crp_dude

Well, this was a happy day. Er- yesterday I mean. 'Cause it's 4 in the morn for me. Yesterday was my bf's birthday, which was pretty great! <:I So, I made him some art of his OC. I feel good about the armor!

Masala watched Jubilee snatch a glass of water from the table. Odd, Masala thought, since she didn’t remember having a glass there. Maybe it was from yesterday? Oh well, it at least was still cold. Masala continued leaning on the bar table and turned her head from facing Polaris to Jubilee, and remarked, “Yeah, I was wondering about that. So, Flyer, what exactly’s your deal? I mean,” Masala said, shrugging, “What do ya’ do?” She asked really just to get Jubilee in a more social mood, since she didn’t seem to do much talking. The bubbling in the brewing room began to get louder, which got Masala a bit worried. She whispered to herself, “Hmm... maybe I should get to checking the boiler when all’s said and done here...” She considered herself a bit of an idiot for not checking on it immediately, but it would be rude to ask so many questions then not wait around for the answers, or so she believed, anyway.

Ick. EQD. You know, I'm all for fandom news, but when you focus on the same icons over, and over, and over again? Give the budding artists some love, says I. Anyway, welcome to Canterlot! I'm Alec, one of the resident artists. If you want an avatar with your OC, you can feel free to drop me a line! http://crpdude.deviantart.com/ I promise my examples don't disappoint.

Ornatia gave a smirk of slight embarrassment when being compared to Glitzen Glamour, with whom she was only briefly introduced to in the show, and got very little conversation with on the whole. Still, she thought that his attempts to ease her embarrassment were touching, to say the least. And so, she did what she could to assure him back, saying, "Well, thank you. If for any reason I am indeed silent, it would be because I have an idea I need to keep to myself. I will be honest in saying that when I do speak, I have trouble not saying what is on my mind, and when what is on my mind is a dress design... well, you understand that the last thing I desire is a stolen design. And, you see, that is part of the problem for me right now...” Ornatia tried to hide her blush, as she had never before experienced such an issue as this... Wait, what did he just say? “I-Infectious?” Ornatia puzzled over the word, “I... must admit, I do not say I am any expert with your language, but is the term ‘infectious’ really what my words were? If so, I am not sure how to take that...” She said, more disoriented than she was before, but this time of no fault of her own.

It felt like a long day of nothing. No ideas, no inspiration, she felt like she couldn’t even think outside of the depth of a filly pool, like something was gnawing at her... but what? Ornatia was the lavender unicorn’s name, and she decided that perhaps what she needed was a breather from the worries of now. She was a pony who put her trust in fortune telling and such oddities like that though, and the tarot probably would have told her not to even bother going outside today, with her luck. Nevertheless, she chose to leave the confines of her own hotel room to take a trip down to an art museum and meet a few ponies. Much to her embarrassment, though, she couldn’t help but think she gave out an image contrary to what she was expected to portray, representing an entire country and all. While at the little get-together, she came to meet another colt who seemed to be just as much of a shut-in as she was. Or maybe he wasn’t? Whatever the case, Ornatia felt that he wasn’t saying something he was meaning to say, and while she knew it to be rude, she half-wanted to try and pry it out of him. She shook her head at that last thought, as though trying to loosen it from her head. How could she be so insensitive, after all? If Bramble Rose wanted to keep what he wasn’t saying a secret, then that was fine with her. For now, anyway. Ornatia made her way up the stairs that led out from the exhibit room and eagerly awaited Bramble’s doing the same. She looked down at him with anticipation. Though she seemed excited to grab a carriage and see the town, truthfully she just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, no matter what the means. She had made a fool of herself enough down there. She called down to him, “Vaya, Mister Rose, I would prefer we wait as little time as we are able!” And then turned away from the wide staircase to check the time via a clock tower just outside. It only took her a moment to realize... She had no idea why! Ornatia tapped her own head, admonishing herself for being so flustered and rushed, this was exactly what she was trying to get away from! Ornatia instead inhaled and exhaled slowly, organizing her thoughts into the rows and columns they used to be in before today. Opening her eyes slowly, she calmed herself down with another deep inhale and exhale, before returning inside the building and waiting for Bramble at the top of the stairs, saying, with a much more apologetic look on her face, “My apologies, Mister Rose, I’ve been... out of sorts, today. It’s been a tad bit frustrating, I hope you understand.” A tad bit frustrating indeed.

WOOHOO! So yesterday, I finished my first commission ever! EEEEVEEEEER :I HHHHNNNNNNNGGGGGG This is what $12 can get you, guys. Twelve whole invisible green slips of fabric that is kind of close to paper is able to enter the stream of cyberspace and translate itself into a really great pony with a background. Here's the science behind the process: http://crpdude.deviantart.com/journal/Commission-info-296528823

Masala nodded at Shanna in a very understanding manner, and though it was a common feeling, the actual expressing of this understanding was uncommon for her. She spoke, in an uncharacteristically similar tone, “Yes, she has been rather neglected of late, hasn’t she?” Her expression turned to interest, however, as she raised an eyebrow and cracked a smile at the mention of the Iron Pony Games, and said, more enthused, “Oh yeah? Well, I’m no athlete myself, but I do like taking a peek at those sort of spectacles. Maybe it’s worth a shot?” Masala’s last rhetorical question was more aimed at herself than any pony in the room, which she sort of wondered to herself as she turned her attention to Polaris, who mentioned that she forgot to introduce herself. Rather than panic and get all jumpy about something of the sort, she remained cool and calm as ever, and instead smiled with the usual semi-confident gaze, saying, “It’s Chai, Duke. Masala Chai, I’m an immigrant from a land, say... east, southeast of Equestria proper? Yeah, that sounds about right. Itaily, familiar with it?” She felt the room as a whole edge back to calmness, yet still maintain that happy and lively morning atmosphere. Maybe today wasn’t going to be awful after all.

OOOOOOH MAN I JUST FINISHED AN ALICORN OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO All in all, this design is a huge improvement on the last one. Warning: Big Picture.

You know what I don't like? Being forced to work on something for a long time. I hate it almost as much as long periods of silence. So, let's break that silence with a WIP of Mondo.

As the duke causally sat down, Masala held a hoof into her mouth while making a soft choking sound, pretending to try gagging herself. The only words going through her mind at the time were: Stick. In. The. Mud. She almost forgot how tiresome high-society ponies could be. Leaning back onto the cupboard behind her, she said, with a bit of bite to her words, "Lighten up, morning glory, you can get your horn in a knot when you're at work, but let's at least try to take things lightly in the tea shop, okay?” Masala turned away from Polaris and began to make some small talk with the other three ponies, when her left ear caught the sound of bubbling, and it was much closer than it should have been. She looked over to the brewery door, both wanting to see what’s going on in there, and a bit afraid of what she might find at the same time. Not wanting to worry herself too much, Masala filed the thought away: it might just be natural for that to happen, she didn’t know anything about the new concoction. She inhaled again, ready to prod Jubilee once again for her order, but then decided not to hassle the poor mare. Instead, she turned to Hoss and Shanna, and asked, at either or both of them, “Hmm, have you two been up to much since we last talked? I heard something about, Princess Luna, was it?”

Ornatia jumped up and down enthusiastically, not stopping to wonder what in the world was so exciting about a simple carriage ride, while excitedly saying, "Well come on then, no time like the present, let's go, let's go!" She didn't exactly wait for Bramble, as she began to trot up the stairs without delay. She really wanted to see the town, but... more than that, she felt familiar around Bramble. Maybe it was the fact that she had low friendship standards, having actually talked to so few unless such a thing was needed for presentation or interview. Still, she couldn't imagine a relationship with him, if, you know, anypony was thinking about that...

Oh hey, I recorded another music dub. I know this isn't the place for it, but it's relevant to what I did above, so I'm forcing you to listen to me sing about a big brother I don't have, and also call myself a filly :I https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6962625/Alec%27s%20Things/Big%20Brony%20Best%20Friend%20Forever.mp3

So, let's talk about self-obsessive fanfiction! Oh wait, you're around me, that's the only topic there is TO discuss. https://docs.google....i_Ok0wjBEE/edit BLAM! This story is a heavy WIP, so bear with me here. Anyways, I'm bad at long-winded explanations, you ponies know the drill. Read up, tell me what you think. I'll provide some visual references when they come up, all I can immediately throw down is a picture of Apis for reference:

Hmm, a shared carriage didn’t seem like such a bad idea to Ornatia, as she rubbed her chin, considering the notion. A smile of satisfaction replaced a somewhat pensive expression as she said, holding her hoof up to Bramble Rose, “Actually, I would think that to be a wonderful idea. Besides, I admittedly do not get much time to speak with others at all, being otherwise caught up in my work. Perhaps, if I may, keeping it one-to-one would be an easier way to ease myself into the social mood as days go on.” Ornatia moved for the entryway, up to the staircase leading out of the exhibit, and said, somewhat enthused, “When does the next carriage come, do you know?” It was probably for the better anyway, as Ornatia felt as though she might completely blow her reputation as a top-quality fashion designer if she stayed any longer. She probably wasn’t very much acting the part, what with not having any clues as to the design for her next dress for this coming show. Ornatia hated crowds, but even worse was not being prepared for one.

Masala made a smirk, being fairly amused with the duke’s annoyance. When it came to complaints, Masala was no stranger to chats about manhandling personal instigators, it was practically her daily dose of sanity. She always figured, there are ponies you like, ponies you meet, and ponies you hate. But there’s always that one pony that you just want to beat the snot out of. Everypony had one of those, no matter how much they tried to avoid it. Masala kept listening to Polaris with interest, but as his conversation drew on, Chai began to get bored, and spoke over him while he continued, “Miss Jubille, hold that thought, I’ll be back in a sec.” She promptly closed the door and faced behind it, breathing a sigh of relief. The conversation back there was muffled by the sound of boiling water in a fairly large brass heater, which she brought over from Itaily. No point in letting something that works go to waste, right? She took a look inside, swiping the steam away with her hoof, and trying to get a good feel of the ingredients boiling in the kettle inside. Nothing looked wrong, at least, or felt any colder or hotter than it had to be. Closing the hatch, she checked one of the faucets on the side, connected to a glass tube, which held the drink. ready for Polaris. Masala silently complemented herself on such an ingenious method of brewing individual teas, but only for a moment when she heard the ‘ding!’, which signaled that the tea was as ready as it would ever be. Taking out from her cowl one of the cups she grabbed earlier, Masala held it under the faucet, flipped a switch from down to up, then watched as the tea gushed out of its personal tube and into the tall mug. Masala placed it on a nearby table, then went through another door, to the left of the boiler. Now, she was outside, where the air was less humid and hot. It felt refreshing, like she had just been in a sauna. This area was her garden, where she grew many an herb, both non-magical, and, in the case of colorings, flavorings, and sometimes even miracle cures, she even grew plants like Poison Joak, which lost its potency when boiled, but left the drinker with a desire to start laughing quite a bit. It was a nice pick-me-up, and a little-known secret that Masala used sparingly. There was a need for magical plants in this experiment, but not plants like that. She shuffled through the rows of plants, careful not to touch anything. Poison Joak? No. Trotter Lillies? Well, that would be a good pick-me-up... if they were running a marathon. Flying likely wouldn’t be helped by an herb that made the hooves a bit jittery. Heart’s Desire? Er-- no, nopony needed to get a swig of tea laced with that unless they were asking for trouble. That herb was reserved for medicines, not casual drinks. Masala kept scanning through. No, no no no... Aha! Nimbus Grass! This lightweight herb was said to give Earth Ponies the ability to move clouds, feel softer and happier, even make them lighter, until it was done digesting of course. Masala didn’t know how true such things were, herself, she was more focused on making tea. Still, she picked some out, along with some more common herbs: echinacea, rosehips, blackberry leaves, and finally, some hawthorne. A nice berry tea for the flying go-getters it was. Back to her brewing room she went, and with herbs in her cowl, she opened the lid to her brewing chamber, and poured all the herbs, including the Nimbus Grass, in. The boiling water quickly began to froth over, forming small clouds, which Masala regarded as actually kind of cute. She stared at the rising cumuli, snickering to herself just a bit, then closed the lid once more, allowing the brewing to commence. It was her first time brewing with Nimbus Grass: before this, she only kept it as a just-in-case herb should an unwanted cloud come by with no pegasi to handle it. After trotting away from the boiling room, she returned to the minor ruckus of the main shop, remembering that Shanna mentioned food. Resting an elbow on the bar table, as per her customary stance, she gestured lazily to the stacked platters, each one housing a fair array of light treats, from rice cakes to biscuits, crackers and cookies. Most were fairly plain, or with some light sugar sprinkles. On the sides, though, there were sweeter treats, such as crystal candy, sticks of crystallized and flavored sugar for the pony with a serious sweet tooth, peppermint patties, chocolate-covered cherries and strawberries, and a few small peaches made of marzipan. Masala really wanted to eat one, but pretended not to be interested, saying, “Your tea’s brewing, you two, but if you want a treat, take one. First one’s on the house, for all of ya’. And, Mister Duke,” Masala pulled the steaming cup from out of her cowl, which was always a good carrying bag of sorts, “Here’s this. Take a seat, no need to be so tight in the muscles. Besides, it’s harder to drink any hot tea on all fours. Try it if ya’ don’t believe me. Anyways, basic family recipe, nothing unusual added, so that’ll only be three Bits.”

Masala heard Polaris's comment on his "plan" in regards to his new manager, and couldn't help but crack up, never mind how insulting it might have been. Wiping away a tear from her left eye, she said, still laughing a little, "And this is why I decided not to work under anypony when I started a business. You might do it, but you're talking about it. Were it me, I would have just done it, zero warning! And, for the record, friend, I was using 'night shift' figuratively. Now, for you two..." Masala rubbed her chin a bit, half pretending to be unsure or thinking, and said to Hoss and Shanna, "Now, I can't claim to know anything about pegasi, so I'm going to try something, and it could either result in smashing success, or your heart stopping. Either way, it'll taste great, right?" Masala laughed half-heartedly, expecting something more akin to shock than amusement, thinking herself better with snide remarks than jokes of any sort. She began to walk to the brewing room to check on the duke's drink, and start some for the pegasi, when she forgot the last mare. Stopping, she turned her head and pointed a hoof to her, asking, "Do you want anything? If it's a tea, I have it, only better! If you're stuck for ideas, though, just tell me what you might be looking for, I can get something done about that."

I became best friends with Angel. ...Is that even a thing that can happen?

Masala turned her notice to the customer who had arrived so early; long before those three ponies would come strolling in. She was actually rather impressed with how quick of a reaction time her advertising, direct or not, attracted attention to the place. Already there was one, and sure to be more. Still, this pony seemed as though he was here by accident, with a dreary and dead-tired look on his face. Having been up all night several times before, Masala could definitely relate. Still, she wondered what sort of work he did, to be so beat while she was wide awake and alert. Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, Masala rhetorically asked, “Working the night shift, eh? No worries, I’ve got something for ya’.” Masala got right to work, secretly eager to give the stallion something that might want him to come back. Heck, he could bring friends. And a friend-bringing tea always called for honey, and fresh ginger spice. Or at least, that’s what Masala told herself just now, without any prior experience. She got right to work, got a cup out of the cabinet below the table, and rushed outside. A few minutes later, she returned, saying, “Wait a tick, it’s brewing now. So, what’s a stallion of Canterlot doing all the way down here—“ She was cut off by a familiar sight. Shanna and Hoss entered and greeted Masala, which was a not at all unwelcome event; she was happy they showed up at all. Their addressing of the stallion that just walked in as a Duke, though, that was fairly surprising. Still, a customer was a customer. Elbows on the table, she sat down, rather casually returning the remark, “Hey you two, good to see ya’ again. Anything I can do ya’ for? And…” Masala took an additional moment to notice the blonde-haired Pegasus next to them, and asked, pointing a hoof in Jubilee’s direction with a slightly puzzled expression, “Who’s the mare?”

“Ugh, I poured my life’s work and three months of financing into this place, I would have hoped for some new business by now…” A brown mare commented while wiping a wooden bar table off, which she often did when she was out of things to keep her busy. It wasn’t so much for the money though, as one might have expected from her. This mare named Masala Chai was simply tired of the routine. First thing in the morning, the same three ponies ordered their teas and left without a word. Boooriiing. Then in the afternoon, Apis paid a visit, followed by a mess to clean up, which she silently decided was his job next time it happened, not hers. He wasn’t unpleasant company, not at all. However, it seemed as though he was content to reserve his klutzy moments for when he was among friends, and with her being the only one in his immediate area, that was a bit of an annoyance. Then, late night, a cup of hot cocoa for a chocoholic artist that happened to wander into her store after getting lost a few weeks ago. They came every day, but new ponies added new possibilities, new brewings, new conversation, and yet another chance at finding what she was really after. The grating routine made her begin to lose hope, and become rather tired of work, even after only five months. Maybe it was the location? Did the building materials look ugly compared to its surroundings? Not ‘fancy’ enough? Whatever the case, it wasn’t getting her much business, but the ponies that did give the place a shot loved it, which meant it must not be getting enough attention. So, Masala, being a busybody when it comes to attention, especially when deprived of any busywork outside of scrubbing the bar table, made signs advertising her shop and eagerly placed them all about the Heights last night. She hadn’t slept since then, but was just as sane as she usually was; it took more than just a day’s lack of sleep to get her on the crazy side. She assumed that it was just getting to be morning, since the outside streets looked a bit brighter than they were a few hours ago. She put the washrag on the table, and moved over to the window to see how things were going. Her café was natural and fairly homely, being made of dark wood and fresh logs, almost like a cabin of sorts. It had a porch out in the front with two tables, sheltered by a slanting roof. The inside wasn’t much different: light wood bar table (her greatest foe) with matching barstools, six tables to the left, were you to walk in the door, with a few bookshelves filled with light reads, from commonplace to oddities in the world of novels. On one table, a chess set stood, with the pieces in their proper place. Apis would play the game with himself from time to time; whatever amused him was fine with her, she didn’t judge. The lighting was basic, firefly lamps hung above the bar table did the trick, day or night. While Masala was well used to it, the humid air, filled with the smell of herbs and spices, would have hit anypony coming in for the first time. To the right was a door leading to a singular bathroom, just for the sake of being thorough. On the inside face of the bar table, cabinets stored cups and plates of all kinds and sizes, the plates being for some small treats she sold, on a shining silver display platter on the rightmost edge of the bar table. There was a back room as well, where Masala grew the plants she used from scratch, and brewed them into teas of many a kind. It was an expensive trade, especially how she did it, but it was worth it to her. She noted that the lamps outside began to dim, meaning that it was almost morning, which also meant that she could expect those three ponies in a few hours. But she kept her hopes up, thinking that somepony must have noticed the signs she posted. Masala trotted back over to the bar table, removed the washrag and put it in a sink behind the table, and waited for her first customers, or anypony that may happen to show up before them.

Ornatia gave Bramble a somewhat confused look, not being sure what to make of the sudden change of accent, though it did sound familiar, somehow... She shook her head, not taking the time to try and place it, shrugged her shoulders, and spoke with an interested tone, "Well, if it is as common as you are making it sound, then I suppose it would not be a terrible idea? As for your foalhood, I grew up in poverty, so I could not exactly relate. But, that was then, and this is now, I do not mind the brief... would 'snobbishness' be too offensive of a word to use in regards to your comment?"

Whoops, I finished them all! That didn't take long, did it?