Inkbrand [Ready]

[Zeig]

Name: Inkbrand

Gender: Male

Age: Young Stallion

Species: Earth Pony

Eye Color: Bright Gold

Character Color: Dark Grey

Mane & Tail: Deep blue with shades of aqua and icy blues threaded throughout. Inkbrand's mane is naturally messy and rumpled, often giving him a roguish, "just-got-out-of-bed" look. His tail is quite similar, if a little more smooth and well combed.

Accessories & Markings: True to name, Inkbrand is covered with a myriad of tattoos, most of them black and blue in color. His most extravagant tattoo covers the entirety of his left hind leg. Two other, simpler designs cover his right shoulder blade and his right thigh. Inkbrand also sports several accessories - some for sentimental reasons, most because he simply likes the look of them. Two dog tags dangle from a thin necklace around his neck, while a shorter necklace boasts a dark green fang-shaped stone. His gold headband is another accessory Inkbrand is almost never without. If he is wearing his cloak, then a golden emblem bearing a somewhat similar design to his cutie mark is used to clasp the cloak around his chest.

Physique: Athletic and toned, with good musculature.

Residence: Underbelly of Manehatten, though he travels around a lot.

Occupation: Tattoo Artist, with a studio based in Manehatten. Inkbrand also works the odd job where his physical skills can be called into use, and has no qualms running on the other side of the law if it suits his needs.

Cutie Mark: Black Tribal Tattoo.

Unique Traits:

Though his strength is above average, Inkbrand's true calling card is his endurance and perseverance. He can take a hit and keep coming back for more, and doesn't really get the meaning of "quit". His high endurance encompasses both the physical and the mental, though the latter is mostly due to his inflated ego. Inkbrand does not bend to despair, depression, or self-doubts, as he has simply convinced himself that he is the most amazing thing walking around on four legs. While his massive ego does mean that some common sense and hard truths can't permeate his thick head, it has given him a mental resilience and confidence that allows Inkbrand to believe in himself to the fullest.

Despite his affinity for simply charging down the front door, Inkbrand does​ possess enough skill to sneak or quietly skirt around a confrontation - he just simply prefers not to. His agility and stealth skills are enough to get him into some pony's home, or avoid a potentially fatal wound on the battlefield. However, for most situations, Inkbrand's answer is to simply hit, slash, or roar battle cries and death threats until the other side gives up.

Inkbrand's stature, combined with his personality, make him a very physical pony. His idea of affection is to throw a foreleg around a pony's shoulder and shake them for all they're worth. Inkbrand doesn't really understand the concept of a 'personal bubble', and is as free with his hooves with a friend as he is with a complete stranger. It is not uncommon for him to get very physical with other ponies, be it a simple shove of the shoulder, or a full blown tackle into the mud for a wrestling match.

While not being inherently evil or cruel, Inkbrand definitely walks the line of morality with a nonchalance that isn't really common. He takes things like destruction, stealing, and numerous others as simple facets of life - so long as they don't affect him in some way, why should he care that Hearth Fire's house was robbed last night? Inkbrand doesn't particularly enjoy illegal and illicit activities, but neither is he bothered by them. He does what he does because he's simply good at it and can make a living, rather than particularly wishing or wanted to do it.

Unsurprisingly, Inkbrand is an avid salt taker, enjoying both salt in its purest form, or along with some alcohol. He tends to lean more towards the 'rowdy' drunk, even rowdier than he normally is. Inkbrand is the type of pony to get salted up with some friends and have to be half-carried, half-dragged back to his home, all while he is wildly declaring his love for a guy friend at the top of his voice. Funnily enough, a few ponies tend to find a salted Inkbrand more pleasant to be around, as he becomes less manipulative, less aggressive, and really, a more likable stallion while his inhibitions are lowered.

History:

Born to two loving Earth Ponies in the middle of a blistery winter's day, Inkbrand grew up roaming the streets of Manehatten. With his family relatively poorer than the rich socialites of Manehatten's upper society, Inkbrand stuck to the underbelly of the city, preferring club scenes to the stuck-up socialites that turned their noses up at him. He made barely passing grades in school, but mostly kept himself amused with his friends and their rambunctious outings. It was during one of these outings as a young colt that Inkbrand came across a tattoo parlor and ventured inside for a closer look. Inside, he suddenly discovered a love for the ink and design, a physical reminder of oneself and staying true to oneself, and he received his cutie mark.

Emboldened, Inkbrand felt he was destined to become a great tattoo artist. He immediately packed up his meager belongings and money, said goodbye to his parents, and left for Ponyville, thinking the farm-based town would be lacking any sort of competition for his new business. Unfortunately, the population in Ponyville was too conservative and traditional for his parlor to get off the ground, and soon enough, Inkbrand found himself straining for bits. He kept taking odd jobs to keep in the income, most of them involving physical labor that kept his build and physique in shape, but the grey stallion quickly became bored with his life.

It wasn't until he met Blue Blitz, an academic stopping in Ponyville on his journey to the north, that Inkbrand's life took a turn. Hearing that the unicorn was looking for some hired muscle to help protect him on the journey, Inkbrand signed on, and found it took his liking. Even the dangers of passing treacherous areas and fighting off various threats didn't deter him, and Inkbrand soon began rigorously training his body to become as physically adept as he could. As he began coming into stallion-hood, Inkbrand set up a base of operations in a small apartment in Manehatten, continuing taking whatever hired jobs he could get his hooves on, even ones that crossed over the lawful line.

Inkbrand was content with his life, but it wasn't until he became friends with a mischievous deer named August that he began to question himself. Through August, Inkbrand learned of an organization operating underneath Canterlot. Seeing how well off August seemed to be doing, Inkbrand finally decided that operating in a group would bring in a steadier income and more stability than taking odd jobs from whatever pony happened to be ambling by. However, the desire was short lived after Inkbrand learned a bit more about the organization, feeling too disassociated from the other members and too concerned for himself to even begin considering them family. Inkbrand never did join up, but still kept in close contact with August. He has gone back to his tattoo business in Manehatten, and thanks to the bits he picked up during his travels, got his business off the ground.

Character Summary/Personality:

Confident, laid-back, and sure of himself, Inkbrand oozes a relaxed confidence that carries him through any interaction he undergoes. He is entirely comfortable with himself around others, and finds little need to censor his thoughts and opinions, mainly because of the incredible self-confidence he has. With a mindset of believing himself to be the best thing since sliced bread, Inkbrand is the pony that throws a cutting or random remark into any conversation, because he's fully confident that he can. Manipulative, mischievous, and with an inherent affinity for getting under other's skins, Inkbrand's ego is maintained through his own self-confidence, rather than by putting other ponies down. As such, he is often immune to insults or even hard truths, and will most likely just roll his eyes. Inkbrand tends to come off as obnoxious and completely full of himself, and such is often the truth.

His perchance for physicality also means that Inkbrand suffers in the mental department. Though not dumb, the Earth Pony is certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed - he may not even be in the shed. Inkbrand operates on instinct and passions rather than foresight and planning, and as such, often acts before he thinks. The meaning of 'tact' is completely lost on him, and the sight of a jilted mare running away from him is not really uncommon. Surprisingly though, Inkbrand can show some amazing insight. When it suits his needs, Inkbrand can be quite observant and manipulative, trying to mess with a pony's head or rile them up. The toying and teasing he does with others is usually Inkbrand's way of passing the time with some fun, rather than an attempt to be outright malicious or mean. He enjoys getting a reaction from ponies, whether it is positive or negative, and it is the reason he gravitates to those types of ponies, rather than ones that outright ignore him.

However, as every pony has their faults, so does Inkbrand have his positives. Fun-loving, brash, and adventurous, Inkbrand is the type of pony that drags out an introverted friend to force them into some fun. He is a naturally cheerful and boisterous sort of stallion, who's main goal in life is to simply have fun while he can. Aggression is also a large part of his personality - though he usually retains a cool and laid-back swagger, Inkbrand can become passionate and aggressive under the right circumstances, and he enjoys being the 'alpha pony' in near any given situation. Other stallions attempting to dominate or put Inkbrand down can expect a fight on their hooves, be it verbal or physical. Inkbrand is also incredibly flirtatious and rather perverted, and finds no shame chasing down whatever pretty mare catches his eyes. With his egotistical nature, rejections are only met with a sneer and a shrug - though exceptionally pretty ponies can except insistent advances in the near future.

With very close friends, Inkbrand shows an entirely different side of himself. To those he considers his family, Inkbrand has been known to think about and care for their feelings rather than just his own, to the point of even watching himself and his behaviors around them. He has been known to give a tired friend a piggy back ride home, or take care to make sure his girl is properly covered by blankets, or give them a back-hoofed compliment. Tiny, almost indiscernible gestures that most ponies miss act as indicators to Inkbrand's true feelings for others, showing a pony that does have the ability to think of others before himself, even for a short while.

Overall, Inkbrand is a relaxed and laid-back pony who possesses an endless amount of confidence in himself and his surroundings. The few true friends he makes find a bold and strong pony that will stand by them through thick and thin.

[Hippo]

Hello! Welcome to Canterlot, and thank you for applying your character to our Canterlot Chronicles forum. We're always looking to increase participation and your character is going to fit in well here, I think. I want to thank you for properly formatting your application, reviewing it for quick writing edits, and properly pacing it so that all who read can easily get a good overview of Inkbrand.

To begin with, I was at first speculative on his first history spoken. He is a mercenary. As a general rule of hoof, killing and murder is not allowed in any of our role play sections, as it does not represent any theme that could possibly come from the show. I recommend you change the wording a little so that it does not include the implication that deaths have been made on account of the character. Fortunately, this does not affect the overall nature of the character too badly, but for the sake of anyone who will read this application, please remove the mention of murder.

I want to compliment your character's deepness as he seems like a pony who is not distant from other pony civilization. Inkbrand knows Equestria well and his character is influenced by the kind of culture that would arise. Being a hired 'hoof' (whats a hired hand? ) as a bodyguard of sorts is an acceptable position of work for a CC pony, however I wonder how this will play out in role play. Is the character that hired him a character that is played on the forum?

What makes this character ultimately attractive is the good and bad traits he has about his social life. These are the most important in establishing interesting connections with other characters. I have no doubt that this character will often be putting his knives away so that he can interact with the other CC ponies that are polarizing or non-polarizing to his personality type. With that said, I enjoyed reading your character application. Please continue to upgrade this character's personality.

Once you're done making changes I've mentioned, please post that you have and we'll move you on to the next step.

[Zeig]

You've hit the nail quite accurately on the head. It's more like, I want to RP him hanging out with some fellow fighters at a bar after a hard day's work, rather than RP action scene after action scene. Basically, I wanted an excuse for my character to wear the armor set I had drawn for him for another RP I was in, and obviously, that doesn't really fit into a slice of life RP. So I'm trying to find a niche for him where it would be understandable for him to wear some sort of armor or protective gear, but I'm not all terribly interested in actually RPing out him having to use that armor and his weapons, if that makes sense.

And I understand, it's good to know where the line is for CC rps (I probably jumped the gun after reading things like stealing, mercenaries, pirates etc were allowed, and just assumed murder was allowed as well). I think I've removed any mentions or implications of Inkbrand killing or being involved in killing anypony.

The idea of being a hired hoof is that he has gotten all sorts of jobs, but doesn't currently have one when I start RPing. So he's been able to provide for himself after his tattooing business went belly up, but leaves him open to joining a group or getting a permanent job through RP. Although maybe someone might hire him in RP as a hired hoof again, which would be pretty interesting to RP out, I think~

And thank you very much, I really appreciate that comment. I have an affinity for creating characters that are generally more negative than they are positives, with the intention of having them learn a lesson, or a series of lessons, throughout RP. So like, character development. I personally find it loads of fun.

Thanks for the review! Changes have been made to the best of my ability, please let me know if I need to edit further.

[SteelEagle]

[Armony]

This application is being returned to the applications forum at user's request.

[Armony]

How is this application coming along?

[Armony]

If no comment is made saying you would like to keep this application within 5 days, this thread will be locked and removed.

[Zeig]

Finally got around to making the edits, sorry about the wait. Changed the biography to reflect him being in the Thieves Guild, and also changed his occupation.

[Armony]

[RarityDash]

Application has been moved from accepted applications at user request.

[Zeig]

Thank you Rarity. This is ready to be re-reviewed - I simply took out mentioning of the Thieves Guild from his history and occupation.

[Armony]