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Topics - Stardust Dragon

1
So I've been working on a new OC for a while now (on and off I admit), but I keep getting stuck on designing a cutie mark for her.  I was hoping to get some potential suggestions or ideas I might use as a springboard.

Here's what I have so far, so you all can get an idea.

Name: Crystal Lattice
Species: Unicorn
Coat color: Green (shade I'm not sure yet, but it's either a pastel-ish or vibrant, not a dark "forest green")
Eye/mane colors: undefined (for me, that's an "after" cutie mark thing)
General appearance: casual, a little rough-and-tumble
Personality: highly generous (to a fault), social, open-minded, friendly, always looks to serve the next pony
Talent/employment: locating gemstones/designs and crafts special talismans and trinkets with gems bearing unique spells
Other interesting notes: She's a cat lover.  I don't feel this needs to be part of her cutie mark, but I'm not above slipping something in.  She also successfully learned to teleport; it's mainly in order to get into caves below the surface for the really pure gems, and to avoid water at all costs.

Yes, I realize that a lot of this is sounds like Rarity, I've been fighting with that issue from the conception of this character.  I intended her to lean more towards AJ instead of Rarity in terms of general attitude, though she doesn't bear AJ's country background.  Plus, Crystal's talismans are focused more on "function", like soothing or healing spells, rather than Rarity's obvious preference for form and fashion.  If you have any ideas for further separating Crystal and Rarity, I'd love to hear those as well.


Anyways, I did have one rough idea for a cutie mark for Lattice, but it's incomplete and I'm not sure if it's taking this too far.  It's a collection of raw gemstones of various different shapes and shades (ROYGBIV) encircling one larger object in white.  Initially I thought a pure diamond, but it feels too cliche, as does a crystallized heart.  I don't know if the idea is too busy in terms of color even if I could settle on a "core" piece.  I would like it to focus more on the gemstones rather than either the talismans or her gem hunting.

Thanks in advance for any opinions and ideas!
2
Video Games Archive / PC gamepads?
2015 Dec 31, 22:28:36
Hey all,

While I've been a gamer for quite some time, I'm not exactly super familiar with hardware compatibility, so I wanted to ask for some advice before I go making a bad investment.

The gist of my question is that I'm looking for a gamepad compatible with some games on Steam (which seem to indicate they have at least partial, most full, controller support).  Does anyone have suggestions for a specific brand/model that's worked for a while?  I've been a hardcore Nintendo fan for most of my life, so I don't already have an Xbox controller to try; I hear they're alright though, just wondering if there's a less pricey alternative.

I understand that gamepad support is individual game-based, not platform-wide across Steam, which is why I made sure the games in question are listed under controller supported.  Thanks for the help!
3
Hey everyone,

This idea's been rattling around in my head for a while now, but I'm having some issues making it stick to something. 

I was looking to make live theatre technician pony, something that's a big part of my life.  But the best idea I've had about him thus far is an earth pony with a dark, if not straight black, coat, and I can't seem to find any mane/eye colors that might look decent with that while not making him look like a formless black shadow.  This is supposed to be him in the light, actually visible for once! 

Since I can't draw I use generalzoi's pony creator, but I've been stumbling over color choices for a while and can't get anything.  Adjusting sliders is too slow for me to figure out what I think looks good and I don't have a wealth of color knowledge to work with in order to give myself an idea.  I was wondering if anyone out there could help design a palette or two?

If personality would help, it's rough at best right now: he's focused on his job, takes things a bit too seriously, but generally a nice guy who will help anyone who needs it.  He's supposed to be an all-round backstage guy with skills in lighting, sound, deck and props work etc.  If further questions arise feel free to ask, I'll try and answer promptly.  Thanks for taking a gander!
4
Original Characters / Winter's come early
2013 Mar 23, 03:48:43
Hey everypony,

Since SillyFillyStudios recently released their "Snowdrop" video, to heart-melting results with Bronies everywhere, I decided I might as well jump on the snow craze and introduce my ice-based OC, Winter Whisper.  As a note, I made her long before I ever knew about Snowdrop, but I apologize if it seems like I'm ripping elements right from her.  And in case you start wondering, no, Winter is not blind: I used those eyes because I thought they better suited her character than black pupils.

In any case, I like to think I'm open to constructive criticism and suggestions, so please feel free to bring anything to my attention; this includes the "wall of text" nature of my biographies, if it really bugs you.  I hope you enjoy!


Name: Winter Whisper

Gender: Female

Age: 18

Special Talent:  manipulating ice crystals and snow

Other skills: She is able to give her frosty creations a temporary personality extended from her own: she can mentally give them commands and coordinate them with a thought. 

Unusual notes: her core temperature is several degrees lower than any "natural" value, but this doesn't affect her body's functionality

Occupation: varies based on season

Born: Canterlot

Family: mother, father, older brother (moved out a year after she was born)

Living in: Ponyville

Strengths: vibrant personality, always good with a practical joke, loves to make others laugh, able to survive in frigid temperatures with no ill effects

Weaknesses: fearsome temper, doesn't always know when a joke goes too far, severe lack of heat resistance, attempting to control too much snow at once tires her out

Appearance:
Spoiler: show



Past:
Spoiler: show
Born to a family of Canterlot elite, Winter was spoiled as a filly.  Named after the season she was born in, she was raised given almost anything she wanted, but began to get impatient when her cutie mark refused to take shape.  Her parents were extremely worried about their position in Canterlot high-society circles, having only recently come into it via some fortunate money and moving to the city about a generation ago.  Hailing from just outside Las Pegasus (Assuming the climate is equitable to the United States), most of Winter's family is adapted to warmer climates, and found Canterlot winters to be nearly insufferable, spending almost all their time inside. 

Winter was forbidden to go outside in the snow, but on her seventh birthday she got curious enough and snuck out of the house.  Once outside her magic sparked for the first time, had it an unusual reaction with the surrounding white blanket.  Suddenly her parents opened the door to find an army of snowmen knocking on it.  Literally.  Winter had discovered that her special talent was manipulating the ice around her, and in the process that the cold weather her family was so afraid of was more her natural climate.  Her cutie mark appeared soon after she found herself naturally inclined to form and lob a snowball at her sudden army, causing a massive snowball fight to break out on her street, drawing fillies and colts from their homes to join in.  The result was a small squad of guards coming in to calm the "war" and every carriage in sight buried under a firm blanket of snow. 

Having been berated for disobeying orders to not go outside, and drawing unwelcome attention from the Royal Guard, Winter Whisper suddenly found herself at odds with her parents and, slowly but surely, noticed that they were less willing to present her with everything she desired.  She could tell that her parents still loved her, of course, but as she got older she began to realize that she was suddenly the black sheep of the family.  It didn't take her all that long to figure out why: with her parents so concerned with maintaining their status in Canterlot, a city famous for housing the Princess and God Empress of the Sun, they had begun to equate winter with a negative status, fearing the cold that was so opposite of the warm light created by the sun.  While the experience humbled her significantly, it also strained her relationship with her parents dangerously thin at points.  When she was finally old enough to move out, she did so with all haste, but made sure that her family understood that, despite the passive-aggressive distaste and the shunning at social events she'd endured those many years, she still loved them.  She continuously sends letters to them and keeps in touch, but it has been a while since she was actually home.

Winter traveled for about a year, trying her best to stay in the coolest weather possible.  While she loved the ice and snow, over the years she had also discovered that she could not take the heat her family had been so enamored with.  She'd taken to drinking gallons of ice water a day in the worst summer months, and always loved the opportunity to go to the beach, spending most of her time in the ocean.  It was during one of these trips to the beach that she discovered another unusual power attached to her magic: she could freeze water at will, and manipulate the shape into anything she could imagine.  She couldn't unfreeze her creations or manipulate them while they were still in water form, however, but she never let this bother her. 

In her travels, many other ponies noticed her oddities, namely that one could feel the cold radiating off of her coat as they passed by.  At least three times she was mistaken for the second coming of the Windigos, and chased out of one small town as a result.  Despite this poor treatment from some, Winter has a tendency to win over the townspeople with her ice tricks and her ironically fiery personality and quick wit.  She eventually found herself in Ponyville just as winter was ending, and decided to stay at least a year to see what it was like in her best season.  While waiting she became so attached to the general day-to-day actions in town and has decided to set down there.

Personality/Present:
Spoiler: show
On a normal day, Winter Whisper is a kind and playful pony, more than willing to be on the receiving end of a joke and dish them out in turn.  Be warned if you anger her, however, for her temper can flare dramatically and cause fierce snowstorms, either localized to a single pony or, if extremely angered, one capable of covering half of Canterlot.  It was such an incident as this that got her mistaken for Windigoes and thrown out of a small town that was overly paranoid about ancient evils.  She finds it tough to forgive somepony if they have really angered her, but more often than not will come out and accept any apology that comes her way.  Winter is very quick to make friends, so long as no one makes her angry, and stays very close to those she knows best.  While she is generally uncomfortable with hugging other ponies or any kind of close contact, due to her unusually low core temperature making everypony else physically warmer than her, she is more than willing to give her affection to any of her friends.  At least once she's admitted she is a bit afraid of losing her friends, likely due to her experience as a filly of being snubbed for her true self, but she generally is able to look past this and can properly enjoy her time with friends.

Winter scarcely remembers her older brother, him having gone off in the Equestrian peace corps when she was still very young, spending much of his time in Saddle Arabia aiding the less-fortunate.  While she cannot bring herself to go overseas to such an arid climate, she communicates constantly with him, after finding an address that works frequently enough to send messages to, and hopes that one day he will be able to come back overseas to meet face to face at last.  She admits that she is slightly bitter about how her relations with her family have gone, but she agreed with her brother that, if he can come back to visit her, she would take the time to go and visit her parents with him.  She honestly has no hatred in her heart for any of her family, but simply does not think she's emotionally equipped to handle the stress of her family relations.

During the winter time, Whisper can generally be playing with the fillies in town, teaching them how to pack snow best for a snow fort, building snowponies, teaching them to ice skate etcetera.  As the natural snow begins to thaw, however, she usually retreats into her home, enchanted with a constant cold charm that allows her to remain comfortable even in the worst summer heat.  She rents her living room out on occasion for a summer party, which always nets her sufficient bits to pay for the renewal of the charm and then some.  During the summer she is either running a shaved-ice stand when she can stand to go outside, or she is at the beach cooling off in the ocean.   She is also a renowned ice-sculptor, frequently finding work for weddings and extravagant birthdays and cute-ceaƱeras. 
5
Hey everypony,

So I decided to give my sister a little Christmas gift of an OC and custom-painted blind bag to match, but I'm hitting a bit of a creative block.  I was wondering if people would give suggestions to help.  I haven't designed her physical appearance yet, but I'll give you a basic idea so you're not totally lost.

Unicorn, cream coat with turquoise mane and tail, although I may flip that.  Her magical specialty is being able to sense the emotions of animals and ponies very clearly, and she'll use this to help try and calm her friends down if they're having a tough time.  She can also erase some stress from anypony she works with, but there are things she can't erase entirely, just ease a bit.

Right now I can only come up with Guardian Angel for a name, but I just don't like that.  I also thought of having her cutie mark being a heart-shaped gear, but again not entirely satisfactory.  If it matters to anyone, I already picked up Lovestruck to use as the physical incarnation.

Thanks for the help, and have a great holiday season!
6
Original Characters / The Oncoming Stormy
2012 Aug 01, 15:09:03
Yes, I'm a Doctor Who nut, get over it  ^-^
Anywho, here's my OC.  He's not entirely done, so I'd love some constructive criticism.  Special thanks to generalzoi and the marvelous Pony Maker for letting me design a character, and to any reader who can get through my incoming wall of text.  Good luck!

Name: Midnight Storm
Gender: male
Age: 20
Special Talent: (Still working on this, I can't come up with anything yet)
Other skills: Knows the layout of the night sky instinctively, can see in the dark just as well as anypony else can see in light
Occupation: Nocturnal weatherpony of Ponyville, unofficial guardpony for night-time threats
Born: Cloudsdale
Family: None imagined yet, but likely a mother, father, and younger sister
Living in: Ponyville
Strengths: Stands up for his friends, Likes to listen to others problems, puts his friends joy above his own
Weaknesses: Takes time to warm up to a pony, shy, bad sense of time management, sometimes a bit too eager to please, nocturnal nature tends to separate him from everypony else
Nicknames: Midnight, Stormy
Appearance:
Cutie Mark:
Spoiler: show
http://i1252.photobucket.com/albums/hh578/LunaKnight100/MidnightStormCutiemark.png ; (I'm not entirely happy with this, it feels too unoriginal.  Anyone have a better idea?)

Good Friends with: Derpy Hooves (or Ditzy Doo, if you prefer), Lightning Bolt
Has a crush on: Princess Luna
Often seen with: His sunglasses.  He lives at night, guys, think his eyes would be a bit sensitive! :D

Past:
Ever since he was a colt in Cloudsdale's flight academy, Midnight has been fascinated in the night sky, and not just as a result of his name or his dark-blue coat.  When he could, he would frequently fly out to a lone group of clouds with his book of constellations and celestial objects and just spend hours spotting them, provided he convinced his mother that he would be safe.  It didn't help his socialization much admittedly, as he preferred the night when everypony else was already asleep.  Teaching himself to fly with little light also helped him to make flying second nature much faster than most other pegasi, ensuring he passed Flight School in the top ranks.  Stormy wasn't much of one for showing off, and was willing to provide help to anypony who asked.

While Midnight knew he loved the night, it took him a while to earn his cutie mark, though not for lack of effort.  He tried working with the weather, which was particularly entertaining but never felt quite right, followed by thinking about trying for the Canterlot Royal Guard, but nothing really grabbed his attention.  Finally one evening as he watched the sun set and the first star of the night appear, he recited star by star as they glimmered into view until too many came at once to follow.  Suddenly from somewhere below him, there was a call of "Daddy, I can't see!"  Looking over the side of the cloud he was on, he spotted a little filly looking up at the sky from a window.  It suddenly hit Stormy that not everypony had the same ability to enjoy the night sky as he could by simply flying to a clearing in the clouds.  He quickly moved his cloud out of the filly's way and heard her excited remarks, which got him thinking again about being a weatherpony.  While moving clouds and such had never felt so great in the bright sun, but under the light of the moon he might after all enjoy his work. 

Flying home, Midnight immediately decided to check into the possibility of night-weather control, and sure enough found that some ponies did in fact change weather over the evening.  Delighted in his discovery he returned to the Weather Factory, determined to learn his craft as a pegasus.  Shortly thereafter his cutie mark appeared.   

Once he earned his cutie mark, Midnight decided that Cloudsdale was too crowded a place to enjoy his work and decided to move to another town.  Knowing Canterlot and Manehattan would likely be covered in lights even at night he decided on someplace rural, stumbling into Ponyville by sheer chance and settling there.  His cloud-house is located just a ways out of town in the mountains, but close enough that a 5-minute flight is all he needs to land himself in Ponyville square. 

Present:
Following Midnight's move to Ponyville he met Fluttershy, Derpy Hooves, and Lightning Bolt, each separately, and has become quite good friends with Derpy and Lightning, but he hasn't seen Fluttershy much since the Nightmare Moon crisis.  He admires Derpy for her spunk and how she doesn't let her clumsiness and directional issues get in her way, though Midnight does worry a bit about her stories of a fantastic doctor pony who runs in time and space.  It's a great story, but he's worried Derpy thinks this Doctor is real.  When he first met Pinkie Pie his reaction was what some might consider "normal": shock, a bit of fear, followed by cautious but grateful camaraderie, and finally just accepting her strangeness (usually) and talking to her on and off about anything that might come up.  He doesn't share her fondness for pranks though, and is somewhat grateful that Pinkie tends to burn herself out before he starts the night shift. 

Just after the Nightmare Moon crisis Stormy stayed up for the return of Princess' Celestia and Luna, and was awestruck by the sudden realization that Princess Luna was essentially the embodiment of his beloved night.  When she returned for Nightmare Night he was overjoyed, but sadly didn't get much of an opportunity to get to know her (partially for her summoning many stormclouds he had to clear away, mostly because he was trying to hide thunderclouds from Rainbow Dash,) and hopes she will return soon.

Midnight has a lot of trouble keeping a straight schedule.  During the summer he usually sleeps half of a day away, since he's mostly active at night, but it's never consistent if lunchtime is his breakfast or dinner.  He tries to plan ahead so he can lend a hoof for things like Winter Wrap Up, and he enjoys a good Pinkie Pie party every once and a while, but sometimes it ends up making him sleep deprived. 

7
I've been following the site for a while, but I finally decided I'd make an account and join in the fun!  I'm antisocial not great at being on a site consistently, but I figure that it'd at least be polite and say "hello"!