Not dead, new story, lots of coffee · 5:04pm Mar 23rd, 2021
So, yeah, I'm not dead.
I had a really, really shitty time that recently ended with me losing my job, which I hated.
Apparently that sudden freedom was what was needed to lift my writer's block and I wrote a new story, that may or may not be a one-shot.
Its protagonist is an OC that is close to my heart, that I've now had for a long time, but that I never felt like writing about: an earth pony named Dark Roast.
Uncharacteristically for me, it's set in Equestria and also doesn't delve a whole lot into world building. All you need to know is that ponyland has come up with the invention of radio and that Dark Roast is a late night call-in host at Manehattan FM. Because that's one of the first things social creatures like ponies would come up with. Because nothing can go wrong with call-in shows.
And because I can never refrain from overthinking: in Equestria, FM stands for field modulation. Or more accurately: enhanced focus-crystal emitted magic field modulation wave. You have three guesses who came up with it. But since FCEMFMW is kinda unwieldy, the technical term used by radio ponies is FM. Much to the chagrin of the inventor.
Of course, I've now also set out to learn about 70s radio broadcasting, because that's about the time and feel that's right for Manehattan. ALL this (like, really, all of this, including the radio-host thing) ended up having no real bearing on the story. But it put me in the right mood and it's important to who she is. Also: slow jazz, single malt and and Tom Waits.
Dark Roast really came to life recently while unexpectedly doing rp with this perfect specimen on twitter:
Unfortunately, today I found out he traced most of his art without giving credit and upon being confronted with it deleted his account. Just my luck I guess.
Anyway, the story exists and I like it.
And it contains clop (and copious amounts of coffee). Never thought I'd write that, but here we are. ;)
*hugs Celefin*
That sucks man. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
Thanks, even a virtual hug helps. ;)
Good to see you back, and sorry for the job. Always a fan of your characters, I might give it a read.
5481985
Thank you, comments like this actually mean something to me.
And if you liked Nightline, I'm fairly confident you'll like Dark Roast. I had a lot of fun writing this.
Glad you're not dead!
And sorry you had such a bad time there, but I'm glad it sounds like things may be looking up in at least some areas? Good luck!
...Oh. Aaaand sorry about the thing with the Twitter person too.
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Not sure if things are looking up, but at least they're not looking further down at the moment ;)
Yeah, and twitter does as twitter does. Shame really, he was one of those rare literate roleplayers that put some real thought and story into their ocs and seemed an all around nice and decent person. Too bad he was also an art thief.
Well. I'm keeping his character and will now use him as I see fit. :b
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Well, that's a good baseline, at least!
Aye. And the account deletion really doesn't make him look good there.
Heh. Aye, sounds fair enough. :)
Hello there!
Sounds like you're making the best out of a nasty situation. Admirable! Keep your back straight and your head high, and you'll make it through the tough times!
Well... If the job was worth hating, this may turn out to be a good thing. I understand the difficulties, but, in the end, there is nothing worse than wasting time doing something you hate.
Hey, at least it wasn't jaywalking (jaytrotting?).
Me too! It's great!
It manages to have the down-to-earth and over-the-top parts in balance, which is an impressive feat. Would love to read more stuff from you.
Stay strong and safe out there.
5483132
Huh. Hadn't even thought about it like that, but maybe you're right. Thanks ;)
And yes, I've wasted too much of my life, not only on that specific job but on the career as a whole. But now it's not for me to choose if I should risk putting me and my family in a precarious situation. That choice has been done for me without fault of my own, and without feeling guilty that's weirdly liberating.
That's what I usually strive for, so I'm happy it worked for you! And if you liked this one, I'm confident you'd like my Track Switch series. Which suddenly landed in the 'popular stories' again, after the good Admiral signal boosted Ground Coffee (which sank).
Anyway, thanks for the positive message. It's very much appreciated.