skbl17

The reporter checked her watch. 3:48. If she got the story done now, there would still be time to get the package to the station in time for 6:00. A minute later, the camerapony disembarked from the vehicle, before grabbing the equipment from the back. After taking out the camera, microphone, and lights, he turned back to his colleague. "Do you want to try the interview first, or do you want to tape the whole story out here?" "We'll tape outside...but I'll talk with some of the customers and employees inside. Stay outside; I'll call you in if I get permission to interview in the store." With that, the reporter entered the store.

The Metro5 news crew noticed that most of the police officers were leaving the shop up ahead. Maybe there had been some kind of resolution? Even if there wasn't, it looked as if it was safe to proceed. After the reporter phoned the newsroom to get clearance for a story on this event, the vehicle began to drive up from its position almost a mile from the shop; after a few minutes, the van passed the store before turning around. A few more minutes passed before the van stopped right in front of the shop. Before emerging from the vehicle, the two occupants looked over the exterior of the shop. It looked to be some kind of art store. As the reporter emerged from the vehicle, she thought about buying a painting when this was all said and done.

Fall, because I get the least pissed off or upset about it. While I admire the fact that I won't burn to death in the winter, it's also one of the worst seasons. I live just far enough north that it can get cold and occasionally snow, but I live far enough south that it's not hard to get the shaft when the snow is just to my north. Last February, I was heartbroken when there was this big snowstorm coming; I kept watching the radar, and the rain/snow line was just three miles to my north! That was painful. Spring is pollen and tornado season. On the latter, it's been quiet around here since 2011, but the silence will eventually end. On the former, I love the color yellow, but not when it covers the city in a yellow haze all season! Summer is...summer. Heat and humidity galore, especially in July and August.

Following not too far behind the police cars was another vehicle: a newsgathering truck for Metro5, a commercial television station in the city. Apparently, they were on the way back to the station from covering another story when a pack of police cars passed them. Wanting to know what was going on, they followed them. Unfortunately, news trucks don't have the same privileges as police cars do; namely the ability to blow through red lights. "Okay, I saw the cars turn right up ahead, so we'll turn there," one of the occupants, presumably the reporter, said. The driver, presumably the camerapony, agreed. After turning right on to another side street, it wasn't long before they came upon a few flashing lights. Not far up ahead was Seaside Bazaar, but the pair's attention was on a small building close by...some kind of art shop? "Do you want to head out now?" The driver/camerapony asked the reporter. "No, let's wait a bit. It's not even 6:00 yet; at worst, we'll have to do a live shot. I don't think it's a good idea to try and get a video shot with all the police around. We are technically here unannounced."

Yesterday, I had an unfortunate accident involving my USB flash drive: it broke. After six years of honorable service in everything, from random files to school documents, it is gone. May it rest in peace with all the other SanDisks in the sky. The good news is that nothing important to my daily life was on there, so I can simply get a new drive. This post will outline the bad news, and what it will do to my OCs, roleplays, and lore, for my old flash drive held a lot of that information. Now that it is gone and the files erased, I have a lot of things to set straight regarding almost everything I do that is MLP-related. Equestria Forward When I returned to MLP Forums almost a month ago, I indicated that my futuristic, cyperpunk-esque roleplay Equestria Forward (EQF) would continue, with no reboots or risk of cancellation. That was before my flash drive broke and I lost a lot of my EQF-related files, including maps, character information, and information on the world. Because of this, I've decided that EQF will be rebooted. I'll have more details forthcoming when I'm finished outlining the reboot, but here are a few major points: All of the existing information under the "Egghead's Guide" series of posts are still accurate, and will be carried over to the rebooted roleplay. Some of the information will be modified based on whatever I lost. Users who have posted at least once in the roleplay thread since April 1 will have their character registrations carried over. All other players, including newcomers and registered players who last posted prior to April 1, will have to re-register in the new OOC thread when it becomes active. The reboot will be created in the "Advanced Roleplays" section. New website I soon plan on constructing a website to hold all of the information surrounding all of my MLP-related works, including OCs and roleplay lore. There will be plenty of information there, including character reference sheets, art, maps, detailed looks at the Equestria Forward world, information on fictional cities, organizations, and countries that I use in MLP works, and (maybe) more! I also plan on using the new site to store all of my pony-related files, as a sort of backup solution. I'm not promising any ETAs, but I'm shooting for the end of November. In addition, I won't be rebooting any roleplays until then, for what's a good, detailed roleplay without a strong foundation? Original characters My old flash drive held all the SVG and image files of all of my previous OCs, so when the drive died, so did my OC-related files. As such, I now have to redraw my OCs from scratch. Let's just say that almost everything in my posts in that "Post your OC" thread is now incorrect and outdated. The number of OCs I possess have fluctuated since I created my first original character back in 2013. Some days, I had six; other days, I had upwards of ten. Now, I've decided to permanently settle on eight OCs. When I was coming up with the eight OCs that I would maintain, I put into place a racial equality policy, namely to keep in the spirit of certain elements of the show, such as the pre-MMC mane six and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Of the eight OCs, I have two unicorns, two pegasi, two earth ponies, and two alicorns (no, really). I don't plan on using or roleplaying as any other OC except for the ones listed below: - Bright Idea: A 41-year old alicorn mare. In my Port Impala-centric works, she is the elected mayor of said city-state. She currently features in my original roleplay Life in the Big City...State. - Caelum "Cae" Serenos: A 28-year old pegasus mare. She is one of my two OCs raised in rural communities; in Cae's case, a farming community located in northern Equestria. Cae works as a weather pony in the weather patrol (non-skbl17 roleplays)/Meteo Equestria (EQF), but thanks to her rural upbringing, knows just enough about farming to be able to help out if need be. I plan on introducing her in the rebooted Equestria Forward at some point. - Compass Meridian: My ponysona, a 19-year old unicorn stallion. He is a college student in all of his appearances, and currently appears in Equestria Forward and Life in the Big City...State. - Crescent Star: A 25-year old alicorn mare. In my Port Impala-centric works, she lives and works in a small rural community about an hour or so south of Port Impala, in the country of Grand Hoofnea. She is also my only OC who doesn't speak Equestrian as a first language. I plan on introducing her in Life in the Big City...State in the future. - High Voltage: A 29-year old unicorn mare. In my EQF-related works, she works with Sparkwing as a linepony with her region's electric utility, Tropicala Power & Light. Like her coworker, she only appears in Equestria Forward. - Radio Wave: A 43-year old earth pony mare. In her appearances in skbl17-run roleplays, she is the owner and chief station engineer of a Manehattan-licensed radio station, EMHR (97.1 FM). Currently, I only plan on having Radio Wave appear in the rebooted Equestria Forward. - Sparkwing: A 33-year old pegasus mare. In EQF-related works, she works with High Voltage as a linepony with Tropicala Power & Light. Like her coworker, she only appears in Equestria Forward. - Steel Truss: A 40-year old earth pony stallion. He is a civil engineer in all of his (future) appearances. I plan on introducing him in Equestria Forward, with an introduction in Life in the Big City...State being possible for some point in the near future.

My phone. If the alarm goes off, I'm not reaching to my nightstand just to pick it up.

"Well, that's the last of it." Bright Idea and the earth pony mare were done moving the last of the mare's HDTV equipment downstairs. The two of them then stopped to relax, a boon considering how heavy some of the equipment was. Even Bright Idea found some of it to be almost unbearably heavy, despite her above-average telekinetic abilities. The fact that the elevator was down for maintenance didn't help matters either. A few minutes later, the two of them heard a pair of police cruisers heading down the street. It wasn't a police chase, as there were no cars excessively speeding. Maybe there was a robbery of some sort. Bright Idea thought about stopping one of the police cars to ask what was going on, but she decided against it; the officers were very busy and wouldn't take kindly to attempts to stop them for any reason - even if it was the mayor who wanted to know what was going on. Oh, and she really wanted to know what was going on. But her curiosity didn't justify getting involved in police work. Worse, imagine what would happen if something happened to her when she tried to butt in? It was probably a better idea to wait 24 hours and ask for a copy of the police report. The other mare interjected. "The police sure are in a hurry, don't ya think?" "Yea," Bright Idea responded. "Must be something big...or maybe it's something small, and the police are overreacting." "Don't you want to know what's going on?" "Oh, trust me, I do. But ask yourself, is our curiosity really insatiable enough to risk meddling in what is likely an active situation? Imagine that; the police trying to stop whatever is going on, then the Mayor shows up. The criminal then uses the brief moment of confusion to either escape or try and take me hostage. Even if things went well on my end, the police, the public, and the media would have a field day with me. "Assuming it's something small-scale, I think it's best to just wait a day or two before asking for a police report. No need to go and interfere. Despite today's...mishap...I still trust the police's judgment." The mare seemed to concede, until another thought popped into her head. "Want to spy on the scene from the City Hall roof?" The mayor thought about it for a second. Technically, it was discouraged for anypony to stay on the City Hall roof for an extended period of time, but what's the harm in going up there for a little bit? "Eh, why not? We won't be up there for long, anyway. Do you want to take the stairs or do you want to fly up there?"

What was your motivation for starting the Horse Wife comic?

It has constantly occured to me that I spell the word "occured" incorrectly all the time.

"But you'll love it, Ms. Mayor! This development will change the way we Port Impalans see TV!" Bright Idea watched the presenter's display with a raised eyebrow. The presenter - an earth pony mare - was demonstrating what looked to be a television set. While that wasn't groundbreaking - television broadcasts began in Port Impala almost twenty years ago - what was interesting was how crisp, clear, and wide the picture was. It looked so much better than what was currently available, and yet, this all seemed so sudden. "So, where else is this 'high-definition television' system used?" The mare smiled before answering. "Nowhere. There have been small-scale experiments in other countries, including your southern neighbor Grand Hoofnea, but I want Port Impala to be site of the first commercial launch of the new service." That was a tempting offer. Better pictures, and Bright Idea could then claim that Port Impala was at the "forefront of technological innovation". That said, this technology would not work with existing television systems, so there would have to be some kind of transition. She'd have to refer to the CMA on that, so her hooves were essentially tied. Or were they? Turning back to the earth pony, Bright Idea asked, "Is there some way to begin trials without interfering with existing TV operations? I don't want to be swamped with calls from ponies complaining that the TVs are out." "Yes. I can use an unallocated frequency for testing. Also, if you want, I could also perform the tests at night, when everypony's sleeping and most broadcasters are off the air." Bright Idea sighed, before pulling out a blank form that read "Temporary Operations Permit". She couldn't grant permanent business licenses on her own - that was another minister's job - but her office does have the authority to issue temporary, three-month permits for use by startup businesses. The mayor filled out the form and stamped it before handing it to the presenter. "Well, this seems interesting enough, so I'll let you play. Here's a three-month permit to allow you to operate your testing business. You'll have to talk to the CMA about securing a frequency though; I don't have executive authority to grant broadcast licenses. "If you don't get CMA approval on your own, talk to MBO, the public broadcaster. Part of its mandate is to 'promote the development of new technologies', so maybe they'd be willing to help you get your own channel or repurpose one of their own for tests." The mare was ecstatic. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you! Don't worry, everything will be just fine and nothing can go wrong! The future awaits!" Except for the complete failure of the broadcasting system, nothing can go wrong, Bright Idea snarked in her head. A few moments later, she noticed that the mare looked as if she was having trouble moving the equipment out of her office. "Need any help?" The mare shook her head. "No, I moved all the equipment up here piece by piece. It took a while, but I was able to manage. I'm sure I can manage this as well." As she trotted back to one of the older TV sets, though, it was enveloped in Bright Idea's yellow-orange magic glow. "No, I insist." She responded. The mare was a bit apprehensive at first, but decided to accept her help. "Well, if you want to help, that's fine. I'll be out of here quicker, at least. Maybe I'll be able to avoid the inevitable rush hour traffic." Both mares smiled, before taking the first of the equipment downstairs.

334,608. It's 5:17 and I'm up playing an MLP Forums game...

It's literally just a cropped part of a vector of my ponysona that I worked on last year.

Bright Idea left the restaurant through its outdoor entrance, spilling out into a nearby beach. It was still mostly devoid of beachgoers, but the tourists would soon start to return now that the rain had ended. Once that happened, the stares would return, so she decided to return to her office at City Hall as soon as possible. Deciding that the cloud ceilings were high enough to ensure that she'd get back by flying, Bright Idea unfurled her wings and took to the air. She wasn't a particularly fast flyer, but it didn't take long before City Hall was within sight. While most of the buildings in Port Impala's central business district were between 600 and 850 feet in height, there were three that were more than 1,000 feet in height. City Hall was not quite a skyscraper, but its architecture was distinctive; the brown-colored brick and concrete that made up the outside of the 430-foot tall building is easy to pick out amidst the brick, concrete, and glass skyscrapers. Even in the slightly misty atmosphere that had developed after the rain passed, it wasn't difficult for Bright Idea to land on the roof of the building. The Mayor's Office was not on the top floor - that's home to emergency communications equipment - but one floor down. Settling in to the office, the alicorn mare thought about what to do with the rest of her day. Even though it felt as if an eternity had passed, it was only minutes to 3:00 in the afternoon. The one thing she was really looking forward to, berating the Civil Defense minister for today's actions, would have to wait...he went home early, according to the note left on her desk by one of City Hall's secretaries. Sighing, Bright Idea opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a planner. "Let's see...my Civil Defense minister went home for the day, so that just opened half an hour or so. Otherwise, most of today is filled with 'travel around the city and meet new ponies'. I could do that, but I don't want anymore surprises today. "I think I'll just hang around here until the end of the workday; maybe get some paperwork done." ---- For Compass Meridian, the train ride was going pretty well. First, considering Port Impala's coastal location, he thought that the water table would be a bit too high to make subways unfeasible. If the system map he saw on the station platform was any indication, that problem was taken care of. IMT - Impala Metro Transit, apparently - was able to build a 39-station, three-line railway system to serve the city-state, quite the feat. As for the ride itself, the train car Compass was in was a bit empty. Made sense, it was almost three in the afternoon, so it wasn't quite rush hour yet. The train itself was pretty fast, even if the ride was a bit bumpy. Suddenly, a female's voice came over the intercom. 'This is a Red Line train bound for Beachfront station. This stop is 28th Street-Seabreeze Arena. Exit here for access to Seabreeze Arena, the Shops on 28th Street, and connecting bus service to the Baron's Building.' Sure enough, the train was stopping. Fortunately, the train stopped in a smooth fashion. Unfortunately, the platform was packed with ponies, zebras, and even a few cows. Maybe rush hour had come early today. Still, there was no telling how loud or obnoxious the train would get with all these passengers. As the doors opened, all Compass could do was watch as the throngs of passengers boarded the train. So much for peace and quiet, he thought.

@@Donald Gamer Bright Idea thought about taking the change of clothing from the colt, before deciding against it. She didn't really need it - there were no formal state functions today, so she didn't have much of a need for clothes - and she thought that if he had a spare change of clothing, he'd probably need it more than she did. "First, I accept your apology. It was just an accident." Bright Idea said, before giving the spare clothes back to the colt. "Also, thanks for the spare clothing, but I don't need it. I don't have to meet any foreign dignitaries or meet with the legislature today, so I don't have any need for clothes. Besides, if you came with a spare set, there will probably come a time where you need it more than I do." With that, Bright Idea got up from the table, picked up her saddlebag, and prepared to leave. "Again, thanks for your apology and offer to help, Mr. SwiftHeart. May the rest of your time here be filled with good blessings."

@@Donald Gamer Bright Idea waved to the (Arabian?) stallion as he left. The unicorn mare probably left sooner. Indeed, the restaurant was now missing roughly a third of the customers it had earlier - likely because the rain had all but ended, allowing them to go back about their business. Well, maybe I should head back to the Mayor's Office and - Just as Bright Idea was about to get up from the table, she felt a cold, damp sensation emanating from her right front hoof. - meet...with...my...Civil Defense...minister. On one hoof, her mood was a lot better than it was when she entered the restaurant, not to mention this was likely an accident. On the other hoof, when was the last time Bright Idea was talking with visitors and residents one minute, then pushed into a police car for overblown reasons, then have to deal with an accidental liquid spill? She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice the colt returning with...towels? Oh, so he accidentally spilled this on me. When she turned to face the colt, Bright Idea noticed that he was profusely apologizing for the spill. The spill itself was nothing major, plus, it's not like she had any formal clothes on. "It's fine," she said. "Considering how my day's gone, this is the least of my problems."

Yes it does. Take this post as an example , does it seem cool? Or is it just plain obnoxious? Actually, don't answer that, you'll hurt my feelings. But really, your posts shouldn't be filled with emoticons. Words exist for a reason. I'm not saying posts should have no emoticons whatsoever, but I shouldn't have to expend extra effort just to parse the words hidden in your 70 emoticons.

2:29 PM local time, UPI campus '...the dog was found safe and sound by a local police officer. Now, before we go, here's a final look at the weather. The tropical storm that struck Grand Hoofnea to our south has brought Port Impala some effects, including more rain and heightened wind gusts. The rain and wind have been letting up within the last hour, and should be completely over within the next half hour or so. Looking at our downtown sky camera, we can actually see the sun beginning to peek out, and some ponies are returning to the streets. Expect dry conditions over the next three days, with highs in the upper 80s. At least humidity will be lower. 'That's your afternoon news update from Metro5, we'll be back at 6...' *click* Compass Meridian turned off the TV in his dorm room. The rain's let up, so maybe it's time to explore the city. Hmmm...the bus ride here was a bit uncomfortable in the heat and humidity, I don't have a car of course, so maybe it's time to take the subway! Grabbing his saddlebag and a map of the city, the brown unicorn left his room, intent on seeing as much as the city as he could. With his geolocation abilities, it didn't take long for Compass to reach the University subway station. --- 2:31 PM local time, Seaside Bazaar Indoor Shopping Center It couldn't have been a coincidence; the waiter already had Bright Idea's meal ready for her not even a minute after returning to her table. The conversation she had with the stallion and the mare was good, as it helped her take her mind off things. The mare was curious, so maybe she'll visit the Municipal Archives at some point. Heh, maybe the brown unicorn from this morning will also run into her. There's a thought. Her mood was also helped by the fact that the food was very good. I might have to frequent this place more often, she thought. As she finished eating, Bright Idea thought about what to do next. Of course, she'd have to check to see if the police cruiser was towed away; since her mood was better, maybe she should also visit those officers and apologize for her actions from earlier. It wasn't their fault one of her government ministers was making a mountain out of a mole hill. Of course, the day was still young; it was only 2:30 after all. What to do? Explore some of the shops? The Bazaar only opened four years ago, and most of the good stuff was sold outside, so she never had any real reason to visit the two-year-old indoor shops that often...well, aside from the opening, when the center's owner insisted on having the newly elected mayor visit. With the rain ending, some of the customers inside the restaurant got up to leave. Bright Idea couldn't help but listen to some of the conversations. A few ponies mentioned visiting an art shop across the street, some were adamant on going back to the beach, and a few were ordinary residents who took a reaaaaallllyyyy long lunch break.

@@Akari of Duskshire Bright Idea considered introducing herself to the unicorn mare, but she assumed that she overheard her conversation with the stallion. The mare was interested in Port Impala's government system, so she decided to take that. "Hmmm...where to start...I could talk about the Opening, but that would probably take hours. "Well, first things first...the constitution. Port Impala has a written constitution, outlining the structure of the government, elections, recalls, petitions, initiatives, and a system by which the constitution can be amended. There's also the Charter of Rights and Liberties, which outlines every resident's freedoms of speech, assembly, protest, expression, religion, movement, and ownership of property. It's a pretty amazing, if complex, document. "Next, the system of government. The Mayor (me, in other words,) serves as the city's executive. I can assent to or veto bills, meet foreign dignitaries, serve as the ultimate commander of the city's military, appoint judges and cabinet members, conclude treaties, and call the Commonwealth Assembly - our legislature - into a special session if needed. I'm elected separately from the legislature in an election, but I only serve for four years or as long as I can keep the confidence of the legislature. If they decide that I'm unfit for office, they can remove me from my position with a two-thirds vote, after which a new mayoral election must be called. Otherwise, I finish out my four-year term, after which I'm up for reelection. "Speaking of the Commonwealth Assembly, that is the sixty-member legislature of the city-state. The legislature's members are elected every four years, and usually serve out their term. Among other things, the legislature introduces and passes legislation, confirms judicial and cabinet appointments, and can remove any elected official with a two-thirds vote of no confidence. "There's also SCOFA, or the Supreme Court of Final Appeal, which serves as our highest court and - as the name implies - the court of final appeal. Its seven judges hear cases relating to international relations and government disputes, and acts as the final appeals court for cases escalated from our traffic courts, family courts, and military tribunal. "Finally, there's the petition system. The 50% rule can be used in a variety of ways; if 50% of voters sign a petition to remove me from office, I have to step down and call a new mayoral election. If 50% of voters sign a petition to dissolve the legislature, I have to dissolve the legislature and call a new election. If 50% of voters want to establish 'Taco Tuesdays' and pay for it with tax money, the Commonwealth Assembly and I would have to get that into law. Sometimes, both of those things can happen simultaneously. A constitutional amendment is passed with the support of 60% of voters, either on a petition or a formal referendum." Bright Idea had to stop, as she feared that she'd be rambling on forever. "Well, that's the system in a nutshell. There's more to it, but I have a feeling I'll miss my lunch if I keep going." The tired alicorn mare went back to her seat to sit down and wait for her lunch... @ ...but not before answering the stallion's last question. "I'd prefer you don't. I'm not royalty. Nopony calls me anything-'ness', except some of the newspaper columnists...well, the ones who dislike my policies, anyway. You can call me by my full name or 'Ms. Mayor'."

Are you still taking requests? If so, I'd like to request a drawing of my OC High Voltage. If you're not taking anymore requests, that's okay.

I'm a roadgeek, so I'm always happy when one of my favorite YouTube roadgeeks posts a new video almost every Monday. This is his latest one, which also happens to be my last watched YT video:

@ "Oh, that's okay, I get that question quite a bit in fact," Bright Idea chuckled. "I'm Bright Idea, and I serve as the Mayor of Port Impala. Was just elected two years ago, in fact. "As for the staring, those are mostly just first-time visitors. If I had to guess, they're just surprised that I'm a non-royal, non-godlike alicorn...well, unless you count being an elected official as 'royal'. Longtime residents and frequent visitors don't stare, as they soon learn the nook and cranny of our city-state's democratic political system." @@Akari of Duskshire It wasn't hard to miss, but out of the corner of her eye, Bright Idea noticed a unicorn mare awkwardly waving at her. She waved back, before asking the stallion about her. "Is she a friend of yours?"