[MLP] Roleplaying is Magic: The Broken Road.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by BlasTech

Yep, I'm about to head off to bed, but should be in there and idling again in about 12 hours.

Had a good chat with Balmas about character creation today. Not sure we got completely to the end, but it was good progress

I still have to figure out how/if this story can accomodate a fifth player. I had the whole setup figured out for four. I just need inspiration to strike me really, but it's never there when I need it

Well, how would having a fifth player mess things up?

[BlasTech]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Well, how would having a fifth player mess things up?

Feng Shui

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by BlasTech

Feng Shui

Gesundheit.

[One Tin Soldier]

So then, a couple people mentioned developing character stuff over IRC. Care to share?

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by One Tin Soldier

So then, a couple people mentioned developing character stuff over IRC. Care to share?

Aye! Logs can be cut and pasted wholesale. And it's great for insight.

[Balmas]

Well, BlasTech and I chatted for about an hour about DB's motivations, backstory, and key words. Here's what we came up with.

Long post is long.

Spoiler

Ultimately, Dive Bomb wants to make the world a better place. He is a motivated, disciplined pegasus whose ideal is, "I will perfect the world." He is proactive, seeking out new knowledge, especially as it pertains to the field of medicine and disease. He dreams of a future where disease and unnatural death have been all but eliminated because of the knowledge accrued. There is really only one fly in his ointment:

Ponies.

Ponies, to him, don't make sense. There is no universal rule, no constant, and no real sense to what they do. Even the same pony, placed in the exact same position at different times in his life, would do different things. He doesn't even understand himself; how could he understand everyone else? Accordingly, he's more than a little awkward, tending to remain silent rather than risk offense.

Knowledge and the search thereof are incredibly important to him. Having the world be perfect isn't enough: he wants to understand it, know what makes it tick, be able to hold it in his mind and shake it around a bit. It's so important to him that if there was a button that would make everything perfect, but only if no-one studied it or tried to understand it, it would pose a huge moral dilemma. Eventually, he'd push the button, but hate himself for it. His curiosity is as much vice as it is virtue.

This drive for knowledge also drives him to move around a lot, both mentally and physically. He is constantly on the move between projects, accumulating more knowledge, finding the next big thing.

The thing is, the reason he moves around so much is something he won't admit even to himself. He's running from his own past, his own mistakes.

See, his parents were both big stunt flyers. One of his ancestors was even a Wonderbolt, way back in the depths of history. His older brother looked like he was going that path as well, but DB was always more interested in the field of medicine.

When the doctors diagnosed DB's brother with a rare, but terminal disease, DB refused to accept it. He threw himself into his studies even more, desperately trying to find a cure. In effect, he was trying so hard to cure his brother that he ignored him as he slipped away. He didn't even know his brother had died until his parents came to his apartment a day after the funeral. Harsh words were exchanged on both sides, and there's still a bit of bad blood between them.

He's just too stubborn for his own good. He's proud, stubborn, and usually quite sure that he's in the right. He's too stubborn to admit that he might have been wrong, because, well, that implies he might have been wrong in the past.

As is, DB has recently left his home in order to seek more knowledge. After all, there's only so much you can do in Cloudsdale, and Equestria's a'waitin'.

The five words we cooked up to describe DB are Knowledge, Inquisitive, Adventure, Principles, and Awkward.

[BlasTech]

Still hoping to catch the others in there. OTS and Balmas, see if there's anything in the stuff we've talked about that might impact how these two will work together?

[TheAmishPirate]

Originally Posted by BlasTech

Still hoping to catch the others in there. OTS and Balmas, see if there's anything in the stuff we've talked about that might impact how these two will work together?

I tried to catch you on IRC yesterday, but you were afk. How long will you be on today?

[BlasTech]

Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate

I tried to catch you on IRC yesterday, but you were afk. How long will you be on today?

Oops, should've just typed "BlasTech" it pings me with a "your name mentioned" message

I should be on most of the next 6 hours (excluding a break for lunch)

[TheAmishPirate]

Originally Posted by BlasTech

Oops, should've just typed "BlasTech" it pings me with a "your name mentioned" message

I should be on most of the next 6 hours (excluding a break for lunch)

Alright, I'll be sure to pop in sometime then.

[One Tin Soldier]

Originally Posted by BlasTech

Still hoping to catch the others in there. OTS and Balmas, see if there's anything in the stuff we've talked about that might impact how these two will work together?

Originally Posted by Balmas

Well, BlasTech and I chatted for about an hour about DB's motivations, backstory, and key words. Here's what we came up with.

Long post is long.

Spoiler

Ultimately, Dive Bomb wants to make the world a better place. He is a motivated, disciplined pegasus whose ideal is, "I will perfect the world." He is proactive, seeking out new knowledge, especially as it pertains to the field of medicine and disease. He dreams of a future where disease and unnatural death have been all but eliminated because of the knowledge accrued. There is really only one fly in his ointment:

Ponies.

Ponies, to him, don't make sense. There is no universal rule, no constant, and no real sense to what they do. Even the same pony, placed in the exact same position at different times in his life, would do different things. He doesn't even understand himself; how could he understand everyone else? Accordingly, he's more than a little awkward, tending to remain silent rather than risk offense.

Knowledge and the search thereof are incredibly important to him. Having the world be perfect isn't enough: he wants to understand it, know what makes it tick, be able to hold it in his mind and shake it around a bit. It's so important to him that if there was a button that would make everything perfect, but only if no-one studied it or tried to understand it, it would pose a huge moral dilemma. Eventually, he'd push the button, but hate himself for it. His curiosity is as much vice as it is virtue.

This drive for knowledge also drives him to move around a lot, both mentally and physically. He is constantly on the move between projects, accumulating more knowledge, finding the next big thing.

The thing is, the reason he moves around so much is something he won't admit even to himself. He's running from his own past, his own mistakes.

See, his parents were both big stunt flyers. One of his ancestors was even a Wonderbolt, way back in the depths of history. His older brother looked like he was going that path as well, but DB was always more interested in the field of medicine.

When the doctors diagnosed DB's brother with a rare, but terminal disease, DB refused to accept it. He threw himself into his studies even more, desperately trying to find a cure. In effect, he was trying so hard to cure his brother that he ignored him as he slipped away. He didn't even know his brother had died until his parents came to his apartment a day after the funeral. Harsh words were exchanged on both sides, and there's still a bit of bad blood between them.

He's just too stubborn for his own good. He's proud, stubborn, and usually quite sure that he's in the right. He's too stubborn to admit that he might have been wrong, because, well, that implies he might have been wrong in the past.

As is, DB has recently left his home in order to seek more knowledge. After all, there's only so much you can do in Cloudsdale, and Equestria's a'waitin'.

The five words we cooked up to describe DB are Knowledge, Inquisitive, Adventure, Principles, and Awkward.

That is some good stuff, especially the part with his brother. Very informative. I'll see how well I can explain the things that I got worked out.

Spoiler

As I mentioned a couple times, Grease Spot values Efficiency. It is her special purpose to get the world to run smoothly, whatever that may mean. She takes this fairly literally with her job, maintaining the various machines and devices that ponies rely on. If those ponies can use their machines without worrying about their functionality, then that's more time they can spend doing important things.

Her ideal world is one where everyone cooperates. She believes that if everypony cooperates, doing everything they need to in a timely manner, then they can accomplish anything. Or, to condense it, "Teamwork drives perfection."

So her "perfect world" is quite a bit more pragmatic and attainable than most, which makes it all the more frustrating that it is still so far away. There are quite a number of ponies out there who are deadbeats, lowlifes, and hanger-ons. She usually personifies ponifies this through her sister. (Who still may or may not be Berry Punch.) Her sister, living away in a small town with their parents, is basically the town drunk. She's not a bad pony, per se. She's certainly friendly enough, and she has a thriving social life. But she's been spoiled by their parents, and she lacks a sense of responsibility. The way Grease sees it, her sister expects the world to just hand her everything she needs without giving anything significant back in return. In a way, she thinks that these ponies are even worse than the kind who deliberately sabotage teamwork, because at least society doesn't defend them like they do the lazy ones.

That kind of pony frustrates Grease to no end. It's obvious to her that ponies like that drag everyone else down with them. And when ponies like her have to spend time picking up the slack, that's less time they can spend getting important things done. So, Grease often finds herself wanting to push other ponies into picking up their responsibilities.

This is her flawed ideal, "I must drive perfection." She thinks that her way is the best way, and has to fight the urge to correct others when they "do it wrong."

Of course, she does recognize to an extent that this attitude is bad. She knows on an academic level that there are a number of ways to contribute meaningfully to the world, though only her way makes sense to her on a gut level. Besides, ponies don't like it when you tell them that they're doing it wrong, and getting ponies mad at you is the surest way to put a halt to teamwork.

So, she often finds herself with an internal struggle whenever she deals with ponies who she thinks are lazy or irresponsible, her desire to work well with others fighting with her desire to make things work right. Thus, her second big word is Frustration.

Her third word is Family. Despite the friction she has with her sister and the lesser friction with her parents, she loves her family totally and without reservation. She legitimately couldn't imagine her life without them, and often thinks about her world in terms of her family. (This is partially why she uses her sister as a symbol of the things she dislikes about other ponies.)

This extends to a lesser degree to her friends, too. She is always willing to spend time helping a friend, no matter the inconvenience. And she is willing to put aside her distaste for a pony's methods for the sake of their friendship. She is not perfect at controlling herself, but she truly makes the effort, which is very important.

As for the interaction between her and Dive Bomb:

Spoiler

She can definitely appreciate the desire to make the world a better place, and she can definitely appreciate his drive to succeed.

However, she would/will find his approach to be a bit too esoteric to be truly helpful. Understanding the world is important, yes, but not as important as the application of that knowledge.

I can see her being a grounding influence on Dive Bomb. She'll be the one to say "Ok, that's interesting, but how does that help us?" She will take his ideas and help him make something useful out of them. I can also see her encouraging him to spend more time with other ponies. After all, one can't do everything on their own.

And in return, I can see Dive Bomb getting Grease Spot to think beyond the "how" and into the "why." Her ideal world is one where every pony works together for a common goal, but she doesn't give nearly as much thought to what that common goal would be. Dive Bomb can provide her with a bit of that.

[TheAmishPirate]

BlasTech, I don't suppose you (or anypony else) has the chat logs from today? I went and closed Pidgin before snagging them. I still remember the salient points and all, but still, it would be a big help to have the logs.

Sorry. >.<

[BlasTech]

Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate

BlasTech, I don't suppose you (or anypony else) has the chat logs from today? I went and closed Pidgin before snagging them. I still remember the salient points and all, but still, it would be a big help to have the logs.

Sorry. >.<

Sorry I have no idea how to log things in mibbit

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by BlasTech

Sorry I have no idea how to log things in mibbit

Gotcha covered like a quilt!

Go to chat dot Mibbit dot com. Look for this in the top right corner;



And create an account. This is an account for MIBBIT, not for any IRC servers.
Once you do that, there will be a list of options user your user name. One of those option tabs includes keeping logs of all channels, and all PMs. You can also set it to not only store channels for you, but also auto-log in to them when you sign on to Mibbit. That's how you keep separate channels handy.

[TheAmishPirate]

Originally Posted by BlasTech

Sorry I have no idea how to log things in mibbit

Nuts. Well, just to confirm, the final question was something like: Does he pursue leadership and why? And how does he lead?

[BlasTech]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Gotcha covered like a quilt!

Go to chat dot Mibbit dot com. Look for this in the top right corner;



And create an account. This is an account for MIBBIT, not for any IRC servers.
Once you do that, there will be a list of options user your user name. One of those option tabs includes keeping logs of all channels, and all PMs. You can also set it to not only store channels for you, but also auto-log in to them when you sign on to Mibbit. That's how you keep separate channels handy.

Thanks Siuis. How does it log things? Is it on the mibbit server or does it start saving text files to your computer somewhere?

Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate

Nuts. Well, just to confirm, the final question was something like: Does he pursue leadership and why? And how does he lead?

More or less. I think my words were "Why would he pursue leadership and, if he does, how?"

Remember, this all comes back to trying to determine the ideal.

Internal/external in what he sees as important (does he lead for himself or for others?), proactive or reactive in chasing them (does he seek out leadership or does he prefer to let it come to him if he's needed?).

If leadership is his most important trait, then the differing styles of how and why he does that leading will be borne from different ideals.

[SiuiS]

It saves them on Mibbit. You can check them without logging in to the channels. You can also download everything in bulk in a .ZIP file, and read them in plain text on the server itself.

[Diego Havoc]

I was on the IRC yesterday evening, but I didn't see you BlasTech. I suspect that time zone differences may be to blame. Could you let me know when you'll next be online?

Also, you guys have put a lot of thought into these characters. I feel like I'm lagging behind.

[One Tin Soldier]

Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate

Nuts. Well, just to confirm, the final question was something like: Does he pursue leadership and why? And how does he lead?

I gotcha covered. Here it is in its entirety!

Spoiler

00:14 *** OneTinSoldier joined #brokenroad
00:14 +++ aesir.sorcery.net set the channel to mode +n
00:14 +++ aesir.sorcery.net set the channel to mode +t
00:15 *** BlasTech joined #brokenroad
00:16 *** TheAmishPony joined #brokenroad
00:17 OneTinSoldier Hey look everyone's coming back at the same time
00:17 TheAmishPony Woohoo
00:17 TheAmishPony Bike ride home took a mite longer than I thought
00:17 TheAmishPony but now I have delicious rice
00:17 OneTinSoldier Ah, I know how that goes
00:18 OneTinSoldier Sounds yummy
00:18 BlasTech Unfortunately my connection seem a bit iffy here today
00:19 BlasTech Managed to lag out earlier, not sure how long it's taking for my replies to appear now
00:19 OneTinSoldier Ah, so that's what was happening
00:19 OneTinSoldier I've been having similar problems
00:19 TheAmishPony No worries
00:19 TheAmishPony Now I know it's lag and not something I said
00:20 TheAmishPony So, do you want to handle the character stuff here, or in an IM?
00:20 TheAmishPony Or rather, OneTin, would you mind if we character'd it up in here?
00:20 OneTinSoldier No, I don't mind at all
00:21 OneTinSoldier In fact, I'd like to watch
00:23 BlasTech Auck
00:23 BlasTech An audience!
00:23 BlasTech cowers
00:23 OneTinSoldier chuckles
00:23 OneTinSoldier I won't interrupt if you don't want me to
00:25 TheAmishPony Don't worry, I can fix it!
00:25 TheAmishPony glues confidence to BlasTech's head
00:29 BlasTech Ooh, new hat.
00:29 BlasTech Righto, well lets get cracking then, my typing may be interrupted by having to get up and talk to people here but.
00:30 TheAmishPony S'cool, my typing might be interrupted by general work
00:32 BlasTech ... this thing still on?
00:32 OneTinSoldier YEp
00:32 TheAmishPony Got that one
00:33 BlasTech Right, well a bit of character generation theory to kick off then.
00:33 BlasTech I've found during fiddling with a few different rulebooks that the character creation prompts that are often suggested are often poor at making real characters. They just make stats that you put a name to.
00:33 BlasTech So for now, forget any stats and forget any of the RiM mechanics you may have read. We'll start with the high concepts first.
00:34 BlasTech Because the better and more fleshed out you make your character, the more you'll both enjoy and be able to understand what actions they'll take. And overall enjoy the RP more.
00:35 BlasTech Or to quote ... "RP's succeed or fail in the character generation stage" - Thanqol 2012
00:36 TheAmishPony This should be easy, as I've hardly read the rules as is
00:36 TheAmishPony is always one step ahead
00:36 *** Balmas joined #brokenroad
00:37 OneTinSoldier chuckles again
00:37 TheAmishPony Not to mention that I find whenever you wing a character, you tend to just model them after yourself
00:37 TheAmishPony No matter what you had originally intended for them
00:39 Balmas To tell the truth, Dive Bomb is me taken up to 11, plus a side of tragic backstory.
00:39 OneTinSoldier Grease is a bit of an odd case, in terms of me
00:40 OneTinSoldier She started out fairly similar, but she wound up being someone who I really wouldn't get along with
00:40 Balmas Though, DB is more Twilight Sparkle, and I'm more Pinkie Pie.
00:40 OneTinSoldier Because I'm lazy as Tartarus
00:42 OneTinSoldier Anyway
00:42 OneTinSoldier Carry on
00:50 BlasTech Sorry, was just talking to manager
00:51 BlasTech Right, well based on personal experience, I've found that the easiest way to make a good character is by building them around an ideal.
00:51 BlasTech characters are basically expressions of ideas anyway.
00:53 TheAmishPony So what do I do when I've already got the basis of the character down?
00:53 BlasTech Well then you need to ask yourself, what is their "Ideal"
00:54 BlasTech This ideal is generally a simple powerful expression, something that they value inherently or that, to them, would result in a perfect world
00:56 TheAmishPony Hmm
00:57 TheAmishPony I think the main ideal that I'm playing with here
00:57 TheAmishPony Is something regarding responsibility
00:57 TheAmishPony Responsibility and obligations
00:58 BlasTech Characters tend to express it differently, Rainbow dash may have hers as "I can do anything". Or Pinkie Pie's "Everyone deserves to smile".
00:59 BlasTech What would be Cork's perfect world?
00:59 TheAmishPony What do you mean by "perfect world"? To me, that's a rather broad statement, and can cover many different worlds
01:00 TheAmishPony Like, is this a realistic perfect, or an idealistic one?
01:00 TheAmishPony Or maybe I'm just overthinking the concept
01:00 BlasTech Idealistic, remember we are talking ideals here.
01:01 TheAmishPony OKay
01:01 BlasTech His Ideal existance. What is it's core trait. What is the thing that most separates it from reality?
01:01 BlasTech its*
01:02 TheAmishPony Ohh, existance, not a literal world
01:02 TheAmishPony rather, Equestria, in this instance
01:03 BlasTech spelling blah
01:04 TheAmishPony Thinking....thinking...
01:04 BlasTech Sorry
01:04 BlasTech But yeah, sometimes a good starting point for the ideal is finding out a way to express the character's thoughts on how to end the sentence: "In a perfect world ... X"
01:04 TheAmishPony "In a perfect world, I'd have all the time I need."
01:05 TheAmishPony It's vague, but it's the first thing that came to mind
01:06 BlasTech hmm, why does he need more time?
01:07 TheAmishPony Because there's always a time limit that he's bumping into. He can't ever finish a painting on time because he spends so long fussing over the details. He waits and waits to talk to his dad about the family business, and now he has to rush a decision before one is made for him.
01:07 TheAmishPony I guess to boil it down more
01:08 TheAmishPony it's because he's never satisfied with anything less than perfection
01:08 TheAmishPony and he's never sure if that's what he's got
01:08 TheAmishPony *perfection from himself, rather
01:09 TheAmishPony well, no, I don't want to constrain that too early
01:10 BlasTech I think chat lagged then, my question was meant to be asked before you elaborated ...
01:10 TheAmishPony oh, whoops
01:10 BlasTech so I guess he's a bit of a self-demanding perfectionist then. Does he expect the same from other ponies? Or is it more internal values?
01:12 TheAmishPony I'm thinking of going external, too many of my characters have that internal perfectionism going on
01:12 TheAmishPony or rather, high internal standards
01:13 TheAmishPony Can you give a bit to think? I'm not sure I'm satisfied with how I boiled it down
01:13 TheAmishPony *give me a bit
01:14 BlasTech Yeah sure
01:14 BlasTech That is the whole point of these convos lol, getting people to think! XD
01:15 TheAmishPony I think I might be seeing where I steered wrong. It isn't a "my work isn't perfect, argh!", it's a "my work isn't yet perfect, give me a bit more time"
01:16 TheAmishPony So the motivation is kind of flip-flopped: He wants perfection in his work, has a vision of how to get there, he just never has enough time to follow through
01:17 TheAmishPony So he is satisfied with what he's done
01:17 TheAmishPony But he just wants to do MORE
01:17 BlasTech I'm getting kind of mixed messages here I think.
01:18 BlasTech The difference between a "my work isn't perfect, argh!" and a "My work isn't perfect yet, give me more time" is the difference between one person struggling for his self acceptance, and a person struggling to comply with authority/imposed rules
01:19 TheAmishPony I think you've got it more pegged than I do
01:20 BlasTech Both of those I'd probably see as internal values style ideals
01:20 TheAmishPony Guess a few more cooks does not ruin the stew [/zecora]
01:20 BlasTech Both are "I want to do the best work I can", it's just that one has someone external preventing him, while the other has his own sense of self worth fighting him
01:21 BlasTech External values ideals would be like "I want to give others the chance to be the best they can be" or something similar.
01:21 TheAmishPony takes notes
01:22 BlasTech lol @ zecora
01:22 TheAmishPony So now I need to think
01:22 TheAmishPony as planned
01:22 TheAmishPony more on external vs. internal
01:23 TheAmishPony Yeah, despite my best efforts, it's an internal
01:23 TheAmishPony which actually weren't much in the way of efforts, but oh well!
01:23 TheAmishPony I can do another internal character, it's what I know, at least
01:24 BlasTech muahaha
01:24 BlasTech Up to you lol XD
01:25 TheAmishPony Well, since I've got more than one brain to pick here
01:25 TheAmishPony how would we turn this into something external?
01:25 OneTinSoldier For what its worth, we already have a character with an external issue of "I must make others perfect"
01:25 OneTinSoldier In Grease Spot
01:25 TheAmishPony Oh, we do?
01:25 TheAmishPony right
01:26 TheAmishPony has a million things going on right now, apolgies if he derps
01:26 OneTinSoldier returns to lurking
01:26 BlasTech For reference, I think Grease spot's ideal is external, while DB is more internal so far.
01:26 BlasTech It doesn't matter so much which you pick, but it's important to get the distinctions down pat for your character, as it drives different behaviours.
01:27 BlasTech While we do, there can be multiple ways of being able to do perfect others.
01:27 OneTinSoldier Indeed, didn't want to imply there wasn't
01:27 BlasTech Anyway, to continue your example from above, a way of externalising the "my work isny perfect yet, give me more time" way of thinking is by having the character believe that ponies simply need time and encouragement to accomplish anything
01:30 BlasTech Turns the character into a more laid back, supportive one than a self-demanding perfectionist.
01:30 BlasTech Alternatively, you can take the self-demanding side and project that onto others in a "if only everyone held themselves to high standards" way.
01:30 BlasTech This course may or may not turn out to give you a jerk as a PC
01:30 BlasTech "to my* high standards"
01:30 TheAmishPony Yeah, I don't want another jerk
01:30 TheAmishPony Played one for a full year, and my Changeling character is a half-jerk as a result
01:31 TheAmishPony I do like the idea of the laid-back, supportive type
01:32 TheAmishPony I like it a lot, actually
01:32 Balmas So, in this case he'd be more the kind to help others?
01:33 TheAmishPony Yeah, I think so
01:33 TheAmishPony Just to get it out there
01:33 BlasTech To my mind, it turns him into a bit more of a hippie "You don't get anything good by forcing it out of others" style
01:34 TheAmishPony one of the things I wanted to play with was that whole responsibilities vs obligations thing with him and the family business, which then gets transferred over to the leadership of this little group
01:35 TheAmishPony And it seems to me that going with HippieCork would make that much less of an issue
01:35 OneTinSoldier Maybe not
01:36 OneTinSoldier I mean, anyone who can be described with the word "hippie" seems like they would be uncomfortable in a leadership position
01:36 TheAmishPony True
01:36 TheAmishPony And it may be that he is how he is simply because of that conflict in his upbringing
01:37 TheAmishPony Hmm, I think I need to think a lot more before I type, I keep misspeaking here
01:38 OneTinSoldier That's ok, I almost never feel like I convey my thoughts properly
01:39 BlasTech I think it depends on whether they lead from the front, the top or the back
01:40 TheAmishPony What I mean to say is that he was pretty much groomed to take over the family business, even though his father was never overly cruel or forceful about it. It was just something that was expected of him. After he earned his cutie mark, that expectation was never challenged.
01:40 TheAmishPony And he never was really comfortable with the realities of running a business.
01:42 BlasTech Top down leadership is your typical corporate manager. Sets deadlines, micromanages people, doesn't really get their hands dirty. (Very un-hippie)
01:42 TheAmishPony What about leading from the front?
01:42 TheAmishPony I'm trying to also get a mental peg on the father, as that's a HUGE figure in Crown's life
01:43 BlasTech Leading from the front is one that wades in, gets stuck into problems themselves and expects others to catch up. (Also rather un-hippie, but not as much as top down and /can/ work with certain styles of character)
01:43 BlasTech More like a "cmon guys, this is fun check out what we can do if we try this"
01:43 BlasTech Leading from the back is the kind of person who prefers to stay out of the spotlight, offer advice and moral support, may or may not be technically proficient but who all the people running with tasks would feel comfortable coming to talk to for help.
01:43 TheAmishPony His dad is absolutely a front-leader
01:44 TheAmishPony Somepony who probably works the soda-making stuff almost as much as some of the workers
01:45 TheAmishPony And would bring up his son the same way
01:45 BlasTech Doesn't drive the outcome, so stuff may or may not get done, but is always there trying to encourage it if needed.
01:45 BlasTech That's a bit more hippie style
01:45 BlasTech Think "team mom"
01:46 TheAmishPony That's the style Crown would probably use
01:46 BlasTech From what you said, and this is just how it sounds to me, it seemed like Cork is a back-leader who is stuck in a top-leader's job.
01:46 BlasTech And he would probably /hate/ that
01:47 BlasTech (now to sit and wait while chat lag sorts itself out)
01:49 TheAmishPony Okay, I think it's sorted
01:49 BlasTech cool, so. your thoughts?
01:50 OneTinSoldier Well I'm starting to see an interesting character dynamic with Grease
01:50 OneTinSoldier She would likely misjudge him at first because of his reluctance to lead
01:51 OneTinSoldier And only later figure out that he does want to contribute, just not from the spotlight
01:51 Balmas DB would probably sympathize with the parent wanting him to be something that he's not.
01:51 BlasTech Depending on where we end up with the ideal though
01:51 Balmas This is true.
01:52 OneTinSoldier True
01:52 TheAmishPony My thoughts: Dad still seems like a front-leader, with some elements of a top-leader as well
01:52 TheAmishPony I think the fact that this is a family business
01:53 TheAmishPony and there is no option to not getting your hands dirty
01:53 TheAmishPony is throwing me off a bit
01:54 BlasTech Does it have other employees?
01:54 TheAmishPony At this point? Yeah, I think it has to
01:55 BlasTech I thought you said it was a fairly renowned one in Canterlot so I was picturing a substantial size (I might be wrong, or hey we can change it! XD)
01:55 TheAmishPony ^exactly
01:55 TheAmishPony But for some reason, I keep seeing him as the type to get personally involved with some of the process
01:56 TheAmishPony Like, soda-brewing is his cutie mark, he's got to do it at least a little
01:56 TheAmishPony or something like that
01:56 TheAmishPony Yeah, I think you've got it: Top-down leader, but still willing to get his hooves dirty
01:56 BlasTech For the dad?
01:56 TheAmishPony aye
01:57 TheAmishPony Which then means that's how Crown is brought up
01:57 TheAmishPony Here's a thought:
01:57 TheAmishPony Maybe the reason Crown might actually bother with any sort of leadership
01:58 TheAmishPony Is because he thinks he can do it better when he's in charge
01:58 TheAmishPony Or something like that
01:59 *** Balmas quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
02:00 TheAmishPony Just a thought
02:03 OneTinSoldier I'm guessing Blas is just away for a moment
02:03 OneTinSoldier or lagging
02:03 BlasTech It all comes down to why he might think that but. Actively pursuing leadership is something that would run counter to a laid-back deadline hating pony probably.
02:05 TheAmishPony True, but then again, he's not really actively pursuing it
02:05 TheAmishPony just sort of letting it maybe happen at this point
02:06 TheAmishPony and only getting spurred into action by the sudden trip to Canterlot
02:06 TheAmishPony Do you think we should move on to getting some things set in stone? Or should we keep speculating on the character like this?
02:08 BlasTech speculating on the character is valuable, and I'm happy enough if it just leaves you with some food for thought to mull over till our next irc chat
02:08 TheAmishPony That may be for the best, as I really have some work I should be doing
02:09 BlasTech the key question is unresolved in my mind, which is if he is going to be a leader, how would he lead, and why would he want to lead?
02:09 BlasTech active/passive, internal/external
02:09 BlasTech it'll all drive his ideal
02:09 TheAmishPony I'll give that some thought
02:09 TheAmishPony map out those, and see which one is the character I want to play
02:10 TheAmishPony or something like that
02:11 BlasTech And that's the important thing to figure out right.
02:11 BlasTech anyway, if you need to go for work, I'll catch you next time!
02:11 BlasTech (or rather, it will all shape his ideal)
02:12 TheAmishPony later!
02:12 *** TheAmishPony is now known as TheAmishAFK
02:13 BlasTech yeah
02:13 BlasTech find out which one you like most!
02:13 BlasTech Cause you won't enjoy the RP if you don't enjoy the character after all.
02:13 BlasTech cyas
02:15 OneTinSoldier I'm gonna head to bed now, since you guys are done for the night
02:15 OneTinSoldier or day for you, i guess
02:16 *** Balmas joined #brokenroad
02:16 OneTinSoldier Goodnight
10:19 system You have disconnected from the server

[TheAmishPirate]

Originally Posted by One Tin Soldier

I gotcha covered. Here it is in its entirety!

Spoiler

*snip*

Oh thank goodness. You sir, are a lifesaver.

[One Tin Soldier]

Originally Posted by TheAmishPirate

Oh thank goodness. You sir, are a lifesaver.

Welcome! Glad to help.

[BlasTech]

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

I was on the IRC yesterday evening, but I didn't see you BlasTech. I suspect that time zone differences may be to blame. Could you let me know when you'll next be online?

Also, you guys have put a lot of thought into these characters. I feel like I'm lagging behind.

Yup, Timezones. I was sleeeeeeping.

Have set up shop in the IRC again now and should be there for most of the next six hours. But am rather busy today so likely to be afk for long sections (hopefully no more than an hour at a time).

Anyway, see you if I see you!

[One Tin Soldier]

I'll be hanging out in the IRC too.

[SiuiS]

I'm telling you man, set up a broken road channel, register it and turn recent chat on. It makes it do that as long as anyone from Mibbit is on, any other Mibbit users have access to a backlog from before they joined the channel. It's pretty boss.

[Ravian]

Yeah but the IRC doesn't seem to work as well on my Ipod, which is what I'm really relying on if I want to keep up with the 1 post per day minimum

[BlasTech]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

I'm telling you man, set up a broken road channel, register it and turn recent chat on. It makes it do that as long as anyone from Mibbit is on, any other Mibbit users have access to a backlog from before they joined the channel. It's pretty boss.

I shall make this a thing when I get home.

Edit: off for lunch. Will log back on later.

[One Tin Soldier]

Balmas and I just cooked up a little bit of character ideas for Dive Bomb, Grease Spot, and possibly City Slicker.

Spoiler

00:17 OneTinSoldier Yeah, well Blas is out for an hour
00:17 Balmas Yeah, I saw that.
00:18 Balmas So, what do you think of our characters so far?
00:18 Balmas Right now I'm getting a feel for DB a bit more, and he's saying, "Make me a colt."
00:19 OneTinSoldier lol
00:19 OneTinSoldier I'm feeling some good things
00:19 OneTinSoldier I've got Grease pretty much fully formed in my head
00:19 OneTinSoldier Aside from her collection of skills
00:20 OneTinSoldier I feel like I should have a short little story for each one
00:20 Balmas Okay, what do you have in mind?
00:20 Balmas She knows magical theory: how?
00:21 OneTinSoldier I'm thinking that she took a few night classes at the Canterlot Community College
00:21 OneTinSoldier or whatever the appropriate equivalent would be
00:22 OneTinSoldier She was the only one there who wasn't a unicorn, for obvious reasons
00:23 OneTinSoldier Ooh, now I've got more idea
00:23 OneTinSoldier Naturally, the unicorns there thought it a bit odd
00:24 OneTinSoldier The nicer ones asked her why she was there a lot
00:24 Balmas Because of tribalism, or just because she wouldn't use it much?
00:25 OneTinSoldier The not so nice ones decided that she was "a dumb earth pony who thinks she's a unicorn"
00:25 OneTinSoldier Just a typical jockish reaction
00:25 Balmas Bet that went over well.
00:25 OneTinSoldier with a little bit of upper-class closedmindedness thrown in
00:26 OneTinSoldier I think that one night she was out at a bar when she ran into some of her classmates
00:26 OneTinSoldier The not-so-nice ones
00:27 Balmas Go on...
00:27 OneTinSoldier They were a bit on the tipsy side, so they got a bit rowdier than they normally would
00:27 OneTinSoldier ...and if we had another PC around her age, this would be a great place to throw them in
00:28 OneTinSoldier Like I said, I only had the idea just now
00:28 Balmas I'm thinking this would be a good spot for the tour guide one.
00:28 OneTinSoldier Yeah, that could fit
00:29 Balmas What's his name? City Slicker?
00:29 OneTinSoldier I think so
00:29 OneTinSoldier Yeah, that's it
00:30 OneTinSoldier He helps her out of the jam, however Diego thinks would be appropriate
00:30 OneTinSoldier And now, years later, they'll still probably remember the incident
00:31 OneTinSoldier Maybe they'll have even stayed friends
00:33 Balmas So what impact would this have on your character? Does she harbor any feelings towards unicorns or stuffy people?
00:33 OneTinSoldier Not any more than they bother anyone else
00:34 OneTinSoldier She certainly isn't going to dislike all unicorns because of a few drunks
00:35 OneTinSoldier Though it might inform her opinions of drunks
00:36 Balmas What about the drunks?
00:36 Balmas Did they ever grow up?
00:36 Balmas Are they and Grease Spot friends?
00:36 OneTinSoldier Hmm
00:37 OneTinSoldier I'd say they probably went their seperate ways
00:37 OneTinSoldier Grease Spot doesn't know what became of them, and doesn't particularly care
00:39 OneTinSoldier Whatever happened that night, she would have gotten them to stop bothering her
00:39 OneTinSoldier At least, bothering her directly
00:40 Balmas Ideeeeaaa!
00:40 Balmas Dive Bomb has a very poor grasp of magic.
00:40 OneTinSoldier Yes, go on
00:40 Balmas To a certain extent, he feels it's cheating to violate the laws of physics so blatantly.
00:40 Balmas Maybe Grease Spot could educate him a bit?
00:40 OneTinSoldier Absolutely
00:41 OneTinSoldier That's one of the reasons I like the idea of Grease Spot knowing magical theory
00:41 OneTinSoldier Because chances are, she'll know more than most unicorns do
00:41 OneTinSoldier In terms of academics, of course
00:42 OneTinSoldier So she can help him think up spells and ways to improvise with his magic
00:42 OneTinSoldier Maybe even teach him how to get better
00:42 Balmas He's a pegasus, so not much chance of spellcasting.
00:43 OneTinSoldier Oh, right
00:43 OneTinSoldier I derped
00:43 Balmas However, I like the weak student-teacher dynamic we've got going.
00:43 OneTinSoldier facehoofs
00:43 OneTinSoldier Yeah, I like it too
00:45 OneTinSoldier I know for sure now that I want to come up with little stories for all of Grease Spot's oddball skills
00:47 OneTinSoldier Now I just have to figure out what they are
00:48 *** Balmas quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)

Diego, how do you feel about City Slicker bailing Grease Spot out of a barfight years ago?

[BlasTech]

Well I had rather rotten luck with IRC today, connection keeps dropping me out.

I'll keep trying to idle in there as often as possible to help with Chargen during the week, but otherwise it should be better come the weekend where I'll be online for most of the day while I study.

[Diego Havoc]

Originally Posted by BlasTech

Yup, Timezones. I was sleeeeeeping.

Have set up shop in the IRC again now and should be there for most of the next six hours. But am rather busy today so likely to be afk for long sections (hopefully no more than an hour at a time).

Anyway, see you if I see you!

"Posted at 11:54PM"
That's a little late for me unfortunately ^^: I'll be on the IRC tomorrow, though if you're having connection trouble I can wait until the weekend.

Originally Posted by One Tin Soldier

Diego, how do you feel about City Slicker bailing Grease Spot out of a barfight years ago?

Sounds like a plan.

[BlasTech]

Originally Posted by Diego Havoc

"Posted at 11:54PM"
That's a little late for me unfortunately ^^: I'll be on the IRC tomorrow, though if you're having connection trouble I can wait until the weekend.


Sounds like a plan.

*Does a mental calc.* Are you in the uk Diego? If so. Best bet is either tomorrow morning your time (tonight mine) or sat morning for you sat night for me.

I'd be on now but I'm on the train into work lol