Character Discussion: My Main OCs · 4:00am Jan 30th, 2018
Greetings, everyone!
Once again, thank you to everyone who took such an interest in discussing my characters and stories, and who welcomed me back with open arms. It really means a lot to me.
For this first character discussion, I would like to start with the characters that I consider my main OCs. Why do I consider them as such? Because of how near and dear to my heart they are. So, without further ado, here they are!
Lyric
Age (in human years): ~24
Cutie Mark: A lute
Theme Song: I'm Good by The Mowgli's
Personality: Lyric is a cheery, upbeat mare with a love of adventure, though she is serious when need be. She greatly enjoys travelling all over Equestria, sharing her songs and stories with those who will listen. She easily makes friends wherever she goes. Although she has had a sordid past, she has done her best to move on from it and to make herself a better pony.
Halo
Age: Over 1,000
Cutie Mark: A golden ring
Theme Song: Angels Fall by Breaking Benjamin
Personality: Halo was once an idealist, though time has made her more careworn and weary. Despite this, Halo is still immensely kind and compassionate, but fierce when she needs to be. She will do all that she can to ensure that those under her her care are comfortable, and to protect them and her realm.
Finner
Age: 77 in From Finner
Cutie Mark: A three-masted ship surrounded by storm clouds
Theme Song: Telescope by Yellowcard
Personality: Finner is a kind, stalwart soul. As a young colt and a young stallion, Finner had a thirst for adventure. He loved to sail and to see the world, and to share stories. When he met Lady Slipper, the mare who would eventually be his wife, he was immediately smitten. As time went on, his love for her became renown. When she died, he was heartbroken and was unable to move on. He returned to sea to drown out the pain, but it was always there, hidden underneath the surface. As an old stallion, Finner loved to regale those who would listen with his tales, though he still had not recovered from Lady's passing.
Lady Slipper
Age: N/A
Cutie Mark: A bundle of herbs tied together
Theme Song: None yet
Personality: Lady Slipper was always curious about the world around her, and had a soothing calmness about her. Even so, she had a passion for herbalism, and would use her knowledge to help herself and others. She was also strong of will. When she met Finner, the stallion who would eventually become her husband, she was charmed by him. As time went on, her love for him became renown. She loved Finner fiercely until the day she died.
So if there's anything you want to know about them, if you have any questions or comments, ask/comment away! And feel free to discuss things with others as well! I would love for this to be an open forum for everyone. Most importantly, have fun!
Cheers!
Lyric is such a cutie! I can relate to her when it comes to music and adventures. Halo is also quite a beauty to look at! Hell, all your OC's are pretty cool as of now! Which character do you personally relate to the most?
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Hey, thank you so much! I'm glad you like them!
To answer your question, I definitely relate to Lyric the most. When I created her, she was a reflection of a lot of my interests at that time, such as music and stories and my fascination with bards as presented in fantasy literature. As time has gone on, she has unintentionally gained the sort of personality I myself would like to strive towards. She always has patience when needed, and she always has words of wisdom or knows just what to say. Yet she's still flawed and is still aware of these flaws, and works to better herself because of them.
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Sorry if this is a weird question but are you female or male? Just want to make sure. Anyways, I am a music geek all the way through. I specifically like metal and alternative rock the most but I am open for anything as long as it sounds good!
Also all those points you made about Lyric is how I pretty much feel about her. What are your upcoming ideas for her in future stories?
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No worries! I am female. And I know just what you mean. I love rock & roll, but I'll listen to just about anything if it's good! Do you have a favorite band?
As for upcoming ideas for her in future stories, it's mostly more lore tales as of right now. The exception to this is an idea I've had where she goes back to Bluff to "visit" Finner and Lady, and she just sits and talks for a while, catching them up on what's happened in her life, and letting some of her worries and doubts out in the open.
My good friend Will-Owl-the-Wisp also has some great ideas for her in her Shadowmancer Saga (which Lyric is a character in), but I won't give those away since they are major spoilers.
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I have lots of bands I enjoy! I say my favorites are Silverchair, Collective Soul, Smashing Pumpkins, Bush, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Offspring, Green Day, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Audioslave, Korn, Metallica, Iron Maiden, System Of A Down, Avenged Sevenfold, and many more. Yeah, I love music lol.
Looking forward to your future stories!!!
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Haha, I've heard of and enjoy a great number of those bands! Collective Soul is actually my number one, with Bush being right behind them. Some others I haven't heard of, like Silverchair, so I'll have to give them a listen!
Thanks so much! I hope that you enjoy them!
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Oh, Silverchair is amazing! Listen to their first album Frogstomp, the whole album is a masterpiece! Fun fact: The members were 15 years old when they made that album, yeah I am being serious. Tomorrow, Israel's Son, Faultine, and Ana's Song are my personal favorites from them. If you like Bush and Collective Soul there is a good chance you will like them because they have a similar sound.
So what are your favorite Collective Soul and Bush songs?
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Awesome! I will definitely check them out, then!
My favorite Collective Soul song is Compliment, but I also love Shine, Home, Precious Declaration, Heavy, and so, so many more. I really love their latest studio album as well, and I'm really hyped for the next one coming out, and to listen to their latest live CD.
For Bush, All Night Doctors and The Only Way Out are high up there, but also Come Down, Greedy Fly, The Sound of Winter, and a good number of others.
How about you?
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Collective Soul: December, Run, Heavy, Where The River Flows, Shine, and Home
Bush: Machinehead, Swallowed, Sound of Winter, Come Down, Little Things, and Come Down!
I feel like we're in different time zones bc I'm asleep when you post most of the time.
Anyway...Is Finner pronounced as in the Finner things in life or like shark fin with ner added to the end?
Did Lyric ever get to talk to Twilight? Was that story she told made up or actually about her? What does she do if no one wants to give her bits or a place to stay or food to eat? What's her family like? Does she ever visit them? Does she have siblings? Do you plan to write stories with her in the future that aren't lore stories but like, purely about her?
Do the Princesses know about Halo? What do they think?
Are Lyrics tales 'canon' in your stories or made up?
I adore Finner and Lyric's relationship. No question for that, I just loved it.
When did Finner write the letter he gave Lyric? Did he know his time was closing? What happened to his houseboat and other things? Did he and Lady Slipper have kids?
How did you choose their designs?
Uhh...I might have more but I feel like that's already a lot so...anyway. Your characters are really cool and rounded and I love them. I can't wait to catch up with more of your writing and see what you have told I've yet to discover.
What gave you the inspiration for the characters? Did something give you the idea or did it just pop in your head like a light-bulb of pure genius?
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All awesome songs for sure!
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It's possible that we are in different time zones. I'm on the US east coast. But I also posted these last few blogs pretty late my time.
And thank you for all of these questions! I've been smiling ever since I read them all.
Finner is pronounced like shark fin with ner added to the end.
Lyric did get to talk to Twilight, and she certainly enjoyed that conversation! The story she told was actually about her. That is partly why she stumbled over herself at the beginning of From Finner. Although she had more confidence in her abilities as a musician, her past was still troubling her.
If no one wants to give Lyric bits, a place to stay, or food to eat, then she has no problem camping out for the night. She's used to wandering, and the places she wanders to are often quite remote. This means that, sometimes, towns and places to stay are few and far between. She usually has a store of food on her, such as fruits, bread, cheese, nuts, and the like. She's also learned to forage over the years. She also usually keeps some bits with her in case of need or emergencies.
Lyric's immediate family consists of her father Tempo, her mother Melody, her older sister Harmony, Harmony's husband Clef, and their children Metre and Rhyme. They're all fairly close, and she visits them whenever she can. As for stories purely about her, I see that you've added the ones I have so far to your library.
In a way, From Finner was also that sort of story, even though it had a bit of lore in it. I've also had a story in mind where she returns to Bluff, and just sits and "talks to" Finner and Lady Slipper, just telling them about herself, and letting out some of her worries and doubts. Other than that, Will-Owl-the-Wisp has some ideas for her in her Shadowmancer Saga, and I am excited to see where those adventures take her.
I've always thought of Halo as a more mysterious figure in the pony world, so if the Princesses know about her, it would likely have been from Starswirl, and even then, they would know her as purely a historical figure.
I like to think of most of Lyric's tales as "canon" in my stories, with maybe a few stretches of truth here and there, but you are free to interpret them however you'd like!
"I adore Finner and Lyric's relationship. No question for that, I just loved it."
Oh gosh, thank you so much! I really, really enjoyed writing them together.
Finner wrote the letter he gave Lyric a few days before his death. He did know that his time was closing - he could feel it coming. His houseboat and other things would be preserved by the townsponies in Bluff because he was so loved, and because there is so much seafaring history there. It would be their way of honoring and remembering him. He and Lady Slipper never had kids, which only added to his pain and loneliness after her passing, but he did take comfort in knowing that the citizens of Bluff loved him like a father or a grandfather.
I chose Lyric's design thanks to someone close to me. When I first created her, I had no idea what she should look like, so this someone suggested I make her coat colored like parchment. From there, I went onto a ponymaker, found the coat color to match, found a mane and tail that I liked and colors to match her coat, gave her a cloak (she'd had a cloak in my mind ever since I first created her), and found colors for it that would work well with the rest of her design. The freckles were a last-minute decision because I liked how they looked.
Halo's design was based off of an angelic theme, since I created her to be a guardian angel sort of figure.
Finner's design was inspired by the sea, with his coat being like deep water, his beard, mane, and tail being like sand, and his eyes being a seafoam sort of color. The colors of his cutie mark came about thanks to my friend Kelly. I had pictured its colors as those of an actual ship, but she made them shades of blue and gold to tie his whole design together.
Lady Slipper's design was based off of a seashell. It goes by many names (I grew up calling them boat shells), but one of those names is the Lady Slipper. They come in a variety of colors, such as pink, white, and brown, but also grays and oranges. But I only remembered the white/pink/brown combo at the time. The blaze on her forehead was a last-minute decision, but it really works well with her design. And when my friend Kelly was making that first sketch of her, we debated on either white, a darker pink, or brown for her eyelids, but in the end, white won out. Her eyes are blue to complement her coat, and to represent the color of the sea.
"Uhh...I might have more but I feel like that's already a lot so...anyway. Your characters are really cool and rounded and I love them. I can't wait to catch up with more of your writing and see what you have told I've yet to discover."
Thank you so much again! I am so happy and it really means a lot to me that you are enjoying them this much so far. I really hope you enjoy them still as time goes on! And if you do have any more questions, please feel free to ask away!
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Thanks for your question, FInal!
Lyric came to me when I was at work one night. There wasn't a lot going on, and I started thinking of a story I had written in college, which was a myth about where the stars came from. I started thinking about how the stars in Equestria would have come to be, and then once I had that answer, I created a pony to tell it. Thus, Lyric was born.
Halo came to me when Lyric almost died in a pony D&D game called Heroes of Equestria. I started thinking about what she might have seen and what could have happened to her, which then inspired Halo and her story, Guardian Halo.
Finner came to me as I was listening to Of Monsters and Men's song From Finner. I started thinking about how the song to me spoke about someone on a journey, and I started to think of that someone as Lyric. The song mentions a person called Finner by name, so I started to develop his story and him as a character.
Lady Slipper came about pretty late into the planning stages of From Finner (the story). I started wondering about who Finner was before the events in the story, and what in his life had brought him to where he is now. I started thinking about if he'd had a family, who he'd loved, if he'd ever been married, things like that. Once I had the answer to those questions, Lady Slipper was born.
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such chance occasions lead to such incredible characters! You truly are great at coming up with ideas Bard :D
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Nope, we're in the same time zone :P I do go to bed a bit early, I suppose.
For the points about Lyric centeric stories, I was asking bc I adored her personality in From Finner, and from what else I've read (which currently is only the suggested stories for this blog post) it was the best at showing me what she's actually like.
Also, do you think you'll ever do a Finner and Lady Slipper story? I swear I listened to the song the entire way to work this morning and I could just imagine the adventures and hijinks and love they shared.
I think I've added the Shadowmancer Saga to my tbr. I do plan to eventually read every story that you've posted (unless you have M rated stories. I can't see those).
I'm so glad I started following you! I can't even remember why I did so. Normally it's because of a really positive interaction or reading a story that blows me away but...I think this is the first I've read and spoken to you. I'd like to think of it as Kismet bc I love your stuff so much. You have a real talent with this.
ALSO i noticed you tabletop so I was going to ask, though it is off topic, if you've messed with D&D 5e yet? I'm setting up an elven bard to play soon! Though I've been planning her since long before I read about Lyric, I thought it was a cool thing.
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Thank you so much, Final! It's certainly been a lot of fun coming up with these characters, and it's been a joy and a journey to see how far they've come.
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your very welcome. Thank you for making them and their stories ^_^
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Haha, I feel you. I used to be able to stay up late no problem. Now I'm usually in bed by midnight.
"For the points about Lyric centeric stories, I was asking bc I adored her personality in From Finner, and from what else I've read (which currently is only the suggested stories for this blog post) it was the best at showing me what she's actually like."
Oh, I can definitely agree! In a lot of the lore stories, she's got a bit of flair going on. I'd say that Guardian Halo is the one lore story I have so far that shows more of her authentic self. Though what you said did remind me that my stories Just What I'm Dying For... and Flight might have a bit more of what you've described. I will say that, for the former, I don't think of it as entirely canon to Lyric anymore (I will explain why in a future blog post), but there is one interaction in the second half that is definitely still canon to her. For Flight, it's mostly the last chapter that shows Lyric's authentic self. I was tempted to include Flight in the recommended list of stories for Lyric, but I didn't want to overburden people.
"Also, do you think you'll ever do a Finner and Lady Slipper story?"
Oh my goodness, I would absolutely love to! I have so much backstory for the both of them that just didn't or couldn't make it into From Finner for one reason or another, and their backstories have only expanded since then. I had plans for a one-shot story with them (it's actually what inspired that picture of them with the fireflies), but now you've gotten me thinking about how I could incorporate that into a longer story that shows snippets of their relationship over time...
"I swear I listened to the song the entire way to work this morning and I could just imagine the adventures and hijinks and love they shared."
Hnnnnggg, I'm so glad you picked up on that! It shows me that it really does fit him if others can see it, too. I'm sure I've heard the song before, but it really caught my ear the other night because I've had these characters and these conversations about them on the brain. When the first half of the song started playing, I originally thought of it as a song that would describe Lyric's feelings about Finner, but then I heard the part about the fireflies, and it sold me on Telescope being his theme song because of how well it related to him and Lady as well. And, funny enough, I had thought of that above-mentioned one-shot long before I thought of this song as being his theme song.
As for the Shadowmancer Saga, I really hope that you enjoy it! Just note that Wisp and I are/will be making some changes to some of the stories in the Saga to better fit new ideas and how things developed as time went on. And no, no M-rated stories from me, or from Wisp.
We both want to keep our stories as clean and as accessible as possible.
"I'm so glad I started following you! I can't even remember why I did so. Normally it's because of a really positive interaction or reading a story that blows me away but...I think this is the first I've read and spoken to you. I'd like to think of it as Kismet bc I love your stuff so much. You have a real talent with this."
Oh my goodness, thank you so much!!! You really are too kind! However it happened, it's been awesome getting to know you, and I really do appreciate all your kind words and you sticking around for this long! I'm really looking forward to reading your stories, and I hope that we can continue to get to know each other!
And to answer your last question, I'm actually in a few 5e games right now! I play regularly in two as a human Terumi fighter, and a dragonborn barbarian. I have another 5e/3.5e campaign that I drop in on occasionally in which I play a dragonborn dervish. You'll have to tell me about all the hijinks your elven bard gets up to! Though it's funny that you mention that, because I'd also wanted to play an elven bard for the longest time and hadn't gotten the chance, and I think that's partly what inspired Lyric.
How about you? How many tabletop games have you played in before?
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Well, I've played a one campaign of Vampire Masquerade, a few goes with Shadow Run, but mostly I stuck to D&D. I have a whole folder of 3.5 and Pathfinder characters I've build and played, but this is going to be my first run in with 5e. I'm super excited for it. This will be the first time I play with most of these guys (sans my oldest brother and his buddy) so it should be fun! We're going to rent out a boys and girls club at night to really live it up and so no one has to host. Well, my brother is bc one of the players and one of his bffs runs it.
Also! Thanks for the follow! I was surprised lol. Although don't feel like, obligated or whatever.
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Oooo, that sounds like a lot of fun! And that's awesome that you have so many characters! Do you have a favorite campaign that you've been in so far!
And you're very welcome! It's no obligation at all! You seem like a really awesome person, and I've really enjoyed talking with you. Plus your stories sound great! I can't wait to read them!
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There's this one where, as a group of all good aligned characters, we're supposed to go into a town and get rid of a litch. Instead we befriend him and get rid of the people running the town.