Apolline Allura

The entirety of the character bothers me in lieu of the popularity she has with the fans. Her only true notable qualities seem to be wall-eyes and klutziness. I could have sworn that the periphery demographic came to love and appreciate this series because of the wit, lore and excellent character design and development. Derpy Hooves exhibits none of these traits, and yet people can be made to believe that the series is about her, or that she has some great eligibility as a character because she "belongs" to the fandom, never mind that it was a mere animation error that even brought her to life from the pit of hell known as 4Chan. Points all well made, and again, thank you for pointing that out river.

NUFF RESPECT DUE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIES CLEMENTINE ;A;

"Friends? Her?" said Miasma, surprised. "She looks like the kinda pony where 'friend' means shield. I don't think we can trust her, but whatever. It's Molly's call." She took another sip of the mead--this was a strong mug right here--and then looked over to Mjolna and Darkest Dawn before turning to Destiny again. "And what is it with you ponies and these names? I've never heard one of you not named after a noun, or something in latin. Like, you're called Destiny," Miasma moved around her to point a finger at her covered up flank, "but your destiny is some kinda tramp stamp that you get to wear forever." She laughed. "Even the males! That wouldn't fly with us gryphons." Meanwhile, the other unicorn watched them all from afar, hot water steaming from a small cup at her table. Another weakling had joined their ranks. Another sacrifice for the burning maw of Naskralar. The two fools, the pegasus and the gryphon would do well as the diversionary group to keep Naskralar's attention. The earth pony seemed capable, but then, this was speaking by earth pony standards, which were well below her own as a unicorn. Magic was true might. Any creature who could wield it directly had the world at their control. Looking over to Destiny, the maneless unicorn's lips curled upwards slightly. "Soon enough old friend...you will see..." she whispered.

'Curses!' Why oh why did Ghost Writer decide to have such wonderful hearing then and there? Spotlight had even bothered to parse the word so that she wouldn't catch onto the plural! There was hardly any point in heading up to the gala without the entirety of the troupe. They were a group, a unit, a collective! To be without one was to be without all! Not that this would stop her in the least. What Spotlight lacked in subtlety, she made up for in bombast, peer pressure, and sheer excitement. "Miss Rarity," she said as they continued through the direction of the many different dresses available, "my dear Writer is the slightest bit ill from the bump on her head from this morning, and requires bed rest, and will do so after we have purchased her dress for the gala--" She said all of this with a cheery, bright smile, and not stopping to give Ghost Writer a chance to speak, spotting a positively dazzling black and gold number and trotting over to it. She continued to babble on about possible colour combinations, coordination, and the viability of velour wear versus satin. There were so many different kinds of combinations that Spotlight almost lost track of herself before finally coming to the conclusion, "Miss Rarity, I must ask you, what do you think would look best for my friend and I?" Before she turned away to point in some direction, she gave Rarity a small but hopefully understandable wink before turning to point in an arbitrary direction and frantically yelping. "Ghost! Your quills are on fire again! I smell the feathers burning from here!"

All I know is that the lack of Derpy is refreshing. :3

...this one is embarrassing, but I figure it deserves points for the dedication I gave it. Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate for the original XBOX. I unlocked every single outfit, and every character within the course of maybe two days. Nonstop playing, and I had to do it on every difficulty. Even the ones where the AI'd be super cheap. And for the lulz, Halo 3, a match two years ago on Narrows. When my friends are flying off the end of the ramps to either section and hit each other in midair, I shoot through one, killing the other as well. One of my few moments of fun with the Battle Rifle. ...and maybe just because of how epic it was that it could go on that long, but Soul Calibur 3. My dad had Zasalamel, and I had Xianghua. Ten minute duel with no weapon abilities and 1% health.

Spotlight had the grace to look shocked. Miss Rarity was quite a looker. Though she'd never concede it, the snow white coat, similar to her own but only more...fetching had plenty to do with it. Her mauve coif was also a sight to see as well. In short, she knew she was looking at the finest sight in Ponyville. A "rarity" indeed. She also looked familiar, as though she had-- "Princess Platinum?" said Spotlight, stunned now at the appearance of said actor. "From the Hearth's Warming play in Canterlot last year! You're a premier fashionista as well? What else can't you do?" And so began Spotlight's thirty second rant of gushing and fangirling all over Rarity. She was at the very least, so excited that in her mirth, she prepared to tangent to reason behind the visit. "--and now that I think about it, the designs of those costumes were simply superb! If I had known that was you, I'd have been here sooner and--" 'SPOTLIGHT. STOP. BREATHE. DIGNITY.' Spotlight paused, took a deep breath, and focused her eyes before lifting a hoof. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said in subdued tones, audibly forcing her excitement down, "I'm Spotlight of the Traveling Players, and this is my playwright, Ghost Writer." She gestured toward the other unicorn, all meek looking and out of sorts amongst so many ponies. Spotlight briefly pondered her well-being before, 'Oh she's a big filly, she'll be fine.' "We're both here to find dress," she leaned into Rarity's ear to add the plural "es" to the word before leaning away, "for the Grand Galloping Gala. Any appearances in one of your numbers will surely make it the best night ever!"

She DID have to laugh at the nickname. Hairless was an accurately descriptive moniker for the deathly serious looking mare who had just insulted her. And Destiny's power sounded rather useful, for keeping all the loot together if nothing. And then ponies just kept coming. Could there be one more gryphon at least? Of course not. This was cold. Cold did not bode well for anything with wings. Not that Miasma hadn't thought to handle that before she came by. Hidden within each of her wings was an enchanted piece of ruby, emitting heat and warmth through her plumage, and ensuring her safe usage of her about-face appendages. That one that called her a coward...she was gonna get it later. Bald b-- "[colour=#b22222]Excuse me...Sorry to interrupt all of you but, I'm looking for this one place, 'Mount Naskralar'. I was wondering if any of you knew how to get to there. I sort've overheard you guys talking about it...If you all are heading there, would I be able to tag along?[/colour]" The pegasus in front of them just screamed "red shirt" at Miasma just by his talking to them. He wasn't looking for this journey intentionally, was he? Or mentioning it like it was some walk in the park or something? But just as soon, she prevented herself from the facetaloning she was about to go through. That one unicorn had taunted her, calling her afraid. Miasma was better than that, no question! "Ask the big girl over here," Miasma jerked a thumb in Mjolna's direction. "I'm gonna go get a refill..." And with that, she walked off toward the bar, passing the unicorn with the marble shards attached to the harness under her cloak. They shared a contemptuous stare as they went by one another, and her claws flexed. They'd settle this after the adventure was over, Miasma decided. She ended up in front of the bar, mug full of mead once more, and gravitated over to Destiny. "Yo..." "You two showed up at the same time... D'you know that frosty broad?" she said, pointing at the other unicorn mare.

Though flutterscotch seems to have handled most of the points I'd present quite well, I cannot stress enough that this music, be it referenced as hip-hop or rap; it represents a movement. When you say culture lacking culture, you more or less are getting at a way that an entire race communicates with itself. In hip-hop, there are many different backgrounds and places and people being represented. If you'd like to condemn the genre, you could do so by labeling gangster rap, which is the subset of the music of which you speak. And even then, the subgenre of gangster rap is very insightful, considering the impacts that artists like Ice Cube or Public Enemy or Mos Def had on the music industry as a whole. The songs containing the language and/or subject matter that you so despise are really only reflections of the conditions in those areas where they came from. What's more, other genres aren't without their songs with such things. Metal, Rock, Alternative--plenty of different genres include these things, and yet they aren't the center of them. Likewise, murder and misogyny aren't the center of hip-hop. That's simply a fault of your lack of exposure. And that's okay; I sure as heck didn't get down with metal until I heard System of A Down, and then other genres in rock like psychobilly. I leave you with two great songs, between the times, so that our argument doesn't specifically last in the 90's (the golden era of hip-hop, in my opinion). One from now.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrhHH3_t218 And one from way back when. :3

"So instead of being big and friggin' scary, they're big, friggin' scary, and smart." deadpanned Miasma, dabbing at her blazer with the napkin she kept in her breast pocket. "Just great." In truth, facing down some of the most powerful creatures in existence should have been a selling point to Miasma. And in some cases, it was. Adventure was in her job description for crying out loud! So what was this feeling creeping up her spine? What was this doubt- "You've scared the poor thing." The voice came from behind Miasma, and another hooded figure standing next to her now. "Wyrms are nothing to be taken lightly, child." said the comparatively shorter midnight coloured unicorn mare, pulling her hood away to reveal her maneless head. "They will not hesitate to remove you." She turned her head toward the gryphon, "Unless they're hungry of course." The look of simple surprise on Miasma's face at the new arrival not seconds after Destiny's appearance quickly turned into a rather heated stare. Who did this pony think she was, coming out of nowhere, calling her afraid? "Hey, you. I ain't afraid of nothin'." she said, pointing a claw back at her, though the darker unicorn had already turned her attentions back to the other ponies. "We are certain to face Naskralar in mortal combat. I doubt there's the slightest chance of him being the exception to any of the rules of dragonkind, much less wyrmkind." she continued. A white glow emanated from her horn before settling around her chest. From within her cloak arose sixteen shards of marble snapping together slowly in midair, shining with enchanted magics to form a crude rectangle with serrated edges on one side. "You will need more than courage and knowledge to face him. You will need power." "Oi, I'm talkin to you-" said Miasma, pushing the shards out of her way and stepping directly into the mare's circle. Not that she cared to talk back to her...directly. "This cowardly lion will serve as a healthy snack for him, I'm sure." she said, walking past her and over to the bar. "I will acquire my own drink, and when the time comes, we shall be on our way, yes?" Miasma seethed as she watched the other mare head in the direction of the bar, the marble shards separating and storing themselves in the harness underneath her cloak. "I vote we institute a one unicorn limit." she said to Mjolna.

She tapped upon the door with a hoof lightly, unsure of how to directly approach a place of such repute, if only for the fact that her greatest clothes were made by ponies far away. The catalogs of all the most popular styles lay in neat stacks under Spotlight's bed back at the trailer. The mare wasn't accustomed to meeting with one of the ponies actually responsible for creating new garments. "Oh yes, of course, mmhm," said Spotlight, skating over Ghost Writer's question with ease, "yes, picking up dresses..." she lowered her voice to a murmur when it came to the plural suffix involved in the word. There was a mild amount of chatter and such that could be heard from outside, which easily meant customers were already there. Oh how Spotlight hated the lines! 'If I had known minding Writer's sleeping schedule would lose us out on a first in line spot, I'd have dragged her out of bed hours ago!' hissed the pegasus in her mind as she pushed the door open. Upon her entry, Spotlight gasped. What a place! Such lush and yet subdued colour! The interior reflected the sense of style and true craftsmareship of the outside. It was beautiful. "Splendor and wanderlust and--ooh, is that velvet red?" Her voice dropped low with the tone of one who was very fond of the colour and material. Spotlight could have just jumped up and positively exploded into flight, but it was important to maintain herself. It wouldn't do for a pony of her caliber to simply just up and overexcite in front of all these country ponies. Trotting back, she locked her fetlock in Writer's and dragged her on in. "Oh just look at all the new things she has together." said Spotlight, trembling with excitement. "And oh, I do believe this one is in your colour..." At some point though, it became apparent to her that the only one who could truly offer good judgement--neigh, divine judgement--on dresses for both her and the unsuspecting Ghost Writer was the creator herself. "Miss Rarity?" she called out from the crowds, not entirely sure what she looked like, but searching for a pony heading in their direction at her clarion call.

Ponyville! How...country. Leading actress and occasional Playcolt model, Spotlight traversed the little town of Ponyville, severely unimpressed by the overall look of the place. Yes there was the absence of arrogance and egotism that plagued it's neighbors like Canterlot and Cloudsdale (not that she couldn't fit into those kinds of places)... And yes the Sweet Apple Ciders were to die for, but it didn't wow her like she'd have assumed it would. The houses were too...homey. The hustle and bustle wasn't as thick as it was in say, Manehattan. It was alive, but only but so much. Spotlight decided to amount it to what Brace called "soul". It was a much more personal kind of place, and she could hear ponies calling the other ponies by name, which meant that this was a place of community. Nopony could be so familar in the bigger cities she had visited. Not something she was entirely unfamiliar with, being from the Badlands and all. Although Lefferded, the marginally larger settlement that it was had a rather twisted soul, in the form of bandits and such that swept through the area on a daily basis. But! Things had changed for the pegasus and her family since moving them from that pit, and Spotlight was living larger than ever. Or at least, she planned to by the time she retired. But that would require her not to spend the vast sums of money she earned during every tour on jewlery and drinks while the other half was already guaranteed toward her family. And oh dear, her mother had even sent her a letter saying she was expecting in anywhere from two to three months. She cursed her mothers fertile grounds for such a thing...it was much better having been the only child. All the same, now was not the time to consider such things. There was a very special appointment to be kept, and it just so happened to be at the rather interesting building in the center of the town square. Spotlight found herself impressed at last, and briefly wondered why she hadn't seen the carousel shaped building, or the cake shaped one across from it when the train was approaching Ponyville. With her playwright, boss and bestie, Ghost Writer in tow, she pointed excitedly at the sign. "The Carousel Boutique!" She turned her head to Ghost Writer, "Where, as told to me by Hotiy Toity himself, every garment is chic, neat and magnifique!" Spotlight's wings fluttered and she wished she could just up and dance on her hind legs without the contents of her saddlebags spilling onto the floor, but alas, she settled for a broad and happy grin.

She cringed slightly when the owner of the inn was indicated. He looked like he could have used a bath and a few hundred years off his life clock... Maybe a new eye too. Not that Miasma had any intention of mentioning these things. If she was getting a free night out of that old codger, he couldn't be half as bad as he looked. It was a spot of light in this quest that she'd be loath to take for granted. Mjolna was a lively one, that was for sure. And almost did a number on her shoulder where that hoof had clapped her, good goddess. The gryphon had met more than a few workhorses in her short career, but 'ol Molly beat out just about all of them. She flexed just by moving alone. "Nothing but the clothes on ou--" she stopped, and then looked at herself. Then back to the earth pony. Mjolna was already naked. "Right..." Mjolna traipsed off and came back in a few seconds, mugs full of drink. Miasma had very few pony brews, but she couldn't disrespect the place by refusing to try their beverages. It looked like mead, actually, the little bubbles rising to a foamy surface of golden liquid. She took it from her and nodded her head politely, "Thanks." There was some sequence of words bothered her, even as she raised the mug to her lips, before she could take the first sip, she lowered the mug and asked the wrong question. "If the handle to that broke," said Miasma, observing the mare holding onto her drink via the hoof in the handle, "how would you drink that?" The gryphon went back to sipping her mead before she failed spectacularly at preventing a spit take and getting the stuff all down her green blazer and shirt. "And what the hay do you mean, Wyrm?"

Blaze went pink once more when she realized her literary folly, but laughed off the embarrassment. So many books had she ready when she was younger! She really would have to get to another copy of A Single Note. It was no big deal that Rose had taken a few things from the Dead World series. They were honestly quite original in their own right, even if that series itself was derivative from old notes of ponykind from years past. [colour=#ff0033]"Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery when tempered by one's own thoughts and actions,"[/colour] she said cheerfully to Rose, [colour=#ff0033]"besides, we all need a little inspiration sometimes." [/colour] Earth Writers words on history were rather interesting, and caused Blazed to consider a viewpoint that she found herself agreeing with herself. History was important, as the old saying went. How could a pony know where they were going when they never knew where they came from? [colour=#ff0033]"This explains why it feels like a cohesive visual of equinity. Canterlot is probably the most relatable place for a pony there is, regardless of the breed."[/colour] said Blaze. She turned to Rose. [colour=#ff0033]"Dear Rose, where in our wonderful Canterlot do you live by the way? I'm out in Solstice Hills at the last cottage on the left."[/colour]

"Well, sister of the hammer," said the gryphon, "I didn't come all this way for nothing." An adventure through a frozen tundra with a pair of ponies for dragon scales. This was a pretty big game to get into, but Miasma was confident in her abilities to handle trouble, wherever it sprung up. Sharp talons and quick wings. Two things that never failed her. And even so, she could tell Mjolna wasn't somepony she wanted to be on the wrong side of. Her appearance matched with the simple aura of strength emanating from her, an earth pony who no doubt made use of her impressive muscles on a daily basis. And Page Turner seemed quite knowledgeable, hence the name that implied one who read many books. He didn't look to be much of a scrapper, but surely he'd be of some kind of use if he already knew about the mountain they were about to travel to. How much he knew had yet to be seen. "So Molly," Miasma addressed the earth pony with a nickname rather quickly, "is there a place where we can strap up, get supplies or something? Or are we going in dry?"

She was much more used to train chases and confronting diamond dog bandits around here. But work for coin was always a welcome prospect to the young gryphoness. And the speech of the mare at the center table had certainly given her reason to listen. Miasma did feel however, that in this place, she was a bit overdressed, or more appropriately, looked very much out of place. Her default style of men's formal wear did not mesh well with what was essentially amounting to a fantasy quest. A little thing like that wouldn't stop her, but it was indeed a pet peeve of hers. Maybe she'd find some armor on this excursion. Finders keepers and all. But first, she needed to introduce herself. "Dragons and legends. I'm more concerned with the bottom line." said Miasma Vice, clad in a green dress vest, white dress shirt, black formal tie and dark green blazer. She stepped forward, standing next to Page Turner as he spoke. "The name's Miasma. Here's my card," said the gryphon, interrupting the two of them, and setting down two laminated cards on the table listing her as an adventurer for hire along with her address in Talonopolis. "My mother's an adult dragon so nothing I haven't seen already in that department. Unless this one has like, electric fire or something... You ponies really oughta get out more."

Blaze giggled when Rose mentioned the nature of the story, the memorable encounters with the most creatively designed horrors she could imagine. [colour=#ff0033]"The final confrontation with Hades himself was the most thrilling of all the high fantasy I had ever read as a filly."[/colour] she reminisced fondly. [colour=#ff0033]"His attack was a three pronged assault on the hero's conscience, his body and his soul. But he managed to--" [/colour] [colour=#ff0033]Darn it, Blaze, spoilers! Nopony likes them![/colour] She shut her mouth quickly with a small[colour=#ff0033] 'eep!'[/colour] and kept a hoof to her mouth as her quill neatly set itself down next to the paper. Her blush was brief, but not unnoticeable, since her coat as well as her face would turn [colour=#ff6666]lighter [/colour]instead of [colour=#cc0033]darker.[/colour] A side effect of having such a deep shade of red as a natural coat, and the worst 'tell' possible. All the same, she continued after a second. [colour=#ff0033]"It's a great read regardless of the stomach you have, Earth Writer."[/colour] said Blaze with a smile, [colour=#ff0033]"in fact, I'll have to take another look at it when I get home...or just buy a new copy when I can..."[/colour] She looked to Rose, [colour=#ff0033]"When you're younger, your pages tend to get dog-eared and carry a surprising amount of personal notes in the unoccupied spaces of certain pages."[/colour] The proposal was put together at last, along with a basic idea of what they'd be writing about. Though Blaze was definitely counting on Rose Madder to bring some supernatural themes into it, since they always were a great hook. Blaze would have mentioned that herself in her notes, but she had no idea how to go about the whole thing. [colour=#ff0033]"What project are you currently working on, Earth Writer?"[/colour] the red pony had just caught on to the notebook he had levitated with him. She studied him carefully for a moment, [colour=#ff0033]"Are you working for a periodical?"[/colour]

Requesty quest, mistah Lovin. :3 My gryphon, Miasma Vice, plox. And hit me up for a thread sometime. I've been waiting.

45b. Blood red or pitch black should also be avoided. As should pearl white. Or any other color for that matter. :3

Then it can be assumed that there shouldn't be as much to be done for said app, right? As it's been established, no one wants to play Matlida, so an app containing the bare essentials should be satisfactory.

"And I'm Blaze Bright." said the red filly, pausing in her frenetic scribbling to look up at the third unicorn to join the the table. "No relation to the author of that other book on the table," she continued, referring to One Pony. Though Rose's praise had given her some heart, it certainly wasn't enough to get over her phobia of her old work. Or rather, others seeing it. As a writer, it was important that the world could see her in the light of her growth. Past work was difficult to look at because one never ceases to advance between the time that the original is put out and then the sequel. Rose's reply came in the midst of Earth Writer's reply, and Blaze paused in greeting him, to beam at the other pony. A co-author. Somepony to help 'sharpen the blade at the other end'. That was an old metaphor that grew from Ashsmoke using the term "the pen is mightier than the sword". Rose could organize better, and Blaze knew her strength was in split-second moments of brilliance. With those two things, Blaze'd learn how to master her impulses and become the writer she knew she could be. Rose's magic took the paper she was writing on and she pulled the quill away before it could stain. "How are you fairing today, Earth Writer? What divine purpose has brought you to two of us today?" said Blaze dreamily, still ecstatic with ideas for the story she was thinking of starting with Rose Madder.

So the solution is to add another character app? Seems a bit...weighty. Then again, I don't keep eyes on the cast apps as often as I should. If Matilda's a character to be apped, currently, then I guess I understand. But it does seem like a bit much work. Especially since one should be able to work supplemental material in and out of a post.

If one needs another for the sake of plot purposes, or even just for the sake of the setting, I think it should be allowed. The difference between them and the Cakes is that they're not as major. Less appearances should mean more liberty to play around with them as long as one isn't dragging Matilda from post to post, right?