degree.  It's part time though, as she has to work quite a bit to keep her rent going.

13: What is her earliest memory?
She has a vague memory of somepony holding her in the woods.  She's convinced it was one of her birth parents.

14: Does she have a cell phone?
If Equestria had them, though she'd barely use it.  Quick, short texts with her friends mainly.

15: What makes her angry?
Hurting any animals, but especially dogs, insulting canines as a species (diamond dogs are a possible exception), making a comment about her height or degrading her for her pointed teeth, her atrocious luck.

16: When is her favorite time of the year?  
Late summer, especially afternoon to evening.  

17: How long can she hold her breath?
30 seconds.

18: What is her (least) favorite holiday?
(Pony equivalent of Fourth of July, if it exists), solely because the next week at work will be absolutely filled with clients questioning if the sky still exists like it did beforehand.

19: What bums her out?
Cats, ponies who say cats are better than dogs.  Sometimes she fixates too much on her missing birth years and her unknown birth parents.

20: What is her favorite kind of pizza?
She'd be all over the meat lover's slice if it existed in Equestria.

21: Who is her best friend?
Her adoptive sister Crystal Lattice. Despite only having 3 real friends, she calls the others (Midnight and Winter) a close second, even when she and Winter jab at each other often.

22: Has he ever been arrested?
It wouldn't have been an arrest exactly, but she almost was caught for a crime.  See below.  

23: What is her biggest secret?
She was responsible for the escape of a famous actress' pet dog, whom she could tell even from afar was very unhappy with its life.  Lattice has always suspected it, but said nothing.  She was only 9 at the time, and the actress gave up looking fairly quickly in indifference, but it stuck with Vlyka and motivated her to break out of her shell a bit and talk issues out, instead of making decisions for others.
Alternatively, she really wants to attend a ball in a gorgeous gown, or have some other sense of the stereotypical "royalty" trope, at least for a night or so.  It's part of the reason she likes to take shots at Winter: knowing the snowmare gave up the life she's secretly idolized.

24: What does she smell like?
Kind of a musky/natural scent.  When she bathes, she uses a special herbal shampoo that helps conceal her scent, making her smell more like a forest.  The effect in a heavily-enough wooded area is that she disappears from some weaker noses, and makes it harder for the stronger ones to pick her out exactly.

25: What time of year does she prefer?
Summer for weather, winter for exploration.  Something about passing through snow-covered forests speaks to her.

26: What race is she?
Earth Pony

27: What languages can she speak?
English/Equestrian, Canine.  She counts it as an official language.

28: Does she like anime, western animation, what?
She doesn't like to admit it, but she got sucked into an anime (ish?  Whatever's in Equestria) after a particular client told her about it.  

29: Can she swim?
Yes, very well.  It's a favored pastime of hers.

30: What would be her favorite movie?
All Dogs go to Heaven

31: Does she believe in fairies?
She can't decide.  On the one hoof, she wants too, to help explain her apparent streak of bad luck, but on the other she's normally able to explain "fairies" her clients see as normal objects.

32: Did she go to college?  What major?
She will be, focusing on veterinary practices.  She's actually ok with the biology and behavior, it's mainly medicines she's struggling with.

33: How many members in her family?
Birth are unknown, presumed deceased.  By adoption, she has a father and sister.

34: Is she a huge fangirl over something?
An anime she got introduced to by a client.  It's kind of a guilty pleasure of hers, so even two of her best friends don't know about her love of it.

35: How flexible is she?
Average flexibility.  

36: What if they were genderbent?
He'd probably be a little more confident in telling off his detractors.  Otherwise he wouldn't care or be very different.

37: What was her first word?
"Kitty" at the family pet.  She's mortified by this now, explaining she hadn't been around dogs long enough at the time to distinguish one four-legged fuzzball from another.  Crystal still uses it to toy with her on occasion, even giving it to Winter to play with, much to Vlyka's annoyance.

38: Does she have any pets?
Her dog, a "Tibetan Mastiff" (what's the equivalent breed in Equestria?) named Remmy.  She's been tempted to get another but decided it wasn't a sound idea.

39: Who is her biggest enemy?
Anything feline, every (intentional) animal abuser ever.  Even the unintentional can land on her list.

40: What's the craziest thing she's done?
Attempting to tame a timberwolf cub.  She'd almost succeeded before she was interrupted by the pack and their prey screaming by and interrupting her.

41: What is her motto about life?
"Keep your mind open to the possibilities around you."  She admits it might change with time.

42: Does she drink coffee or tea?
She loves chamomile tea, and is so grateful to Midnight for introducing it to her.  

43: Who is her biggest hero?
She idolized Midnight Storm, having borne a strong crush on him for several months after they met.  She saw him as a version of herself that can be more pony-friendly, something to aspire to, but she's been able to pull back a little and see that he's more than just her idol.

44: What color eyes does she have?
Purple/magenta

45: Does she like reading?
More than an average pony, especially on specific subjects.

46: Is she loyal?
Deadly so.  It takes effort to earn her loyalty, but to those that have it she's invaluable.  

47: Does she tolerate violence?
If the cause seems justified, but her limit is superficial injuries (bruises, maybe a few shallow cuts).  She also only resorts to violence when she's utterly enraged; irritations may lead to her tail-whipping the offender, but it takes willful and applied malice to make her lash out.

48: What social class is she?
Lower end of middle class, though her adoptive father helps when she needs it.

49: What country was she born in?
Unknown, presumed Equestria

50: Does she cry easily?
No.  She isn't openly emotional unless she's only around her friends, but even then she pulls herself back from crying.

51: What is her favorite genre of music?
Anything with high energy.  Classical puts her to sleep out of boredom (though she tried getting into it for Midnight's sake), and country she wants to rip to shreds with her teeth.

52: How does she feel about insects?
Indifferent, unless they bug her.  Soon as one ticks her off, it's going *splat*

53: What are her hobbies?
Hiking/rock climbing, tracking, birdwatching, watching some TV (mainly her anime)

54: Does she use any medication?
Self-prescribed herbal remedy for shampoo.  She claims it helps her keep her muscles in top form and neutralizes her scent; the latter is almost certainly true, but the former is unproven.

55: What gender?
Female

56: What kind of clothes does she wear?
Nothing really.  She prefers not having to wear anything.  On rare occasions though she will don a flower hoof-bracelet, or her mane and tail camo if she's going to visit the Everfree Forest.  Besides that, it's mainly practical gear for hiking or cold weather.

57: Is she adventurous?
In the wilderness, yes.  Socially absolutely not.

58: Is she social?
Not with other ponies, no.  It often takes Crystal or a new client to get her to even look a stranger in the eye.

59: What is the first thing someone would notice about her?
Her apparent aloofness.  Passing that, it would probably be what Lattice calls her fangs.  Vlyka insisted they be called her canine teeth if somepony absolutely must talk about them, but she's lost steam for arguing about it.

60: Does she enjoy nature?
Yes and no.  She loves exploring, but she becomes more and more aware of the ecosystem around her. If she's out for long enough it can become overwhelming and she needs to retreat to a quiet place for a while.

Spoiler: Questions • show

1: When and why did you create her?
After working to develop an earth pony OC to complete the trifecta, basing it off of myself, I eventually began to realize that other characters in my head need not have only one form if I wasn't going to.  As a result, I began to mold an existing character of mine into Vlyka.

2: How did I decide on a personality?
The dog theme was simple: my original character already had a canine link, so her pony form would as well.  It worked a little too well: she turned out far more canine than I'd intended, sort of skirting the line on stereotypical "werewolf" tropes while keeping her firmly equine.  I tried to go off the personality I already had in mind and tweak it a little, like I'd tweaked Midnight Storm's personality out of my own.  

3: Why did I give her that name?
As I was researching possible names, I remembered a mistake I'd made when making an avatar name for a game; I'd based the name off the Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Chapter Space Wolves "proper name" (Vlka Fenryka, the "Wolves of Fenris").  The velveteen part came because I wanted some alliteration, which then led me to say that while she looked rather soft, she wasn't as "soft and squishy" as she may have looked.

4: Compare me and her.
She's my hard-headedness and my social anxieties turned up significantly.  She also has my desire to be a sarcastic individual with less reservation about hurting people with it.  She still has the kindness I think I have, like all my other characters because I don't like feeling a personality that doesn't have that, but hers is more buried than some others, reserved for special circumstances.  She and I also share a love of small fuzzy animals, canines preferably.

Everypony smile now!

Spoiler: Vlyka, Crystal, Midnight, and Winter • show

[Spoiler: Midnight Storm •]

8

Original Characters / Re: How well do you know your OC?

2017 Nov 17, 13:29:08

It's been far too long since I picked this up and tinkered with it, so it's about time I post what I've got.  Bear with me, I have 4 to go through here

Spoiler: Midnight Storm • show

Spoiler: Questions • show

1: What is his favorite color?  
Dark blues and/or rich yellow

2: Where does he work?
Ponyville night weatherpony/lookout

3: What is his favorite food?
A good old fashioned hayburger with cheese and fries.

4: What is his favorite drink?
Generally he just takes water, however he'll have some chamomile tea every so often.

5: How old is he?
26 (Equestrian years)

6: Does he have any supernatural powers?
An unusual connection to electricity.  He doesn't get shocked by voltages or amps that would be painful to most ponies.  It's unknown if this is just a high resistance or some magical affinity.

7: Is he in a relationship?
Yes, with Winter Whisper.

8: What are some of his strengths?
 Physical:
• Electrical resistance
• Perfect visual clarity in low-light situations
• Strong, dexterous wings and heightened air maneuverability
 Skill:
• Topographic navigation
• Highly experienced cloud handler
• Practiced in heavy-weather flight, and knows how to keep himself from spinning or stalling in even the worst weather.
 Emotional/Personality:
• Driven to find new facts and learn.
• Kind and courteous to his friends.
• Tries his hardest to understand others.

9: What are some of his weaknesses?
 Physical:
• He can barely see anything during daylight hours without sunglasses.  His eyes don't adapt quickly either, meaning a sudden flash can blind him for several minutes.
• His stamina for running suffers.  He can sprint if he needs to, but he lasts much longer while flying.
 Skills:
• He has awful time management
 Emotional:
• He's depressive and withdrawn, and rarely feels confidence to lead a conversation.
• He tends to have a short fuse specifically for the "misuse" of stormclouds.
• Very jumpy when it comes to small buzzing noises, thanks to an incident with bees.

10: What is his favorite outfit?
His sunglasses, to prevent going blind from Celestia's majesty, and the opal pendant gift Crystal gave him.

11: What is his spirit animal?
Owl.

12: Is he currently in school?
Not as a student, no.  Occasionally drops by to help with an astronomy lesson.

13: What is his earliest (vivid) memory?
His encounter with a bee's nest at about age 3. It's specifically a BAD memory.

14: Does he have a cell phone?
He would if Equestria had them.

15: What makes him angry?
Ponies being mean for the sake of being mean, talking ill of the night/Princess Luna, and misuse of stormclouds.  And as of late, do NOT badmouth Winter Whisper.

16: When is his favorite time of the year?  
Autumn/winter, because it's a little cooler.  He also likes summer due to the heightened need for thunderstorms, but generally not a fan of the heat.

17: How long can he hold his breath?
About a minute standing still.

18: What is his favorite holiday?
The Winter Solstice.  The longest night of the year, cooler temperatures, and the night he met Winter all rolled into one.
He also has a least favorite: Nightmare Night.  Not only due to realizing that the myths behind Nightmare Moon don't represent Luna of today, but ever since he moved to Ponyville, several lightning-loaded clouds disappear every year.  He's been trying to track down the culprit, but he never catches up to them even when he hears every strike and rushes to the site.

19: What bums him out?
Himself, admittedly.  Knows that his mind is a darker place than it should be, but it's hard to escape.  Besides this, he has a little discomfort meeting new ponies and hates having to struggle with remembering their names. It can take him weeks to remember somepony's name.

20: What is his favorite kind of pizza?
Black olives. He gets defensive of it, only because both the unicorns in his life often try to swipe some.

21: Who is his best friend?
He calls Winter this, but he isn't certain it encompasses their relationship.  Besides her he'd say Crystal and Vlyka, for different reasons: Vlyka is familiar and sarcastic, good for sharing snark, and Crystal actively helps him pull up and deal with his emotional/mental knots.

22: Has he ever been arrested?
No, and he hopes to stay that way.  He has gotten in a little trouble, but never that serious.

23: What is his biggest secret?
He occasionally craves attention for his aerial acrobatics, but is too ashamed and worried he'd mess up in the limelight to seek it out.  He could probably qualify for the Wonderbolts training academy if he wanted to, but gets stage fright at the mere thought of somepony judging his ability.  That, and he thinks the Wonderbolts are a little overrated, their flying ability aside.

24: What does he smell like?
Occasionally there's a scent of ozone in his feathers, especially after he's been stormcrafting.

25: What time of year does he prefer?
In general the colder parts, only appreciating summer for a good chance to practice his art.  If thunderstorms were more prevalent in winter, summer goes right out the window.

26: What race is he?
Pegasus Pony

27: What languages can he speak?
Equestrian.  He's tried to learn others, but his interest plummets.

28: Does he like anime, western animation, what?
Is a fan of both, mostly due to liking certain art styles.  But he cringes at poor writing.

29: Can he swim?
Yes, very well. Though if he's just been working it's not recommended, as he tends to carry a lot of electricity in his coat that discharges into the water all at once.

30: What would be his favorite movie?
Something geeky.  Probably The Force Awakens.

31: Does he believe in fairies?
Doesn't discount the possibility.  He likes to think some things like that are true, but tries to be realistic about it.  He is cynical though, meaning it would take a lot to really convince him.

32: Did he go to college?  What major?
Yes.  It'd either be the Equestrian equivalent of an electrical engineer, or a licensed storm handler.

33: How many members in his family?
Two: his mother and father.  He doesn't communicate much with them, but he does care for them.

34: Is he a huge fanboy over something?
Princess Luna, a little ashamedly.  He admits he treats her more as a symbol than a pony, has been trying to work on it.  Otherwise, he likes one or two shows/games a bit too much for it to be entirely healthy.

35: How flexible is he?
He's particularly good in aerial maneuvers, so he's a bit above average.  

36: What if they were genderbent?
Think a blue, nocturnal Fluttershy, but would be far closer to RD's flight capability.

37: What was his first word?
"Da mun".  He was pointing at the window; his parents thought he was saying "that one", pointing at a little sticker on the window of a blue jay, but he was actually trying to point at the moon, asking why it wasn't out in the sky.

38: Does he have any pets?
Not presently: he's considered getting a bat or an owl.  Vlyka keeps pestering him to get a dog, which he would love, but he's unsure if it will be a good match since he makes lightning for a living.

39: Who is his biggest enemy?
Bees.  While he was still learning to fly properly, he fell into a bee's nest.  The experience stuck with him such that any time he hears a sound like a bee buzzing, he's likely to flinch.

40: What's the craziest thing he's done?
By far the expedition into an Ursa Major's den.  While he'd initially wanted to just get a closer look at the species, but was unaware that it had been an Ursa Minor he was observing until discovering the actual Ursa Major, who had only recently given birth to the Minor.  While Midnight understood she was acting in defense of her child, he nonetheless booked it before he was swallowed alive, and vowed never to enter an Ursa's den again.  Embarrassingly, he's considered exploring one at a different time of the year, in the hopes of not ticking off a new mother, but for now he's content to observe from a distance.  

41: What is his motto about life?
(Hypocritically) "Don't let yourself fixate on the small issues.  Life isn't perfect, but it is exciting."

42: Does he drink coffee or tea?
Neither regularly, though sometimes he does enjoy a little tea.  It's rare though, but he wants to like tea more.  Coffee seems evil to him, though it would probably help his grogginess early evening.

43: Who is his biggest hero?
Princess Luna.  It started as more an idol adoration however, seeing her as an embodiment of the night that has always spoken to him.  He's gotten better about separating his vision from reality, and has been able to appreciate her for who she is rather than what she represents.

44: What color eyes does he have?
Pale Yellow.  Winter says he's trapped moonlight in his eyes.

45: Does he like reading?
Yes, yes and yes.  He loves being able to escape his own mind into another world for a little while.

46: Is he loyal?
Prefers to be.  Some of the time he ends up ignoring responsibilities for a little relaxation, but that's mostly responsibilities aimed at himself.  He'll help a friend out if he can.

47: Does he tolerate violence?
In animals, generally, since it's nature.  Ponies he's less for it, wishes there wasn't a need for it.  

48: What social class is he?
Middle class, though he doesn't care about it as long as he has a decent place to live.

49: What country was he born in?
Equestria, Cloudsdale

50: Does he cry easily?
He depresses easily due to his brain chemistry, but refrains from crying as best he can.  He'll tear up almost instantly over some good music, however.

51: What is his favorite genre of music?
Classical.  Plays a little viola, but it's a very rusty skill usually.  He's also into electronic/a little techno.

52: How does he feel about insects?
Most: "Ugh, leave me alone."  Bees: "Agh, get away!!!"  Does understand that bees are a good thing, but is severely uneasy around them.  While they're technically arachnids, he's not a fan of spiders either: he again respects they serve a purpose, but really doesn't like being near them.

53: What are his hobbies?
Practicing viola, reading, stargazing

54: Does he use any medication?
No.  Tried a little for his minor depression, but it didn't seem to have a good enough kick for him to notice a difference.

55: What gender?
Male

56: What kind of clothes does he wear?
Protective. Mostly his sunglasses in the day, a scarf and maybe boots during winter.  He's not exactly fashion-oriented.

57: Is he adventurous?
In some ways yes.  He does like exploring in the Everfree Forest, generally when he has the sky as a decent escape route, but he's not so interested in trying new things if he can at all avoid them.  

58: Is he social?
Oh Celestia no.  Midnight is very withdrawn, a little too much for his own good.  Besides his close friends, it's hard to really crack his shell and get at the real him.

59: What is the first thing someone would notice about him?
He'd prefer if they didn't notice him at all.  Physically his coat is a bit darker than most ponies around him, but in terms of personality they would probably see somepony very uncomfortable with talking.

60: Does he enjoy nature?
A little bit.  Animals generally fascinate him, but in his exploration of the Everfree he generally doesn't touch down often, trying to avoid getting his hooves too dirty.  He likes to say he appreciates nature "from a distance".  

Spoiler: Origins • show

1: When and why did you create him?
Not long after getting into the show, and after latching onto Princess Luna.  He was the first real written attempt of mine to create a semi-reasonable OC for one of my infinite fandoms.

2: How did I decide on a personality?
He's more a ponysona than an OC, so he's somewhat a mirror of me, good and bad.  A few tweaks here and there.  

3: Why did I give him that name?
It felt a little on the nose, but it was a combination of my love for the fictional power of controlling electricity and interest in Luna's night.  Anything star-themed just sounded weird.

4: Compare me and him.
As mentioned above, he's a ponysona, so most of his traits are from me.  He's more dedicated to viola than I am though, more into reading as opposed to my gaming, and his adventurousness in exploration is a step away from myself as well.  I'm also not nocturnal (though I occasionally wish I was).

Spoiler: Winter Whisper • show

Before I start with Winter, her origins need a minor address: I wrote Winter as having a connection with creatures beyond the history of Equestria, beings that could shape reality as they saw fit.  She has limited access to the power to manipulate ice, giving her her powers, but it it made her vulnerable to possession by the being who gave that connection to her.  She's since defeated that entity and is in no risk of falling to its control again.

Spoiler: Questions • show

1: What is her favorite color?  
Translucent blue, like ice.

2: Where does she work?
She's an ice sculptor, self-employed.  She also picks up odd jobs when she can, particularly in the winter months.

3: What is her favorite food?
A mixed fruit and garden salad with Italian (what is this in Equestria?) dressing.  That, or her "forbidden fruit" (as it comes from the tropics): pineapple.

4: What is her favorite drink?
ICED tea.  She also enjoys hot cocoa every so often, weather permitting; it's mainly a social drink with her friends, though she does love the taste.  A few hot foods here and there aren't detrimental to her if she isn't having other issues keeping cool.

5: How old is she?
23 (or Equestrian equivalent)

6: Does she have any supernatural powers?
Her "magic" is actually this.  She doesn't use unicorn magic nearly as much as she uses her ability to command ice.  She knows where these powers come from and, despite nopony but her friends knowing that dark secret, she often feels the need to prove to others, and herself, that they're not just a curse.

7: Is she in a relationship?
Yes, with Midnight Storm.  

8: What are some of her strengths?
 Physical:
• Low body temperature aids in cold-weather survival.
• Her body is sturdier than her ice powers might suggest; she can take a hit if need be.
 Skill:
• Highly math-oriented brain: she can practically see fractal patterns in her mind's eye.
• She's learned quite a bit about light and refraction, especially through ice.  
• She's trained a little as an actress, mainly to enhance the theatrics of her ice crafting.
 Emotional/Personality:
• She's most often friendly and open to talk.
• She has a flair for the dramatic, and loves to make others smile through her work.
• She's willing to put up with a lot of verbal abuse, especially if she knows it's playful.
 "Magic":
• Able to tap into a limitless source of energy to fuel her magic.
• Her control of ice and snow ranges from moving literal tons of it at once to shaping detailed sculptures in the blink of an eye.
• Temporarily animate snow golems to act on her behalf.

9: What are some of her weaknesses?
 Physical:
• Poor heat resistance: she's particularly vulnerable to heat illnesses.
• Less-than-fit due to having to limit her activity during warmer seasons.
• She can't sing, as much as she likes to; her voice isn't terrible, just not good.
 Emotional:
• She bears deep-reaching insecurities about her ability to hold friendships.  She feels she's not "friend" material at some points and can linger on those thoughts, which may get so bad that she fears losing her friends if she doesn't see them on a regular basis.
• While her temperament has cooled from her younger years, she can still be pressured into anger easier than an average pony, especially by pushing one of her berserk buttons.
 Magic:
• Any snow golems she has active require her to keep magic focused on them, or they fall apart.  She can maintain three of them set on different tasks at once, but she can act less for herself when she has to stay so focused on them.
• While the creation element is limitless, at least for her lifespan, she can only pull so much power at once from what she calls the "well".  Her body naturally stores some of this energy for instant use, but prolonged or intensive use (like moving literal tons of snow) requires her to start drawing power from the well; the flow of energy wears her body out, similar to physically straining tasks, and she can risk damaging her body if she pulls too much power at once.
This becomes an especially crippling weakness if someone attempts to drain her magic.
• Any common unicorn magic that can't be done by her ice powers is tricky for her; she barely mastered telekinesis enough to write elegantly with a quill.

10: What is her favorite outfit?
Her opal necklace gift from Crystal, because it helps her keep cool and links her to her friends.  She still has a few large sunhats to help with the heat, if she needs them.

11: What is her spirit animal?
A snow leopard  

12: Is she currently in school?
Part time at a couple trade schools.  It's only to give her new ideas for how to apply her magic.

13: What is her earliest memory?
She remembers being coddled by her grandmother, sometime around her first birthday.  It's a vague memory, but she recalls it extremely fondly as an early moment where she was treated like a normal filly, when her parents were overly concerned for her thanks to her "condition".  She still hangs onto it as it helped her to cope with the troubled emotional state she went through during adolescence when she became the family's black sheep.

14: Does she have a cell phone?
If Equestria had them, she'd own a water-resistant one with a good camera.  

15: What makes her angry?
Disrespecting the cold, calling her a Windigo or accusing her of summoning them.  Mentioning these to her are the quickest way for her to start using her powers with impunity.

16: When is her favorite time of the year?  
Check the name, genius.  The Winter Solstice is her favorite night of the year; incidentally, it's also when she first met Midnight, though she'd decided the date was important well before said meeting.

17: How long can she hold her breath?
Nearly a minute while swimming at full strength.  She's proud of her lung capacity and breath control.

18: What is her (least) favorite holiday?
She hasn't been a fan of Hearthswarming Eve, despite it being a good time for winter/cold weather.  It continues to remind her of when superstitious ponies called her a Windigo, especially the story A Hearth's Warming Tale.  Spending a couple of seasons with her Ponyville friends has started to lighten her mood for it.

19: What bums her out?
Hot weather, Winter Wrap Up ("Day of Organized Destruction", she calls it).  She also gets anxious if she's alone for too long, which quickly spirals into feeling her power chased her friends away.

20: What is her favorite kind of pizza?
When she has some (rare due to the heat), it has to have pineapple on it.  That or just plain olives, because she's stolen one of Midnight's slices again.

21: Who is her best friend?
Vlyka Velveteen, though they have a playfully vitriolic relationship.  Sometimes Winter wonders if Vlyka even knows it's playful, but she doesn't mind either way.
Alternatively, it's with Vlyka's "sister" Crystal Lattice.  The two unicorns tend to bond over being outgoing, somewhat talkative ponies.  

22: Has he ever been arrested?
Yes, once.  It wasn't so much an "arrest" as it was a "witch hunt" when she was deemed a second coming of the Windigos.  

23: What is her biggest secret?
She used to think it was the time she lost her temper and nearly buried an entire town in a snowbank.  It became the fact that she was altered before birth to be an avatar for an ancient elemental creature bent on returning to wreak havoc with the physical world.  

24: What does she smell like?
That scent you get on a cold, dry day.

25: What time of year does she prefer?
Any time she can really get outside.  Winter evenings became her favorite.

26: What race is she?
Unicorn.  She also considers herself a sliver "elemental" due to her connection to the creation energy of cold, given to her by a creature (which she's called an "elemental") when she was developing.  She tells nopony about this part, however, feeling it sounds too insane to believe.

27: What languages can she speak?
English/Equestrian, knows enough of some other nearby languages to communicate basically, a necessity in her earlier travelling days.

28: Does she like anime, western animation, what?
She's slowly getting into animation as a whole.  She's started to watch quite a bit of TV during summer when she can't leave her house for long. (Assuming Equestria has TV)

29: Can she swim?
Yes, very well.  Though she prefers to freeze water and skate over it if given the option.

30: What would be her favorite movie?
The Rocketeer: Stormy would have introduced her to it and she'd fall in love with the action (plus, it gives her a little insight to Stormy's love of flying).  Everyone assumes it'd be Frozen though; she does like it, especially the music, but it's become something she avoids because of everyone talking about it.  

31: Does she believe in fairies?
Yes.  Since she's been so often associated with Windigos because of her power, she does believe they are real, but distinct from her.  It helped her come to grips with the reality of where her powers came from; if she hadn't believed in Windigos, she'd have thought for certain she went insane.

32: Did she go to college?  What major?
No, but she has been through multiple trade schools.  She learns conventional methods to her artistry and works her magic into it.  She's not interested in going through any school again.

33: How many members in her family?
Both her parents and two of her grandparents, along with her (much) older brother.  She doesn't have a lot of contact with any of them, though in her brother's case it's because actually communicating with him is difficult (mail takes forever to reach him overseas).

34: Is she a huge fangirl over something?
The Harry Potter novels (or Equestrian equivalent.  Don't feel the horse-puns flowing).

35: How flexible is she?
Pretty average, maybe a little bit more than usual.

36: What if they were genderbent?
She'd be pretty much the same (I don't really care about gender, I guess)

37: What was her first word?
"Let go."  (Yes, that's a stupid Elsa joke.  No, she was made before I saw Frozen.)  She mimicked her dad, who was talking to her mother about the long and nasty winter they were dealing with.

38: Does he have any pets?
No.  She isn't interested in having one either, though Vlyka might change that with time.

39: Who is her biggest enemy?
The elemental who tried to take her body as its new form.  While it's now gone and will not bother her for the rest of her life, Winter doesn't know this for a fact and still has the occasional nightmare of the creature returning to steal her away.  She'd also qualify the village that declared her a Windigo as this, particularly because it deeply shook her belief in her powers and the good hearts of other ponies, alongside fearing for her safety.  

40: What's the craziest thing she's done?
She tried to ice over Celestia's chariot once while she was still living in Canterlot as a practical joke.  Celestia was nowhere nearby, but the royal guard were, and almost arrested her when she tried to get close enough to fire her magic.  She barely managed to escape, but has never been brought to charges over it.

41: What is her motto about life?
"There's not enough time to worry about every single snowflake."

42: Does she drink coffee or tea?
Cold tea; regular consumption of hot beverages doesn't agree with her, though she can stomach one or two at a time and makes the best cocoa of the gang.

43: Who is her biggest hero?
Princess Cadence, a pony who earns the respect of practically anypony around her.  Winter wishes that she could pull off the same trick, even on a limited scale, but feels deep in her heart that her powers act as an antithesis of Cadence's.  While Winter can make art with them, she knows her powers came from something dark.  Despite her controlling them, the stain of their history is still there, and she's afraid that would chase ponies away from her if they knew.

44: What color eyes does she have?
Frosty blue, the same color as her unicorn aura.  Her black iris glazes over with this color if she starts tapping into the well of her element, generally due to becoming enraged.  It turns into a brilliant blue fire if she gets really into it.

45: Does she like reading?
Yes, but it's not a hobby.  

46: Is she loyal?
It's not a defining character trait, but she sticks with the ponies that stick with her.  It's something of a defense mechanism of hers, trying to keep friends near her so she doesn't lose track of them, feeling they'll drift away from her because of her powers.

47: Does she tolerate violence?
A little bit.  She's pretty physical in showing her displeasure, bopping ponies on the head if they annoy her or smacking them with a snowball, often special-order from her power.  However, she draws the line at serious harm...or tries to.  The elemental's influence on her made her more susceptible to sudden anger, and that can well up to make her lash out with purpose.  She'd be later horrified by these actions when she gained full control of herself again.

48: What social class is she?
By birth, lower end of high class.  She doesn't care for it though, put off by her childhood.  Lives a life of middle class, though she has a bit of money saved up that she could spend if she wanted.

49: What country was she born in?
Equestria, Canterlot

50: Does she cry easily?
She's about "average" for crying: she can stomach even unjust criticism fairly well, and is practiced putting on different expressions when she's entertaining, but pressuring her on her powers can make her very upset in a hurry.  She's also prone to tearing up when she feels relief.

51: What is her favorite genre of music?
Techno/electronic, and some synth.  She also likes classical music; while it's not her favorite, she can get swept up in the emotions of the piece just as much as Midnight.

52: How does she feel about insects?
They're odd to her.  She's not a fan since her favorite season involves pretty much none of them, but she doesn't cringe or get too creeped out at the sight of one.

53: What are her hobbies?
General snowy mayhem with fillies, making something artistic.  She's starting to show interest in photography, though she hasn't yet looked into a camera.

54: Does she use any medication?
A "cold charm" on her house, if it counts.  When she was born, doctors misdiagnosed her, believing her low body temperature to be a sign of great risk to her.  They put her on a few different medications for two years which actually caused a few illnesses.  It was only after those two years of careful monitoring that they realized her body freezes foreign bodies instead of the normal overheating, making her body equally inhospitable to the invading entity.  

55: What gender?
Female

56: What kind of clothes does she wear?
Protective, if anything: she still radiates body heat, so despite it being a lesser amount than average clothing would still trap the heat, and since she prefers to be colder than the weather around her she's generally averse to the idea.

57: Is she adventurous?
If she can survive the environment yes.  The usual restriction on her adventuring is physical heat.

58: Is she social?
At least somewhat: she's very happy with entertaining other ponies, but her social life is rather small for such a career path.  She loves talking to others, engaging them, but has a rather limited amount of social energy.  She also is very reserved talking about herself, her deeper feelings only coming out to her closest three friends.

59: What is the first thing someone would notice about her?
Her body temperature: she's literally colder than anypony around her.

60: Does she enjoy nature?
Not very much.  She appreciates the green of leaves and such, but if it's not white outside it symbolizes that she's going to be physically uncomfortable.  During the winter months she loves being outdoors though.

Spoiler: Origins • show

1: When and why did you create her?
Don't remember the date, but she was my second pony OC.  I've always liked ice, so when I decided to make a second pony OC of a different race an ice based mage was the first thing out of my head.  Her whole "elemental" business came about sometime after I posted her first bio on the LoE forums and got some critique about the grip she had on her powers.  The animating her creations was something I'd had in the back of my head for a while, her cutie mark story hasn't changed in her various historical alterations, but I only really gave it focus after shaping a summoner-class character in Terraria after her human form.
I also did not create her after seeing Frozen.  She was fixed up for the most part beforehand: I recall posting her first bio shortly after Snowdrop was released, well before Frozen was out in theaters, and well before well before I actually saw the movie.  The elemental parts came out of that bio posting still before I saw Frozen.  Her snow golems had nothing to do with Olaf, I swear.

2: How did I decide on a personality?
I think I was going for myself as an extrovert when I made Winter: I didn't want to subscribe to the old trope of a cold and distant personality for someone associated with ice, but not strictly reversing it, and I wanted to at least be able to distance my accusation of ripping off Raven (Teen Titans) by giving her a very different personality.  

3: Why did I give her that name?
I thought it was clever.  It's been something I wonder about if it's too blatant or rough, same as her cutie mark.  It was also one of the critiques I got when I posted her initial draft, asking why in-universe she'd be named that.  My answer was that her family prefers warmer temperatures and this was their first winter in Canterlot; they hoped it would pass by with a whisper, and named their snow-white filly after that hope; the irony is that it was actually the worst winter Canterlot had seen in a while, indirectly because of Winter (the elemental's presence made the weather worse/made it harder for pegasi to control the snowfall).

4: Compare me and her.
She's one form of ideal I have, tuned down a bit to hopefully make her a more realistic character.  She tends to use self-depreciating humor similarly to myself, because I generally don't feel like I'm as important as someone else, though she's less depressive about it.  Besides that, she has my general desire to help others feel good, if a little better social know-how on how to do that.  She also embodies my reflexive rage for things I really care about, in the form of her testiness about ice, but is less restrained (or has less practice) keeping it bottled up like I tend to.

9

Off-Topic / Re: Dumb things that annoy you

2017 Oct 29, 02:46:29

When places you submit job applications for don't respond. Not even to say "no".  I have issues enough feeling ignored, thanks, I don't need you compounding my waking nightmares.  At least if you tell me you're not interested I can move to try something different, but nope, leave me hanging on wondering if today's the day they call back. Gah.

Oh, that and questioning every single thing you do because you don't feel you quite understand it.  Makes life exhausting.

10

Video Games / Re: What are you currently playing?

2017 Aug 23, 22:08:36

After one of its most recent updates, I jumped back into Subnautica a few days ago.  It's gotten a little out of control already.

11

General News / Re: Legends of Equestria Open Access Release: Trailer and Date Announcement!

2017 Jun 25, 02:51:54

This is just fantastic to see happen finally!  Congrats to the team on reaching a point to make this leap, and I hope your development continues to go strong.  I'll be sure to play often and enjoy all your hard work!

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Off-Topic / Re: Dumb things that annoy you

2017 Jun 06, 02:31:11

Took a short little job right after school got out, putting on a production of Pirates of Penzance, my first Gilbert and Sullivan and what got me hooked on their writing.  Unfortunately, I was given three hats to wear at the start of the production...all of which I expected.  But tonight we add the orchestra, and suddenly I have 5 hats, a couple of which demand my attention at once, especially in a tech-based rehearsal. Just because I know how to do all of this doesn't mean I can do it simultaneously! And I haven't even had time to go sort out how I get paid for all this yet... 

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Off-Topic / Re: Dumb things that annoy you

2017 May 08, 00:45:11

I get home from a day with my visiting family, and discover that there's a random drop in power every so often.  I start timing it, and it happens every 3 minutes, 10 seconds, on the dot.  I then check if it's just my house or other houses, and find out it's the entire neighborhood.  Including the street lights...because THAT'S safe for pedestrians!

So I try and get in contact with my power company, but since I'm renting I don't have the actual account attached to the house, and can't get any info.  My landlord never bothers to answer their phone, but I send them a message anyways (which is a big thing for me, since I hate talking on the phone, even to leave a message.)  The instant I hang up, power is stabilized.  What in Equestria just happened?! 

I'm just waiting for it to crop back up as soon as I try online gaming.  Don't test me, electrical company.

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Original Characters / Re: The problem with my OC

2017 May 01, 18:01:50

Honestly the best advice I can give you is this: don't worry too much about it.  Sure it's nice if your OC is unique, but let me ask a question of you.  WHY did you make this OC?  If the answer is "because I wanted to", then I don't think you need to change anything.  Make whatever character you like, ask for criticism if you feel it needs improving.

And FYI: this is entirely hypocritical advice.  I've spent hours trying to convince myself I didn't just ponyfy Frozen's Elsa in making one of my OCs, Winter Whisper.  At some point it's just not worth worrying over. 

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Off-Topic / Re: Dumb things that annoy you

2017 Mar 26, 03:07:04

I was hired as the assistant sound designer for two small shows, and ran troubleshooting while our main sound designer was out on vacation last week.  That was bad enough.  But tonight, BOTH Stage managers call me up asking questions about the light board...which was NOT my department.  Yes, I work lights often, but that does not immediately mean I can diagnose, by phone, what is going wrong with a system I haven't messed around with, especially when your lights board is an emulated piece of software rather than a physical unit that I AM familiar working on.
I had a bad enough time last week with the stress of one of the directors, I was looking forward to spending this weekend not thinking about these shows.  Why do they insist on dragging me back kicking and screaming?

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Off-Topic / Re: Today's Smile

2017 Mar 23, 15:57:09

Daaang, this just is so addicting to watch!

This is making me smile like heck!

This is why you don't let engineers get too close to musicians.  They fuse into one amalgamation of epicness so great the internet almost can't handle it.

Almost.

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Off-Topic / Re: Dumb things that annoy you

2017 Mar 10, 02:11:36

In the category of "really petty":

I tend to shift rapidly between things grabbing my attention, but something that hurts every time I shift back to it is a TV show called Code Lyoko.  I loved this series when I was younger, and while I've rewatched a few episodes more recently and been less enthused, I still like the series.

The problem is that it's nowhere to be found.  Videos I do find are on Youtube, but really terrible quality.  I've looked online for any DVD releases of this, but they only have season 1 (of 4) available as a whole...for a minimum of $108, used.  I may like the show, but for what was maybe my least-favorite season I really don't feel that's worth the asking price.  And what's worse is I remember them being on the Itunes store, all four seasons, for $40ish each.  I passed them up then because I thought that was too expensive...but now I've lost my chance.  They're no longer there.

I'll be off this worry for a while in less than a week, but I know it's going to come back with a vengeance, and no amount of searching Ebay for something that doesn't exist will make that better.  Bah, curse my younger self's indecisiveness.

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Off-Topic / Re: Dumb things that annoy you

2017 Mar 07, 16:32:49

As much as I love working in theater, there's a few aspects of it that bug me.  Are you familiar with the concept of an earworm?  That tune that just won't leave your head?  Well I've been singing snippets of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for the past three hours.  I last heard this show back when I worked on it in high school: in 2007.  It's not so much an earworm at this point as it is embedded in my subconscious. 

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Off-Topic / Re: Dumb things that annoy you

2017 Feb 28, 03:03:37

As someone who does not do well in conversation, it's hard for me to pick up the phone and chat with someone, for some reason amplified if I need to leave a message.  So you can imagine how much I love having to call my landlord at 11PM to try and figure out why our internet was out for near two hours.  We've had fairly regular internet outages before, but they've lasted maybe 20 minutes at worst.  This one was no connection for quite a while.

And mysteriously enough, right after I call, the internet comes back on.  Odd how a text and ringing their doorbell (they're just upstairs) doesn't get any response, but as soon as you call the net if back, as if by magic. 



Additional

I restarted my computer to see if it was giving me the issue with the network (it wasn't, still didn't work), but suddenly I can't edit tags on my photos like I was doing before the restart.  I can't fathom what changed between then and now, but I can't edit tags I was working on beforehand either, so...
Is consistency really so much to ask for?

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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Show Discussion / Re: When did you stop wating FiM?

2017 Feb 23, 00:02:16

I'm still going with watching, but I lost most of the preview hype around season 6 (though 5 would have probably been the same if I didn't end up watching the premiere at BabsCON that year).  I'm probably going to keep watching for now, but I really lost a lot of approval to hear Starlight Glimmer was going to be hanging around.  I admit, I'm biased against her/for Sunset Shimmer because I just like her more.  The two started with too many similarities to keep me from getting invested in Starlight when she showed up a second time, and while I don't despise her character, I just don't care to see her around.  I was really hoping she'd shuttle off back to her old town at the end of season 6, maybe show up once or twice, but if she's going to be involved in multiple episodes...