crp_dude

Aya, I totally forgot! I drew a picture of Ornatia here as a little filly! I apologize for the unusual size, but a cute little filly with socks and a luna plushie is completely worth it. I finished this, and my heart died of cute.

Paint selection tool. Pick a color with tolerance set to 0 for one layer. Go to the top bar, to the section that says "Color..." Go to Hue/Saturation, change the color as needed. Don't even bother with Paint. How's that for a first shot? Alternatively, if you're having trouble matching the pixel size, go to Image, set the colors from RGB to Indexed, scale the image down to 1/2 size, make it RGB again, and edit it with a one-pixel pencil tool. There's a few things to try, for starters!

Well, if you ever need help, I can do something for you! After all, check this! (looks better when it's moving) What methods are you using, out of curiosity?

No no, I agree with you in that, I thought the explanations would be short and out-of-place in the story. I'll find a spot for them!

I feel super crazy bad that I couldn't go to the one that's... Jeez, it's only tomorrow! Have fun, everypony! I'm definitely making the one in April, though, so expect me there!

I'll probably end up making more of those backgrounds, since I like how Mondo's came out a lot! (It's my background right now, in fact!) Perhaps it's time to put a few of my OCs in the spotlight! For now though, here's a few other pieces. Formally recolored and redone picture of Apis, and my first full Photoshop experiment, complete with signature sunny disposition. I like how it came out, though! Then it came to mind, suddenly: What might Apis look like as a human? BAM. He'd look something like that. Incidentally, I'm getting my hair dyed that color blue, on account of Apis! Yay for a character influencing the artist, no? I apologize for the small proportions of the image here, but I had to make that its only size. I may fix that later, though. This is the official coloring for Ornatia, which I made for her application profile! You can find that here! Please take a look, and give it a review if you're so inclined!

Apis's grin widened. "A traveler at heart, I see! Well, perhaps since Itaily is so close to home, it might be a nice start!" Apis laughed a little, and continued, "It seems as though I may need to do a bit of travelling myself, no? Your land's ways may take some getting used to, admittedly..." Apis turned to Thunder, "Such as your use of clouds to control weather. I've never even heard of such a feat! Honestly, it seems a bit ridiculous. In Itaily, we usually leave the clouds to themselves. They probably know what they're doing anyway! I know it likely sounds odd or barbaric by your standards as well as your ways sound odd and a little perfectionist to me, but it is what it is, I suppose. My people can make due with whatever the world throws at us, and you are resourceful enough to make the world throw you the best of what it has! A brilliant system, when you look at it like that." Apis's thoughts suddenly shifted to the group of pegasi Thunder had mentioned, and took a guess, "You know... The Wonderbolts... I've heard that name going around a lot around here, but I've never really understood exactly what they are... a performing team, are they? I might need to see them in action... Perhaps in one of these cloud cities you mention! I, after all, have received great formal education on magic, being from where I am. I'm sure it would be doable! What are the other places like, do you know?" Apis was brimming with enthusiasm at this sudden idea of travel.

Not sure where to put those answers on the application, so here's a separate explanation: What I mean when I say that she desires to maintain her public appearance, while avoiding contact with most, is a little more complicated than it sounds at first. As an Itailian pony, she has a serious sense of nationalism (probably something I should have mentioned) and with that comes the knowledge that she has a big reputation to live up to, with many grand designers that are in her wake, plus the fact that fashion is considered one of Itaily's major industries. As such, she feels as though she wouldn't want to disappoint the public or her sponsors by stepping down. Are a few jealous competing fashionistas irked by this? Incredibly. As for her lack of sociability, she simply prefers a calm environment for when she is making dresses, and with the frequency of her work, Ornatia has simply grown accustomed to a lack of crowds. As far as her bullying, she is happy that her life's hardships are in a more positive light, yes, but that of course does not change that she is fearful of extreme criticism, further encouraging her to continue improving. Her behavior is reminiscent of the type who doesn't get over things like this easily, and in her case it is just so. Her fear of such criticism is outweighed, however, by her confidence in her abilities, and in the ponies who take an interest in her work enough to send requests to her door.

Edit: Finally added final pic of Ornatia here, so I'll put this of the official critique watch! Woohoo! The picture is at the bottom of her profile, btw.

Added a fun little extra: Ornatia as a young foal!

Others? Are you referring to the ones by Ginger Mint? Or something else entirely?

I believe that we know so little of Celestia's story ever since she banished her sister for that tell-tale thousand years. Yes, I know, we probably never will get to see a Celestia-centric episode on account to her being to the writers nothing more than a walking plot device, a very regrettable waste of a character that could be so much more interesting. What little of her we do know is from guesswork, implications, and a bunch of people throwing their fanon around. What do we actually know about her, when you take the rest of it out? Not a whole lot. Here's what we know for sure: She's the co-ruler (might as well be full ruler, though) of Equestria. She is Luna's older sister. She is an alicorn. She is Twilight's teacher. She lives in Canterlot. She raises the sun. She helped defeat Discord. She punted banished her sister to the moon one thousand years ago. ...Am I missing anything? Not really. See? Not much to go on. C'mon guys, we had a Luna episode, why not get the other half of the story, eh?

TO DO LIST: -Tweak Story as suggested Roleplay Type: Main Equestria RP Name: Ornatia Gender: Female Age: Mare (likely in early 30s equivalent) Species: Unicorn Eye Color: Deep Lavender (#7928FF) Coat Color: French Lilac (#86608E) Hair Color: Black, sometimes dyed to be Café Noir (#4B3621) Mane Style: Ornatia's tail is usually hidden by the dresses she wears. However, she prefers a very brisk-looking style, with dynamic frays to the hair, followed by curled ends. She likely does the same to her tail. Physique: Ornatia is a very thin but tough mare, and is also very tall, making her appear older than most in a crowd. Cutie Mark: Ornatia's cutie mark is a velvety pink bow, which she got after constructing her own dress for a dance. Origin/Residence: Though Ornatia chiefly operates her business in Roam, the capital of Equestria's easternmost province, Itaily, she takes very frequent trips for relaxation to her cottage in Hoofington. Occupation: Ornatia is a world-renowned dressmaker. It took her almost two decades to build up the reputation she holds today. Despite her occupation, however, she does not send her dresses to shops to stock. Instead, she gets the word out by taking positions in fashion shows, and has all of her commissions given to her by mail, where they are made from the ground up, then given out. No two dresses look the same in Ornatia's studio. Motivation: Ornatia strives to keep the very essence of the Itailian culture and philosophy alive in her dress-work, and, one day, pass her teachings on to an apprentice. Though her occupation as a dressmaker is a very profitable one (you should see the prices her work sells for... yikes!) she usually ends up making more dresses for herself than for her clients. You could say that this is on account of her obsession with public appearance, but she would argue that it's to remind her every day of why she is where she is, doing what she's doing. Likes: --Dancing --Baths --Opera --Velvet --Flowery Aromas --Nighttime --Landscape Paintings --Beaches Dislikes: --Suntanning --Musty rooms --the Smell of Soap --Sugar --Heights (which is why she won't even consider going to Canterlot, eh?) Ornatia's Story: Ornatia, by no means, was ever privileged in her youth. Constantly picked on in school for her odd looks and mismatching clothes, since her family had no new garments, all of her clothes were family hand-me-downs from decades ago. Her parents, Basil Bow, her mother, who was a waitress, and Sage, who was a washed-out chef, were not at all wealthy. Quite the opposite, Ornatia was born into a comparatively poor family, and living in the city of Roam, not having money puts you lower than the totem pole has rungs for. One day, however, her teacher, Rosemary, who worked in a fabric store as a side job, gave her lessons on how to make dresses for herself. Ornatia was no artisan, but she was fairly good at making dresses. However, they were often a little punk-looking and Gothic-minimalist. So, Ornatia quickly went from "weirdo" to "creep". Entering a state of rebelliousness in her early childhood, Ornatia was generally avoided by her classmates. Though she appeared to be a dark child on the outside, on the inside she had begun to develop a respect for the art of making clothes. Hoping to impress her classmates one day, Ornatia managed to save enough money to buy decent-quality fabrics, beads, and other relatively cheap items. Diligently, she slaved over this dress in her room for almost weeks on end. She began to get a little more and more reclusive as the days went by, but still looked to her old teacher for inspiration. Learning from Rosemary the ideal and philosophy of the old Itailian couture, Ornatia began to shape her dress into something beautiful-- an ornamental piece, fit for a lady at the ballroom. Black mesh all about it, all black and pearl-like beads, with one exception: a pink velvet ribbon from an old dress of hers. Very nearly was the dress finished, when she was suddenly hit with an invitation. One of the fillies who had often bullied her for her strange looks invited Ornatia to her birthday party, which, since her parents were very wealthy individuals, was able to be held in a formal ballroom. The filly clearly intended to give it as a joke, but Ornatia saw this as her big chance. She took the invitation eagerly. While the girls prepared to laugh at her that night, Ornatia prepared her first true piece of art. To add the element of mystery to her, Ornatia decided to throw something together at the last minute: A ballroom masque of the same material as her dress. In fact, she was so set in her work, that she didn't notice that she was late for the party: exactly fifteen minutes late, so be exact. The party had already made a joke of having scared her off, but just as the music began to play, she came in. With her ornate outfit, nopony recognized her at first. It felt like a dream, a dark damsel descending upon the ballroom, all obscure, save for her vivid pink ribbon. The bully tried to make some manner of joke about it, but found that the words could not reach her mouth. She was immediately noticed by an older pony, a colt, in a very fine formal attire. After the dance was over, he formally introduced himself: Onyx Pearls, father of the filly who had bullied her, and even better, elite fashion photographer. He said to Ornatia that he was simply stunned at her abilities, and wished to sponsor her if she ever chose to become a fashionista. Believing that this was the opportunity of a lifetime, Ornatia made a deal with him. A flash occurred from under her dress as she became overwhelmed with joy, and, to her delight, she wound her Cutie Mark, a pink velvety ribbon, just like the one she wore on her dress. Only weeks later, Ornatia began showing up all over Itaily, in magazines, in stores, however only her dresses were ever seen: nopony would have ever guessed that the rising star who would soon become the pride and joy of Itaily was only a filly now in her adolescence. Through hard work, she slowly rose to the top, began getting more money for the family, and made their humble home into a high-rise villa. Since the sad passing of her parents, Ornatia has made their secluded villa of a home into her personal studio, where she hides away from the world for a year or so, only to come out again with some manner of stunning new design that dazzles the populace of Itaily for the rest of the year. However, she does not hide away to keep her designs secret; rather, she has simply grown accustomed to the silence of her workspace after so long, far away from any sort of chatter that would otherwise break her easily-tipped concentration. However, Ornatia is finally beginning to move on with her life, beginning to seek profit and recognition in the land of Equestria. For her, it will be a hard job to do, living up to her reputation in a country with so much more competition, whether or not Itaily is famous for it's masterful fashion designers. Of course, she could never step down from this position she has worked so hard to achieve just because it felt daunting to her, lest she earn the disappointment of hundreds. However, she has confidence in the idea that at least some will come to appreciate the style she lives by. Flaws: --Ornatia has not yet scrapped her childhood rebelliousness. As such, she is an otherwise impatient individual, has trouble working under people, and is prone to jumping to conclusions. When she does, she can be a little aggressive, especially if she believes somepony is responsible for somepony else's misfortunes. --Ornatia is well-spoken, but is not at all a social individual. Preferring silence to conversation, Ornatia would likely avoid talking unless need arises. --Ornatia is a very eccentric individual. She is a fashion genius, of course, but is also a fan of experimenting with designs, giving her otherwise a very odd or outlandish look to her, should it be suitably ambitious. --Ornatia is still fearful of the impressions her instigators put on her. Thusly, she is very sensitive towards serious criticism, though she is trying to keep a positive attitude and a level head about it, thinking that she must be good because of her own confidence in her abilities and her supporters, who take an interest enough to send her requests by mail in the first place. Picture: Made by me! (End note: I know that I wasn't supposed to use bold for anything, but I used it for those color codes so you could make out the color easier, since I found it a little hard to see.)

I have an unfortunate tendency to abuse the word "apparently". Also, I say "thusly" in place of thus, and apparently it isn't a real word. Feels like it ought to be though, doesn't it?

Alright, just to bump my work a bit, here's a nice little background piece done in Flash! This time, it's Apis's father, Emperor Mondo. It looks rather nice as a background, in my opinion.

Apis still felt a little sheepish, but was slightly more heartened by the warm reception. Deciding this was a nice opportunity to get to know more about the place he lived, he asked, "Well, I suppose a good place to start would be the live you sort of ponies live. I mean, there's a lot of culture where I come from, but 80% of our exports are fresh produce. Nothing more insane than your common fruits and vegetables, with a few more expensive exceptions, like olives and that sort. What do you do for a living? What kind of town is Cloudsdale? I cannot say that I've ever gone to a city in the sky. Perhaps it would be a nice place to visit sometime? How does it even float? Can only pegasus go there?" Apis would have continued with the questions, but didn't want to overload the poor guy. He also turned to Dazzle, and asked, "What about you? What sort of things have you seen here that I might have not?"

Apis suddenly recalled a small detail that he had come here to learn in the first place. Turning again to Thunder, he inquired, "You know, that reminds me. Where do you come from? What is it like? I apologize for asking so suddenly if you feel insulted it's just that... Well, you might find this a little odd, that despite the fact that I'm an ambassador, I'm, eheh, shall we say, not very experienced in your nation's geography... er, that is to say... Aya, what am I doing? I don't know much about Equestria myself, okay? Canterlot is all I've seen! I may be multicultured, but I'm fairly new at this job." Apis seemed a little smitten and indignant, with a tiny blush to his face. Clearly, he was very embarrassed, for all his experience.

Apis tilted his head back a little bit at Thunder's talk of visiting Itaily, being a little unsure. However, that was completely masked by enthusiasm about Dazzle's remark about the event he was expecting to come along. "Yes, well, Itaily may be a land only to the east, but it is not hard to get lost in it. Far too much to see in only even a month, for what little we have to offer... One of these things, however, is coming here, to Canterlot, permission willing! So, ready for this? Aya, I'm so excited about this! So, Itaily, besides being specialized in the agricultural and culinary industries, is also the leader in high fashion all around the world, we beat Equestria by a landslide! The one particular event that decides who is best in the world of couture though is the international fashion show, simply known as La Galleria, or, The Gallery, in common Equestrian tongue, which is hosted in Itaily's capital of Roam every three years! The last Galleria ended almost two years and ten months ago, with our diva of fashion, Ornatia, the pride and joy of Itaily, once again on top. Her record lies unbroken for fifteen years in a row, now! This year, however, we have had a lot more Equestrian applicants than ever before! Young, ambitious, and, in my opinion, very brave designers have risen to the challenge in almost unprecedented quantities! Thus, we in the Itailian Embassy thought it would be a very good idea to move La Galleria from Roam to Canterlot! So many cultures in one place, from the familiar land of Equestria, the fresh air of Itaily, the snappy and oddly captivating designs of Germaney's fashionistas, a few zebra designers from the northernmost points of Unyasi, even a few from the far off twin islands of Caspain and Prance, who, in my opinion, have lovely cultures despite their segregation from Equestria. Of course, there will be more, but just think of it! So many languages, all in one place!" Apis squealed very loudly and excitedly, and only stopped to notice that he had gathered a few odd stares. Clearing his throat, Apis changed the subject,"These oranges, by the way, are a traditional treat reserved for the end of winter in Itaily. I know it's a little early, but I thought, why no give them something sweet? So I did!"

ONE MORE THING: (Click the image to go to the site) I started a tumblr account in the form of a fashion blog! Expect to see more Photoshop and high fashion in the days to come! And make sure you follow this tumblr, 'cause I have a few fun things planned!

Well, enough normal ponies! It's FASHIONISTA TIEM Ornatia, The shining star of Itailian Couture. Vista is from Canterlot, and prides herself on the use of soft, comfortable fabrics over simply loading dresses with gems of all sorts... although, sometimes you need to indulge a little. Bareedina, a zebra, is considered more of an eccentric than a fashionista where she comes from. However, her ethnic designs have caught the eye of a few wealthy individuals over in Canterlot, earning Bareedina her reputation as, unsurprisingly, an "eccentric fashionista". All of these drawings, and not a single luna drawing yet. What did Luna do when I didn't draw her? She cried. So I comforted her.

Apis sympathized with the Greek accent a good bit, being used to it. He did after all have an almost blaring Italian (Itailian?) accent himself. Looking over to the second mare, he remarked, "Aha! Well, most of the stuff here is either imported or made by me! I had nothing to do but bake yesterday, so I have lot of stuff to give!" Apis gave a slight chuckle and opened up the drawers below the food racks to reveal tons of delicious-looking baked goods: pastries, cakes, and cookies of countless variety. He then used his magic to close the drawers again, and gave one of the sugar-coated oranges to the eager pegasus. "Careful eating that. The juice inside turns to a syrup when it absorbs as much sugar as these have, so it can be a little... messy." Apis smiled and then turned once again to Spell and asked, "Would you care for one, ma'am? No charge."

Apis raised an eyebrow at Thunder's comment and shook his head. "Actually, it's westernmost border is only a few hours away from Canterlot, you know. We may be considered a country in and of itself, but we've been close neighbors and... good friends, in recent years..." Apis's head drooped slightly, as did his mood. He knew that he couldn't rightly say that the two countries had ever been friends, in recent or past years. Silently cursing his father for the trouble, Apis replied to Dazzle, trying to keep his head in the present, "You worked on this parade? Well, I know that we haven't seen much of it so far, but I'm very impressed! And, of course, since the two countries are as close as I just mentioned, a lot of culture mixing is going on. Although, I've heard we're pushing to have more Itailian products available in places like Canterlot. Think of it as a bit of a good will movement." Apis smiled again, more hopeful than his previous mood. "In fact, we have something veeerry big planned for here in Canterlot near the middle of next year! I very much hope we get approval from the princesses, though!"

Apis looked upon the pegasus with joy, and smiled, saying, "Oh no, they aren't for sale! That is to say, I'm not asking for money. If you are so interested, feel free to take one! It is to be Hearth's Warming Eve, after all, and what better time to give and share a little culture, eh?" He was always eager to see that ponies took an interest in his foreign goods. Suddenly, he was reminded of something to say, and turned back to Dazzle. "Well, you couldn't have run into a better pony if you want to talk about Itaily! I happen to be the ambassador to the very same land! You know, our culture is all around Solstice Heights, if you take a keen eye to it. Should you ask, I could always meet you sometime and point you in the right direction!" Apis then used his magic to take a card out of his vest pocket. The card contained his name, occupation, and address. He then turned to the pegasus again, and switched to his usual cheery business mode, asking, "Which festive treat catches your eye today, sir?"

Pushing through the crowd at the same time was Apis, eager to spread the cheer of the holidays whether or not it was entirely appreciated. Strapped to him by any sort of means imaginable was a large cart of treats that he was giving away, one per customer, in hopes of spreading around a little culture, since all of the items were imported from Roam. So, orange scarf added to his normal apparel, Apis made his way through the crowd up to Dazzle. He seemed to have caught her attention moving by, so he stopped, cleared his throat a little, and addressed the mare, "Saluto, madame. Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, should I not get the chance to see you again later today! Would you care for a nice treat? I have here all manner of delicious treats, imported from the eastern land of Itaily! Sugared oranges, dried mangoes, plum cakes..." Apis quickly looked from left to right, scooched in close, and whispered, "But if you want my opinion, go for the almond nougats. They're to die for back in Roam!" Apis gave a quick wink and decided to start up a conversation as well, since he felt as though the day was a bit on the empty side, "By the way, it looks lovely here in Canterlot. This is my first year here in the big city, you know! I'm used to crowds of course, especially around this time of year, but usually because of a wild festival, eh?" Apis laughed a little, and continued, "How long have you been here, might I ask?"