Hederik

@@DwhitetheGamer "D-D-Discord?" the mare stuttered, backing out a step and looking up at the chaos entity apprehensively, then quickly plastered a smile onto her face, her eyes darting towards the other mare as she started to walk backwards towards her, constantly keeping a wary look on the Draconequus. "Ho-how nice. No panic here, Mister Embodiment of Chaos and Disharmony," she assured, now already behind the back of the pink mare. "Why aren't we running away, Chili?" the question came in a theatrical whisper from the corner of her mouth as she passed the second mare, who just sighed silently and looked towards Discord apologetically. "I'm sorry for my friend. Cerulean Glow lives rather far from here and may not be... up to speed with events." Her smile became more benevolent as she turned her head and directed the last words to the blue unicorn. The mare eyed Discord distrustfully, sticking her head from behind an armchair where she was currently hiding, but when he didn't outright attack her, she gingerly left the safe cover and glared at her host. "I knew you were pulling my hoof!" she accused her with a look of superiority. "To think for a moment I allowed myself to believe those tall tales of mind enslavement and chaos reigning... shame on you, Chili." The attacked mare only smiled patiently, shaking her head slowly. "Now, now, that was all true. But Discord here has learned his lesson..." she looked towards the chimerical creature, then added with a sharper undertone, "twice, if I heard the stories right. But, where are my manners! Would you like to come in, Discord? We still have some cookies left," she added invitingly, motioning with her hoof towards the interior, despite the horrified look on Cerulean Glow's suddenly-pale features.

Twilight's legs' position looks kinda funny there. I understand that the aim of the exercise was focused on the light, but... why does it shine so far onto the flying paraphernalia while only illuminating Twi a little? Fillershy is best flutter. The Great and Misleading Trixie had me wonder where her front left leg went until I realized that she's portrayed flank-first, looking over her shoulder. Due to the deep shadows and inherent lack of focus on the edges of the picture, I was certain she was looking forwards, her right front leg raised and the left one on the ground. Upon closer inspection, that raised left foreleg looks kind of awkward, as though it was too short or weirdly attached to her torso. Still looking great though.

Cool. The shades are reminiscent of an 80's poster, although the difference between the two hues of Twilight's coat seems overly stark. Unless that's just because of the color distortion you mentioned. Are the shadows on neck and hind left leg done in pencil, or some other way? Also, what's the side of this piece? I'd guess 5 cm?

So I can say now that I had my part in the creation of the best pony miniatures I've ever seen Talk about mutual gains! You said it. That grad paper won't write itself. A shame, really. (*non-existent disappointed Twilight emoticon*) Do try, I recommend it. Having only been to one may not say much, plus I went alone, so... there were a few nicknames I knew from the forums through which the whole shebang was organised, but not really the people. It still was not an unpleasant experience, but with just a single someone on whose company one might rely, a con of our culture is definitely a blast.

"Prismatic" is a word that sounds pretty neat and encompasses the meaning of both rainbow and sounding "artsy". You could try playing around with that, although I fail to envision the snow-related word to combine it with. Prismatic Snowflake? Prismatic Frost? Snowy Prism?

Astounding. Jaw dropping. Splendorific. That's it, I'm out of words. Your work is amazing. Even though all the figurines are based on the same model, you couldn't tell that by looking at the pictures one after the other. The attention to detail, the carefully chosen expressions, the customization of each character... each and every one of these stands out. And Mimir's head, HOW are you able to paint something like these eyes and cutie marks? I couldn't paint a straight line on a figure this scale to save my life and you do it in full color... I envy you that talent so much. ...and we even live in the same country?! Now it will be a cold day in hell before I stop dreaming about buying something from you. Although with the production time that's needed and the stunning final effect, I imagine they must be worth a fortune. And if you sell them for any less, you must be the embodiment of generosity. Also, however hard it is to pick from these, I have to say Lyra is your best work from among these. The idea to make her wear a hoodie, that smirk which says "I know you dig me in this, brony"... In. Credible.

You don't. 20 characters is about enough to write "Lol yeah your right xD" which is hardly a post worth of a forum. The general rules are in place for a reason and there's no way to go over them. And nor should there be.

Relinquish the pleasure, I hereby claim a part of it for myself! And more than that small part you left unattended. The first Applejack piece lacks a bit in terms of perspective, but even despite that it looks rather good. And it only gets better from there on. I absolutely ADORE the piece with Pinkie and Dash standing in the water. Your inferred lack of being proud of it in the present is unacceptable, it is amazing! Water is generally a difficult topic and you got it just right there. The body proportions, the expressions... and the hair. Their hair looks so... uh, "non-canon", and yet it almost does. And at the same time it looks very real. Awesome. The bus-drawn art of de-decoration is pretty, too, despite its simplicity. I live how you played off Fluttershy being a tree in it. The positions and expressions speak volumes, very much confirming that it's a picture worth a thousand words (which is, like, a short one-shot. Sounds about right.) Also, I have to wonder if the interesting part of drawing it was it drawing attention to you. Role-reversal, no? The portraits are... kind of similar, upholding the quality albeit not necessarily awe-inspiring... except that Luna. You captured her expression just right, somewhere between serene and troubled, like relief mixed with guilt or a bottled-in sadness that's struggling past her peaceful demeanor. There could probably be a lot said about the technical side of it, but I don't really know about it, so... I like her mane. I really like her mane. Keep it up, there can never be too much fantastic pony art!

Try dropping it. Seems popular these days. Honestly, though, good luck. The brony scene is rather vibrant so I have no doubt if you know what you're doing, you'll find some company for it

The town wasn't ignoring the Draconequus - everypony knew full well the dangers of such conduct. He simply went unnoticed, treading the deserted streets. A solitary figure of a pony moved silently somewhere in the background, clearly in a rush to get somewhere. The voices of foals playing in the snow were getting more distant as well. As if to add to the morose mood, a snowfall began, slight for now, but with the skies overcast, that could change quickly. It looked like there would be no luck for the chaos entity today, bound to stay stranded in the cold... when suddenly, a door opened right next to him, basking the Draconequus in light and warmth. Visible from outside was a fireplace with a bright flame dancing merrily on a charred log, a table which bore the distinct marks of having just been used for a festive feast sitting in front of it. The interior was decorated with a wide assortment of items that could be described either as endearing or horrifyingly ugly, as they were clearly all made by foals of various ages. All that, Discord had only a few seconds to observe before he was unceremoniously barged into by a pony he overlooked to the accompaniment of "Bye bye, thanks for every-!" The offending pony - a sky-blue unicorn mare, her dark violet hair trimmed shortly - stuttered at the last word while knocking the chimerical creature back a step. She gasped, promptly looking in his direction and produced a sound between a gasp and a shriek. How she didn't get the hiccups immediately was a mystery. "I'm so sorry, mister... uh..." she looked at him, unsure how to address the creature, this faux pas only adding to her mounting anxiety. From within the house, an earth pony mare stopped closing the door and looked curiously at the developing situation. Everything about her was pink, from the darker coat, to a light, two-tone mane and woolen slippers she was wearing over all four hooves.

The thicker mat is better because the lack of the neck is less noticeable.. seriously, why is the neck not there? Lines still visible around the face and the smile looks fake somehow. Still amazing though ;D

I'm not sure how much that stands out in reality, but there are several gaps visible in the Spike one. Not so much that it's a bother, but still. The Pinkie one is awesome however I can imagine the expression of someone coming into your house for the first time, being cool and all... blam! Wild Pinkie Pie appears. And then they laughed happily ever after. One thing that comes to mind when looking at these is if you could make the borders borderless, they would be so much sweeter. They only really show in Pinkie's face's outline, so never mind that, just a wild try at constructive criticism. Great work altogether

@@Golbez His compliment kindly accepted, Cursive Initial was ready to return to the state between hiding inside a crowd and fishing for any tidbits worth overhearing. He faked a smile, hoping it was convincing enough that there would be no need to comment on it. Maybe it was too believable, though... the mare just kept on talking. His plastered-on smile slowly withered as the flood of words continued, threatening to drown all table talk beneath it. She could well be an auctioneer judging by the tempo with which she was spewing words, but the lack of sophistication in her speech pointed towards something more down-to-earth. The fashionable accessories that caught his eye before were suddenly looking more akin to cheap glass than well-picked jewelry. Having no other choice, he involuntarily took in the story relayed to him. An assistant to a magician? An inwards sigh followed his interlocutor's admission of her profession. He might as well have began a chat with the janitor, except the stallion in question had the common sense to avoid coming anywhere near this bottomless fountain of chattiness. Yes, the janitor surely must be a stallion. In a manse of this proportion and splendor, mares were expected to have jobs that forced them to be visible, as though they were supposed to serve as living ornaments. Of course, the house guests weren't supposed to watch these adornments either. These were the personal possessions of the Lord, Prince, Master, whatever the conceited bastard living here demanded to be called. Shaking his head a little, the elderly stallion snapped himself out of the sour reverie. It was a good try, but the damnable trap of a dialogue he sprung wasn't going to disappear just because it was being ignored. Even if the proportions of this exchange of words were quickly turning it into more of a soliloquy. What was it even currently about? By Jove, the mare has launched into a recounting of a visit to a boutique of some sort. From what she recounted, not the sort of a shop she had expected, however, although... having to keep his eyes semi-focused on his talkative neighbor, Cursive couldn't avoid imagining the sort of an outfit described covering (however scantily) the mare. Realizing where his thoughts were taking him, the stallion forced his face in check, promptly assuming a look of mild interest, rather than... uh... something unfit for the gathering of this magnitude. "Yes," he agreed to a question asked so quickly he barely had a chance to understand it, "but-" the question, as well as his approach at a response, was discarded even faster than it had been posed, impossible though such a feat may have seemed. "I-" the attempt at another intrusion into the mare's lengthy confession met with a similar level of success. Instead of letting himself get upset by it, Cursive accepted the unstoppable wave of sound as simple background noise. While still hearing most of what was being thrown at him by the red pony, he made an effort to look and listen around himself once more as well. There was a unicorn starting to lick the hosts' metaphorical behinds he hadn't even noticed before and there were several other conversations from which something worthwhile might be culled. Allowing a bigger part of his mind to break free of the stream of consciousness he was being subjected to, the unicorn immediately felt more like himself. Except... ...why was there an image of a top hat lodged hopelessly in his brain? Trying to get past it, the male wrapped a bottle of wine sitting nearby in a pallid telekinetic grasp. At first, he intended to just fill his glass, but before the bottle drifted halfway there, he stopped himself and directed it to the side instead. "Would you care for a glass, miss?" he asked, paying little heed to the fact that he was practically cutting into the mare's utterance. If he had waited for her to end, the 'party' might pass by in the meanwhile. There were also several things to gain from such a display of a gentlemanly conduct, most of them summed up in the fact that both the need to answer the proposition and the alcohol itself could serve to shut this... magician's assistant up.

So after four years of thinking you have nothing to show for it? I'd advise you to at least write something to share, otherwise with nothing to gain there probably isn't going to be many people willing to sign up for this blindly. Because right now, you're basically asking people to work for free on something they don't even know the quality of.

Living up to this promise would make this much more of a considerable offer. Four years is a doozy of a time to write. Does this story of yours go into millions of words?

Whenever braving thick mounds of snow to reach a place is necessary, it is natural to expect the effects of such an effort to be satisfactory. With nature being made into a silent ward of the ponies, finding happiness at the end of any exertion should be a given, then. Why the case wasn't so for Discord? Indubitably, someone could answer. As to Sugarcube Corners' doors, the case was quite the contrary. The shop's windows were dark, its entrance shut. Judging by the amount of snow collected all around it, there had been no other visitors over the space of a few days at least. Perhaps the note posted on the doors had something to do with it. It read: Sugarcube Corners will reopen three days before New Year's Eve. Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, everypony! Sorry I couldn't stay to join the pranking, Discord! ~PP

It was a silent December afternoon. Sun was shining restlessly over snow-covered roofs and alleys of Ponyville, but it was no match for the frost, taking good care of its omnipresent spawn. Hearth's Warming decorations hung over most windows , sills, doors and narrow passages, almost drowning the little town in their colorful glittering. Carefully stitched banners fluttered slightly in the delicate wind. The holiday celebrations have already come to an end in most places, but everypony enjoyed the view too much not to let the multitude of lights, tree branches, ribbons and assorted trinkets stay around for at least a few days. Some distant cheering could be heard from outside the range of houses where several foals were indulging in the seasonal entertainment provided by the heaps of snow and frozen lakes, but between the buildings themselves the neighborhood could very well be assumed abandoned by a careless onlooker. Families and friends were cooped up in their cozy houses, their bellies full (and then some) from the ongoing feasting. With businesses temporarily closed as well, the streets displayed nary a sign of use, and the single-file paths plowed here and there through the mounds of white powder were steadily patching themselves up. Should the hypothetical watcher possess a tad more knowledge about the object of their observation, a different theory might be proposed: the peaceful paradise was paralyzed in anticipation of an outbreak of panic. While once such words would have bewildered every villager, the period of peace and quiet was growing too long. Like a balloon on the brink of bursting, the blissful boredom threatened to break with a barbaric belligerence. Ever since the now-princess Twilight Sparkle has made the town her home, occasional bouts of once-dreaded "adventure" became the norm. Prolonged absence of such usually ended in earth-shattering showdowns sure to shock even those who believed themselves to have grown used to being a center of attention for forces both benevolent and vile. Peeking in through the windows, the supposition would most likely swiftly be dismissed as silly. Satisfactory smiles pervaded on the faces of ponies absorbed in the seasonal cheer. As usual, the positive attitude of Ponyville's dwellers saturated the town with a near-palpable aura of happiness. As much of the typical wild goings-on centered around such personalities as Pinkie Pie, Applejack or the one and only ponyvillian princess of friendship, the absence of these particular ponies could well explain the lack of out-of-place events. Which was it then? A sate stagnation signifying the short stop in celebrations between the Hearth's Warming and New Year's? Or a feigned break in fanatic fun and feasting of ponies frozen in fear of what fate fomented? Watching from the outside could not answer that. Shrödinger would be proud.

@@Golbez Sitting still and silent is the single most effective method of avoiding detection, given the right circumstances. Sadly, the lush dining hall was not a Marezonian Jungle and it didn't take long even for a social outcast such as Initial to realize his awkward attempts at omitting what he viewed as unnecessary, false display of camaraderie actually made him stand out from among the pitiful pastiche of ponies. One classy looking mare in particular he believed to have caught eyeing him suspiciously - not entirely unexpected, given that she, too, seemed to at least try and sieve the din for the juicier tidbits. Therefore, the first appearance was misleading, as usual: there actually were some players among the assembly immersed in table talk. Time was of the essence however, as with every word falling around him, the mute stallion felt he was drawing ever more despised attention. Glancing around himself in order to find a suitable target for the mandatory small talk, he had to wonder just how carefully the group had been composed. Apparel aside - formal expectations distorted any truth that might convey - there appeared to be a wide array of personae, ranging from the more eloquent, engaging their oh-so-noble hosts, through your average pony, discussing everyday topics with their not-always-adjacent neighbor... down to the underaged, unexpected yet probably unavoidable at a gathering of this proportion. One appeared to sport a taste for wine (not that her uppity mother minded) and another was actively preaching fairy tales, despite not sounding drunk himself. Perhaps the only thing missing was a humorously hyperactive harlequin for some reason focused on himself. The look around also allowed him to single out the best potential partner for a non-consequential conversation: a smartly dressed mare, letting her red accessories neatly complement her complexion while the calm, black dress served to balance the whole of her appearance in that shaky point between lively and formal that was the aim of a quasi-official get-together such as this one. Her acquaintance did strike a little unexpected image, what with wearing a mask at a time such as this, but both mares were rather silent and collected, which allowed Cursive to hope that the talk would be scarce as desired, yet apparent enough to let him go further unnoticed. Culling from memory all that he had learned about etiquette as a colt, he began with a mild compliment of "What a lovely dress you're wearing this evening, miss," thinking belatedly that perhaps he should have lost the voiceless labio-velar approximant* if avoiding attention was his goal. Alas, it was already out - at least that was one thing less to remember. Leaving the speech at that would make it sound improper, however, so he promptly attached an empty observation to neutralize it. "I trust that you and your companion are enjoying this extravagant surprise as much as I do." There, proper. * - pronouncing "wh" as "hw", more here.

They may be. But from my position neither your sex nor your age can be discerned, so I cannot really answer them for you. Had fun though, the time spent in work sped by. Thanks Edit: Also, stop watching me. And I'm a fir, thank you.

I believe that should have been "dszg", unless the spelling "waht" was intentional. Ok, taking this one over tonight (even though it's only 10 AM where I'm at) was a little tougher.

Mesmerize is an an awesome guy... Was that supposed to be a challenge, even?

I thought about going ahead and setting up a thread like that myself, but... well, I'm not entirely certain it would be found appropriate in the OOC category and I haven't really found a more proper position for it, so maybe running it through the vox popular might be a correct way to approach this. Now, I admire the effort set in place to help those feeling unsure of themselves in one aspect or another when it comes to roleplaying, but is the PM-driven system really for the best? While I understand some people might benefit from the privacy (although having to post about one's problem in the thread kind of defeats that purpose), wouldn't a more open repository of Q&A prove to be even more helpful in the long run? The mentors could save time by just pointing potential help-seekers to the previous cases and only get really involved if there was further need for clarifications. Or maybe not. Maybe a fat thread would scare away users not wanting to have to go through an elongated search and afraid of being shouted at for "not using the search button" or something. What about those who would like to work to improve their skills without precisely needing to build from the ground level up? Wanting to share ideas or exchange opinions? I know I've had a few interesting thoughts pass through my noggin over the last few days as I'm drilling ever deeper into the details of an RP I hope to launch and wouldn't mind an occasion to start a conversation on some of the roleplaying's meta aspects, among other things. What do you think? Would there be a place (and a following) for such a thread? Or maybe I'm just missing the existence of a similar venue in some other category -- which would be kinda embarrassing after I've typed this wall of text about it, but still an improvement of my current situation...