ShadowMage

A very rough sketch of the inner workings of a device I might have Gearly end up inventing.

Each of the horizontal white rectangles is a gear, no teeth have been drawn yet, obviously.

The vertical rectangles are shafts which transfer power from gear-to-gear along the axle.

The Drive Gears do the actual work of the device, turning gears of other devices, pulling or pushing objects through the gears, holding items firmly in place, etc.

The 3 "Speed" Gear Box moves up and down switching between 3 different directs: forward, backward, and locked.

The Spring Box is wound by a key through the case of the device. Power from the spring travels along the gears up to the Drive Gears.

The Speed "Governer" prevents the spring from releasing all it's energy in a short, sudden burst, burning up all the gears moving parts of the system.

I know this is difficult for you guys to understand, more than likely, but if you CAN understand it, tell me what you think. I'd love to hear comments and suggestions.

Okay, so there's a little break in this case.

http://www.canterlot.com/chat/?_popup=1 is the URL I get when clicking the Chat tab.

http://canterlot.com/chat/chat_popout.php is the URL others apparently get when clicking the Chat tab. This link appears to work.

I tried upgrading to the newest version, and that didn't seem to do anything. Perhaps uninstalling and a fresh reinstall would work, or maybe even restarting the computer. Some things I'll likely try tomorrow.

Okay. That worked just fine. But I would REALLY like to get the on-site one to work if that's at all possible. Does anyone know anything that may work?

Alright, I've looked about on the forums, and I can't seem to find any answer. When I click the "Chat" link just below the Canterlot banner at the top, it takes me to a dull-grey page with a "Get ADOBE FLASH PLAYER" button/link. I've already clicked this once, though I was pretty sure I had installed it. I installed successfully; Firefox opened up, showing the little Flash Movie to prove that it had installed and was working.

I go back to the chat page and it remains unchanged. Can anyone help?

Rainbow Dash's reaction to this picture: CLICK ME!

I actually didn't have any issues with your previous cutie mark. While many ponies may have similar cutie marks, the ponies themselves differ VASTLY. If anyone HAD managed to confuse our two ponies, we could share a good laugh with them for getting a steel-grey steam-punk pony and a purple-and-gold chronomancer confused.

On the subject of your new cutie mark, I actually like this one A LOT more than your previous one. The inclusion of the clock hands is something I like quite abit. The gear/clock feels incredibly unique, something that another person likely won't duplicate by themselves.

I'm not sure if this is within reason of the rules... But perhaps his cutie mark's hands shift to reflect the progression of time? It'd likely be something nopony would notice, even if directly observing it., unless they were SPECIFICALLY looking for the change. Might also have a connection with his Timesense. Just a random idea I had.

Normally, I don't like fighting games that much... But smacking someone around with a book, teleporting about, and GIANT BOOK LAZORS look too damn good to pass up.

I would mind a nice little sketch of Gearly. Goggles or other steam-punk styled tools would be delightful if you could add them!

I do say, I'm quite certain that Clockwise and Gearly, should they both get accepted, would be friends quite quickly! Nothing makes Gearly drool like a finely crafted piece of clockwork.

Then again....Gearly has this terrible incompetence when it comes to measures of time...

Huzzah! His first creation and finally when he gets his cutie mark!

I'm beginning to wonder a bit if this is too long, or is the length a good thing? Does anyone have any comments about it so far?

ASUS made my Mother board. And I've been STUPIDLY happy with that, so I'd figured I'd return to try a monitor.

I meant it took me almost a full week before I watch ponies in 1080p. Clearly, the p stands for Pony.

I recently acquired a new monitor, 24-ish iches, LCD flat-screen, 1080p. All that good stuff. If you want to check it out, here it is. Turns out it was really damn nice for the price.

It came in the mail, I hooked it up and it was beautiful. I decided to run TF2 and see how it looked. Beautiful beyond compare. I started running through some of my favorite games, checking out how they looked, they looked so great, all of them.

Just abit ago, I started loading a FiM video on YouTube in 1080p: THIS IS THE GREATEST USE OF MY NEW MONITOR EVER!

My question: WHY didn't I think of this SOONER?!

I know I'm late to this joke...but...

He

I've always kind of thought that, unless you are a unicorn gifted with telekinesis, you haven't any ability to manipulate objects in an exact manner. Many the entirety of the pony language is comprised of crude hieroglyphics from drawing by mouth?

Ginger Mint's idea actually works for me. It'd give the right amount and you're pressing the salt between two surfaces, or pinching it.

I was thinking about something the other day.

The recipe that Pinkie uses to make cupcakes calls for a "pinch of salt." How do they even GET a pinch? I know this is just a cartoon, and there's no reality here, but...this genuinely bothers me. If Pinkie was a unicorn, I could see it happening, but she hasn't any ability to collect a small amount of salt in a pinch.

Yes, she should just tap the salt-shaker once and that would suffice. It's the wording that bothers me, not the actual action.

Okay! More written out. I'm not sure if I like how this last part is written. Any comments would be delightful. If there's any inconsistencies, please tell me.

Okay! I've started reworking the character abit. I've given his past more thought and detail, tell me what you guys think so far. I'm going to keep working on this. If someone wants, I can post the original back-story, probably hidden in a spoiler tab or something, if that's possible.

Still trying to figure out if I want Gearly to be more down-to-Equstria or abit...eccentric.

I am sad to inform you but you can not have a three part name, just too cluttered. Also Leonardo, while it is an interesting name, doesn't sound very pony-like and we are trying to shy away from first and last names. I do, however, really like the name Gearling, it really fits him as a pony!

To solve this problem, would it be at all possible to keep all his names, but just refer to himself and be referred to as Gearling?

As for what making him tick, I'm still kinda fleshing it out, but Dessa more-or-less has it right. He looks at the amazing things magic can do and draws inspiration from such things.

I'm really debating about making him a more down-to-Equestria pony creating reasonable and useful contraptions or have his head more stuck in the clouds and attempting to create ridiculous over the top machines that would make Rube Goldberg blush.

One thing, I know this is WIP, but before you get to far into it, I know that there's a forum-wide tendency to try to stay away from human names as pony names, so someone may ask you to change it. You might want to consider alternates...

Hm... I did forget about this little bit of information... Would it be more acceptable to name him "(Something more pony-esque) Leonardo Gearling"? I'm rather fond of the nickname he acquired in his schooling.

Name: Gearly

Sex: Male

Age: Stallion (19-20-ish range)

Species: Earth Pony

Coat Color: Steel Grey

Mane/Tail Color & Style: Both - Mix of: Dark Brown (Varnished Oak, #703b1b) and Light Brown (Tanned Leather, #C6914D). Worn as slightly combed bed-head.

Eye Color: Teal

Cutie Mark: A set of 2 silver gears with the teeth of the gears interlocked, representing his affinity for clockwork machinery, particularly the fabrication of unique devices.

Physique: Tip of left ear is torn, leaving a jagged edge. His body is less well built than most other Stallions. His front legs are lean and fairly well muscled, although minutely scarred from various accidents.

Origin: Birthed: Outside Solstice Heights. Current Residence: Stalliongrad

Roleplay Type: Mane

Occupation: Engineer/Mechanic

Motivation: Gearly, always fascinated with the world about him and disappointed in not being gifted with the powers of magic, turned to science and mathematics to solve problems and better the lives of those around himself. His first creation earned his cutie mark.

Likes: Logic, Reason, Experimentation, Physics, New experiences, New ideas, (Secretly) Magic, Education, Innovation, Trinkets

Dislikes: Electricity, Stagnation, The status quo, Time, Darkness, Ignorance, Form over function, Jewelry, Extravagance

Character Summary:

On a small farmstead near Solstice Heights, a foal was born to a poor family who had been wheat farmers for generations. His dark-grey pelt echoed the steel gear that had broken on the family's wheat thresher earlier that day; lacking a better name, he was given the name inspired by his grey coat. His name, as it turned out, proved to be fitting; before his eighth summer, he figured out how to disassemble the wagon simply by watching his father. Within two more years, he had prevented the constant grinding of the wheat thresher by replacing the gear which had inspired his name and had continued to degrade. With the rusted gear hidden away under his pillow, he set out to improve the machines upon his parent's farm.

Within months, he had learned all he could from dismantling and maintaining the basic farming utilities owned by his family. He was content for several weeks, but his curiosity could not be sated by contraptions he had already mastered. While his family was distracted by their harvesting duties, he began to make infrequent, secretive trips into town. With every return home, he'd tuck a newly "acquired", curious device into a hidden compartment under his floorboards; the contraptions were always damaged, and he was certain that such things would not be missed. As the crawlspace beneath his room became a warehouse for springs, sprockets, gears, and pulleys, he began volunteering to head into town to buy supplies for his family; no pony ever seemed to connect the farmer's grey son with the disappearance of tools, the misplacement of parts, and the loss of inexpensive devices.

The following cold season was one of learning and experimentation for Gearly; farm life in the winter months left ample time for dismantling, tinkering, and reassembling his mechanical curiosities. During the short frozen days, Gearly discovered many of the principles which powered jacks, pumps, clocks, and other devices; working with the creations of people far wiser and infinitely more educated than he, Gearly observed how clockwork bits interacted. Even as he worked and toiled, though, he knew his family would ostracize him for his burning passion. The young pony kept his hobby from his family, hidden under piles of wheat stalks and chaff insulation.

As winter came to a close, Gearly's family tasked him with heading into town to collect supplies for the coming year. In his absence, his family began working on that year's winter wrap-up; his father and brothers began clearing the fields of snow while his mother and sisters set out, clearing the improvised insulation from the house. Hauling a cart laden with supplies for the new spring and returning late that evening, Gearly found his family pulling heaps of metal springs, cogs, and

other clockwork bit from his room out into the field before their house.

After being chided by his parents and reassembling and returning each and every item which he had "acquired", Gearly was exiled to his room that night without any nourishment. While his parents loved Gearly dearly, they were at a loss for what to do with their troublesome son; he had never contributed to the farm as his other siblings did, and it was plain that his curiosity could not be contained. His odd and eccentric behavior had nearly caused his parents to die of shame and embarrassment. There was only solution as near as they could find: send their son to a formal school; if nothing else, it would get them out of their mane to figure out something else.

Self-educated and lacking a great deal of resources, the thought of a formal education was enough to make the young foal's head spin. While the prospect of leaving his family and the only home he had know was upsetting, Gearly knew that it would be foolish to pass up an opportunity such as this. By the end of the week, bags had been packed, plans had been set, and hugs had been shared. The day of his departure, Gearly slipped to his room, pulling the ancient, rusted gear from beneath his pillow; slipping the toothed circle onto bit of twine and tying it into a large hoop, the young foal slipped the ad-hock necklace over his head and went to share a round of final good-byes to his family.

The glamor and excitement of formal education rapidly wore off for the soon-to-be-colt. His peers, all several years younger from starting their education earlier in life, could not relate to the older pony; few to none knew of the hardships of working on a farm, a lifestyle Gearly was quite accustomed to. While his peers played and frolicked in the sun and fields, Gearly studied and talked to his teachers, seeking knowledge he hadn't acquired earlier in life. The vast interest in mechanisms rather than toys and games was alien and laughable to his peers. Gearly's eccentric mannerisms caused only a fraction of the torment directed at the new student; the rusted gear worn about his neck and his naked flank were constantly fuel for any and all who wished to bully the poor farmer's, who was quickly dubbed "Geekly".

Early one fateful day, a pair of hooligans decided to play a prank upon Gearly; one would distract their target as the other would hide, trip the grey colt and then steal the "ugly and useless" gear that he always wore while he was dazed. The plan worked perfectly, much to the distress of Gearly; the necklace was both a symbol of his passion and a memory of his family and farm, and it was now in the hands of ruffians who would likely lose or damage it. Only after much begging and pleading with the teacher, insisting how important the rusty gear was, was the keepsake returned safe and sound. Gearly waited patiently for punishment to be dealt to his two delinquent peers, but not even a scolding was given; Gearly stormed off in a huff, determined to take matters into his own hooves.

As the memory of the incident faded from the mind of all involved save Gearly, he toiled secretly behind a cluster of topiaries, hidden away from prying eyes. Using various scavenged and bought parts, the colt fashioned his first contraption from scratch; The catapult he had cobbled together would deliver a payload of viscous tree sap to his targets as he hid in the bushes. Luring his tormentors to the mark, he primped the device, loaded the sap, and pulled the cord to fire the machine; not a thing had happened. Questioning his design as he trotted toward his contraption, he leaned close to inspect for any faults in his design. Sap at oozed down into the device, coating the gears in the sticky fluid preventing them from working. At that moment, he heard a loud snap as something gave way, his machine exploding into thousands of tiny splinters as he was flung backwards, colliding with a tree. When he opened his eyes, he found himself upside-down, coated in sap, firmly stuck to the trunk of a sturdy oak.

Gearly's sudden appearance upon the side of the tree started the young filly who'd been singing peacefully beneath the cool leaves. Moments later, after recovering from his stunning flight and even more stunning stop, Gearly regained his senses and verbally calmed the shaken deep sky-blue pelted pony; the filly carefully helped Gearly from the tree and proceeded to help him clean up the remains of creation, after asking politely if Gearly needed assistance. The silver-maned pony's kindness surprised Gearly, having only dealt with laughter and ridicule from others his age. As he cleaned the sticky sap from his form, his shock only deepened as he discovered a set of silver gears sporting brightly on flank. His luck had taken a dramatic turn for the better that day; he'd gained both his first true friend and found his cutie mark.

After completing his schooling years later, Gearly returned to his family's farm and his home. The unusual mannerisms which had caused him and his family such trouble years before had dulled, though his burning passion for all things machinery and creation and only intensified. Gearly knew that, while a sturdy foundation, his current level of schooling would never satisfy his passion and desires; to achieve his goals, he'd need to leave his family once more, traveling to the far off city of Stalliongrad to study and practice. After several months which felt all too short, Gearly had helped his family in the only way he was able; each and every machine on the farm had been modified by Gearly so that, while he was gone, his work would still help his family earn their livelihood. With yet another round of good-byes, and a heavy heart, Gearly set out on the long road to Stalliongrad to learn all he could.

"A failure is still a success if you learn from it."

Character Log Here

Steampunk, TF2, Warhammer 40k, and other epic things I can't remember at the moment!

Once I get some extra cash, I'm eventually going to splurge abit on a pair of Steam-punk style goggles, maybe even a set of cyber-punk style as well.