Meet The Mares: Diamond Rose · 8:35pm Aug 29th, 2021
There’s only so much that can go into a story, especially one with as many characters as 16 has. So I’m opening the floor to asking these characters questions. Post your reply with any questions you have and Diamond Rose will be happy to answer them (I’ll be editing this blog to add those questions). I’ll be posting the other characters in the coming weeks (up through Snowcatcher; the rest will come after their chapters are posted).
Interview subject #4: Diamond Rose
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/2377374
Cutie mark?
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/2428495
Favorite color?
Pink! The pinker and frillier it is; the better I like it!
You were on the very first busload of ponies brought to the consulate the day the portal opened. Is that correct?
Absolutely. It was thrilling to be one of the first ponies through the portal. Sometimes I wish I really had decided to spend my five years on Earth traveling. But that would have defeated the purpose of coming here.
And that is?
I want to make it on my own. I come from a family of means, and I’ve had everything I could ever want hoofed to me on a silver platter. Nopony, lest of all Lily Blossom, thinks I can do anything for myself. I’ll show them!
Relationship status?
Regrettably single. There just aren’t any good catches in my social circle.
Favorite part of living on Earth?
The shopping. Your malls are incredible. And oh my gosh, your technology! Like, everything’s super convenient!
So you actually like technology?
Very much so! I’m not sure I’ll ever want to go back to Equestria. Sure, I miss my folks, but all these devices are incredible. I can order a pizza at two in the morning! I can talk to people thousands of miles away without needing a dragon to burn scrolls. And don’t get me started about all the content. TV shows! Movies! Music! Podcasts!
What devices have you purchased for yourself?
I’ve got a tablet, an iPhone, a laptop, and an Apple Watch.
Since you brought it up, what’s your favorite song? Specifically, your favorite song that our audience on Earth might know?
Rose Of Cimarron by Poco. It’s not about my diamond of the same name, but how can I pick anything else?
Do you have a favorite television show?
The Fabulous Life Of… I may have left my family fortune back in Equestria, but there’s nothing saying I can’t bring my money here at a later date. Or if I decide to go home, bring some ideas back with me. I thought an indoor swimming pool was awesome, but the people showcased on this show have me beat!
Favorite movie?
The North Avenue Irregulars. Oh my gosh! It’s hilarious!
What do you miss about Equestria?
Well, as much as I want to prove myself to my parents and Lily… I do miss having access to anything I could possibly want anytime I want it.
Do you have a car?
A 1954 Jaguar Mark VII. I wanted a Rolls-Royce but I couldn’t afford one. This ‘Jag’ had bad electronics* and Lulu Luck got it cheap** and fixed it up.
Source: AlwaysDressesInStyle
*Note: Lucas Industries had a near monopoly on providing electronics to the automotive electronics industry in Great Britain from the 1930s on. That a lighting company earned the nickname ‘The Prince of Darkness’ should tell you everything you need to know about why there’s virtually no British automotive industry these days. Jaguar is now owned by Tata of India (as is Land Rover), Rolls-Royce is owned by Germany’s BMW, and Volkswagen acquired Bentley.
**Bad electronics that also caused a small fire in the vehicle. It has a rebuild title***, but don’t tell that to Diamond.
***Cars that are damaged to the point where the insurance company considers them a ‘total loss’ can be sold and rebuilt/retitled, but will never have the value of a car with a clean title.
I understand you had to borrow money from Snowcatcher to go in on the Mareiott. Did you ever pay her back?
Uh… I keep forgetting to do so. But they keep changing all my gadgets and I need to upgrade to the newest models. The only time I really think about it is when it comes time to vote on something and Snowy votes for me because she still controls my share. Usually against me, too, which really grates on my nerves. My own vote is being used against me!
Dan: Is rose gold considered a shade of pink?
I hadn’t heard of that before so I looked it up. So shiny and pretty! I totally consider it pink. I know what I’m getting with my next paycheck!
Snowliasion: Favorite colleague you slightly narcissistic noble mare?
Myself! Okay, okay, I’m not really that narcissistic that I’d pick myself. I should say Lily Blossom since I’ve known her since we were fillies and I’m trying to be nicer to her. But she’s making that really hard for me because seems determined to oppose everything I suggest. I suppose I have myself to blame for that and this is payback for all those years where she had to do whatever I said.
But it annoys me, so I’m not going to pick her. So I’m going to pick Sweetie Swirl.*
*The only pony we’ve not yet seen in this story or one of the prequels.
Spamotron: Since your goal is to prove that there's more to you than your family's money I assume you're trying to pick up some useful skills to do things other mares at the hotel can't already cover. So what are you looking into? Or am I mistaken?
I hate to admit this, but I’m still struggling with the basics. Growing up we had cooks, maids, butlers, etc. in my household, so I’ve only been cooking and cleaning since I trotted through the portal. I’m already behind the curve, so I haven’t even thought of trying to do something none of the others can do.
I’d like to do that, but I’m overwhelmed right now. Maybe someday? I hope…
Roxylalolcat: Most memorable moment (good, bad, or just plain weird) with a guest?
Well, I have one that hits all three. Someone tried to rob one of my guests, and I snuck behind the mugger and bucked his legs out from under him. His weapon thingy went flying and the guest recovered it, and then the police came and they called me a hero.
So it was good that I stopped the would-be robber, but bad that someone tried to mug him in the first place. Overall it was a weird situation and I sincerely hope it doesn’t come up again.
Reese: You seem very interested in gadgets, and you mention getting new models frequently. What do you do with the old ones when you get replacements?
They go in a dresser drawer in case my newest model stops working. I have to have backups!
Reese: Have you looked into the conditions those devices are produced under and/or how the raw materials are required? Basically, all the parts between some rocks in the ground and you taking the device out of the package. If so, how do you feel about that?
No, I haven’t.*
*Something similar will be addressed in the second act. Except instead of electronics, it will be where marshmallows come from. Her favorite cereal is Lucky Charms.
Reese: As a suggestion for a skill to develop, once you're ready, have you considered electronics repair and modification? On a personal level, it could save you money and allow you to have unique devices suited to your own desires and needs rather than just the latest version of what thousands of other people also have. On a societal level, repair and reuse of devices that already exist reduces pollution, and you could ensure that the labor conditions of you and anyone working with you were good. On a business level, if you get good enough, you could offer your services to others, possibly just guests at the hotel at first but perhaps with a broader customer base later, perhaps even through the mail. And if you get really good, you might be able to start designing and building your own and go into business doing that, on Earth or possibly even in Equestria.
You think big! I like! Earth has way too much competition, but I could go in with Daisy and Lulu on a tech company in Equestria… They’re learning the technical aspects, while I can provide startup capital and advice. Nopony uses gadgets more than me!
Emil: What was the favorite food/drink that you discovered on human-Earth?
Carvel milkshakes!
penguincascadia: Have you considered investing some of your family's money into human stock and bond markets? If you're worried about risk, there's always making it nil in the long run through holding index funds...
Oh, I like that idea. If I'd actually brought some of my family's money along with me, I'd try that. It's risky, but what's life without risks? Boring, says I!
Thanks to Feathermay, I discovered that pony names don’t translate to English quite as well as everyone originally thought. What’s the most direct translation of your name?
She Who Shines Like A Rose-Tinted Diamond.
RoyaleFanaticGal: Do you just like pink diamonds? Or black diamonds are amazing too? Or red diamonds? Or white diamonds?
All diamonds are amazing, dear, but I like the pink ones best. I’m very, very biased in this regard, what with my cutie mark and all. Of course, I would also never turn down a diamond of another color should it be offered to me.
Royale Princess: If you had to pick a place on Earth to travel to, where would it be?
The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Is rose gold considered a shade of pink? Because all yuppie and hipster Apple users love rose gold. It's mandated in the terms of service or something.
And as for eligible bachelors, I'm sure there are some cute guys working at the Apple Genius Bar who already know all about you due to them remotely administrating your gadgets for you. And they have some integrity, since they've made a big show over telling the FBI to buck off when it demanded remote access.
Favorite colleague you slightly narcisstic noble mare?
Since your goal is to prove that there's more to you than your family's money I assume you're trying to pick up some useful skills to do things other mares at the hotel can't already cover. So what are you looking into? Or am I mistaken?
Most memorable moment (good, bad, or just plain weird) with a guest?
Also, I just wanna say these interviews are pretty cool!
5575232
I hadn’t heard of that before so I looked it up. So shiny and pretty! I totally consider it pink. I know what I’m getting with my next paycheck!
Added to the blog post as well. As always, thank you for the question!
5575250
Myself! Okay, okay, I’m not really that narcissistic that I’d pick myself. I should say Lily Blossom since I’ve known her since we were fillies and I’m trying to be nicer to her. But she’s making that really hard for me because seems determined to oppose everything I suggest. I suppose I have myself to blame for that and this is payback for all those years where she had to do whatever I said.
But it annoys me, so I’m not going to pick her. So I’m going to pick Sweetie Swirl.*
*The only pony we’ve not yet seen in this story or one of the prequels.
Added to the blog post as well. As always, thank you for the question!
5575285
I hate to admit this, but I’m still struggling with the basics. Growing up we had cooks, maids, butlers, etc. in my household, so I’ve only been cooking and cleaning since I trotted through the portal. I’m already behind the curve, so I haven’t even thought of trying to do something none of the others can do.
I’d like to do that, but I’m overwhelmed right now. Maybe someday? I hope…
Added to the blog post as well. As always, thank you for the question!
5575324
Well, I have one that hits all three. Someone tried to rob one of my guests, and I snuck behind the mugger and bucked his legs out from under him. His weapon thingy went flying and the guest recovered it, and then the police came and they called me a hero.
So it was good that I stopped the would-be robber, but bad that someone tried to mug him in the first place. Overall it was a weird situation and I sincerely hope it doesn’t come up again.
Added to the blog post as well. As always, thank you for the question!
You seem very interested in gadgets, and you mention getting new models frequently. So, a number of questions on that:
1: What do you do with the old ones when you get replacements?
2: Have you looked into the conditions those devices are produced under and/or how the raw materials are required? Basically, all the parts between some rocks in the ground and you taking the device out of the package. If so, how do you feel about that?
3: As a suggestion for a skill to develop, once you're ready, have you considered electronics repair and modification? On a personal level, it could save you money and allow you to have unique devices suited to your own desires and needs rather than just the latest version of what thousands of other people also have. On a societal level, repair and reuse of devices that already exist reduces pollution, and you could ensure that the labor conditions of you and anyone working with you were good. On a business level, if you get good enough, you could offer your services to others, possibly just guests at the hotel at first but perhaps with a broader customer base later, perhaps even through the mail. And if you get really good, you might be able to start designing and building your own and go into business doing that, on Earth or possibly even in Equestria.
(@AlwaysDressesInStyle:
Sorry if this is a difficult one. Well, trio.)
5575863
Apple is notoriously hostile to any sort of modification or user control. I would certainly encourage Diamond to give the Librem 5 or Pinephone a try, or even a Raspberry Pi, and see what she can do with it. But social butterflies gonna social, and techie nerds gonna techie. But they aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. I wonder if Diamond would consider dressing in a Molly Millions or Motoko Kusanagi-inspired ensemble (not a full-on 'cosplay') for a soiree.
As for Microsoft, they've pulled so much unacceptable bullshit over the Windows 10 lifecycle, and from what we know about 11, they've learned nothing. Time to switch to linux full-time.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/08/linux-bsd-command-line-101-using-awk-sed-and-grep-in-the-terminal/
5575863
Added your questions (and their answers) to the blog post. As always, thank you for the questions!
5576182
Apple is notoriously hostile to any sort of modification or user control. I would certainly encourage Diamond to give the Librem 5 or Pinephone a try, or even a Raspberry Pi, and see what she can do with it.
I have no idea what any of the above are, lol. I'm not fond of Microsoft, and I outright despise Google and refuse to deal with them at all. My computer is more than seven years old, so I expect to replace it in the next few years. What do you recommend?
I wonder if Diamond would consider dressing in a Molly Millions or Motoko Kusanagi-inspired ensemble (not a full-on 'cosplay') for a soiree.
She loves being the center of attention, so you never know!
5576507
My computer is more than seven years old, so I expect to replace it in the next few years. What do you recommend?
Between Corona interfering with production and jerkass cryptominers snapping up GPUs, it's damn near impossible to get a decent GPU for less than triple the MSRP. I would like to get an RX 6900 XT once they get down to $800 or so. You should probably get a Ryzen APU and stick to the integrated onboard graphics until you can get a standalone video card that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. And with Valve giving serious development to the open SteamOS, learn to use Debian or Arch. Or else, Mint, ZorinOS and the *buntu family are the usual recommendations for newbies.
Of course, if you aren't into gaming or intensive editing and number crunching, a Raspberry Pi 4B with an Argon Case or a Pi 400 will serve you just fine for a livingroom media-watching and regular web-browsing and classic arcade emulation setup.
5576532
My newest console is a PS2 if that tells you anything about my gaming habits. That I don't even know where it is should tell you everything else.
A gamer I'm not.
I'll look into a Raspberry Pi. Thank you for the suggestion!
5576182
Aye. I wouldn't count myself as a techie nerd, certainly not compared to some people I know, but I think I probably know at least a bit more about the inside of my computer than the average person. I also unfortunately got onto OSX as a kid (though we had OS9 when I was really young; I think OSX came along when I was in early middle school?), and by the time I realized "Um, wait, Apple's doing what now?" (though, of course, Apple got worse over the years, too), all my stuff was set up for OSX. And I was reminded by your comment, just as an example, of when the OS updated, and I discovered that Apple had made Library, I think it was, a hidden folder, without any sort of notification to the user of the change. Now, I quickly unhid it again on my machine, and I discovered the change in the first place because I do do things in there -- but wow, apparently even a level of subsurface user control and customization potential as shallow as being able to access the Library folder without having to know it's there and how to navigate to a hidden folder was too much to give in Apple's eyes.
And hardware, ugh. Apple makes some good stuff! Some. And then makes some, ah, questionable choices about everything else. Like, my current main laptop is an older one, with silly luxuries like a headphone jack (though it doesn't have the needless extravagance of an ethernet port, I mean what are we, barbarians?), but opening it up shows, among other things, a batter very conveniently dividing into, as I recall, four separate modules, all of them glued down. My previous, even older main laptop, now my travel laptop, is of a model that, as I recall, is regarded as one of Apple's best. Optical drive, ethernet port, easily swappable battery and fan (as I recall, I replaced both over the time I've had it; I know I replaced at least the fan, and also the hard drive cable)... versatile and durable machine, even if mine's a bit worn from years of use. And the laptop I had before that, the battery, as I recall, could be changed without even taking the back off.
Buut no. All must stay in the walled garden and serve the Cult of Thin, these days...
5576500
Thanks, and you're welcome. :)
[reads answers]
re the spoiler: Ah, interesting; thanks.
Though that does still leave me wondering what she would think about the tech thing. Also leaves me curious about just how the marshmallow thing will go, though, so I'm not saying I'm uninterested in what you do plan to write. :)
And I do feel somewhat conflicted about aiding that sort of technology penetrating Equestria, but it looks like it's quite likely to anyway in this universe -- and if that's the case, better it be both well done and done on Equestrian terms.
5576860
Unlike some of the other mares, Diamond isn't quite aware of the ecological damage we've inflicted on our planet. Once it goes in the trash, she really doesn't think about it. Her eyes will eventually open to these things, but that will take time. What needs to happen is a shock to her system, and that will be the marshmallows.
As for tech creeping into Equestria, you can bet the big players (Microsoft, Apple, Comcast, Verizon, etc.) all want a piece of the pie. It's a new, untapped market. But that's also why Equestria sent their brightest and best - to learn from them and then innovate their own homegrown tech.
5576870
(Did you mean to have the spoiler tags stripped out of the quote? Or is there just no way to avoid that with that system, and you don't mind it too much? Not a problem for me, either way, but I don't know if you want text on that that out in the open.)
Ah, thanks for the additional information. :)
5576904
Fixed, thanks! This is what I get when I expect coding to copy/paste since I can drop MS Word docs into Fimfiction and it codes accordingly for me (at least it does for bold, italics, underlines, and subscripts - I haven't tested strike through or superscript but I see no reason to think those wouldn't work). You would think coding copied on the website itself would also copy. Sigh.
5576952
Hm.
[tests]
Yeah, looks like spoiler tags, unlike various other bits of formatting, don't copy when copying text FIMFiction-to-FIMFiction.
[shrugs]
Computers.
5577245
To err is human, but to really mess up you need a computer.
5577308
Heh. I believe I've heard something like that before, aye. :)
Have you considered investing some of your family's money into human stock and bond markets? If you're worried about risk, there's always making it nil in the long run through holding index funds...
5681057
Merci! Answered in the blog, as usual!
5687363
Thank you for the question - replied in the blog!
I'm quite happy that the Fairphone 4 was released in the US.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/07/fairphone-is-coming-to-america/
Using open sourced alternatives and abstraction layers to buffer against Google's should-be-illegal bullshit, and provides a relatively easy to use middle ground that's fully compatible with the Android Store and the open source Fdroid repository without having to flash a completely new alternative rom.
That said, Google/Alphabet has been becoming more and more evil. Mv3 is nothing short of a war crime.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/12/chrome-users-beware-manifest-v3-deceitful-and-threatening
I would say anyone still using Chrome at this late hour have hit the limit of insanity and apathy, but then, some people might be willing to let Musk stick chips and electrodes in their brain.
https://www.wired.com/story/everything-we-know-about-neuralinks-brain-implant-trial/
The videogame Cyberpunk 2077 is heavily based on William Gibson, Shirow Masamune and Neal Stephenson's ideas, and such a society may well be in the near-future. But anyone who trusts Elon Musk deserves to have their neurons roasted and be reduced to a vegetable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-sNSjS8cq0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiZhdpLXZ8Q
It's funny how Web3 bros keep going on about decentralization supposedly setting people free, yet from the very beginning, the Internet was designed to be secure, robust and uninterruptible.
People are just too lazy to learn to use non-corporate protocols and standards that have been around since the '70s, and the FBI has been pushing to dismantle.
I'm a little drunk right now, due to the stress of having to deal with family tomorrow. Please ignore the rant.
5756167
That's why I won't touch Google anything. Good luck with tomorrow!