Earth Pony Cellar Cask [Final]

[Centauri]

Roleplay Type: Mane

Name: Cellar Cask

Sex: Male

Age: Young stallion

Species: Earth Pony

Eye Color: Green on the outer iris, brown towards the pupil.

Coat Color: Light Khaki (Hex: #BFCB8A)

Mane/Tail/Markings

Color: 50/50 grey (Hex: #888888)

Style: Whatever he wakes up with, on the grounds that it's not too long and somewhat presentable.

Physique: Slightly rotund, but the muscle underneath is still stronger than any unicorn's/pegasus's.

Cutie Mark: Wood-fired cooking stove (read Character story below)

Origin: Fet Loch

Residence: On the road; occasionally stays at his brother's inn.

Occupation: Cook; part-time/hobbyist brewer

Motivation: In a nutshell, Cask really wants to settle down. Read character story.

Likes: Cooking, cuisine, a fine wine or a hard whiskey (depends on his mood), enjoys his brother's company, seeing his work admired, his jobs and their respective rewards, ponies who are able to joke about his condition as much as he does (though it should be noted that this is only because it shows that those ponies aren't concerned about his condition and their judgement isn't affected)

Dislikes: Spoiled food (inc. food gone to waste), the sight of blood, Summer, not being able to sleep, falling asleep when he doesn't want to, long nights, any sort of alcohol that comes in a can

Character Story:

Cellar Cask always complained that his parents were drunk when they named him. He and Woodcutter (his identical twin) were born to a part-time teacher and one of the best brewers in Equestria. Cask was the older son, and his father insisted that he should follow the family tradition by becoming a brewer. Whenever Cask tried his hoof at brewing, however, he never really enjoyed it. Not to say that he was bad at it, but he simply just didn’t find it as much fun as cooking.

However, Cask faced some serious difficulties most times he tried cooking: he was diagnosed as an insomniac narcoleptic from birth, and often fell asleep at the stove. It didn’t stop him, though, and he got into the habit of only cooking after he had an episode. Occasionally, however, he was able to continue cooking while asleep. As his life continued, this became a regular occurrence for recipes he knew. Cask is constantly fearful when he experiments with new recipes in the kitchen, for if he is unfamiliar with the actions required for the recipe when he has a sleep attack, his body shuts down and falls over; it was because of this that he sustained many minor burns to his face and hooves. Fortunately, the scars have been healed by whichever unicorn doctor was close by and available to help at the time.

Cask got his cutie mark on his colthood birthday when he brought in some cupcakes to class. As he and his brother watched their classmates enjoy the cupcakes, Cask smiled: he knew that his work was being fully appreciated. When his teacher sampled one of them, he was almost pressganged into the school’s canteen. Cask accepted the position graciously and, as he did, he felt his cutie mark appear on his flank. Until he finished school, Cask worked with the rest of the fillies and colts studying hospitality at the school canteen, allowing the whole school to admire his skill.

His father was less than proud of his achievements that day. He berated Cask for not following in his footsteps and becoming a brewer. Woodcutter stepped in at this, telling their father that he was out of line, and that Cask had every right to do what he enjoyed. Their father evicted both of them from the house, and Woodcutter, using the skills for which he was named, managed to build both of them a house which they could live in for the rest of their school life. Their mother visited them every day, so (she said) that social services wouldn’t come and cart them off to an orphanage. Both the colts guessed that it was actually because their mother couldn’t bear to see them go.

When school finished for the two colts – now stallions – they each went their separate ways: Woodcutter built an inn on the outskirts of Whitetail Forest and Cellar Cask became a travelling cook. His last line of work was in an upper-class Manehattan restaurant, where he worked as sous-chef. The only reason he wasn’t Head Chef was because of his chronic narcolepsy, causing him to decline the job. Cask still brews his own drinks occasionally, and is well known to find the best wine for any meal, or the highest quality scotch to serve on its own. Often, at the end of a long night of cooking, Cask leaves the kitchen and asks his customers how their meal was, and readily accepts criticism. All reviews of the restaurants he worked in rated 'high' for customer service when he worked in them.

When Woodcutter and Cellar Cask meet up in the present, they never talk about their father, and only occasionally about their mother. Cellar Cask has become a role model for many Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi alike due to his major success in his career path despite his condition and generally isolated origin of Fet Loch. It has been asked of him that he divulge how he learned to cook so well from such an out-of-way town.

Many interviewers have written articles over the three years of his successful career and each interviewer unfailingly asked him how he felt about his narcolepsy and how it affected his work. Cask always replied with the same answer: "Yes: my condition is dangerous in my line of work, and yes, it has been difficult to gain success in it for those very reasons. However, I take certain steps every day - whether I go to work or not - which keep me safe; if they do not succeed (as occasionally happens, I admit), my employer refuses to let me work for fear of me and their kitchen. How do I feel about my condition? Quite frankly, I've experienced nothing else, and it hasn't changed the pony I am inside. If there is something I would ask of everypony, it would be to laugh with me about my condition: don't fret, don't fuss over me and, above all, don't apologise."

[Out of context: Yes, I will probably make a bio for Woodcutter, though I'm not sure it will be an application, more a back-story.]

[Haserman]

Looking like a fantastic application so far, only one or two criticisms to mention. Has his experiences during his foal-hood effected him in away? Does he not like to talk about his family? Does being an Earth Pony hinder his performance as a cook making cook slower or more clumsily? It would also be nice to see his personality come to life as well because so far it is describing his past life, so just place things like his possible interactions with other ponies and other things like his viewpoint towards his condition (whether he likes to avoid the topic, finds it awkward when it happens when he's talking to another pony or is in public).

Anyway besides that, this application is looking really good it's refreshing to see a pony from somewhere different *puts hipster glasses on* those other places are far too mainstream for me ... so yeah, goodluck can't wait to see this application passed.

[Centauri]

Ok, thanks for that Haserman.

I added that he enjoys the company of ponies that can joke about his condition, but only because it shows they are not phased by the affair. I also wrote a quick paragraph on Cask's relations with his father and Earth Pony status.

[brianblackberry]

Reading this over, I feel you have quite the complete application with a detailed back-story and personality. One thing I feel is missing to make him a more complete character though are some personality flaws and plot hooks. We know he suffers from insomniac narcolepsy, how does this affect him emotionally, does he worry about accidents in the kitchen because of it, has he had any, and if so what issues have they caused for him (personally the active danger of this and occasional mishap could add ideas and color how many and who is willing to risk on him, evaluating between his great cooking skills and possibility of hurting himself or damaging the kitchen).

"Woodcutter and Cask are both pressing for change in today's society. They are both lobbying for Earth Pony rights, and Cellar Cask has become a role model for many Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi alike. This is because he is one of the best cooks in Equestria without any magic to help him. It should be noted that Cask has shown admiration for the Earth Pony musician named Octavia, due to the success she has acquired in her unicorn-dominated career path."

It’s an interesting concept except there is no indication in the show or in the RP world that Earth Ponies are an oppressed group. Instead by all indications earth ponies are full members of society with equal rights and are not restricted job-wise other than casting magic and flight/weather for the obvious reasons, but anything else is open, it is just they are the best at farming and outdoor or manual work because of their strengths and inherent earth pony magic. So really this would have to be removed or changed into something else.

[Centauri]

Thanks for that, Brian.

I changed the quote you gave me to an interview, and (quickly) outlined his difficulties with unfamiliar territory. I must, however, insist that commercial cooking is a unicorn-dominated path. Why? Have an example: put on some oven mitts, and without using opposable thumbs, pick up a boiling saucepan.Thus, the difficulty he faced with his career was met with an outstanding ovation from the general public due to his sheer amount of skill.

[brianblackberry]

Thanks for that, Brian.

I changed the quote you gave me to an interview, and (quickly) outlined his difficulties with unfamiliar territory. I must, however, insist that commercial cooking is a unicorn-dominated path. Why? Have an example: put on some oven mitts, and without using opposable thumbs, pick up a boiling saucepan.Thus, the difficulty he faced with his career was met with an outstanding ovation from the general public due to his sheer amount of skill.

Except we know earth ponies are also involved in the culinary arts. Pinkie Pie is a bakery and confections apprentice and she is an earth pony; in fact her bosses, the owners of Sugarcube Corner are both earth ponies. It’s fine that he is an exceptional chef that stands out for his skills at cooking, however there appears from the show, to be no dearth of earth ponies being involved in the culinary arts. Instead it should be based more on his sheer skill or any unique abilities and/or recipes as a chef.

[Centauri]

Except we know earth ponies are also involved in the culinary arts. Pinkie Pie is a bakery and confections apprentice and she is an earth pony; in fact her bosses, the owners of Sugarcube Corner are both earth ponies. It’s fine that he is an exceptional chef that stands out for his skills at cooking, however there appears from the show, to be no dearth of earth ponies being involved in the culinary arts. Instead it should be based more on his sheer skill or any unique abilities and/or recipes as a chef.

Pinkie Pie has had experience since she was a filly - or so I would guess. However, Apple Bloom was new to the gig and she was having trouble holding everything up; a unicorn would have no such difficulty as soon as they had magic.

[RCTwilightSparkle]

Pinkie Pie has had experience since she was a filly - or so I would guess. However, Apple Bloom was new to the gig and she was having trouble holding everything up; a unicorn would have no such difficulty as soon as they had magic.

we're seen plenty of examples in the show of ponies holding all sorts of things that they shouldn't actually be able to hold in a pair of hooves. In the show and on our board all 3 races of pony are treated as equally as possible, oppression and disadvantages due to race are not something we want emphasized in our mane RP.

[brianblackberry]

Pinkie Pie has had experience since she was a filly - or so I would guess. However, Apple Bloom was new to the gig and she was having trouble holding everything up; a unicorn would have no such difficulty as soon as they had magic.

I understand unicorn magic gives them an inherent advantage in more delicate fields and by default it would be more difficult for an earth pony to achieve notoriety in similar fields. I am fine with him getting extra kudos for being an excellent chef despite this "handicap". My concerns are presenting the following in RP:

• Discrimination again earth ponies in the culinary arts. We have never seen evidence of this. Although such craft is most likely disproportionately a unicorn affair, other ponies would be welcome to be chefs and the like if they too can show they have the skill. There is no evidence in the show the option is closed to them because of discrimination.
  

• Discrimination against earth ponies in general. From all evidence in the show, the three types of ponies are treated equally. Although we have seen discrimination in FiM, it is based on economic wealth (Diamond tiara's attitude, Manehattan ponies), or regional location (Manehattan and Canterlot ponies demonstrated this), or fashion sense (Canterlot ponies) rather than pony type. The Canterlot upper-crust discriminated against Rarity not because what she was but where she was from.
  

Even in the above examples there is no systematic discrimination tot he point where carrers weer closed. Ponies of all types are still allowed to go where they please and do whatever career they like.

That being said, ponies (especially those of the above locales) can still question his ability over all (and to some extent not using magic, especially if things are tricky), his ability being from a "backwater" place like Fet Loch, and his ability because of his condition, so there is still plenty of bias and perception discrimination he would have to deal with.

[Centauri]

Discrimination again earth ponies in the culinary arts. We have never seen evidence of this. Although such craft is most likely disproportionately a unicorn affair, other ponies would be welcome to be chefs and the like if they too can show they have the skill. There is no evidence in the show the option is closed to them because of discrimination.

As I have already said, this has been edited out of the application.

Discrimination against earth ponies in general. From all evidence in the show, the three types of ponies are treated equally. Although we have seen discrimination in FiM, it is based on economic wealth (Diamond tiara's attitude, Manehattan ponies), or regional location (Manehattan and Canterlot ponies demonstrated this), or fashion sense (Canterlot ponies) rather than pony type. The Canterlot upper-crust discriminated against Rarity not because what she was but where she was from.

I'll take this into account with a quick edit just now.

[brianblackberry]

Looks good.

For Great Justice!

[Skye]