Unicorn Ornatia -- [Final]

[crp_dude]

TO DO LIST:

-Tweak Story as suggested

Roleplay Type: Main Equestria RP

Name: Ornatia

Gender: Female

Age: Mare (likely in early 30s equivalent)

Species: Unicorn

Eye Color: Deep Lavender (#7928FF)

Coat Color: French Lilac (#86608E)

Hair Color: Black, sometimes dyed to be Café Noir (#4B3621)

Mane Style: Ornatia's tail is usually hidden by the dresses she wears. However, she prefers a very brisk-looking style, with dynamic frays to the hair, followed by curled ends. She likely does the same to her tail.

Physique: Ornatia is a very thin but tough mare, and is also very tall, making her appear older than most in a crowd.

Cutie Mark: Ornatia's cutie mark is a velvety pink bow, which she got after constructing her own dress for a dance.

Origin/Residence: Though Ornatia chiefly operates her business in Roam, the capital of Equestria's easternmost province, Itaily, she takes very frequent trips for relaxation to her cottage in Hoofington.

Occupation: Ornatia is a world-renowned dressmaker. It took her almost two decades to build up the reputation she holds today. Despite her occupation, however, she does not send her dresses to shops to stock. Instead, she gets the word out by taking positions in fashion shows, and has all of her commissions given to her by mail, where they are made from the ground up, then given out. No two dresses look the same in Ornatia's studio.

Motivation: Ornatia strives to keep the very essence of the Itailian culture and philosophy alive in her dress-work, and, one day, pass her teachings on to an apprentice. Though her occupation as a dressmaker is a very profitable one (you should see the prices her work sells for... yikes!) she usually ends up making more dresses for herself than for her clients. You could say that this is on account of her obsession with public appearance, but she would argue that it's to remind her every day of why she is where she is, doing what she's doing.

Likes:

--Dancing

--Baths

--Opera

--Velvet

--Flowery Aromas

--Nighttime

--Landscape Paintings

--Beaches

Dislikes:

--Suntanning

--Musty rooms

--the Smell of Soap

--Sugar

--Heights (which is why she won't even consider going to Canterlot, eh?)

Ornatia's Story:

Ornatia, by no means, was ever privileged in her youth. Constantly picked on in school for her odd looks and mismatching clothes, since her family had no new garments, all of her clothes were family hand-me-downs from decades ago. Her parents, Basil Bow, her mother, who was a waitress, and Sage, who was a washed-out chef, were not at all wealthy. Quite the opposite, Ornatia was born into a comparatively poor family, and living in the city of Roam, not having money puts you lower than the totem pole has rungs for. One day, however, her teacher, Rosemary, who worked in a fabric store as a side job, gave her lessons on how to make dresses for herself. Ornatia was no artisan, but she was fairly good at making dresses. However, they were often a little punk-looking and Gothic-minimalist. So, Ornatia quickly went from "weirdo" to "creep". Entering a state of rebelliousness in her early childhood, Ornatia was generally avoided by her classmates. Though she appeared to be a dark child on the outside, on the inside she had begun to develop a respect for the art of making clothes. Hoping to impress her classmates one day, Ornatia managed to save enough money to buy decent-quality fabrics, beads, and other relatively cheap items. Diligently, she slaved over this dress in her room for almost weeks on end. She began to get a little more and more reclusive as the days went by, but still looked to her old teacher for inspiration. Learning from Rosemary the ideal and philosophy of the old Itailian couture, Ornatia began to shape her dress into something beautiful-- an ornamental piece, fit for a lady at the ballroom. Black mesh all about it, all black and pearl-like beads, with one exception: a pink velvet ribbon from an old dress of hers. Very nearly was the dress finished, when she was suddenly hit with an invitation. One of the fillies who had often bullied her for her strange looks invited Ornatia to her birthday party, which, since her parents were very wealthy individuals, was able to be held in a formal ballroom. The filly clearly intended to give it as a joke, but Ornatia saw this as her big chance. She took the invitation eagerly. While the girls prepared to laugh at her that night, Ornatia prepared her first true piece of art. To add the element of mystery to her, Ornatia decided to throw something together at the last minute: A ballroom masque of the same material as her dress. In fact, she was so set in her work, that she didn't notice that she was late for the party: exactly fifteen minutes late, so be exact. The party had already made a joke of having scared her off, but just as the music began to play, she came in. With her ornate outfit, nopony recognized her at first. It felt like a dream, a dark damsel descending upon the ballroom, all obscure, save for her vivid pink ribbon. The bully tried to make some manner of joke about it, but found that the words could not reach her mouth. She was immediately noticed by an older pony, a colt, in a very fine formal attire. After the dance was over, he formally introduced himself: Onyx Pearls, father of the filly who had bullied her, and even better, elite fashion photographer. He said to Ornatia that he was simply stunned at her abilities, and wished to sponsor her if she ever chose to become a fashionista. Believing that this was the opportunity of a lifetime, Ornatia made a deal with him. A flash occurred from under her dress as she became overwhelmed with joy, and, to her delight, she wound her Cutie Mark, a pink velvety ribbon, just like the one she wore on her dress.

Only weeks later, Ornatia began showing up all over Itaily, in magazines, in stores, however only her dresses were ever seen: nopony would have ever guessed that the rising star who would soon become the pride and joy of Itaily was only a filly now in her adolescence. Through hard work, she slowly rose to the top, began getting more money for the family, and made their humble home into a high-rise villa. Since the sad passing of her parents, Ornatia has made their secluded villa of a home into her personal studio, where she hides away from the world for a year or so, only to come out again with some manner of stunning new design that dazzles the populace of Itaily for the rest of the year. However, she does not hide away to keep her designs secret; rather, she has simply grown accustomed to the silence of her workspace after so long, far away from any sort of chatter that would otherwise break her easily-tipped concentration. However, Ornatia is finally beginning to move on with her life, beginning to seek profit and recognition in the land of Equestria. For her, it will be a hard job to do, living up to her reputation in a country with so much more competition, whether or not Itaily is famous for it's masterful fashion designers. Of course, she could never step down from this position she has worked so hard to achieve just because it felt daunting to her, lest she earn the disappointment of hundreds. However, she has confidence in the idea that at least some will come to appreciate the style she lives by.

Flaws:

--Ornatia has not yet scrapped her childhood rebelliousness. As such, she is an otherwise impatient individual, has trouble working under people, and is prone to jumping to conclusions. When she does, she can be a little aggressive, especially if she believes somepony is responsible for somepony else's misfortunes.

--Ornatia is well-spoken, but is not at all a social individual. Preferring silence to conversation, Ornatia would likely avoid talking unless need arises.

--Ornatia is a very eccentric individual. She is a fashion genius, of course, but is also a fan of experimenting with designs, giving her otherwise a very odd or outlandish look to her, should it be suitably ambitious.

--Ornatia is still fearful of the impressions her instigators put on her. Thusly, she is very sensitive towards serious criticism, though she is trying to keep a positive attitude and a level head about it, thinking that she must be good because of her own confidence in her abilities and her supporters, who take an interest enough to send her requests by mail in the first place.

Picture: Made by me!

(End note: I know that I wasn't supposed to use bold for anything, but I used it for those color codes so you could make out the color easier, since I found it a little hard to see.)

[crp_dude]

Added a fun little extra: Ornatia as a young foal!

[crp_dude]

Edit: Finally added final pic of Ornatia here, so I'll put this of the official critique watch! Woohoo! The picture is at the bottom of her profile, btw.

[Centauri]

Something which I am not entirely certain about in this application is her temperaments around society: you say she desires to maintain her public appearance, though she is not a sociable pony. Is this written to make her seem the "strong and silent" type?

One more thing: when Ornatia jumps to conclusions, does she act on them in an immediate and aggressive manner, or does she tend to sulk and hold a grudge? On that note, how does Ornatia feel about the bullying she endured in her fillyhood days? Again, these questions do not have to be answered, but it tells roleplayers more about whom they are RP'ing with.

I see it as a very good application and an interesting character to play as. Well done.

[crp_dude]

Not sure where to put those answers on the application, so here's a separate explanation:

What I mean when I say that she desires to maintain her public appearance, while avoiding contact with most, is a little more complicated than it sounds at first. As an Itailian pony, she has a serious sense of nationalism (probably something I should have mentioned) and with that comes the knowledge that she has a big reputation to live up to, with many grand designers that are in her wake, plus the fact that fashion is considered one of Itaily's major industries. As such, she feels as though she wouldn't want to disappoint the public or her sponsors by stepping down. Are a few jealous competing fashionistas irked by this? Incredibly. As for her lack of sociability, she simply prefers a calm environment for when she is making dresses, and with the frequency of her work, Ornatia has simply grown accustomed to a lack of crowds.

As far as her bullying, she is happy that her life's hardships are in a more positive light, yes, but that of course does not change that she is fearful of extreme criticism, further encouraging her to continue improving. Her behavior is reminiscent of the type who doesn't get over things like this easily, and in her case it is just so. Her fear of such criticism is outweighed, however, by her confidence in her abilities, and in the ponies who take an interest in her work enough to send requests to her door.

[Centauri]

Those two paragraphs would actually do quite nicely in Ornatia's Story, as it shows how she feels about her experiences and they have affected her personality. Those are pieces of information which I feel RP'ers will need to interact with Ornatia in the way that suits her. However, it is, ultimately, your choice in the matter.

[crp_dude]

No no, I agree with you in that, I thought the explanations would be short and out-of-place in the story. I'll find a spot for them!

[crp_dude]

EDIT: Story answers added to official profile.

[SunsetSombra]

After looking over the application for a good while now, and trying to come up with anything that might be wrong {Despite my state of tiredness!}...well, I figure that I can't see anything terribly wrong with the application as a whole. Just go ahead and edit the post to put it into 'Finished' status, and I figure we can move things along!

Edited January 10, 2012 by Robikku Pegasus

[crp_dude]

Thanks for the input. Updated to Final!

[brianblackberry]

Looks good!

For Great Justice!

[Skye]