Hippogriff Nevermore [FINAL]

[Raikomaru]

Roleplay Type: The Mane RP

Name: Nevermore

Sex: Male

Age: Nevermore has only just grown out of Colt status.

Species: Hippogriff(Crow/Pony)

Eye Color: White sclera, red iris.

Coat Color: Black feathers, chocolate-coloured fur.

Mane/Tail/Markings Color & Style: With his unusual Effect Dyes, Nevermore has applied a colour effect to himself: his feathers shimmer slightly, like the night sky. Nevermore's tail is long, smooth and well-kept, and as black as his feathers minus the effect. He also has tufts of this colour around his ankles. As for his mane, it's done up facing up and forward, and gives him a blade-shaped 'fin mohawk'. He's applied a dye-effect to that as well: a metallic, glossy effect, to make it look like an actual blade without it being so.

Physique: Nevermore has a slightly feminine figure, with a thin waist and wide hips. He's muscular, but lean rather then buff.

Cutie Mark: Nevermore's Cutie Mark takes the shape of a blotchy sphere, looking something like paint, divided into seven parts, each representing one colour of the rainbow.

Origin/Residence: Nevermore originally hailed from the granite mountains far to the north. He now pretty much wanders around these days, looking for a suitable place to move into.

Occupation: Nevermore is an artist. Using the expertise in colour, and the application thereof, he makes paintings, or decorates rooms and stuff like that. He's also branched out into the world of dyes, and is thinking of adding that to his overall resume.

Motivation: Nevermore's greatest motivation is to add colour to the world he lives in. Vibrant, lively colour! He also talks big about 'the colour of truth', something he believes can only manifest when one's heart is free of deceit and lies...

Likes: Colour, honesty, ice-cream, chicken

Dislikes: Grey things, deceit, shrimp

Character Summary: Nevermore always stood out, even among his fellow Crow Hippogriffs. He loathed the drab,colourless mountains in which he lived, and long dreamed of colour. Vibrant, lively colour. It was over this very issue that he eventually left the mountains, no longer being able to stand his home and his fellows. As such, he moved down the mountains when he was but a Colt, heading toward Equestria, which he'd heard was a realm of vibrant colour.

The reason for Nevermore's obsession with colour was discovered later: he has a natural inclination toward the colourful, the vivid and the bright, a rarity among Crow Hippogriffs, and the desire to apply this to the world around him. In addition, he has an unusually keen eye for these things, allowing him an easy time at colour-coordinating for his friends, and letting him recognise applied dyes in an instant: they stick out like a sore thumb to his eyes. Creatures with this ability tend to have an innate aversion to the colourless and drab, which Nevermore learned quickly. As he practiced his artistry and made paintings, he soon learned to abhor the colour grey, as, to him, it stands for a true absence of colour, a monument to drabness.

Over time, he became more proficient with his ability, and began to experiment with dyes and other such agents, intending to add colour to the ponies he meets as well, should they ask him to. In addition to Colour Dyes, he's also come up with Effect Dyes, which add a layer of fanciness to what it's applied to, from a gloss varnish to a metallic sheen and anything in-between. He often experiments on himself with these dyes, both Colour and Effect, to be sure something works the way it should, for safety's sake. His most recent project, still in development, is Clear Dye, an agent that removes and cancels the effects of Colour Dyes and Effect Dyes.

Despite his intimidating, darkly-coloured appearance, Nevermore's actually rather gentle and friendly. He speaks with a deep voice, and has something of a habit of referring to people by 'titles' that fit who they are and what they look like. Most are genuinely kind, while others have a more snarky undertone to them. He rarely raises his voice, and his laid-back demeanor makes him easy to approach. The only thing he really gets excited about is his work: he gets passionate about the virtues of colour, and the things a good colour scheme intones about the person it's applied to. He also regards any female of any species he meets with warm praise, something he does simply out of politeness: he was taught, from an early age on, to respect the opposite gender.

He doesn't really like to talk about the situation back home, but, when pressed, is quick to reveal that he 'lived in a world where nobody understood his passion'. Crow Hippogriffs, as he states it, are a lot who prefer drab, dark colours, and live boring, cold lives. He may have left, but one day, he intends to return, bringing the Colour of Truth with him to dazzle them all. When asked about this 'Colour of Truth' that he seeks, he'll proclaim that he doesn't understand it that well himself: it was a vision that came to him in a dream, proclaiming that 'truth and colour are not that diffrent'. Since then, he's figured that the truth, whatever it is, must have an absolutely amazing colour that can only be seen by those who live their lives honestly. He'd also remark that he got his Cutie Mark shortly after he had said vision, possibly as a way to reinforce his commitment to its discovery...

Edited December 4, 2011 by Raikomaru

[Dio]

Hello. Let me preface this by saying that character creation for "Mane" RP is an iterative process. There can be multiple rounds of two-way interaction between a player and the staff before a character is accepted. The staff at Canterlot.com pride ourselves on facilitating high-quality RP and would like the user base to take pride in making a great character to play.

The major sticking point for Nevermore is his magical ability, which encroaches upon the realm of spellcasting. Magic in the form of spellcraft is reserved for unicorn characters and the princesses alone. Because of this, the color manipulation spell has to go, as does its products such as the magical sparkle effect on his coat and the metal texture of his plumage.

Now that's not to say that his obsession with color is a bad thing. It is a defining trait of the character that can be expressed in other ways. Spells, while flashy, are not the be all end all of characters even in a world with magic.

There are mundane ways for him to demonstrate his affinity for color. He can have an unusually keen eye for utilization of color when he paints his paintings and decorates his crafts and be great at matching colors to ponies or identifying particular hues and saturation levels. He could be adept at painting and dying himself and others' coats and plumage with the paints he makes.

Also, what of his relationship with his family? He is gentle and friendly to other ponies, but what drove him to leave his family and kin behind? Was his obsession with color so great as to cause him to break all previous bonds? If not, does he hope to bring the "gift of color" back to his family some day? What is this "color of truth" that he searches for?

These questions give insight into the psychology of the character and fleshing them out will improve your ability to consistently play him as well as giving the staff a good idea of what you intend to do with him. Consider these points and as we continue the evaluation process.

[Raikomaru]

Yes, an actual response! And one filled with stuff I hadn't yet considered, too!

I'll get to editing right away, and I'll incorporate the stuff you've mentioned by the next time you read this thread.

[Dio]

One more thing. Since we don't actually know how long the creatures and ponies in Equestria live, we like to avoid hard numeric values for ages. Please see the note in the OC Creation Guide on age. Since that's the only thing I see and it's easily adjusted, I'm going to go ahead and stamp this.

[Skye]