I figure this is as good a place as any to share what I have devised so far:
Actually a fair amount of symbolism packed into this one.
Starting with the field, blue and gold is a color scheme I have multiple connections to. A field chequy or and azure was the arms of John de Warenne, from whom my (non-Talossan) surname ultimately comes. Blue, gold, and white were the colors of the high school I attended, as well as the university where my parents met -- a school to which one could argue I owe some thanks for my very existence. The three were also the colors of the service fraternity I was a member of in college. And, when arranged in this pattern, gold placed in the position of honor (reflecting its status as my favorite color).
The bend sinister was sometimes used to indicate a child born to unwed parents; on top of that, you could consider it a nod to the fact that I myself am "sinistral" -- that is to say, left-handed. The bend is itself divided per bend sinister mostly as a rule-of-tincture tactic, but it gave me a chance to bring a little more white into the design to avoid an over-reliance on gold.
In chief dexter we see a black bear, which is both an acknowledgment of my knowledge of the Russian language (Russia's national animal being the bear) as well as my love for the Boston Bruins, a team that wears black and gold and whose team name is itself an old-fashioned term for a bear. The bear has on its chest a Mercury symbol, which...I know this is going to sound a bit odd, but I'd like to hold off on explaining this one until it is determined that the arms would include the symbol.
In base sinister we have a cogwheel/gear, which of course is a nod to my Talossan name -- I chose something that translates as "Mike the Car Guy" for a reason, after all! It could also be taken as recognition of my profession (mechanical engineer). Thirteen teeth are visible on the gear due to the fact that the number shows up multiple times in my life. (For a few examples, my father and I were both born on Friday the 13th, and the name "Michael" first appears in the Bible at Numbers 13:13 -- I was more than a little surprised when I discovered that....)
Per bend sinister or and azure, a bend sinister sable and argent, between a bear rampant of the third armed and bearing a Mercury symbol of the fourth and a demi-cogwheel of thirteen teeth of the first.I will admit I was unsure how to go about blazoning a bend sinister that is itself divided per bend sinister -- it felt a little repetitive to say it that way.
I
think I have hit the limit of eight "complexity points" on the dot -- one each for the bear, Mercury symbol, bend sinister, and cogwheel, along with one for each of the four tinctures (or, sable, argent, and azure). I don't believe the cogwheel counts as an "intrusively modern charge", and I do not see any other obvious violations of the Rules of Heraldry as described on the wiki.