Guidelines

Ginseng

April 20, 2015

Ginseng has a bright orange coat with a short rose-pink mane and tail. Her mane is styled to look slightly spiked and tousled. She has an average build, ocean-blue eyes, and freckles across her cheeks.

Ginseng is lively, vibrant, and constantly full of energy. She rarely sits still, and tends to take her multitasking to extremes. She has a smile and a compliment for everypony she sees, and if you get her talking she isn't likely to stop unless she absolutely has to. Her wit is as sharp as a griffon's talons, and though she's loathe to admit it that wit has gotten her in trouble on more than a few occasions. She is also incurably flirtatious, and has a habit of choosing the most easily-flustered ponies to flirt with, as she finds more reserved ponies to be especially cute.

Despite her fun-loving nature, Ginseng is more than capable of being serious when it comes to the things that matter to her, most notably her family and the family tea shop. Even if it doesn't seem like it, she knows when and how to buckle down and get things done when necessary, and the wit normally used to make jokes and observations can also be used to get Ginseng out of sticky situations.

Ginseng and her twin sister Chamomile are the daughters of Jasmine and Pekoe, two unicorns best known for opening a popular cafe in Canterlot known as The Kettle. Ginseng grew up in Canterlot living right in the center of the city in the apartment above The Kettle, where she went to school and helped out in the cafe as much as she could. She enjoyed school very much, though the social aspect was more fun for her than the learning itself. Still though, even when faced with a particularly tough lesson, Ginseng always had her sister Chamomile to help her out, and she thought Chami was the best teacher she could ask for.

Ginseng liked helping out in the family shop well enough, but only really had fun with it when she got to help serve tea and food to the customers. She loved talking to all of the other ponies who came in, and finding new ways to get them to laugh and smile. The only thing she ever disliked about this job was the occasional comment from a well-meaning adult about how it was unusual that she was an earth pony, given that her parents and her twins were all unicorns. She did occasionally feel self-conscious about being different from the rest of her family growing up, but her parents always made it clear that they loved her just as much the way she was, and thought it was wonderful that she was born such a strong little pony. Her sister said the same, and in her quiet way did everything she could to remove Ginseng's negative feelings about being different from the rest of the family.

One day, as Ginseng was cleaning tables in preparation for closing time, a pegasus came in to order a cup of tea and sit for a while. Her mother took the mare's order, but Ginseng was the one who brought her her tea. As she did, she noticed how sad the pegasus looked, and gently asked if there was anything wrong. The pegasus could only nod, and seemed to be holding back tears. Ginseng took a seat with her, talking to her to get her mind off whatever was upsetting her, then talking to her about why she was upset when she felt ready to talk about it. The two spent an hour together, sitting in the cafe until well after the shop was supposed to close. When she was ready to leave, the pegasus smiled and thanked Ginseng for spending time with her and helping her feel better, and as she left Ginseng realized just how much she could help people by talking to them, how important the simple act of serving a cup of tea could be. It was then that her tea cup cutie mark appeared.

After she was done with school, she and her sister sat their parents down and offered them something. They knew that they could run the family cafe, and that Jasmine and Pekoe had always wanted to travel Equestria some day, so they suggested that the pair retire early and see the world, leaving the cafe in their capable hooves. They agreed, and Ginseng and Chamomile sent them off on their adventure.

Ginseng now handles public service and advertising for The Kettle, while her sister deals with the more financial aspects of the shop. She loves getting to talk to so many ponies every day, meeting new friends, keeping up with old ones, and occasionally flirting with a patron or two, most notably the beautiful and easily flustered journalist who frequents her shop. She assists in tea-making as well, making sure that her sister is making more than just the mild herbal teas that Chami likes so much. Overall, she is very proud of how her and her sister have been able to keep the cafe running smoothly, and knows they can handle any challenge that comes their way.

Ginseng will rarely if ever appear in roleplays without her twin sister Chamomile, as the two are practically inseparable.