Unicorn Nocturne Wisp [Ready]

[Zeig]

 

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria

 

Name: Nocturne Wisp

 

Sex: Male

 

Age: Young Stallion

 

Species: Unicorn

 

Eye colour: Silver

 

Coat: Dark greyish-blue

 

Mane/Tail: Grey-blue, of a somewhat lighter shade than his coat. His mane and tail are tri-colored - the inner sections are a light silver with very soft blue tips.

 

Physique: A little taller than the average pony, with a lithe and slender build. Though not particularly stronger than the average pony, Nocturne Wisp is fit and keeps in shape due to his traveling around, allowing him to generally keep up in a physical confrontation.

 

Residence: None, though he has a semi-permanent residence in Canterlot in the form of a roommate.

 

Occupation: Scholar and researcher, focusing on the study and understanding of magical anomalies. To keep up with the bills, Nocturne will also sometimes take odd jobs in the cities he stops in, often acting as a nighttime guide for specific locations.

 

Special Talent: Guidance, through the use of summoned lights that take on the appearance of will 'o wisps. If Nocturne focuses on a destination, he can summon these wisps that will lead him on a safe path towards that location. If he has his bearings, Nocturne can reach his goal no problem - however, if he is uncertain about either his own location or the destination he is trying to reach, the wisps can falter or lead him astray, acting more like a compass pointing in the general direction rather than leading him along a safe path. Despite resembling will 'o wisps, the lights are not sentient or magical creatures, depending entirely on Nocturne's own magic. The wisps cannot lead him to abstract thoughts or wants either - wishing to find the lost ruins of an ancient civilization in a thick jungle will not result in anything.

 

The wisps also have the unique ability to sense magical anomalies, if the unicorn is physically close enough to a source. Nocturne will often get a strange, whispering sensation along his horn if he is nearby an anomaly, and focusing the wisps onto that will often lead him in its general direction.

 

Cutie Mark: A full moon framed by two semi-transparent will 'o wisps.

 

At one point in his young life, Nocturne Wisp wished to hang out with a group of foals around his age, ones that epitomized coolness and greatness to most of the foals in his class. The unicorn returned home very upset one day, and his parents discovered that he had been denied his wish, with the other three foals stating that he wasn't cool enough to hang out with them. In an attempt to cheer Nocturne up, his parents brought him down for a trip to Ponyville, where they were planning to stay a few days to study the magical anomalies of the Everfree Forest.

 

One night during the stay, Nocturne Wisp became frustrated with his mother, after she told him repeatedly never to enter the Everfree forest - they wouldn't even allow him to go along with them, instead leaving one parent behind while the other went about their research. With the rejection from his school still reeling, Nocturne felt as if heading off into the dangerous forest was exactly the sort of thing a cool foal would do, no matter what their parent said. In the space of an instant, Nocturne had snuck out of the temporary lodging and headed into the forest.

 

It took nearly no time at all for Nocturne to get lost. With the looming trees and darkened forest, the unicorn was soon going around in circles, until he eventually began cowering against a boulder, terrified of the sounds and silence around him. Nocturne began to cry, envisioning their temporary home and his parents waiting for him, and dearly wishing to find the way home again. In his despair, it took Nocturne a little while to realize his horn was glowing - and more than that, there was a strange, wispy looking light bobbing in front of him. 

 

At first Nocturne was frightened, but when he took a step towards it, he noticed there were a few more further away. Every time he got close to one, it winked out of existence, only to be replaced by another one down the trail. Without any real reason, Nocturne decided to follow the lights, and ended up running straight back to his home, where his parents were just getting the start of a search party.

 

In the morning, Nocturne Wisp would realize he'd actually wandered into the Whitetail Wood instead of the Everfree Forest. But for the time being, the unicorn was simply relieved to know that his simplistic wishes were a better guide than his superficial ones, and received his cutie mark that very night.

 

History: Born to two unicorn researchers in Canterlot, Nocturne became immersed in magic from a very early age. As a foal, the young unicorn was surrounded by his parents research and magical prowess. Being scholars that researched magical anomalies from all over Equestria, Nocturne grew accustomed to both traveling, and the sometimes strange and volatile specimens his parents collected. Anything ranging from uncontrolled plant life from the Everfree Forest, to strange and unscheduled weather patterns, even an observational study into the chaotic and seemingly infinite power of Discord. Nocturne's parents were always careful to keep their foal safe from any harm, but that didn't stop Nocturne from becoming immersed in their studies and discussions, often chiming in with his own random, and sometimes surprisingly astute, theories.

 

With his interest in their research clear and his raw magical talents growing, Nocturne's parents decided to enroll him in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, something he was thrilled at. Soon the unicorn was throwing himself into his studies, intent on following in his parents hoofsteps, and was even allowed to work alongside his parents as he grew into an older colt, resulting in him gaining a plethora of first hoof experience and knowledge. The unicorn ended up graduating with very good grades as a proficient and fairly skilled magic user. Nocturne continued honing his magical skills post-graduation, along with his studies, certain of his need for them if he wished to remain close to and interact with magical anomalies.

 

Though his parents had made it clear that Nocturne was more than welcome to find a permanent fixture in their research, the stallion was determined to set out alone, so that he could focus on the anomalies that interested him the most instead of having to provide assistance for his parents' specific work. With a little bit of funding tucked away, Nocturne began the process of tracking down magical anomalies and studying them, eventually starting out with a theoretical focus on spells and the creation of them - how some unicorns could create spells from nothing, and control them to perform a specific task or function. The simple study, being more philosophical in nature than scientific, earned him little recognition, but by then Nocturne was prepared to tackle something bigger.

 

Nocturne Wisp now travels around Equestria, attempting to steer away from his parents research by tracking down any leads on new magical phenomena and anomalies, searching for a topic for his next major study.

 

Character Summary: Aloof, cold, and indifferent, Nocturne Wisp is not the sort of pony most others would be eager to make acquaintances with. He is a generally quiet and unassuming unicorn, speaking in short, clipped sentences, or sometimes giving nothing more than a grunt of acknowledgement. Though not particularly serious, it is uncommon for a passing stranger to spot a smile on Nocturne's face, or to hear him laugh. This aloof and uncaring attitude, initially stemming from a want to be considered cool and mysterious after the appearance of his cutie mark, has become an ingrained part of Nocturne's personality, to where his default setting is one of indifference and distance. Though the unicorn doesn't go out of his way to be belligerent or hostile towards others, neither does he make an effort to be friendly or receptive - he prefers to simply ignore anything outside of his interests.

 

Despite his seemingly apathetic personality, Nocturne Wisp is anything but. He can actually become quite emotional or passionate under the right circumstances, it simply takes longer for his emotions to come out. If an insult rubs him the wrong way, Nocturne can jump to anger, the same way he can jump to sarcasm if he is deliberately trying to be rude. He tends to find humor in ironic or abruptly funny situations, often startling a bark of laughter out of him. Talking about his studies and passion in the supernatural is almost certain to jolt the unicorn into a more animated state, though he will quickly revert back into indifference in front of a stranger. It takes persistence, patience, and quite a lot of stubbornness to start chipping away at his exterior, to where Nocturne begins to tolerate and even appreciate another.

 

Once that pony or creature starts breaking through his outer shell, it becomes increasingly obvious that Nocturne Wisp is not nearly as cold and aloof as his outward personality would suggest. Friends of the unicorn find him much more talkative and receptive, his clipped sentences becoming wider and more involved while his willingness to talk about himself grows. A pony that is close to Nocturne can also discover that the unicorn is quite the confident individual, taking an inherent and silent pride in his abilities that he doesn't mind bragging about on occasion. Prone to jealousy, seeing a close friend or crush of his getting cozy with another irritates Nocturne, and can cause him to become rather aggressive in an effort to try and figure out what exactly is going on.

 

Curiously enough, one of Nocturne Wisp's most puzzling qualities is his extreme unwillingness to actually display his emotions, which is why he has an aloof and uncaring front in the first place. He seems to feel that displaying his affection or fondness for others is detrimental to himself, and as such can't bring himself to do so easily. The unicorn is prone to extreme embarrassment and chagrin when he unintentionally expresses any affection for somepony, to the point of trying to pretend he is not fond of them at all and is simply interacting with them because of some vague and completely unaffectionate reason. The same holds true for nearly any situation where Nocturne Wisp feels he is exposing too much of himself, causing him to backpedal on his words and attempt to misdirect any attention to them.

 

For all intents and appearances, Nocturne Wisp is just a stallion that is determined to shut out the world, preferring his solitude and peace over friendships with others. To say that he has trouble expressing his true feelings would be an understatement, and he can often unintentionally hurt others in his attempts to deny them. Any pony that is persistent enough to weather through his frosty exterior, however, always find a surprisingly passionate and friendly pony that cares just as much as the next, even if he doesn't always show it.

[Solaria]

I like the concept!

[Mojo]

Hi Zeig!

I must say, this is a VERY impressive app! All the required fields are filled and it is very well written. You have a gone a bit long in some places, but to me, I'd rather have more details than less. The only thing I see that won't work for WOE is the method of his special talent. Summoning up magical creatures goes into the area of 'lore building' which is not acceptable in WOE. The ability itself, not getting lost and magically finding a way back, is fine, but using 'wisps' to achieve it is a violation of WOE rules. I know this is a big part of who this character is, I totally respect that. However, in its present form, this app would not be approved in WOE without some changes.

Great character, awesome writing here, it's very close to being acceptable! Keep working on it!

[Zeig]

Thanks for the review Mojo. Would it help if I maybe just change the wording? The wisps are not actually suppose to be magical, otherworldly creatures who have a mind and will of their own, which is why they are limited to Noturne's own abilities and knowledge, and don't work perfectly all the time. It's more that they are simply lights that resemble or take on the shape of wisps, not summoned creatures that have a will of their own.

[Mojo]

As long as they're not 'magical creatures' I think that will be acceptable.

[Zeig]

Alright - edited to hopefully explain the nature of the wisps better.

[Mojo]

Ok, I think that'll pass! Recommending this app for SRPH review.

[Bellosh]