Tepid Tone

By Scribblegroove

• September 4, 2015
No Not Cast Adult

Tepid is a very tall and strong earth pony, probably among some of the tallest you’ll see. It’s his most noticeable feature, and he’s quite an impressive sight as he stomps around. After one has gotten used to his enormity however, you’ll notice how his eyes are almost always half closed, and how there’s nearly always a neutral and emotionless expression on his face. His motions are always very controlled and rather slow, and sometimes almost seem rhythmical.

 

Made up of a few different shades of brown, Tepids golden eyes pop out of the general color palette of his body. His rather short mane and tail are a darker shade of brown, a bit like milk chocolate, and it’s one strong hue throughout all of his hair. His coat is a bit lighter. Below grows a small tuft of hair that seems rather well kempt and cherished.

male Earth Pony Tepids cutie mark is a strange one. It represents a double bass, but it’s made up out of a symbol that represents tenacity, trustworthiness and endurance. It shows his ability to play the bass impeccably constant, and support others through his music. However, his talent with supporting others and being trustworthy, never giving up on others and such, carries over outside of just music. Tepid has never let another pony down, and he never will.

Even though Tepid has an intricate personality, he’s usually rather emotionless. He finds it difficult to express himself at times, but it usually doesn’t bring too much trouble. A positive side effect to this is that he’s almost always very calm and in control. Even throughout the biggest surprises and the strangest endeavours he’ll be able to keep his cool and keep going, often figuring out how to approach the situation and resolve it very quickly.

 

Tepid is intelligent, but simple. He’s sophisticated enough to maneuver through the Canterlot elite and he knows his manners and the typical demeanor he is supposed to uphold, but he generally prefers to keep things comfortably low-class. Since he doesn’t speak up a lot, and seems rather unprofound, most ponies are rather surprised when he exerts the vocabulary and demeanor of a gentlecolt.

 

Tepid is ambitious and has his plans for the future, but doesn’t have everything set in stone. He takes life as it is and tries to make it as pleasurable for everypony involved. He’ll go out of his way to make sure that those who need help receive it. Tepid is very wise and compassionate, but his inability to express himself fully usually causes confusion and problems when he tries to help others through the means of words. That’s why even though he’s a deep thinker, ponies will usually seem him as a doer, trying to achieve his goals with deeds, at times even very simple ones.

Likes: Betrayal<br />Sharing his opinions (he’s afraid they won’t come through properly)<br />Flying (in a balloon himself, or pegasi flying too close by)<br />Ponies who make things too difficult

Tepid was born in Canterlot and lived a very happy and productive youth. Even though he was rather shy and silent, he had quite a lot of friends. Although at times he felt that he only had friends because he was one of the only young bass players around, there were at least a core group of friends that he could call real good friends. His very best friend was Dexter Brandswise, a young and frivolous pegasus that he felt comfortable around. Dexter was very good at helping Tepid express himself, and they were hanging out together whenever they could. Tepid enjoyed a very good education in Canterlot, and since his own parents were of a rather high standard he quickly learned the typical Canterlot demeanor. It didn’t interest him much, but his parents always explained it as a vital part of his development, so he did as he was told without much fuss.

 

He acquired his cutie mark at a rather late stage in his life. He’d just joined a band for the adolescent. A small pack of very inexperienced instrumentalists that were trying to learn how to play together without everything falling apart two measures into the song. They started off with simple songs, but as the months of recitals went by the pieces started becoming more complex, and the group became a decent unity.

 

However, at their very first performance, things went very wrong. It was in the Canterlot Recital hall, and it wasn’t the typical thing you’d expect. It wasn’t just parents and family coming to watch the youngsters play. There were important figures in the audience, there to assess the quality of the players as individuals, and the group as a whole. Event their band director was anxious to hear their verdict.

 

Then tension grew too much for the band, and halfway through their second piece the drummer made a critical mistake, causing the entire band to fall apart and end in silence midway through the piece. It was a disaster, and everyone was trembling with stress and disappointment. But instead of joining them in their anxiety, Tepid simply picked up the pace again, looked at the drummer, and started playing the bass line again, slightly altered this time. He’d changed the groove to a somewhat more dragging, calming and slower rhythm. The drummer caught his drift and joined him perfectly. Soon, the entire band was playing a new rendition, Tepids rendition of the original song. Then entire audience gasped when they heard the difference in unity. Tepid simply smiled lightly and kept playing. He’d later find out that his cutie mark had appeared there and then as he was playing. He just hadn’t noticed until later.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbHJHPTikQA


 

Inspired by Tepids success, his best friend Dexter started performing himself as a singer and dancer, and acquired his cutie mark in those endeavours. After Tepids old band had parted ways, Dexter invited him to come play in his band, a small group of jazz fusion and pop musicians that called themselves ‘hoofloose’. The band was fairly popular already in canterlot, but after about two years of playing gigs, their popularity exploded all across equestria through a hit single they wrote together. Tepid played a vital role in this, because the signature phrase of the song was his extremely funky bassline.

 

 

‘Hoofloose’ was approached by a big record company and offered them a contract that would make them famous. However, a part of the contract was that they’d abandon their jazz fusion background and start making pop and rock exclusively. Dexter and the rest of the band were thrilled with this idea! Tepid not so much. He refused to give up on the genre that he loved for fame, and he urged his friends to do the same. They’d be able to become successful themselves without a contract by playing the music they adored together. Tepid trusted them to join him, but instead they decided to kick him out of the band and continue without him.

 

Devastated by the betrayal of his best friend, Tepid used the money he earned to purchase an old warehouse in Canterlot and transformed it into a music club called ‘Flair!’, with an open stage where everypony would be able to share their talents and make their own success. His scene was quickly noticed by the Canterlot elite, and his efforts at promoting culture were received positively by them. With a bit more funding and some influence in the now higher ranks of Canterlot, Tepid managed to turn the small and simple bar into an esteemed and renowned club where ponies all over equestria would come to perform. All genres were permitted, and nothing was too strange or out of the box. As long as it had entertainment value, it was allowed on stage.

 

Tepid owns the bar entirely, and employs a lot of ponies to work there. He treats them fairly, and often attends to the customers personally. He can’t help himself taking the stage from time to time however, and usually his employees don’t mind. Tepid feels appreciated and loved in this environment, and he perceives himself as quite successful, but although he tries to avoid hearing of his old friends’ success, he sometimes hears news of yet another grand performance, and it turns him rather sour. All things considered, Tepid has influence, money and a place to call his own. He’s very happy with his life. All he needs now is a few new friends.

‘Flair!’ is a location I wish to use in roleplay. It is supposed to be at least vaguely known by most ponies from canterlot, but I suppose original characters and their roleplayers can decide for themselves if they recognise it or not.