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As we slowly warm into being a shop that is settled into its routine, there has been concerns about the popularity of Alicorn's and how they'll reproduce. Previously, as we've never done a breeding until Kivras opened breedings just a few days ago, Alicorn's were not a concern. However, as we noticed that Alicorn's were seeking breedings a fair amount, the realization that there are only so many domains and that Alicorn's are supposed to be rarer made us worry about the future of the shop.

Currently, there are around 30 Alicorn's in the shop, and we've been open two months now. When breedings are more popular, Alicorn's will begin to reproduce, and allowing them to automatically become a full-powered Alicorn with a domain and powers will start to conflict with how rare and unique the special Alicorn lineart is supposed to be. On top of that, we're going to run out of domains, or at least run out of ones people are interested in having. While this is inevitable, it shouldn't happen within the first year of the shop existing!

So, a solution was brought up, and I'm honestly very interested in it. However, I don't want to do anything to the shop without feeling out how the majority of the shop feels. I want to be open to suggestions. This is a big change, but we're early enough in the shops birth to enact it now without issues.

The solution is:

• When an Alicorn reproduces and gets an Alicorn child as a result, the child will not automatically grow onto the large, unique Alicorn lineart.
  
• Instead, their children will grow onto a unicorn/pegasus hybrid base, which we will call a Pegicorn within this thread for ease. The bases I'm mentioning are the standard bases all other races come on.
  
• That child, while still technically an Alicorn, will lack most powers. They will have strengthened Unicorn and Pegasus magic automatically, but they will not have a domain and will not have powers unique to them yet.
  
• Through RP (the exact number isn't certain, please suggest what you think is fair!), your character will unlock their true potential and ascend into their domain. This is not a process your character has to seek, either. Some Pegicorn's may ascend without wanting to! It is up to the Creator Alicorn who ascends. RPs will be geared towards showing development within your character, and hints at what their domain may be (something the Creator would see and assign to them, for whatever good or bad reason that may be).
  
• Once you've unlocked that stage, you automatically, without paying anything, will be given art of your pony now on the larger base. You now have permission for them to claim their domain and have powers unique to them. You WILL choose the base, and you can request smaller add-on's that may reflect their domain.
  
• Once year we will have special, limited time breeding slots that will allow Alicorn's who breed and produce Alicorn children to automatically grow onto the larger base with a domain.
  
• You may RLC the option to have your Alicorn breed children that will automatically grow onto the larger base with a domain. I'm unsure about allowing people to RLC a Pegicorn to ascend automatically, please give me opinions?


This seems the most fair to keep the Alicorn's adhering to rarity, as well as not diminishing the value of the unique lineart, which is a huge concern. Please post thoughts here, and customers are very much encouraged to speak to one another here! This is a safe and open place, feel free to speak freely.

Please check recent post here!

I feel like Alicorns should just straight up breed the alicorn children and make people work for the ascension? Even with RLCs. Because you still run in to the issue of flooding the shop with Alicorns? It's not limiting the amount of Alicorns as long as they can also just breed for full grown Alicorns tbh.

Or that's how I feel. Especially with their being 30 of them already.
I also worry that it might be too late to try and keep them a rare thing.

As for rp requirement. Perhaps something along the lines of 20-30 PRPs, 12 Solos and possibly 1 Meta rp (minimum)? The meta req I'm not 100% sold on myself, but if no meta req I would suggest 25-30 PRPs then.(edited in upon remembering @ 10:53 pm: I suggest a minimum word count of 500 words for solos.) This is taking from rare rp reqs of another shop I'm in and tweaking them a little to keep with the rarity of Alicorns.

In regards to breedings in general (this should be applied to ALL ponies), there should be a cool down of 1 month. (If breeding cooldown is applied to only Alicorns, then I suggest a breeding cooldown of 2 months.)

Maybe there could also be a fail chance? I remember there being mention of a fail chance concerning Alicorn children before but I don't see it listed here. Maybe have, in lore, that it's harder for Alicorns to breed? Concerning the fail chance:

I suggest the breeding artist roll a D20/randomize a number from 1-20. A set of 8 numbers beforehand should be chosen for a success (maybe a permenant set of numbers?), while the other 12 numbers means failure. As for folks who have failed, every 3 breedings that resulted in a failure, should gain them an extra roll toward a breeding on their next entrance for breeding rights.
If further failures continue, every 3 failures should allow yet another extra roll up to five rolls maximum for a breeding.

A couple of other suggestions under the spoiler. These are Alicorn related but not necessarily breeding related.

Have to agree with that.

I think special requirements for ascension would be fine, I mean honestly myself if I ever happened to get one, I would probably go for non-ascension just because I may not necessarily want a domain. So a large requirement for ascension seems fine, especially because it would be nice to see them grow as a character.

edit: Sorry for the double quote your going to get Herbaceous, but I wanted to add that in the survey, maybe a vote of "some" might be good? I mean Yes or no just sort of implies it's these proposals and that's it even though you have said you guys want suggestions?

Meta roleplays can often get delayed because of shop issues, or other reasons and because of that I don't think it's fair to make metas a roleplay requirement. Also there is no guarantee how often metas will be available to join.

I think roleplay requirements should be down to a certain amount of posts per completed and closed roleplay, with a certain amount of letters per post reached in each reply. These posts counts should not be limited to solo roleplays or roleplays that are with other people because the customers are still putting in the same amount of work and thought regardless of what kind of roleplay they are completing. People should have to link completed roleplays in a Pegicorn ascension subforum to count as points towards ascension.

There should also be a limit to how many Pegicorns you can ascend in a month, my opinion on that number would be two pegicorns per month if you've even obtained that many, and that Alicorns themselves should be subject to a one month breeding cool down. To keep these Pegicorns from ascending right away upon drop date Pegicorns must wait one month to ascend regardless if you've completed the roleplay requirements. Much like how you can't breed a pony that isn't 30 days old.

Concerning the meta req, that is why I gave an alternative. I understand that metas are not always a thing that may happen due to varying circumstances. It was only a train of thought in a long chain of thoughts and ideas to help keep the lines rare.

Which is why I disagree with not making it a certain amount of rps. Because this is something we are supposed to be working towards to help keep Alicorns rare and having low limits doesn't really help with that? Like I said I tweaked reqs from another shop I'm in, from their rare growth line and honestly it does seem daunting but I feel it's obtainable.

Also solos, while rps, I think should be necessary because these are usually reflective of the character as a whole by themselves in a setting without others (unless an NPC is involved).

I do, however, agree with limiting how many can ascend in a month period. That was something I had not previously thought of.

Also I did notice in the above post that growth from child to full Alicorn is purely embellishment. It seems like we don't have any dicision over their looks because of breeding. Which would make sense.

The rp requirements are meant to be tough to keep from flooding the system with even more Alicorns. The problem is that there were no limits enforced to keep the lines from overpopulating and now we have thirty Alicorns in a two month old shop. That, at its very basics in math, can be assumed that fifteen Alicorns were sold a month. That's also three Alicorns dropped each week, with another three peppered in here or there for a single month. That's absolutely wild.

So now, to keep the rare race from being as common as overfed parasprites, we have to get down to business to defeat our proverbial Huns. There has to be a cutback and it may just have to happen with Pegicorns.

Edit: ALSO! Hold the presses. What about Pegicorns? Are they breedable?

Popping in with responses!


White Trickster Rabbit


On the topic of Alicorn's breeding onto the Alicorn base, that is something I'm very strongly leaning away from, as it's diminishing the value of the lines. Alicorn's will still produce Alicorn children in the sense that their children are, technically, the same race as their parents, they'll just be on the smaller base + without a domain and powers. As the shop grows, we're going to get more and more people with the larger lineart breeding, and that lineart eventually won't be as unique to get.

I don't think it's too late to restrict them, as we already have over 200 ponies out and are making ponies at a rapid speed! If we curb things down now, that 30 may only increase by very few as time goes on. Not breeding onto the larger lines will def save us, as breedings produce more than one child at any given time! c:

I like the requirements you posted! I might lower them a tad to 20 PRPs and 8 solo's, but I also am the kind that worries people won't RP if things are too high! I'm not sure what people are willing to do!

There is a cooldown of one month for breedings already <3

If we go with Pegicorn route and a harder system to ascend, I think not doing a fail chance would be fine! The reason I didn't put it in the first post was because it's something that could leave negative feelings for those entering breedings. As the breeding system very much encourages RP and tries to reward those who do it with extra kids, I worry a fail chance might turn people off with breeding. Again, I worry a lot, maybe people aren't nearly as concerned as I am, lmao.

Also, for ascension, you can keep your Pegicorn a Pegicorn forever if you want!!! That is absolutely your choice, totally! And yes, you can pick your own domain, more info is below in the response for Holographic!


Midnight Holographic


I can add a system where Pegicorn's can reserve a potential domain for 3 months, but only IF the owner in question knows the path their Pegicorn will go on to get that domain (i.e, how in RP this is going to show). Renewal will still be a thing as long as they show progress on trying to get their requirements done!

As for what would change - Their markings and colors will stay the same (unless there's a legitimate reason for something to alter, such as someone getting the domain of stone having their markings change to a more stone like color). Their hair will remain similar, but altering how their hair is styled (i.e, up in a ponytail, braided, etc) is allowed. The owner can add jewelry + things that show off power such as how some Alicorn's have elemental things surrounding them that ft their domain. Much like how you have an Alicorn with a light halo! The owner can include that into their Alicorn, as long as it fits their domain.

Pegicorn's that ascend will still need a cutiemark for cutiemark perks, as the way to get a cutiemark is through Meta RP, and I will not be requiring ponies to enter a Meta to ascend (only because that forces us to frequently make Meta's even if currently we are not ready to). UNLESS, I might add an option that has it where if your Pegicorn participated in a Meta, that Meta RP counts for x amount of PRP's (making it so you need to do less PRP's in the end), as Meta's are very driven on hard work and dedicating time.

For Pegicorn ascending limits, I think 2 a month seems fair!


Herbaceous


They are breedable! However, that leads to another question; how do customers feel about Pegicorns being able to have children, who are also Pegicorn's, that can ascend if they reach requirements?

Or, should we treat them like hybrids, where they'll only reproduce children that are either Unicorn or Pegasus (plus what their partner is)? Hybrids do not make more hybrids. However, Pegicorn's.... aren't exactly hybrids? This is a decision purely up to you guys, as I am fine with either options!