crp_dude

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?

Alright, decided to wind down from full out vector. What does that mean? BBBFF-style. Apis and his father, Mondo.

I don't even care if this gets covered up by last-minute posts on the Request section, because posting this is worth it. Two full weeks of work, and now, here it is.

POW!!!

Coming soon to Tumblr.

Wow! I must say, as another vector artist, your work is phenomenal! Very well done! Cute pallets too.

hi hi

I'm imagining him either standing under a cold waterfall, or with a bunch of colts and fillies running around making a racket and he's the calm center of the universe.

I'll just tell 'ya right now that one of those two things is more or less right!

Working on a multi-character vector, not going to release any more characters until it's totally done. Here, however, is Apis. This pic was a bit of an experiment on how Itailians might look from the front, face-wise. I like the chosen design, personally.

bluh, work.

work work work work work.

If it was busy-work I'd be okay with it!

But noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo >:I

Anyways, enough with the complaints and rage, I've just had not much time to myself these days.

So, here's all I'm pumping out for now.

base-colored background of Emperor Mondo. You can see from his last work that he's gone through HUGE design changes, but personally I think this makes the character look better! Thanks to the people who were kind enough to critique the first design a ways back.

"A carriage? Oh no-no-no, that's not foalish at all! Although..." Ornatia had not considered the suggestion herself, but while she was appreciative of the advice she remained unsure of it. After all, how would she ever make a good impression on the locals? After all, a performer is only as good as her audience. But how could she be around the locals if she was unsure about trusting them? How could she be sure?!? Ornatia would have panicked, but it was neither the time nor place for rushed thoughts. 'Ugh, what a train wreck I must seem to be', Ornatia thought to herself, before finally putting her thoughts into word. "It is a nice idea, and I appreciate the suggestion, I really do. However, I am concerned, on a personal level, that riding a carriage through town for the purpose of sightseeing might be construed as, is the word, 'uppity'? Oh dear, here I go again, never sure of what to do..." Ornatia felt like she was completely blowing it suddenly, and gave a bit of a nervous chuckle as she wiped the sweat off of her head, pretending to be simply scratching again, as she nervously began to eye the others, checking their expressions for looks of confusion or discomfort. After a long and awkward silence, Ornatia lightly cleared her throat and spoke again, clearly more uneasy, "Er- perhaps, d-do you... *ahem* might you have any other suggestions, perhaps? Uhm... If it is not too demanding of a question."

"Hmm? Oh, uhh, sure. Gimme a tick, I'll fish one out." Masala shuffled through the pockets of her satchel for a card, or something. She always came prepared with scores of advertising for her shop. After all, getting the word out was how business worked. ...Except that she forgot to fill her bags with anything. Drat, well, that's the end of-- wait, no! She did have one place where she kept cards, in case of card emergencies. Closing her eyes, and raising an eyebrow in slight embarrassment that she actually had to make use of such a silly emergency backup, she said, rather briefly, "Scuse me a sec." Taking a disappointed breath in and out, Masala reluctantly shoved her hoof into the cushioned mess of hair she called a mane, and began another fervent search for a card. A few seconds of glances here and there, and Masala finally pulled out a fine ebony-colored card, made by a friend back home when she began her business. She never switched designs since then; it looked to good to her. It had on it a steaming cup of tea with a mind leaf hanging out, almost seemingly isolated from the world in a solitary shaded background. Her shop was always a nice place to kick back and get away from the rest of the tiresome world and workplace, and she took pride in it being a small, uncrowded business. The smell of herbs she had bathed in this morning still hung in the depths of her mane, or so it appeared to be. Oh well, it was a pleasant smell for the card. brushing it off just in case there were hairs caught on the paper card, she offered it to Shanna, hoping it wasn't too odd of a storage method. The Chai Mare, her shop was called, or so the card said. What more did a simple cafe need in terms of title, after all?

A voice actor with a nice artist? Good combo, says I! Anyways, I'm Alec, one of the resident artists of the place! If you ever want to chat or RP, I'm nothing if not open to it! Welcome to our happy little forums!

Happy Birthday yesterday, Manestream!

I applied for that secret project, and gave it my best to throw down a nice piece of art, and I'm in love with how it came out. I really hope she is, too!

In case you missed it, here's the beauty:

Dear Princess Celestia,

It is very hard to eat a cake with a lantern in your mouth.

You shouldn't even worry about being all hot and bothered when Fox News of all things are involved. Slightly modified, but in the words of Miss Piggy, a silly but nonetheless true source, accusing bronies of being baby-people is like accusing Fox News of being, well, actual news.

As someone who has huge aspirations, ambition, the resources I'd otherwise need to get there, and supportive friends who are always rooting for my success, not to mention a tendancy to overindulge, a bit of an authority issue with my own younger brother, especially when it comes to coordinated activities, and the notable ego, if not a certain level of self-obsession, I would say that I am very nearly a carbon copy of Rarity.

If, you know, Rarity was male, human, and very, very gay.

Triple-post people! Still stacking up to that apocalyptic 60-post stack! I'd better pick up the pace and get posting before somepony notices!

Decided to vector an Alicorn this time around. You'll definitely see future iterations and artistic applications for this guy, he's a pretty big part of my fanon. I'd apply him into the board canon, except that he's got a pair of wings and a horn at the same time. Makes ponies go if you know what I mean. Maybe the crossovers section? Dunno, worth a shot for a stallion of this level of importance in my brain.

Emperor Mondo, ruler of Itaily, and Celestia and Luna's only uncle on their father's side. Also Apis's father. Yadda yadda cool things.

Still not dead yet, just doin' thangs.

Things like OC Nymphs. Remember those? Even wrote a nice description for her! Read up, she was a fun one to make!

A young flapper looking to live life in the moment, Auntie Up, no relation to Edith Up, is the owner of the Rave Roulette, a gigantic casino and perpetual dance party that might seem like a ridiculous investment to anyone else. Good thing Auntie isn’t anyone else, right? Although she’s the owner of a casino, she’s as much of a fan of spinning the wheel of fortune as her regulars are, and usually makes bets alongside (and technically against) them, in her own casino, using her own casino’s money. It would be a wonder that she hasn’t gone broke, except you’d be leaving out the fact that she’s an expert when it comes to reading her competitors, and seems to boast quite the luck factor anyway. When she’s confronted with a grumpy customer though, Auntie can really knock some heads, and doesn’t seem to be the type who would otherwise go down without a fight. Good thing you have to save her, or she’d probably be the hero instead of you.

That's a lie. You know why, but it would take six paragraphs for you to scratch the surface on.

Am I close?

:I Why is is frowned upon when someone actually takes the time to explain things?

Okay, let's be clear about this: I'm gay. I'm gay as... well, anything that's really gay. Horrendously gay, let's say as a descriptive term. Now, Rainbow Dash as a lesbian? Couldn't say for sure. Would I like to see it? As a reminder that homosexuals exist to the world at large, yes. Would it be a rude awakening to some overprotective parents and fans who are seriously against the idea? Don't care; ponies. It's not really anypony's place to judge on the subject, and, let's face it: the show will never, not probably never, not maybe, never, discuss, or even bring up the subject. I'll give ya' ten bits if it does, plus a nice dinner of fillet mignon and deviled eggs on the house. To this effect, it sadly rests on the shoulders of the fandom do decide whether or not this is even important. Survey says...

Apparently, it is.

I say sadly because of debates like this. Do I see our lovable RD as a lesbian? There's a fair chance of it. Do other people not? Of course, and everypony has their reasons. What I'm more concerned for are the reasons themselves. Personally, I think there are too may ponies that are out to label RD as les for, let's face it, gits and shiggles ('scuse my lack of proper French). I would like to see instead a character seen as homosexual to add some spice to the character, or even just to make it clear that the section of society exists, and is perfectly acceptable. Being gay is not just about sex, people! There's nothing wrong with it in terms of contemporary society. No, if it were to be applied, I'd actually like to see it instead as a minute point. Don't just have homosexuality be a character's only defining trait, just like you wouldn't have heterosexuality be any defining trait of a character. We have those in our respective shows and games, and it's no secret that it's kind of hard to really like them. Now, you might think, "Wait, but you just said that you ought to throw out the fact that gay people exist! Why have it as a minor trait?" Because being gay is just a life choice. It's not a philosophy, there's not rulebook to it. You can have two athletes of very opposite inclinations, and the most important trait to them is still that they're athletic. There's Rainbow Dash right there. Gays are really just like straights, and it can be hard to tell them apart in a crowd or a cast. So, why make it a big deal? Quite the opposite, if you make it not a big deal, it becomes a big deal. Because it shows that you accept the idea as just another norm in life. Which it really is, and ought to be, in all honesty. This unfortunately gets some people hot and bothered, which is really a sad thing in and of itself. Some people might read this and be like, "Hell why not, let's make all the f*ckin' mane cast lesbians! Happy now?" Well, that'd be just not getting my point. Is everypony gay? Absolutely not. Some people are taught that it's wrong, some people have had bad experiences with them, and some people just decided that the whole idea simply isn't for them. These are fine, as long as you don't let the fact get to you! Like I said before, don't define a character by their sexuality, just let their sexuality be one part of them, don't complain, and just accept it! Here, it's as simple as closing your mouth on the subject. Is it closed? Now, when you have a problem with the idea, use kind words or do this! See, not so hard, isn't it?

Anyways, we're getting off track here. My answer to the question is: Do I see Rainbow Dash as a lesbian? No, I see her as a pegasus who is audacious, athletic, and loyal, and may just happen to like mares. That's all.