Jane

Yeah, that three-post rule gets the best of a lot of people. Sorry about that... Anyways, welcome to Canterlot, fellow lover-of-ice-cream. Is Neapolitan your favourite?

Hello AlexNight. Welcome to Canterlot. You avatar looks strangely familiar...

Hey there, welcome to Canterlot! Sounds like you're really excited to jump into the RP we have here. Crossovers can sure be a lot of fun!

Woo, the first character to come out of this thread. I'm really excited about this character - thanks so much Phil for the inspiration! Change Log (times listed are Australian Eastern Standard Time): May 27th, 3:51 PM: Application Posted as "Ready" May 27th, 6:57 PM: Added more Pictures May 30th, 7:05 AM: Teensy-weensy formatting adjustments

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria Name: Hammer Spark; a combination of both of his parents names. Sex: Male Age: Stallion Species: Unicorn Eye colour: A clear, light turquoise ([colour=#73e9cf]#73E9CF[/colour]) Coat: At first glance, his coat appears to be a sort of off-white grey colour, however in certain lights one might noticed the gentle green undertones that show through. ([colour=#EEF6CF]#EEF6CF[/colour]) He has shabby brown fetlocks. ([colour=#5B3930]#5B3930[/colour]) Mane/Tail: Hammer Spark's mane and tail are kept cropped short - his bangs curl down around his ears, and his mane barely touches his back. His tail is of medium length and kept tidy but rather unstyled. His mane and tail are both red in colour ([colour=#CB182D]#CB182D[/colour]) - there are some streaks that are slightly lighter than others ([colour=#ED4151]#ED4151[/colour]). Physique: Hammer Spark is solid - built like a fortress. His physical strength rivals that of many Earth Ponies, let alone that of the average Unicorn. His training regime is rigid and he sticks to it faithfully in order to maintain his physical condition. Picture of Hammer Spark: Residence: Currently stationed in Canterlot Occupation: Sergeant in the REA; Magus, 2nd Battalion. Cutie Mark: Hammer earned his cutie mark when he was just a young colt and still in primary school. Since he had never proven to be especially adept either at studying or at magic, he wasn't sent to the famous school for gifted Unicorns - just a run of the mill public school. It just so happens that while he was attending, the school underwent some major renovations. The children had been given strict instructions to stay away from the area where the construction was going on , but every school has its troublemakers. Some of the boys who were older than Hammer thought it would be fun to dare one of the youngest colts in the school to steal one of the hardhats the work ponies had left behind when they went for lunch. Hammer Spark knew this was dangerous and he didn't like it, but he wasn't about to be a tattle tale, so he didn't say anything at first. Suddenly, the young colt realized that one of the scaffoldings that was supporting some tools, lumber and bricks was unstable and it looked like it was going to collapse. He took off running towards the forbidden part of the playground shouting warnings to the foalish ponies who were playing. The big boys all heard him shouting, realized they were in danger, and made their escape, but the young colt was paralyzed with fear. Despite repeated shouts both from Hammer Spark and the other children on the playground, he did not budge. Frightened for the colt's safety, Hammer Spark tried to prevent the structure from falling using telekinesis. It worked at first, but he was still learning the most basic of magical abilities, and before long his magical grip failed him. Refusing to give up, Hammer charged at the teetering tower and using his strong hind legs, he kicked it away from the terrified child. When the teachers finally came to see what the commotion was about, they found that the scaffolding had collapsed against the wall of the school so that the young colt had only minor cuts and bruises. They also found that Hammer Spark's flank was no longer blank - he had indeed found his cutie mark. The shield symbolizes his protective instincts, the hammer his physical strength, and the yellow sparks represent his ability to use magic in order to assist him in defending and protecting others. Picture of Cutie Mark: History: Hammer Spark is the son of two ex-army unicorns, Hammerstrike and Sparklet. Both of them had served briefly in the REA, where they met, before leaving in order to pursue careers in other areas. They didn't stray far from the army, however, but started a career together making uniforms. Hammerstrike became a metal worker who made the armor for the Royal Guard, while Sparklet soon specialized in the cosmetic spell that was placed on the armor in order to give its wearer the appropriate royal guard appearance. Being surrounded by the army and its mentality from such a young age, Hammer Spark became naturally interested in the military and its way of life. Even before he earned his cutie mark, he knew that the Royal Equestrian Army would be part of his future. He joined the cadets as soon as he was old enough, and it was on a training run with this group that he found something extraordinary nestled under a bush up in the mountains not far from the city. It was a stone. But the stone looked so unusual - it was red, with purple spots and perfectly round so that it made Hammer Spark think it looked like an egg. He also thought it was the sort of pretty that his mother or younger sister might enjoy, and as he was always looking to please his family, he decided to take it home with him to Canterlot. When Sparklet was greeted with "Look what I've found, Momma! Can I keep it?" her initial thought was that her son had found yet another lost puppy and was about to say no. She was relieved to discover that all he’d found was a strange-looking, pretty stone. She assured Hammer Spark that he would, indeed, be able to keep it. His parents quickly changed their minds, however, when they learned that the stone was actually an egg, and that the egg had hatched into a small fire-breathing reptile. "It would be better for us to take it to the castle," his father told him. "We can't keep a pet who breathes fire," his mother agreed. But Hammer Spark had been told that he could keep the rock. And why should that have changed now that the rock had become a dragon? Ultimately, his parents had made a promise. Had not his father always told him never to break a promise, especially one made to someone he loves. Hadn't Hammerstrike always boasted being a stallion of his word? Furthermore, Hammer Spark saw the tiny reptile before him as small, helpless and terrified, and this kicked his protective instincts into high gear. He would keep her, he would love her and accept and make her a part of his family until she was old enough to go out into the world on her own. Eventually, his parents gave into his stubbornness, and reluctantly became the carers of a young dragon named Sierra, though to their relief, Hammer Spark took on most, if not all, of the responsibilities and the young dragon proved to be a delightful spirit to have around. Hammer Spark continued to work and train as hard as possible for the REA. Even though he disliked work of the academic variety, he soon realized that there was more to defensive magic than just trying to hold up a falling pile of lumber. He worked on honing in his magical abilities alongside his rigorous physical training regime so that the moment he was old enough, he enlisted in the REA and soon began training to join the Magnus regiment. He threw himself wholeheartedly into his training and his life as a soldier with the same stubborn attitude with which he tackled all his obstacles. After mastering telekinesis, he became skilled at casting a reasonable protection spell (one that could adequately protect a small area such as a collection of houses, but never something so powerful that it could protect an entire city the size of Canterlot), and is still working on small projectile blasts to be used in the event of an attack. He quickly advanced through the ranks of an enlisted soldier and is now a sergeant. The first time he was stationed outside of Canterlot was very nearly devastating - leaving his parents and his sisters (both his biological sister and his adopted one) behind was a lot more difficult that he'd originally anticipated. Though he had made plenty of mates in the army, his family had always been so supportive of him. Not enough to make him second guess leaving them for too long, however; there was a wide world out there just waiting for him to discover it. And the army would pay him to travel wherever they wanted him to go. His first garrison was in Roam - when he went East, his dear friend Sierra went West and though they do try to keep in touch by writing letters, they have not seen each other since (though he hopes to change this soon). After Roam, he spent some time in Germaney, Stalliongrad and Manehatten before finally returning to Canterlot where he is currently stationed. Character Summary: The first thing one notices about Hammer Spark when encountering him outside of the army is his size. He has a strong and sturdy build that makes him stand a head taller than most stallions. One might expect a pony of his stature to be gruff, rigid and unbreakable. And while he is all of these things when he's on duty, there is more to this pony than meets the eye. His mother often bragged to her friends that he had heart twice the size of Canterlot - and while mothers do often exaggerate, in this particular case Sparklet wasn't too far off the mark. Hammer Spark strives to defend the defenseless, protect those who need it the most, and help those who need help in any and every way he can. When he's on duty, this means going that little extra mile to make sure that new recruits feel included. Off duty, this means that he is chivalrous and a gentle colt who will go out of his way to assist others. He is far from flawless, however. He can be extremely stubborn at times and though overall he is a good soldier who knows how to follow orders, this does sometimes cause problems. If he’s set his mind on something, he will find it extremely difficult to obey commands that contradict this. He’s also a bit of a risk-taker: he doesn’t mind putting himself in dangerous situations, or challenging his own physical limitations (Once, while on vacation with a few army buddies in Trottingham, he accepted a dare to try to swim across the Delamare River, and he very nearly succeeded.) He prides himself in his physical strength and is often a bit vain when it comes to his appearance. He trains hard and is very rigorous when it comes to sticking to his training schedule. He’s an early-to-bed and early-to-rise pony who doesn’t have time for socializing or for the night life most of the time. Some of his mates accuse him of taking himself a bit too seriously and are always telling him to loosen up a bit. In all, Hammer Spark is a highly focussed and dedicated soldier in the armies of Equestria. He is overprotective of the weak, and is always looking out for their safety above his own. He doesn't mind taking risks and can sometimes be a bit of a thrill-seeker. He is often times stubborn, vain and preoccupied with his physical appearance. He always keeps his promises and trust is a quality he values above all others. ((Disclaimer: Sierra is played by Phil the Time Wizard, and I have his permission to include her in the app. All other names are unplayed, un-apped characters.))

Heya, welcome to Canterlot! Our chat room is heaps fun, I'm excited to see you around the site more. Don't worry about your English being 'bad' though - we fully understand, and there are plenty of other people around here who speak English as a second language as well. Me? I'm from Australia, so we definitely have bronies around from all over the world

Windygust dragged herself from the bedroom into the kitchen and mindlessly put the kettle on the stove. She felt like death warmed over. Nothing was helping; none of the usual home remedies she had given the foals when they were sick, none of the prescription medication she had in the bathroom cupboard. She had an achy back and a sinus headache and chills and a fever all at the same time. What pained her was that she wasn't the only one - she hadn't been to work in almost a week and the weather factory was starting to get desperate. Apparently they had called in backup from all over Equestria to try to help out. Her son Stormwing would be coming back to the clouded city from his home in Trottingham, along with much of Trottingham's weather team. Good thing, too - they'd need all the help they could get, considering half of Cloudsdale was out of commission.The loud, obnoxious whistle of the kettle pierced the blue mare's ears. She pulled the chamomile tea out of the cupboard and placed it in a mug with a bit of sugar before adding the boiling water. Tea would help. Tea would definitely help. She placed her mug on the kitchen table and sat down before the apartment started spinning. ​ [colour=#498995]"Morning, Mummy-bird. Is there any water left?"[/colour]​ Dear Celestia, not Whirligig, too. Windygust could tell immediately that her daughter was getting the sickness that was ravaging the city. She lacked the usual spring in her step, the usual pep to her speech, the usual sparkle in her eye. Windygust was well practised in figuring out when her children were sick and when they were faking it. Though Whirligig had never been one to fake it; in fact, the poor, dear girl usual denied when she was sick. Her brother had been the one guilty of faking illness to get out of going to school.[colour=#42B2B2]"Yes, Whirly-bird, help yourself"[/colour] the older mare replied, taking a sip of her tea. [colour=#42B2B2]"Are you planning on going into work today?"[/colour] ​ Whirligig dumped some instant coffee into a clean mug - probably a little bit stronger than she usually made it, but she felt like she needed a bigger jolt than usual today. Still, the concern in her mother's voice annoyed her. She wasn't sick, thought Windygust would probably try to convince her that she was. She couldn't be sick. She had the hardiest of immune systems, and anyways, the city of Cloudsdale had a crisis on their hooves. A real epidemic at one of the busiest times of year for the factory meant they needed every able-bodied pegasus they could get. This, of course, included not only Whirligig, but ponies from all over Equestria. When else would Whirligig get the chance to work with her brother in the factory? Granted, they probably wouldn't be on the same team, considering how much Stormwing hated working in the actual factory, but it would be something. It would take more than a few chills and a slight fever to keep Whirligig in bed today.[colour=#498995]"I'm not sick, Mum, and the factory needs me. So yes, I'm going into work today. You stay home and get better."[/colour] Whirligig said, trying to suppress a cough. Windygust gave her a look that told Whirligig that her mother didn't believe her for a minute, but also that she didn't feel up to arguing. Instead, the yellow-maned mare took another sip of her tea before getting up from the table. ​ [colour=#42B2B2]"If you're sure, dear,"[/colour] she said with a cough. [colour=#42B2B2]"Don't work too hard. And tell your brother I expect him home for dinner - we've got that lasagne I made last week still frozen so I won't have to cook."[/colour] At that, she collected her tea and returned to her room.​ [colour=#498995]"I'm sure, Mum! See you tonight,"[/colour] Whirligig answered. She collected her satchel containing the packed lunch she'd made the night before and set off to work. She briefly wondered if she would meet Stormwing en route, or if she should wait for him outside the main entrance. She soon decided, however, that her it would be just like Stormwing to be late, so she didn't bother. Instead, she entered the large factory, placed her satchel in her locker and collected her uniform. The place was eerily empty - most of her usual coworkers were home sick along with the rest of Cloudsdale. She was pleased, however, to see a familiar pink box next to the coffee machine. Snickerdoodle must be feeling better if she was here with cookies to share. Whirligig didn't really know the mare all that well - she worked in Rainbows while Whirligig's usual position was in Snowflakes. Though with winter over for another year, the snowflake makers who were healthy had all been reassigned. The red-maned Pegasus had been hoping she would get to work in Rainbows again this spring as she had last year; or better yet, in the wind tunnels creating breezes and gales, but she instead found herself in a new department: vaporization. A small crowd of mostly new faces had gathered around Sugar Apple, Whirligig's temporary supervisor in vaporization who, evidently, was now overseeing the efforts of all the volunteers. Whirligig looked around at the small collection of recruits and couldn't help but wondering if there would be enough ponies there to get everything done - there was so much to do today, and so many new workers couldn't possibly be efficient enough to help them reach their quota. Furthermore, Whirligig wasn't feeling much better now than she had that morning. After making her presence known to Sugar Apple, she approached the brown-maned mare who was responsible for the cookies in the break room. [colour=#498995]"Hey there, Doodle-bird*. Thanks for the cookies again - they're always awesome-tastic. I've missed them while you were sick. Glad you're feeling well enough to help us out today. Sucks that half of Cloudsdale is out cold with this ridiculous flu - Mum's still home sick. Can you believe that we're getting so many volunteers from all over everywhere to help us out? I hope we can still get everything done with so many new ponies, don't you? I mean, how terrible would it be if we had to cancel the spring showers? My brother would be devastated, not getting to build any storms this year. He's meant to be coming up from Trottingham today, but knowing Stormwing he's probably going to be late."[/colour] ​[colour=#b4b4b4]((OOC: *One of Whirligig's quirks is that she gives everypony she meets a nickname that has 'bird' in it, and will default to 'Bluebird' if it's a pony she's never met before. I feel the need to explain this as it sometimes confuses people))[/colour]

Hiya! Welcome to Canterlot! I've always found RP to be a great way to work on and improve your writing skills, so I look forward to seeing another writer in and around the boards. And of course your art will be awesomesauce as well I'm sure.

I'm going to be apping this character myself.

They have said that they'll work the Crystal Empire into the map sooner rather than later. My guess is that there will be a train going there from Stalliongrad, but now that I've written that, I feel like the lore on the Crystal Empire says otherwise. Anyways, I would have tried to fit the Crystal Empire in between Stalliongrad and Trottingham if you're working from the proposed itinerary above. Also, are you sure you want to go to all of those locations? As fun as it would be, it's a huge undertaking and could take ages. An organizational suggestion would be to edit your first post and make a poll (you will probably need to 'use full editor' to do this. In one question, include the locations in Equestria that have been suggested thus far, but request that people vote soley for the three locations they would like to visit to the most. In a few days you can choose the top ones and go from there. A second question could be added regarding the logistics of the journey. What would the focus of the thread be - the journey, or the destinations? Would there be rations, as Quilly suggested? All of these questions you've been asking throughout the thread could be more easily answered at the click of a button. Also, don't make it anonymous so that you know who has voted and who hasn't, and who is more interested in each specific thread. I don't know how effective this would be necessarily, but it's just a suggestion that might help you get this off the ground sooner.

Banner Credit: http://fav.me/d5c7kxo She may have been a bit annoyed by the water getting all over everything, but Twilight made every effort not to show it. Telekinetically she brought a towel in from the bathroom for the clawed visitor, who accepted it gratefully as he began to towel himself off.[colour=#002b54]"Yes, yes, I'm an alicorn. Still trying to get used to the idea myself, actually,"[/colour] she said, opening and closing her wings. [colour=#002b54]"I didn't realize that mail ponies had ranks. There must be more to the whole letter-delivering system of Equestria than I thought."[/colour] Maybe this was a problem. Maybe there was more to it than she thought. Maybe she was doing mail wrong - it had been such a long time since she'd sent a letter using the conventional method - Spike was usually around to deliver the letters for her. If she was wrong, did that make her a bad Princess? Were princesses allowed to be wrong about simple things like the mail delivery system in Equestria? She made a mental note to read up on how the mail worked in Equestria as soon as possible. In an attempt to calm herself down, she turned her attention back to the griffon, who seemed to have finished drying himself off. [colour=#002b54]"Well of course you're welcome to wait out the storm in here. I've got plenty of books for you to read if you're looking to entertain yourself,"[/colour] she said, turning her attention back to the ancient scrolls of Starswirl the Bearded. Suddenly an idea planted itself in her head. One that she could not shake. [colour=#002b54]"Hey, would you two be willing to help me out with a little experiment? I need somepon-er, someone to help me out with this age spell I've just discovered. I've got the counter-spell handy so I'll be able to fix anything that goes wrong. It'll be something to do while we wait for the storm to subside."[/colour] ​

Thanks so much Quicklime. As requested, all mentions of Stormwing's and Whirligig's father have been removed.

Hiya! Welcome to Canterlot! I agree, joining a new site is always an adventure.

Returning members ftw! *high fives* Welcome back to Canterlot!

Relevant

I've had a few people recently ask me about posting banners at the top of all my RP posts. Most sites have a quick tutorial about posting images somewhere, but I haven't found one on Canterlot. If you see a need, fill it. This is less about posting banners and more about how to post pictures on forums in general, but it uses banners as an example. This tutorial assumes that you already have a picture you would like to use on your computer, and that you know how to create an account on a website (you managed to join Canterlot, right?). Other than that, this is pretty simply explained. If there's anything you would like me to change/fix/clarify, let me know. Also, I use imgur because it is a site that has been designed specifically for the sharing and posting of images on other sites. I also find it more reliable than other hosting sites such as tinypic or photobucket. While I can copy the location of an image from say, someone's DeviantArt or someone's tumblr, doing so is considered to be 'hotlinking' which exhausts the bandwidth not only of those websites, but it can also be hard on this website, too. Remember all those server errors we were getting last week? Yeah, hotlinking is bad and I cry inside every time I notice someone doing it. Also, Imgur does have drag & drop functionality which usually works well (open the image location in windows explorer then drag it onto the open imgur web page), but I've recently been having issues with it due to chrome being uncooperative on my end so I didn't show that method. It is typically a lot easier. Also, while there is no set limit to how big your image can be, please keep it reasonable, especially when it comes to the size of your banners. Mine are 150x300 pixels. I hope that was clear enough/didn't confuse anypony. If you have any questions, ask away and I'll try to answer them.

Tacobob, that looks amazing! I've just recently heard that 3D printers are indeed a thing - that looks so cool!

After what has been a pretty lax semester so far, all of my assignments are hitting me at once both this week and next. I'll probably still be around chatty sections of the board, but I'll be slower with RP posts while I try to tunnel my way through this mountain of schoolwork.

I'm going to echo everypony else and say your OC looks pretty flashy - I love it! Welcome to canterlot; we're always excited for new RPers.

Heya, welcome to Canterlot! I guess I'm late to the welcome party here. I brought cupcakes, though - will that help? Actual image credit goes here