DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Roleplaying is Magic
HTML https://rpismagic.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Canterlot
*****************************************************
#Post#: 4005--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Haywire Date: November 14, 2014, 9:24 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Back at the pile where Hay had disappeared into moments before,
his little green head poked itself out, displacing some of the
junk as he blinked in the direction that Star had called, him
tilting his head a bit before retreating back into the pile. The
pile shook slightly and the sound of things being moved around
inside was audible as Hay again failed to surface from it,
though the reason why became obvious when he reappeared not in
that pile but instead the one nearest the mares... somehow...
Poking his head back out near them, he gave the suspected
invention a visual once over before grinning, "Yup! That looks
like the one alright!" Hay cheerfully confirmed, the peanut
shaped gadget device thingie scurrying about in search of a way
to escape and passing close enough to him for the stallion to
chance a quick pounce, though his prefacing it with a shouted "I
got it!" allowed the device enough warning to dart away in time
to avoid capture.
"Cut off it's escape routes and go for it whenever it's close
enough, please," Hay instructed at Jazz's offer of help, instead
of chasing after, again buried himself in his scrap heap of
parts and half finished toys, this time being missing for less
time however as he almost immediately popped back out, an alarm
clock this time managing to remain balanced on his head while he
was visible. "Thanks for finding it!" he said to Star just as
the alarm clock, evidently irritated, started to ring, it
remaining annoying until Hay again dug into his cover and left
it behind.
"I got it!" he again shouted from another spot, popping out from
somewhere he shouldn't have logically been able to reach from
where he was last seen. Just as before, giving himself away
before actually getting it worked against him as the peanut
escaped once more, this repeating a couple more times until Hay
seemed to try a new strategy.
The peanut machine drivy divey whatchamajiggy paused for a
break, inevitably beside yet another one of Hay's sources of
parts. This time however, Hay slowly raised his head up enough
for his goggled eyes to lock onto his target, him then moving
forward like a shark in water as he drew a little closer and
readied to catch the slippery little machine.
Closer... Closeeeeer... Just about... wait for iiiiiit-
"I got it!" Hay again shouted, popping up out of his hiding spot
with a big grin as bits and pieces of scrap flew this way and
that, him then jumpong out of his place to try and pounce onto
the machine that again was warned well in advance and succeeded
in getting away eve if Hay failed to notice this right away. He
landed, giggled, then slowly lifted his hooves only to find
absolutely nothing underneath them aside form the floor of the
workshop, him blinking in confusion while the peanut shaped
escape artist of a machine fled towards the mares.
#Post#: 4039--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Star Catcher Date: December 3, 2014, 6:41 am
---------------------------------------------------------
"Cut off its escape routes" sounded easy enough to Star, which
was exactly what she relayed to Jazz in response to her
question. "It's just a shame a day can't go by without
cooperation," she added with a sigh and a shake of her head
before blocking off one of the few paths available through all
the clutter she'd yet to make headway with. There was just so
much working against her, it felt like, and she had no idea how
to solve her problem. Yet she had to, because she felt like she
owed it to Hay...
Wearing a light frown as those thoughts lingered on the edges of
her mind, she stood watch in front of her chosen pathway, ears
perked at attention as she waited for something to happen. She
could hear Hay shout that he got it, making her relax just as
bit as she waited for him to come back into sight--confusion
overtook her as he repeated the statement a few moments later,
as if he'd not quite succeeded. Shortly following the barely
audible 'thud' of his failed second attempt at capturing the
little peanut thing, Star caught movement of the machine in
question as it rounded one of the piles of scrap and scurried
into her field of vision.
Strangely enough, it was headed straight for her. Not bothering
to second-guess this, Starr narrowed her eyes a bit and lowered
her body into a crouch like a cat readying a pounce, she waited
for it to scurry closer and closer... before finally doing just
what she looked like she was going to, and leapt for the
machine, hoping to finish the silly chase once and for all.
Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy. As she pounced, the
little machine turned at the last moment and darted out from
underneath her, leaving her no room to adjust herself with her
wings. Instead of meeting the machine, she met the floor
instead--and after a moment of gathering herself she huffed and
raised her head to look around, only to see that it had gone
Jazz's direction instead, even if it might not have known yet.
#Post#: 4067--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Jazz Date: December 13, 2014, 7:39 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Jazz keeps her eye on the the thing moving beneath the piles of
gizmos as best she can, though it's a bit hard to track it's
movements in places. Still, she positions herself in a spot that
seems like it will have to pass if it manages to avoid both
Haywire and Star. Unless it can somehow pass through the large
rectangular something-or-other a little to her side. She keeps
focused on the movement as Haywire pops back out of the pile for
just a moment before retreating, and then, somehow, appearing in
an entirely different pile. Despite the little green stallion's
disregard for the general rules of reality, Jazz remains focused
on peanut-beetle thing scurrying around with the exoskeleton.
She can't help but giggle a little at Haywire's repeated
attempts to capture the device. She wonders if this kind of
thing happens often around here. Jazz readies herself to lunge
for the little machine as it avoids Haywire's grasp one more
time, though it heads for Star rather than her. Getting prepared
turns out to have been a good idea though, as the peanut swerves
away from the pegasus' pounce and heads right toward Jazz. The
white unicorn is not as spry as she used to be, and when the
thing darts towards her she's a little too slow to dive for it,
barely missing as it scuttles away toward another pile of
gadgets, clearly attempting to get back out of view. Jazz
manages to get her hooves under herself again and takes off
after the delinquent robot, knocking a few of the other machines
aside in her effort to catch it. She manages to catch up just as
it's about to disappear into the pile, and with no other
options, dives for it again. Her hooves are mere inches away
when she careers into the small mountain of machinery, and the
whole thing comes tumbling down around her and the fleeing
machine. For a few moments the mechanical odds and ends shift
about, settling down into their new shape. Then a pair of hooves
bursts upwards out of the top, the little robot grasped between
them flailing it's legs and whirring it's wheels in a vain
attempt to escape. "I got it!" Jazz yells, her head popping out
of the pile as well and the mare grinning widely. Unfortunately,
though she wasn't hurt by the cascade of doodads, she's not as
adept at moving through them as Haywire is, and it takes her a
good thirty seconds to extract herself, during which time she
very nearly loses her grip on the wayward robot. She does manage
to regain her grip just in time and pulls herself fully out of
the pile. She gives a giggle and faces the other two. "Right, so
now what do we need to do?"
#Post#: 4068--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Haywire Date: December 14, 2014, 1:04 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
After a few more seconds of being unable to grasp that his
flawless plan had failed him, Haywire was pulled out of it when
he heard somepony hit the ground, an assumption that it had
something to do with his escaped quarry leading him to trot off
to investigate. Seeing Star on the ground after her pounce he
came closer to check and see if she was both okay and if she had
succeeded. Seeing no peanut shaped machine near her however
answered the latter right away.
"Are you o-" he was in the middle of asking before being
interrupted by the cacophony of noise that was the collapse of
the everything around Jazz. It wasn't difficult to spot the
spectacle, Haywire right away taking off in a gallop towards the
possible disaster waiting for him, him stopping at the edge of
it all with a slight sliding of his hooves. For a few moments he
looked worried over the possibility of Jazz having gotten hurt,
not many ponies other than he being capable of navigating metal
and the like with little trouble, but his worries were soon
alleviated when Jazz' hooves triumphantly burst out from the
pile clutching the machine they had all been chasing. Hay sat
down and gave the mare a short round of applause at the victory.
"Good work everypony!" the inventor praised, giving Star another
look and a quick scan of his eyes to check for any boo boos on
her part, though finding it difficult to search her in such a
way for long without his cheeks heating up a little bit, "Are
you alright though, Jazz? That looked like a bump if ever I've
seen one." Offering a hoof to assist her escape of the pile she
was in should she wish to accept, Haywire gave her a grin at the
question.
Seeing that she was holding the runaway peanut wheely deal and
not the exoskeleton it had made off with, Haywire turned his
attention back to the pile and brushed some of the debris away
before sticking his head into it and grabbing hold of something
with his teeth.
"Now!" Hay spoke through his teeth as he pulled out the
exoskeleton from beneath the garbage/scrap/potentially priceless
gadgets depending on your view, him walking backwards until the
invention was in the middle of the three ponies little triangle
while Bubo, having been lost in scrap when Haywire had dove into
the first pile, reappeared to land on his head with a rather
flat look, "I need to figure out how to add some more muscle to
this design to act as actual legs. But first I need some general
questions asked. Firstly, how tall is your wife? Taller or
shorter than Star? Secondly, do you have any pictures of her
before she lost her legs that I could use as a reference? I can
get started by basing the early build off of your legs, Star, if
you don't mind of course, then tweek the design either after I
have a picture or when we can get Jazz' wife in for a test of
the prototype.
"We're there any details you wanted me to know about or take
into consideration during the development?" He asked Jazz as he
picked up his exoskeleton and started giving it a good look to
refresh his memory of the smaller details, "anything at all?
Maybe add in a cup holder? Some bouncy hooves for extra jumping
power? Oh! Oh! Water skis and propellers!" Haywire, being
Haywire, of course never made any mention of needing to be paid
for his work, his eager eyes and gleeful smile showing his
satisfaction with merely helping somepony and building something
new. Bubo, recognizing his forgetfulness, knew where we're that
was going, the metal bird trying to think of a way to raise the
question with his limitations in communicating with ponies other
than his creator.
#Post#: 4075--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Star Catcher Date: December 16, 2014, 8:39 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Star rose from her hooves after the robot zips past Jazz,
worried that they'd have to continue going on a wild chase for
the little troublemaker. Just as she started to trot over to the
other mare in an attempt to help her up though, Jazz got back
onto her own hooves and chased after it. Not quite following
with the same enthusiasm, Star continued to trot along at the
same pace she had been, a little aggravated that they were
actually having to do this. Though when she heard another loud
crash and a cacophony of one more pile of scrap tumbling down,
her pace picked up a little bit, worried that Jazz might have
gotten herself injured.
She did breath a sigh of relief when Jazz emerged unscathed from
the freshly-made pile--the mare despairing briefly that it was
just even more clutter that was blocking contributing to the
messiness of the shop, and that its new status was just going to
make clean-up harder--then perked her ears to give Hay attention
when he spoke and told them both what they were to do next. Not
really having anything to add to the detailing of his plans, she
only nodded when he mentioned using Star as a reference and
responded with, "Sure, I'm up for that, Hay. I'd be glad to
help."
He then began asking about any other details Jazz might have
wanted to share, or take into consideration, which brought up
the thought of payment to Star. It would probably be best to be
up front about its expensiveness before things really got under
way. "That aside," she spoke up after Hay began listing off
various additions the legs could come with. "Something like this
will probably be very expensive, miss Jazz. Not only up front,
but down the road--all the repairs something like this might
take in the future. I hate to put a price on something that
seems so... priceless, but, well... We have to eat too, I hope
you understand. I just wanted to mention that now so we can move
forward without any complication. Were you hoping to have it
done on any kind of budget?"
#Post#: 4099--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Jazz Date: December 31, 2014, 12:21 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Jazz nods in thanks to Haywire as he helps pull her out of the
pile of gadgets, and gives a giggle at his applause. She makes a
shallow mock bow and then takes a moment to stretch out her
limbs. "Yeah, I'm alright. Not the worst spill I've had." She
looks down at the little robot in her hooves when Hay moves to
stick his head into the pile of debris. She gives a muttered
"Whoops." at the revelation that the device is not still holding
the exoskeleton, though she still doesn't release it from her
hold. She watches the little green stallion pull the exoskeleton
out to lay between the three of them. "She's not very big,
probably about the same size you are." She taps her hoof against
the peanutbot a few times, pausing to think. "I can find a
picture to bring in, no problem. Do you think you'll be able to
do it off just that? I'd like it to be a surprise if
possible..." She glances down at the exoskeleton, a bit unsure
just what kinds of things you could fit into a set of legs. "I
didn't really consider anything other than just getting the
legs, and I'm not sure if she'd really like any of that
stuff..." Jazz trails off, looking over toward Star when she
starts talking over Hay's rambling. "I figured this wouldn't be
cheap. As for a budget... I'm really not sure. I should be able
to pay for quite a bit, but do you have any idea how much it
might end up being?"
#Post#: 4113--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Haywire Date: January 7, 2015, 1:24 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
"Aww," Haywire whined, blowing a short raspberry when Jazz
didn't seem to be all for his idea to soup up the legs with
fancy gadgets and attachments. He got over it pretty quick
though as is his returning grin soon showed, his tale almost
wagging in excitement over the new project. However, this was
soon overtaken by an utterly lost expression when the subject of
proper payment for his work came up.
"Uhh..." Was all he could manage after a couple of blank blinks,
Haywire not knowing what or how to add to the discussion now
that it was moving on to a more serious and less fun topic.
judging it's cost would require mathing up what all the parts
would cost... and that would mean trying to figure out what the
parts he'd need to use would be and what they were worth before
starting... Which wasn't really how he went about inventing
since it often required him to go through all kinds of the stuff
he had laying around and... stuff.
Bubo on the other hand was quick to contribute, or at least
leave to do so as he lifted a wing as if to ask for a moment
before flapping his wings and carrying himself off of his spot
atop Hay's head and off towards some corner of the workshop
where, almost right after he vanished behind a pile of scrap,
some vigorous clicking could be heard.
Haywire, now one metal bird lighter, just gave another lost
glance between those present as he wondered what he should say
or do. Thankfully the workshop decided for him.
Seconds later a loud bang was heard a short distance away
followed by an erratic crackling and finally what could be
guessed was a slide whistle being put through trials. Something
whirred to life, and from where the ponies were they could just
make out what appeared to be bits and pieces of machinery
bobbing in and out of site from just over one of the taller
scrap piles beside them. Happy for the distraction, and feeling
he would be no help in this anyway, Haywire took off in a trot.
"I got it!" the pony assured as he headed off to deal with the
ruckus, "Be back in a sec!" It took moments for him to take his
own leave of the mares, though they weren't alone for long since
Bubo, now holding the corner of a long scroll that dangled
beneath him. He flew in a small circle when he arrived, but when
it became clear Haywire had been needed elsewhere he decided to
land on Star's shoulder instead. He figured that she did seem
the better candidate for handling this part of the business
anyway. No offense meant towards his creator of course, but with
how easily distracted he could become deciding on a budget
didn't really fit into his area of expertise.
Once landed Bubo offered the scroll to Star for her to look
over, it being a list of possible materials that could be used
to start the project based on his predictions when it came to
Haywire's unpredictability. Thankfully Star's recent efforts to
try and better organize the workshop had allowed Bubo a chance
to actually tag along and take a better look at what they had
buried in the multiple messes surrounding them, and while he
couldn't be entirely sure of what Haywire would gravitate
towards for the work ahead of him, it did let him narrow down
his suspicions.
Even still, the list covered most everything between a toaster
and an old scrapped "graviton" project that Bubo wouldn't
comment on if pressed.
The metal bird's estimates told that depending on the quality of
the legs Jazz would want for her wife, and how successful both
he and Star were in keeping Haywire to stick to the budget, the
price of the initial prototype would vary considerably between a
cheap but unreliable model to more expensive but comfortable
ones ranging in price of hundreds of bits with the most
expensive being quite possibly over half a grand if she wanted
something super fancy right of the bat. The list didn't cover
further expenses for improved models, repairs, maintenance,
rebuilds and adjustments, but it would be safe to assume that
prices would be similarly diverse depending on what Jazz wanted
them to work with. Really, and he doubted he needed to inform
Star of this, but it was up to Jazz.
Either way, bubo left the negotiating and what not in Star's
hooves. To him, any money would be better than the almost no
money the shop currently had to it's name, and his lack of a
proper voice box made communicating with ponies other than the
one that built him pretty impossible. She, as he concluded
earlier, seemed the best choice fo rit anyway.
Meanwhile, giggling could be heard as, should they look, Haywire
could now be seen bobbing in and out of sight along side the
bits of machinery from earlier as his attempts to settle the
disturbance nearby was... Going well?
#Post#: 4124--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Star Catcher Date: January 15, 2015, 8:47 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Star's gaze fell a bit when Jazz denied having any kind of
budget to work with. That'd make things a little bit more
complicated, since she had no idea what parts would be used, or
how long it would take Haywire to complete... As the mare asked
Star what she thought the whole thing might end up being, she
nervously and hesitantly bit her lip as she tried to conjure up
a rough estimate. Thankfully, she didn't have to think very
long; her gaze was diverted when she noticed Bubo raise his
wing. She rose a brow inquisitively at the metal bird as if
attempting vainly to encourage it to elaborate, despite it
lacking vocal cords.
Moments later, when Bubo had disappeared into the workshop, Star
jumped as things seemed to spring to life--first when the loud
bang sounded off, then again when things whirred to life, though
the second was much less pronounced. Unsure of what was going
on, she simply glanced uncertainly to Jazz before shrugging in
defeat and murmuring, "Guess we'll see" to the mare beside her
when Hay ran off.
She stood awkwardly for the few moments between Hay's departure
and Bubo's arrival, then offered a relieved and welcoming smile
to the bird when he landed on Star's shoulder. She then took the
scroll when Bubo offered it to her and waved Jazz to her side
for the mare to join her in taking a look. With number
projections in front of her, she felt like she had a much better
grasp on the situation, and a clearer path for the way forward.
"So... It looks like our list here goes from cheapest to most
expensive... Judging by the parts and mechanisms involved, the
quality goes along with the price. So... basically you'd get
what you paid for. I can't imagine with something as important
as this, you'd want something of that quality, and you mentioned
you can pay quite a bit, so..." she drew out as she folded the
scroll so that the low-end options were out of sight, the paper
now only displaying price ranges at or above the 250 bit mark.
"This looks like it starts from the mid-way mark, to the luxury
range. As we go higher though, please keep in mind that future
repairs and maintenance will reflect its build cost.
"But, on the other hoof... We can also make the legs more
aesthetically pleasing the more expensive we go. Incorporate
some sort of... style, or design around whatever mechanics
Haywire puts into the legs. If you can't think of anything, I'm
sure I might be able to look into a few things for ideas and
draw something up for you to approve later.
"As for the payment itself, no matter what route we go, the
money doesn't have to be all paid up front. We could put a down
payment on it, and then have you pay some amount we'll decide on
later every month. So... With all of that in mind, do you see
anything here that you think could fit what you wanted for her?"
#Post#: 4128--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Jazz Date: January 18, 2015, 2:21 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Jazz watches Bubo fly off somewhere, curious as to what the
little machine was doing. Seems to be something important,
whatever it is. She looks over at Hay, wondering if he has
anything to say about the price, but the little stallion just
looks a bit lost. Jazz does jump a little bit herself when some
machine somewhere suddenly springs to life, though it's just a
slight startle. She notices that Star doesn't seem very
comfortable with whatever is going on, and frowns slightly as
Hay runs off. "Does this kind of stuff happen often?" She asks,
trying to get a decent look at whatever was happening past the
pile of gadgets, though she really can't see much of anything.
She gives up after a few more moments when Bubo returns carrying
a sheet of paper, and steps in when Star motions her closer to
take a look. Most of the list was complete nonsense to her, the
names of all the bits and pieces that might be used for
construction not really meaning anything to the white unicorn.
The prices catch her eye though, and even as Star is explaining
she begins making some mental math about what she's able to pay
for. She could likely do the 250 bit one just out of savings,
but above that she may indeed have to take up the offer of
monthly payment. She supposes she could borrow some money from
her parents if she really needs too, though Jazz would really
prefer not to. Thyme would likely be fine with them even at the
most basic as long as they even kind of function properly,
but... Jazz would really like to get the best thing she could.
The mare bites her lip as she looks over the listed prices. The
highest prices on the list were likely too much to justify, even
if she could get the money for it. Most likely she'd be looking
at something in the 300 to 400 range. "I think..." Jazz says,
after a couple more moments of thought. "I could go as high as
400. I wish I could do more but I'm not made of money..."
#Post#: 4130--------------------------------------------------
Re: The First Step
By: Haywire Date: January 24, 2015, 11:10 am
---------------------------------------------------------
A clattering was heard nearby just before bits and pieces of old
machinery were being tossed about left and right in the wake of
the small inventor who'd somehow managed to be launched from
whatever had been keeping him airborne to the peak of the
closest collection of junk. There he tumbled head over tail
downwards until finally reaching the ground and, by some
unexplainable magic, stopping his momentum in the blink of an
eye so as to plant himself in a sitting position next to the
mares and bird.
"Ice skates!" he suggested as if nothing had just happened,
continuing his earlier listing of possible accessories or the
legs he'd be building, "I can make it so you tap a hoof and they
schwing on out so that she can be ready for any winter! Oh! And
the ability to leave an oil slick behind her whenever shes being
chased by spies!"
Bubo chirped to capture his attention, a wing being pointed at
the list he'd made to direct his attention. Hay trotted closer
to get himself a better look but upon reading the list he only
tilted his head in confusion.
"I don't see any ice skates on here... Or anything about
emergency parachutes and deploy-able bouncy tents... Maybe I
should make a few changes? What do you guys think?"
*****************************************************
DIR Next Page