buxy

Zecora glanced over her shoulder at the sound of her name toward the two pegasi that had entered, her hair bristling a bit as she was reminded of the way she'd been treated. She shook it off just as quickly, the past was past, nothing good came of dwelling. She set down her pencil as she finished the form and turned toward Wind Mist. "I couldn't help but admire the piece you brought," Zecora leaned against the counter, smiling at the softspoken mare. "I'd love to hear of the others you've sought. Most of my pieces are from my homeland, the collection itself isn't terribly grand." The zebra cast a quick glance at the musician stallion who conspicuously avoided her. She made a mental note to find an opportunity to say hello and introduce herself, and hopefully change whatever judgement he'd made about her. "And I do not think it's truly me you smell," Zecora chuckled. "But one of the many herbs I sell. I've spent the day at market with my cart, I consider my potions and tonics an art."

Heads up east coasters, are you prepared? We're spending tomorrow filling the bathtubs, double checking all our flashlights, and fueling the generator. The track was recently shifted to hit us head on, instead of skirting to the east, and it's going to nail pretty much all of us up the coast. I work at... a mart. With Wals. And today we ran out of flashlights, electric lanterns, C and D batteries, non-scented candles, water, bread, eggs, (why people buy things that spoil when they're expecting major power outages is beyond me), generators, and playing cards (lol). Everyone ready? Hatches battened? I know I'm not the only coastal resident. ...right?

We felt it here, I was at my in-laws house, helping with some cleaning, myself, my husband, and my father in law were all in opposite corners of the house, and all yelled at the dogs at the same time, thinking the noise and shaking was caused by them running through the house playing. Poor things still have no idea what they did wrong.

"Yes, something is very much the matter," Babbles huffed, stuffing the last of her papers into her saddlebag before turning to the two. The mare who'd caused Babbles her anguish was staring daggers at her. The pale unicorn squared her shoulders, trying not to let the scare tactics affect her. "My PROBLEM?" The intimidation the pyromancer had tried to radiate went up in smoke for Babbles the second she heard that question. She felt a new rage bubble up in her chest. "My problem is my COAT. LOOK AT IT!" Babs thrust her shoulder toward the pair, the spot was tiny, a bit of black soot, and the barest singing marring the short, fine, otherwise perfect hair. "It's RUINED. My weekly grooming was just yesterday and now it's completely trashed. What in Equestria do you think you're doing just lighting things on fire like that? I should report you! I know several high ranking guards, you know, and even more city officials! You'd be OUT of this city before you could even BLINK!" Babbles' voice had been creeping higher and higher as she ranted, she snorted, her breath hissing through her teeth. She only paused for a moment to catch her breath before continuing. "What if my notes had caught fire? My entire career would be down the toilet! I have what could potentially be THE most important interview of my career, not to mention my love life, right on the horizon and everything in this bag is positively VITAL. What if my MANE had caught fire?" Babbles moaned in anguish at the very idea. "I can't even imagine how HORRIBLE that would be. Now what do you have to say for yourself???" Babbles stomped her front hoof to punctuate the sentence and stared, raw fury burning behind her eyes.

"Islands mostlee down dere. T'aint easy for de ponifolk to be gettan dat way, tho. Too far for flyan, an' dem watars a mite rough for de boatan. It be a long time 'fore anypony be spendan enough time for mappin' dems." Breaker watched as Cheerilee packed up her saddlebag, his shoulders sinking just a little at the potential loss of a new friend. "A visit, miss, would be ver'nice," Breaker smiled, trying to imagine Ponyville, the image in his head, of course, completely lacking any of the shocked stares he'd likely earn. His daydream also prominently featured Celestia on a leisurely stroll through town, with little to no fanfare. He was dragged, a little reluctantly, back to reality by the phrase 'beach party', and snapped back to attention when 'date' quickly followed, all his vibrancy rushing back at once. "A pritty filly like you? No date?" Breaker put a hoof to his forehead in a gesture of mock-tragedy. "Eem tinkan you can be countan on me, miss Cheery-lee. You name de time an' de plass, I be at you beck an' call." Breaker gave a deep bow, lifting his head and shooting a huge grin at the vacationing teacher.

I don't hate anything, which means I am better than all of you.

"Pinkie Pie," Zecora began, following the bouncy pink mare. She stopped short at the sight of the stranger in the middle of her living room. "Oh my." "You certainly are an unexpected guest," Zecora squeezed her eyes closed and flattened her ears against her head as Pinkie's voice boomed out into the forest, scattering leaves and a few small animals from it's path. She opened one eye and peeked toward the door, waiting until she was sure Pinkie wasn't going to be bursting any more eardrums before continuing. "You are in my home in the Everfree Forest. Of visitors I now seem to have a plethora, and hello to you, Misty, my name is Zecora." The zebra gave a nod, not unlike a bow, to the young unicorn. "You'll have to forgive my boisterous friend, to a lost aquaintance she is trying to attend." Zecora stepped toward the door, peering out to where Pinkie stood in the path, staring out into the trees for any signs of Applejack. "We heard her voice through the trees just now, but as for getting here, she may not know how."

"Aye, me," Breaker chuckled, shaking his head. The words 'quiet vacation' had made him cringe a bit. He was a lot of things, oblivious tended to be among them, but not all the time. He rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof. "Ain't be no reason t'be apologizin' sistrah, tho, mebbe I be apologizin' to yoon. If it be a quiet relaxan time y'want, I ain't been doin' much t'elp dat. En, me talkan, from me mama an' papa. Dey make'an great travels, an' take little diss, little dat, in dey speech, like some be takan souveniers, y'see? Mostly island hoppan' in places mos' pony nevar 'ear of. Sout' of eeyah. They all talkan funny down deyah." Breaker tossed his mane in a wink again. "De Princess? She visit you?" Breaker whistled, letting that settle in for a moment. "Tia hersef..." He tried to imagine the princess making a visit to the island, and getting the chance to see the sun herself stroll along his beach. "I'm thinkan I may need to make me a trip uppa Ponybille way. Y'makes it sound so rite nice an' peacefull, miss Cheery-lee." "A bundle! Irie, bits t'ain't be mine callin'," with a great shake of his mane he nosed into his bag and came back up with a small mouthful of grass, chewing idly as he continued. "I be keepan dem shops what want 'em full stock in de town, an' in trade dey gibe me some what I be needan. T'ain't much I need, trute, I grow me food, own me land from me fadder's fadder, ain't more I can'be makan or tradan for." The stallion shrugged, rolling one last piece of grass back and forth as it hung from his lips. "Mebbe it not so seempal up in Ponybille."

Babbles nursed her latte, her eyes getting a bit wide as Misty's horn began to glow again. The last thing Babs wanted was to get caught in some sort of magical crossfire and have to make her way to her editor's office as a towering slab of bacon. She double checked her notes, making sure that if there was anything missing, it could easily be filled in later, and tucked her notes away in her saddlebag. As Babbles exited the shop, she broke one of her cardinal rules of eavesdropping, and looked straight at Misty and Big Time, smirking a bit to herself and hoping this little meeting would come in handy for a later story. With powers like that, it wouldn't be long before her show went haywire and transmuted half her audience. With a slight toss of her head, Babbles tossed out her empty cup and opened the door to exit with one small bit of magic. She trotted out the door, turning down the street toward the offices of Pony Quarterly for her meeting, feeling significantly more confident and prepared than she had when she left her apartment. ((ooc: Babs is too much of a snooty poo to socialize, seems like a good time to remove her. I didn't mean to let the thread run away from her, I was just waiting for Marnax to see what else might develop...))

I like it. And I want to read more! I'd say back off just a little on the purple prose, I know that's kind of prevalent in gothic literature in general, and can be used to great effect (which it probably is, but I need to read more to get a better sense of what kind of mood you're trying to create with the story in general), but it is more effective when it's used in conjunction with simplicity. Contrast, and whatnot. I particularly like this: It seems to me you're not going to have any nitpicky grammar issues, but keep an eye on your overall tone as you progress through the story, to make sure it's consistent. What I mean is, IF you have any stuff that pops up as you work, it's going to be more significant than style, which is a sign of good writing

Babbles shrieked, tossing her hair and rubbing her nose against her whithers. A single burning fleck of paper had landed square on her shoulder and she could smell her coat singing. She pranced in a panic on the spot, her saddlebag slipping to the ground and spilling papers everywhere, notes from her meeting with her editor, and she shook herself from head to tail, absolutely convinced she was about to burst into flames. "My coat!" Babs wailed, craning to examine the damage. Just the tiniest spot of dull grey marred her otherwise immaculate creamy peach coat, easily smoothed over with magic, but not before she milked it for all the attention possible. Not to mention found whoever was responsible for the slight against her otherwise perfect appearance. She blew out a huff of air that lifted her bangs, settling them to one side of her muzzle. Narrowing her eyes, Babbles looked around for the culprit, her eyes settling on two unicorns at a nearby bench. She squared her shoulders and prepared to march right up to the pair of them and tear the pyromaniac (no doubt which one of them was behind the stunt, that mane could be seen from a mile away) a whole new worldview, then remembered her notes scattered across the ground. Babs snorted and whisked the papers together with a bit of magic, muttering to herself about the complete disarray they would now be in.

Zecora stifled a giggle with a hoof, imagining Pinkie trying to take a bite out of the building, as she no doubt had at some point. Her ears flicked toward the door before she turned her head in the same direction. She listened for a moment, angling her ears to catch the sound with more clarity. "A ghost? Don't be silly. It's merely someone looking for a filly. They aren't saying 'doom', but 'Applebloom'. I think it's your friend Applejack," Zecora remembered the last time the two of them had met, the tiny poison joked Applejack lassoing and wrestling her ear. She muttered to herself quietly. "I'm a little surprised she ventured back..."

Awesome and hilarious. I'm definitely in for round 2!

I think I need to dust off my atari tonight.

I've suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for a very long time, and I've actually managed to get a lot of them under control lately. I did receive treatment for them years ago, but that did very little to help me. What I've found works is a combination of talking openly (when I'm calm, of course, I can't even speak or do much other than cry and maybe throw up during an attack) about what happens to me and how I feel during an attack, the triggers of the attack, and taking some herbal supplements. The only problem with the supplements is their calming effect can be so extreme sometimes I get very tired very easily! Also, I think when you talk to anyone in an online community you'll find that there's an inordinately high percentage of people who suffer from some sort of anxiety, be it social or otherwise. Online interaction fills a very real social need that everyone has without doing too much to set off any triggers. We know that no matter what, we can turn off the computer and walk away from something that sets us off, and settle ourselves down however we need to. The scariest part of anxiety is feeling alone, and you're not alone here

I ordinarily only like carrots raw, but this sounds absolutely amazing. I definitely have to try this!

"I 'avan a longbard, fi gracefall coastan, a shortie fi da trickies, an' me scrappars uncountable litterin' de dunes," Breaker nodded, daydreaming for a moment, surfing in his own mind before returning to the conversation with a gentle, rolling laugh. "Irie, sistah! I kno' I be talkan strange to yer prettee fillee ears. T'ain't of you bein' a visitry, neithah. Dem folk eeyah don' ovahstan' it deyself." "Dat salt aiyah doin' wondahs fi us all. I can' imagine bein' wit'out," a great shiver passed down Breaker's spine, starting at his crest, shaking through his dreads, over his back, and ending with a flick of his thick, heavy tail. He got to his hooves and thumped one against his chest. "Nevah. We be 'ealthiah. Breathan' bettah. You stick aroun', you see it makan' you strongah. You look it up, teachan dat to you foals." Breaker peered at her mark, nodding approvingly at the smiling flowers, this was a mare, with her unending patience (she had certainly outstayed any other stranger he'd approached lately) and happy demeanor, ideally suited to teach. It was a happy coincidence that they'd crossed paths, and he was just starting to think how well Cheerilee would get along with his sisters when he abruptly cleared his throat, jerking his head away as he caught himself leering a bit too long at the young mare's flank. "Only I be growan dis, miss Cheery-lee. It have de heartiness an' sweetniss of de dune grass, but dat dune grass be empty of de nutrishuss. So I takan alfalfa an' timotee 'ay an' crossan dem wit' de grass an' creatan' bess taste an' bess 'ealth possible. Dat dere 'as..." Breaker tilted his head thoughtfully, mentally sifting through his records. His notes and ledgers were immaculate, and his recall of each was impeccable. "T'ird generashun 'falfa cross wit' timotee, an' a eight generashun marram an' bayberree as 'im mama an' papa. It keep losan de marram ear, tho'." He shook his head in frustration. Marram grass, the very species adorning his flank, had a heavy ear at the top of each mature leaf, and no matter how many different combinations he tried, he couldn't get that ear to breed into his hay crosses. "I 'ave me a teory, dat de calcium an' protein will righ' double..." Breaker trailed off, catching on that Cheerilee not only couldn't understand half of what he was saying, she probably didn't care about it either, and grinned, ducking his head sheepishly. "I preferan raw. Pure, 'ealthy, from motha eart'," he stomped his hoof for effect. "Tho I 'ear it make a lovelee pie cruss when it grinded down, an' stews up nice wit' mangoe an' pears." "That my mark," Breaker arched his neck and touched his nose to his flank fondly. "Me passion an' soul be in dat crop. Also, it dances." The stallion rippled the muscle under his skin, making the grass appear to wave in a breeze. He grinned at Cheerilee, all too proud of his cheesy trick.

A lot of us (almost all of us) have multiple characters here. So what would happen if YOUR characters all ended up together? How would they react to each other? How would they interact? I drew mine! clicky to embiggen [thumbnail=center]http://i51.tinypic.com/64jjt4.png[/thumbnail] I think that Breaker and Zecora would have plenty to talk about. He would with Sealight as well, but Breaker is like a cat, in that he has to find the one member of a group who is the least uncomfortable with his presence and then bother the **** out of them as much as possible. Babbles is too prissy and snotty to want anything to do with any of them, least of all Breaker, and Dellios would probably be too overwhelmed by the sheer newness of them to say much of anything, the poor sheltered *******. What about yours?

S'mores are the greatest culinary delight ever created.

Thank you guys for all your compliments! I'm really glad everyone likes their drawings, I had a lot of fun with this round, and I finally feel like I'm settling into drawing them with ease, I need fewer and fewer anatomy references now. Time to start working on expressions as well! Cant. Dust. Wat.

Dellios supressed a smirk at Inkwell and Cat's reactions to Lola's arrival. It was becoming clear to him that ponies had no sense of class structure as griffins did, faced with someone who was raised to consider herself better than many around her brought out an almost involuntary deference. He wondered for a moment what a society without a rigidly defined hierarchy was like, and made a decision for himself. "I'd like to see a bit of Ponyville, if we have the time. The crash set us a bit behind schedule though, didn't it..." Dellios scratched the back of his head, trying to remember when, exactly, they were supposed to deliver the balloon to Canterlot. He smoothed his feathers down over his forehead, adding, almost to himself. "If we don't have the time now, I could always make a stop on my way back to Talonopolis." "I don't suppose there's someplace we could get a decent bit of rest, is there?" Dellios turned to Inkwell and Cat. "I'm used to long distances, but plowing through all the way from Bareback Gulch has me exhausted." He stretched his wings for effect. "I'm sure Inkwell and Lola could use some rest as well."

"I'll trust you on this one, Miss Pie, I know on your skills I can rely. I'll try quite hard not to be nervous. You really are doing me a wonderful service," Zecora was trying to reassure herself as much as compliment Pinkie. She meant every word she said, of course, Pinkie was an expert at getting together a group of ponies for a great time, she just had a hard time shaking her apprehension. "I'm sure that's all I have to share, Pink. Just two more questions of which I can think," the zebra had heard plenty about the party, except two key details. "When should I expect an invitation? What would be the party's location?"

HNNNNNGGGG I HAVE HAD THAT ALBUM SINCE I WAS LIKE, FIFTEEN AND I CAN'T BELIEVE SOMEONE ELSE KNOWS IT EXISTS. It also has my theme song on it.

ALRIGHT. So here's (almost all of) the rest of this batch. Carousel for Kalpira Dusty for Dusty (still feel redundant) Power Chord rockin it for Dubstep Midnight Brand and her daughter Hopesong for Phil the Time Wizard Crystal Blade for Shimmer Star I really had a lot of fun with this round. Doc Hoof is dragging flank on letting me know what to draw (kidding, kidding ) so that will come later. For now, though, I'm not going to take new requests for a little while. I have a couple projects I'm working on that I want to devote a little time to, and then I'll throw myself back in the game. I have a few adoptables to add at some point in the near future, though. And, if anyone's curious, I'm working on continuing a fanfic I'd intended to be a short little one-shot, but think I need to expand. A lot. And also a pattern and tutorial for pony plushies, that I'll totally be posting on the boards here if I can get it right. I might need someone with very little/no sewing experience to test it out for me, I want to make it as simple to follow as possible, but I need to finish my damn prototypes first!

I'm pretty sure it was through EqD, but I honestly can't remember it. I'm pretty sure that I ran across it in two places around the same time, I vaguely remember finding a link on either ponychan or fimchan as well, and it was the stumbling over it twice in a very short period of time that made me decide to join. When it was Equestria still. Then I had a real life crisis pull me away from the internet for a while and we magically became Canterlot. I kind of turned around and EVERYTHING CHANGED.