What happened during the covert meeting?

This is my Christmas gift to my readers.

This week, I’m reading “Through the Well of Pirene” by Ether Echoes.  Every time I think that there is no other way for fan writers to reinterpret “My Little Pony”, someone like Ether Echoes comes along who creates a new spin on magical ponies.

One reason why My Little Pony is so popular is that it has a theme of friendship and teamwork.  I find that I am attracted to stories that feature how different characters can still be friends and work together to achieve common goals.  If you like stories about friendship and teamwork, it would be worth your time to see Girls und Panzer.

Larry gets two unexpected visitors

The diplomatic oath to the nation of Equestria in a nutshell is “I pledge that I will do no harm to the nation of Equestria or any of the talking inhabitants therein.”

A handful of my readers have been asking to see someone from WASS headquarters.  Maggie and Sheldon are from WASS HQ.  I had planned that these two would arrive by helicopter.  But, then I thought it would be funnier if they arrived by two teleportation booths that look like Dr. Who Tardis.

Larry’s problems

This second page explains what is happening to fictional Larry and the WASS employed ponies.

The central reason why fictional Larry is depressed is that he does not know how much time he will be spending as a pony or what problems he is going to deal with in pony society.  The few times fictional Larry visited the magical land of Equestria, he was a diplomat and tourist.

Now, he will play the role of an immigrant and thus must deal with pony society.  For example,

Pegasus ponies and Unicorns ponies consider Earth ponies to be country bumpkins and manual laborers.

Earth ponies and Unicorns ponies consider Pegasus ponies to be too flighty and intellectual lightweights for bona fide responsibility.

Earth ponies and Pegasus ponies consider Unicorns ponies to be wine and cheese aristocrats, incapable of doing the real work to maintain their unified society.

The cover page of my fourth chapter

My loyal readers:

I’ve started writing my fourth chapter of my comic.

I hope you will enjoy what you read.

I asked the real Larry Hunt if he thought my cover page was good.

Larry gave me a one word reply, “Epic!”

Sincerely yours,

James Buchanan

Letter from Irish President Higgins

I sent Irish President Higgins an Irish theme, My Little Pony comic.  I said in my letter to him that Irish culture is so popular that ever ponies celebrate Irish culture.

A few days later, President Higgins sent me a thank you letter.  The day I got that letter, I felt like Rainbow Dash after making a Sonic Rainboom.

How’s that for taking my “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” fandom to new heights?

Questions for my loyal readers

Dear loyal readers:

Do you think that my spiritual name is - or at least should be - “Dances with Ponies”?

I’m starting to read Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons.  Do you think that the adventures of Blackjack, a unicorn security mare from Stable 99 will be as entertaining as the adventures of Littlepip?

Have you ever noticed that I like ponies and unicorn mare ponies most of all?

Are you as excited as I am that Season Four of My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic is starting this Saturday?

Have you read any of the Conversion Bureau fan fiction stories?  This is fiction where humans of Earth drink magical potions to be converted into ponies and then to immigrate to Equestria.  If I drank the potion, what kind of pony (Earth pony, Pegasus pony, or Unicorn pony) do you imagine that I would become?

Sincerely yours,

Your generation four, My Little Pony fan author, James

Fallout: Equestria!

Good morning my loyal readers:

This morning, I finished reading Kkat’s “Fallout:  Equestria”.  This is a fusion of Fallout and the magical land of generation four of My Little Pony.  This story is one of the best fan fiction novels that I have ever read!

Kkat is a genius for turning a concept that should have become a lemon into a stunning success.  No wonder this story has a legendary rating on Equestria Daily!

If you have not read this masterpiece, start reading it today!

Sincerely yours,

James Buchanan

P.S.  Fallout:  Equestria is an adult novel.  The story describes adult activity, drug abuse, coarse language, and intense violence.  Reader discretion is advised.

Thank you, Lauren Faust!

Dear Lauren Faust:

The one reason why I become interested in My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic was that you developed that series.  As I liked “The Powerpuff Girls” and “Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends” I wanted to see what you could do with a series that I had until then had avoided like the plague.

I had intended to watch just the first episode.  But, as that episode ended in a cliffhanger, I watched the second.  After I had watched the first five episodes in a row, I was a newborn brony!  That happened late February, 2013.

On Friday October 25^th, 2013 my friend Kathy and I drove to Hot Topic.  There, we picked up two Fluttershy plush dolls, one for me and one for my friend Kathy that I had ordered days before.  Much to my surprise, the Hot Topic sales women addressed me by my name.  After my purchase, one of the sales staff gave me a thank you brohoof!  That makes sense, as I have bought about three hundred dollars worth of My Little Pony:  Friendship Is Magic goods from Hot Topic.

I’m embarrassed to admit this.  Before I become a brony, I had never shopped at Hot Topic, believing it was a gothic girl’s shop.  I only started shopping there, as the nice lady at the Miller Hill Mall information desk told me that Hot Topic has the largest collection of My Little Pony merchandise in the mall.

Thank you for giving all of us the fourth generation of My Little Pony.  It is a groundbreaking, transgenerational series.  Without you, neither I nor my friend Kathy would have become pony fans.

Also, you have inspired me to work harder on my own creativity.

Sincerely yours,

James Buchanan

Mystery Poster

This “mystery poster” was created by my friend Howard Hendrickson.  Please examine it for hidden clues before reading further.

<><><><> 

According to Howard, the Duluth map represents the setting of my web comic.

The superimposed unicorn represents the unicorn ponies and is an iconic tie to the WASS story.

The poster proposes an alternative history where intelligent cabs were manufactured in the first decade of the 1900’s.  This was many decades before the “Magical Cab Awakening” happened in the cannon comic.  The poster is for an early incarnation for the Choleric Coach Company.  Choleric is an anachronistic word for ill-tempered.

In the lower right you can find an invitation for me to come to Duluth to experience this coach company’s automated driven coaches - known for their distinctive, if foul tempered artificial intelligence.  This also supposes that I was born in the 1880’s, have automobile mechanics skills, while living in another city, such as Chicago, Illinois.

This invitation is from my friend Nikola Tesla who invented intelligent cab technology.  Only Nikola Tesla and a few trusted scientists who work for him understand the mechanism that creates intelligent cab technology.

In the upper left, if you look you will find a message in Morse code.  If Howard got it right, it is a happy anniversary message for my comic.

This poster opens up possibilities for an alternative universe, where angry cabs were manufactured in a steam punk universe, instead of created by an unknown force that made ordinary cabs into intelligent beings.

I thank Howard for this poster.  It was not what I expected, but I’m thankful for his artwork and the ideas expressed within it.

Note:  The cab in the cannon story only becomes angry when Abigail Adams’s family that feared and hated intelligent cabs sent him from New York City to Duluth, Minnesota.

Note:  Some of my readers have asked me if intelligent cabs can drive themselves, why these cabs need human drivers in the first place.  Because, that is the way I wrote the story.  I suppose that intelligent cabs need human drivers to interact with other humans, such as helping people and their luggage into and out of the cab, collecting fares, filling out tax forms, and so on.

Note:  “Washington's Army of Sorcerers and Sorceresses” (WASS) was created on April 19, 1775 by George Washington.  Working in secret, WASS Sorcerers and Sorceresses made great contributions to defend America.

For example, in 1776 they summoned storms and then a fog that made possible Washington’s retreat across the East River.

During the British attack on the city of Washington in 1814, WASS Sorcerers and Sorceresses summoned a severe thunderstorm and a tornado that helped to extinguish the fires set by British soldiers, while persuading them to evacuate the city.

Note:  In this world, most people are aware that magic exists and most use minor magical artifacts.  Yet, few know how common it is or how to control it to their advantage.

Two Twilights

These two Twilight Sparkles watch over me eight feet from my writing chair.  Yes, I measured the distance with a metal tape measure.  I suppose that attraction to detail, which most people would not take to the time to consider let alone do, is what makes me and my fictional counterpart Twilight so adorkable.

Pony dreams

The sun was setting during late evening.  Jim’s friend Kathy stood in Jim’s living room.  She surveyed the room’s many My Little Pony merchandise collection before looking down at the palomino coated, unicorn stallion pony sitting like a human in an armchair.  The pony looked down at his fore hooves, a hand towel draped on them.  The only noise in the room was the pony’s low sobs, followed by the pony’s awkward attempt to blow his nose into his hand towel.

With an almost imperceptible frown of her lips, Kathy said, “Jim, didn't you know that you are what you eat and become what you think?”

With his hand towel, the pony wiped tears from the checks of his sad face.  With a dejected voice, Jim said, “I know, but I didn't think that would literally happen.  I didn't think that if I spent too much time thinking about ponies that I’d become a pony.”

Kathy patted Jim’s large head and then stroked his long flaxen mane, resisting a sudden urge to brush it and then braid it with colorful ribbons.  “Don’t worry; in elementary school my daughter Megan wore the body of a Pegasus pony for seven days before she turned back into a human.”

Kathy then added, “As these human to pony and pony to human transformations only happen when someone is sleeping, there was no chance that my daughter would transform back into a human in the middle of class.”

Jim gave Kathy a worried look.  “How am I supposed to write with hooves?”

“Today, don’t worry about writing.  Just enjoy your time as a pony, as you can always write after you turn back into a human with hands.  If you must write, use your horn magic or use voice to text software.”

Is this the start of a romantic comedy?

This chapter concludes with an unexpected budding romance between Larry the Pegasus stallion and Fluttershy the Pegasus Mare.

Real Larry’s reaction to this comic page is “Cool! A romantic comedy?”

In the first two panels, Larry is steadying himself with his left hoof while sitting on the sofa.  The reason is that Larry is not accustomed to sitting down on his pony rump.  Also, the ragdoll was too big and cumbersome to fit into Larry’s high back chair.

One of the most talked about criticisms of web comics is that they have too many chatty explanations and there is not enough action.  I hope that my comic has the correct balance of talk and action.

So far, fictional Larry started this comic as a human shopkeeper and is now a Pegasus stallion and secret agent.  Just imagine the possibilities for adventures when Larry starts his flight training in Cloudsdale and his friendship with Fluttershy.

A few of my fans have asked me the reason why the title character, “Angry Cab” is a secondary character in his comic.  I need to rework the character and redefine Angry Cab’s relationship with Abigail Adams.  What I will not do is use overused, dumb and sexist clichés, such as “break the cutie” or the “damsel in distress” plot devices.

Original Angry Cab Story Copyright © 2013, James Patrick Buchanan

My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic, Copyright © Lauren Faust, DHX Media, and Hasbro Studios

Garry's Mod Copyright © Garry Newman and Facepunch Studios

Comipo! Copyright © ComiPo LLP

“Larry traded his trademark brown polyester blazer for a brown fur coat.”

Larry commented, “I'm honored; and I look damn good in a flight suit!”

I didn't want comic book Larry to wallow in self-pity, as Larry is too sagacious and sensible to indulge in meaningless self-pity.

Also, I don’t want Larry to say things that would be apparent to my readers, such as, “I never thought I’d look this good with a pony tail.”

“Larry gets some shocking news!”

This conservation takes place in one of the WASS base hospital patient rooms.  The point of view is Larry looking at Twilight Sparkle and Nurse Redheart.  I find creating images from the point of view of one the characters to be a bit harder to do well than third person point of view images.

Will fictional Larry be using Mane and Tail shampoo and conditioner from now on?

Trixie is looking after the artifact, making sure that no other human becomes “ponified by accident”.

My text describes my ponies’ origin story and my reasons why pony society is so similar to human society on this fictional Earth.  For some reason, I like the idea of the magical ponies evolving from broadminded and magical humans.

It must be my journalism training that motivates me to find out how things come into being the way they did.  I would like to see the My Little Pony writers explore why pony society and the human society described in the movie “My Little Pony:  Equestria Girls” are so similar in future television episodes or comic books.

I've seen the movie “My Little Pony:  Equestria Girls” and loved it.  This movie was better than I expected it to be and recommend it for fans who want to see these established characters in a new world.  To my surprise, no one walked out of the theater when the credits were rolling, perhaps to see a neat cameo appearance by Derpy Hooves holding a muffin.

My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic (favorite character Twilight Sparkle) is a rare series that I've invested my time, money, and energy into.  The last time I was this invested in a television series at this level of intensity was Sailor Moon (favorite character Sailor Jupiter).

I’m aware that this is a text heavy page; yet what law of comic book design decrees that every comic page MUST be filled with illustration frames?  There is no “one true way” to create a comic, as there is no one true way to create any other type of art.

Will Twilight and Trixie be able to save Larry?

The first panel shows Babs Seed and Twilight having a conversation.  It appears that Babs Seed is a gymnast to have made herself into a pony bridge between two turnstile structures.

The second panel shows that ponies can ride motorcycles.  Two (pony sized) helmets are inside the sidecar and unseen.

The third and fourth panels show the “Great and Powerful” Trixie relaxing beside a swimming lake in the ponies’ home world.  These panels also show that the ponies can move from their world to ours and back again with ease.

The fifth and sixth panels show James Buchanan and Hayate Anderson running in a hurry to the central command station.  I would imagine that it would be unfortunate if a strong enemy were to attack in the next few days, when their most experienced WASS agent is in the hospital.

What is that artifact, who built it, and why is it so powerful that reading an inscription can trigger it?  Keep reading my Angry Cab Comic and you will find out.

P.S.  If I ever have three daughters, it would be cute if their first names were inspired by My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic characters.  My first daughter will be named Twilight, the second daughter will be named Luna, and the third

daughter will be named Trixie.

My online comic - printed and then posted in the physical world.

On this Fourth of July, I will celebrate the many, hard won freedoms of past American generations by creating art and telling stories.

Larry’s ponies find a magical stone artifact

At this time, I’m learning on my own the skills to be a digital artist.  By trial and error, I’m finding out how different software assets appear on the page or screen.  I don’t have the money to attend comic book classes, but would like to do so in the near future.

I’m still learning how to use the available tools.  I still have no idea why my Garry's Mod props and ragdolls cast shadows in some shots and not cast shadows in other shots.

I’m making plans to upgrade my computer in a month or two, so I can start creating with Source Filmmaker (SFM).

“Larry's ponies recreating scenes from Gangnam Style!”

These scenes turned out better than I expected, given the inbuilt limitations of the Garry’s Mod pony ragdolls.  These pony forearms are so short - to make posing these to match South Korean musician Psy’s dance moves - difficult at best.  So, I did my best at recreating what the ponies could do to recreate shots from Gangnam Style; while hoping that you, my audience, will like the results.

Larry Hunt commented on this page, “Yes, very creative.  But how about mimicking "The Wizard of Oz" or "The Sapranos".  Something less current pop and more culturally iconic?”

I will consider Larry’s suggestion.  I will also consider ideas from my audience for future story arcs.

“The most surprising thing about working at WASS is . . .”

First, from now on I’ve decided to use the Garry's Mod ponies for my main characters and use the pony vectors as background art.

Second, the second panel, (upper right) features my Duluth and north shore of Lake Superior photography.

Third, regarding the last (lower right) panel, could a “My Little Pony:  Friendship Is Magic” pony, as described in the show, give comfortable massages with their hooves?

This panel depicts two Earth ponies named Lotus Blossom and Aloe who work as masseuse therapists at the Ponyville Day Spa.

http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Spa_ponies

According to this page, “The spa offers many services in (the episode) Green Isn't Your Color, such as massages, mud baths, seaweed bath wraps, steam rooms, and even horn filing for unicorn ponies.”

Lastly, I know that Larry Hunt might be the only member of his next high school class reunion to be featured in an online web comic.

Ask WASS Base Commander Larry Hunt

On this page, Larry Hunt answers the simple question:  “The most surprising thing about working at WASS is . . .”

I love the facial expressions I can achieve with Comipo’s Manga Software tools.  I have a hard time keeping a straight face when I see Larry’s face on the first panel.

I’m having a hard time posing pony ragdolls using Garry's Mod.  With more practice time, I’ll get better.

What do you like better, the two dimensional ponies or the three dimensional ponies?

I’m looking forward to watching the movie “My Little Pony:  Equestria Girls”.  I’m also looking forward to including human versions of the ponies in my online comic.

Ask WASS Staff

This page asks and then answers a simple question:  “The most surprising thing about working at WASS is . . .”

This is another page where the characters talk to the readers, breaking the fourth wall between my fictional work and its audience.

The pony images were taken from “#MLP-VectorClub”, while backgrounds are from “Garry's Mod”.

You look like a Star Fleet Captain

The first conservation between Larry and James depicted on this page was inspired by a real-world conservation I had with my friend James McManus.  He was sitting back in his office chair when I thought he looked like Captain Kirk sitting in his command chair, watching his subordinates do all the real work.

So, I said to him, “You look like a Star Fleet Captain”.  Mr. McManus was amused.

And, if I ever get rich from my talents, I’m going to buy my friend a copy of Kirk's command chair.  I think that Mr. McManus would look cute and cool sitting on it.

I apologize to my fans that I used the same figure posture for the character models in the first four panels.  The blame rests on Comipo’s rather limited posture set for sitting on a chair; the other posture figures had one or both arms resting on school desks and that would appear strange in my panels.

The second conservation between Abigail and Hayate was inspired by my love for the animated series, Girls und Panzer, which is far more entertaining than the silly premise sounds.  For the record, Abigail Adams is a fan of that series.

I hope that someday, someone will make a series that combines “My Little Pony” and “Girls und Panzer” and call it, Ponies und Panzer.

Note:  The backgrounds for these panels were made with Garry's Mod.  I recommend that anyone interested in animation and digital art learn to use this outstanding program.

Modest Office, under Second Street!

I thought about naming this page, “Tanks a lot” but didn't.

Pony problems

This brief exchange between Hayate Anderson and Larry Hunt happened in the WASS base, in a cavern deep under Duluth’s Second Street.  I love the expressions my characters have, as they express my characters’ emotions, with as much skill as their words convey information.

In future pages, I hope to create more three dimensional backgrounds that will help me secure a job in advertising, animation, or computer games.

King Manor Café; Your 5th Floor Grocery Store

This is an excellent page to use the photographs I took when Larry Hunt closed his store.  It pays the comic artist to take pictures of special events, as you never know when you may need these for background locations.

I felt depressed when my friend Larry closed his store.  But, I’m sure that his next business will do even better.

My friends told me that they like the lower left panel, with the reflection of Larry’s store and the fifth floor commons area, superimposed upon the Tri-Towers Apartments.  One advantage of using a real city in my web comic is that residents of the Twin Ports can identify with the locations, as well as promote tourism to my home city.

Favorite pony:  Fluttershy

Favorite Fluttershy song:  So Many Wonders

http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/So_Many_Wonders

Favorite Fluttershy episode, based on the first three seasons:  Dragonshy

Talking while on Duluth’s waterfront Lakewalk

Hayate Anderson and James Buchanan talk about their upcoming WASS assignment.  I attempted to make Hayate appear to have an adventurous personality similar to My Little Pony’s Rainbow Dash, while James is the more thoughtful character similar to My Little Pony’s Twilight Sparkle.

Bronies Brohoof

Hayate Anderson and James Buchanan are both fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  When Larry hired Hayate and James, they celebrated with a fist bump that resembles the hoof bump depicted by the pony characters in the series.  Hayate is a Pegasister and James is a Brony, but that will not have a big impact on the comic, at least in the third chapter.

As an artist, I wanted to see if I could depict a brohoof using ComiPo!  While not perfect, the last panel on the page turned out well.

The third chapter introduces two new characters; who are standing under the Interstate 35 overpass south of Downtown Duluth.