Chiller Sway

Bermuda Triangle Ch. 2 Pt. 6

Bermuda Triangle Ch. 2 Pt. 6

Sway couldn't stop pacing about the living room, even though he knew it upset his wife and daughter. They hated to see him so worried. If he was anxious... something was definitely worth worrying about. Everypony had seen the mysterious second Seafoam, appearing without any understood mechanism or purpose. But the mare they knew so well indeed had a duplicate. And Seafoam had taken quite alot of comfort in that. "So why would Rosa show up now? Isn't she supposed to be in hiding or-- something? I think Seafoam said she was moving on from the life and wanted a safe place..." Something bad happened to the pair of Seafoams as they stargazed. There shouldn't have been any risk. They were capable mares and didn't go far from the house. Nopony was looking for them, unless whatever mechanism brought Seafoam's 'mirror' - as Sway took to describing it - brought something else too. But that didn't make any sense! The 'mirror' universe should have everything in the same place as this universe. And there's no pony, or force, or enclave, etc., that wanted Seafoam this bad. Nothing that could take two down within seconds. Sway pulled at his mane and sat on the floor. Frustrated. This didn't make any sense, and nopony was talking to him! Rosa left after her usual vague and self-righteous snark, and Seafoam hadn't said a word. Where was the other Seafoam? Why did Rosa know to come? "Ugh I don't understand! What in the entire continent could be so important she wouldn't even tell me?"

Lemon Breeze wasn't taking this much better. This whole world of fighting and solving puzzles and staying up all night practicing sword techniques, it was way beyond her. When that second Seafoam showed up - it scared her. Not that Seafoam scares her... without a sword in her hoof. Seafoam can be a terribly frightening pony. No, she loves her mother-in-law and cherishes their time together. Seeing that other pony replicate her family so closely, so perfectly, it still made her fur stand on end. Now she stepped over to console her husband, hugging him around the shoulders from behind him. He hasn't been like this in many years (excepting the last time Seafoam disappeared), but she still remembered the best way to approach him. He needed his space to puzzle at the details until he gets frustrated, and then she'd be there to give him the strength to pull himself back together. And learn something about him in the process. It always warmed her heart to see him open up about what's bothering him. "Who is that Rosa pony? Seafoam talks about her alot, but I haven't seen so much as a picture of her." "Other than the pony who made Seafoam a vampire? Man Lem, I have no idea. She's... Imagine if Seafoam spoke in even shorter sentences. And never actually explained herself... I don't know how Seafoam gets along with that pony but she respects her alot. More than anypony. Probably more than the Princesses. You imagine that, Lem?" He looked up at her with a smirk, and she was glad to see his sense of humor despite the circumstances. She chuckled. "Was there... a second Rosa tonight?" "Oh I hadn't even thought of that! That would make everything different. Two Rosas, maybe this one doesn't believe in Seafoam as much. Wants to challenge her..." Lemon sat up a little and tried to make sense of things in her own mind. Well, not about the second ponies thing or what made Seafoam run off without a plan. That was well outside her scope. But if they're on the idea of second ponies, where would these ponies be going? Seafoam came right back home with her counterpart. Was Rosa coming here to make sense of everything too? "I think they'll come back if they need us again, ok? There's no safer place in Equestria than right beside you." Kissing him gently atop his head, she added "She has a plan. There's something she can do to win, I know it." Sway put an appreciative hoof to her cheek, brushing it gently as he tried to let her optimism infect him too. "You're probably right. I can't stop worrying about her, but you're right. I trust she's weighed the outcome." "Something Rosa said makes a little sense. She said: 'I would not waste my time harming those I train'. Ugh. It's like Seafoam but worse." He didn't get the desired chuckle out of his wife, so he simply continued. "I think that means they're working together on this thing. Some-- new vampire threat. Tonight's the first time a Warped has appeared since Seafoam became Huntress. I just wonder what the other Seafoam is doing, or if she's still here. I didn't get--" "Shhh. Shhh. It's ok." Lemon now pet his mane. She felt his shoulders tense in anger again. Getting stuck. Focusing on things he can't control. "You gave Seafoam the medical supplies, and she left you with us. It's not the first time, you know." "Yeah, but this is different. It's not - hah, I was about to say 'safe'. Never is safe. Why can't we be like everypony else?" "Mmm. You two don't want to be like everypony else." Lemon replied with some levity. "True, true." He said with a nod, conceding the point. Lemon knew them both too well for him to argue. Still, something wasn't right about all this. He wasn't being kept out of the loop because it wasn't a big deal. It was too big, there wasn't time to explain it to him. He could tell he was gonna have to get involved at some stage, but he hadn't the slightest clue when or how. Or where, actually. The zebra lands again? Seafoam wouldn't shadow walk all the way out there while Rosa used another means. It didn't make sense...

Everypony was debating what to do with the rest of the night. Sway wasn't going to bed, Shen was extra worked up, and Lemon wasn't going to lay down while so much was happening. She was electing to pack Sway's emergency saddlebags when a knock came at their door. Sway shot up immediately. Glancing at Lemon, he quietly told Shen to hunker under the couch. Couldn't be too careful on a night like this... He carefully approached the door and looked through the eyepiece. What he saw defied explanation. A red pegasus. Black maned, eyepatch, unmistakable warrior's presence? This was Hawk. No last name. Seafoam told them to be weary of this pony. He apparently made veiled indirect threats last time he visited, which earned him an immediate banishment and punishment should he ever return. Each family member was told in no uncertain terms to inform her should he try to place so much as a feather near them or Ponyville, and to avoid contact. She seemed particularly irritated about him, but wouldn't take it as far as to say 'hate'. Sway knew better than to push the subject. Readying his horn, he swung the door open and stepped within two feet of the warrior pegasus. The blue light of his horn darkly etched the features of his toughened, take-no-nonsense expression. He got straight to the point: "What do you want, Hawk?"

Like February 25, 2024

Hawk was expecting the soft and meek face of a yellow unicorn with youthful pink eyes. Instead, he was met face to face with an orange stallion with green eyes, himself also a unicorn who know his name. Great, now with another knowing his name and whereabouts increasing the likelihood of his enemy t... View More

Like February 26, 2024 Edited

"A goal of ambition." he claimed, his ears swiveling at any sound that came from outside, from hoots of owls to other outside noises. "Do you think a Rosa Cavalier would know?" he asked again, seeing this pony as key to the entire thing himself. "Seafoam mentioned things about 'star touched' and 'wa... View More

Like March 31, 2024

Ambition? That didn't sound like his mother. Of course, they weren't really dealing with his mother here, were they? Ponies from other universes can have different aspirations and moralities from what we know. Still it didn't sit right with him. It felt... incomplete. A Seafoam would have to be afte... View MoreAmbition? That didn't sound like his mother. Of course, they weren't really dealing with his mother here, were they? Ponies from other universes can have different aspirations and moralities from what we know. Still it didn't sit right with him. It felt... incomplete. A Seafoam would have to be after something, it's intrinsic about her. "Do you think a Rosa Cavalier would know?" That's it. They need to get this show on the road, and construct a proper timeline of events. It just dawned on Sway that he hasn't gleamed where Rosa must be from this conversation with Hawk yet. Rosa left here with Seafoam. She used an odd spell, but seemed to know where she was going. But Hawk didn't say Rosa was with her, Margin was. At her home? Still, Sway was not the type of pony to interrupt somepony's speech. He found it telling that Hawk only described this foe's origins as 'another far away place'. If he had an enemy from a human world, what would that entail? Hawk seemed to think it was relevant, especially if another 'him' was going to arrive. Another detail to sort out.

Sway rose his chin when Hawk was done, and his horn finally went out. Hawk was in the clear, it seemed.
"Let's... finish this inside. I know you're on a tight time schedule but - I wanna help."
He turned to the back door and knocked before entering. In case Hawk didn't feel invited he motioned him inside with a hoof before stepping in first. "Lem! Shen! It's alright, we're coming inside." The back door led to a connected dining room and kitchen. You could see the ponies cooking or doing dishes from the dining table. Straight ahead was the living room and its light furnishings, though it was separated from the dining room and connected to the kitchen by a doorway. A coffee table, couch, and independently matching pair of sofas were in there. Not alot of room for guests without using chairs from the dining room.
A hallway extended from the living room to the two bedrooms across one another and a bathroom. Closet space filled the filled the remaining hallway walls.
(I largely based this house on one I lived in some time ago but I admit the floor plan doesn't make any sense lol) Sway instructed Hawk to stay by the dining table. It had seen several years, and one of the chairs had a tall booster seat attached. Must be for the foal.
A short conversation could easily be overheard from the living room. "I told him to wait at the table. I wouldn't be too worried about him but, you know, he's -- stoic. Like Seafoam is." Sway's hooves rustled on the carpet, and a foal could be heard squeaking and bouncing about as she emerged from under the couch.
"D-ddaaaaaad? Iiiiiiiss--"
"Just don't bounce all over him, ok? Him and I are gonna talk about where grandma went. Don't worry yourself," he offered as he scratched the foal's mane "dad's got it covered."
"Boooooothh grraaanndmmaaaas?" Sway chuckled.
"Yes Shen, both grandmas. But it's gonna be a long night. Go get Miss. Cam." The foal hurried away before Sway addressed his wife, who hadn't spoken
"Can you get us the wrapping paper and a marker?" Lemon's extremely pleasing voice gave a little 'Mmhmm' before Sway kissed her on the cheek.
"Thanks, Lem. And, be brave. Tonight is... well I don't know what's up. It'll probably get worse before it gets better. You can do this, I know it." Sway returned to the dining table determined and capable as ever. It felt odd to allow Hawk into his home like this, but he didn't have much choice under the circumstances. He had to stay close to his family first. All other matters were second.
"Alright, Hawk, you're probably gonna find this a little basic, but I promise it'll help. With a proper timeline and idea of what's going on, we can do something from here. If that still means building a Star Room first we'll do that, but I'm tired of being kept in the dark. She's keeping me out for some reason and I don't agree with it. There just has to be more going on." Lemon arrived with a roll of wrapping paper and a black marker stuck in her ear below her giant, bouncing mane. She made eye contact with Hawk and seemed to get nervous with the imposing pony in her house, quickly looking to Sway. He took the wrapping paper with a 'Thanks' and rolled four feet of it inside-up to give them a big writing surface to use. Wrapping paper is always white on the inside. He popped open the marker and left a moment for Hawk to speak as he drew a straight line across the middle, marked it with notches, and wrote 'Sea' in the first quarter of this improvised timeline. Beneath her name he wrote 'flying'. All this was above the timeline, leaving room below it for new events to be written.
A few notches later he marked a diamond on the timeline, indicating what he suspected was a significant event. Here he wrote '1'st Warped' in the above space.
A line connected this word to 'Sea2', which he circled and drew a small right-facing arrow next to. "This means she entered our world here." He offered, explaining the small arrow. He left several notches of room before writing 'Sea' 'Sea2' 'Sea3' 'fight'
Directly after he put 'Rosa'.
After this he paused to consider whether to write more, but left it at that. These were the only events he knew for certain. "A little basic, like I said." He said humbly. He was no graphic design expert but would like to think he did a passable job on this timeline. "Mark what you know too. I get the feeling things will make alot more sense with this, even if you don't know everything that's happened."
He offered the marker to the pegasi as Lemon watched the two stallions work out the details.

(photo included to illustrate my timeline description a little better. Scribbled this in the back seat of the work truck on my laptop lol. But I feel it's accurate)

Like 1 April 2, 2024

Hawk was careful to leave out any details concerning his own dilemma. These were pony folk he was dealing with, he can't make the same mistake again like last time with an ivory white pegasus stallion with golden bronze mane and tail, who was an exceptionally talented blacksmith. It has been well ov... View MoreHawk was careful to leave out any details concerning his own dilemma. These were pony folk he was dealing with, he can't make the same mistake again like last time with an ivory white pegasus stallion with golden bronze mane and tail, who was an exceptionally talented blacksmith. It has been well over a decade since then, and it never set well with him to drag the little ponies into his big mankind problems. Hawk himself, never the wiser with Sway. However, Hawk was far looser with references to his home. Having already a few still-living friends he has not seen since all those years ago, still roaming this world somewhere. Perhaps that was one of the few things that kept him going, to see those three sisters once again, reunite what was left of his best friend's family. Sway gave him an unexpected invitation to enter his home, it almost made Hawk hesitate for a moment. This stallion is awfully trusting, or was there something about this pony that Hawk could put a feather on? Hawk gave only a nod as he followed inside, giving his wings a shuffle outside before wiping his hooves on the doormat that lie there just before the door next to what seemed to be a boot-rinsing basin. He did not use it, but wasn't going to step inside with dirty hooves. Once inside, it felt more like a typical family home. Smelled rather normal too, though the layout was the only thing in his mind at first glance. The way the halls winded from the dining room into an ant's nest of rooms placed haphazardly, was his best guess just based off the view from where he sat in the dining room. The doorway into the home had a separate screen door that swung open the opposite way, outside rather than in with the main door itself, and it faintly squeaked when opening and closing. Once Sway had called his wife over with something to write with and on, a small foal came in with the mother, bouncing and full of playful energy. It filled him with a sense of sadness, something he hid very well when he saw Sway, his wife and their daughter. A full family, the child knowing their father, the child even having a father to begin with. He looked away when Lemon locked eyes with him, he couldn't bare to resurface that age-old wish and its sting. He had to be who he was, there was no choice, a life like Sway's for a pony like Hawk was a pipe dream. He saw the simple graph, and compared it to his mental conspiracy theory board and understood a few more implicit and subtle details that he could not get from SeaTwo. "Thank you, you are far more engageable than Seafoam is. With this, I can suspect that my insertion to the timeline would be about there." he said pointing to the point on the line where the Seas had clashed as waves in a torrential storm. "I think I remember catching a glimpse of the second Seafoam, since she was the one who got to me before I bled out." He looked at the earlier parts and saw the point of origin, "I was told about this, didn't know it was that recent though. And I still don't know who this 'Rosa Cavalier' pony is, that pony wasn't there when I came to. Just the uh.. alternate Seafoam, the second one from what I gather. Ours is probably where the second one came from, or the third, for all I know." "That's where the second Seafoam went off to, searching for Rosa."

Like April 2, 2024

Hawk and Sway organized all the immediate future plans. With the pegasi following the unicorn's lead, plans would flow easily and consicely. Well, Sway made it look easy enough. But his mind was racing to solve problems in ways he hadn't done in years. With the night's events untangled, the stallio... View MoreHawk and Sway organized all the immediate future plans. With the pegasi following the unicorn's lead, plans would flow easily and consicely. Well, Sway made it look easy enough. But his mind was racing to solve problems in ways he hadn't done in years. With the night's events untangled, the stallion had a much better idea of just how choppy the waters around them had become. His total shock at learning the third Seafoam was Warped relayed just how dangerous things had become all on its own. Now it wasn't just Seafoam giving Hawk that impression. Anypony who knew anything about her Huntress role was having a mini-heart attack. Sway made it very clear that, to his knowledge, nothing except Rovina could harm this Warped mare. Maybe they could slow her down with a very powerful trap, but that was all they could hope to do... Other than run and hide. And yet, Sway urged them to build the Star Room Seafoam wanted. He reasoned that if she asked them to do it, that's what they should do, no time for questions. In fact he was worried the concrete wouldn't cure in time for it to be useful. Only time could tell. The only problem that really stumped Sway was how to protect his family. He wouldn't bring them straight into danger, but they also can't be left behind. Taking them to a safe place would normally be the answer, but this Warped Seafoam would know every way to conceal Lemon and Shen. How can you hide from a pony you made your hiding plans with? Luckily Lemon came up with an ingeniously simple plan. She and Shen would board public transport until Shen decided to get off, and then let her pick a place to stay. Seafoam and Sway, even Lemon to a degree could be predicted. But little Shen was like throwing truly random dice. Nopony could predict that filly. And so the two stallions departed. In way over their heads, but with a set path to trot. Sway promised to meet him at the Ghastly Gorge with the concrete and tools that they needed, and claiming he knew a good spot in the Gorge they could build the Star Room into. If asked how Sway planned to build into the rough rocky terrain of the Gorge, Sway would only chuckle and say "I can do it. I'll show you when we get there."

Partial cloud cover obscured the waxing moon as Hawk waited. He would have some time to consider the night's events, and the ponies he's had to rely on throughout. Sway was perhaps a nice addition to his circle. The stallion knew how to meet him at his level, and never aimed to insult or stick his nose where it didn't belong. Or not yet, anyway, when the goal was pure survival against such odds. And Margin Growth, who utilized her unique magic to exhaustion helping Hawk and Seafoam recover and hash things out. She had a rich history Hawk had no idea about, using the lessons she learned to forge a brighter future. Where will the deep ocean currents draw him next? Was there any guarantee he'd come out of this alive? Seafoam made it clear that a mare of her nature was deliberate in all things she set her mind to. If that Warped Seafoam wanted him dead, he might not be safe until she's permanently gone. Or if the pony capable of weilding Rovina returned. Seafoam had become his only hope of seeing the sun rise. What a world. A hint of sky blue unicorn magic crested the road leading to Hawk. Sway had a certain lime color to his eyes, so by the magic convention of eye and magic colors matching, it shouldn't be Sway approaching. But the rest of the pony came into view, and it was Sway after all. Pulling a wagon behind him - undoubtedly full of supplies - but incredibly carrying hundreds of pounds of concrete by his magic! Had he walked the whole way here like that? Once within earshot Sway would call out "Hey, H-Hawk? Care to take over the wagon awhile?" He chuckled preemptively, quickly following up with "My shoulders aren't what they used to be." And with that he'd pull to a stop and unbuckle the harness, stepping aside casually while perhaps three dozen or more concrete bags levitated lazily around him, like it was a feat all unicorns could be expected to do for multiple miles of a trip. There were more inside the wagon, along with their tools and buckets and other supplies they'd need. How did Sway get all of this on such short notice? Why didn't he ask Hawk to go to the store with him? Where precisely in the Gorge are they headed? Stop asking so many questions.

Like 1 April 28, 2024

Hopestrong and Mellowstring Soulspins Chiller Sway

December 19, 2023 7:35 pm

*Nitroxus crouched down and spindash toward the pony. He stopped right in front of the pony and smiled. He then passed over a large gift to them.* Happy Birthday!

Be the first person to like this.

Sway didn't think that "hanging Hearthswarming lights" would take nearly as long, but when you have 800+ feet of the stuff and don't like to use your magic horn stick, well let's say he's getting use out of his stepladder. Does that mean he's hanging lights on his own birthday? Yes. But the stallio... View More

Like December 19, 2023

Chiller Sway

May 28, 2023 11:07 pm

"Have you heard the saying: 'It's not about the destination, it's about the journey'?" "Well, yeah [...] I don't think I've ever heard you say it though." "What if your entire life was the journey?"... View More"Have you heard the saying: 'It's not about the destination, it's about the journey'?" "Well, yeah [...] I don't think I've ever heard you say it though." "What if your entire life was the journey?" "I don't know [...] you'll never die if you don't want to. [...] There's always going to be something you can learn, something to completely master. [...] I guess you aren't thinking about that." "No."

This was a brief conversation I wrote between two of my most important characters, Chiller Sway and Seafoam Wake. I knew what I was writing about, what I wanted a reader to think. Whether I got that point across isn't relevant to this post. I wanna mention what it was like reading this recently. So, what if your entire life was the journey? After all the destination of life is death, so of course the journey is everything before that happens. But let me ask you, do you really believe that? I certainly don't. I don't grasp at this stage that I am in the journey, not just a passenger on the road to his destination. Seafoam is immortal now. She's not my first attempt to write an immortal, but certainly the most serious I've taken the concept. What emotion do you think of as Seafoam says 'No'? What's her body language? Maybe you don't know enough about my barely-posted OC to have a good guess. To me, her head hangs low. Her journey doesn't feel like it's about enjoying the small things in life anymore, or even having fun along the way. I mean eventually she'll have to learn those things to avoid going crazy but it doesn't feel real to her in this moment. Instead it feels like... she doesn't have a destination anymore. It's sad to see her before she learns how to live with this immortality. She does figure it out with time but it hurts to see the journey to that healthier place. And... because I don't know if I can overcome my perspective. I mean I know I kinda will in some way, I'm only going to get older. But there's something about that perspective shift, I can just barely grasp it. Looking at Seafoam's life get so much longer before her eyes, I can visualize the expanding tunnel. She can't see her destination through all the years, and I can't see my years before the destination. Stuff like this is why I love Seafoam. I can't put it into words, but I think about this character all the time. Oftentimes, she feels like a real person I can learn from. I just realized how super weird that sounds but I don't make the truth I just write it down.

1 person liked this.

Chiller Sway

December 30, 2022 2:36 pm

PSA at the risk of every sentence you read or write from this moment forth I've just used Chat GPT to give me suggestions about one of my Seafoam short stories... And it has some amazing ideas. So m... View More

Just a moment...

chat.openai.com

1 person liked this.

View 1 more comment

4/5

Polo Fastter

you alright boop horse?

Like December 30, 2022

I think I'm about to be detained for first degree homicide if I'm referred to by anything other than "bap horse" But yeah I'm having a good time. Long Christmas break from work but I'm ready to get back on the road again with my job.

Like 1 December 30, 2022

Flam

Bonk colt

Like 2 December 30, 2022

Hmmm, I'll put this in my bookmarks for future reference. Thanks.

Like January 22, 2023

Vantage

Oh no, AI are going to write your RP's

Like January 22, 2023

Only if you let them. It's not too late to stop SkyNet.

Like January 22, 2023

Vy Thresh

Roko's Basilisk edges closer in the shadows.

Like January 23, 2023

Chiller Sway

October 13, 2022 12:36 pm

Who Killed Strawberry is like actually super cool I've been using it as "spare time" reading for roughly a week now (or however long my return to this site has been), and I gotta say Carmine and Seir ... View More

Info » Melpomene’s Tragedy, Thalia’s Comedy / [WHO KILLED STRAWBERRY?] » Canterlot Avenue | The #1 Roleplay & Social Site!

canterlotavenue.com

5 people like this.

Carmen Gumshoe

little too gay for my tastes bit fruity.

Like October 13, 2022

There could be a gay character, but certainly not two! That would be criminal behavior of the highest order Also Strawberry doesn't dies like what the heck man she's still in a coma (I just got to the teddy bear tag clue). I was promised death!

Like October 13, 2022

Carmen Gumshoe

i’M SORRY but “who killed strawberry?” is a MUCH cooler title than “dumbass got owned”, or “Berry got sploinkied” sue me for false advertising because i’m not changing it

Like 1 October 13, 2022

Serendibite

“Who injured Strawberry to the degree of which she has been hospitalized in a coma”

Like 1 October 13, 2022

Chiller Sway

October 12, 2022 12:03 pm

Oooh, artist call! Chiller Sway. The bap boi, the bronze boi, the overpowered unicorn. Let's commission a spooky (maybe vampire?) version for October, shall we? ... View More

4 people like this.

Novaya Zemlya

Might have more luck offsite, don't know how many artists are left on CA

Like October 12, 2022

Yeah I figured I'd start here with the post, then browse around for anyone I'd like to commission here for a day or three. After that I'll look around. Kinda wish I had more luck when I look on, say, pony Twitter. Alot of the artists I do find while browsing around are usually closed for commissio... View More

Like October 12, 2022

Serendibite

Count Bapula

Like 1 October 12, 2022

We live in a post-Morbius world. Vampiric horse will be known as "Dr. Bapius". His catchphrase is so iconic too I live entirely within mediocre references they make me feel silly

Like October 12, 2022

Stormfront

Hmnn maybe I could give a try!

Like 1 October 12, 2022

Gonna get the horse the drawing aww yeah

Like 1 October 13, 2022

Chiller Sway

August 18, 2022 12:01 pm

Wow I've enjoyed logging into this site again. Especially seeing there are still longer character posts being made, that stuff inspires me, I don't know how you still do it. I do wish you guys would ... View More

4 people like this.

Stickman, The Normal Stickian

Update: Um So navigating the blogs is broken. I ended up going from March 2022 to May 2018 Hmmmmm... View More

Like 1 August 18, 2022 Edited

Well, I have a bunch of episodic friendship letters, and I even finally posted my backstory at the beginning of the year.

Like August 18, 2022

Chiller Sway

August 17, 2022 8:06 am

Maybe posting a little encouragement will help motivate myself :squee: If you wanna post a big cool story with your character, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. I've been tryin... View More

1 person liked this.

I need to take notes from you because your seafoam posts inspires me to do the same with Hawk. Problem is, unlike Seafoam, Hawk has nopony to talk to

Like August 17, 2022 Edited

Been thinking about Hawk getting a pet, something like a hawk, falcon or bald eagle. I think it'd suit his personality the best, you think?

Like August 17, 2022

I think it would work, but having a hawk would be a little on the nose :P Could go the bird route. Might try some breeds of dogs. Maybe a lizard Hawk keeps because of the cool pattern on its back?

Like August 17, 2022 Edited

On the nose is exactly Hawk's sense of style. But if a lizard is your suggestion, perhaps an alligator/crocodile or komodo dragon. Something that really shouts a message by just merely existing.

Like August 17, 2022

Chiller Sway

June 14, 2022 2:59 pm

Day 6 of editing this post about my favorite horse until I am motivated enough to write her story. June 14: Recently I've had to assess what I'm doing with my "Bermuda Triangle" story, where Seafoam... View MoreDay 6 of editing this post about my favorite horse until I am motivated enough to write her story. June 14: Recently I've had to assess what I'm doing with my "Bermuda Triangle" story, where Seafoam meeting Seafoam is designed to put her in unique scenarios. My main reason for doing this is to see how she reacts to each one, and to each version of herself. I realized that if I'm going to make it like a story, I've done a pretty bad job of introducing Seafoam to the audience. Who is she, what are her values, why should the reader care? The prologue actually does a really good job at establishing some traits and motivators for Seafoam... in the final paragraph. She remarks about herself: "I am a terribly anxious mare, I have to ask these things." Moreso than the rest of the prologue, or even the opening paragraphs of chapter 1, this line actually tells my readers what to expect from Seafoam. During the quiet portions of the story I'm about to tell they should expect alot of internal dialogue and stress from our protagonist. If they like that kind of character, now they have a reason to read about what she goes through. You can see it in my writing of chapter 1 thus far. I sure seem to like Seafoam, but I forgot to show the audience what parts of her I love the most. Instead I wrote about what she does and that 'it's really cool guys I promise'. Eh, maybe I'm being a bit harsh on myself. I'm writing this story in first-person and giving the readers her thoughts and focus of attention. I just - I could see why someone wouldn't be able to connect with her given the story so far. June 15: "Chant of Alliance" by 4EverFreeBrony makes me imagine Seafoam more than Rainbow Dash. That's not to say it's not a phenomenal Dash song, just that my imagination tends to think about my own character when I hear it. The biggest character lines come from the solo verse. Hear it as the "What's important to me" verse each "Chat of" song has. You hear how her friends are the most important things to her, that serving them is what gives her life its purpose and meaning. I actually discovered this aspect of Seafoam's character long before hearing this song. Sure, in the roleplays I had and short stories I wrote, Seafoam always put the needs of others over herself, but I was a smol boi and didn't understand why a character would be motivated in this way, where this drive would come from. I even have some main characters that will weigh how a decision will affect themselves as opposed to Seafoam's ready willingness. This doesn't make the other characters bad, by any means, but I never really noticed that something needed to be investigated here. Randomly the mental image of "Maid Seafoam" entered my brain. It was a couple months after her vampiric transformation that I started seeing this as a possibility for her. I tried to stave off the thought for awhile because maid outfits have a certain... connotation to them. But the effort was for naught, the mental image and the premise wouldn't leave me be. So when I really started to think about it, I realized the draw was deeper than superficial. I thought about what a maid Seafoam would be like, what would motivate her to hold such a job, what her attitude would be like day in and day out. Well to answer the first question, Seafoam would behave like our contemporary sense of a traditional maid would. Quiet, formal, breathtaking, diligent in her work. Huh, she fit the role rather well. Why take such a job? Why specifically vampiric Seafoam?.. Boredom. As a vampire she's going to live an unholy amount of time. Heck I'm 22 and I get bored! What would the constantly-thinking, quiet, restless (doesn't need sleep) warrior type Seafoam be like after any number of hundred years? Sure, she could get multiple types of jobs to make a living and keep learning new things, but after awhile you've got to get tired of the constant hard work, right? Something like a cleaning job would really anchor down that driven brain Seafoam has. The third question has two answers. "What would her attitude be like?" I think she'd be glad to have a job that doesn't require a ton of brain power, yet fills up her schedule in a non-intrusive way. Think about how stressful your job is and if you could do only that for 100 years, how annoyed or tired you might be. With Seafoam I imagine her instructions to be "This is your section to clean this week/month. Show up at this time, leave at this time, and make it look good, stay out of the occasional pony's way." A non-evolving job that she can predict and prepare for. But, now's the "aha" moment, when all these ramblings of today's edit finally click into place. I realized Seafoam would feel like her job has purpose. "Has purpose?? She's a maid! Who cares about the maid? Don't they clean the messes and make everything look shiny? Anyone could do that." But no, Seafoam drives herself on being helpful to others in a way that can be recognized. In roleplaying as her, I've seen few moments of pride more potent than ponies congratulating her, or simply recognizing that she's a talented or capable mare. In fact, one of the first moments I wrote for her backstory was proving herself as the most determined warrior of her clan and finally succeeding after years of consistent effort. And look, it might sound silly to you that she find immense self-fulfillment from the cleaning duties of a respected maid, but to her that's purpose. She's helping someone each day, and it helps her retain her sanity without being overbearing. I thrice attempted an alternate universe RP with an evil Seafoam, I learned very quickly that she set herself an impossible standard as a character motivation: She wanted to rise from ranks and become the emperor's wife. She was absolutely dogged in this pursuit, and nothing tore her apart worse than the emperor expressing displeasure of her and branding her a worthless traitor. The immense depression she felt lasted for weeks in that roleplay, and she never really got over that pain even years after. At the time I thought this meant Seafoam as a character was drawn to powerful ponies and structures. It made me think of her as "a follower" who slaves herself to her environment. I never thought it a bad trait, but I see now it was misattributing her real motivation. It's not about power, it's about being worth something to someone. Just, taken to its extreme, she sets the bar really high. "Oftentimes I feel so inadequate. Who am I to you, but family? Oh help me see" Sometimes when I 'daydream' about Seafoam, I think about her looking on at her family. Watching them laughing, usually, but not sharing in the laughter. In these mental images, Seafoam suddenly starts to feel so small to me. She's a nearly unkillable vampire pony who doesn't require sleep, has over 300 confirmed kills on [funny group], and will wipe you out with precision the likes of which you've never seen before in Equestria, she can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with bare hooves... but she feels so small in the fleeting moment. This family she's built up and protected for like 20 years, in this snippet of a mental image that so often comes to me she feels like an outsider who can't connect to them when she isn't laughing and enjoying the moment like they currently are. She doesn't feel good enough to be one of them, to laugh carelessly like one of them, alien to the moment. She's literally family to these ponies in every deepest sense of the world, but she should be doing more and more for them. It's like now that they don't need her to protect them she feels entirely pointless sometimes. What would really cheer her up would be to hear that her family still appreciates all she did for them. All they need now is her company, to loosen up if she can, and enjoy what they have together, and they'll be so happy with that. In about 80 years, all of Seafoam's family will be gone. When Sway's at his final days, she's gonna feel like she never did enough for them. And that without her family she can't emotionally connect herself to a purpose. Almost every night she'll have to fight the Star Spawn to prevent Equestria being destroyed, but that won't be enough meaning on its own she thinks. And with the one lifetime she had with her family she could have been so much more for them. And Sway, knowing his mother, tells her: "Don't let yourself feel bad about us. You did enough. You did more than enough, mom." June 16: Today I got a novel youtube channel run by a cleaning lady. She cleans houses by trade, been doing so for like 10 years I think it was, and she does Q&A and topical videos about cleaning and lifestyle. Yesterday I talked about Seafoam's planned maid arc and why I think it works. But finding this channel opened me to a whole world of cleaning topics, procedures, the kind of mindset it takes, I classify it as a big insight. One thing she talked about was the fact that you're left to your own thoughts a majority of the time, and that you can passively track your thought processes in your head. It contextualized for me the sheer amount of time that kind of job takes, and to start thinking about the finer details of future Seafoam's routines and mental health. Then I listened to a couple topical videos about cleaning certain rooms/surfaces, the kinds of chemicals used, the procedure, and man there's plenty to learn! Imagine if I commit some of this stuff to memory when writing maid Seafoam's routines. Hehe I'd look like I know what I'm talking about and put time into researching this. I'm sure it would make her stories far more compelling than if I didn't do the research. June 19: Whenever I describe Seafoam with as few words as possible, I tend to say "The stoic warrior type. Close to retirement but life won't let her rest." I've always thought of this as inadequate to describe my favorite character. Stoic warrior is so played out and yet still vague. What I love about her stoicism is that she exists in a world of care-free friendship and smiles. Everypony exudes energy and happiness (besides our OCs because we all love torturing them for some reason haha), yet Seafoam quietly watches on to protect them, all while wishing she could unwind and be careless like them. Seafoam really wants to be free. She also recognizes that she's a unique breed in this world. A pony with important skills who chooses to worry about everypony around her. Their happiness is so important that she'll throw away her only chance at a life like it to protect theirs. And yeah she has this unusual insight because I gave her the tragic backstory treatment, but hey writing is hard smh. I don't like Seafoam's stoicism because that makes her quiet. I love it because for me it's about what's going on inside her head and doesn't say. I love to watch her command and control her body language with as much precision as her verbal language. I feel like everypony near her has to pay attention when she's in the room, or else they'll miss out on something they might never see again. Her every glance, fluffing of her wings, a gentle turn of her head, it's all done for a reason around her, either to communicate something or allow a little glimpse into her thought process. Does she fluff her feathers alot around you? She feels comfortable letting you know you're good company. Did she look when you mentioned a workplace, an idea, her name? What does that say about her attentiveness in that moment? What part of your sentence is she paying attention to? Oh I love it I love it 'Close to retirement'. What does that even mean? Is she almost 60? Or what does retirement age mean in Equestria? Is there any way I'm taking my colorful horse OC so seriously that I consider her work life and profession? Seafoam's life is a fickle thing. About every 10 years I seem to introduce a major stress-inducer that sometimes turns her world upside-down. I never give the poor mare a break, and it makes it all the more... morose? when she's finally looking at that horizon and peace in her personal life. She practically aches sometimes to just stop with the warrior stuff and just be a normal pony free of life-destroying events. It's all the sadder when that is taken away from her. But she never complains, and she always has the strength inside her to get through and do the right thing. I wish I had the strength she does, no? But this time I really meant it, she was going to retire and I wasn't going to throw another curveball her way. She was even going to find a husband and move in with him, get married, and live an amazing, fulfilling life. The kind she'd dreamed of... well maybe without having her own foal but eh I never got that far! I always put it back just in case there was an RP partner that I could get her to pair with. And then... well... She's a real long way from retirement now... She's taking herself just as serious as ever, maybe even moreso. Dang it it's like she never gets to know real peace like she wants. A life she gets to live out with a smile each day... June 20: Chiller Sway, Lemon Breeze, Seafoam Noticus Wake. Of my original trio I thought I would come to like and appreciate the story of Sway the most. He's my ponysona, naturally I would aim to give him the best stories and hurdles to overcome. Before I started my first intentional roleplay I wrote Sway's history down in a multi-page chronological timeline, to get him up to speed in development and character before starters were made. In making this chronology I realized he needed a mentor character to get him up to speed. We were planning an action roleplay and he needed to carry his own. As much as a 16 year old self-insert could be expected to. So I remember making this pegasus warrior OC perfect for the job, and unintentionally who served as a foil for Sway for a healthy dynamic. I gave her the tragic backstory treatment, made her toughen up into who I needed, and I then planned to kill her off near the end of the recent timeline. Felled by her foalhood backstabber, maybe leave the door open for a revenge plotline. But something happened when I wrote the paragraph describing her death, and the impact it had on Sway. I realized it wasn't just him who was sad, I felt like I'd lost a friend too. A good pony who didn't do anything wrong, and wanted the best for everypony she met because she knows what the alternative is like. A pony that traveled with Sway because she believed in keeping him safe, yet free to explore. She felt so alive to me, so full of knowledge and potential, that I reconciled the decision a good two days before reversing it, making a narrow escape for the villain. At her very first scene she encountered Discord. Her distrust of him after the season 4 finale (Tirek if you don't recall) and her short-spoken nature let me know for sure I had made the right choice. Seafoam was here to stay, and I was looking forward to what I could do with her. June 24: I believe I talked about the one time Seafoam opened up in a roleplay to talk about how making friends is going to help her bare the weight of immortality in a mortal world. And basically the way the world is set up she's not allowed to make those around her immortal... I think... Need to ask about that... Anyway, the character was Amuka actually. Amuka is a pretty chaotic and uncontrollable teenager. Seafoam saw it as her moral duty to try and reign in her hierarchical tendencies and learn to treat everyone with respect and so forth. Progress is slow, of course, and one night Seafoam decides to open up about it. The normally calm and calculated warrior pony stumbled in her words as she tried to convey to Amuka the struggles she encountered in her life that she wants the teen to avoid. Shutting everyone out from her heart, being emotionally dethatched... feeling too old now to find a partner... I don't often get to roleplay Seafoam's emotional side. She hides them away for greater objectives most the time. I've only seen her emotions when she's at her limits. Pure anger, pure drive to live, or a sadness she hasn't given herself the time to cope with. Watching Seafoam give leverage of the conversation away and to be so emotionally vulnerable. Idk I guess I don't have a big overall message today. Just wanted to write about a Seafoam moment