EmberSparx

"Minerals?" Ember grinned widely at the question, and his lips start to move as though he's speaking to himself, going over a mental checklist of his supplies. "More'n I can rattle off right here... I tend ta use a lot've barium and copper myself, but that's because I'm partial to the green sparks they put off... I'm guessin' that you're not all that interested in the colors they make though, huh?"

With his horn glowing green he levitates his saddlebags off of his back, placing them on the ground between himself and Aloe. "I'd be more'n happy to go through all of them with ya, but I don't know that out here in the middle of the streets would be the prime place ta do so." He laughs quietly, much more at ease now that the topic had shifted to something he was comfortable with.

Ember smiled widely at the introductions, flicking his tail and sending off a small wisp of soot as he shook Aloe's hoof. "Wow! Everypony sounds real successful! Er, I mean... I should be expectin' that much here in Canterlot, right?" He laughed, a little nervous still, but happy that everyone seemed friendly. As gears turned in the business focused part of his brain, the stallion's ears flicked and he suddenly smiled as he turned specifically to Cassanova.

"Ya said you're a social gatherin' planner? Do ya ever have a need for fireworks? Err, sorry, tha's what I do... I'm travelin' around tryin' to perfect my wares!" Ember almost bit his tongue to make himself stop talking - in his eyes he was being both rude and unprofessional, but he couldn't help himself! Here he'd just met these ponies and he was already trying to see if he could make a sale... And poorly at that.

Try and fix it! "Erm... I mean, it's real nice ta meet everypony. Y'all sound real interestin'." Okay, stop trying to fix it! You're repeatin' yourself!

Ember smiled happily at Lunchbox, his ears flicking a little. Now that he'd made a successful sale to the diamond dog, he wasn't as intimidated as he initially was. "Ah, I'm sorry to hear that, but to each their own. I'm sure a life of mining wouldn't suit me very well either!" The stallion laughed before looking back at Pyro.

"I don't really know if it would be fair to compare fireworks to your fire magic. I mean, I'm sure you can do some great effects, but all of my products are hoof-made with the finest reagents I can find!" He smiled at the other unicorn - he really wasn't trying to be rude, he just didn't see the appeal of using magic where he dedicated his life to his fireworks.

Now that his sale was finished, he was finally able to turn his attention to the mare and two stallions that were nearby. He felt a little ashamed he hadn't been able to pay them better mind before, but he had to focus on his job after all. "Uhm, howdy everypony..." The stallion's smile was a little awkward, afraid that he was intruding on their conversation. "Sorry, I'm Ember Sparx. I'm real sorry about before, I had to focus on makin' a sale though."

Wow, everypony here looks so... Fancy! I feel right outta place with my burnt mane n' smolderin' tail... Aww, calm down Ember, I'm sure everypony's nice as can be! Ya just made a sale to that Lunchbox fella after all!

Ember smiled happily, glad to see that Lunchbox seemed satisfied with the mining charge. And with him, apparently. "I do hope that it lives up to your expectations! If you ever feel the need for some fireworks, please keep me in mind." He doubted the diamond dog would ever need fireworks, but he couldn't help but add the little self advertising there at the end. Force of habit.

As Ember watched Lunchbox and Pyro go back and forth, the stallion blinked and his ears went back a little. So much tension! I really hope everypony stays calm... I hate conflict! He smiled at Pyro as the unicorn came back over to him. "Oh, umm, it's alright. You said we should compare pyrotechnics? Hmm... But, didn't you say you make yours with magic?" Ember knew he shouldn't feel leery about it, but he couldn't help himself. He could make some small flames and sparks himself, but he only used them to start up his creations. The very thought of using magic itself just seemed... Almost boring to him, after he'd spent so long making his products out of hard work and scavenged stones.

"Hmmm..." Ember's horn started to glow with a soft green light as he brought the offered gemstones closer to look at them. With a smile he perks up his ears, nodding. "Yes, I would be able to take this as payment. Let me see what I can put together..."

Taking a few steps away from the growing group, Ember shrugged his saddlebags off of his back. He wouldn't normally put things together right in the middle of the street like this, but Lunchbox didn't want anything fancy. Just something strong. With his horn still glowing he pulled a few different containers from his bags, muttering to himself under his breath as he goes over his available reagents.

"No no, there's no blast in that, it's just the green sparks... No, that one's loud, but no real strength to it... Ah, maybe these?" He was aware of the conversation going on around him in the group, but the stallion was too focused on his work to contribute in it. He wouldn't be a very good businesspony if he put conversation before an order. As he wrapped the combined powders in a thick parchment he compressed the package carefully into a small bundle. He left a long wick sticking out of one corner before picking up the entire thing with a simple levitation spell and carrying it back to the diamond dog.

"Is something like this what you had in mind? I've used smaller ones to chip off stones before, but I've never tried to make an actual mining charge." His ears flicked nervously as he waited to hear if Lunchbox liked the product or not. It wasn't too different from one of his fireworks, but it was different enough that he was completely unsure how it would work. If only he could test it first...

Ember blinked his eyes, just now noticing the growing crowd around them. He'd been so focused on the potential job he hadn't even noticed! "Oh, hello everypony!" He shuffled his hooves slightly as he turned to make sure his saddlebags were still on his back. It was a fruitless gesture since he could feel they were, but it was an old reflex. He looked at Lunchbox again, one of his ears flicking as his thoughts raced.

"Uh, I meant... Do you know what kind of rock you need busted? It isn't really my specialty, my explosives are more for show than practicality. I mean, I may be able to put something together for you, but different stones would need different strengths of charges..." He chuckled and gave a nervous smile. The stallion wasn't entirely sure the diamond dog would get his point - he'd met plenty of ponies that didn't understand his work, anyways. The thought of this job was starting to make him a little nervous, he'd never been hired for mining charges before.

Not wanting to be rude, Ember was also trying to divide his attention to the growing crowd of ponies. He felt like he was coming across as incredibly scatter brained, but he didn't know what else to do. "Uhh, is everypony okay? That looked like a pretty rough stumble."

Ember's ears perked up as Lunchbox seemed interested in his products, a smile crossing his muzzle. "Rock breaking, huh? I've used small charges to help grind up my reagents, I could probably put together something larger... Do you mind if I ask what you have in mind? It would help if I knew the purpose." The stallion looked from the diamond dog to Pyro and smiled, then looked back at Lunchbox. His first day here, and already a potential customer! Granted, it didn't sound like the diamond dog was interested in anything fancy or colorful so it wouldn't be great advertising, but business was business after all.

Ember quivered a little bit, his ears flattening out. He didn't want to be rude, but he'd never seen a diamond dog before, let alone having one approach him quite like this! He swallowed nervously and tried to smile. Be friendly, Ember. You won't make new friends like this. The stallion cleared his throat and nodded. "Th-That's right! The best fireworks this side of Fillydelphia! Or at least that's what I tell myself."

Ember looked nervously at Pyro, wondering if encounters like this were normal for Canterlot. The city's nothin' like the rock farm... Deciding he should be polite and introduce himself to the diamond dog as well, Ember also offered his hoof towards Lunchbox. "Uh... My name's Ember Sparx. Are ya interested in my products by any chance, uh... Sir?" He was completely unsure about how to properly address a diamond dog, or if they even liked fireworks, but the little voice in the back of his head couldn't pass up the chance to potentially show off his work.

Ember almost didn't realize the other pony was talking to him, he was so busy staring at a... Dog? He'd never seen a diamond dog before, and was thinking about if it would be safe to approach him when Pyro almost ran into him. Ember blinked and laughed nervously. "Wha? Oh, yeah, I'm from around Fillydelphia... Not really from the city, but the country around there. That obvious, huh?"

He laughed again. The question was pointless, he already knew he stuck out from the locals. Trying to quickly make up for his awkward introduction he quickly thrust out a hoof at the other stallion. "I'm Ember Sparx. Travelin' pyrotechnician, fireworks all the way from Fillydelphia!" Ember smiled, trying to put on his best 'business face'. It looked more like he was trying not to swallow his tongue, but it was still something he was trying to work on.

Through his introductions, he couldn't help but turn his head a little to watch Lunchbox, trying to keep a curious eye on the diamond dog.

Aaaand the post is made! Anypony can jump in whenever they'd like

((OOC Thread: http://www.canterlot.com/topic/16118-a-casual-roleplay/#entry386688))

Ember looked around in awe as he trotted up the road to the entrance of Canterlot. It was about as different from the rock farm he'd grown up on as possible, and he still couldn't believe he was actually here! He swallowed nervously as he approached the gates, smiling awkwardly at the royal guards he passed. Wow... All the ponies here look so refined. A country pony like me's gonna stand out like a sore hoof...

He continued to look around as he made his way down the streets at random, wondering where he'd find a place to stay. The one place he refused to look at, though, was the castle. I can't believe I'm so close to where the princess' stay! I wonder if I need some kinda permission to launch my fireworks...

Eventually the stallion came to a stop at what seemed to be some kind of crossroad, uncomfortably aware of his singed mane and burned tail among all the fancy-looking ponies that passed by. "I wonder if they sell maps aroun' here..." Ember decided to wander around the wide area, to see if he might encounter something or somepony that could help him find his way.

Really sorry everypony, I've been really distracted with schoolwork lately (Whatever possesed me to take a foreign language class in the same semester as Biochemistry I will never know...), I haven't been on much.

Anyways, I'm going to go create the thread now. I'll edit the original post to contain a link to the Roleplay after I get it made, and we'll use this thread as the OOC thread.

Hopefully I'll be around more often now, again, really sorry about my little disappearance!

Canterlot works just fine for me. Does anyone want to volunteer to set up the post? I'll go ahead and make one if no one volunteers.

I'd be more than happy to play with everyone! Shall we start deciding on a setting? I'm open to suggestions. Also, I'll make the thread if no one else wants to by the time we hash everything out, but like I said I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to formatting and making things look nice. So if anypony wants to volunteer for that task, I'll happily oblige.

I would absolutely love to play with both of you! Any preferences about settings? Like I said, I'm just looking to get my hooves wet here, and since Ember travels a lot I'm fairly adaptable.

Hello everypony! I'm sure some of you recognize that I just joined the forums rather recently. I've successfully had a character approved for WoE roleplay, and I've been spending some time reading through some of the older posts on the site (absolutely love them!).

But, on to the matter, I'll be the first to admit that I'm somewhat shy when it comes to diving into roleplay with a new crowd. Even ones that are labeled as Open intimidate me a little, just because of the fact I have yet to get to know anyone here very well. So the purpose of this thread is to ask if anyone would care to start an open roleplay with me, it doesn't need to be anything major, just something to get my hooves wet so to speak.

A link to Ember's character sheet is in my signature, since I'm sure you'd like to know the character before agreeing to anything. I would offer to start one myself as well, but it's been a long time since I used a forum regularly and I'm back to the newbie stage when it comes to formatting things.

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to eventually getting to know everypony enough that I feel comfortable! Also, my apologies if this isn't the appropriate forum for a topic along these lines.

Edit:

The roleplay is made! Find it here, jump on in! http://www.canterlot.com/topic/16235-city-lights/

Thanks for the feedback! I'm sorry about the approach-ability, I never meant for him to come across like that, I just worded it poorly It should be fixed now.

As for the other part, I knew it wasn't completely accurate but I thought it made his story sound a little more exciting. So I just thought maybe things might work a little different in Equestria and changed it a little hoping that no one would mind. I would be willing to change it if it was an issue, but since you said it shouldn't matter too much I'm leaving it like that for now.

Oh, and I did bookmark the pages you linked, so that I can referance them in his roleplay. Thanks for that!

I'll be more than happy to make more changes, though! I appreciate the critiques immensely!

Ember gestured with a hoof, still organizing his things as he spoke. "I think it was over that direction. I'm not from around here myself, I've been staying in the inn for a few days now though. Good luck with your move! I'll probably be around town for a little while longer at least, I was hoping to look for ingredients for my fireworks in the Everfree Forest before I left. Feel free to swing by the inn later if you're looking for company." He smiled at the white pegasus, then gestured with his hoof again. "The inn is that building over there. Head the opposite way to find the town hall."

(No big deal, I start classes again tomorrow myself so I'll end up with less time to reply. I'll still be here as much as possible though )

Ember smiled and thumped a hoof against the firework stand, flicking his tail towards his supplies. "The residents of Ponyville have been incredibly friendly. I don't normally have anything as official as a stand like this, but a nice pony was kind enough to let me use theirs while they went on vacation. To be honest I'm surprised myself with how much I've been able to sell here!" With a quiet laugh Ember tilted his head a little, his horn glowing as he levitated a few more containers back into his saddlebags in an effort to stay tidy. "Could I interest you in any of my works? Or were you just looking for conversation? It looks like the crowd's dying down a little bit, so I'm free to chat."

Thanks a ton for the critique! I am interested in the World of Equestria RP, so I went ahead and removed the bit about his horn and fleshed out his history some more. Please let me know what you think, I'm more than happy to put more work into him if you still feel it's lacking something.

Ember chuckled, happy to have someone so interested in his wares. "I actually live in Fillydelphia, I just travel a lot to look for new and rare ingredients to use in my work." He smiled as he started moving around some of his supplies, trying to keep his things organized. "Fireworks are popular in Cloudsdale, huh? Too bad I'm not a pegasus pony, then... Don't get me wrong, I like scraping by with what I manage to sell down here. It feels good knowing that my work impresses ponies enough that they actually buy them. Would be nice to see what others use in theirs though, hehehe."

Ember finished up a sale, happily putting the bits away as he started to assemble another firework for a new customer. He noticed a white pegasus approaching and smiled. "Be with you in just a moment, sir!"

Happily sending the second customer on their way, Ember propped his hooves up onto his makeshift firework stand and smiled again. There was a noticeable wisp of smoke coming off of the end of the unicorn's tail, and you can't help but notice his broken horn sticking out of his singed mane. "Names Ember Sparx, can I interest you in any fireworks? I make them fresh, so no worries about them going bad! Ingredients from as far as Fillydelphia, and no promises about how long I'll be in Ponyville."

((Hope you don't mind me jumping in? I'm new to the site myself ))

Ember yawned as he walked out of the Ponyville inn, adjusting the straps on his saddlebags. Alright, time to make some sales, he thought to himself. No advertising like showing off the product! He made his way to a clearing, smiling politely at the ponies that he passed. Mixing a number of powders from the containers in his saddlebags, he sent a spark from the stump of his horn into the bundle. With a loud FWOOSH the bundle launched into the air and exploded into a shower of green sparks. Ember cleared his throat and said "Hello Ponyville! Fireworks for sale!"

((Hello everyone! New to the forums but I really wanted to submit this bio for feedback, spent a while filling out the application and I really look forward to seeing what everypony thinks.))

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria

Name: Ember Sparx

Sex: Male

Age: Young Stallion

Species: Unicorn

Eye colour: Lime green

Coat: Black, like a starless night sky. The area around his muzzle fades from black to a dark mossy green. It would give the impression he has some kind of ink or dye on his muzzle but it’s his natural color. He normally has a small saddlebag thrown over his back, filled with small pouches and containers of powder.

Mane/Tail: His mane and tail are a dark green with stripes of white, which makes a bright contrast to the rest of his dark colors. His mane is short and normally looks like it’s singed around the edges, so he gives off the impression that he doesn’t really keep it short on purpose. The edge of his mane stops just under his horn, so it doesn’t cover his face at all. His tail is long and looks like he really doesn’t put much thought into it. It’s full of random tangles, and the tip of it often looks burned or singed (possibly even smoking).

Physique: Ember is in shape, but he is anything but bulky. He’s tall but skinny, with long legs. A good description may be ‘wiry’.

Residence: Fillydelphia, but he has been known to travel a lot in order to seek out new materials to use in his fireworks.

Occupation: Aspiring Pyro-technician

Cutie Mark: A green star-burst, with small lines of emphasis radiating out of a central point. It’s a dark green, similar in color to his mane and muzzle, but it shows up rather well against his black coat. It would inspire thoughts of fire against a black night sky.

When Ember was a little filly, he was helping in his father’s rock farm the night he got his cutie mark. Left unsupervised he had gathered a number of different rocks that he had thought looked neat, since they were all different colors. After breaking them up into powder and generally making a mess, he heard his father looking for him. Not wanting to be seen ‘wasting time’ as he saw it, he quickly looked around for a way to dispose of the dust. Scooping it up into a big hoof-full he threw it into a nearby campfire, when KA-BOOM! Bright green and white sparks flew everywhere, Emb was knocked back by the force of the unexpected explosion, and everyone in his household came running. Too amazed by what he had done by accident, he didn’t even notice his cutie mark until his sister pointed it out to him.

History: Ember was born in the country on his parent’s rock farm, though they were well enough off for rock farmers. He helped work the fields with his father, uncles, and cousins and the whole family lived together in a large barn. After receiving his cutie mark he started spending most of his free time crushing different rocks into powder to see how they reacted with each other and to heat.

Eventually he decided to take his fireworks to Fillydelphia where he might be able to make something from them, though he spends more time traveling than he does at his home. His family wished him luck and warm wishes, and he still writes regularly to his little sister.

After setting up his home in Fillydelphia Ember took to the road, on a journey to find new materials to make better fireworks. This has taught him the importance of maps, as he tends to travel by hoof instead of by other means of transportation so that he doesn’t miss out on anything he may find on the road. Traveling this way has given him a carefree, live in the moment kind of attitude as he gets by on whatever he can get by selling his fireworks as he goes from place to place. He doesn’t plan for the future very well, since he doesn’t usually know where he’ll be going next.

His method of traveling has made him greatly appreciate the company of other ponies, since it can be rather lonely on the road. He has changed his own plans on multiple occasions in order to spend more time with friends that he has made, having decided easily that friends are more important than his work.

The largest event to have shaped him in his travels so far has been when he met a traveling carnival on the road. He tried to sell them some fireworks, and traveled with them for a short time in order to relieve the boredom of the road. However the group already had their own fireworks creator, and Ember was unable to make a sale. Seeking out this other pony, eager to exchange tips about his work, Ember was shocked to find this other pony refusing to even speak with him. Ember’s fireworks were written off as “Little foal’s play” by the group, and since that time he’s harbored a measure of doubt about if he will ever be seen as a professional. When others compliment his work it helps his confidence immensely, but this event is always lurking in the back of his mind.

Character Summary: Ember is a little awkward around new ponies. He's eager to make friends, but growing up around mostly his family has left him just a little unsure about how to greet new faces. He may struggle to think of what to say when first meeting somepony, but he'll try his hardest to make new friends.

He is always eager to improve his fireworks, and will happily tackle any kind of related task. He’s rather adept at creating magical sparks and flames, usually to trigger his creations with. He favors the color green, since his first “explosion” matched his mane and he considers it good luck. His secret dream is that his fireworks will one day be renowned enough that he will get to demonstrate them for the princesses.

When he isn’t tinkering with making new fireworks, Ember likes to spend his time reading adventure stories and exchanging letters with his sister. He also has a bit of a sweet tooth, but he wouldn’t be one to admit it. He can’t cook to save his life however, he usually ends up burning whatever he’s trying to make.

Ember is deathly afraid of water and anything that lives in it, and he can’t swim. He can tolerate a light rain, but storms terrify him. He’s also very sensitive to criticism from others, prone to taking it very seriously if anyone complains about his fireworks.

Thanks everyone! The World of Equestria RP definitely sounds like something that would interest me, I saved a copy of the character sheet to a Word document so I can play with filling it out at my own leisure before making a post of one. I suppose I'm off to try and get my hooves wet in the free-for-all section for now! Possibly. I might just watch for a bit.