Post by Big Macintosh on Oct 11, 2011 1:00:58 GMT -5
BIG MACINTOSH
"One pony plus hundreds of apple trees just doesn't add up ta..."
"One pony plus hundreds of apple trees just doesn't add up ta..."
The Basics[/font][/size]
Name: Big Macintosh Apple
Nickname/Alias: Big Mac, Mac
Species: Earth pony
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Group: Good pony
Occupation: Works Sweet Apple Acres with his family.
Appearance[/font][/size]
Fur/Mane/Tail: Most of Big Macintosh's fur is a deep, even vermillion. Unlike on most other ponies, it stops a couple inches short of the bottoms of his hooves. Like his sister, he has white 'freckles' on either side of his face, below his eyes. His mane is a slightly duller saffron-yellow, of medium length, and rather straight. His tail is cropped short, so as to avoid getting it caught in the plow he works with frequently; beyond this, he seems to just let both fall as they will.
Clothes/Accessories: Big Mac is rarely seen without his collar, a sign of how much of his time is spent working. Generally, the only times he's not wearing it are when he's sleeping, and even then, he's forgotten to take it off more than once. There's also the usual sprig of wheat hanging out the side of his mouth, another dead giveaway of his rural upbringing.
Cutie Mark:
A half of a green apple. It's a very large cutie mark, covering more of his flank than most ponies' marks do of theirs.
Overview: It's easy to tell that Big Macintosh does manual labor for a living. He's slightly tall, yet offsets that with enough muscle mass that he actually looks stockier than other, shorter ponies. Despite his large build, though, he rarely appears the least bit threatening; on the contrary, he looks to be a veritable rock of stability. His dark green eyes are usually lidded casually, and anything beyond 'relaxed smile' might as well be considered an emotional outburst in comparison to his usual fare.
Personality[/font][/size]
Personality Description: Big Macintosh is, in essence, the embodiment of all the common sense and restraint his younger sisters forgot to be born with. When the senile Granny Smith is thrown into the mix, he tends to be the voice of reason in the Apple family household. He does his best to temper Applejack’s more brash approach to life with his quiet wisdom, with widely varying success. If something is a disaster waiting to happen, expect Big Mac to point it out. Unfortunately, this seems to be the cut-off for him; if nopony else listens to his warnings (possibly because he can’t muster a tone more urgent than his usual drawl), he seems to accept that and allow events to unfold to the chaos he predicted. In this sense, he is more of an ‘idea’ pony, at least compared to his sister.
Being a rock of good sense, however, has not put him anywhere near the category of ‘scholarly.’ Despite his apparent profundity, Big Macintosh is actually quite a simple pony at heart, and spends most of his time doing the more laborious tasks on the farm. Despite being the eldest sibling, he prefers these tasks to the more managerial ones, which Applejack takes on instead of a larger share in the manual labor. Whether bucking a large portion of the apple trees, pulling the ‘saggy old plow,’ or moving heavy items about, Big Mac takes to his work with determination, even if that determination isn’t quite vocal. All this quietness may make it seem, to strangers, that the large pony is either shy or unintelligent, but that’s simply not the case; he just doesn’t speak if he has nothing to say.
This should not be taken to mean, however, that this steadiness of character is unbreakable. There are two major chinks in Big Mac’s armor, and at the worst of times, they can be almost debilitating. The first is his difficulty in coping with guilt; though he is honest enough to own up to his mistakes, he is deeply averse to disappointing those whom he cares about, and thus, he can become rather overwhelmed by remorse if he feels he’s wronged somepony. To a lesser extent, he even seems to display this when relating what others have done wrong, such as when Caramel lost the grass seeds (again). This weakness is actually based on the larger, more general chink: a strong bond with his family. Big Macintosh may seem imperturbable, but if you wrong one of his family members, he will make sure you pay. Hurt them, and you will discover just what a large, muscular workhorse can do when he’s decided somepony needs to feel pain.
Strengths:
- Physical strength
- Unfailing common sense, intuition
- Strong work ethic
- General lack of enemies
- Is known for being reliable, having good sense--generally, has a good reputation
Weaknesses
- Strong bond to his family
- A little too non-confrontational
- Lack of book smarts
- Strong sense of guilt
- Lacks leadership skills
Fears:
- One of his family members getting hurt
- His family splitting up
- Disaster befalling Sweet Apple Acres
Magical Specialty/Abilities: Nope.
History[/font]
History: Like most of his family was for generations, Big Macintosh was born in Sweet Apple Acres to a pair of loving parents. He was the first child, so for two years it was just him, those parents, and the not-yet-senile Granny Smith on the farm. At first, he was actually a fairly small, wiry colt--hardly suited for the sort of hard work that running an apple orchard made necessary. But as he grew, he did all that he could, an increasingly strenuous process that ultimately would allow him to grow into a strong, healthy stallion.
But such development was years in the making, and the time in between wasn't just filled with apple bucking. When Big Macintosh was two, his parents had another foal, this time a girl they named Applejack. Big Macintosh adored his new little sister, a bond that would only grow deeper as they both grew older. As the filly's more outspoken personality emerged, the two siblings became a bit of a yin-yang pair, all the more inseparable for it. And when his parents announced yet another sibling on the way, Big Macintosh was absolutely delighted.
The joy of having another little sister, however, was soon eclipsed by tragedy. Big Macintosh's mother had never been a particularly hardy pony, given to bouts of illness that nopony could ever really explain. She'd gotten along for years, but a third child seemed too much for her to bear, and she passed away shortly after Apple Bloom's birth. This hit the Apple family hard, especially the foals' father, who died not long after, presumably of a broken heart. Thus, six-year-old Big Macintosh was left the stallion of the family--and he was nowhere near ready for that. Nor was he ready for Applejack's sudden decision that the farm life wasn't for her, and as he and Granny Smith watched her head off for Manehattan and high society, the colt felt like he'd lost everything.
Fortunately, within days a little of Big Macintosh's suffering ended, as his sister had returned. Even without their parents around, the family managed to get by, time slowly healing their wounds. Being the eldest, Macintosh gained a heightened sense of determination, attacking his work like never before. It was this new, greater labor that helped him grow so large, truly earning him the 'Big' in his name. For years, his life has been much of the same, working the orchards day in and day out--and he wouldn't trade that for anything.
Roleplay Sample:
"Umm...Apple Bloom? I don't think this is a good idea."
He was understating this; Big Macintosh thought it was a terrible idea. But his little sister continued climbing anyways, grunting in exertion as she pulled herself slowly up the trunk of an apple tree. "I have ta," she responded after a moment. "What if climbin's how I'll get mah cutie mark?" Her brother just closed his eyes, shaking his head at the notion. From her slow progress, he could tell that it wasn't her talent. Besides, as he could have told her, 'an earth pony's place is on the earth, not up a tree.'
Not that it would have helped, though. Big Macintosh had learned over the years that, if his sisters were set on doing something irrational, all the common sense he could throw at them wouldn't do any good. So he simply looked on, watching like a hawk for any signs of trouble. Despite moving at a snail's pace, Apple Bloom had gotten herself rather high up the tree, and he was getting increasingly nervous about her falling. Too nervous. "Look, ya got yourself all high and your cutie mark ain't appeared yet," he called to his baby sister. "I don't think it's workin', you should come down afore you hurt yourself."
Apple Bloom just scoffed, throwing a chiding look down at Big Macintosh. "Would you relax, big brother? Nothin's gonna haaAAA--!!" And with that, something did happen. Fear lanced through the stallion's body, and he dashed forward just in time to catch his falling sister on his back. Now offering her his own look of reproval, he stared silently as she began salvaging her dignity. "Ahehe...guess that wasn't a good idea, huh?..."
Silence.
Apple Bloom sighed and looked down. "Sorry, Big Macintosh. I shoulda listened..."
"Eeyup," he responded simply, the disapproving look on his face melting into a small smile. "Now c'mon, you can help me pick out some apples for Granny Smith to bake. Just...help from the ground, okay?"
And All The Rest[/font]
How You Found Us: I work here. ^^
Alias: It's just me, Kale, so...yeah.
Comments: Nnnope.
Codewords: [[CORRECT]]