Re: [GRIMDARK] Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons Discussion

[WavemasterRyx]

Currently up to page 37 (of 50) in doing my commentary... I'm really sorry it's taking so long, Somber and Hinds.

So I made a short story about the starmetal sword after my thirteen hour shift. I'm pretty sleep deprived when I wrote it so maybe posting it isn't the greatest idea but I don't care. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Spoiler:

This was certainly an interesting idea, Exodus, I approve.

[O. Hinds]

Currently up to page 37 (of 50) in doing my commentary...  I'm really sorry it's taking so long, Somber and Hinds.

Don't worry about it.

[Vergil]

Ch.20: "Yeah? Insecure gods don't impress me," I said as pulled out Cupcake's memory orb.

[Vergil]

Same chapter: "Once we got downstairs, I slammed with door behind us."

[SilentCarto]

Considering the turnover there, a link would be prohibitively maintenance-intensive. But I've changed the entry to "Looking for random discussions that may or may not have anything to do with the story? Check out the [Official!] Project Horizons Comment Crew Chat thread!" so I hope that's a better fit for the new reality. Silent, if you'd like a rollback or other changes, let me know and I'll edit them in.

Sounds good to me. Thanks!

I'm still not 100% sold on control of extra body parts being standard to Steelpony, and would be interested to see more indication either way. And in fact, fingers weren't part of the project, but Rover's addition. Granted, that's a specific application an not the general case, but the added control capability could still have been subsequent, parallel development on the part of Rover and Stable 101. (I had thought FoE implied that new work continued in 101 after the war, but I'm not sure on this.)

FOE did indicate that 101 advanced the art of cybernetics during their lockdown, but the more we see of pre-war cybernetics, the more it seems like adding new body parts is not considered an obstacle. For instance, Steelpony included mentally-controlled integrated weapons on its very first subject, Deus. Sending a set of fixed commands like "Fire" and "Load from magazine 2" might be simpler than manipulating a whole new appendage, but that's a difference of scale, not of kind. It's an eight-button NES controller compared to a Xbox 360 with fourteen binary buttons and six 8-bit analog axes -- the latter is more technically challenging, but they both still comes down to manipulating a set of binary switches.

Now that I think about it, even with no cybernetics at all, Littlepip could apparently kick in SATS, select weapons and targets, and confirm or undo the selections as a purely mental action. BJ could mentally press "Yes" and "No" buttons when firing Folly prior to any upgrades. So perhaps the technology to read and interpret the user's intent is not unique to cybernetics at all, but an off-the-shelf technology (developed by Stable-Tec?) that Project Steelpony incorporated for that purpose.

Also, I think that from an outside perspective, it's thematically stronger if the model was designed for Luna, as it establishes a sort of link between them, with Blackjack now in the body of (intended for) the original Maiden of Stars.

That's an interesting point.

Ultimately, though, I guess it wouldn't make much sense for Steelpony to fail to takes the victim's target's patient's proportions into account by default. Suppose you wanted to apply the same cybernetic modifications to, let's say, Applejack, Mr. Cake, and Big Macintosh. You'd need three different, unique protocols unless Steelpony could automatically adjust the design to account for the differences in size, gender, and facial structure -- and that's without even getting into different tribes. So even if we assume the Eclipse protocol was intended specifically for Luna, it would actually be kind of strange to think that it would warp BJ's proportions to match Luna's.

Anyway, this morning I was thinking about how the nature of Equestrian gemstones in PH might reflect on or impact Rarity's special talent for jewel location. Does that suggest she always had a special affinity for souls, or things altered by them? Does her talent apply to ordinary minerals, like the ones Goldenblood showed to his students as examples of chemically identical minerals from elsewhere? Could that have made her predisposed to consider soul magic where most were instinctively repelled? And might it help her better understand the needs and desires of others?

Hmmm. It's possible, I suppose. I'm not sure that Equestrian gemstones contain souls per se, though, considering how inviolate souls are supposed to be outside of the darkest of dark magic, and the fact that said gemstones are not at all indestructable. It seems more like they contain a finite supply of "life force" or whatever fundamental spark it is that Enervation sucks out of you.

P.S. You know, I kinda wish Kkat would go back and add Sombra's "eye streamers" effect when Snips is using the soul-cutting spell on Rarity. Oh well...

[O. Hinds]

Ch.20: "Yeah? Insecure gods don't impress me," I said as pulled out Cupcake's memory orb.

Same chapter: "Once we got downstairs,  I slammed with door behind us."

Ah, thank you.

If I may ask, why do you prefer to put each error in a separate post?

[Vergil]

I'm cur restricted to using the mobile version of the site and I'm not sure how to edit my posts =/

[RoboRed]

The button off the the far right of either posting page (the one that looks like a sheet of paper with a folded corner) toggles editor mode, which makes it easier to edit/make posts. Although it's still a bitch to do it by phone.

EDIT: Herp-derp. I don't believe the mobile version of the site has that. I always use the regular version of the site on my phone to make posts.

[Silver136]

Actually I've done all my posting by phone so far, which is why my posts are usually pretty short...

[O. Hinds]

I'm cur restricted to using the mobile version of the site and I'm not sure how to edit my posts =/

Ah, I see. I'm glad this came up, as editing posts of this nature for aught except correcting no-error-related typos would be a very, very bad idea. Please, please, please do not do it should you acquire the capability to.

[Vergil]

You got it, I'll keep doing things this way (and I'll try not to cut off words of my own like the previous post too...stupid autocorrect).

[O. Hinds]

You got it, I'll keep doing things this way (and I'll try not to cut off words of my own like the previous post too...stupid autocorrect).

Thanks. On a computer, you could also build up a list and then post multiple errors in one go, but I shan't ask you to do that on a phone. :)

[Icy Shake]

SilentCarto: Good points on Steelpony. I'll need to keep those in mind, especially regarding the relation with PipBucks. (But man, it just reminds me of the question of how do PipBucks, particularly where S.A.T.S. is concerned, and even more so with melee attacks and non-integrated weaponry used by non-unicorns, even work? (Magic? Magic.)
As for the gems, it's true that they don't contain souls, at least not like pony souls. Life essence/force works well. I still think it's interesting to speculate on the relation to Rarity's talent, of course.

EDIT: Herp-derp. I don't believe the mobile version of the site has that. I always use the regular version of the site on my phone to make posts.

Same here, but I don't post from mobile because that just seems awful for anything longer than a line. Perhaps with a tablet, and ideally an attached keyboard . . .
But I really detest websites that force you to the mobile version when you're on a mobile device.

Anyway, moving on through chapter thirty five, which set the stage for a surprising number of plot lines, considering such a large portion of it was Blackjack alone in a library or at a personal gathering. Also, it was a rare chapter with no dreams, visions, mind-dives, or memory orbs.

Chapter thirty five running thoughts:

Chapter thirty five overall thoughts:

Chapter thirty five editing matters:

[O. Hinds]

SilentCarto: Good points on Steelpony. I'll need to keep those in mind, especially regarding the relation with PipBucks. (But man, it just reminds me of the question of how do PipBucks, particularly where S.A.T.S. is concerned, and even more so with melee attacks and non-integrated weaponry used by non-unicorns, even work? (Magic? Magic.)
As for the gems, it's true that they don't contain souls, at least not like pony souls. Life essence/force works well. I still think it's interesting to speculate on the relation to Rarity's talent, of course.

EDIT: Herp-derp. I don't believe the mobile version of the site has that. I always use the regular version of the site on my phone to make posts.

Same here, but I don't post from mobile because that just seems awful for anything longer than a line. Perhaps with a tablet, and ideally an attached keyboard . . .
But I really detest websites that force you to the mobile version when you're on a mobile device.

Anyway, moving on through chapter thirty five, which set the stage for a surprising number of plot lines, considering such a large portion of it was Blackjack alone in a library or at a personal gathering. Also, it was a rare chapter with no dreams, visions, mind-dives, or memory orbs.

Chapter thirty five running thoughts:

Chapter thirty five overall thoughts:

Chapter thirty five editing matters:

Ah, thank you very much as always.

She sighed. I stared at her, thinking about Doc Oct’s warnings and about what had happened to Scotch. Would ripping holes in her own memory cause reactions and mistakes? Cause her brain to scramble or drive her crazy? She noticed my look and bowed her head. “The only way to do this... the only way for me to be sure... is if I know there’s nothing in there for her to pick out.”
I looked at her for the longest time. I couldn’t imagine her going through what she had, facing what she did. Actually sabotaging her own brain to thwart a mind-reader? All I did was shoot, get shot at, and have mysteries thrown in my face. I’d never have it as hard as LittlePip did. “LittlePip...” I began, but she shook her head, cutting me off.
“As is, I’m probably going to have to drop a few more memories before I’m sure everything’s set,” she said with a little sigh and roll of her eyes, as if it wasn’t a big deal at all, and the look on her face said that she didn’t want me to treat it as if it was. Wow... she might actually have been able to give the Stable Dweller a run for her money.
“So,” I asked, “you don’t remember anything about our adventure?”

Any reason why that's highlighted?

…Sorry, what? Please explain what you mean.

[Icy Shake]

Maybe it's just showing up this way for me, but here's what it looks like (the darker highlighting of "I stared at her, thinking about Doc Oct's" is from the search; the rest is just there) on my screen:

Spoiler:

[O. Hinds]

Maybe it's just showing up this way for me, but here's what it looks like (the darker highlighting of "I stared at her, thinking about Doc Oct's" is from the search; the rest is just there) on my screen:

Spoiler:

...Huh. Yeah... that isn't showing up for me. Odd. I've tried retyping that part of the sentence, though, since I'm not seeing the problem and don't know what might be causing it, I've no idea if that'll work.

[Vergil]

In ch.22, the lines, "More ponies were coming. Friends. Acquaintances. Rivals." are repeated immediately after their original occurence, I assume unintentionally.

[O. Hinds]

In ch.22, the lines, "More ponies were coming. Friends. Acquaintances.  Rivals." are repeated immediately after their original occurence,  I assume unintentionally.

Ah, thank you. How on Equus did we all miss that one?

[Moodyman90]

I keep telling you, it's Discord messing with ya'll.

[SilentCarto]

SilentCarto: Good points on Steelpony. I'll need to keep those in mind, especially regarding the relation with PipBucks. (But man, it just reminds me of the question of how do PipBucks, particularly where S.A.T.S. is concerned, and even more so with melee attacks and non-integrated weaponry used by non-unicorns, even work? (Magic? Magic.)

You might want to start with, "How do PipBoys and VATS even work?" before you think about heading into "it's magic, I ain't gotta explain shit" territory. At this point, I'm going to invoke both Bellisario's Maxim (Do not examine this too closely) and the MST3K Mantra (Repeat to yourself, "It's just a show, I should really just relax.")

On that note, Bellisario's Maxim would be a great name for a unique LMG rechambered for the .308 Winchester cartridge.

Whinnychester. Whatever.

As for the gems, it's true that they don't contain souls, at least not like pony souls. Life essence/force works well. I still think it's interesting to speculate on the relation to Rarity's talent, of course.

Certainly, I don't mean to shut you down or anything. Just noting that animals aren't supposed to have souls, and if the gems were soul jars, it should be impossible to harm them outside of, say, a starmetal sword. It would be interesting if that's what Rarity's talent drew her toward gemstones for that reason, but I'm not sure what that would then imply. After all, she was seduced by the power offered by the Black Book, which doesn't require you to have an applicable talent at all.

...anyway, Snips was the one doing the cutting. Unless the scene with Rarity and Fluttershy at the comatose stallion's bedside suggested otherwise?

Power Ponies:

[Guest]

@Silent

Spoiler:

[FeatherDust]

On that note, Bellisario's Maxim would be a great name for a unique LMG rechambered for the .308 Winchester cartridge.

Whinnychester. Whatever.

And the barrel has an arrow toward the shooting end with the label "Do not examine this too closely".

Power Ponies:

@Silent

Spoiler:

Power Ponies:

[Moodyman90]

I may be misinterpreting the question, but Pipbucks probably have a better explanation than Pipboys when it comes to VATS and all. In the very least Pipbucks run on a Spell matrix which makes more sense to me since using it causes the Pipbuck to cast a short term speed spell on the user. I say speed because I imagine it doesn't require as much energy to speed up the pony using it to the point everything appears in slow motion than actually slowing everything in the world, or localized area, down.

Meanwhile Pipboys are "It's computers that let you shoot really good and only appears to be in slow motion cause... computers are fast" Despite the fact they're only strapped onto a person, not wired in in some way and probably requires a button push to activate and boot up.

So yeah, I'm more willing to accept the magic version than the tech version in this instant. Though they honestly balance each other out. Pipboys probably could quickly calculate your chances of hitting something into percentages, while the only thing I have for Pipbucks is that the spell pretty much just allows the user the ability to aim without too much worry , like the difference between shooting at a gun range compared to combat, and when the spell drops, it's not completely instant so everything is still moving slightly faster than normal.

[Guest]

*Snip*

Well it's inconsistent (Though given the person that gives you your pipboy in new vegas is a doctor it may explain why he was able to remove his.) in fallout 3's opening it's explicitly stated the pipboy is not simply strapped on. It mentions a biometric seal (And this part is dependent on my memory.) the dificulty involved with removing them from the dead.

Edit: To add to that. If you're willing to accept the fact the pipboy is able to read your vitals why does VATS need to be activated by a buton push? Why can't it detect stress factors? blood pressure, heart rate, etc. recognize you're in a flight or fight situation and automatically put you in?

[Vergil]

Knowing a lot about the dealer makes his early story dialogue considerably more entertaining.

[Kippershy]

What if Luna lost her wings in a terrorist attack?  Or her horn?

Why? Why is this even a question? Why is this something you think up? I'm not going to call you names, but I want to understand, why do you think of these things? What draws your mind to it and what makes all this mutilation so fascinating to you, Somber?
You start with mutilating Blackjack all the time, which is okay and all, but then it gets to the point where she becomes rape Jesus and such and it's a little weird in retrospect.
You tear off one of Glory's wings not all too long before that particular act.
Then you fuck around and say that Littlepip should've been raped over on the TVtropes forums, claiming it would've done her character good (somehow)...

...And now, well, I won't say you're planning on adding this to the story and I'm not trying to imply that, but you're thinking about the very act.
You hate Luna, don't you? You always treat Luna like shit, but this? ...This is worrying. What is it that draws you to (the thoughts of) such acts all the time?

In before:
>you refuse to even acknowledge me
>someone takes offense on your behalf
>you take offense at me asking
>you message me with yet more reveals to try answer me

...Well, no. Scratch that last one. I don't think you'd repeat that little maneuver.

[Derpmind]

Edit: To add to that. If you're willing to accept the fact the pipboy is able to read your vitals why does VATS need to be activated by a buton push? Why can't it detect stress factors? blood pressure, heart rate, etc. recognize you're in a flight or fight situation and automatically put you in?

What other situations besides combat would trigger high blood presure, heart rate, etc? *Insert emote face of choice here*

Seriously though, VATS only has so much charge before you have to return to realtime combat while it recharges. You want to make the conscious choice when to activate it during combat. If VATS helped dodge bullets or similar then it would make sense to automatically activate, but VATS isn't designed to be defensive; it's offensive. It makes mister scary go away.

Knowing a lot about the dealer makes his early story dialogue considerably more entertaining.

Wait a second. Too often older parts of PH get better after re-reading it. Too much better. What if Somber is a time-t̕r̶a̴v͜e̴le͘r?̷ What if this isn't the͟ fir̕st ͘ti͏m̛e̕ he's re-written the story for͏̀ ̶th̸̶e̸͜ ̧̢͠f͞i͢r͡st ̷̀t̴̕i͟m̸͞e͢?͏҉̀ What if Somber wasn't that good of a writer o̲͇͍̥͈͍͠r̭̩̞̬igi͉̞͎o͎̭͠n̷͓͇͖a͕̰͕̫̫l̴͎͈͈̗͍l̥͔̱y̯̫̯̟̟̬̟ but he's been r̠̟̟͚̯͘e̡̧̨̟̯̩̺̠̦̣-̧̻̘̬͕m̶̳͉̲͓̥̱̱̪͘a̢҉͓k̶͙̹̺̹̱̪i̧̭̤͕͢͡n̡̘̻̘̫̯̫͉̩͇͟g̨͔̤̲͖̩̙̥͇ P̵r͜oj́e͝c͡t͠ ̡H͜or̕i̴z̶o̶ns͞ so often he's made it better a͠nd́ b͜e̕t́ter a͟҉͏n̨̨d̛҉ ̛b̢̕e̛̛t͢t́̕ę̴r̴͟?̧ H̴o͠w̛ ̕l͏ong͝ h́as̵ ̨it́ ͢b̢een gói͞ng ̡for͠? ͝Wh̷e͟ņ ̛w̸il̸l ҉i҉t ̴e̵nd? T͡h̢̀̕e̶y͡ ̴͟͝w̸̴ę͟͞r͢e҉͠ ̶͞ŗ͘í̷̛g̨͝ht̀, ͏įt́͘ ̡͞h̸͞ą̷̕s̨̧̕ ͢t̵ǫ̴ ̕s̢͡͞t̢op͏.͘͞͡ I̶҉̷̵̴t̵͢ ̵̴̡̕h̡͟͡a̶̡҉ş̷̛͘͞ ̴҉̨͜͏t̷̴̀͡ò̧͘ ̡͜s̸͡͞͝t̴̶̡͝͡ò̕p̧̛̕͠.̸̛͟͢

T̶̵̢̪͕̯̻̠̠͎͙͓̟̠͖̬͙̅ͩͩͤ͒̈̚͡͝ͅH̨͈̙̼̤̰̭͙͚̯̘̤̣͚̟͂͑̓͐͌͋ͯͯ̍ͯ͛ͩͦͤͫ͗̌̚͘͝E̷̷̫̦̳̙̣͆ͬ̍̐̅ͭͭ̄͒̍̔̚͘͟͝ ̵̛̭͓̪̳̜̩̱̭̘̮̭͔̖̪̜͙̽ͤ͑̒͌͒͑̊͆͛ͤ́ͥͬ̌̅͛Ḧ́ͪ̎̿͆͐̔҉̪̳̯̩͇̻̝̭͝Ơ̵̗͔̗̮͓̗͚̰͔͚͓̬͚̩̠̐͛̌̔̑͗͐̀̌ͮͥ͗̏͗̔ͅR̠̟̳̥͂͂̎͐ͣ̒̉͗͌ͧ͂̍̈́̋͘Iͦ̇̃̆̇ͤ̐ͪ͘҉̭͙̠̞Z̼̜̬̲̠̬̬̲͓̭͎̣̳̺͙̣͑͑̀͗̈́͑̀͘͡ͅO̴̎̃̉͌ͣ̆̽́̃ͧ͂̍͒̃̔̂͛̒ͪ͏̩̝̩͔͇̥̫̹͎ͅͅN̶̢̦̰͎̤͇̘̮͙̞̟͓̖̫̐ͦ̀̐̈́͊͌̂̿͘ͅ ͤ́͛̎̽́͘͠҉̦̺̪̞̱̰͕̭͕̬͇̰͎H̵̼͍͖̹̩̠̦̦͎ͤͬ̿̀͠A̷̵̵͍̪̤̬̺͕̪͋͆̽ͮͨ́̊̍͊̓̐͋ͤ̓̎̈̚͠S̍͌̔͏̡̝̤̻͎͍̣̹̫̙͍̫̬̮̯̰͚̺̯̰ ̴̷̨̭̹͚̣̜̻̜̰͚͈̺͇̙̯͍͉̗͆̄̎̾͂ͧ͜ͅͅT͌̃ͧ̅̃ͬ͆̒̀҉͈̞̫̼̟͈̖͖̮͈̬̜̼͚Ǫ̸̨̛̘̬̮̬̫̖̟͉͇̜̳̫͔̦̼̉ͦ̍͒͐̏ͨ̂ͩ̈ͤ̄͂ͪ͋ͦͫͤ͝ ͩ͊͗̒̅ͬ̄̽̾̅̚̕҉͏̷̻͉̠͈͓̹̠͖̱̳̬͓͙̖͚̝̯̠͈S͐̊̌ͥ̒͐̏̈́͂̂̐̒̒̌̍̃͒̚̚͏͈̤̻͕͈̥͈͘ͅT̩̦̦̼̯̲̣ͯͧ̂̎̈́̔̋ͪ̈ͪ̐̄͐̊ͭ̿̒͘̕͘ͅO̢̱͖̯̹͖̤̫̝͈̱̺̺̘̹͓̖̬̰̠̍̌ͬ̿̀̋̊͋ͣ̇ͩͦ̓̈ͩ͌͞P̸̵̮̖͈̤̪̯͕͌͌̓ͩ̓ͣ̄̋͗̌̌ͣ̆ͯ͝͝ ͊͊ͮ͗̄̀̐͗͒҉̵̳̩̬͉͉̻̳̘͔͔̜̥̗̺̤͇͓͙I̷̾ͮ͆̐͒̑̈́ͨ͂ͦ̓͢҉̷̤̺͚̝̳̬̖͚̥̣̤̖͖̬́ͅŢ̵̜̫̝̮̥̤̻̜̦̥̫̭͖̔̋ͤ̓̉̈́̆'̧̧̪͇̹̟̺͒̎ͧ̿ͬ̎ͤ͂̾͗́̈ͬ̊̅̒͢͜S̛̰̺̖̣̩̙͔̗͓̮̓̏̄̔̾ͤ̒ͥ̀̔͐͒̎̂̋͂̕͜͞͞ ̷̧̣̦̣̤͕̯͓̖̗͙͚̥͓̋͊̾ͩͧ̆͌́́̀C̶͑ͯ̋ͫ͒͊ͯ҉͔͍̦̦̩͉͖̘̦̲͖̹͠Ő͚̘̣̣̰̫̣̼̟̞̇ͬ̓̃͟M̔ͣ͑̋̓̇ͭ̌̎ͯ̔̆͊͊̾̉͂̚͘͞҉̡̙̱͎̰̖̥̥̪̝̼̹̜I͌̐̒ͥ̽ͫ̔̂̊ͭͩͧ͗̚̚͏̷̱͎̰͉̳̪̺̞͔̖́͞͠N̵̂̋̓ͬͤ͗̉̒͂͂ͧ́́̕҉͎͎̗̙G͕̘̟̗̠ͥ́ͮ̌ͭ̐̀̏ͪ͂͢͡ ̵͍͓̯̦̺̠̲̩͈̻̈̑̈́͆͘ͅF̸̸̡̦̱̜̬̭ͬ̿͊̉ͬ͒̑ͣ̂ͩ͌ͣ͌́Ơ̡͕̭̲̹̙͙͉͚͂ͭͪ̓ͦ̓̀̈́ͭ̓́ͨ̅͐̓̍̚͞Ṙ̢̨̛̥̹͔̳̝͍̠͎͔͚̣̓̓̂ͩͫ̕ ͪ̾ͫͨ̃̄̆ͮ͑ͦͪͨ͂ͥ̉͏̴̵̛̪̫̲͚͚Ṵ̧̼̥̖̮̰͓͙̬͚̪̙̐̋̃ͤͨ̑̽̽̉̕͟͠͡Ṡ̡̟̻̦͉̰̫̫̭̑ͫ̏̽ͥ͑ͫͯͫ̔̌̀̎͋͋̽ͩ͟͠ ̸͇̺̫͎̱̗ͭ̓ͫͤͬͨͩỈ̶̴̑ͦ͌̋͊̂ͫ̅̄̽ͥ͗͞҉̙͚͚̠̺̦͈̬Ṱ̷̡̧̗̬̮͎͍̫̤̥̬̲͖̺͚͕̋̈́̆̏͛̏̾ͦ͡ͅ ̸͖̠͈̭̫͓͙͕̬̼͎͚͉̙̣̳͔̽ͤ͊͊͘͜͡Ḩ̢̡̢̬̫̠̫͉̖̬̮ͫ͂̍͗ͨͮ͂̽̆͛̌̅̚̚͜À͋̌̐ͣͨ͛͛ͪ̓ͮ̌͌̑̍͌̌̏̀͡҉͙̱͔͖̝̻̖̗̲͈͜͢Ŝ̂ͮ̌̎ͩ̓̔ͨ̉ͦͫ͏̶̴̭̤̬͙ ̧̝̯̟͕̯̱̙͉͓̟͇͎͇̩̺̣̏̌̉͊̅̈́̄͛̅ͭ͛̂̃̃̈̒ͦ͗͊̀͜T̷͔̦͈͇̣̩͙̯̦͍͎͎̺̙̑̽̾̈ͬ̿͋̒̋̂̾ͨ́̂̈̋́̚͘͝ͅȮ̴̢̰͓̦̤͓̠͙̻̘̫̋̍͌̑̽͌ͩͣ͊ͣ͆̓̉́̄̽͟ͅͅͅ ̶̐ͮͭͫ̒́͘̕҉̻̣̫̖̯̪̪̼̥̖̱̘S͉͉̖̮͇͓͈̜̞̖͚̬̻͙̖̭̰ͯ̎ͥ̓ͧ̆ͧ͛̓ͩ̔̐ͩ́̀͢T̢̛̙̳̞̼͎̝̬͇̗͓̻̲̬̣̙ͭ̂ͥͤͮ͒̐͛̽́̋ͥͥ̔ͧ̀̀̚Ỏ̶̢̻͉̜͉͉̦̞̻̳͙̳̭͖̼̩͔͈̈́͊͒͐ͦ͟ͅP̷̧̱̩̥̞̺̜ͥ͛͒̓ͫͭ͋̈́͐ͯ͑͑́͆ͤ̈́̚ ̛̎͌ͣ͊ͫ͊̋́̏̆̽̅̈̊҉̪̜̦̪͚̹̮̝̬̭̯̞͎͔͜P̴̤̬̣͉̘̭̣͙̱̫̪̩͔̦̝̟͍ͧ̿̌ͭ̊͐̾̈́ͬ̀ͮ̕͝ͅLͦ̆̑͒̑̆̑̈́ͬ̐̚҉̶̧̠͔̬̹̜̼̬̱͔͍̙̥͎̯̟̦̙̺̺́E̸͙̜̖͚͕̲̱ͭͧͣͬ̎̔ͨͭ̐̅ͫ̚͢A̵̛͍̥͖̹̞̒ͪ͊ͫͫ͗͛̉̂̑ͩ̽́̀͜ͅS̶̵̶̥͚̹͉̄ͫ́͞͝Ĕ̷̶̪͕̦̮̳̯̱͍̘̫̱͛͛͗͛̍ͦ̌̅͛́̿̒̃̓ͯ́͢ ̘̩̹̗͍̖͕̝ͮ̿̒ͧͦ̔̒̿͟͠N͇̞̙̩̑̈́̆ͮ͆̔́̇͘͢͞ͅÕ̵̞̪͇̒ͤͮ͂ͨ̏̃̓́̚͞ ̧́̒ͯ̆̄̓͂͆ͩ̓ͤͯ̓̽͛̒͏̦̣̘͇̗̳͖̪̼͚̱̟̼ͅS̡͙̪̼͍̯̘͆̂̔̈̿̀̎͌͗ͯ͑͗͊́͝Ṭ̴̸͙̩̟̤͖̭̄ͭ̔͋ͦ͆̌̽̂̅̂͐̌̊͒̍͢͝Ǒ̲̞̰͉̘̜͓̫͇͓̖̻̺̤̠͔̃̆̑̕͠P̶̶͍̩͚̟̮̰͕̮̣͕̱̥͕͕̤̦̫̽̐̀́͗́̐͋̽̾͗̈̆̏̅́͜͠ͅͅ ̨̡̬͕̥̭̠̣̻̬̞̳̜̠͕͇̘̈͊ͪͧ́̏͜ͅT̴̨̛͓̼̗͕̑ͦ̽ͮ̃̐̈́̈́̋̏͑̍ͬ͊͜͢H̢̲̜̦̠̺̤̼͓̑͆ͨͨ̃ͥ̎̉̚̚͟͠Ȩ̂ͥ̊̌́ͨ̔ͩ̾̚͜҉̖̙̦͎̱̯̻̟̝ ̡̮̺̠̮̖̩̮͙̮̜͕̦̯̔̑̿͒̑͑̊ͬH̵̡̠̗͓̞͓̲̯̳̳̱̪̤̦͔̫̉̔ͦͤ͐͌̌̏́̕͠ͅO̵͕͈̮̟͇ͣ̃̓͐ͧͧ̈́͑̐͊ͪͨ́́͢R̵̷̝̟͉̫̺̲͎͍̫͎̫̗̼̘͙̳̃͒̿́̓̈́̾̀̂̔͗͊̾ͦ́͞Ḯ̵ͦ͐̒̍͗̑̀͑ͯ͢͏̵̦͚͍͕͜Z̢̢̰̥̠͚̞͔͌̄̓̊́̅́̓ͮ͒̔ͦͪͮͪͪͫͩ͐͢͟Ŏ͍̼̮̭͉ͨͤͩ̒̄ͩͯ͑͒̄̍ͩ́͢͡Ñ̡̞̲͚̦̠̰̀͐̾̇̏ͥ͛̓̽̈́̿̊̔͐ͯ̂̽ͧ͝ ̒̊̄ͣͭ̏̔̀ͤ͏̴͇̟̺͓̻̼͓̞͇Ḭ̷͓͇̯̯̺̺̠ͫ̎̅̅̀͘͠S̶̫͍̩͔̣̃̈̿͆̔͑̋̓͢ ̵̼̜͓̹̣͍̰̤̒ͬͨͭͦ̋̽̕̕͜H̵̩̤̖͙̯̙̠͙̋̒ͨͯ̿͌ͥ̂̑ͫ͊̎ͬ̓́͘͡E̡̮̖͇̞̐̓̃̋͗͋̃͋̎̉̿͗̇ͧ͡Rͬ̊͋ͤͤ̆̂ͤ̇̀̆̚͘͟͡͏̜̩̪͡E̵̛͔̣͚̘̗̣̒͐̀̒̒ͪ̍͛̆̽ ̶̗̰̜̥̭̟̰̤̱̙̜͙̘̣̾ͮ͂͐́͒͐̆̒̿̋̾̋̂͗̊̉͢͝ͅA̓ͫ̓̈́ͮ̓͑̌̀͏͙͈̙̻̬̘͈̼͕̰̩̬͍̬̜N̡̐͗͊͑̾͌̅̇ͤ̔͊ͭ̇ͦͥ͞͏̯̗͖̯͚̱̹͙͕̝͎̹Ḑͭͣ̒̿̇̈͒̒͐ͨͭ̃̎҉̸͎͇̰̻̻͓̻͈̫̲̜̻̖̮̝͉́͜ͅ ̷̮̩̮̼̮͇͔̠̇̈͌ͬͪ̽͐ͧ̇͘ͅͅI̴̧̤̗͕̭̖̖̠̬͖͈̘̺ͦ̒ͩͤͥͬ̔̀͒ͬ͐ͥ̓͊̑ͤ͊ͥŢ̷̧͇͈͓̠̮͖̼͔̟̝͓̼͙̠̖ͥ̈́̈ͩ̋͑ͩͪ̆̆̅͒̚ͅ ̸͚̬͉̥͐ͧ͗̆ͧ̂̇́̚͢D̑͊̉̎͂̀̑͌̑̒ͪͩͦͨͩͭ͏̴̘̪̻̯͉̞͚̰͈͇̘͍̬͔̝̘̠O̱̩̳̫̫̮̘͎̐͂ͥͣ̈́̏̀͋ͬ̋ͮͬ̇ͮ̀̊̎̀͜Ẽ̷͌͂́҉̜͓͉̜͈̝̰͕͍͎̘̗̱͎̟̝̤̖̩S̵̫̮̭̱̤̙̞̫̺̖͕͚ͨ̓̿̃ͨ͛̿ͧ̽ͪ͗̚͘͜͢͡ͅŇ̸̘͔̭͙̜̤̮͙̰͖̮̰͓̈́ͮ͑͑ͫ̕͠'̵̰͚̗͇̜̪̣ͣ̈́̅̃̇̓́͠T̨̢̢͖̳̪͈̪̬̦̼̺̝̭͇̜͙͋̇ͮ̋̎̍ͭ̿̑̃ͨ̐̿̌̚͡ ̧̲̳̼̺̱̱̰͎͕ͬ̀̉̈̅̒͞S̵ͤ͌͌̆ͮ͒̎͜͝҉̹̱̤̣̞̱̜̻́ͅT̨̺̲͔̜͕̫͓̬̹̦͖͈͖̞̮̣ͪ̒̎̊ͣ͒ͭ̃͋̃͐́͒͋̀͢O̸̖̥͇̣͚̹̤̺͍͍̫ͩͪͩ̽ͨ͘͢͡P̶̼̲̰͎̼͍̫͓̺͇͇̠̥̘̘̩̦͌̐ͫͮ̓ͩͩͧͪͪ̍̓͋ͫ̊̅̑̀̚




That effect happens in lots of stories, really. There's some details foreshadowed that only make sense in retrospect. In PH, because it's such a dense story is that these things pop up all the time when re-reading any chapter, which is another reason I love this story so much.

[Guest]

What other situations besides combat would trigger high blood presure, heart rate, etc? *Insert emote face of choice here*

Seriously though, VATS only has so much charge before you have to return to realtime combat while it recharges. You want to make the conscious choice when to activate it during combat. If VATS helped dodge bullets or similar then it would make sense to automatically activate, but VATS isn't designed to be defensive; it's offensive. It makes mister scary go away.

I'm not saying it activates that way exclusively. It's kind of silly to suggest that a wrist mounted computer wouldn't have options. Activating automatically may not be something an experienced survivor would want but the inexperienced straight out of the vault survivor that may not realize a situation is dangerous until too late would. In that situation it's useful life saving even. Once your comfortable you could turn off the feature.

You could argue that since the pipboy recognizes hostiles (Not talking about the red dashes on the compass. I honestly do not think those things are real. It's just the way the game expresses your perception. For an example a red dash that indicates a death claw may be there because your character may have seen claw marks or it's footprints or something. Making clues like this appear and disappear depending on your perception stat is just not doable. I think it highlights enemies in red when using VATS though.) that's factored in  along with stress factors. I think I'm wrong about the highlighting thing.

[Derpmind]

What if Luna lost her wings in a terrorist attack?  Or her horn?

Why? Why is this even a question? Why is this something you think up? I'm not going to call you names, but I want to understand, why do you think of these things? What draws your mind to it and what makes all this mutilation so fascinating to you, Somber?
You start with mutilating Blackjack all the time, which is okay and all, but then it gets to the point where she becomes rape Jesus and such and it's a little weird in retrospect.
You tear off one of Glory's wings not all too long before that particular act.
Then you fuck around and say that Littlepip should've been raped over on the TVtropes forums, claiming it would've done her character good (somehow)...

...And now, well, I won't say you're planning on adding this to the story and I'm not trying to imply that, but you're thinking about the very act.
You hate Luna, don't you? You always treat Luna like shit, but this? ...This is worrying. What is it that draws you to (the thoughts of) such acts all the time?

In before:
>you refuse to even acknowledge me
>someone takes offense on your behalf
>you take offense at me asking
>you message me with yet more reveals to try answer me

...Well, no. Scratch that last one. I don't think you'd repeat that little maneuver.

You ever wonder what would happen after a thermonuclear war? What if we add some super-mutagen? Maybe an elder thing from beyond the black between the stars?

Mutilating a person is horrible. Mutilating a fictional character, not so much. With a fictional character, when something bad happens often the default response is no response. Think of the hero of a generic action movie mowing down dozens of 'bad guys'. Do you honestly care at all about the bad guys being shot, de-limbed and exploded most of the time? You have to build sympathy for that character first, build up that believability because characters aren't real and we know it. You're treating our academi-ish discussion like we're considering hurting a real person. We aren't. Luna isn't real, and she's not going to feel pain or anything else from loosing an already-imaginary wing or horn until we make her real.

[O. Hinds]

Power Ponies:

@Silent

Spoiler:

Power Ponies:

This line of thought is awesome. :D

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