I have some roleplay questions

[RiverleafBreeze]

1. Would a young blank flank hippogriff foal or filly chaaracter be allowed to be a Cutie Mark Crusader,along with the characters of Apple Bloom,Sweetie Belle,and Scootaloo?

2. Do ponies discover their cutie marks at the age of foals,or at the age of fillies and colts?

3. Is there a guide of body or pelt colors that I could look at?

4. What body or pelt color would go well with brown manes?

5. May I roleplay my first character in Ponyville?

6. What is the money currency in this roleplay?

7. How many characters may I be allowed to rp?

[Dessa]

1a: Hippogriffs are blank flank by default, and cannot develop Cutie Marks. Only Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi get cutie marks. Zebras do tribal tattos, though, so the right background or RP could easily justify something along the lines of a cutie mark.

1b: The only characters allowed to have direct connections to the cast in their backgrounds (beyond a cursory mention, like "Joe found the exploits of the mane 6 inspiring"), are cast characters themselves. Once your character is approved, however, you can do whatever you want with them, though. So you could apply for the Hippogriff chick/foal, then try to join the CM crusader.

2: I always thought of a cutie mark as the event which defines passage from foal to filly, but I'm not sure about the official answer to this.

3: No. Beyond the TV shows, I find the gen 1 toys a good source of inspiration. There's a ton of em here http://www.ponylandpress.com/#ponies Generally, ponies pelts are more desaturated, and the brightest colors are reserved for manes, but there are plenty of exceptions.

4: It depends on the brown. White goes with almost eveything, as does grey. Black is versatile too, but it can be a challenge to make the details visible with a black pelt. Beyond theat, there's a lot that works with brown, but certainly not everything.

5: They discourage it, and it might not even be possible for the time being, but I'm not sure. Ponyville is rather populated ATM, but you can establish any old place as a hometown/town of origin, then RP in ponyville as much as you want. Travel is allowed

6: Bits, just like on the show, but they aren't tracked like they might be in a pen & paper RPG. You can make your character poor or fabulously wealthy as you wish, but it's best to do so for RP purposes rather than any potential powergaming purposes.

7: As many as you wish. You can have 2 in application at any given time for Mane RP. One marked [Final] and ready for approval/review, and one marked [WIP] or Work In Progress, which won't be reviewed for approval, but is open to comments from all (and staff often read these and tell you what might need to be changed too).

So potentially, you could put hundreds of characters through, but DO keep in mind that the ponies revieing these do so on their free time, so don't just apply if you don't intend to putthe chatacters to good use.

Characters for the Free For All RP need no approval, but must follow the general board rules (E for Everyone/G for general audiences, etc.), so if you want numbers, fast, there's the quick way to do it.

[Dessa]

You might also find it easier to come up with colors simply by putting splotches next to eachother like I did here for my OC when I was planning:

The above was made in paint, and I just used the bucked tool to fill the splotches.

The Cutie Mark color was set, since it was based on a real life flower, so I built around that, with the big splotch being pelt and the smaller splotch being mane.

A lot of the aabove colors look good, so from that point I narrowed it down by asking myself what colors fit the pony best. She's kinda gloomy, so the top left one, although absolutely gorgeous, was a poor fit. The rightmost column looks good, but the lack of contrast between mane and pelt didn't work for me, because my gloomy pony isn't always so harmonious herself.

Also, remember that a lot of programs let you change the colors after you've put them down. Experment a lot, and save the ones you like best, then lay them out in front of you and spend some time picking over them.

[knight]

Just to clarify something, since I noticed that Dessa didn't really touch on answer number 2:

Foals=fillies AND colts. the word 'foal' is used to refer to a baby or young horse. (a horse is considered a foal until it has reached adulthood, whether that is 2 years or more varies by species, and in pony cases, preference of when you want to go from 'foal' to 'young mare/stallion')

A colt is just a term used to refer to a MALE foal.

A filly is a term used to refer to a FEMALE foal.

But they are ALL foals. There is no age difference, for example, saying 'The young filly learned to braid her hair today' is synonymous with 'The youg female foal learned to braid her hair today.' Filly and colt just provide a reference to the gender of a pony before it reaches adulthood, NOT the age.

Hope that clears up that little issue!

[Dessa]

Just to clarify something, since I noticed that Dessa didn't really touch on answer number 2:

Foals=fillies AND colts. the word 'foal' is used to refer to a baby or young horse. (a horse is considered a foal until it has reached adulthood, whether that is 2 years or more varies by species, and in pony cases, preference of when you want to go from 'foal' to 'young mare/stallion')

Yes, this is correct. But insofar as the board rules are concerned, foals are distinct from fillies and colts. From the Canterlot OC creation guide:

For Ponies and Pony Relations:

Foals are newborns and can be considered from age 0 to 12.

Colts are young male ponies and can be considered from 13 to 17.

Filles are young female ponies and can be considered from 13 to 17-.

Stallions/Mares are adult ponies and are from 18 to 49-ish.

Elderly are 50+

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Dessa did a good job of answering questions, but I have some things to add.

1. Would a young blank flank hippogriff

1a: Hippogriffs are blank flank by default, and cannot develop Cutie Marks. Only Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi get cutie marks. Zebras do tribal tattos, though, so the right background or RP could easily justify something along the lines of a cutie mark.

Untrue:

Pony Relations: These creatures are the only ones in Equestria that will have "cutie marks".

• Earth Pony
  
• Unicorn
  
• Pegasus
  
• Hippogriff
  
• Hippocamp (Herbivorous Water-Horse - Vertical spine [up and down]) With or Without flippers
  
• Kelpie (Omnivorous/Carnivorous Water-Horse - Horizontal spine [side to side]) With or Without flippers
  
• Zebra
  

foal or filly chaaracter be allowed to be a Cutie Mark Crusader,along with the characters of Apple Bloom,Sweetie Belle,and Scootaloo?

1b: The only characters allowed to have direct connections to the cast in their backgrounds (beyond a cursory mention, like "Joe found the exploits of the mane 6 inspiring"), are cast characters themselves. Once your character is approved, however, you can do whatever you want with them, though. So you could apply for the Hippogriff chick/foal, then try to join the CM crusader.

True. Previous relationships with cast characters are not allowed, but may be developed through Roleplay.

Characters cannot have anything relating to main cast characters, either past, present, or future in here. That can be worked out via Roleplay.

2. Do ponies discover their cutie marks at the age of foals,or at the age of fillies and colts?

2: I always thought of a cutie mark as the event which defines passage from foal to filly, but I'm not sure about the official answer to this.

"Official answer":

Remember that Mares and Stallions ALWAYS have their Cutie Marks. Fillies and Colts may or may not, but many do.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

3. Is there a guide of body or pelt colors that I could look at?

3: No. Beyond the TV shows, I find the gen 1 toys a good source of inspiration. There's a ton of em here http://www.ponylandpress.com/#ponies Generally, ponies pelts are more desaturated, and the brightest colors are reserved for manes, but there are plenty of exceptions.

This list of in-show ponies may also help: http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_ponies

4. What body or pelt color would go well with brown manes?

4: It depends on the brown. White goes with almost eveything, as does grey. Black is versatile too, but it can be a challenge to make the details visible with a black pelt. Beyond theat, there's a lot that works with brown, but certainly not everything.

See above list.

5. May I roleplay my first character in Ponyville?

5: They discourage it, and it might not even be possible for the time being, but I'm not sure. Ponyville is rather populated ATM, but you can establish any old place as a hometown/town of origin, then RP in ponyville as much as you want. Travel is allowed

Travel is allowed no matter where you live. Here is the official ruling on living there:

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Ponyville housing crisis!!

As of late there has been an influx of ponies that are flocking to Ponyville to make their homes. Unfortunately, the current infrastructure of the quaint little town can no longer keep up with the flow if incoming ponies! If you are thinking about moving to Ponyville please stop and take a look at some of the other wonderful towns that Equestria has to offer. Such as Fillydelphia! Or maybe Manehattan is more your speed! Like the cold, then boy do we have a place for you, Stalliongrad! The old west more your style? Appleloosa it is! Maybe you are a pegasus, well then there is always Cloudsdale! Looking for more of a suburban paradise to hob nob with the nobles? Trottingham is right up your alley! Maybe you yearn for the quiet life among tranquil gardens and woods, Solstice Heights is just the place for you! Maybe you are a city dweller, Canterlot is always an option! Sand and Sun more your thing? Come to the Gallopocus Islands mon! Maybe you want a seashore town with the convenience of the suburbs? Hoofington has what you are looking for!

As you can see there are many different places that your pony can work an live, give them a once over before thinking about moving into Ponyville. Now keep in mind, if your pony lives in say Fillydelphia this does not mean that they can not visit Ponyville and interact with all the wonderful ponies there. Any pony can visit anywhere on the map that they want, 'why' they are there visiting is up to you to decide! Living in a town just means that said town is where your pony's home is and most likely where he or she works!

[MyLittlePonyTales]

7. How many characters may I be allowed to rp?

7: As many as you wish. You can have 2 in application at any given time for Mane RP. One marked [Final] and ready for approval/review, and one marked [WIP] or Work In Progress, which won't be reviewed for approval, but is open to comments from all (and staff often read these and tell you what might need to be changed too).

So potentially, you could put hundreds of characters through, but DO keep in mind that the ponies revieing these do so on their free time, so don't just apply if you don't intend to putthe chatacters to good use.

Characters for the Free For All RP need no approval, but must follow the general board rules (E for Everyone/G for general audiences, etc.), so if you want numbers, fast, there's the quick way to do it.

Eyup. Except a comment on the FiM Free-For-All. You only need a character Application for Crossovers, but you can RP in the FiM Free-For-All section anytime.

[Skye]

Addition regarding Foals, Fillies, and Colts:

Foal refers to the Age of the pony directly, while Filly or Colt refer to older, HOWEVER, Filly and Colt refer simply to 'Not Adult'.

So a female baby pony is still a Foal and a Filly, and a male baby pony is still a Colt and a Filly. But when they reach adulthood, they are known as Mares and Stallions.

Synonyms:

Foal = Baby/Child

Filly = Girl

Colt = Boy

Mare = Woman

Stallion = Man

Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell are all three Fillies, and all three Foals at the same time. Snips and Snails are Colts and are also Foals at the same time. However, Snips and Snails are approaching adulthood, but aren't quite considered adults as of yet even though they have their cutie marks. When that changes is somewhat unclear, but generally it's when they achieve independence.

[Dessa]

Untrue:

Ohh snap! Well, 6 outta 7 ain't bad. Apologies, Riverleaf & mods.

[knight]

Addition regarding Foals, Fillies, and Colts:

Foal refers to the Age of the pony directly, while Filly or Colt refer to older, HOWEVER, Filly and Colt refer simply to 'Not Adult'.

So a female baby pony is still a Foal and a Filly, and a male baby pony is still a Colt and a Filly. But when they reach adulthood, they are known as Mares and Stallions.

Synonyms:

Foal = Baby/Child

Filly = Girl

Colt = Boy

Mare = Woman

Stallion = Man

Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell are all three Fillies, and all three Foals at the same time. Snips and Snails are Colts and are also Foals at the same time. However, Snips and Snails are approaching adulthood, but aren't quite considered adults as of yet even though they have their cutie marks. When that changes is somewhat unclear, but generally it's when they achieve independence.

Um....huh. This sort of contradicts everything I've ever learned in equine studies. Except the last part, that is esentially exactly what I said before.

This confuses me, as it contradicts actual fact. First fillies/colts/foals are synonymous, then foal is only babies, then back to synonymous.

Bottom line, a foal is a young horse. More accurately, y'know what just...here:

A foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. More specific terms arecolt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam (mother), it may also be called a suckling. After the young horse has been weaned from its dam, it may be called a weanling.

After a horse is one year old, it is no longer a foal, and is called a yearling. There are no special age-related terms for young horses older than yearlings. When young horses reach breeding maturity, the terms change: a filly over the age of three is called a mare and a colt over the age of three is called a stallion.

WIki did a pretty good job of explaining that. -_-' these terms, while I wouldn't use 'yearling' or 'weanling' necessarily in ponyverse, but that gives a good definition.

[Blaze]

2: I always thought of a cutie mark as the event which defines passage from foal to filly, but I'm not sure about the official answer to this.

I believe that a Cutie Mark doesn't mean the passage from foal to filly, more as it is a defining moment in their lives showing them their special talent.

Image Granny Smith if she never got her Cutie Mark. Would she still be a foal?

[Dessa]

Bottom line, a foal is a young horse. More accurately, y'know what just...here:

WIki did a pretty good job of explaining that. -_-' these terms, while I wouldn't use 'yearling' or 'weanling' necessarily in ponyverse, but that gives a good definition.

Wiki says there's some overlap within the first year, in that a foal can be a filly or colt, but years 2 and 3, at least according to the wikipediea post you put up, they're no longer foals, but not yet Stallions/Mares. Filly/Colt would sem to be the only identifier for ponies in that age group, no? Or am I misunderstanding?

I believe that a Cutie Mark doesn't mean the passage from foal to filly, more as it is a defining moment in their lives showing them their special talent.

Image Granny Smith if she never got her Cutie Mark. Would she still be a foal?

I see it as both. Call of the Cutie hinted at the same sorts concerns kids go through with puberty, which is a biological passage into adulthood. This was supported by the title of the "Cuteceneara" celebration, which resembles the RL Quinceneara, which is a rite of passage to adulthood (historically, it paralelled the Debutante Ball in other cultures). You might also think of the cuteceneara as like a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

It doesn't seem to be particularly distinguishing, but it has /something/ to do with rites of passage into maturity.

[Skye]

A foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. More specific terms arecolt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam (mother), it may also be called a suckling. After the young horse has been weaned from its dam, it may be called a weanling.

After a horse is one year old, it is no longer a foal, and is called a yearling. There are no special age-related terms for young horses older than yearlings. When young horses reach breeding maturity, the terms change: a filly over the age of three is called a mare and a colt over the age of three is called a stallion.

Yes, this is correct. And this does not contradict what I say. When a baby horse is born, it's sex is immediately apparent. It is still either male or female. This means that it is -still- a colt or a filly up until the age when it is considered an adult when the term changes to stallion and mare. The term Colt refers to a young Male Equine, and the term Filly refers to a young Female equine.

'More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four.'

This is exactly what I have said. There's no contradiction here at all. The only terms we don't use are suckling, yearling, or weanling because these are subjectively short terms that aren't really all that applicable with our roleplay here, because in the real world that takes place over the course of a single year. Since we do not know how long ponies in Equestria actually live numerically, we have gone to a more broad system that still works for descriptive purposes.

The portion where it says:

There are no special age-related terms for young horses older than yearlings.

is perfectly fine in the real world because they also have suckling, weanling, and yearling, but we do not. Here, the term 'Colt' or 'Filly' is still perfectly applicable since again, we do not know how long ponies in Equestria live, so the 'Foal' stage of ponies could last subjectively much longer. Notice where it says

When young horses reach breeding maturity, the terms change: a filly over the age of three is called a mare and a colt over the age of three is called a stallion.

This implies that a young horse is still called a Colt or a Filly from Birth up until the age of three.

The problem that has been arising, is people who are calling young male ponies a filly. This is incorrect. You don't call a baby male human a girl, do you?