CherryRie

OMG! You're so lucky!! Glad you had such a good time Think the last big band a I saw was Dragonforce... biggest disapointment ever. May as well stayed home and put on a CD. It was worth it for the other band though, Turisas! OMG What showmen! Dragon force performed, but they Entertained, totaly amazing!

YAY! Welcome Jinxie! Hope you have a wonderful time here in our pony-tastic forums

HELLO EVERYPONY! Oh my gosh, I can't believe how many response we're getting already! Okays, so there's a little bit of set up we need to do before launching into this endeavour. Essentially we needed to decide whether characters already know one another or if they've been hired to help out. Something like this... well one dose not simply walk onto a building site. At present I'm reading through people's character profiles for ideas and plot hooks that can be included. Once things are up and running though, joining for other characters should be a lot easier. Shortly I should have a floor plan for the barn too, which will be posted up here before we set the ball rolling. If anyone has some specific ideas for their characters involvement just pop them up here in the OOC and we'll set about stitching that into the starting plot ^_^ If you've read the intro thread that Sage and I are now rapping up you'll know that there's a lot of work to be done on the firebarn, and a lot of secrets that lay within the crumbling walls. Quintessentially most of the small scale action (like the construction itself and interaction) will be character driven rather than held to a strict plot. We'll be poking things here and there, but just use your best judgement and crack on ^^, However, there are some over arching plot lines that will be running in the background for the ponies lucky enough to stumble upon them. If this happens, or there's a specific result somepony's actions will have, Sage or I will contact that player via PM letting them know that they've hit a trigger point! Eventually a new thread will be started for that specific story to unfurl in, effects from those will still carry over to the other threads as well, so its best to keep your eyes peeled even if you're not in a particular thread. For the time being the plot line names should provide some tantalising hints: -Bats in the Belfry -Memoirs -Cellars & Critters -If These Worms Could Talk So long as Pony_sage or I are aware of it, there is nothing stopping anyone from joining the main thread or these individual plots once they're up and running. Our intention is to keep this as open as possible so that everyone can mingle and interact as they see fit. A good enough reason for being there would be useful plot wise, but that could be just about anything! For instance; you might be a paranormal investigator coming to examine the spooky occurrences on the second floor. Or maybe you're a friend of some pony who's offered to chip in, just about anything is welcome I think that covers what I wanted to say initially. Once I've read through all the character profiles, I'll have a better idea of who's who, but until then WELCOME to the future Jam and Cream! I really hope this turns out to be just as much fun for everypony as planning it has been for us two

YAY! More new peoples!

There was a one day course in school, but mostly I learned in Guides. Leader was an old ambulance driver with conections, so we took a trip to a chemical factory and got to play with fire fighting equipement. Best, Day, EVER!

Go to work. Switch on power. Smell burning. Think nothing of it. Lights go out. Scream. Screaming didn't work. Check fuses, they've been tripped... Intresting. Check lights in warehouse. One of the strip lights is still glowing... Glowing yellow.... And orange... And belching smoke. Ceilings' on fire.... fudge. Glad I know how to use a CO2 extinguisher, even in a blind panic.

'My hero.' Maple sighed, rolling her eyes and taking control of the levitating lantern. With light source hovering a few feet ahead, the mare carefully examined the first few wooden stairs before stepping into the descending darkness. Chippings of powder like timber shed away from the unstable staircase with every click of her unshod hooves. Stone flags were steadily becoming visible when Maple spotted something twinkling in the pale light. Pausing to squint into the crevasse, a dozen tiny pinpoints stared at the visitor from the unseen floor below. 'What's that?' Curiosity clouding her judgement, the unicorn took an incautious step forward. With a scuttering of tiny feet the twinkling eyes fled in all directions 'Did you s-' The lantern fell sudenly into the dark pressipice. Pulling on Maples tail, Symph dragged the mare back onto the remains of the stairs. Panting and clinging to her rescuer like her life depened on it, Maple stared at the hole through which she had almost fallen. Three whole steps had given way under her slight frame and now lay several meters below on the floor, along with the lantern. 'Blimy,' she chuckled, seeking solice in laughter 'That was a little too close.' Briefly her horn glowed, lifting the lantern back up to their vantage. Its glass was cracked but thankfully the fireflies were still present, albeit buzzing furiously at the sudden shock they had just received. Maple glanced back down to the cellar floor, but the 'eyes' had vanished. Probably just rats. Big rats, but rats none the less. 'Maybe we should leave the cellar till later?' Symph smiled uneasily 'Can I suggest a closer examination of the nearest exit?' 'I suppose that might be for the best' Maple conceded 'Well, let's at least have a peek upstairs first.' With utmost caution the couple slowly climed the rickety stare case and picked their way back across the open barn floor. Next to the double doors through which they'd entered was another entrance to the offices and living quarters. There must have been two doors at one point, but one had long since deserted its hinges for a cosy retirement on the floorboards. As she thought about it, Maple realised there was a lot more space down here then there first appeared, the back portion of the building containing at least two separate offices and the old stairs up to the second floor. Thankfully these appeared to be in better condition than the last set they had encountered, though Symphony still insisted on going first to check the footing. Within the upper level were yet more offices and a canteen. Given the gravitas the rest of the building seemed to hold these were all very plain, devoid of features or furniture and their windows boarded. Looking out over the barn floor was the balcony they had spotted from below, but this had clearly seen better days and Maple was unwilling to risk another fall. All in all, the mare found herself quite disappointed given the excitement of their initial impressions. But the important thing was that there was potential here for something amazing... it was just, difficult to see at the moment. There was a lot more work that needed doing then she had realised, the whole place was falling down. Carpenters, architects, decorators and Celestia knew how many other hooves would be needed to get the Jam and Cream up and running. Maple could think of several offers of aid that would be snapped up the moment they got back to the apartment. 'Sorry, Sweetie. There's a lot more work to do than I thought there would be.' She muttered, offering a week smile to her stallion 'You're right, this place is falling to pieces. Maybe we should just see about the planning permission to have it pulled down, building something from scratch would probably be a lot easier than making this place safe.' [sypmhs actions okayed by Pony_sage]

this... confuses me somewhat...

Radioactive Clovers invade Ponyvill! Unicorn magic testing grounds blamed!

Tye lentil cup'a'soup. Diat is fun... chocolate is better

I see strange spinning patterns in the middle of dash... she's comming through the screen.. sooo much pony

ITS SO FLUFFY! Honestly thats utily adorable!

'I can almost see it already.' Said the coffee coloured pony, craning her neck to look up at the walkways 'Buld up the far end a little for backstage, knock through the downstairs offices and make it nice and open for the cafe. OH! There'd even be room for that self service ice-cream machine you mentioned! And best of all-' Turning to the huge double doors, Maple began rap her magic around the bolts that held the oak structures closed. Hinges groaned, metal creaked and sparks began to leap from the unicorn's glowing horn. '-The.. Ugh, The Vvvview-gwahh!' With a twang, Maple's magic relented to the rusted iron seals. Gathering herself, the unicorn cleared her throat as though the action was intended all along. 'Ahem, yes, the view; After we get the doors fixed... suppose that's the least of our worries though.' She added, gazing around the falaun structure. 'Never go after things half heartedly do we?' For a moment the giddiness subsided as the full scale of the challange seemed to creep into the mare's thoughts. 'How in Equestria are we going to tackle this then?'

Maple chuckled and leaned on the counter, mirroring her spouse 'How about an elbow grease shake?' Pecking Symphony on the cheek, she pushed away from the desk laughing. Pillars of dust broke away from the ceiling at the resonance, showering the mare and the surrounding room. Shaking the dust from her mane, she turned towards the double doors that adorned one wall 'Oh gosh, it's huge through here! Come see!' Though the doors, a short corridor opened out into the main barn. Racks of forgotten fire fighting Tack adorned a locker area along one wall, leaving the long floor almost barren aside from the occasional bench or broken piece of office furniture. Above, rickety walkways merged against a slightly rotted balcony, picking out the edge of the offices above the entrance area. Surprisingly even the poll was still there, running from the offices to the tack lockers. It was dry, dirty, a death-trap and totally perfect. 'Can you believe no one ever tried to sell this place? A lick of paint and an exorcism or two and we'll be in business!'

Below the ivory white towers of Canterlot castle, many older buildings stood testament to the city's noble heritage. Just as any living city, the capitol of Equstria had grown dramatically across the years. Once a quaint mountain town, now so grand that from the sky it looked like a fine tapestry of winding streets and gothic buildings. But not all of these were abuzz with activity. On the south side of the city, at the very edge of the overhang into the valley of Whitetail Wood, stood the ramshackle Firebarn that had once housed Equestria's finest firefighters. Long since sold off to pay for the swish new building on Pelham Lane, the once grand facade had long since fallen into disrepair. Windows that looked out onto the cobbled street were boarded patchily, some of the old wood having already fallen away or been pilfered for personal uses. Huge double doors that led to the carage stable were now left heavily bolted, warning signs hung on their exterior pointing out the dangers of the old crumbling structure. Centuries had passed since the last of canterlot's fire department had said a last good bye to their old home and with the passing of its last owner more than four decades ago, time had been a cruel mistress. Gaps in the floorboards and woodworm infested rafters allowed slender cracks of daylight to slink lazily through the tired halls. Motes of dust hung in the undisturbed air and whatever menacing shadows had once permeated the halls had long since given up all machinations of apprehension. Into this sombre lifeless palace of heroes came the sound of cracking boards. Hazy beams of half hearted sunlight were suddenly joined by a new sibling, vibrant and untrained by the weathering of time. With the crashing of dry rotted boards, the virgin light began to grow, blossoming with every passing moment until, with a creaking groan of unloved hinges, a burst of dawn flooded across the floor and lit every corner of the world weary office. Into this undisturbed relic, where in even the darkness its self felt aged and dusty, stepped a young Unicorn mare. Ahead of her a crowbar bobbed gently, held by a warm white aura mirroring that which emanated from the mare's horn. Unseen by the newcomer, hundreds of black pinpoint eyes observed her entrance from the rafters. Short and homely with a coat the colour of cream coffee, the mare's broad smile seemed to amplify the dawn light that now tested the corners of the darkened room. Both her mane and tail were golden yellow and swirled as though someone had stirred them with a long honey coated spoon. Setting down the hovering tool, the unicorn set about examining the room ahead. Clearly this had been some kind of waiting room and reception, broken furniture was piled in one corner while a weathered desk occupied the far end. Small clouds of dust spun from the floor in rivulets as she picked her way across the groaning floorboards, hooves clicking against the aged wood as she absorbed every detail of the scene. 'Oh my Celestia,' She giggled excitedly 'Would you look at this place!' Trotting around the confined space, Maple Scoops turned back to the doorway, her grin as wide as a giddy filly on her birthday. 'Sweetie, isn't this incredable!'

Dusty have you ever considered selling your life story so far as a sit-com? I'd definatly watch it XD

I once was looking for a light switch in a french ensuite and managed to get two fingers stuck to the power socket... that was fun ^^ and now I can't unsee that face XD

Ahhh stone fish, the ultimate campers. They know its a legitimate stratergy Edit: Orgional post read "A stone fish! OMG DID YOU DIE!?!"

So its three AM over here in old blity. I was just woken up by my phone's ringtone 'always look on the bright side of life'. Go downstairs to open door for brother whom's been locked out. Find drunken house guest passed out in pantry.... what do? Has anyone had simmilar intreguing experiances in the past (not nesseraly drunken ones, just intresting) and if so, how did you deal with them?

Cherry Dawn She was falling. Clouds wrapped around her, enveloping the young filly in soft moist air. Butterflies fluttered around in her stomach as vertigo drew her onwards, hair was drawn out into long streamers behind and nightgown billowed with the rushing wind, the sensation was as real as anything she would experience in the waking world. She had jumped so high. Up through the broken ceiling of a child's painting. Out above the ruins of a forgotten world into an awaiting sky of rainbows and unending blue sea. Her hooves brushed the crest of a wave as it bore upon the sunset and watched as it broke against a sharp barricade of light, shattering into a thousand tiny white birds. Cherry grinned widely as she turned away from the beautifully ornate tapestry, braking her entranced daydreaming. A room of busy conversation and tremulous calming music swam back into focus. Such small wonders often drew her rapt attention, the young Pegasus had stared at the swirls and shimmers of coloured thread for around half an hour. Briefly, though she knew the answers ahead of time, she ran though a mental check list that had been rigorously drilled into her. One; Clouds or ground? She tapped a hoof against the cobbled floor, defiantly solid so no risk of stepping off an edge. Two; Where are you? Looking around the party she absorbed the scene of the high ceilinged ballroom, adorned with wonderful decorations and filled with ponies from walks of life. Guests were dressed to the nines in regalia and in the distance a quartet of musicians were playing classical melodies. Truely there was no place like this she had ever experienced. The royal palace, the night of the Gala. A far more plesent sight to return too then some of the places she'd worken up in, the Everfree forest for example. Three; Are you supposed to be here? Well at the very least she seemed to be dressed for the occasion, a glance at her reflection in one of the polished statues confirmed this much. Her mane looked freshly brushed and sported a lily flower tucked next to her ear. Both her mane and tail had been braided properly for once, each pinned at the tip with a small bunch of cherries. Dressed in the posh saddle Aunt Em was so fond off, Cherry speculated for a moment whether it had been the best idea to let the elderly relative help her dress for the evening. Aunt Em was colour blind after all, so the garish contrast been her light mauve pelt and the lime green lace of the saddle probably wouldn't have occurred to the old mare. But the girl cared little, Cherry didn't have a concept of embarrassment... or fashion for that matter. Lifting up her right for hoof, the Pegasus examined a ticket that had been tucked into a cuff around her ankle. Aunt Em always got an invite to the gala but couldn't go this year on account of her hip, so had arranged for Cherry to go instead. Exhilaration rushed through the filly like an electric shock. As she looked around the colossal dance floor Cherry Dawn realised something. She was here. At the gala. And she was REALLY HAPPY about it! And she was thirsty.... hmm. With a slight spring in her trot, Cherry approached the open bar and surveyed the array of bottles with a gentle grin of intrigue. So many colours. So many faces too. Ponies revelling in the night's splendour, but also pouring their problems into glass tumblers. Patience was a virtue that the young Pegasus had in abundance, so she stood quietly, listening and watching the lights of the ballroom dance through the coloured bottles of sloshing liquors. ooc: hope nopony minds me joining in here, but I couldn't really think of anywhere else other then starting a new topic, which I'd rather avoid for a while I'll get some interaction going soon.

Please ignore this rambling. I know not many people will read this thread but I need somewhere to dump these thoughts in the open. I'm not sure whether to bother continuing with this. I haven't been in the best of moods lately so I may as well carry on for a while and see if the feeling remains. But it's probably a pretty bad sign when a fic is ignored on three separate sites. The only feedback I'm getting for this is from those I badger into giving some, there can't be more than ten people or so that have even read the flipping thing. I think my problem is that I don't know who I'm writing it for anymore. At first it was just a fun project, but then as the story grew I've become ever more disenfranchised. Though still enjoying the challenge, privately I hate myself for what the main characters have to suffer for the sake of a so far winding and incomplete plot. I don't even know what the story is about anymore. It has changed and softened so many times that the chapters beyond what's already written are now just a gooy mess with no end or form too them. So the only reason I've got left really is a tossup between finishing what I've started and writing something for other people to enjoy reading. The latter part of that seems to have fallen on its face completely, given that other than a deconstructive review by maskofdata it has been largely ignored, even by EqD whom didn't even give me an opinion. Perhaps I'm just being selfish, but then again I doubt that other fic writers simply create for pleasure. It's human nature to want to be recognised and needed, but I think in my present state I'm asking a little too much. Ye gods listen to me, I sound like a spoilt brat in the middle of a grocery store shouting 'Look At ME!' Maybe if I had an ending to aim for? At the moment the story feels like a winding valley streaching out down towards some unseen township. I can't see a path or even where the trend is taking me, just that its going downhill through rough terrain. The forest of ideas keeps getting wilder and wilder, pulling the feel of the story around with total whimsy, disregarding the fact that the whole thing has to make sence come the end. I get the feeling it'll end up writing itself into a hole like some poorly scripted anime, Celestia knows I've already thought of a duce'ex'machina I could use, something that should never be planned for in any decent story. Am I tired? Maybe. But I'm also sick of wanting attention for something I should be writing for my own pleasure, not for the approval of random individuals, even ones I care about. An ending would be nice. Something to aim for and guide the party, rather than stumbling around hoping for some rabbit track of inspiration. But as of yet I can't see one that makes sense to the rest of the plot. Perhaps I just need to sit down and rethink the whole thing, probably when I'm actually feeling better. I should really post in the gala too. I'd promised Freddie I would last weekend, but thanks to work and crazy I just haven't got around to it. The whole world feels to be behind a pane of glass, right in front of my face and yet cut off and separate. probably continue with this later, need to go to work now. CherryRie

An analytical standpoint is a bit of slang I picked up recently and wanted to use somewhere to sound all official and artsy YAY terminology! Essentially it's a way of approaching drawing through 'analytical' methods, using marks to represent textures and features while not strictly adhering to lines and block colour. Most wildlife or nature drawings are analytical, being representative rather than a photo realistic image of the original. I think it was Davinchi who developed it first, though don't take my word for that. As for DA, YAY, I has link on my sig ^_^ haven't updated there in a while though, things have been crazy crazy madness of late ^^,

Oh my gosh! BrianBlackBerry, Dio, Kudalyn, and PaintedWings CONGRATUATIONS!!!! NOW, WE, MAKE, PARTY! YAY!

And now I really REALLLY want to see a youtube vid with the Lemons speach dubbed over our missunderstood princess

Gleee returning ponies! WEBA!