open Cultures Unite (1x1 with GeneralDirection)

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

"A plant was suppose to grow out of the flower pot, but instead, she made the plant on her head grow." Denki explains. "When I'm in a dire situation, like a battle, I can make the magic work. However, when I'm practicing or trying to control it casually, the magic only works half the time." Asahi explains, stepping away from the desk. "To this day, Mistmane was the only one that had full mastery over earth-based magic." Samurai explains.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

“Oh, ok, I see.” Silver responds. “It’s a bit of a curiosity to me, I guess. I had only heard of earth ponies having this earth-based magic, not pegasus.” He looked to his friends for some possible insight.

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

"And that's probably why I'm not the best at it." Asahi says, not exactly proud of herself when she admits it. "We don't choose what element we control. Our elemental magic is an extension of ourselves; our very souls. You can try for one, but whatever element your soul chooses, that's what you get. In Asahi's case, she didn't choose earth magic; earth magic chose her." Denki says. "But the fact that a pegasus can do any magic at all, let alone earth magic, still makes Asahi a prodigy. That alone is very impressive." Samurai chimes in.

Edited September 25, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Silver nods his head. “Yes, you’re right. It is rather impressive that she can do these sorts of things at all. I agree with Samurai, you should be proud of your accomplishments, I doubt there’s another pegasus out there capable of doing earth magic like this.” He says, smiling.

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

Asahi shakes off her frustrations. "Well, this magic might not be the best skill I have, but it's definitely my art. I've planted numerous things across Japone, and I've helped make some awesome things with plants." Asahi says. "Speaking of, weren't you working on some art, Silver?" Samurai asks.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Silver’s mind went blank for a moment. So much had gone on today already, that the drawing he did earlier seemed like a distant memory. He shook his head before replying. “Oh, right! I was working on that on my way here. Was doing a doodle of my marefriend.” He explained with a smile.

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

"Ooh! Then let's work on artwork! I know the perfect park where we can work in peace. If there's any art supplies you want, I can hook you up before we go." Asahi explains. "Sounds good to me. I need to get some art practice in as well." Samurai says. Denki thinks about it. "I've been neglecting the arts, actually..."

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Silver nods his head in approval. “Sounds like a great idea! Lead the way, Asahi! I have art supplies in my saddlebag so I’m good, but thanks for offering.” Silver is only half surprised that they’re all into art, at this point, it doesn’t seem like there’s much that they aren’t into.

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

Moments later, at the edge of the town, our group find themselves at a park. At this park, gentle forest animals come out of hiding. Citizens can feed or pet, but they can't take the animals home since they are protected. But Asahi and the rest are not in the park itself. Rather, they are inside an observation lodge. It's a building at the top of an incline, with large window walls. It allows them to watch the park, the wilderness, and the animals from a safe distance. This way, they won't be interrupted. Also, any citizen can use the lodge. They sell snacks and stuff, in case anyone wants a break from the park itself.

Asahi has brought things like easels and other supplies to make it easier to draw, paint, or whatever they want to do. "All right, everypony. Feel free to start drawing whatever your heart wants. You can go paint outside in the park if you want, just don't be surprised if a random monkey, fox, bunny, or koala tries to steal your art supplies." Asahi says with a giggle before she starts painting. "Since not all of us are ponies, wouldn't the proper term be Everyone instead of Everypony?" Samurai asks, also painting. ...Denki is struggling to paint something.

Edited September 29, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

Silver follows his friends until they reach a beautiful park on the edge of town, where they proceed to enter an observation lodge and set up their art supplies. While the other three ponies are painting, Silver gets his coloured pencils out from his saddlebag and doesn’t need more than a sturdy, flat surface to continue with his drawing of Vesperr from earlier. He looks over at Samurai upon hearing his question and shrugs. “I’ve just always used ‘everypony’, I feel like kirin are a type of pony regardless of whether they technically are or not. Either way, it doesn’t bother me too much, so you’re free to use whatever term you like.”

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai smiles. "I love it. Terminology that crosses the cultural divide. I may need to teach you some Japonies. You can share it with as many kirins as you like." Samurai says.
They all have their own style. Asahi is painting in a certain style, Samurai is painting a very cultural style, and Denki... groans with frustration before tearing up his painting and trying again.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

“Well, you can try, but I can’t promise I’ll pick it up very quickly.” Silver says with a hint of uncertainty in his voice. He goes back to working on his art, occasionally looking around to see how the others are doing. Everypony looked to be progressing well, except for Denki. The small pile of torn-up drawings and increasing groans of frustrations made it no secret that he was having a bad time. Silver noticed this but, not really knowing Denki, didn’t have any advice to give that would actually be useful.

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

...

At some point, Denki practically screams in frustration! He grabs black paint, graphite, black markers, basically anything black, and start going to town on the canvas like a wild animal! And yes, the hairs on his mane become ruffled and stand on end, like when he was singing karaoke. "HA! Done." Denki says, finishing first and catching his breathe. As he puts his arts supplies down and fixes his mane, he turns the canvas to show everyone. It's very abstract. Kind of looks like a pony in some hallway, but it also looks VERY scary, like something out a scary movie or something.

"...And done!" Asahi is next to finish, putting her arts supplies down and stepping away. "Oh, but don't touch it yet! It's still drying." She adds, lightly flapping her to help it dry. Using acrylic paints, she dabbed and shaped big globs of paint to make a textured, 3D image of the park just outside. "I only use plant-based pigments for the most organic of looks." Asahi explains.

"Kanryo." Samurai says, finishing last. It seems Samurai has drawn himself and Silver having fun in Japone, but in an exaggerated cultural style. "Are you familiar with ukiyo-e style art?" Samurai asks, referring the style he used to make this painting. "Typically, art like this is made on woodblocks, but I decided to go for more simple methods this time."

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Silver looked up from his drawing to see Denki flipping out over his artwork he had been struggling with. One fury of paper and markers later, it seems that he’s finally satisfied with. His art is very abstract, but also rather unsettling at the same time. Silver nods in approval. “Yes, this looks very good, Denki. Looks like you just let your emotions dictate what the piece was about, and that’s what art is all about.”

He then turns his attention to Asahi’s art. “Wow, this looks amazing, Asahi! Very colourful and vibrant, it suits your personality very well!” He smiles warmly.

Samurai is last to finish, and when Silver notices what he’s drawn, he can’t help but get up and have a closer look at it. He looks at the painting and then looks to his friend before giving him a big hug. “No, I’m not familiar with this art style, my friend. But it means an awful lot that when given the chance to draw anything, you draw us having fun together. This is truly amazing.”

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

The world suddenly pauses in that moment. Samurai was surprised at first, but then smiles and hugs back.

"Oh my~! No one told me about this!" Asahi says with wide-eyed surprise before covering her mouth and blushing, her wings spreading wide open. A random citizen in the far corner of the lodge stares at the them both, his jaw practically on the floor. Two other random citizens in the lodge look at them while whispering to themselves in a rather judging way.

Denki is also surprised and almost wants to laugh. "Wow, I didn't know the two of you were THAT close, and I never thought Samurai Equine would go for stallions." Samurai quickly waves at them. "No, no, no~! You misunderstand. It's not like that at all. I've read about this somewhere. Western cultures exchange hugs openly as a sign of friendship and comradery, not just as a sign of romance or family bond. Isn't that right, Silver-san?" Samurai asks his friend.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Samurai Equine

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Samurai Equine

Based on the reactions of Asahi and Denki, Silver realizes he’s crossed some sort of social boundary. Perhaps Samurai had mentioned this to him before, but with everything that had been going on lately, he wasn’t exactly thinking straight all of the time. “Yea, that’s right, Samurai. Hugs are pretty normal back where I’m from. But I’m sorry, my friend, I didn’t realize it wasn’t the same around here.” He replies, slightly embarrassed from all the attention.

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

Samurai gives him a reassuring hug. "It's all right. You're new to Japone, and I need to know these things if I'm ever going to take part in international relations. Besides... Maybe this is what Japone needs. Isn't it too stuffy the way things are right now? Hugs shouldn't have to be limited to lovers and family. If it's a sign of friendship, then what's the harm?" Samurai mostly asks his friends with that question.

"Well, I guess it is more common among female friends than it is with anyone else in Japone. But if Silver says it's okay, then I'll believe him." Asahi says with a nod, relaxing and taking in this new information, her wings relaxing once more. "Huh. Casual hugs... What a strange concept. I wonder if I should try it. Anything Samurai can do, I should be able to do just as good, if not better." Denki says.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Oni Musha

Silver relaxes a bit after everypony in the room calms down and Samurai returns his hug. He’s happy that his friends are so receptive of his ideals, even if they go completely against their own normal customs. Silver looks over to Denki with a bit of a worried look. “Denki… no… that’s not really how friendship works. It must be from the heart, and only for the two ponies involved.” He tries to do his best to explain how friendship hugs work.

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

"Eh? What are you saying? Are you saying we're not friends, after I spent my day with you doing karaoke and art and dancing for the citizens?!" Denki says defensively. "Oh boy. Get ready." Samurai warns Silver in a whisper. "Get over here! I'll show you who's a friend!" Denki moves in and pulls Silver into a hug! But it's not just any hug, wrapping both arms around him. Actually, it feels more like a power hold, like something a wrestler might do to immobilize an opponent. And Denki is putting a lot of his upper strength into this hug as well, something that could crush a lesser pony! "Ha! See? Now how was that?" Denki says after letting go suddenly, proud of himself.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Oni Musha

Silver probably should’ve seen this was coming. Maybe chosen his words a bit more carefully. But he now had Denki beside him more or less crushing him in what was more like a wrestling move than a hug. The kirin gasped for air once Denki released him from his death grip, blinking and nearly falling over from the ordeal. “That was… great, Denki.” He replied in between breaths. “Just… need to remember that… you’re doing it out of love, not to force them into submission…”

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

"...Eh? Kore ga..." Denki is rattled from his moment of pride when he realizes he's not getting the acknowledgement he was hoping for. He especially notices Silver out of breath, which is not how he acted when he hugged Samurai. "Guess that's another win for Samurai." Asahi says while packing up her stuff. "Hold on! That doesn't count. That was different!" Denki says. "That's not what you said before the hug." Samurai says with a smirk while packing up his stuff as well. Denki has enough egg on his face for one day. And he leaves the painting he made for anyone who wants it.

"Did you finish your art work, Silver? We might be done, but we can wait while you finish up." Asahi asks him.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Oni Musha

Silver waves a hoof dismissively. “It’s fine, I made a lot of progress, but I’m in no hurry to finish. I’ll just continue chipping away at it and it’ll get done eventually. No need for you all to wait around for me on that. Where are we headed next?” He asks.

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

Asahi thinks. "Well, in terms of the general tour, that's mostly it. I don't have any major duties at the floral lab today. However, I do have duties in the city. I have to stay on patrol, and I need to visit my sister while there is still visiting hours." Asahi explains.

[GeneralDirection 1,047]

@Oni Musha

“Ok!” He replies with a smile. “Well, we could accompany you on your duties, unless I’d just be getting in your way. If that’s the case, then I’m sure there’s some other place Samurai and I can explore. Totally up to you! Either way, I’ve enjoyed our time here together, and appreciate you taking the time to show us around.” He says to Asahi sincerely.

[Samurai Equine 51,129]

@GeneralDirection

"Aren't you just the kindest? You're more than free to accompany me!" Asahi pets Silver's head. "The more the merrier."

Seems like that's all invite they need. The group packs up their things, and off they go again! Catching another tram ride, they soon return to the city. It's a slow walk through this place, but it's not too bad. Plenty of citizens waving, happy to see the team of samurai warriors. Asahi points to a big town square that is taped off for now. "Over there, they are going to build a statue based on a popular manga. I think it's going to be a giant robot or something." Asahi explains. A little further, she points to a rather elaborate looking park. "You missed it, but a few weeks ago, there was a big carnival over there. It was a lot of fun." Asahi explains to Silver.