[MOC] Ayra

[socalbricks]

Back in 2017, I built a Centaur MOC and put it on Flickr. Looking back on it, it was pretty basic, so I decided to revamp it and make it part of the "Guilds of Historica" universe. After a lot of trial and error, this is what I wound up with. 

The character's name is Ayra, and she is from Avalonia. I don't have a light box at the moment, so I decided to get some outdoor shots instead. Hopefully I can get some clearer shots and come up with a backstory in the future. Enjoy!

Ayra (4) by socalbricks, on Flickr

The figure comes complete with a bendable waist, which I achieved using backwards minifigure legs.

Ayra (2) by socalbricks, on Flickr

Some more shots...

Ayra (3) by socalbricks, on Flickr

Ayra (1) by socalbricks, on Flickr

[Wout]

I think this looks great.

The bendable waist is simple, but very effective and the back tail is creative.

[socalbricks]

1 hour ago, Wout said:

I think this looks great.

The bendable waist is simple, but very effective and the back tail is creative.

Thank you!

[Thedarkmaster2]

  Wow this centaur build is fantastic! The use of the hair piece as a tail and the Torso is fantastic,

Also as a ninjago fan I appreciate the use Venomari staff jar, and the dragon hilt.

[socalbricks]

2 hours ago, Thedarkmaster2 said:

  Wow this centaur build is fantastic! The use of the hair piece as a tail and the Torso is fantastic,

Also as a ninjago fan I appreciate the use Venomari staff jar, and the dragon hilt.

Thank you! I'm glad you like it!

[Grover]

Very cool!  I like the articulation in the joints and the creative use of the hairpiece for a tail! 

And welcome to GoH!  I would recommend that you post your character introduction in the Avalonia thread as well so all of us avalonians can say hi and HQ can add you to the register.  Look forward to seeing some of your builds!

[socalbricks]

9 minutes ago, Grover said:

Very cool!  I like the articulation in the joints and the creative use of the hairpiece for a tail! 

And welcome to GoH!  I would recommend that you post your character introduction in the Avalonia thread as well so all of us avalonians can say hi and HQ can add you to the register.  Look forward to seeing some of your builds!

Thanks, Grover! I'm currently working on my sigfig! I'll make sure to photograph it and post it to the the thread in the coming days. 

[Grover]

My mistake!  I thought she was your sigfig!  In any case, nice work, and welcome to the guilds!

[Thedarkmaster2]

12 hours ago, socalbricks said:

Thank you! I'm glad you like it!

You're welcome

6 hours ago, Grover said:

And welcome to GoH

what is that?

[Grover]

GoH is Guilds of Historica , the subforum we are posting in right now.  It’s the role building game that’s loosely organized in order for us all to get some feedback on our historic MOCs.

[socalbricks]

9 hours ago, Grover said:

My mistake!  I thought she was your sigfig!  In any case, nice work, and welcome to the guilds!

Thank you! By the way, any general advice on sigfig design? Does it have to represent you to some degree? I'm a (human) male, and I have built several characters (human and nonhuman, male and female), including Ayra, who all have backstories. 

[Grover]

Not at all.  A lot of the city folks use their sigfig to represent themselves.  We just make up some character we think is fun and interesting and callnit a sigfig regardless of if it has any bearing on ourselves.  Some folks have undead sigfigs so don’t worry about it!   Choose something you want to write about and go from there.

[socalbricks]

2 minutes ago, Grover said:

Not at all.  A lot of the city folks use their sigfig to represent themselves.  We just make up some character we think is fun and interesting and callnit a sigfig regardless of if it has any bearing on ourselves.  Some folks have undead sigfigs so don’t worry about it!   Choose something you want to write about and go from there.

Alright. Thank you! I might choose to make a smaller sigfig. I think I have a pretty good backstory in mind for Ayra, but working her into MOCs would be pretty difficult due to her proportions. Are you allowed to change sigfigs either by a) keeping the character, but altering the design a little (different torso, etc.) and or b) creating new character from scratch?

[Grover]

Usually you choose a sigfig for a book which lasts for a year or two.  Some modification can be OK but you can’t change guilds until a book change.  If you like Arya but she’s too big you can always look at the centaur torsos on Brickforge.  The mods can answer more if you ask in the Avalonia thread.

[socalbricks]

1 hour ago, Grover said:

Usually you choose a sigfig for a book which lasts for a year or two.  Some modification can be OK but you can’t change guilds until a book change.  If you like Arya but she’s too big you can always look at the centaur torsos on Brickforge.  The mods can answer more if you ask in the Avalonia thread.

Thanks for the tips! I'll ask any future questions on that thread!

[Henjin_Quilones]

Nice looking centaur! You did a good job of making one out of bricks without getting way out of proportion or clunky. I think the exposed hollow studs on the sides look out of place though. 

2 hours ago, socalbricks said:

Are you allowed to change sigfigs either by a) keeping the character, but altering the design a little (different torso, etc.) and or b) creating new character from scratch?

Once you pick a sigfig, that is your sigfig for the book. Now, I myself do not wear the same clothes everyday, but remain myself nonetheless. So too can your sigfig. I have shown my sigfig and his wife in at least two or three different outfits: armor for battle, fancy court dress, regular clothes, travel clothes, but the face remains the same. I could even change the hair, if I so chose, because hair grows and gets cut. I would probably avoid changing the color, though. Your story does not need to focus exclusively on your sigfig, and you could choose to build things featuring other characters with your sigfig, or even without your sigfig. I have many "sidefigs" as I like to call them, and they make for a richer story. The sidefigs could even end up being more important to you and your story than the sigfig, but your sigfig would remain the same. Also, your sigfig does not need to resemble you in any meaningful way. Many people have elves or dwarves or vampires, for example, as sigfigs, and I am fairly certain that none of them are anything but human in real life. Does that help? 

And I would love to see you in Avalonia! Get your sigfig posted in the guild thread, and I'll add you to the members roster. 

[socalbricks]

34 minutes ago, Henjin_Quilones said:

Nice looking centaur! You did a good job of making one out of bricks without getting way out of proportion or clunky. I think the exposed hollow studs on the sides look out of place though. 

Once you pick a sigfig, that is your sigfig for the book. Now, I myself do not wear the same clothes everyday, but remain myself nonetheless. So too can your sigfig. I have shown my sigfig and his wife in at least two or three different outfits: armor for battle, fancy court dress, regular clothes, travel clothes, but the face remains the same. I could even change the hair, if I so chose, because hair grows and gets cut. I would probably avoid changing the color, though. Your story does not need to focus exclusively on your sigfig, and you could choose to build things featuring other characters with your sigfig, or even without your sigfig. I have many "sidefigs" as I like to call them, and they make for a richer story. The sidefigs could even end up being more important to you and your story than the sigfig, but your sigfig would remain the same. Also, your sigfig does not need to resemble you in any meaningful way. Many people have elves or dwarves or vampires, for example, as sigfigs, and I am fairly certain that none of them are anything but human in real life. Does that help? 

And I would love to see you in Avalonia! Get your sigfig posted in the guild thread, and I'll add you to the members roster. 

Thank you! I appreciate the input on the centaur. I put in the brackets w/ hollow studs to make the "horse body" seem less blocky, but I wish there was some way to fix the hollow studs. I'll try experimenting with alternatives to fix to the issue.

As for the sigfig, thank you for the tips! I'm still putting mine together, but it should be completed, photographed and posted in the thread very soon.

Edited June 27, 2019 by socalbricks

[mccoyed]

Great centaur. Have seen a lot of takes on this over the years and this is an especially good one that captures the size very well. I like the weapon a lot, too.

[socalbricks]

4 hours ago, mccoyed said:

Great centaur. Have seen a lot of takes on this over the years and this is an especially good one that captures the size very well. I like the weapon a lot, too.

Thank you!

[soccerkid6]

Super cool centaur! With a weapon like that I surely would not want to cross her.
I'm excited to see what else you will make

[Blufiji]

Imposing centaur indeed!

[socalbricks]

On 8/5/2019 at 11:25 AM, soccerkid6 said:

Super cool centaur! With a weapon like that I surely would not want to cross her.
I'm excited to see what else you will make

 

On 8/5/2019 at 3:15 PM, Blufiji said:

Imposing centaur indeed!

Sorry for the late reply. Thank you so much!

[Eyrezer]

Such came across this. Really nice MOC! The Hair piece is an excellent tail. The first pic is my favourite. Looks like she is exploring an underground cavern. Visiting the Kolgari elves perhaps?

[socalbricks]

22 hours ago, Eyrezer said:

Such came across this. Really nice MOC! The Hair piece is an excellent tail. The first pic is my favourite. Looks like she is exploring an underground cavern. Visiting the Kolgari elves perhaps?

Better late than never (I was pleasantly surprised when this post from 2019 got a new comment)! 

Joking aside, I appreciate the kind words. Looking back on it, this design seems so "rough" compared her current one. She's gone through so many revisions since then (the biggest issue was the exposed studs on her sides - I'm glad I was able to fix that). I also completely reworked her backstory and personality (turning her into a gentle healing mage), and transferred some of those traits over to her sister, Brielle (a knight who would happily wield the battle axe seen in these older pictures). 

I'm glad you like that first photo! I shot it at a fountain not far from where I live. At night, the lights under the water change colors, but it's on a timed cycle. It took a lot of trial-and-error to get the shot I liked within a relatively short time frame.

I wonder how Ayra would feel about the caves - like most centaurs, she is very claustrophobic (which could be a problem underground) but if the Kolgari needed her healing expertise, I think she would power through that fear to help those in need.

Edited December 4, 2021 by socalbricks

[Eyrezer]

I thought it was super fancy photoshop!