Frain Breeze

I get the feeling that my last thread is partly the cause for this post.

I'm only speaking for myself, but I strongly suspect others feel this way. The whole purpose of joining Canterlot was for the well-established canon and limitations on what characters can and can't do. I didn't want to RP in a forum where every other character too high-tech, wacky, overpowered, grimdark, or otherwise wouldn't fit. My previous experiences with such places typically involved two overpowered characters playing Calvinball with each other until somebody came up with a new way to godmode. I didn't want to go anywhere near a place that looks anything like that. To me, saying "You can take it to Free For All / Crossovers" is equivalent to saying "Go do that thing you were specifically trying to avoid." I preferred leaving the forum entirely over going to FFA. No matter how many people say good RP still happens there, it is incredibly difficult to accept.

That said, I do like the expanded canon tag you propose. Really like it. Really really really like it. As long as there's some definition behind it so we know what is or isn't acceptable, it should definitely encourage mixing between Mane RPers and FFA/CO RPers.

Imagination:

1. I was thinking more along the lines of "try to run, but fight back if cornered" encounters. As for the kinds of creatures, I was under the impression that manticores, hydras, and cockatrices were off-limits except to Mods. Parasprites... I think an encounter with those would be a RP in its own. Timberwolves are good though! I totally forgot about those guys.

2. For the traps, are you talking about what characters can be "hit" by, or what can exist period? Having the dangerous ones there, even if they won't actually end up catching anypony, would help add excitement to the RPs (and/or provide lulz if they turn out to be defective).

3. "We're phasing them out" - That is an acceptable answer. As for the violence thing, the character in question was going to moonlight as a thief. She would tackle somepony, grab whatever they dropped, and then run off. It's not the brightest and sunniest character, but I thought it was reasonable.

4. I'm not so sure that comparison works for this situation, since the Mane Six (and secondary characters) are the only ones who run their shops. I imagine the library would be closed without either Twilight or Spike hanging around, for example. However, I do agree that there are other places one could go. Like I said, it just seems awkward avoiding the places we know. (Not really a huge concern, just an oddity)

Keep the answers coming

It's only been a week, but already I'm having second thoughts on having left the RP here. The responses I got made it apparent that my posts were far more appreciated than I had originally believed.

However, I definitely want some clarification on the limits of the Mane RP before I decide to rejoin. The main reason I left is that, while the rules are left sort of general and up to the user, the enforcement feels strict. Since I always err too far on the side of caution, I essentially wound up in "Fluttershy mode", afraid to do anything that even approaches questionable. It felt it was too hard to have fun. I only feel comfortable posting on a forum when I know for sure what my limits are.

Without further delay, here's a list of things I want to know more about:

1. Monsters

The go-to idea for anything in the Everfree. But what kinds of things can we have drop in on our characters? I know the super-powerful things like dragons are out. Can we make up monsters? If so, are there any kinds of things we should avoid? (e.g. zombies, skeletons, changelings, certain powers)

2. "Wild" locations

It's fun to have an RP where you find someplace new. How much leeway do we have with ancient ruins, caverns, and other areas nopony has explored? My main concern here is when we have to come up with some backstory for the locale, since it could easily involve making up history the show hasn't established. And on the subject of ruins, what about traps? How far into Daring Doo mode can we go?

3. Violence

I know the major grimdark stuff is out. But where exactly is the line? I had a character rejected because tackling someone to steal from them was considered too violent, yet I've seen military characters with the "family or squad wiped out by badguys" backstory get through without a problem. The ruling felt very arbitrary, and was actually the last straw that convinced me to leave Canterlot. I'm not asking for an argument, I just need to know the reasoning that one passes and another fails. I was 100% certain that character would've passed, so it took me completely by surprise. I don't like vague rules that sneak up on me like that.

4. Ponyville without cast characters involved

Ponyville is a big "target" for RPs, since it's where most of the show takes place. All of the major landmarks are heavily tied to the Mane Six or at least some other cast character, so what do we do if none of their players are in a Ponyville RP with you? It just seems kinda awkward to have to avoid the major locations we're all familiar with.

So remake it in flash, javascript, php, or something? I already rebuilt this thing from scratch (originally an Excel file), so I'm not looking forward to doing that again for a while at least.

Updated the link in the first post btw.

Artax: Perhaps. Could you clarify that a little?

(obsolete post)

whats this program that it's asking me to download?

*checks site in IE for the heck of it* ...oh god, I did not realize how crappy that site was with its ads. x_X If anyone knows a better free upload site, PLEASE TELL ME.

The "right" download link is the only one in plain text. I'm really sorry about that site's tricky ads. (One of the many many reasons I always have adblock on)

I always have trouble coming up with names for my OCs, so I decided to do something about it. And, being a nerd with too much spare time, that "something" was "create a random name generator".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP3acBx3Eic

DOWNLOAD LINK: http://www.mediafire.com/?q4aq1g3l4a6medj

Features:

-There are around 111,606 names possible.

-Words are sorted into themed groups, which can be enabled or disabled at will

-The user can specify if the words must be from different groups

-The user can force the name to include a certain type of word

-A few Easter eggs ("

Tell me if you have any suggestions or find any bugs!

(I may be done RPing here (for a little while at least), but I still peek in. Also, this is definitely one of those "Where the heck do I put this?!" posts.)

I've given up on RPing on this site and have taken my characters elsewhere.

I may still lurk from time to time, but don't expect much posting from me.

But if you do a search for any kind of Forum RP, you'll mostly find 2 things: kiddy RPs where there is no plot, and most of the participants are 8-yr-olds (and not even particularly bright ones at that) or you find the opposite extreme, "literate" RPs where they expect a full page of post even if your character was asked whether he was coffee, tea, or milk... There are almost no RP sites left that are average in requirements and/or intelligence...

This is probably the biggest issue for me. I don't want to RP with a bunch of morons using chatspeak, yet it seems my only other option is the kind of place where every post is a book. I finish typing a post with as many useful details as possible, and then I still get stuck feeling like a jerk because I managed it in 2 paragraphs while everyone who replies makes an essay of it. That kind of thing makes RPing feel like a chore rather than something I do for fun.

I feel there's a similar issue with the Crossovers and Mane RP too. I.e., "everything is allowed" versus a highly detailed (and restrictive...) set of rules and lore. I'm thinking of giving Crossovers a try, but I'm honestly on the verge of quitting altogether.

Simple question, simple answer. Thanks

Just a little something that popped into my head earlier. Can RPs coincide with the events of an earlier MLP FIM episode, or are the events of the show considered to be strictly in the past? For example, could a new RP involve something like the dragon migration, or what some OCs were doing when the changelings attacked Canterlot? Assuming nothing happens that "breaks" show canon, of course.

"You don't want war against us. We don't fight like heroes, heroes fight like us."

My current top two bands are...

Sabaton:

High energy, sings primarily about historic battles, and is typically VERY accurate about it.

Five Finger Death Punch:

Loud, fast, angry. Also, it's so much fun to shuffle my playlist and end up with "100 Ways to Hate" back-to-back with Pinkie's smile song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-7MOECUGeI

A simple question for all RPers. When a thread ends up going nowhere or is otherwise left incomplete, how does it affect the "canon" for all characters involved?

Do we assume everything came to a reasonable conclusion, or did the events of the dead thread just never happen to begin with? If we say the storyline "did" run its course, do we leave the non-RPed events vague, or can we retcon a few bits here and there?

Phil the Time Wizard:

What antagonists and creatures have you had as NPCs, and how big a part did they play? I thought I read something before that a lot of the monsters are completely off limits to non-staff, NPC or not, but perhaps I misinterpreted it. Looking at the rules, I can't even find anything relevant to the subject besides the "no monster main characters" thing.

Xiee:

Sorry to offend you. You may be right about both sections having their share of "dumb" threads. Problem is, there are a bunch of things that make me walk into FFA/CO with a "red flag" already set in my head.

• Mane RP has basically half the entire site dedicated to it. FFA/CO are on their own.
  
• Mane RP requires character approvals to play, and actually get a "stamp of approval" from the mods. FFA/CO is just open.
  
• Again, anything that doesn't fit the Mane RP seems to get directed to FFA/CO by default.
  
• The "Rules" link at the right of the page doesn't even display anything for Free For All.
  

So, with those things in mind, I end up going in looking for flaws instead of ignoring them like in the Mane RP. I'll have to try looking at those sections with a clear mind soon.

I'll be honest, I think I'm starting to lose interest in this site.

There are a few "technically open" RPs I'm in right now, but I think only one of them has a pulse. The rest are all stalled due to lack of other players' activity or not enough players to begin with. As for the "live" one, I'm having trouble thinking of stuff that can happen that is both interesting and actually fits within the Mane RP's rules. The Mane RP is geared heavily toward "slice of life" stories, which I've come to find out aren't anywhere near as fun to RP as they are to watch in the show. I want action, I want adventure. But with restrictions on monsters, antagonists, and worldbuilding, it feels like the most I could have without trouble from the staff is an occasional scuffle.

I'm expecting the default answer to be "try the Crossovers or Free-for-All section!," and that doesn't really satisfy me. The way any idea that doesn't fit the Mane RP is automatically directed there, it makes me feel it's just a dumping ground for dumb ideas. The place where all of the robot unicorns, godmode alicorns, those with overdone grimdark personalities are sent so they don't trash up the Mane RP. When I see "try Crossovers or Free-for-All" posted as a response, I can't help but think the intent is "Your idea is dumb, go play with the other rejects." I will admit that I have only taken very small glances at this section of the site, but the first impressions of it have been quite poor.

It just doesn't feel like there's a middleground between RPs where anything can happen, and the Mane RP where nothing interesting can happen. Is there anything you can think of to help get me back in the game?

Perhaps. Anything in particular you want to RP?

"Oh, good. Thank you sir." Lanceguard smiled and set her bag by Dodger. She hadn't seen anything really suspicious from the colt. Besides, they were in a bright, open field. What could go wrong?

Lanceguard rolled her eyes at Fate, but maintained a smirk. "No, swords are definitely out of the question. We're trying to knock each other down, not cut each other up. As for the horn... Well, I usually have some helmets fitted with fake horns that others may use. But since it's just myself here instead of a group of my jousting friends, I have to admit I'm somewhat under-prepared." She paused for a moment to rummage through the contents of her saddlebag, incidentally in view of Dodger. Other than the first aid kit she kept with her, all of the contents were just things for herself- money, snacks, a few notes, and a couple patches of chainmail in case hers was damaged.

Turning her attention back to Fate, she continued, "The horn isn't strictly a necessity, though. It adds a little more hurt to your hits, but other than that it just adds leverage in a few advanced moves that.. don't usually go well for beginners."

"I've never seen anything like this..." Lanceguard said to the others as she stepped forward. She slowed as she saw something on the floor ahead of her, some kind of gap. The edges were straight, so it must have been some intentional feature of the room. She approached it cautiously and reached a hoof down, finding it to be wide, but only a few inches deep. "Hm. I think this is some sort of aqueduct right here. Long dried up by now, though. When we're done looking around this room, we should try finding out where this leads. The water had to have come from and gone to somewhere, so we're bound to find a way out if we follow it."

That being said, Lanceguard continued further into the room. It was still dark on this side, but she could start to see what the other skeletons were. The bones didn't come from any one kind of pony... or any one kind of creature, for that matter. Everything on this side of the room was a mashup. The skeletons were made from parts of all kinds of animals, and in the middle of them stood a larger, serpentine set of bones with no limb matching another. On closer inspection, even the stone blocks that made up this side of the room didn't match. "Fire Walker? I don't think this is from the time of Nightmare Moon. This has to be something about the time of Discord. Maybe that aqueduct is supposed to represent some kind of border."

"...Impressive..." Lanceguard spoke to herself, approaching and slowly circling the armored pegasus statue. "I would love to see such a pegasus in the arena. What about you-" Lanceguard blinked. The other two ponies had gone on to the next room while she was busy admiring the statue. She quickly left the room to join them.

"What pony?" She peeked into the unicorn chamber, then grimaced and tilted her head away slightly. She turned her head, giving the room a quick scan. "I suppose that book might be of some value, but I would rather not place myself face-to-face with... that. It's less a matter of fear and more a matter of.. not staring at ancient rot." She shuddered, glancing again at the mummy.

Lanceguard stepped away from the unicorn room and now opened the door to the remaining chamber, the one marked for earth ponies. Like the previous rooms, it too was decorated with various statues and bones. But unlike the other chambers, this one went further, with an fairly large archway located on the far wall. "Strange, this one goes through.. Shall we see where it leads?" Lanceguard asked the others as she walked toward the far door. On either side of the doorway was an earth pony skeleton, propped up around a framework and dressed in heavy armor. Having no manes or soft tissue to support them, the skeletons' helmets hung low on the heads, the brims positioned at about nose level.

Lanceguard's pace slowed as she approached the next room, soon coming to a stop. "This.... this is new." Though the room ahead was dimly lit, she could still make out the nearer shapes inside. On the near side of the chamber were more posed skeletons, one representing each pony species. In the center of them stood the crude representation of an alicorn. Bones from several ponies were tied together to match the approximate size of an alicorn's limbs. Wings were wired up to its sides, and while the skull did have a horn, it appeared to be a separate piece, perhaps grafted onto an earth pony skull so as to represent all three.

The far end of the second room was not yet visible, but it contained a far stranger mix of bones. Many of them were not even from any kind of pony species...

What kind of RP are you looking for, and with what character?

With a look to Steel Dagger, Lanceguard spoke, "I think it would be safest for us to stay together. As for which door, I suppose we could just take a peek inside each before committing to a direction."

She stepped toward the door on the right, marked as the pegasus room, and looked it up and down. It was a solidly constructed wooden door with several iron reinforcements along its surface and at its edges. "Was" being the keyword here. In its current state, the wood was badly deteriorated, and the metal reinforcements could probably use some reinforcements themselves. "Well, Fire Walker, I don't think you have to worry about these doors locking behind us. I think even opening these would be too much for them to withstand." She placed her hoof on the door, demonstrating a light push.

And that's all it took. As Lanceguard put her hoof back down and turned to talk to the other ponies, the door slowly creaked open, leaving the latch still in place in the doorway while the rest was free to swing. Lanceguard looked at the now open door. "...Case in point." Her statement was punctuated by the sound of the ancient door falling off its hinges. "I suppose we should be thankful the rest of this place is made of stone."

Just looking to get some more characters in this thread: Mirror Mirrors of the Hall

The nearly identical Rappatat and Semolina Flour have just met each other, and are now looking to play tricks on some other carnival-goers. Do we have anypony here who should end up "seeing double"?

(OOC: Huh. I somehow overlooked that bit earlier when Dagger teleported down.)

Despite her careful start, Lanceguard slipped and dropped ungracefully to the floor with a thud. "OOF. I... do believe I just took a rib to the ribs. I should be fine though." Lanceguard brought herself to her hooves, brushing herself off before approaching the others.

She stood by Fire Walker's side, gazing down the hall. "I see... something down this hall." She took a step forward for a better look, only to feel her hoof start to move down. "NOT AG-" The subtle grinding of an ancient mechanism was heard as several torches along the hall suddenly went alight. "-ain." Lanceguard quietly took a few paces back, glancing back and forth between the now-lit hallway and the floor switch she accidentally triggered. She gave a heavy sigh, shaking her head, "I'm already beginning to miss the times when putting my hoof down didn't invoke big surprises."

Looking down the hall now, Lanceguard could see three doorways at its end. Above each doorway was a skull with two torches on either side of it, their flames tinted to odd colors by some sort of additive. The first door's torches were purple, and the horned skull obviously that of a unicorn. The second had green flames and plain skull, and the third door had sky-blue torches and a set of wing bones on either side of the skull. "I suppose this explains what happened to the heads," Lanceguard said bluntly, looking only toward the doorways ahead of her.

Lanceguard smirked at Dagger's comment and replied jokingly, "You're here to keep us safe... from starving and eating each other? So, what, does that mean you'd want to be the first one eaten?"

The pegasus spoke up again, this time about some fictional adventure stories. Lanceguard looked down toward Fire Walker as she spoke, then glanced up at Steel Dagger, whispering, "I'm beginning to wonder if negative elevation affects' a pegasus' mind..." She shook her head and crouched at the edge of the opening, starting to carefully lower herself down. "Let's go, it sounds like we have a good bit of discovery to make down here."