GoldieS

The ship gradually picked up speed as it sailed through the air. It didn't take long before the portal was visible in the near distance, a violet outline around the black inky darkness on the other side. Magic flowing out and around it was turbulent, even those not accustom to using magic or detecting it themselves could feel the twisting in their gut. Suddenly, a nets draped down from the side of the balloon above to just below the railing. The canopy of nets covered around all sides of the ship, the ropes oriented in squares not quite big enough to fit a hoof through. It resembled something like a giant insect net used to keep bugs out in the jungle when sleeping. Some of the crew paused what they were doing to begin tying the net sections to the railing. "Mare's and gentlecolts, may I have your attention please?" The yellow tour guide with the blue coat announced over an intercom, standing on top of the raised section of the deck behind the consoles. "I would like to officially welcome all of you, to the Tartarian Adventure Tours! For your safety and ours, please don't fiddle with the nets. It will keep out all the nasty buggies and flyers once we cross through, and keep any of us from falling overboard. Your living quarters have already been assigned, and belongings secured there within! You may examine your quarters now, but... we're about to cross through the portal, and you certainly don't want to miss flying through the gateway!" @Techno Universal @Burpy The deer stopped just in time to have his nose scrunch up against the hasty arcane wall Techno had thrown up before him. He turned around, a scowl on his face, just as the guide began his little speech. He waited impatiently for him to finish, while his eyes drifted to the little mare cowering beside Techno. Raising a brow, he stared down Cutima for a moment, ignoring Techno before he finally looked up at him with a smug huff. "Oh? Please do tell, how do things work when someone shoves another? I was certain after applying the appropriate force, gravity would send them to the ground." The deer replied sarcastically to Techno. The stag stepped a bit closer to Cutima, poking her as she cowered. "Mare, this will never do. How do you expect to enjoy the wonders of Tartarus if you cower at a mere glance from me?" He chuckled a bit, still staring down Cutima. "Not to worry love, perhaps I should make it my duty to help you conquer your fear, hmm?" @The Candlekeeper 'Iron Hoof' staggered a bit as the ship picked up speed, almost falling over if not for the simple assistance from Morph. "Thanks..." With a little difficulty, he tried to turn around to watch as the guide gave his speech. The colt looked up a little excitedly at the mention of 'buggies' and the danger of what might lurk in the skies of Tartarus. He snapped to when Morph spoke up again, offering his further assistance. "Oh, no thanks, I got it. Hey, do you now how long it'll take to get to the first stop? They said it was some kind of city. I just hope they let us do our own thing when we get there instead of sticking with some stupid group..." He griped. The colt lifted his hoof to take a look at the watch on his foreleg. Iron bit his lip, before looking around impatiently.

The ship began to rise in the air once the gangway was raised off the deck. The sudden motion sent a few of the unprepared passangers staggering a bit, reaching for anything at all to stabilize themselves. It wasn't long before the ship began to sail through the air, leaving the Canterlot port and moving alongside the mountains towards the location of the portal, not far from Canterlot proper. @The Candlekeeper The colt staggered as the ship took off, almost toppling over due to all the bags he had weighing him down. Fortunately, he was able to keep himself from falling completely. Once he recovered, the brown earth colt looked at the others walking by suspiciously, completely unaware of Morph as he approached. He gave a start, jumping at Morphs sudden word. "Gah!" He replied, almost falling over yet again. "NOTHING! I'm aloud to be here!" The colt turned around quickly to face Morph, looking side to side frantically for a moment. "I mean, ah, my names... uhm... he paused for a moment to pull out a passport from one of the many bags, then gave it a quick once over. "Iron... Hoof. Iron Hoof. From Manehattan. Twenty four years old! I have that thing where you look younger than you really are." He added as a matter of factly, a sheepish smile coming across his face. "So... who are you?" @Burpy @Techno Universal The changeling only looked more confused with Cutima's response. He didn't seem to know how to respond to her... counter apology? And yet, she still walked away. He took the hint, and turned to leave himself, still embarrassed for not understanding why she would start to talk to him and leave just as suddenly. The deer, on the other hoof, was a little less bashful. He, like most of his kind, were not afraid to show when they were displeased. Nor were they reserved in how they showed it. The deer, deciding Techno was no longer of interest to him, walked forward, shoving Cutima aside with enough force to potentially send her staggering and even falling to the deck if not prepared. He didn't stop to see if she had actually fallen or not.

@The Candlekeeper The sphinx was a bit taken back by Morph and his unbridled enthusiasm. At first, she was attempting to intimidate him away by using a strong grip, but now she was trying to pull away herself. She was officially trapped into a conversation by the excited pony. Ragnhild gave her boss another annoyed twitch glance before sighing in resignation, gritting her teeth. "You can... ah..." She thought for a moment scratching her head, clearly not quick on her paws. "Why don't you... help me keep these ponies out of trouble? Like... keep them from wondering off. Yah, that'd be helpful." She nodded in confirmation to her own request, before answering the first question. "and... the first hunt, it's more like a little safari I guess. 'Hunting' a ripple tree so you ponies can take home a little gift. See what we can see on the way. The other one is a real hunt, going along with a group of seasoned trackers and rangers to slay a popokarimu. I thought it was a bad idea to take you lot along... but the boss keeps saying it'll be a good 'adventure'. So... like... what ARE you doing here anyways?" @Burpy @Techno Universal The changeling perked up even more when he saw Cutima approaching, his smile growing even wider as she spoke to him. It seemed to be something he was desperately waiting for, just some kind of conversation to distract him. "Oh, uhm, yes, actually!" he replied, a little nervously, rubbing his neck but still forcing himself to smile. "Just... booking passage back home. M is an old friend of mine, so I offered to take over the tour once we get to Unterterror if he gave me a ride. You know, I must admit, ponies around here seem a bit more put off by-" He was interrupted by the caped pony, shying back quite a bit and ears folding down as if he had made some sort of misstep. "Oh... sorry. I didn't mean to appear threatening to you or your friend... uhm, please, please excuse me..." The red, business suited changeling looked a combination of embarrassed and confused, not quite sure what misstep he made THIS TIME. A stranger in a strange land it would appear. @Techno Universal "Is uhm, is that ragamuffin your companion?" Came the haughty smooth voice of the stag as he approached Techno, the steps of his tiny delicate cloven hooves silent on the deck. "Someone as accomplished as yourself can surely find better company than... that..." The stag gestured with his head over to Cutima. "So why is someone such as yourself here on this tour? Judging by your fashion sense, you could afford a ship of your own if you so choose. So why 'leg it' with the commoners here?"

@The Candlekeeper After boarding the ship, the sphinx turned around to see Morph extending his hoof in a sort of greeting. She recoiled back, her snout scrunching up before she looked over to the tour guide across the deck. He returned her scowl with a condescending on of her own, at which point the sphinx turned back to stare at Morph with a none to pleased look. They awkwardly exchanged stares until she finally, but hesitantly, raised her paw to grasp his hoof with quite the grip. "Ragnhild." She replied bluntly with a stifled growl. "Nice to make your acquaintance. I'm here to get you... ponies... on a few hunts and wilderness runs. If you have any questions about all that I'd be... happy... to answer them." @Burpy @Techno Universal Now up on the deck they had a better view of the top of the ship itself, and the others that would be accompanying them. A few crates and barrels were tied down here and there, thick and sturdy railing lining the sides. In the rear, the bridge house took up a quarter of the deck with stairs leading up on either side and two hatch wooden doors, that's where the crew accommodations and the actual bridge would be. The steering mechanism and some out of place metal console sat under an awning atop it. There were nine other passengers, minus the crew and 'tour guides'. Two sets of couples, three teenagers vying to explore the unknown together, one academic looking type with a few maps in his saddle bags, and a quite out of place lone colt loaded down with bags all alone. The colt didn't at all look like he was old enough to be on his own, maybe ten years old at the most. A few other tour guides were aboard as well, all from Tartarus themselves. One was a reindeer stag, tall and skinny wearing an elegant gown. The caramel colored fellow had a regal and noble look about him, a common theme for cervine from Tartarus. Those that came to Canterlot looked down at ponies like they were a novelty. Despite their frail and fragile skinny appearance, they had quite the venomous tongue, providing a challenging verbal sparring partner for any Canterlot elite, willing or not. He was casually walking the deck, exchanging a few words with the other passengers before moving on. The other unusual member was a changeling. Not the so called 'evolved' types, but black carapace. What made him unusual, was his crimson red eyes and translucent fins. His red shell was hidden by a fancy business suite with a white shirt underneath, and a red tie. He merely stood there, smiling with wide eyes and watching as others passed by. The fellow looked interested in talking, but not interested in initiating.

@The Candlekeeper, @Burpy, @Techno Universal A unicorn couple introduced themselves to the tour guide before either of the three could speak to him. The couple exchanged a few loughs with them, before walking up onto the ship. He seemed to forget about the few remaining passengers. "Hurry up!" Someone snapped from the back of the line, shoving past Morph and Techno. It was a sphinx, a feline creature with the head of a pony and a set of carnivorous fangs. She was a rusty red with an impressive set of wings, even for a griffon. Another creature common in Tartarus, she wore a set of gear not unlike that of an ancient gladiator. The armor covered half her body, leaving the other exposed. She had more than a few scratches on her, along with a number of tears on her ears. "Ready to head home too?" The sphinx nudged Cutima as she passed in a friendly sort of manner. "Equestrian ponies are just a bunch of glass jawed milk drinkers..." She scoffed. "Are you the last three passengers?" A porter, a stout earther up the gangway called down to Morph, Techno, and Cutima, gesturing for them to board the airship. "Well let's get out of here, we don't have all day."

Canterlot was buzzing with excitement. New portals to Tartarus had opened up less than a month ago, and already they were being explored and taken advantage of. These were exciting times, a new world to explore right outside of the city. Fame, fortune, adventure, all of it for the average pony's taking. The visitors from the cursed land only added to the excitement, visiting Canterlot with just as much awe as those that watched them walk by. Down at the airship docks, one particular ship awaited its passengers. It was a simple vessel with a giant yellow balloon, with a purple wooden cabin spanning the length beneath. Portholes studded the hull, and cargo along with some crew, crowded half the top deck. The other half was reserved for the bridge house for the crew. Yellow sails extended outwards from the sides and on the top of the balloon like fins. "All aboard, for your amazing Tartarian adventure tour!" A tall yellow earther shouted with an air of wonder in his voice. Like all the ponies from Tartarus, he was a blank flank, but it was difficult to tell due to the clothing he wore. The yellow stallion wore a clean and 'fancy' navy blue coat with black buttons, the coat tails parting to allow his purple tail to flow past. His hair was done up in a proper manner, and his eyes sparkled the same color as his mane and tail. He stood on the gangway to the docks, helping his clients board the ship. Two other ponies, more blanks, walked around helping to haul the client's belongings onto the ship. They looked gruff and none to pleasant, barely sparing a word for those they were helping. Oddly enough, they even refused the tips offered to them by the passengers, recoiling back as if disgusted or insulted. Fortunately, there weren't many other passengers at first glance, just twelve not including the crew, so there really wasn't any line to board the ship. That allowed the yellow earther to great each passenger individually. "Ah! Good morning, welcome to the Golden Flea! Are you excited for your tour?" He asked with a smile. "Oh, and uh, your name?"

Hot dog! Lot's of good advice, thanks guys! Plenty of stuff to go on now. If I knew how to individually call out people I would, but sadly I'm still a bit new here XD

Not gonna lie, awesome example XD I guess it's just one of those things I have to tweak until I figure it out then...

I suppose, but my problem is this: After creating a villain, I feel as though the more they pop up, the less omnipresence and 'looming specter' they become. They just end up becoming another random character instead of the big bad villain they're supposed to be. Not sure if that makes sense at all.

(Hopefully this is the correct place to ask such a question) I was wondering if anyone had any tips in creating a truly villainous villain, one that people dread the protagonist running into rather than just another obstacle. Might anyone have any tips on achieving such a character?

Well, I'll probably skulk around for a week or so on the RP side of things, too afraid to actually post anything before I do for fear of messing up some kind of protocol XD

XP pinkie pie ftw, always!!

Salutations organic and non-organic life forms! I must admit, I'm mostly here for the RP part >.< but I look forward to posting here! I hope I don't appear too much the dweeb while I do.